Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction ❯ Rind, the Ring, and I ❯ I finally found someone ( Chapter 5 )

Keiichi and Belldandy parked their BMW motorbike/sidecar in an empty space outside of his sister's sprawling apartment complex. They didn't visit that often, with Megumi usually going to their place, but welcomed the change. He carried a bag containing plum wine while Belldandy bore a bowl of freshly made cucumber/tomato salad. The older brother wondered where the Earth Spirit was as he rang the doorbell.

Megumi came to the door, wearing a yellow sundress for a change, a cheerful smile on her face.

"Hey guys, what's up?" she greeted,

"Hey sis," Keiichi grinned.

"Is that the divine salad you always make?" she asked Belldandy.

"Yes it is, Megumi dear!" the goddess gave her a sugary grin.

"Come on in, you two," she led them into her chic two bedroom apartment.

The pleasant aroma of food cooking filled their noses. This would prove interesting to Keiichi who had never been invited over to dinner before. Megumi usually visited them to partake of Belldandy's generous culinary expertise. His sister's skills in the kitchen were severly lacking. As he set the bag down on a counter, his jaw dropped at the sight of a guy in the kitchen.

"Keiichi, Bell, I'd like you to meet Wendell Martin," Megumi introduced the stranger.

"You can call me Dubya," the young man said in Japanese. He possessed short brown hair and eyes, average height, and a thin yet toned build. His accents and looks identified him as a foreigner.

"Dubya," Megumi said in fluent English. "This is my brother Keiichi and his girlfriend, Belldandy."

The latter shook both their hands and smiled warmly.

"Pleased to meet you," Keiichi bade him in English.

The older brother sized Wendell up as he shook his hand, a strange experience to meet a guy connected with his sister. A dozen questions filled his mind, but he found himself asking, "Where are you from?"

"Dubya's been my penpal for five years," Megumi replied before he could. "He's from America."

"I represent New York," Dubya smiled. "I hope my Japanese is sufficient, I took it in college."

"I'm helping him and he's helping me with my English," Megumi put her hand on his shoulder.

Keiich recognized it as an affectionate gesture, but remained silent.

"Are you staying here with Megumi?" Belldandy asked innocently.

"Yes."

"That's wonderful! How long?"

"Two weeks"

Sweat drops ran down the back of Keiichi's head. Megumi, an expert at reading body language scowled when she looked at him.

"Hey don't look at me like that," she said quickly in Japanese. "You've lived with Bell for the past three years!"

Naturally he couldn't tell her that they had yet to sleep together and that was the pressing issue here. Dubya didn't notice the awkward moment and turned to Belldandy. "What country are you from?"

"Sweden," Keiichi quickly answered for her, the same way Megumi had.

"I've graduated from Nekomi Tech," Belldandy added. "I live with Keiichi now."

"Meg's told me a lot about you two!" Dubya said, taking garlic bread from the oven.

"Really? Well, I'd love to know more about you and Megumi!" she responded.

The latter took the salad from the goddess and set it on the serving table. It had been set for four.

"Well, Dubya is a culinary graduate. You should exchange recipes!" she turned to him. "You'll love this salad."

"Ever had lasagna, Keiichi?" he asked Megumi's brother.

"No," the shorter man replied. "What does it consist of?"

Dubya seemed like a nice guy. Although he was worried about protecting his little sister, she was old enough to make her own choices. He wanted to warm up to her pen pal and give him the benefit of the doubt.

"It's an Italian recipe," the future chef explained. "Long pasta, ground beef, tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, baked together."

"Sounds great," Keiichi said.

"I'm so fortunate, I get to eat international these next few weeks," Megumi gushed. "Keiichi's so lucky to have Belldandy's marvelous cooking all the time!"

"You've learned Japanese cuisine since you've been here?" he asked her.

"Why yes, I try my best," she replied humbly. "I watch iron chef a lot!"

They ate a leisurely dinner which ended with Belldandy and Megumi clearing the dishes.

"Man, I'm stuffed," Keiichi grinned at the culinary major. "That was quite good. You need to give Bell the recipe!"

"I hope you left room for dessert. Ever had Tiramisu or spumoni?"

Belldandy set some dishes in the sink.

"So, what do you think of Dubya?" Megumi asked with a smile."

"He's a gentleman, not to mention a very good cook," the peanut butter haired goddess replied. "I'm very pleased that you finally met someone."

The younger girl blushed in spite of herself. "You're right, after all these years you've never seen me with a guy. Did you think I was weird or something?"

"Not at all," the other smiled. "There is someone for everyone. When the right time comes, you meet them."

"Did you ever think you'd stay in Japan this long?" Megumi placed the leftover salad in a smaller container.

"After I met Keiichi for the first time, I knew that we were meant to be together from that moment on," she recalled fondly.

"I don't know if that's the way with Wendell and me. After all, we're from two different countries and I don't think he's willing to move to Japan. I know I didn't really want to move to America. Don't you miss home once in a while, Bell?"

"I have my sisters living with us, remember!" Belldandy smiled. "Japan is home for me now."

"But what about your parents? You've met Keima and Takano, but I don't think he's ever met your mother and father."

Before Belldandy could answer, Dubya walked into the room. "So have you and Keiichi ever been to Tokyo Disney yet?"

"No we haven't," the goddess replied. "Although it is something we've always wanted to do!"

"We plan on going there next week, maybe the two of you could go with us!" Megumi offered.

"We'll see," the other smiled.

The three of them soon rejoined Keiichi in the living room to enjoy the tasty Italian desserts Dubya had made. Megumi turned on a Giants baseball game and the four exchanged fond memories of their recent college days.

Outside of Megumi's apartment, Sada fumed with quiet fury.