Ah! My Goddess is created by Kosuke Fujishima.  All of the characters
contained within this fanfic are either creations of Kosuke Fujishima or
independent incarnations based on his work.

infiniteDeferral Productions presents

Only Human
An Ah! My Goddess Fanfic
By Roehl Sybing (indef@infinitedeferral.com)

"There you are with your hair all down
 And your feet are bare and your cotton gown
 What a beautiful sight in the moonlight
 The way you're looking at me with your lovin' eyes
 You let me know that for all my life
 You will always be my only girl
 But that's another place in time
 Back when you were mine in another world"
     - Joe Diffie

Chapter Twelve: Don't Dream It's Over

Belldandy recalled the sequence of events over and over.  Not the mistake of
her own doing that caused her to be thrown off of Keiichi's motorcycle, but
what had transpired quickly after she realized that she was in grave danger.

She was airborne for no more than a second or two, after which Belldandy hit
the ground hard.  Out of sheer inexperience, she flung her arms in front of
herself to try and break her fall.  When they eventually collapsed against
her chest, she tumbled across the road, where one of her ankles made contact
with an unseen metal object in the dark.  When it was over, there were
serious cuts and bruises all over her body, some more visible than others
because of the spots of red they made on her clothing.

The number of conscious moments Belldandy had to examine the damage all
around her was short, but if her blurred vision picked up on the shattered
motorcycle from a distance, she had to conclude that she was not in much
better shape.

With her eyes closed to the world, she saw nothing, but only heard wailing
noises and a commotion of voices from people over her.  Even those sounds
faded into silence, and Belldandy was soon alone with herself to contemplate
the consequences.

"There you are," a voice called out.

She looked around, finding nothing and no one around her.  Still, it was a
familiar voice.

"Who's there?" Belldandy asked.

When she spoke, however, only then did she recognize who was calling to her.

"I am," the voice replied.

Then, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She turned around, and a chill traveled up her spine as she looked at
herself.

"Thank heavens I found you!" said Belldandy, or what was a reflection of
Belldandy.  She was what the goddess had once been, only but a few weeks
ago.  It was the Belldandy whose body and clothing were perfect and intact,
while the other's dress was torn in many places and skin red with scrapes
and scratches.  It was the Belldandy who had not cut her hair or broken
loose from her reserved behavior.

"Wow," she said in astonishment, all the while examining her former self.

"It's me," the reflection replied, "Actually, it's you."

She shook her head, "Not anymore, you aren't."

"Why not?  It's not too late."

Belldandy looked away, taking a step or two in the other direction.  All of
a sudden, there was something appealing in the offer.  The voice of her
shadow was distinctly different from that of her own.  The tone, the
inflections, everything was softer, more polite and refined.  She had
changed so much in a short amount of time, only to be able to remind
herself, by way of a perfect copy of the original goddess, of what she used
to be.

"I don't suppose I have much choice in the matter, now do I?"

The reflection smiled back, saying, "It's up to you.  It all depends on what
you want."

The words echoed in her ears, and Belldandy collapsed onto the floor in a
heap of exasperation.  Despondent, she replied, "I don't know what I want
anymore."

Belldandy sat on the ground, discouraged and exhausted.  She looked up and
gasped, however, when it was her reflection that had wrapped her arms around
her in a loving embrace.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" she asked.

The reflection declined to answer, resolving only to hold her tighter.

"Don't be sad," she finally said, "It's beneath you to act this way."

Belldandy scoffed with amusement, "Obviously, you don't know me too well
anymore."

"Ah!  You were joking at that moment, weren't you?"

Breaking through her sadness, Belldandy laughed, if only for a brief moment.

"Now I know this is a dream."

"Belldandy," the reflection said, facing her, "We don't have much time.  It
is up to you if you want to live.  You have to act quickly."
---
Keiichi and Urd ran right up to her. "Well?" he asked, "How is it?"

"It's difficult to say," the Assistant said, "Much of Belldandy's body is
trying to knit itself back together...but she was always a delicate sort.
They told me that they have a few ideas, but I don't know if she can handle
the stress."

Urd cried, "What do you mean you don't know if--there must be--it's in your
power to--!"

"That's enough, Urd!" she snapped back, "Please go find Skuld, see if she's
alright."

The elder goddess looked at the Assistant, then at Keiichi, then stormed
off.  At first, Keiichi didn't want to be left in the presence of the
Assistant, but he noticed that even she was not seeming as proud as before.

