Part 15

Noire slowly opened her eyes. It was dark and her vision was slightly blurry. It felt like she hadn't opened her eyes in a very long time. When she tried to rub her eyes, that was when she realized the small space she found herself in. Small and cramp. She could hardly move her body. She shivered and her teeth clattered as the metal interior pressed against her bare skin. That was when she realized she was completely naked as well.

Rapid fire questions went through her head, but before anything else, the main priority was getting out of here. She pushed the walls and shook her body with all her strength. Whatever she was in, it only shook a little bit, but after a long while, Noire soon tired herself out. Whenever she thought there was a sign of breaking free, she would accept it as false sense of hope and admit defeat. However, everytime time she was on the verge of giving up, she reminded herself that she is the CPU of Lastation and motivated herself.

She stomped her foot and the space she was in budged more than it had ever did. She stomped again and the wall in front of her shifted upwards. A breeze of emptiness brushed her toes and her heart started pounding.

Some sort of pull-out cabinet. She managed to climb out of her entrapment and collapsed on the floor. The idea she would be stuck in there forever was about to drive her insane. She didn't wanted to use anymore energy just to get off the floor, but remembering her lack of clothes on her body forced her to shoot up from the floor and look at her surroundings.

Countless cabinets that spanned the entire side of the wall. Each cabinet had a red light. The only exception was an open cabinet with a green light.

"It's really cold in here," she said as she placed her arms on her chest only to shiver from how cold her own skin was.

Sounds of footsteps from outside grew louder and louder. The jangling of keys and the creak of a doorknob turning. Noire looked around and squeezed inside the cabinet doors below a single table workstation in the middle of the room.

Once she closed herself in, the main door to the room opened followed by a stream of footsteps.

"Traffic was horrendous," said one of the people who came in.

A loud thud almost made Noire jump and hit her head. "Damn protesters."

"Yeah. Don't they realize they're just making things worst for the rest of us?"

A protest? In my city? What's going on?

"Conspiracy this, conspiracy that. We're just doing our jobs."

"Right? If they ever got off their asses and get their own jobs, they might realize how idiotic they're being."

"True that. Wait a minute… what happened there?"

Noire tensed up the moment he heard one of the men step to the other side of the desk.

"Oh shit! Was that always open?"

"Huh? No way, I made sure all the bodies were in their designated cabinets."

Bodies?

From where Noire was hiding, she couldn't tell what was going on, but for a good minute, there was utter silence except for the deafening tension that filled the air and the beating of her heart. She was too afraid to open up a crack and take a peek, not just because she might get found out, but the fear of the outside being nothing but a void.

One of the men spoke and Noire was able to breathe again.

"Call for an emergency." He spoke calm, but with urgency. "A body is missing from the morgue."

Noire didn't hear anything else except for the running footsteps and the door closing behind them. It's not that she couldn't hear, but it was when she heard those words her mind went blank. She hugged her knees to her chest and felt a sense of dread creep up to her, suffocating her.

Body.

Morgue.

"Was I… dead…?"

She shook her head as she took in a deep breath. No, that's not possible, she thought. Why would she be dead? How would she have died? Did Lacoste… kill her? But if that were true, then why would she be alive at this moment? Doesn't Uni play a zombie shooting game on her console? Noire quickly ran her fingers over her face and sighed in relief. Still smooth and supple like a goddess's skin should be.

She crawled out of her hiding spot and was greeted by the metal cabinets she now knew held individual bodies within. Dead, lifeless bodies. She was one of those bodies, although she had no idea why or how she came to be one. She felt dizzy and almost tripped, knocking over a briefcase and spilling its contents all over the desk.

Most of what fell out were a bunch of papers, none initially worth noting. However, one titled "Warehouse No. 5" grabbed her attention and she darted her eyes through its contents. The paper referenced a collection of bodies preserved for safe keeping in order to be used as a power source.

A power source?

What could dead bodies be a power source for? If she failed to wake up any sooner, she would have been used as fuel to a fire. Still, what could use bodies as a power source was going to be stuck in Noire's head all day. A morgue to preserve these bodies with government paid employees, so it couldn't be anything illegal, could it? Oh, perhaps recycling for fertilizer or even fuel for energy? If it's that, then there would be nothing wrong about it.

Other than the fact she had no memories of ever funding the technology or research for it.

She lost herself reading through the papers until the freezing chill in the air caused her spine to shiver, snapping her back to reality. She was still naked, embarrassed as she was to admit it, but she had to leave the room and find a way out. Preferably with a set of clothes along the way.

She pressed an ear against the door and after confirming no sounds of anyone on the other side, she opened the door and entered.

It was an office room with multiple desks and computers, but what she gravitated towards the most was a rack with a white coat on it. It was a tad too large for her, but she didn't expect everything here to be tailored just for her. She just didn't want to risk anyone taking a free peek during her escape.

After taking a deep breath, she slowly peeked her head out the door and, seeing the coast was clear, headed out.

Now, if only she had any directions. She was probably walking around in circles. Getting lost was starting to stress her out and it didn't help that she was completely naked under that large coat. She could have sworn that she walked passed the morgue a few times now. Why was she there in the first place? She couldn't have been dead, but… how come she couldn't remember anything before she woke up? Was she dead all along until just now? One of them said that he checked all the "bodies", so she wasn't the only one. But, why?

