An Oh My God FanFic

                            Who's a God??

                                  PART 4

                                    by

                                Brett Handy

     Urd awoke bright and early, much to her own
dissapointment.  Skuld had let slip last night that a large
group of Gods were pushing hard for Brett to be 're-admitted'
to their little group.  She'd been a little apprehensive about
it, but Skuld had assured her that Apollo had been quite
serious about the matter.

     She dressed quickly and went outside before even
Belldandy had time to protest that breakfast was almost ready. 
She stopped by her fountain and trailed one hand through it
almost as if she was caressing it.  The water swirlled and
bubbled around her fingertips.  Savouring the coolness of the
water she cupped her hands and took a deep drink. 
"Thinking?", a voice asked form behind her.

     She glanced over her shoulder at Belldandy and smiled,
"You could say that", she announced flicking her hands and
sending a shower of droplets across the quiet fountain.

     "What do you think about what they're about to do?",
Belldandy asked.

     Urd gave her sister a wry look, "How should I feel?", she
said.

     "Happy perhaps that Brett has so many friends here in
heaven?", Belldandy asked.

     "Happy?", Urd said, almost to herself, "No... I feel a
little lost actually".

     "Lost?", Belldandy asked.

     "I have my doubts that Brett is going to accept it", Urd
said softly.

     Belldandy looked confused, "Why wouldn't he?", she asked.

     "He never really wanted to be a God anyway", Urd
explained, "As far as he's concerned it was a mistake in the
first place".

     "A mistake?", Belldandy said with a smile.

     "Yeah", Urd said with a smile, "As if Kami-sama would
make a mistake like that".

     "Let's get moving!", a loud voice called from back at the
house, "We'll take that upstart mortal and make a God out of
him!".  Belldandy and Urd winced at the volume of Thor's call. 
     
     "Who invited *him*?", Urd whispered to Belldandy.

                                  ******

     Chia-Yao met the little group of Gods at the entrance to
his castle, "I didn't wake him yet", he said, gesturing for
Thor and Apollo to proceed him.

     At Urd's questioning look Chia-Yao shrugged, "He seemed a
little reluctant yesterday when I mentioned it to him", he
confessed, "I figured that Thor and Apollo would be able to
'convince' him to come along with us".

     The group trudged along to the room Brett had been
assigned and Thor and Apollo jumped through the door, pouncing
on the bed.  The sound of splintering wood echoed through the
halls and Urd quickly pushed her way into the room to see how
badly they'd hurt Brett.

     She found Thor and Apollo sitting in the middle of a pile
of wood that used to be Brett's bed.  "He's not here", Thor
said apologetically.

     Urd gave them a pityful look and quickly searched around
the room.  She found a note from Brett on a small table.  "I'm
sorry", she read, "I have a bad feeling about this 'ceremony'
- thank you all for your help, but I think I'd prefer not to
be involved in whatever it is you're planning".

     "I'm leaving Chia-Yao's castle now, just in case someone
decided to 'make sure' I attend", She read, giving Chia-Yao a
stern look.  The God of Truth grinned a little foolishly and
Urd resumed reading, "I want to work things out on my own, I
feel bad about going off by myself, but unless I can figure
out who I am and what I'm suppose to be doing, I'll be totally
useless to all of you".

     "What's he mean?", Skuld asked from the doorway.

     "He means the fight", Chia-Yao said grimly, "He never
mentioned it, but I'm sure he felt utterly useless during it".

     "Yes", Keiichi murmured from the doorway.

     "Thor, Apollo", Belldandy said, smiling, "Why don't the
two of you check around the castle and see if he's hiding?".

     The two Gods nodded and walked out of the room. 
Belldandy closed the door as they left.  "What's wrong?", Urd
asked unnerved by her sister's actions.

     Belldandy looked around at Skuld, Chia-Yao and Keiichi,
"Brett told me that he felt responsible for everything that's
happened to us", she said bluntly.

     "What!?!?", Keiichi and Skuld burst out.

     "But.. he wasn't... ", Keiichi began.

     Belldandy held up her hand, "We know that", she said
gently, "But he still blames himself, for the fight, for us
being hurt, everything...".

     Urd and Chia-Yao exchanged a glance, "That sounds like
him", Chia-Yao said.

     Urd nodded, "I figured as much", she said.

     Belldandy looked at the two of them, "I don't think you
realise how serious this could be", she said, "He told me that
he *almost* wished that he'd never been born".

     Urd's face paled, "Why didn't you tell me!", she
demanded.

     "I'm sorry", Belldandy said, "But I didn't think much of
it at the time".

     "Damn", Urd said, "He probably thinks I blame him".

     Chia-Yao looked grim, "He mentioned to me that he thought
you were angry at him..", he observed quietly.

     "WHAT?!??!", Urd demanded, turing to look at Chia-Yao.

     "Well... you were avoiding him..", Chia-Yao protested.

     Urd nodded, "We'd better find him then", she said grimly
and then she gave Chia-Yao a stern look, "No forcing him into
anything", she ordered.

     Chia-Yao snapped off a mock-salute, "Yes ma'am", he
replied crisply. 

     "Where would he go?", Keiichi wondered, "If he doesn't
have his powers...".

     "There's not very far he *can* go", Skuld said, "Only
down the main path from here to heaven-central".

     Fifteen minutes later, after a questioning the guardians
of heaven's gates everyone met again in front of Chia-Yao's
castle.  "There's only two exits", Chia-Yao insisted, if he's
not here, he's got to be in heaven-central".

     "The guards said he didn't pass them by", Urd mused, "So
that means he's either still here in your castle, or he
managed to get past them without being seen".

     "Impossible!", Thor scoffed, "Those guards see
everything, no one can sneak past them!".

     Chia-Yao looked troubled, "I ordered a search of my
castle before I left, nothing was found and the team used
tried every detection spell in the book".

     Everyone was at a loss to explain where Brett was, it was
decided that Chia-Yao and his security daemons would search
heaven-central, while Urd and her sisters checked the likely
places he could be on earth.  Thor and Apollo decided that
they'd be more useful petitioning Kami-Sama for information,
"After all", Apollo said, "We're 'elder' gods afterall, he
might listen to us..".

