In a slightly larger than normal Japanese room, a young man slept 
unaware of the approaching darkness for those around him.  "Belldandy," he 
muttered, not quite asleep, yet not quite awake.  Keiichi had been partying 
all night long with the members of the Auto Club after winning another racing 
tournament.  Usually he would have left early but because Belldandy had been 
invited as well and she did not want to leave early, he stayed.  As he 
dreamt, the sky overhead darkened.

??????
Started June 27, 1999
Finished July 6, 1999

	Standing in the middle of a barren plain, a single man shouted and 
danced in glee.  Ragged clothes hung upon his thin frame as he spun around in 
joy.  His long black unkempt hair swirled in the air following his chaotic 
dance. 

	In his hands were three pairs of strings, each of different length.  
The longest had a steady silver glow while the middle pulsed slowly with the 
color of gold.  The last and shortest string had no set pattern and color as 
it shifted erratically from one color to another and from one set of pulsing 
pattern to the next.

	"After a millennia, I've done it," the man shouted into the skies 
above.  

	A beard covered in dirt hid his face as two pairs of green eyes 
glowed behind the dark exterior.  Even though there was little about the man 
that could be seen beneath the dirt and hair, the eyes told of an unstable 
mind.

	"They said it could not be done, that I was stupid to even try.  I 
vowed then and there to prove them wrong.   Now, I will show them all how 
wrong they really were.  Do you hear me, I was right and you were all wrong.  
Wrong!" the ranting turned into  hideous laughter.  Thrusting both hands into 
the air, "The three Norms do have life threads of their own and I finally 
have them!"

	"In the name of Kami-sama, you shall return to us what thou has 
stolen, evil demon!" a voice rung out.

	Startled that he was not alone, the demon turned to the voice and 
gasped.  *How in the Nine Levels of the Underworld did a kami find me?* was 
the thought that raced through the demon's mind.  "Hahaha!" the demon started 
to laugh insanely.  After all his hard work over the millennium, he had 
finally achieved his goal and now something like this happened.  "They're 
mine, you hear, mine.  I slaved for a millennia to achieve this point and no 
two bit kami will steal my prize!" he shouted.

	Seeing that the demon would not relinquish the life threads of the 
Norns, the two bit kami in question concentrated slightly for a brief moment. 
 His body was soon bathed in a soft glow.  His clothes seemed to liquefy and 
shift all around his entire being.  As the glow died, the God of Destiny was 
encased in armor with a sword at his side.  With his right hand, he 
unsheathed the sword, a metallic ring could be heard as the blade slid free 
of its housing.  "Then it shall be my duty to cast you back from which you 
came, evil spawn!" With that the kami rushed forward, sword ready to meet the 
Demon.

	"Hahahaha!" the Demon continued to laugh hysterically.  *Such irony,* 
he thought seconds before the blade entered his chest.  He had spent all of 
his energy searching for and then obtaining the life threads of the Norns 
that he didn't have any much power left to defend himself.  Feeling the life 
force leaving him, the Demon felt cheated.  Using what little life he had 
left, he channeled it all into a final spell.  "If I can't have them, no one 
will." With that said, darkness absorbed the threads in his hands.  Before 
the God of Destiny could do anything, all three threads disappeared, having 
been randomly scattered to places unknown.  "HAHAHAhaha . . ." the demon 
laughed before he died.

	Back on Midgard, a young man woke up from a nightmare shouting out 
the name of his love, "BELLDANDY!!!"  

To be continued.

Thanks to my pre readers: Thomas Scroggs, David Johnston, Jason Liao