Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Somehow, Someday ❯ Changes Over Time ( Chapter 5 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: chanel_jay 
Urd visits the heavens and finds herself talking with the fifth goddess.
Anime/Manga: Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.07.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 568 | Status: Work In Progress
Urd visits the heavens and finds herself talking with the fifth goddess.
Anime/Manga: Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 07.07.2002 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 568 | Status: Work In Progress
CHAPTER FIVE: CHANGES OVER TIME
With a small sigh, a goddess walked out of a large, seemingly empty room. As soon as she took a few steps away from the archway, two huge, sparkling white doors - meticulously carved by the best craftsmen of all Asgard with images of gods and goddesses, with angels, floras and faunas - suddenly, quietly, closed behind her, even without the presence of any being beside either door.
After risking a slightly irritated behind her, Urd made her way down a grand corridor, passing by breathtaking architectural structures that defied any notion of physics, and fabulous decorations arranged across the marvelous window-filled hallway that no human being could ever had imagined. A small smile tried to creep its way to her lips, and though she tried to fight it, she eventually lost.
It has been quite some time since Urd had left Earth realm and visited home, and it probably would not have crossed her mind for perhaps a few more months, when she decides to visit her sister. But Kami-sama had called her and had asked the eldest Norn to grant him her presence, and who was she to defy the Almighty's request?
[And all he wanted was that. To think I worried for nothing . . . ] Urd thought, relieved. She recalled how anxious she was before she had left the Morisato household, wondering if she had done something wrong again and was about to be reprimanded.
However irritated she may seem of having to deal with severe amounts of nervousness for naught, truth to be told the smile on her lips came as a result of her meeting with the Almighty and the fact that she was home, even if it was only for a short while. Occasionally, sysop gods and goddesses passed by, performing their duties required from them to maintain the universal computer system, Yggdrasil, located deep in the very same palace that Urd walked in. Those who were familiar with her paused to give her a happy greeting before running off somewhere, perhaps to chase bugs, fix loopholes, modify existing programs, and do whatever else there is that they were supposed to do.
Urd wondered where Skuld was among them.
She soon reached the end of the main corridor and walked into a huge forest that made the backyard of the entire palace, filled with trees, some of which were non-existent on Earth. Urd stretched out her arms, placing her hands behind her neck as she breathed deeply.
"Welcome back," another goddess said, coming out from behind a tree. Cool, calm winds caressed her light purple locks - long in front, short at the back, and she gazed at Urd with brown eyes that conveyed a sense of seriousness that she never seemed to have lost in her very long lifetime.
Urd turned to her direction, bringing her arms back to her side. "Oh. Hello, Lind. Out on vacation?"
Lind shook her head as she headed towards Urd. "No. I am here on a special assignment."
"You keep the birds out of the palace?" Urd asked jokingly. And as she expected, Lind did not smile. Rather, the battle goddess just raised her eyebrows. "Yeesh, you haven't changed at all, have you?"
"Perhaps it depends on how you look at me. I assume that you are still mischievous, am I correct?"
"I prefer to call it 'fun-loving'. But I have to admit, it's getting a little boring down below."
They started to walk together, heading deeper into the "garden".
"Is that because Belldandy and her mortal charge are already engaged?" Lind inquired.
Urd shrugged. "About time, don't you think? I mean, it's been years since Bell-chan had answered his call. By all accounts, they should be married, not engaged."
"If you are bored, then why not return to your duties here?"
Urd looked at Lind in horror. "Umm . . . it's boring, but it's not *that* boring! Compared to getting stuck working all day . . . I mean . . ."
Lind shook her head. "Even you will have to return eventually. You do not have any specific obligations there."
"I know."
Urd paused for a short moment, reflecting on what had been said. She knew what Lind had said was true - that there was virtually nothing that was holding her back from returning home. But she had been at the Earth realm for so long that it was getting very hard to consider Asgard as the place where she truly belonged. Earth was *exciting* - there was almost always something to do, some mystery or adventure waiting for her and her small "family" at every corner. Asgard may be exceedingly beautiful and peaceful compared to the chaos that one would normally see on Earth, but it was a little bit *too* peaceful. And to a goddess with a wild spirit such as Urd, the word "peaceful" was already too kind a word to be used. "Boring" would have been a proper term. There *were* problems every now and then in Asgard - troubles of enormous, universal proportions that no problem on Earth could possibly compare to - but these happened quite rarely. The most exciting job that any god or goddess could probably have during any period - peacetime or not - would be catching bugs, and even that task could get quite dull awfully fast.
