This...Is the "Good Ending"; The "True Ending"... Certain requirements must be met in order to order to access this...So let's go the Gunvolt 2 route:
You have to get the "Bad Ending" and "Normal Ending" in order to get the "True Ending"; Meaning you must beat the "Final Boss(es)" twice.
The city of Planeptune was completely in disarray. The streets were raised or lowered as if an earthquake hit them. Fortunately for the CPUs, all residents of Planeptune had evacuated.
The Mavericks and Monsters were all destroyed. Though the remains of the Monsters were no where to be seen, the Mavericks' remains were clearly seen; Scattered across the land.
Kurome growled as she clutched her shoulder, wincing at the pain she had received. With her single eye opened, she glared at the CPUs that opposed her. She took a quick glance at Mega Man Neo on the sidelines. His armor had various cracks and he was trembling in pain. She couldn't believe that he was beaten; She couldn't believe she herself was beaten. Her ally... Her friend... These were the things popping in her head... But why? Even though Rokku and Mega consider her their friend. Why does she feel a slimmer of the same feeling...? Especially after using pawns in the past and discarding them without a second thought... What was in this normal human and ancient reploid that got her questioning her affiliation with them.
Nonetheless, her ally was down for the count, and she was at the losing end of the battle... Big time.
"I won't accept this...!" Kurome growled. "I won't...! I won't...! I won't...!"
Purple Heart took a step forth. "It's time you disappear Kurome!"
While both parties were talking, Neo breathed softly. His eyes were flickering between the blank purple eyes and his normal blue eyes; Like a light switch. He seemed to be... Regaining control of himself...
"Oh...Geez..." Neo muttered between his soft panting. Finally, the flickering stopped and his eyes returned back to normal, as did Mega's (from inside the device on his wrist, the Combi-Carrier). "Whoa... My body's aching all over..."
"Rokku...! Look...!" Mega shouted.
Neo looked up and saw Kurome struggling to stand. But that isn't what got his eyes widening. No, it was Black Sister (Uni) aiming her firearm at her...!
'Uni! Now!" Black Heart (Noire) commanded.
"I got it!" Black Sister (Uni) shouted.
Neo forced his way to his feet and started running towards Kurome. This caught the attention of Uzume, no longer in HDD form, and Purple Sister (Nepgear).
"Rokku...!? Mega...!?" Purple Sister (Nepgear) muttered in awe.
Uzume's eyes widened as well. She noticed that Rokku's eyes were back to normal and they looked frantic. She knew what this meant; He was no longer under Kurome's delusion...And that meant Mega wasn't either!
She reached out for them, calling their names. "ROKKU! MEGA!"
Everyone else's eyes widened as the world around them slowed down. Black Sister had already pulled the trigger and her firearm released a blast of concentrated powerful and deadly energy, heading right towards Kurome's chest. Neo's eyes shrunk as he got closer and closer to Kurome. With a large leap and some assistance from his boots, Neo dashed towards the Dark CPU, spreading his arms and screaming agonizingly.
"STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"
Kurome's eyes also had widened to see Rokku and Mega try to take the shot for her. To everyone's shock and surprise, the shot had pierced right through Mega Man Neo's chest. However, it went right through him and also hit Kurome's chest as originally planned. She let out a cry of pain and collapsed on her back, her face expressing agonizing pain. Neo, due to the speed of his air dash, fell to the floor and rolled around until he finally hit debris and lied on his side.
"Oh no...!" Purple Heart cried as she and others ran to Neo and Mega.
Neo whimpered and slowly looked at his chest. There it was; The large gaping hole right there. Fortunately for him, he doesn't bleed when he's transformed like that. No, instead there was electricity sparking about in that hole. He grinned and looked at the sky as his vision was getting blurry.
"Hehehe... That... Hurt..." Neo joked. "...H-Hey Mega... Is this what the Mavericks... Like the Galleons... Feel when we "bust" them?"
