I do not own the Ah! Megami sama / Oh! My Goddess series

It was often said that with every beginning, there always comes an end.

So, when Keiichi flipped the 'closed' sign on his shop's door for the last time, the old mechanic couldn't help but feel a bit weepy as memories from the past five decades he spent here came rushing back to his mind. In all honesty, Keiichi had never expected 'Elegant Retros' to last for nearly as long as it did, given that the world around him changed so much since the day he first opened his shop; yet he had somehow managed to pull it through.

In all honesty though, that success was only partially thanks to his skills, as Keiichi may had been a brilliant mechanic, but that didn't instantly made him a good businessman too. That's where his wife's support played a vital role, since she stood by his side even during the toughest of times and kept him motivated as well as handled most of the logistics, allowing him to do what he knew best; work on bikes. Without Urd's stubbornness, Keiichi may had actually given up a long time ago when he struggled to gain a reputation for their shop, and perhaps towards the end too; especially given the decline of traditional motorized vehicles. Thankfully her insistence did pay off and after a pretty rough year of barely managing to break even, things finally took a turn for the better.

Still, what really touched Keiichi wasn't just the fact that she kept trying to help him with their shop, but her determination to stay by his side to the bitter end, something that not every woman would've done for her fiance. Because of that, it actually took him more than a whole year to gather enough money to finally buy her the ring he had promised her back when they opened the shop, but in the end, Keiichi never really regretted anything. Their first year together had been the most valuable lesson for both of them, and by overcoming all those hardships together, their relationship just grew stronger instead of coming to an abrupt end. Which was exactly why ever after fifty years of married life, they were still together and very much in love, too.

Of course, they weren't totally alone in their efforts to make a living, as both Urd's sisters as well as their former housemates had given them a much needed hand on numerous occasions, especially during the critical first couple of years. With Belldandy helping as a highly convincing saleswoman and Skuld as a skilled mechanic, Keiichi and his wife could relax a bit whenever the Norns came by for a visit, which actually happened a lot more frequently than either of them had initially expected. Even Vali and Dagaz dropped by on an equally frequent basis, but the first time they did was likely the most memorable one of them all.

It was roughly a week after the Elegant Retro's opening event when the two gods decided to drop by for a visit, along with an eerily familiar looking trike that Keiichi quickly recognized as the one the Motor Club used to own. Given that it was an aging vehicle, the current members of the Club accepted the god's generous donation of a brand new minivan, as long as they got the old Mazda T-2000 in exchange. Which of course sounded like a pretty bad deal from the gods' perspective, but the whole point was that eventual recipient of that trike would've appreciated it a lot more than any other type of brand new vehicle. Which turned out to be a rather correct assumption, when the stunned Keiichi couldn't help but grin like an idiot for several days after he got his first business van; even if the gods involved in this gesture still argued to this date whether it was a van or a trike.

However, when it came to buying Urd's engagement ring, it was up to Keiichi not only to find a way to save up enough money in order to afford it, but also do it in secret. Although Urd was perfectly aware of his intentions to ask her hand in marriage, Keiichi still wished to maintain the element of surprise. After all, his… initial and partially accidental proposal was far from intentional, which motivated him to try a lot harder to get it right the second time; when he was going to do it for real. The major problem however was that with Urd being in charge of the shop's finances, it actually required a lot of creative methods to save whatever cash he could in order to raise the necessary funds for the ring, all while he kept his fiancee in the dark. Which... sounded a lot easier in theory than in actually was in practice.

'Perhaps asking for mother's… I mean… Hild's help was a bad idea. Then again what was I supposed to do? Ask Belldandy to help me? She wouldn't be able tell a lie to cover up for me and besides… Urd might'd gotten the wrong idea. Then again, it became far worse with Hild… Telling me that she wanted to give me private lessons for the honeymoon. Seriously…'

Letting out a sigh, the grey haired man stepped inside the shop to take one last look, and while it's been decades since that particular incident, he could still remember Urd's reaction as if it was just yesterday.

"Thanks but… no thanks! I've got more than enough help in the bedroom from my angel. If you REALLY want to help your little girl SO badly, then give me a hand in the kitchen, mom!"

In a bizarre twist of fate, Hild's reaction to her daughter's joke took both of them by surprise. Instead of mercilessly teasing Keiichi about World of Elegance's alleged involvement in his relationship with Urd, the Daimakaicho eagerly accepted her daughter's 'request' to help her in the kitchen. As a result, she'd show up at least once every weekend for the requested cooking lessons, and while Urd claimed that she absolutely hated them, Keiichi often caught her practicing in secret before her mother showed up for their next session.

'Never thought I'd say it, but I kind of miss those days. Well… for the most part, anyway.'

Many things had inevitably changed over the years with the most important being the newlyweds' departure from the temple. No matter how much he loved the peace and quiet they enjoyed in their temple residence, it always rubbed Keiichi a bit wrong that they got to stay there for free. In many ways, Keiichi never really felt that he earned the right to call that place his home and not long after he had finally married Urd, Keiichi decided that they needed a place of their own.

That turned out to be much more challenging that he'd ever expected, given that most houses he checked were either ridiculously small or far too expensive for them to afford. In the end the solution turned out to be a rather unique one, almost as unique as their own relationship was. Instead of buying a house, they almost literally built it on top of their shop. Given that, Elegant Retros was based on a prefabricated module, all they had to do was get more of them and simply stack them together. One was attached next to the already existing one, allowing them to have a much bigger workshop, while the remaining two were placed on top of the others and provided them with enough living space for two rooms, a bathroom, and a combined kitchen and living room.

Still, the mountain temple wasn't totally abandoned, since it remained as the ideal place for their friends and family to gather on numerous occasions. Especially when it came to Urd's sisters who often stayed there for several weeks at a time, with Vali and Dagaz dropping by as well, although… Lind often arrived to chaperone them. Which sounded pretty ironic, since Peorth typically accompanied her, and the mere sight of the rose goddess was more than enough to induce scandalous thoughts instead of preventing them.

Stopping before the counter, Keiichi picked up a small picture frame with a group photo they've taken right after the wedding ceremony that appropriately took place in the Tariki Hongan temple. Everyone was there, from Urd's sisters to Vali and his mother, as well as Peorth and Dagaz who remained close to her for the duration of the day. However there were mortals present too, with Megumi and his parents standing the closest to him, as well as Chihiro and all the former members of the Motor Club showing up for the special occasion.

'I've seen all sorts of crazy things in my life, but the sight of Tamiya and Otaki in tuxedos… Good Heavens… I don't know if that was hilarious or scary!'

Even after all these years those two remained as eccentric as they used to be in their earlier days, although their antics became far more tame, given their age. Furthermore, with Otaki married to his old girlfriend, Satoko and Tamiya also spending years with a pretty eccentric woman and bike enthusiast he met on one of his trips abroad, the once infamous duo had to calm down a bit. Of course with those two, everything was kind of relative.

Thankfully, aside from Keiichi's parents, not many had passed away as of yet, although he was almost certain that this was about to change much sooner than later. And in all honesty, Keiichi wasn't particularly fond of the idea to stick around to see everyone he knew and loved to die out of old age. Especially his sister who was already a happy grandmother of five teenage upstarts that definitely took after her, instead of her much more timid and levelheaded husband, Satoshi who actually used to be his right hand mechanic. As a matter of fact, that's where she met her future boyfriend and eventual spouse, after they both graduated and started looking for a job, and on sheer coincidence that happened about the same time Keiichi decided that he finally needed some helping hands in the shop.

'Who knew that, Megumi would end up choosing a modest guy like Satoshi… But then again, all the others she tried to date, ended up dumping her, so… I can't quite blame her. Although, it was perhaps for the best, given that the guy turned out to be a really decent man and a hard working one too.'

As he was about to set the photo down, Keiichi took a moment to glance at his own wife in her surprisingly modest wedding dress, which also came from a very unexpected source too: Hild. Against all expectations, the Daimakaicho decided to offer her daughter a seemingly… normal wedding dress. And for equally mysterious reasons, Urd accepted it without making too much a big deal. Of course, that didn't mean it was a dull or unimpressive dress; far from it. Mostly white and with numerous golden decorations and other pieces of jewelry, it would've easily fit for a royal wedding in terms of glamor. However, the surprising part, given who came up with the design was that it must've covered the most amount of skin than any of Urd's outfits and by a long shot too.

