     Hikaru ducked as the monsters' claws swiped at her head. 
She quickly thrust back, cutting a gaping wound in her
adversary's chest.  The monster screamed and disappeared, she
sighed and took a moment to look around.  Umi and Fuu were
battling a pair of monsters that seemed to be mainly teeth and
claws, while Ferrio was desperately dodging a monster that had
somehow developed spikes that it shot like a gun.

     "Ferrio, DUCK!", she shouted, flinging her sword at the
troublesome beast.

     Her sword arced through the air, nearly taking off
Ferrio's head as it traced a sparkling trail towards the
monster.  It split the monster in two, embedding into a tree. 
Ferrio checked his head to make sure he still had some hair
left and nodded in thanks, heading over to help Fuu with her
monster.  Hikaru was running over to retrieve her sword when a
monster rose up in front of her, it's claws reaching out.

     There was a huge flash of white light and Hikaru heard a
familiar (if unexpected sound).  The sound of a car engine and
someone beeping the horn urgently.  Reacting out of pure
instinct, Hikaru dove to her right as a black shape flashed
past.  Unfortunately for the monster, it had never seen a 4-
Wheel drive before and didn't know enough to get out of the
way.  The reinforced impact-bar at the front hit the monster
at 100kph, creating Cephiro's first vehicle-related death. 
There was a screeching sound and the vehicle spun to a stop
before it ran into Fuu, Ferrio and the others.

                            An Oh My God FanFic

                          The Hazards of Divinity

                                  PART 4

                                    by

                                Brett Handy

     Hikaru shook herself and recovered her sword, rushing
past the 4WD she aided her friends in finishing off the last
two monsters.  Almost before they'd finished, Umi was busy
examining the vehicle, "Where'd this come from?", she asked.

     Fuu looked it over carefully, "Well, according to the
number plates, it was registered in Tokyo", she concluded.

     "YES!", Umi said exuberantly, "Whoever's driving it
probably knows a way home!".

     "Whatever it is", Ferrio said, resting his sword on his
shoulder, "It looks like it's come through a lot to get here",
pointing out the scorch marks along one side and the bits and
pieces of tree hanging from it.

     "Who cares how they got here!", Umi insisted, "Just hope
they know a way home!".

     "But I thought we'd agreed to help save Cephiro?", Hikaru
said, her eye's wide, "What about everyone here Umi?".

     Umi looked a little guilty, "Well... I know... but..",
she began.  The discussion ended as the door on the driver's
side opened, "Ohhh.. I've got to remember to use the brake
more", a female voice groaned.

     A striking woman stepped out of the 4WD, shaking her
head, "Who knew that driving through a dimensional rift would
be so painful", she grumbled defensively, smoothing out her
long hair.

     "Who are you?", Umi asked.

     The woman frowned as she realised that she had an
audience, "What?", she asked, looking around, confused, "Where
am I?".

     Ferrio stepped forward, apparently eagre to help, "You're
in the Forrest of Gloom", he said helpfully, his eyes glazing
over, "I would be happy to guide you out of here Miss...?".

     "My name's Urd", she said, looking around at the remains
of the monsters, "So I gather you kids arn't out here on a
picnic".

     "Kids?", Ferrio asked, half to himself, the twinkle going
out of his eye.

     Umi stepped forward urgently, "Where are you from, Urd?",
she asked, "Do you know of a place called 'Tokyo'?".

     "Tokyo?", Urd asked, "Sure, it's not far from where I
live...".

     "Please!", Umi said, her eye's wide with gratitude,
"Could you tell us how to get there?".

     Urd shifted uncomfortably, "Errr", she said, "Sorry, I'm
afraid that we're lost".

     "We?", Hikaru asked.

     "Damn!", Urd said, snapping her fingers, "I forgot!". 
She quickly opened the back door of the 4WD, to reveal an
semi-conscious man, "Are you all right Brett?", she asked
urgently, helping him into a sitting position.

     The young man groaned, "I think so", he said with a small
grin, "But how about I drive from now on?".

                                  ******

     I winced as Urd helped me from the back seat, "Easy!", I
hissed in pain, "Remember this body was shot a few minutes
ago!".

     I leaned against the car, trying to catch my breath.  Urd
helped me over to a fallen tree-branch, "Let's have a look at
that wound", she insisted, unbuttoning my shirt.  I let her
remove my shirt and winced at it's removal.  Urd grimaced in
sympathy as she looked at the puncture mark, it had been
healed over, but was rather red and I was bruised pretty
badly.

     Someone cleared their throat and I noticed that we
appeared to have some company, three girls (the one wearing
blue appeared to be banging her head against a tree) and a
young man.  The young man was leaning forward over Urd's
shoulder, "How did you do that?", he asked curiously.

     I shrugged and then winced, "Not important", I replied. 
Two of the girls were standing with their backs to me and they
appeared to be blushing furiously.  I gave Urd a curious look,
"What's with them?", I asked.

     After Urd had carefully bandaged my wound, we had a round
of introductions.  The girls were Umi, Fuu and Hikaru and the
guy's name was Ferrio.  "So we need to find the Mashin",
Hikaru explained, "If we're ever to save Cephiro and get
home".

     I frowned, "So they expect three little girls to save
their world?", I asked in disbelief.

     Umi bristled, "We've done all right so far!", she
snapped.  

     Hikaru and Fuu nodded in agreement, "We have our swords,
now all we need is two more Mashin!", Fuu explained.

     "So how are you suppose to find these 'Mashin' things
anyway?", I asked.

     Hikaru whistled and a sickeningly cute little creature
stuck it's head out from under a bush, "Puu?", it said.  Then
it hopped over to Hikaru happily, who caught it and petted it,
"This is Mokona", she said.  "Puu.. Puu", it agreed.

     "Right", I said look at the little thing dubiously, "And
how does that little fella help you find them?".  

     Mokona looked at me and concentrated for a moment, a beam
of light speared out of the little gem that was on his brow. 
It gave quite a clear indication of where they were suppose to
be going.  On impulse I took out our locater, it was
indicating the same direction that Mokona's beam was pointing.

     "What's that?", Fuu asked, looking at the little device.

     "It's a locater", I explained.  Urd tapped me on the
shoulder and we stepped aside from the others, "I'm sensing
something strange about that little animal", she said, "I
don't know what it is, but it's powerful".

     I looked at her sharply, "What do you mean?", I asked,
"Can you be more specific?".  The little creature was sitting
in Hikaru's arms, purring (or whatever) contentedly.

     Urd shook her head, "No, but keep an eye on it", she
suggested.

     Hikaru walked over to us, "Since we're going the same
way", she said, her eyes pleading, "Do you think we could get
a lift?".  I looked over and noticed the same wistful
expression on the other two girls' faces.

                                  ******

     Zagato found himself confused at the image in his mirror. 
He'd seen some strange things over the years, but the image of
six people travelling faster than the wind inside a metallic
monster of some kind took some beating.

     "Master, what shall we do about these new arrivals?",
Innova asked, his eyes downcast.

     "This bears watching", Zagato mused, "Do nothing, we will
observe them for a time and wait".

     "Very good", Innova said, bowing slightly.  He turned and
left Zagato staring into his magical mirror.

     Unknown to Zagato and Innova, their little conversation
was being overheard, "I see that Lord Zagato is interested in
these newcomers", Alcyone murmured, "They must be important if
he is wary of them".

                                  ******

     "What do you mean 'we're out of gas'??", Urd snapped.

     I shrugged, "It means *WE ARE OUT OF GAS*", I replied,
"Obviously Phalarus overestimated how far you can go on one
tank".

     "Great!", Urd said sarcastically, "I just love walking!".

     So after a quick search of the 4WD I shouldered a
backpack with some camping equipment and supplies in it
(luckily Phalarus had been somewhat better prepared when it
came to provisions) and we were on our way.

     We were marching across a wide open plain, with sparse
bushes every now and then.  There was a icy breeze washing
over the grass and I was glad that Phalarus had included some
warm clothing for 'me'.

     I found myself walking with Ferrio, who seemed like quite
a interesting young man, "So what did you do before you
started trying to save your world?", I asked, as we trudged
along behind the girls.

     Ferrio smiled at the memory, "I was a circus performer",
he replied.

     "What did you do in the circus?", I asked curiously.

     "Oh various things", he said, grinning, "Hire wire acts,
knife throwing, acrobatics, you name it, I tried it".  He
looked almost wistful about it, until he realised that I was
watching his expression, "So", he said, trying to change the
subject, "What did you do before you started jumping
universes?".