Were the others in there?

She shook her head. That couldn't possibly be true. The panicking was making her walk faster than an Olympic speed-walker. It had gotten to the point she was too focused on finding the exit she had forgotten how to breath. She took one last step and lost her balance, hitting the wall with a thump and using as much energy she had left to keep herself leaning against it.

Just a little rest…

She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, withstanding the heavy thumping in her head while trying to power through and rejuvenate her energy as fast as she could.

All that energy flew out of her body as her heart slammed against her chest.

"Hey, you there," a voice yelled from down the hallway. "What are you doing?"

"Wait a minute, th-that's… she was in that open cabinet before! She's the missing body!"

Oh, crap!

Noire sprinted and turned the corner. She ran as fast as she could while the men chased after her. She still didn't know where to go, but she kept running even when her vision blurred and her legs felt like falling off.

There was a flight of stairs leading upwards to a single door. She took her chances and ran up the steps, her body feeling a hundred pounds heavier with each step of the way up, bashing the door open with her shoulder. Her heart fluttered as she was enveloped by a divine cold breeze giving her a moment of respite.

She finally found her way out, but what she saw refused to give her heart any time to rest.

Noire stood near the edge of the roof. She probably wasn't even sure where she was standing at the moment. All she could think about, no, she couldn't even think. What she was seeing right in front of her was literally blowing her mind.

Countless skyscrapers and other tall buildings buddied up next to either far from the eye can see. Lights. More lights than there have ever been stars in the sky. A rainbow of lights from the signs and billboards hanging from buildings, or lights shining from vehicles down below, or the lights from vehicles passing by.

Passing by.

Right in front of her.

Flying frickin' cars.

There's one thing Noire knew for sure. This was definitely not Lastation. Yet, she was less disappointed than she thought she would be. Just one look and anyone could tell this was a far more advanced city than her own. Even her awe was too much that she couldn't even feel any shame, even if she wanted to.

She could only stand there and stare and dream of her Lastation to be just like this.

"Stay right there!"

And this moment of elation couldn't have been disrupted at a worse time.

"Wait just a moment. I'm a goddess. The CPU of Lastation."

"What? Did she just call herself a 'goddess'?"

The scientists and guards looked at each other confused.

"She must have gone insane. I can't believe you put her inside a morgue."

"She was dead, stupid."

Noire clicked her tongue. Perhaps these men meant well, but if they weren't going to listen to her, then why should she humor them? As pedestrian as that logic may be for Noire's character, she also didn't want to find out whether or not they still plan on using her for their science project.

"Then, if you won't leave me alone…"

There was only one way out of here.

And for some reason, nothing was happening.

She couldn't transform.

She looked down at her own body. Yep, she was still in her human form. Then, she realized, she couldn't feel any of the shares. She was powerless.

The men stepped closer and Noire took one more step back, her heels sticking over the edge of the rooftop.

There was still one other way out of here.

One crazy, damning way out of here.

You would have to be absolutely insane and be on some serious meds to go forward with this escape.

You would have to be—

Actually, Neptune probably does this all the time.

Noire jumped off the roof. The last she saw of her pursuers were them sprinting over to stop her. Damn them for being too slow.

Her coat flapped through the air, loud whizzing noises filled her ears as she fell past the in-air traffic. She wasn't sure if she would hit the ground or get hit by an oncoming flying vehicle, but either way, it was going to hurt.

The flickering lights below were growing larger in numbers. At first, it was a sight to behold, even during her fall she was in awe, but as the scene became clearer, she realized the flickering lights were torches, stakes, and other objects aflame.

A city-wide riot.

It was the last thing she saw before her vision went black and her whole body was struck so hard she felt nothing but numbness.

Part 16

Deja vu had struck her hard. The confusion of her whereabouts became a familiar feeling to her, but at least she was looking up at the ceiling of a nicely heated bedroom and not trapped in a claustrophobic casket.

Still, why was she even here? That question was about to be her epithet. She attempted to get up, but one small twitch caused pain to shoot through her body as if she just got rammed by a truck.

That's right. She must have blacked out before hitting the ground. Well, there was a huge group of people, so one of them must have been kind enough to take her in. Hopefully not the strange sort.

Frozen in place hoping for the pain to subside, she gritted her teeth and sat on the side of the bed. Whining about how much it hurt was not befit of a goddess.

Getting up like an old man with a bad back, she noticed a chair next to the bed. There was a stack of new clothing and a piece of paper on top. It read: I have readied up a new set of clothes. "Once you wake up, please, put them on. They are my daughter's. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I hope they fit."

A possible flag for a possibly strange sort, but the room itself was very tidy and clean. It must belong to this person's daughter as well. The clothes were pretty cute, too. A simple shirt and sweatpants. At least it was something she could wear properly. She had to get out of that white coat asap.

In front of her was a mirror that almost reached the whole span of the wall. There was a small gap between the edge of the mirror and the corner. Noire placed her hand on the mirror and slid it to the side, revealing a large closet on the other side.

Geez, what was she doing? Peeking at another girl's closet like that. Oh, but that leather jacket's pretty cute. Her cosplay senses were tingling and she forgot she was in another person's house, inside that person's daughter's bedroom, rummaging through that person's daughter's bedroom closet.

