Chapter 3: Doing Things!

Hey. I did a thing, and here it is. I really don't have much to say, except sorry for how long it has taken me to get chapters out. With how busy I have been getting because of my schedule, I can't write as much as I'd like to, let alone type. With apologies out of the way, on with the show!

I opened my eyes to see a light pink ceiling. I was on my back on something soft, and something was holding my right arm to my mid torso.

"Where…Where am I…?"

"You are currently in Plutia's bed in Planeptune's Basilicom." A very quiet voice replied. Not expecting an answer, I couldn't help but flinch. "I am sorry for startling you, but I have been monitoring your health for the last week while you were unconscious. The doctor we had called expected you to be unconscious for at least two, so you surprised me just as much as I you."

"Who are you?"

"I am Histoire, the Oracle of Planeptune."

"Steven. Nice to meet you. I'd shake your hand, but A: I'm down a hand, and B: I can't see you."

"I am to your left." I turned to said side to see a small girl with translucent wings sitting on an average sized book. The book is floating and she is sitting on…something…that was floating above the book.

"You are very tiny."

"It is disheartening to know that that aspect of me is the first thing that you acknowledged. Now, please excuse me. I must let the others know that you are awake." Histoire floated(?) out the door. It didn't take long for a blur of red to dart into the room, and I felt a pair of arms around me. With said blur's landing, pain shot through my shoulder. "Cynthia!" Histoire's tiny voice yelled. "He is still healing!"

"Sorry! Sorry…" She said, getting off of me.

"It's alright. I've head worse." I made sure to put a gentle smile on my face to reassure her that I was fine.

"No, you most likely would not have, unless you have had a joint surgically replaced previously."

"Wait, what?"

"The doctor had to replace your shoulder. Something about 'Being beyond repair.'" Plutie said, though her voice was…

"How come you're still in HDD?"

"That's one of the things we had talked about while you were KO'd." Neptune answered, quietly literally bouncing into the room.

"Okay? Is anybody willing to, I don't know, explain?"

"When a CPU founds a nation, a Sharicite crystal is formed from the people's faith in them. This, for the most part, is public knowledge. What most do not know is that there is a second Sharicite crystal. It is found within a CPU and acts as their link to the main Sharicite crystal, allowing them to draw upon it." Histoire explained. "From the scans we did to make sure you were recovering, we found that a small piece of the one within Plutia had managed to makes its way into your heart through the major vein in your shoulder. It is small enough to not be a threat to your health, but it would be more dangerous to attempt to remove it than it would be to leave it."

"So, because this piece is in me, she's stuck like that?" I asked the tome.

"Yes. As I said, it would be detrimental to remove it. As long as her processor units are not equipped, there is no negative affects to her. In fact, she is enjoying being able to stay in this form." To prove a point, Plutie flashed a smile like she was on cloud nine.

"There are so many comfy looking outfits that I can wear now." Well, at least her priorities are the same.

"And since Neptune had shared a bunch of stories involving her sister…well…"

"Well what, 'Tia?"

"I've always wanted a sibling, even before I became a CPU." Plutie stated. I tried to sit up, but I was pushed back down by said CPU. "Histy said you shouldn't strain yourself."

"Can I at least sit up? Talking to you all like this is weird, and I've already seen something today that would probably send me to jail." Knowing this series, I'm sure you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. I was gently manhandled into an upright position, and Neptune actually apologized for giving me a glimpse of what's under her skirt. "What else did I miss during my extra-long nap?"

"Noire left to found her own nation. Left as soon as you came out of surgery." Neptune reported.

"And we got to know quite a bit of our friend's past." Plutie added, turning to Cynthia.

"Don't you dare tell him!" She growled. I had to contain a chuckle, given the fact that she also literally growled.

"Cynthia is a clone." The redhead instantly relaxed. What Histoire was saying must not've been what she was talking about. "Specifically, a clone of a DGU. A DGU is a type of god from another universe and have a strong connection to CPUs."

"If she's a god in another universe, then why is she here?" I really need to start thinking before I say things.

"Because I'm evidence." Cynthia started. "I'm a clone of a DGU. If someone from my world found out that it's possible, they'd make an army."