"I don't know if this is my fault," she said, "I'm just performing my duty."

To be sure, there was more than enough blame to go around, Keiichi thought
to himself.  He had let Belldandy out of his sight, and allowed her to ride
off without his knowing about it.  He spent much time after the incident
calculating the price for a moment of carelessness.

"How could this happen?" he said out loud.

The Assistant looked up at him, replying, "I've been asking myself the same
thing."

"Please, there must be something you can do.  Or maybe--"

"Belldandy did this to herself," she insisted, "I may have...pushed her by
doing my job, but this is her own manifestation."

The Assistant paced, back and forth, in front of Keiichi.  With the
authority that she wielded, he dared not to test her patience, even as she
appeared to be contrite.

"Free will is a dangerous thing, Keiichi.  Mortals are masters over it, but
it is foreign to us goddesses.  It just wasn't meant for Belldandy to have."

"W-what do you mean?" Keiichi said hesitantly, "Belldandy...is she going
to...?"

A pause in the Assistant's answer allowed him to trail off, never finishing
his thought. "I don't know, Keiichi.  This is...quite new to me."

Desperation filled up in his eyes, while his mouth stood agape. "I have to
see her again," he said, "I have to see Belldandy before--"

"Keiichi, they promised me that they will call for us once they're done.
Right now, we need to..."

"Alright.  Alright!" Keiichi said, running off.  He brushed his lower arm
against his eyes as he rushed out of the building to grab some air.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, bumping into an unseen figure outside. "Chihiro!"

She was stopped in her tracks, but she was naturally understanding.  "How're
you doing, kid?" Chihiro replied, to which he had shrugged. "Just wanted to
see how it was going.  From the look of her sisters going in the other
direction, doesn't seem too good."

Keiichi shook his head, "They're not really saying anything.  I don't know
what's happening."

"Hmm," she sounded, not knowing what to say. "We collected the bike.  Pretty
smashed up."

"I'm not really worried about that right now."

"Well, don't you worry.  Belldandy's a fighter, I see it in her eyes all the
time.  I imagine you do, too."
---
"Please tell me," Belldandy said, "Am I being punished?"

Her reflection glanced back with a stern look. "You know full well that it
isn't."

"Yeah.  I do.  It's my fault."

"Yes, it is.  You were arrogant, and prideful, and foolish."

Belldandy looked up. "That's not very comforting," she scoffed.  Deep down,
though, the words rang true to her. "Then, are you here to judge me?"

Shaking her head, Belldandy's shadow replied, "I could never be angry at
myself.  Could you?"

"I guess I should be.  Look at me!  I was too dumb to accept losing, so I
tried to pull off a stunt on Keiichi's bike!  He'd kill me if he had the
chance--" she said, stopping suddenly to consider her choice of words.

"Keiichi would never do that," the shadow said softly.

Belldandy looked at herself, smirking at the reply she received. "That's
just a joke!"

"Oh."

"Wow, I can't believe how innocent I was."

The reflection replied, "Belldandy, you are running out of time.  What will
you do?"

Belldandy shrugged.  She was genuinely lost, having been caught up in a
conversation with herself in the depths of her own soul. "I don't know," she
said simply.

"Then, I suppose you have a problem."

"Yeah, I suppose."

The two of them stood silent for a moment.  Belldandy reasoned that this was
a dream, but no dream or nightmare was this vivid.  Her reflection was a
stark reminder of her past, and that it was here to either pull her back or
haunt her in advance of an inevitable death.

"I wonder how Keiichi is.  And my sisters," she thought out loud.

"You wish to see them?" her shadow asked.

"Yeah," Belldandy nodded.

"Very well."

All of a sudden, the dark all around her lit up, slowly lifting her upwards
while blinding her from seeing her reflection.

"Come back quickly!" the reflection cried from beneath her, "You don't have
much time!"
---
Belldandy slowly opened her eyes, and found herself in an empty room, filled
with machines to which she was connected.  Not that she could have done
anything about it, for she found it difficult to move.  She groaned in pain,
and a figure appeared over her in response.

"Hello," he said, "I'm your doctor.  How do you feel?"

When she tried to speak at first, she was shocked to discover that it was
just as difficult to speak as it was to do anything else.  But she struggled
to do so. "The others," she said, "Where are they?"

