Ah My Goddess - Wedding

by Sean Gaffney

All characters (c) Kosuke Fujishima and used without permission
except
Kenji (c) Ed Sharpe.  Used with kind permission.

***************

Urd felt herself slowly waking, feeling as if her head was being slammed 
against a rock face repeatedly.  Shit, another one of those nights last
night, she thought.  Grumbling to herself, she put on a robe and went
out into the living room.

Keiichi and Belldandy were asleep, arms wrapped around each other, heads
cradled on each other's shoulders.

"Oh.  Guess it *wasn't* another one of those nights." said Urd.

Not a sound, they must be really out.  Urd decided that she hadn't
played a joke on Keiichi for some time; and besides, she couldn't resist
an opportunity like this.

"Yo, Keiichi!  Your mother is outside!" she exclaimed.

Keiichi set the record for the vertical leap, almost cracking his head 
on the ceiling.  "Mom!  I can explain!  I...uhhh..."

Keiichi slowly came back to himself, and glared at Urd.  Then he
noticed Belldandy slowly waking up, and turned to her.  "Are you OK
this morning, Belldandy?"

She smiled up at him.  "I don't think I've ever been better, Keiichi-san.
Oh, my goodness!  I overslept!  I...why are we out here?"

"I guess we fell asleep on the couch last night.  Um...I didn't try
anything, if that's what you--"

"Oh, Keiichi-san, don't be silly!  I was just curious.  Oh, I have
to get breakfast ready!"  And with that, she rushed into the kitchen.

Urd watched all of this with a vaguely annoyed expression on her face.
Didn't she just try to get Keiichi mad, as she always did?  And how
did he react?  As soon as Belldandy woke, it was as if Urd wasn't 
there.  Urd sighed, and felt the anger go away, to be replaced by the
depression that she had become more familiar with.  Why shouldn't
she be surprised?  Keiichi and Belldandy had just declared their love 
for each other.  Surely they would be hard pressed to focus on anyone 
else at the moment.

Urd needed to cheer herself up, and fast.  She decided to go to her
second favorite target.  Unfortunately, Skuld's room was empty.  Urd
frowned, and walked up to the alarm clock.

"Hey!  Mr. Alarm, or Mr. Timer, or whatever the hell she calls you.
Where's Skuld?"

The alarm beeped once before answering.  "Mistress Skuld left the
temple early this morning.  She left specific instructions not to tell
you where she had gone."

Kenji, Urd thought.  The rest of last night was starting to come 
back to her.  This was going to be rough on the both of them.  After
all, finding out that the person you love has kept the most important
part of her existence from you...

Urd finally surrendered to the black mood that had been threatening
for the past few minutes.  Keiichi and Belldandy, Kenji and Skuld, she
thought.  Wandering into the kitchen, she went to the fridge and
grabbed a bottle of sake.

Belldandy looked at her in surprise.  "Sister!  It's only eight 
o clock!  Don't you think..."  She trailed off as she saw the expression
in Urd's eyes.

"I know what time it is, Belldandy.  And I'll thank you to let my
go about my day the way I want to."

And with that, Urd climbed up to the roof, where she lay down, looked
up at the sky, and took a long slug from the bottle.

***

Skuld walked towards Kenji's apartment with an equal mixture of fear
and excitement in her heart.  She was excited every time she saw Kenji,
and that had still not changed.  But after last night, the fear that
he would hate her fused in her heart, and still refused to let her go.

So she decided to go to him.  In order to explain, and to show him that
*she* could take the initial step in putting things right, that she 
cared about their friendship.

If there was a friendship any more.

She went up to his room and rang the bell.  She didn't feel like 
running away, but knew that if there was any other way to put things
right, she would take it.

Kenji answered the door.  He was still wearing the clothes that he
had on last night, and looked as if he had never even gone to bed.  
His expression remained neutral as he saw her.

"Skuld.  Come on in."

