Change The World

by Charlotte Eraviel

A Goddess has fallen. A new Goddess inaugurated. Everything has changed when Nepgear lost her most important treasure. Will she give up on it and press forward, or still cling to it? And with all of the changes that happened and are currently happening, another thing is for sure: Gamindustri's fate will surely become abysmal. - Continuation of Change.

7. The Beginning of the End

Hello guys! Time for Chapter 7!

I did some revisions with the story's plot, so we'll have a little timeskip in this chapter since I originally planned that the story would end after this one, but nah, it felt too bland to me, so I extended it a little.

Anyways, answering questions:

To Draen: Ah, you misunderstood me xD What I meant was, I still can't get over with Memories. About Rom and Ram… well, I decided not to include them since… I don't see any part of the story where they would fit in.

To Arantir: *smug look*

Uhm, I don't know, but in this chapter, I'm not sure if I should change the fic's rating to M. Tell me what you guys think. Just in case :^)

Again, I want to thank everyone who is supporting this story of mine! You guys are the best :)

Onto the chapter now, enjoy!

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Uni came back to Lastation's Basilicom at around eight in the evening. She headed to Noire's room to check up on her. Peeking inside the room, she saw Noire sitting behind her desk. She seemed to be too absorbed with whatever she was doing, so Uni decided not to interrupt her and just left.

"Oh, I need to talk to Ms. Vert..."

She then turned around and walked back to Noire's office. As she arrived, she knocked twice, but she heard no replies. She then slowly opened the door and saw her sister still busy with whatever she was doing on her computer. Even after she walked inside, Noire didn't even notice her.

"Sis...?"

Noire jolted up with an 'eek!' voice as she heard her sister's call. Uni didn't expect that kind of reaction.

"O-Oh, welcome back, Uni!" Noire said as she turned to Uni. "It's pretty late, where have you been?"

"A-Ah, I was just doing some public service." Uni said with an awkward face, though it didn't look like Noire bought that excuse, which was no excuse as it was true. "I... I need to talk to Ms. Vert. Can I borrow the phone for a bit?"

Noire raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure? What do you need from her anyway?"

"Ah, there is this incident about a missing person, and an agent of The Guild I met earlier is looking for her personally, so I extended my help to her."

Noire tried to recall if there was an incident like this happened in Lastation before, but sadly, she couldn't remember. Though she wasn't sure if there was an issue like that in the first place.

"Okay, then. You can find Vert's number on the third page of the log book."

Uni nodded before picking the phone up. She took the log book which was placed right beside the phone and searched for Vert's number. As she found it, she dialed it on the phone immediately. Uni patiently waited for Vert to pick up the call.

"Hello, this is Vert, CPU of Leanbox. May I help you?"

Now, Uni didn't expect that Vert would just say her status like that. But she didn't have the time to ask her about that. "Umm, Ms. Vert? This is Uni."

"My, Uni, it's nice to hear from you!" Vert said from the other line. To Uni's ears, Vert was definitely excited. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, Ms. Vert, I just want to ask about an accident that happened near Leanbox..."

Vert didn't reply after Uni said that, which somehow made her nervous. "...Ah yes, I've heard of that, but it was already resolved. What do you need to know?"

"I met an agent of The Guild who was looking for a missing person caught in the accident." Uni replied.

"I see. So there were indeed missing people." Vert said as she sighed from the phone. "Okay, I'll look into it later. I'll call you back if I found something."

Uni was delighted to hear that answer. "Thank you, Ms. Vert!"

"Anything for you, Uni." Vert said. Despite not seeing it personally, Uni knew that Vert just winked at her.

Uni thanked Vert again before ending the call. While Uni was grateful that she got help from Vert, she also knew that that CPU wanted something in return.

~o~O~o~

"I'm back, Nepgear..."

Nepgear was staring at the figure that just emerged out of the cracked space. She couldn't believe it. Neither the people behind her could as well.

"S... Sis... is... that really... you...?" Nepgear slowly walked towards her 'sister'.

The person smiled at Nepgear. "Yes... Nepgear. It is I, Neptune. Your sister..." Neptune said as she opened her arms wide, waiting for Nepgear to come to her. She was in her HDD form and known as Purple Heart. "Come, Nepgear. I've missed you so much..."

Nepgear couldn't hold back her tears anymore. She longed for her sister's return. She longed for her embrace. All these years without her sister was nothing but a complete nightmare. Now that her wish came true, she didn't need anything anymore. All she wanted was her sister, Neptune. To be with her and to be by her side, forever.

Forever and ever.

"SIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSS-!" Nepgear flew to her sister and threw herself into Neptune's arms. "Sis...! Sis...! I've missed you so much...!" She then started to cry on Neptune's chest.

Neptune hugged Nepgear tightly and then whispered in her ear. "Don't cry anymore, Nepgear... I will never leave you again..."

Nepgear's cries subsided a little as she nodded. Meanwhile, the other CPUs staring at them just had this shocked expression. There, they just saw Neptune in front of them, who definitely should've been gone from this world ten years ago. This was the first time they saw a goddess brought back to life.

"N-N-Nep...tune... is that... really you...?" The CPU of Lastation, Noire, currently in her HDD form, Black Heart, asked as she took a step forward, but she got no replies from Neptune. The former CPU of Planeptune just flew up to the hole in the ceiling without giving a care about Noire's question. "...Neptune!" Noire tried to reach for her, but for some reason, she couldn't move her body.

Was it the guilt from before coming back to bite her? She thought that was the case, but she herself wasn't even sure of what she was feeling.

"Nepgear... let's go home..." As they arrived at the hole in the ceiling, Neptune glanced back at the three CPUs and smiled.

Noire and the other two CPUs was left as Neptune exited with Nepgear. They had a lot of questions for Neptune, but it seemed like Neptune didn't give three cares about them. Noire could just stare at the hole in the ceiling where Neptune and Nepgear made their exit. While yes, she was happy that she saw Neptune once again, but for some reason, she couldn't help but feel something was definitely not right, aside from Neptune being alive when she was supposed to be dead.

But of course, her self-loathing didn't last a moment. Right after Neptune and Nepgear went out of the cave...

"AGH-!"

Noire and the CPU of Leanbox, Vert, in her HDD form, Green Heart, turned to the source of the voice who just grunted in pain. And there, they saw their other companion, Blanc, in her HDD form, known as White Heart, the CPU of Lowee, had a blade piercing through her body, on the upper part of her abdomen.

"BLANC!" Vert was shocked to see Blanc's state.

"W... What the... f..fu-akh!" Blanc coughed a few amounts of blood as the blade was forcefully stabbed on her body.

Noire was paralyzed as she stared at Blanc's bleeding figure. She didn't know what to do with this situation. She was too conflicted. As the blade was taken out of Blanc's body, she fell to the ground, receiving another shocking revelation.

"...Neptune...?" Noire said.

Yes, it was Neptune, in her HDD form, Purple Heart, who was behind Blanc and just stabbed her. Noire could see that much as the blade she was holding was tainted with blood. She couldn't be more shocked than she was already after seeing two Neptunes.

"..."

But this Neptune didn't even flinch. She just had this expressionless face on her. She didn't even answer like she couldn't say a word. While Noire was paralyzed in confusion, it was the complete opposite for Vert.

"YOU BITCH...! HOW DARE YOU HURT BLANC!"

Vert dashed to Neptune and attempted to slice her in half, but Neptune parried her attack. Vert didn't stop there and just kept on slashing Neptune while circling around the room. Sparks were flying every time their weapons clashed while releasing a small shockwave that spread out of the room.

"..."

Even so, Neptune's expression didn't change as she parried Vert's attacks. Vert had grown more furious and summoned another spear from her left hand.

"You may be Neptune, but if you hurt Blanc or my friends in any way, I will not hesitate to kill you!" Vert spun around as her right spear was locked with Neptune's sword and delivered a heavy downward slash using her other spear. Neptune crashed onto the ground by the massive force that Vert exerted.

