Authors' Notes:
For those of you that remember it, Faith and Free Will is the sequel to
Goddess in the Mirror, a fanfic posted to the FFML from April to June of
2000.  We highly recommend reading through that before starting this
chapter, as it draws heavily on events transpiring there.

Please visit our webpage at:  http://omg.tfenet.com/fanfics/

I should also mention that this draft was finished over a year ago, and
while chapter two is mostly complete for all intents and purposes, there
are still a few scenes left to add.  Unfortunately, neither Bart nor
myself are actively writing these days--real life taking up much of our
free time.  I wish I could say the other four chapters of this story would
be coming in one week intervals, however the best I can predict as of now
is "eventually."  Regardless, we hope you enjoy this first chapter, which
in all honesty, was so fun to write.

Credits:
This story is based on Oh My Goddess, an OAV series and manga written by
Kosuke Fujishima.  It is not our purpose to make a profit from this--in
fact, if you don't own any Oh My Goddess, we highly recommend that you go
out and buy some. :)

And now, without further ado...

****

Faith and Free Will
Chapter 1:  Kiss of a Wayward Angel
By Bart Kelsey and Thomas Dye


INTERNAL MEMORANDUM
Hell, Department of Acquisitions

Re: Performance evaluation of employee no. 762929

To whom it may concern,

It has come to our attention that, over the past several weeks, the
performance rating of employee 762929, namely Mara, Demon First Class, has
dropped from Exemplary to Undesirable.  Losing an employee of her caliber
would be regrettable, so we recommend that you take action to remedy the
situation, or this problem report will be forwarded to the Office of Demon
Resources for further consideration.

Thank you,
The Department of Acquisitions Employee Review Committee

*

Toshiyuki Aoshima was in an absolutely foul mood.  While this in itself
was not entirely uncommon, even Aoshima himself would have usually been
hard-pressed to remain consistently irritated for over three weeks
running.

It had all started not long ago, when that nobody Keiichi Morisato and his
ragtag group of Auto Club friends had bested his Four Wheels Club at the
intercollegiate drag racing competition.  Oh, Aoshima had won the race,
all right.  His professional driver had seen to that.  What really irked
him was that, somehow, despite losing, Morisato had still ended up being
the hero.  The little twerp had crashed his bike--blown it to smithereens,
in fact--and, against all odds, he had walked away from the accident
unharmed.

Where Keiichi had been a mere fly on the wall before, he had now risen to
a point where people were starting to notice him; perhaps more, even, than
Aoshima himself.  And if there was one thing Toshiyuki Aoshima couldn't
stand, it was being upstaged.

Something would have to be done.

*

Someone had once told Keiichi that he wouldn't know what to do with a girl
even if one fell out of the sky and wanted nothing more than to spend
eternity with him.  Although he had laughed it off at the time, he almost
felt tempted now to contact his old high school buddy and compliment him
on the uncanny accuracy of his assessment.

In truth, however, despite his uncertainty, these past two weeks were
among the happiest he had ever experienced.  While it was a problem in
some senses of the word, it was one of those deeply satisfying and
relaxing problems, like 'This new engine is too big to fit under the
hood,' or 'What am I going to do with all this money?'  And so Keiichi
fumbled on about his life.  He fumbled because it felt good, and because
Belldandy didn't mind.

This Thursday afternoon found him seated at the kitchen table with his
nose buried in his schoolbooks, a blissfully pleasant fall breeze wafting
in through the open doorway.  Belldandy was busy tidying up; he had
noticed after a few days that she always seemed to be able to find
something to tidy up despite the fact that she kept the place so
immaculately clean that flecks of dirt, feeling uncomfortably out of
place, would often pick up and go elsewhere of their own accord.  She was
no more or less wonderful than the day he had met her--her radiance was
more obvious to the casual observer, perhaps, but ever since he first laid
eyes on her, he had known, at least on a subconscious level, that there
was something extraordinary about her.

Urd was seated at the table--if you could call it that, anyway.  She was
actually floating several feet up off the ground, bobbing leisurely by
Keiichi at intervals to peek over his shoulder at his homework assignment.
He wasn't entirely sure whether she did it because she was genuinely
curious about what he was doing, or because she just wanted to get on his
nerves.  Curiously, Urd seemed to have changed even more than her younger
sister since they had moved into the temple.  The few impressions he had
of her were of a serious, commanding woman; now she seemed more like a
flighty teenager trapped in a grown woman's body.  He had debated for
several days on whether he found her new demeanor to be irritating or
endearing, and, unable to reach a definite conclusion either way, finally
settled on a little of both.

"What's up, K-boy?" the elder goddess asked, alighting noiselessly beside
him in a sitting position.

Keiichi looked up from the materials science book he was studying, glad
for the momentary distraction.  "Not a lot," he replied, stifling a yawn.

"Mm," she replied noncommittally, taking to the air again and eying him
with childlike interest.  Likeable as she was, she made Keiichi nervous at
times; her eyes reminded him a bit of Megumi's at a younger age, always
taking in every little detail and storing it away for later, but never
judging or assuming.  With one last glance around the room, Urd drifted
out of the living room and on down the hallway to her own quarters, which
Keiichi knew to house a multitude of jars of strange concoctions that he
dared not even guess at.

Urd's departure left him alone in the room with Belldandy, a situation
that always made him a bit uneasy.  He never knew quite what one says to
one's live-in girlfriend to strike up a conversation.  Having never had a
real girlfriend at all--save possibly for Mara, who really didn't
count--he was unsure of whether to start with a complement or a question
or just a random comment about What Nice Weather We've Been Having
Recently.  Keiichi couldn't tell whether she picked up on his awkwardness
or not, but surmised that, being the sort of person that she was, she
wouldn't make an issue of it if she did.

"Hey Belldandy?" he ventured, glancing up at the clock.

"Yes, Keiichi?"  Her mode of speech was ever so slightly formal, just
another touch of the perfection that made her so charming.

"The guys asked me to invite you along to the motor club meeting... I
dunno how you feel about racing, so you don't have to come along if you
don't want to, but if you do, it'd be great to have you there."  Tamiya
and Ootaki's reasoning behind this, of course, was the club's 'severe
shortage of hot babes,' as they so delicately put it.  Keiichi would have
eventually asked Belldandy along anyway, but his sempais' prodding
provided him with an excuse to breach the subject sooner than he would
have otherwise.

"I'd love to!" she said, clasping her hands together.  Part of him really
envied her; she seemed to take such joy out of every experience, new or
old.  "Oh, wait," she amended with a note of concern.  "I've got to make
some supper for you before you leave.  It wouldn't do to have you going
hungry at the meeting."

Keiichi smiled.  "It's okay, Bell.  There's still about an hour before we
have to be there, so we can stop somewhere on the way, and I'll buy us an
early dinner.  I mean, I love your cooking, Bell... but I'd like to do
something for *you* this once."

Belldandy nodded in understanding.  Doing things for other people made her
feel good, and it would be selfish in a way to keep that feeling all to
herself, especially with someone as thoughtful as Keiichi.  "I'd like
that," she said.

Keiichi stood up and stretched, the circulation returning to his legs
after an unusually long study session.  "Shall we go?"

Belldandy nodded again, looking at him in cheerful expectation.  He
reached over hesitantly and took her hand; she seemed as if she wanted him
to do so.  She gave his fingers a gently affirmative squeeze as he led her
out the door.

 *

Beautiful in every way, Keiichi thought to himself again.  He watched as
Belldandy looked out to the ocean from her seat in the motorcycle's side
car, losing himself in the way the pink light of the sunset played on the
soft contours of her face.  Swept back by the wind, her hair glittered in
the air like a copper waterfall.