"I...Doubt it... They don't have... Emotion... Like us..." Mega Man smiled, feeling the pain as well.
"B-Bummer... We don't have a Energy Tank when we really need it... Hehehehehe..." Neo smiled.
Kurome winced as she held onto her chest. "I...I...Lost..."
She growled and used her remaining strength to see the CPUs rushing to Rokku and Mega's aid. "I'll... Get my revenge... I won't disappear...! I won't...!"
Purple Heart knelt down and grabbed hold of Neo's body, gazing into his eyes. "Rokku! Mega Man! Tell me you are alright!?"
"This is my fault...! Isn't it...?!" Black Sister (Uni) panicked, on the verge of tears.
Neo smiled and chuckled his usual kid chuckle. "Hehehe, don't worry... I'm not angry... I'm actually really... REALLY happy..."
"Wh-What do you mean...!?" Purple Sister (Nepgear) asked in shock.
"We get to... Do what we should've done much earlier..." Mega answered, coughing.
"Y-Y-Yeah... So thanks Uni..." Neo smiled at her before his head fell back on the debris, his energy reaching it's limits. "See you guys... Later...!"
As if on cue, Kurome's body disappeared in black digital sparkles. She glared weakly at the sky as she disappearing... "I won't..."
right after her, Neo's body started to shine brightly. After that, Neo immediately exploded; 16 bits of his energy spreading out before disappearing completely. Everyone stared blankly at what just happened. Mega Man Neo; Rokku and Mega Man... They just...
Died...
Kurome was floating in a black abyss of absolute nothingness. Her worn out, blank eyes gazed at the vastness of this void. It was all she could see. She could feel the emptiness here. It was almost like nothing. No heat, no cold, nothing. It was awfully odd. Was this the afterlife...? Was this hell?
It's funny, she claimed countless times that she wouldn't disappear and here she was, in this mysterious void of nothingness. She wasn't on Gamindustri, that's for sure... But where exactly was she...? That thought should mean very little for she was dead, but she couldn't decipher her current location.
"...me...!"
Great. Now she's hearing voices. It was faint but she could feel it getting closer and digging into her mind.
"...rome...!"
Kurome looked forward, emotionless. A voice was definitely calling out to her...
...It sounded familiar...
...But right away, she could not determine who he or she was...
"...Kurooommeeeeeee...!"
Kurome squinted at the darkness. She saw something... forming; Being created before her very eyes. A whirlpool was being seen, like a portal of some sort.
To her surprise, that "whirlpool" was beginning to take shape... Or more accurately shapes...
Kurome's eyes widened a little once the familiar silhouettes had color washed on them. To her amazement, disbelief and shock, it was the two she had corrupted... The ones she had dragged into her own whirlpool of delusion...
The ones from another dimension...
another universe...
another world...
Rokku and Mega Man...
The latter was not wearing armor; Instead wearing his civilian clothes... Without that armor, Kurome could easily mistake the two boys as twin brothers...
"You two..." Kurome whispered.
"Kurome...! We found you!" Rokku cheered.
"It looks like everything worked as we wanted...!" Mega celebrated. "...Well, except getting shot. That part wasn't originally intended."
Kurome frowned. They were back to normal. They were no longer under her control. "...What are you two doing here? You two do not belong in hell."
"He- I can't cuss, right..." Rokku joked. He wasn't allowed to curse. His mother said cussing is bad. "...The Underworld? Is that where you think we are at?"
Kurome expressed confusion. "Then...Where are we?"
"Let's just say... The Realm of Second Chances~!" Rokku beamed happily. Kurome was not impressed, however.
"Realm of Second Chances...?" Kurome repeated. "You must be joking..."
"But Rokku does have a point," Mega began. "Right now, we aren't dead... We're... Sorta in the bridge to it though... It's not the Styx, but it's somewhere between that. It's confusing I know, haha."
Kurome had enough of their childish banter. She wanted answers. She also wanted them to go away, but right now, they were the only residents to this "bridge to the afterlife". "Whatever. What are you two here for?"