                                  ******

     "Talk about your hot days", Urd said, fanning herself
futilly against the oppresive heat.

     "It's not the heat", Skuld argued, "it's the humidity". 
The pair had arrived in the middle of a hot summer's day,
forgetting that the seasons in Australia were reversed from
the northern hemisphere.

     Urd and Skuld had looked around Brett's family's house,
finding no one they'd decided to check with a few of Brett's
friends.  Skuld had transported them to the swimming complex
where one of Brett's friends worked and they were both wishing
they'd thought to change clothes first.  Skuld looking
longingly at the huge slides and wave pool, before shaking
herself back to reality.  She walked up to a lifeguard, "I'm
looking for a guy named Bruce", she said.

     The lifeguard nodded, "He's up there", he said, pointing
to the top of the highest ride, then the lifeguard looked
Skuld more closely, "Arn't you hot in that getup?", he asked.

     Urd grabbed her little sister around the arm, "Sorry",
she said, "Where are the changerooms?".  The lifeguard pointed
and the two Goddesses quickly dissapeared inside.  A quick
clothes-change spell later Urd and Skuld emerged and began the
trek up the huge waterslide.  They reached the highest deck
and noticed a large lineup for the slide, Urd looked around
and saw a group of lifeguards at one end of the platform.

     "There he is!", Urd said, grabbing Skuld and pushing past
several people in the lineup, "Bruce!", she called as she
neared the group.

     Bruce looked up from where he was demonstrating the
proper holds to use on a drowning victim.  He frowned, trying
to place the face of the young lady rushing towards him.  "You
have no idea how hard it is to find you", Urd said, puffing
slightly from the effort of dragging Skuld through the crowd.

     "You're Urd, arn't you?", Bruce guessed, "Brett's...
friend".

     Urd nodded and looked around at the group of lifeguards
who were watching her with open expressions of admiration,
"What are you doing?", she asked curiously.

     Bruce suddenly snapped back into 'business mode' and
looked around at his trainees, "Right everyone, down the slide
and let me see you practicing those holds!", he ordered.  The
group filed off, one or two of them having to drag their eyes
away from Urd.

     Bruce waited until they'd all gone down the slide and
smiled slightly, "They're a good bunch, but then need to learn
not to be distracted easily", he observed.  "So who's your
friend?", he asked looking at Skuld.

     "My sister", Urd said quickly, "Now down to business,
have you seen Brett lately?".

     "Errr.. no", Bruce said, scratching his head, "Should I
have?".

     Urd sighed, "I was afraid of that", she said.

     "What's wrong?", Bruce asked, a worried look on his face,
"Has something happened to him?".

     Skuld grew distracted while Urd was explaining to Bruce
what had happened and her gaze wondered around the huge
swimming complex.  It was much bigger than the ones she'd
visited in Japan and it was outdoors, with lots of trees and
green grass.  The slides looked much more advanced and she
wondered at the mentality of some of the people who would ride
them.  Her eyes caught a familar figure in the crowd and she
ducked back before he saw her. She grabbed Urd's arm, breaking
off her explanation in the middle, "Nilthar!", she hissed.

     Urd's eyes grew angry and she glared at the individual in
question.  "Nilthar?", Bruce asked, recoginising the name.

     "Over there!", Urd said, pointing.

     Bruce caught a glimpse of the figure and nodded, "I've
seen him here quite a bit in the last two days", he observed,
"Not that its unusual to see someone here several days in a
row... but it was almost like he wasn't interested in the
slides or swimming".

     "He isn't", Urd said bluntly, "He's here for you".

     "Me??!?", Bruce exclaimed, looking a bit worried, "Why
me?".

     "Because your one of Brett's friends", Urd replied.

     "But what about the dreamtime spirits?", Bruce pointed
out, "They wouldn't just let him hang around...".

     "Yessss we would...", a hissing voice insisted from the
edge of the platform.

     Urd recoiled as she saw a small snake sticking it's head
over to look at the three of them.  Bruce eyed the snake
cautiously, "Why would you?", he asked.

     "Hessss not caussssing trouble", the sanke said,
"Bessssidessss hesssss trusssstworthy enough".

     Urd gave the snake a serious look, "You didn't say that
the last time!", she snapped.

     The Rainbow Serpant hissed in reply, "He wasssn't like
thisss the lasssst time", it expalined.

     Bruce nodded to the snake, "Nice to meet you", he said
smiling, "What do you think of our waterhole?".

     "Very nice", the serpant stated, "Reminds me of home,
even if it is a little crowded".

     Urd broke into the pleasent conversation that was
developing, "Do *you* know where Brett is?", she asked
bluntly.

     The serpant shook it's head, "SSSsssorry", it hissed. 

     Urd nodded to Bruce, "I'll find Brett and get back to
you", she said, nodding to Skuld.

     "If he calls or drops by I'll get in touch with the
temple", Bruce promised.  The two Goddesses jumped onto the
slide, Urd linking hands with Skuld as the plummeted down the
ride.  Before they reached the bottom there was a flash of
light.

     "Ssssoooo", The serpant said to Bruce, "Wasss that
Brett'ssss mate?".

     "What?", Bruce said, looking at the point where Urd had
dissapeared.

     "Ssshe ssseemed concerned", the serpant noted.

     Bruce nodded for a moment, "She'ssss hissss friend",
Bruce said, slipping into serpant-speak for a moment.

     The Rainbow Serpant nodded and then slithered back down
from the platform and off into the bush.  Bruce watched it go
and smiled to himself.  He looked over the edge of the
platform at his group of trainees, "HEY!", he shouted, "Not
like that!".  Bruce jumped into the slide and arrived in the
pool full of his trainees with a attention-grabbing splash.

                                  ******

     Tupnixua looked up from it's hiding place and scowlled at
the figure that had appeared, "What are you doing?", it
demanded.

     Nilthar shrugged, "It's not going to work", he said,
"They're wise to your plan somehow".

     Tupnixua kicked a small building down in frustration,
he'd been sure that the Gods would bring Brett here, to try to
'infuse' him with power again.  Throughout the ruins of the
ancient temple, his minions had been spread out, waiting.  "We
must find another way then", Phalarus observed, appearing over
Tupnixua's shoulder.