Her cosplay fantasies had taken over and she sampled many of the stylish pieces inside. Many of them fit the aesthetic of the city very well. It wasn't a style too alien for a Lastation resident, but these pieces were pretty extreme.

After awhile of fun experimentation, she found an outfit that she was satisfied with wearing every day. A pair of black jeans and a long, thin black cardigan. It draped down her body like it was an over-sized cape and it had a nifty hood to boot. Completing the look was a double rider leather jacket.

Noire posed in front of the mirror, turning around to see every flawless angle. She grabbed a couple handfuls of her hair to help visualize how she'd look if she were to have her ribbons. Noire smirked. Actually, she looked a lot better with her hair down.

Far too engrossed ogling at herself, she failed to hear the door opening, and once she realized it, an old man was staring right at her, mouth agape.

"Eep," Noire shrieked in embarrassment. "I-It's not what you think, I was just… uh…"

The old man took a bit of time to recollect his thoughts before giving a soft smile. "No, I'm sorry. For a moment, I thought you were my daughter."

The old man opened the door fully and held a tray with tea and some pastries. "I don't have much, but I hope you'll join me for a snack."

He closed the door, giving Noire any needed alone time before she was ready to come out. She still had questions. Many questions. She was desperate to find out where in the hell she ended up, because this sure as hell wasn't Gamindustri.

It was a nice place. It wasn't too fancy. It was pretty normal, but it felt homey. Warm. Cozy. Unique. It would be wrong to say there was a lack of character, especially with the amount of large weaponry displayed on the walls. Rifles, lasers, rocket launchers, even a large katana. There was also an old war uniform worn by a mannequin. It would be rude to think they were fake. If only Uni was here.

There was a heavenly, pastry smell wafting through the air. The old man sat down on the long sofa and gestured for Noire to take a seat anywhere. Noire decided to take one of the single couches, underestimating how cushiony the seat felt, sinking into it like a beanbag.

Noire noticed a photograph under an open lamp. "Is that you and your daughter?"

"It was taken many years ago," the man said, picking up the picture and holding it in his hands. "I looked a lot younger, as you can see. I guess when the city's been in complete disarray for a long time, it takes a toll out of you. But look at her then. She's beautiful, ain't she?"

He was right. She was beautiful. Stunning. Cool — in a butt-kicking kind of way. Now that she had a closer look, the girl in the picture did have some sort of resemblance to Noire, but with a much more mature vibe. It made her feel a bit insecure realizing how prepubescent she looked compared to the man's daughter.

It hurt her pride as an avid cosplayer.

"How I miss her so…" The old man said, lost in his sorrow. "I could never… forget you… forget you… never… my…"

The room was then filled with the wails of past memories bursting from the depths of his heart. The bass of his cries startled Noire and she froze in hesitation, but as CPU, it was against her nature to keep a person hurting. Emotional pain is no exception, and from the sounds of it, he was in more pain than someone getting rammed by a flying vehicle.

She sat down next to him and made sure he knew he wasn't alone anymore. It's not much compared to what he had done for her taking her in, but something tells her that he needed this company more than anything else.

A couple hours had passed.

It was the middle of the night, but neither of them felt tired. They were having fun, to be exact. After the man released his pent up agony, they talked the minutes away while having tea and snacks. They talked about each other's lives, their friends, relations, daily activities. Noire even talked about her role as a CPU, and that's how she learned about another CPU. His daughter was close friends with the CPU of this nation. They were always seen together, playing. Soon after the disappearance of his daughter, however, the CPU had disappeared as well. No one knew why or if their disappearances were linked. Either way, the city had changed since then and now it's become this.

The television was showing a live broadcast of the ongoing protest. Even though the protest was on the other end of the city, the effects were still being felt just outside the building. People were walking in the streets yelling and setting off fireworks in support for the main protest. It may have looked like a festival out those windows, but what was shown on the screen was an ocean of people standing on landed vehicles, standing on top of street lamps, marching around with signs and torches.

Noire had a bad feeling that things would get worse if something isn't done about it.

"How did this all happen in the first place?"

"Ever since the CPU's disappearance, there had been a large shift in the people's morale. You see, when the CPU was still around, the entire nation was very laid back and took any chance to fill their day with fun and excitement. That's how the entire nation ran itself; the whole concept of simply having fun. Once the people realized the CPU was missing, however, there was widespread panic. For awhile, people continued living their lives as they normally would in hopes the CPU would return, but then others started questioning. 'Who will protect us? Who will keep our nation stable? Who will be in charge'? So, a group of people took the initiative to try and take care of the nation with their own hands until the CPU would return. She never did.

"It was fine, and the nation actually started to flourish, but that brought forth additional problems. You see, not everyone agreed with how the nation was now being governed by people not of the goddess. One of the ideas that permanently created a rift in the nation was the idea of having its citizens work. One side believed people should pull their weight and help grow the nation together, while one side believed sticking with its traditions of having fun because it was what the CPU taught us. Both were valid ideologies for increasing the nation's shares and continue its upward growth.

"But then things escalated. There were rumors, leaks, that the current government have been taking innocent civilians and using their lifeforce to increase the city's shares. More people went missing. So many unanswered questions. It become frightening how much people started to panic and accuse the government of kidnapping its own citizens, enlarging the already existing rift that separated our people."