Even more impressive was the fact that both Urd and Hild remained close to each other during that day. Which was actually reflected in the photo, where Hild stood right next to her daughter with Belldandy and Skuld nearby, all while Keiichi was on the other side of Urd, dressed in a rather dull tuxedo he had borrowed from his father. In retrospect he should've tried harder to come up with something a bit more impressive to wear on that day. Yet, Keiichi felt that it was needed to come up with something on his own instead of asking his immortal friends for help, so, in the end he relied on Keima to give him a hand on this particular occasion.

After all, it was nice to somehow involve his father into the wedding's preparations, especially after worrying for a long time about his and even Takano's reaction to his choice to marry Urd. Although those two were far from the stereotypical Japanese couple, Keiichi still felt anxious about how they'd take the news of him marrying the seemingly easygoing half goddess.

'Thankfully, it turned out that I was worried for nothing, since they did end up liking Urd a lot. Well… at least as long Keima was a fair distance from her, and Urd didn't go all out with her attires. Boy that first time was honestly the worst… Then again, I should've warned her that extra low cut decollete wouldn't work with my dad. Poor Keima almost had a heart attack. At least she did lose a few rounds of Mahjong, so, Takano eventually forgave her.'

Chuckling at those decades old memories, Keiichi finally took one last look around the shop, especially the spot where he parked his trusty Beemer. It was rarely used these days, as the current lack of gasoline made it more of a luxury item than a viable transport method. Not that they didn't have all sorts of electric vehicles these days, but for old school petrolheads like Keiichi, those simply lacked the same appeal of a classic bike. Perhaps that was the biggest reason he wished to retire, aside from already working for nearly half a century. These days, bike mechanics were more like electronic engineers and even then it was hard to repair, let alone customize bikes that came packed with complicated microprocessors designed only to work within certain parameters and scenarios.

In a way he felt privileged that he got involved in the automotive industry while it was still fun to do so and personal vision could make a difference. But then again, Keiichi knew that he probably sounded like an old man from a long bygone era, which to a certain degree was absolutely true. He was the last among his friends to still own a CRT TV or even a rotary dial phone, while everyone around him used flat screen TVs and smartphones. Still, as Urd often joked, being married to the goddess of the past did have some downsides; although the benefits certainly surpassed them by far.

'She always knew how to make a nice joke, even at our own expense. But that's also part of her charm. While she's definitely vain, Urd never got that to affect her better judgment more that it was absolutely necessary. Especially as old age got hold of her.'

Feeling that he had already more than enough for a day, Keiichi turned off the shop's lights and started to head to the indoors spiral staircase leading to the above floor where their main house actually was. Urd must've already packed her things by now, although he was absolutely certain that it must've been as hard for her as it was for him too.

Leaving a whole lifestyle behind was never something easy, even for a goddess.

XXX

"Ah… I see that you've dropped the old lady appearance. Well I guess I can call you Urd-chan instead of obaasan once again."

"Ha ha… you're so hilarious, mom." Shaking her head, Urd simply lacked the mental fortitude to deal with her mother or… long lost niece as she often had to introduce her to some of their neighbors who had no idea that Hild was actually a demoness. As a matter of fact, that was the very reason why Urd herself had to rely on a glamor spell to keep her actual appearance hidden. Although Hild simply refused to look like an old lady, and preferred to stay out of sight when some of their oldest friends who still remembered her dropped by for a visit. "Why are you here, anyway? I've told you that I'm packing our stuff today, so, I'm too busy for your shenanigans."

"My, my… you still sound like a grumpy old lady, Urd-chan. Maybe you should try cheering up a bit, before you leave," said Hild with an annoyingly sweet smile, especially as she knew that it looked a bit out of character for her; and Urd was perfectly aware of that. "Which… is why I'm here!"

"Get off my lawn, darn kid…" muttered the half goddess, much to her mother's great amusement.

"You know, jokes aside, you did a terrible job at being an old lady. Not only you remained fairly athletic for a gal of you supposed age, but you even outgunned some of the youngsters and without a hint of sagging, too. A couple of wrinkles here and there is hardly what I'd call enough to convince anyone," said Hild as she took a seat on the couch next to her daughter who simply fumed in silence. After all, she was in no mood today to repeat a decade old and fairly inconclusive debate between them. Knowing that she wasn't likely to get a reply, Hild extended a hand in the direction of the kitchenette at the other end of the room and levitated a bag of potato chips towards her, only to have it intercepted by her daughter instead. "Hey!... I wanted that!"

"Not only you show up unannounced and empty handed… but you also want to eat my chips. You're some piece of work…" Opening the bag in a rather over dramatic manner, the goddess proceeded to munch a couple of the barbeque flavored chips before she finally decided to share and extended her hand towards Hild who promptly took the whole bag; much to her daughter's annoyance. "Greedy demoness."

"It comes with the territory dear," said Hild while stuffing her mouth in a rather silly manner, until she finally earned a snort from Urd and decided that she had fooled around for long enough. It was about time she got to deal with the actual reason behind her visit and no matter how much her daughter dreaded it, there was no way to avoid this conversation. "Have you told her?"

"I did… and I can't say she took it lightly either," said Urd as she rubbed her temples. However, before she went on, the half goddess heard her husband enter their home and was about to welcome him… only for her mother to beat her to the punch.

"Keiichi-kun!"

The unsuspecting man barely managed to register the voice of his mother in law, before his vision went completely dark and took several steps back from the sheer force of having a flying Hild smack bosom first onto his face. Any mortal man of his age would've ended up in hospital with a few fractures at best or a broken pelvis, should the demoness send him on a collision course with the floor. Providing that the tantalizing effect of all the skin contact thanks to Hild's ridiculously low neckline didn't cause their blood pressure to reach levels absolutely unhealthy for any other man of his age. "Mmph!..."

"Aww!... you look so cute! I really missed seeing you without that silly disguise!" said Hild as she cuddled the embarrassed and deceptively young looking man. Although in all honesty, he was still the youngest of the immortals present in the room, no matter how hard it was for Keiichi to get used calling himself that.

"Alright! That's enough!" Grabbing her mother by the hips, Urd pulled her hard enough to detach the hovering demoness from the clearly overwhelmed Keiichi. "Get your paws off my husband! And before you even say it… Yes, that goes for your boobs, too!"

"But, it's been a long while since I last saw him like this!" said Hild in her defense, although her daughter's withering glare was more than enough to deter her from going any further with her flirty behavior. "Fine, fine... I'll go ahead and cook something for you three."

Letting out a frustrated sigh as she watched her mother walk towards the kitchenette, Urd turned to her husband and cleared her throat loudly to draw his attention away from Hild's swaying hips. "Eyes up, mister! I've got everything she has and then some!"

"Ah! Sorry!" said Keiichi with a blush that almost made the blue triangles on his cheeks disappear in an ocean of red that the rest of his face was. Unlike his wife, Keiichi only had two small markings, instead of three, like most of the other celestials he knew, but then again he was hardly powerful or important enough to justify a particularly elaborate control program placed on his person. Not that, Keiichi really cared much about any of that.

As a matter of fact, he was more or less ready to turn Tyr's offer down, when the Daitenkaicho first told him about the possibility of becoming a god as a reward for helping Urd for so long, especially during the time she went berserk. However… a quick glance over at Urd, made Keiichi's resolve falter when he noticed how the goddess' eyes light up at the mere mention of staying with him for much, much longer that it would've been possible should he declined the offer. As a result, Tyr's wedding gift to his son in law was the very thing humanity kept dreaming for entire millennia, yet never attained: immortality.

"Oh well… at least you no longer look like a dirty old man when you're a bit too honest with yourself," said Urd with a smirk, while Keiichi did his best to pretend that he heard nothing.

Instead, Keiichi decided to tackle what was the proverbial elephant in the room, since this was going to be the hardest thing they still had to do. "Actually… have you managed to convince her? We need to move out of this property by tomorrow, so…"

Letting out a sigh as her smile disappeared, Urd glanced over her shoulder and to the direction of the almost barricaded room she had repeatedly failed to enter during the last couple of hours. "Not yet, Keiichi. I've tried, but she just won't listen to me."