"Oh, yes.  They're just outside, I'll send them in."

As the doctor walked out, Belldandy examined the room.  Never before had she
been in such an impersonal environment.  She concluded that she must be in
grave danger.
---
One by one, the five of them entered the room slowly and solemnly, the least
solemn of which was the Assistant, who had no facial expression at all.
With her eyes, Belldandy greeted all of them.

It was Chihiro who broke the silence, saying, "I just stopped by to see how
you were doing."

Belldandy lifted a hand to acknowledge her, then looked at Skuld.

"Skuld," she said, "You don't...have to stay...if you don't want..."

The youngest sister nodded hesitantly, replying, "That's alright."

Belldandy nodded in return, then turning to another, "Keiichi?"

A fearful Keiichi stepped forward. "I'm here, Belldandy.  How are you
feeling?" he asked.

"Well, it hurts like hell," Belldandy joked, "I can...say that now...can't
get in...any more trouble."

Keiichi laughed, or rather forced himself to laugh.  But soon after he
reverted back to his gloomy and apologetic state. "I'm sorry," he said
gently.

"Please don't," she replied, "It's my fault.  All of it...is my fault."

"Don't worry about that now," Keiichi told her, "Just try to--Bell?"

Involuntarily, Belldandy broke out crying softly, apologizing profusely.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

At once, Keiichi instinctively sat down at her bedside, holding her hand
delicately, persuading her to respond to him.  But it was no use, as she
unwillingly drifted back to sleep, leaving a despondent Keiichi to weep over
her body.  The emotion was too much, that it forced Skuld to bolt out of the
room, followed by the Assistant.  Urd watched her leave, and suddenly
followed her out as well.
---
"Assistant!" Urd cried, storming towards her, "Where do you think you are
going?"

"I don't know!  I need to think by myself for a moment!" the Assistant
replied.

The elder goddess pursued her still, chasing her down from a hurried walk
away from the building. "You would let Belldandy die?  And for what?  Is it
pride?"

"It is not my pride that started this," the Assistant retorted, "And it is
out of our hands.  If you do anything to interfere, I will--"

"You'll what, punish me?  At least she would live," Urd said forcefully.
The Assistant began to walk off again, only to be held by Urd before she was
two steps away from her. "Get back in there and help her," she demanded.

"I can't!  She has made her choice quite clear, and now she has to live with
that, as well as die with it."

Urd gasped, and abruptly loosened her grip on the Assistant. "You disgrace
us," she said, "Our duty is serve others.  How is it that we cannot serve
each other?"

Her words struck at the Assistant, who had no reply. "Urd..." she replied
softly.

"No," Urd said, breaking in the other direction, "You've made yourself
clear.  You live with your decision now."

"Urd, please!" she cried, but it was too late after the elder goddess ducked
back into the building.  The Assistant was alone.
---
Keiichi and Chihiro paused their conversation as they watched Urd storm into
the hallway, angrily pace across the floor for a few laps, and storm back
outside.  If Urd was this upset, they could imagine what Skuld must be like,
even though she took off long before her older sister.

"They are taking it really hard," Chihiro said.

Keiichi turned to her, saying, "Wouldn't you?"

"I don't know, really.  Belldandy's really lucky to have two sisters that
love her."

"Yeah," he replied.  Unable to settle in his chair, Keiichi walked around,
visibly disturbed by the recent turn of events.

"It's not your fault, Keiichi," Chihiro said, "Everyone makes mistakes."

"I knew she was upset after losing today, I didn't know she was going to do
something like this.  I should've kept an eye on her."

"Perhaps, but I think she's the kind of person who makes up her mind all by
herself."

He sat back down, asking her, "What do you mean?"

"Well, she loves you, anyone can see that," she explained, "But something's
different about her lately.  I don't know what, but I'm sure you understand
what I mean, you must see it.  She doesn't seem dependent on anyone anymore.
No, Belldandy has to make her own choices.  It's up to you to make sure she
doesn't do anything stupid, but besides that, she has to decide for herself
what is best for her."

Keiichi nodded.  He didn't know if Chihiro was right or wrong, but it was
something worth considering in the future.  He looked at his watch and it
told him that it was late.  Instinctively, he stretched his arms and yawned.

"I just hope she can get through this," he said.