     The Devil nodded in agreement, "There must be a way we
can find him...", he began.

     "Do it without me", Nilthar said, "I almost got caught by
two of the Norns, I'm not risking my neck any further".

     Tupnixua looked at Nilthar and smiled, "What makes you
think you have a choice", he said coolly.

     "How about the fact that I'm faster than you?", Nilthar
replied, disappearing in a flash.

     Tupnixua growled low in his throat, Nilthar would pay
when they all returned to hell.  He looked at Phalarus
curiously, "You're sure this plan will work?", he asked.

     Phalarus laughed, "Of course it will, the God of Destiny
that I remember was a very responsible person, if we get our
hands on some of his friends... he'll come charging in and we
can take him", he explained.

     Tupnixua nodded, "We can't touch his family", it mused,
"They're protected by the Dreamtime spirits of his homeland".

     "So we destroy the spirits", Phalarus said offhandedly.

     Tupnixua snorted, "I thought of that, these spirits have
been around for as long as I have, some of them longer", it
explained, "They're far more powerful than any spirits you've
encountered and much more savage".

     "No", Tupnixua said, "It's going to have to be some of
his friends from Japan....".

                                  ******

     Belldandy and Keiichi arrived back at the temple and were
immediately challenged by two members of the Security Daemons. 
After Belldandy identified herself the two nodded in farewell,
"If you need us, just call", one promised.

     The two disappeared in a flash of light.  "I wonder what
everyone's thought of us disappearing for so long", Keiichi
mused.

     Belldandy walked over to the front gate and opened it,
revealing a quarantine sign, "They'll think nothing of it",
Belldandy promised.

     The two quickly searched the house for some sign that
Brett had been there, but it was quite clear that he hadn't. 
The Security daemons had cleared up the damage from the battle
and the temple looked as it always had.  Keiichi shuddered as
he remembered seeing Belldandy hurt and bleeding, clutching
the barely alive Skuld.  He felt a hand on his shouler and
smiled over at Belldandy, "Don't worry", she reasured him, "I
promised to be with you forever".

     Keiichi surprised himself when he lent over and kissed
Belldandy gently on the lips, "I love you", he said simply.

     Belldandy hugged Keiichi tightly, "Keiichi", she
whispered, "I love you too...".  Things might have gone
further, but there was a huge knock at the door, "Morisato!",
Tamiya's voice echoed through the temple, "Are you home!??!".

     Keiichi and Belldandy reluctantly broke off their embrace
as Tamiya, Ootaki, Megumi and most of the rest of the Auto
Club burst through the front gates, "Are you all right?",
Tamiya demanded, stopping a few paces away.

     "Perfectly fine", Belldandy assured him, "It was only a
false alarm..".

     The moment she broke off Tamiya had picked Keiichi up off
the ground and hugged him, crying all the while, "I was so
afraid that you'd be unable to race again", he blubblered,
"but now the club's future is assured.

     Keiichi who was gasping for air managed to get Tamiya to
put him down, "Thanks Sempai", he said.

     Megumi was looking around curiously, "Where's Brett?",
she asked.

     "Well", Keiichi said, "He's actually....".

     "The doctors wanted to examine him, to see if they could
help his amnesia problem", Urd said, stepping out of the
temple, Skuld in tow.

     Tamiya wanted to have a party, celebrating the return of
his favourite (and only) driver, but Urd conviced him that
everyone was tired and needed to rest (by threatening to cut
off vital parts of his anatomy if he didn't leave).  Soon the
temple was back to nearly a normal state, only Brett's absence
remained.

                                  ******

     Chia-Yao was brooding in his office.  Of course he
wouldn't have called it 'brooding' he would have said he was
'silently planning strategy' - it amounted to the same thing. 
His search teams had combed every part of heaven and had found
nothing, he'd even gone as far as searching all the nearby
'pocket' dimensions (much to the displeasure of the Gods he'd
disturbed).

     "Nothing from the teams checking the approaches to hell",
Tloc informed him gravely, "But that's normal..".

     "Right", Chia-Yao said, "Let me know when they're back".

     "Boss", Tloc said, "You've been going for two days, take
a break, get away for a little bit".

     Chia-Yao looked up and smiled, "This is my brother we're
talking about", he explained, "I can't rest...".

     "Look!", Tloc said, placing a hand on Chia-Yao's
shoulder, "Why don't you just get away for a while, lock
yourself in your castle and forget the world for a while, I'll
tell you if something happens".

     "Hmmm", Chia-Yao murmured, "That might be a good
idea...".  Then his eyes lit up, "DAMN!", he said, "I know
where Brett is!".

                                  ******

     "Not like that! do it again!", Syliana said, her temper
breaking.

     I sighed and started again.  It had been about three
weeks since she'd 'dropped' in on me and suggested that I
might benefit from some extended training.  I was regretting
my decision, it seemed no matter how hard I tried, nothing was
good enough for this woman.  It had been an informative three
weeks, I'd learned more about the 'grey' mists I'd seen and
worked out how to identify immediate threats, so I could avoid
them.  She'd also taught me something of how to isolate things
in time, using something like a forcefield.  I still hadn't
been able to use any of the 'normal' powers that most Gods and
Goddesses seemed to possess.  I couldn't teleport, but Syliana
showed me how to isolate myself in time so that I could move
and time would stand still for everyone else.  

     I sighed and resumed concentrating on the lessom,
repeating the gesture, I recited the words as she'd taught me
and watched in amazement as the hourglass we'd been working on
shimmered, the sand paused for a moment and then began moving
backwards, from the bottom to the top.  "Good enough", Syliana
said, "Tell me what you just created".

     I nodded, "I isolated the hourglass in time and then
reversed the flow", I recited from memory.

     Sylina looked satisfied and she nodded, "That's enough
for today", she announced, "And it's your turn to cook
dinner".

     I watched her walk from the room and sighed in relief as
she left.  Her moods seemed to shift back and forth, one
moment she was all friendly and then next, she was back to
overbearing and aggresive.  Dinner however was something I
could manage without too many complaints, Syliana had been
living by herself so long she was always happy when someone
else did the cooking.

