Into the Legend
During a rare moment where Neptune finds herself with free time, she's bored. Then, a few of her old memories come back to her: her days as a CPU Candidate. OOC for Neptune.
Chapter 1: Prologue and Past
"Man, Histy is ruthless," Neptune fretted. "I sneak away to relax, and she confiscates my games. And it's raining. Oh, well."
It had occurred to Neptune that this was Histoire's goal, but like a lot of her thoughts, she didn't give voice to it. It's not that she wanted to keep it secret; she didn't have a reason to say it. There was no-one to hear her. IF wasn't due back at the Basilicom for a few more hours, Compa was at the hospital, Nepgear was tinkering again, and Histoire was…where was Histoire? Normally, she'd be after Neptune for slacking off.
"What'll the readers think of this? I'm supposed to be the comedy, and there's no-one for my punchlines. I've…never had this before. How do I entertain the fans? Oh, I know! How about I treat all of you to a trip down memory lane? And before you ask, the others aren't coming. But I can't really remember why. Maybe 'cause I wasn't really listening. And from here, I call the story, so step aside, narrator."
"Do I really have to?"
"My story, my nation, my rules."
"Fair enough. The narrator's seat is all yours. Before you take the reins, a question: are you thinking of turning this into a series?"
"No. Chapters, yes. Now let's go. I'll show you what is was like for me to be a CPU Candidate. I suppose a little background is necessary. Let's head back to time, maybe a few hundred years or so…I'm kidding. It wasn't that long ago. Maybe 30 or 40 years."
(Neptune's POV)
You all know Uzume, the original founder of Planeptune. But what about Uranus? Uzume, or rather, Kurome mentioned her when she fought with Nep Jr. and the others. I was still stuck inside the Dark CPU, but I could hear her. The name brought back so many memories for me, of me as a simple Candidate, and my predecessor. "Those really were fun times."
Flashback
"Come on, Neptune," Uranus complains. "Can't you do it this one time?"
"No!" I answer quickly. "Why do I gotta do it?"
"Because, Neptune" she sighs, "I'm nowhere near as talented as you. You should hear what the others say about you. 'Neptune's such a sweet, capable girl,' or 'Uranus, you can leave Planeptune in confidence.' And the best one: 'Have you seen her fight? Gamindustri has never before had such a strong girl in it.'"
"You know I don't care about that. All I want to do is have fun."
"And I've always stood by your belief. Although I've heard you've been getting yourself in trouble. Like with Lastation."
"That? That was a joke, just a little joke."
"Yeah, well, Noire doesn't seem to think so. Lastation citizens are going around calling her 'Lonely Sister' now."
What? That was just a joke thread I posted on N-chan. They should know not to take N-chan seriously."
"Neptune, don't you think you should apologize?"
"I know I should, but can I? You know what the others think of us."
"Blanc doesn't think very highly of us, I know. And Noire is…well, Noire."
I was always causing trouble, and I didn't really care who the punchline was for. My older sister, Uranus, was the exact opposite of me, and my definition of "cool" to me. She did things her way, and didn't listen when others criticized her. The only one who could get her to move was Histy. But my sister has a…problem, to put it mildly. She's not the most active person. As in, she can't really do much.
Uranus is physically incapable of doing a lot of physical work. But she's responsible, and can actually manage when push comes to shove. She is a CPU. And me? I was just a fun-loving, prank-pulling, mischievous brat. Hey, this Nep never tells a lie.
"Okay, maybe I did go a little too far," I admit, looking down. "I'll go and apologize tomorrow."
"And what about today?"
"Right now, I just want to play a game with you, sis," I answer her honestly. Sure I joke and tease, but family is different.
She looks at me, before resigning with a sigh. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to say no to you, Nep?"
"'Cause you love me."
Later…
"My sister's all tired out, and I'm bored," I complain.
"Then, Neptune, would you perhaps mind attending to your duties as a CPU?" Histoire asks me, coming in.
"Histy, you know I can't do paperwork."
"Then at least handle some monster requests. Planeptune outskirts are being overwhelmed. I have just received word that the CPU Candidates for Lowee and Lastation are moving to intercept."
"Nep-what!? Noire and Blanc are coming here?"
"Yes, and I do not blame them. At least they have the responsibility to do what needs to be done to protect their nation. Neptune, I understand wanting to protect your sister, but look at it this way. By defeating the monsters, you are ensuring Planeptune's safety."
"Histy, since when did I say I was doing any of this for her?"
"! Neptune, what do you mean?"
"I love my sister, but I'm not doing any of this to help her. The sooner I become CPU, the sooner I can do what I want."
"You know full well that the responsibility of a CPU is to protect her nation and its citizens."
"'Our mission as the residing Console Patron Unit is to provide peace and security to our respective nations, and Gamindustri as a collective whole' I'm aware, Histy," I quote her verbatim, losing patience. "I'll head off on these quests, but only to prove that this is Planeptune. This is my nation, and they won't be on our borders much longer."