"Well, I sure can't promise you anything," Chihiro replied, "I'm not a
miracle worker."
---
The shattering of glass vials and flasks and the constant rifling through
books and other objects betrayed Urd's presence in the Morisato residence.
She spent twenty minutes channeling her powers into a mixture she hoped
would have some healing qualities.  Though she was quite noisy, Urd tried
her best not to have anyone know that she was there, for fear of the
Assistant shutting down her efforts before the deed was done.

With the complexities of the potion she was creating, Urd could have
certainly used a helping hand, especially considering the urgency of
Belldandy's condition.  But Keiichi didn't know the first thing about magic,
and Skuld would have had to suffer the same consequences that she did.  And
the elder goddess always did things like this by herself.  This was her fall
to take, and with Belldandy's fate uncertain, she was going to take it
without a second thought.  She was not going to let anyone tell her that her
sister was beyond anyone's help, especially hers.

"C'mon," she said to herself while waiting for the mixture to boil and set.
Time was indeed short.

When it was ready, she transferred the potion into a small vial and
concealed it underneath her garments.  Taking flight, she bolted for the
door the second she had what she needed.

As it was dark, however, she could not see a figure lurking in the hall.

"Hey!" she uttered as she fell to the ground.

"Watch where you're going!" the startled figure exclaimed.

Urd knew that voice, and quickly turned on a light.  There, in the hall, was
her youngest sister Skuld, fooling around with some headgear invention of
hers in the dark.

"Skuld!" Urd cried, "What are you doing here?"

"What does it look like, you big dummy?" Skuld snapped back.  She stood up
and collected the loose parts of her machine, and it was suddenly quite
clear to Urd what she was doing. "What are you doing here?  The Assistant
will punish you!"

Urd checked for the potion to see if it was still on her.  Sure enough it
remained in her pocket.

"Well, what about you?" she retorted.

"Me?" Skuld replied, "Well, I, uh...Belldandy's my sister, and I'd do
anything for her!"

"Don't worry about it," Urd insisted, "I'll take care of it."

"What do you think your potions are going to do?  I just have to make some
modifications on this so Sister can get better.  Besides, we can't both get
into trouble!"

Urd watched Skuld tinker with the headgear that was in her hands.  It was
clear that her sibling wasn't going to back down, and neither was she going
to change her own mind about Belldandy.

"I'll give you five minutes," Urd said, "Then we're going back together."
---
Belldandy lay in bed, unconscious and unaware of Keiichi's presence in the
room.  He continued to sit at her side, hoping that she would wake up on her
own.

"Belldandy," he said, "I don't know if you can hear me.  I just wanted to
say...it never mattered to me what you were.  First, you were a goddess, and
then you became human, but I didn't care one way or the other, just as long
as you were happy.  Because for a long time, I just can't imagine what life
is like without you in it."

He held her hand as if to elicit a response from her.  Despite that,
Belldandy remained motionless.

"And if you want to be human," he added, "I would never have stopped you.
But...please wake up, Belldandy.  I know you don't want to go back, but if
it's the only way...please wake up, Belldandy!"

Keiichi continued to hold on to her, but in all of his exhaustion and
desperation, his head slowly dropped to her side.  There he remained,
waiting for her to respond.
---
Touching down in front of the building, Skuld and Urd readied their
creations and resolved to go in together.

"Now," Urd said, "I will use this potion on Belldandy, and only after that
you can use your invention."

Skuld retorted, "What are you talking about?  My headgear is sure to work,
I'll go first!"

"Are we going to get into this now?  I'm going first."

"Fine!  Not that your potion will have any effect anyways!"

"Ahem!"

The two goddesses turned around.  To their shock, there stood the Assistant
with an angry expression on her face.

"What are you two doing?" she asked blatantly.

Both Skuld and Urd fumbled for an answer, but all they had to give were
incoherent syllables and unfinished thoughts.

"Er...I...um...well..."

"This...uh...it...we..."

"Give me those," the Assistant demanded, showing the palm of her hand.

The sisters looked at each other, silently persuading each other to do
something and fast.

"You are in enough trouble already," the Assistant said, "I will not allow
you two to make things worse for Belldandy.  Give.  Me.  Those."

Unwillingly, the two conceded, reluctantly giving up their possessions to
the Assistant.

"Good.  You two will stay here with me where I can see you, but you are not
going back into her room.  Is that understood?"

Defeated, Skuld bowed her head to the ground and went inside, leaving the
two of them to spar with each other.

"Just what were you two thinking?" the Assistant asked.