     After throwing together something for us to eat, I served
it out on the table.  Dinner was a quiet time, Syliana didn't
seem to be one to talk too much.  After we'd finished I sat
back in my chair and gave her a frank look, "So how am I
doing?", I asked seriously.

     Syliana frowned, "Well", she said, "You're certinally not
even close to Tlesta's level yet..".

     I shrugged, "But how much more do I have to learn?", I
asked.

     "Not a lot that I can teach you", Syliana admitted,
"You've got a *basic* grasp of how to mapiulate *some* of the
elements of your power".

     I grimaced, "Well, if you can't teach me, who can?", I
wondered out loud.

     Syliana shrugged, "Tlesta was the only one who truely
understood your role..", she explained.

     "Just great", I said, shaking my head, "talk about your
specalist jobs...".

     "Well excuse me!", Syliana said, standing suddenly, "I'm
doing my best!".  Before I could utter a protest, she was out
the door and gone.  She'd been doing that more and more in the
last few days, taking some little thing I'd said and twisting
it so that it made her look bad.

     I cleaned up after dinner and decided that we'd better
get whatever it was that was troubling her out into the open
before it made too many problems.  I found her at the very top
of the tower, she was looking out over her dimension, just
stargazing.  I walked up behind her, "What's the problem?", I
asked as gently as I could.

     Syliana stepped away from me, "You're nothing like
Tlesta!", she said accusingly.

     I frowned, "And why's that so important?", I asked
curiously.

     She glared at me, "You make jokes all the time, he never
did that", she pointed out, "These things I'm teaching you are
serious!".

     "That's not my fault!", I protested, "Who said I had to
be just like him anyway?".

     "But... ", she began, tears in her eyes, "You seemed to
be just like him.. serious and dedicated...".

     "I'm sorry", I said, placing a hand on her shoulder,
trying to reassure her, "I can't be something I'm not, I never
pretended that I felt comfortable with this power, even before
I lost my memories".

     She began sobbing quietly, "That means Tlesta is really
dead", she cried.  Not knowing what else to do I hugged her
and offered a shoulder to cry on.  After she'd cried herself
out and realised what she'd been doing, she pulled away from
me.

     "Are you feeling better?", I asked with a grin, "A good
cry now and then cleans out the eyes!".

     She dried her eyes on her hand and gave me a small smile,
"Tlesta would have told me to grow up and stop being such a
baby", she admitted, "I like your way better".

     I nodded and she suddenly stepped close, kissing me on
the cheek, "Thank you", she whispered.  She hurried downstairs
before I could say a word, leaving me staring out into the
darkness, wondering exactly what kind of a man Tlesta had
been.

                                  ******

     Chia-Yao was finding it harder and harder to duck Urd's
questions.  He'd worked out where Brett was easily enough,
Syliana would be the only one able to hide him so completely,
after he'd checked he resisted the urge to barge in, seeing
that Syliana was attempting to teach Brett.  "Besides", he
mumbled, "He's safer where he is".

     "What was that?", Urd asked, glaring at Chia-Yao, "Who's
safer where he is?".

     "Look", Chia-Yao said, trying to save his own skin, "I've
known where Brett is for a while..".

     "How long?", Urd asked evenly.

     "Since about two days after we started searching", Chia-
Yao admitted.  Belldandy, Keiichi and Skuld looked at Urd
apprehensively, but she appeared to remain calm.

     "And where exactly is he?", Urd asked.

     Chia-Yao looked away, "I can't tell you", he said.

     Before Urd could explode in anger, Skuld pipped up, "You
can't tell us, or you won't tell us?", she asked.

     "Well", Chia-Yao said, "I shouldn't tell you, it'd be
revealing something I'm not suppose to".

     "What do you mean?", Belldandy asked, curious that Chia-
Yao the God of Truth, would be unwilling to share information.

     Chia-Yao began to pace around the room, "Look", he said,
"It's easy for you three, you know your jobs and everyone
knows who you are".  He glanced over at Keiichi, "If you
looked up an encyclopaedia you'd find mention of the Norns,
they're common knowledge..".

     "And?", Skuld asked.

     "We are not", Chia-Yao said, "Indicating himself".  He
looked at everyone seriously, "My family is a little more
secretive".

     Urd nodded, "I think I see where this is going", she
said, "He's with the God of Mystery, isn't he?".

     Everyone seemed to breath a sigh of relief as Chia-Yao
nodded, "He's been there for about three weeks, Syl... I mean
the God of Mystery has been doing a little training with
him..".

     "Training?", Urd asked, looking offended, "Wasn't that my
job?".

     Chia-Yao nodded, "Mystery will teach him some things that
Tlesta taught her", he explained.

     "Her?", Keiichi asked curiously.

     "Err..", Chia-Yao hedged, "Did I say, 'her', I meant..".

     "You meant her", Urd said, giving him a stern look, "Who
exactly is this 'Goddess of Mystery'", she demanded.

     "I can't tell you", Chia-Yao protested, "It's a secret,
if everyone knew...".

     "We'd be a lot less worried", Belldandy said firmly,
"Please Chia-Yao, tell us".

     Keiichi and Skuld also nodded.  "Look", Chia-Yao said,
"If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell anyone else!".

     Everyone nodded and Chia-Yao took a deep breath, "I
believe you all know her", he said, "her name's Syliana".

     "SYLIANA!?!?!?", Skuld and Urd choroused in anger.

     Keiichi looked over at Belldandy, "Who's Syliana?", he
asked her quietly.

     Belldandy smiled slightly, "She's about my age",
Belldandy explained, "But she used to hang around with Urd's
group of friends..".

     "Snot-nosed little cow", Urd mumbled, "She was always
popping up in the most unusual places...".

     "We never did find out what she was Goddess of", Skuld
mused, "I suppose it stands to reason when you think about
it..".

                                  ****** 
     Syliana seemed to treat me much more civily after she
realised that I wasn't trying to live up to Tlesta's model, in
fact she was downright friendly.  This made working with her a
lot easier and I seemed to be going forward in leaps and
bounds.  Aparantly what I needed was practice and lots 
of it.
     