Noire could just watch them. She was completely out of it. She was rendered motionless from the shock.

But of course, Vert didn't stop there. "I'm going to kill you, NEPTUNE!"

She stepped on the ceiling and plummeted down at near lightning speed towards Neptune, who was groaning on the ground. As she dropped down, Vert stabbed both of her spears on Neptune's chest and releasing a massive shockwave in the whole room. Blood splattered on Vert as her spears pierced Neptune's body.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Vert did not stop there and continued to stab and slice Neptune's body repeatedly. She was already bathing in Neptune's blood as she was driven by her rage, but she didn't give two cares about it. She couldn't suppress her anger. Neptune's body was still getting massacred by Vert even as the guts were already splattering anywhere, and she didn't have any plans of stopping until Neptune was reduced to bits.

"...Noire...! Noire...!"

Noire didn't even notice that someone was calling her until she was shaken up. "NOIRE!"

In an instant, Noire snapped out of her thoughts and turned to the source of the voice. "H-Histoire...?! What are you doing here?

"Uzume told me to stay back for a bit, so I have no idea what is going on inside." Histoire said. "More importantly, you have to stop Vert! She's going insane!"

Noire turned to Vert, who was still massacring Neptune. She cleared her hesitating thoughts and immediately dashed to Vert as she summoned her giant sword.

"Wake the hell up, Vert!" Noire cried as she twisted her sword and hit Vert's back using the flat part of her blade.

"GAH!" Vert was blown away, slid on the ground and ultimately crashed into the wall. A few small boulders fell over her body after the impact.

Histoire flew towards Noire, but as she got close, she immediately regretted it. She instantly covered her mouth after seeing raw flesh scattered anywhere near her and prevented herself from throwing up. She couldn't even identify the person that got slaughtered, as the thing she just saw wasn't a representation of a person.

"...!"

Noire suddenly remembered more pressing matters. "Histoire, Blanc needs your help!" Noire said and levitated towards where Blanc was. Histoire followed her and as soon as they arrived where Blanc was, she was already bleeding intensively and her transformation was reverted. Blanc's breathing was getting heavier by the second, so they didn't waste any more precious time and tended to her wounds. Noire didn't say a word and carefully rolled Blanc's body so she would face up, with Histoire initiating the treatment without further ado.

"...What happened...?" Histoire asked.

Noire bit her lip before answering. "...Neptune is back."

Histoire's eyes widened as she heard that. "R-Really...? H-How?" Though it didn't look like she was surprised big time.

"I hope I have the answer to that question..." Noire didn't expect Histoire to just react like that. She had expected her to be more bewildered, but she guessed that it was her nature not to be shocked too much.

"...Who was the person Vert just killed?" Histoire asked.

"Neptune." Noire immediately answered.

"Eh?" That seemed to have caught Histoire off-guard. "...But, you said she was just-"

"No, that was another Neptune. The real... Neptune flew away already with Nepgear." Noire said.

Histoire noticed uncertainties in Noire's words, but she didn't try to find it out for now as she got better things to ask. "So... that was a clone or something?"

Noire nodded in agreement. She just saw a very strong irony about Neptune earlier, and that made her raise a lot of doubts. Either way, she had to talk about this to everyone later.

After a short while, she heard a sound of rocks moving. She turned to the source and saw Vert standing up from the other side of the room. Good thing that the light was still shining a brightly so Noire could still see everything inside the room. At the same time, Blanc's breathing was gradually going back to normal. Noire then stood up and readied her sword, in case that Vert might go on a rampage again.

But, she sighed in relief after she saw what Vert did.

"...Ugh... what...?" Vert said as she fell on her knees while rubbing her temples.

"Vert! Are you okay?" Noire immediately rushed to her aid. "Sorry for hitting you earlier, but I can't think of any other way to stop you."

Vert swung her head. "No, it's fine. I am aware of what I did." Vert said as she stared at her palms, which was covered in blood. Actually, her whole body was covered in blood. "When I saw Blanc got stabbed... I felt... scared all of a sudden."

Noire couldn't say anything as a reply. She didn't know Vert that...

"...I don't want to see anyone die again..." Vert said and she sighed while she wept. "...Pretty ironic, right? I just killed Neptune."

"No, that wasn't the real Neptune, Vert."

Vert wasn't surprised to hear that. "Yes, I know. The real one already left with Nepgear." She said. "Either way, she still is Neptune."

That really wasn't what Noire was trying to say, but she thought that maybe her talk about her thoughts would have to wait until Histoire finishes her work. Either way, this wasn't really a good place to talk about it, so probably it would be for the best if they got out of Planeptune first.

But suddenly, Vert remembered something very important. "Where's Blanc by the way?!" She panickily asked as she shook Noire's shoulder. "Where is she, Noire?!"

Noire didn't expect that side of Vert... or so she thought. "Histoire's treating her wounds right now, so you don't have to worry anymore."

Vert sighed deeply in relief after hearing that. "Is... that so...? I'm glad...-" She then released Noire. Vert stood up and immediately rushed towards Histoire, who was still healing Blanc's wound, leaving Noire behind.

"..."

Noire could just bite her lips after Vert left.

~o~O~o~

It felt so nice.

Yes, so nice.

It felt so nice, being close to my sister again and feel her warmth. I've never felt so alive again after all these years.

"..." I just stared at Neptune as she was carrying me back to the Basilicom. She didn't have any expression on her face other than a smiling one.

Ah, it's so comforting. I wished that this would last forever. I wanted her to stay with me, and not leave me again. Being separated from her was really excruciating, and I wouldn't want to experience something like that ever again.

Neptune saw me staring at her, and her smile widened a little. "Nepgear, close your eyes. It's not yet morning." She said in a soothing voice. "You can rest for now. I know you've been through a lot."

I nodded and slowly closed my eyes. Yes, I could barely keep my eyes open all this time. A few hours of sleep would really be nice.

Yet... I couldn't help but think that something was wrong.

Why so?

"..."

Back in the cave... I knew that I heard a scream of pain.

But... I couldn't do anything... like... I'm completely… entranced… by… Neptune...

~o~O~o~

Planeptune.

As soon as Histoire finished treating Blanc's wounds, they set forth to Leanbox. Histoire wasn't able to fully heal Blanc's wounds because she found out that something was preventing her from doing so, but she managed to stop the bleeding. She would need a proper room and materials to treat Blanc.

"How's Blanc, Histoire?" Vert asked. She was carrying Blanc in her arms, while Histoire was being carried by Noire.

Histoire swung her head. "I can't say anything solid for now, but her life is more or less still in danger."

"More or less?"

"I'll explain it later." Histoire said.

After that, Vert kept herself from asking questions, while Noire just stayed silent. Not long after that, they arrived at Leanbox. They headed straight to the Basilicom, but they didn't enter via the entrance. They used the window of Vert's room, as she didn't really want to get some attention. She was still covered in blood, after all. The two CPUs reverted their transformation as they got in.

"Go clean yourself, Vert. I'll assist Histoire in treating Blanc." Noire said. "Can't stand seeing you like that, and you reek of blood."

Vert was about to say something, but she held herself as she knew Noire was right. She was completely aware of what she had done, of course. Without further ado, she left them and entered the bathroom. Well, she kinda really needed it.

Noire looked for something sturdy and spacious to lie Blanc down but unfortunately, she couldn't find anything proper. The only thing that she could use was Vert's bed, in which she was reluctant in using. It was her bed, after all.

But there was no time to be hesitant now. Blanc's life was on the line here. She swung her head to clear her thoughts and lied Blanc down on the bed. Well, she just hoped that Vert wouldn't get grouchy later.

"Can you heal her now, Histoire?" Noire asked as the preparations were complete.

Histoire swung her head, which confused Noire. "I can't do it alone, I'll need both your and Vert's help."