     I grinned, "I was studying computers", I replied.  Then I
noticed his blank expression, "Sorry", I said, "They're a type
of machine, we use them all the time for lots of different
tasks".

     "Like what?", he asked.  What followed was an attempt by
myself to explain computers to someone who's knowledge of
machines was limited to those without moving parts.  To sum it
up, he was confused and I was frustrated.  But it was a way to
pass the time.

     As the sun began to go down I noticed that Urd was
shivering and starting to fall behind a little, "Are you all
right?", I asked, examining her face.

     She nodded, but then I noticed that she looked a little
pale, so I took her hand, it was like ice.  "STOP!", I called
over to our new friends, "I think we'd better call it a night,
Urd's frozen".

     They stopped and looked back in confusion, "But it's not
that cold", Umi protested, "I hardly feel the chill".

     I looked over at Ferrio, who was also starting to shiver,
"I think we'd better make camp", I suggested, "You girls have
your magical armour to keep you warm, the rest of us are
starting to feel it".

     Fuu noticed that Ferrio was shivering and she nodded,
"Let's make camp for the night here", she suggested, looking
around at the plain, "I don't think we'll find a better place
anyway".

     I dumped my backpack and took off my coat, shivering as
the cold hit me.  I carefully wrapped it around Urd, who had 
slumped down into a sitting position.  Trying to keep busy, I
quickly began setting up the tent that I'd brought along. 
Within a few minutes I had the little thing set up and I
pulled out the sleeping bags. By the time I had everything
ready, Ferrio had rolled himself up in some kind of big
blanket and there was a snoring sound coming from it.

     I looked over at the girls, "Have you got some shelter?",
I asked, realising for the first time that none of them were
carrying any equipment.

     Hikaru nodded, holding up Mokona, "Mokona has everything
for our trip", she said.  I watched in amazement as the gem in
the little creature's head flared again and a large, solid-
looking shelter appeared.  "If you want something for dinner",
Hikaru said, "There's plenty inside".

     I exchanged a glance with Urd (who had managed to thaw
out a little), "We're fine", she said, crawling into the tent.

     Umi gave her a shocked look, "You're not going to share
the tent with *him* are you?", she asked, pointing at me.

     "What's wrong with me?", I asked defensively.

     Umi smiled apologetically, "No offence", she said
quickly, "But you are a man and she is a woman".

     Urd nodded, grabbing my hand, "Exactly right", she said,
pulling me into the tent after her.

     I knelt down to zip the tent closed and suddenly felt
Urd's arms around me, "You're cold", she purred softly, "I
know a way to warm you up".

     I cleared my throat as she began rubbing her warm hands
up and down my arms, "Urd", I whispered, "There are four kids
outside".

     "So let them work it out for themselves", she replied,
"I've missed having you 'in the flesh'".

     Then I winced as her hand came in contact with my bruises
and she drew back slightly, "Sorry Brett", she said, rolling
onto her side, away from me.  I laid down beside her, slipping
into the sleeping bag.  Urd remained silent for a long time,
the she rolled over, placing her head against my shoulder,
"Brett?", she asked softly, just as I had started dozing off.

     "What?", I whispered sleepily.

     "Do *you* love me?", she asked in a rush, putting a
strange emphasis in her question.

     That woke me up, "Of course I do", I replied, hugging
her, "What's wrong?".  Then she told me about what Phalarus
had put her through, his cruel taunting her with my memories,
her almost hating me for it.  Then finally she told me about
what he'd said about the first time we'd been together.

     "He said that you were afraid of me and wouldn't have
done that without him forcing you to", she explained.

     I was quiet for a while, while I went over what to say in
my mind, "Urd", I said seriously, "I'll admit that you do
frighten me sometimes".  She stiffened in my arms and moved to
turn away, but I held her tightly, "You are so beautiful and I
love you so much that it hurts, I'm frightened you'll
disappear", I continued, "I've found something in you that's
been missing from my life for so long that I thought I'd never
find it".

     I bent down and kissed her on the cheek, "I am the one
that loves you", I said, then I lowered my voice, "And I am
the one that was with you that night!".  

     Urd cuddled up closer to me, being careful not to hit any
of my bruises, "Don't be frightened of me", she whispered. 
Then the two of us held each other until we fell asleep.

                                  ******

     "So what do you think of our new travelling companions?",
Hikaru asked as the three girls lay down to sleep for the
night.

     Fuu shrugged, "They seem like nice people", she said,
"Urd is a good conversationalist".

     "I heard the two of you gabbing on about something during
our walk", Umi commented, "What were you discussing?".

     Fuu blushed slightly, "Oh nothing!", she said quickly.

     Umi sat up, "I bet you were discussing guys!", she
announced.  Hikaru looked over at Fuu, wide-eyed, "You were?",
she asked.

     "WHAT?!?!", Fuu replied, "Why on earth would you think
that?".

     "Well", Umi said, smiling broadly, "I saw the way you
looked at Ferrio when we stopped for the night!".

     "What's that got to do with anything!", Fuu protested, "I
was concerned because he was cold".

     "So why didn't you invite him to sleep in here with us?",
Hikaru asked curiously.

     Fuu and Umi looked shocked, "Hikaru!", Umi gasped, "How
could you suggest something like that?!?!".

     "What's wrong?", Hikaru asked, "Brett and Urd are sharing
a tent!".

     "That's different!", Fuu and Umi shouted at her together.

     "Why?", Hikaru asked curiously.

     "Well...", Umi began, blushing.

     "It's just that..", continued Fuu, who was also blushing.

     Hikaru smiled, "Is it because Urd and Brett are
engaged?", she asked.

     "They're what?", Umi and Fuu asked blankly.

     "Urd told me that this afternoon", Hikaru replied.

     Umi exchanged a glance with Fuu, "No wonder she's so
protective of him", she mumbled.

     Hikaru and Fuu looked at Umi curiously, "Oh", Umi said,
blushing, "I made a comment that he was sort of cute....".

     "WHAT?", Hikaru and Fuu both said in disbelief.

     Umi smiled sheepishly, "Well she jumped on my statement
rather quickly and told me that I was too young for him", she
explained.

     Hikaru sighed, "Ahhhh", she said, to Umi and Fuu's
surprise, "Isn't love wonderful?".

                                  ******

     I awoke to a cold feeling down one side of my body. 
Glancing over I noticed that Urd was missing, I pulled the
sleeping bag over me and snuggled back down to sleep some
more.  Then I noticed a burning smell in the air and the sound
of someone cursing quietly (or trying too).  Groaning, I
realised that Urd was trying to cook breakfast again.  I
debated getting up to help her, I debated going back to sleep,
finally my need for something edible overrode my need for
sleep and I crawled out of the sleeping bag.

     Unzipping the tent I noticed that it was only slightly
after dawn and there was a light dusting of dew over
everything.  We'd been hiking for several days and the weather
hadn't improved, it was still freezing every night.  I closed
my jacket before stepping out into the misty morning.  The
grasslands were blanketed in a thick layer of mist that seemed
to ebb and flow like an ocean.  "Damn stupid stove!", Urd was
grumbling, from not far away.

     She had her back to me and I slipped up behind her
quietly.  Then leaning over her I whispered, "If you burn that
bacon any further we'll be able to use it as kindling", in her
ear.

     I got an elbow in the stomach for my comment and I
laughed wryly, "Come on Urd", I said reaching out for the
cooking implements, "Let me finish that".

     She grumbled but then looked at her own efforts (several
rashes of badly burn bacon and some rock-solid bits of toast),
with a sigh she handed over the pan, "Here", she huffed, "I've
never been good at cooking outside".

     I refrained from mentioning that she'd never been good at
cooking indoors and simply began making breakfast.  "I don't
mind preparing breakfast", I reminded her.

     "I know", she grumbled, "but I wanted to surprise you".

     "You did", I replied, looking at the bacon she'd cooked,
"I never thought you could turn anything that black without
having it ignite".

     I ducked the cup that she threw and grinned at her.  She
shook her head, "How'd I ever end up with someone like you?",
she sighed.

     I grinned, "You must have been very naughty in a previous
life!", I replied, giving her a semi-serious look.

     She poked her tongue out at me and I laughed.  We ate in
silence and then quickly cleaned up.  It wasn't until almost
half an hour after we'd finished breaking down our tent that
the three girls finally made their appearance.  Fuu and Umi
appeared rather bleary-eyed, Hikaru was disgustingly bright
and cheerful for only just waking up.  Urd and I waited for
them to get ready, while warming ourselves in the light of the
sun, the mist having disappeared in the brilliant sunlight.