The man picked up the picture of him and his daughter and rubbed his thumb against his daughter's face. "All I believe is that everyone, no matter their ambitions, should always wear a smile on their face. Because in the end, that's all that should matter, right? As long as you're happy, then that's all it should be. Happiness."

"That's a good position to have," Noire smiled. "What would your daughter think?"

"My daughter…" He looked down at the picture in his hands and pondered for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "She would probably put everyone through hell and kick everyone's ass until they were satisfied. Crazy gal, she was. Stubborn, too, but she loved to have fun. She was always competitive, and she always worked hard to make sure everyone had a good time and put their faith in the CPU."

Through their conversations, Noire had learned a lot about his daughter, the CPU, and much about the nation's history. It seems this nation in particular is probably very, very young. It has yet to form a stable government and its people have entered a stage of great turmoil. A desire for a revolution. A civil war. A possible over-exaggeration, but who knows what sort of tree may sprout from a seed such as a protest.

"It's gotten fairly late. You can use the room you woke up in for the night. My daughter surely wouldn't mind."

"Thank you, but actually… I'd like to head back to the city."

The man's eyes widen as he almost choked. "What, why? What reason do you have for you to go back to such a dangerous area?"

"I know, I know it's crazy, but before I got here, I was searching for some people I know and I think they're somewhere around that area. I have to go find them."

"But you must be tired. Plus, you're still healing from your injuries. You can rest up right now and head off tomorrow. How can you think about going out right now?"

Noire stood up with determination, combing her long hair with her fingers as her eyes were sharp as daggers. "Because I can do anything."

"But—…" The old man paused as he stared at Noire. An image of her daughter appeared right next to her. The same resolute pose, the same stubborn attitude, the same unyielding aura. "You're just like her. Fine, I guess I can't stop you, can I? Promise me you'll be safe."

Noire nodded. "Thank you. For everything."

"No. Thank you."

After a few final words and a goodbye, Noire took the elevator and exited the apartment complex. The atmosphere had changed drastically the moment she stepped out of the door of the old man's living quarters, like she had physically stepped through another dimension. It may have been short, but it felt as if she spent years with him as close friends. It was a heartwarming feeling that she was already missing and started to regret leaving so soon.

She was desperate to have another moment like that again.

Uni… Neptune… Where are you?

Oh, that's right. Noire never did get his name or the names of his daughter and the CPU. Or even the name of the city. How uncharacteristic of her, and she was already thinking of how to ask for his name in the future without it being awkward.

Noire opened her hand-me-down leather jacket in hopes to get at least one name.

She found one, but it wasn't much help. The patch was old and the written words on it were faint. The only thing Noire could distinguish from the patch were the words: "Gift from id S."

She walked past a line of cars and noticed one was completely trashed compared to the others. There was a large dent on the front edge of the roof and the front window was completely shattered.

"...Oh."

Part 17

The more she walked, the closer she was to the heart of the protest. People were getting more rowdy, more verbal, more violent. Noire couldn't help but get shoved around, hitting bodies, benches, and light posts, getting smacked by shoulders, signs, or getting yelled at.

She was starting to fear for her own safety, fear that this riot would escalate to something much worse. A man was thrown against a wall and a brawl started in front of her. Noire didn't see what it was about or who was a part of it, but she didn't want to stay and find out.

She quickly pushed through the closest entrance and as the door closed being her, the commotion outside stopped reaching her ears and was replaced by a mellow jazz tune.

There were only enough lights to prevent getting lost in the dark. Clothed tables were scattered around, mostly empty, but the tables that occupied by the most people were in front of a well-lit stage. Women in playboy bunny outfits moved in seductive ways against a metal pole, each elegant sway of their arms, legs, hips, brought out a wolfish howl from the men in the audience.

Noire swallowed her pride and saliva and headed towards a more comfortable area of the room; a wine bar. Surprisingly enough, it was not just men, but women too were lounging about nearer to the bar than the main stage.

Noire wasn't much of an alcoholic, although there were times that work at taken its toll and she needed to calm her demons. Given her current situation, this was one of those times that she needed a down a few chains.

As she neared the bar, she heard a voice coming from the shadows of a dark hallway.

"Squeaky clean, squeaky clean~ It's tough work, but it feels good to be squeaky clean~ …Huh?"

The sight of the women who appeared made Noire's face a bright, burning red. Standing in front of her was a woman wearing a playboy bunny outfit hugging her surprisingly well-tone body and her respectably-sized bosom. In one of her hands was a headband with bunny ears while she was drying her long, purple hair with the other.

"N-Nep—" Noire stuttered. She tried to form words, but nothing came out of her mouth, wide open as her eyes. She wasn't sure why she couldn't stop looking up and down her body, but for some reason she couldn't stop and wanted to burn it all in her brain for future purposes. "Nep…tune…?"

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry, do I know you? You're a customer, right? Sorry, I'm not good with faces."

It took Noire a second before realizing that Neptune couldn't recognize her due to her new outfit and hairstyle.

"No, look, it's me, Noire. Can't you tell? I'm so glad to see—", she caught herself staring where she shouldn't and shot her eyes back to Neptune's, "—to see you. Listen, do you know where Uni is? Or Neptune, or even Nepgear?"

To Noire's confusion, the older Neptune just stared at Noire without a single response. After a few moments of awkward silence, Neptune walked up to Noire, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her into the darkness of the hallway.