After that, both Histoire and Noire turned to the bathroom's door with expectant looks. Not long after that, Vert went out, with only a towel covering her body. "I heard you. Give me a moment, I'll just get dressed."

Noire and Histoire nodded. In not more than five minutes, Vert was fully clothed. Not her usual dress, but just enough to cover her entire body.

"Alright, before we get started, I'll explain what happened to Blanc." Histoire said as she landed her tome beside Blanc. "Blanc's body is disconnected from her share reserves. Her shares couldn't flow in her body because something is blocking it."

Noire and Vert's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time they heard of something like this. While they knew that they weren't invincible even with the power of shares, they surely didn't expect that it was possible to cut them off from their source of power.

"So, how do we solve this?"

Histoire then had a sour expression on her face. "I will need to find a solution in my manual... but it'll take me three days."

"You think Blanc would last that long?!" Vert then clenched her fists. "She would be dead before you find your solution!"

Histoire raised her right hand. "I know. That's why I said that I would need your help with this."

"You don't need our permission. I just want to save Blanc." Vert said as she calmed herself down. Noire wasn't bothered anymore about her attitude towards Blanc.

Histoire cleared her throat before speaking. "The energy that is blocking the shares is too strong, so we would need an equivalent or greater share energy to forcefully enter Blanc's body and negate it."

"That's it? Pretty simple, if you ask me." Vert said.

Histoire swung her head. Obviously, Vert didn't know anything. "No, it isn't that simple. That means, we're going to do it by force and overload Blanc's body with share energy until the virus inside her body is completely destroyed." Histoire explained and bit her lip afterward. "Suddenly overloading her with share energy can potentially destroy her body, now that it is disconnected from her share reserves."

With that, Vert and Noire suddenly became nervous. They had the solution on their hands, but that solution could also lead to Blanc's demise. It was a double-edged blade, indeed, but the fastest way to save Blanc. Both of them clenched their fists as they seriously gave it a thought. Blanc's life was at stake. They didn't know what to do, as whichever choice they pick could end up killing Blanc.

"T-Then, how about we do it slowly...?" Vert suggested.

Again, Histoire swung her head. "We can't. The small share energy we would force into her would just be eaten by that virus, so we need to shove large amounts of it in one go so the virus wouldn't be able to cope with the sudden change."

Noire and Vert gulped. It seemed like there was no other way to save Blanc. Either way, Blanc's going to die anyway if they wouldn't make any decision. At the very least, they could put their faith on her.

"...Let's do it." Vert finally made up her mind. Noire turned to her; she could already see from Vert's face that she was really against this, but they had no choice.

Noire turned back to Histoire. "If Vert's okay with it, then so do I." She said and nodded. "Let's save Blanc."

Histoire nodded in return and flew to the opposite side of the bed. "Come closer, I want you to place your hands on top of Blanc's wound." Histoire ordered as she placed hers on top of Blanc. "I will serve as the medium to channel your share energy to her body."

The two CPUs didn't say a word and just complied with Histoire's request. As they did so, Histoire floated on top of their hands and raised both of her hands. A short while after that, Histoire's body glowed, and chains came out of her tome, binding Blanc's body to the bed.

"Don't mind the chains; it's just an assurance." Histoire said. "Are you ready?"

Noire and Vert nodded without hesitation, though they were still not comfortable with the chains. But no, complaining about it wouldn't help Blanc, so they just shut their mouths up. "Please hold each other's hands tightly, and don't let go whatever happens." The two CPUs looked at each other first before doing so, clasping their hands together very tight. After learning that they were both ready, Histoire summoned a sharicite on her hands and placed it on top of their hands. "I'm saving this for Nepgear in the future, but now's not the time for hesitation."

The two CPUs felt bad after hearing that. Well, Histoire helped them a lot to solve lots of things. And now, she was going to help them again. Not just any simple help, but she was sacrificing one of Planeptune's important possessions.

"You don't need to feel bad about it." Histoire said as she knew what the two was thinking. "I can just make another, though it would take me three months to do so, it's not really a problem."

That didn't reassure the two CPUs.

"Okay, let's get started." Histoire said as she touched the sharicite. "Remember what I told you earlier."

They nodded. It looked like they were ready.

"Here goes...!"

Histoire broke the sharicite and the fragments of it went under Noire and Vert's hands, entering Blanc's wound. In an instant, Blanc's body glowed and jerked upward.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH-!"

Both Noire and Vert were surprised with Blanc's sudden cry. It seemed like she was in great pain, and even if she was unconscious, she could feel it. Vert was trying to pull her hands away, but Noire held it tightly, not even thinking if it would break her bones or not.

"Don't... let go...!" Histoire ordered. The share energy that was coming from Noire and Vert was continuously flowing into Blanc's body directly as she was guiding it using the fragments of the sharicite. Without it, the share energy would just leak out of their bodies, and their reserves would collapse in no time.

Blanc's cries continued as they kept the huge flow of share energy flowing to Blanc's body. A minute after that, Noire could already feel her breathing getting heavier. The same could be said with Vert, but she was breathing heavier than Noire. Histoire noticed that they were already losing their strength, but they weren't done yet. She knew that there were still small traces of the virus, as she could still feel some fragments of the sharicite running inside Blanc's body. The sharicite was still eliminating the virus.

"Don't let go! We're not yet done!" Histoire ordered.

Ten seconds have passed, Histoire still didn't give the stop signal. Noire could feel her body getting hotter and heavier, but she didn't give up just yet. The same as well with Vert, though she was in a worse condition than Noire. Her eyes were already closing as she gritted her teeth.

"H...His...toire, how... much longer...?" Noire tried to ask, but she wished that she didn't because it took her a lot just to say one word.

Histoire already knew that both of them were already past their limits, but the cleansing was still not done. "I know I have no rights to say this, but please hold out just a bit longer!"

Noire didn't say a word after that and just held on Vert's hand tighter. She couldn't take it anymore. She could pass out any second now, and Vert was indifferent. The only thing that was keeping them conscious was their will to save Blanc.

"Just a little more...!" Histoire said as she kept her focus on the sharicite fragments in Blanc's body. She could feel the fragments' presence gradually disappearing. That means the fragments were eradicating the virus along with itself.

As soon as Histoire felt that the sharicite was completely gone, "It's done! Pull out now!" She ordered. At the same instant, Noire and Vert pulled their hands away from Blanc, but because their strength was drained, they easily lost their balance and fell on the floor with their backs. The two of them were catching their breaths, as that ordeal seriously took a lot of their strengths. The chains that bound Blanc also disappeared, with Blanc's cries stopped and her body fell down on the bed.

"How... is Blanc... Histoire...?" Vert asked while still lying down.

Histoire looked at Blanc. Her body light covering her body was slowly disappearing, and her wound was slowly closing as well.

"You two did a fine work. Blanc's in good shape now." Histoire said and gave Vert a reassuring smile. "Though it would take a few days before she wakes up."

Vert then cracked a smile. "Is... that so...? That's good... to hear...-" At the same moment, Vert passed out. Histoire wasn't surprised though. What surprised her though was Noire was already sitting up.

"Are you alright, Noire? Don't force yourself." Histoire said with concern. But Noire just swung her head after taking a deep breath.

But Noire just swung her head after taking a deep breath. "No… I can't afford… to pass out now." She said as she crawled beside the bed and leaned on it. It seemed like she was indeed forcing herself, as she was still short on breathing.

Histoire sighed. There was no talking Noire out of her stubbornness. "If that is what you want, then I won't stop you." She said. "I need to go back to Planeptune now. Nepgear might be looking for me."

That somehow caught Noire's attention. "Are you daft, Histoire?! Did you already forget that… it was Neptune who almost killed Blanc?"

Histoire had no answer for that. Even though she knew that it was a clone who hurt Blanc, it wouldn't take a genius person to know that it was Neptune's doing as well.