"Huh…Um, what can a DGU even do?" I asked, curious about what the girl I had a crush on was capable of. And by that, I mean how bad she could beat my ass if I fucked up.

"Well, each of us has an ability that is unique to us."

"So, you're like the X-Men?"

"You can shut up at any time." She said. I couldn't help but hear the other's in the room ask each other what the X-Men are. "The other thing is that we can transform, sort of like CPUs."

"Wait, this is news to us. If you could transform, how come you didn't?" Neptune asked.

"I tried. I really did. But because of some things that happened when I was made, it's harder for me to actually do it."

"And what was that?" Plutie asked. Histoire looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't. I'll have to ask about it later.

"Solar, the original me, had a bunch of Fenrir fur on her. So, when they did they spell, well, just look at me." To emphasize, she swished her tail.

"That's…That's a lot to take in…" I muttered.

"Then what about you? That was some crazy stuff." Neptune said.

"I'm not really sure. To summarize everything I know, I made a vague deal with a death god for various perks for my own use, including using some of his power. All I have to do in exchange is kick some ass. He said that I can get contracts from other gods if I find their temples, which are probably in the darkest, far out corners of the world. I want to find at least one more so I can get some real answers out of whatever god it is."

"Oh! Oh! I knew I forgot something!" Neptune cheered. "We almost forgot that Cynthia admitted to having a crush on Stevie!" As the words left her lips, she started laughing. The laughter quickly turned into the sounds of choking.

"I! Thought! We! Had! An! Agreement!" Each word was accentuated with a stern throttle.

"Plutie…Stevie…Help…"

"This is what happens when you break a promise." I didn't answer because my mind was still stuck on what Neptune said.

"Okay, but why?" I asked. I HAD to know.

"Why what?" Cynthia asked in turn.

"Why would YOU like ME?"

"You learn that a girl might like you and you question her like she's stupid?"

"Yeah! Yeah I would! Because I know me best, and I know that anyone who'd say that to me is probably just trying to play me." I wouldn't realize it until later on, but the other three had left the room to give us privacy. Before I had the chance to react, Cynthia's open hand made solid contact with my face before I was lifted up by the collar.

"Don't you fucking DARE think I'd do that to you!" She all but roared. After that, she let go and hugged me tightly. "I'd never do that to anyone, let alone you…"

"'Tia? Arm."

"Oh! Sorry…" There was a very awkward silence between us for many a minute. "Can…Can we talk about that, whatever it was."

"If I haven't made it clear, I…I don't exactly have to greatest self-esteem. That's what happens when you're bullied for a good amount of your adolescent and teen years. Mom kicked Dad out for being such a drunk, so she was the only one supporting the family. She worked in the Intensive Care Unit at a hospital at the time. That's a twelve hour shift, and with how tired she'd be, we didn't have the luxury of home cooked meals. Living off of fast food kind of puts on the weight, and kids are vicious little bastards. The bullying went so once that I ended up being hit by a car and breaking six bones at once."

"Wait, really?"

"Nine days after being hit by the car I broke both bones in my left arm, one in my right, both of my eye sockets, and my forehead."

"Wow…That's messed up."

"It's fine. It was seven or eight years ago, so it's not that big a deal anymore. All I have to deal with is phantom pain every once in a while and some memory issues."

"Steven." Her hug was much gentler this time. "We both have some problems, don't we?"

"Yeah, I guess we do."

"Why don't we work through our issues together?"

"Some way to ask a guy out, but…I can't complain."

"Now kiss!" So much for the moment we were having.

"Neppy? Why don't we go out for a bit? I think Noire would like a visit." I saw the small purple haired girl could be seen being dragged down the hall by the ear before turning back towards the girl that was still embracing me.

"She dead." I commented.

"She hella dead."

"So, what are we? A week isn't exactly long enough for a relationship. At least, not long enough for one that'll work long term."

"How about just dating? That way we can get to know each other better before we say if we're together."

"Yeah, I'm okay with that. Just, um, one condition."

"These kinds of things shouldn't have conditions."

"Please, just hear me out." Just spit it out, man. Just let her know how needy you really are. "I want us to share a bed, like we did that first night." I said, face burning.

"Oh, uh…sure. I don't mind."