Kenji left the door open for her as he walked back into his living
room.  Well, thought Skuld, at least he didn't slam the door in my
face.  Nevertheless, she could feel herself wavering at the door.  Stop
this, she thought.  You need to do this, more than anything.  If
Keiichi could have the courage to propose to a goddess, then surely
she could muster up the courage to heal her broken friendship.

Skuld walked slowly into the room, sitting down on the couch.  "Thank
you, Kenji.  I--thank you for allowing me into your home."

"Well, I could hardly refuse you.  After all, you are a goddess."

Skuld's temper flared.  "And so what if I am?  Do you think I'm going
to call a curse on your head if you don't do as I say?  Do you really
know so little about me?"

"Apparently, I know very little about you, Skuld.  Everything about you, 
everything I thought I understood, is now gone.  Why did you keep this
from me?  Did you think I'd blurt it out to the first person who came
along?"

"Kenji, I couldn't tell *anyone*!  None of us could!  Even Keiichi's
sister didn't know about us until last night!  It's a secret that has
to be kept, no matter...no matter how much I wanted otherwise."

Kenji looked at her for a moment, his eyes unsure.  "So what sort of
goddess are you, anyway?"

Skuld looked back at him, desperately trying to convince him with her
words.  "I am Skuld, the Norn goddess of the Future.  My sister
Belldandy is the goddess of the present, and Urd is the goddess of
the past."

Kenji was intrigued, in spite of himself.  "So you're responsible for
the destinies of everybody on Earth?"

"Actually, no.  I suppose a more human term for us would be computer
programmers.  Ygdrassil, our main computer in heaven, does most of the
work for us.  We just have to watch over it.  That's mostly my job; 
I'm a debugger back up in heaven."  Skuld unconsciously twirled her
mallet.  "Urd is the system administrator.  Belldandy used to write
programs, but Kami-sama transferred her to the Goddess Help Office
a few years ago."

"So why are you here?  Doesn't heaven need you up there all the time?"

"Well, there are a few apprentice debuggers who are doing my job, and 
Ygdrassil doesn't break down that often.  Besides...I was told by
Kami-sama that I had to stay on Earth as a surface trainee.  Apparently
my people skills weren't all they could have been."

"Yes, Keiichi told me about you visiting him in the bathtub like that."

Skuld blushed.

"But this was two years ago!  Can't you appeal to Kami-sama to let you
return to your duties?"

"Actually, Kami-sama has told me that I can return any time I want.
But I've come to like it here on Earth.  There's always fun things to
do, I don't have as many responsibilities weighing me down...I can
be free when I'm down here.  I think that's why Urd stays here, too."

Kenji shuddered.  He tried to imagine the pressure a twelve-year-old
girl would feel if she was in charge of maintenance for the computer
that ran the world.  No wonder she had mood swings.

"But despite all that, I was about ready to go back.  And then...I
met you."  Skuld was looking at the wall, trying to keep from seeing
Kenji's face.  "You...had an effect on me that no one ever has.  I
don't know what it was, exactly.  I do know that you became my
friend when I desperately needed one.  I have so many mechanical
friends that I invent, all of them talking and smart, but...I don't
really know how to make real friends.  I always screw it up."

She paused again.  Kenji was looking at the back of her head, and
her lustrous black hair.  He wanted her to face him, wanted to be
able to see her expression.

"Kenji, I never meant to hurt you.  I'm sorry that I never told you
about me...the real me.  But I haven't been hiding my true self,
Kenji.  I'm no different from the girl you know, Kenji."  She turned,
and smiled at him half-heartedly.  "It's just that I'm a goddess."

Skuld finished her explanation and turned to look at Kenji.  There
was still a great deal that he didn't know about her, but it could 
keep.  If he wasn't ready to accept her now, what difference would 
the rest make?

She looked at Kenji.  He was so handsome, sitting there looking at 
her.  After a few minutes, she said, "Kenji?  Is there...a problem?"

Kenji finally spoke.  "Skuld, I...I had no idea that you were this
important.  I thought that we just had a nice, normal friendship.  I
can't just accept you again and go on as if nothing happened.  It's
impossible."