"Don't go back to Planeptune for now. I am confident that Nepgear isn't going to be herself anymore." Noire said.

That statement confused Histoire. "What do you mean by that?"

Noire took a deep breath before talking. "The Neptune who got revived isn't also the real Neptune." She said. Her breathing's gradually going back to normal, and she was glad for that as she can finally talk normally, but she could still feel her body a little heavy. "Both the one that Vert killed, and the one with Nepgear, are fakes. And for a clone of Neptune to appear right when she came back… you know what I'm saying, right?"

Histoire nodded reluctantly, as she still had some uncertain thoughts. "Not to doubt you or anything but, do you have any evidence for that?" Histoire asked. It would make sense, well, partially only, if only one was fake. But both?

Noire took another deep breath before answering. "I'm sure you already know that since you are recording history." She said. "Something that wouldn't match Neptune's qualities."

Histoire was silent. What Noire said was true, and Histoire just remembered as Noire mentioned it. She knew what had happened in Celestia, and how Neptune died. She sacrificed herself to make them realize what the most important thing was, and comparing it from Noire's assertion earlier, the information Histoire had about Neptune wouldn't indeed match.

"I... I guess you're right." Histoire surrendered. She didn't know if her staying away from Planeptune, for now, was the best thing to do, but until they obtain enough information about the current situation, it was the least she could do.

"As long as you understand." Noire said. "You can stay in my Basilicom for the time being. I could use some help in setting up the defenses. It's time to use that. And with your help, I'm sure we could finish it in no time."

Histoire raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I, Vert, and Blanc have been developing a defense system in the case when... well, pardon my assumptions... when Nepgear attacks us." Noire said as she looked away.

Histoire didn't know what to feel about that, but at the same time, she couldn't blame them at all. Well, it was just normal for them to create something like that to protect their people, and she was sure that she'd do the same if she was in their shoes.

"But... we still haven't finished it." Noire said.

"I could understand that, but I told you before that Nepgear isn't the type of person to do that."

Noire swung her head in disagreement. "Not Nepgear anymore, Histoire, but Neptune." Noire said. "Given what she did to Blanc, I'm not going to doubt myself about this one."

"Alright then, but you still haven't answered my question earlier. About Nepgear not being herself anymore."

Noire took a few deep breaths. While her breathing going back to its usual pacing, her fatigue was something she couldn't ignore. "Just think about it, Histoire... it would be pretty normal for Nepgear to wish for Neptune's return... And now that she's back..."

Histoire made an 'ah' expression after finally getting what Noire was trying to say. "...Nepgear would never shed a single doubt about her sister, right...?"

"Yes, that's correct. And that way, Neptune can manipulate her in any way she wanted."

Now, Histoire was glad that she decided to stay away from Planeptune for the time being. While they had no actual proof that it could happen, it was better safe than sorry. They couldn't let what happened to Blanc happen to anyone else.

"Alright, then. I'll do as you say for now, but on one condition." Histoire said. Noire nodded in reply, implying that she was ready to listen to her request. "You're going to save Nepgear as well."

"You don't need to tell me that. That's the plan all along." Noire said as she rested her head on the bed. "In any case, I assume that Nepgear holds all the secrets to Neptune's return, so we have to separate her from her sister."

Histoire didn't reply after that. Though she could agree with Noire, she was sure that Uzume knew something as well, since she was most of the time, if not always, with Nepgear. But alas, she didn't have the means to find her. Histoire then just floated to the pantry and took a cup of water and gave it to Noire. The Lastation CPU thanked her and drank it.

"Let's go back to your Basilicom once you're feeling better." Histoire said as she took the empty cup from Noire. "It'd be nice if we could talk to Vert before we go but I guess we don't have the time for that."

"Don't worry, I'll just call her later..." Noire said as she closed her eyes.

~o~O~o~

A week had passed.

Inside Leanbox's Basilicom, specifically in Vert's room, Blanc was lying down on the bed. She was in that state for days and counting, not showing any signs of awakening. But of course, she wasn't alone. There was Vert sitting on a chair at the window, beside the bed, reading a book.

The weather outside was so pleasant. Vert was glancing once in a while outside the window as she read her book. When she woke up a few hours after passing out a week ago, she found out that Noire and Histoire had already left. But the next day, she received a call from Noire and relayed everything she and Histoire discussed about Neptune and their plans about the defense system. She didn't think twice and agreed to it, but she had to take care of Blanc as well. That was why she wasn't in Lastation right now.

"..."

Vert was patiently waiting for Blanc to wake up from her sleep.

"..."

The day had passed. Blanc still didn't wake up. It was already nighttime, so it was time for her to sleep. She was also working on Uni's request during the mornings but so far, she hadn't found a single clue yet about the missing person.

Maybe tomorrow, something fruitful would happen.

Who was she kidding though? She had been saying that to herself for days, but the results were indifferent. Yet, she never once gave up and believed that something good will come out of it.

Vert decided to sleep for the night and hoped that something nice would happen tomorrow.

~o~O~o~

The next day, Vert woke up at exactly eight in the morning. She was using the vacant room next to hers, as Blanc occupied her room. She went to the bathroom and did her morning routine of washing her face then taking a bath, though she should've taken the latter one first and forget the former one.

After taking a bath, she changed into her usual outfit and headed to her room. She found Blanc on her bed, still unconscious.

"…Blanc…"

She had this worried look on her face. It was already a week and a day since Blanc was in a coma. Though of course, worrying about her would not wake her up, but Vert couldn't help it.

"…"

She then checked up on Blanc, but so far, her condition was still the same. In the past days, she should be helping Noire in developing the defense system, but she couldn't leave Blanc alone, so she just let Noire do it. Noire didn't complain, in fact, it was her who suggested that she'd take care of the development with Histoire and just told Vert to stay beside Blanc since she… needed it. But of course, it wouldn't be like her to just leave everything to Noire, so at the very least, she prepared all the necessary things for the defense system to be connected to Leanbox, and sent all information Noire needed for the development. That was what she was also doing in the past days. Her next target was supposed to be in Lowee, but she had to wait for Blanc to wake up first.

And speaking of waking up, to the Goddess of Convenience…

"…Uuuggghhhh…"

Vert heard a voice. She was surprised as she realized that it wasn't just anyone's voice.

"Blanc?!"

Yes, that was Blanc's voice. Vert could see Blanc trying to open her eyes as she groaned. She rushed to Blanc's side and sat down beside the bed. "Are you alright, Blanc? Do you remember me…?"

Blanc slowly turned to Vert. Her vision was a little blurry, and her hearing was a little distorted, but nevertheless, "Uuuuhhhh… Vert…?"

"Blanc…?! Yes, it's me, Vert!" Vert reached for her hands. "Thank goddess, you're finally awake!"

Blanc tried to sit up, but she couldn't find the strength to do so. Vert saw what she just tried to do and assisted her to sit up.

"What… the hell happened… Vert…?" Blanc asked as she turned to Vert.

"You were almost killed by Neptune… a fake Neptune, to be precise, and was infected by a virus." Vert said. "The virus severed your connection from your share reserves but we managed to restore that, in a forceful way."

Blanc didn't say anything and just rubbed her temples. She could feel her head a little heavy, and her body pressured like it was being twisted like laundry clothes. "So… that's why… I'm feeling like hammered shit…"

Vert felt bad about that. "I'm sorry, but we can't find a safer solution to restore that link, so me, Noire, and Histoire overloaded your body with share energy to destroy the virus despite you being not connected to your reserves."

"No, no, I'm grateful for that." Blanc then smiled at Vert. "I wouldn't be here anymore if it wasn't for you girls."

Vert melted as she saw Blanc's smile. To be frank, it was her first time seeing Blanc smile that it made her heart flutter. She didn't realize that she had been staring at Blanc for a while now.

"…Vert?"

Vert jolted a little as she snapped out of her… whatever she was doing. "Y-Yeah…?"

