Plague of Skulds  Part 4 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.



**********


To see the Eagle Nebula, humans must look in the direction of a group of
bright stars that they have named 'Serpens' or 'The Serpent'.  The nebula
itself only looks like an eagle the way clouds take on shapes during a
summer day.  The Eagle Nebula really is a collection of clouds.  Thick
and warm, in comparison to empty space, its a perfect place to incubate
baby stars, until they are ready to shine on their own.  

Terai had been there for millions of years, in the heart of one of the three
'tall' fingers of cloud that seem to drift at the center of the nebula, as seen
from Earth.  The lives of stars are ever so long, so the time that has passed
since she first spun the dust about herself and began to form seems quite
short to her brother and sister stars.  For many of those years she had
projected her personality through the tiny wormhole that Grandmother
taught her to make.  She had rarely been allowed to go to planets, and had
always been escorted wherever she went.  Usually you would find her
projection on the Balcony where the spirits and stars in attendance of her
incubation would stand to look out over her forming solar system.  The
Balcony itself is only partially in our universe, you could think of it as a
sub-sub basement of the Heavens, and it was always filled with many
Gods and Goddesses and Stars coming and going and supervising various
processes.

Not that day.  Where there was usually so much activity, someone visiting
the Balcony just then would have found it unnaturally quiet.  The floor,
normally so tidy, was cluttered with strange looking one handled bottles. 
And instead of tens or sometimes hundreds of figures going to and fro,
there were only two standing near the railing, overlooking Terai's
gathering orb.  

Two figures, in ornate black armor.  The light itself, that went anywhere
near them, seemed to be stolen away.

Suddenly, with a thunderous crack, two bolts of gas and lightening leaped
out of Terai, one from her north pole and one from the south.  This is a
time tested technique by which protostars become stars, expelling a paltry
billion or so tons of superheated ions to reduce angular momentum. The
expulsion of many such bolts allows them to collapse small enough to
ignite into maturity.

The shorter of the two figures was visibly startled.  "She's back!  She's
resisting us!"

"Calm yourself." said the taller figure.  "It is an emotional reaction.  She's
visiting a planet, after all.  She saw something that surprised her."

"This is taking too long, ...", began the shorter figure again.

"Do be quiet."  replied the taller one.  "Soon only Kamisama will be able
to undo what we are doing, if he bothers.  She will be OUR sister yet."

Neither of them were monitoring Terai's body carefully, so neither
realized that a few million tons of superheated ionized gas from one of the
bolts had disappeared.  Not that such a tiny amount would have concerned
a star.  It was less to them than a dandruff flake to us.


***********


Back on Earth, Nekomi campus melted.  During the first second, Terai
opened the wormhole wide in all dimensions and let her wrath pour out on
to that hideous man.  During the next second she realized she was burning
much more than a single rapist.  During the third second she pinched the
wormhole back down to the subatomic size that allowed her to just
present a seeming human being, and it took her an additional second to
project and stabilize the 'body' that allowed her to be seen, and to see,
touch, taste, and feel.  

What Terai saw, was the inside of a dark cloud.  She knew that wasn't
right.  There had been buildings here, and the evening sky had been clear,
with no clouds to reflect her sister's setting rays.  Then Terai remembered
just how small planets and their mortal inhabitants were.   "Skuld?", she
called out in a whisper, but with growing horror, she began to believe that
no one was there to answer.  Terai began to tremble and a single sob
escaped her lips.  

Then a sudden, brilliant light dawned inside the cloud.  Terai spun to face
it, still trembling.  "S-sister," she said "I, ... I ruined your planet."

Terai's sister, manifesting as any mature star would, was incandescent. 
She was also beautiful, even for a star.  Her 'body' was that of woman just
barely beginning middle age, but still more lovely than many young
maidens in their prime.  Her face was heartstopping.  She wore an
elaborate Kimono, more suitable to bygone eras, and her hair was pined
up and held with combs.  There was no anger or reproach in her
expression.  She spread her arms wide.  "Come to me, Teraichan."

When Terai didn't move, but just stood there sobbing, her sister walked a
few steps forward and took Terai in her arms.  As Terai buried her face in
her sisters clothes, the lady spoke again.  "Really, its not nearly so bad as
you think, Teraichan.  The planet isn't ruined.  You mearly vaporized
Tokyo Bay.  You've made a mess, that's true, but you and your friend can
simply put it all back if you act quickly.  So please dry your tears."

