The Song of the Goddesses.

by Pierre R. Wheaton

July 24, 2009

Note: This is a work of fan fiction. It is merely an opportunity for me, an Oh, My Goddess fan, to come up with an idea as to how I would like to see the manga end. While I use various accounts from the manga, anime, and the novel to support the plot, the actual plot of this story must not be construed as being part of the Oh, My Goddess canon. Not unless Fujishima-sensei were to come across this piece somewhere on the internet, and be so enthralled by it that he contacted me and offered me big bucks to use it. Which is highly unlikely, but I can dream can't I? This is my first attempt at fan fiction, so it will be safe to say that I will get some things, OK, a lot of things wrong. The Oh My Goddess purists will have a ball slicing and dicing this thing up looking for mistakes. I don't apologize for any mistakes I make. Fan fiction exists to allow those who love their favorite series a chance to do things the creator would not have done, to expand the scope of his or her creation. As long as I don't portray the characters radically out of personality, pretty much all's fair. This is a work in progress, so it will always change.

The Oh, My Goddess characters in this work are the property of Oh, My Goddess creator Kosuke Fujishima. However, the narration provided for this work is of my own creation. Enjoy.

©2009-10, Pierre R. Wheaton

Chapter 1

A Friday Evening in Spring, approx 5 PM

It was a fine spring day at Tarikihongan Temple. The showers that pelted Nekomi City for the past three days finally moved on, giving way to plenty of sunshine and mild spring breezes. The change in weather also served to clear away the gloomy mood that surrounded the temple. Belldandy never seemed to be bothered by the constant rain, in fact she thought that it was great because it watered the ground and made sure that all the plants in the courtyard got their fill.

However for Keiichi Morisato and Belldandy's sisters, Skuld and Urd, the rains just got in the way and made them miserable. And Keiichi knew that when Skuld and Urd were stuck inside the temple and miserable, inevitably, they'd get into one of their constant arguments about who was going to control the television. Even though Keiichi was able to scrimp and save, and eventually buy a used color TV to put in Skuld's room thereby insuring that everyone who wanted a color TV had one, that didn't stop the goddesses from getting into their confrontations.

Usually they either got into a shouting match that ripped through the entire temple like nails on a chalkboard, especially when Skuld's high pitched voice is in full screech. Or they would play some kind of game to decide who would control the clicker. Initially, these games would start out calm, but as both goddesses were intensely competitive as well as highly excitable, it would not take long for the game to degenerate into the aforementioned shouting match.

The games ranged from mah jong to Monopoly, but today the sisters decided to create their own game consisting of using playing cards, dice and a weird device Skuld cooked up. It was a crystal sphere the size of a bowling ball that had tubes all over it and flashing multicolored lights inside of it. It occasionally made strange buzzing and whirring noises along with the odd bell. Keiichi once observed Skuld and Urd playing this game before. He watched them for about five minutes, and despite his best efforts, he could not figure out the rules to save his life. He suspected that the sisters were making them up as they went along, but thought the better of asking them to explain the rules to him because he knew how snippy they could get.

Keiichi eventually came to the conclusion that even though Skuld and Urd had their own TV's and could watch what they wanted, when they wanted without interference from the other sibling, they just liked to compete against each other and cause each other as much hell as possible. And he was willing to live with that as long as the screaming was kept to a dull roar, and they didn't blow the temple to kingdom-come by using Skuld-bombs and lightning bolts. Although Keiichi did lay down the law to both sisters that if the temple was destroyed, they were responsible for putting it back the way it was.

Belldandy was in her favorite place, the kitchen. She was dressed in a simple white knee length sundress covered with sunflowers and held up with spaghetti straps. Over that she wore a white apron. Her chestnut-brown hair held in its usual ponytail by a yellow ribbon. As usual, she looked radiant. Belldandy could wear a potato sack and still look good. She was standing at the stove humming a tune that only she knew, doing what she loved to do most, and that was cooking for Keiichi. She had been looking through some homemaking magazines and decided to cook a special stew for him. She put on a mixture of vegetable and fish stock, diced up some carrots, onions, chives, a little celery, and then added some fish and shrimp, clams and mussels that she bought at the market earlier today. To that, she added some spices, and that special expression of love and caring that she had just for Keiichi. That was the ingredient that made all the difference. It didn't matter what Belldandy made for him, he would relish every bite and eat it all so as not to offend her. Ever since Belldandy came to live with Keiichi at Tarikihongan, he had never complained about her cooking.