     Our evenings were speant in pleasent conversation,
Syliana seemed to want to know everything about me and my
life.  When I asked her about herself she was rather evasive
and steered the conversation away from those areas.  "What's
on for tomorrow?", I asked her one evening, about a month 
after I'd arrived.
     
     Syliana smiled slightly, "How about a day off? You've
been working pretty hard", she suggested, "just take a day and
do whatever you want to".
     
     I nodded, "I was starting to lose track of the days
here", I confessed, "What's the actual date?".
     
     "It's the second week in December", Syliana said after
checking her calander, "Tomorrow's a Saturday".
     
     I thought for a moment, "How's about we go shopping?", I
suggested, "It's getting near to Christmas and I suppose I'd
better get onto getting some gifts for people".
     
     Syliana looked surprised, "I would have thought that
you'd want to spend the day by yourself..", she said
carefully.
     
     "Oh sorry!", I said, smiling slightly, "I didn't know you
wanted to be by yourself..".
     
     "Oh no!", Syliana said quickly, "We can go shopping, I
just would have thought you'd want to be by yourself, I mean
we've been working together every day for the last month...".
     
     I shrugged, "I guess I prefer company when I'm shopping",
I dropped my voice to a whisper, "Actually I *hate* shopping,
but it's easier to bear when I've got a friend with me".
     
     Syliana seemed pleased, "So where do you want to shop?",
she asked, "You've got the whole world to shop in...".
     
     I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began scribbling
a list of places.  "First we'll need to get some money, that
shouldn't be a problem though, if I remember correctly I get
an 'allowance' because I'm part of the exchange program.. ", I
began to plan the little trip and Syliana cleared off the
dishes and cleaned up.  She was whistling a little tune as 
she worked and I noticed she kept looking my way when she
thought I wasn't looking.
     
     The next morning I was awoken early by a knock on my
door, "Brett!", Syliana called brightly, "Time for
breakfast!".
     
     I crawlled out of bed and splashed some water on my face,
glancing out the window I noticed the sun hadn't even risen in
this dimension yet.  Grumbling slightly I made my way out to
the kitchen and found a *huge* breakfast waiting.  I found my
itinery on the table, but it had been rewritten to include
timezones.  According to the plan we'd start out in Australia,
work on to Africa, Europe and then follow the sun to the
United States, work our way across it and finally end up in
Japan 24 hours later.  I whistled at the plan in front of me,
basically we'd be using every single minute of the day.
     
     A moment later Syliana practically bounded into the room
and placed a huge breakfast in front of me, "Eat up!", she
ordered, "We're not stopping for lunch for another eight
hours!".
     
     I did a double take and noticed she was wearing quite a
nice dress, instead of her usual robe and hood.  She noticed
my noticing and smiled, "What do you think?", she asked,
twirling around for my inspection.
     
     "It looks very nice", I complimented her, "You should
wear casual clothes more often".
     
     To my surprise she blushed at the compliment and I began
feeling a little uncomfortable.  Syliana hadn't acted this way
around me before, it was a little unnerving.  After breakfast
(which she insisted on cleaning up after) she took my arm as
we left her tower.  After initially feeling a bit awkward I
got used to her walking close and found I rather liked it.  We 
left her dimension and dissapeared in a flash of light.
     
                                ******
     
     Urd was leading Belldandy and Skuld, the latter of which
was dragging Chia-Yao along by one arm, "It's your fault you
didn't tell us earlier!", Skuld reminded him.
     
     "I was suppose to give up one of my families secrets?",
Chia-Yao protested, "Be fair!".
     
     Skuld shrugged, "You know how Urd and I feel about
Syliana!", she snapped, "And you left her with Brett!".
     
     Chia-Yao shook his head, "I still don't know what she did
that was so horrible!", he protested, "You three used to be
friends!".
     
     "That was before she crossed the line!", Urd snapped over
her shoulder, "We will never forgive her!"
     
     The three Goddesses walked up to the front gate of
Syliana's domain, noticing how it shifted and moved against
the ether, making it difficult to see, let alone enter.  Skuld
shoved Chia-Yao forward, "Open it!", she ordered, "We know you
have access".
     
     Chia-Yao sighed and whispered the password, but instead
of the gates opening Syliana's voice called out, "Sorry
Chia-Yao", it said happily, "I'm out for today, Brett and I
are going out, don't wait up for us!".
     
     Dreading what he'd see when he turned around Chia-Yao did
it slowly.  The expression on Belldandy's face was one of mild
astonishment, Skuld's face showed growing anger and Urd looked
like she was about to start screaming and shooting lightning
bolts any minute.
     
     "'Don't wait up'?", Urd ground out between clentched
teeth.
     
     "They're probably just going to be out for a long time!",
Chia-Yao said quickly, "I mean they could be going anywhere!".
     
     Urd nodded sharply and then looked over at Belldandy with
a surprisingly calm expression, "Sister Dear", she said
evenly, "do you think you could head back to the temple so we
can co-ordinate our search?".
     
     "Search?", Chia-Yao asked weakly.
     
     "That's right", Urd said in a tone that would stand no
arguments, "And you're going to help us find your delinquent
brother!".
     
     Chia-Yao sighed, "Let me get my tracking equipment", he
said, dissapearing.  A few minutes later he reappeared,
wearing a backpack which was connected to a visor over his
eyes.  "I'm adjusting this to follow Brett's Aura", he
explained.  A moment later he nodded, "He teleported from 
here", he announced, "Looks like they were heading to the
mortal realm".
     
     "Let's find them", Urd said firmly.
     
                                   ******
     
     Belldandy arrived back at the temple to find Keiichi
finishing up on the phone, "Yes", he said awkwardly in
english, "I understand".
     
     "Who was that", Belldandy asked, noticing the big grin on
Keiichi's face.
     
     "That was Brett's friend, Bruce", Keiichi said happily,
"Aparantly he dropped by earlier on today to wish him a happy
christmas!".  Belldandy nodded and concentrated, touching
Urd's mind gently and informing her.  Belldandy  staggered as
Urd responded like a hunting animal with the smell of blood in
it's nostrils.
     
