Heyo everyone, Tainted here with what is turning out to be a new idea that expanded into a short adventure/romance-friendship story. This, as expected of my usual habits, did indeed start out with the intentions to be simply a Nepoire fic, though, considering how it's turning out... I might drag this out and advance with a full, intricate plot. Give me a bit of feedback if you feel there's improvements to be made or things left unclear.

Set specifically from the POVs of Black Heart and Purple Heart - in a Superdimension-style world setting where CPUs exist solely in HDD form with their names only serving as a personal thing outside of their title as [Color] Heart.

I'll stop the commentary here, and instead continue it at the bottom - for now, do enjoy the experience. :)

"This time, you die, Purple Heart!"

I swing horizontally, dashing toward her figure with my eyes narrowed and my attention centered on the rapidly approaching form of her. She clicks her tongue, bracing her blade to block as the sound of metal on metal clangs into the distance. Clicking my tongue in irritation, I struggle to try and overpower her while our blades are locked, smirking as I quickly pivot on my heel, bringing my leg up in a sweep… only for her to use her spare hand to bat it away, knocking me off balance as I have to hurriedly kick off into the air with my other foot before she swipes where I had been.

"You will never defeat me like this, Black Heart. Give up!" she shouts as I land, brandishing her weapon in my direction as I laugh in satisfaction.

"Says you, Purple Heart. Only time will prove that I am the most fit for title of True Goddess, now be a good girl… and die!" I bellow, raising my weapon for another attempt, grinning. She pauses, her expression unreadable as she runs a hand through her hair, sighing. "Something wrong? Getting tired?"

"No, but this endeavor is foolish in of itself, and yet you still insist on that ridiculous claim, as well. How petty," she remarks, her lips curving upward subtly whilst I narrow my eyes, cocking an eyebrow. "Let your weapon be more bite than your bark, and perhaps we will see if you have even a modicum of chance to defeat me in one-on-one battle."

I laugh once more, brushing away some hair. "Like I'd give anyone the satisfaction or do myself the dishonor of letting you be defeated by anything but my hands alone. Green Heart and White Heart are small-fry after you fall."

"Hah!" she responds, positioning herself for a rush. "Your arrogance will be your undoing!" Suddenly, she kicks off the ground as dirt specks fly behind her, her black-and-purple form hurtling toward me. Gritting my teeth, I block a thrust and stagger backward as she flips, landing backward. Reacting subconsciously, I duck under her blade as she stabs at me again and sweep a leg under her feet, my shin connecting as she trips, gasping as she falls. "Ah! You…!"

"You're not the only one with some expertise in hand-to-hand!" I exclaim, slicing diagonally, disarming her as she growls, pulling herself from close proximity with her arms as she slides backward. "Get back here and face your defeat like a good little girl, Purple Heart!"

"I shall never fall to the likes of you!" she answers, jumping to her feet as her head swivels in search of her blade. "Where has my weapon… hah?!" Her eyes widen, and I flick my attention in the direction of where she is staring… to see a figure fleeing into the trees with her weapon. "Come back here, you coward! Ah…!" her attention shifts to me skeptically, and I sigh, shrugging.

"Go retrieve your weapon. I told you I would have no intervention for either side."

"...Thank you, but I will not owe you for this," she states boldly, nodding to me before departing in pursuit of the interloper, leaving me to ponder for a few moments.

Strange. This is… Celestia, is it not? The only ones typically capable of approaching this land are the four of us, though I do not personally believe even White Heart or Green Heart to be so cowardly and underhanded as to steal another Goddess' weapon in the middle of a duel. So… who? A fifth CPU? Impossible.

Growling to my left draws my attention as I raise an eyebrow to see a large wolf of some sort appearing from the shadows of the forest surrounding this clearing. It snarls, baring its fangs as I click my tongue in distaste, brushing away some loose hair once more. I can't personally understand what has caused this shift in Celestia's normal rules, but... I smirk. I will never back down from a foe, after all.