Belldandy had the unique ability as a Goddess First Class to adapt and learn things on a scale that humans could not possibly emulate. She only had to see something done once, and she picked it up. From cooking, to racing a go-kart, to riding a competition sidecar with Keiichi in a race, there was little that Belldandy could not learn. That among many other traits was the thing that so impressed Keiichi about his goddess girlfriend.

Every day, upon waking up, he took the picture of Belldandy that sat next to his futon and looked at it lovingly for a minute or two and then he would kiss it. It was a picture of her wearing that same sundress, and a wide brimmed straw hat with a flower in the hatband. She was standing in the courtyard next to the large temple bell, waving at the camera. She had an innocent smile on her face that never failed to warm Keiichi's heart. It was a simple, wholesome and uncluttered look that on any other girl would merely be cute, but was nothing short of spectacular on Belldandy. His mind often went back to that fateful night, when he was stuck minding the Motor Club dorm, while his sempais Tamiya and Ootaki were out doing who knows what. He remembered dialing the wrong number that connected him to the Goddess Assistance Agency. That sweet voice on the other end that told him that she would take care of his request in person. The initial shock of seeing a stunningly beautiful girl wearing flowing diaphanous robes emerging through a mirror. She introduced herself as Belldandy, Goddess First Class, Second Category, Unlimited License. And she said that she was there to grant him any wish he desired. Convinced that his crazy sempais were messing with him, as they were wont to do, he uttered those words. The words that would change his whole life. "I would like for a goddess like you, to stay with me always!"

Despite what happened afterward, him getting kicked out of his dorm, finding an old Buddhist temple for him and Belldandy to live in, the chaotic addition of Bell's sisters Skuld and Urd into their lives, and all the adventures that went with living with three beautiful and powerful goddesses. Keiichi concluded that if all this was part of living with the most beautiful, smartest, kindest and most wonderful woman he had ever met, and the assurance of knowing that he had her all to himself, Skuld's constant protestations not withstanding, he would gladly pay the price.

Chapter 2

6:30pm Friday Evening.

Keiichi took advantage of the beautiful weather to go out to the garage and perform some much needed maintenance on his motorcycle. This was the first chance he had in quite a while to get his hands dirty fixing and tinkering with his trusty BMW. Besides the recent rainy weather, he was busy with temple chores, working as a mechanic at Chihiro Fujimi's Whirlwind motorcycle shop as well as taking the occasional part time job to pick up extra money on the side. Chihiro regarded Keiichi as a pretty good mechanic, and she tried to pay him a decent wage. But it wasn't quite enough to take care of all the maintenance of the expansive temple grounds, and the care and feeding of three goddesses took its toll. Skuld loved her ice cream, she devoured the premium brands by the pint, and Urd drank only the best sake. And that stuff wasn't cheap by any means. Add to the fact that Belldandy like most Japanese homemakers, went shopping every day for the freshest fruits and vegetables and only bought enough supplies to cook for a day or two at a time. So it was important that a steady flow of cash came into the household.

There were times in the early days at Tarikihongan, that Keiichi and Belldandy stared at the back of an empty refrigerator. But it always seemed that when the couple were at their bitter end, something would happen to get them by. Like the time when Keiichi's younger sister, Megumi came in from their hometown in Hokkaido, to apply to a college on the mainland. Keiichi wasn't too thrilled that his little sister had crashed the temple at a time when he and Belldandy were just getting to know each other and he was even less excited when Megumi told him that she was applying to his school, the Nekomi Institute of Technology. But the 40,000 yen she was carrying with her courtesy of their parents, father Keima and mother Takano, softened the blow. Since then, Keiichi and Belldandy had always found a way to keep the temple running as smoothly as possible despite the occasional dust-up between Urd and Skuld.