"Um, excuse me?" Histoire interrupted. "I apologize for interrupting, but I would like to inform you both that I have ordered food for dinner. You must be hungry."

"I could eat a horse." I chuckled, letting go of the wolf girl. While we waited for whatever was ordered, the three of us just talked. Simple, meaningless talk. The two Planeptune CPUs came back just in time to take our large order from the delivery girl as the tiny fairy paid. Oddly enough, it was this world's equivalent of Chinese.

"Aw…" Plutie cooed. "My little brother's found someone…"

"Um, I'm pretty sure that I'd be the older of the two of us." I retorted. "I'm 21."

"I told you, Noire! Look, they're even holding hands."

"I shouldn't be this surprised." Noire said immediately after Neptune forced her through the door.

"I expected that you would invite her, so I ordered extra." We all helped unload the bags of food. The place was kind enough to gives us a 2-liter of soda. The very first thing I did, as selfish as it was, was grab a couple of fried wantons.

"Who said you could start eating? We didn't even give thanks yet." Noire stated.

"I have been unconscious for over a week. I'm too hungry to give a damn." I replied before putting one into my mouth.

"What do you want first?" Cynthia asked. I turned to face her and saw a mountain of food I front of her.

"Can you even eat all of that?" My answer was a pair of chop sticks holding some white rice being moved towards my mouth. "I can eat on my own."

"Aren't you right handed though?" Noire asked. Neptune was chowing down on anything in her sight and Plutie was doing the same, but in a more dignified manner.

"I can do this." I grabbed my own pair and went to get some food. I couldn't do it.

"Say 'Ah!'"

"Really?"

"Say it." God dammit Cynthia.

"*sigh*…Ah…" She made me say it every time I wanted something that wasn't a wanton. EVERY TIME. "Never again. I felt like an idiot."

"It was cute. So, are you two together? Every good story needs a romance between the side characters, after all."

"Hey, Histoire?" I asked, ignoring the purple themed girl.

"Yes, Steven?"

"Can I get your help with some research? I don't think the public has anything I might need to find the temples."

"I would be delighted to."

"I'll help as well. We've been finding all kinds of documents and artifacts as we chart the borders of my nation." Noire added.

"Cool. Let me know what you find."

"I will. I need to go." She said, looking down at her watch. "One of my charters isn't exactly…the brightest…"

"We should get home too. Plutie probably wants her bed back." I said, looking at 'Tia.

"It's been fine. Neppy makes a very comfy pillow." Sher responded, waving off my concerns.

"While you are gone, I shall begin my research. You must be back here by nine AM tomorrow. Doctor Ragland is coming to check up on you and will begin your physical therapy."

"Physical therapy…Right…That was so much fun the last time, too…Alright, 'Tia, let's go."

"Since when were you the boss?"

"Since the moment I realized how tired I am." We bid everyone goodbye and made our way back to the apartment.

"Chop, chop! Time for bed!" Cynthia cheered the moment we walked through the door.

"You really want to get in bed with me, don't you?" I know I shouldn't be teasing, but this is an opportunity I'm not gonna pass up. The crimson color of her face told me that it worked to perfection.

"C-Come on…" The two of us crawled into bed and I tried to sleep. Too bad it wasn't as restful as I would've liked. Someone likes to do a lot of squeezing in her sleep, and I couldn't sleep on my side like I wanted to. After a quick breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, we went back to the Basilicom.

"Good morning. My name is Doctor Bradley Ragland." A black man that had to be in his late forties said, introducing himself. "I'm going to start by performing a routine physical. Afterwards, we will start your therapy." After about half an hour of physical examinations, everything came up clear. My therapy was basically just moving my shoulder in different ways with weights in my hand. "You'll have to keep the arm in the sling for about a week, but you can take it out to lift light objects. We'll see about the sling staying during our session next week."

"Okay, I'll see you then." The doctor left after talking to Histoire about something.

"What are your guys' plans for today? I plan on nappin'!" Neptune asked.

"I want to head to the guild." I said.

"Why? You aren't in any condition to take and Quests, and if you tried, I'd have to punish you for doing something so stupid." Plutie stated.

"There's someone there I want to see."

"You mean that creepy guy in the robes?"

