A/N: Chapter 2… it has some Urd in it… last of the two shot fiction.

Chapter 2

Boredom…

It would strike early and often. When it did, Urd was usually the cause of an uproar. She normally took to harassing someone in the household by what some might call devilish means. In truth, she had a true love for the people she chose to call family, and that included Keiichi. Still, she also took more pity on him than her sisters ever seemed too, because unlike them, she truly understood his need to covet that which he shouldn't.

To Belldandy, those sins were merely a fact of what being a mortal human meant, and she didn't think anything of it. Urd though, she knew exactly why Keiichi felt troubled whenever a woman so much as looked at him the wrong way, as rarely as it happened. It was because he was mortal, that he felt all the more troubled, because he also knew he was quite clueless to the greater universe around him.

That was why, one morning when Holybell came fluttering by in a rather dour mood, the mortal man worried for his lover instead of the angel. He fixated so much on the saddened goddess that Urd had to come to his rescue. "Don't worry so much." Urd had told him, already brushing the matter aside. "Belldandy was singing earlier in the kitchen, so I know she's in a good mood…well, mostly."

"Don't you think it's a little odd?" He asked with confusion on his features. He could hear Belldandy in the woods behind the shrine, likely greeting the morning sun. She was speaking with the animals, and feeding them leftovers. "I thought angels normally stayed around goddesses, but, hers keeps wandering around."

"They do usually stay near us, when all is well." Urd replied with a shrug. "But, just like goddesses sometimes like to be alone, so do their angels. Just because Holybell is fluttering around, doesn't mean she's any less connected to Belldandy. Actually, because she's so far away from her, Holybell is likely using up a great deal of power. I wouldn't be surprised if Belldandy has to take a nap in the afternoon because of it." Then, she let out a smile, if only to help ease Keiichi. "Holybell and Belldandy are very fond of each other. They would rather expend energy, than cut off communications, like most of us do when we want privacy…as you know, I spend much less time with World of Elegance."

Keiichi had noticed, in fact, he knew that the half demon, half goddess, rarely called upon her companion, while Belldandy always seemed to call upon Holybell for even the simplest of tasks. He considered that as he looked over his homework. "Angels are reflections of goddesses, so, if her angel isn't happy about something…neither is she, right?"

"Hmm…" Urd poured herself another glass of sake. "Angels are a reflection of their masters, true…so, that means they do feel the same things we goddesses feel, probably to more extremes." Urd relented that fact, at least. "I wouldn't worry about it, Keiichi. Whatever has Holybell so upset, is probably just a minor bother to Belldandy. That's sort of how these things work. If Belldandy were truly upset, we'd know."

"Storms?" Keiichi already knew the answer, but he gulped when Urd nodded. "I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Well, that's part of being a goddess too, I'm afraid." Urd told him, unable to offer any more than that. "Just be glad that Skuld hasn't learned magic fluently yet. She can't cook up storms, but it's only a matter of time."

Keiichi rightfully cringed. He didn't want to think about it, and instead, he scurried off into the kitchen with his empty plates and school books, not knowing what to say to any of it. He knew he would have to talk to Belldandy about it, but even so, he wondered if that was even remotely wise…thinking it to be polar opposite.

…

Belldandy did disappear for the day though, choosing to spend her time in the woods, free from prying eyes. She felt torn, at least a little bit, at how her angel was currently feeling. Belldandy knew that there wasn't an easy solution to the problem. After all, it wasn't as if Keiichi could simply swallow an angel's egg and hatch one himself. Even if a mortal could do that, it was risky. Earth was an uncanny place, but, it was not the place where such a thing could happen…at least, not safely.

It hung in a delicate balance.

Beings of higher power knew well...earth was merely a playground. One tiny piece of creation, and little more. Some would laugh at her, merely for finding joy in the idea of something so small. It was so insignificant, that even Skuld could end the little planet with the blink of an eye, if she so chose. Belldandy was incapable of doing it on an emotional level, but her powers alone could make mankind extinct. Knowing that truth, and that having an angel helped her to have such great power…she knew Keiichi was unable to control such a divine gift.

Even if she dearly wished he could have one, in his current form, it was a deadly thing to ponder. It was also inconceivable, strictly due to what he was…a human. A mortal man with a short, precious lifespan. He saw the world in a light she could not, and that vision was filled with such great things, even for a person drenched in misfortune. It was such vision that gave him the ability to have a wish, and such a heart that he spoke the wish that he had.

It was also why, though she would never speak the details to her often nosey older sister, she slid into Keiichi's bed every night. When the sun began to fade, she went to him, and gave herself willingly, because it made him happy. It also filled her with such a sense of joy…of comfort, that she found her desire growing for him by the day. He is not a man made for the heavens…but, instead he is a man made by them. Perhaps that is also enlightenment. She thought to herself, as she basked in the afterglow of making love with him, as she nearly insisted they do as often as privacy would allow. Still, I think he would make a wonderful, if not demure god. I wonder, what sort of god he would be…then again, I wonder if he would even desire to be a god…he's not the type to crave power. She smiled to herself at that.

Well and truly, she wanted to accept all that was the beauty of earth. Like her sisters, she'd became connected so deeply with the idea, she almost forgot what heaven was truly like. Pain welcomed light. Joy called upon sadness. Hate screamed for love. Remorse begged for gratitude...and with everything that flowed within the universe, each thing would pass, an unquestionable ebb and flow. This wavering heartbeat of hers would soon pass, as it always seemed to do. If I begged of you to become I god, I wonder if you would.

Until then, she would accept the momentary feeling of embarrassment, unbefitting for a goddess, though it may have been. Even if she could not explain the moisture in her eyes, or the overwhelming sensation that it seemed to summon, she would accept it all the same. Yes, she knew this was only one teardrop of many...and it made the pool of life exactly what it was...with every tear a goddess cried, a soul somehow, someplace, found a gift of reprisal awaiting them.