     After another half hour we were walking again, this time
making quite good progress.  The tracking device indicated
that we were getting closer and by the time we'd stopped for
lunch we were within a day or two of our objective.  I leaned
against a large rock that was jutting out of the ground while
I was chewing on the ration bar that I'd picked for lunch (I
was trying without success to ignore the cardboard-like
taste).  I spotted something unusual in the sky and frowned,
"What's that?", I asked, pointing.

     Everyone looked up and the three girls drew their swords,
"It's her!", the chorused, taking up ready positions.  There
was a flare of light from Hikaru's wrist and a sword appeared
in her hand.   The other two girls imitated Hikaru and stood
waiting their foe's arrival.

     Ferrio drew his sword as well, "Great", he grumbled,
"Like I needed this today!".  Urd and I looked at each other
for a moment, before we noticed that the thing I saw
approaching wasn't one creature, but several dozen, all flying
in formation.  They appeared to be made from ice and I gave
Ferrio a curious glance, "You guys get this a lot?", I asked.

     He grinned at me, "More often than I care to think
about", he replied.

     As the monsters got closer I noticed that there appeared
to be a woman, riding on a flying horse amongst them.  I
exchanged a glance with Urd, who smiled and nodded at me.  The
two of us waited until the woman landed.  The sky above us was
filled with monsters and the girls took a step closer
together.

     "Now, I finally have you Magic Knights!", the woman said
grandly, "But if you surrender now, I'll let you live".

     "Haven't you given up yet?", Hikaru asked, stepping
forward, "We've already beaten you countless times, why
bother?".

     The woman's face went red, "HOW DARE YOU!", she screamed
in anger, "You shall be defeated by no one but me!".

     Umi stepped forward to join Hikaru, "Not likely", she
said, her sword cutting a figure eight in the air in front of
her.

     Fuu also stood with her friends, "If you leave now we
promise not to hurt you", she said pleasantly.

     The woman regained her composure and smiled evilly, "and
what about your new companions?", she asked, "How will you
defend them from my death-dealing minions? there arn't enough
of you to protect them both and yourselves!".

     The girls exchanged a worried look and I gave Urd a
smiled, "Shall we?", I asked, extending my hand to her.

     She grinned and took my hand, the two of us walked past
the girls and Ferrio and stood in front of the strange woman. 
"What are you doing?", she asked curiously.

     Urd smiled, "Introducing ourselves", she replied.  Urd
gave me a wink, and then began chanting.  The woman looked
surprised so I snapped my fingers, changing both Urd and my
own set of clothing in one go.  My uniform was glowing gently
as Urd's chanting began to rise in volume and some clouds
began to gather on the horizon.

     "I am Brett, The God of Destiny", I said grandly
(attempting to time it with the flashes of lightning that were
now filling the sky).

     "I am Urd, The Goddess of the Past", Urd echoed, her
voice filled with power.  The monsters in the sky above us
were fighting to stay airborne as the force of Urd's magic 
tore at the sky.

     "Ummmm did you say 'god' and 'goddess'", the woman asked
in a small voice.

     I nodded, summoning my sabre, "That's right", I motioned
to the three girls and Ferrio, "These mortals are under our
protection!".  To punctuate my statement, a bolt of lightning
impacted into the ground a few paces from the evil sorceress.

     Her horse bolted at the close strike and it took off
right into the middle of the host of monsters above us.  The
confused monsters began to lose their way in the storm and
their formations broke up.  The woman held onto the horse for
dear life as it bolted across the sky, "I'll be back!", she
shouted.

     Rain began to fall, slashing across the plains, except in
an area about twenty feet across, surrounding us.  I gave Urd
a 'thumbs up' sign, "Lots of people talk about the weather,
but you actually do something about it", I congratulated her.

     She laughed, "That's a simple spell", she said off-
handedly, "I don't use it often cause it's rather spectacular
and clouds suddenly rushing in at the temple in Nekomi might
be a little suspicious".

     I frowned, "If it's such a simple spell, why didn't you
teach it to me?", I asked.

     Urd smiled, "Because I know how fond of blue skies and
sunny weather you are", she said sweetly.

     I was about to reply when I remembered Ferrio and the
others, they were standing with expressions of confusion on
their faces.  "Ummm hello?", I asked moving my hand back and
forth in front of Hikaru's face.

     Hikaru gave me a shocked look, "Who are you?", she asked
in amazement.

     "Or more to the point", Umi said, "What are you?".

     "I think you heard us introducing ourselves to your
departed friend", Urd said, jerking her thumb in the direction
that the sorceress had flow.

     "You're gods?", Ferrio laughed, "Come on, there are no
such things as gods!".

     I looked at my hand, "Hmmm.. I seem real enough to me", I
replied with a grin.

     Urd gave me a stern look, "That's enough", she said,
"You're scaring them".

     "No he's not!", Hikaru piped up, "We just want you to
answer our questions.  So over the next fifteen minutes as we
waited for Urd's storm to stop (she assured us that it would
be gone in fifteen minutes or so) Urd and I gave them an
explanation of how we'd ended up here.

     "So that's why we couldn't tell you how to get back to
your Tokyo", I finished up my explanation, "Because so far
we've seen that while two universes might look the same and
even have the same language and place names, they are all
different in some way".

     Fuu nodded, "I guess that's part of the theory of
parallel dimensions", she mused.  The storm had cleared so we
resumed walking.

     Hikaru frowned slightly, "So You're really not a god
then?", she asked me as we started hiking again.

     I gave her a curious look, "What makes you say that?", I
asked her.

     "Well", she said, thinking hard, "In Urd's explanations
she referred to everyone as 'mortals' where your referred to
them as 'people' and she also said 'us' in places where you
said 'the gods' so I assumed that you weren't always a god".

     I looked at her in disbelief, "Well", I said, "You're
right, I wasn't always a god".  Fuu and Umi were looking at
Hikaru in amazement.  She just smiled and continued walking as
if she'd said nothing unusual.

     "If you weren't a god, what were you?", Ferrio asked
curiously.

     I smiled, "I was a regular guy who just happened to make
an unusual wish", I replied.  Then at their expressions I
explained my wish and the implications.  By the end of it they
were all grinning at me and I sighed inwardly, that story
never seemed to get me any respect!

     "That's why she didn't mind sharing a tent with him", Umi
said to Fuu and Hikaru and snapping her fingers, "After all if
he's a god he wouldn't try anything!".

     I laughed out loud at that and the three girls gave me
curious glances.  "Never mind!", I said, "You'll have to talk
to Urd about it!".  Urd gave me a dirty look so I grinned at
her and in an act of 'self-preservation', I took that moment
to drop back and walk with Ferrio.  We didn't get very far,
Urd's rainstorm had turned the ground to mush, so rather than
rush we made camp early that evening.

                                  ******

     I was sleeping peacefully, enjoying a wonderful dream
that involved me driving a sleek blue rally car.  Keiichi was
navigating for me and the two of us were flying around the
track.  The car was wonderfully comfortable for me to drive
and I was enjoying myself.  We finished the race and although
we didn't win, Keiichi and I both had smiles on our faces as
we stepped out of the car.  I found myself being hugged by an
overly affectionate woman, I couldn't see her face, but to my
amazement I caught a flash of brown hair.

     "PUU!", a voice insisted to me.

     I opened one eye, sitting on my chest was Mokona, his
eyes wide and pleading.  "Puuu! Puu!!", it repeated.

     "Whatchawant?", I mumbled rubbing my eyes.

     The little creature rubbed against my cheek and I sat up
in surprise, Mokona had never been particularly affectionate
to me or Urd (in fact I would have thought he was trying to
avoid us) and I frowned as I came all the way awake, "What do
you want?", I repeated.

     It hopped off my chest and jumped towards the tent exit. 
To my surprise it was open, I glanced over at Urd (who was
still sleeping peacefully) and then back at Mokona, "Did you
open that?", I asked curiously, noting the creatures apparent
lack of fingers.

     "PUU!", he agreed, nodding.

     I followed him outside and then had to run to catch up
with him as he bounced away at incredible speed.  Puffing
heavily I caught up as we reached the treeline of a small
stand of woods.  I paused on the edge of the trees, not
remembering having seen it when we'd stopped yesterday
evening.  "PUUUUU!!!", Mokona said, jumping off into
the wood.

     "HEY!", I called, "Wait a minute!".  Fearing the little
fellow would get lost I hurried after him.  After two steps I
got an uneasy feeling, by five I had stopped, looking around
in confusion.  The forest appeared to be much bigger on the
inside than on the outside.  I looked back the way I came, but
all I could see was trees, it was as if they'd closed in
behind me.