"I'm asking about that fake Neptune you mentioned earlier." Blanc said.

Oh, Vert must've been out of herself. She cleared her throat before she started talking about the past days. From the part where Blanc got stabbed, up to their talk about setting up the defense system they had been developing for years; everything Histoire and Noire talked about while she was out, especially Noire's hypothesis about Neptune's future attack. But she omitted some details, specifically that part when she massacred the fake, or Neptune clone. Blanc didn't need to know about that since it wouldn't change anything.

"I see… shit's really going grim if Noire made a conclusion like that." She and Vert hated to admit it, but Noire's judgment about situations was something they can trust. Well, judging also from what happened to Blanc, it would only be normal to conclude that as well. "More importantly, I need to go back to Lowee and get things going."

Blanc tried to slip out of the bed, but Vert stopped her by grabbing onto her shoulders. "What are you saying, Blanc?! You still need to rest!"

"Don't shit with me, Vert. I have to do this." Blanc said as she grabbed on Vert's arms. Despite being weak from her injury, her brute strength was something that can't be underestimated.

"Yeah, I know. But do that only when you're fully recovered." Vert said. "There's no guarantee that you'll be able to reach Lowee in your condition."

"Even so, I-"

Before Blanc could say another excuse, Vert pushed her down to the bed. "No! Stop being so reckless, Blanc!" Vert only managed to do that because Blanc wasn't in her full strength. "For once, listen to what I'm saying!"

Blanc was surprised as she got pinned down on the bed, partly because of the pain she felt run through her body. She didn't expect that side of Vert, if she were going to be honest. But of course, everyone knew that Blanc was a hard-headed person, so she wouldn't back down with this one.

"I'm thankful that you're worried about me, but when it comes to my people, I ain't just gonna sleep in here." Blanc said. "So, get off me, Vert."

"I know, but like I said, you're not in the condition to do that!" Vert said as her grip tightened. "Look at yourself in the mirror to see what I'm saying!"

Blanc gritted her teeth. "I don't give a shit about that. I can handle myself." She said as she glared at Vert. "Get off me. Now."

Vert gritted her teeth as well as she tightened her grips on Blanc's shoulder, in hopes that the Lowee CPU would back down, but no, it just solidified her determination.

"Get off me now, Vert."

But Vert didn't back down as well. "No! Not until you stay here and rest!"

Now, Blanc lost all of her patience. She gathered all of her strength and grabbed Vert's shoulders. "I said GET THE HELL OFF ME!" She then shoved Vert away from her.

"Kyaaah-!" Vert cried as she fell down on the floor.

Blanc ignored all the pain in her body and slipped out of the bed. "I'm sorry, Vert."

"Blanc, no!"

But Blanc didn't listen to her and just jumped out of the window and attempted to transform. Her body was covered in light as her transformation initiated, but as soon as it disappeared, she didn't change, retaining her human form.

"Huh…?" Blanc was confused as she fell down.

As Vert saw that Blanc's transformation fail, she stood up propelled herself forward, out of the window. "BLANC!" She then chased Blanc.

They were at the fourth level of the Basilicom, and Blanc would fall down to the ground in no time. Vert maximized her speed to catch Blanc before she would hit the ground. Right when Blanc's head was just an inch away from the ground, Vert already tripled her speed and caught Blanc before she could crash. She then made a quick change of direction and flew forward, but because of the additional weight she just acquired, her back slid on the ground, losing control of her flight, and ultimately crashing into a nearby tree.

"AGH-!" Vert's back crashed hard on the tree. She rolled her body forward before she was about to make her crash to prevent Blanc from getting injured, resulting in her own injury. Vert's crash was too strong that the tree was split into two.

Blanc slowly opened her eyes as she deemed that she was already safe. Vert's arms were wrapped around her tightly.

"Vert, are you okay?"

But she heard no replies; she only received a tightened embrace.

"We're good now, Vert. You can let me go." Blanc said as she tried to break free, but Vert only embraced her tighter. "…Vert?"

"Is it really that hard for you to listen to me?" Vert asked. Though Blanc couldn't see her completely, she knew that Vert was tearing up. "I just want you to rest and recover. I'm not going to keep you here forever. Is that really too much for you?"

Blanc was speechless. She felt bad, of course. She knew that Vert injured herself to protect her.

"I'm sorry, Vert… but…" Before she could say another word, Vert embraced her slightly tighter than before, not wanting to let her go.

Blanc didn't know what to do. She had never seen this side of Vert before. The feeling of Vert being close to her, was a different feeling for her. Yet, she didn't hate it.

"Okay… I give up." Blanc said as she sighed some weight off her chest. She felt bad already for being a burden to Vert, and she didn't want to add her stubbornness to that. Vert's embrace loosened and ultimately released Blanc. They then sat up on the ground, facing each other, with Vert wiping her tears off as she reverted her transformation. Blanc could see Vert's scraped right arm, but it was healing itself. Still, she felt bad, of course.

"I'll do as you say, but on one condition." Blanc said. Vert nodded as a reply. "I will rest in my Basilicom, and you're going to fly me there." She demanded. "And of course, you're going to help me set up the defense system."

Vert blinked twice and chuckled. "What's so funny?!"

"See, was that really hard to ask for?" Vert said after calming herself down.

Blanc raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What the hell are you talking about now?"

Vert didn't answer and just gave her a smile, but Blanc couldn't get what she was trying to say. Though giving it a few moments to think about, Blanc finally got what Vert was trying to say. "Don't tell me… This was your plan all along? To make you help me?"

With that, Vert laughed, which irked the Lowee CPU. "Yes, although I didn't expect you to push me away and jump out of the window." She said as she tried to kill her laughs, but she managed only slightly. "I didn't want to offer my help because I know you wouldn't accept it, so I made you ask for it."

"You're an evil person, you know that?" Blanc said as she sighed in defeat.

"Believe me, I know that myself as well."

~o~O~o~

Vert flew all the way to Lowee after her ordeal with Blanc earlier, with her carrying the Lowee CPU in her arms. Short while afterward, they landed in front of Lowee's Basilicom, with Vert turning off her HDD form. Blanc told Vert to put her down as she didn't really want to give her staffs a huge misunderstanding, in which Vert understood and complied, though she particularly didn't care if they would misunderstand it or not. Blanc still needed her assistance when walking though.

As soon as they stepped inside the Basilicom, they were greeted by large amounts of people. They were happy to see their CPU back, of course. Blanc asked Vert why her people in the Basilicom weren't in disarray since she was missing in action for a week. Vert answered her that she informed the Basilicom beforehand that she was resting in Leanbox, so there was nothing to worry about. Blanc didn't like that idea but she was grateful because her disappearance didn't cause any damage.

They entered the elevator and went a few floors up. Since the elevator wasn't taking them straight to Blanc's room, they stepped out of it two floors below their destination, as the last two floors weren't accessible by their transport. They headed to the staircase, but Blanc didn't seem to be happy about it. Her legs were shaking, and she wasn't sure if she could make it all the way up.

And of course, Vert noticed it.

"Do you remember what I said to you before when we were traveling to the other dimension?" Vert asked Blanc as they were standing at the staircase.

"Huh? What are you-?"

But before Blanc could say anything, Vert lifted her up and carried her in her arms, which of course, surprised the Lowee CPU.

"What the hell are you doing?! Put me down!" Blanc demanded.

Vert grinned at her. "Should you really be saying that now? You and I both know that you wouldn't last a quarter way up."

Blanc didn't argue with that. If anything, she herself knew her current capability. But still, she didn't like this idea, as she could see that this was Vert's plan all along and she was enjoying this.

"Well, if you have no more objections, off we go~!" Vert then started to walk slowly upstairs.

Yep, Vert indeed was enjoying this. Too much, specifically.

"Can't you walk faster? We're not that far from my room so why are we taking too damn long?!" Blanc said.

But of course, Vert just mused at her. "I don't want to trip myself so I'm taking every step carefully."

