Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Raven ❯ Side Trips ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: I claim no ownership rights to any of the works of Rumiko Takahashi or Kosuke Fujishima.

/oOo\

Belldandy stood on the crest of the snow- and pine-covered hill overlooking the isolated farmhouse below, the light from its windows shining out into the Rocky Mountain dusk.

Beside her, a grim-faced goddess with three circles tattooed into her forehead, dressed in a white bodysuit and holding a tall polearm in her hands, finished giving instructions to the other gods and goddesses — Valkyries all — gathered around them, all armed with a variety of spears, polearms and swords: “ ... and remember, there are no innocents in that house — every living soul inside is to be sent to Hild.”

At Belldandy's involuntary light mew of protest, Lind glanced over at her, stern expression seeming to soften slightly. “We have to, my friend, you know this — we cannot leave these already-damned fools to try this again.”

Belldandy nodded jerkily, and Lind turned back to the rest. “Hallkell, Melkorka, stay here to watch over Belldandy — I can't imagine what might be around that could touch her, but let's not take chances.” When a god and goddess nodded stoically and stepped over to flank the gentle brown-haired goddess on each side, Lind ordered, “Everyone else, let's go.”

As Belldandy watched sadly, the rest of the pack vanished into the trees in both directions as they left to circle the farmhouse. Just before Lind followed, she turned back to her friend and now there was nothing `slight' about her expression of sympathy. “Belldandy, I know this isn't what you were made for, but be strong, it'll be over soon enough ... and please don't ever change.” Then Lind, too, vanished from sight into the gathering night.

/\

After a time that seemed to both take forever to arrive and come much too soon, Belldandy stepped into the farmhouse, Hallkell leading and his partner in the rear. At first there was no sign that only a few minutes before the house had been the scene of a massacre, until they reached the kitchen to find a spotless Lind waiting for them. The valkyrie was standing in a doorway to stairs leading down from a room with the walls, counters, floor, even ceiling liberally splashed with blood and the pieces of perhaps three women scattered about.

Lind took one look at Belldandy's pinched, white face and stepped forward to place a steadying hand on her shoulder. “Easy, Bell, take a moment — I am afraid the cellar is worse.”

Belldandy's face blanched even further, but after a moment she drew a deep breath and nodded sharply. “I'm ready.” For a moment, Lind's eyes stayed fixed searchingly on her friend's face, then she nodded in return. “Hallkell, Melkorka, wait up here, there isn't really room below.” Belldandy's two escorts nodded and moved to stand at either side of the entrance to the stairs, and Lind led Belldandy downward.

The two goddesses stepped into the farmhouse's cellar, and Lind had been right — it was much worse. The Norn didn't even try to estimate from the pieces how many men and women had been in the room when the Valkyrie had invaded, but other than the Valkyrie floating at each corner there was now only one body still whole — a young woman lying naked and spread-eagled on a large altar in the middle of the room, a massive wound running from her collarbone to her crotch, her unseeing, drying eyes staring up at a tiny pure-white star floating six feet above her abdomen.

Instantly, Belldandy's eyes fixed on the star and she rose into the air and floated across the room above a floor awash in blood and arms, legs, heads.... she was so focused on her goal that she didn't notice when Lind swung her polearm so that its blade shielded her from the blood dripping from the ceiling. “Be at ease, little one, I'm here now,” Belldandy crooned softly as she reached out her hands to cup them around the bobbing light, projecting her love and care. The light seemed to flicker slightly, a questioning feeling sweeping through the cellar, and the brown-haired goddess nodded. “Yes, whatever comes you have my love. Now come with me, let me take you to your new home.” The questioning feeling shifted to a happy contentment, and when she pulled her hands toward her chest, the tiny star followed to nestle against her chest.

The Norn turned to float back toward the stairs, and was soon back upstairs and being escorted out of the house by Lind, the other six Valkyrie following behind.

The small parade stepped out of the house's side door into the half-circle of the rest of the strike team, and the flickering star resting against Belldandy's chest seemed to shrink and dim under the impact of the hatred that sprang into the eyes of the gods and goddesses when they saw Belldandy's new ward. Belldandy glared back even as she tightened her hands protectively around the light as its fear washed out. “Enough, you're scaring the little one!” she shouted.