It was a dangerous game he played, letting his attention drift to her as
it did.  The road blurred beneath them as they raced along the practically
empty highway, and Keiichi had to consciously will himself to focus ahead.
Even though this route was a little bit out of the way, he knew that the
scenery at this time of day--present company included--would be absolutely
stunning.  Belldandy was happy, and that was all that mattered to him.
Twisting the handlebar throttle to the maximum, the engine groaned as the
bike made a sudden lurch forward, eliciting an excited gasp from his
companion.  Smiling confidently, Keiichi felt that, for perhaps the first
time in his life, things were going his way.

Finding a restaurant was an easier affair than Keiichi had expected.
Today, he thought, was the perfect day to introduce Belldandy to more of
the city, and, more importantly, to just sit down and talk to her for a
little while without the myriad interruptions that seemed to follow him
wherever he went.  In the past, the motor club members had met at the cafe
to discuss ideas over drinks, have a burger, or just get totally
plastered.  Having been present at many of these occasions, he had quite a
few fond memories of the quaint little place.

The inside was a bit more crowded than Keiichi would have liked, but he
and Belldandy were nonetheless seated in short order.  Perusing the menus
thoughtfully, they thanked the waiter for his patience and ordered their
meals--a hamburger and fries for Keiichi, and a chicken salad for
Belldandy.

Taking in the clamor and bustle of the restaurant around him, Keiichi
opened his mouth to speak, and suddenly realized that he had absolutely
nothing worthwhile to talk about.  The reality of the situation struck him
like an oncoming bus--namely that he, Keiichi Morisato, was out on his
first real date.  In the past, he had seen other guys out with their
girlfriends--they made it look so easy and natural.  Now, however,
experiencing it firsthand, the newfound confidence he had worked up
earlier suddenly left him; it took all the strength he could muster to sit
still and not fidget.  Noting the uncomfortable silence, he sipped at his
water and cleared his throat in a feeble and ultimately transparent
attempt to appear casual.

The deep thrumming of a motorcycle engine outside on a nearby street
rattled the windows and glassware for a moment, catching Keiichi's
attention and causing many of the other patrons to glance up in annoyance.

"Keiichi?" he heard, snapping him out of his thoughts.  "May I ask you a
question?"

"Yeah, sure.  What is it, Bell?"

"I was wondering," she started, her words soft.  She paused every now and
then to look down, taking an odd interest in her hands.  "How did you know
that building and fixing motorcycles, cars--being a mechanic..."  She
looked up and met his eyes.  "How did you know that was what you wanted to
do with yourself?"

Keiichi blinked.  He hadn't been expecting her to ask that.  Picking his
glass up from the table, he took a sip of the cold water and thought on
how best to answer her.

"Well, there is actually a kinda funny story behind that."

Belldandy looked at Keiichi expectantly, prompting him to continue.

"I don't know if you already know this or not," he began, absently
swirling the contents of his cup, "but we used to live in Kyoto until I
was around seven, I think.  My Dad, his job transferred him up here, so we
had to move.  Anyway, we rented this big truck to pack up all our stuff,
and I remember that me, Mom, and Megumi were all riding in our car while
Dad was driving the truck."  Keiichi scratched his chin and smiled.
"Megumi can be pretty obnoxious these days when she wants to be, but she
was a lot worse as a kid, believe me--and, well, we sort of got into
fights.  Guess Mom got tired of it, 'cause she said that when we next
stopped for gas, 'you'll be riding in the truck with your father'," he
quoted, taking a high voice and waving his finger in mock reproach.
Belldandy giggled at this.

He paused, taking notice of their waiter approaching them with a tray.
"That's probably our food coming." he said after a moment, motioning to
Belldandy for her attention.

"And here is your food, sir," confirmed the waiter.  The man was probably
near his own age, Keiichi figured, most likely trying to earn a little
extra cash when he wasn't busy being a college student--something that
Keiichi had done himself on many occasions.  "One hamburger, and a side of
french fries."  A small plate bearing a hamburger wrapped in white paper
was placed in front of him, along with a basket of fries.  His stomach
growled in anticipation.

"And for you Miss," the waiter continued, setting Belldandy's meal in
front of her, "a grilled chicken salad.  Is there anything else I can get
for either of you?"

Keiichi glanced to Belldandy and then back to the waiter.  "Nope, I think
we're good," he answered finally, to which the man nodded and left.
Eating a few french fries, Keiichi peeled back some of the paper from his
burger and took a bite.  It was good, slightly on dry side, but
nonetheless palatable.

"So, you rode with your Father?" Belldandy questioned.  Keiichi looked up
in confusion.

"Huh?"

"On your moving trip, you said you were going to ride with your Father in
the truck, and it made you want to become a mechanic."

"Oh yeah!" he said, his face lighting up with recognition.  "Well, it
wasn't that exactly, it was what happened next.  We pulled in for gas at
this one place, and Megumi was making a fuss again trying to get Mom's
attention, so I went to the station house to use their bathroom."  Keiichi
shrugged, popping a few more fries into his mouth.  "I wasn't in there for
very long, but when I got back outside, both the car and the moving truck
were gone."

Belldandy's eyes widened in mute shock, and Keiichi grinned despite
himself, then continued:  "I guess mom never got a chance to tell dad I
was gonna be riding with him, since Megumi was making a scene and all.  So
anyway, as far as I can tell, they both pulled out of the parking lot and
assumed I was in the other car."

"Oh, oh my!  Keiichi, that must have been horrible!  What did you do?"

"Well, I walked around the building a couple times.  I guess deep down I
knew what had happened as soon as I got outside..." he trailed off,
searching for the right words, "...but, well, you know how sometimes you
do that sort of thing because you're in denial?  Just walk around in
circles, because you don't know what else to do?  Anyway, after a couple
laps around the building, it finally dawned on me that my parents weren't
there anymore, so at that point, I just stood there and cried."

Belldandy nodded sympathetically, touching his hand.  "You must have been
so frightened."

Keiichi scratched absently at the back of his neck.  "Yeah, you could say
that.  So, at any rate, I stood out there and cried my eyes out for a few
minutes, until finally the mechanic in the garage decided he'd better come
outside and see what was wrong.  After I'd calmed down a bit, I told him
what had happened, and he said he was sure my parents would notice
eventually and come back to get me, and in the meantime, I could come in
and help him fix cars if I wanted to.  Funny thing was, I'd never really
cared much about cars before, but you know me, I've always been curious
about everything ... so I stood on my toes and looked under the hood, and
started pointing and saying 'What's that?  What's this one do?'  So he
explained very patiently what he was doing as he fixed the car.  Course, I
was just a little kid at the time, so I didn't understand all of it, but
it all seemed so cool and complicated and interesting that I've been
hooked ever since."

Belldandy smiled at him as he paused for a moment to take a bite from his
hamburger.

"Well, as you might have guessed," he went on, "my parents finally did
realize they'd left me there, so they came back to get me ... but by that
time, the damage had been done.  Their son had just picked up a very
expensive hobby."  He smirked.  "Serves 'em right."

She gazed at him wistfully.  "Isn't it wonderful how the best things in
life seem to be fated?  I think that, had your parents not accidentally
left you there, your passion would have found you eventually anyway."

Keiichi considered this for a moment.  "Yeah, I think you're right," he
said at length.

Their conversation wandered after that, touching upon Keiichi's childhood
in Kyoto, Belldandy's feelings about being a goddess taking college
classes, and their thoughts on classic British rock bands; and for a
while, at least, Keiichi Morisato was not at a loss for words.

*

"Well, this is the place." he said after a moment, removing his helmet.

"Oh, I can't wait!"