Vert had a point, but Blanc could see that it wasn't really what she was trying to do. Well, she didn't know Vert's antics for years for nothing. "If you don't start walking faster now, I'm gonna kick your ass out of here this instant."

"Come on now, Blanc. That's not nice. For me and for yourself."

"Who said that I do nice things?" Blanc said. "Now, walk faster or I seriously am gonna kick you."

Vert pouted and just complied with Blanc's request. Despite her having a greater advantage over Blanc right now, she didn't really want to piss off this tiny bundle of rage of a goddess.

After a short while, they arrived at Blanc's room. Vert entered without further ado and laid Blanc on her bed.

"Want me to join you?" Vert asked with a playful look on her face.

"Yeah, if you want me to punch you in the face."

"I'm just joking, don't take it seriously." Vert said as she stepped away from the bed.

Blanc narrowed her eyes as she stared at Vert. To her eyes, it didn't look like she was joking.

"Anyways, I'm going to prepare the necessary things for the defense system. You can help us once you're done resting; I know you're tired from our travel earlier." Vert said as she headed for the door, but she stopped halfway as she heard her phone ring. She immediately took it out to check who was calling and found out that it was Noire.

"Hello, Noire? What's up?" Vert asked after answering the call.

"Is Blanc awake yet?" Noire asked.

Vert turned to Blanc, who was looking at her as well. She then walked closer to her. "Yeah, she's awake now. We're in currently in Lowee."

"Perfect. We're almost done with the development of the system's mechanism. I and Histoire altered a few functions; it should've been finished yesterday, but yeah, there's that." Noire said. "But that's not why I called today."

"We're listening." Vert said as she put the call into loudspeaker so Blanc could also hear the conversation.

"We decided to put the control system there in Lowee, as it is the farthest from Planeptune." Noire said. "I hope Blanc has no objection with that."

Blanc didn't think twice and agreed with it. "That's fine with me."

"Cool. I'll just inform you later once we're done, so we'll be able to transfer it there." Noire said and hung up.

"Well, there we have it." Vert said as she placed her phone back in her pocket. "Rest up now, you'll need a lot of energy later."

Blanc then rolled to the other side. "You don't need to tell me that."

Vert smiled. "Alright, I'll get going now." Vert said as she headed for the door. "Sweet dreams, Blanc." She then went out of the room.

What Vert missed after leaving the room was the look Blanc had in her face.

~o~O~o~

Lowee's Basilicom – Nighttime.

Blanc slowly opened her eyes. As soon as she got her vision back, she met the ceiling of her room. She felt refreshed as well. Probably because she was in her home that she could recover very fast. Either way, she liked her comfy bed, that's probably another reason.

And also, the lights were on. She didn't know why.

She sat up and stretched her arms upward to ease the stiffness of her body from sleep. She didn't feel any pain anymore as she moved her limbs. Yes, she was one-hundred percent sure that she had fully recovered.

She looked outside the windows and noticed that it was already dark. Well, it was nighttime. She slept through the day, and of course, she needed it. But since it was already evening, all that was left for her was to sleep again since working during the night didn't seem to be very healthy.

"…"

She scanned her room. It was her usual room, nothing sort of unusual.

Except for one.

"…Vert."

Blanc saw Vert sitting on the floor, beside her bed. Her head and arms were laid on top of the bed, and she was sleeping soundly. Blanc tried to reach for Vert and attempted to wake her up, but she stopped halfway as she realized how peaceful Vert's sleeping face was. She subconsciously thought that she didn't need to wake her up.

Blanc just smiled unconsciously. Vert must've been tired from all the work she did earlier, and again, she felt bad because she couldn't help her. In any case, Blanc was going to repay her soon. As she was drowned in her thoughts, she didn't realize that she was already caressing Vert's hair, but she didn't stop even after she learned what she was doing.

"…" Blanc felt her cheeks went a little hotter the more she caressed Vert's hair and stared at her. As soon as she got embarrassed by herself, she took her hand back and looked away from Vert and then decided that it was best for her to go back to sleep.

She was about to lie down when she realized that she couldn't just leave Vert like that. To her eyes as well, that position seemed to be very uncomfortable, even for her. She wondered how in good heavens Vert managed to sleep like that, but then again, when fatigue strikes, anything could be a bed, for as long as the body can rest.

Blanc slowly slipped out of the bed and went behind Vert. She then lifted her up; Vert's weight was something she noticed, but she nonetheless didn't have issues in lifting her up. In fact, she had expected her to weigh more, because of… well, you know, something she didn't want to mention. She carefully laid her down on the bed and pulled the sheets up to cover her body. Blanc was glad that Vert didn't wake up, so she went to the other side of the bed and put herself inside the sheets as well.

"Sweet dreams, Vert." Blanc then rolled and faced the other side.

Short while after that, without Blanc knowing, Vert cracked a smile.

~o~O~o~

8:00AM

Blanc slowly opened her eyes as she woke up from her sleep. Again, she met the ceiling of her room. She had a very long sleep, that was why she was feeling a little light-headed, but that didn't stop her from not going back to sleep. Enough sleep is enough.

She tried to sit up, but she wasn't able to lift her body up. She then turned to her left side and was surprised to see Vert hugging her as she slept. Her arms and legs were wrapped around Blanc, embracing her tightly like a body pillow.

"…"

Blanc stared at Vert's sleeping face. If she were going to be honest with herself, she found Vert's sleeping face a little cute. Yep, just a little.

"…"

She poked Vert's cheek, but she hardly got any response. She poked her again; this time, Vert's eyelids shook a little, seemingly trying to open itself. But not long after that, Vert calmed down and pulled Blanc closer to her.

"…"

Blanc sighed. Maybe she needed some force to wake this person beside her, but it would be outright cruel to shock her.

"Oi, Vert. Wake up." Blanc said. No response from Vert. Instead, Vert cuddled at her like a child.

While Blanc's motivation to wake Vert up was depleting, she couldn't give up just yet. They had work waiting for them and going back to sleep would never be an option. The work ain't going to finish itself.

"Wake up, Vert!" Blanc said as she repeatedly poked Vert's cheeks. Not long after that, Vert's eyes opened.

"Uuuuggghh… is it morning already?"

Blanc then pinched her cheeks. "Yes, it is, you sleepyhead. Now get off me and take a shower. We have work to do."

But, with everything Blanc did, Vert's response was the one thing she didn't want hear. "Uhhh… let's just forget that and sleep… it's so comfortable here…" Vert said as she pulled Blanc closer a little and cuddled on her chest.

"Get the hell up already or I'll throw you out of the bed!" Blanc said as she popped a nerve and tried to break away from Vert, but she couldn't. She was mad because, well, she really wanted to know which part Vert was comfortable with, the bed or-

But Vert stood her ground… well, that's not quite right. But yeah, she stayed still on her position. Blanc's fuse finally burned out.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

With that, Vert's eyes shot open and she attempted to break away from Blanc, but she was too late as Blanc already stood up on the bed and lifted her body up.

"Ah." The face Vert made was the face when one just realized that they were screwed.

Blanc then flipped Vert upside down, wrapping her arms onto Vert's legs, and then slammed her back down on the bed, like that move of a certain wrestler in which the name came from the name of the wrestler himself. She might've said that she would throw her out of the bed, but of course, she ain't that cruel to do that to Vert.

"Unyahh-~"

Well, the bed was soft, after all.

"Get up now or you'll find yourself on the floor next." Blanc said as she slipped out of the bed and went out of the room.

Vert sat up on the bed. While the bed was soft, her back still felt a little pain. She just smiled afterward. This would be an exciting stayover, was what she had in her mind.

~o~O~o~

As soon as Vert finished her shower, she went out of the bathroom with a towel covering her body, only to find out Blanc sitting on the bed, with a set of clothes and undergarments beside her.

"My, is that for me, Blanc?" Vert asked, though she already knew the answer since she didn't bring anything with her as she arrived in Lowee.