"Maybe I should give it a try too? Or ask Bell to talk to her and…" tried Keiichi as he racked his brain to come up with alternatives, but stopped when his wife shook her head.

"No. This is something I have to do. And you know what? I will do it! One way or another!" said Urd with great determination evident in her eyes, before she turned and headed for what was likely a confrontation. "Just wish me luck."

"I do, but… please, don't push her too hard, Urd. It's our fault she's in this situation," said Keiichi as his features softened and for a moment, so did Urd's.

"I know, love. That's why I need to do it myself."

XXX

"Go away! I don't want to hear it!"

Standing before the locked door, Urd struggled to still her tongue and avoid any poorly thought reply, caused by her sheer frustration. While she sympathized with the poor girl, or rather… woman as she was already old enough to be considered as an adult, Urd couldn't help but note how far the family resemblance went and not just in terms of looks, but personality too. "Stop being such a big baby, and open the freaking door, Sjofn! And don't you dare ignore me like you did yesterday! I won't leave until you talk to me!"

"Screw you!" came the angry retort, that only infuriated Urd further, until the Norn remembered her mother's advice for situations like these; the best defense was a good offense.

"I've got many kinks, but incest isn't one of them, young lady!" said Urd and then smirked as she added in a much calmer tone. "But… we can arrange you something if you're in the mood for a girl. Just tell me if you'd prefer a goddess or a demoness and we can go from there. I know a few who are quite the lookers and available, too!"

There was a long and almost awkward pause as the goddess on the other side of the door probably had some hard time accepting that she heard correctly and eventually unlocked the door. Poking her head out of her room, the dark haired goddess stared right at Urd with mixed suspicion and worry, which only made the latter smirked in response. "Uh… mom?... Please tell me you haven't tested any of your latest potions on you. Last time you did… you… Huh?"

Coming to an abrupt halt, Sjofn's purple eyes went large when she registered the sight before her, especially now that she calmed down a bit. "Your face… You took your disguise off."

"Yep! And so did your dad for the matter. Not bad, huh?" said Urd with a wink as she proudly posed for her daughter, yet at the same time place her foot in such a strategic way to prevent her unruly offspring from closing the door on her. "Oh, and I totally got you, kiddo!"

"I'm not a kid!" said Sjofn in such a manner that almost reminded Urd of her youngest sister during her earlier days. Although in her daughter's defense, she was absolutely right, given that she already stood as tall as Urd herself. And this was far from where the similarities ended, since Sjofn shared the same body type and even skin complexion with Urd, despite her young age. Of course, just like her mother before her, Sjofn had her own personal issues and while her nature wasn't one of them, given that she was a seemingly pure blooded goddess, there were still a few oddities about her, with her age being the biggest.

By immortal standards, Sjofn was aging far too fast and reached her adulthood way sooner than any of her peers, yet the same couldn't be said about the humans. From their perspective, Sjofn was aging way too slowly, as it took her more than thirty whole years to reach adulthood; when a normal human only needed eighteen years to do the same. Thankfully, now that she hit that critical age, her growth rate would significantly slow down to a crawl and allow her to better socialize with her fellow immortals. On the other hand though, the same couldn't be said about the humans she grew up with, which was primary cause of this whole crisis and the very thing Urd needed to convince her daughter about: relocating to Asgard.

"That is the problem, actually," said Urd with a sigh as she took a few steps forward and this time her daughter moved aside, allowing her mother to enter the room.

Reflecting the young goddess' various interests and even ancestry, Sjofn's room was packed with all sorts of random things. From posters of popular boy bands and manga anthologies, to books of mechanical engineering or even a few lists of alchemical ingredients and mystical tomes, Sjofn had amassed such an abundance of possessions that came from both the immortal and the human world she spent most of her life in. Furthermore, the vast majority of her outfits were a mismatched mix of designs she had seen during her visits to her aunts, with certain things she picked from the local shops in Nekomi. As a result, she was the only goddess sporting denim pants as part of her official robes. Although it was also true that the decision was partially taken to appease Urd, after the latter got a glimpse of her daughter's underwear. Which pretty much convinced Urd that Sjofn wasn't to be trusted with skirts, unless she was within eyesight.

However, it was those influences from the mortal realm that made it hard for the young goddess to leave her current life behind and move to what was essentially a foreign land for her; if not an alien world altogether. Which is exactly what brought her into a clash with her mother over the whole subject, since they otherwise went along pretty well, much to Keiichi's dismay at times.

"The problem, you say? What problem? Everything was fine with the shop and then all of a sudden… bam! We must pack things up and leave!" said Sjofn, throwing her hands in the air in frustration. "I know that dad needs to retire and all, but!..."

"No, your dad needs to… well… die at some point of time. At least from a legal point of view," said Urd, much to her daughter's confusion.

"Eh? What are you talking about?"

"Sjofn… we're immortals; all three of us. Yet the rest of the world around us isn't. I had to wear a disguise to keep the others from getting suspicious, and with the exception of Megumi, pretty much everyone else doesn't know what we really are. It's hard… it really is. To see people you care for grow old and eventually reach the end of their lifespan… it feels like a part of you is gone. This is something we had to face when Takano and Keima passed away, and I fear that most of our close friends are also reaching that point too," said Urd as her facial features softened and put a hand on her daughter's shoulders. "As it is, there's nothing we can do for me and your father to escape that fate, and he's fully aware that inevitably he's going to have to say goodbye again and again to… everyone he knew. So, neither of us wants you to experience this as well, at least not to the same extent we do."

"I know… It's not like I'm a stranger of keeping my actual age a secret and pretend that I'm a much younger girl than I'm supposed to."

"Not by divine standards, Sjofn. And that's why we never wanted to take you to Asgard too early. You'd be too immature for someone of your looks, and… well, let's just leave it at that," said Urd as she stopped before going too far with that train of thought. "However, now that you're old enough, both physically and mentally, it's about time we go where you'll manage to fit in the society way better than you'll ever do here."

"Fit in? Me? In Asgard? Did you start trying your potions again, mom?" asked the incredulous yet sarcastic Sjofn, as she raised an eyebrow at her mother. "They won't accept a counterfeit goddess like me!"

"Don't call yourself that nonsense again!" barked Urd, causing her daughter to take a step back when she saw those canines poke out of the Norn's lips. "You're as much of a goddess as anyone else in that blasted place! Just because they've got a stick up their pretentious asses, that doesn't mean anything to you!"

"Okay, okay! I got it! You don't have to get angry with me!"

"I'm not angry with you, Sjofn. Maybe with myself for falling in the same trap of thinking less of me when I was your age… and possibly passed that stupid trait to you," said Urd in a voice so low that it was barely above a whisper. However she soon perked up and stared at her daughter with great pride, as her lips curled up in a smile. "On the other hand, you did get couple of good traits, too."

"Mom! Stop this, it's embarrassing!" protested Sjofn with a blush as she crossed her arms before her, mostly to hide her chest from Urd.

"I was talking about your personality traits, silly! Although if we take your physical ones…" said Urd as her smile turned into a smirk. "Boy, did you fill out nicely!"

"Mom!"

Chuckling, Urd watched her daughter puff her cheeks in annoyance, until she too relaxed and started to giggle. "There! Took me a while, but I've got you to smile once again. Look, I'm really sorry for not taking your feelings into consideration, but I honestly thought that in the long run this solution was for your best," added Urd, but then her expression became more somber and even slightly sad. "Funny that, actually. I almost sound like my mother when she dropped me at my father's care..."

"Not really. If that was the case, I would've been told of what was going on after we relocated," said Sjofn in a deadpan voice, before she turned and headed for her closet and began to take her clothes out and toss them haphazardly onto her bed.

"What are you doing?" asked the confused Urd, while Sjofn went to the other side of the room to pick one of her luggage bags.

"Packing my stuff. What else?" answered Sjofn as she folded her clothes and proceeded to neatly arrange them inside the bag. "I've given you more than enough trouble by acting like a little bitch. After all, you're right. You and dad have a lot more people to leave behind than the few friends I have, and… I don't think I really want to stick around them with a disguise either. That's where Internet comes in handy these days, so, it's not like I won't be able to keep in touch with them."

