Oh my God ?

                          An Oh My Goddess FanFic

                                    by

                                Brett Handy

Chapter 5:

     I awoke refreshed, having slept dreamlessly and was
surprised at how alive I felt.  Shrugging off the covers I
realised that there was no one else awake, it was only
slightly after dawn.

     Deciding that I'd help a little, I crept into the
kitchen, trying not to wake anyone.  Searching the around for
a while I located the ingredients to the famous 'Handy
Omelette'.  Smiling to myself, I realised how much I had
missed enjoyed mucking around in the kitchen.  By the time
everyone else was awake, I had breakfast finished.

     "What's this??", Keiichi asked curiously, looking at the
rather ugly looking breakfast.

     I looked at him strangely, "It's an omelette", I replied,
finishing my own serving (I find that's the best part of
cooking - eating what you make :).

     Keiichi frowned at the offered food, "Are you sure?", he
asked, obviously a little nervous about eating my cooking.

     I shrugged, "If you don't want it..", I suggested,
looking at my own empty plate.

     "Keiichi-san", Belldandy said sternly, "Brett-san has
taken the time to cook it for us, it would be rude to refuse
to eat it".

     Keiichi steeled himself and ate a piece, surprised at the
taste his eye's widened, "If Goof", he mumbled, chewing.

     Belldandy and Skuld also seemed to enjoy it, "I must get
the recipe", Belldandy commented.

     I smiled, "Mum taught me to cook it when I was ten", I
said.  Then I glanced around, noticing that Urd was missing,
"Where's Urd?", I asked.

     Skuld smirked, "She's feeling a little delicate this
morning", she replied.

     I nodded and smiled a little, "Well, I'd better take it
to her before it gets cold", I replied.

     Skuld looked like she was going to say something, but a
Belldandy shook her head.  Grabbing up various items, I placed
it on a tray and headed for Urd's room, oh yes I was going to
enjoy this.

     Flinging open her door a little loudly, I was greeted by
the site of a half-blanket covered form, stretched out in the
middle of the bed.  I smiled ruthlessly and threw open the
curtains, letting the bright morning light stream in.

     "Ohhhhh", Urd moaned.

     I nudged her slightly, "Come on, wake up", I whispered.

     "Go away Belldandy", she groaned, "I don't want to get
up".

     "Well I'm afraid we've got an appointment", I said
loudly, sitting on the bottom of the bed.

     Urd sat up in fright, clutching the sheets up to cover
herself, then groaned with the movement and put her hand to
her head.

     "Oh don't worry about that", I said, indicating the
clutched sheets, "I didn't undress you when I dumped you in
here last night".

     "What do *you* want", she said quietly, obviously in
pain.

     "We're going to heaven this morning", I said, bearly
holding back my laughter at her condition.  Her eyes were
bloodshot and her face was white.

     "Here", I said, handing her a glass filled with water
that had been mixed with antacid tablets.

     She gulped it down quickly, I also passed her a couple of
aspirin, "There's breakfast here, if your hungry", I said,
indicating the tray and standing up.

     I walked over to the door, "We'll leave when your less
likely to get us *stuck* in the TV", I commented, leaving the
room.

                                  ******

     It was a little over an hour later when Urd finally
emerged, she still looked awful, but was at least standing by
herself.  She handed the tray to Belldandy, "Thank you for the
breakfast, it was delicious", she said.

     Belldandy smiled and demured, "It was Brett who provided
us with breakfast this morning", she said, indicating over to
me, where I was reading a book.

     I smiled, "Glad you liked it", I said.

     This obviously, didn't do much for Urd's mood, she
grunted and sat down carefully, "So what's this about a trip
to heaven?", she asked.

     Belldandy sat down opposite her, "Well Brett has to learn
how to travel", she explained, "And since you're his teacher,
you have to take him".

     Urd groaned, and slumped her head onto the table, "I
*really* don't feel up to this", she whined.

     Belldandy put a hand on her shoulder, "Sister, it *is*
important that Brett finds the information he needs", she said
softly.

     Urd nodded wearily, "Alright, I'm as ready as I'll every
be", she said.

     I stood, indicating my clothes (I was wearing my standard
black shirt and blue jeans), "Is this alright?", I asked.

     Belldandy nodded, "Your not going to have to meet *him*",
she said, "You'll only be talking to the Head System
Administrator".

     I frowned, "Well how formal is this guy??", I asked

     Urd shrugged, "Not terribly", she said, standing and
walking over to me.

     She grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the TV, "Bye
Sis", she called.

     I managed a half-hearted wave to Belldandy before we
disappeared.  This time however, the translation to our
destination was instantaneous.

                                  ******

     I must say that Heaven's computer system was impressive,
everywhere I looked there were technicians (well I assumed
they were technicians) running about, looking concerned over
something.  Urd, who had not relinquished her grip on my arm,
pulled me over to an office, the sign on the door read "Head
Administrator".

     "Well if it isn't my AWOL System Administrator", came a
disgruntled voice, "And where have *you* been?".

     I looked across the room, to see a middle-aged man
sitting behind a massive desk, that was partially covered by
print-outs and schematic diagrams.  He was frowning in Urd's
direction.