     Pushing away that particular thought I resumed my pursuit
of Mokona, "STOP WILL YA!", I shouted, stumbling over tree
roots and broken branches.  I almost stumbled over Mokona as
he stopped.  A serene expression seemed to take over his face
and a sudden beam of light appeared, a figure appeared in the
light, "I am Master Cleff", the young boy standing in front of
me announced.  He was wearing robes and while he looked young,
his eyes seemed to be ageless.

     "G'day", I said, nodding, "Any particular reason why your
creature brought me out into the middle of the woods?", I
asked.

     "Mokona is not my creature", he said, smiling slightly,
"In fact I work for him more than he works for me".

     I gave him a dubious look, "So why am I out here?", I
asked again.

     "God of Destiny", he said gravely, "I ask that you use
your great power to aid me in my cause".

     "Aid you in your cause?", I asked curiously.

     Cleff nodded, "The Magic Knights are still in need of
much training", he explained, "And due to unforseen
circumstances I'm not able to provide it..".

     I shook my head, "I'm sorry mate, but I can't..", I
began.

     "Please", he said, holding up his hands, "Let me
continue".

     I shrugged and he continued, "I cannot provide them with
training", he appeared to take a deep breath, "I'd like you to
tell me what will happen".

     "Puuu?", Mokona asked in a confused tone.

     "What?", I asked, echoed him.

     "You are the God of Destiny", he said, "Doesn't that mean
you know the future? please.. you must tell me if our
endeavour will be successful!".

     I shook my head, "I'm sorry, but I haven't had much luck
seeing things directly", I continued and explained the
problems that I'd encountered trying to see into the future
directly.

     Cleff nodded, "I understand", he said, "And I might be
able to offer you a way to get around that problem".  Mokona
was quivering slightly.

     "How?", I asked bluntly.

     "You're currently on your way to an ancient temple", he
explained, "The Magic Knights think that one of the Mashin are
there, but in fact it's a place of great magic on this world,
meant to focus the power's of seers".

     "But what about your world?", I asked, "I've felt the
earthquakes, do you have time for this?".

     "I believe so", Cleff replied, "But I must know what to
do if I'm to advise them".

     I shrugged, "I don't mind trying it, but I can't promise
that I'll see anything that might help you", at his blank look
I smiled, "everything I've seen has been somehow related to me
and those I care about".

     "And you don't care what happens to Hikaru and the
others?", Cleff asked, smiling.

     I nodded, "All right", I said, "You get us there and I'll
see what I can do".  Mokona was jumping up and down in
apparent frustration, "PUU!!! PUU!!!!", he insisted.

     Cleff lowered his head, "I'm sorry", he said quietly,
"But I must know".  He turned to me and bowed, "Please do not
tell the Magic Knights about this, I wouldn't want to worry
them".  The beam that Mokona was emitting suddenly cut off,
"PU!", he said in a exhausted tone, falling in a heap.

     I picked up the little creature, "So are ya gonna tell me
how to get out of here?", I asked curiously.  "Puuuu", Mokona
seemed to groan.  A thin beam of light speared out into the
forest.  I took him back towards the campsite.

     "MOKONA! BRETT!!", Hikaru was calling.  I quickened my
pace and Hikaru ran up to us as we got closer to the campsite,
"Where did the two of you go?", then she noticed Mokona's
apparent exhaustion, "What happened?".

  She grabbed Mokona from my arms, cooing to him gently, "Are
you all right?", she asked, hugging him.

     A moment later I was hit by a fast moving Urd, "Are you
all right?", she asked, unconsciously echoing Hikaru, hugging
me.

     "I'm fine", I replied, "Why so upset, I've only been
gone", then I looked at my watch, "seven hours!".  I gave her
a confused look, "I was gone that long?", I asked.

     Urd nodded, "I couldn't find you on Skuld's tracking
device", she confirmed, "Where did you get to?".

     I turned around to point at the small stand of trees and
then realised that there were no trees where I was pointing,
"I don't know", I admitted.

                                  ******

     Urd was not amused.  She'd questioned Brett repeatedly
about what had happened to him, but he'd continued to reply
that he didn't know where he'd gone, only saying that he'd
followed Mokona.  She was sure that he wasn't telling her
everything and that made her even more curious.  Waiting until
they'd stopped for the evening she resumed her questioning.

     "So what have you left out?", she asked, munching on a
piece of bread that they'd borrowed from the girls.

     Brett looked confused and examined the stew he was
making, "I dunno", he said, "What do you think is missing?".

     "How about most of your morning?", Urd said blandly.

     "Well", Brett said, realising what she was talking about,
"As I said, I followed Mokona, once I'd found him I came
back".

     Urd looked at him steadily and he sighed, "Not good
enough huh?", he asked.

     "No", Urd said bluntly, "Fill in the parts that you're
skipping over".  So Brett did, in detail.  After a five-minute
explanation Urd was furious, "Why didn't you tell me this in
the first place?", she demanded, "Why keep me in the
dark!?!?".

     "Well", he said sheepishly, "Cleff asked me not to tell
anyone...".

     "He asked you not to tell the Magic Knights", she said
sharply, "Not me!".

     "All right", Brett said, dishing out some stew, "Let's
discuss something".  

     Urd waited until he'd dished some out for himself, "What
are we going to discuss?", she asked.

     "Do you want to know what's going to happen to us?", he
asked quietly.

     "Huh??", Urd asked, confused, "What do you mean?".

     Brett took a deep breath, "Tomorrow we're going to reach
this temple where I'll probably be able to see into the
future", he said evenly, "I'm trying to get straight in my
mind what to find out about".

     Urd frowned, "You're going to try and find out about
us?", she asked hesitantly.

     Brett smiled, "Well", he said, "I'm sure interested to
find out where we'll be in a year or two or twenty".

     Urd was silent, "You should be careful", she said, "I
know that Tlesta was very reluctant to use his power in that
way".

     "Tlesta?", Brett asked, then he remembered, "Right... my
predecessor".

     Urd nodded, "I knew him for years and he never once
talked about that side of his abilities", she explained, "I
think from what you've seen, maybe you'd be better off not
trying this".

     Brett thought for a few moments, "I told Cleff that I'd
try to help him", he said firmly, "I can't go back on that
now".  Urd and Brett ate in silence for the rest of the meal.
The surprisingly, without being badgered, Urd picked up the
dishes and began to clean them off in the small stream they
were camped beside.

     Brett joined her a few minutes later, washing out the pot
he'd cooked in, "Please don't be angry", he said quietly.

     "I'm not", Urd snapped angrily.  Then she noticed Brett's
smile, "Really", she said, a little less harshly, "I'm not
angry with you Brett, I'm angry with your decision".

     Brett frowned, "That's a strange exception to make", he
said thoughtfully.

     Urd leaned over and kissed him gently, "I love you", she
said, "But that doesn't mean that I agree with you".  Brett
was laughing softly as they finished cleaning up.

                                  ******

     I was awake early the next morning.  Feeling slightly
uneasy over the disjointed dreams of last night.  My dreams
were jumbled together images of my friends (both new and old),
places I'd visited and places I'd never seen before.  Beyond
the images I kept getting the picture of an indistinct grey
shape that seemed to be hovering over everything.

     I summoned up my armour and sabre and began a practice
routine, picking a small bush as my target.  After fifteen
minutes or so I was sweating slightly under my armour, I was
finishing off a compound attack against an imaginary opponent
when a voice interrupted me, "You're dropping your guard when
you recover", Umi observed.

     Straightening up I nodded, "I'm getting sloppy", I
observed, "Fencing for your life is very different from
winning competitions".

     Umi smiled, "I know what you mean, being Captain of my
Club doesn't help me know how to attack monsters", she sighed.

     I laughed, "My Club's 'Captain' would have died of shock
if he'd came face to face with a monster", I replied.

     "You weren't you're club's Captain?", she asked
curiously.

     I shook my head, "Nope, too much work", I replied
blandly, wiping off my sword with an oiled rag.

     "Too much work?", Umi asked in an amazed voice, "But...
it's a great honour to be club Captain...".

     I nodded, "Probably, but I preferred to concentrate on
winning competitions for the club", I replied blandly, "I
never bothered trying to compete for the number one position,
I was happy to be in the top three overall".

     Umi summoned her sword, "How about a little practice?",
she asked.

     I looked at her broadsword, "You're going to try to fence
with that?", I asked, "If you make a mistake I'll end up
skewered!".

     She twirled the blade around and it responded as if it
were as light as a fencing foil, "It'll be all right", she
said confidently, "This sword is like it's a part of me".