'Well… that worked better than I've hoped for, but… Why do I feel so bad about it?' thought Urd as she watched her daughter begin the arduous task of gathering her belongings so that she could pack them too. "Alright, that's enough. We're not doing this."

"Huh? Not doing what?" asked Sjofn as she stared her mother in wonder.

"This is your home, so… no matter what, I'm not gonna take that from you, and that's final!" Reaching into the bag, Urd went through her daughter's clothes, much to the latter's embarrassment when her mother of all goddesses paused a few times and gave her an empty stare whenever she found something that even she wouldn't dare to put on. Eventually though, Urd managed to find a lovely minidress and tossed it to her stunned daughter. "Put this on, girl! We're going clubbing!"

"Eh?! But!... What about the..."

"No arguments, missy!" said Urd as she interrupted her baffled daughter, and summoned a similar looking golden minidress to match her daughter's purple one. "Relocation or not, you won't lose your room, nor the rest of your home. Now, get dressed and text your friends for a night out, to celebrate you leaving for… college. I'll go and get mom too, since I don't trust her stay here with Keiichi."

"Uh huh," was all Sjofn could say as she offered a nod, still unable to understand what was going on anymore.

However, as Urd was about to step out of the room, she paused and turned around to make sure that her daughter knew the rules for this occasion. "Oh, by the way… Booze is alright, and you can flirt a bit if you want; maybe a kiss, too. But if I catch you with your panties down, I'm conscripting you to the Valkyries! Got me, missy?"

"MOM!"

XXX

Hours later, when someone decided to ring the doorbell, Keiichi was almost certain that it was his wife along with their daughter and Hild who finally returned from their little excursion. However, as soon as he opened the door, Keiichi was in for a surprise, since the woman standing before him was none of the above; instead, it was a very familiar face.

"Hello there, Kei-chan. It's been a while since I last saw you without that old man's disguise on," said his younger sister, although at the moment it was unlikely for anyone not familiar with them to draw that conclusion, given that the white haired woman looked significantly older than him.

"Megumi?" While it was definitely a surprise to see his sister visit him all of a sudden, Keiichi knew that this was likely Urd's doing. His original plan was to tell her about their departure after the fact, but his wife had apparently other ideas. Which… most likely ended up in this visit, and one that most certainly wasn't too thrilled about.

"What's up with the long face, Kei-chan? Did I interrupt you two? Or is my naughty niece giving you trouble?" Despite her age, that cat like smile that was almost synonymous of his sister was still present on her lips, as if she hadn't changed on the inside at all.

Stepping aside as he let out a sigh, Keiichi motioned for his sister to enter and watched her take a seat on the sofa, before he headed to get a cup of tea for her. "No, not really. Urd and Hild took Sjofn at a nightclub, so I was just watching an old race on the TV."

"Oh? Are you sure that's advisable, Kei-chan?" asked Megumi with a grin as she leaned forward a bit to give her curious brother a wink. "Who knows what Urd and HIld might come up with?"

"Come on, Megumi! I know that Urd's a bit of a tease, but she never actually flirted with anyone since we started dating, let alone after we got married," said Keiichi with a shake of his head.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean she and Hild cannot find a date for our… not so little Sjofn," said Megumi with a grin that made Keiichi to raise an eyebrow. "After all, she turned up to be a fine woman, or should I say goddess? Well… either way I think you got my point."

As a matter of fact, Keiichi did more than that, as his face paled considerably, before panic got grip of his better judgment. "I need to stop them! Sjofn isn't… I mean… she's not ready!... I mean…"

"Calm down a bit, Kei-chan! I'm just joking!" said Megumi between giggles, but eventually stopped when she started coughing and almost in an instant, Keiichi seemed to snap out of it. However as she saw him get up to help her, Megumi simply waved a hand dismissively at her brother. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Looks like I just choked on my own saliva. Talk about embarrassing."

'Right… Who are you kidding, Megumi?' Even though she acted like her old self, Megumi certainly wasn't a young gal anymore and Keiichi was fully aware of that fact. Still, there was unfortunately little he could do to solve the problem's root cause; his sister's mortality. "I…"

"You need to stop being such a worrywart," said Megumi, interrupting her brother as she already knew what he was eating him. "It's not your fault that I'm getting older; just a mere fact of life. If nothing else, you should listen to Urd's advice from back when Keima passed away. To live embracing painful memories, can turn them into your shackles."

"Which is why you shouldn't forget the happy ones too," finished Keiichi for his sister, as he recalled Urd's words. "I haven't forgotten about that, but… putting the theory to practice isn't nearly as simple as it sounds. Especially when I don't quite feel I deserve cheating death myself."

"Perhaps… because you think like that is part of the reason why you were presented with that offer, to begin with. Anyone with your current powers and connections would've lived much better than anyone else on this planet; yet you kept working hard and without even using your abilities to make things easier on you. Not even restoration spells to instantaneously fix bike parts and for no cost at all, too."

"But!... That's cheating! How can I say that I worked hard to earn my living, when in reality all I would've done is just mutter a few words and… spend the rest of my day fooling around? All while my local colleagues toiled hard to keep up with me?"

"Your competitors, you mean," said Megumi with a grin. "See? That's what I'm talking about, Kei-chan. Most others would've enjoyed the benefits of being a god to the fullest, yet you're still the same lovable dork you used to."

"Gee… Thanks Megumi…" said Keiichi with a snort, despite that his lips curled up in a tiny smile.

"What can I say? I'm such a sweetheart. But enough of this attitude, Kei-chan!" said Megumi in a much more stern voice than she used to most of the time. "You're about to start a new life in an unfamiliar place. And if that sounds intimidating to you, I don't even think I need to mention how it must feel for your daughter. So, keep your act together and take good care of your family, especially now that they'll need you the most."

"You're right, Megumi. I sometimes forget that Sjofn still needs me and Urd, despite her age… which isn't all that much based on celestial standards, anyway," said Keiichi with a sigh, before he noticed the rather mischievous grin on his sister's face. "Uh… what's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing much, Kei-chan. I was just thinking that just because Sjofn grew up, that doesn't mean you're off the hook. Being a dad can be still quite a challenge even when you think you're already faced everything and it's just a matter of using the same approach for a second time," said Megumi, still with the same cryptic smile on her face, that only confused Keiichi even further.

"Well, given that she took after Urd a lot more than me, Sjofn sure is a hard to deal with goddess," said Keiichi with a sheepish expression, but then went on, just to avoid any misunderstandings. "Although to be fair, I really think that she's also the best daughter I could've asked for."

"Let's hope you're still going to say that in the near future, Kei-chan."

'Alright… there's something definitely up here. But… what?' Staring at his smiling sister, Keiichi was almost certain that she was hiding something from him, but given Megumi's mischievous nature, it was all but impossible even for a god to predict just what she was up to this time. "If you say so, Megumi. Although..."

Before he got the chance to continue his sentence, the aged Morisato looked at her watch and decided that she had to come up with an excuse to get out of there, before she ended up spilling the beans. "Oh, my! It's already this late? Well, I suppose I need to get back home, before my daughter starts worrying about little ol' me."

"Sure thing, Megumi! Want me to drive you to your home?" asked Keiichi as he got up to grab his minivan's wireless key. "It's not like I've got to sit here and wait for the girls to return."

"Thank you, Kei-chan, but my son in law will come to pick me up," said Megumi as she got up and headed for the exit. However, before she left, the aging woman stopped and turned to give her brother a stern look. "Oh, and just as a friendly reminder… I hope you won't forget your promise to visit us during weekends. Relocation or not, a promise is a promise."

"Don't worry about that, Megumi! A promise is something any god should take really seriously," said Keiichi with a reassuring smile, before his expression darkened a bit. "And even if I wanted to forget about it, I seriously doubt that Hild will allow it. You know that we're not only visiting you, but her as well, since Earth is the best place to do so."

"Ah… the benefits of having a demoness for a mother in law," said Megumi with a chuckle, that ended up making Keiichi laugh at his own predicament. "There! That's the spirit, Kei-chan!"