     "Uhh, well you see sir", Urd began, "I've been assigned
to the Relief Goddess Office to take over for my sister".

     He frowned and then noticed me, "Who is this?", he asked,
his frown deepening.

     "Hello, the name's Brett", I said, smiling.

     Obviously he didn't much care for smiling, "Should that
mean something?", he asked, then he turned to Urd, "I've got a
lot of work to do and I don't have time to be introduced to
your latest conquest".

     I glanced sideways at Urd, who was blushing slightly,
"It's not that sir", she said.  Urd then explained exactly why
we had come here.

     The Administrator looked me up and down carefully, "So
you used to be a mortal huh?", he asked.

     I nodded in response.

     "Well, come on then", he said, walking out the door.

     Urd and I followed quickly, staying a few steps behind
him.  We passed hundreds of people, all working at keeping the
computer system running.  We were stopped several times, by
people making requests of the Administrator, but he waved most
of them away, before we could be delayed too long.

     He stopped before a solid-looking door and entered a code
into a keypad.  "Here we are", he said, as the door slid back.

     He gestured us to move inside, "Well, I haven't got all
day", he muttered.

     We walked into a room, literally lined from ceiling to
floor, with display panels and controls.  "This is the central
control room", the Administrator announced.  He then gestured
us to sit down as he started accessing a terminal.

     It was five minutes before he spoke again, "Well I've
found you record", he announced quietly.

     I frowned, "What's wrong?", I asked, not being able to
see the terminal's screen.

     He shook his head, "Oh, nothing important", he said,
"Well, getting down to business".

     He stood and walked over to a panel in the wall, it
opened at his touch and he pulled out a set of clothes.  "Here
you go", he said, dumping them in my lap.


     "What's this?", I asked, looking at the strange clothing.

     "That's your 'uniform'", he said, sitting back down.

     I frowned, "I've gotta wear a uniform?", I protested.

     He nodded, gesturing to his own clothes and then Urd's,
"The uniform is unique to each individual", he explained,
"It's mainly used when you have to interact with mortals".

     I shrugged, "Well, if those are the rules".

     He smiled, "Good, now that it's settled", he said,
picking up a print out he handed it to me, "This should be
what you need to know".

     I looked at the print-out carefully, it was in a strange
language, "You don't have this in English?", I asked.

     He frowned, "You can't read that?", he asked, "Strange,
you should have been taught how by your teacher...".  Then he
looked at Urd, "Oh, well I guess you'll learn eventually, till
then Urd can translate it for you".

     With that he ushered us out of the control room.  "Good
luck", he said to me, shaking hands, "Let me know how things
turn out".

     He then looked at Urd, "Oh, by the way, what happened to
that "Bug Busting" sister of yours?", he asked.

     Urd shrugged, "She's down on the mortal world too", she
said.

     He nodded, "Pity, she was good at pest control", he then
disappeared back into the mass of technicians the seemed to be
around constantly.

     I looked at Urd, "That guy was your boss?", I asked.

     She nodded in response, "That's all in the past", she
said, grabbing my arm, "Let's get back home".

                                  ******

     We arrived back at the temple quickly and sat down at the
table.  Belldandy and Skuld joined us from their own
activities, curious as to the outcome of our trip.

     I passed Urd the print-out, "Can you translate this?", I
asked.

     She nodded, "It might take a few minutes", she replied,
examining it carefully.

     I stood and walked to my room, to try on the new clothes. 
Looking at myself in the mirror I was surprised by the ever-
changing patterns that seemed to cover the fabric.  The
uniform consisted of a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt and
matching pants.  I shuddered slightly as the clothes seemed to
writher as they touched my skin.

     The clothes were a sky-blue colour and kept changing
shape slightly, then I looked at them in the mirror.  "Well at
least the colour's nice", I thought to myself, turning and
walking out to see how Urd was doing with the translations.

     I got a strange look from the three goddesses when I
emerged from my room.  "What?", I asked frowning.

     Belldandy smiled, "Well as they say: The clothes make the
god", she said.

     I smiled at Belldandy, "Thanks", I said.

     Urd frowned and turned back to her translation, "I'm
almost done", she announced.

     I nodded and sat down beside her,  "Well, here we go",
she said, passing me the translated list.

     "Hmmmm", I said, reading out loud, "Brett Handy, listed
as the God of Destiny?", I looked up at the three Goddesses. 
They shrugged, not understanding either.  I continued to read,
"Current ranking, Probationary 2nd Class, 2nd Category,
limited", I looked at Urd, "What does that mean?".

     Urd and Skuld looked at each other, "How did he get a
ranking the same as ours?", Skuld asked, she seemed a little
angry.

     If Skuld was a little angry, Urd was furious, she grabbed
the translation off me, "This has to be a mistake", she said.

     Not getting any answer from the other two, I turned to
Belldandy, "Can you explain?", I asked.

     She nodded, "The class refers to the level of power that
you have mastered", she said, "The category refers to your
line of work, in this case the same as our's: commercial, and
the limited refers to how much power you have available".

     I frowned, "Why are Urd and Skuld so upset?", I asked.

     Belldandy sighed, "Well, according to that, you've got
the same rank as them, even though your a beginner", she
explained.