     "Just so long as it doesn't become a part of me", I
grumbled, taking up a ready stance, "En Garde!", I announced.

     Umi was an excellent fencer, she probed for weaknesses
first, lunging in simple attacks and then recovering quickly. 
I had a further reach with my sword than her and a height
advantage, but she had advantages in that she had a smaller
target area and was lighter on her feet than me.

     I launched a quick attack which she parried expertly
and I only just managed to block her counter attack.  We
fought back and forth, neither of us landing any 'on target'
hits (that's not to say we didn't hit each other, but we
didn't hit the right area on each other's body).  Finally
after about ten minutes of fencing back and forth, Umi managed
to land a stinging blow to my chest (my armour managed to
blunt the force of her lunge thankfully).  I staggered back,
"Good point", I conceded.

     She smiled and raised her sword again.  This time I tried
something that I hadn't often used before, counting on my
extra reach to carry the attack through.  In Fencing, an all-
out charge-attack is called a 'flesch' and Umi wasn't
expecting it.  I scored a hit along her mid-section, my sword
making a screeching noise as it scored along her armour.

     "Ouch!", she said, rubbing herself carefully, "Good hit",
she said grudgingly.

     "What are the two of you doing?", Hikaru called, the
sound of metal on metal had obviously woken her and Fuu.    

     "Just what I was going to ask", Urd said, slipping out of
our tent.

     "Well", Umi said hesitantly, "We were practising".

     I nodded, "I haven't done any fencing in a while and Umi
offered to give me a bit of a workout", I explained.

     "I see", Urd said, running her finger over the gash in my
chest armour, "And killing each other is supposed to be a
workout?".

     Umi grinned a little sheepishly, "I suppose we shouldn't
have tried it without blunting our weapons first", she
admitted.

     I nodded in agreement, noticing the even deeper gash in
the front of Umi's armour.  I saluted Umi with my sword and
then banished it and my armour.  "Good match", I said smiling.

     Umi saluted in return and made her sword disappear,
"Likewise", she replied, "We'll have to finish that match one
day".  We broke down our camp and began marching again. 
Around midday we reached the outskirts of a deserted village. 
The houses were broken down and crumbling.  There was a mist
in the village, even tho the sun was shining brightly.  We
paused for a short while on the edge of the village

     "Doesn't look very inviting, does it?", Fuu asked.

     "Who cares!", Umi insisted, walking forward, "Let's get
that next Mashin so we can go home!".

     Urd and I followed a little more slowly, I could feel
power flowing through the deserted streets, pouring from the
ruined buildings, the whole place seemed to pulse with power. 
Even Mokona seemed to be cautious, hopping only a few paces
ahead and then waiting for us.

     After passing through the town for nearly an hour (it
appeared to be more like an abandoned city than a village) we
stopped in front of a giant temple.

     Unlike the other buildings this temple was in perfect
condition, it also radiated energy.  "I don't like this", Urd
said firmly.

     I looked at the locater, it was indicating that we had to
go inside to the next portal.  "Come on", I said, trying to
appear confident, "What could go wrong?".

     "Famous last words", Ferrio said quietly, "I feel uneasy
about this place".

     "There's more power here than in Yggdrasil!", Urd
murmured, "I'd be more surprised if you didn't feel it".

     We edged forward slowly, walking up the massive steps. 
The girls had unconsciously drawn their weapons and Mokona had
taken refuge in Hikaru's arms.

                                  ****** 

     "What is Cleff thinking?", Zagato murmured, "He's sent
them to a place where I can wipe them out easily".

     "Master?", Innova asked curiously.

     "The temple acts like a magnifier for magical power, if I
was to attack them there, they would be destroyed in seconds",
he mused, "There must be a reason why he's deliberately
putting them in danger".

     "Perhaps he is relying on those two 'gods' to protect his
Magic Knights?", Innova mused.

     "Perhaps", Zagato allowed, "Then again, this place might
be where another Mashin has been hidden".  Zagato began pacing
back and forth, silently thinking, Innova remained quiet, not
disturbing his master.

     "I shall deal with this personally", Zagato announced. 
He walked from the room suddenly, "Right now!", he finished. 
Innova hurried to keep up with his master, mentally sending a
message ahead to have their mounts prepared.

                                  ******

     Brett was the first person to set foot in the main hall
of the temple.  It was huge, the ceiling had virtually no
supports and it simply hung above the room.  The walls were
delicately carved and the carvings seemed to move on the
walls.  The whole place was dimly lit, the light coming from
no visible source.  There were statues lining the walls and
one huge statue at one end of the room.

     The group almost stumbled into the middle of the massive
hall, their eyes drinking in the beauty and mystery.  Mokona
struggled violently and Hikaru dropped him in surprise.  The
little creature hopped up to the largest statue, "PUUUU!!", it
called pitifully.

     Ferrio gasped, "That's Princess Emeraude", he announced.

     Hikaru took a step back, "That.. that's...", she pointed. 
One of the smaller statues looked exactly like her.  There
were statues of Fuu and Umi as well.  Half way down one line
Ferrio found a statue of himself, there was also one of Cleff. 
Brett moved over to a statue that appeared to be not much more
than a pile of rubble, "That was a statue of Puresea", Fuu
said sadly, looking at the face (which was still intact).  Urd
and Brett however could not find images of themselves.

     "What is this place", Hikaru wondered.

     "It's the Hall of Prophecy", a voice announced.

     Mokona was projecting an image of Cleff, "I'm sorry to
deceive you Magic Knights", he said seriously, "But I needed
you to come here".

     "Deceive us?", Umi asked, "How do you mean?".

     "There is no Mashin hidden here", Cleff announced, "You
are here so that the God of Destiny can answer a question".

     The three girls and Ferrio glanced over at Brett, who was
looking a little guilty, "What's the question he has to
answer?", Fuu asked curiously.

     "That doesn't matter!", a voice boomed out, "Because you
all shall die here and now".

     Zagato suddenly appeared in the chamber, power thrumming
through him, "You were foolish to bring them here Cleff!", he
gloated, "Now they are mine!".  He brought his arm forward
and launched a bolt of energy at the girls.

     A shimmering blue forcefield sprang up and the energy
bolt burst into a fireball, well clear of anyone.  Brett had a
look of extreme concentration on his face, "Urd!", he shouted,
"Some light please?".

     Urd grinned and stepped up beside him, "Eat this!", she
cried, a blue/white spear of energy lanced out at Zagato. 

     "MASTER!", Innova suddenly appeared between Zagato and
the energy bolt, casting a shield of his own.  Unfortunately
he seriously underestimated the power of Urd's lightning, he
screamed in pain and suddenly fell towards the floor as he
took the brunt of the attack.  Zagato caught his henchman
before he could come to harm and snarling he threw a quick
fireball Urd's way as he landed lightly on the ground.

     The fireball glanced off Brett's forcefield, impacting
near Fuu's statue.  Fuu screamed in pain, Umi grabbed her and
gulped back a scream of her own.  Fuu's shoulder was burned
through her armour.  It was the same shoulder that was
scorched on her statue.

     Zagato smiled grimly, "A bonus", he gloated, turning and
throwing a fireball at Ferrio's statue.  Brett's began to
sweat as he shifted the shield to protect Ferrio's statue. 
Then Zagato began randomly casting destructive magic at
statues around the room.  Urd joined Brett in shielding and
the two of them managed to keep Zagato from destroying any
more of the statues.  Zagato was breathing heavily as he
paused in his spell casting, "You can't keep this up forever",
he said calmly.

     "Destiny!", Cleff said urgently, "You must attempt to use
the power of the temple!".

     Brett gave Cleff a quick glance, "How am I suppose to
do that?", he asked, "I've got my hands full".

     "FLAME ARROW!", Hikaru shouted, her magical attack
speeding towards a momentarily startled Zagato.  Brett saw an
opportunity and began concentrating on seeing the future. 
Zagato had recovered after a few moments and was about to
begin a deadly barrage of energy, when he noticed a rainbow-
like aura forming around Brett.

     Urd noticed too, "Brett!", she called urgently, "are you
all right?".

     Suddenly Brett screamed, it was a cry full of fear and
pain.  He jerked convulsively and the aura about him began to
expand.  Urd noticed that the aura seemed to be sucking in
everything it touched, wind was rushing towards Brett, being
pulled with terrifying force.  The aura continued to expand
and
Urd found herself backing being drawn towards him.  Hikaru was
trying to help Fuu and Umi away when the aura reached them,
the girls screamed as they were absorbed into the rainbow
light.  Zagato and Innova were also pulled into the light,
disappearing in showers of multi-coloured sparks.

