Oh my God ?
An Oh My Goddess FanFic
by
Brett Handy
CHAPTER 13:
It was sometime after midnight when I was suddenly
startled out of sleep by the vividness of the dream. I sat up
slowly and shivered, remembering the dead feel of the place
and the destruction of the beautiful temple. Not really ready
to try sleeping again, I stood and grabbed up my coat. I
tiptoed quietly through the temple, making my way out to the
silent courtyard. The chill in the air pushed away the last
vestiges of sleep that I was feeling.
I glanced into the sky, marvelling at the number of stars
visible tonight. I frowned thoughtfully, usually the stars
would have been obscured by the glow of city lights, but here
in the temple they were sharp and clear. Smiling I made a
note to pick up my telescope when I visited home.
I felt another chill, this time thinking of what would
happen if Nilthar decided to follow me home. I was eager to
see my family and friends again, but not at the cost of
exposing them to danger. I clenched my fists at the thought
of Nilthar harming my parents or sister, I'd have to find a
way to deal with this before I visited home.
"Why does this have to be so difficult", I whispered to
myself.
A warm hand clasped mine and I turned to see Urd standing
slightly behind me, "If it wasn't difficult, it wouldn't be
worth it", she replied.
I shrugged, "That doesn't really make me feel any
better", I replied with a smile.
Urd nodded, "It's not suppose to", she said, "But it's
another of those things that you've got to deal with".
I looked out at the sky and sighed, "I wonder sometimes
if it *is* worth it", I admitted softly.
She slipped an arm around my waist and gave me a quick
hug, "Come on", she said, "Cheer up a bit".
I pulled slightly away from Urd and gestured to her to
head back inside with me, "I think we've got to talk", I said.
She frowned as we walked back inside, "I thought we'd
already...", she began.
I shook me head, "No it's not that", I replied, "I've had
another one of those 'unusual' dreams".
******
I flicked on the light in my room and gestured for her to
have a seat on the bed. Taking a seat on the floor, I began
reciting the spell she had taught me for projecting images.
An image began to form in front of me, showing the dark and
dismal picture of the destroyed temple.
Urd gasped at the image and remained silent till I'd
replayed the whole thing, "How long do you think we've got?",
she asked quietly.
I shrugged, "I've only had two others to go on", I
replied thoughtfully, "One has come true already, the other
looks like it might in the near future".
Urd frowned, "I thought you'd only had one of these types
of dreams", she said.
"Well....", I began, "The other one is kinda
private....".
Urd narrowed her eye's at me, "What do you mean private
?", she asked pointedly, "It could be important....".
I shook my head, "Nope, it's not important in that way at
all, trust me on this", I said. I figured that if Urd thought
that I'd been expecting to go out with her from the third
night I'd stayed here it might complicate things.
She nodded, "Alright, keep it to yourself then", she said
in an angry tone, "But I think tomorrow we had better talk to
Belldandy about this". With that she stood and stomped out of
the room and walked back to her own room.
I sighed and removed my coat, lying down I attempted to
get some more sleep tonight. Running things over in my mind,
I was not happy at the prospect of going home and leaving
everyone here with this new problem. I mulled it over during
the night, only finding sleep in the still hours just before
dawn.
******
The next day was new years eve and after a tasty
breakfast I sat down with the three Goddesses to talk
strategy. Both Skuld and Belldandy's expressions were bleak
after I showed them my dream.
"What could do that to a place?", Skuld wondered out
loud, indicating the dead nature of the place.
Belldandy sighed, "That would probably be the result of a
large magical battle", she explained, "And from the looks of
it I'd say there were some *very* powerful forces at work".
Relaxing after the spell I looked around, noticing that
Chia-Yao had not turned up for the meeting. Skuld noticed my
glance and shrugged, "He said he had some business to take
care of", she said to my unasked question.
Urd looked around the room and shuddered, "To think that
this place might soon be in ruins", she said.
I nodded, "But remember, the dreams only indicate what
*could* happen if things don't change", I said, "You weren't
killed the other night, so there's one thing that's been
changed already".
Belldandy nodded, "Brett's right, if we all work together
I'm sure that we can handle anything that happens", she said.
Urd frowned, "So we just go on like nothing's going to
happen?", she asked in disbelief.