Rokku's smile dropped. "What do you mean? We came here for you!"
"You came for me?" Kurome asked, unphased. "Why?"
"Why!? Because we're friends!" Rokku shouted.
Kurome's eyes widened completely and her heart thumped. "...F-Friends...?"
The Dark CPU then shook her head violently and glared at the 13 year old human boy and 500+ year old Reploid. "...Don't be ridiculous. You two were nothing more than my pawns. That's why I dragged you both into my Whirlpool of Delusion, to aid me in fighting those cursed CPUs and finally getting my long awaited revenge...!"
"Pawns? That's not what you really think." Mega reassured.
"Of course I do." Kurome angrily replied. "The power you two share is the reason I corrupted you...! Your power and nothing else!"
"Yeaaaaaaah, maybe that part's true." Rokku admitted shrugging happily with one eye closed and his childish grin. "But deep down inside, you are just lonely...! And while you yanked us by the chains, you started to realize the friendship we had~!"
Kurome gritted her teeth, her eyes seething with anger. "Friendship?! Don't make me laugh!"
"It's true, Kurome. We felt that inside you when you were corrupted us... In fact, we deliberately gave in to your control so we can find out what was wrong with you..." Mega revealed.
"Wh-What...!?" Kurome muttered.
"Yeah, we kinda... Gave in. But it was only to find out your situation. Honestly, we were fighting back at first." Rokku chuckled nervously, recalling that nightmarish event.
"Don't try to pull that kind of false claim on me...!" Kurome barked. "You two were weak...! That's why you fell into my Delusion!"
"So, there was no reason you felt a struggle in the conversion?" Mega asked, raising a brow.
Kurome flinched a little. The reploid was right. They had initially resisted, but then she sucked them in like a vacuum. She did question that but she never put too much thought into it. But... To deliberately allowing yourself to change alignments... For the sake of someone else...? What were these two getting at...?
"Kurome... Do you really think revenge is going to solve your problems...?" Rokku asked softly and looking seriously concerned for the Dark CPU.
"Of course I do... Revenge is the only way I'll be at peace... Revenge is the only way I get to see others suffer the same way I have...!" Kurome answered.
"But... Revenge isn't always the answer, you know...?" Rokku replied.
"Surely inside your heart and soul, there's more than just hatred. There's gotta be a little bit of light in there." Mega Man said to her. "You once cared about your citizens before you were sealed..."
Kurome's eyes widened. That's right. She had told them a bit of her past before. Around the time she had gotten used to them being around her...
"Shut your mouth! You don't understand what I've went through...! You would NEVER understand the feeling of being rejected...! Of being hated...! To rule a nation for it's people only to have those same people betray you and seal you away...!" Kurome angrily told the two.
Rokku and Mega looked at each other worriedly. Unlike previous enemies they've fought in the past, they knew they could help this one. It was not going to be easy, that much they already knew.
"Hey, uh, I don't understand politics very much but..." Rokku began, nervously smiling but dropping it in favor of a serious look. "...I know you aren't a bad person. You're just lonely and confused..."
"Listen Kurome... That Negative Energy... It's just going to spread and further consume you..." Mega said sadly. "Hatred spreads... You won't find peace at all..."
"I... I can't say I sympathize with what you have went through, but I can say this: Not everyone in the world is bad, Kurome. There's gotta be at least one person with a light heart! But... You won't discover that person if you destroy him or her because of revenge and stuff!"
Kurome's anger was... Slowly subsiding, though it lingered. For some reason, she stayed her and listened to them babble instead of fleeing away from them. It was true... She did consider them her friends, but that was only when they were under her control.
But... Were they completely under her control?
"On our world, it's the 26th Century, 25XX... Our world hasn't exactly had... It's fun moments... We had lots and lots of wars and the worst one is what we call the "Elf Wars"... In that 4 year war, the entire human race was nearly extinct... 60% of Humans and 90% of Reploids were wiped out..."