Keiichi decided to adjust the bike's valves as well as top off the oil and give the BMW a good cleaning. Keiichi came from a family of mechanics and gearheads. Megumi was pretty good with a wrench in her hand, and his father, Keima despite being a glass blower by trade could find his way around a motorcycle better than some pros. While he was working, he thought about the adventures he'd had with this old Beemer. It was this bike that he used to find a new home for him and Bell when he got kicked out of the dorm. When Keima and Takano visited the temple from Hokkaido, he and his father continued the series of races they had since Keiichi was a young boy. He had to remove the sidecar and rework the suspension in order to make the bike safe for solo use. He had never been able to best his father, but this last time, he drew even. He vowed that one day he would beat the old man. Even though the Beemer had the propensity to break down at the worst times, it was still a fairly reliable old classic that took him and Belldandy anywhere they wanted to go.

Keiichi had just finished adjusting the valves and was just about ready to check the oil when he heard Belldandy call him from the porch.

"Keiichi, Dinners ready."

"Ok, Belldandy. Be right there."

He wheeled the bike back into the garage, and hurried into the Tea Room which doubled as the communal dining space, as well as Belldandy's room. He washed his hands and sat down at the low table just in time to see Belldandy bring in the large pot of fish stew she had made. It smelled heavenly. As did all of Bell's cooking. She put the steaming pot on the table and hustled back to the kitchen to prepare the tea. Darjeeling, Bell's favorite. Keiichi ladled some of the stew into a bowl, spooned some rice into it, grabbed a pair of chopsticks and tasted. Of course, he knew that it was going to taste good. This is Belldandy's cooking after all. But even he didn't expect the explosion of flavors that erupted in his mouth from that first spoonful. The marriage of ingredients was perfection. The fresh seafood cooked just right, not rubbery or flaky. The vegetables picked at the top of their freshness. Even the spices added just the right amount of zing without overcoming the delicate flavor of the fish. Keiichi had many great dishes since Belldandy came into his life, but this simple stew was head and shoulders above the rest.

A perfect meal served by a perfect goddess.

"So Keiichi, how is the stew?"

Keiichi looked up to see Belldandy sitting across the table from him, an inquiring look on her face. Her porcelain skin perfectly complementing the sundress. Not a hair out of place, the 4 strands rising from her forehead like a fountain. Her deep ocean-blue eyes, her dainty lips. That vision coupled with the magnificent stew emboldened him. He wanted so bad just to touch her, to hold her and to look into those eyes and kiss those lips. He started to lean over the table reaching out his arms to embrace his goddess when a familiar and very unwelcome screech shook him from his reverie.

"KEIICHI, STOP OGLING AT MY SISTER LIKE THAT!"

Damn you, Skuld!

Bell's younger sister, Skuld came bounding into the Tea Room upon seeing this latest assault on her big sister's virtue. A Goddess Second Class, First Category, Limited License, Skuld made it her mission to keep Keiichi and Belldandy apart as much as possible. It was an outbreak of heavenly bugs: eight-legged rabbit-like creatures that brought the petite raven-haired goddess to earth. She, Urd, and Belldandy had a hell of a time trying to get rid of the constantly multiplying bugs. And it was only after the use of some of Skuld's outlandish inventions as well as Urd's command of lightning coupled with a lecture or two about singularities, black holes and how multi-dimensional beings can be visible to 3 dimensional humans, that the trio were able to send the bugs back to heaven. Skuld decided to stay on earth to make sure that the bugs didn't come back. But of course, that was also the perfect excuse to meddle in Keiichi and Bell's business.

While Urd and Belldandy were fully fledged goddesses capable of wielding tremendous amounts of magical power, and having a high degree of command over their goddess abilities, Skuld was just coming into her power. It had only been since a boy her age named Sentaro came into her life and befriended her, that she was able to muster even the lowest levels of power. Skuld's strengths lie in her inventions. She had this innate ability to create complex contraptions seemingly from out of nowhere. Most of the time her inventions worked, but not always as she expected them. She also had the ability to perform highly complicated math problems that would leave her sisters guessing. Belldandy tried to convince Skuld in her own way to rely less on her inventions and more on developing her magical powers, but that approach only provided mixed results.

But now, Skuld was intent on making sure that Keiichi didn't get his grubby paws on her beloved big sister Belldandy. She reached under her blouse to grab a Skuld-bomb and pitch it at Keiichi when the oldest of the goddess trio floated into the room.

Urd.