Taking a step forward, the wolf seems caught off-guard by my offensive initiative, giving me ample time to easily slice it into nothingness… in time for another three to appear, alongside six or seven dogoo. "What the hell? What sort of idiotic strategy is this? Were you even prepared to face me? These things are weaklings!" I shout, activating a skill as I round them up, dicing them apart in a 12-pointed pincer attack as I slide to a halt, shaking my head. "Whichever cowards have intentionally disrupted our duel, show yourselves so that I might have your head while I await Purple Heart's return." And yet, silence aside from something small scurrying away. Irritated, I cut down another wolf that appeared, and then another, and then another as I click my tongue. "Tch, so this is how you… wait… could this be a distraction?"

Averting my gaze to the forest edge brimming with low-tier monsters, I peer in the direction of where Purple Heart departed, and if I focus hard enough… I hear the clang of metal and the grunts of that pain in the ass. This was a diversion, and she was the main target? Affronted by this tactical assault, I huff and float toward the source of the current scuffle, weaving through the trees in search of the mysterious fool who will soon suffer my wrath. Just where are they…

"Gah!" Purple Heart's muffled voice suddenly sounds, and I hear her collide hard with something as my eyebrows raise. She's losing? Then she has yet to retrieve her weapon? Deciding to quicken my search now, I try to listen more intently, growing ever annoyed by my inability to find them. Are they hiding somewhere…? Gently lowering myself to the ground, I focus but can't get a read on where they are. It's not specifically coming from any direction. Goddess damn it, at this rate, I'll be unable to intervene in the affairs of whoever underestimated me. Taking a breath, I brace myself for the slight wound to my pride.

"Purple Heart, where are you? Speak… so that we may rid of this annoying pest to return to bigger predicaments!" I shout, wording my exclamation carefully so as to lessen the stain on my dignity - being unable to find them is shameful, but having to ask is even insulting.

"Black Heart…?! Where...? Oh… I'm below! Ah!" The ground tremors as something slams harshly against something else, and then the ground shakes. That 'something' is presumably Purple Heart as she just went dead silent. Okay, so, there's a cave in Celestia? Even though I am doubtful, I shift my attention to the ground beneath me and hear what sounds like laughter. Huh, so there is a cave down there, then. I raise myself into the sky before diving heel-first into the soil, crashing through it…

...to arrive in what seems to be a space that has been shaped in great detail to resemble a medieval arena. I whistle, impressed by the meticulous planning of this strange assassin, becoming more and more curious as to their identity. Though, perhaps I can be inquisitive and investigate later, since for now…

A gigantic machine of considerable size and visual ferocity stands before a beaten and ragged Purple Heart - who, unsurprisingly, still lacks her weapon - with a figure standing in the shadows above us. She claps, shaking her head. "So, the second foolish CPU finally found the first - but how much can you do now that Purple Heart has fallen?" Her voice is older, and somewhat grating - worse than Green Heart's, by leagues.

"I don't know who you might be, old hag, but I see no reason as to why I should be deterred that Purple Heart lost when in an unarmed situation. Unfortunately for you, your stupid mobs-and-adds tactic didn't have a chance to faze me too much besides being a minor hindrance. Perhaps you should put more thought into your cowardly methods."

"O-o-old hag?! So, he failed to take your weapon... No matter, you insolent trash, I will enjoy listening to the Killachine's eradication of you and that pesky Planeptune CPU," she yells, pointing a finger at me. "Killachine, destroy this interloper. Purple Heart can wait."

"Hah, like it'll even have a chance!" I answer with confidence, leaping toward the giant bot, placing a boot firmly in its face as it rattles backward. Landing on a rock behind it, I smirk and turn. "Come on, then. What is this slow hunk of junk compared to the greatest of the four CPUs?"

"Hooh?" the hag mumbles, watching from afar.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue… eh?" The robot suddenly whirls around, charging while swinging that massive axe straight at me as I instinctively duck, sliding downward whilst hearing the utter crushing of stone behind me. Glancing up, there aren't even any remains, it's just compacted. My eyes widen as I howl at her, irritated. "What the hell's that about? You think you can interrupt me?"