"Thanks, Megumi. I really needed that," said Keiichi as he helped his sister down the stairs. "See you next weekend!"

"I'll be waiting," said Megumi as her expression softened, but before she walked away from her brother's shop and home, Megumi turned around once more and waved at him. "Oh! And before I forget! Tell Urd that I said good job!"

"Huh? Sure thing…" said Keiichi as he still couldn't quite understand what his sister was talking about.

'Good job for… what? Did anything happen and they're not telling me? Or is she referring to Urd's efforts to convince Sjofn to come along with us? Strange…'

XXX

Asgard

"It was absolutely terrifying! I… I just wanted to take a short nap under that tree's shade, and then all of a sudden… BAM! A freaking house landed on top my poor tail! It was terrifying, I tell you! I'm physically and emotionally traumatized!"

Nodding as he recorded the incident on his datapad, the blue haired war god did his best to sound reassuring as he addressed the distressed dog who inadvertently ended up becoming the latest victim of Asgard's most infamous goddess of chaos and destruction. "Very well, I reassure you that the matter will be taken care of, citizen. If you need any further examination of your tail, please visit the local healer and the Fighting Wings will cover the expenses."

Limping away, although mostly to make his injury look even worse than it really was, the dog paused for a moment to cast a glance at the trio who was responsible for his ailment. However, while two of them seemed rather guilty about the whole incident, the oldest among them… simply flipped the bird at the incredulous dog, since in her opinion, he was making a big fuss over nothing.

"Oh, piss off you crybaby! The only thing hurt is your over inflated ego," said Urd, much to her spouse's horror. "Surely if you were actually hurt, you would've accepted my gracious offer to heal you!"

"Who in their right mind wants a stinking potion that gives off purple smoke?! Not me, that's for sure!" barked the stray dog, only to freeze when he noticed the gleam in the bronze skinned goddess' eyes.

"What did you call my potion?" asked Urd in such a low tone that send shivers even to the war god who decided to stop her before she turned the poor mutt into one of her ingredients.

"Alright, that's enough, Urd. Let the poor guy leave. There's no need to make a bigger mess of this and end up getting a reprimand, the very day of your return."

"Fine… I suppose you've a point there, Vali," said Urd as she watched the offending canine run away while he still had the chance. "Still, that's quite the welcome. I never thought you'd be so happy to see me! Are all those for me?"

"Unfortunately… yes," said Vali with a sigh, while he handed the tickets to Urd. "You just got here and you've already broken a bunch of laws. Unauthorized transport of large object, attempt to smuggle said object into Asgard without passing it through Customs, and involvement in accident due to sheer carelessness."

"Whee!..." said Urd in a sarcastic tone as she tugged at her top, lowering it far beyond the rules of common decency in order to stash the tickets into her blouse. "Thanks for the gifts, Vali! You really know how to make a goddess feel special."

"My pleasure," came the equally sarcastic reply, before both of them started to chuckle. "It's nice to have you back, though."

"I never thought I'd say it, but… I kind of missed this place; even though the rules suck big time," said the goddess of the past, before she noticed Skuld and Peorth walk towards them, with Dagaz close behind. "Well, well… looks like we've attracted a crowd!"

"Isn't that the norm for you?" said Skuld with a grin as she approached her eldest sister and right as she was about to give her a hug… she went straight for Sjofn; leaving Urd with a blank expression that soon turned into a dirty one.

"Auntie Skuld!" Grabbing the shorter and seemingly younger goddess into a tight hug, Sjofn was delighted to see her favorite of her two aunts. Not that she didn't like Belldandy, but given that Skuld was much closer to her own age, and more importantly her way of thinking, Sjofn could discuss things with her that she would've never dared with Belldandy. "You haven't grown an inch!"

Struggling to get her face out of her niece's bosom, Skuld offered her a rare grin, instead of a bomb in the face, as she would've done with pretty much anyone else. Even Urd herself couldn't tease her little sister to this extent without getting punished for it; yet Sjofn was the one goddess, Skuld allowed to do just that. "Heh… I'm almost there, though. Give me a decade and we're going to look about the same age!"

"Uh huh… Same age, different cup size," said Sjofn with a wink as she arched her back to make the difference between them even more pronounced than it already was.

Most of the bystanders took a step back, included Dagaz who was genuinely blushing; although whether it was due to what was happening or the fact that he found himself hiding behind Peorth, that… nobody could tell for sure. Actually, even Urd thought that this was the time her daughter crossed the line and moved to grab the troublemaker by the ear, before Skuld blasted her sky high, but the Norn of the future stopped her.

"Let the poor kid have some fun, Urd. It's her first day here, so it's not like I'll get mad with her," said Skuld with such a sweet smile that seemed almost… suspicious. Turning to her niece, Skuld tapped her shoulders, with that smile still evident in her face. "You know… speaking of your first day here, how about I take you on a tour where I work? Oh, you're definitely gonna love it! And Peorth is in need of an assistant now that Chrono is a full time Valkyrie!"

"ME! I can do it!" came a voice that belonged to the one god willing to face Skuld's wrath, should it allowed him attain his dream of working under the most salacious of all administrators: Peorth.

"Not happening, buster!" snapped Skuld at her assistant who cowered behind Peorth, although for once he didn't mind it. Which was so obvious that Skuld wasn't going to let this transgression go any further. "Hey! Did you hear a word I said?"

"I don't think so," said Peorth with an amused giggle as she watched the almost literal fumes come off Skuld.

Breathing out more steam than a speeding locomotive, Skuld raised her right hand skywards in a very familiar fashion, before she uttered something that made her sister's eyes go wide. "Skuld bolt!"

"You little copycat! That's one of my spells! Actually… scratch that! When did you start to use spells anyway?" asked the stunned goddess of the past, when lighting descended upon the offending god; missing Peorth by a hair, much to her great annoyance.

"Hey! Are you implying that I can't use magic?" shot Skuld back to her eldest sister, as she took a few steps towards her, while Peorth simply shook her head and decided to check Dagaz for any actual injuries; just in case Skuld went a bit far by accident.

And while the two Norns squabbled like they loved to, Keiichi couldn't help but chuckle a bit. He wasn't terribly concerned about them, since he already knew that this was just their way of showing each other that they cared and even that they missed each other. In many ways, this whole situation reminded him of the old days back in the temple whenever the Norns and his former housemates came for a visit, which… more than often resulted into scenes like this. But for Keiichi it was more that just a feeling of nostalgia that overcame his senses; it was also a sense of realization of how different time seemed to pass between the mortal and the celestial realm.

There was a sense that everything here was eternal and while that may had its downsides, it also meant that unlike Earth, certain things lasted here for eons to come. And by moving his home and shop in this place, Keiichi was almost certain that not only did they saved it from being torn down by whoever bought that plot of land, but they also preserved everything else that came with it. Decades worth of memories, dreams and wishes, some of which came to be and a few that still remain at the back of their minds… all were preserved into this seemingly modest building. Even if it looked like a joke compared to the grand architecture of the massive houses that the rest of celestials were most familiar with, Keiichi knew that his and Urd's little place was steeped with history, despite how new it was compared to everything else here.

And perhaps, if what Urd speculated were to become reality… long after their loved ones back on Earth passed away, this house could act as an anchor to allow them to drop by for a short 'visit' every now and then. Just like what happened with Keima and Takano a bit over a decade ago when the couple realized just what was going on between Urd and Keiichi, as well as what their true nature was. However, now that they were in Asgard, such visits would've been much easier, and while Keiichi wasn't exactly looking forward to see other family members and friends, it made him feel somewhat better to know that he could still meet them.

"Welcome to Asgard, Keiichi-kun."

The calm, soothing voice that came from behind him, caused the once mortal man to nearly jump as he was too preoccupied with his thoughts, to actually notice the Valkyrie's approach. Lind had received news of his and Urd's arrival from Vali and decided to come to personally greet one of the few gods outside of the Fighting Wings she considered as a friend. And perhaps help convince Sjofn to consider becoming a Valkyrie cadet, since goddesses with her power, pedigree and even attitude were hard to come by these days.