     I nodded, "Ahhh, right", I said.

     Urd was looking at the print-out suspiciously, "What's
this about precognition?", she asked me, pointing out a list
of my current abilities.

     I looked over her shoulder, "So that's what it is!", I
said suddenly realising exactly what the grey sphere meant.

     "I beg your pardon?", Belldandy asked,

     I proceeded to explain about the grey sphere that I kept
seeing, "I thought I was loosing it at first, but then after I
managed to save Keiichi and avoid Urd and Skuld's attacks, I
realised that it was something I should watch out for".

     Skuld looked at me curiously, "Have you seen any other
'grey patches'", she asked.

     I nodded, "Only once, when Urd was about to add an
incorrect ingredient to a potion", I said.

     Urd frowned, "So that's how you knew", she said.

     Belldandy looked at me curiously, "Had any other strange
things happen?", she asked.

     I debated telling them about my strange dreams, but
decided that it would only complicate matters.  I glanced
sideways at Urd, who was still looking through the print-out,
trying to find something wrong with it, "It would definitely
complicate things", I thought.

     "So, about the reason why we went there in the first
place?", I asked Urd.

     "Huh?", she said, looking up, "Oh, right, well they've
got your travel medium listed as 'clocks'", she said

     I frowned, "Clocks?, what kind of clocks, analog,
digital?", I asked.

     She shrugged, "All it says here is 'clocks'", she
replied.

     I shook my head, that was a *really* vague description. 
"Anything else I should know?", I asked.

     Urd frowned, "Well, the computer included a list of
spells that your suppose to learn and I'm suppose to teach you
to read this", she said, indicating the print-out.

     I nodded, "Well, let's start with travelling", I said,
looking at my watch, "I've got to meet Megumi after lunch".

                                  ******

     "Just relax and lean into it", Urd said softly.

     She had been trying to teach me how to travel for more
than an hour, it was harder than it looked.  "I *am* relaxed",
I said, from behind closed eyes.  My destination was the clock
that we had set up in my room.

     I felt a shiver begin in my fingertips, running up my
hands slowly.  A little concerned I opened my eyes, my hands
were submerging into the clock we had borrowed from the
kitchen.  I felt a rising panic, as more and more of my arms
were flowing into the clock.

     "Good, you've finally in phase", Urd said in a satisfied
voice.

     I tried to settle down and flow with it, Urd seemed to be
relaxed about it.  I lent forwards, my head touching the
clock-face.  A sudden flash later, I fell onto my bed.  I
glanced around the room, realising that something was strange. 
"Oh no!", I sighed, looking around I realised that I was
actually in *my* room, back in Australia.

     Thankfully no one seemed to be around, I winced at the
condition of my room.  "Well Jan's certainly not wasted any
time moving in", I thought, looking at all of her stuff.

     I approached the clock, "I'd better get back", I thought,
forming the image of where I wanted to go firmly in my mind. 
I reached out a hand and pushed.  Half a second later I was
rubbing my head, having fallen a few feet to the floor.  I was
back in the dining room of the Temple.

     "I gotta work on those landings", I groaned.

     Two seconds later, a *very* concerned trio of Goddesses
came barrelling into the room, "Where the hell did you get
to!", Urd screamed, grabbing my by the hair and making me look
her in the eye.

     "*Ouch* stop that - I kind of got mixed up with my
destinations", I said, removing Urd's hand.

     "Where did you go?", Skuld asked, more curious than
concerned.

     I smiled a little wanly, "Would you believe that I just
took a visit home?", I said.

     Urd sighed, "Of all the stupid...", she said, "I told you
that the image must be exact!".

     Belldandy watched Urd rant and rave for a few more
minutes at me before breaking into the conversation, "Well we
are *all* glad that your alright Brett-san", said Belldandy,
glancing at Urd in particular.

     "Oh sure", Urd said sarcastically, "We're just thrilled
that you're back".

     I stood a little dizzily, "Well I think I've got the hang
of it now", I said, walking back towards my room to pick up my
books and change clothes, "I've got to go and meet Megumi".

                                  ******

     I steadied myself, grabbing onto a bench for support and
glanced around.  I was standing in a large hall, I had dropped
about three feet when I materialised, but had been expecting
it so was not too upset.  No-one seemed to be around, and for
that I was grateful.  "I'll have to find some place private
for my comings and goings", I thought to myself, making my way
across the hall and out into the sunlight.

     I headed across the campus towards the grassed area where
I was suppose to meet Megumi.  I checked my watch as I sat
down and realised that I was a few minutes early.  I pulled a
book out of my pack and began going over the lecture notes
that I'd made the previous day.

     "Excuse me", came a polite voice, "Would you be Brett
Handy?".  I looked up to see a fellow about my age examining
me closely.

     I frowned, "Yes", I replied, "Who want's to know?".

     He bowed politely, "Oh, my name is Aoshima", he said, "I
understand that you're a friend of Keiichi-san's".

     "Well news travels fast around here", I said, "Yes, I'm
an exchange student staying with Keiichi".

     He nodded, "Ahh, so you must have met Belldandy then?",
he asked hopefully.