I said I wouldn't lie, but this is something I have to do. Besides, Histoire knows I care too much about Planeptune. Problem is, it doesn't take a genius to look at Uranus and tell that she wants to quit being a CPU. I can't blame her, really. But it's not like I'm ready to take over. All the citizens of Plneptune trust me enough, but is that really a good reason to succeed my sister? And now, of all times? No way will those losers show me up.
Oh, sorry. I guess this whole time, I haven't explained what Uranus looks like. She's a bit shorter than Vert, and she's a solid D. Yeah, that's new for this franchise, huh? Neck-length blue hair, and she's a complete package. Well, she is to me. But that's 'cause she's my sister, and I wouldn't want it any other way.
Earlier, I didn't mean to say that my sister is unable to do much physical work. That's actually my fault. A few years ago, I hurt her in a freak accident. I don't think I can bring myself to talk about it. Thankfully, that disability doesn't apply to her HDD, Violet Heart. Uranus has always been an icon for all of Gamindustri to strive for; at least, in their eyes.
"So, where are those two?" I ask, flying toward my destination. I'm still kind of new to HDD. "Those two can't be too far away. I thought they'd be fighting against each other by now." It's a few more minutes before I hear a familiar sound: steel meeting steel. Even with the echo, I'm able to follow the source, finding my fellow CPU Candidates, Noire of Lastation, and Blanc of Lowee. Though, if my memory serves, Blanc recently succeeded her sister.
"What the hell, Noire!?" Blanc shouts. "Quit getting in my way!"
"Your way? I was here first, so you can back off, Lady Blanc," Noire retorts, adding "lady" for sarcasm.
They haven't noticed me yet, so I'm content to sit and watch their battle for a few more minutes. Something tells me that they completely forgot their objective the moment they saw each other. Idiots, both of them. Their fighting escalates that they're tearing down trees by this point. Who knows what kind of trouble they'll bring if they keep this up. Still silent and undetected, I summon forth the large sword through my own technique. "32-bit Mega Blade."
While I was quiet, my skill was less so. The multi-colored blade caught the sun's light, and they saw me above. Well, this isn't how I planned. So much for subtlety.
"Surely, you two understand that you're bickering like children," I call down to them. "Go back to your own nations, Noire, Blanc."
"What the hell right do you have to talk to me like that!?" Blanc shoots back as a response. "Why are you even here, Neptune? Shouldn't you be back in front of your TV, pigging out on games and pudding?"
"If you want to force us, use that oversized technicolor pin needle you're holding," Noire dares, hoping to provoke me.
"I came out here by Histy's request, partly to defeat monsters, and partly to drive you out. You are officially in Planeptune borders. Do you really want to risk starting a war?"
"And who can stop us from fighting?" Blanc continues her verbal assault. "You? You don't have the strength, and your sister doesn't have the guts."
"I wouldn't be so quick to underestimate us," I respond coolly, trying to keep my temper. "I may not be able to defeat you, but I can at least try to dissuade you from attempting this foolish raid on our borders."
Honestly, I'm not feeling good about my odds. Noire, I could probably beat in a fair fight; Blanc is different. She's a full CPU, and she's the toughest of all of us. I'd never say it out loud, but she terrifies me. Still, I can't back down. "Blanc, you know I don't want to fight. Just go back to Lowee, and we won't see this as a declaration of war."
"Well, that's too damn bad! If you didn't want me to come down here, you should have come here first. Now I have to come in and clean up your mess. And you know what that is, Neptune? It's bullshit. Are you so afraid of succeeding your sister that you have nothing to prove? Now I see why you guys stay hidden away in your Basilicom. You're just too afraid; you're a scared child. Is that why your sister got hurt? Trying to protect you from your own damn stupidity!?"
"Say what you will of me," I threaten, landing, disabling my HDD, "but you will not insult my sister."
"Have you lost it, Neptune?" Noire asks. "Trying to fight both of us like that?"
"Don't misunderstand. I won't waste my energy fighting you two when I'm here for a few trash mobs. Unless you'd like to be my warm-up?"
Neptune: I don't know. Maybe I should use a few more jokes.
Me: Maybe you're like me. You can make a good joke, but it's spur of the moment. When we actually try to set it up...
Neptune: I get it. Still, I'm loving this darker side of me, it makes me feel more like an anti-hero. And my being a Tsundere about my sister? Who'd expect that?
Me: Well, this is your history, and they can't influence that. Let's keep working together, Neptune.
Neptune: Sounds good. See you next chapter, everybody!
Before I keep going on this trip, I want to thank author Ghost 501 for inspiring me to have Neptune completely vaporize the 4th wall. And the usual disclaimers: I do not own Hyperdimension Neptunia. Only the few stories I create, and my original character, which will make her debut later.