Skuld felt her self-control beginning to give way.  "I see.  Well, 
thank you for being honest, Kenji."  She got up to leave, fighting
back a sob.

"Skuld, wait!  I'm not finished."  Kenji's voice cut through her haze.
She sat again with a wary expression.

"When you described the moment when we met...well, it was much the
same for me.  When I first saw you there was something in my chest that
just...you were like no-one I'd never seen before.  I don't know if
it was my subconscious telling me you were a goddess, or..."

Kenji sighed.  "There's no possible way to go back to what we once
had.  But...if you were to leave, I don't think my life would be the
same.  Every time we see each other, I don't ever want you to go.  I
can't possibly send you away.  Can we...can we start over, maybe?  I
promise never to do anything that would hurt you in any way.  I was
happy to be your friend when I thought you were a mortal, and I'm
happy to be so now that I know your true destiny.  And I hope...that
someday...maybe we can be more than friends."

Kenji sat back, exhausted.  Now it was his turn to wait, as Skuld sat
thinking about what he had said.  He wondered if she could accept it.
This was perhaps the closest he had gotten to showing his feelings
for her, and he was afraid that it wouldn't be enough.

Skuld looked up, and there were tears in her eyes.  "Yes, Kenji, I
would like to start again.  I...I don't know what I'd do without you
around.  There are times when I get really mad, and then I think of
you, and I calm down.  It doesn't matter to me that you're a mortal.
You're my best friend."

Kenji had to ask this next question.  "Skuld...if everything works
out, do you think we could eventually have something like your sister 
and Keiichi?"

Skuld smiled.  "Not like them.  I'm nothing like my sister, nor do I
want to be.  But yes, Kenji, I do see that future for us.  I see
it, and it shines brighter than the others."

And with that, they embraced each other with all their might.  Friends
for now, but the promise for more now vocalized.  They held each other
for a long time, in relief and happiness.

***

Keiichi sat in the courtyard, waiting for Belldandy to return.

It had been a busy day.  After breakfast, Belldandy had gone up to
heaven, explaining that she needed to formally ask Kami-sama of this
boon.  She didn't see a problem, though.

Keiichi had spent the morning taking care of a few things here on
Earth.  He had called his parents, and arranged a meeting tomorrow
to announce his marriage.  He knew his mother would go ballistic, but
he couldn't avoid it; they needed to be told.

He also called Tamiya and Ootaki, letting them know the news, and
inviting them to the wedding.  They didn't seem to be surprised at
all; in fact, their main concern was Keiichi's bachelor party, which
they insisted on despite his protests.  He also got a promise from
them not to tell Sayoko and Aoshima until the last possible moment;
no sense inviting trouble.

With that done, he returned to the temple to await Belldandy.
Despite all the assurances she had given him, Keiichi feared what
Kami-sama would say.  After all, he was trying to marry one of the
best goddesses in heaven, one of Kami-sama's closest confidants.
Would this be allowed, even if the two of them did love each other?

Keiichi's train of thought was interrupted by Belldandy coming out
into the backyard.  There was a smile on her face, but Keiichi 
immediately noticed that the smile did not reach her eyes.  He reached
out to her.  "What did the Lord say?"

Belldandy smiled at him.  "He has given me permission to marry you,
Keiichi-san."

Keiichi let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding.

Belldandy continued.  "But it was not without some cost.  He would 
not give us his blessing...not yet.  And...he says that my contract
with you will have to be broken."

Keiichi was shocked.  "What?  Why?"

"He says that he does not want us to be bound together by the contract
if we grow apart over the years.  He says that the contract of marriage
will have to hold us together, not anything else.  I agree with him, I
suppose.  I just...didn't want it put so coldly.  Keiichi, there are
many things we need to discuss.  Kami-sama does not want you to marry
me without realizing everything that goes with it."

"Like what?"