     Urd fought to keep her force shield spell working under
the onslaught she was pouring as much energy as she could
generate into it, but it was steadily being drawn down. 
Before darkness filled her vision she saw Mokona standing with
an almost resolute expression on his face and as the aura
reached him he began to glow with a golden light.

                                  ******

     "Don't try to move", a voice said harshly, "You won't get
anywhere".  I opened my eyes and had to blink back tears as I
was blinded by a white light that seemed to pierce my skull.

     As my eyes adjusted I realised that the light was coming
from a very bright desk-lamp that was pointing directly at me. 
I was tied to a chair.  "Who are you", a voice asked.

     "Where am I?", I asked, noticing that my voice hardly
registered in my own ears.

     "You're far from home", another voice answered, "Now tell
us your name".

     "Brett", I replied.

     "What's your mother's maiden name Brett?", this voice
seemed somehow familiar.

     "Ridge", I said, almost in a daze.

     "What's your sister's car called?", the familiar voice
asked.

     "What kind of question is that?", another voice
interrupted.

     "Abraham", I replied, remembering the name my sister had
come up with, "Named after my Aunt's dog".

     "Are you sure?", a woman's voice asked.

     "That's so obscure that I doubt anyone but the two of us
would remember it", the familiar voice interrupted, "Turn off
the light".  The desk light was abruptly shut off and I
blinked to clear my eyes, the ropes holding me were suddenly
gone and I tumbled forward, falling from the chair.

     A pair of hands grabbed me, helping me back to a sitting
position, the person who caught me dropped down to my eye
level, "You look like you've been through a lot mate", he said
evenly.  I looked into my own eyes.  I blinked and rubbed my
eyes and the other me laughed, "No you're not dreaming, this
time", he said smiling slightly.

     As I became more aware of my surroundings I noticed a few
other people in the room, one was a young man in his late
teens, he had a familiar look about him.  The woman in the
room I recognised straight away, "Urd!", I said, "What the
bloody hell is going on?". 

     Urd gave me a smile, "If he is an imposter, he does a
pretty good impression of you", she said to the other Brett. 
Then I noticed something that startled me, the other Brett had
a scar running across his cheek and was carrying what looked
like a gun, his eyes had a (for the lack of a better word)
'wise' look about them and his brow was more wrinkled.  To sum
it up, he looked like how I imagine I'd look in about five
years (except for the scar of course!).  "Take care of him",
Urd said to the older me, "I have work to do".

     The older Brett nodded, "Have a nice day at the office
dear", he said in a sarcastic tone.

     "Just so long as you have dinner ready we get home", Urd
replied, winking.  Urd placed a hand on the other younger
man's shoulder, "Let's go Christopher", she ordered.

     "But mother", the young man protested, "We can't just
leave him here...".

     Urd's gaze darted over to the older me, "Your father can
take care of himself", she replied, dragging him from the
room, "After all, I taught him everything he knows".  With
that the door to the room slammed shut and I looked over at
the other me, "Could you explain please?", I asked in the most
calm voice I could muster.

     The other me nodded, "If you could give me the date
please", he asked in a reasonable tone, sitting down across
from me.

     "Last time I looked at a calender", I said, thinking
back, "It was the 10th of October 1997".

     He nodded, "So you're on our little trip with Urd then,
across the dimensions?", he asked.

     "Right", I said, nodding.

     "Well", the older Brett said, leaning back in his chair,
"Today's date on Earth is the 12th of November 2031".  My
mouth must have been hanging open cause he smiled, "Don't take
it so hard, so you messed up a little on the time coordinates,
you'll get used to it", he said in a reassuring tone.

     "I don't want to get used to it", I replied sharply, "I
don't even know how I got here!".

     This was obviously very funny for some reason, cause the
other me burst out laughing, "Of course you don't know how you
go here!", he said, "I've used that ability a total of three
times, each time it was an accident, the first time I ended up
in ancient Japan, the second I was in the 1920's and the third
time I was somewhere around the last ice age".  I wasn't
amused and the other me noticed it, "OK", he said, "Sorry
about that, to reassure you each time I got lost in time I got
pulled back to my normal time within a few hours".

     I breathed a sigh of relief, "So I've only gotta be here
for a few hours", I said, looking around, "I can handle a few
hours in the future".

     He shook his head, "Sorry mate", he said regretfully, "I
can't let you out of this room".

     "WHAT?", I demanded, "WHY?!?!".

     "Firstly it's not particularly safe outside", he said, a
serious expression on his face, "And secondly I don't
particularly want you to fall into *HIS* hands".

     "Sorry?", I asked, "into who's hands?".

     The older me sighed, "Look", he said, "I probably
shouldn't be telling you this, but the future isn't really a
bright one for most of the people you know".  I gave him a
frown and he continued, "Just about everyone you knew didn't
make it until now", he said softly, "Things are not going well
for the human race, wars and pollution have taken their toll,
not to mention what the Lord of Chaos has been doing".

     He stood and walked over to the wall, leaning against it,
he continued, "The Lord of Chaos devastated most of the
Western nations a year or two ago then he turned his armies on
the East, Japan is the last major industrial nation left".

     I shook my head, "Who is this Lord of Chaos?", I asked.

     "Right", he said, nodding, "She hasn't told you yet".  He
thought for a moment, "Urd is the Heir to the Lord of Chaos",
he explained.  He detailed an incident that happened a few
months prior to my arrival at the temple, one that I hadn't
been told about.

     "But..", I began, "She's fighting with you...".


     The other me nodded, "One of her Children has taken it
from her", he replied sadly, "And turned it against mankind". 
There was an insistent beeping noise from outside the room and
the older Brett gritted his teeth, "You'd better follow me",
he said sharply.

     I followed him out of the room and we walked down a
corridor.  If I didn't know better I would have thought we
were in a bunker of some kind.  We emerged into a large room,
computer monitors lined the walls and all around figures were
hunched over computer terminals, others ran back and forth,
the entire place seemed to be a chaos of noise and light.  We
got some strange looks as we walked to the middle of the room. 
     There was a set of throne-like chairs in the middle of
the room on a raised platform.  He gestured to one, "Sit there
and be quiet", the older me ordered.

     He took the other chair and the platform rose a few
meters from the ground, giving us a perfect view of the large
monitors on the wall, "Report!", the older Brett said sharply
in a no-arguments tone.  I looked at him in surprise,
obviously he'd gotten over my hangup about ordering people
around.

     "General", a young god said, bowing slightly, "Lady Urd
requests assistance with the operation in Hong Kong,
apparently there are more demons in the city than first
thought".

     "I want four platoons of Security Daemons sent to back
her up", the older Brett ordered, then he thought for a moment
"Have Chia-Yao provide some heavy firepower for a Dragon and
send it too".

     The young god looked a little nervous, "Sir, that would
leave heaven dangerously undefended, I know it's your wife out
there..", he argued.

     "Carry out my orders", the older me said sharply, "If Urd
asked for help it means that she needs *HELP* she doesn't
bother to ask unless she's in real trouble".  He looked over
at the world map on the wall, "If Hong Kong falls it leaves
much of Japan open to invasion, we must stop the demons now".

     He looked over at me, "This is the world you have to look
forward to", he said, grimacing, "Remember it well when you
get back, perhaps you can prepare better than I did".

     I was in shock from the images surrounding me, "What
causes this?", I asked, "How can I stop it?".

     The older me looked at me sharply, "Stopping it?", he
asked, "Why?".

     I gave him a look of disbelief, "How can I not try to
stop it?", I asked.

     He looked at me seriously, "Because it means giving up
everything you believe in and the person you love the most",
he replied, "It also means giving up 32 years of married bliss
and a loving son who thinks the world of you".  He placed a
hand on my shoulder, "We are meant to be with Urd, nothing can
change that.... and I wouldn't change a day in the last 32
years", he said with conviction.

     "You can't mean that!", I said, aghast, "What about the
people suffering?? what about the Lord of Chaos?".

     "You mean our son?", he asked evenly.  He noticed my
expression, "That's right", he said, "Our other son is the
Lord of Chaos, we are responsible for much of what you see on
these screens".

     I recoiled in shock, "How can you say that?", I asked,
"People died because of you!".

     He nodded, "I choose to believe that Kami-sama knows what
he's doing, he left the choice up to me, to marry Urd knowing
that there was the possibility that this might happen or I
could have turned my back on her... I would never do that!",
he explained.

     "There must have been another choice", I protested.

     He shook his head, "He offered me two choices", he
replied, "Stay with her and take the chance or never marry
her".  I sat back in the chair and listened to the reports
coming in, Urd was turning the tide in Hong Kong, the city was
almost secure.