"But, ..I vaporized Skuld too!", sniffed Terai, looking up at her sister with
a glimmer of hope never the less.

"Goddesses are tougher than that." replied her Sister, who then began
looking around in the cloud.  "Ah, there she is."

Terai snapped her head in that direction.  "All I see is a big black ball."

"She's hiding in there."  replied her sister.  "Using a shield sphere to
protect someone weak, most likely, until after the wind comes."

Before Terai could ask what her sister meant, a blast of wind struck the
area.  It was so strong it might have carried Terai's projected body away,
but apparently her sister was ready for it, since they both kept their
footing.  Her sister's hair though, had the combs and pins blown out of it
and stretched out like a pennant in the direction which Tokyo Bay had
been.  

Terai looked around as the blast of wind faded.  The last rays from her
Sister's true body illuminated all the destruction Terai had wrought. 
Tokyo bay was dry and blasted.  A titanic mushroom cloud of steam was
rising into the air above them, it's ragged stem stretching up from the
bottom of the bay.  Far away, a wall of water from the Pacific Ocean was
rushing to refill the space.  Of Nekomi Tech campus, whose buildings had
been adjacent to the Bay, there was no trace, only an expanse of blasted,
molten earth.  Across the scorched zone, some broken buildings could be
seen, far away.  They had been knocked flat though, either by the initial
blast or by rush of air when the cloud began to rise.  Visible between the
two stars in human shape and the dry bay was a round black ball, as big as
a small car. 

"Here now", continued her Sister, as if no real harm had been done, "the
air is cool enough that whoever your friend is protecting will be able to
breath it.  So lets begin.  The fewer resurrections your friend has to
perform, the better Kamisama will like it."

"But, if Skuld even knows how, where will she get the power?"

"Oh Teraichan!," Her sister looked at her with an expression of shock. 
"I'm very sorry.  I've been quite cruel to you."

"What do you mean?" asked Terai.

"I accepted your promise not to harm my life bearing world, but I didn't
ensure that you could do it.  It's quite wrong to take a child's promise
when the child doesn't know how to keep that promise.  Now then, watch
closely in every dimension, and I'll show you what to do."

Terai's sister walked over to the Goddess's shield sphere and knocked on
it lightly.  It flickered and vanished.  There, kneeling in a slightly concave
depression in the cooling ground were all of Terai's companions and
Ootaki, Satoko, and the rapist.  As the shield fell, Belldandy and Urd fell
too, both of them flickering near unconsciousness.  The rapist was also
out, and bruised and battered.  Satoko was awake, though still clutching
her bleeding neck.  She stared at Terai and her Sister dumfounded for a
moment, as did Ootaki and Keiichi.  Skuld was trying to keep her two
sisters from falling unconscious to the ground.

Satoko found her tongue first.  "Amaterasu!.." was all she could get out.

Amaterasu stooped down near Skuld, her manner much more formal than
when alone with her little sister.  "Goddesses, who is first among you?"

Skuld replied respectfully.  "My sister Belldandy."  She nodded toward
Belldandy since she was using her hands to keep her sisters from falling
over.  "They'd rise to greet you, lady, but they both used all their energy
on the shield."

Amaterasu stretched out the index finger of her right hand and touched the
center of the goddess marking in Belldandy's forehead.  Belldandy's eyes
snapped open wide, then glowed, then literally became blue spotlights,
almost laser beams.

Amaterasu spoke.  "**Goddess Arise.  Revive all those struck down. 
Heal all wounds.  Restore all things, unto the blades of grass, above,
upon, and below the burned ground.  Let the burning cloud be cooled
also.  And let forgetfulness cover the memories of them all.**"

Belldandy stretched her arms wide and rose into the air and expanded. 
Her floating shape stretched out until the left hand hovered near the stem
of the mushroom cloud and the right stretched out beyond the city into the
country.  It was light from Belldandy which illuminated the scene now, as
Amaterasu's true body slipped below the horizon.  Belldandy pivoted
through the air circling the remains of the bay, and as She passed over, the
buildings sprung back up, the trees and plants were restored, the city
lights came on and the terrible cloud began to rain down into the bay as
she nudged it toward the open sea.  The air was unnaturally clear, and as
he looked out to the west, Keiichi thought he saw Tokyo Tower lift itself
back up.  