"Keiichi, I wanted so much to marry you just as a normal girl would,
with no drawbacks or problems.  But it can't work that way.  I *am* a
goddess, and that means that our relationship is going to be put under
more strain than the average.  In heaven..." Belldandy paused and looked
down.  "In heaven the average relationship between a mortal and a human
lasts only four years.  After that, the human is usually...killed."

Keiichi was amazed.  "What!  How is that possible!  I thought you came
from heaven!"

Belldandy looked up at him again.  "I do, Keiichi.  But heaven is many
things to many people.  It's almost infinite.  My part of heaven, and
that of my sisters, is based on Norn beliefs.  They're very different
from Shinto or Buddhist beliefs."

"But aren't heaven and hell supposed to be good and evil?"

"In several cases, that is true.  But our aspect of heaven is more
complicated.  It's not a matter of good or evil, it's a matter of
choosing sides.  Heaven has many people who make Urd look like an angel.
Many of them will hate you.  Do you think you can live with this, with
the baggage that I bring with me from heaven?"

Keiichi thought for a few moments.  "I will not give you up.  Not now,
after all we've been through.  We've been living together for three
years, finding out about each other's likes and dislikes.  I doubt
many other relationship in heaven are the same."

Belldandy gave another one of her beautiful smiles.  "Oh, Keiichi-san...
thank you.  But is there a reason you wanted to marry me?  We could
still have gone on like we have."

"No, Belldandy.  With our contract, we had permission from heaven
for you to stay with me.  It could be yanked away at any time, as we
found out two years ago.  But our marriage is more than just a ceremony,
it's a promise between ourselves, and no other party can come between
that.  Not your sisters, or Marller...it's between the two of us.
That's what I wanted for us, Belldandy.  Actually, breaking the contract
might have been the best thing that happened.  At least now, we're
free to be married without any strings attached.  I can be sure...that
it's your love that's the reason."

"Keiichi-san!  Are you saying that you doubted my promise?"

Keiichi felt ashamed.  "It...did occur to me.  But only for a moment.
I do not think that you would willingly do anything to hurt me, 
Belldandy.  I'm sorry to have doubted you."

Belldandy leaned over and took Keiichi in her arms.  "In that case, I
had best erase all doubts from your mind."  She began to make a
spell behind him as she spoke.  "I love you, Keiichi Morisato.  I
have always loved you, with all my heart, ever since we first met...
Fourteen years ago."  And with that Belldandy passed her head over
Keiichi's, bringing his long buried memories to the surface.

Keiichi cried out, as the memories took hold.  "Belldandy, I...I
remember!  You came to me all those years ago!"

"Yes, and it was one of my happiest memories.  But Kami-sama demanded
that I erase your memories, and so I did.  But as you say, our lives
are now our own.  Which means I have the right to give your past back 
to you, Keiichi-san.  May our joy be even greater than the joy of
our childhood selves."

And with that, she gave him another long, searching kiss.

***

Urd sat up on the roof, trying not to fall off.  She was extremely
drunk by now, and was finally getting to the point of being happy
drunk as opposed to depressed drunk.  This mean that at the moment,
she was singing at the top of her lungs.

"And I just hope that you can forgive us, 'cause everything must go!"

Urd was interrupted by a flash from another part of the roof.  When
she turned, there was a tall figure, shadow hiding most of his face,
standing there.  Urd recognized him immediately.

"Hiya, Odin!  Come to join the party?  Have a bottle!"  Urd reached
for a bottle that she had long since dropped.

"Urd, I may be here on earth, but please do not believe that that
gives you the right to treat me like any other god!"

Urd sobered up instantly.  "Sorry, Kami-sama.  Why're you down here?"
A cold thought passed through her mind.  "Hey, you're not gonna
stop Keiichi and sister from getting married, are you?  They deserve
this, dammit!"

Kami-sama looked at her sympathetically.  "No, Urd.  What they decide
to do is their business, as I told them this morning.  No, Urd, you
are the one I came to see."

Urd thought for a moment.  What had she done lately?  Any major
world disasters?  Any destroyed buildings?  She hadn't even cooked
up a love potion lately.  "Sorry, sir, but I can't think why.  Things
have been really quiet around here."