"Oh, hello Lind! I'm sorry, but I didn't notice you," said Keiichi with a nervous chuckle, since he knew that this most certainly one of the warrior's skills originally meant to ambush her targets.

"My apologies. I tried to grab your attention, but Urd and Skuld were making too much noise for my voice to be heard," said Lind with a ghost of a smile, before she turned to look at the goddess flying towards them. "Ah, there she is. I wondered what was holding her up."

"Huh?" Following her gaze, Keiichi saw Belldandy on her flying broom, carrying a small box with her.

"Sorry I was so late, everyone!" Coming to a stop right in front of Keiichi and Lind, the brunette goddess of the present hopped off Stringfellow and after casting a glance towards her sisters, who immediately stopped their rather immature squabble, Belldandy offered Keiichi a warm smile. "I'm really happy that you actually decided to move your house here! It's so great that, Sjofn will keep her room! Although… isn't it going to be a bit hard for all of you to fit in there, now that Urd's expecting?"

"Belldandy you babble mouth!" shouted Urd as she rushed to grab her sister before she said anything more, although… its was far too late. In retrospect, she knew that she should've explicitly warned her to remain quiet about it, but with Sjofn being difficult, the half goddess totally forgot about it. "Oops… Um… she said nothing! Carry on, don't mind us!"

Staring at his wife with wide eyes, the stunned Keiichi made a few attempts to say something, but in the end all he managed to do is make a fine imitation of a fish out of water. Sjofn on the other hand was a bit less shocked than her father to actually confront her mother.

"Wait! You're… pregnant? For real?"

"Ugh! It was supposed to be surprise… Thanks, Bell!..." said Urd, adding the last bit in a slightly sarcastic yet playful manner as she glanced at her younger sibling who idly fiddled with her hair locks as she tried to look innocent. Letting out a sigh, Urd finally decided that given the circumstances, there was no longer the need to keep quiet and gave her daughter a toothy grin. "Well, I hope you're looking forward for a little sister!"

"EH?! L-Little… s-sister?!" squeaked Sjofn as she finally began to realize that this was actually happening. And… she promptly fainted, since it was all too much even for her divine mind to process all that at once.

Catching her daughter, Urd couldn't help but giggle as the similarities between her unruly child and the seemingly reserved Keiichi began to show. "Heh… I guess she's indeed your daughter. Right, Keiichi?" asked Urd, only to notice that her husband was in a very similar state, and currently supported by Lind, who happened to be the closest one to catch him.

"I'd probably say so," was the Valkyrie's stoic reply, while Skuld along with the others began to laugh at the two Morisatos.

However, with the proverbial cat out of the bag, the plans for the welcoming party had to be somewhat modified to take this development into account. Or rather… it was actually no longer necessary to keep the originally intended party's details a secret, since both Skuld and Belldandy had been preparing not only to celebrate Urd's homecoming, but also for the newest addition of her family. Which was exactly why the middle Norn arrived so late, after she went for a last minute shopping trip to buy a few extra things for the unborn goddess.

And while the Norns moved Keiichi and Sjofn back into the now relocated house, two figures watched the unfolding events from a fair distance, and couldn't help but smile at the scene. Given their tight schedule, Tyr and Ansuz were naturally the last to arrive at their daughter's house, yet unlike their past habits, this time they made it absolutely clear that this was an even they weren't going to miss.

"You know, love… I'm still debating whether your decision to suspend Urd's license back then was your worst idea ever or… the best, but for totally unrelated reasons to the original intent," said Ansuz as she gave her husband something to think about, as well as a fair warning that she wasn't all too supportive of such a measure; for future reference, of course.

"I suppose that judging by the result, it did allow some good things to happen," said Tyr as he nervously cleared his throat, given the pointed look he received from his wife. "But in all honesty, I wouldn't change a thing, even if I had the opportunity, Ansuz. I've never seen Urd so happy before and Sjofn is a true blessing for her. Even if she's a bit… difficult to handle at times, she definitely adores her parents. And for Urd in particular, that's the greatest gift one could possibly offer her."

"Hm… I never thought you'd get moved, dear," said Ansuz in playful manner, that was further evidence by her winglets fluttering as she winked at her husband.

"Who's moved?" came Tyr's reply, in an attempt to save face, even if it was too late for that.

"A certain grandfather," replied Ansuz with a chuckle as she elbowed her husband's ribs, much to his annoyance. "By the way… What did Hild say about this?"

"She's happy of course, but… understandably skeptical, since Urd and her second daughter will be staying here for the most. I did reassure her that Urd was going to visit her during weekends, although in the long run, I fear that this might not be enough," admitted Tyr as he knew all too well how difficult it was sometimes to make such arrangements while managing an entire realm at the same time, and Hild was in a very similar position herself. "As such, it's probably for the best if we allow Hild to visit them whenever she wants, and more importantly, develop the same bond she has with Sjofn."

"Although I've got no objections, I must admit that having another… outgoing girl like Sjofn could prove to be a bit too much for poor Urd to handle. Are you sure it's advisable?"

"No, but I'm absolutely certain that it's not advisable to deny her the chance to meet her maternal grandmother and learn about a part of her legacy in the same fashion Sjofn did. Besides, Urd may be reluctant to admit it, but aside from her sisters, it was Hild the one she trusted the most to take care of Sjofn whenever her presence was needed elsewhere," said Tyr before he gave his wife a sideways glance. "Which… means that you're going to make sure that she behaves during her visits."

"You almost makes it sound easy!" said Ansuz in mock shock, but then started to giggle, causing Tyr to join in with a chuckle of his own. "Alright, I'll see what I can do, but in the meantime, I suppose we need to go and say hello."

"I think so too." Walking towards Urd's house, Tyr did pause for a moment to check on his communicator, and more specifically the photo of his firstborn granddaughter along with her parents and Hild floating above them.

'No, I certainly have no regrets sending her to Earth.'

XXX

Years later

"Oneesama! Look what I found!"

Holding the glass jar above her head with her tiny hands, the tiny goddess run as fast as her small feet could carry her. Especially while trying to outmaneuver her particularly annoyed mother who just realized that her entire stock of hair growth pills just went missing.

"Var! Come here, you little troll! That's not candy!"

Looking up from her book, Sjofn couldn't help but find the sight of her little sister running across the living room to be utterly amusing, despite the obvious risk associated with the contents of that jar. Sjofn herself had learned from a very young age that her mother's potions weren't something she wanted to mess around with, but it seemed that her little sister had other ideas. Then again, such a thing was to be expected as Var had taken after Urd even more that Sjofn herself. Which was partially reflected by the little goddess' appearance that greatly resembled that of her mother's, with the notable exception of her eyes that clearly reminded everyone of Keiichi. However, that's far from the only things that the youngest addition in Urd's family had in common with her mother.

Var simply loved to mess around with whatever alchemical ingredient she could get her hands on, and even when she found nothing of use, the little goddess would simply raid the kitchen for common things, which… ended up in some highly uncommon if not downright atrocious recipes of her own. Yet despite all her failures, Var did learn something of value from each of them and moved on to produce a better result, which in many ways brought a smile on her mother's face; even if she had to act in a much more strict manner around her, just for the sake of dissuading her daughter from going too far and try anything dangerous. Like the time she somehow managed to recreate a fizzy drink she heard about from her big sister and ended up getting Belldandy totally smashed when she tried it.

Of course, it was up to anyone's guess as to how much the little troublemaker would take after Urd's personality after she grew up a bit, but then again, even Sjofn who had gained a reputation of being rather outgoing, seemed to calm down considerably in the last couple of years. As a matter of fact, as soon as Var was born, Sjofn started to dress and act in a vastly different manner that could be described as modest. For the most part at least, since she had a long road ahead of her if she wanted to become anything like Belldandy, although in all fairness that wasn't exactly Sjofn's goal. What she really wanted was to become an administrator, just like her mother, although Sjofn took that job a lot more seriously than Urd.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that she knew from first hand that life on the mortal realm depended on the celestial supercomputer and more than anything else, doing a great job at the Yggdrasil complex could help protect her birthplace. So, unlike most others who simply saw that assignment as a job no different than anything else one could do in Asgard, Sjofn really loved working as System administrator, which was most likely the biggest difference between herself and her mother. Still, for some of the celestials who got to know her, this may had been one of the greatest contributions of her father, as her own sense of responsibility was something that Keiichi was mostly known for.