     I nodded, "Yes", I replied, wondering where he was going
with this conversation.  From his expression he was more
interesting in who I knew than who I was.

     "Please pass on my compliments to her when you next see
her", he said, "I find her a most interesting woman".

     I smiled, "I'll be sure to", I said, "But at the moment
I'm trying to go over some notes".

     He sat down beside me, "Oh, what lecture?", he asked.

     I shrugged, "History 205", I replied.

     "Oh, I know Mr Takimoda very well", he said smiling, "I'm
sure that you won't have any trouble in that subject".

     "Thanks", I said, "But my study partner should be here
soon".

     He stood, "Well, if you have any trouble, let me know",
he said persuasively, "I'm sure we can work something out".

     I frowned and went back to the notes, he certainly seemed
like a friendly enough fellow.  "At least the people here are
nice", I thought to myself.

     "Brett-san", called Megumi, walking up to me smiling.

     I looked at my watch and grinned, "What took you so
long?", I asked smiling, we were both about ten minutes early.

     She sat down beside me, "Got stuck in the auto-shop", she
said, suddenly serious, "I still can't find out what's
happened to Keiichi's bike".

     I shook my head, "Well, I'm sure that you'll figure it
out eventually", I said confidently.

     She smiled brightly (and a very pleasant smile it was
too), "I meant to thank you the other day for saving my
brother's life", she said, placing a hand on my arm.

     I smiled awkwardly, "That's alright", I mumbled.

     She must have sensed that I was a little uncomfortable,
because her hand dropped away from my arm and she suddenly
became business like, "Well, lets go over the fifteenth
century's political changes", she began.

     We sat and studied for nearly two hours, going over the
lecture notes backwards, forwards and sideways.  After that
much time just studying I sat back and stretched, it was nice
sitting out here in the sun.

     "Well, I'm afraid I've got a lecture now", Megumi said,
standing.

     I nodded and smiled, "Are you up for more study next
week?", I asked.

     "Of course", she said beaming, "Same time and place?".

     "Well unless you can suggest some better scenery", I
said, gesturing around at the pleasant setting.

     She shrugged, "Here is fine with me", she said.

     I nodded and stood, after putting all my stuff back in my
pack.  I got the surprise of my life when Megumi gently kissed
my on the cheek, "Thanks again for saving Keiichi", she said.

     I blushed slightly, "Ahh, you're welcome Megumi", I
stuttered.

     She turned and began to walk back across the campus, but
then turned after taking a few steps, "Brett-san?", she asked.

     "Yes?", I asked, still a little dazed.

     "Some of my friends and I are going out tomorrow night",
she began, "I was wondering if you'd like to come with us?".

     If I was stunned before I was positively shocked, "I'd
love to", I said, before I could think too clearly.  She
smiled and continued across the courtyard.

                                  ******

     While I was feeling quite elated at this point, there
were two people watching me that had other ideas about
tomorrow night.  
     "So, he saved Keiichi-san's life", said Sayoko
thoughtfully.

     Aoshima nodded, "If that's the case then he must have
some influence with Belldandy too", he mused.

     They watched as I accepted Megumi's invitation.  "Well it
looks like he's going to be available tomorrow night", Sayoko
said suddenly.

     Aoshima frowned, "What do you mean?", he asked, "He just
accepted an invitation from Keiichi's sister".

     She smiled seductively, "As if that makes a difference to
me", she said, "You find out where they are going and I'll
arrange to have a little 'chat' with our foreign 'friend'".

     Aoshima nodded, "Very well, I'll talk to one of the
girl's friends", he said, walking off.

     Sayoko watched me disappear into a crowded building,
"You", she thought, "You're my way to Keiichi!".
  
--------------------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 6:

     I peaked into the room carefully, "Finally!", I sighed,
stepping into my room at the temple.  I had made several false
starts that afternoon (I won't got into the locations I had
ended up at, but one of them involved a young girl, with short
hair attacking me with a large hammer, screaming all the time
that I was a pervert).  Dumping my pack on the floor, I
slumped onto the bed, feeling bone-weary.

     "Brett-san, dinner's ready!", called Keiichi, sliding
open the door.

     "Great", I groaned, pulling myself up off the bed.

     "You look awful", he said frowning.

     "Thanks!", I said sarcastically.

     He grabbed my arm and looked at me closely, "I'm
serious", he said, "You don't look well".

     I began examining my shoes carefully, "Well I travelled
quite a bit this afternoon", I mumbled.

     He nodded, "Well until you get better, maybe you should
get Urd or Skuld to 'give you a lift'", he suggested,
motioning me to lead the way to the dining room.

     I shook my head, "I don't want to inconvenience either of
them", I said, "I've gotta learn to do this myself anyway".

     Keiichi shrugged, "It couldn't hurt to ask..", he added.

     We both sat down with the three goddesses and ate in
comfortable silence.  "Ice-cream for dessert!", cried Skuld
happily, as Belldandy sat down dessert.

     Belldandy smiled, "Well enjoy", she said, "Its that last
we've got until I shop next week".

     Skuld wolfed down her ice-cream, hardly bothering to
breath.  As she finished I passed her my own portion, "here
you go", I said smiling.

     She grinned and began demolishing my offering.  "Don't
you like ice-cream?", asked Keiichi frowning.

