Oh! My Brother!

Chapter 9 - Urd


All Oh! My Goddess (Ah! My Goddess, Aa! Megami-sama, whatever)
characters owned by Kosuke Fujishima.

***

So, I get to have a whack at this too, huh?  'Niichan tells me that I'd do a
better job at telling this part of the story, since he's got pretty hazy
memories of the most of it (and wasn't there for the rest).  Oh well, away
we go!

I walked out of 'Niichan's room, a cheery smile on my face and a leaden
weight in my heart.  I think that was the first time I ever realized how
much I cared for that big jerk.  It was also the first time (of many) that I
regretted the wish he made of Skuld.  It would have been nice to end up in
the same kind of situation as Bell and Keiichi, and I could have done a hell
of a lot worse than a guy like 'Niichan.

Although, someone a might cuter would have been nice...even just as a
brother.  I mean, let's be honest, he doesn't look half bad, but a model
'Niichan is not.

Wandering down to the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Keiichi and Bell having
another one of their little private moments.  They were really sweet
together...he-erm, heck, who am I kidding, you can feel the cavities
forming, they're that bad.  Bell's really lucky to have a guy like Keiichi,
even if he is a bit of a wishy-washy klod most of the time.  I thought about
trying to give them a hand but...I wasn't in the mood.

A couple slugs of sake from my stash later, I was feeling a little less
depressed, and a lot more mischeivous.  It had occurred to me that my bro
was probably going to get into some sort of trouble up there he couldn't
handle.

I know, I know, you're thinking he's a big boy (a VERY big boy) and that he
can take care of himself, right?

Pah.  Foolish mortals.  He's a nice guy and all, but one thing 'Niichan is
NOT capable of dealing with most of the deities kicking around, especially
since as many of them want to use him as do kill him.  What can I say?
They're not all as nice as my sisters and I.  Especially those
Greco-Romans - they're a complete family of jerks.

So, in a stroke of brilliance that could only have come from me, I decided
exactly what Chris needed when he went up to Heaven.  In a word: me.  It's
my home town after all, isn't it?  Besides, I have blackmail material on
practically every (cute) male god in existence.  Being as...freely
affectionate...as I am has its benefits, after all.

While I waited for 'Niichan to come out so he could say his goodbyes (and I
could make my move) I took the opportunity to do my third most favorite
thing in the world: drink.

Oh, while I'm talking (drinking, whatever), I should explain that little
nickname.  Yes, I know I'm older than Chris, that in fact he's only slightly
older than Bell.  But he's my big (as in HUGE) brother.  In most languages
that means older brother, so I call him 'Niichan, get it?  Get it?  Get it?

Stupid mortals.

I don't know why He bothers, at times.

So I wander over to where Saturn was getting a lecture from Skuld about how
he "had better not let anything happen to my brother or he'll answer to ME."
It was pretty funny watching this guy who's over two millenia old get
lectured by a twelve-year-old kid.  Especially when the kid is right.

Sometimes, as much as she bugs me, Skuld makes me SO proud.  She finished
her lecture and stormed off to her room, while Saturn had the decency to
look embarrassed.

'Niichan came out of his room, that ratty backpack of his stuffed to the
gills with what looked like his 'essentials.'  He walked by us into the
kitchen where Keiichi and Belldandy were, and made a show of saying his
goodbyes to the pair.  He came back, turned to me with an attempt at a
raised eyebrow (it's funny when he tries to do that, he has to sort of frown
first), and asked, "Where's Skuld?"

I wordlessly nodded towards the closed door to the kid's room.  He sighed
breathily and headed over that way.  He does that a lot.  Sighing, I mean.
Especially when it's something to do with me, Skuld, or any other girl -
especially ones he's romantically involved with...like Rachel and Ami.

Now THERE'S a pair that needed my help, especially if they planned to hook
my far-too-innocent-for-his-own-good brother.

Rachel?  I'll give her this much, she kept my bro on his toes.  The poor guy
never knew if she was going to hit him or kiss him.  There's a girl the word
mercurial was made for...unlike Mercury, on the other hand, who is the only
person I know who can be stagnant at three hundred words per minute.

Now for Ami.  At the time, if I was to wager on who had a chance of actually
getting 'Niichan into bed, it'd be her.  Well, kind of.  Maybe.  Oh
he-er...heck, I didn't know.  Sometimes, when I tried to figure that
triangle out it made my teeth hurt.  Chris makes Keiichi and Bell easy to
manage at times.

