[Editor's Note: Thanks, James, for cheering me up with the story. I was 
feeling kind of down the night I started this.]

Frito: Drrrrum rrrrroll, please!

<Taaaaaaaaa...rattlerattlerattlerattlerattlerattlerattlerattleCymbalCrash!>


Frito: Thank you! <Sweeps a flamboyant bow, doffing his rather motheaten 
top hat> Ladieeeess and Gentlemen, *may* I direct your attention to 
*center* stage, where in a very few moments we will see one of the most 
*daring* feats ever to be performed in this theatre --

Windir & Lyra <In unison>: Boot to the Head!

Frito: OW! <Crashes into what's left of the orchestra pit>

Windir: No more than you deserve, Frito, for attempting such a trite and, 
if I may say so, banal introduction. <Brushes a minor speck of dust off 
his pants, before sitting down.>

Lyra: <Grinning evilly> And you have to admit, the timing was perfect. 

Frito: Yah, right.

Windir: In any event, tonight we are here to cover a surprisingly 
entertaining, if a trifle low-brow, fanfiction, to wit: "Plague of 
Skulds," by James V. Nutley. 

Frito: Sheesh, Windy, can't ya ever take a 'fic for what it is? Why does 
everythin' hafta be da next _War 'n Peace_?

Plague of Skulds  Part 1 of 8

An Oh! My Goddess Fanfic

By Jim Nutley

Continuity Notes:  This Fanfic uses the OMG OAV as primary story
source, with some manga and fanfic influence.  A frame in OAV5 shows a
sign which says XMAS 94.  In another part of the same story Belldandy
comments that they have only been together 9 months.  This could
produce the following timeline, which is what I use for this story:

March 94:  Belldandy appears to Keiichi, he makes his wish. (OAV1)
August 94:  Urd interferes, get banished to Earth (OAV2)
September 94?:  Skuld moves in to the Temple too. (OAV3)
December 94:  Ring/Recall Crisis. (OAV 4-5)
January 96: Fanfic - Many Shades of Urd by Lloyd Goodbar
Feb 95 - Aug 95:  various Manga stories, including the Terrible Master
Urd and Peorth plots
September 95-Feb 96:  Fanfic - Oh My God! by Brett Handy
June 96:  Fanfic - Plague of Skulds (this fanfic)

Lyra: <Nodding judiciously> This works. I'm glad the author is including 
parts of both continuities; while the manga and anime have a number of 
differences, they've both got good points.

Frito: Yeah, but I dunno about puttin' those fanfics in.

Windir: Shall we not reserve judgement until we can view the results?

June 1996.  Finals for the quarter were over, summer vacation was
starting, and right now Nekomi campus was becoming as empty as it ever
got.  Keiichi sat on the Temple house's porch and tried to find a center. 
Not that he had ever been too good at meditation and stuff, but the parts of
his mind were bouncing back and forth in wildly different directions,
taking in concerns of the upcoming weeks and mixing them with test
questions he'd already answered, for good or ill, and just generally driving
him crazy.  Like; in Mech 345, where the whole test had been one
question, different for each student, his was to design a six cylinder car
engine, in as much detail as possible, during the two hours provided; if
he'd increased the angle between the two banks of pistons by five degrees
would the torque have improved, or would that require too heavy a cam-
shaft, and did he have enough money to cover this week's groceries, and
the gas bill, with any left over or were a few quick hours at an odd job
necessary, and what WERE the favorite themes of the principal dramatists
of the Heian period? and had his answer made him sound like he was just
filling space on the page, not to mention the inevitable but unguessable
tasks that his Sempei's would think up for him at the motor club this
summer.  Gaaah.  If he was having this much trouble as a student, what
would his life be like when he graduated?

Lyra: The grammar could use a little polishing, but it's not a bad 
opening -- the stream-of-consciousness string of thoughts works quite 
well.

She startled him.
Because she never made a sound.
Walking around in her white socks, which were clean, always.
She had tea on a tray, and set it down beside them.  Again, not a sound.
Then she knelt, to sit on her heels, with perfect straight backed posture,
and made
the slightest rustle as she settled her skirt on the porch.
Hands folded neatly in her lap.
Large blue eyes turned to him.
Her small smile.

Windir: Another nicely evocative passage, though the formatting is a bit 
awkward. Assigning each sentence its own paragraph gives a good sense of 
emphasis, but it is slightly hard to read as presented.

Lyra: The line breaks are off a bit here -- and in a few other points in 
the story as well. Not a major thing usually, but here it's a bit 
confusing.

"I was getting a snack!" Urd parried as she joined them.

"With that jar of yours under your arm?" countered Skuld.

"It's just spices!" replied Urd "I'm trying to dress up the taste of this 
bland
stuff."

Lyra: Oh, my. <Sighs> Urd, Urd, Urd. Won't you ever learn?

Windir: The odds do not appear favorable.

Frito: Aw, poor gal! Here, I'll help ya!

A large lightning bolt comes mysteriously through the theatre ceiling, 
and @zap's Frito. Fortunately, the collateral damage was limited to some 
rather smelly grease smoke.

Lyra: <Wryly, looking upward> Thanks for the assistance.

Belldandy reluctantly opened her mouth, to quietly ask, "Sisters, must we
be so discordant?", but Urd flipped a few locks of snowy white hair over

Lyra: Um... must we be so formal?

her smooth bronzed shoulder, bent down next to Keiichi, and put her hand
on his arm.  Urd's tone of voice dripped soft understanding.  "You know
Keiichi, if you'll let me teach you a few exercises, and you practice
diligently, you'll be able to hold on till just the right moment."

Keiichi's face did a credible imitation of a sky at sunset.

"Don't let her change the subject Oneesama", insisted Skuld, "She's
always ...Ewww, you mean you just sat their and didn't even try to make it
to the bathroom?"

Lyra: <Sigh> This wasn't only in bad taste; it wasn't funny either.

Frito: Hey, I liked it!

Windir: Precisely. 

Urd, instead of replying, sat down in Keiichi's place, and actually looked a
little regretful.  Skuld, surprised at Urd's reaction, followed her eyes to
Belldandy.  Belldandy had her head bent down, so that her eyes were
focused on the spot where her own knees were covered by her long skirt.

"We DID interrupt again, didn't we", Urd said.

Lyra: Uh-huh. 

Windir: Rather well handled by the author, however.

"No Way!" Skuld replied "I don't WANT to go anywhere with you!  And
if we leave them alone Keiichi might try some of that dirty stuff on
Oneesama."

"That's the point, brat!" hissed Urd, clenching her own teeth in her turn,
"What do you think is going on down here anyway?"

"It's a contract!", Skuld replied, horrified "Oneesama doesn't have to let
Keiichi do any pervert stuff to her!"

Windir: Although this argument is certainly a logical extension of the 
running treatment of this issue in the anime and manga, here (and in one 
or two other places) it is taken here to a rather unhealthy, not to say 
unlikely, extreme. 

Lyra: It did blow up awfully fast.

"If you hadn't moved in, brat, I'd bet they'd be sleeping in the same room
by now."

"You've got to be the most lecherous, disgusting person in all the
heavens!"

"Isn't it time you grew up?  If anything, her desire is much stronger than
his."

"Skuld?", said the small voice.

"Make her take that back, Oneesama!" Skuld was letting this line of
thinking get to her, and her voice betrayed a hint of panic, "It can't be
true!"

Lyra: On the other hand, by this point it's gotten so silly that it's 
funny.

Frito: Hey! Ain't you forgettin' someone?

"Skuld", Belldandy answered, "You have a visitor."

Frito: See! Told ya!

"Konichiwa, Skuld" said a small voice from off the patio.  Belldandy
immediately turned to the new person, was surprised at who it was but
also relieved that with all the distractions just now it wasn't anyone
malicious.  However, the small voice's volume, and unassuming tone,
were much too low to get any notice from Urd or Skuld.  Urd was
pressing her momentary advantage.

Frito: That's better.

Lyra: Uh-huh. Sorry. Though I've got an uneasy feeling about this... 
Someone quiet? In *that* household? Other than Belldandy and Keiichi?

"That's IT!" shouted Skuld, and from out of a pocket hidden somewhere in
her outfit she snagged one of Skuld's Own, All Purpose, Modular,
Explosive Mini-Spheres.  She was ready to throw it at her offending and
offensive sister, grenade fashion.  Urd wasn't the least bit surprised, since
baiting Skuld into a frenzy would make everyone forget all about what she
herself had been about to do when the brat caught her.

Frito: Ha! Good point.

Something about the way she moved, or maybe her aura, gave anyone
who looked at her the instant feeling that she was just a naive little girl. 
And there she stood, right between Urd and Skuld.  "Please excuse me,
Skuld," she said "but if you're very busy I'll come back later."

Lyra: She's naive, all right.

Windir: Or else, perhaps, she has rather less reason to worry about the 
consequences.

Lyra: A little hint?

Frito: <Disgustedly> Yah, right.

"Terai!" Skuld lost her bomb and embraced the girl.

Urd scooted back to whisper to Belldandy.  "Damn! Who let her on the
surface world!"

"Someone," Belldandy whispered back, "Terai's to sweet to disobey
regulations, she must have permission to be here."

Lyra: Um, "too". 

"We gotta get her out of here", Urd whispered.

"No", said Belldandy "And you'll not tease her, or offend her in any way
while she is here."

Windir: The lack of appropriate punctuation here gives the quotation a 
rather breathless feel. This can be an entirely desirable result in 
certain situations, but here it is a rather less than optimal method of 
presentation. Do remember, the comma indicates merely a slight pause in 
the conversation, not the full stop that allows one time to catch one's 
breath, indicated by the period. Or, indeed, the rather longer pause that 
allows one to half-catch one's breath, indicated by the semicolon.

Frito: You've been watchin' _My Fair Lady_ again, ain't ya?

Windir: That is as may be, Frito, but rest assured that I am relating a 
perfectly valid guideline of dialogue, and one that is violated at 
several points during this story. 

Lyra: Maybe so, but you've got to have a more reasonable way of saying 
it. <Shakes her head> On the other hand, *you* probably don't.

"I know what we're dealing with", Urd shot back, "And you and whoever
are taking a crazy chance that she won't loose it."