     Keiichi caught her before she could fall, "Bell-chan!",
he exclaimed, "Are you all right?".
     
     She hugged Keiichi thankfully and then stood up, "We'd
better get working on dinner", she suggested, "I have a
feeling we're going to have a full-house tonight".
     
     A moment later there was a knock on the door and Tamiya
burst in, followed by Ootaki, "Morisato!", Tamiya called
happily, "We're here to help you decorate!".  Keiichi watched
in horror as a half-dozen members of the Motor club hauled in
a few huge boxes, obviously full of decorations.  Megumi
walked in behind them, barking orders, "You there, that goes
out on the trees in the front!", she called back out to
another group of people carrying lots of what looked like
lights.
     
     When Tamiya and his cohorts had finished the temple
resembled a department store window, lights everywhere,
hanging from the ceiling, around the trees and the statues. 
Keiichi winced at the thought of the electricity bill this
month. Tamiya was relaxing in front of the TV when he suddenly
noticed Skuld and Urd were missing, "Where did Urd and Skuld 
dissapear to?", he asked curiously.
     
     Keiichi was saved from having to tell them that they were
on a global search to find Brett and the Goddess he'd run away
with by a quick-thinking Belldandy, "Urd and Skuld have gone
to see if Brett's recovered enough to come home for
Christmas", she said, she said, stretching the truth.
     
     Megumi poked her head in, "Brett's going to be here?",
she asked quickly.
     
     "If the doctors feel he can take it", Keiichi said
evasively.
     
     "Well then", Megumi said with a nod, "We'll just have to
make sure he enjoys himself so much he doesn't want to
leave!".
     
     There was a cheer that echoed her sentiment from the rest
of the club, "We'll get him to party till he drops..", Tamiya
began excitedly, only to have a christmas tree brach shoved in
his mouth by Megumi, "That's just what we *won't* do!", she
said dangerously.
     
     Tamiya nodded quickly and she removed the threatening
branch from his mouth, "Let's go pick up some supplies",
Ootaki suggested carefully, nudging Tamiya.  Megumi nodded and
the two of them shuffled outside.
     
                                   ******
     
     
     Urd, Skuld and Chia-Yao materalised at Bruce's house in
Australia a few minutes after he finished on the phone with
Keiichi.  Bruce was starting to get used to people popping in
and out so he was only mildly surprised to see the new
arrivals appear out of his TV.  "That didn't take long", he
observed.
     
     "Where is he?", Urd almost demanded.
     
     Bruce shrugged, "He's gone", he said.
     
     Urd gave him such a threatening look that Bruce took a
step back, "Where did he go!?!", she asked slowly.
     
     "I don't know", Bruce admitted, "He had an armful of
shopping when he arrived with that girl...".
     
     "Girl?", Urd asked evenly, "What did she look like?".
     
     Bruce thought about it for a moment, "You know I can't
really remember", he admitted, "She was shorter than Brett...
".
     
     "Like about half the population of the world", Skuld
observed quietly.
     
     "I couldn't tell you what she was wearing", Bruce
admitted, "My mind seems to have gone blank".
     
     "Did Brett introduce her?", Urd asked.
     
     Bruce nodded, "He said her name was...", then he broke
off, "You know.. it's the strangest thing.. I can't remember
it".  He looked at the two Goddesses in confusion, "You don't
think Brett's amnesia is contagious do you?", he wondered.
     
     "No Bruce", Urd said quickly, "I'm sure it's just a
co-incidence".
     
     "Is Brett in some kind of trouble?", Bruce asked, "He
seemed fine to me, he even seemed to have remembered more...".
     
     Urd gave him a curious look, "He told you that?", she
asked.
     
     Bruce nodded, "Brett said he's been getting little
'flashes' of memory now and then", he explained.  Urd nodded
and turned to Chia-Yao, "Pick up his trail", she ordered. 
Chia-Yao turned on his tracking device and the three left 
a very confused Bruce standing in his living room.
     
                                   ******
     
     I stifled a yawn as we walked towards the temple in
Nekomi, Syliana had teleported us to the nearby park, so we
could have a break for a few minutes before having to deal
with all the questions we knew were going to be forthcoming
when we met the others.  Syliana seemed particularly
uncomfortable about meeting Urd and Skuld, but for some reason
I couldn't get her to tell me why.
     
     The sun was just setting, turning the western sky a deep
purple colour and I was feeling more relaxed than I had in
weeks.  Shopping with Syliana had been an interesting
experience.  Initially I think she was under the wrong
impression about my invinting her along, but she seemed to
pick up that I wasn't looking at anything but having a nice
time shopping.  We set a pace in our shopping that would have
been impossible without Syliana's teleportation ability.  I
picked up gifts for my various people, Syliana teleporting
them to her home when they became too numerous to carry.
     
     It was rather cold here in Japan and Syliana shivered a
bit beside me, huddling up close beside me.  "Cold huh?", I
asked, placing an arm around her shoulders companionably.
     
     She smiled a little and shook her head, "Not anymore",
she said, cuddling up beside me.  The sunset was waning and it
started to get a little colder so I nudged Syliana gently,
"Come on", I encouraged her, "We'd better get a move on 
before we freeze this way".
     
     "Freezing this way doesn't sound too bad", Syliana
murmured.  I chuckled a little at that and gave her a hand up. 
When we arrived at the temple I was surprised to note that it
was covered in blinking lights and there were decorations
everywhere.  There was also a signifigant amount of noise
coming from inside.  I pushed open the gate and gestured for
Syliana to proceed in front of me, but she grabbed my arm on
the way past.
     
     Several people recognised me as I walked through the
garden towards the temple and I nodded in greeting.  Syliana
caused quite a stir with a few of the guys we passed, much to
the dissaproval of the girls they were with.  Keiichi was
waiting for us at the top of the stairs, "Brett!", he said,
"Where have you been!?!?".
     
     I frowned, "Didn't Chia-Yao tell you guys were I was?", I
asked curiosuly, "I assumed he would".
     
     Sylina made a rude noise, "It's not a good idea to assume
anything where my brother is concerned", she observed.
     
     Keiichi looked at her and blinked in confusion, "Oh,
sorry", I said, "This is Syliana".
     