"She's my sister," Urd pleaded, "I wasn't going to let her die!"

"Yes, well...as it is, her injuries are far too severe," she said, "Do you
think these were going to do any good?"

Urd scoffed at the Assistant.  Insulted, she said, "At least I was willing
to do something!  I'm certainly not going to follow orders that don't make
sense!"

Determined to get the last word, the goddess turned around and marched into
the building.  It didn't matter, for the Assistant had no response, and had
Urd stayed, she would have seen a complete change in the Assistant's
demeanor, from one of strictness to one showing fragments of compassion and
contrition.
---
"You are running out of time, Belldandy."

"You keep saying that!" an annoyed Belldandy retorted, "It's not like I
don't know what's going on."

"Than what are you waiting for?" her reflection asked.

Belldandy let the question hang in the air for a moment, as she walked in
circles around herself, gazing out into the depths of nothingness.

"I'm not waiting for anything," she conceded reluctantly, "I'll do it at the
last possible moment."

"Do what?"

"What you want me to do, of course.  Go back to what I was, become a goddess
again."

"I see."

"Yeah, I've decided," Belldandy said with a hint of defiance, "Actually, I
was made to decide.  It may be hard for the others to believe, but I like
who I am now.  My life as a goddess was wonderful, but I never knew what it
was like to feel my heart really pound against my chest, and have blood fill
my cheeks when I blush as I hold Keiichi's hand.  I found out what it was
like to be afraid and to be truly defeated, and I learned how to face my
fears and become more than I thought I was.  Do you know what a rush of
adrenaline feels like?  It's almost like being in love.  That comes from not
knowing what my future will bring.  It's terrifying and unpredictable, and I
realized I wanted that more than anything."

Belldandy paused.  All this time, a smile played across her face as she
recalled what she had experienced in recent days.  But the expression faded
into oblivion, replaced with bitter sadness over what she believed to be
inevitable.

"All that's over now, I guess," she said somberly, lowering her head but
fighting back a wash of emotion filling her eyes.

Belldandy's former reflection approached her.  She looked at her from
underneath her lowered head. "Is that what you think?" she asked politely.

Not knowing what to say, Belldandy stood there with a confused look on her
face.  She did not understand what her shadow was asking.  On top of
everything, the faint implication in her question was too complicated for
her to untangle.

"You're here to tell me that I have to go back.  You're supposed to remind
me of what I used to be..."

"Belldandy," the reflection replied, smiling, "I have seldom forced anyone
to do anything that they didn't want to do.  You know that of yourself
better than anyone!"

"Then--then what--"

"If you want something, Belldandy, then fight for it!  Don't accept what is
being done to you.  Do what you believe will make you happy!"

She knew she was right.  In fact, it was what she always believed.  But
Belldandy remained as confused as ever.

"But I'm dying," she said quite simply, "How am I supposed to--?"

"Come now, Belldandy.  You're still me, after all.  You know how to solve
your problem," her reflection said.

Belldandy thought about it.  A few moments before she would not have thought
it possible, but slowly it was coming to her.  She was human and lacked the
clarity and wisdom of a goddess, but in her mind she was conjuring up a
solution.

"It's crazy!" she exclaimed.

Her shadow nodded.

"Yes."

"It'll never work."

"It's your only chance.  What do you have to lose?"

She paused. "Not a lot," she mumbled, "But what about you?"

"Me?" the reflection asked, "I...I will cease to exist.  You will be all
that remains.  From this point on, there is no turning back.  There are many
challenges that you have yet to face.  You will find mortal life to be
difficult and unkind, and you may even regret it at times.  But if you are
who you want to be, you will prevail and be happy."

Belldandy nodded resolutely. "I'm sorry I called you innocent."

They both laughed.

"It's not in my nature to be angry," the reflection replied.

Once again, Belldandy began to wake up.  As darkness all around her turned
to a searing bright light, Her former self drifted from her view for one
last time.  Before she was completely gone, she whispered to her, "Goodbye."
---
Belldandy, for a second time, woke up to the whirring of machines at her
sides, monitoring her or keeping her alive.  But her blurred vision focused
on two figures on the opposite end of the room.

"Keiichi" she said faintly.

He rushed up to her at once. "I'm here, Belldandy," Keiichi said.

"My...sisters...are they...?"

"They're outside.  Chihiro's here, too.  Do you want to--?"