Keiichi was pleased that Belldandy was showing so much enthusiasm about
the meeting tonight.  In general, the club seemed to operate in extremes.
Normally, things could be quite dull--spending most of their time
lamenting on the club's cash flow--or lack thereof--and the inability to
enter some of the more extravagant racing circuits available that other
colleges regularly attended.  On the other hand, there were times that
things were so insanely out of control that Keiichi had to wonder what he
could have been thinking of when he joined up in the first place.

"Bell, about the club... I've got to warn you," Keiichi said warily,
"They're a bit--well, you've met them."

"I'm sure everything will be okay, Keiichi," she assured him.

Keiichi wasn't so hopeful, though.  He had a gut feeling that it was going
to be a particularly trying night.  Ignoring the instinctive urge to run
for the hills, Keiichi ventured on into the ramshackle residence that was
the NIT Motor Club's headquarters.

"Ah, Morisato!"

Keiichi winced involuntarily.  Ah yes, he hadn't even made it through the
doorway yet.  The sound of Tamiya's voice indicated that he had been
expecting him--never a good sign.  Taking in his surroundings, Keiichi
realized that tonight would likely have a very good turn out--over a dozen
club members were already present, and according to the time, the meeting
hadn't even officially started yet.

"Hey Tamiya," he began, once again looking over all the assembled people,
hiding the suspicion from his voice.  "I can't remember the last time this
place was so packed!  Something special going on tonight?"  They were up
to something, and at that moment, Keiichi was certain that, whatever it
was, he was going to end up right in the middle of it.  With some
trepidation and much dismay, he noted that most everyone was currently
staring at him, some with thinly-disguised guilt.

Belldandy took that moment to walk up behind Keiichi and peek over his
shoulder, causing Tamiya's eyes to instantly light up in acknowledgement.

"I see you brought your babe along!" he exclaimed, ignoring Keiichi's
question completely.

"Uh, yeah.  So tonight..." he attempted again, only to discover there
wasn't the least bit of attention being paid him. "Um, Tamiya?"  Keiichi
let out a resigned sigh.

Belldandy, on the other hand, smiled brightly.  "Hi, Tamiya!"

"M--Miss Verdandi, ah..." Tamiya started at hearing Belldandy's voice,
nervously scratching the back of his head.  "Me and the guys, um ... we
was curious ... would you be innerested in maybe, well, like joinin' the
club?"

Her eyes went wide at the prospect.  "I would be honored," she said,
bowing.

Keiichi, seeing Ootaki give Tamiya a congratulatory high five, turned his
attention back to the Goddess.  "Bell, I really hope you know what you're
getting into," he warned.

"Don't worry, Keiichi," she said, smiling brightly.

Finding some empty chairs near the back, they made their way through the
throng of people, trying not to bump or trip on any of the more forward
members of the motor club as they attempted to give Belldandy a more
personal welcome.

"Keiichi?" Belldandy asked, sitting down.

"Yeah, Bell?"

"I wanted to make sure that this was okay with you," she said.  "Me, being
a part of your club."

Keiichi blinked.  "Of course!  Bell, I'm glad you are.  Even if this place
sometimes can be a pain, it's also a fun at times.  Besides, if you're
happy, I'm happy."  He would have said more, but he was interrupted by a
familiar voice from somewhere behind him.

"Hey everyone!"

Keiichi twisted around in his seat and caught sight of Megumi standing in
the doorway, a backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Meg, over here!" Keiichi yelled over the ruckus, waving his arm.

Spotting him, she waved back, and walked over behind his chair.  "Hey Kei!
How're things going?  Wow, Belldandy, I didn't expect to see you here!"

Keiichi shrugged as Belldandy waved hello to her.  "I wasn't sure if you
were going to be able to make it tonight," he said after a moment.  "It's
good you were though, since it seems something big is up."  Keiichi raised
an eyebrow at her.  "You know anything about it?"

Megumi shook her head, surveying the pre-meeting commotion.  "Don't look
at me, I've been in class all day.  I think you're just being paranoid,
Kei."

"Well, maybe," he said after a moment, still not entirely convinced.
"Anyway, I saved you a seat."  Keiichi motioned towards the chair next to
him.  Megumi took her seat and nudged Keiichi conspiratorially.  He looked
at her and furrowed his brow in incomprehension.  Grinning, she went
through the motion of exaggeratedly focusing her eyes on his right hand.
Following suit, he saw what his sister had been razzing him about.  At
some point, he had taken Belldandy's hand into his own.

"People!"  The loud voice had the immediate effect of stopping all chatter
in the room.  Every once in a great while, Keiichi mused, Tamiya could
show signs of being a powerful, commanding leader.  "Ok, now that we're
all here," Tamiya continued, gesturing excitedly towards Ootaki with a big
goofy smile on his face, "Ootaki has a great idea that is certain to make
this the NIT Motor Club's finest fall semester, ever!"

Stepping aside, Ootaki took Tamiya's place behind the speaker's podium and
grinned at the assembly.

"Dudes," he said, momentarily motioning towards Tamiya, "My bud Tamiya and
I were thinking awhile back about sponsoring some sort of intercollegiate
racing event next month."  Walking over to where an overly large white
paper notepad had been setup on a tripod, he continued.  "And so, I give
you," he paused dramatically, flipping over one of the pages, "the First
Annual Nekomi Tech Nonstandard Motorized Vehicle Invitational!"

>From the look on Ootaki's face, it was obvious that the dead silence that
followed wasn't quite what he had been expecting.  Soon, the quiet din of
hushed conversations floated up from the crowd as the club members tried
to figure out just what exactly a "Nonstandard Motorized Vehicle
Invitational" was, and why they had just been roped into it.  Megumi cast
Keiichi a questioning glance, which he returned with a shrug.

"Uh, so what does that mean exactly?" someone in the audience ventured.

That had gotten Tamiya's attention.  "Well, I'm glad you asked!"  Ootaki
took the answer as a cue to flip the notepad to the second page, which had
crude drawing of what looked like an obstacle course of some kind.  "It's
simple," he said.  "The idea is, we invite the other college teams to
come'n and stick an engine on something that normally don't have motor on
it..."

He trailed off, signaling Ootaki to flip to the next page, which said '5
BHP Maximum.'  "...and then," he continued, "they race their vehicle on
both a speed track and an obstacle course.  Now of course, in the interest
of fair play," he amended, pointing towards the displayed page, "we're
keeping it at all under five horsepower."

Keiichi had to agree.  Keeping it at five horsepower would keep things
slow and safe enough for the rider, yet allow them enough freedom to build
whatever they wanted.

"How many other teams are going to participate?" another voice asked.

"Ahh, you shoulda seen it!" Tamiya exclaimed, a look of pride on his face.
"They was all there, the whole league, and Ootaki here challenges them all
to join, then they do!  They thought it was a great idea.  The club may be
small, but we gots it where it counts!" he finished with a grin, pointing
to his head.

Which probably means, Keiichi surmised, that everyone laughed at first,
then money got involved, bets were placed, and the other teams think we're
gonna blow it.

"Okay dudes," Ootaki started, "we need to come up with some ideas to
figure out what we can build for this race, so we can beat these other
teams.  Me and Tamiya tried to come up with some things, but we decided to
let you vote on it."

"How about a rocket powered unicycle?"  Keiichi looked to the front row to
identify the speaker, recognizing him as an incoming freshman named Toji,
who had recently joined the club.

"Yeah!  Initiative like that is what will lead us to victory!"

With the ideas beginning to flow, Ootaki took the moment to flip to the
next page on the notepad, and proceeded to write out 'Rocket Powered
Unicycle' on the paper.

Keiichi felt that it would be in his--as well as the club's--best interest
to address this particular line of thought.  "No, he said engine.  I don't
think rockets would be allowed ... and besides, how could anyone possibly
ride that sort of thing?"  He shook his head.  "The center of gravity is
way too high; putting a motor on something like that would probably just
knock the rider over."

