Neptune dragged her feet through the hallway of the Basilicom. Her face was downturned, and the usual spring in her step was nowhere to be seen. She wore a different sweater today; this one was completely black, with the rounded N-shaped logo of Planeptune sewn over her left breast and a badge of a purple heart over her right. Her hands were jammed deep in her pockets, and her hood was pulled up to hide her head.
Behind her lagged Nepgear, who trudged along with the same lack of energy. She too was dressed in dark, downtoned clothes. Histoire hovered at the Candidate's shoulder wearing a somber expression. Her legs were crossed primly, and her eyes were listlessly scrolling through a page in her book.
No one wanted to say anything aloud, but they were all thinking the same things. It took a lot to shake the CPU of Planeptune, let alone all three of Planeptune's deities at once. But the death of Uzume Tennouboshi had sent a shockwave throughout Gamindustri, and the epicenter had been focused in Planeptune. After the final battle with Dark Orange, Uzume had ordered her friends to destroy her own share crystal and evacuate the Heart Dimension. Abandoned of her own free will, she had thrown herself at her alter ego to mitigate her suicidal last resort and save one of two worlds. The Heart Dimension had crumbled rapidly, but it had not dragged Hyper Dimension with it.
The party sans Uzume had split up after everyone had come home safely. The CPUs had left soon after to return to their respective nations to recoup after the CPU Shift period. Gold Third had went with them, but those four had returned to the status quo as citizens rather than substitutes for the goddesses.
For days following her retreat from the Ruins of the Heart, Neptune had locked herself in her room. Not once had she gone outside or even played any games. The accumulating pile of paperwork and assignments designated for her continued to grow, but for once Histoire had let her off the hook.
Nepgear had spent half of those days with her sister, but the other half she spent in Lastation with her closest friend Uni. Some other people had come to visit her as well: Rom, Ram, Compa, and a handful of others whom she had befriended over the years.
Neptune had received her fair share of visitors, but they had been indiscriminately turned away. No one person besides Nepgear or Histoire had talked to her since that day—not IF, not B-Sha, not even Noire.
She had only known her long-lost predecessor for a little while—not even a full week, really—but they had become fast friends. They were like twins separated at birth; even though they should have met from the very start, they had been pulled apart and raised in ignorance of the other's existence. Losing her so shortly after finding out about her hurt like she had lost a sister.
At the very moment that Neptune had stepped out of the portal back into her own dimension, she had realized that she had made a mistake. This result was not what she had wanted, nor was it something she could ever settle for. In desperation she had run back to where the gateway was only to find that it had vanished. When she returned to the Basilicom, the only people still there disincluding any Baby Bugs or Dogoos were Nepgear, Histoire, and Umio.
They four had been the only ones to witness Uzume's console break. As soon as Neptune had arrived, it had started to crack in her hands. There had been nothing she could do but stare in horror as the cracks widened. She had felt it start to slip through her fingers like water and crumple in on itself like paper. Seconds later the entire box had shattered like glass.
The only thing that had still been identifiable in the pile of gray and orange shards had been the cracked seal, an orange swirl mark on a gray disc that fit perfectly in the palm of her hand. Possessively Neptune had shoved it deep into her pockets and refused to give it to Nepgear or Histoire.
Neptune kept the seal in the pocket of her hoodie. A reminder of the impassioned, outspoken, orange-haired CPU, it put her in a sentimental mood every time she touched it. But like a drug, she had gone back to it again and again to run her fingers over the stone-like surface. When she held it, she could close her eyes and think of her.
The three came to a stop in front of the Basilicom's main doors. Neptune pulled her hood off and shook her hair out.
At Histoire's gentle reminder, she pulled her hands out of her pockets and let them fall to her side.
She had promised to let today be the end of it all. They had to formally put this behind them, else they would never be able to move forward. After the reception today, then...
With a smile at her family, Neptune placed a hand on the door and pushed it open. She stepped out into the light.
War Medal
When Purple Heart stepped out of the Basilicom, a hush swept over the crowd. In total awed silence, the Console Patron Unit walked down the red carpet that had been rolled out solely for this event. Not one person made a single sound as the goddess of Planeptune made her way to the newly constructed statue in front of the Planeptower.
The CPU and her two followers, Nepgear and Histoire, came to a stop in front of the statue. The three stood at rest for a few moments, simply surveying the gathering of citizens from all over Gamindustri.
"Thank you for coming here today," Purple Heart began without warning. Her voice rang, loud and crystal clear, over the heads of all the people assembled in Planeptune's capital. "This turnout is much larger than I had expected to see. The mere sight of it only goes to show just how deep of an influence Uzume had on all of our lives."