     I shook my head, "It's all right, Skuld looks like she'd
enjoy it more anyway", I explained.

     After finishing desert, Keiichi and I were designated to
do the washing up.  "Oh, by the way Keiichi-san", I said, as
we finished, "I won't be here for dinner tomorrow night".

     He raised his eyebrows, "Oh, got a date?", he asked
smiling.

     I shrugged, "If you call going out with Megumi and some
of her friend's a date?", I replied, "Then yeah...".

     He frowned slightly, "Your going you with Megumi?", he
asked.

     I nodded, "Yep", then I noticed his frown, "What's
wrong?".

     He shook his head, "Well your going to have to be
careful", he said, "She's smart enough to sense when something
strange is going on".

     "Well, I'm not planning to do anything spectacular", I
said, turning and walking from the room.

                                  *******

     That evening I had my first full lesson with Urd since
our visit to heaven.  In two hours I managed to master a
couple of the simpler spells such as levitation (which while
it was easy to start, *really* requires a lot of concentration
if you don't want to hurt yourself when landing) and the
clothes-changing spell.  What really helped was Urd's
attitude, now that she had accepted her role as a teacher, she
excelled at it.

     "No, your hand movements should be vertical and *then*
horizontal", she said interrupting me from my train of
thought.

     "Sorry", I mumbled, focusing on the lesson more closely. 
I went through the complicated routine again, until it met
with her satisfaction.  We were working on a spell that
allowed me to project images that I had seen, so that others
could examine them.  Urd had insisted that I learn this,
because if I had any pre-cognitive images, it would help that
I could show others.

     "Good", she said suddenly, "Now, form an image in your
mind of the memory that you want to project".

     I thought for a moment and decided on an image of that
strange lady that I had seen the day Keiichi had been in the
bike crash.  Focusing I remembered her as I had seen her that
day and then tried to add what I had seen of her in the
strange dream that I had experienced last night.  An image
appeared in front of me, a young woman with long hair dressed
primarily in black, she also had strange markings on her face.

     "Marller!", Urd hissed, half standing.

     Her reaction took me by surprise and I lost
concentration, the image wavered and disappeared.  "Where the
hell did you see her!", Urd demanded loudly.

     I winced at her volume, "Settle down", I said rubbing my
temples, "I saw her at the race track when Keiichi had his
accident".

     She began to swear angrily, "And you didn't tell
anyone?", she accused.

     I shook my head, "Should I have?".

     She frowned angrily, "Come on, we had better tell
Belldandy", she said, leaving the room.

                                  ******

     Belldandy almost lost her temper when Urd mentioned that
Marller had been at the race track that day (and for
Belldandy, that's saying something).  "It's not Brett's
fault", she said to Urd (who was still swearing under her
breath), "He didn't know who or what she was".

     The three Goddesses and I were sitting around a table,
all three of them seemed quite upset.  "Could someone tell me
who she is?", I asked.

     Skuld shrugged, "She's a Demon", she said flatly.

     I frowned, "A 'Demon'", I muttered, it had never occurred
to me that there might be a darker side to the existence of
gods and goddesses.

     "Well I'll stay close to Keiichi in case she tries
something else", said Belldandy.

     Urd grinned, "Oh I'm sure that you'll just *hate* that,
sister", she said sarcastically.

     Belldandy blushed slightly, "Well...".

     "I think I need some air", I said, standing and walking
from the room, I wondered outside and sat under a tree in the
dark, turning things over in my mind.    

                                  ******

     "Who's going to keep an eye on him?", Skuld asked,
watching Brett walk from the room.  Belldandy and Skuld
exchanged a glance and then looked pointedly at Urd.

     "Oh, all right!", she said exasperated, "I'll look after
him".

     "That's very good of you Urd", said Belldandy, smiling,
"I'd hate to see something happen to him".

     Skuld smiled slightly and winked at Belldandy, "It's very
nice that you'd donate so much of your time to an upstart
mortal", she said to Urd

     Urd frowned and looked up slightly, "He's not an
upstart..", she began.

     Then Urd noticed her two sisters grinning at her, "Oh
shut up!", she said, suddenly she stood and stalked out of the
room.

     Belldandy look at Skuld, "Seriously", she began, "We
really have to keep an eye on Brett, he's still only learning,
and if he makes a mistake it could be dangerous for anyone
around him".

     Skuld nodded, "I might be able to come up with
something", she said, mecha designs already flowing through
her mind.

     The two sisters talked for a while before retiring to the
separate rooms, each caught up in her own plans for tomorrow. 
Unknown to any in the household, on the wall of the dining
room, there appeared a pair of eyes, blinking they moved
forwards, a humanoid figure stepped from within the wall.

     "So this is Nilthar's new target", he said quietly,"
Having the three Goddess spying on him could be a
complication."  A noise echoed from the hall, the figure
quickly shimmered and he sank through the floor, disappearing.

     Keiichi rubbed his eyes sleepily and looked around the
room, "I could have swore I heard someone", he muttered,
turning and going back to bed.

                                  ******

     "Look I'm sure I can get the hang of this", I said
exasperated, looking at Urd angrily.  She had turned up on my
doorstep after I had prepared for college and offered to help
me get there.