Anyways, so Chris went into Skuld's room.  The kid was trying to put on a
brave face, but she wasn't doing a very good job of it.  He walked up to
her, went to one knee, and gently enveloped her in a bear hug from behind.
"It'll be OK, Skuld, it'll be OK," he whispered.

Skuld turned herself in his arms and looked at him with bright eyes, moist
with the tears she was fighting.  "No it won't!" she insisted.  "You don't
know what it's like up there.  You'll be in so much danger!"

Chris frowned.  "Seemed like a nice enough place to me when I go up there to
practice," he countered.  "Besides, isn't it supposed to be a place of
goodness and light and stuff like that?  I mean, it's where all the good
souls go right?"

"Don't be an idiot," she snapped crossly, and then sniffed.  "Do you think
all the gods mortals have worshipped have been nice?"  She hugged him
tightly.  "Sending you up there is like sending a bear into a room full of
tyranosaurus-rexes."

"Gee, nice to see you have so much faith in me.  Last I checked, Tyr and his
cronies chase me around the practice arena up there bi-weekly for a reason
other than their entertainment."

The shrimp gave him an even glare.  "Oniichan, *I* could run you around the
arena.  You're not bad for a mortal, but you've got a long way to go.  You
keep on falling for feints and overextending."

She's right, you know.  'Niichan really needs some practice.  It's not nice
of her to point it out, though.

"You've been associating with Tyr too much," he said acidly, "he's rubbing
off on you."  She opened her mouth to snap at him again and he chuckled.
"OK, ok, I'll be careful, happy?"

Skuld just hugged him tightly, and a sliver of steel snuck it's way into her
voice.  "You'd better, or you'll have to answer to me," she said
dangerously.

Chris pushed her off of him and looked at her with false aprehension.
"Skuld, this is not the way to get me to want to come back, you know," he
told her.

"Oniichan!" she pouted.  "Be nice."

***

I had to duck out of the way and head back to my room so that 'Niichan and
the shrimp wouldn't know I was eavesdropping.  Yeah, it's not the nicest
thing to do, but come on, no one tells me anything around here.  What's a
girl to do?

"Urd?" 'Niichan called.

I poked my head out of my room, and grinned at him. "You called?"

Chris sort of stared at me uncomfortably for a few seconds, during which I
really had to fight the urge to giggle.  "Umm...well, I'm kind of going
now," he finally managed.  "I wanted to say bye.  Umm, bye?"

Now, I could have been nice.  I could have made this easy for him.  I could
have let it go at that.

Yeah, right.  You don't know me very well, do you?

"Oh NO, 'Niichan," I said breathlessly, my tone just barely on the edge of
mocking.  "Don't EVER just say 'bye.'  I'm SURE we'll be seeing each other
again REAL soon."  It was rather entertaining to watch his face go from
confused to panicked to exasperated to annoyed to suspicous.  I kissed him
lightly on the cheek and slipped past him into the hall.

I heard a muttered "Women!" behind me as I pretended to head to watch some
TV, and then the thump of Chris' footsteps as he followed me down the
hallway.  I flopped down in front of the box and mimed watching some silly
anime.

"All right," I heard 'Niichan say to Saturn.  "Let's go."

Bell and Keiichi walked out of the kitchen to watch them leave.  I made a
point of not watching and turned up the TV.  A flash of light filled the
room, and then a moment later I felt Bell's hand on my shoulder.  "He's
gone, Urd," she said in a gentle voice.

Like I didn't know that.  Sometimes, Bell worries me.

I stood up, stretched lazilly, took great delight in the way Keiichi
blushed, and then brought my hands together with a loud clap.  "Alright
then, I'm off!"  I reached my hand out towards the TV screen, but Bell
grabbed my hand.

"Urd," she said admonishingly.  "He'll never become a worthy protector if we
don't trust him."

She's such a child at times, you know?

I shook her hand off and scowled at her.  "Oh please, Belldandy.  This has
nothing to do with my trusting him to protect me.  I just don't trust that
jerk Saturn!"  I stopped and gave Keiichi a glare until he took a couple
steps away, and then on top of that I switched into Nordic just to be sure
he couldn't catch what we were saying.  "The other Time Deities don't like
us much, remember?  The idiots claim," I paused to switch my voice into a
pompous tone, "that only a complete picture of Time gives one the wisdom
necessary to truly be a caretaker of the cosmos."  I snorted in derision.