“Little one?!” one of the Valkyries cried out. “That's the Demon's Seed, the gateway to the end of the world!”

“And how many of us chose our parents?” Belldandy responded instantly. “Ask Urd, sometime. No, whoever its father is and whatever he may have programmed into it, this child is innocent!” Then focusing on the fearfully flickering star she cupped to her chest, she murmured, “Don't worry, little one, nobody's going to hurt you.”

“Enough!” Lind ordered as the goddess that had spoken up opened her mouth to shout out her rebuttal, placing a hand on Belldandy's shoulder and glaring at her errant subordinate until her mouth snapped shut. “Good. This assignment is complete. I will escort Belldandy to the Seed's new home, the rest of you sanitize this site and return to Asgard.”

After a moment Lind's team all nodded, and Belldandy's last view before following Lind through the portal was of the farmhouse suddenly awash in white-hot fire.

/oOo\

Raven walked through the portal from the forest around Nyucheizu into Niflhiem, stepping carefully to avoid waking up the baby she cradled in an arm. Thought flew through behind her, and the redhead looked around the room as the portal vanished.

“Nicely done, Raven,” Hild complimented from where she was sitting, office chair tilted back and her crossed legs resting on the desk (Raven carefully ignored the way her split dress fell away on both sides of her firm legs). One hand clicked a remote, and the screen hung on the wall that showed a swooping view of the room they were in turned off. “I'm beginning to think that you may be wasted as a fury — your little sidelines are as to the point as your attacks are brutally effective. But that's for the future,” she added with a smirk, swinging her legs off the desk and straightening up to lean forward, elbows on the desk and chin cupped in her hands. “Just what are you going to do with your new kid? I'd suggest using our daycare while you finish off Akane, but we don't exactly have daycare facilities in Niflheim.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Raven replied with a one-shouldered shrug, Thought bouncing momentarily on her perch. “I'll just hafta drop it off on the way ta Akane. Can ya have the next portal open up close to Ucchan's?”

Hild looked thoughtful for a brief moment, then quirked an eyebrow at the technician standing behind the console to the side. He quickly started typing away, paused, frowned, and looked up only to freeze with his mouth open at the Daimakaicho's suddenly flat stare. “Well?” she asked calmly.

The technician swallowed and hastily looked down, again typing hurriedly. After several minutes he nodded jerkily, eyes still fixed on his control panel. “Yes, Mistress, one portal two blocks west of Ucchan's coming up.”

Raven turned to face the way she'd come, Thought flapping her wings for a moment to keep her balance, and a moment later the now familiar oval portal sprang into existence. A few carefully gliding strides and the redheaded revenant was gone, and the portal shut down.

Hild stared reflectively at the empty space for a long moment. I wonder if I should have told her about Ukyo-san's suicide? she wondered. It isn't like she isn't going to find out herself soon enough. True, the impact on her will be greater this way, hopefully help push her all the way with Akane, and I can honestly say that my staff didn't bring it to my attention if she asks, but she's proving surprisingly insightful — what if she doesn't buy it? The scene here with that idiot technician could clue her in.

Finally, the Daimakaicho of Niflheim shrugged with a sigh. I've done what I can, from here on things will be as they will be. But I think I'll watch the rest of this one work out in person. Rising to her feet, she strode to a viewscreen in the wall and hit a prominent red button beneath it. The screen lit up to show her latest not-so-bubbleheaded blonde secretary, looking up hastily from her desk. “Victoria, I'll be out of the office for the next few hours,” Hild said with a cheery smile.

“Of course, Mistress,” Victoria responded instantly, bowing her head slightly, hiding questioning eyes.

Hild pressed the red button again and stared at the now blank screen for a long moment. Hmmm ... it looks like Victoria's beginning to ask herself questions, good. At least something good is coming out of this, whatever else happens. Then a portal opened beneath her feet and she dropped out of sight, leaving the steel-tense technician alone in the room, doing his best not to collapse in relief across his control panel into a puddle of sweat.