She led Noire to one of the rooms at the back. It was a dressing room. Once Neptune closed the door behind them, she wrapped her arms around Noire and started crushing her shoulders.

"T-that's… too much… Are you… crying?"

"I don't normally do this, but just shut up and let me take in this moment for as long as I can in case this is all just a dream."

"Y-you have all the time in the world to give me hugs, because I'm actually here."

"I know." Neptune tightened her hold around Noire.

After a few minutes of embrace, Noire had to push Neptune off of her. Not to be rude or anything, but just so she could continue using her arms for the rest of her life.

"Where have you been this whole time?" Neptune wished to continue the hugging assault.

Noire dropped herself on a beanbag chair and sighed. "Where? It's a long story, but as far as I know, I've only woken up a few hours ago."

"A few hours ago?"

"Long story, and even that's pretty short." She sank into the beanbag some more and took a couple of deep breaths. "I have no idea what happened to me, even less what's going on here at all. What about you? What are you doing here?"

Before Neptune could answer, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," Neptune said.

The door opened and the person who walked in made Noire jump from her seat.

"Uni!?"

Uni jumped and held a clipboard to her chest. "W-who are—…"

"Uni, it's me, Noire. Oh my gosh, I can't believe I found you and Neptune. I've been looking everywhere for you, but I had no idea where to start looking. This place is absolutely crazy. I'm so glad I've found you, Uni, you have no idea how… worried… I… was?"

Uni dropped her clipboard and took slow, staggered steps towards Noire. After a few steps, she took one last step and stumbled, falling forward for Noire to catch her.

"Are you okay?" Noire said with a very worried look on her face.

Uni's face was buried inside Noire's chest. She didn't respond with words, but just a simple nod of her head. Normally, Noire would reject that sort of response and get Uni to tell her what's wrong, but then she felt Uni's entire body shaking. Shaking, as if she were trying to hold in something deep within her, forcing herself from letting it all out.

"Uni," Noire said with a smile. Tears welled in her own eyes. "You can cry. It's okay."

Uni shook her head without looking up, her face kept hidden away in Noire's chest.

Noire giggled. She knew Uni was stubborn. More stubborn than her. So, to help with that, Noire took both sides of her jacket and wrapped them around Uni's head, completely hiding her head from anyone that could be watching. The very moment Noire's fingers touched the back of Uni's head, Uni exploded. Her wailing cries were muffled by Noire's chest and Noire simply held her little sister in an embrace that she was willing to let go on for the rest of her life and beyond.

She didn't want this moment to end, because this was going to be the last time these sisters would ever embrace each other like this. This wasn't due to a sad realization, but because Noire promised to make sure Uni will never be alone ever again.

Because she loved her.

Because they're sisters.

Part 18

Noire was holding her hands tightly together, her fingers pressed against the back of her knuckles. With how hard she was pressing, she probably had made multiple dents on the back of her hands.

Just moments ago, Noire was having an emotional reunion with Uni, but now she was stressing out after learning new information.

"So, I was actually… dead?"

Uni paused for a moment, because she didn't want to think about it any longer. "That's what Lacoste said. I didn't know whether to believe her, but after not seeing you for months… I… I… Noire…"

"It's okay." Noire placed her hand on Uni's thigh. "I'm here now. I'm not dead and I never will be. There's no way I can leave you behind, right? It would stress me out even more knowing Lastation will be in your hands."

"Noire… Hey, wait a minute."

Noire laughed while Uni started pummeling her sister's chest. Moments like these were very rare between them. For Noire, it was always work and only work. She rarely had time to do sisterly things with Uni outside of quests and teaching her how to be a proper leader. If any good as come out of their predicament, is that she's been given a chance to right those wrongs.

She actually felt like a bigger sister to Uni.

"Oh, that's right. If you've been here for a few months now, and you met up with Lacoste, that means you've seen Neptune and Nepgear as well, right?"

"Not exactly… Nepgear, I have no clue where she is. Neptune, on the other hand…"

"I'm right here."

"…apparently, Lacoste said she's somewhere nearby, but I haven't seen her yet. I don't even know their current conditions or if Lacoste was telling the truth." Uni looked down and held her hand to her chest. "Nepgear… I really hope they're okay."

Noire rubbed Uni's back for a bit before standing up. She took the time to walk around the room, loosening her neck and shoulders. The mood has been depressing and she wanted to turn the negative air to something more positive.

And part of it was due to the self-image she had of herself because of her new style.

"Anyways, there's something I've been wondering… Why are you two working at a bar? …And why are you here as a dancer?"

Neptune shrugged. "We just happened to walk by and the boss here pretty much hired me on the spot. Uni called herself my manager and things went off right then and there."

"O-only because there's no way I could leave you alone in such a shady place."

"Oh, that's right. You only agreed to the contract the moment you saw me wearing those sexy bunny outfits. Bunnies sure do give an image of a friendly work environment."

"Sh-shut… shut up…!"

I guess she's not satisfied with just Nepgear. Noire chuckled as she rolled her eyes, but she immediately averted her gaze and hid her blush the moment Neptune appeared at the corner of her eye.

"Do you have to keep wearing that outfit?"

"What, this?" Neptune put on the bunny ear headband and flicked her fluffy bunny tail. "I'm still on the clock, so yeah."

"You have… customers to attend to?"