"Yes, I know.  That's the reason I came down here.  You've been good
for quite some time now, an unusual feat.  You've used up all of
your suspensions."

Urd sat there, utterly amazed.  "Kami-sama, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that as of this moment, Urd, all suspensions and warnings
against you are dropped, and your goddess status is once again 
restored.  You can even come back to heaven if you like."

Urd was speechless.  "I...thank you, Kami-sama.  I don't know what
to say."

"You earned it, Urd.  Don't believe otherwise.  Frankly, I can't help
but wonder why you've managed to turn around in such a short time."

Urd frowned inwardly, but didn't show it.  "Yeah, that is a puzzle.
Anyway, thanks again.  I'll probably come back up for a visit pretty
soon."

"No problem, Urd.  I know I haven't said this a lot, but I'm looking
forward to seeing you again."  And with that, Kami-sama vanished in
a cloud of whiteness.

After being sure that he was gone, Urd once again sank to the roof.  
She knew why she'd been so good lately.  She'd spent all her time
up here, getting depressed and feeling sorry for herself.  And now
she was being praised for that?

Without realizing it, Urd raised another bottle to her lips, and
began the task of getting seriously drunk.  Again.

***

The next couple of weeks were a flurry of activity, as the date for
the wedding drew nearer.

***

"Me?  But why me?"

"Because Urd won't do it.  She says that if they called her a maid 
of honor, it would besmirch her character.  So she suggested you 
instead."

"I'll besmirch her!  She's just insulting me again!"

"Does that mean you won't do it, Skuld?"  Belldandy looked pensively
at her sister.

Skuld thought for a moment.  "No, of course I'll be your maid of 
honor, sister.  I was just...thinking of something else."

Belldandy smiled quietly to herself.  "Thank you, Skuld.  Have you
invited Kenji to the wedding yet?"

Skuld smirked.  "Don't need to.  Keiichi is making him his best man.
I heard that Tamiya threw a fit when he found out!"

"Oh, well.  Someone was bound to be disappointed.  Speaking of which,
I'm going out now, Skuld.  I could be some time."

"Jeez!  Are you going to a battle?"

"In a sense.  I'm meeting with Keiichi's parents.  He's going to tell
them about the wedding."

***

"Mother, Father, you've met Belldandy a few times."

"Yes, hello, Belldandy, how are you?" Keiichi's father was smiling 
kindly.

"Very well, thank you, sir."

Belldandy looked at Keiichi's mother.  She was met with a cold stare.
Then, not even acknowledging Belldandy, she turned to her son.

"And why have you brought her here?  You know how I feel about her,
and yet you choose to flaunt her in my face?  Is that any way a son
should treat his mother?

Keiichi, surprisingly, showed no outward reaction at all, except for 
tightening his grip on Belldandy's hand.  "I've come here to inform 
you both of something.  Belldandy and I are going to be married next
week."

Keiichi's mother fell silent, and you could see the veins bulging out
on her head.  Keiichi's father was a little more vocal.

"Next week?  Are you sure about this, son?  It all seems a little
sudden."

"Belldandy and I have been seeing each other for three years.  In that
time, we've both come to love and trust each other, even with our lives.
I don't take this decision lightly, father.  This is something I've
thought about for a long time.  Please, give me your support."

Belldandy could not get over how calm her fiancé was.  Keiichi's normal
reaction around his mother, much like his father, was to acquiesce to
her demands, fearing the response they might trigger.  The last time
Belldandy had met them, it had taken Megumi, who took after her mother 
more, to defuse the situation.

But Keiichi was more determined than Belldandy had ever seen him.  He
didn't take his eyes off his father during his whole speech.

His father seemed to sense it, as well.  He then turned and gave
Belldandy an appraising look.  "Well, I can't say I've had any problems
the few times I've seen Belldandy.  I don't see why -- "

"Are you mad!  There is no way I'm allowing my son to marry that
foreign slut!  She's just trying to use him, you can see it in her
eyes!"