"I understand that, Urd," she responded in the same language.  "But I don't
see why they would do something to Chris."

Kami-sama, the girl can be dense, too.  I began to steam in frustration, and
in an effort of will I was rather proud of, restrained myself from blasting
her and going off anyway.  I kind of wanted her to know why I was doing
this, and I was kind of hoping she'd agree.  "Belldandy," I began patiently,
"Do you know what other names he's been given in Heaven?  'Paradox' is a
common one, so is 'The God of Never' and 'The God of Impossibility.'  To the
other Time Deities, he's the one thing most anthanema to them besides a
Demon - a god of Non-Time!  The fact that he's OUR brother is not a point in
'Niichan's favor in the other's eyes.  I think the reason Saturn showed up
is that they believe he's a danger to them!"

"Oniichan would never hurt anyone unless they directly threatened us," Bell
protested, "and it's not his fault he's got a power that's not been
encountered before, one that caused errors in Yggdrasil..." she trailed off
and then she faintly asked, "You don't think all of his powers are like
that, do you?  Completely new ones?"

I shrugged.  "I don't know," I admitted, "but it's possible, and I don't
trust Saturn as far as I can throw him against hurricaine winds.  Those guys
are up to something, and I bet it's not good for Chris."

Bell considered all that for a moment, and then nodded once, slowly.  "I
agree, you should go then," she said, and then smiled a little.  "Take care
of him, and be careful yourself, too."

I grinned wickedly.  "Trust me," I cackled ominously before jumping into the
TV.

***

When I arrived in Heaven (which looked like Cincinnati today, I don't know
why), Saturn and 'Niichan were already a ways off, and I really had to hurry
to keep them in sight.  Or rather, I would have, if it hadn't been for a
lucky happenstance.

That happenstance being a six-foot-two blonde-haired thug with shoulders
wider than a small car and muscles enough to make up three Mr. Universes.
One carrying a rather impressive hammer, wearing a chainmail hauberk, a fur
cape, and a helmet with some huge horns.

Thor.  To quote 'Niichan:  The man, the Myth, the Legend, the Comic Book
Hero from Marvel.  (That last one's a sore spot with him, we discovered.)

Thor's entrance was typical for him.  He charged up, yelling "Defend
yourself!" and sent a lighting bolt right towards Chris, who dove out of the
way just in time.

'Niichan went into a neat roll and came up in full armor, the light of the
sun shining brightly off of the blue-green (Chris is picky about that - he
doesn't like it when we call it teal or turquoise) metal.  He went into a
sort of side stance, the shield-blade held in front of him while the
sword-blade was held lower and off to the side.

Of course, this didn't help Chris much as Thor went plowing into him, but
it's nice to know he's picking up the technique.

I know it's not nice of me to pick on Chris' combat skills like this (yeah,
yeah, like that's ever stopped me before) but I think I should clear
something up here.  At the time, compared to most mortals, 'Niichan was a
great fighter - he could probably take 99% of you without working up much of
a sweat.  Against a god (or a demon), however, Chris was (and still is, sort
of) WAY outclassed.  That's why his little no-time trick was so important -
it gave him enough of a boost that he at least had a chance.

According to Tyr, it's because Chris shares something with Heimdall and
Baldur when it comes to fighting - a lack of that killer instinct that's
essential to a true soldier.  He doesn't have that NEED to beat his opponent
that's so much a part of a great warrior.  I guess that's why he's our
protector - his mind would remain on us, not his adversary.  Unfortunately,
even I know that's really not as good as it sounds.  He'd probably lose to
someone with somewhat less skill but a lot more 'fighting spirit.'

That sobering series of thoughts complete, you'll understand why I'm just
going to skip to the end of the the fight.  I'm pretty sure 'Niichan doesn't
want me to go into detail about Thor kicking his butt.

So 'Niichan was laying on the ground on his back, panting while he stared up
at the sky.  Thor banished his own war gear and walked over to stand over my
poor brother.  "Hi, Thor," Chris huffed, his voice hovering around the
higher registers.  "What's up?"

"Not your skill level," the brute said flatly.  "I see Tyr's been letting
you off easy lately."  He held out his hand to help Chris up, and my brother
banished his armor and grasped Thor's hand.  Without even a grunt, Thor
yanked him to his feet and then grabbed him in a rib-crushing embrace.
"It's good to see you, Skinny!"

"Urk...nice to see...ow...you too, Shorty," 'Niichan managed to say.  Thor
released him and watched with amusement as Chris tried to regain his breath.