"Oh, yeah. Always. I think all the other gals are getting pretty jealous at the amount of clients I get on a daily basis."

Noire had her hand on her face. It was hard for her to not feel embarrassed seeing Neptune wear such an outfit and felt flustered hearing her talking about her work-life like it was normal.

"So, what exactly do you do? With your… clients?"

"Hm?" Neptune held a finger to her chin. "Oh, nothing much, really."

Uni sighed. "She just talks to them."

"'Talks'?" Noire blinked.

"Unlike all the other girls, Neptune just lets their clients talk about how their day went. It gets the stress off their chest and they really adore how attentive she is. Apparently, that's what brings customers back here."

The sheer disappointment in Uni's voice made Noire's eye twitch in disturbance.

"Wait, what now? Are you saying that's not what I was supposed to do? What did they expect me to do with such sad, miserable people?"

"That being said, Noire." Uni flipped through the pages clipped onto her clipboard. "There is one client that I believe is an absolute must for you to meet."

"What? Why me? Do I know this person?"

"I probably should have mentioned it sooner, but… I missed you. So… Neptune."

Neptune grabbed a hold of Noire's hand and led her to the door. "C'mon, it's this way."

They left the dressing room and entered the dark hallway once again. Slow jazz music echoed throughout the hallway. The girls on stage must still be dancing, Noire thought, although she tried not to think much of it. It was taking her eyes awhile to adjust, so she made sure to stick close to Neptune as she led her to a door further down the hallway.

She opened the door and a light appeared in the middle of the darkness revealing a plain, smaller room.

And there she was. Sitting on a single soft chair in the middle of the room was Lacoste. The three entered the room and with each step, an ominous aura seemed to devour them. Noire's heart beated faster and her spine wanted to burst free from her body.

The person that brought them all to this mysterious place was right here. In front of them. Could they end it right now?

Lacoste took her time to eye Noire up and down. She raised an eyebrow, but then she started hacking uncontrollably into her arm to the point that her eyes became watery.

"W-where did you get those clothes?"

"Is that important?" Noire said. Although it already seemed as if Lacoste had lowered her guard, Noire didn't want to show any bit of weakness just in case. She was just confused as to why her clothes were given that sort of reaction from Lacoste.

"N-nevermind." Lacoste cleared her throat and waved to Noire. "Come, come. Let's have some fun."

There was an enchanting melody playing through the air as a flashing light appeared in front of Noire. As the light faded, an identical chair appeared in front of Lacoste.

Noire sat down with caution. Uni and Neptune stood on both sides. As long as they were together, Noire felt they could overcome this. But what were they to do? What does Lacoste want?

"Welcome to the land of the living, Noire." Lacoste crossed her legs.

Noire mimicked the same motion. If anything, her new clothes did help with the "cool" image she was trying to portray. Of course, Lacoste wasn't a slouch in her fashion sense as well. Dark clothes and a gray poncho that fit with the cities dark, gloomy, cyberpunk atmosphere — she was definitely used to the place.

Lacoste snickered. "Why do you look so serious? Aren't we just having a chat? If one of us has to be mad, it should be me. After all, you're butting in my fun time." Another melody played and a flashing light appeared, spawning a table with a bottle of champagne in front of Uni. "It's my first time here, you know."

"So, you knew I would be here."

Lacoste shrugged. "Mayhaps."

"Then, let's get straight to the point. Get us back home."

"Woah, super straight to the point." Lacoste took a deep breath. "No."

"And why is that?"

"Whaaat? Do I have to spell it out for you? It's fun this way. You have to figure out how to return yourself. It's no fun if someone tells you how to beat the game."

Noire breathed slowly. She didn't want to show her frustration, but she was about to burst a blood vessel. "Okay, then tell us what we need to do to return to Gamindustri."

Lacoste had a disgusted look on her face. "You rely on a quest tracker? Yuck." She rolled her eyes which almost made Noire want to stand up and choke her. "Are you that desperate to leave already?"

"Excuse me? Of course. You may not have noticed, but you forced us here against our will. I don't know where or what this place is or how you brought us here. The fact that I can't transform to HDD means we're not in the vicinity of Gamindustri. Not to mention I was already dead. I don't know what you're planning, Lacoste, but it's time to end it, or I'll stop you myself here and now."

"Shut up." Lacoste clenched her teeth, her fingers digging into the armrests of her chair. "Is it that damn hard for you to just shut up and—…"

Lacoste smacked her face with both hands, covering her eyes. A single tear managed to escape and run down her cheek. Noire was taken aback by her sudden outburst, but now she was starting to feel she was a bit too harsh. Then again, what could she have done other than show hostility towards her captor?

Seeing Lacoste like this, however, made her look less like a villain.

"You know, it's funny," Lacoste said, trying to hold in her tears. "Back in Lastation, you were interrogating me. Now here we are, and you're still interrogating me."

Lacoste looked away and held her hand to her face like a cool villain would, but between her fingers, she couldn't hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I don't even know the name of this place," Noire said in an attempt to change the subject momentarily.

But all it did was turn Lacoste's face even redder. "…I haven't thought that far yet…"

"…Excuse me?"

"…La…"

"La…?"

"L-la… Lacostation."

"…Lacostation."

"Lacostation!"

Noire almost regretted to even ask. "Is this… not the city you've been talking about?"