Belldandy felt like crying.  To be hated by someone this close to 
Keiichi broke her up inside, and she felt like crying.

Keiichi noticed this as well.  Letting go of her hand, he walked right
up to his mother, staring into her eyes.  "I am going to marry Belldandy.
I can do it with or without you blessing.  I would rather have it.  But
if you insist on talking about the woman I love that way, then not
only will I walk out of here right now, but you will not be welcome at
the wedding.  And from that day forth, you will have to live with the 
fact that you weren't present at the most important day of my life.  Do
you really hate Belldandy so much that you're willing to go that far?"

Belldandy stared in amazement at Keiichi.  She could not believe what
she was hearing.  Keiichi loved her so much that he was willing to
abandon his own mother?

Keiichi's mother stood stock still.  For a moment, she stared right back
into Keiichi's eyes, daring him to look away.  Then she saw that he was
not going to.

"But...you can't do this.  You *can't*.  You're my baby..."

"I am *not* your baby!"  Keiichi was shouting now.  "You've coddled me
through my entire life!  You don't have any problems with Megumi doing
what she wants, why me?  Why can't you accept the fact that I'm capable
of my own choices!  I am marrying Belldandy!"

Keiichi's mother looked down and began to cry, silently.  But even this
did not faze Keiichi.  Finally, without looking up, she said, "Do what
you want."

Keiichi looked sadly at her for a moment, then turned to his father.
"I hope that we can see both of you at the wedding."

Keiichi's father smiled.  "Of course.  We're your parents, after all.
I hope that you and Belldandy will be very happy together."

And with that, he took his wife into the other room, leaving the young 
couple standing alone.

"Keiichi-san, I can't believe you did that!  She's your mother!"

"Belldandy, she's been treating me like this since I went off to 
college!  She's got to come to terms with it sometime!  Until now,
I've just let her walk all over me.  Maybe...maybe I didn't have
anything worth fighting for then."

"Oh, Keiichi-san..."  Belldandy gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Thank you for doing this for me."

"I did it for us, Belldandy," Keiichi said, smiling at her.

***

"Hey, MORISATO!!!"

Keiichi sighed.  Tamiya.  Looked like the whole motor club was with 
him.  "What do you want, sempai?  It's the night before my wedding, 
and I really need to get prepared."

Ootaki smirked.  "That's right, Morisato.  It is the night before your
wedding.  And I think we all know what that means..."

A cry arose from the throng.  "BACHELOR PARTY!!!"

Keiichi was appalled.  "Oh, no!  I don't have time for any of your 
stupid parties!  I want to live to see my wedding day!"

"Don't be silly, Morisato!  Of course you want a bachelor party!  It's
the last chance to sow your wild oats!"

"Keiichi frowned.  "I don't have any wild oats."

Tamiya wouldn't be put off by that.  "Then we'll just have to grab you
some along the way!  GRAB HIM!"

Keiichi was dragged, kicking and screaming, into Tamiya's van, which
took off for parts unknown.

At this time,  Belldandy came out from the kitchen.  "Keiichi-san?"
she asked.  Seeing him being carried off by Tamiya, she said, "Oh,
it must be a party!  Well, his friends will take care of him."  And
humming, she went back into the house.

***

The morning of his wedding dawned slowly for Keiichi.  There seemed to
be a light burning into his eyes, and he was lying on something
incredibly uncomfortable.

Suddenly, memory of last night came to him.  In a flash, he sat up,
and realized three things.  He was in the flatbed of a pickup truck, 
it was in the middle of nowhere, and he was stark naked.  Keiichi 
quickly assessed his situation.

"Well, shit."

***

The temple was awash with activity.  Urd was running around, making
sure everything was all right.  No way that her sister's wedding would 
have anything go wrong with it.  

"Has anyone seen Keiichi?" asked Megumi, already in her dress.

As if on cue, Keiichi stormed into the house, dressed in a pair of
overalls he had found in the toolkit.  "Urd, do me a favor?  Find
Tamiya, and make him itch for the next week?"