Ootaki crossed out the word 'rocket.'

Tamiya, Keiichi saw, was still not the least bit phased.  "Come on people!
We gotta make something that no one else has even thought of before!"

"Dude, what about an office chair?" Ootaki mentioned after a moment,
Tamiya nodding in affirmation.

"No, that wouldn't work." Megumi interjected.  "All the wheels are on
different pivots, so it'd be next to impossible steer it."

"What about some luggage?"

Grinning, Ootaki once again started adding suggestions to the white pad.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I could get my hands on a large plastic cow, and
some wheels!" another person said, earning a few laughs from the rest of
the club.

"Maybe a vacuum cleaner?" someone else ventured.

"Dude, that's a good one!"  Ootaki laughed, turning around quickly to give
a thumbs up.

"Hey yeah!  I've got one of those, but it says 12 horsepower on the top.
Can we still use that?"

Keiichi rolled his eyes.  Tonight would have to be the night he took
Belldandy to the meeting, only to watch as his sempai made utter fools of
themselves.  As such, he was surprised to see her giggling with amusement
as the ideas were being put forth--honestly enjoying herself.  She must
have sensed his gaze, because she turned toward him and gave him her warm
smile.

"Oh Keiichi, is it always this fun here?" she asked him merrily.

Keiichi had described the Motor Club as a lot of things.  Sure, it was fun
sometimes, but couldn't she see they were just setting him up to do the
grunt work for their oddball project?  Keiichi blinked at his thoughts.
Megumi had been right; he was being paranoid.

"Uh, fun?" he responded after a moment.

Belldandy nodded.  Turning away from her, Keiichi took in his surroundings
once again, finally seeing the looks of joy and happiness that he had
managed to miss before.  He wondered why he had worked himself into this
funk in the first place.  Belldandy, Megumi ... everyone seemed to be in
the spirit of things tonight, and here he was contemplating some imagined
doom.

"Keiichi, do you think motorized roller skates would work?" Belldandy
suggested shyly, hoping to be helpful.

Keiichi was slack jawed.  There would be some problems to work out, but
that was by far the best idea he had heard yet.  Softness of her voice
notwithstanding, Tamiya somehow noticed over the general chatter that
Belldandy had made a suggestion.

"Ah, Miss Verdandi!"  He pointed to her, drawing everyone's attention.
"You have an idea for us?"

Belldandy raised her hand demurely.  "I don't mean to interrupt, but would
motorized roller skates be a good idea?"

"That's the ticket!" Tamiya exclaimed.  "Motorized roller skates!
Morisato, you should bring your babe here more often!"

Tamiya was hardly one to put things delicately, but Keiichi noticed that
Belldandy seemed not to mind at all, smiling back at the thirty pairs of
admiring eyes that were now upon her.

"Anyway, dudes," Ootaki started, calling the club reluctantly to
attention.  "We have a motion to use motorized roller skates.  Does anyone
second that?"

"I do!" shouted about fifteen people.  Keiichi rolled his eyes.

"All in favor?"

"Aye!" came the resounding shout.

"It's settled, then," stated Ootaki, crossing his arms.  "Now all that's
left is to vote on who's gonna race."

"I nominate Morisato!" bellowed someone from the back of the room.

"I second that!" yelled three more, as Keiichi glanced around the room
quickly in growing apprehension.

"All in favor?"

"Aye!" they roared.

"But...  but..." Keiichi stammered.

"Oh, Keiichi!" Belldandy took his hands into hers and gazed admiringly
into his eyes.  "That's wonderful!"

Keiichi grimaced for a moment, but it was hard not to smile back at
Belldandy, even though she had just become an unwitting accomplice to what
the rest of the club had quite obviously been planning since before he
showed up at the meeting.

*

"Excuse me, Miss?"

The bartender's voice reverberated painfully through Mara's mind, rousing
her from several hours' drunken slumber.  The glare from the room's
lights, dim as they were, made her groan with discomfort.

"Whaddya want?" she managed in a broken voice.

"It's closing time, Miss.  You've been out for a few hours now, but I'm
really going to have to ask you to go home."

Mara looked at the man groggily as he dried and put away another mug, a
haze surrounding him for a moment as her eyes adjusted.

"Um," she started, clearing her throat, "what time is it, anyway?"

"Just a bit after two, ma'am.  It's just you and me here now."

Lifting an arm up, she put her hand behind her neck and massaged it for a
moment in an attempt to get rid of the dull throb that had been developing
there from her decidedly bad sleeping position.  Feeling marginally
better, she stood up from her bar stool and absently put down a few bills
to cover her expenses, plus a little extra.  With one last glance around
the room, she turned and made her way laboriously to the exit.

"Hey Miss, you going to be all right?" she heard the barkeep ask her.  "Is
there anyone I can call for you?"

Downcast, she shook her head.  "No ... yes, I'll be fine." she said, "Just
tired, that's all.  Thanks anyway, though."

"Sure thing.  Be careful out--"  He stopped, looking up just in time to
see the door close behind her.

"I'm fine," she mused quietly into the night as she walked down the
dimly-lit street.  Deep down, however, she knew it to be a lie.  She had
not been 'fine' for what seemed like ages now.  In reality, it had only
been a short while since she had spoken with Urd on the temple's steps,
admitting for the first time--even to herself--her misgivings about her
own life.  She had not been 'fine' ever since; in fact, she had really
never been fine at all.

She tried not to think about it, didn't want to even--doing so just made
her feel worse, but the questions seemed to worm their way back into her
thoughts.  She felt completely lost, not knowing what she should do with
herself--wondering if she still had a future.  Mara knew she couldn't live
the way she had been--not any more.  Intentionally bringing misery to
others, making them suffer ... making them feel like she did right now.
Suddenly it dawned on Mara--this is what *he* had felt like, because of
her.

Keiichi.

She stumbled for a moment, stopping to draw in a shuddering breath.  Just
thinking about him almost brought back the tears.  In their apartment,
after she had recovered enough from the blast that had assaulted her when
Belldandy had finally granted Keiichi's wish, Mara had immediately packed
up her belongings and transported away.  What else could she do, really?
She knew that the goddesses would inform Keiichi of who and what she
actually was, if he hadn't figured it out on his own already ... and he'd
hate her.  Mara couldn't see how he could not, with all that she'd done to
him.  The look of disgust he had given her when he said he'd never care
for her had rent her heart from her chest.  Then the feeling of emptiness
afterward, knowing that she'd lost him forever ... it was too much to
bear.

Turning a corner and entering a small alley, Mara made her way to the
broken door of the abandoned warehouse she had been using for shelter.
She could have gone back to her lair in Hell, but for some reason, it just
didn't feel right.  Besides, being seen in this disgraced state was
something she wanted to avoid.  Mara knew she wasn't ready to deal with
anyone yet, so had been passing her time at the local pubs.  Hiding in a
dark corner, she would drink herself senseless in a vain attempt to ease
the pain of knowledge, if only for awhile.  But it always came back.

Tonight was no different.  The walk back to her temporary abode had
cleared her mind enough that the feeling of utter worthlessness had again
begun to well up inside her chest, threatening to overwhelm her.  The
warehouse was so dark, she observed.  The floors, unkempt and filthy, were
littered with bits of broken glass and rotting wood; certainly it was not
a place one should be living in.  Spiders, rats, and various other
undesirables were camped here as well; ironically, she mused, it was the
perfect place for someone like herself.  She wondered absently whether
anyone would try to find her, should she disappear.

The answer to that was simple.

"Yes," she muttered to herself.  "Of course they would."  She was a
demoness.  Walking out on her job was something she couldn't even
consider.