     She nodded, "Oh sure, that's why there have been ghost
sightings all over Japan", she said sarcastically, her voice
dropping into an impression of an old lady's, "It was a
strange figure that seemed to appear out of my grandfather
clock".

     I winced, that poor old lady had been frightened out of
her wits at my appearance, "Look the more I practice the
better", I said, preparing to leave.

     Urd stepped in front of me blocking my approach to the
clock, "Look Brett", she said seriously, "Until you can
control things a little better, I don't mind helping out".

     I frowned, "Oh??", I said sarcastically, "Since when?".

     She shook her head, "Since we found out about your
encounter with Marller", she said, looking me straight in the
eye, "My sisters and I are worried that she might decide to
take revenge over your saving Keiichi".

     I shivered remembering my dream, "All right", I said
finally, "But I think we *all* should be more cautious".

     She nodded, "Belldandy's taking care of Keiichi and
Skuld's in her workshop building something that she *thinks*
might help", she said.

     I shrugged my pack over my shoulder, "Well, driver", I
said to her smiling, "To Nekgmi Tech and don't spare the
willpower".

     She smiled and shook her head then grabbed my hand,
pulling me towards the dining room and the TV waiting there. 
A few seconds later we stepped out into an empty lecture hall,
"Thanks Sensei", I said grinning.

     Urd winked and stepped back through the TV, "I'll pick
you up here after your last lecture", she said, "take care".

     I nodded, "You too", I replied, then watched as she
vanished.  Turning I walked from the room, trudging across the
campus to where I spent the next few hours engrossed in study.

                                  ******

     I was eating lunch in the cafeteria that afternoon, when
Megumi and two of her friends showed up.  "Hi Brett-san", said
Megumi in greeting, sitting down opposite me.

     "G'day Megumi", I replied with a smile, "Who are your
friends?".

     She introduced them as fellow engineering students, "This
is Yoshimi-san", she said, indicating the girl on her left,
"and this is Takama-san".

     I nodded to them, "Pleased to meet you both", I said
politely.

     "They'll be coming along with us tonight", Megumi
explained.

     I frowned, "Oh, by the way, you never told me where our
destination is tonight", I said.

     Megumi grinned, "Oh well we were going to see a movie and
then visit one or two clubs", she replied.  We chatted for a
few minutes about what movies to see and eventually decided on
Golden Eye (I think the main reason they wanted to see it with
me there was the fact that it was subtitled into Japanese and
they needed someone who spoke English to help them work out
the story line).

     I shrugged and stood, "Well that's fine with me", I said
smiling, "But I've got a lecture in a few minutes".

     Megumi nodded and stood with me, "I'll come with you",
she said, "I've got a lecture soon too".

     We were walking out towards the doors, past a row of
vending machines when I saw a grey patch for on the floor
right in front of us, "Watch out", I said, grabbing Megumi's
arm and pulling her back.

     A moment later one of the larger machines crashed over
right in out path, narrowly missing Megumi.  "Are you all
right?", I asked her quickly.

     Megumi was pale and shaking, "That.... I...", she began
looking at the huge piece of metal that missed her by only a
foot or so.

     A large crowed had gathered around, all gawking at the
dangerous accident.  I led Megumi over to a chair and helped
her sit down, "It's all right", I said, attempting to comfort
her.

     She shook her head, "Thank you Brett-sama", she said
quietly.

     I smiled, "That's OK", I said, "You just wait here for a
moment".

     I walked back over to the fallen machine, examining the
power cables leading to the back of the machine.  They had
been disconnected at the wall socket (not ripped out as I
would have expected).  I frowned and looked around carefully
but couldn't see anyone familiar in the crowd.  I looked down
and noticed that my hands were shaking slightly, I had almost
seen a good friend squashed before my eyes.  Taking a deep
breath, I walked back over to Megumi, who was looking a little
better.  

     "Feeling better?", I asked, smiling.

     She nodded, "I don't think I've ever been so close to
getting seriously hurt", she said.

     "Don't think about it", I said, "Accidents happen".

     She shivered and hugged herself, "I don't know what would
have happened if you weren't here", she said quietly.

     I shrugged, "Well you probably wouldn't have been walking
out the door at that particular time", I said.

     She nodded and stood, "I think I need a little air", she
said.

     "That's probably a good idea", I replied, walking with
her out into the courtyard.

                         ******

     After the incident, a young man went over to the fallen
vending machine to examine it. He was dressed conservatively
with a white polo shirt and matching Khakis.

     "This is very strange," he muttered. "I should have
detected the activation of the spell even with only passive
scanning."  Looking at the vending machine he see something
interesting. "This is weird, I'm detecting Nilthar's and
someone else's residue here", he thought.

     He concentrated for a moment, his hands making small, but
distinct patterns over the fallen machine, "Marller!" the
young man exclaimed suddenly.

     "So this is how you avoided my detection, Nilthar. You
had Marller shield you from me. Very clever, I commend you.
However, you wont be able to hide forever and when you come
out of your hole, I'm going to TERMINATE you.", he thought
savagely, turning and stalking out of the cafeteria.