And that was also the reason why Var looked up to her sister as a role model, not unlike Skuld did with Belldandy a long time ago. That and the mere fact that given the lack of space in their house, Sjofn volunteered to share her room with Var, causing the two sisters to become almost inseparable.

"Var… what have I told you about touching mom's potions?" asked Sjofn as she carefully took the jar out of her sister's hands and once it was safely placed on the nearby table, she picked her sister up and gave her a warm hug.

"Uh… that they taste really bad?" said the toddler as she innocently stuck a finger into her mouth.

"No! The other thing I told you!" said Sjofn as she could already feel her mother's intense gaze burning holes into her back; figuratively speaking of course.

"That if they don't turn me into a frog, they'll turn me into a giant?"

"No! Dad said that, not me!" cried the panicking brunette, but it was far too late to save herself and possibly her sister from what cruel fate awaited them. Feeling a hand claw at her shoulder, Sjofn knew that it belonged to her mother, who at this point must've reached her limit. "Um… at least… spare the kid?"

"Too late for that, you knuckleheads…" said Urd with a grin as she held up the one thing her daughters hated the most: a dusting feather. "It's time you clean up the house!"

"Oh, poo on a cracker!" exclaimed the youngest of the three goddess, causing the others to reel back in shock at the somewhat explicit language Var was demonstrating.

'One of them is still a closet pervert, despite her mannerisms… and the other is on the way to become a punk! What have I done wrong?' Pinching the bridge of her nose, Urd knew that she had to finally admit defeat and call in for reinforcements; namely, Belldandy. "Alright, that's it! I'm calling for auntie Bell to teach you how proper goddesses act! Oh, you're definitely going to love housework by the time she's done with the lot of you!"

However, before she got to reach for her communicator in order to call her sister, Keiichi's startled cry signaled the arrival of the only immortal who just refused to use the front door. Or any door for that matter, since Hild loved to ambush her son in law whenever she got the opportunity. "MOM! I swear if you're naked in there… I'll kick your sorry ass!"

Marching towards the bath, Urd swung the door open and prepared for the worst. Yet unlike her expectations, Hild was not only fully clothed… at least by her standards, but also hovering leisurely in the air. Instead, the one who ended up on top of Keiichi was a very different demoness.

"Et tu, Mara?" asked Urd as she raised an eyebrow and tried hard to ignore her mother's amused chuckle.

"Hey, I swear someone messed with my portal!" objected the blonde demoness as she tried to get off of the stunned god.

"Uh huh…" Of course, Urd had a very good idea who that someone was, but for the time being she said nothing else, and simply enjoyed the panicked look on her friend's face. It was nice to see Mara after so many years, since she rarely got to talk to her ever after they moved to Asgard. Only after she had Var pull the dreaded puppy eyes on her grandfather, did the blonde demoness get the necessary visa to drop by along with Hild. And even then, it's been an even longer since they got to hit a bar; not when she had two daughters to take care for. "Anyway… instead of humping my husband, how about we have a drink over at my minibar?"

"Who's humping your…" started Mara, until she realized that taking Urd's offer was much better than starting an argument with her. "Actually, I don't mind having a drink after coming all the way here."

"Excellent! This way, Ma-chan!" said Urd as she wrapped an arm around her blonde friend and led her towards her and Keiichi's room where she kept her booze, in hopes of keeping Var's hands off of anything alcoholic. Unlike mortal children who were only capable of drinking the stuff, young immortals could cause a much greater problem by setting their home ablaze should they try some strong spirits… only to spit the highly flammable liquid when they realized that they didn't quite like the taste. And with the natural tendency of triggering their powers whenever they were startled, immortal children could also set the aforementioned booze aflame. Especially those with an affinity towards fire, like… Var did.

Watching his wife walk towards their room, Keiichi couldn't help but smile as the sight clearly reminded him of their earlier life in Nekomi. Back then, Mara used to visit a bit more frequently, and in many ways Urd was far more carefree than now. Of course that was to be expected to a certain degree, since her job as an administrator is far more demanding and requires a lot more responsibility than working in a bike shop. Which also gave Keiichi an idea, but that would've to wait until he got a chance to talk to Urd later. For the time being, the dark haired god wanted to make sure that Hild wasn't planning anything too… disruptive. Although in her defense, the Daimakaicho knew when a joke went too far, and refrained from causing a commotion, especially during her visits in Asgard.

"Um… hello, mother. Var's in her room, so…"

"Yes, yes, I'll get there in a minute, Keiichi-kun," said Hild before she landed on the floor and approached him. "But before that, why don't you tell me how you're holding up?"

"Pretty well, actually," said Keiichi with a smile, as he relaxed a bit. It felt strange for the most powerful demoness to spend her valuable time checking on her son in law, but some reason Hild took her role a bit more seriously than most other immortals. Then again, not many of them married their daughters to someone who originally was a mortal, and as such most of his relatives weren't going to stick around for far too long. Even if it didn't seem too much, just the fact that he could talk to someone outside of his immediate family about his problems and occasional frustrations at adapting to an unfamiliar lifestyle was more than enough in Keiichi's opinion. "Work at the Debugging department can be a bit tedious at times, but I've started to get the hang of it and perhaps I might be able to move to a different post."

"That sounds a lot better than my last visit," said Hild with an amused grin, as she tilted her head to the side and scratched her chin. "What about the girls? Are they still giving you trouble?"

"Yes, but… in a way it's actually a good thing," said Keiichi with a chuckle. "It's much better to have them keep my and Urd's life busy and exciting. Things would've been far too dull if everything was quiet around here. Of course, if I have to be honest about it, Sjofn is really doing a great job at taking care of her little sister, and that display of responsibility makes me feel much better about the prospect of letting her go out on a date with a god or goddess of her choice."

"Oh? She's got a lover already?" asked Hild as she raised an elegant eyebrow at the news, but Keiichi simply shook his head dismissively.

"No, I don't think so. Aside from a few drinking partners and a few friends she's got since we came here, Sjofn has yet to find someone she'd take as a lover. Although… she did kind of experiment a bit at a couple of times," said Keiichi as he became increasingly nervous while recalling one of the most infamous incidents of the last decade. "Let's just say that… Urd didn't like it; at all. It's kind of funny, since I used to be the one who worried the most about Sjofn's misadventures."

"Ah… the joys of motherhood…" laughed Hild, as she gave Keiichi a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, I'll talk to her. Someone needs to remind my knucklehead of a daughter that back when she was about the same age as our Sjofn… she did a lot worse than my poor granddaughter."

"Just go easy on her, though," said Keiichi with a small frown. "She's under a lot of stress as of late and I don't want her to end up in an argument with you over Sjofn's upbringing."

"I'll see what I can do, Keiichi. Although… I think that Urd needs a way to unwind a bit. As much as it makes me happy to see her try to take care of you household, Urd isn't exactly the type to find such a role all that fulfilling. You need to give her some opportunities to relax without worrying too much about what's going on around her."

"Actually, I do have an idea for something that's going to let her spend a lot more time with her favorite hobby," said Keiichi as his whole face light up, even though he was a bit nervous since he needed Hild's help and he had no idea whether she was going to agree or not. "Although… I really need a couple of things to turn that into a reality."

"Hm… you've got my attention, so… what do you have in mind? Details, please."

"Well…"

XXX

A few hours later, Keiichi left Hild and Sjofn have some 'girl talk' after they've managed to put Var to bed, but not before they had to read her a couple of stories. As a matter of fact, Hild brought a new book from the mortal realm for her youngest granddaughter to enjoy, and even read most of it to her, since Var's limited access to Yggdrasil prevented the young goddess to read anything written in a mortal language.

Still, the dark haired god couldn't help but feel giddy, knowing that his plan was likely to become reality now that he got Hild's permission. 'That sure went a lot smoother than I've hoped for. Not that Hild would've missed an opportunity to help Urd, but still… given her job, there's a certain limit on how far she can go in terms of granting favors.'