[ Speaking of bugs . . . ] "Hey, have you seen my sister around?"
"Skuld?"
Urd nodded. "How is she? I mean, not that I *care*, but of course Belldandy would like to know about her progress and all . . ."
Lind looked a little skeptical with her excuse - especially since Urd was avoiding her gaze. "She is doing magnificently. A huge improvement from when she first came back in her state of depression," she answered anyway.
"Better than the last time I saw her?"
"Yes. There was a time, however, when Kami-sama had banned her from machines."
Urd abruptly looked at her companion, her face registering disbelief. "He did?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes."
The eldest Norn just stood there in shock. Take Skuld away from her machines and her youngest sister would have lost practically everything she held dear!
"It was only temporary," Lind was quick to assure after seeing Urd's horrified expression, although the tone of her voice - that of which was completely stern - had not changed. "It had been decided that she should depend less on her machines until her powers had developed into a considerable level equal to goddesses of her age, as her ratings show that she is quite behind all the others. The ban has already been lifted months ago."
Urd frowned slightly. "I'm surprised that did not send her into another bout of depression."
"On the contrary. The knowledge that the ban would be lifted until she had reached the level Kami-sama had prescribed had encouraged her to work harder. Her current reading is now slightly above that of her peers. It's still weak compared to ours, but it is better than it used to be."
[Belldandy once said that our powers originate from love . . . it's odd that Skuld loves her machines *that* much to push her into developing her powers . . .] Urd thought, scratching her head, a slightly exasperated look on her face.
"She seems to be in the habit of occasionally building bicycles since she came back - many younger goddesses had actually benefited from her pastime," Lind continued.
"Ohhhh . . ." Urd nodded slowly, her face becoming mischievous as her eyes lighted up with understanding. "I see. Funny - I didn't see that when I last saw her . . . except perhaps noticed the number of kids on bicycles nowadays."
"She does keep to herself sometimes."
They came to a stop in front of a huge, sparkling blue lake, where a white kiosk stood hovering slightly above it at its middle, the path leading to it made up by flat, wide, marble-like stones, each step slightly elevated from the last. Urd was content with seeing the structure from afar and remained where she was near the shore. Lind, however, decided to climb up the first few steps.
"I trust that you have already gone and seen Kami-sama?" Lind asked.
"Yeah . . ."
"When do you plan to go home?"
"In a while." Urd kneeled down near the water and dipped her hand into it. "I'm enjoying it here."
Whispering a few chosen words, the cold water surrounding her palm suddenly rose, and she sent it towards Lind's direction, splashing her with liberal amounts of water.
Lind's eyes widened at the water onslaught that she jumped and flew into the air; a little too late to stay completely dry, however, as her lower half was partly drenched. She glared at Urd. "That was a shameful waste of energy," she said sternly.
"Aww, loosen up a bit!" Urd said, grinning widely as she stood back up. "We don't depend on secondary energy sources up-!!"
She barely had the chance to finish her sentence when she was suddenly completely dosed from head to foot with *vast* amounts of water.
For a while, neither goddesses spoke. Urd seemed slightly shocked that Lind had actually retaliated. Lind just stared at her, eyebrows raised. Then, to the eldest Norn's surprise, a ghost of a smile appeared on the battle goddess's face.
"That wasn't me."
Urd stopped muttering a spell that should have sent a huge tidal wave over Lind, giving her a confused look instead. "Huh?"
"That was me!" a familiar voice behind Urd suddenly said.
There was a short instance where Urd actually thought she heard movement behind her, but quickly swiveling around to look did not give her any results. Then, someone shoved her, sending her sprawling into the lake, too shocked to use her powers to save herself.
As the shoreline was not deep, Urd managed to pull herself up into a kneeling position, sputtering water from her mouth, her hair clinging to the sides of her face. She growled, her mind quickly trying to devise some sort of revenge on her unlucky assailant. "Why you . . .!!!"
She turned towards the shore, seemingly glaring at the trees that were in the opposite direction where she had been pushed. But it was not the plants she was looking at. "Come out, you little brat!" she said, sending two small water balls in that path. Both had slowed down, floating for a short while where they had stopped, and abruptly returned to her, hitting her instead. Straight at the face.