This Elf Wars... It interested Kurome... Their entire world was on the verge of destruction and in the span of four years, the entire planet was nearly deprived of humans and reploids...
"Me and Mega Man fight to prevent tragedies like this...! And...Even though heroes before us... Well, before me, but after Mega, have fought against evil... It seems that the battles won't end... Some say they may never end... But I don't believe that! I believe we can finally end it soon!" Rokku said proudly.
Kurome stared at Rokku in the eyes. Her anger was gone... For the moment... But she looked at Rokku in seriousness. "For 5 centuries, you world has suffered by countless battles between good and evil. You, a human kid, is in that battle between good and evil. It's amazing that your world has survived given the circumstances... But it seems to me that every time a hero stops a villain, another madman rises up to take his or her place. In every day and age, mankind fights for peace... For righteousness... People will continue to fight again and again... The battles will simply never end... So tell me, little boy... What do you really think you're going to accomplish by doing the exact same thing the heroes before you have done? You'll stop a madman, but another will rise up right afterwards... Going through this endless cycle of pain and aggression. It sounds like the residents of your world are fools... Complete fools..."
Rokku frowned at Kurome's question. "Sorry, but I don't believe you. I know peace can be obtained... A-And... Even if the battles won't end right away, at least I can still fight... I know I'm not alone... I have Mega Man, my best friend by my side... It's our bond that gets us to beat our enemies down to the ground...!"
"Friendship may sound... Silly, but it's a really wonderful feeling... Kurome, right now you are a madman trying to destroy Gamindustri. Just like others before you. Don't you think it's time you stop and realize what you are doing is meaningless?"
Kurome just stared, deep in thought. Before she could give an answer, Rokku interrupted her.
"You know, before we said you were our one and true friend... I gotta take back part of what we said there..." Rokku chuckled.
Kurome looked confused, but deep down inside, she was in shock. Fear of what this boy was about to say.
"You aren't our one and true friend..." Rokku then smiled happily. "You are part of our group of friends...! I considered you a friend because deep down inside, that's what you want~!"
"Someone by your side so you no longer have to feel lonely...!" Mega Man added.
Rokku and Mega Man reach their hands out to Kurome, awaiting for her to take them.
"Why...? Why are you being so nice to me...?" Kurome asked. Their smiles... They were making her feel... something... What was it again...? She felt it before... When they were around her in the past... But she cannot seem to recall that feeling...
Her question was of completely important to her. She had corrupted them, forced them to do bad things, and yet they want her... To be their friend...? It made no sense to her... They were the strangest duo she had ever met...
Then again, even when she had them under her control, they were nice to her... But then, she could accept their kindness... But now... She doesn't even know...
"Like I said, you just don't want to be alone! You want to be accepted, not rejected...! I don't want that from you either because I know you aren't entirely evil!" Rokku said happily.
"You did bad things but it was because of your condition that you did what you did... You don't have to be alone Kurome... Not anymore..." Mega continued.
Kurome couldn't believe it. These two were heroes sworn to fight against evil... And yet they haven't killed her... However, she can feel that killing is what they usually do... No, they don't like death... It hurts them... While they had not killed anyone while under her control, they could have if they had beaten the CPUs in battle...
This feeling in her chest... It was pounding... a lot...
Was this anxiety...? Was it fear...?
What was this feeling...?
She had not noticed until now, but a tear had shed from her left eye. She went to wipe it and slowly examine the tear on her finger. This was a genuine tear... A tear of sadness... But this tear was not only of sadness... But of happiness too... She slowly looked at the two boys, more tears sliding down her cheeks through the both of her eyes.
She wanted to be accepted... She no longer wanted to be rejected, to be hated... And these two were giving her that chance of acceptance...
Without a thought, she lunged towards the both of them and wrapped her arms around their necks. She let cries of pain and sorrow... These emotions that had lingered onto her for years and years... These negative emotions that had driven her to madness...