     "Pleased to meet you", Keiichi said, then he noticed how
Syliana was holding onto my arm and he started to get a bit
nervous.  Turning back to me he gave me a strained look, "You
didn't happen to see Urd, Skuld or Chia-Yao today did you?",
he almost begged.
     
     I shook my head, "Sorry mate, we've been shopping all
over the place today", I explained.  Keiichi nodded and ducked
back inside, "I'll get Belldandy", he said quickly.
     
     Syliana and I moved to a relatively quiet corner of the
room and sat down, grateful for the warmth of the room. 
"Brett!", a familar voice called out over the din in the room. 
I stood to see who it was when I was suddenly glomped onto
by Tamiya who was acting like I'd come back from the dead,
"It's good to see you again!", he blubbered.  I took a whiff
of his breath and almost gagged, he'd probably been drinking
for most of the afternoon, "I thought you'd be in that 
nuthouse forever!", he continued, oblivious to the warning
looks that Ootaki was giving him, "We all thought you'd gone
totally crazy...".
     
     "Nuthouse?", I asked curiously.
     
     I'm sure Tamiya would have explained, except he was
bodily hauled off me and thrown across the room by Megumi, "It
was a hospital, not a nuthouse!", she admonished him.  Tamiya
had unfortunately fallen unconcious when he'd hit the wall and
didn't respond (if was an even bet between the drink and
Megumi's stunning judo throw).
     
     I then found myself glomped onto by Megumi, "I'm so glad
you're back!", she said eagerly, "I've missed you so much!".
     
     At that point in time Syliana tapped her on the shoulder,
"Excuse me?", she asked, "Why are you attacking Brett like
that?".
     
     Megumi turned around (without breaking her hold) and
frowned at Syliana, "What's it to you?", she asked pointedly.
     
     Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the
door slammed opened and a half-frozen Urd trudged in, followed
by an equally cold-looking Skuld and Chia-Yao.  "We didn't
find..", she began.  Then she saw me and took in Megumi on
one side and Syliana on the other, there was a flash of anger
in her eyes and she turned, stalking from the room.  Skuld and
Chia-Yao were leaning against each other, obviously exhausted.
     
     Belldandy led Skuld over to a chair while Syliana took
care of her brother.  I glanced over at Megumi, "I'd better go
check on Urd", I said, disengaging myself from her.
     
                                   ******
     Urd was sitting in her room hunched over something when
Brett found her. she'd ignored his knocking on her door so he
opened the door slowly.  He walked over to where she was
sitting and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't
touch me", she hissed angrily.
     
     He stopped after a moment, "I'm sorry", he apologised, "I
didn't know that Chia-Yao didn't tell you where I was".
     
     "We've been looking for you for a month!", Urd snapped
angrily, "Do you have any idea what that feels like?".
     
     Brett had been though similar experiences before and he
nodded, "All I can say is I'm sorry", he apologised again.
     
     Urd turned to face him, he noticed she was carrying some
kind of wodden box that seemed familiar, "That's not good
enough", Urd replied shortly.
     
     Then Urd noticed that he wasn't listening to her, he was
staring at the box with a strange expression on his face. 
"Brett?", Urd asked, standing and snapping her fingers in
front of his face, "What's wrong?".
     
     There seemed to be some kind of internal sturggle going
on, because Brett's expression shifted back and forth through
a half-dozen different emotions, "What is in the box?!", he
demanded, grabbing it from a stunned Urd's hands.
     
     He opened the box, revealing a crystal rose that had
several large cracks going through it, the box also contained
a letter in his own handwriting.  A shuddered went through his
body and the rose fell from his grasp, shattering on the
floor.  Urd didn't notice however, her gaze was fixed on
Brett's forehead, where a familar symbol began appearing and
then fading out.  There was also a sudden burst of magical
energy accompaning the symbol's appearence and dissapearence.
     
     A few moments later Chia-Yao burst into the room,
followed closely by Skuld, Belldandy and Syliana, "What's
going on?", Syliana demanded, seeing Brett's pained expression
and feeling the energy suddenly building up.
     
     "Shut up!", Urd hissed at her, her eyes still focused on
Brett.  Chia-Yao slammed the door to the room shut and
muttered a quick spell so no one outside would be able to
overhear them.
     
     Brett suddenly lost his footing and fell to his knees,
Urd and Syliana both tried to catch him, but as soon as they
touched him their hands were burned painfully.  "Let me out!",
Brett hissed suddenly.
     
     "What's he talking about?", Skuld wondered.
     
     Brett rolled to his feet and came up in a fighting
stance, "No!", he roared, "This is *my* body!".  The power
that had built up was considerable and everyone's hair began
to stand on end as it filled the room.  Then as suddenly as it
began, the power dissapeared.
     
     This time Chia-Yao caught him before he could fall. 
Everyone in the room exchanged confused looks as Brett
suddenly let out a huge yawn, "Sorry about that", he said,
struggling to stand up, "I think I drifted off for a 
bit".
     
     Chia-Yao however didn't let him up, "When did you all get
here?", Brett asked, noticing Chia-Yao was holding him in a
sitting positon.
     
     "You'd better get him to his room", Skuld suggested. 
Belldandy nodded and Chia-Yao helped a still-confused Brett to
his room.
     
                                  ******
  
     Syliana was fuming, she'd been sitting waiting until the
Norns had cleared out their temple and she was about to go
insane.  The three Goddesses acted like they were expecting
this to happen, even Chia-Yao seemed to be almost resigned to
the fact that Brett had had some kind of attack.
     
     When the temple was finally cleared of partygoers Syliana
cornered her brother, "What is going on?", she asked in a tone
that brooked no arguments.
     
     Chia-Yao sighed, "We found out about it just after the
fight the Norns had here at the temple", he explained,
"Somehow the memories that Brett lost and the power that's
been missing from him were placed inside something like a
message sphere".
     
     Syliana nodded, familar with the spell to created
spinning spheres that could show the intended person images
and talk to them, "So what's that got to do with what's
happening now?", she asked impatiently.
     
     "During the fight a demon blasted Brett while he was
linked to the message sphere", Chia-Yao explained, "The sphere
dissipated into him".
     