I shrugged, "What else can we do?", I asked rhetorically.
Belldandy smiled, "At least this way we have time to
prepare", she said, "It's lucky that Brett is here to warn
us".
"If he *wasn't* here we probably wouldn't have this
problem in the first place", she pouted.
"Skuld... how can you...", Urd began.
I held up my hand, "That's alright Urd", I said, "She's
right, if I left, you would probably find that Nilthar would
leave you all alone", I mused.
Belldandy frowned, "But where would you go?", she asked,
"Nilthar is just as likely to follow you back to
Australia...".
"Besides, at least here there are three of us that can
help", Urd said, "If you left you'd be on your own".
I sighed, "Well what about when I go home for a visit", I
asked, "There will be no one to help me then".
"Want a bet... mate?", came a strangely familiar voice
from the hallway. The four of us turned to see a rather
startling sight, it was me... well it looked exactly as I did
in the mirror each morning.
My double suddenly shimmered and in his place stood Chia-
Yao, he grinned, "I'd say that might give Nilthar a bit of a
start".
I nodded, "Well next time warn a guy", I said pleadingly,
"I'll let you know when my heart starts beating again".
Chia-Yao smiled broadly, "Well you mentioned last night
that you were going to go for a visit home", he explained, "So
I came up with this after studying that spell Urd used".
I frowned involuntarily at the mention of her deception
but nodded, "That's a great idea", I enthused, "Now I won't
have to worry about Nilthar interfering with my family".
Skuld looked at Chia-Yao curiously, "There's not another
reason why you're doing this??", she asked.
Chia-Yao put on a innocent expression, "I don't know
*what* you're talking about", he replied.
Urd looked at Skuld, "I'm sure you must be mistaken", she
said, "I explained to Chia-Yao how we all felt about him using
Brett as bait".
I was getting a little confused, "What do you mean
'bait'??", I asked nervously.
Chia-Yao looked at me a little uncomfortably, "No one's
mentioned this to you?", he asked.
I shook my head, "No mention's been made of me being used
as bait", I replied.
"Uhhh... well... you see", he began nervously.
Urd broke in on his explanation, "He's been following you
for a few months, hoping that Nilthar would show up", she
explained.
"That's not it at all!", Chia-Yao declared, "I was
keeping an eye on Brett".
I finally realised what they'd been talking about (Geeze
I'm slow sometimes) and I frowned at Chia-Yao, "You knew that
the 'accidents' at NIT and my encounter with the car were a
result of Nilthar and you didn't warn me?!?!?!".
He gritted his teeth, "It wasn't like that.. Uhh.. Err..
", he broke off seeing my expression, "Nothing to get upset
about", he assured me, "I was only doing my job".
I smiled broadly, "That's ok", I said, "I'm sure you'll
make up for it in the next week or two".
He looked at me nervously, "What did you have in mind?",
he asked.
"Well...", I began ticking things off on my fingers,
"After New Years I had a few things planned, like helping
Keiichi refit one of those old engines in his shop, helping
Urd completely reorganise her collection of potions and Megumi
asked if I was free to help her go over some history notes
with her...".
He looked a little sick, "You were going to do *all* that
next week?", he asked.
I nodded, "Among other things", I replied brightly, "And
since you're me for the next week it looks like you're going
to be the one helping out".
He sighed and nodded, "Alright", he said finally, "I
guess I can do that...".
Grinning I stood, "Well I'll give you a list before I go
of the other things that need doing too", I said as I left the
room. It was hard to hold back a laugh at the cry of dismay
that echoed from the dinning room.
******
Skuld was grinning as Brett walked out of the room and
she leaned over to Urd, "Were you really planning to
reorganise your collection of potions?", she whispered.
Urd gave her a small smile, "No... but I'm sure that they
could do with a *little* work", she whispered back.
Skuld nodded, "Well don't make him work too hard", she
said.
Urd attempted to look innocent, "Who me??", she asked
coyly.
Chia-Yao was still looking a little uncomfortable but sat
down with the three Goddesses, "So how are his powers
progressing?", he asked.
Belldandy shrugged, "As well as can be expected", she
replied, "The precognitive dreams seem to be getting more
vivid".
"That's about right", Chia-Yao replied, "How many has he
had?".