"Yes, Neptune. I wanna get kitted out. Outside whatever happened a week ago, I'm still pretty squishy. I could use some new gear."

"Hm…We could use some new stuff. My wooden sword is cool and all, but not all that great at bashing mobs." She agreed.

"I will prepare lunch for when you return." Histy's tiny voice said as she entered the room.

"Thanks, Histy." Plutie said. We quickly made our way to the Guild, and met the covered man.

"Hehehe…You're back. Whaddaya buyin'?"

"Show us what you got!" Neptune shouted. He opened up his coat, revealing quite the arsenal. Swords, guns, armor. You name it, this red-eyed man had it. I replaced my walking stick with an actual bo staff, and got some light armor that goes underneath my shirt. It was basically a leather tank top. Neptune now possessed a steel katana, Plutie said she'd make her weapon herself, and Cynthia's stuff had higher stats than anything the man had on him. I was really tempted to pick up a gun, but no one would let me.

"I'll let you know when I've updated my stock." The Merchant said as we paid him. "Make sure to come back.z'

"With your prices? Of course we will." Cynthia commented. Histoire had prepared sandwiches for us.

It's been three months since I woke up from my epic power nap. It took two weeks before Ragland cleared me to be fine without that damn sling. Research into the temples has been less than successful. Any lead we got was a dead end. We did earn a good amount of experience and money during the failed expeditions, though. I learned a few things about my own abilities, too. The main thing I learned was that I was constantly on a timer. The moment I activated my "transformation", I had a total of fifteen minutes of use before I was done. The worst part was that I was out until twenty-four hours passed since I first activated it. So, imagine my surprise when I'm having a spar with my sister and the protection I so desperately needed disappeared mid getting my ass handed to me on a silver platter. With the summary of the time skip over, let's move on to today.

"Come on! We're going to be late for our reservation!" Cynthia called out from the living room.

"We have more than enough time! Just let me finish up with this damn noose!" I yelled back. Stupid fucking ties. I managed to make the thing look presentable before exiting the room. Cynthia was wearing a black silk dress that reached down to her ankles and hugged her body tightly. Her crimson locks flowed down her back, and she was wearing a silver necklace that we had found during one of our trips.

"Here, let me fix that." She fixed my tie with an expertise that I didn't expect. "Why are we going somewhere so fancy, anyway?"

"You've done so much for me over the last few months. I just thought I could start to return the favor."

"You really need to stop thinking like you owe me anything."

"Old habits die hard. Why are you complaining, anyway? I'm taking you out on our fanciest date yet." We pulled our respective shoes for the evening before she opened the door. "Shall we?" I asked, sticking my left elbow out.

"Of course." She answered, taking a hold of the offered limb. The place I took her was probably the nicest in all of Planeptune. That meant that my wallet will cry and I'll die a little inside when I look at the bill. The quality of the food and the service was impeccable, and don't get me started about the wine. "This is incredible."

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?"

"I wonder how much money went into making it look so beautiful."

"Probably a lot, but there's something that's even more beautiful here."

"And what's that?" Alright, Steven, time to make your move.

"You, of course." The coloring of her face meant mission: success. She tried to hide it by turning away.

"I really thought I'd be used to these comments of yours. They have a lot of start-up frames."

"Hey, you still catch me off guard too. But seriously, how could you expect me to not compliment the girl I've fallen in love with?" I…just said that out loud. I really thought I fixed that.

"I love you too…Hey, remember that time we went to that fair?"

"That one where we almost kissed on that Ferris wheel after we kept that guy from killing himself?"

"That's the one. Wanna pick up where we left off?"

"Do you even need to ask?" We leaned over towards each other and our lips met. She dominated the kiss, and I couldn't help but marvel at how gentle she was even with how rough she was being. "How do you…?"

"When a drunken, alternate version of you who likes girls decides to suck face with you, you pick up a few things."

"Well that's a story for when everyone is around."

"No. No it's not. Trust me. Things happened that Neptune doesn't need to know about."

"Hands up! Fork over all your credits!"

"Are…Are we not allowed to have nice things, 'Tia?"

"*sigh* Looks like it."

"Hey!" I called out, getting the robber's attention. Man, this guy had to be a joke. He had the black ski mask and everything.

"What is it!?"