Long flowing platinum hair. Skin like polished bronze. Dressed in a skintight miniskirt with plenty of cleavage. Half demon, Half goddess. All attitude. Urd was the complete antithesis to Belldandy. While Bell was even-tempered, thoughtful, stable and kind, Urd was moody, had a Machiavellian streak a mile wide and very unpredictable. Belldandy always made sure that she dressed in a manner that balanced her femininity and her modest conservative nature. Urd was an honors graduate of the "If You Got It, Flaunt It" school of fashion. There was very little in her wardrobe that wasn't too short, too tight or too low cut, and a good bit of it was all three.

Urd believed completely in the ends justifying the means, however she sometimes got so wrapped up in the means that she lost track of the ends. She was fiercely protective of her sisters. It was because of that desire that she refused elevation to Goddess First Class despite showing clear evidence of having the power and the ability to control that power required of a First Class Goddess. Urd had a tendency to lie. And she believed that sometimes it was necessary to lie in order to protect Belldandy and Skuld. And Heaven forbade First Class Goddesses from telling lies. So Urd was content to remain a Second Class Goddess.

On the whole, Urd could be quite charming when she wanted to be. But there were times when it was difficult to determine what her agenda was. A malfunction in the Ultimate Force that enforced goddess' contracts brought Urd to earth, but she also used that excuse as a cover in an effort to jump start Keiichi and Belldandy's relationship. Urd had always maintained that Keiichi was not being aggressive enough in moving the relationship along to a more "adult" level. And she had used her vast knowledge of potions to manipulate Keiichi and Belldandy's libidos more than a few times, but they never seemed to work. Keiichi was especially resistant to Urd's charms. It just seemed that Kei and Bell were going to move the relationship along only as fast as it suited them, and there wasn't anything that anyone could do about it. But that didn't stop Urd from trying.

Urd floated into the room. "Skuld, put that away. No one's in the mood to put up with your bomb throwing today" she said with a hint of boredom in her voice.

Skuld put the bomb down with a little more force than was necessary and with an indignant look, said "Humph, You're just mad that I beat you in Goddess Poker!"

Urd retorted "How hard is it for YOU to win in a game that YOU invented, and in which YOU kept making up the rules as we went along?"

She had a point, but Skuld refused to back down. " That's no excuse! If you can't adapt, it's not my fault."

Urd was about to respond, but Keiichi interrupted " Ok, you two, can you please settle down and carry your argument elsewhere?, it's dinner time, and I'd like a little peace at the table.

Both sisters looked at him with a hint of anger but decided not to pursue the matter further.

Urd took a sniff at the stew and said " My, Belldandy really outdid herself today. It smells yummy!"

Keiichi said "Yeah, it's great." through a mouthful of fish.

Skuld piped up " You say that about everything Belldandy cooks."

"And it's true."

Urd went over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of sake. She popped the cork, took a long pull out of the bottle, and said, "Well, can't have a good meal without a drink to go with it." She grabbed sake cups and poured a shot for her and Keiichi.

Belldandy asked once again about the stew " Well, Keiichi?"

He looked into her eyes and said "It was absolutely perfect. just like you." And he reached across the table and gave Belldandy a very big hug. Skuld stared daggers at the couple and Kei could literally see the smoke coming out of the little goddess's ears, but he didn't care. He was in the arms of HIS goddess and he wasn't going to be denied. As he held Bell, he felt both their hearts beating as one, in perfect unison. Her touch was so soft, her warmth completely enveloped him. Keiichi could actually feel Bell's goddess powers simmering within her. He wanted to kiss her, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

And that was his frustration. Beyond holding hands and the occasional hug, he was not able to become more intimate with Belldandy. He knew that Bell was not ready to take the relationship to a sexual level, and he respected her feelings on the matter. He just wished that they could move from an "elementary school" romance to a middle ground between full-on intimacy and their current state. What was stopping him? Was Bell ready to move along and she was just waiting for him to take the lead? Was he afraid that she would be offended and accuse him of moving faster than she wanted if he took a more aggressive approach? Either way, this paralysis by analysis was getting him nowhere. And Bell could feel it as they released from their embrace. She looked at him with concern. "Keiichi, is something wrong?"

Damn, Keiichi thought, she's too good at reading my aura.