Being born and bred just to make people suffer, knowing that the universe
would be a better place if you didn't exist--this was who she was, and who
she would remain forever.  At one time, she'd taken pride in it--but now,
the knowledge gnawed at her, chafing her soul like a poorly-fit shoe on a
hot day.  It made her feel deplorable, but once seen, she couldn't unsee
it.

A choice, Urd had said, to follow her own path.  Just because she was a
demon did not mean she had to act the part.  Faith in herself, and free
will to find her own way.  Doing something like that would be a
life-changing decision; once she started down that path, there would be no
turning back.  It was an interesting concept, for sure, but not entirely
feasible ... and besides, how would she?  Mara knew her limitations, and
something *this* extraordinary was well beyond her.  It was hopeless.

The answers not immediately forthcoming, Mara opted to sleep for lack of
anything better to do.  Contrary to her mood, the conditions inside the
warehouse were actually fairly nice--at least to the extent that
conditions can be nice inside a warehouse.  The concrete floor was cool,
but pleasantly so--certainly not enough to chill her through the ragged
blankets she had managed to procure during her stay.  Lying down in her
makeshift bed, she was once again reminded of her brief stay with Keiichi.
Her accommodations here--if one could call them that--were far inferior;
and, worse yet, she felt empty, un-cared-for, and unloved.

"A choice," she said with a snort.

What the hell did some little Goddess Second Class know anyway?

*

The following morning was just on the cold side of pleasant--enough so
that Belldandy had insisted that Keiichi put a light jacket on as he left
for classes.  Strangely listless, she started in on her housework soon
after he left, quietly searching her mind for a reason for the elusive
emptiness that had been troubling her so much lately.

It was these times during the day while Keiichi was in class that bothered
her; being close to him took her mind off of the vague sensation of
incompleteness, but while he was gone, she couldn't help but think that
something was missing in her new life--something she'd had before the
ordeal with Mara, but had since lost.  When she was near him, it was
almost as if the emptiness inside her didn't exist at all--but deep down,
she still knew that something very important was missing.  It just felt
wrong, cheapening their love for each other by using it to quell her own
pain.

"You seem a bit detached today, Bell," Urd commented from the doorway.

Belldandy set down the shirt she was folding and looked up at her older
sister.  "I'll be all right."

Urd smiled wryly, leaning against the pane of the open door.  "I've heard
that before, Bell.  You might be able to pull the wool over Keiichi's
eyes, but you're not gonna slip this one by me.  Something's been
troubling you lately, and I want to know what it is."

Belldandy sighed.  "I'm not sure what it is, really.  Ever since I got my
memory back, it's like something's been missing, and I haven't been able
to place it."

Urd furrowed her brow.  "Are things with Keiichi working out the way you
thought they would?"

"Of course they are," she said firmly.

"Just checking," said Urd, nodding skeptically.  "A wish like that one is
a huge commitment.  Are you absolutely certain you're happy with Keiichi?
Forever is a long time to be miserable, after all."

Belldandy nodded.  "It's not that, Urd.  In fact, the only time I can
really forget what's bothering me is when he's around.  It's just that,
once he leaves for class and I'm here by myself, I can't help but let my
mind wander.  It's almost as if I didn't get everything back when I became
a goddess again."

Urd pursed her lips.  "If not that, then what?"

"I'm not sure.  I've got you and Skuld here, and now Keiichi's with me as
well.  What else in the world could I possibly need?"

As much as Urd wanted to suggest that perhaps what her sister needed was a
healthy bout of sex with her newfound boyfriend, she kept her mouth shut
because she knew that wasn't the case; and besides, poor, reserved little
Keiichi would probably pop a fuse if he were put into that sort of
situation.  "I'm not quite sure what to tell you, Bell.  Maybe it's just
an aftereffect of the memory loss, in which case, it'll go away by
itself."

"I hope so, Urd."  Belldandy smiled reassuringly, but the doubt in her
voice spoke otherwise.

*

The sun, momentarily peeking through the low hanging clouds, sparkled off
the water, causing Keiichi to squint as he relaxed on the low brick wall
of the fountain in the Nekomi Tech courtyard--a special place for Keiichi,
considering that he and Belldandy had shared their first moment together
there.  Her first class started at the same time as Keiichi's mid-day
lectures, and in accordance with some unspoken agreement, the two had
begun to meet there every day for lunch.  It just seemed the right thing
to do.

Spotting the familiar copper sheen of her hair in the sun, Keiichi waved
to Belldandy as she approached.  "So," he ventured, "how's your day been
so far?"

"Never better," she replied, cheerful as always.  Perhaps he was imagining
it, but there was something in her eyes, or maybe a note of uncertainty in
her voice, which gave him pause.  When he looked again, however, it was
gone.

"Anyway, I was thinking we could go to--"

"Keiichi, Keiichi, Keiichi," a haughty voice interrupted.  He looked up at
the sudden darkness to find that he was now standing in Toshiyuki
Aoshima's thin, looming shadow.

"Aoshima," he said, making no attempt to hide his distaste.

"I spoke with a few of your clubmates yesterday evening," said Aoshima.
"Word is, you'll be racing again in a few weeks."

Keiichi suddenly found himself in the unpleasant position of having to
save face in front of Belldandy, so he put as much defiance into his voice
as he could muster.  "That's right."

Aoshima pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his forefinger.
"My, my, Morisato, if I didn't know better, I'd almost think you were a
vertebrate now.  Ah well.  All the more humiliating for you when you lose,
I suppose."

"Who said anything about losing?" he objected.

"I did, Morisato.  Your friends and I made a little wager...  and when you
go down in flames--again," he said, pausing for emphasis, "Tamiya and
Ootaki will sign the Motor Club's university charter over to me."

Keiichi winced.  Tamiya and Ootaki were brilliant with machines, but when
it came to dealing with people like Aoshima, they were incredibly
dense--willing, apparently, to risk the entire Motor Club over nothing
more than foolish pride.  Aoshima had no doubt goaded them into it, as was
his style.  "Tamiya and Ootaki are smarter than you think they are.  They
only agreed because they're totally confident we'll win."

Aoshima smiled derisively.  "I think I have new respect for you, Morisato.
Anyone who can bluff like that and keep a straight face is a worthy
opponent.  Maybe someday you'll actually make something of yourself."

Keiichi swallowed.  "Are you about finished, Aoshima?  Belldandy and I
were having a conversation."

He nodded slowly, sizing Keiichi up.  "Well, in that case, I'll see you
soon.  I look forward to seeing another one of your spectacular finishes."
At that, he spun on his heels and walked away, leaving Keiichi there to
seethe.

When he was certain that Aoshima was out of sight, he placed the heel of
his hand on his forehead and sighed resignedly.  "I can't believe it.
They just bet the entire club on one race--*my* race.  If I lose now,
there won't be a Motor Club anymore."

Belldandy smiled reassuringly.  "Don't worry about it, Keiichi.  If you
just try your best, I'm sure everything will work out in the end."

"I hope so, Bell.  I just wish they wouldn't put me in this kind of
position."  Keiichi shook his head.  "Anyway, I'm getting hungry.  What's
for lunch?"

*

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise for Urd about moving out of heaven to
live among a family of mortals, was the company of Megumi Morisato.
Megumi was taking night classes that semester, and thus was around the
house at some rather odd hours.  That, coupled with Urd's almost constant
presence in the temple, gave the two a chance to get to know each other
and talk one-on-one, something that they might not have had otherwise.