"Honest question. Out of all the places to rob, why a restaurant? Banks exist." What? Don't judge me. I was genuinely curious about the life choice he made.

"Shut the hell up and fork your money over!"

"How about you shut up? You're ruining my date." Sometimes I forget how fast Cynthia can get around when she's using her DGU power. She had stopped time so that she could get behind him and put her knife to his throat. The police came shortly after, and we ended up not having to pay for our dinner. Yay!

"So much for a nice night." I lamented.

"I enjoyed it, though, if it's any consolation. We became a real couple."

"Hehehe…That's true. Neptune's not gonna let us hear the end of it, though."

"Let her talk. She's just jealous." As we walked home, I noticed that Cynthia was having a hard time walking.

"You ran in those again, huh? I thought you learned your lesson about running in heels."

"I wasn't going to let anyone get hurt because I wasn't willing to make things uncomfortable for myself." I scooped my girlfriend up in my arms, earning an adorable squeal in the process.

"Alright, Miss Hero. Let's go home."

"Can we get ice cream first? We never got to get desert."

"Sure. The usual place?"

"Yup." She answered, popping the "P". I stuck to a milkshake while Cynthia nommed on her large hot fudge sundae. "Mmm!"

"Yeah, yeah we get it. You like ice cream."

"You're so mean…"

"And you're getting harder to carry."

"Shut up! We just starting off as a couple. Do you really went to break up already?"

"Hah! I knew it! Fork over the cash kid!" The owner of the ice cream stand owner yelled to the girl that was helping them out. Looks like they were betting on us.

"You already know the answer to that." I said, giving her a light kiss before she could take another bite. I licked the chocolate off my lips before continuing. "See?"

"Mhm…"

"Come on, let's go home. It's getting late, and Histoire thinks she has another lead."

"But my sundae…"

"We can stick it in the fridge for later."

"Somedays I wonder if you aren't my dad."

"If you call me Daddy, I'm going to be upset."

It turns out that that lead she found was a bust, just like the others. Things got interesting when Plutie came knocking on our door the one morning. She was dressed in a black t-shirt dress with the socks she wore when she was still small and black ankle boots.

"Hey, Plutie." I said, opening the door.

"Hi."

"Wanna come in? We just finished cooking breakfast."

"If that's okay with you." The CPU sat down as we served up the meal. Today was pancakes and bacon.

"Hello, Plutia, how are you?"

"Good. I actually came over to see if I could have Stevie for the day."

"Oh? What for?" 'Tia asked.

"Well, we're siblings, but we don't really spend much time together."

"I don't have anything planned today, so we can hang out. I don't know how you got that paperwork done when I was out. I couldn't exactly sign my name."

"Stevie, I make the laws. If I want something my way, it will go as I say." Okay! Sadist Plutie is comin' out to play!

"Why don't we eat, before the food gets cold?" Cynthia suggested. Plutie devoured her plate with gusto. It looked like she wasn't even breathing.

"Who made these?" She asked.

"It was my turn to cook." I said. "We alternate every day so that one person isn't doing the dishes every day."

"These are so good. Better than what Neppy's made." She chuckled. "Oh, today's gonna be so much fun! We're gonna go shopping, and have lunch, and…" She rambled off so many things, we couldn't even get it done it a week. It was weird, seeing her being neither lethargic nor sadistic.

"Plutie, hold on a sec. There's only so much we could do in a day. Why don't we stop at shopping, lunch, and going to the park?" I suggested. "We can save some of the other stuff for later.

"Have fun, you two." Cynthia said as we got ready to go.

"Oh, we will." Plutie said in that tone she uses when she equips her processors. The first place she dragged me to was a mall. It was a very hole-in-the-wall type of place. "We have to go here because of how many people we'd have to deal with. I like my citizens, but I can't handle too many at once. If I hear too many complaints at once, I might…"

"Yeah, going Sadie on them would not be very good." I couldn't help but see how far her shoulders fell. It was clear that her being like this permanently isn't all sunshine and rainbows anymore. "It's happened already, hasn't it?" Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I tried…I tried to tell them, to warn them, but they wouldn't listen…" The water fell as she broke down. I guided her to a bench that was out of the way as far as I could tell. "I hurt them, and nothing I can do can make up for it…I don't want my people to hate me…" I gave the girl that called me her brother a hug.