"No problem, Keiichi.  You got three minutes to get dressed, you know."

"AAAIGGH!"  Keiichi shot into his room.  The others giggled.

"Hey, Urd.  Why is this a western wedding, anyway?" said Megumi

"Well, Kami-sama felt uncomfortable with Belldandy getting married in
a Shinto ceremony.  'Cutting into other people's territory', I 
believe he said."

"Well, let's hope that that's the last thing to go wrong today."

***

"Belldandy?"

Belldandy froze as she put the finishing touches on her makeup.  Feeling
very cold, she turned around.

Keiichi's mother stood in the doorway.  She was dressed in a rather
severe dress, and the effect was that of a very traditional Japanese 
wife.  Belldandy wondered whether she normally dressed like this, or
if it was a statement regarding the wedding not being Shinto.

"Hello, Mrs. Morisato.  What...what can I do for you?"  Belldandy forced
the words out of her throat.  She wished with all her heart that Keiichi
was here now.

"I just wanted to see you to congratulate you.  You've gotten what you 
want.  You're marrying my boy...my *son*, I'm sorry.  I hope you're
happy."

Belldandy took her courage in her hands and answered.  "Yes, I am very
happy, but not because I've defeated you in any way.  Why do you
dislike me so much?  Is it because I'm not Japanese?  I can't help
where I come from any more than I can control the whims of my heart.
My sister says that I act too much like the stereotypical Japanese
wife.  I won't embarrass Keiichi, or make him unhappy.  Why do you
hate me?"

The response was immediate.  "Because you're taking away my son!  I've
raised him for twenty years, and now he's gone and fallen in love
with you!  Do you realize, from the moment you entered my life, he
only calls once a month?  He never comes by to see us, oh no, he's
too busy "studying" with you!  You say he has his own life now, but
that's not true -- he has yours.  That is why I do not like you."

Belldandy stared in shock.  She had no idea that her presence had
caused *so* great an effect.  She took time to phrase her answer; if
she got this wrong, there would be no reconciliation between Keiichi 
and his mother.  And that was something Belldandy would never forgive
herself for.

"Mrs. Morisato, you've got it backwards!  I don't run Keiichi's life!
Everything I do, every day I get up, is for Keiichi!  He has his own
life, not mine at all, I can assure you.  As for not calling home,
well, every time he did you told him that I was a horrible woman!  
After a while, he got tired of it!"  She was starting to lose it now;
she pulled back.  "Mrs. Morisato, we've only really met a couple of
times.  I know that you can't trust me yet.  But please give me a 
chance.  Keiichi loves you, you're his mother, and seeing the two of
you torn apart because of me would break my heart!  Please, for
Keiichi's sake, not for mine."

There was another long pause.  "There can be nothing I can say to
make you change your mind about this marriage."

"No.  I will marry Keiichi, and be with him as long as he needs me.
I have to.  Moreover, I want to."

Keiichi's mother sighed.  "Very well.  I can't say as I approve yet, 
but I won't stop it.  At least you're firm about it.  Until recently,
I never thought my son would talk to me the way he did last week.
Maybe he has finally grown up.  Good luck to you, Belldandy."

Belldandy smiled.  "Thank you, Mrs. Morisato."

And with that, Keiichi's mother walked out the door.  Belldandy
immediately collapsed on the chair, feeling the adrenaline after a 
major battle.  Suddenly, the day had gotten even better.

***

The ceremony itself.  Keiichi stood quietly, not doing anything but
looking at Belldandy.  He was crossing every digit he had; he kept 
expecting something to go wrong.

"Do you, Keiichi Morisato, take this woman as your lawfully wedded
wife, to love, honor, and cherish, to have and to hold, in sickness 
and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

Keiichi was amazed that they had gotten that far.  Nonetheless, he
didn't even pause.  "I do."

"And do you, Belldandy, take this man as your lawfully wedded husband, 
to love, honor, and cherish, to have and to hold, in sickness and in 
health, as long as you both shall live?"

