Hello again! More content, more sweet, yuri goodness, and more Noire and Neptune! This time, from a third-person perspective of which I'm really not too comfortable with, but I tried it all the same!

I do not own Hyperdimension Neptunia, its characters, nor any of the content regarding any of that - I simply wished to express the same love for the series that I, myself, hold. All rights to their respective owners, being NIS America, Compile Heart, and the other companies involved in making such a brilliant game series. Please support them and check them out. :D

Now, short synopsis; this is a random moment following Arfoire's defeat and redemption, and the birth of the three nations' sisters, Uni, Nepgear and Rom and Ram. What happens when the duo decides to head out and work on quests together for the bettering of their nations? Why, if the basis of what these stories lead to mean anything, it means; SUBTLE AND DELICIOUS YURI/FRIENDSHIP!

ONWARD!

"Neptune, to your left!" a voice shouts, batting away a slime-like creature with a dog muzzle and ears decorating its face. The 'Dogoo' as it's called, slams against a nearby tree and wiggles unpleasantly before melting into nothingness as three square-shaped chicks hop forward in response.

"Hm? Oh!" another voice responds, dodging a mini-cyclone left by a strange, walking orange-petal tulip. "Thanks – to your right, more Boxbirds approaching," she says again, receiving a grunt as an answer, and then lurching forward to slice the flower-monster to pieces with her shimmering purple-and-black katana. Petals flutter into the wind as she sighs, shaking her head to rid herself of fatigue as she watches her partner huff and easily dash the 'Boxbirds' into oblivion. "Nice work, Noire."

"As if I'd have problems with these small-fry," she laughs proudly, her lime-colored eyes sparkling merrily as her blade breaks away, disappearing at her mental command. She runs a hand casually through her long, flowing white hair as she peers about the forest, her purple-haired companion approaching.

"You can never be too careful, you know," Neptune, also known as the Purple Heart CPU, reminds her partner while surveying the corpses for any decent item drops. Finding nothing, she huffs and shakes her head again as her lengthy braids twirl comfortably in the motion. "Nothing in the way of items, so we're far from done. Are you okay still, Noire?" she asks, propping herself against a tree as she slides down the bark lazily, resting.

Noire, the Black Heart CPU, turns and cocks her head curiously as she follows Neptune's idea and drops to her backside, resting against the tree. "Of course I am. This sort of work's really simple after all the things we've had to do to defeat Arfoire. There's no way that this would be a challenge for someone like me," she says, her confidence spilling forth as if a dam had a large hole in it.

"I suppose, though I think I'm going to take a break for a bit now that this part of the forest is clear; we have some time before our sisters return from their jobs, as well," the violet-haired CPU states, closing her eyes somewhat while leaning her head back. "The air here is nice and warm, today. It'd be a good day to sit and rest while eating some pudding."

A snort resounds from the snow-haired CPU as she shakes her head, thoroughly baffled. "It might be, but unlike you, I can't afford to take my days so leisurely. There's a lot of repair work and faith to restore in my people, and raising my shares is a large necessity to remain the strongest nation. If I don't, I have those two to worry about," she remarks, frowning in annoyance. Not that she can complain, in reality – Neptune had, surprisingly, agreed to help out with her work in Lastation today, so free labor isn't something one can spit on – since she enjoyed having the company of her unadmitted best friend and rival. But she'd never dare say that outwardly – Neptune would tease her relentlessly about it after returning to her regular form.

"That makes sense, but if you were to continue only working and focusing on competing, wouldn't we all be back to the same we were before my amnesia and the Arfoire incident?" Purple Heart responds, frowning sadly while extending a hand to the sky. "I like things the way they are, and I like being friends with all of you. Maybe being lazy makes me weak or whatever you all view, but perhaps it's enjoyable this way."

Black Heart blinks, utterly awestruck at this extreme rationale emanating from her normally lackadaisical ally. She knows Neptune becomes more mature and wiser when she transforms, but… well, she notes internally, she never really had a lengthy conversation with 'Purple Heart' before… even before the Arfoire incident, really. She turns her head slightly, secretly admiring the tired yet peaceful face of the Planeptune CPU as she smiles gently. "Maybe… maybe you have a point, though I still can't let those two take the lead if you want to keep that dream a reality. Though," she drops her voice to a whisper, mumbling more to herself, "even if we did all go back to war, Planeptune and Lastation can remain allied instead."

"…Hm? Did you say something?" Purple Heart inquires, earning a flustered and awkward reaction from her friend. While she'd never admit it to Noire, Neptune can hear all the quiet murmurings, and as a result, she smiles. Even when she returns to her dorkier form, she feels a kindred closeness with Noire more-so than the other CPUs. "Perhaps you're right," Neptune responds finally, leaving it vague so as to let her friend wonder which part she was answering. "Maybe we can preserve this peacefulness and continue all being friends instead of rivals. After all, if our sisters can do it, maybe we can, too."

Black Heart nods, smiling now, as well. "You talk big, but you're just too lazy to want to win, now."

Purple Heart makes a grunting sound of playful disapproval as her HDD disengages, and Black Heart's face suddenly flushes as she feels Neptune sleeping quietly on her left side. She blinks, observing the small girl with curiosity. There's no real point to objecting at this, anyway; she's asleep and out cold. Not that it's… really a big problem, too. Disengaging her own HDD, Noire carefully readjusts Neptune's head to rest more comfortably against her as Neptune nuzzles in closer, utterly comfortable. Ignoring the tomato-color overtaking her cheeks, Noire sighs with a smile and rests her head partially against the tree and partially on Neptune's head, her crimson eyes peering up at the sky.

After whenever, as Noire, too, drifts into slumber, one can hear her murmur a singular sentence as she, too, indulges in a nap.

"Maybe… we can… be more, someday…"