"Only two so far", Belldandy replied.
"Ahem..", Urd interrupted, "He's actually had three".
Chia-Yao frowned, "And what was the third one?", he
asked.
Urd shrugged, "I don't know", she said, "He wouldn't tell
me any more than it wasn't important and not to worry about
it".
"I'll talk to him about it later", Chia-Yao said to Urd,
"He still might not feel comfortable talking to you about it
in light of all that's happened".
Urd threw up her hands, "FINE!", she said, "If you think
you can get him to talk about it, go ahead". She stormed out
of the room muttering something about 'men'.
Chia-Yao frowned, "Well anyway", he said to Skuld and
Belldandy, "With luck Nilthar won't notice the switch and
Brett's trip home should be uneventful".
Belldandy nodded, "If you'll excuse me I've got some food
to cook for lunch", she said standing, "Would the two of you
mind helping?".
Skuld jumped up, "Sure thing Sis!", she said, grabbing
Chia-Yao's arm, "Come on, you'll learn something".
******
I was fidgeting nervously while I sat with Keiichi in the
lounge room. The two of us were waiting for our respective
ladies to *finally* finish dressing. I looked at my watch for
the fifth time in as many minutes, "The taxi is going be here
soon", I muttered.
Keiichi grinned at my discomfort, "You look a little
nervous", he said, pointing out the obvious.
A gave him a withering look, "Oh... thanks for that
observation", I replied sarcastically.
Keiichi raised one eyebrow, "You've been on a date before
haven't you?", he asked.
A gave him a strange look, "Certinally", I replied, "It's
just that usually I'm not usually dating a *Goddess*, it makes
me a little nervous".
Keiichi smiled, "But you're a God now", he pointed out.
I nodded, "That makes me even more nervous!", I said. It
was another five minutes before the girls were ready. Looking
back I hope that my jaw didn't drop too far. I must say that
it was one thing to be around Urd and Belldandy when they
weren't *trying* to look good, it was something totally
different when they did try. I think the temperature in the
room rose a few degrees and catching a quick glance a Keiichi
I saw that I wasn't alone in my assessment.
Ok, to describe the dresses. Urd was wearing an emerald
green evening dress that hugged her body in places that it had
no right to be in. Her hair fell across her shoulders evenly,
somehow managing to look natural and sculptured at the same
time. She obviously was happy at the impression she had made
because she gave Belldandy a small smile before latching onto
my arm and heading for the door.
Speaking of Belldandy she was wearing a dress remarkably
like Urd's, only in a deep lavender colour, her hair was a
marvel of engineering that seemed to flow and move with a life
of it's own. Keiichi was trying in vain not to stare openly,
but failing miserably, "Come on Keiichi-san", Belldandy said,
looping her arm in his and pulling him towards the door.
The four of us strolled out to the waiting car and
fifteen minutes later we arrived at a familiar club. I helped
Urd from the car and turned to stare at the nightclub, "The
Party is *here*??", I asked Keiichi disbelievingly.
Keiichi nodded, "Out club won a bet with Ashoima Formula
a few weeks ago and the prize was the use of the private area
of the club for our New Years party", he explained.
I smiled and laughed, "I bet that riled Aoshima-san quite
a bit".
Keiichi nodded, "I could practically see the smoke rising
from his ears", he laughed.
I smiled and offered my arm to Urd, "Shall we?", I asked
graciously.
She nodded and took my arm, "Let's go", she said firmly.
We walked up to the door, walking straight passed the
long line up of hopeful entrants. The bouncer looked down on
Keiichi as we reached the door and he murmured, "Yes?".
Keiichi seemed a little intimidated and mumbled a quick,
"We're here for the Private Party".
"What did you say???", the man said, leaning over a
flabbergasted Keiichi.
I tapped the Bouncer on the shoulder, "HE SAID WE ARE
HERE FOR THE PRIVATE PARTY!", I said loud enough for the whole
200 meters of line-up to hear.
He gave me a withering glance and if I'd been shorter
than him he probably would have tried to lean over me. Have
you ever tried to intimidate a guy that stands taller than
you??? It's not an easy task and I think he found out quickly.
He dropped the intimidation act and gave us a speculative
look, "How do I know that you are who you say you are", he
asked.