For once, Belldandy could say she knew what it was to be a human, to be in love. Wishes, now that she wasn't granting them, they seemed all the more fleeting. After having experienced things she'd only once read about, she felt enlightened in a way only Keiichi could have shown her. There was no such divinity to be found within only the boundaries of heaven.

No, earth was a much better place, even with all of the awful things it welcomed. Things she could not, and would never understand. It was not in her programing, nor her capacity. The devilish side of humans would forever be something she would only be able to ponder about...and never understand. I wonder however, if you could be a god…or, if you would become a demon. Even so…even if you did become one, and fall to Hild's command, I would still love you, even then.

That wasn't the only thing however, her next thought, a frightening one. I would probably follow you too, as horrible as that would be. I would still go to your side, Keiichi…that must make me a horrible goddess, doesn't it? Yet, that is how I truly feel. She thumbed away the tear that lingered on her cheek, and cuddled closer to the man she loved. This is silly anyway, because you are you, and I doubt even such unearthly power could change that.

Try though she might to fall asleep, she couldn't. The moonlight was so lovely. She couldn't help but watch it glow, whilst listening to the soft sounds of breath. Keiichi was a kindhearted young man. "Can't you sleep?" She heard him ask in his tired droll. He was hardly awake but refused to slumber when she quite clearly couldn't.

"Hm." She shook her head, and looked into his eyes. "I'm afraid not." He seemed to gaze at her with a softness that spoke of his true feelings for her. A question he wouldn't ask awaited her answer. "My mind ran away with me, and I found myself lost within my thoughts." She told him honestly.

"Good thoughts, I hope." He replied, as he blinked a few times, to help him see better in the dark. "Bell, you would tell me if something was bothering you, right?" He asked nervously as his hand began to stroke her bare back in hopes of keeping himself occupied. They both knew this was his way of nervous fidgeting, but, the affection gifted was a welcomed one.

He did love her, utterly so. Belldandy knew that. "I would." She told him, bringing herself rest on top of him, her bare body pressing into his. "Not saying things is what leads us down the path of uncertainty, and headlong into trouble. I understand that now." At that, she found her face tinging a little pink, and she smiled in spite of herself. "I only find myself reluctant, because the thing that troubles me the most, is something that I'm unable to explain easily…and even if I could, this isn't something discussed in heaven."

"Holybell has been acting strangely." Keiichi said. "Does this have to do with that?"

Belldandy wasn't exactly daft about it. She knew he was a red blooded male, with all of the desires one might have. Still, he avoided the topic of desire as one might jump out of the way of an oncoming train. Haphazardly, and with a particular brand of terror...his fears hadn't gone unnoticed, nor had they been quelled, not even by their lovemaking.

In fact, if anything, she knew all too well what they were.

"Well, that…and this." She said, as she leaned up to kiss him, taking her time in drawing out the laziness in the action, taking comfort in his warm embrace. "Goddess are used to being with gods…" She began slowly, knowing she would have to tell him, for his own good. "Because of that, their angels also express their love for each other." With one finger, she drew mindless circles on his chest, knowing the action would often lull him, and she wanted him to be as calm as possible. "Holybell is unable to speak with you, and you have no angel in which she can commune, or to share her feelings with." She lavished his neck with kisses, to prove she was not upset. "Holybell is just lonely."

"Because you are lonely." Keiichi said sadly.

She could hear the feeling of inadequacy in his voice. "I'm not lonely, Keiichi." She told him, trying to be as honest as she could be, even if it required her to say things she wouldn't normally have to, if she were with a god. "In fact, I'm happier than I've ever been, but that only makes me desire you all the more." She told him. "On a spiritual level, I desire you deeply, and Holybell is only acting on that feeling. She'd dealing with that loss the only way she knows how."

"Is there anything we can do?" Keiichi asked.

Belldandy shook her head. "I'm afraid not. A mortal can't achieve that level of power, because mortals can't obtain their own angel." Her desire for him to understand, made her sigh as she lay herself back down, to listen to his heart. "It's difficult, not having that side of you. Angels need partners as well, perhaps even more than gods and goddesses, because they are the embodiment of our desires and whims."

"I'm sorry, Belldandy." He murmured, remorse dousing his voice. He didn't know what to say to that. "I didn't realized that it would be so difficult for you." This wasn't like anything he had been expecting.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing to you." She said then. "Holybell is my angel, I should be controlling her whims far better, but, I simply can't bring myself to do it. She means well, even if she's a little confused with all of this."

"I'll do whatever I can to help you." Keiichi told Belldandy. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Do not worry, Keiichi." She murmured softly to him. "Please, rest now…do not concern yourself with something so trivial…it really is only a minor inconvenience." The spell she cast was so subtle, but it caused him to doze instantly.

Belldandy was a divine being. Like it or not, she would always be treated carefully by him, that fact alone worried her...because humans were teased by temptation. She could read his mind, and feel his heart. It beat so strongly for her now, whenever he touched her. Just the slightest caress, and she could feel his soul crying out for more. The man was unknowingly letting his dreams carry away his wishes, and she could hear every single one of them. It didn't take magic to give him what he wanted, his wish, even back then, had little to do with magic...and instead, had everything to do with a mortal soul.

A lonely, trembling soul...with far too much fortune to gift instead of receive.

"Keiichi..." She breathed, leaning in to kiss him atop his forehead. "I'm sorry I'm not a mortal woman...but, in spite of that, I wish that you could be a god."

It was the prayer of a goddess that reached the heavens that night, but it was anyone's guess if Almighty heard the plea.

-Fin-