     "But that doesn't explain why he'd be having fits like
that!", Syliana protested.
     
     Chia-Yao sighed, "Aparantly the sphere contined more than
we thought", Chia-Yao admitted, "It wasn't created by Brett
alone, Kami-Sama had a hand in it... the sphere contained the
part of Brett's soul that was linked with him being a god..".
     
     "But...", Syliana began, she broke off as she realised
the consequences.
     
     "That's right", Chia-Yao confirmed, "He's got two souls
in him.. and they're going to be fighting for control, it
could very well kill him.. or drive him insane".
     
     Syliana was quiet for a long time, "What do we do about
it then?", she asked.
     
     "We?", Chia-Yao asked curiously, "Since when do you
involved yourself outside your work?".
     
     "Since I met Brett", Syliana said firmly, "And you might
want to tell Urd I'm not going to give up on him without a
fight!".
     
     Chia-Yao had enough survival instinct not to ask
questions and he nodded, leaving the room.  Belldandy was
standing in the doorway and she heard Syliana's warning, she
was glad that Syliana had found someone to care about more
than her work, but she was also dismayed that it was Brett.
     
     She bustled into the room, "We can set a room up for
you", she offered Syliana pleasently.
     
     Syliana smiled and shook her head, "I don't want to cause
any more problems for you", she said, "I'll just take Brett
and be on my way..".  Unfortunately at that moment Urd just
happened to walk into the room.
     
     "You'll take Brett?", she asked dangerously.
     
     "That's right", Syliana replied, glaring just as
dangerously at Urd, "I think he'll be better off in heaven
with me".
     
     "Do you just?", Urd asked sarcastically, "Who appointed
you his 'guardian angel'?".
     
     "I just did", Syliana said, shoving past Urd without
another word.
     
     Urd was about the respond violently when Belldandy place
a hand on her arm and shook her head, "Don't", she warned her
sister.  Syliana headed for Brett's room and Urd went to
follow her, "Let her go", Belldandy said quietly.
     
     "Why are you taking her side?", Urd demanded, turning on
her sister angrily.
     
     Belldandy shook her head, "I'm not", she said simply,
"But Syliana is scared and angry enough without getting into a
fight".
     
     "But she's going to take Brett away!", Urd insisted.
     
     "She won't take him unless he wants to go", Belldandy
said firmly, "And if he does want to go, what right do you
have to stop him?".
     
     Urd was speechless, she gave Belldandy a glare that would
have frozen water before stalking back to her own room.  There
was an almighty slam as she closed the door.  Chia-Yao
whistled, "You're braver than I", he admitted, "I wouldn't
have had the guts to tell her that".
     
     Belldandy gave Chia-Yao a small smile, "Perhaps you
should go keep an eye on your sister and make sure she doesn't
make the same mistake thinking that Brett is *her's*", she
suggested.
     
                                        ******
     
     I was still a little groggy when the door to my room
opened and Skuld walked inside.  I nodded in greeting and she
just gave me a peeved look, "Do you realise how much energy we
used up looking for you?", she almost demanded.
     
     "Do you realise that I don't?", I asked her in reply.
     
     Skuld nodded, "I guess that's another thing I'll have to
talk to Chia-Yao about", she said with a sigh.
     
     "Don't go too hard on him", I advised her, "I'm sure he
was doing what he thought was right".
     
     "Yeah", Skuld said, shaking her head, "That's the
problem".  We sat in silence for a little while, before she
finally got to the point, "Do you realise what just happened
to you?", she asked.
     
     I shook my head, "I got dizzy for a while?", I guessed.
     
     Skuld shook her head, "Nope", she said, "Remember what
the doctor told you back up in heaven?".     

     "About the two souls fighting over my body?", I asked. 
When she nodded I grimaced, "I guess this means I'll be having
more of these little 'blackouts' then", I said evenly.
     
     "That doesn't bother you?", Skuld asked in amazement.
     
     "Actually it scares the hell out of me", I admitted, "I
thought that the scaryest thing ever was to wake up and find
out that nearly two years had passed that I didn't remember,
but this is much worse".
     
     "Then why are you so calm?", Skuld wondered out loud.
     
     "Would you be happier if I was running around and ripping
my hair out?", I asked with a grin, "I've known this was
coming.. and I know there's nothing I can do about it..".
     
     Skuld stood up suddenly, "I can't believe there's nothing
we can do!", she said angrily, "I'm gonna talk to a few
people.. ".  She dissapeared out the door leaving it open.  I
was about to get up and close the door when Syliana appeared.
     
     "How are you feeling?", she asked, sitting down on the
bed beside me.
     
     I shrugged, "Not bad I guess", I replied, "For someone
going insane".
     
     Syliana winced at that comment and she stood, "Well, we'd
better get going then", she said firmly.
     
     I frowned, "Going where?", I asked in confusion.
     
     "Back home", she clarified.
     
     I shifted a little uncomfortably, "Syliana", I said
seriously, "I can't expect you to take care of me by yourself,
anything could happen.. I could become violent...".
     
     She shrugged, "I'll chance it", she said, touching my
cheek gently.
     
     I took her hand quickly, "I'm sorry", I said to her
seriously, "Here there are three Goddesses and a God to stop
me if something happens.. if I hurt you I'd never forgive
myself...".
     
     "I can't believe you'd be that dangerous!", she said with
a grin, "I *am* a first-class Goddess afterall".
     
     I smiled at her comment and shook my head, "The other
thing is that here I'm remembering more and more about the
last two years", I explained, "I remember last christmas we
had a small get together and I remember what I got everyone..
I also remember the days around it and what I did...".
     
     She looked a little hurt and I gave her a little hug,
"Thanks a lot for the thought", I said gently, "But if I'm
gonna remember.. I need to be here..".
     
     Syliana shook of my hug and stood, "Very well", she said
coldly, "I'll have your shopping transported here tomorrow".
     
     I grabbed her hand before she could turn away, "Please
don't be upset", I said, "I just don't want..".
     
     "Me", Syliana said quickly, "I understand.. it's fine,
really!".  She pulled away and teleported before I could say
anything else.
     
                                   ******

-----CONTINUED IN PART 5