"Haah... of course I can. I'm the villain, you pompous white-haired idiot. Killachine, kill her."

"UNDERSTOOD, TERMINATION IN PROGRESS," its robotic voice crackles, the tremendous chunk of steel attacking me once more as I roll out of the way, kicking off of the stone to try and slice through it… only to be blocked?!

"Kuh?! So… fast!" I remark as I am easily batted back to the ground, frowning as the woman on the rock scoffs at my inability to win. Ugh, so annoying! The thing buzzes, making it clear it's going to attack, and as I brace myself to dodge again, my foot bumps into something soft. I gasp as I notice Purple Heart beside me. "...Ah, crap! You idiot, why did you have to be knocked out in this part of the cave?! Ah!" I exclaim, seeing the weapon coming down. Clicking my tongue, I instinctively scoop her up, dashing to the left as the axe clips the back of my leg, and I scream in pain. Staggering, I throw her carelessly into one of the more remote parts of this arena, pivoting on my other heel to step sideways away from an executioner-style swing that leaves yet another crater in the stone. Hell, that was too close. Skidding to a halt, I shake my head, noticing the robot seems to have stopped for a moment. Odd... could it have cognitive thought? Wait, damn it, not the time to think about this. Narrowing my eyes on the hulking menace, I brandish my blade as a building sense of dismay wells in my stomach. I can't rely on brute force with this wound now, and this cave's too small for a battle of attrition... Ugh, what to do, what to do…?

"Ah… you really did… throw me over here? How… considerate," Purple Heart coughs out, staggering to her feet as she eyes the robotic monstrosity. Ah, she's actually still coherent. That's fortunate to some extent for the both of us. She holds her cut-up arm with a grimace, staring at this hag's creation. "If only I had my blade… this would be simple…!"

Yeah, if she had her weapon, this wouldn't be as bad, though, the robot's master continues waving it around while explaining our defeat. Ah, crap, axe! Dodging again, I blink. Axe... axe... ah, idea! Alright, I wonder if this thing recognizes collateral friendly fire. Worth a shot, right? Smirking at the robot, I force myself to ignore the pain in my leg as I taunt the machine. "Come on then, you piece of scrap. Let's dance. Purple Heart… can you fight?"

"...Of course. I will not accept a defeat lying down. I just need my blade," she says as she administers some healing lotion to herself, shifting uneasily. While I hate needing help, and she may not be a huge help in her current condition, she should at least serve as good bait or a flank for us to be able to hack this thing apart. So then, I just need to figure out the sword problem to turn the tide.

Backstepping as the robot begins to pursue me once more, I grit my teeth as it easily closes the distance repeatedly... but, once again, I sort of feel like it did so in a pattern. Could this thing work on a set algorithm on how to control combat? That would explain the sudden outbursts by the stranger on the rock whenever the hunk of junk stops for a moment or five. Well... figuring it better than nothing since we're making no progress anyway, I count the time for the thing to adjust to swing at me, its movement speed, and those few seconds spent calculating… and as I expected, it actually might function on a specific combat input. Maybe something like... Stop, defend-and-adjust position, attack, pause, attack, defend, repeat... I think. I try to lead it around over and over, observing the different possibilities and room for different inputs, but I don't find anything out of the ordinary. Now pretty sure that I'm not wrong, I carefully lead it back to the wall between the various cycles to where the hag has stood, continuing to spew confident and obnoxious statements of her victory and our demise until now. Well, this is the best shot I've currently got... Grinning, I hop upward as the time for it to swing comes, laughing as she howls in surprise…

"You will never defeat… haaah?! What are you... No! You bit…!" she cuts off as the machine's weapon collides with her abdomen, Purple Heart's katana flying out of her hands while she goes spiraling into one of the upper walls. Hurriedly, I fly toward it and snatch it out of the air, eluding yet another swing.

