Hello, hello! Tainted here - your friendly neighborhood Neptunia addict, with what is the first story to the long list of one-shots I throw onto this fanfiction post! But, you probably already knew that, huh? Regardless, it's great to have you on board, honestly, or at least browsing along. I hope you find something here that catches your eye. :D There's quite a spread to be had!
Regardless - I hope you find something in this long posting of shots, and that this is a decent testament to the quality of work you will find here. Enjoy!
Multiple weeks have passed since the incident. Hard to believe, too - they're the kind of days that felt like years, to me. Honestly, it's still a little surreal, and that's putting it mildly. I sigh, leaning back on the frilly pink bed, squishing a cushy pillow to my chest. Her scent wafts into my nose, and I feel my muscles ease up just a little, though I'd never tell anyone else about that. Hell, I don't even know if I believe it, myself.
Really, it's kind of bizarre - the kind of thing I could only see happening in a video game. Chased out of your Basilicom to go do some honest, earnest work to counteract the bad image you've managed to portray, and yet somehow get sucked into another dimension? Really? And I thought Blanc wrote bad plotlines. Ah, crap. Shouldn't think like that. Ahem. And yet, here we are, or rather, here I am, sitting in her room - isolated, quiet, silent, and ultimately, alone.
Nepgear went with her - well, after her, really. She managed to get sucked in and was spit out in the other dimension, rather than that dolt coming through to our side. She's normally hardworking and earnest, but I do admit, I could really throttle her right now. Yeah, I can understand missing your sister - I really can, but you weren't the only one riding on Histoire's portal working.
It wouldn't be so bad, except that I'm also working around the clock to maintain Planeptune's shares, all the while while maintaining my own. No help from Lowee and Leanbox, of course, but that's to be expected - Vert and Blanc are both busy trying desperately to quell the riots in their own cities. Hah, who has the checks and balances in their systems now? It's not you two, that's for sure.
I sigh, pinching my side in annoyance. Get it together! This isn't the time to feel resentment and singularity - Gamindustri has to stand united against… whoever is inciting these problems. I have to keep my head up, keep my mind clear, and keep myself busy. It's the responsibility of the CPU to maintain order in times of chaos.
...And yet, I hug the pillow tighter. I can talk all I want, but when I'm alone or when she's gone for prolonged periods, I can feel it - I slip back into the isolated, independent nature that I'm notoriously known for. It's hard to stay motivated to contribute to the whole of Gamindustri, to keep plugging along when… well, when she's gone. It's strange, really. I resent her and get annoyed whenever she's around and teasing me, but I miss her when it's just me. I laugh bitterly, shaking my head.
This was probably intensified by the fact, especially, that the few times I get to speak to her, she's so bitter or busy or ignorant that she ignores me or gets coarse and bitter. Hell, I don't even know what's going on over there, but I hear there's another me - I wonder if I'm treating her well enough? I'd hope so.
I admit it, I miss her. I actually can admit it, to myself. I miss Neptune, in all of her lazy, idiotic glory. Without her, this entire ordeal feels a bit more meaningless. Uni must be of the same thought-train, considering she suddenly sagged visibly when we learned that Nepgear got sent to the other dimension as well. She's doing her best to stay busy and keep Lastation and Planeptune afloat, too, but it's wearing on her more openly than it is me.
I grumble, throwing the pillow to the side as I sit up, hopping to my feet. I stare at her bed with a frown, contemplating a power nap. If people found me out, I'd never live it down, so I'll opt to not, but… I sigh, fiddling with my hair and outfit. Maybe, when all of this is over, I can try to talk to her more openly, more sincerely. Maybe, I can keep her around so that I don't have to deal with this bitter loneliness and aching in my chest.
Or… I frown. I'd better not think like that - what if I attempt dimensional travel, too? - I can't afford thoughts like that right now. I need to buckle down and maintain the two nations so that she has somewhere to come back to, when this is all over. Oh, and Nepgear too.
You'd better not keep me waiting much longer, you dolt, or I'll come find you myself.
[The original version can be found below. :)]
It's been a few days.
I sigh in aggravation, my cheeks flushing gently as my body protests any more movement. A few weeks have passed since that idiot got dragged into the other dimension, doing who knows what while probably slacking off like always… All the while, we have to sit and safeguard her nation as well as ours against whatever this stupid organization is. It's proving more difficult than expected and the Planeptune populace is getting really annoyed that their mascot and work-horse (respectively two people, I feel an inward apologetic pang for poor little Nepgear,) haven't been seen in quite some time. Annoying.
Our little guardian and supervisor, Histoire, seems dedicated on researching methods to bring them both home, as soon as possible, yet most of the work requiring this falls on their end. And when I last dropped by to talk to her, she was slacking off and being rude, as usual! Is that how you say thank you to the person trying to save your nation?! Ugh…
I sigh again, pouting now as I lean back in her Basilicom room, lounging on her bed lazily as I stare at the array of newly-organized games and miscellaneous stuff. It wasn't like I had anything else to do for a while, and now I'm tired. I deserve a few minutes, right? No one else is around, anyway.
Her scent still lingers on this pillow, and I find deep comfort in it. I would never dare tell anyone, but… she smells really nice. These last two weeks have been really rough for me; the other CPUs are off being themselves and we're all not really talking much again, and my sister's becoming more volatile as she misses the younger sister, Nepgear. I'd never admit it, but I miss the friendly, stupid, workless days she brings to our lives and… I miss her.
Stupid, I know. The strong and favorable Black Heart misses one of her rivals. It's nonsensical and silly, but Neptune… makes it all different. She brings the life to our Gamindustri, and even being a lazy, slacking idiot is enough to make most of the days interesting. At first when she disappeared, I wasn't worried and figured that the quiet time would be good for work, but now…
My fingers clench around the pillow as I bury my face further in it, my pout intensifying. Stupid, stupid Neptune. You can't just leave me here and go off and do whatever. Why don't you understand that? When you come home, I'm going to lecture you and make you do all the work here singlehandedly for weeks…
I grumble, my resolve to be mean fading. Supposedly, she's in a world parallel to ours where she herself doesn't exist but some even bigger harebrained dolt does – who isn't allowed to transform for some apparently terrifying reason – and the world's a lot different, yet the rest of us exist in our early years; meaning no sisters, no pre-established nations, and people had to go and find some stupid thing to become CPUs. What's up with that? We were born like this.
I hope she isn't finding someone interesting over there. She seems hesitant to return home, according to Histoire, and I'm getting a little depressed. If she doesn't come home, I… I don't know. It'll all be meaningless. And apparently the other me is meaner to Neptune than I am. Why?! You idiot, don't you understand how… how special she is?!
I sit up, glaring at the wall while squishing the pillow against myself as I look around. I wonder if Histoire would be too upset to lose another CPU for a while…
This is, also, actually, an updated version of the first one-shot here. I can post the original at the bottom, but I've decided that perhaps when I've got the time or just have a few minutes rather than the couple of hours required to write a new one-shot or an update to one of my actual Neptunia stories, that I'd revise and redo some of my older stories to clarify and better them. Make sense? I've gotten a better handle on my style since... well, last March/April of 2016, I think. Or was it 2015? Nah, probably not.
I'm gonna' make a habit of this and see if people notice. It should be good for some in-between-posts content.
If you read on, welcome to the main Purple and Black posting under my name. :)
Tainted out!~