Amidst the resurrection of the urban area, Amateratsu was relatively
nonchalant.  She turned toward Terai.  "You see Teraichan, that's why
Kamisama has filled the universe with Gods and Goddesses, Angels and
Spirits, Saints and Heroes.  We stars are simply to clumsy to touch our
worlds directly.  Now did you see what I did?"

"It looked like a simple heat transfer."

"Yes, but which dimensions did I open the hole through?"

"The Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth only."

"Exactly."  Amaterasu smiled proudly at Terai.  "Now, don't actually
touch any of your friends, but let me see you prepare to do it yourself." 
Terai held out her own index finger while Amaterasu coached her.

Keiichi and Ootaki were mesmerized by Belldandy.  She was sweeping
across the opening between Tokyo Bay and the sea now, turning back
toward Nekomi.  Satoko and Skuld were dividing their attention between
Belldandy's progress and the two Stars, although Skuld was also
supporting a still very groggy Urd.  As Belldandy came close to Chiba,
Satoko stood up, and timidly approached the two Stars.  Amaterasu and
Terai paid her no mind at first.

"But Sister," asked Terai, "Don't you need Kamisama's permission to
resurrect people?"

"Only if there is some doubt as to the shape of their destiny, Teraichan. 
I'm quite sure Kamisama did not plan from the Beginning for you to lay
waste to even this much of Japan.  Now be sure to practice what I've
shown you on your friends here.  You'll certainly need this technique as
you form your own lifebearing world, and congratulations on your
Authorization."

"Thank You, Sister" replied Terai, but Skuld, watching them, thought her
friend was rather unenthused.

"Also, be careful how often you empower any one Goddess, since the heat
goes into their systems as nearly pure power, some of them have become
psychologically addicted to the process."

Belldandy came nearer Nekomi City, and the campus began to reform
around them, with buildings and trees lifting back out of the ground.

"Please excuse me." said a trembling Satoko from a short distance away. 
Amaterasu turned and regarded her with an impassive face, hinting
neither acceptance nor rejection.  "Please," Satoko continued, "Don't make
me forget.  I don't want to forget what I've seen.  I'll make any promise if
you'll let me ...", Satoko's eyes were suddenly very heavy, and she sank to
the ground, which now had the familiar pavement and landscaping that
Nekomi Tech had always sported, "... remember." was the last word she
uttered before falling asleep.

Ootaki let out a snore, already asleep himself.  Belldandy, shrinking back
to her normal size as she came, descended among them.  Urd, receiving
power from Belldandy, lifted herself to her feet and Skuld stood beside
her.  The cities were restored, though sleeping, and the Bay, hidden from
view by the campus buildings, sighed back to it's normal level on the
sands.  Belldandy, Urd, and Skuld arranged themselves to face Amaterasu
and Terai across Satoko's sleeping form.  The light went down in
Belldandy's eyes and an unnatural quiet settled on everything.  No one and
nothing was awake or moving except the Stars, the Goddesses, and
Keiichi.

Belldandy bowed, and her Sisters did the same.  Keiichi, seeing what they
were doing. quickly copied them as well.  "Thank You very much,
Amaterasusama.", said Belldandy, "I have done all that you ask, excepting
only Morisato Keiichi.  I hope you will not object to him remembering,
because he is my trusted friend."  Keiichi blushed, and didn't come out of
his bow until a few moments after the Goddesses had come out of their's.

Amaterasu had accepted their bows with a nod.  "I see my young Sister is
well cared for here.  Please excuse her childish error.  It is important that
she linger as long as she can, so she can learn some of what she herself
will someday face.  While she remains with you, call on me for any need
her presence brings.  Also, with reguards to this woman."  Amaterasu
indicated Satoko.  "Allow her to remember what she has seen, as if in a dream,
so that she does not draw unnecessary attention to herself."   Amaterasu then 
turned to Terai.  "Cheer up, Teraichan." she said cheerily, "Please enjoy the
remainder of your visit. It's too short a time to waste feeling glum."  Then 
her glowing image faded away to nothing, and she was gone.