"Purple Heart, you do owe me for this, now… here!" I lob her weapon at her, watching as she calmly grabs it from the hilt, spinning it flashily in her hand as she brings it to her side. "If you're done showing off…," I start, barely evading another swing as debris clips my arm. My eyes water briefly, my attention focused on the violet CPU, "...Then get in here and play bait so I can wipe it out!"

"Hah, you are already its main designation, so you must play the bait. Allow me to finish this creation off once and for all!" she exclaims, rushing toward us as I brace my blade to try and block the humongous axe, closing my eyes in preparation. This is about to hurt, isn't it? She's not going to be fast enough, and I have to block this. Goddess, I didn't really need this today. "Black Heart! Duck and roll!" Prying my eyes open, my body seems to answer her command as I drop to the ground unceremoniously, observing as sparks fly while her katana connects, cleaving the robot in two. The axe begins to fall from its malfunctioning arm, and I dive hurriedly, seeing it fall with an unmistakable crunch within centimeters of my leg. Ooh... oh wow. That one was a bit too close for comfort. Shifting my attention back to the bot, it buzzes and whirs, stating numerous errors as a light begins to glow inside its chest area, and I raise an arm to cover my eyes… and it explodes.

Purple Heart lands beside me after the light fades, sighing while wiping her brow before collapsing onto her backside. Out of habit, I force myself to my feet and step away from her, wincing as my body reminds me of my prior wound that is now a bloody mess. Grabbing some medical supplies from a pouch on my hip, I begin performing first aid on myself while scrutinizing her. Her blue eyes roll over onto me and she smirks tiredly, shaking her head. "I won't... be attacking you in my current condition, so no need to be... so jumpy. Though… do you see that strange woman?"

"...No, actually. I don't. Did she somehow get away while that thing was putting on a light show?" I inquire, noticing a gaping hole to the surface in the wall from where she was sent flying. "Ah, strike that. The robot scored a homerun from the start."

"How… fortunate. I'm afraid I might be… spent, for a small time," she states, her body swaying slightly. She smiles at me, her expression strangely unreadable. "If you wouldn't mind, please assist me once more… so that we may escape from this cave. I know that it seems disadvantageous for you, but I am about to black out, so please." I open my mouth to object, but the look on her face paralyzes any bitter intent on my end.

"...Fine, but don't think this makes us allies. Come here," I say, letting her wrap an arm around my shoulder as she pulls close, pressing… "...H-hey, stop doing that."

"I'm… afraid I don't understand. I'm just… trying to lean on you," she answers, and her tone is genuine, so this warm feeling isn't… Ugh, no, Noire, these thoughts aren't necessary. This is your enemy, and this is just a normal problem for women… that aren't White Heart. "...I hope… the other two were not working with that woman."

"...Eh? Oh, ah, uh, if they were, they might have had a chance against us just now, but… I think even they have a code of honor. Anyway, come on, I'm taking us out of here now, but try and fly with me. You're heavier than you look." Of course, I lied about that - both White Heart and Green Heart have shown they're more ruthless if it meant getting ahead, so attacking us now wouldn't be disadvantageous nor shaming due to a lack of witnesses.

"That's so rude, you know," she coughs out, nuzzling closer much to my dismay, her grip on me tightening to stabilize herself as we lift off from the stone floor - taking care to dematerialize our weapons to make for easier flight, too, of course, now that they are both in our care - whilst she wheezes softly into my ear. This is unbearably unpleasant.

"You know, for my bitter rival, you're pretty damn careless," I say after a few minutes, trying to get my mind off of her pressed against me. "What if I decided to kill you here and now?"

Her blue eyes settle on me as she lifts an eyebrow, her expression showing amusement. "You… saved me just to kill me afterward? That's a bit silly."

"It is, but I don't understand why you trust me, to be honest. We're enemies, aren't we?" I say, feeling a sudden shift in my indomitable spirit. What the hell is this? "We're eternally fighting for the title of True Goddess, so wouldn't it be… better to eliminate one another?"