Children, both of them.  Why they feel this need to call each other names
I'll never understand.  For the record, Thor is two inches shorter than
Chris, who has nearly a foot less shoulder-width.

Saturn stormed over from where he had been watching the beating, and
confronted the larger god.  "If you're quite done behaving like a barbarian,
may Paradox and I continue on our task?"

"Paradox?" Chris echoed.

"No, you may not," Thor rumbled, and moved to tower over the graybeard.
Mjollnir appeared in his hand, and Thor spun it lazilly.  "I am going to
take MY comrade to the bar, and WE are going to partake in large amounts of
alcohol."  He made shooing motions with his free hand.  "Run along now,
Saturn, I'll bring him by when we're done."

Saturn sputtered incoherently for a moment, his face red.  "How...how DARE
you?" he roared.

"Paradox?" Chris repeated.

Thor gave him a cheery smile, but his eyes were smoldering.  "May I
recommend you take the opportunity to tend that beard of yours?  You're
supposed to be a god, you really should maintain the image."  With that, he
turned, hoisted Chris up in a fireman's carry, and strolled off.

Sometimes, I could just kiss Thor.

***

I followed the pair (invisibly, of course - it's a hard trick, but it was
worth the effort) to one of the popular bars Up There, specifically L's Bar
and Grill.  Nice place - good music, good booze, good food, a few bar games
scattered all over the place, strong drinks, and a layout so you can dance
or sit as you please.

The bartender at L's is a bit of an enigma.  No one knows where L came from,
not even L - and yes, his name is really L.  One letter, that's it.  He just
showed up one day in the bar, and never left.  As time went by, he became
such a feature the last owner just gave L the place when he retired.  So, no
matter when you enter, you always see L behind the bar - a somewhat handsome
man with a mane of black spiky hair, a white shirt, black pants, and a
purple tie and apron.

There's only three rules at L's: Don't cause trouble, or Helm and Flash (the
bouncers) will see you through the doors (literally); Don't insult Andy's
cooking, or HE'll see you through the doors; and finally, no Greco-Romans
allowed - they can't hold their liquor.  Especially Bacchus.

When I entered, I saw L giving 'Niichan the "don't cause trouble or Helm and
Flash'll kick your ass" riot act he usually gives to Warrior Gods, while
Thor was seated at a table with a couple of other Deities.  I looked closer
and saw that it was a grim Indra and a tearful Shiva.

Oh, 'Niichan's pointed out that you might think of Shiva as being a demon,
considering that whole bit with the 12 Incarnations and all.  That's the OLD
Shiva.  It was not a nice demon in any form.  Yes, I said it.  You have 12
variants on yourself and see which pronoun you end up using.

The story goes like this:  Every once in a while, even the big demons go out
to damn a mortal soul, just to keep in practice, as it were.  Well, Shiva
went up a few years ago, except she (it) fell in love with her (its) target.
I mean REALLY fell in love.  Bell and Keiichi level fell in love.  I mean
she (it) fell so completely it was enough to convince her (it) to repent and
switch sides (and decide on a sex, too) - it's called Rising.  She's a
goddess now, a pretty little thing too, with pale bluish skin, light blue
hair, deep blue eyes, a buxom figure, and a complete innocence that the rest
of us fiercely protect.

So her crying was most definitely NOT a good thing.

***

"There a problem, Shorty?" 'Niichan asked as he strolled up to the table,
giving L a nervous glance over his shoulder.  "By the way, nice bartender.
Real charmer, that one."

Thor shot my bro a sharp look, the message clear:  This is serious, smarten
up.  Chris nodded wordlessly and moved to sit down, looking at Shiva and
Indra with a curious air.  Indra returned 'Niichan's stare and frowned.
"Please, leave us, Paradox," he said turning his gaze back to Shiva.  "This
is a private-"

"CHRIS," Thor emphasised the name sharply, "is a comrade in arms, and a
friend.  You can trust him."  He and Indra locked eyes for a long second,
and then Indra nodded to Chris to sit.

Indra's a weird guy.  He looks like a surfer.  He's handsome, with long
blonde hair, bronze skin, and a lithe build.  He even wears a tight black
skinsuit all the time with a sky blue lightning bolt blazed across it.  Yet,
Indra's a nice, clean, mild-mannered guy.  Quick like a shot, too -
mentally, that is.