"What did you say?" Lacoste pouted. "My city is not out of control like this one."

Noire was even more confused. She thought she had pieced all the puzzles together, but unless Lacoste was playing dumb, Noire was left with an even larger hole.

"So, you're not the CPU of this nation?"

"I feel you are insulting me and I never thought it would hurt this much. No, I'm not the CPU and there is no CPU of this nation whatsoever."

"But, the CPU had gone missing and the people here waited for her to come back, started a government, and split the population between the government and its people. That's why a protest is happening, isn't that right?"

Lacoste's eyes twitched. "Are you seriously making up some super deep lore on the spot? Even I can't do that." Lacoste slammed her fist on her lap. "This is why they never let me be Dungeon Master!"

Noire was speechless at that last comment. Were they even on the same page? No, they probably weren't even on the same library.

Lacoste waved her hand. "No, this place is just one of my many domains. A world I created. I simply created a setting and a goal. A goal for you, because for you, this is all just a game."

"A 'game'?"

"That's right. Nepgear and small Neptune should already know how this works. It's as simple as beating the game and the prize is your freedom."

Uni tugged on Noire's shoulder. "Neptune and I have been here for months and this is the first time we've heard about such a game."

"I'm not a big fan of miss-able party members. I wanted to wait until Noire woke up so eeeeveryone can take part in the fun. It took a while because I ran out of orange smoke."

It was still hard to believe, but there wasn't a reason not to believe her. Clearly, Lacoste is far more powerful than she lets herself on and Noire didn't want to mess with her. Being able to create a world at a whim was unheard of, but if there was a clear cut goal to getting out of here, then fine, she'll play her little game.

"You said something about Neptune and Nepgear."

"Oh, yeah, they've been through this before. A different game, but same rules. Beat the game, you're free."

"Then the next question is simple. How do we beat the game?"

She reached down the neck of her poncho and pulled out a key attached around her neck. "See this? You need this. It leads to the director's room."

"Then it's easy. We just take that key from you, get to your room, and then we'll be able to leave. Is that it?"

"You think I'm the director?" Lacoste waved her finger. "No, an AI supercomputer is the brain and heart of this city. You need this key to get in that room and defeat it. Only then are you able to leave."

Lacoste casted her eyes towards the floor. "I'm not able to manage my own nation, anyway…" She spoke those words to herself for no one else to hear, but Noire managed to hear a good bit of it.

Noire stood from her seat and stepped towards Lacoste, towering over her. "It doesn't change anything. We'll be taking that key now."

The look of depression that veiled Lacoste's true nature shattered the moment a shit-eating smirk formed across her face. "Oh, Uni."

"N-Now?"

Noire wondered what that quick exchange was about, but before she could turn to see Uni, Uni had already grabbed Noire's hands and held her arms behind her back, locking her wrists together with handcuffs.

"Uni? What's the meaning of this?"

"Noire, I-I'm—…"

"Sorry, Noire," Neptune said. She knew that Uni couldn't handle capturing her own sister, so she moved Uni to the side and held onto Noire's arms herself.

"I-I… I… N-no, I…"

"Are you… betraying me?"

Uni's hands were shaking, her head about to explode from being unable to comprehend her own actions. "No! N-no, I— I just—… She… You… came back… She said—…"

"Lacoste came to us the first few days we arrived," Neptune said. "If we promised to comply to her demands, she'd return you to us and let us return home together. Sorry, but this is just part of that."

"And I kept my side of the bargain."

"So, this was planned."

Noire accepted that part of reality, but she couldn't help but feel ultimate betrayal by her own little sister. Seeing Uni's mental breakdown was nothing short of pitiful at this point. Unable to form simple sentences, the only thing coming out of her mouth was noise, drowning in her own tears, choking on them.

She was telling herself that it wasn't Uni's fault. It couldn't have been. They were in this situation because of Lacoste. She took advantage of Uni's vulnerability.

Lacoste walked up and wrapped her arms around a broken Uni, holding her in an embrace that would, hopefully, soothe her heart and calm her down. She did this without taking her eyes off Noire. "You're so mean, letting her cry like this. She was just doing it for you. The workaholic, no time for fun with friends or family, always ready to neglect others, CPU of Lastation."

Every word of hers was like stab wounds through Noire's heart, but none made her snap more than what came out of Lacoste's mouth next.

"So, you used up my time I could have spent with Neptune, and seeing how she has her hands busy dealing with you, well…" She brushed her fingertips against Uni's chin. "How about I take this little one for a spin?"

And that was it.

With Neptune's grasp still around her wrists, Noire flipped her over her back like a judo throw, causing Neptune to hit and turn over the cushioned chair.

She charged at Lacoste, bashing her with her shoulder and pinning Lacoste against the near wall. She kicked behind her, knocking the small table and flipping the champagne bottle up into the air.

She spun and extended her leg as the champagne bottle came near contact between Lacoste's face and Noire's foot, but a large tremor forced Noire off her foot. A deafening blast filled her ears with ringing and the room was filled with smoke and debris. She was handcuffed, so she couldn't cover her mouth from the debris and started coughing as her lungs burned. She couldn't see a thing past the smoke until a slight movement in front of her caused the path in front of her to disperse and saw Lacoste standing in front of her with Uni's limp body laying in her arms.