"No, Belldandy, nothing's wrong. This stew is wonderful, just like everything you make."

"Thank you, Keiichi. I'm so glad you liked it." And then she reached over the table and gave Keiichi a kiss on the cheek, which cause him to blush a very deep red.

Skuld looked at Urd and asked "What was that all about?"

Urd responded " I have no idea."

Chapter 3

7:30pm Friday Evening.

Things finally settled down in the Tea Room. At Keiichi's request, Belldandy also joined him in eating the stew. As a goddess, Bell didn't need to partake of food for nourishment because she, like Skuld and Urd, derived their powers from the earth which was then processed by Yggdrasil, the hopelessly complicated computer system that governed both the Divine and the Human realms. She could eat food and derive pleasure from it, but it was not necessary for her to eat to survive. If anything, she received more satisfaction from cooking for Keiichi than from eating her own food. But Keiichi told her that it would make him happy if she were to eat with him. And as the first function of a goddess was to make those with whom she interacted happy, she could not refuse his request. They had gotten about halfway through the stew when a set of familiar and not entirely welcome voices from outside put Keiichi's teeth on edge.

"MORISATO-O-O-O-O-O-O-O"

"Oh no, not them!" Keiichi lamented, fearing the worst.

Belldandy got up from the table and walked up to the front door. "Hello, everybody! Come on in, we're just eating dinner."

"T'anks, Belldandy, don't mind if we do." a gruff low voice rumbled.

Into the temple walked Keiichi's sempais, Tamiya and Ootaki. And they also brought along Chihiro Fujimi, the owner of Whirlwind as well as Keiichi's boss and Sora Hasegawa, the current director of the Nekomi Tech Motor Club was bringing up the rear.

Tamiya and Ootaki were the former directors of the Motor Club, which was the group Keiichi belonged to when he attended Nekomi Tech. The club existed to foster a love for various types of motor vehicles. The club was founded by Chihiro, and Tamiya and Ootaki took over from her. They were two inseparable brutes that towered over the rest of the club in terms of height as well as influence. In order to raise money for the club's constantly empty coffers, the two crazies would hatch all sorts of hare-brained schemes, often at Keiichi's expense in terms of both finances and pride. Tamiya was as wide as he was tall and wore a wife beater shirt, dark baggy pants and tabi socks no matter what time of year. Of the two, he was the acknowledged leader even though he was as dumb as a post when it came to knowledge other than fixing cars and bikes. Ootaki was equally as tall, a little more intelligent, had the greatest mohawk mullet ever conceived and wore a leather jacket that had hundreds of tools stored in various loops and pockets of the jacket. He also had two spark plugs dangling from his ears. He insisted that it wasn't a fashion statement, but rather it insured that if he needed them, they were readily available.

Even though Tamiya and Ootaki were graduate students and were no longer technically the Directors of the Motor Club, they made themselves the Executive Council so they could stay in charge and gave Hasegawa all the hassles that came with being the Director, but little of the authority.

Chihiro was an attractive, outgoing woman a little older than Urd, who had a stellar career as a motorcycle racer after she left Nekomi Tech. It was after she raced Keiichi on a minibike through the streets of the Nekomi campus that she rediscovered the fun times she had in the Motor Club, she then left the racing circuit and followed her dream of opening her own motorcycle shop and hired Keiichi and Belldandy on as a mechanic and shop assistant, respectively. Even though she was no longer part of the Motor Club as a student, she used her self-proclaimed founder's privileges to remain involved in club activities.

Sora Hasegawa was a cute, shy girl younger than Keiichi who took over as Director of the Motor Club after winning a mandated race against Keiichi, who assumed the directorship after Tamiya and Ootaki graduated. The only female member of the Club, she had a very young looking face and body and was constantly being mistaken for a high school girl. She was also very insecure, couldn't cook if her life depended on it, and was not at all thrilled about taking over the directorship of the Motor Club. But she was a tireless worker who loved to deflect the credit to her more visible companions, very intelligent when it came down to cars, and Keiichi and Belldandy were quite fond of her.