     After an hour or so the older me led me back to the room,
"Why are you the General?", I asked, "What about Apollo or
Mars or one of the other warrior gods?".

     He sighed, "Mars was the first one to fall... then each
General fell in combat as he challenged the Lord of Chaos,
they elected me General because I was less likely to go out
and try to take my own son on in mortal combat, so less likely
to be killed", he explained, "I've held this post for the last
year and we've managed to fight them to a stalemate".

     I felt a strange tingling in my arm, looking down I
noticed that a rainbow-like aura was gathering around it.  The
older me noticed as well, "It looks like you're about to
leave", he observed.  He extended his hand, "Good luck", he
said seriously.

     I shook hands with him, "You too", I replied.

     As the aura was covering my vision I heard his parting
comment, "You'll make the right choice", he said softly.

                                  ******

    Urd glanced about, the aura had faded down to a bearable
level.  The walls of the temple had disappeared, leaving only
the statues, the Magic Knights, Ferrio and her.  She walked
over to where Ferrio was, "Hey, what the hell happened?", she
asked.  When he didn't answer she walked around and looked at
him closely, his eyes were shut and his breathing even.

     She examined each of the girls in turn, they were all in
a state of suspended animation.  Urd went over a spell in her
mind and raised one hand to being casting it, when a deep
voice spoke, "Don't do that", it rumbled.

     Turning Urd was shocked to see Mokona, sitting on the
statue dedicated to Princess Emeraude, "They will be less
disturbed by this if you leave them alone", he explained, a
little more gently.

     "Who are you?", Urd asked, "You're not just some guide
animal... what's going on?".

     Mokona sighed, "I will explain, oh Goddess of the Past",
he replied, "You are in the middle of a dimensional maelstrom,
created by Brett's magic combined with the magic of the
temple".

     Urd looked around, "I don't see Brett anywhere", she
observed, "If he created this place, shouldn't he be here?".

     "He is here", Mokona said, "But he is also elsewhere in
time and space".

     "What are you talking about?", Urd demanded, "Explain
clearly".

     "This is a creation of his magic, but where he travels no
one but he may know", Mokona said, "Perhaps he travels to the
distant future or the past, even I do not know".

     "Great", Urd said sarcastically, "So how am I supposed to
find him?".

     "You are not", Mokona replied, "He will return soon
enough, perhaps with some of the answers he seeks, perhaps
more confused than ever".

     Urd strode over to Mokona, "So what do we do now?", she
asked.

     "We wait", Mokona replied, "Once he returns he will be
able to return my Magic Knights to Cephiro... I shall return
them to a point before they met you and resume my quest from
there".

     "And how will you do that?", she asked, "Won't that
constitute a paradox?".

     Mokona shrugged, "Your companion is immune from Paradox,
so I shall use some of his power to aid me", he announced.

     "You will, will you?", Urd asked dangerously, "As far as
I'm concerned you manipulative little...".  Urd broke off in
the middle of her 'colourful' description of Mokona as a burst
of rainbow light filled the room and there was a thud,
followed by a groan.

     "Brett!", Urd shouted, running over to him, "What
happened?".

     Brett shook his head groggily, "I don't know", he
mumbled, "I think I was in the future... ".  He stared at her
for a moment, "I can't remember much..  the details are
fading... but I met myself and.. ".  He shook his head in
frustration, "Why can't I remember, there was something
important..".

     "That is because it's not yet time for you to remember",
Mokona said, "When the time is right, it will come back to
you".

     "It talks?", Brett asked in a quiet voice.

     "Apparently", Urd replied shortly, "It seems to think
you...".  

     A rainbow light began to cover Brett's left leg, "Looks
like I'm off again", he said shortly, "I'll talk to you again
when I get back".  Urd was about to respond when there was a
flash and he disappeared in a shower of silver light.

     "How long will this go on?", Urd asked Mokona, "How long
will he be appearing and disappearing?".

     Mokona thought for a moment, "Until we stop it", he said,
"It's dangerous, but here's what we need to do...".

                                  ******

     This time I awoke to a more pleasant environment.  I was
laying back on a rather comfortable bed in a vaguely familiar
room.  Throwing the covers back I stood carefully and walked
over to the window.  I saw a view very familiar to me,
Yggradsil, in full splendour.  I recognised that I was in the
Norn's house that I'd visited once or twice before.  I opened
the door and stepped out into the hallway, making my way
downstairs, to where I heard noise in the kitchen.

     To my utter amazement I walked in and Urd was cooking,
and cooking well from the look of it.  The smells that were
wafting across the room reminded me of one of Belldandy's
meals.  Not knowing exactly where I was I hesitated on the
entrance.  "Oh come on Brett", Urd said, without turning
around, "My cooking isn't that scary anymore".

     I still hesitated and she looked over at me, "I
understand we haven't seen each other in a number of decades",
she said, almost coolly, "But perhaps you could treat me
civilly after all this time...".

     I held up my hands, "Hold it a sec", I said, "I'm not
exactly the same Brett you know".

     She looked me up and down, "Oh really?", she asked
critically, "You look like him to me".

     "What's the date today?", I asked her seriously, "On
Earth that is".

     "I thought the Almighty God of Destiny would have a
better time sense than me", she said sarcastically.

     "Look Urd", I said, a little sharply, "Just tell me ok?".

     Her face became a mask of suppressed anger, "Don't take
that tone with me", she snapped, "You were the one that left
me, not the other way around!".  In the stunned silence that
followed that statement she picked up a pair of plates, "It's
the 12th of November 2031", she said shortly, "If you're
hungry, follow me".

     I followed her warily, and sat down at the dining table
with her, "This is excellent", I complimented her as I tasted
her cooking.

     She gave me a wry smile, "What else have I had to do with
these last 20 years except practice cooking?", she asked
evenly.

     I shook my head, "Look Urd, let me explain..", I began.

     "You already explained", she said, cutting me off, "Kami-
sama made you do it, right?".  Her eyes filled with tears and
without thinking I reached over to take her hand.

     "DON'T TOUCH ME!", she hissed, pulling her hand away. 
Then she stood, "What did you come here for anyway?!?", she
demanded, "To reopen old wounds?".

     I shook my head, "Urd, please listen for a few moments",
I said carefully, "Remember that little 'trip' we took after
my 23rd Birthday?".

     She looked at me blankly for a few moments, "Dimension
hopping?", she asked.

     I nodded, "Do you remember when we were stuck in that
strange place, with the rainbow light? we were at a temple and
my magic went nuts... ripping us out of time and space?", I
asked.

     "Yeah.. what does that have to do with...", she began. 
Then she looked at my eyes closely, "You mean you're...", she
broke off as I nodded.

     "Last time I saw you was the floor of the temple, Mokona
was talking and I disappeared before we could exchange more
than a few words", I explained.

     She looked quite shocked, "You never told me you visited
the future", she accused.

     I scratched my head, "Well, when I returned to you the
first time... I couldn't remember much.. it might be that I
won't be able to remember consciously", I surmised.

     She looked over at me and shook her head, "This is
unbelievable", she grumbled, "How can you...".

     I shrugged, "No idea", I said with a grin, "This is
something I have totally no experience with!".

     A smile tugged the corner of her mouth, "That sounds like
you", she said.

     "Thanks muchly", I replied, then I looked around, "So
where are Belldandy and Skuld?".

     Urd sighed, "Belldandy is with Keiichi, still after all
these years", she explained, "Skuld is working with the
Security Daemons... she and Chia-Yao are practically
married...".

     I grinned, "I'm sure she'd be totally disgusted to think
that she ends up with him", I mused.

     Urd managed a small smile.  I gave her a serious look,
"So what are you doing now?", I asked.

     She looked out the window at the huge sprawling tree,
"After we.. I went back to doing System Admin work", she
replied softly.

     I reached out and took her hand before she could pull
away, "Please tell me what happened?", I asked quietly.

     Urd nodded and squeezed my hand, "All right.. After we
got back from our little trip, you seemed so eager that we
should let everyone know about us", she blushed slightly, "I
was a little cautious about it.. but we'd both decided that
telling everyone was the best way to go...".

     "But?", I asked, noticing how she broke off suddenly.

     "Before we could tell anyone you were called to see Kami-
sama", she said in a low voice, "I don't know what he said...
but whatever it was you had cooled off towards me, right to
the point of moving away from the temple and back to
Australia".

     I gave her a disbelieving look and she nodded, "You said
something about the two of us not being suited for each other
and we'd each be better off without the other", her voice
caught as she repeated what the other me had told her.