Taking a seat on his sofa, Keiichi briefly considered checking if there's anything interesting on the TV, until a pair of arms wrapped around him and a soft voice whispered to his ear. "Ke-ii-cchi…"

Resisting the urge to jump, mostly due to old habits that he still hadn't completely gotten rid of, Keiichi craned his neck to look back at his somewhat tipsy wife. "Let me guess… you won. Again."

"Heh! Were you expecting any less of me? Ma-chan thinks she can get me drunk, but… she's the one snoring like a baby in our room," said Urd with a slight slur, and then nuzzled her face against the nook of his neck. "Which… means we can get a little creative tonight," purred the half goddess as she pressed her ample bosom against the back of her husband's head.

"U-Urd! We can't do that in the living room!" protested the blushing god, trying to talk some sense to his inebriated wife. 'Say what you will, but Mara's really gotten you drunk this time.'

However, instead of pressing on, Urd simply slumped next to him and seemed rather tired; and not just from the after effects of drinking all that booze. "Ugh… you're right. I guess I need to take something for the hangover and get some sleep."

"Not so fast, Urd." Turning around as far as he could given the circumstances, Keiichi wrapped an arm around the goddess' waist and flipped her over the sofa and right onto his lap. Which turned out to be a moment of poor judgment since he didn't take their furniture's age into account. As a result, the already decades old sofa finally decided that it had had enough and gave away with a satisfying crack. "Oof!"

Despite her surprise when she ended up on the floor together with Keiichi, the bronze skinned goddess started laughing and then pulled her still dazed husband in a tight hug. "Ha! We did it! We broke the stupid sofa! Oh, I'm totally gonna brag to Peorth about it! Honor badge, baby!"

'Just what are they doing up in the control room, while we toil in the server rooms hammering those bugs?…' pondered the somewhat miffed god, but soon pushed such thoughts aside and began to chuckle at their current predicament. "I guess it's time for someone to cut the snacks… Eh, Urd?"

"Careful there, buster!" said the half goddess with a grin, knowing all too well that her husband was actually aware that immortals don't actually gain weight. "If I have nothing to sink my teeth into, then I might… try you instead."

Helping her up, Keiichi did his best to rebuild the sofa, as it was a nice opportunity to demonstrate that he actually learnt a thing or two since they arrived here. However, that was also an equally good chance to tell her what he's been planning for the last couple of weeks. "Say, Urd? I was wondering... You keep stockpiling those potions of yours, but most of your jars are almost full."

"I know… I hardly get an opportunity to use the darn things anymore, so… I dunno, I kind of like making them, but… as it is, they're just useless."

"Which is why I wondered if you'd like to…" started Keiichi, but never got to finish that sentence as Urd apparently reached a conclusion of her own.

"You don't have to say it. I'll start getting rid of them first thing tomorrow," said Urd as she let out a disappointed sigh and visibly deflated at that idea. Still, she knew that it was likely for the best, since Var was getting too curious about them, and therefore her hobby was starting to become something dangerous for her family.

"No, wait! That's not what I meant, Urd!" protested Keiichi, putting his hands in front of him to stop her from further misunderstanding what he said. "What I had in mind was to start selling them. You know… open a shop for you and that way not only you can keep making, but you can also profit from your hobby, too!"

"That's not gonna work! Who in their right mind would want my medicine?" asked the baffled goddess of the past.

"First of all, they're not that bad! Well… some are a bit… strange at times, but for the most part, they do their job. Especially when their effect is needed. And I know that you need something fun to do once again, instead of just working as an admin full time!"

For a while, all Urd could do was stare at her husband and try to recall just how much she drank earlier. Ruling out the possibility that she was so drunk that she started to imagine things, Urd made an attempt to understand how a perfectly rational god like Keiichi came up with such a crazy idea. "I may be pointing the obvious here, but… Do you have any idea just how many alchemy shops we've got here? Even if we open a shop… why would anyone prefer ours over the rest of them?"

"Because you'll be able to make stuff they cannot, that's why!" said Keiichi as he gave his wife a wink. "I've heard how hard it is to get certain ingredients from Niflheim and if you get a decent supply of them, you'll be able to make one batch after the other, while others will have to wait for weeks before they even get their hands on the necessary ingredients. Besides… you can even produce certain formulas that we've got to import from Niflheim because the others cannot use demonic energy to further refine those potions. But… you can, right?"

"Y-Yes, I… can. But there's no way I'll get my hands on enough ingredients to make a whole line of products!" said the stunned Urd as the idea started to grow on her, but she desperately tried to keep herself from getting too hyped up, since this wasn't going to work. "There's some pretty stringent restrictions when it comes to trading rare ingredients, Keiichi. I'll never get the needed permit to import the needed amounts of ingredients to locally produce demonic potions."

"Oh, really now? I've asked father and he said it's okay as long as your mother is fine with it. So… I've asked her too, and… guess what? She's got no problem as long as nobody else gets their paws on them; aside from you that is," said Keiichi with a proud grin.

"No way! You… you've done… what?" It took Urd a few seconds to register just what happened and then grabbed Keiichi in a tight hug that ended up in a pretty deep kiss. One that lasted for longer that it would've been safe for a mortal, although thankfully Keiichi was no longer affected by simple things like the need to… breathe.

"I guess I'll take this as a yes," said the dazed Keiichi as soon as Urd let go of him. "So, I'll get to start the preparations to remodel our shop so that we can sell your potions. Oh, and get a business permit, register it, apply for a safety certification… Ugh… they sure love their bureaucracy here."

"You have no idea. Although, I'd rather prefer if you leave our shop the way it is," said Urd with a shake of her head. "I'm rather fond of that place, so, we'll just make a new one next to it."

"That should work just fine!" said Keiichi with a huge smile. "And while we're at it, I think I've got you two extra assistants, aside from myself!"

"You don't mean... Our girls?" said Urd as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Why not? It's the perfect opportunity for Sjofn to get to know people during her part time job, and Var really loves alchemy. It's a pity if you discourage her from pursuing what she likes, just because she's still young. Just take her under your wing and I think that she's going to follow your instructions to the best of her ability. She's a smart girl, after all! Both of them are, so stop babying them and give them a chance to prove that they can do it."

"You know what?" asked Urd after a few moments of thinking about it. "I think that the next few years will be really interesting. If nothing else, it'll give all of us something to break the monotony of our primary jobs."

"Hey, I can come up with good ideas from time to time, you know!" said Keiichi, as he started to relax knowing that his efforts finally paid of. But in the end, the smile it brought on Urd's face was totally worth all the trouble to set everything up. "So… how we tell everyone first thing tomorrow? We sure will need a few helping hands to set our second shop up!"

"Yes! Just like the good old times!" said the now excited Urd. And while she and Keiichi started to discuss the details about their new shop, Hild and Sjofn who were secretly spying on them, gave each other a thumbs up.

It was often said that with every beginning, there always comes an end. Yet as long as people kept dreaming, a new beginning would always arrive.

AN: I would like to thank everyone that has offered their feedback and support both here and on the Goddess Relief site.

I would also like to thank ObeliskX for the initial suggestion for a reverse harem setting that led to this story.

And… this is it! I must admit that I had a lot of ideas about the epilogue, but in the end I've felt that most of them were either too obvious or just an excuse to wrap things up and get it done with. However, I really wished to give this story a rather satisfying end and in my opinion, going for something a bit more ambitious was absolutely necessary.

In all honesty, this whole chapter counts not only as an epilogue but almost as a one shot story within a larger one. I went ahead to introduce Urd and Keiichi's daughters, which was something that may seem unnecessary to some, since it's the final chapter. Yet, I really wanted to give a version of what was likely to happen after the end of the story, and not just a totally open ended and generic conclusion that leaves more questions than answers.

Yes, there were some sobering parts thrown into the mix, to address certain aspects of their lives, instead of pointedly ignoring those for the sake of keeping it all lighthearted, but I think that the way I handled those matters doesn't ruin the overall atmosphere.

So, there it is! I honestly hope that it was worth the waiting and it concluded the story in a satisfying manner. This is also the first multi chapter story I'm finishing, which only made me feel a lot more pressure to end it with something interesting.

I sincerely thank you for giving my story a fair chance, and I really hope you've enjoyed it!