"Morisato-san!!! Handy-san!!!", called a voice from
above. I looked up to see Tamiya hanging over the railing on
the fifth floor where the part was being held, "Hurry up!! the
party's starting without you!!!!".
I looked at the bouncer, "You wanna argue with *him*", I
asked. The bouncer shook his head, "Go on up then", he said
in a surly voice. Then he proceeded to turn back to the line-
up trying find someone else to annoy.
We walked into the crowded club and I must say that we
caused quite a stir. Well to be fair it was Belldandy and Urd
that caused heads to turn, just about every male in the place
(whether he had a date or not) turned to gawk. We proceeded
across to the elevators with the whole place hushed, all
conversation seemed to have stopped for the moment.
The elevator arrived and we quickly walked inside, I
pressed the button and the door slid shut. Keiichi and I
looked at each other and burst out laughing, "That had to be
the weirdest experience of my life", I exclaimed.
Keiichi nodded, "I don't think I ever seen quite that
reaction before either", he agreed.
Belldandy and Urd were smiling, Urd looked at Belldandy,
"Perhaps we did overdo it a *little*", she admitted.
Belldandy nodded, "Perhaps", she agreed, "But I think the
reaction was worth it".
We had composed ourselves by the time the elevator
arrived at the top level. I looked around at the party
speculatively, recognising a few of the people from NIT and
others from the Auto Club. We were immediately pounced on by
Tamiya (who looked suspiciously respectable in his formal
clothing) who wanted to know why we were late and what had
kept us.
I grinned, "Well the ladies wanted to look their best..",
I replied, gesturing to Urd and Belldandy at the Bar.
Tamiya's jaw dropped and his eye's bugged out, "How...
Who... Why...", he stuttered.
I stepped in front of his view, allowing him to recover
before he started drooling, "But I think it was worth the
wait", I finished.
Tamiya pulled himself together and smiled broadly, "Well
I think this might be the time to ask Urd for a dance", he
grinned, "I never knew she could look like *that*".
I frowned but made no comment and Keiichi and I watched
Tamiya scoot across to where Urd was getting herself a drink.
Keiichi elbowed me, "Why didn't you say something!", he
demanded.
I gave him a quick smiled, "Urd can take care of
herself", I replied, "Besides I don't *own* her".
He grumbled and we continued to watch as Tamiya tried to
convince Urd to have a dance with him. He was gesturing all
over the place and making exaggerated motions with his arms.
Urd gave him a speculative look and made a comment. A moment
later Tamiya returned to us, "Perhaps not", he said ruefully,
"I don't think she's quite ready to dance yet".
I shrugged and looked around, "I didn't realise that the
club had so many members", I commented.
Tamiya scowled, "*our* club doesn't", he replied, "but it
seems that Aoshima Formula is also using this floor for their
own party".
I felt my stomach drop, "That might be trouble", I noted,
"Is 'his stuck-upped-ness' in attendance??".
Tamiya (after having deciphered my comment) nodded, "He's
somewhere around here, lurking, trying to steal our
members...", he began ranting.
I nodded, "He certinally seems to be persistent", I
replied, "But I'm sure that everyone will remain loyal to the
team".
"Very good Brett-san!", Tamiya enthused, "I was right
about you!".
I frowned, "Sorry??", I asked confused.
Tamiya held up his hands, "Never mind, you'll find out
when I announce details on our next meet", he replied.
Keiichi tapped my shoulder, "Don't look now but there's
something else that Aoshima Formula is trying to steal", he
said, indicating Urd and Belldandy with a flick of his head.
I grimaced, "Well, we'd better go and save our dates", I
replied, "See you around Tamiya-san". With that the two of us
strode purposefully towards out respective Goddess.
"*our* dates??", Tamiya asked to empty air.
******
I walked straight up to Urd, ignoring the hostile stares
directed at me from the crowd of guys hanging around her,
"Would you care to dance??", I asked her politely, indicating
the floor full of people all gyrating and contorting on the
other side of the room.
She paused as if to think for a moment and then nodded,
accepting my offered hand, "Yes I would thank you", she
replied.
She was giggling slightly as we walked towards the dance
floor, "Thanks Brett", she said, "I was starting to get sick
of all the marriage offers".
I grinned, "Hey", I said, "What are friends for?".