     He walked around the campus for a while, thinking things
through, "I'd better start following Brett", he thought to
himself, "That way I might be able to catch Nilthar in the
act".

                         *****

     We sat for a while in the clear sunlight, just watching
the people go by, it was about five minutes before Megumi
spoke again, "How did you know that the vending machine was
going to fall?", she asked.

     I shrugged, "I noticed it looked a little unstable", I
said.

     She nodded and resumed watching the crowd, I sighed in
relief.  "Well I've got a lecture to get to", I said standing,
"Are you going to be all right?".

     She nodded, "It's fine, I'll see you tonight", she said.

     I smiled, "I'm looking forward to it", I said, "Bye now".

     Maybe I was begin paranoid, but for the rest of the
afternoon, I kept a sharp eye out for anything unusual.  On
the bright side one of my classmates gave me several passes to
one of the more popular nightclubs, "I'm sure Megumi and her
friends will be thrilled", I thought to myself looking at the
half-dozen tickets.

     I returned to my pick up point, to find Urd lazing in a
chair, "You ready?", she asked.

     I nodded, "Yeah, let's go", I replied, eager to get back
to the temple.

                                  ******

     A figure stepped out of the wall as Urd and Brett
disappeared into the TV.  "Impressive", he said, "Brett seems
to be learning quickly".

     The figure stood just under six feet, with light grey
hair and a serious look in his almond shaped eyes. He slumped
down in a chair, "I wish he'd quit moving around so much", he
muttered tiredly, "It's getting harder and harder to keep up
with him".  He was dressed in a strange uniform which looked
like a cross between combat fatigues and a business suit. 
Numerous pockets covered his clothing, which was a brilliant
white, with what looked like a purple undershirt.

     He sat for a few more minutes before stretching and
yawning, "Well Nilthar, you've certainly taken up a
challenge", he said smiling and walking towards the door, "I'm
going to keep a closer eye on Brett from now on".  With that
he walked out of the building (through the wall).

                                  ******

     I nervously looked around, glancing up and down the
crowded street.  I had arrived a few minutes early (as I
*always* seem to do) at the movie theatre and was waiting
rather impatiently for Megumi and her friends to arrive.  Urd
had seemed a little put out that I wouldn't be having a lesson
tonight, but just shrugged and said she was sure that she'd
find something else to do.

     I leaned up against a wall across the street from the
theatre, watching as the traffic flowed past.  The evening had
become rather chilly and I was wearing a heavy jacket tonight. 
"God I hate cold weather", I thought, stamping my feet to
remain warm.

     A taxi pulled up a moment later and Megumi and her
friends piled out.  Megumi began looking around for me once
the taxi had disappeared, "Brett-san!", she called, waving at
me from across the street.  I smiled and waved back, and began
to cross the road.

     Unfortunately for me, a car choose just that particular
moment to loose control and careered straight at me.  I had a
few seconds warning thanks to my precognition, and I executed
a jump that would have made an Olympic high jumper jealous (of
course the levitation spell that I had learnt yesterday
helped). Unfortunately my landing was a little off and I fell
in a heap on the ground.

     "Brett-san", cried Megumi, running over to me, "Are you
all right?".

     I shook my head, feeling a little dizzy after the quick
spell.  "I'm fine", I managed, looking at the impact that the
car had made in the wall that I had been leaning against.  The
driver was unhurt but *very* shaken.

     "I'm telling you it just swerved by itself", he whined to
the police officers that had arrived.

     One of them nodded, "I'm sure sir, how much have you had
to drink tonight?", he asked

     Megumi helped me back over to her friends, my ankle was
slightly twisted from the jump and I was limping badly and I
sat down on the theatre's steps.  "Do you still want to go to
the movie?", she asked concerned, "That was a nasty fall".

     "But I'd have to say it was the best jump I've ever
seen", commented Takama, "Are you some kind of athlete?", she
asked.

     I shook my head, "Nope, it must have been the
adrenaline", I said lamely.

     A moment later I realised that there was an unfamiliar
guy standing beside her, he had his arm around her shoulder,
"I'm sorry", I said, "I don't think we've been introduced, my
name's Brett".

     The fellow didn't look impressed (either at the attention
I was getting from Takama or with my name), "I'm Toba", he
said bluntly, "Are you gonna sit there all night, or are we
going to see a movie?".

     Takama elbowed him in the stomach, "Down, Toba", she said
playfully, "Brett-san almost had a nasty accident".

     "You mean Brett-san was almost dog meat", said another
male voice.

     I looked up to see another young man eyeing me strangely,
"I'm Ken", he said smiling, "Pleased to meet you", he added in
perfect English.

     I nodded, "Same here", I replied, still trying to recover
my balance.

     "If your finished showing off your linguistic talents",
Toba said sharply to Ken, "Let's get a move on".

     I nodded, "The rest of you go in and I'll catch up in a
moment", I said, "I just need to catch my breath".

     Megumi sat down beside me, concern visible in her eyes,
"I'll wait with Brett", she said, "You all go ahead".

     "Great", said Toba, "Bye!", and with that he hauled
Takama towards the entrance.  Ken and Yoshimi followed them
after a
moment, leaving me sitting with Megumi.