Windir: Perhaps another case in point, concerining the "loose vs. lose" 
debate that is a part of our recent history? In this particular instance, 
"lose" -- as in 'to no longer retain possession of' -- would be the 
proper example.

"Also Urd, I'll explain to Keiichisan, when the time is right."

Lyra: There's some precedent for the way the honorifics are done here -- 
but in fanfics I usually see them hyphenated, i.e. Keiichi-san. I also 
think it's easier to read that way.

"Oh thank you, you're very nice to accept me", said the girl, with a bow
yet. 

Frito: Accept? What's that supposed ta mean?

Lyra: The bow's a nice touch, though.

But she sounded quite sincere, and even with his experiences of the
past two years living with one or more Goddesses, the girl looked so
harmless and kind, Keiichi wasn't suspicious.  Her take on Japanese
speech and manners was too formal, maybe even archaic, old text books
wherever she came from, he guessed.

Lyra: Maybe that's it, then.

"Can you visit long?"

"Oh no, this will be a very short visit", she said sorrowfully.

'Better and better' thought Keiichi, though he felt a little guilty as he
thought it.  'A polite, petite little visitor to get Skuld off our backs 
for a few
days, and then she goes home'.  Keiichi decided he liked this girl with the
odd colored hair.  "Please come in and be comfortable", he said.

Windir: Quite understandable, one must admit. Feeling slightly guilty at 
thinking anything bad about his houseguests, in the first part; and 
wishing for someone to relax Skuld's... ah, *protective* attentions, in 
the second part.

"Terai just take it, I promise he won't mind" said Skuld in the hallway, but
Terai walked into the TV room and stood near Keiichi.

Windir: And here, indeed, we have another example of the lack of proper 
punctuation that appears from time to time in this fanfiction. One might 
expect --

Frito: Ya to shut up, Wind-bag?

Lyra: I think the author's got the point now, Windir. I know we've 
*certainly* got the point. Can we drop it?

"Ohh, what's that?" interrupted Terai.

"Aa,.. a Rosette," answered Keiichi, "That's where three or more planets of
about the same size orbit a common center of gravity, and that center
orbits the star."

"You realize," Skuld interjected dryly, "That the odds against such a
formation actually existing are so high, you'd need divine intervention to
make one".

"Well," Keiichi answered "You know more about science AND divine
intervention than I do, so I'll leave the rest to you."  Keiichi slid back 

Lyra: Heh.

Plop!  Into Skuld's lap jumped a half meter tall version of Urd, "Hey Sis,
whaca doin?"

"Calculating" replied Skuld, clearly annoyed.  "You wouldn't be
interested."

"Sure I would" said a second little Urd, who popped between Skuld and
Terai and snatched the notebook out of Skuld's hand.

"Hey!", shouted Skuld, "You bring that back!"  She would have stood up
to take it back, except the first little Urd was still in her lap.

"I can't follow any of this." said the second little Urd, "What do you
think?", and with that she tossed Skuld's notebook across the room, where
a third little Urd caught it.

"Oneesama!, Make her stop!" Skuld whined, while she shoved the first
little Urd off her lap and stood up.

"Urd." Belldandy called quietly.

"I'm not doin anything.", replied a fourth little Urd, who was still watching
television.

"Actually Urd," Belldandy said without even looking up from her knitting,
"One fifth of you is trying to sneak your newest love potion into my tea,
which IS what Skuld caught you doing this afternoon."

Lyra: Nicely-done diversion.

Frito: Yah! Too bad she got caught. Heh heh heh... <Cackles lecherously>

Belldandy spoke even more quietly, yet her words cast an echo,
"**Hollybell, I bid you appear.**"  This time, a tiny form flashed into
existence in front of Belldandy, about as tall as the various little Urds, 
but
thin in proportion to her height, she wore a slender white robe and
hovered on wings before her mistress.  "Hollybell, bring me the jar that's
just now in Urd's hand."  Hollybell spun toward the kitchen and swept in
like a hawk.

Windir: This might be worthy of some minor explanation, particularly for 
those whose Aah! Megamisama! experience is limited to the OAV series. 

"No fair!" yelled one little Urd, dashing out of the kitchen with the jar
tucked in her arms like a football, "She'll never give up till she gets it!" 
As if to emphasize Urd's point, the diminutive angel was right behind her,
flitting from side to side, looking for an opening.  The other Urds were not
idle, two of them grabbed a magazine and rushed the embattled Urd with
the jar.  As Urd with the jar ducked low, the two jumped up and over her
with the magazine spread between them like a net.  Hollybell barely
managed to avoid being snared.  But Urd with the jar wasn't out of danger
as Skuld leapt toward her with mallet held high.  Urd with the jar dodged
out of the way but found herself cut off from escape.

"Excuse me," Terai said to Keiichi, "Would you explain to me how this
spaceship works?"

"You fit in well around here." commented Keiichi as he scooted back over
to the table.

Lyra: Good point. <Smiles> She is taking it very calmly, isn't she?

Windir: <Dryly> A survival trait in that household, no doubt.

Keiichi started trying to answer Terai's questions.  He was much less
accurate and knowledgeable than Skuld, but Terai seemed satisfied just
having him try.  Two Urds tackled Skuld at the ankles and her mallet
knocked a hole in the floor just to one side of Urd with the jar, while the
remaining Urds struggled separately to capture Hollybell, who was diving
at Urd with the jar with increasing accuracy.  Belldandy serenely
continued her knitting.  Then one Urd hit on the idea of batting Hollybell
out of the air with a handy pillow.  The stroke sent the angel spinning
through the air to the other side of the room, but so distracted the Urds, as
they sent up a cheer, that one of Skuld's Own, All Purpose, Modular,
Explosive Mini-Spheres landed between them and exploded, singeing
three of them nicely.

Lyra: Nice action scene, here. I can just see this happening...

Eventually, after significant collateral damage to the TV/Dining room
furniture, Hollybell brought Belldandy the jar.  Squeezing a pinch
between her thumb and forefinger, Belldandy complimented Urd on her
latest work, pronouncing it almost undetectable, then she thanked Urd for
a sample and wrapped some in a bit of paper she had in her pocket.  Urd
was quite depressed as she reunited herself into her single normal size,
since that particular mixture would now be carefully scanned for.

Windir: This paragraph also injects a nicely dry bit of wit... though the 
last sentence is rather awkward.

The next thing he would have asked was, "If she's not a Goddess, what is
she?", but the words never came out of his mouth.  He was looking at
Belldandy, wondering what he dared say, or do, and what was right, or
wrong.  He ought to have the nerve by now!  How often would all sisters
be occupied?  Why was he afraid of what they would say anyway?

"Belldandy?"

"Yes?"

...but the silence stretched, and to keep from saying nothing, he said "I
guess we'll be escorting them around tomorrow, huh?"

Frito: Awwwwww. WIMP!

Windir: I am rather more concerned with the quality of prose in the first 
paragraph.

"Oh Yes.  If you don't mind, of course.  Both of them could use some
looking after."

Lyra: <Sympathetic> A little disappointment here, ne?

already up, dressed and ready for the day.  Belldandy was at work in the
kitchen, but she noticed Terai step out on the porch, face east and a little
north, and bow directly into the Sun as it first rose over the horizon.

Lyra: Liked the hint, here.

"Actually these clothes are all in my head, and I can bearly change

Frito: Heeyyyyyy, nice Teddy!

Windir: Ahem. While I suppose one must give you a slight amount of credit 
for the attempt at humor, Frito, this falls far short of what would 
qualify as funny in Pekin, let alone the degree of humor one could 
reasonably expect in any city with true culture.

Terai looked at Belldandy as if she were crazy, then understanding
dawned.  "Oh! you mean relative temperature.  I can't sense that at all, I'm
so terrible at that.  I just match to whatever I'm standing on.  Is that 
going
to get me in trouble?"

Lyra: You might want to see what other people think, but I think this 
section goes on for just a little too long. You might want to break it up 
a little, with Keiichi and Skuld coming through and doing their stage 
bits in between bits of Terai-exposition. If you do it right, you can use 
them as jumping-off points for exposition, like the bit about breakfast.

"Oh No." Keiichi said, but he got up and took the call anyway.  "Yes,...
Yes Sempai, but I'm sure it won't take all week so ..., No Sempai, I don't
want them to ..., Yes Sempai, I'll be there."  Keiichi hung up the phone.  "I
expected this, but not on the first full day of summer break."

"What's the matter?" asked Belldandy.

"Tamiya-sempai's got another idea for improving the speed of the club's
drag racing bike.  I've promised to go work on it."  Keiichi's face showed
just how thrilled he was at the prospect.

Frito: No rest for the wicked, huh?

Lyra: <Smiling slightly> In that case, he's got to be one of the most 
well-rested people in the world.

"Yes" replied Belldandy, "But only just.  I'll have to spend the afternoon
with you.  Perhaps Urd could escort Skuld and Terai then."

"We've been apart longer than that before," commented Keiichi, "Not that
I like it."

Keiichi's remark brought the hint of a smile to Belldandy's face.  "The
Ultimate Force System measures our average time together during each
lunar month, Keiichisan.  It also tests for compliance with your wish every
twenty four hours, unless a special waiver is granted in advance and
implemented at the systems maintenance office.  Usually we exceed the
required time together by a solid margin, but during finals I tried to
minimize your distractions."  Belldandy had that 'I apologize' look on her
face.  "If we're apart all day today, we'll have to spend the next few days
continually together."

Windir: A rather interesting exercise in... retroactive continuity, I 
believe the term is? However, I question the necessity of this particular 
instance. Its main purpose in the story seems to be providing an excuse 
for Keiichi to spend the afternoon with the rest of the crew, but it 
seems excessive for something that could conceivably be handled with 
rather less fuss.

Frito: Yah, it's clever, and in da right place it might be interestin', 
but it don't feel right here; it makes too big a deal outa it.

"Perfect, then I'm off.  See you at Noon."

"Yes, we'll see you then, Keiichisan"

A short time later Keiichi rolled out onto the road in the sidecar
motorcycle.

Frito: Dis is the end of part 1?

Windir: So it would appear. You had, perhaps, a comment to make?

Frito: Comment?

Lyra: Oh, you mean about the end of this part?

Windir: <Heaves a sigh> That would provide a starting point, yes.