Rokku and Mega Man smiled and simultaneously patted her back in an effort to comfort the Dark- The CPU...
Soon, a swarm of digital particles surrounded the three of them. In seconds, they had left this void of nothingness...
...And back to Gamindustri...
The CPUs were caught off guard by Rokku, Mega Man and Kurome's reappearance...
Kurome's tears had stopped and she leaned back to look at the young human and the ancient Reploid.
"...Thank you... Both of you..." Kurome whispered.
"No problem, Kurome~!" Rokku said in a chipper tone.
"...Now, I wish to... Go some place else... And rethink what I have done..." Kurome said, standing up, with the two boys doing the same.
"Go some place else?" Mega repeated.
"Yes... I have done terrible things... And you two helped me realize that... I need to gather up the courage to make up for everything..." Kurome muttered sadly.
"Oh Kurome..." Rokku said. "J-Just don't go someone and not come back, okay? Promise, buddy?"
Buddy... So chipper and... Boy-like... Definitely fitting of a 13 year old human boy like Rokku... "...I promise." Kurome said with a small smile. With that, she turned and began to walk away.
As she walked away, the CPUs had appeared behind the boys.
"She's getting away...!" Black Heart (Noire) yelled, gripping her sword.
"Wait!" Mega Man cried, holding out his hand, blocking Black Heart's way.
"What...? Are you boys still under her delusion?" Purple Heart (Neptune) asked.
The two of them shook their heads. "No... But we did just make a new friend..." Rokku said happily. "Right now, she's going to think about what she had done and try to make up for it..."
"She's... What...?" Uzume said, confused. She watched "Herself" get fainter and fainter the more she walked away. Did these two boys change her goal...? Change her completely...?
The CPUs were tempted to go after Kurome... VERY tempted... But Mega Man and Rokku did not want them to do it and despite who Kurome was and what she had did, the nine CPUs did not go and hunt her down, upon the boys' request (but not without some arguing of course). The CPUs had zero idea what happened and where they went, but somehow, someway, they had "stopped" Kurome's path to vengeance.
As Kurome walked away, she began to think about her new life. This was her new start for Kurome Ankokuboshi. Sure, the name did sound a little... Dark. But the CPU could not deny how cool it sounded despite it's dark meaning.
It took her some time, but she had finally realized what the feeling was she had felt countless times...
It was the feeling of friendship... Of bonds...
She had yet to simulate the feeling that Rokku and Mega Man felt; Of their unbreakable bond, but she had a little sneak peek of it... She liked it. She wanted more of that and perhaps... She'll meet Rokku and Mega Man again before they inevitably return back to their home universe one day...
...She had them to thank for opening her eyes from her path to endless hatred. She was given a second chance... The CPU began to smile.
"Heh, so that's why that boy said they were in the Realm of Second Chances... Even a young human such as him can teach a Goddess like me a thing or two... Thank you Rokku... Mega Man..."
This was a new start for her... A fresh new start...
...And she was not going to let this second chance go to waste...
...That she swears...
Here it is, the "True Ending". So, I made Kurome good in the end, but was that a good decision? I mean, this is fanfiction and whatever, but was this a good decision on my part. I think I executed it well enough in my opinion, but I feel like with characters like Rokku and especially Mega Man, I could've added a bit...more to it. Nonetheless, I like the end result. Do you too~?
In the future, I'll have other Neptunia projects where Rokku and Mega Man go on mini adventures with certain cast members of the Neptunia series, and I even have an idea for a full-on Neptunia + Mega Man fic (like, one with actual story/plot and with about 20 chapters)! I'm excited about both of them, especially the latter since it's a recent idea. However, I won't execute the latter until AFTER Mega Man Neo. The other Neptunia + Mega Man mini adventures project (that's not the title BTW) is going to happen... In the middle of the Mega Man Neo fic, so it can happen whenever~! Stay tuned for those Mega Man and/or Neptunia fans!
Sayonara for now~! (^_^)