We stepped onto the floor, just as the music began
playing a slow number and I paused slightly, "Ahh I just
remembered that I'm not a good dancer", I admitted.
She shrugged and pulled me onto the floor anyway, "So
long as you can put one foot in front of the other..", she
said.
The dance went on for several minutes and I was amazed at
how much I was sweating by the time it finished, it seemed
that having Urd in that close a proximity... Anyway I was
*almost* relieved to go back to the more 'up tempo' dancing.
We danced for a while, not really paying attention to the
music until finally after another long slow dance we both
decided that we needed something to drink.
Moving over to the table that Keiichi and Belldandy had
taken up I sat down with a sigh, "Well that was fun", I
commented, wiping my brow.
Urd smiled, "You're just a bit out of shape", she teased,
"Nothing a few days training won't fix".
I smiled, "Oh??? and you're not breathing hard?", I
asked.
She gave me a sly look, "If I am it's for a different
reason", she said archly.
I must have blushed, "Stop that!", I said.
She grinned and headed over to the bar for the drinks. I
noticed that Keiichi and Belldandy were directing little self-
satisfied smiles to each other and I frowned, "What are you
two so happy about?", I asked.
Keiichi looked at me, trying to keep a straight face, "Oh
nothing", he said, trying to keep laughter form his voice.
I gave them a speculative look and then turned back to
Urd who was returning with our drinks. I looked at the single
Sake bottle with small glasses, "Where's mine?", I asked (not
really thinking about how that sounded).
Urd gave me a look that could freeze water, "Oh *very*
funny", she said, sitting beside me. "You're going to try
something new", she announced.
I looked at the sake speculatively, "I don't usually
drink....", I replied dubiously.
She poured me out a small sample, "If you *hate* it you
can have something else", she promised.
I nodded and took a small sip from the glass she offered,
it was surprisingly warm and I shrugged, "Not bad", I replied.
Urd nodded and poured herself a glass, then she looked
quizzically at Belldandy. Belldandy shook her head, "None for
me thanks", she said, smiling mysteriously.
"So what was this announcement that Tamiya was talking
about?", I asked Keiichi.
He grinned, "It's a surprise", he explained.
I gave him a flat stare, "I've had enough surprises in
the last week to last me a lifetime", I grumbled.
Keiichi nodded, "Sorry", he replied, "I can't tell you".
I swallowed the last of my cup and Urd poured me another,
glancing over towards where Aoshima and Sayoko were sitting,
"I wonder what those two are looking at", I mused.
They had been sitting watching us for the last ten
minutes as we sat and talked, "Oh they're probably just
hatching some plan", Urd said derisively, "Nothing to worry
about".
"So when are you two going to take that vacation?", I
asked Keiichi suddenly.
Keiichi and Belldandy exchanged a long look and then
Keiichi shrugged, "I don't know when we'll have time", he
said.
"Make time", I suggested, "Those islands are beautiful at
this time of year".
Urd looked at me quizzically, "You never did tell me how
you afforded those gifts", she said.
I smiled, "Well, you'll note that I'm not exactly rolling
in cash at the moment", I said ruefully, "But I think it was
worth it".
Keiichi looked concerned, "You spent *all* your money on
those reservations?", he asked.
I shrugged, "Most of it", I said.
Belldandy frowned, "Brett-san", she said seriously, "I
don't think we can really accept them then...".
I held up my hand, "Please", I interrupted, "I wouldn't
have been able to get though these last few weeks without you
two", I don't know why but I felt like continuing, "I mean
it.. you two are just about the nicest people I've ever met".
Urd tapped my shoulder, "What about me?", she asked.
I gave her a big smile, "You're *not* a nice person", I
said bluntly, then I quickly placed an arm around her
shoulders, "But that's alright I like you just the way you
are".
Urd looked almost offended but then smiled and went to
re-fill her glass, only to find that the bottle was empty.
She looked at it quizzically and then at my empty glass, "How
many glasses did you have", she asked suddenly.
I shrugged and looked at the cup, "Uhhmmm, I'm not sure..
it couldn't have been more than three or four".
"Actually it was more like six", Keiichi said.
I didn't know why but Keiichi and Belldandy seemed amused
at Urd's reaction, "What's the problem?", I asked.