Frito: Oh. I dunno.

Windir: You... 'dunno'?

Frito: Ain't got much ta say, really.

Lyra: It was there, and that's about all I can say about it. Nothing 
particularly damning or inspiring about it.

Windir: Thank you for your most perceptive analysis. Do you, by any 
chance, have anything of more import to say about the episode as a whole?

Lyra: Oh. It was pretty good, especially for a setup. Not too much 
clogged exposition, introduced an interesting new character, and had some 
nice byplay among the regulars. Made me want to read the next part, which 
is always good.

Windir: Indeed. On cue...

Plague of Skulds  Part 2 of 8

An Oh! My Goddess Fanfic

By Jim Nutley

jnutley@lvnexus.net
Please send me comments!  Good or Bad.

Frito: <Pulling out a megaphone> Hurry, hurry, hurry! *Step* right up for 
*your* chance to participate in the *most* amazing event in the 
*his*-to-ry of literary criticism! Yes, it's *your* turn to join the 
newest fashion, *in*-ter-act-ive commentary, and *all* it costs you is 
one simple --

Windir: BOOT TO THE HEAD!

Lyra: <Aside> You'd think he'd have learned the first time. <Shrug> Oh, 
well.

Belldandy, Skuld, and Terai left on foot after the dishes were done.  They
walked to a train station and rode into Nekomi city proper.  It was shortly
after morning rush, so Skuld and Terai stood while Belldandy took an
empty seat.  Terai asked questions nonstop.

"Skuld, why are there windows on the train cars?"

"So people can see out, Terai."

"But they're all facing in, or reading.  Wouldn't it be easier to make the
train cars with no windows?"

"Ugh!", replied Skuld, "That would be like riding inside a box.  People
would get train-sick or claustrophobic."

"I don't understand either of those two words, Skuld."

"Well Terai ... did you ever feel, um, bad in your stomach, like you wanted
to spit out what was inside?"

"Usually, I don't have a stomach, Skuld."

'Oh Poo', thought Skuld.

Lyra: This scene does a better job of showing Terai's otherworldliness; 
the back-and-forth conversations don't drag on for too long, and they're 
mixed in with outside events.

The three of them trooped out of the shoe store, went ten feet along the
side walk, and then Terai cried out "OH! Look at that!" and ran into a
Kimono and Bridal dress shop.  Skuld stood outside trying not to scream. 
Belldandy came up behind her and put a sisterly hand on her shoulder.

Frito: AHHHHHHHHHHH! He he he...

"We are very close to the ice cream shop now, Skuld." said Belldandy. 
"And you are helping your friend have a very good time."

"Thanks, Oneesama."  Skuld gave her sister a quick hug.  "Ooohhh, what
kind of questions is Terai going to ask me in here?"  But she steeled
herself and followed her friend inside and Belldandy came right behind
her.

Windir: A nice touch of the Skuld/Belldandy relationship. Since it 
provides the motivation for her long-running feud with Keiichi, it is a 
good thing to be shown a hint at what that relationship can be like, 
without the stress of Keiichi's presence.

Out front, Terai was lost in her story and Skuld was just lost.  ".. so when
they finally said I could begin, I closed my..., well I didn't have eyes, but
..."

Frito: She ain't the only one!

Windir: Hush, Frito. I believe that was the intended effect.

Terai, still holding the lengths of lace, stepped out into the middle of the
store, closed her eyes and raised one hand over her head.  Skuld was
startled back to the present as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up,
but it was too late.

Frito: Yike!

"**Spin, spin around me, dusty womb.**", Terai intoned.  And the lace
began wrapping her in a spiral as She spun on her heel to her left, and
Skuld's hair stretched out in Terai's direction, and the dresses began to
reach their arms out and then fly off the racks to twist into a growing
maelstrom with Terai in the center.  Even in the back of the store, objects
and people felt an increasing pull in Terai's direction, as if the floor was
tilting away from level.  Belldandy found herself hanging on to Sayoko
with one hand and the wall with another.  The clerks were screaming, and
the shop seemed to lift up on it's side, while upfront, Skuld had been
pulled completely off her feet.

Lyra: <Shaking her head> Ai-yi-yi. That should be "up front," by the way.

"But look Skuld!" said Terai, "Here's a picture of me, I mean us, I mean
my neighborhood!"  Terai had come to stop in front of a store that sold
science gadgets and pictures.  She was pointing to a poster in the window. 
"Humm, you can't see me though, ... I should be right ... there!"  Terai
poked at a spot. 

Frito: Oh, greaaat. Anodder mysterious hint. Double whoopee.

Windir: <Sigh> Frito. <Muttered> I completely fail to see why *certain 
people* seem completely unable to accept even the merest suggestion of 
mystery, let alone an implied request to *use* the intelligence we -- 
<breaks off to shoot a *look* at Frito> -- well, by far the larger part 
of us -- were given to involve oneself in the story. 

Frito sticks out his tongue at Windir and tosses a piece of popcorn at 
him; Lyra restrains his arm before another food fight starts.

Lyra: He might have a point, though, Windy... I'm not sure if he actually 
goes over, but the author does ride pretty close to the line, here, in 
overindulging the mystery. Stretch it out too far, and the readers can 
lose interest.

"Speed of Light," replied Skuld cryptically, "7000 years, by the caption on
the poster, but that's way inexact, and now..".  Skuld reached over Terai's
shoulders and clamped her hands over Terai's eyes.  "We're going to
the ice cream store NOW.  Walk this way Terai, I'll guide you."  So the
three of them set off again, Skuld ensuring that Terai would see absolutely
nothing until they entered the ice cream shop.

"Umm, Skuld," asked Terai, "If everyone goes to the ice cream store this
way, doesn't it cause unnecessary traffic problems?"

"Teraiiiiii!"

Frito: Awww. Poor Skuld.

As the three of them turned the corner, Sayoko walked up to the window
they had been looking into.  She hadn't overheard the conversation, but
weird things always happened around Belldandy and someday she was
bound to slip and leave a clue Sayoko could decipher.  Sayoko looked the
poster over, it was a picture of clouds in a night-time sky.  Her English
was quite good, but the words of the title of the poster 'Starbirth in
Serpens' meant nothing to her in any context she understood.  After a
moment she continued on her own errands and filed the incident under the
extensive 'Belldandy weirdness' file.

Lyra: And just how long *is* that file, Sayoko? Sheesh. Some people.

Windir: It is not, in point of fact, what I would consider to be 'out of 
the ordinary' to suggest that *anyone* in the AMG universe who maintains 
close contact with the Morisato household would keep such an 'incidents' 
file. You must admit, there have been rather a large number of... ah, 
spectacular, incidents that have occurred in their vicinity.

Lyra: Well, yeah, but there's no reason to go prying into someone's 
private life like that. <Disgusted look> I *hate* people who pry.

Windir: Indeed, and that is in itself an understandable trait. However, 
there is a definite border that seperates a healthy curiousity about odd 
events that happen in full view, and the form of obsessive investigation 
that you so rightly decry. I am uncertain as to whether the author is 
attempting to place Sayoko in this catagory, or not.

Lyra: I still think she needs a good dose of Betan therapy.

Plague of Skulds  Part 3 of 8

Frito: We're dere *already*?

Windir: A rather short chapter, yes -- the misadventures of the shopping 
trip, and the meeting with Sayoko. Not that this is too large of an 
impediment, as it formed a rather clean self-contained unit.

Lyra rolls her eyes.

Groups of squealing children were climbing out of the water and running
back to the entrance lines for the various waterslides, dispight signs and

Windir: "Despite".

"I was remembering our first trip to the beach, and how frightened I was
for you, ..."  Belldandy put her hand to her face.  "After Sayokosan
slapped me and said I was troublesome to you I began to wonder if ..."

"SHE WHAT!?!", Keiichi was on his feet, really looking ready to attempt
some kind of violence, quite unusual for him, and everyone for fifty meters
around turned to look at them.

Lyra: Another reaction that goes a little too far, I think. It's hard for 
me to picture this; not the fact that he reacts, but the strength of the 
reaction.

Belldandy turned her blue eyes on Keiichi.  "Please sit down Keiichisan,
let's continue quietly."

"You never said ...", Keiichi found his way back to his chair with one
hand, he calmed down quickly as his mind connected the next scene in the
story.  "And then I ...,Belldandy how could you forgive me?"  Keiichi
slumped in his chair and looked at the ground.  The people around them
resumed their own activities.

"There's nothing you did to forgive, Keiichisan."  Belldandy had that
beautific, pure aura palatably about her, so that it was almost impossible
to do anything but smile at her and nod agreement, Keiichi however was
looking at his feet.

Frito: Alright, alright, that's good enough! Ya don't need ta keep 
harpin' on old history, here!

Windir: It does lead to some interesting cross-comparisons of past 
events, now that both sides know the full story of what happened... 
however, I would contend that the author belabors the point.

Frito: Yah, he just goes *on* and *on* and...

Lyra: <Frowns> I think we get the point, Frito. *You* don't need to keep 
going on and on...

"Oh Keiichisan, do you have any idea what would have happened to me if
you actually had rubbed me all over with that oil?"

"No."

"I know what would have happened to me." injected an unwelcome voice. 
As if called by the mention of her name, Urd swept up to the table,

Frito: OK, so it was a setup. The author still shoudda been less wordy.

wearing a French cut two piece bikini that could only be called skimpy,
and over that a transparent wrap that concealed nothing, in fact it was
damp in just the right places to cling in a fashion that ..., well you 
know ...,
oh never mind.

Frito: Hey! I wanna see! What you talkin' about?

Urd breezed into the conversation without an invitation. 
"I would have gathered my 'fan club' around me in one of those shady
nooks we use for breaks among the roots of the Yggdrasil facility, where
the water flows out of the wells to make pretty little waterfalls, and
described your public deflowering in minute detail.  I can hear me now,
'...but really ladies I was so shocked when she immolated both their
swimsuits with White Flame.  He was as surprised not to be hurt as he
was to find himself naked, poor little thing.  And no, that's not a reference
to his manhood, not by this time anyway.  Then she sort of slithered all
over him, she's my sister after all.  I guess it had just been building up
inside of her all this time, ...' he he he he."  Urd looked from her 
sister to
Keiichi and back, gratified to see that they were both blushing as red as
the Rising Sun.