The air just before the water wavered and rippled, and where was once empty space now stood, or rather, kneeled Skuld, who was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach, tears streaming down her eyes. Lind just hovered there, her tiny smile still present.
"Hmph!" Urd rose from the water and made her way to dry land. She waved a hand over her completely drenched body, and within seconds she was dry again, with a whole new attire and seemingly blow-dried hair. "Just because you managed to hit me, it doesn't mean you should get all cocky, kid," she told her sister, the smile she had earlier zealously fighting to return, but this time she made sure she reeled it in before it appeared.
"Urd, water is *my* element! You can't hit me with those flimsy little balls even if you wanted to!" Skuld said, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes before standing up straight and proud.
Lind drifted over to Skuld's side, her clothes completely dry as well. "Skuld has been there since we had reached the lake. I'm surprised you haven't noticed her presence," she said.
Skuld grinned haughtily. "Onee-sama had always said you were terrible with hide-and-seek."
Urd sweatdropped. That was true - she could hardly find any of her playmates whenever they played hide-and-seek, mainly because of her tendency to ignore the tingling, elevating feeling that would usually inform her if any of her goddess friends were near. After all, the sensation brought a sense of security as compared to sensing the presence of a demon, and Asgard was so full of blessed immortals giving off this kind of impression that "feeling" for one's friends was almost impossible unless one is patient enough to sort through her senses. This was why hide-and-seek in the heavens became both a game and a way of training for young goddesses. And since Urd was hardly what one would call "patient", it was one game that she never appreciated, and she remained inexperienced with regards to noticing other beings' hidden presence in Asgard, unless it was a demon.
There was no need for Skuld to find out about this, though. "For your information, I knew you were there the entire time!" Urd defended, glaring at her sister as the youngest Norn stuck her tongue out at her. Urd's frown eventually disappeared, and she looked at Skuld with something akin to pride on her face. "So you've mastered blending, huh?"
"She still needs to work on staying invisible despite her feelings," Lind said, looking pointedly at Skuld. "But she's making good progress."
Urd's gaze moved from Skuld, to Lind, and back again. "Wait a sec. When you said you were on 'special assignment,' you don't mean . . ."
Lind nodded. "I had accepted the role as Skuld's tutor for her elemental and stealth skills."
Urd shifted uncomfortably. "But she's a sysop. She's not a battle goddess, is she?" Feelings of slight panic and protectiveness welled up her throat, as she knew about the harsh training battle gods have to undergo.
"No. But her records depict that she is a valkyrie as well as a sysop, and water is a wonderful attack element. She had just begun under my tutelage a few months ago," Lind answered. "She must be ready when she is needed."
[Which I certainly hope won't be anytime in her lifetime,] Urd thought protectively, not wishing to see her innocent little sister move into battle to collect brave, albeit quite dead, warriors.
She began to circle around her sister, one hand on her chin, as she inspected the young Norn from top to bottom. Skuld nervously looked at her, unconsciously drawing her arms around her chest, fearing another one of Urd's "Big Sister Bust Size Check." "W-what?" she asked.
"You're still small."
Skuld gave a minor facefault. "What?"
"You're still small," Urd commented, holding her hand vertically near the top of her chest, which was Skuld's approximate height. "You haven't grown a bit."
"I . . . I did, too!"
"Yeah. About a few millimeters."
"G-goddesses don't grow up very fast," Skuld muttered.
"Indeed," Lind nodded.
Skuld stared uncomfortably at the ground before looking at Urd once more. "How's Se- . . ." She caught herself before she said anything further. "How's onee-sama?"
Urd slyly looked at her. "You don't need to pretend, you know."
Skuld blushed furiously. "I just wanted to know, okay??" she defended.
"Why don't you come and find out for yourself?"
The young goddess blinked. "Huh?"
"Kami-sama has been following your progress, and had decided to give you a small vacation," Lind informed Skuld, although she did not seem very pleased with the thought of "vacation" while in the middle of training. "He has asked your sister to come here and pick you up."
"He . . . he did?" Skuld stammered, looking at Urd, who appeared quite irritated.
"It's quite annoying, having to have you back and all even for just a few days . . ." Urd said. Her frown then changed to a lop-sided smile. "But I guess we'll have to bear with it."