And Belldandy fell to her knees.  Skuld was beside her at once, and
Keiichi closed the distance quickly.  "I'm fine." protested Belldandy, "Still
filled to overflowing with power actually.  But I'm remembering
everything, every person and living thing I restored.  The details are going
to make me dizzy while they sort themselves out."  Belldandy held her
hands over Satoko and formed her blue ball.

"If you heal her," commented Urd, "We can't have that thing arrested."

"I'll store up her health while restoring her memory, so she heals fast," 
replied Belldandy.

The sounds of the city began to be heard as people everywhere around
Tokyo Bay woke up.  Skuld was sent to a nearby telephone to call the
Police.  Keiichi tied the rapist's hands behind his back using his belt and
tied his shoelaces together for good measure, though he showed no sign of
regaining consciousness.  Belldandy finished her magic and began tending
to Satoko's wounds in a mundane fashion.  Urd woke Ootaki up, and
made him listen to a few strong words of warning about how Satoko
might very well flinch from any man's presence for a while and how he
needed to show her extra patience and support.  Only after she'd finished
was Ootaki allowed near Satoko.  Satoko was very calm as she woke up,
probably Belldandy's doing, Keiichi reflected.  As Skuld came back from
the phone they could hear a police siren in the distance.  But through it all
Terai spoke not a word, and simply sat nearby looking at the ground.

It took hours to finish with the Police.  Even Terai was asked for a
statement, in which she answered each question put to her with the facts
and nothing more.  Satoko and Ootaki left first, in an ambulance.  Finally
the group that had entered Nekomi campus so cheerfully just before
sunset made their way to the Motorclub garage.  Terai, still silent, rode in
the sidecar, while the three Goddesses shrank themselves down to about
 ten centimeters each and crowded in around Terai's feet.  Finally, much
later than expected, they returned home to the Temple house.  They had
barely removed their shoes and stepped in when the phone began to ring.

"Guess Who." said Urd.

Belldandy went to phone.  "Morisato residence.  Yes, Kamisama."

Terai immediately went to Skuld's room.  Skuld looked at her sisters then
followed Terai.

"I'll put tea on." said Keiichi, and headed off to the kitchen.  So Belldandy
and Urd were left by the phone in the hallway.  Urd leaned her head near
the phone to hear what was said to Belldandy.

"Belldandy" said the voice on the phone, "Your reaction with Amaterasu
to the crisis was well measured.  I'm pleased with your quick resolution."

"Thank You, Kamisama."

"However, the fact that their was a problem at all has led me to review
events in detail since Terai's arrival, and I find that some issues must be
addressed."

Belldandy bit lightly on her own lip, this was the part where unwelcome
surprises might come.

"First of all," said the phone voice, "Take no action regarding power
increase paperwork.  I have signed a directive ordering your powerflow
increased three fold."

"Yes!" squeaked Urd, just a little too loudly.

"That is Urd there?" He asked.

"Yes, Kamisama."

"I will speak to her when we finish.  It was quite detestable to observe her
blackmailing you."

"Eeee!", said Urd.

"She intended to help me, Kamisama.", replied Belldandy.

"I am also concerned that she achieved as much success as she did.  While
I trust your dedication, it is unwise to leave you weak on any side.  I am
considering speaking to the boy directly, to acquaint him with the details
myself."

"Yes Kamisama."  Belldandy bit back a protest for further delay.  Surely
after that debacle with the Bugs, Christmas before last, she knew better
than to resist her Master's wishes.  Or so she hoped.

"When Urd suggested that your Seal should be broken, Terai had not yet
lost her temper.  Considering that event, do you now believe Urd's plan is
wise?"

"Umm, not yet Kamisama," Belldandy glanced at Urd, thinking to spare
her feelings, but Urd had the crestfallen look of someone waiting to be
disciplined.  "I very much hope that Terai has learned her lesson now."

"Very well.  Belldandy, I preauthorise you to break your Seal during
Terai's visit, should you believe her in danger of making another error."

"Thank You, Kamisama."

"Now I will speak to Urd."

Belldandy handed the phone to her older sister.  Urd took the receiver in
her hand, shut her eyes tightly, and held it up to her ear.  "Yes Sir?"

Belldandy turned and headed toward the kitchen, but her ears were so
good she overheard the beginning of the conversation anyway.

"I grow weary Urd, of reminding you that the end does not justify the
means."

"Yes Sir."