No sooner had the Motor Club leadership barged into the temple, than in walked Keiichi's younger sister Megumi Morisato. Perky to the point of being a smartass and also extremely cute, Megumi was a year behind Kei when he was at Nekomi Tech. She was almost as good a rider as Keiichi and not too shabby with a wrench either. Despite having an apartment in Nekomi City that she got for a steal with Keiichi and Bell's help, she couldn't resist coming over to the temple on most days for one of Belldandy's delicious breakfasts.

"Hi, Kei," Megumi chirped. "I was passing by, and saw the lights on, so I just wanted to drop by and hang out."

Keiichi said with resignation in his voice "C'mon in, Meg,"

Chihiro walked up to Keiichi and said " There's a Motor Club meeting, and we decided to have it here at the temple. Hope you don't mind."

"Did I have a choice?" Kei asked, and Chihiro immediately responded "No."

"But I'm no longer a member of the Motor Club"

" Nonsense, Once a member of the Club, always a member of the Club."

" Where does it say that in the by-laws?"

" Article 4 Subsection 3, and I quote 'All current members of the Motor Club will retain their full membership status after they cease their attendance at and obligations to The Nekomi Institute of Technology whether by graduation or leaving the institution by other means.'"

"There's nothing in the by-laws that says that" Keiichi blustered incredulously.

"Yes there is, because I put it in there." Chihiro said triumphantly.

"And what gave you THAT authority?" Keiichi bawled.

"Article 4 Subsection 1, and I quote 'The Founder of the Motor Club retains the right to add or subtract from the by-laws as she sees fit.'"

"Oh." Keiichi mumbled. He knew that such authority didn't exist, but he didn't want to go round and round with Chihiro. Besides it had become a lot more fun in the Club since she came back, and Tamiya and Ootaki have been better behaved with her riding herd on them. "Oh, all right. Make yourselves at home. We have a really good fish stew and plenty to go around."

" Hey guys! Keiichi's inviting us to dinner!"

"HOOOORAYYYY!" a loud cheer bellowed from the Tea Room, while Keiichi groaned in resignation.

Keiichi pulled Belldandy aside and said. "I'm sorry this happened, Belldandy. I wasn't expecting all these people to show up. I hope this isn't going to make extra work for you."

Belldandy put her hand on Keiichi's arm and said "Don't worry Keiichi. It'll be no problem at all. Besides, it's been a while since we had company in the temple. This night could turn out to be a lot of fun." Bell was always quick to see the good in all situations, even in the infamous Motor Club meetings.

"Thanks, Belldandy. You're the greatest." And then Keiichi leaned over and gave Belldandy a kiss on the cheek. She blushed and asked " What was that for?"

Keiichi grabbed her hand and lead her into his room so they could have some privacy, and said "That was for the kiss you gave me a few minutes ago. While we were embracing, I was concerned that somehow our relationship wasn't moving along as we'd like. I was afraid that it might be that I'm not being assertive enough in conveying my feelings to you. And if I were, you'd be insulted. Or maybe that you're willing to move along, but waiting for me to take the lead. I'm so confused, Belldandy. I don't know what to do about us."

Belldandy took Keiichi's hands into her own and said "Keiichi, ever since we've met, you have been nothing but a true gentleman to me. You have never taken advantage of me, nor have given me any reason to put anything less than my full faith and trust in you. You have treated me with the utmost respect. And you've always considered my feelings in all things. Every day we have spent together has been a blessing to me. You have taught me so much about life as a human. I can only hope that I have done as much for you, as you have done for me. Our relationship will grow as strong as the mightiest oak. But like that mighty oak has to grow from a tiny acorn. It will take time, don't rush it. One day we'll both know when will be the right time to make the next move. After all, I did say that I would stay with you forever."

Still holding hands, Keiichi said "Thank you Belldandy. That takes a very large load off my mind. But what happens if one day, you can no longer fulfill our contract, and you have to go back to heaven?..."

Bell put a finger to Keiichi's lips and said "First of all, It's not just about the contract. I'm here because I really and truly want to be with you. When and if that day comes, we'll deal with it then, but know this, Keiichi Morisato. I love you with all my heart and I always will." Bell moved in to give Keiichi a real kiss when Chihiro stumbled between them. It was apparent that she had already found the liquor cabinet.

"Aw-right, you two lovebirds-s-s, The date-sh over! Meeting time!" With that, she grabbed both of them by the arm and marched them back to the Tea Room.