Urd watched as Skuld's face brightened, a huge grin on her face. "Really?!?"
"Yes, he did! Now go pack whatever stuff you need before I leave you here!" Urd ordered, pointing her finger at the lake.
Skuld made a beeline for the water. "Don't leave without me!" she shouted as she jumped in the lake, yet instead of getting wet, the water glowed and parted underneath her, enabling her to transport herself to wherever she wished.
"Meet me here when you're ready to go!!" Urd shouted back before her sister disappeared into the water.
Lind glanced at Urd, the eldest Norn still gazing at the spot where Skuld had transported. "It's only for a short while. Does she really need to pack?" Lind asked.
"Nah. She'll probably just take her tools with her. She *does* usually bring them wherever she goes, right?" Urd inquired.
"Occasionally. Not as much as she used to, though," Lind answered. She moved towards Urd's side.
"She has grown, Urd," Lind said quietly. "Still childish, but her spirit has matured. She has learned much here."
"But what of her Earth manifesto?" Urd asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "What of the people who have come to know her there? How will she be able to explain that she did not age a bit?"
Lind shrugged. "Some mortals still look very young, even if they had aged. I'm quite sure they will understand."
"I don't know." Urd looked skeptical. "Four years is a long time."
"Not *too* long. Perhaps it is best that she does return now, before it gets too noticeable in the future."
Urd nodded slowly. "Yes. Perhaps."
Despite Lind's assurances, however, Urd remained greatly troubled as she waited for her sister to return
*****
Taking out the same back pack that she had brought with her when she had first returned four years had passed, Skuld happily tossed her tools and various machine parts inside. Noble Scarlet, although her master was more powerful than when she was first released, still had a will of her own. She came out, beaming, and started to help Skuld with packing.
Skuld grinned at Noble Scarlet as the small angel dropped something twice her size inside the bag. "I can't wait to see onee-sama again! And Sigel, and Banpei, and yes, even Keiichi! You want to see them too, don't you?" she asked her companion, happily sighing at the thought of being able to upgrade Banpei with the latest of what she learned in Yggdrasil technology.
Noble Scarlet nodded vigorously.
After making sure that Skuld's hammer was inside the bag - reduced to a tiny size, of course - Noble Scarlet closed it and tried to lift it up. Amused, Skuld leaned down to pick it up from the angel, a small white pearl escaping from the confines of her shirt's collar. Smiling gently, she slung the pack to her back and gripped the pearl in her hand as she closed her eyes.
She felt a tiny hand being placed softly on her own. Opening her eyes once more, she glanced at her angel, who was looking at her warmly.
"It's all your fault, you know," Skuld said jokingly. "We wouldn't have been *that* close then if it wasn't for you."
The angel smiled sheepishly.
"He . . . he probably has another set of friends there by now . . ." Skuld whispered, her grip on the pendant tightening, her thoughts filled with anxiety. [We haven't seen each other for four years! He's probably changed so much! What would he think of me?]
[. . . Would he even remember me?]
The tiny hand on hers momentarily squeezed.
"Yes . . . he promised, didn't he, Noble Scarlet?" Skuld asked. "He promised he'll never forget me . . ."
The tiny angel noted the doubt that was flickering on her master's face. She frowned at her, silently scolding Skuld for having so little faith in her mortal friend.
Skuld laughed at Noble Scarlet, for even though the angel was pouting at her, she was still so cute! "I'm sorry. My fears are so misguided, aren't they?"
Noble Scarlet gave one quick, affirmative nod, the frown still on her face. Skuld laugh once more, before taking the angel into her arms and hugging her close.
"Thank you . . ." she whispered.
Noble Scarlet was so small, she barely managed to reach her other hand as she wrapped her little arms around Skuld's neck. Still, the goddess was comforted by her touch, and was once more grateful that, even if she was too young, even if she couldn't control her, she still had her angel around.
Skuld then released her angel and walked over to her table, where her notes and books laid scattered as she had left them the night before, studying for an "exam" at the goddess school that she had attended that morning. A pitcher and a glass of water lay on the top of the table, although they had been there mostly for practice purposes rather than for drinking. She touched the surface of the water in the glass and called out to her angel. "Come on, Noble Scarlet! We don't want Urd to leave us behind!"
The angel flew towards her and disappeared as she had reached her master. Looking around her room once more to make sure that she had not forgotten anything, Skuld vanished into the water, carrying all hopes that her mortal friend still remembered her . . .