I took the opportunity to split a piece of myself off and sneak up to the
table.  Hey, I'm good at eavesdropping, what can I say?

Taking one of Shiva's hands gently, Thor spoke in a low, comforting voice
that seemed so out of place on him.  "Please, Shiva.  Tell us what's wrong.
We can't help unless you let it out."

Shiva took a long sniffle, and then looked up, staight at my brother.  She
began to bawl again, and flung herself at Thor, crying into his shoulders
thickly.  "It-it's...Robert," she sobbed.  "He-he's...dead!"

Chris swore softly, and Indra groaned with him, a quiet "of course, that's
it," escaping from his lips.  Thor looked askance at the other lightning
god, and Indra answered him grimly.  "Ifrit has Fallen."

A low rumble came from Thor, and he gently pushed Shiva off of him, steering
the sobbing goddess into Indra's arms, as the rumble developed into a loud
growl.  "He let his jealously of the man come to THIS?  By this time
tommorrow, I'll have his heart on a plate!"  He stood violently, his chair
shooting back to tip over and hit the floor with a loud bang.

Ooh, boy.  Thor was pissed.  I hoped I had packed my rubber pants, his aim
with those thunderbolts sucked when he was angry.

"Thor!" Indra barked sternly.  "You know you can't do that!"

"I don't give a damn!" the larger god roared.  "I'll have his head for my
wall!  His horns will decorate my helmet!"

Indra sighed and looked at 'Niichan, who had stayed silent throughout the
campaign.  "Paradox, you were a mortal, and you're obviously more level
headed than that fool," he nodded towards the furious god.  "He CAN'T invade
Hell, you must talk him out of it!"

Chris smiled grimly, and reached forward to give Shiva's shoulder an alkward
pat, so that she looked up at him.  "Actually, I was rather thinking I'd
join him," he evenly replied, not taking his eyes off Shiva.  "I'll pack a
picnic.  Would you like Hollandaise or Barbecue sauce with Ifrit's heart?"

'Niichan was such a NICE boy, wasn't he?

"NO!" Shiva gasped, and shot to her feet.  "You can't do that!  What if you
hurt someone?  What about the Doublet System?"

Those last words deflated Thor's anger like a pin to a balloon.  "I hate
that stupid thing," he grumbled.  "Takes all the fun out of everything."  He
righted his chair and plopped down in it.  He propped his head up on his
hands and elbows, and proceeded to sulk.  "We can't just let Ifrit get away
with that," he complained.

Shiva sniffled again and then swallowed loudly.  "Having Fallen is
punishment enough, Thor," she said seriously.  "Believe me."

That sobering thought put the table into a long silence, during which Shiva
stood up and headed off to the little goddess' room.  "Can I ask a couple
questions?" bro finally piped in a timid sort of voice.

"By all means," Indra replied.

Chris began ticking off his questions on his fingers.  "One: What's going
on?  Two: What's that Doublet System you talked about?  Three: Why does
everyone keep on calling me Paradox?"

Thor gave Indra a smug look, and the other thunder god groaned.  "Well,
uh...we call you Paradox because...well...it'd just be WRONG to call you by
your given name."

"Huh?"

"What Indra is trying to not say," Thor added with great amusement, "is that
most of the people up here have a problem with your name."

"Oh really?" Chris replied irritatedly.  "And just what's wrong with my
name?" he asked Indra.

"Well, it's just that..." he trailed off, and then shook his head.  "It's
considered to be in poor taste for you to go by a name that is based on one
Brahma uses in another pantheon."

"Odin," Thor replied to the curious look 'Niichan sent his way.

"And let me guess," my brother added disgustedly.  "My last name is used as
a designation for an enitre class of deities in that pantheon too."

"Well, somewhat," Indra agreed.  "But the Angels don't like it when we call
them deities."

"Great," 'Niichan said, saying the work like a swear.  "I'm now one of
minions of the Boss himself, and I get to deal with petty social mores."  He
was slipping into his rant mode at that point.  His head was kind of tilted
back like he was talking to thin air.  "You'd think they'd be above this
kind of thing but NOOO, not them, that would make sense!  No, I've got to go
by some goofy name like Paradox because everybody has a problem with the
name my parents gave me."

At this point, Shiva returned to the table and joined Thor and Indra in
dumbfoundedly watching 'Niichan's rant.  It is rather amazing at times.

