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 3: Fully Goddess of Emptied Memories
At the old temple, a clock chimed at twelve, midnight. Belldandy, who had been sipping her tea, spilled it upon the table. Her hands were shaking with the emotion of fear. Keiichi had said he would be out for a little while, but it has been hours since then. The storm had appeared also, creating a most nervous situation. Ever since the storm's arrival, Belldandy had been watching the clock. Keiichi still had not come home. Belldandy was frustrated with herself. She cleaned up her mess and glanced up at the clock again. 12:02, and still no sign. Well, she couldn't expect him to come home in two minutes now could she? Tears began to fall as the goddess asked, "Where is Keiichi?" To no one in particular.
"Don't worry big sister," said Skuld, who was trying to get the power working again. "He'll be fine. Keiichi is probably waiting for the storm to pass somewhere." Then she added a note to herself, "He's gonna get it for making Belldandy cry!" In frustration, the youngest goddess began tightening the bolts quickly with a wrench.
"Just keep at the power," Urd commanded Skuld over her shoulder. She then focused her attention on her upset sister. "Bell, I will go look for Keiichi. I want you to know something though. Ever since the storm showed up, I've been feeling negative energies." Belldandy glanced up at her older sibling, lips quivering. "I know you can feel it too, that's why you're so worried," Urd added.
"Feel what?!" Came Skuld's voice from her work. Tools and bolts were scattered about while the young goddess made many attempts to build a generator. The generator, however, looked more like a toaster at this point.
"I'm leaving," said Urd, not wanting to waste any time on explaining things.
Just as she opened the door, Urd came face to face with Keiichi. The look on his face said it all, 'Don't mess with me right now, I need help.' He was covered in cuts and bruises, along with a deep gash in his forehead. Blood was running down the side of his face, soaking into the collar of his jacket. The clothes he wore were soaked inside and out, torn and beat to match his body. In Keiichi's arms, was a lovely girl. Keiichi placed the woman in Urd's arms before collapsing onto the ground in an unconscious state.
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Morning came, revealing a whole new atmosphere than last night. The storm had vanished before dawn, allowing the earth to breathe once more. Grass poked out of the watery ground, seeking the sun for warmth. Keiichi woke up in his torn clothes that were surprisingly dry. His injuries were all healed thanks to Belldandy's powers. He sat up and stretched.
Last night had been an absolute blur to him. A spinning world of chaos. His motorcycle was ruined. All because of his careless driving. There had been pain and a migraine to kill; yet he had managed to amble all the way home. Under the pouring rain which would give him a cold, no doubt, unless the goddesses could fix that also. Then there had been that woman. It all came back clear to Keiichi now. He had done a goddess harm!
Clumsily, Keiichi scrambled to his feet, tripping over his blankets. He got up again and ran down the hall. Upon entering the kitchen, Keiichi found the girl. She sat at the table with the three goddesses, a solemn look on her face. Breakfast was waiting for him, as always.
"Good morning, Keiichi," Belldandy greeted him with a warm smile.
"Keiichi," Urd said to capture his attention. She pointed a fork at him and spoke in her suspicious tone. "It turns out this girl is Nova. She too is a goddess, but she cannot recall her past. The last thing she remembered was waking up here. Can you explain to us what happened last night?"
Keiichi switched his gaze to Nova, whom was staring down at her plate. "Well," he began in a shaky voice. "I wanted to get home when the storm started, but I crashed. I think I hit her." He felt ashamed to be the cause of such disaster. What would Kami- Sama think of him now?
"No," Nova spoke to him for the first time. Her voice was beautiful, soft yet not too high in pitch. If she sang, it would put all harps to shame. "I would have moved before I even saw the motorcycle. I would have sensed your approach as I did when you were coming down the hall." She gave a saddened sigh, feeling nervous about the whole situation.
"Celestine?" Keiichi suggested. A year ago, Belldandy's mentor, a god named Celestine, escaped prison. He gave Belldandy amnesia so she would forget about Keiichi and leave with her mentor. He wanted full control of the gods to create his own world where humans would not have to be judged. It took a lot to receive her memory back, but Belldandy would never let Keiichi down. Perhaps Celestine had escaped again?
"No," Belldandy stated. "Celestine made a promise, as you did Keiichi. He would not break it."
"I know what to do!" Skuld exclaimed happily. "I'll pull up her file from the Yggdrasil system!"
Urd shook her head in disbelief. "If anyone found out about your hacking into Heaven's system, perhaps you'd be imprisoned! That's why I'm going with you."
"Are you sure she's a goddess?" Questioned the only mortal in the room.
"Yes, no mortal has these markings. Only gods and demons. We know she is no demoness either, because her energy waves are all positive. Besides, whoever saw a demoness wearing white clothing?"Urd answered.
Urd exited the room to where the television was. There, she flipped it on and turned it to a fuzzy channel. This was her passageway into Heaven, going through television sets. First, she popped a foot in, easing the rest of her body in with a blinding light. Her words echoed throughout the temple before the television flickered off, "farewell."
Skuld cheerfully waved, making her way to the bathroom. "Don't worry sister, we'll be back soon. And don't let Keiichi touch you while we're gone either!" Then the noise of the bathtub being filled up was heard. Her passageway was any water big enough to let her body through. The temple all of a sudden, held an empty feeling.
Nova sat with a dazed look that crossed her face. "I'm lost," was all that she could muster with a smile.
"You'll get used to it," Belldandy laughed. "Keiichi did. After all, you ARE a goddess!"
Chapter 4
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