. . . even if everything else has changed.
Japanese words used:
kami-sama - Almighty
onee-sama - big sister
With a small sigh, a goddess walked out of a large, seemingly empty room. As soon as she took a few steps away from the archway, two huge, sparkling white doors - meticulously carved by the best craftsmen of all Asgard with images of gods and goddesses, with angels, floras and faunas - suddenly, quietly, closed behind her, even without the presence of any being beside either door.
After risking a slightly irritated behind her, Urd made her way down a grand corridor, passing by breathtaking architectural structures that defied any notion of physics, and fabulous decorations arranged across the marvelous window-filled hallway that no human being could ever had imagined. A small smile tried to creep its way to her lips, and though she tried to fight it, she eventually lost.
It has been quite some time since Urd had left Earth realm and visited home, and it probably would not have crossed her mind for perhaps a few more months, when she decides to visit her sister. But Kami-sama had called her and had asked the eldest Norn to grant him her presence, and who was she to defy the Almighty's request?
[And all he wanted was that. To think I worried for nothing . . . ] Urd thought, relieved. She recalled how anxious she was before she had left the Morisato household, wondering if she had done something wrong again and was about to be reprimanded.
However irritated she may seem of having to deal with severe amounts of nervousness for naught, truth to be told the smile on her lips came as a result of her meeting with the Almighty and the fact that she was home, even if it was only for a short while. Occasionally, sysop gods and goddesses passed by, performing their duties required from them to maintain the universal computer system, Yggdrasil, located deep in the very same palace that Urd walked in. Those who were familiar with her paused to give her a happy greeting before running off somewhere, perhaps to chase bugs, fix loopholes, modify existing programs, and do whatever else there is that they were supposed to do.
Urd wondered where Skuld was among them.
She soon reached the end of the main corridor and walked into a huge forest that made the backyard of the entire palace, filled with trees, some of which were non-existent on Earth. Urd stretched out her arms, placing her hands behind her neck as she breathed deeply.
"Welcome back," another goddess said, coming out from behind a tree. Cool, calm winds caressed her light purple locks - long in front, short at the back, and she gazed at Urd with brown eyes that conveyed a sense of seriousness that she never seemed to have lost in her very long lifetime.
Urd turned to her direction, bringing her arms back to her side. "Oh. Hello, Lind. Out on vacation?"
Lind shook her head as she headed towards Urd. "No. I am here on a special assignment."
"You keep the birds out of the palace?" Urd asked jokingly. And as she expected, Lind did not smile. Rather, the battle goddess just raised her eyebrows. "Yeesh, you haven't changed at all, have you?"
"Perhaps it depends on how you look at me. I assume that you are still mischievous, am I correct?"
"I prefer to call it 'fun-loving'. But I have to admit, it's getting a little boring down below."
They started to walk together, heading deeper into the "garden".
"Is that because Belldandy and her mortal charge are already engaged?" Lind inquired.
Urd shrugged. "About time, don't you think? I mean, it's been years since Bell-chan had answered his call. By all accounts, they should be married, not engaged."
"If you are bored, then why not return to your duties here?"
Urd looked at Lind in horror. "Umm . . . it's boring, but it's not *that* boring! Compared to getting stuck working all day . . . I mean . . ."
Lind shook her head. "Even you will have to return eventually. You do not have any specific obligations there."
"I know."
Urd paused for a short moment, reflecting on what had been said. She knew what Lind had said was true - that there was virtually nothing that was holding her back from returning home. But she had been at the Earth realm for so long that it was getting very hard to consider Asgard as the place where she truly belonged. Earth was *exciting* - there was almost always something to do, some mystery or adventure waiting for her and her small "family" at every corner. Asgard may be exceedingly beautiful and peaceful compared to the chaos that one would normally see on Earth, but it was a little bit *too* peaceful. And to a goddess with a wild spirit such as Urd, the word "peaceful" was already too kind a word to be used. "Boring" would have been a proper term. There *were* problems every now and then in Asgard - troubles of enormous, universal proportions that no problem on Earth could possibly compare to - but these happened quite rarely. The most exciting job that any god or goddess could probably have during any period - peacetime or not - would be catching bugs, and even that task could get quite dull awfully fast.
[ Speaking of bugs . . . ] "Hey, have you seen my sister around?"