"Keiichi."

He paused as Belldandy struggled to speak. "What is it?"

"Please," she said, choking on her words and taking painful breaths to
remain conscious.

"Yes?"

"Please tell me the truth."

Keiichi's jaw dropped.  He uttered a few incoherent sounds before he found
his voice again. "I c-can't."

To his surprise, Belldandy let out a soft laugh. "It's that bad, huh?" she
joked.

Even that made Keiichi smile, if only ever so slightly. "Belldandy..." he
said.

"Keiichi," she replied, "I need to speak...to her...for a moment...could you
please--?"

"Yeah, sure," he said, nodding his head quickly.  He stepped out of the room
at her consent, leaving Belldandy with the Assistant, who was sitting at the
foot of her bed the whole time.

"Belldandy," the Assistant said, "I am so sorry."

"No...don't be.  But once I'm out of here...I'm gonna...kick your butt for
everything..." Belldandy replied, fading in and out.

The Assistant lowered her head, saying, "You have every right to be angry,
Belldandy."

"Oh, my.  Doesn't...anyone know when I'm joking?  What's wrong with you p--"

She stopped in mid-sentence, coughing and convulsing violently, but only for
a moment.  She settled back down into her bed, taking a moment to breathe
normally again.

"Please, Belldandy," the Assistant said, "Your condition is getting worse."

"Assistant," Belldandy whispered, "Please come closer."

The Assistant did so, leaning in to better hear her voice.

"Assistant...you have a choice.  If humanity has taught me anything...it's
that...we all have choices.  Do this...for yourself."

She looked at Belldandy, and all of a sudden, instead of the obvious course
of action, a new alternative seemed like an easy decision to make.  But she
remained hesitant.

"I don't know if I can," the Assistant replied, "I don't know if I will be
accepted again."

Belldandy breathed heavily, still struggling to make her voice heard.  The
Assistant leaned closer still, with an ear to Belldandy's lips.

"Then...do it for me," Belldandy whispered weakly.

She gazed at her again, not believing what she was asking, despite its
simplicity.

"Consider it a last request."
---
The four of them sat close to each other as they waited somewhat impatiently
for news of any sort, either from the Assistant or the staff.  They were out
of words at the moment, and so they sat silently, hoping that something
would happen and happen soon.

Unable to withstand the tension, Chihiro stood up, saying, "Well, I'm going
to catch some air."

That left Keiichi and Belldandy's sisters in a virtually empty hallway.

"What did she say to you?" Urd asked.

"Nothing," Keiichi replied, "She just wanted to be alone with her."

The elder goddess nodded. "Well, that should settle it very soon."

"Urd," Skuld asked, "When Sister is, um...the Assistant will rescind the
recall order, right?"

"I think so.  Everything...will be back to normal again."

"Hmm," uttered Keiichi, almost unnoticed.

The door swung open, and out came the Assistant, walking towards Keiichi
quite methodically.  She had rare, warm smile on her face.  Something had
occured, and to the three of them it could only be good.

"Yes?" Keiichi asked her, "What happened?"

The Assistant chuckled briefly.  To Urd and Skuld, it was unusual to hear
such a sound come from her lips.  But in that cold hallway, a sense of
warmth radiated from her.

"What?" Belldandy's sisters said.

Her smile grew even larger.  Finally she responded to them, "I granted her
wish."

They all gasped, Skuld and Urd moreso than Keiichi for they better knew the
implications.  Regardless, the three of them were quite surprised.  Still
more surprised, when a fountain of light shone all around the Assistant.
She closed her eyes and allowed the light to swirl around and envelop her.
Within moments, as the illumination took over the entire hallway and
disappeared in much the same manner, the Assistant was gone, transported
back to the heavens, having completed her first duty in what was virtually
an eternity.

She had granted Belldandy's wish.  They looked at each other as they
pondered what that had meant, until they finally thought to check up on her.
---
"Belldandy!" Keiichi cried as he opened the door just as abruptly.

Her sisters quickly followed, pouring into the room and descending upon her
to learn of her fate.

"Skuld!  Urd!" Belldandy exclaimed with a newfound energy, "I'm so glad to
see you!"

She remained confined to her bed, but Belldandy was more than happy to
embrace her two sisters.  Holding them tightly, she shed a tear of joy,
right before she winced in pain.

"Ow!" she said, "Easy now.  I'm not all back just yet!"