Lacoste was about to get away and there was nothing Noire could do about it. She was mocking her, she thought, but Noire had a look at her face. Again, it was a face that didn't belong to someone who would torment them like this. A playful smile she imagined the Lacoste she first met at her basilicom would always have. Even now, Noire couldn't help but think why.

Lacoste's lips moved. Noire couldn't hear anything but the constant ringing, but she watched her lips as they formed the words: "Have fun, please?"

Lacoste turned her back towards the fallen Noire and disappeared behind the veil of debris. After a moment, the ringing slowly stopped, but was replaced by constant noise just as loud. The same noise she heard before she entered the bar. Rioting. The debris dispersed and appeared orange flames behind two bright, blinding lights. Noire crawled to the side and saw that a large truck had ran through and demolished the entire wall of the room they were in while a massive riot was taking place right behind it.

She saw a body twitch right next to her. It was Neptune, she had just woken up after getting knocked out by the blast.

"Neptune, are you all right? I'm sorry, but you have to get out of here, fast."

Neptune rubbed the back of her head. "Where's… Where's my manager?"

"Lacoste took her. Listen, you must get yourself to safety. Go through the front and find somewhere safe. I'll find Uni and Lacoste."

"But your handcuffs! I… Shoot, I don't have the keys."

"Forget it. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

Neptune gritted her teeth, regretting what happened that led up to now. "I'm sorry…"

Noire shook her head and gave Neptune a reassuring smile. "You did what you had to do."

The building shook and pieces of the ceiling collapsed around them. Fire started spreading into the room from the outside. If they stayed for any moment longer, there would be no escape.

"Go!" Noire pushed Neptune away, giving them both a chance to escape. Neptune, realizing wasting anymore time would end her life, finally ran off, leaving Noire behind.

Noire dodged the flames and ran out through the hole that the truck blasted through, barely escaping with her life as the ceiling fully collapsed, leaving behind nothing but rubble and no way back.

The lamps and neon signs that once lit the area had blacked out and replaced by the fluorescence of torches like will-o'-wisps. People were running one way as if they were soldiers about to assault a castle, carrying torches, signs, stakes, throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails, and handmade EMP grenades.

They were hurting themselves more so than trying to harm whatever enemy they banded together to fight against. Was this even a protest anymore?

Noire moved along and followed the course of the rampaging rioters as to not get trampled over. She had to keep moving even if she didn't want to. People were on the ground injured, some were unnecessarily destroying property, others attacking others for no reason. A flying car had been struck by thrown stake, causing it to fly off course and skid against the face of a building. The debris and broken glass had fallen on top of some of the protesters below.

If only she could transform. She could have stopped all this once and for all.

This total nightmare had made Noire forget what she was doing in the first place.

Noire escaped into the nearest alleyway to clear her thoughts. It was hectic. It was impossible to recognize what part of the city she was in. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had to give up trying to find out where Lacoste went. A strategic break, she tried to convince herself. Besides, what can she do out there?

The feeling of being in the dark alleyway was weird. Usually, she would be wary, but right now, it was a sanctuary. There were a few homeless people in rags. An expected sight, but they were probably here more so to get away from the violence out there. There were even regular folk hiding out here. Students, business people, everyday joes.

Some were huddled up together sharing a single blanket. Some were huddled up around a barrel on fire. Her heart was out to them. If this were her city, these were the people she wanted to help the most. Even if the protesters were fighting for a cause worth fighting for, it just isn't worth it if people are getting hurt by it.

The ultimate goal is to take Lacoste's key, defeat the director, and then return to Gamindustri.

But would Noire truly be satisfied with just that?

Noire scanned the area once more, looking at the faces of all the people she walked by. She accidentally stepped on someone's foot as she turned a corner.

"Oops, sorry, I didn't mean to— wait a minute…"

Her eyes had to adjust to the darkness, but there was just barely enough light to make out the shape of a small girl sitting with her arms around her knees. Her hood was hiding her head, but she didn't need to know what he face looked like. There was only one person she knew who wore a baggy white and purple parka.

Noire's eyes widen in hopes her guess was correct. "Neptune…?"

She pulled her knees in closer, burying her head deeper between her legs. Noire could have sworn she heard a whimper.

Noire got to her knees and reached out, but Neptune whined some more and scooted a bit further away, covering her head with her arms. Noire still didn't back down. She reached out and held Neptune's shaking arms, caressed them through her sleeves as she ran her hands towards Neptune's hood. She pinched the hem of the hood and, for a moment, her heart almost jumping through her throat as she reveal what was under it.

A large, gnarly red mark occupied one side of Neptune's face. Her bubbly, childish, cute face was now bruised and bloodied. It was a sight that no one in any universe would have imagined to see. Like a mawed rabbit, a crushed squirrel, or a skinned hamster. Gruesome things you never want to see happen to the embodiment of cuteness. Yet, here she was, trying desperately to look into Neptune's eyes, only to be pulled like a magnet towards the wound on her delicate face.

"N-Noire… Don't…"

Noire ignored her and pulled her in, wrapping her arms tightly around Neptune's body. There was no care in the world whether or not her hug was hurting Neptune more than the wound on her face.

At this moment, she wanted her more than any other time they've been together. Her peace. Her embrace. Her treasure. This cherishing moment.

Because this would be the last time before her rage ends up having Lacoste burned on a stake.