Belldandy smiled.  She had called in every favor she had to ensure
that nothing would go wrong today.  Marller was trapped in a logic
puzzle that would take her days to figure out, and Kami-sama was 
making sure that the less...moral of heaven's company were staying out 
of the way.  And now her dream was coming true.  "I do."

"Then, by the authority vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and
wife.  You may kiss the bride."

Keiichi looked at his goddess...no, last time he called her that.  He
looked at his *wife* with more love than he thought he could possibly
hold.  She looked back at him with equal love in her heart.  As he 
lifted her veil and kissed her, the last of his fears left him.

***

Skuld sat in a corner, watching the couples dance after the wedding.  
She had tried to dance, but there was a really complicated waltz going 
on, and she couldn't follow it.  She came over here and sat, out of 
the way of any others.

She stared at the bouquet in her hands.  She couldn't believe that
Belldandy would do this to her.  Especially since...Skuld blushed.  
She knew the custom, and didn't care to think of it.

"Skuld?  Are you all right?"

Skuld looked up, her heart leaping as it always did.  "I'm fine, Kenji.
It's just...a really big day.  I mean, nothing's going to be the same
around here."

"Well, people change.  Keiichi and Belldandy were ready to get married.
And I don't think I've ever seen two happier people."

Skuld couldn't hold it in any more.  "Kenji...do you think we'll ever
have a moment like that?  Have you ever thought about it."

There was a long pause.  "All the time," Kenji finally answered.

"I told you I'm the goddess of the future, Kenji.  Well, there are
many problems that follow worth that.  If I concentrate, I can see
futures flaring out around me.  All different kinds, depending on
what choices people make.  I see us doing this in one of the futures...
but I also see us parting."

"Which choices do we make for each future?"  Kenji was almost 
whispering.

"I don't know.  I can't see the actions, just the consequences.  Kenji,
I'm scared.  I don't want to lose this...lose you.  I like what we
have.  This is the first time that the future has ever scared me.
What do we do?"

Kenji looked at her.  "There doesn't seem to be anything we can do, 
Skuld, except try to live our lives as best we can.  We can't go second
guessing every decision we make, or our relationship might really 
suffer."

Skuld looked at him closely.  "You're right.  We can't be afraid of the
consequences.  We have to take each moment as it comes."  And with
that, she put her arms around Kenji and kissed him.  It was a first
kiss for both of them, but any lack of experience was more than made
up for by the emotions in the participants.

After a short time, they stopped, and looked at each other.  Both
had turned interesting shades of red.

"Hey, you two!  It's time for the toast!"

Urd broke them out of their reverie.  They both snapped away from each
other, and headed for the reception hall.  Megumi stood at the head, a 
glass of champagne in her hand.

"A toast, everyone.  To the future of Keiichi and Belldandy Morisato.
May their happiness never end!"

As Skuld and Kenji picked up their glasses, they looked at each other,
and quietly echoed the toast.

"To the future."


End of Part Two


Author's notes:

Here's part 2 of my AMG trilogy.  It's longer than part 1.  Honeymoon
will probably be the longest of the three.

Getting specific praise in this part are Richard Lawson, Jeff "Mr. the"
Rutsch, Chan Wei Lik of Divine Passion fame, Tricia Sebastian, and
Ewen Chrystal.  All of them read the rough draft of this and made 
important suggestions, especially the scene with Keiichi's parents.
In addition, thanks to Zen, for moral support.

As always, there are a few music refs.  Urd's drunken song is "Everything
Must Go", by the Manic Street Preachers.  The complex waltz that Skuld
can't follow is "Strictly Genteel", by Frank Zappa.

Now.  Honeymoon is coming up.  One of the scenes is Keiichi and
Belldandy's wedding night.  There will be enough description involved
to classify this as a lemon.  However, it will be mild compared to some
of the others I've seen.  I promise not to use the word "pulsating".
If you hate lemons, the scene is self-contained, and can be easily removed.

Onward!  Thanks again.

--Sean Gaffney
--"You git!  I thought you were dead!  Git git git!" - Benny, No Future