     I shivered slightly, "That was *very* close", I said
quietly.

     Megumi put an arm round my shoulders, "Your OK", she
said, "I survived the falling vending machine this morning and
now you managed to dodge a speeding car".

     I looked at her and raised my eyebrows in question, "That
means were both very lucky!", she said cheerfully and with
that she pulled me to my feet, this time placing my arm over
*her* shoulders to provide a bit of support for my ankle (well
I *think* that was the reason, but I decided not to argue the
point).  An unpleasant thought echoed around in my mind, we
were lucky all right, but it was all bad.

                             ******

     About a 100 feet away from Brett, there was a young man
walking along the street.  Suddenly, he stoped and seemed
preoccupied. He has a calm expression on his face as if he's
getting ready to do something at a split second.

     "Damn! Nilthar's trying something already.", he muttered,
detecting a fair gathering of power.  Then saw the car coming
right at Brett and tensed up, but Brett jumped using a
levitation spell and managed to avoid the car.

     "Good, he managed to take care of the problem himself.
Even if he lost control of the levitation spell, he sure is
learning fast", he thought to himself, "Nilthar is going to
have to directly confront this one soon and when he does I'll
be there."

                                  ******

     "You missed again!", hissed Nilthar angrily.

     Marller shook her head, "I aimed perfectly, he avoided
it", she declared.

     "Damn!", Nilthar swore, "That means he's mastering his
abilities".

     "Did you feel the active scan?" Marller asked a moment
later.

     "Yeah, I traced it to Brett but it wasn't his doing,"
Nilthar replied, "It was someone else. A very *powerful*
someone else"

     "It has to be one of the three Goddess. But if it's what
you described than the only one who has the ability to do that
would have to be a first class Goddess. And that means
Belldandy." Marller thought aloud.

     "That means the three Goddess are on to us and are trying
to protect him." Nilthar said.

     "Are you sure that it wasn't the Security Daemon that was
hunting you?", Marller asked concerned, "I know Belldandy and
I'm pretty sure she's not that subtle when it comes to a
scan."

     "Nonsense." Scoffed Nilthar," I lost the agent when I
went into the deepest levels of hell. He couldn't have
followed me here."

     The two demons were lying flat on the roof of the
theatre, watching Brett and Megumi disappear into the
building.  "I felt some of the power when he dodged", Marller
added after a moment to change the topic.

     Nilthar nodded, "Me too", he said, "We're going to have
to move more quickly".

     Marller frowned, "You mean a direct confrontation?", she
asked worriedly.

     "That's how I dealt with his predecessor", Nilthar said,
smiling evilly.

     "That may have worked when you are confronting him one on
one and had surprise on you side", Marller argued, "But there
are three Goddesses who can support him".

     Nilthar nodded, "Well, we're going to have to eliminate
them then", he said.

     Marller grinned, "Which do we get rid of first?", she
asked eagerly.

     Nilthar smiled, "His teacher, of course", he said.

     "Good!", Marller declared, "I've been itching to take
care of that one for a while".

     The two Demons took one last look at the street before
disappearing into the night, they had plans to make and
Goddesses to kill.

                                  ******

     Across the street from the two demons, a pair of
Goddesses sat pondering the situation.  They were sitting in a
bus shelter, watching Brett and Megumi walk into the theatre. 
Urd had an expression of barely-suppressed anger on her face,
"What the hell's going on here", she fumed.

     Skuld was looking a concerned, "I don't know", she said,
examining the device on her lap.  It resembled a small
pocket-TV, but it was making rather unusual noises. "The only
thing I have is a active scan coming from Brett. Locating the
spell. If it wasn't for the scan then I would never have known
that there was a spell cast. I only got the echo from the scan
but from what I could tell it was heavily shielded."

     "An active scan?" Urd exclaimed,"It couldn't have been
Brett's.  He's no where near that level yet. I don't even
think he knows what a scan is."

     "Wait. Let me check", Skuld said while looking intently
on the device. After a few minutes she said, "It was coming
from him but he didn't cause it".  They thought over the
implications of what that meant.

     "Maybe we'd better follow them", Urd said after a moment,
standing.

     "But maybe they want to be alone", said Skuld smiling,
"You know, the way Keiichi and Belldandy do sometimes?".

     Urd turned on her sister with a furious expression on her
face, but after a moment she realised that Skuld hadn't said
anything wrong.  "Well you can wait here if you want to", she
said, striding across the street.

     Skuld jumped up and followed her sister, fiddling with
her strange device, which kept emitting strange noises.  "Slow
down Sister", she said, hurrying to keep up.

     The two entered the theatre, paid for their tickets and
took up position a few rows back from Brett.  Skuld enjoyed
the movie immensely, all the gadgets and technology really
appealed to her.  Urd seemed more concerned with keeping an
eye on Brett and Megumi.

     Finally the credits rolled and everyone began to leave,
Urd pulled Skuld down behind the seat as Brett and Megumi
walked past.  The two Goddesses followed them out into the
street, keeping a watchful eye over their friends.

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


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            E-Mail: darkwnd@sv.net.au
   Web Page: http://www.ozanime.com/darkwind

  "Imagination is more important than knowledge"

                             -Albert Einstein
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