Disclaimer: I do not own Ah! My Goddess! The wonderful story of Belldandy and Keiichi belong to Kosuke Fujishima, whom has a wonderful gift and talent. I am simply writing this for your enjoyment, so don't sue me. If you don't like this story then don't read it, simple as that. I hope you do like it though! ^__^
A Love That Casts A Shadow
Chapter 1: A Perfect Life, and a Nightmare
Keiichi stepped outside, and took in the fresh air of fall. The air was cooling since the arrival of the new season. This was perfect to escape the constant bickering of Urd and Skuld, Belldandy's two sisters. What they fought about ranged from who gets to watch TV first to little things like glancing at each other. Urd, being the white- haired and oldest goddess of the household, was on the wild side. Being half demoness, one would guess you'd have to be. She always tried to pressure Keiichi into making a move on Belldandy. Moreover, when she wasn't doing that, she spent her time watching soap operas while drinking alcohol. Typical Urd. Skuld, on the other hand, was the youngest goddess who constantly stuck up for her sister, Belldandy. She always seemed to be creating a new robot of some sort, or pigging out on ice- cream. Wasn't that normal for a "supposedly" 12- year- old? Whatever the case, Keiichi found it rare to escape the two.
He seated himself under a cherry blossom tree, lost in his thoughts. Ah, the 21-year-old thought happily, and then, there's Belldandy. With her brown, silky hair and bright blue eyes, she could pull off any beauty pageant. She had a personality that matched perfectly with her beauty. The middle goddess was always so kind to everybody, keeping herself occupied by cooking heavenly meals. Ever since she came into Keiichi's life, he became much happier. Belldandy was like the sun, illuminating even the darkest of nights. Keiichi was pulled from his thoughts because of something hard striking his head. The victim lay, sprawled on the ground.
"Oops�" came Urd's voice from behind broken glass. She had aimed to throw the lamp at Skuld, whom had managed to dodge the assault.
"Now look what you did, stupid!" Skuld shouted in her boisterous voice. "Belldandy is gonna be mad at you!"
Urd simply tossed her hair from her shoulder. "Well, if you haven't moved, Keiichi wouldn't have been hit."
It didn't take long for the argument and the sound of broken glass to summon Belldandy from the kitchen. She stood in the doorway, mixing food within a bowl. She was dressed in a blue dress that made her eyes stand out even more than they usually did. The sight of her love conked out turned her constant smile into a frown.
"Keiichi," she cried, dropping the bowl while running outside. Kneeling by his side, the goddess called forth enough power to heal the bruise on Keiichi's head. He awoke in time to see a relieved look on Belldandy's face. "Urd! Skuld! I want you two to clean up your mess and separate!"
Upon hearing the rare anger in their sister's voice, they worked in silence, allowing Belldandy to further aid Keiichi. Belldandy helped him stand, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry," she apologized, leading him into the house. "Are you okay?"
"I'll be fine, thanks to you Belldandy," he laughed. She joined in; pleased to know her dear Keiichi would be all right.
"Now wash up," she said, wiping a bit of dirt from Keiichi's face. "Dinner will be ready soon." Keiichi blushed each time he felt her delicate fingers upon his skin. Too shy to embrace her, he just nodded and sauntered off into the bathroom. In the distance, a sigh escaped from Urd while Skuld snorted in disgust. Yes, this was everyday life for those within the Morisato's Residence.
************
That night, Keiichi fell into a deep sleep as soon as he reached the bed. There, a nightmare awaited him.
He was holding her close, feeling her heart beat against his. His hands sought out every curve of her body. The warm flesh was scented with a sweet lust. Desire flooded Keiichi's emotions as sweat trickled down his body. Her own body held the aroma of roses, adding to the urge to fulfill his intentions. Yet, she wasn't Belldandy. Keiichi couldn't make out who she was. It was as if his vision had been fogged. Where was Belldandy?
Suddenly, he found himself in another place. Everything was blackened beneath a swirling mist. The dark clouds above Keiichi gave him an eerie feeling. Glancing down, there was no ground. Just a never-ending drop, and he was floating above it. Above, claws emerged from the mist, clawing at the complete darkness. That's when he saw Belldandy. The claws dug their nails into her skin, raking her into the mist. Keiichi was too shocked to move. Why couldn't he do something? Instead, Keiichi stood there, watching the only woman he ever loved being pulled into utter darkness. Who knows what fate awaited the goddess? Keiichi began cursing at himself, sinking down onto the ground that wasn't there. Why couldn't he cry? Belldandy was the only happiness in life, and he had watched her being enveloped within the swirling mist. He loved her more than anything! Why wouldn't the grief or the tears come? Didn't he love her?
Just when one would think nothing else could go wrong, Mara, a demoness, floated down from the mist. Slowly, the demoness drifted toward Keiichi until she came face to face with him. Mara always held a resemblance to Urd, but this would be an exception. Mara actually resembled Belldandy! She cupped Keiichi's chin with a hand and planted a kiss on his lips. As she pulled away, he noticed her markings had changed. Every god, goddess, demon, or demoness had markings of some sort. Mara's would contain two slashes of red upon her forehead. What kept Keiichi in shock was the fact that an elongated diamond, followed by two triangles upon her cheeks replaced Mara's slashes. Belldandy's markings.
Was this Mara or Belldandy?
***********
"Belldandy!" Keiichi cried while sitting up in bed. Sweat drenched his sheets and clothes. His breath became faster as his heart felt like it would burst from his chest. He was surprised that the very beating of his heart wouldn't awaken anybody. Belldandy entered his room, dressed in a large T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
"Oh, Keiichi!" She gasped, running to his side. She placed a hand on his forehead to try to relax him. "What happened?"
Keiichi studied Belldandy, still not fully aware of what was happening. Was she Belldandy? Gazing into her soft blue eyes, he knew it was her. No other eyes could ever fill his body with the warmth and love of Belldandy's. Keiichi quickly embraced Belldandy, sobbing into her shoulder. There was no way he was going to lose her.
"Belldandy," Keiichi's muffled voice cried. "Don't leave, I don't want to lose you!"
Belldandy's expression softened. She placed a hand on the back of Keiichi's head, and held him. "You won't lose me, as long as I don't lose you. It will be okay, it was just a bad dream." An hour or so passed in silence that night. Belldandy held Keiichi in her arms as if he were a small child. When he finally fell asleep, she tucked him in bed and left the room quietly. Keiichi slept without any more dreams.
Chapter 2
Author's Notes: okay, this is the first fanfic I have posted online. Please give me your honest opinion and help me out if you can. I'm not exactly a good author, but I hope to be one day. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter so far, and I'll keep updating it. ~ Rio
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