Frito: Wak! WOO, WOO! <Gives the screen a thumbs-up>

"Keiichisan," Belldandy whispered after a long moment, "If you'll go buy
us some drinks, I have money in my purse,..."

"No No, I have money with me."  Keiichi stood up, grateful for the chance
to put his mind on calmer thoughts.  "Two soda pops and a Kirin, Yes?",
too which Belldandy nodded and Urd gave the OK hand sign.  Keiichi
hurried away.

"Oh Urd," Belldandy began, "I can just hear Freyja, and Idunn and Fulla
laughing their heads off while you highlight every embarrassing detail. 
How could you even contemplate doing..."

"How did he take it?" interrupted Urd.

"What do you mean?"

"Our visitor, how did Keiichi react to your explanation?"

Lyra: <Rubbing her chin> Hmmm.

Frito: Huh? "Hmmm" what?

Lyra: She might just be subtler than she looks.

Frito: What? I don't unnerstand.

Windir: Hardly surprising, Frito. I believe I may have underestimated our 
author, the first time I read through this. At a casual glance, Urd 
merely appears to be up to her usual, ahem, prelediction for titillation. 
And Belldandy made the predictable reaction, sending Keiichi off so that 
she could give Urd the scolding she so richly deserves. And at that 
point... Urd brings up, quite rightly, the issue of informing Keiichi 
about Terai -- where, for once, *she* has some claim to moral 
superiority, or at least to moral equivalence. The shift to a serious 
position from Urd is notworthy in itself, worthy of attention, and fairly 
obvious; and the first time I read through the story, that was my primary 
focus. However, in the instance of this perusal, the other possible 
interpretation of Urd's behavior became clear.

Frito: <Sarcastically> So can we have dat in English?

Lyra: You *are* backsliding, Windy. <Looks at Windir with a twinkle in 
her eye> We'll just have to...

Windir: That will not be necessary. <Shudders>

Lyra: Anyway, what our verbose companion is trying to say is that there's 
a good chance Urd set this up deliberately. She went in with a story that 
she knew would embarrass both Belldandy and Keiichi, so that Belldandy 
would send him away and she'd get a chance to scold her in private.

Belldandy frowned.  "Urd, that's unfair to Terai, and even my patience
with you is running thin."

Frito: Clunk!

Lyra: Yes, the phrasing is awkward. 

"I noticed the gravity anomaly all the way back at the temple, which
makes me wonder if Malher or someone else may come looking to see
what's going on.  And you say you put it back?"  Urd snapped her fingers,
and a reddish globe of light appeared between them, it hovered there
while Urd muttered something under her breath, then she snuffed it like a
candle flame.  "Between that and making the Temple glow, which you
renew every morning when you get up, you've used more than half you're
daily energy budget.  And tonight you'll renew the protection wards with
the rest and probably some of your reserve, then collapse and sleep like
the dead.  Does this sound like any class one Goddesses you know?"

"I'll be fine Urd"

"No.  You've got some kind of variation on the theme of Anorexia. 
You've been stretching yourself to the limit of your magical energy but
doing nothing to increase what you have.  There's at least ten ways you
could draw power from your surroundings which you never use.  If you
have to be a straight arrow about it, you could appeal to have your Seal
modified to allow a larger power flow, but you'd rather go on falling down
every time you have to extend yourself."

Lyra: I like this debate between the sisters even better. In both the 
anime and the manga, Urd shows up because she wants to help her sister. 
The anime reinforces that with the whole "Ultimate Circle of Warding" 
business, and you see occasional bits of that in the manga... but most 
often, we're shown Urd-as-sexy-temptress/ Urd-as-comic-relief (even in 
the series that Dark Horse translated as Terrible Master Urd). It's 
*very* nice to see a fanfic author explore this side of her personality, 
and take it seriously.

"I'm talking about what's fair to you.  You have a higher purpose down
here, higher than granting a shy boy a wish, or letting your childhood
crush bloom."  Urd's face softened a little, and her expression took on a
hint of irony.  "Higher even than keeping your wicked, older stepsister

>from Falling.  So when are you going to give yourself enough power to do

your job?"

Seeing her sister back off a little, Belldandy relaxed, and found her smile,
though it was soft and a little sad.  "I've always loved you Urd, you're my
own dear sister."

Urd's expression of irony deepened.  "With Fenrir the Wolf beside me and
Keiichi in a bottle in my cape, you still loved me?  Damned if I can figure
out why."

Lyra: I really like this view of her. Did I say that?

Windir: As it happens, you did. <Smiles wryly> Not that I would object 
too strongly, as I feel much the same way myself.

"If you don't," Urd made her eyes really big and spoke in a parody of a
little girl's voice, "I'll go everywhere looking very very pitiful and tell
people, 'Wahh, my sister is abusing herself'."

"All right Urd, You win. You can look over the draft request tomorrow
morning."  Belldandy smiled a happy if resigned smile and 'pitiful' Urd
was replaced with the usual one.

Frito: Heh. <Grins slyly>

Skuld slumped , "That's exactly what she's saying now."

>From the line to the Super Double Twister slide, Terai called out to Skuld. 
"Come On Skuld!"

Skuld groaned and headed off in that direction, turning just a little
greener.  "I never thought I'd say 'I had too much Ice Cream!'."

Lyra chuckles.

Frito: Aww. Poor baby.

The men took off in a run, with the Goddesses and Terai right at their
heels.  They came around the corner to the entrance of the nearby
building, and sprinted up to the entryway steps.  Nothing was to be seen,
but then the noises of a struggle became apparent behind one of the
shrubs to one side of the stairs.  Ootaki dived into the bush, with Keiichi
just behind him.  As the Goddesses angled for a better look, four figures,
arms and legs flailing, came crashing out into the open, with Ootaki
shouting the word 'Bastard' at the top of his lungs.

Satoko managed to separate herself from the fight a moment later, and
took a gasping breath as she peeled the thin rope from around her neck,
where it had left a bloody gouge.  Belldandy and Urd were immediately at
her side.

Then a wave of heat struck everyone, like a solid burning wall.

"He hurt her,"  Terai's voice was quietly, terribly calm.  "... on purpose."

An eyeblink later, there was a hole in the air where Terai had been, and
out of the hole burst unimaginable fire.

Lyra: This scene bothered me the first time I read it, and I think I've 
finally figured out why. The setup -- the attack on Satoko -- was 
well-paced, but Terai's reaction came out of nowhere. We don't see 
anything out of her before her explosion, and it doesn't seem right for 
someone as inexperienced as her to go straight ballistic; I'd have 
expected her to be puzzled or shocked first. You might put in a reaction 
or two from her first.

Windir: It was, one must admit, a dramatic ending for part 3.

Plague of Skulds  Part 4 of 8
Not that day.  Where there was usually so much activity, someone visiting
the Balcony just then would have found it unnaturally quiet.  The floor,
normally so tidy, was cluttered with strange looking one handled bottles. 
And instead of tens or sometimes hundreds of figures going to and fro,
there were only two standing near the railing, overlooking Terai's
gathering orb.  

Two figures, in ornate black armor.  The light itself, that went anywhere
near them, seemed to be stolen away.

Windir: I had no particular difficulty in guessing what these figures are 
supposed to represent... but I am left wondering what their role in the 
story is supposed to be. We see them exactly once more in the story, as I 
recall, and we are given no more indication of exactly who they are, or 
what their motivations are. 

The shorter of the two figures was visibly startled.  "She's back!  She's
resisting us!"

"Calm yourself." said the taller figure.  "It is an emotional reaction.  
She's
visiting a planet, after all.  She saw something that surprised her."

"This is taking too long, ...", began the shorter figure again.

"Do be quiet."  replied the taller one.  "Soon only Kamisama will be able
to undo what we are doing, if he bothers.  She will be OUR sister yet."

Neither of them were monitoring Terai's body carefully, so neither
realized that a few million tons of superheated ionized gas from one of the
bolts had disappeared.  Not that such a tiny amount would have concerned
a star.  It was less to them than a dandruff flake to us.


***********

Windir: And now, at this point, we come to the position that has held up 
the completion of this review, for such an admittedly lengthy period. We 
were stopped here because... ah, because...

Lyra: Because while none of us felt comfortable with the next section, we 
couldn't really figure out what to say about it, or even agree on what we 
didn't like about it.

Frito: Sez you! I just don't like it, and the two of ya agree with me. So 
there!

Windir and Lyra share a look; at her nod, Windir turns to Frito. "Boot to 
the Head!"

Frito: What th-HEY!

A huge cloud of dust puffs into the air as Frito clumphs into one of the 
curtains lining the side walls of the theatre.

Windir: Ahem. My own feelings concerning the events of the next section 
are relatively simple; while it serves a necessary function to the plot 
-- two of them, in fact -- it steps rather too far beyond the limits of 
what is established in the series.

Lyra: Now, what *I* think is that it just doesn't fit with the emotional 
tone of AMG. AMG has a lot of serious moments, most of them with Keiichi 
and Belldandy's relationship, but even the really big ones -- like the 
Lord of Terror's destroying the world -- have a lot of funny stuff in 
them, like the silly plans Urd comes up with, to CONQUER THE UNIVERSE! 
<She coughs embarrassedly.> Sorry about that. Anyway, having Belldandy 
resurrecting most of Tokyo might have been beautifully moving for some 
people, but to me it just felt too serious and messianic, like someone 
was doing a Bible story. 

Frito: <Suspiciously> I thought you two said ya ain't agreein' on this!

Windir: We are not, Frito, as even the most addle-pated cretin should be 
able to determine. My objections are technical. This passage serves two 
purposes in the structure of the plot -- in the first place, it creates 
an incident that Terai will feel guilty over, forming her actions and 
providing a catalyst for the event described in the title; and in the 
second place, it sets up the foundation for that event, by establishing 
the fact that a star can transfer power to a Goddess, so that they can 
perform work beyond their usual energy limits. Both of these are 
important elements of the plot, and lead to the delightful sequence that 
fills the final act of the story; obviously, they need to be retained. 

Lyra: Alright, I'm with you so far.