Urd had noticed over the course of their brief friendship that the two of
them shared a fair amount in common, but were different enough to make
conversations interesting.  Both of them were playful when times allowed,
but serious when it really mattered.  Both were quite protective of both
Keiichi and Belldandy, whom they saw as quite vulnerable to people who
might try and take advantage of their kindness and naivete.  On the other
hand, one was the elder sibling, while the other was the younger; and, of
course, one was a goddess, while the other was not.  As much as Urd loved
to flaunt her powers, she had learned a hard lesson long ago just how
little they actually meant in the grand scheme of things.  All in all,
goddesses and humans weren't that much different, save for a few mental
powers and a difference in altitude.

It was just before 11 AM on that cool, idle Friday morning that Urd walked
casually out of the bathroom, having combed her hair into a state of
absolute perfection.  Keiichi and Belldandy were both off at class by this
time, and Skuld was presumably still asleep after an unusually late night
in her lab tinkering with her latest screwball invention.  Urd found
Megumi in the dining room kneeling beside the table while reading a
textbook and munching on an apple.

She looked up from her book with her usual bright smile.  "Hey Urd!"

"So," said Urd, leaning back and reclining in midair next to the table,
"how are classes going?"

"Oh, can't complain," she replied.  "Integral Calculus is a little rough,
but I'll get by, I think.  How are you?"

Urd stretched, smirking lazily.  "Same as always, I suppose.  Hey,
Megumi?" she added as an afterthought.

"Hm?"

"How is it you manage to take all this stuff in stride?"

"Calculus, you mean?  That's easy.  If I don't do well, my parents will
kill me."

"No, no, not the calculus," Urd responded.  "I mean, everything that's
been happening over the past couple months.  Most humans go into a state
of shock when they first come into contact with a goddess."

Megumi furrowed her brow thoughtfully for a moment, and then shrugged.
"Hadn't really given it much thought.  Ever since I was little, I always
believed there was someone up there watching over me.  This just proves I
was right.  What's to be shocked about?"

"Good point," Urd agreed, eddying gently through the air like a leaf in
the breeze.

Megumi looked down at her book for a second, and then looked back up, a
thought occurring to her.  "Say, Urd?"

"Yeah?"

"Is everything okay with Belldandy?"

Urd stopped swooshing and cocked her head slightly, eyes intent.  "How do
you mean?"

"Well," Megumi started, "some of the time when Keiichi's not around, she
seems almost like she was back when she was Verdandi.  I mean, I dunno.
You've talked to her more than I have... is everything all right between
her and Kei?"

"You've picked up on that too, eh?  Well, in answer to your question, no,
it's not Keiichi.  She says it's something else, but she's not sure quite
what.  And to be quite honest, I don't even know where to start looking."

Megumi sighed wistfully.  "Ya know, it's funny...  I can see humans having
these sorts of problems, but I wouldn't have thought angels would have
them too."

Urd raised a finger.  "Well, technically we're goddesses, not--"

Megumi looked up at Urd, whose eyes had suddenly gone very wide.

"Angels!" Urd finished.  "Megumi, you're a genius!"

"I am?"

"Yup!  I think you've just hit the root of Bell's problem!"

Megumi blinked incredulously.  "I have?"

"Hold on a sec," Urd said excitedly.  "I've gotta make a couple quick
phone calls!"

"Um... okay, if you say so."  Unsure of exactly what had just transpired,
Megumi watched Urd curiously as she darted out of the room, then went back
to her studies.  Things were afoot, and she would likely find out what was
going on soon enough.

*

Having met just minutes ago at their spot by the fountain, Keiichi walked
beside Belldandy with his arms folded back behind his head, kicking
absently at pebbles along the sidewalk as the two of them headed home
after a long day of class.  Belldandy walked close to him, occasionally
brushing against him in a manner that suggested that it wasn't altogether
unintentional.  Their gait was the slow and untroubled walk of two people
who were already right where they most wanted to be.

Walking home, Keiichi had noted, was actually the most peaceful time of
the day.  The three goddesses with whom he now shared his residence seemed
to attract more than their share of trouble; and if they couldn't find
any, Urd and Skuld would waste no time in stirring some up on their own.
Because of this, the house was rarely quiet while both of Belldandy's
sisters were present, which, by Keiichi's reckoning, was most of the time.

He let out a resigned sigh as the temple came into view ahead of them; the
walk home never seemed long enough, no matter how scenic a route they
took.

"Big sister!" Skuld squealed in childish delight upon their arrival,
bounding toward Belldandy and enveloping her in a bear-hug.

"Hi, Skuld!" Belldandy answered cheerily, giving her a gentle squeeze in
return.

Urd was standing at the end of the hallway watching all of this transpire,
with her usual knowing smile.  She waved casually at Keiichi as he
entered, giving him her customary wink.

"Belldandy," said Urd, still smiling, but her tone serious, "I need to
speak with you."

Belldandy looked up, eyes questioning.  "What is it, Urd?"

"I think we should speak in private," Urd replied.  "No offense or
anything, K-Boy."

Keiichi shrugged noncommittally, doing his best to pretend that he wasn't
the least bit curious.  Once Belldandy had extracted herself from her
younger sister's grip, she walked into the kitchen with Urd and slid the
door shut, giving Keiichi a reassuring smile as she did so.  Skuld, not to
be left out of what was obviously going to be an interesting conversation,
opened the door again and slipped in after them, taking a moment to turn
around and stick her tongue out at Keiichi.

Puzzled, he raised an eyebrow and wandered off to his room.

*

"What is it, Urd?  Is everything okay?"

Urd leaned back on the counter and brushed her hair out of her eyes.  "I
think I might have stumbled on the explanation for that empty feeling you
say you've been getting for the past few days."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh.  Megumi and I were talking earlier today, and she mentioned
something about angels.  How long has it been since you summoned your own
angel, Bell?"

Belldandy considered this for a moment.  "Well, I think it was before I...
Oh my."  Her hand went to her mouth, her eyes widening in alarm.  "Urd, I
can't feel my link with Blessed Bell!"

Urd nodded.  "I thought as much.  It's nothing to worry about, though.  I
made a few phone calls," she continued, pointing upwards with her
forefinger, "and asked around a little bit.  The link can never be
completely severed, but it can be weakened, if you don't communicate with
your angel for a while... and with you forgetting who you were, it would
stand to reason that you were cut off from her."

Belldandy nodded slowly.

"The link will come back on its own, given enough time.  You just need to
start communicating with her again."

"But if I can't feel the link, how can I--"

"The real way, Belldandy.  Talk to her.  Hang out with her.  That sort of
thing."

The thought of speaking to her angel using only her physical voice seemed
somehow alien to Belldandy; that linked presence she shared with her angel
had become such a constant in her life that she no longer even questioned
it.  Somehow, the idea of communicating with her angel without the use of
shared thoughts and emotions frightened her.

"Belldandy?"  Urd waved a hand in front of her younger sister's face.

Belldandy shook her head.  "I'm sorry.  Did they... did they say how long
the link would take to come back?"

"A week or two, I think."

Belldandy closed her eyes, nodding slowly.

"Not to rush you or anything, Bell, but the sooner you do this, the sooner
you'll be back to yourself again.  I can see where you'd be worried, but
waiting isn't going to do either of you any good."

"Go on, sis!"  Skuld prodded.

"Okay."  Belldandy took a deep breath, summoning forth her powers.  "Come
forth, Blessed Bell," she spoke into the air.

For a brief moment, nothing happened.  Then, a faint white glimmer
appeared in the air above Belldandy, and quickly grew to blinding
intensity.  Finally, the light receded, leaving the ethereal form of
Belldandy's angel in its place.

The expression on Blessed Bell's face was similar to that of someone who
had just been released after being held under water.  The angel looked
around the room hastily, panic fading as she adjusted to her surroundings.
Her eyes eventually settled on Belldandy, and she cocked her head to the
side, perplexed.