The two goddesses stepped back and examined her.  Belldandy was alive and
out of danger, but she still sported fading bruises and cuts from her
accident.

"Sister," Skuld asked, "Are you still--?"

Nodding her head, Belldandy didn't know how they would react.  Yet, the
youngest of the three sisters responded quite favorably with a smile in
return.

"Alright," she replied, "I'm so happy you're alive!"

At once, she hugged Belldandy again, and was rewarded with a kiss on her
forehead.

"Me too," Urd added.

"Really?" Belldandy said, looking at her curiously.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, "I was afraid I'd have to come visit you every day
from now on!"

Belldandy scoffed, but ultimately took her hand and held it to express her
thanks.  Holding them both, she looked at them and asked, "We'll always be
like this, right?"

Skuld quickly replied, "You bet!"

Urd's response, however, was just a bit more measured, and her expression,
while one of relief, remained cautious. "Yeah, why not?" she said.

>From the doorway, Keiichi silently looked on the three of them, quite
content that the ordeal was over, even though things had not returned
completely to normal.  In fact, they would never be the same.
---
"The doctor said you should stick around for another day," Keiichi said.

"Yeah, and he said I could go if I wanted to, and I want to," Belldandy
replied as she prepared herself to leave.  After gathering her things, she
looked in the mirror, all the while combing her hair. "I've spent three days
in bed, doing nothing but grow older.  Which is kinda new to me.  I can't
wait to get out of here.  Besides, Urd and Skuld said they had prepared a
cake for my homecoming today.  Which means I'm going to have to make a
substitute for everyone."

Keiichi laughed. "You can't do everything, you know.  At least not anymore."

"I'm human," she replied, nodding, "I'll do what I can.  And I can still
make the best dinner you've ever had, am I right?"

"Actually, the least you can do is fix my motorcycle, seeing as though
you've rendered it unusable," he joked.

Belldandy kissed him on the lips. "Aw, Keiichi.  Don't you know by now I
can't fix anything besides tea and sandwiches?  Nuts and bolts, that's your
job."

She then whispered under her breath, "Lord knows I don't know where they go,
and I mean that."

Keiichi rolled his eyes, amused as he took her personal effects. "C'mon,
let's go."
---
The door to Morisato residence slid open, and Belldandy rejoiced. "I'm
home!" she cried loud enough to echo through the temple hallways.

On his way to the washroom, Keiichi put down her things on the table, where
surely enough a cake made by her sisters stood.  It was a rather nice
creation, and she resolved to have some later once they sat down to dinner.
There were so many things she wanted to do with them, the first of which was
take them to a movie that she wanted to see after the race was over.  There
was also a weekend event in town and she wanted to take Keiichi to see it
with her.  Of course, the house was a bit of a mess, and she would have to
spend some time cleaning up.  She thought about how nice it was not to lay
in bed for a significant stretch of time and do nothing.  Now, with the
all-important race behind her, Belldandy could finally get back to resuming
her regular routine with her sisters and Keiichi.

"Skuld?" she called out.

Belldandy felt as light as a feather.  Actually, she was careful not to
bounce around as she was still healing, but she could not be happier.  Her
troubles with the Assistant were over and she survived a major accident.
Belldandy managed to walk away from all of it.  In a way, this was a clean
slate for her, free to do with as she pleased.

"Urd?"

Her future lay before her, and she knew not what it was, and that in itself
was exciting to Belldandy.  She welcomed the new challenge of being human,
and for good.

"Skuld?  Urd?"

Keiichi met Belldandy in the hallway. "Bell?"

"Have you seen them?" she asked with a hint of desperate anticipation in her
voice.

"No, I haven't," he replied.

Belldandy looked to her left, then her right.  She slowly walked towards the
next room, saying out loud, "Something's not right."

She checked the residence and all of the rooms in it, and then searched it
again.  Fifteen minutes passed, but the house remained silent, save for
Belldandy's hurried footsteps and Keiichi's following behind her.  Ten more
minutes went by, and the conclusion was easy to draw, but it was difficult
for Belldandy to say.

"The Assistant," she finally mumbled in a frantic voice, "She never
rescinded the order."

"Belldandy?"

"My sisters, Keiichi!" Belldandy exclaimed, "They must've been recalled.
They're gone!"

TO BE CONCLUDED.
---
Roehl Sybing
infiniteDeferral - http://www.infinitedeferral.com/


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