"Yeah, it is, unless you're an exhibitionist." Blanc said as she stood up. "Go to the dining room. Breakfast's set." She said as she went into the bathroom to take her shower.

Vert put on the clothes Blanc just gave her. To her surprise, Blanc's fashion wasn't so shabby. The clothes had the same color palette as her usual dress, but not a dress apparently. It was a sleeveless green and white shirt, a little bit open on the chest part, with a red and yellow ribbon around the collar part. The skirt was colored white and light pink, and very short, but she didn't particularly care, as it was paired with a pair of thigh-length white stockings. A belt of pink and white color, with the pink one looked like an attachment only, but its purpose was not to tighten the shirt or the skirt in any way.

"Fufu, I wonder what would be her reaction after she sees this…" Vert said as she looked in the mirror. Not being narcissistic in any way, but she could see how beautiful she looked in this outfit. Majestic, in a nutshell.

Vert was so immersed in front of the mirror that she didn't know Blanc got out of the shower.

"You're still here?"

Vert turned to Blanc. She didn't say anything as a reply and instead, she just smiled at her struck a pose.

"What? Am I supposed to say something?" Blanc asked.

"Aww, come on. Don't be so stingy with your words, Blanc."

But Blanc didn't particularly care about that. "You ain't gettin' nothing from me." She said as she walked to her closet. "Get out of the room, I'm going to change."

"We're both girls, what's the problem?" Vert then walked towards Blanc but she didn't let her come any closer.

"YOU are the problem, that's why." Blanc said as she dodged Vert's arms as she saw her attempt to hug her. "Now go to the dining room and wait for me there."

Vert pouted a little but then it turned to a smile afterward. Despite getting treated like a dumpster, she knew that it was just Blanc's way of showing… uh, affection? Yeah, maybe.

"Sure thing, dear." Vert said as she headed for the door.

"Call me that again and I'm going to gag you." Blanc said as she opened the closet.

Vert didn't say anything and just chuckled as she exited the door. Blanc sighed in relief after she left and then started to change to her usual clothes. As soon as she was done, she headed for the door and went out of the room.

She wasn't even surprised with what she saw afterward.

"Why aren't you listening to what I'm saying?"

Yep, Vert was there, just outside Blanc's room, waiting for her to finish changing.

"You know; it would be a little awkward for me to stay in the dining room alone." Vert replied.

"What makes you think that we're going to be alone?" Blanc asked.

Vert chuckled a little. "Well, you have anyone to eat breakfast with you?"

Blanc was silent after that. She didn't, of course, and there was no one in the Basilicom that would dare to join her for breakfast.

Vert chuckled again. "Don't worry, I'll join you in breakfast every day starting today."

Blanc's eyebrow twitched. Obviously, Vert was getting full of herself already. "…This will be your first and last breakfast here in my Basilicom."

"I'm kidding." Vert said as she started to walk towards their destination, with Blanc following her from behind.

Blanc just sighed.

~o~O~o~

After breakfast, Vert and Blanc headed to the control room. It was set up beside the room where Blanc's share reserves were located. As soon as they got inside, Blanc was overwhelmed by several terminals stationed in the room.

"Wow, you set this all up by yourself yesterday?" Blanc said in awe.

Vert swung her head. "Of course not. Your people helped me, and Noire as well."

"Noire? Was she here yesterday?"

"No, but we communicated via our computers." Vert said as she walked towards a certain laptop placed on one of the terminals. "I flew back home and back here again to get this."

Blanc was speechless. Though that didn't last long.

"So, what we got left?"

Vert then powered on the terminals, and on the big screen in front of them, a large logo of a power button appeared. "There's still a lot of work to do, but before that, we need your network to be connected to the server Histoire created first. This would make your people be able to travel freely from Lowee to Leanbox or Lastation and back." She explained. "But since you were sleeping the whole day yesterday, we failed to do that."

"So that was what the new feature Noire mentioned yesterday." Blanc said. "Anyways, what about the people in Planeptune?"

Vert frowned before swinging her head. "Sadly, we can't do anything for them, even with Histoire on our side." She said. "Nepgear holds the authority with regards to that, and Histoire would need to go back to Planeptune to get that list, but that's a bad idea."

"I see…" Blanc said.

"Though Nepgear is included in our list as well."

That one caught Blanc off-guard. "What?! What the hell are you guys thinking for doing that?!"

"Did you already forget what we talked about yesterday?"

Blanc recalled their conversation. It was the time when Vert was relaying the plan Noire and Histoire talked about. As she was reminiscing it, she remembered something about saving Nepgear. She kinda forgot the details about it though.

"I remember you saying about rescuing Nepgear, is that it?"

Vert nodded. "Yes. In case you forgot, Nepgear holds the information we don't know about Neptune's return, fake or not, so we need to get her away from Planeptune, but that comes after we finish establishing the system."

"Is that so…?"

Vert just nodded again as a reply. "Yes. Now, let's get to work." Vert said as she initialized the software. "You know what to do now, right?" She asked as she stood up from her seat.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Blanc sat down on Vert's chair and started to work.

~o~O~o~

Planeptune.

Inside a very spacious room in Planeptune's Basilicom, a throne was erected at the far end, opposite to the door. But that wasn't all. A woman was sitting on the said throne, with a glass of wine on her right hand.

"…"

Beside her… on the floor, a girl was leaning on her legs, in which, she just let her do what she wanted. She wasn't doing anything, per se, just enjoying her company.

"…"

The woman looked at the girl beside her. She was staring at her, in which the woman on the throne just replied with a smile. She then caressed the girl's hair.

"Nepgear…"

Yes, it was Nepgear. The CPU… yes, the CPU of Planeptune, who was the one leaning on the woman's legs all this time.

"Sis…"

Nepgear didn't say anything afterward and just kept on staring at sister.

Her sister, yes. Neptune, the former CPU of Planeptune. She just returned to Planeptune last week, and announced her homecoming to her citizens a few days ago. The people were delighted when they learned that their CPU came back after ten years, and of course, Nepgear as well.

"…"

Though Nepgear was happy, she could feel that something was off. But she had no idea what that was, or she just forgot about it.

"Is something bothering you, Nepgear…?"

As soon as Nepgear heard that, she swung her head. "No… I'm… fine." She replied slowly.

Neptune frowned a little. "Okay, but if you're worried about something, please do tell me." She then smiled.

Nepgear smiled as well as she nodded. Not long after that, someone entered the room and kneeled in front of them as he got close.

"Lady Purple Heart, we found the target." The person said as he lifted his head and showed an envelope to Neptune. "She is residing in a village in the outskirts, near the Lastation Border."

After hearing that, Neptune patted Nepgear's head, implying that she was going to stand up. Nepgear broke away from Neptune, and Neptune stood up afterward, walking towards the person in front of them and retrieving the envelope. She looked at the contents of the package and saw several pictures of a certain woman.

"Nepgear, get ready. We have work to do." Neptune said as she slightly grinned.

Nepgear missed the look Neptune had on her face as she made her exit.

"Planeptune's glory shall be known to all of Gamindustri."

~o~O~o~

Three days had passed.

On a certain morning, Vert woke up at exactly seven in the morning. Lately, she was okay with waking up early. Well, probably because she wasn't spending that much time on her hobbies anymore. For some reason, she couldn't find the mood to do it.

She slipped out of her bed and headed towards the bathroom to take a bath. She got back from Lowee yesterday as setting up the defense terminal was faster because she and Blanc were working together. Also, the main terminal was transported to Lowee yesterday as well, so everything was set up. All that's left was to activate it, and today would be that day.

After doing so, she changed into her usual outfit and then headed to the dining room and ate breakfast. As she was eating, she saw a news on the TV about a burned village near the Lastation Border, on the outskirts of Planeptune.

"…?!"

