"I wonder what's going on up there," Keiichi said out of sense of morbid curiousity.
"A death," Belldandy said quietly and sadly. "A cruel and cowardly death."
She stepped away from Keiichi for a moment and walked through the crowd, which parted without resisting her passage, the people merely paused a moment to look toward the sad-faced woman that passed through their midsts.
"Bell," Keiichi called out, following behind her, confused.
The police officers, hedging back the crown seemed to almost not notice Belldandy until she was past them, feeling a renewed sense of grief as she did and merely watching her passage in surprise. Keiichi, following close in Belldandy's wake, passed almost unnoticed.
Not all the investigators were so overwhelmed by Belldandy's presence, however.
"Hey," one said, moving to stop her. "Who let you up here?" Belldandy stared past him, without seeming to note his presence.
"Let me pass, Yanada Kensuke," she said politely, though their was no doubt to the command. "I must see the poor child."
"This is not..." the man stammered hesitantly at the sure manner of Belldandy's speech and then froze as she turned her gaze toward him.
"Please," she said simply. The man swallowed, feeling a...force...of something behind her gaze, and he stepped back, giving her room to pass. She bowed, a grateful smile gracing her face. "Thank you."
The smile faded before the same, sad contemplative expression as Belldandy walked, unhindered, the rest of the way to the girl's body. Keiichi quietly followed, worried, but he was not unnoticed for long.
"Who let you up here?" a tall, intimidating man demanded angrily.
"I'm...uh...with her," Keiichi said, pointing toward Belldandy. The detective turned to watch, as a number of others were, all somehow unwilling to interfere, as Belldandy kneeled by the girl's head.
She cried silently as she cleaned the girl's mouth and closed her eyes.
"Home awaits you Katrina Strnad," Belldandy whispered as her hand passed over the girl's face, the expression of terror vanishing and leaving behind an expression of peaceful slumber. "Fear no evil."
She took the head and laid it with the body, she withdrew the stake with the care and loving touch of a saint...or a goddess, and then cast it aside with only a barest hint of distaste before folding the girl's hands together over her chest and setting a cross in her hand.
As Belldandy stood up again it would take a close look to see where the head had been cut off and the crossed hands hid the gaping hole in her chest. Belldandy wiped a few tears from her eyes and turned toward the man facing Keiichi.
"She was what she appeared to be," Belldandy said, firm and melancholy. "A harmless child with a full life ahead of her, whatever differences she had from most mortals."
"Did you know her?" the detective asked.
"No," Belldandy said, and despite his training, the man could find no reason to disbelieve her. She walked down to meet Keiichi.
"And how did you know her?" the detective asked as she passed.
"I asked, Yaka," she said simply. The man, Katano Yakamochi, flinched as she used a nickname that no one had called him for twenty years. "I want to go home, Keiichi."
"Yeah," Keiichi said, confused. "Sorry, sir." He shrugged to the police officer in apology as they left.
Read the comments on this episode
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Mon, 19 May 2003 21:08)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.