Windir: However, in the OAV's -- and in the translated manga that we have 
perused, including the story about Urd's demon heritage -- we never see 
an event even close to the level of resurrecting the dead. This event 
goes far beyond the limits set in both the manga and OAV; in fact, both 
the manga and OAV make a point of setting limits on the absolute 
abilities of the megami, leading them to use clever devices like the 
Maxwell's Demon and the Laplacian Demon's stone. By violating those 
limits, the author threatens the suspension of disbelief that the story 
depends on. Admittedly, my ranking of resurrection as a major event may 
have an emotional foundation, but my objection to its place in the story 
is based on reason -- not the wholly irrational, emotional objection of 
my compatriot.

Lyra: Well, *I* think all this business about 'suspension of disbelief' 
is garbage. What matters is the way the reader feels about something that 
happens, and how they think it fits the feel of a story and its universe. 
Aah! Megami-sama! has always kept a light touch on its large disasters -- 
like the one I mentioned with Urd, above -- and kept the serious stuff on 
a personal level. It bugs me a little to see the destruction of Tokyo as 
a setup for Terai's depression and feelings of guilt, but it bothers me a 
lot more to see resurrection -- something with pretty strong emotional 
associations, in several religions -- brought into AMG. I'd rather see 
Amaterasu turn back time, or something like that -- at least it doesn't 
have the religious connotations clashing with the megami.

Frito: Awww, sheesh! Get *over* it, already, will ya?!? So ya didn't like 
it. I didn't like it dat much either. So what? Just skip it and go on, 
for pete's sake! Like ya said, Wind-bag, it's there ta make Terai feel 
guilty, and show dat a star can can give power to a goddess. Dat's all ya 
really need ta know, so take it and keep readin'! Deal. Sheesh.

Back on Earth, Nekomi campus melted.  During the first second, Terai
opened the wormhole wide in all dimensions and let her wrath pour out on
to that hideous man.  During the next second she realized she was burning
much more than a single rapist.  During the third second she pinched the
wormhole back down to the subatomic size that allowed her to just
present a seeming human being, and it took her an additional second to
project and stabilize the 'body' that allowed her to be seen, and to see,
touch, taste, and feel.  

Windir: Regardless of one might think about the events being depicted, it 
is no shame to admit that the depiction here is cleanly elegant.

Terai's sister, manifesting as any mature star would, was incandescent. 
She was also beautiful, even for a star.  Her 'body' was that of woman just
barely beginning middle age, but still more lovely than many young
maidens in their prime.  Her face was heartstopping.  She wore an
elaborate Kimono, more suitable to bygone eras, and her hair was pined
up and held with combs.  There was no anger or reproach in her
expression.  She spread her arms wide.  "Come to me, Teraichan."

Frito: Woo, WOO!

Windir gives Frito a strong @bap on the head, while Lyra adds an elbow 
shot to the kidneys for good measure.

Frito: Hey! What was dat for?

Lyra: Grabbing half the pretty females in sight is bad enough, but you 
are *not* going to glomp Amaterasu.

Frito: Sheesh. Have ya forgotten she ain't even here? <Gestures at the 
screen>

Windir: Frito, where the issue concerns a lady, particularly one as 
beautiful in the classic sense as she is, I would not find it unnatural 
for you to glomp her *through* the screen.

Before Terai could ask what her sister meant, a blast of wind struck the
area.  It was so strong it might have carried Terai's projected body away,
but apparently her sister was ready for it, since they both kept their
footing.  Her sister's hair though, had the combs and pins blown out of it
and stretched out like a pennant in the direction which Tokyo Bay had
been.  

Frito: <Softly> Awww... Kawaii.

Windir: <Questioningly> Frito?

"Here now", continued her Sister, as if no real harm had been done, "the
air is cool enough that whoever your friend is protecting will be able to
breath it.  So lets begin.  The fewer resurrections your friend has to
perform, the better Kamisama will like it."

"But, if Skuld even knows how, where will she get the power?"

"Oh Teraichan!," Her sister looked at her with an expression of shock. 
"I'm very sorry.  I've been quite cruel to you."

"What do you mean?" asked Terai.

"I accepted your promise not to harm my life bearing world, but I didn't
ensure that you could do it.  It's quite wrong to take a child's promise
when the child doesn't know how to keep that promise.  Now then, watch
closely in every dimension, and I'll show you what to do."

Lyra: This feels awkward; there's a very sharp jump between Terai's 
question, her sister's apology, and the answer to her question... it 
could be smoother. In fact, that apology might go better towards the 
beginning of the scene, rather than here.

Amaterasu spoke.  "**Goddess Arise.  Revive all those struck down. 
Heal all wounds.  Restore all things, unto the blades of grass, above,
upon, and below the burned ground.  Let the burning cloud be cooled
also.  And let forgetfulness cover the memories of them all.**"

Lyra: This also bugged me. I don't like the thought of anyone but 
Kami-sama giving orders to the megami; I'd think of them more like 
sisters, or cousins, to Amaterasu.

Frito: Yeah! I mean, Belldandy's actin' like some kinda robot in this 
scene! 

"But Sister," asked Terai, "Don't you need Kamisama's permission to
resurrect people?"

"Only if there is some doubt as to the shape of their destiny, Teraichan. 
I'm quite sure Kamisama did not plan from the Beginning for you to lay
waste to even this much of Japan.  

Windir: Very well, there was a partial attempt to cover for the weighty 
significance of this issue. I still feel it would be better to do 
something not so fraught with religious and/or spiritual implications.

Now be sure to practice what I've
shown you on your friends here.  You'll certainly need this technique as
you form your own lifebearing world, and congratulations on your
Authorization."

Lyra: Ah, here we go. The setup. :)

regaining consciousness.  Belldandy finished her magic and began tending
to Satoko's wounds in a mundane fashion.  Urd woke Ootaki up, and
made him listen to a few strong words of warning about how Satoko
might very well flinch from any man's presence for a while and how he
needed to show her extra patience and support.  Only after she'd finished
was Ootaki allowed near Satoko.  

Lyra: Again, I like this view of Urd. How many of the 
'Urd-as-sexy-temptress' people would give her the sensibility to 
recognize this issue, much less make sure Ootaki was informed and keep 
him from seeing her until he knew?

"Belldandy" said the voice on the phone, "Your reaction with Amaterasu
to the crisis was well measured.  I'm pleased with your quick resolution."

Frito: <Outraged> Ya mean like she hadda reaction? Looked more like she 
was runnin' by remote control!

"First of all," said the phone voice, "Take no action regarding power
increase paperwork.  I have signed a directive ordering your powerflow
increased three fold."

"Yes!" squeaked Urd, just a little too loudly.

Windir: Characteristic. <Smiles slightly>

"That is Urd there?" He asked.

"Yes, Kamisama."

"I will speak to her when we finish.  It was quite detestable to observe her
blackmailing you."

"Eeee!", said Urd.

Frito: Eee? Eeee *what*?!? "Eeee" squeal a' delight? "Eeeee" mockin' 
fraidy-cat? "Eeee" really scared? Ya need ta tell us what's goin' on here.

"I grow weary Urd, of reminding you that the end does not justify the
means."

"Yes Sir."

Lyra: Uh-oh.

A few minutes later Belldandy was beginning to wish that Urd had made
her point more forcefully.  It was the most strained, horrible gathering
Belldandy could have imagined.  Everyone was silent.  Terai and Keiichi
were avoiding making eyecontact with everyone else.  Skuld would watch
Terai or look pleadingly at Belldandy.  Urd was silent and depressed also. 
Belldandy attempted to start the conversation a few times, but failed
miserably.  And they were all just picking at the food!  Belldandy wanted
to cry, which of course would only make things worse, 

Lyra: Looks like Urd was right. <Sigh> She's certainly showing some 
savvy, here.

then Keiichi surprised her.

"Terai?", Keiichi asked, at which Terai visibly jumped, set her chopsticks
down by her plate, stuffed her hands in her lap, and did not even glance at
Keiichi.  He continued gently, "You and Amaterasu called each other
sister.  I never imagined that Stars had families.  Did the two of you, um,
grow up in a house? or play together? or ..."  Keiichi trailed off watching
Terai watch her mostly untouched plate.

"The house that could have held us would have been very big.", Terai
replied, and the hint of a smile crossed her face, and she turned timidly to
look at Keiichi.

When they all went to bed, Belldandy thought fiercely, I'm going to follow
Keiichisan into his room and kiss his feet, maybe just for starters.

Windir: A bit, extravagant, perhaps... but certainly a warming sentiment.

"Wow," Keiichi said again, "You're very special then.  Congratulations."

Terai smiled and looked a little embarrassed.  But a moment later her
happy face faded away.  "What am I saying?  I can't be trusted with a
planet full of people!  I've proved that beyond any doubt!"  Sobbing, Terai
leapt up from the table and ran back toward Skuld's room.

Skuld jumped up to follow her.  "Almost, Keiichi." she said as she gave
him a thumbs up sign and ran after her friend.

Windir: Another good moment, particularly given Skuld's ambivalent 
feelings about him.

It was Three AM the next morning.  

Windir: Just slightly redundant, wouldn't you say?

"Don't they know these walls are transparent to high ultraviolet and
infrared light?"

"Think of it as a game Terai, we're all pretending to be human so Keiichi
doesn't freak.  We act like we can't see through the walls or understand
auras and we only use magic for things we can't do with our hands."

Windir: This is another incident that stretches the audience's credulity, 
to some degree. Again, one can see where it would be useful to the plot, 
and some minor additions to the megami's powers can be taken in fanfics 
as a matter of course. However, this ability, while not earth-shattering 
in either the literal or figurative sense, is nonetheless such a 
pervasive one that it brings up many questions about past events in both 
the anime and manga. Why, for example, did Belldandy not notice when Urd 
tried to seduce Keiichi in the bathtub, in her first appearance? Yes, one 
could explain it away, but --

Lyra: -- I know, <tiredly> retcons are a bitch.

Windir: I would not put it quite in that fashion, but that appears to 
convey the essance of my point, yes.

Frito: Why can't ya just say it sticks in yer craw, Wind-bag?

Terai was faintly surprised, she hadn't realized that this body she
pretended to have would cry when she was sad enough.  She wasn't being
terribly observant either, or she might have noticed Belldandy, lying flat
on her own tatami but with her eyes wide open and turned toward Terai. 
Terai shook with quiet little sobs, and answering tears of sympathy went
down Belldandy's face toward her pillow.