"Skuld?"
Urd nodded. "How is she? I mean, not that I *care*, but of course Belldandy would like to know about her progress and all . . ."
Lind looked a little skeptical with her excuse - especially since Urd was avoiding her gaze. "She is doing magnificently. A huge improvement from when she first came back in her state of depression," she answered anyway.
"Better than the last time I saw her?"
"Yes. There was a time, however, when Kami-sama had banned her from machines."
Urd abruptly looked at her companion, her face registering disbelief. "He did?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes."
The eldest Norn just stood there in shock. Take Skuld away from her machines and her youngest sister would have lost practically everything she held dear!
"It was only temporary," Lind was quick to assure after seeing Urd's horrified expression, although the tone of her voice - that of which was completely stern - had not changed. "It had been decided that she should depend less on her machines until her powers had developed into a considerable level equal to goddesses of her age, as her ratings show that she is quite behind all the others. The ban has already been lifted months ago."
Urd frowned slightly. "I'm surprised that did not send her into another bout of depression."
"On the contrary. The knowledge that the ban would be lifted until she had reached the level Kami-sama had prescribed had encouraged her to work harder. Her current reading is now slightly above that of her peers. It's still weak compared to ours, but it is better than it used to be."
[Belldandy once said that our powers originate from love . . . it's odd that Skuld loves her machines *that* much to push her into developing her powers . . .] Urd thought, scratching her head, a slightly exasperated look on her face.
"She seems to be in the habit of occasionally building bicycles since she came back - many younger goddesses had actually benefited from her pastime," Lind continued.
"Ohhhh . . ." Urd nodded slowly, her face becoming mischievous as her eyes lighted up with understanding. "I see. Funny - I didn't see that when I last saw her . . . except perhaps noticed the number of kids on bicycles nowadays."
"She does keep to herself sometimes."
They came to a stop in front of a huge, sparkling blue lake, where a white kiosk stood hovering slightly above it at its middle, the path leading to it made up by flat, wide, marble-like stones, each step slightly elevated from the last. Urd was content with seeing the structure from afar and remained where she was near the shore. Lind, however, decided to climb up the first few steps.
"I trust that you have already gone and seen Kami-sama?" Lind asked.
"Yeah . . ."
"When do you plan to go home?"
"In a while." Urd kneeled down near the water and dipped her hand into it. "I'm enjoying it here."
Whispering a few chosen words, the cold water surrounding her palm suddenly rose, and she sent it towards Lind's direction, splashing her with liberal amounts of water.
Lind's eyes widened at the water onslaught that she jumped and flew into the air; a little too late to stay completely dry, however, as her lower half was partly drenched. She glared at Urd. "That was a shameful waste of energy," she said sternly.
"Aww, loosen up a bit!" Urd said, grinning widely as she stood back up. "We don't depend on secondary energy sources up-!!"
She barely had the chance to finish her sentence when she was suddenly completely dosed from head to foot with *vast* amounts of water.
For a while, neither goddesses spoke. Urd seemed slightly shocked that Lind had actually retaliated. Lind just stared at her, eyebrows raised. Then, to the eldest Norn's surprise, a ghost of a smile appeared on the battle goddess's face.
"That wasn't me."
Urd stopped muttering a spell that should have sent a huge tidal wave over Lind, giving her a confused look instead. "Huh?"
"That was me!" a familiar voice behind Urd suddenly said.
There was a short instance where Urd actually thought she heard movement behind her, but quickly swiveling around to look did not give her any results. Then, someone shoved her, sending her sprawling into the lake, too shocked to use her powers to save herself.
As the shoreline was not deep, Urd managed to pull herself up into a kneeling position, sputtering water from her mouth, her hair clinging to the sides of her face. She growled, her mind quickly trying to devise some sort of revenge on her unlucky assailant. "Why you . . .!!!"
She turned towards the shore, seemingly glaring at the trees that were in the opposite direction where she had been pushed. But it was not the plants she was looking at. "Come out, you little brat!" she said, sending two small water balls in that path. Both had slowed down, floating for a short while where they had stopped, and abruptly returned to her, hitting her instead. Straight at the face.
The air just before the water wavered and rippled, and where was once empty space now stood, or rather, kneeled Skuld, who was laughing so hard she was holding her stomach, tears streaming down her eyes. Lind just hovered there, her tiny smile still present.