"Blessed Bell?"  Belldandy reached into the air, causing the angel to
flinch slightly.  Eyeing the hand doubtfully, she finally reached out her
own hand and touched the tips of Belldandy's fingers, floating downward so
that they were at eye level.  Curious, even slightly suspicious, Blessed
Bell moved slowly from side to side, eying Belldandy from every angle.

"It's okay," Belldandy whispered.  "It's just me."

This seemed to calm the angel slightly, although it was clear that she
still wasn't quite at ease.

"I'm sorry I can't hear you," Belldandy apologized.  "Something happened
to me a few months ago that made me forget who I was--and I forgot about
you, too.  Now, I know things will be difficult for a little while until
we can talk with each other again, but if we try hard enough, we'll be
able to get through it, and everything will be okay again."

One had to take care when speaking to an angel, especially a young one; as
beings of emotion, they were typically naive and often childish.  Although
it was possible for a goddess to exist without an angel (and many did),
the reverse was not true.  An angel's bond with her goddess was an
integral part of her existence.  Thus, Belldandy correctly surmised,
Blessed Bell's situation had to be many times more disconcerting than her
own.

After a few moments' hesitation, the angel nodded to Belldandy, accepting
her word as truth.  Belldandy smiled, inwardly relieved at her reaction.
She had been unsure of exactly what to expect, given the circumstances;
Blessed Bell could just as easily have panicked for lack of the stable
guidance of her goddess.  Belldandy's smile widened as a great well of
pride surged up inside her.  Her angel was handling the situation
incredibly well.

Skuld glanced back and forth inquisitively between angel and goddess.
"So," she ventured, "what now?"

"Come on, Blessed Bell," said Belldandy, gesturing toward the door, "I'd
like to introduce you to someone who's very special to me."

"This oughtta be a riot," Urd muttered to Skuld once Belldandy and her
charge were out of earshot.

*

Keiichi squinted, delicately twisting the small screwdriver to affix the
little wheel into place.  He had bought the remote control car in kit form
several days earlier, and had been tinkering with it on and off ever
since.  He had resolved not to look at the instructions any more than he
absolutely had to; his plan was to challenge his own knowledge of
automobiles and electronics by building the car completely unaided.
Having finished the frame before he went to bed the previous night, he was
doing well so far, although he still had a long way to go.

Hearing a quiet knock on his door, he set the tool down and turned
sideways in his chair.  "Come in."

The door opened partway and Belldandy stepped inside.  "Keiichi," she said
demurely, "I'd like you to meet my angel."

Keiichi blinked.  "Your angel?"

Belldandy nodded, stepping aside to let in her mysterious guest.  After a
few seconds of nothing happening, Belldandy gestured reassuringly for who-
or whatever was standing out in the hallway to come into the room.  "It's
okay, Blessed Bell.  You can come in."

The head of a young woman of about Belldandy's age peered around the door
into Keiichi's room.  She was absolutely gorgeous.  A soft, white glow
surrounded her, and her long, wavy blonde hair--what he could see of it,
at any rate, flowed weightlessly through the air as if underwater.  Taken
aback, it was all he could do to wave and smile apprehensively.

"It's okay," Belldandy repeated.  "This is Keiichi.  He won't hurt you."

Reassured by Belldandy's presence, the angel floated hesitantly into the
room.  If seeing Belldandy was a constant, gentle reminder that he was
living in his own little slice of heaven, this was the equivalent of being
beaten over the head with it.  The angel exuded divinity.  Her clothing,
made of a strange, silken white fabric, had no definite form of its own.
Instead, it floated around her in wide streams, suggesting perfection but
never revealing too much.

Keiichi's breath caught in his throat; it took him a moment before he was
able to speak again.  "Belldandy," he said softly, "she's beautiful."

Belldandy beamed with delight.  "Isn't she?"

The angel, meanwhile, was blushing a vibrant shade of pink at Keiichi's
compliment.

"Keiichi," Belldandy said, "I'd like you to meet Blessed Bell."

"H--hi," he stammered, waving again.

Inclining her head slightly and gazing up at him through her full
eyelashes, the angel waved shyly back.

"Well, well, well," said Urd, stepping into the room from behind the door.
"Isn't this just priceless?  K-boy, I don't think I've seen you this
shocked for at least several hours now."

Upon hearing that, Keiichi recovered from his mental stasis and cast Urd
an annoyed glance.  The angel, meanwhile, floated cautiously toward him.

"So," Keiichi started, turning back to her, "um, how are you?"

Blessed Bell smiled and gave an exaggerated shrug.

Keiichi regarded her thoughtfully.  "Do you not talk?" he asked.

Blessed Bell shook her head apologetically.  She reminded him somewhat of
Belldandy, he noted.  There was something in her eyes--and a slight
similarity in expression and facial features, perhaps--that spoke of a
deep connection between the angel and her goddess.

"Well, nothing wrong with that," he said, this realization setting him at
least partly at ease.  "Here...  I dunno if angels are interested in this
kind of thing, but do you want to take a look at what I'm working on?"

The angel perked up and floated over to Keiichi's desk with interest.

"I'm building a remote-controlled car," he explained.  "It's just a bunch
of pieces now, but when I get done, it'll be a little vehicle that can
move on its own.  This piece right here is the engine, which is what will
make it go."  Picking up the small piece he had been talking about, he
held it up so that she could see it.

She reached toward it hesitantly, the look she was giving him asking an
unspoken question.

"Sure," he said.  "You can hold it if you want."

Delicately, the angel picked the strange-looking object up out of his hand
and examined it closely.  Until that point, Keiichi had been unsure of
whether she had any substance at all; the laws of physics seemed to look
the other way in her presence, which led him to believe that she might be
totally insubstantial.  Apparently, though, this was not the case.

Satisfied, she placed the engine back into Keiichi's hand and floated down
beside him, watching expectantly.

"Hmm, let's see," he said, peering over the car's scattered components.
"Ah!  Here's one of the wheel servos.  This is what makes the wheels
swivel so that the car doesn't just go in a straight line."

"Well," said Urd quietly, "I'd say they're hitting it off okay.  Ya know,
while Keiichi's got her occupied, this might be a good time for us to go
figure out some kind of game plan."

Belldandy nodded, quietly retreating from the room so as not to draw her
angel's attention.

"Bell," said Urd, as they headed back to the kitchen, "I must say, I'm
impressed with how well Blessed Bell handled the situation.  To be quite
honest with you, I was expecting her reaction to be far worse.  But even
so, you know as well as I do that leaving an angel unattended for a long
period of time is just asking for trouble--and seeing as how you've got
classes to go to, you can't expect to be watching her all the time."

Producing a large pot from one of the cupboards, Belldandy set it under
the kitchen faucet and turned on the water.  "I know," she said.  "I think
perhaps we should watch her in shifts.  Between you, Keiichi, Megumi, and
I, it shouldn't be too difficult--and Skuld might even be able to help out
every once in a while."

"Well, the more we can keep the two of you together conveniently, the
better off we'll be.  Hey, is there anything I can help you with?"

"You can get the tofu and miso paste out of the fridge for me, if you
like."  Belldandy paused to rummage through one of the kitchen drawers and
take out various cooking utensils.  "You know... I didn't expect it to be
so hard to talk to her.  I've gotten so used to sharing my thoughts with
her that I feel like using my voice is almost doing her an injustice.  If
I hadn't forgotten about her, then none of this would have happened in the
first place."

Urd sighed resignedly.  "Always blaming yourself for everything.  Try to
cut yourself a little slack, Bell.  Given the circumstances, there wasn't
much you could have done--and she knows that."

"I know.  But still, it's hard not to feel at least a little bit at fault.
She's my responsibility, after all."