Lyra: I can feel this, too. Another nice sentimental moment.

"Oohhhh, Think hard Sis."  Urd hung up the phone and went back past
the TV/Dining room.  Skuld and Terai hadn't moved an inch.  The story
was almost over though, since the gaki was seducing everyone with her
songs and was about to try to possess the giant, transforming spaceship. 
'Wasn't that thing in another TV show?', Urd wondered.

Lyra: Heh. Nice one.

Frito: Wha?

Lyra: Think about early 80's U.S. anime releases, Frito.

Frito: What about 'em? Only ones I can remember are Battle o' da Planets, 
and... uhoh... Gaaah! <Breaks down laughing> Body-SLAM! Wheee-ooooo!

In the Heavens, in the part of the Yggdrasil 'campus' devoted to the
Earth's Goddess Relief Office, Brett Handy, God of Destiny, looked out
through the eternal morning sunshine and across the titanic roots of the
Yggdrasil toward the other World Tree systems that towered up in the
distance.  There was absolutely no haze here to give scale to the view, but
his eyes still weren't entirely up to blocking the glare.  He turned away

>from the view again, knowing he would likely start looking at it again in a

few minutes.  His eyes surveyed the luxurious lounge and waiting area. 
There was no glass picture window here, since outside was exactly as
comfortable as inside.  ALL the chairs and couches were comfortable. 
Still, Brett wasn't in a restful mood, so he paced for a while, and told
himself he ought to read something, or browse Heavenet, or do anything
that would keep him from waiting tensely.

Lyra: Hmm. No disrespect to Brett-the-author, or this author's use of his 
character, but I found myself wondering what he's really doing here. He's 
not a part of the main plotline, and the only way his story really 
touches on it is being a sympathetic friend to Urd when, um, the board 
hits the fanny. He makes a good supporting character in that part, but 
these in-depth segments on him do kind of distract from the main story. 

"Then, they don't need the idol to be excited?, They could just be excited
all by themselves?"

"Ha!", said Keiichi, "This is beginning to sound like Urd at a karoke bar. 
Everyone's excited and nobody's singing."

Frito: Gettin' bolder, ain't ya, sonny boy!

"Air quality in the greater Tokyo area may have briefly improved due to
an unexpected rain shower, mostly falling in the bay, but health agencies
have disregarded this morning's near pure readings, attributing them to
equipment failure."  "Click" went the channel changer.

A stern looking man in a suit was editorializing.  "As further evidence that
violent American madness is spreading into our society, last night some
local college students interrupted a brutal rape in the nick of time."

"VCR!" said Keiichi.

"Right!" said Urd.  And turned on the tape player so that it blanked the
screen.

Lyra: Sometimes, you just can't win. <Smiles sadly> Nice touch.

"What's a Yggdrasil?"

"It's a World Tree System, it moderates spiritual energy on a world with
animal or higher life forms.  You've got one, I saw them doing final
hardware checks when I came to visit and met you, remember? 
'YGGDRASIL' is just the nickname for the Earth's World Tree, it's the
first nine letters of the 144,000 character serial number.  Anyway, Urd's,
Oneesama's and my first jobs as Goddesses were as
programmer/technician's on the Yggdrasil, Urd got good enough to be one
of the system managers, but I was so good,", Skuld couldn't help but tilt
her nose up and look smug, "I was made system debugger, after about a
year, the ONLY system debugger!, but what I was trying to say was that I
started out spying on Urd to figure out if she was getting her friends to
tamper with the system parameters to manipulate Keiichi, or worse.  She
wasn't, but first, things went really crazy around here Christmas before
last, with such an outbreak of Bugs I ended up assigned down here to
stamp them out, sigh, then Fulla got a copy of a document about
Oneesama and forwarded it to Urd.  It was pretty obvious what had
happened then."

"What's a Bug, Skuld?"

"A spontaneous, spiritual life form, they're awful, yuck, anyway, when a
World Tree System has a loop, or some other screwup in code it can start
making bugs, YGGDRASIL bugs look like very stupid rabbits with
eight legs.  Fixing the code error is just the first thing you have to do,
those Bugs, once they're out there, can multiply by brachiating, like a
fractal creates more curves as you change the values, the longer they exist
at all, the more chance they multiply, ewwww."

Windir: Slightly breathless, and 'brachiating' sounds rather like a 
buzzword, even pompous, even for someone with Skuld's high intelligence...

Frito snickers.

Windir: AHEM... however, this is an example of a *beneficial*, or at 
least harmless, extension to the AMG mythos. To the best of my knowledge, 
none of the specific details on Yggdrasil (such as the way it got its 
name), much less details on the reproductive life cycle of a bug, have 
been released in the manga, let alone the anime; they make a nice 
addition to the story.

"I'll help you, Skuld, then you'll get all the Bugs." said Terai, rather
solemnly.

"Well, I could get you a copy of my hammer, Terai, but ...", Skuld cut off
her sentence in surprise.

Terai had reached across from where she was sitting and touched Skuld's
forehead Goddess marking with her index finger.  "**Goddess, your will
is mine.**", she intoned.

Frito: Wak!

Lyra: <Smiling secretively> And so it begins...

"KON'ICHIWA!" came the sound of literally a hundred, maybe more,
small voices as Waves of small Skulds, each about 1/2 meter high, and
with eyes streaming out light, poured into the TV/Dining room.  

Lyra: Heh.

Frito: Da Skulds go marchin' one by one, hurrah, hurrah!

Windir: A most... enduring... image.

She was sitting in her usual place, where she knitted, but the room was
crawling with Skulds.  They had the TV apart, they had the legs off the
table, they were climbing on and doing things to the walls, one was
hanging from a belt and doing something to the florescent light fixture in
the ceiling while another had poked a hole in the ceiling and was passing
tools and parts to the one working on the light.  One Skuld sat in
Belldandy's lap giving her a big hug while another sat right beside her and
snuggled close.  Two more were combing her hair.  At least three had
Belldandy's knitting needles spread out on the floor along with some
impromptu blueprint diagrams and one of Skuld's own toolsets.

Lyra: Another nice picture; I could see someone doing a poster of this 
one. <Grins>

"Belldandy!  Are you alright?" Keiichi asked.

Belldandy opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by several Skulds. 
"What do you mean?", "Are you implying I/We would hurt her?",  "I still
hate you, Peeeeedah!".

"I am fine, Keiichisan.  Now please Skuld(s), he didn't mean you any
insult."

Muttering, the various Skulds turned back to their tasks, except for one,
who stood glowering at Keiichi with arms crossed.

"Oneesama.", said the Skuld in Belldandy's lap, "I want you to pay
attention to Me, not him."

"Right!" agreed the snuggling Skuld next to her.

"Please turn you head this way." requested the hair combing Skulds, as
they turned Belldandy's head away from Keiichi.

Lyra: This stage business with all the different Skulds really works 
well, and probably does a better job of showing them than anything else 
could have.

"Keiichisan," Belldandy had turned her head back toward Keiichi, despite
the Skulds wishes, "When someone divides in to many copies, and I've
never heard of anyone taking it this far, their whims and quirks can clump
into one or two individuals.  I'm afraid these parts of Skuld that
desperately want my attention intend to monopolize me until this is over."

Windir: Another example of a logical, beneficial extension of the AMG 
mythos; indeed, it is hard to think of it as *not* being part of the 
canon.

"Humm", replied Keiichi as he bent down to 'face' the single, rather
unfriendly Skuld in front of him, "That would make you, ...".

"The Skuld who still hates you.", then she stuck out her tongue at him 
"Peeeedah!"

Frito: Bwa-ha-ha! Go for it, kiddo!

"Well," continued Keiichi, "Since there's nothing else I can do about this, I
wonder if you'd still hate me if I took you out for Ice Cream?"

"That's bribery."

"You got that right."

Lyra: Yes, you *are* getting more sophisticated with time, aren't you, 
Keiichi? <Smiles> I'm not sure Keiichi would use slang like that, though; 
he'd be more polite.

Skuld who still hated Keiichi raised her eyebrows and flipped her hair in
what looked like an imitation of Sayoko.  "I'll allow you to try."

Lyra: Heh again. I really like the way the author characterizes all the 
different Skulds.

went down the hall and put on his shoes.  As he opened the front door and
stepped out, there suddenly appeared a Skuld with many chevrons on her
sleeve and a WWI era widebrimmed campaign hat, Sergeant Skuld
without a doubt.  As Skuld on his back reigned him in with painful pulls
on his ears, A troop of Skulds came around the side of the building. 
Sergeant Skuld opened her mouth and a parade ground voice came loudly
out.

Frito: Bwa-ha-ha!

Windir: You do realize, Frito, that if you stop to laugh every time a 
delightful Skuld variant shows up, we will undoubtedly be working on this 
already sadly-delayed review for another year?

She yelled, "MARCHIN' AT THE DOUBLE TIME, CORP SOUND OFF".

The troop of Skulds began trotting in cadence together, while many of
them clapped their hands in time to the rhythm their feet were making.  As
they went by they shouted/chanted;
"NASTY OLD SISTER, WE WON'T TAKE ANY MORE,
GONNA DO JUST WHAT WE WISH WE'D DONE A THOUSAND TIMES BEFORE,
GONNA TIE YOU UP, AND TURN YOU 'ROUND, AND KICK YOU OUT THE DOOR!
WE'RE SKULD'S OWN!, AWESOME!, ANTI-URD CORP!"

Frito: <Looking shocked at the chant> Yipe! I was only kiddin' about da 
marchin'!

Windir: <Dryly> Rather too late now.

Lyra: <Smiling and shaking her head> Well, at least it's more proof that 
the megami are all too human.

Hoisted above each block of Skulds in the troop, outnumbered by about
25 to 1, where each of the five little Urds.  They struggled and pleaded

Windir: 'Were', I believe.

and cried as they went by, but Keiichi couldn't even hear them over the
chant of the Anti-Urd Corp.  The last little Urd reached out pitifully as she
was carried past Keiichi, but the Skuld on his back leaned next to one of
his ears and said, "Don't even think about it."

The stunned look still on his face, Frito springs out of his chair.

Frito: Urd! Say somethin'! Anythin! 