"Hmph!" Urd rose from the water and made her way to dry land. She waved a hand over her completely drenched body, and within seconds she was dry again, with a whole new attire and seemingly blow-dried hair. "Just because you managed to hit me, it doesn't mean you should get all cocky, kid," she told her sister, the smile she had earlier zealously fighting to return, but this time she made sure she reeled it in before it appeared.
"Urd, water is *my* element! You can't hit me with those flimsy little balls even if you wanted to!" Skuld said, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes before standing up straight and proud.
Lind drifted over to Skuld's side, her clothes completely dry as well. "Skuld has been there since we had reached the lake. I'm surprised you haven't noticed her presence," she said.
Skuld grinned haughtily. "Onee-sama had always said you were terrible with hide-and-seek."
Urd sweatdropped. That was true - she could hardly find any of her playmates whenever they played hide-and-seek, mainly because of her tendency to ignore the tingling, elevating feeling that would usually inform her if any of her goddess friends were near. After all, the sensation brought a sense of security as compared to sensing the presence of a demon, and Asgard was so full of blessed immortals giving off this kind of impression that "feeling" for one's friends was almost impossible unless one is patient enough to sort through her senses. This was why hide-and-seek in the heavens became both a game and a way of training for young goddesses. And since Urd was hardly what one would call "patient", it was one game that she never appreciated, and she remained inexperienced with regards to noticing other beings' hidden presence in Asgard, unless it was a demon.
There was no need for Skuld to find out about this, though. "For your information, I knew you were there the entire time!" Urd defended, glaring at her sister as the youngest Norn stuck her tongue out at her. Urd's frown eventually disappeared, and she looked at Skuld with something akin to pride on her face. "So you've mastered blending, huh?"
"She still needs to work on staying invisible despite her feelings," Lind said, looking pointedly at Skuld. "But she's making good progress."
Urd's gaze moved from Skuld, to Lind, and back again. "Wait a sec. When you said you were on 'special assignment,' you don't mean . . ."
Lind nodded. "I had accepted the role as Skuld's tutor for her elemental and stealth skills."
Urd shifted uncomfortably. "But she's a sysop. She's not a battle goddess, is she?" Feelings of slight panic and protectiveness welled up her throat, as she knew about the harsh training battle gods have to undergo.
"No. But her records depict that she is a valkyrie as well as a sysop, and water is a wonderful attack element. She had just begun under my tutelage a few months ago," Lind answered. "She must be ready when she is needed."
[Which I certainly hope won't be anytime in her lifetime,] Urd thought protectively, not wishing to see her innocent little sister move into battle to collect brave, albeit quite dead, warriors.
She began to circle around her sister, one hand on her chin, as she inspected the young Norn from top to bottom. Skuld nervously looked at her, unconsciously drawing her arms around her chest, fearing another one of Urd's "Big Sister Bust Size Check." "W-what?" she asked.
"You're still small."
Skuld gave a minor facefault. "What?"
"You're still small," Urd commented, holding her hand vertically near the top of her chest, which was Skuld's approximate height. "You haven't grown a bit."
"I . . . I did, too!"
"Yeah. About a few millimeters."
"G-goddesses don't grow up very fast," Skuld muttered.
"Indeed," Lind nodded.
Skuld stared uncomfortably at the ground before looking at Urd once more. "How's Se- . . ." She caught herself before she said anything further. "How's onee-sama?"
Urd slyly looked at her. "You don't need to pretend, you know."
Skuld blushed furiously. "I just wanted to know, okay??" she defended.
"Why don't you come and find out for yourself?"
The young goddess blinked. "Huh?"
"Kami-sama has been following your progress, and had decided to give you a small vacation," Lind informed Skuld, although she did not seem very pleased with the thought of "vacation" while in the middle of training. "He has asked your sister to come here and pick you up."
"He . . . he did?" Skuld stammered, looking at Urd, who appeared quite irritated.
"It's quite annoying, having to have you back and all even for just a few days . . ." Urd said. Her frown then changed to a lop-sided smile. "But I guess we'll have to bear with it."
Urd watched as Skuld's face brightened, a huge grin on her face. "Really?!?"
"Yes, he did! Now go pack whatever stuff you need before I leave you here!" Urd ordered, pointing her finger at the lake.