"...Hahaha. You sound… unsure, now, Black Heart. If that's how you really feel… I have no energy to stop you, right now," she says, pulling herself even closer to me, which shouldn't even be physically possible. Crap, so warm.

"...Bah. As if I could kill you when you're so weak and vulnerable all of a sudden. Stop making this difficult - you're supposed to be annoyingly arrogant, and stop looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes," I say, bringing us into a secluded part of the forest, sure now that even if those other two are helping that hag, that we will have time to recover. "Though… perhaps, we have bigger problems right now."

Her eyes weakly move to focus on mine, a smile on her soft, inviting lips-Aaah! No, no, no! "You… finally seem to understand our current situation."

"O-of course I do. Why wouldn't I? I'm not an idiot," I cough, trying desperately to recover my composure. "So, what are you going to do now?"

"I… might take a moment to rest here. Could you... join me? I must admit… I am somewhat intimidated of being left alone in this current state," she says, and if I didn't know this woman for years, I swear I'd feel she was never a threat to begin with. Furrowing my brow, I sigh, eyeing her. "I won't… do anything bizarre or underhanded. We may have… to work together, for the indefinite future, anyways…"

"...Tch, you're really annoying when you're like this. Get rested soon or you'll be wasting both of our time," I say in reluctance as I cross my arms, averting my attention from her form… until she pats the ground beside her whilst propping herself up against a tree. "...E-eh? T-the hell's that about?"

"...Come sit with me, then, please. It's… a reassurance."

"I'm… beginning to trust you even less…," her eyes stare at me, trembling softly, and for a moment, I notice a fear in her gaze that she quickly covers over with fatigue, "...ah, jeez, fine, fine! I'll do it, but I've got my eyes on you."

"That's… okay. I don't mind," she answers softly, smiling in satisfaction as I gingerly lower myself to sit beside her. "...Thank you, Black Heart. I… am going to rest now."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Just… eh?!" I jump, her head falling onto my shoulder, one of those lengthy purple braids colliding with some loose hair of mine. I stare at it for a moment, and then her, noticing she's already passed out, and feel my face flush. "...Goddddess. I will so kill you after this is all said and done," I mutter to myself, leaning my head back. Wait a minute, that braid… came undone, didn't it? I blink, surprised - it seems to be one of her greatest focuses to keep those things in good condition, even in the midst of battle. She cares a lot about them, huh? Flicking my attention to her, I bite my lip contemplatively, staring at the hair, curious. How does she even do these, anyway…?

Well, she's already asleep. I suppose I can sit here and try to figure it out without worrying about things too much… right? She'll probably not wake up… hopefully. If she does, I can just kill her. Yeah.

Yeah. Stop worrying yourself, Noire. Nothing strange about this. At all…

...How do purple and white look together… I wonder?

That wraps up this little snippet introduction, and I am pretty confident that I nailed the personalities and flow pretty well. I think I have an adequate handle on combat as well, though I'm also not accustomed to writing it from a CPU perspective - it's a bit wonky when you think about it, balancing out the flying and damage in a game where it's all based on numbers and ground combat... yet they have wings/flight capability. Whaaat.

After giving it a bit of thought, about two hours after I actually first intended to upload this, I think I'm going to make this into a full-length story of sorts. Why not?

Toss me some thoughts, some opinions, and some feedback - the next segment will be in PH POV with considerably more length, depth and events. I ought to toss out fair warnings - PHxBH is a highly likely thing, PH is far more serious than Neptune, I don't really intend for too many meta references or jokes, annnnd... yeah! 'Bout it. Hope you all enjoy it, and whatever comes when I can update this later today or tomorrow with something stellar.

Tainted out for now.~

and if that last bit doesn't describe a plausible backstory behind the creation of the picture i use for my avatar, i don't know what will. i still love that picture as one of the most adorable nepoire pictures i have ever stumbled upon.

personal note; i have now revised this about seven times to add and take away bits and pieces. why must fine-tuning be such a cruel mistress?