"Welcome Brettsan, please come in."  Belldandy said.  So Brett sat down
beside them.  "This is Terai, Skuld's very helpful guest."
The little girl winced as if Belldandy had threatened to strike her.  Brett,
having known the gentle mistress of the Temple almost as long as he'd
been a Deity, didn't understand that at all.

Lyra: She does do a most effective 'more in sorrow than in anger' bit, 
doesn't she?

A Skuld with lots of stars on her shoulders, but only a tasteful number of
medals on her jacket, stood.  "Skulds have been deployed from Sendai to
Okayama and are taking up their assigned stations."  General Skuld
pointed to a wall map.  Tiny stick pins covered central Honshu like a
blanket.  "There are 10,786,325 total Skulds at this time.  Materials have
been procured and, ..."

Windir: A rather small area of operation, is it not? Particularly for 10 
million Skulds? <Looks over at Lyra>

Lyra: <Rubbing her chin> True, true... then again, she can't afford to be 
*too* effective.

Windir looks inquiringly at her.

Lyra: She'd lose her excuse to stay if she got them all, wouldn't she?

Windir: Perhaps. I had not considered it in that light.

"Oh dear.", said Belldandy, "Skuld, have you 'borrowed' 500,000 rice
cookers?"

With almost fifty Skulds in the room, not one would meet Belldandy's
eyes.

Frito: Oh, so Miss Goody Two-shoes won't admit she did somethin' wrong?

Windir: Hush. As we noted a moment ago, it is good to remember that they 
are 'all too human.'

"Yes, Brettsama."

"Brett's enough.  Anyway, you're having an 'Out of body' experience
running around here on Earth in the shape of a girl?"

"Yes, Brettsama."

Brett sighed.  "And you've imparted so much power to Skuld that she's

Lyra: It's been done before, but that's still a nice character bit for 
her.

"I'll go find her, then.", Brett stated.  He lifted himself up off the 
floor and
made his careful way through the crowd of Skulds toward the door.

As Brett left, PM Skuld leaned surreptitiously over to General Skuld. 
"General, what is the status of Special Clandestine Mission #1?"

The General smiled, almost wickedly.  "We have achieved 40%
satisfaction, Madam Prime Minister, and are well prepared to politely
pacify interference."

The PM Skuld smiled, the Chief Scientist Skuld smiled, soon every Skuld
in the area had a naughty grin of some sort on her face.

Lyra: Heh.

Windir: I would like to take the opportunity to clarify that, as my 
colleague stated above, we have nothing against Mr. Handy's character; 
indeed, now that we have reached the point where he is involved in the 
main plot, he fills his role as a supporting character most 
satisfactorily. The difficulty simply lies in the fact that his long 
introductory sections draw attention from the main story.

Brett hadn't much cared for Jonathan Swift when he was required to read
him back in High School.  Now that he found himself living out the
Lilliput episode, he was really considering hopping back in time and
punching the Irishman's face in.  There were at least twenty Skulds
assigned to 'politely pacifying' Brett, which meant that they had him
pinned on his back, spread eagle, under one of the trees, with ropes and
Skulds holding both his arms and legs down.  Sergeant Skuld was literally
standing on his chest, mini combat boots and all.  They had been smart
enough to filch all his watches too, so he couldn't teleport away.  From off
to his left came the noise of a loud 'Whack' followed by a pitiful little
howl of pain.

"Look Skuld," he said trying to reason with her/them again, "I'll admit,
there've been times when I've wanted to spank her myself."

"Hentai.", said Sergeant Skuld.

Lyra: Heh.

"Out of Anger!" growled Brett, getting a little red in the face, "But even
you should be able to see that this has gone TOO BLOODY FAR!"

"I have my orders.", stated Sergeant Skuld.

Frito: <Disgustedly> Yah, right. So did every little two-bit tinhorn...

Lyra: Hush.

Outside, the sky was completely clouded over.  100% satisfaction had
been achieved, and the Anti-Urd Corp, oddly quiet, had retired from the
field.  Urd had reunified and Brett was trying to make himself useful.  She
was leaning on him in a crooked position as he was trying to help her
walk back toward the temple house, but it was obvious that each step was
painful.  "Here, I'll pop off a healing spell and you'll be fine.", said 
Brett.

"You can't. OW, don't make me walk."

"Sure I can, you taught me."

"OW, don't make me think.  She spell-locked my butt, no magic can touch
it.  OW!  We'll have to get her passwords and probably need Belldandy to
take them off."

"Them?"

"Five interlocking lock spells.  OWW!  Or they would have interfered
with each other and evaporated.  Little brat really outdid herself this 
time."

Windir: I liked this scene as well; again, one can readily visualize it. 
Very effective use of dialogue, and of the repeated exclamations of pain.

Lyra: Sure it doesn't have something to do with what you've said before, 
about wanting Urd to 'get hers' for all her meddling? <Smiles 
mysteriously>

Windir: <Frostily> That has nothing to do with it, as I'm certain you 
know.

"YYIIIIIIII!", yelled Chief Scientist Skuld, "This is a Top Priority
Emergency!".  She glanced around and saw that everyone was listening to
her.  "Our recent emotional state change has induced a sympathetic
reaction in regional humidity and precipitation!  This will surely overtax
the drainage infrastructure unless corrective action is implemented
immediately!"

Everybody in the room, including the other Skulds, just looked at her.

"Fine.", Chief Scientist Skuld muttered as she got red in the face, then, "I
SAID, IT'S GONNA FLASHFLOOD ALL OVER JAPAN!!!!!"

Frito: She been takin' lessons from ya, Windy?

Back at the Ice Cream store, there was a palatable change in the mood of
the Skulds, as they first became very quiet (though they never stopped
shoveling down the Ice Cream), then cheered up again.  Keiichi was
surprised then, when Skuld who hated him said, "I'm sorry I've treated you
so poorly Keiichi, I'll try very hard not to hate you any more."

"Thanks.", said Keiichi, "Say, if you don't hate me anymore then which
Skuld are you now?"

"I'm the Skuld who thinks you should keep your hentai hands off my
sister!"

Keiichi sighed, "I bet there are lots of Skulds like you."

Frito: <Rolling eyes> <Groan> Dat's a bad one.

Windir: *You* would think so, Frito.

Then the mood of the Skulds changed again, Keiichi was much more
sensitive to it now.  It felt like an unseen tide was washing around him,
but of course he was just watching all their faces change expression,
hearing them talk or breath differently, wasn't he?  The Skulds in the Ice
Cream store, who had been eating Ice Cream, began hurrying toward the
door, some of them actually leaving scoops of uneaten Ice Cream.

Lyra: Nice image.

Frito: Skuld leavin' ice cream? Dat's gotta be serious!

Brett's first thought was to make a joke about Urd's weight, but he bit that
off.  She wasn't as heavy as he would have guessed from looking at her
anyway.  They were both completely drenched. His God uniform, a rather
loose light blue shirt and matching pants was holding up rather well,
considering.  Urd had been lounging about in, gulp, a very white leotard
with a long sleeve black blouse over the top and what might be a very
wide scarf with a print on it tucked through a thin belt around the outside,
like a loincloth.  This last detail was quite fortunate, since the rain had
made the white leotard nearly transparent, but even then the scarf wasn't
exactly modest by itself.  If he didn't watch out, Brett thought to himself,
He'd say something stupid and get slapped.  Or his thoughts would
wander too far and she'd guess they were getting dirty, or some such
disaster.  He shifted his eyes resolutely away from her all too appealing
body.

Frito: Whatta ya doin', Brett-boy? Why ain't ya takin' da right view of 
da situation? Geez, some guys got no initiative.

Lyra: <Bonks Frito on the head> Hentai.

Frito: Ya got it, toots!

In the TV/Dining room, PM Skuld's cabinet was in chaos, many different
Skulds were running in many different directions and panicking in many
different ways.  The only unpaniced Skuld sat behind the 'R. Burr'
nametag at the big lacquered table in a frumpy gray suit and shook her
head slowly back and forth saying, "I fear for all Skuldkind."

Lyra: <Groan>

Frito: See? See! He's got ya doin' it, too!

There was a knock at the door to Urd's room.  "Excuse us," said a Skuld,
"Would you like to use the electric hair drier?"

Urd thought for a moment, "Bring it in."

A Skuld opened the door and offered Brett the hair drier.

Lyra: Well, at least she's being a little apologetic, now... <Grins, and 
nudges Frito> Eh, Frito?

Frito: Uh-huh. Right.

"By the way", asked Urd, "Are you going to tell me the passwords to these
lock spells?"

"Of course," answered the Skuld just a little too readily, "But really 
there's
only one password, with an increment digit on the end."

"And they are?", growled Urd.

"They are; 'Wowwhatabigfatbutt1, Wowwhatabigfatbutt2,...'"

Frito: You was sayin'? <Glares at Lyra>

The Skulds had gone most of the night being seen by few or no people. 
They had also done a good job of disabling security cameras wherever
they went.  But as the rain poured down, one stand out exception to that
rule sat helping two Skulds hold her mother's pink umbrella over a rice
cooker modification site.  Her name was Maho and she was a pre-
schooler in Tokyo.  The roof above her bedroom was thin enough to hear
the patter of little feet.  Her house had a proper stairwell up to the 
roof so
it wasn't hard to go and peep out.  The Skulds had been gentle with her
and she, impressed with their dedication and urgency, insisted on staying
and helping.  Mahochan had a serious bent but was still too young to be
anything but cute.  It was hours past her bedtime but she drove herself to
stay awake and hold up the umbrella, even when the Skulds gently
encouraged her to go to bed.  Since whatever they were doing was clearly
important to these magical things calling themselves 'Skulds', then Maho
must help them.

The rain had gotten very strong, and Mahochan was a little scared, but
then it got much softer, and the Skulds looked more relaxed too, so Maho
guessed that things would be all right.

Frito: <Softly> Awww. Dat's sweet.

"Amaterasu was beautiful and incandescent.", said Keiichi.  He continued
in tones of awe, "But she had nothing on Belldandy.  When the power
transfer was complete, She spread as wide as a storm cloud and swept
away the devastation, ... like it was less than dust to her."

Belldandy jumped up and ran out of the room.

"Hey!", Urd yelled after her, "There's still two locks back there!"