Skuld made a beeline for the water. "Don't leave without me!" she shouted as she jumped in the lake, yet instead of getting wet, the water glowed and parted underneath her, enabling her to transport herself to wherever she wished.
"Meet me here when you're ready to go!!" Urd shouted back before her sister disappeared into the water.
Lind glanced at Urd, the eldest Norn still gazing at the spot where Skuld had transported. "It's only for a short while. Does she really need to pack?" Lind asked.
"Nah. She'll probably just take her tools with her. She *does* usually bring them wherever she goes, right?" Urd inquired.
"Occasionally. Not as much as she used to, though," Lind answered. She moved towards Urd's side.
"She has grown, Urd," Lind said quietly. "Still childish, but her spirit has matured. She has learned much here."
"But what of her Earth manifesto?" Urd asked, a hint of worry in her voice. "What of the people who have come to know her there? How will she be able to explain that she did not age a bit?"
Lind shrugged. "Some mortals still look very young, even if they had aged. I'm quite sure they will understand."
"I don't know." Urd looked skeptical. "Four years is a long time."
"Not *too* long. Perhaps it is best that she does return now, before it gets too noticeable in the future."
Urd nodded slowly. "Yes. Perhaps."
Despite Lind's assurances, however, Urd remained greatly troubled as she waited for her sister to return
*****
Taking out the same back pack that she had brought with her when she had first returned four years had passed, Skuld happily tossed her tools and various machine parts inside. Noble Scarlet, although her master was more powerful than when she was first released, still had a will of her own. She came out, beaming, and started to help Skuld with packing.
Skuld grinned at Noble Scarlet as the small angel dropped something twice her size inside the bag. "I can't wait to see onee-sama again! And Sigel, and Banpei, and yes, even Keiichi! You want to see them too, don't you?" she asked her companion, happily sighing at the thought of being able to upgrade Banpei with the latest of what she learned in Yggdrasil technology.
Noble Scarlet nodded vigorously.
After making sure that Skuld's hammer was inside the bag - reduced to a tiny size, of course - Noble Scarlet closed it and tried to lift it up. Amused, Skuld leaned down to pick it up from the angel, a small white pearl escaping from the confines of her shirt's collar. Smiling gently, she slung the pack to her back and gripped the pearl in her hand as she closed her eyes.
She felt a tiny hand being placed softly on her own. Opening her eyes once more, she glanced at her angel, who was looking at her warmly.
"It's all your fault, you know," Skuld said jokingly. "We wouldn't have been *that* close then if it wasn't for you."
The angel smiled sheepishly.
"He . . . he probably has another set of friends there by now . . ." Skuld whispered, her grip on the pendant tightening, her thoughts filled with anxiety. [We haven't seen each other for four years! He's probably changed so much! What would he think of me?]
[. . . Would he even remember me?]
The tiny hand on hers momentarily squeezed.
"Yes . . . he promised, didn't he, Noble Scarlet?" Skuld asked. "He promised he'll never forget me . . ."
The tiny angel noted the doubt that was flickering on her master's face. She frowned at her, silently scolding Skuld for having so little faith in her mortal friend.
Skuld laughed at Noble Scarlet, for even though the angel was pouting at her, she was still so cute! "I'm sorry. My fears are so misguided, aren't they?"
Noble Scarlet gave one quick, affirmative nod, the frown still on her face. Skuld laugh once more, before taking the angel into her arms and hugging her close.
"Thank you . . ." she whispered.
Noble Scarlet was so small, she barely managed to reach her other hand as she wrapped her little arms around Skuld's neck. Still, the goddess was comforted by her touch, and was once more grateful that, even if she was too young, even if she couldn't control her, she still had her angel around.
Skuld then released her angel and walked over to her table, where her notes and books laid scattered as she had left them the night before, studying for an "exam" at the goddess school that she had attended that morning. A pitcher and a glass of water lay on the top of the table, although they had been there mostly for practice purposes rather than for drinking. She touched the surface of the water in the glass and called out to her angel. "Come on, Noble Scarlet! We don't want Urd to leave us behind!"
The angel flew towards her and disappeared as she had reached her master. Looking around her room once more to make sure that she had not forgotten anything, Skuld vanished into the water, carrying all hopes that her mortal friend still remembered her . . .
. . . even if everything else has changed.
Japanese words used:
kami-sama - Almighty
onee-sama - big sister