"I happen to LIKE my name, thank you very much.  And what kind of name is
Paradox, anyway?  Makes me sound like some character from a Piers Anthony
book.  Incarnations of Immortality Book 8, When Impossibility is Possible.
Give me a break.  Speaking of which, boy, was HE wrong.  Didn't even come
close to reality, did he?  I suppose it could have been worse, though, they
could have given me a name like Oxymoron or something truely insulting.  But
still, Paradox is a really silly name, for Tyr's sa-"

"Christopher Angel," Shiva barked admonishingly, interrupting him.  "Watch
your tongue."

I told him doing that was in poor taste, but does he listen?

"That really is in poor taste," Indra said sternly.

See?

"So is calling me Paradox," Chris sulked.

The other three deities exchanged an exasperated look that I knew well - my
sisters and I exchange it over 'Niichan a lot of times.  He's such a mortal,
you know?

"This is getting nowhere," Thor decided.  "We need booze.  Lots of it."  He
waved towards the bar, and caught L's attention.  "Barkeep! two honey ales,
a white wine, and," he looked a question over at Chris.

"Do they have Guinness here?" my brother asked hopefully.

You could almost feel the shudder pass through the other three.  Oh, wait,
that was me.  How could he drink that stuff?  Willingly, even?

"And one Guinness," Thor finished disgustedly.  "I had such hopes for you,"
he admonished Chris.

"Bah," 'Niichan scoffed.  "It's a real man's beer.  There's a beverage
that's chewy, by Heimda-ow!"  He rubbed the back of his head.  "What was
that for?" he demanded of Thor.

"We're going to try negative reinforcement," he replied.  "That's one habit
you HAVE to break, Skinny."

Chris grinned evilly, and then paused to take a deep swallow from his drink
when it appeared.  "You're welcome to try."  He took another sip from his
beer, and sighed.  "Best beer on the planet."

Things quickly deteriorated into a some heavy drinking (good boy, 'Niichan),
which was when we all discovered one of L's latest additions to the bar: a
karaoke machine.

That was when I discovered a few more things:

1) Bruce Springstein stole his voice from Thor.

2) 'Niichan's a pretty good singer, but he should stop trying to do tenor
songs with a baritone voice - Huey Lewis he ain't.

3) Shiva couldn't carry a tune if it had handles.  Especially when she's
depressed and trying to sing soul music.

4) Indra is David Lee Roth's and Sammy Haggar's love child.

What?  You didn't think I only listened to that J-Pop drivel, did you?

A few hours (and many, many drinks - Thor and my bro are expensive drunks,
must be all that body mass) later, a thoroughly blasted Thor was carrying my
comatose brother into his place.  Nice joint, too - Thor lives well.  In the
Cincinnati image, Thor's abode looks like a townhouse from the outside, but
once you enter it's like a huge bachelor pad with marble floors and hallways
to rooms everywhere.

I snuck in after them, and waited on a couch for morning to come.

Well, I tried to, anyway.  It was a long day, you know?

***

I woke up to Thor bellowing 'Niichan's name.  There was something in his
voice - a sort of angry worry that chilled me.  I decided to screw secrecy,
I wanted to know what was going on NOW.  I ran towards where I heard the
yells coming from, banishing the invisibily spell as I went.

I burst into the guest bedroom, and saw Thor kneeling beside 'Niichan in the
bed, shaking my unconsious brother and yelling his name.  I ran up and
yanked Thor away.  He looked at me in surprise, and then dropped 'Niichan
with an angry start.

"Urd, why have you invaded my home?" he demanded.

"Keeping an eye on my brother, whom I THOUGHT was safe in your presence," I
scathingly retorted.

Thor jerked as if slapped, and then turned to look back at Chris.  "He won't
wake up," he said softly.  "No matter what I do."

"Let me try, you're hopeless with anything that doesn't involve hitting
someone."  I kneeled next to 'Niichan and felt at his forehead, noting with
disgust the damp sheets.  Thor really did try everything short of a
lightning bolt, I guess.  I put my forehead to 'Niichan's, hoping to set up
a telepathic link that could tell me why he was locking himself asleep like
this.  Barely a second had passed before I pulled by head back sharply,
gasping.

There was nothing there.  His mind, his soul, his spirit, it was all gone.
All that lay there was a living, breathing, empty piece of meat.

For all intents and purposes...my brother was dead.

***********

Notes:

The "new" Shiva and the god-turned-demon Ifrit are based on Squaresoft's
versions of the characters.  *shrug* Why not?

I REALLY hope no one was offended by this.

And who wants to guess where this is going?