Keiichi (who was trying not to laugh) gestured to the
empty bottle, "Do you know how much alcohol there is in
sake??", he asked.
I shook my head and he grinned, "Something like 20-30%",
he stated.
When he actually said the number I felt slightly giddy,
"That much?", I asked, "I'm not feeling too bad......".
Keiichi shrugged, "Well it might have been a bit weak
then", he said.
I shrugged and was amazed to find that I had to think
about *how* to shrug. I realised that I was going through the
early stages of drunkenness, not having experienced it first-
hand it was something new.
Urd looked a little concerned, "Are you alright?", she
asked.
I nodded and nearly head-butted her, "I'm fine", I
managed to get out.
She frowned, "No you're not", she replied, "You're
drunk".
I looked at her and smiled, "I'd already worked that
out", I replied, "But that's alright, I've never been drunk
before so I'll treat it as a learning experience".
She was about to respond when the room went silent and a
spotlight picked out Tamiya and Ootaki up on the stage with
the band. "I wonder what they're going to be singing?", I
asked of no one in particular. Urd shushed me and I decided
to obey her for once.
"Associates, Friends, Family and the Members of the Auto
Club", he began, "I'd like to thank you all for coming tonight
to this our first annual New Years party".
A scattered applause echoed around the room at his
opening, buoyed on by the clapping, he continued, "Tonight is
a double celebration, not only do we celebrate the beginning
of a new year but the completion of our first ever *Totally*
All Terrain Vehicle, the Intrepid Mark 2!". A projected image
filled the wall behind him, showing a car that looked like a
cross between a helicopter, formula one racer and a speedboat.
A stunned silence resounded across the room and I
muttered to Urd, "What a monstrosity", under my breath. She
smiled knowingly and then resumed watching Tamiya.
"We are also announcing that the club will be entering
the first ever World Completely Off Road Race, later this
month", he announced.
There was a resounding cheer from the audience, cries of
"For the glory of NIT!!!" and "We'll show them all!!!" echoed
around the room.
Urd looked at me quizzically, noting my lack of reaction,
"Like it makes a difference to me", I said, shrugging, "Just
another car race".
Tamiya was continuing after the cheering had died down
enough for him to be heard, "And our intrepid driver, Keiichi
Morisato will be undertaking this task!", he said.
The spotlight focused on Keiichi and he grinned shyly at
the cheers this latest announcement brought, he rose and bowed
to the crowd.
"And to guide our brave Driver, the club's newest member,
Brett Handy!!", he said.
I think that it took a few seconds for that to reach me
through the alcohol that I had drunk but then I noticed the
spotlight on me. There were people clapping and smiling, so I
stood and made an awkward bow. After the spotlight moved
away, Tamiya went on to describe the car in minute detail and
I tuned him out.
I reflected for a moment before turning to Urd, "Did I
just get volunteered to be *in* that car race?", I asked her.
At her nod I smiled, "Good, I was beginning to think that
the alcohol had gotten to me...", I said.
After about another half an hour I was smiling at
everyone, then after an hour I almost felt like joining in
with the songs that the band was signing. Thankfully before I
could burst into song, the lights were dimmed and the
countdown to midnight began. After remembering how to count I
joined in with everyone, "3!..... 2!..... 1!..... ", then
everyone was cheering, someone set off fireworks outside and
we all raced over to watch.
I was standing out on the balcony with Urd, watching as
the splashes of light moved across the heavens and I smiled at
her happily. She gave me a friendly hug and I frowned
suddenly.
"What's wrong?", she whispered, noticing my frown.
I looked at her, she looked so beautiful in that dress
(and I was feeling rather uninhibited at the time) that I
leaned forward and gave her a long kiss. She pulled away and
looked at me closely. Then she noticed that I was swaying
slightly and had a silly looking grin on my face.
"How DARE you!", she hissed, bringing her hand around in
the general direction of my face.
I think she probably connected, but unfortunately I'd
have to wait and ask her later, since that sake I'd drunk
choose that moment to finally overwhelm me and I drifted off
to sleep (well unconsciousness anyway...).
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E-Mail: darkwnd@sv.net.au
Web Page: http://www.ozanime.com/darkwind
"Imagination is more important than knowledge"
-Albert Einstein
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