"You've got nothing to worry about, Belldandy.  No one could ask for a
better goddess.  Um..."  Urd knelt down with her head most of the way into
the refrigerator.  "I can't find the miso anywhere."

"It's on the second shelf, behind the mayonnaise."

"Got it!"  Proudly, Urd shut the fridge and set the items in question down
on the counter.  "Hey, Bell?"

"Yes?"

"If you don't mind me asking... what's it like?  Having an angel, I mean."

Belldandy stopped what she was doing and thought intently.  "It's
difficult to explain, really.  I think the best way to put it is that it
feels almost like I'm experiencing everything twice--once through my own
eyes, and once through the eyes of a child.  An angel's feelings are
completely pure; they aren't dampened by age and experience, so what they
feel is like a distilled version of what's in your own heart.  Does that
make any sense?"

Urd smiled.  "A bit, I suppose."

*

"Oh, here!  This is really neat.  See how if I move this around, it makes
that part over there move?"  Keiichi wiggled the control stick, causing
the wheel servo to rotate, whirring slightly.

Blessed Bell had been listening intently to him the whole time he was
showing her the inner workings of what would eventually be his
remote-controlled car.  He smiled to himself; while she certainly *looked*
the way he had pictured an angel, her childlike interest in cars and
electronics had come as a total surprise.  Realizing that he had shown her
just about every piece that was even remotely interesting, he scratched
his chin thoughtfully.  "Hey, have you been around the temple grounds
yet?"

The angel shook her head.

"Well then, how 'bout I give you the grand tour?"

Smiling in mute concurrence, she floated away from the desk and allowed
Keiichi to lead her out of the room.

"Well, let's see here," said Keiichi, walking down the hallway toward the
living room.  That's Megumi's room off to the right, and Urd's is over
there.  Um, the TV's in that room over there...  I dunno if you guys watch
TV up there in heaven.  I guess you probably do since that's how Urd gets
around and all.  Oh, and over here is the garage!  I keep my bike and
stuff in here."

He opened the door and led Blessed Bell into the small bay of the temple
that had come to house his motor bike and larger tools, which were spread
haphazardly across the floor around a small engine he had been
experimenting with.  "This is where I like to work on bigger engines.  Be
careful... it's a bit dirty in here.  I dunno how well auto grease comes
out of angel feathers, and I'd hate for Bell to get mad at me for getting
your wings stained or something.

"Anyway, if you come through here, we can get outside."  Keiichi stopped
and took a deep breath.  It was a bit warmer than it had been for the past
several days, the last vestiges of summer showing themselves before autumn
came in force.  "These are the temple grounds," he continued, gesturing
around him.  "I'd take you outside the gate, but someone could see you, so
I probably shouldn't."

The angel shook her head emphatically.

Keiichi regarded her for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant.
"Wait.  People out there *can't* see you?"

She nodded.

"Yes.  Yes, they can, or yes, they can't?"

Blessed Bell gestured exasperatedly, letting out a silent mock-sigh.

"They can see you?"

The angel shook her head.

"So they *can't* see you?"

She nodded.

"Yes, they can't see you?"

She nodded again.

"Okay...  Well, how come I can see you, then?  Is it because you're
letting me?"

Blessed Bell smiled softly and nodded yet again.

"I see," he said, giving a wry smile.  "And apparently, other people
don't."

She giggled silently.

"Anyway, even so, we should probably stay inside the temple grounds, just
to be on the safe side.  Wouldn't want you getting lost out there or
anything."

The angel shrugged noncommittally.

"Well," said Keiichi, scratching his head, "I guess I could show you
around the grounds, although there really isn't all that much to see out
here."

And so he showed her around the temple, pointing out the various sights of
the city that were visible in the distance from atop the hill.
Fascinated, she listened quietly all the while, paying rapt attention to
his every word.  Finally, when he had shown her just about everything he
could think of, he headed back toward the temple and took a seat out on
the side porch.  She floated down beside him, taking a weightless
approximation of a sitting position.

"Ya know, Bell and I sat out here and talked the night the auto club guys
threw us our housewarming party.  It was really very--"

Turning to face her, he was surprised to find her face just inches away
from his own.  '--romantic," he finished weakly, his breath catching for
the second time that day.

Keiichi was fully aware of what was about to happen, and he knew quite
well that, in the grand scheme of things, it probably wasn't a very good
idea to let it continue.  But, on the other hand, he was suddenly quite
aware that he absolutely could not move--not that he was being held there
by an outside force, but that the look in the angel's eyes was so intense,
so admiring, and so trusting that he simply could not bear to turn away
from her.

The angel closed her eyes, and he could feel a slight tingling sensation
as she drew closer.  When they finally came into contact, the touch of her
lips was surprisingly tangible, but at the same time impossibly soft.
What had been a mild tingling became an intense, wonderful ache, spreading
from his face, all the way down to his neck and into his chest.  His eyes
fluttered shut; the angel's light touch rendered him powerless to do
otherwise.

"Keiichi, I--"

Belldandy's voice brought him back to reality with a start.  Gasping
sharply, he was suddenly very aware that he'd just done something
terrible.  Belldandy was standing in the doorway, eyes wide open in a
state of apparent shock.

"I didn't--she just--" he stammered.

Blessed Bell, apparently reaching the same realization as Keiichi, turned
bright red, a look of profound guilt on her face as she looked into
Belldandy's eyes.  At this point, Urd walked out behind Belldandy and made
a quick assessment of the situation; it was really fairly obvious to her
what had just transpired.  "Oh, my," she said.  "Shoulda seen this one
coming."

Finally, able to take it no longer, Blessed Bell took to the air and flew
off faster than Keiichi thought possible, darting right through the wall
and back into the temple.

"Bell," said Urd.  "Belldandy.  Snap out of it.  It wasn't Keiichi.  The
fact that he's even aware of what's going on around him right now is a
testament to his feelings for you.  Humans aren't built to interact like
that with angels."

Belldandy closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.  "Keiichi," she
said slowly, "what just happened?"

Keiichi swallowed hard.  "I--I was sitting here talking to her about that
night at the party when you and I were out here, and then I looked over at
her, and she was right there, just looking at me.  I couldn't--" he
trailed off.

"It's okay, Keiichi.  I believe you."

"Bell," said Urd again, with a note of concern, "Keiichi's resilient.
Angels, on the other hand, are a bit more delicate.  You might want to go
after her."

Belldandy nodded almost imperceptibly, still bordering on a state of
shock.  She touched Keiichi's cheek and looked at him warmly for a moment,
then stepped into the temple to look for Blessed Bell.  Lifelessly,
Keiichi slumped and shook his head.

"It's not your fault, Keiichi," Urd assured him.  "Belldandy understands
that."

He wished he could believe her.  "What do I do now?" he asked.

"We smooth things over," she replied.

Keiichi gave a small nod, although he wasn't entirely certain that
'smoothing things over' would be as simple as Urd made it sound.  Neither
of them spoke for a minute or so; their silence remained unbroken until
Belldandy burst breathlessly through the door.

"She's gone!"

Urd blinked.  "She's what?"

"Gone," Belldandy repeated.  "I can't find her anywhere in the temple, and
with our link weakened, I can't sense her."

The elder goddess took a deep breath.  "All right.  I'll go in and tell
Skuld to wait here while we go out to look for her.  In the meantime, the
two of you need to get your bearings and get ready for a search.  The
longer we wait here, the harder it'll be to find her."

Swallowing hard, Keiichi brought himself to his feet as Urd stepped
inside.   "What have I done?" he said hoarsely, unable to meet Belldandy's
eyes.

Wordlessly, she slipped an arm around him and held him tight.  He was too
ashamed to reciprocate.




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