Even in the opening of her speech, Lady Neptune had already struck a chord in the hearts of most. It was as if she had, with her words directly, summoned a solemn mood.
"The first CPU Shift period ended within this last week," she continued, "and Gamindustri has once again found peace. But Planeptune has lost a CPU; and I, a close friend.
"I've no doubt that rumors of the events leading up to the conclusion of the CPU Shift period are in vogue. Today I want to clarify with you the true events of the Zero Dimension and the Heart Dimension. No information will be withheld from you. In order to move on, everything that happened needs to be brought out into the open right here and now."
Hyper, Zero, and Heart were words that had appeared frequently in conversation and online message boards, yet their implications had been unknown to the public. However, it was on this day that the current ruler of Planeptune would make everything clear. Purple Heart effortlessly related the tale of Uzume from beginning to end. It started and ended with the mysterious console.
"Uzume fought to her last breath to preserve the peace of Gamindustri." Without reaching into her pocket, Purple Heart held up an open palm; the shattered, orange seal had been clutched in her hand the entire time. "Maybe because of my own mistakes, that final battle in the Heart Dimension was the last time I would ever see her."
Loaded with intangible feelings of guilt and regret, the weight behind her words fell upon her audience. Purple Heart, dressed for once in demure clothing, stood on the stage and bared her heart for the world to see. And for that, the world respected her. For a brief moment, honoring Uzume was forgotten; here stood this woman—this goddess—commemorating while repenting, showing compassion while still searching for solace herself.
During the quiet that followed, the goddess Purple Heart lowered her arm and, closing her fingers around the seal, touched her left breast with the same hand.
"But Uzume Tennouboshi lives on in memory, because..."
She started to shine, and the light surrounding her grew so intense that all had to blink or look away. A moment later, in her place stood a shorter girl with brighter hair. Neptune's hand did not leave its place over her heart.
"... the image of her existence is burned into my spirit for eternity," she recited from memory. Her voice rose, impassioned and emboldened by the throngs of people whose eyes were fixated upon her. "And as long as my name is Neptune, as long as Planeptune is Planeptune, I'll never forget what she's done for me!"
For a single stunned moment, everything stopped. Neptune lowered her eyes and let herself breathe. Under her hand, she could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Even for her concise speech, she felt fatigued as if she had just carried a huge weight to the end of the world and thrown it over the edge.
At the same time, she felt relieved. The weight was gone now, and she could straighten her back and stretch her shoulders.
A tidal wave of noise, gradual but sudden, filled her ears. Within seconds, complete quiet gave way to a deafening, all-surrounding uproar. Everyone was clapping, cheering, shouting. Her eyes could barely make out individual movements in the sea of people. Blithe, teary-eyed applause overrode her senses.
Someone tapped her shoulder during the midst of it all. Neptune turned around and saw Nepgear, whose eyes were glistening. The younger sister's lips quivered, but she wore a smile as if it were a fashion.
Neptune returned that smile—an expression only Nepgear and Histoire could see—and took the girl's hand in her own. The two of them stepped up to the statue of Uzume built in the center of the road leading to the Basilicom. It was as if the CPU herself had been cast in silvery iron. Her features had been captured perfectly, the statue a flawless recreation of her holding her megaphone.
On the base of her statue, next to her shoes, a few items were laid out in offering: a wreath, a few flowers, and a pile of handwritten notes from her admirers. In the center of it all, there was a picture propped up against one of her boots showing Uzume hugging someone in front of the Basilicom. It was an old photo taken decades ago, before Neptune and the current CPUs were born. This was an image that only the longest-lived, and a certain blue fish, would fully understand.
As the applause died down, Neptune stood in front of Uzume's memorial—affectionately known to her as the Uzumemorial—and closed her eyes for a few seconds.
"Uzume... I hope you're having a great time, wherever you are," she whispered in a voice so low that even Nepgear strained to hear.
Still holding her sister's hand, Neptune reached out and placed the seal on the base of the statue. Cracked yet still intact, it sat encircled by leaves and flowers.
Neptune and Nepgear bowed their heads and mourned one last time. Everything else around them was unimportant; right now, all that mattered was the time they had spent with Uzume.
Finally, Nepgear tugged on her older sister's hand. The two locked eyes.
"Come on, Sis. Let's go up to the balcony," she said with a teary smile. "It's almost over, isn't it?"
Neptune nodded and let her sibling lead her around the statue. Together they walked, hand in hand, down the path that led back to Planeptower.
At the top, they would give their final words to Uzume.