"What's going on?", asked Keiichi.

"Ohhh!, why did she have to figure it out NOW?", Urd moaned, then she
turned on Keiichi, "Well you Idiot, go after her before she runs all the way
back to the Heavens!"

Windir: Hmmm.

Lyra: Hmmm?

Windir: While the technique used here is, in fact a nicely subtle one and 
worthy of appreciation, I do wonder if the author left quite enough clues 
to support its implementation. It's a minor matter, since we do in fact 
receive the deduction a few moments later, but still slightly less than 
satisfactory. 

Lyra: <Shaking her head> Oh. I see. Maybe just a bit more stage business, 
to show a bit more of his reactions at the end of his speech, but I think 
it worked okay as it is. Especially since, like you said, we're told what 
happened a moment later. I like Urd's behavior here, too.

That brought Keiichi immediately to his feet.  "BELLDANDY!", he yelled
as he ran after her.

Brett watched them go.  "Well, I'm clueless, whats going on?"

"As expected of MEN!", Urd commented through clenched teeth.  "The
reason she's upset is that she finally figured it out.  The reason Keiichi
wont put the moves on her is ..."


***********


"Keiichisan is afraid of me."

Keiichi was facing Belldandy's back and Belldandy was facing that
damned cherry tree.  A handful of Skulds had followed Belldandy out, but
as they heard what she said, they swiftly made themselves scarce.  Keiichi
didn't know why he hated that cherry tree, he only remembered that it had
something to do with the crisis they'd gone through just before their first
Christmas together.  Also, Belldandy only came here when she was upset
about something, usually having to do with him.  He figured he had to talk
to her, he just wished he had a clear idea of what to say.  Judging by the
way her shoulders were shaking, she was crying, so he mustn't wait, and it
was worse than futile to try to lie to her.

Lyra: Do we really need the reference to OAV 5? I know, it's good to have 
some continuity, and it's a kind of clever symbolic linking of her being 
forced to leave then with her maybe leaving now. But you can get to a 
point where back references feel more like the author's trying to prove 
something about his faithfulness to the original, and I think this one is 
starting to push the line.

"Yes, I'm afraid.  Of your magic.  I didn't believe in magic until ... some
time after I met you.  It still surprises and startles me."

She was crying, she couldn't hide it in her voice as she answered him. 
"I've tried so hard, ...to keep you comfortable, ...so that nothing would
disturb you..., but if I'm still not satisfactory.."

"Stop!", Keiichi surprised himself with his own vehemence.  Belldandy
jumped as if she'd been slapped, and then just stood there, trembling. 
Keiichi made his thoughts and voice as quite and calm as he could,
considering the way his heart was racing, 'screw this up', he thought to
himself, 'and its all over'.  "Belldandy, please turn and face me."  She did,

Frito: Ja WHOL!

Windir: <Looking disgusted> Frito, *please*.

Frito: Look, I don't like it soundin' like he's givin' her orders!

Lyra: <Dubiously> Well, 'turn and face me' does sound more like a 
dressing down... maybe 'please look at me' would work better.

"No.  No more hiding.  I'll get used to magic in my natural time.  It's none
of your affair if I'm startled, I should learn to expect it.  And if I'm
awestruck from time to time, that will help me keep from taking you for
granted."

Keiichi walked up to her and took her hands in his.  "Belldandy, You're
my present joy, and my future hope.  Put away your tears.  I don't want you
to be anything else except yourself."

Lyra: Again, he's sounding a little too formal. <Shoots an amused look at 
Windir> I'd expect him to be clumsier, but more heartfelt.

"Belldandy, you should relax."

"Keiichisan?", she stiffened and whispered back incredulously, "You don't
mean what I think you mean!?"

"Yes.  Let them go."

For a moment there was only the sound of their hearts beating.  Then
came a rustling behind her back.  Belldandy had wings.  They stretched
out wider than she was tall.  Each feather was as shiny as a pearl, and
white as snow on a high mountain.  In a graceful rush they curled around
him as her arms had, wrapping him up like a blanket, caressing him with
a thousand feather touches.  And there was light, brilliant shades of gold
and white, that seemed to shine toward him from the exact opposite side
of her head.

Windir: A bit extravagant... <Hushed> but beautiful.

Belldandy gathered her wings back into her back, sucked in her halo and
drew a little apart from Keiichi, though she did take his hands in hers. 
"Skulds are coming.", she whispered.

Keiichi sighed, but nodded his head in agreement.

A generic Skuld came into view around the corner of the house.  "Hey you
two, If you've made up already, come to the control room for shutoff."

Lyra: <Sighing wryly> Trust Skuld. <Grins>

"**Al Byndynge Lquss 'Wowwhatabigfatbutt2'.**", Belldandy intoned.

"The Brat will Paayyy!", Urd quietly vowed yet another time.

Lyra: Heh.

They had just sat down when the door behind them slammed open, and
Urd, now wounded only in her pride, came out.

"BRRRAATT!  I hope you got a lot of good memories out of that, cause
this is going to be a LEGENDARY revenge!"  Lightening was crawling
up and down Urd's arms as she raised her hands, then she froze.  As
Belldandy, Brett and Keiichi rushed out onto the porch from behind Urd,
they came around her and saw, ...Terai, quite serious, holding her index
finger just centimeters away from the Goddess mark in the center of
Skuld's forehead.  And Skuld, looking at Urd, smiling the biggest, nastiest
grin ever yet seen on the young goddess.  Slowly, Urd lowered her arms

Windir: Heh. Revenge can be so sweet...

Frito: You bein' sarcastic or somethin'?

Windir just smiles angelically. 

"Help!"  Brett called over the noises from the automated cooking
machines.  Belldandy and Skuld rushed in to see what was wrong with
Terai just behind them.  Keiichi shook his head and Urd switched
channels on the TV.

Windir: Why am I not surprised?

"And from more and more cities and townships across Honshu come
reports of further rice cooker theft and vandalism.  It seems that no
neighborhood is without some effected homes."  Click.

"That's right," said an older man to the camera, "I came in this morning
early and found the cars all lined up here in front.  This is a junkyard 
after
all, even though the owner doesn't like to have me call it that.  So I was
puzzled from the beginning, why should all these cars be lined up here in
front, and why would anyone put glass back in their windshields or clean
them up.  But I really freaked out when I walked down and tried to start
one on a whim.  I promise, every one of these cars runs perfectly now ...". 
Click

The other channels had similar stories.  Keiichi sighed.  The one saving
thing about the whole mess, so far, was that no one seemed to have seen
or had any pictures of cute little black haired magic girls.  Any such
evidence would surely tip off the people in and around Nekomi Tech who
had had any dealings with Skuld.

Lyra: I like the follow-up, here, even though it's predictable.

Frito: Da Brownies strike again!

"I guess We're going out for Breakfast?", asked Keiichi.  Both Brett and
Belldandy nodded an affirmative.  "Ah.  Well, no problem, I'll grab my
wallet and We'll go.  That reminds me, we needed to pick up some
groceries anyway.  Terai, if we knew just how long you can stay then that
will help us plan what to buy.  Do you know?"

"Oh yes, Morisatosan.", Terai replied.  "I can stay here for only ten orbits,
twelve at the most."

"Orbits?", asked Keiichi, but he guessed her answer even before she said
it.

"Of your planet around my Sister.", Terai explained.

Keiichi hung his head.  "I knew it.", he said.

Windir: Erp.

Satako put on a high collared blouse and a scarf to conceal the bandage
and went back to work that same morning.  Everyone was worried about
her and how she was going to 'recover'.  Their reaction to her returning
to her summer job after only one day of rest illustrated the situation.  Her
mother was appalled, Ootaki was almost subservient, and now still more
embarrassing, the Professor who hired her was bowing and apologizing
for her 'unfortunate incident'.

Windir: The wording could be a little smoother, here.

Back on the balcony above Terai's real body, the short dark figure was
nervous again.  "How long will it take to get all the new dust inside her,
and how can we hope to hold on that long!"

"Only the tiniest amount of time, a little bit over a year."  replied the 
tall
dark figure.

"What's a 'year'?"

"The people on Amaterasu's planet use it to refer to one of their orbits
around her.  Terai is visiting that world, and would hardly leave in so
short a time.  It's less than one ten thousandth of a rotation of the 
galaxy."

"Oh," replied the shorter figure.  "I guess that's not too long at all."

"No, it isn't.", said the taller one, "And after that, weather we stay or 
leave
it will be too late.  She will become a Blue Supergiant star, rather than the
ordinary yellow mediocrity she was intended to be.  She'll burn her too
short life out and burst, irradiating every solar system for a hundred light-
years in every direction, and collapse into one of us, and begin to feed on
her siblings.  Ha ha ha.  Nyaa, Ha HA HA HA!"


The End?

Windir: <Dryly> One wonders. I'm not quite sure what the author had in 
mind for them, but I think it needs to be fleshed out further if it's 
going to stay.

***********


Well, hope you liked my story.  Once again, please send me comments or
questions.

Frito: Dis good enough?

Lyra: <Blushing> Well, we were rather late in finishing it.

Windir: <Loftily, staring off into the distance> Circumstances beyond our 
control.

Lyra: <Muttered> I'll bet.

She shakes her head, as if pulling herself together, then sits up briskly 
and rubs her hands together.

Lyra: Anyway, so what'd you all think? Like it?

Frito: <Snicker>

Lyra: <Smiling> I'll take that as a yes. Windir?

Windir: Indeed. The mechanics need some polishing, and the author has a 
tendency to detail about the AMG universe that would be more appropriate 
in a mailing list discussion than a story.  Nevertheless, the story has a 
fine mix of humor and sentiment, and the title sequence of 10,000,000 
Skulds was simply delightful. I do wonder, however, if PM Skuld had the 
courtesy to direct the restoration of the living room before 
recombining...

Lyra: Uh-huh. <Smiles again> Well, looking forward to seeing more from 
you, Jim!



Travis Butler
(The Professor, formerly of Myth and Magick!, Lawrence, KS;
 tbutler@tfs.net, now from the Wandering Powerbook;
 <http://www.tfs.net/personal/tbutler/>;
 Mac page <http://www.tfs.net/business/tbutler/>)

...I'm sorry, but all questions MUST be submitted in writing.