"Shh…It's okay…There are gonna be people that won't put their faith in you anymore, sure, but it's not the end of the world. There are still plenty of people that believe in you. Hell, if the papers are right, you've done more for Planeptune now than you did when you were still, well, you." She was quiet and I was really hoping that I had said the right thing.

"Thank you, Stevie…" My hug was returned as her sobbing decreased in intensity.

"No problem. So, where to first?" I asked once she completely stopped.

"If you don't mind, there's a craft store I'd like to go to."

"Sure, let's go." The shop was pretty far into the mall and was nothing but color.

"Welcome back, Lady Iris Heart." The clerk at the counter greeted.

"Hello, Mina. Is my order in?"

"Yes it is. It'll take a bit to get everything, so take a look around with your boyfriend."

"I'm her brother." I deadpanned.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!" Plutie reached over the counter to place a hand on the bowing girl's head.

"It was an honest mistake, don't worry about it. I do have to say that I am a bit jealous of his girlfriend."

"It's nice to see that CPUs have guy troubles too." Plutie and I wandered down the various isles as Mina went to get whatever Plutie had gotten.

"Do you have any crafts you like to do? I sew, so I can't say I'm not curious."

"Um, for a little while I used to do cross stitch. I sew when I need to fix something, but I normally stick to crafts that are less artistic, like wood working." I didn't get the chance to say anything else as I was dragged around by the hand. There was various cross stitching kits on the different shelves.

"Hm…Which one should I have you do?" After a few more minutes of looking, she plucked one off the rack. "This one is cute." The picture of what is was supposed to be was round plastic from with the words "I" and "YOU" stitched into it. In between them was a solid red heart.

"That's simple enough for me to get back into it, and I could give it to 'Tia when it's done."

"And you can come over and we can sew together!"

"Yeah, I guess we can." I got a second one, which was of a frog, before we cashed out. Whatever Plutie had gotten occupied four bags. "Where to next?"

"Where do you want to go? There's a game shop, a video store, a book store, and a few different places. From what I could see, you could use some decorations of your own." I still had my own room in the apartment. It was for when one of us wanted some privacy or if we got mad at each other. I walked out of that mall with a few of this world's equivalent of old 80s anime, a game console to set up in the living room, a poster, and some stuff to make it more…homey. There was a diner nearby, and damn was it good. We managed to spend over two hours in the restaurant just talking about what's been happening. The park we went to was significantly closer to the Basilicom. There were all kinds of people walking by. They'd always say hello to Plutie as they passed us by. It made her day when I pointed out that none of them looked even remotely scared. As we walked we eventually came across a kid being shoved down and kicked by several other kids. Slightly worried, I turned towards Plutie, whose eye was twitching.

"I'm pretty sure this is within your authority as a CPU." Please tell me she takes the hint,

"Oh, I know." Her clothes disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by her processor units. The sword she normally used was replaced by a whip, which she cracked with a savage grin. "Don't you know that you can be punished for bullying someone? I certainly don't care for when someone does." The offending kids bolted as soon as they saw who they upset. Even the bullied kid was trying to escape. "Please, wait. Are you okay?" The light signaling her outfit change happen once more as she got down on a knee.

"Y-Yes, I'm okay Lady Iris Heart…" The scrapes and cuts said otherwise. Those were easily taken care of by the CPUs healing spell. "Thank you."

"Go back to your parents, they must be getting worried about you." Plutie said, helping him up.

"Of course! Bye Lady Iris Heart!"

"See. You can still do your thing without hurting anyone."

"It feels good, having someone see that side of me and not stay scared." We enjoyed the rest of our walk before it was late enough that I had to get home to cook dinner. I invited her to eat with us, but she said that Noire was coming over to visit. I recounted the tales of today and got jokingly laughed at for the revitalization of my old hobby. All in all, it was an interesting day.

Yay! Done! Though, this chapter took a turn I didn't expect it to once I hit the 4k mark when typing this up. This last bit I made up on the spot because I didn't want to make this chapter to build up to something that would not connect well with the rest of the chapter. So, here's some character building, because of how I want to portray some characters, I'll really need to. Well, until next time guys, see ya!