     "This is all wrong", I said, shaking my head, "Did the
other me ever tell you what Kami-sama ever said exactly?".

     She shook her head, "No, only that it was private and he
didn't want to discuss it", she replied.

     I felt a surge of anger towards the other me who had done
this to Urd, "So tell me", I said, "Where is this other
Brett?".

     Urd lowered her eyes, "I don't know", she admitted, "It's
been over 20 years since I saw him last..".

     I stood and walked over to the terminal on the wall,
"Well I think he and I are going to have a little chat", I
said, putting in my password and accessing a little script to
bring up my file.

     Urd placed a hand on my shoulder as I hunched over the
screen, "What are you going to do?", she asked.  I gave her a
smile, "Just have a little discussion with myself", I promised
her, "I wouldn't do anything too rash".

     "How disappointing", she murmured.

     I grinned at her, "Apparently I'm still living in
Australia, doing odd jobs for the Goddess Relief Office", I
sighed.

     "What?", Urd asked, looking at the screen, "What's
wrong?".

     I pointed at the description of my job, "In 30 years they
still haven't changed the name?", I protested.  Urd (who
insisted on coming along) teleported us to the address that
the records indicated, we appeared in the living room of a
nice looking house, the windows looked out onto a lovely view
of the ocean, which was several miles distant over some
rolling hills.

     "Well", I said, observing the location, "My taste hasn't
changed much in thirty years".

     A young man walked into the room, "Who are you?", he
asked evenly, "Usually houseguests announce themselves before
teleporting in".

     I gave him a smile, "You don't recognise me?", I asked.

     He looked closer, "Dad?!?!", he blurted out, "But...
how... your young!".

     I held up a hand, stopping his little outburst, "I'm not
really your father", I explained, "Do you know where he is?".

     The young man nodded slowly, "Usually you're.. I mean
*he* is out in his workshop at this time of day", he mumbled.

     "Thanks mate", I said, walking towards the door, "Coming
Urd?", I asked, over my shoulder.

     The young man's eyes bugged out, "You're Urd??", he
asked, looking at her in amazement.

     She gave him a defensive look, "What's it to you?", she
tossed back at him.

     "Oh nothing", he stuttered slightly, "Dad's mentioned
you."

     Urd raised an eyebrow, "Oh?", she asked, "What did he say
about me?".

     I left her chatting with my double's son and walked
outside, noticing a small house set up some distance away from
the house, I walked over to it, enjoying the afternoon
sunshine and the taste of the sea in the air.  I knocked and
received a muffled, "Come in!", from inside.

     Walking into the room I had to stop and stare in
amazement, spread out around the room was one of the biggest
collections of computer parts I've ever seen.  To top it off,
my double had cheated a little by making the inside bigger
than the outside.  "I'm busy at the moment John", a hunched
over figure in the middle of one workbench said, his back to
me.

     "That's ok", I interrupted him, "I'm not in a big hurry".

     He turned around slowly and I got a picture of my future. 
His hair was flecked with grey, a light beard covered his face
and he was wearing a set of bi-focal glasses.  His face was
lined and well weathered.  I gave him a smile, "It's nice to
know I don't lose my hair", I said in greeting.

     "So", he said, turning the chair around to face me,
"You're playing with time?".

     "More of an accident really", I replied, "I didn't mean
to end up here and I probably won't be here too long".

     "What time are you from?", he asked curiously.

     "1997", I replied, "Our 23rd birthday".

     He nodded, "I assume you're here to see where you end up
in 30 years?", he asked.

     I looked around, "This wasn't where I'd thought I'd be",
I said bluntly, "What happened?".

     He shook his head, "It was the hardest thing I had to
do", he replied, "Kami-sama offered me two choices, stay with
Urd knowing the chance I was taking... or break it off".

     "I've seen the outcome of the other choice", I said
quietly, "It's not very pretty".

     He looked up in concern, "How bad?", he asked.  I
detailed what I remembered of the other time travel episode
I'd had, the destruction and death that had come to the world. 
He smiled, "Well it looks like I made the right choice
afterall", he sighed, "That's good to know".

     "Did you?", I asked, looking at him seriously, "Why were
you so hard on Urd?".

     He winced, "It wasn't by choice", he explained softly,
"If I didn't make a clean break with her... I always knew that
I'd never be able to get on with my life... I... we... love...
I mean.. loved her too much...".

     I nodded, "What's the situation with you at the moment?",
I asked, "That's your son in the house?".

     He smiled broadly, "That's John", he replied with a hint
of pride in his voice, then his voice dropped to a whisper,
"His mother died when he was born... there was nothing I could
do...".

     "I'm sorry", I said, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Do
*I* know her?".

     "No", he said, shaking his head, "I met her about 20
years ago... oddly enough it was on one of my 'odd jobs' for
the Relief Office... ".  He told me how he'd met a young woman
on an assignment in Japan and she'd managed to locate him in
Australia.  I nodded when he came to the end of his summary,
"So I assume you're telling me that you think you made the
right choice and I should do the same thing?", I asked.

     He sighed, "Well, when given the two choices, what's the
worse future?", he asked.

     "Just remember to be nicer to *your* Urd about it", a
voice piped up from the doorway.  Urd was standing there,
Apparently she'd been listening for some time.

     "Urd?", my double asked, "What are you doing here?".

     She walked across the room and stopped in front of him,
"Why didn't you explain all this to me at the beginning?", she
asked bluntly.

     He looked a little embarrassed, "I tried to explain on a
number of occasions", he protested, "But you wouldn't listen
to me!".

     "Right", she said, nodding, "So what are we going to do
about it?".

     I noticed the now familiar tingling in my arm and the
rainbow light began to spread up my arm, "Well I'm going to
have to leave the two of you to sort things out", I said,
"Good luck".

     Urd turned to me and smiled, "Thank you for the visit
Brett", she said with feeling, "And remember, even if you have
to tie me down, explain things to me this time!".  The other
me nodded slightly and the scene dissolved into a myriad of
images and light.

                                  ******

     Urd readied her shield spell as Mokona gave her the
signal.  Brett appeared in exactly the same place as before,
landing with a thud.  An instant later she completed her
spell, locking the shield around him.

     Brett stood and dusted himself off, "Why the shield?", he
asked curiously.

     Mokona noticed Urd was too busy concentrating so he
hopped over, "This will prevent you jumping around in time
until we can return things to normal", he said, "Now God of
Destiny, you must use your power".

     "Ummm how?", Brett asked, grinning nervously, "I don't
even know how I did this in the first place".

     Mokona sighed, "Just focus your energy towards me", he
suggested, "I'll do the rest".

     Brett looked to Urd for confirmation and she nodded.  He
sat down cross-legged and began concentrating, focusing much
of his power at Mokona.  A thin beam of blue light suddenly
burst forth from the symbols on Brett's forehead, striking
Mokona in the chest.  The little creature was pushed back
several meters before it stabilised itself, "Good", Mokona
said, "I can send my Knights back now".

     Umi, Fuu and Hikaru suddenly disappeared in showers of
light, "And now him", Mokona said, his voice now straining, 
Ferrio also disappeared.  At that point the blue energy
streaming between him and Brett suddenly cut out.  There was a
shuddering and suddenly Brett found himself floating in a
maelstrom of sound and light.  He noticed an unconscious Urd
floating by him and he snagged her arm, pulling her in close,
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?", he demanded angrily, "MOKONA!!!!".

     Mokona's image appeared in front of him, "I'm sorry God
of Destiny", he apologised, "I don't have the power to send
you on your journey, you must make it there yourself".

     "Great", Brett said sarcastically, "Thanks a lot mate!".

     "I do wish you well", Mokona said firmly, "And remember
something, a choice that doesn't offer anything but sadness
isn't a choice to take".  With that he faded into nothingness. 
Brett floated for a moment, still holding Urd and smiled at
Mokona's parting comment.

                                  ******

     Umi, Fuu and Hikaru all sat up in bed at the exact same
instant.  They looked at each other in amazement, "You
wouldn't believe the dream I just had", they chorused.  Mokona
opened one eye carefully and then just as slowly closed in,
feigning disinterest.

                                  ******     


Author's Notes for Part 4:

Well there we go again.. another part of Hazards finished...
so what do you think.. has it been 'hazardous' enough?? *GRIN*

I hope you all enjoyed that little part... more will be
forthcoming in the next few weeks... I'm actually a few steps
ahead in my writing at the moment...

Any comments or whatever can be directed to:

               darkwnd@sv.net.au

Previous parts at my web page (which is seriously in need of
updating) - http://www.ozanime.com/darkwind

-----Brett