Vert suddenly ran closer to the TV as she learned what the news was showing. The village that was burned down was the one when she, Noire, and Blanc met up with Histoire!

"Who could do such thing…?"

But alas, she didn't find an answer for that. She just hoped that Noire's people near the Planeptune border weren't affected, even though it was miles away from it. Before she could lose her appetite, she turned the TV off and finished her breakfast.

She headed to her office afterward, as it was already a while since the last time she worked on Uni's request. That CPU candidate must be expecting something from her now, but of course, Vert wouldn't be able to give her anything if she had nothing.

"Alright, let's get to work." Vert said as she turned on her computer on. As it booted up, she checked again the report of the incident Uni mentioned. She had read this report dozens of times already, but she still did so again just to make sure.

She was having a hard time because everyone involved in the accident was declared deceased, and so, the first thing she had to do was to confirm who was the missing person. But then, she didn't know who that was.

"Wait… maybe I should've asked Uni about that missing person first…?"

She mentally slapped herself for not thinking about that sooner. She sighed before taking her telephone up and dialed Lastation's Basilicom's landline. She didn't have Uni's cellphone number so she would be calling her home. She waited for a few moments before someone answered.

"Hello, this is Noire speaking. How may I help you?"

Ah, of course, it was Noire who would pick up. "Good morning, Noire. Is Uni awake yet?"

"Yeah, she is. What do you need from her?"

That sounded like a suspicious Noire, but Vert didn't have the energy to mention that. "Ah, I just want to ask her something about her request to me a week ago."

"Alright, I'll call her. Give me a minute."

Vert thanked her afterward, but not sure if Noire had left already before she could say that. Just a few moments, a different voice spoke from the phone. "Hello, Ms. Vert. I heard that you want to ask me something?"

Wow, she cut to the chase already, huh? Vert could've wished that she could have a small fun talk with Uni but she herself knew that it wasn't the time for that. "Ah, Uni. I just want to ask if you have any information regarding that missing person you told me."

"Ah, sorry for not telling you that beforehand." Uni said. "I don't have her name, but that person is a girl with light pink hair."

"Light pink hair…" Vert mumbled as she scrolled on the list of people involved. She found three people matching that information. "There are three people with light pink hair, one is wearing purple clothes, the other is wearing blue, and the last one is wearing… uh… somewhat beige or white sweater."

"That last one! She's the one that's been missing!" Uni screamed. Vert heard Noire's voice from the background, telling Uni to lower her voice down.

"Her name is Compa, age 25." Vert said. "Are you sure she's the one, Uni?"

"Yes, I'm positive. The Guild agent showed me a picture of her." Uni said. "Just to be sure again, that girl has a long hair past her shoulders, right?"

Vert checked the other two who had the same hair color. The first one only had a short hair, just under her ear, and the other one had shoulder-length. "Yes, that's true. So this is the person you're looking for."

"Yes, Ms. Vert. Do you need anything else?"

"This is enough information. Leave it to me." Vert said.

"Thank you, Ms. Vert!"

Vert chuckled a little. "Anything for you, Uni." She said before hanging up.

She then opened a software from her computer called Goddess' Eye. It was a software she and Blanc developed for satellite navigation, which covers the whole world. It can also be used to search for people, but that didn't mean it can be used for spying, of course. And yes, Noire could use it as well. Basically, only the three of them had the authority to operate that eye.

Vert then entered Compa's information and the search initiated. With how vast Gamindustri is, it would take a little while before results would be procured. As the search progressed, she received an incoming video call from Noire. She accepted it and Noire popped out on the screen.

"Are you using the Goddess' Eye? What are you using it for?" Noire asked.

"I'm looking for a missing person as per Uni's request." Vert said. "I'm sure you already know that."

Noire's eyes narrowed a little. "…Am I really that unreliable that she didn't ask for my help?"

Vert burst in laughter after hearing that, annoying the Lastation CPU. "I wanted to believe that for the sake of humor, but you should already know the reason why she didn't ask for your help."

Noire was speechless. She knew the reason why, but still, it didn't sit well with her.

"Don't blame Uni. She knows how busy you are when you and Histoire are working together."

"I know, but it doesn't feel right hearing that from you."

"Yeah, tell me about it." Vert said as she smiled awkwardly. "Speaking of Histoire, how is she doing?"

Noire leaned back a little before talking, "She's still asleep. She was feeling fatigued yesterday so I just let her rest. I don't want to overwork her."

"I see. She indeed needs a lot of rest for later." Vert said as she leaned in her chair. "By the way, did you see the news earlier?"

Noire nodded immediately as if she knew what Vert was talking about. "Yeah, I saw it yesterday as well. There was a burned village in the outskirts of Planeptune, just near ours." Noire said as she crossed her arms. "No worries though, I gave an evacuation order already to everyone near that border."

"I see." Vert said as she sighed in relief.

After that, she received a notification from the Goddess' Eye. "Woops, it seems like I got a result. I'll be right back." She then suspended her video conversation and switched to the Goddess' Eye software.

From the satellite, an image was shown on the software, revealing a full geographic map of Gamindustri. There was a mark on the image, pointing on a certain area of the world.

"…Lastation…?"

She got a bad feeling about this. Why in good heavens was the satellite showing the location of the missing person in Lastation when the accident occurred on their way to Lowee?

"…Probably someone moved her there."

Yeah, that was a plausible reason. Either way, she zoomed in further to know which area exactly in Lastation was the person located. After a few zooms, the view landed on the outer part of Lastation, near the Planeptune border.

"…?!"

Yet again, that area was not alien to her. A few miles from the mark, inside the Planeptune territory, there was a village. The village that she saw earlier from the news.

"Ah…!"

As soon as she realized that, she immediately switched back to her conversation with Noire. "Noire?! Are you there?!"

After a few seconds, Noire appeared on the screen. "What's wrong? Why are you panicking?"

"You said that you issued an evacuation order to everyone near the Planeptune border, right?!"

Noire just nodded.

"The Goddess' Eye found the missing person's location, and she's near that border!"

With that said, Noire was suddenly alarmed. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yeah, unless the Goddess' Eye is malfunctioning." Vert said as she swung her head, implying that it wasn't the case. "I'm sending you the coordinates. Please do tell Uni about that. I can't do anything from here as it's too far, but you two are close."

"Alright then. Leave it to me."

~o~O~o~

Lastation – Basilicom.

Noire just ended her conversation with Vert. She was feeling a little agitated because she just learned that there was still a person who didn't evacuate yesterday even after she gave an evacuation order.

Right after she received a copy of Vert's results, she took her phone and dialed Uni's number. Uni just went out not too long ago to do some quests right after Vert got the information she needed from her. After a few seconds, Uni picked up the call.

"Hello, sis? What happened?"

"Vert found the person you were looking for. I'm sending you the data now." She then ended the call and worked back on her computer. Noire opened the package she just received to double check the contents. As she verified it, she forwarded it directly to Uni's PDA.

After a few moments, her phone rang, indicating that there was an incoming call. She found out that Uni was calling back. "You checked the contents already?"

"Yes. I'm going there now."

Noire didn't like that idea as she was putting Uni in danger, but she realized that she couldn't babysit her forever. "Alright then. Be careful."

"Don't worry sis, I'm not alone. I'm going with The Guild agent I told you before."

Noire was relieved to hear that. Well, she couldn't ask for a better companion for Uni other than an agent of The Guild. "Is that so? Okay then, but still be careful."

For some reason, Noire couldn't calm down.

"Alright, I'll see-"

But before she could hang up, "Wait, Uni."

"What's wrong, sis?"

Noire bit her lip before answering, "Watch out for Neptune. If you encounter her, or just catch a glimpse of her, I want you to retreat immediately."

There was a silence for a moment. Yes, of course. Noire had told Uni about Neptune's revival. Uni was more than shocked to hear that. A goddess revived was something she didn't expect to hear in her entire life. Furthermore, it was Neptune, the one Noire, Vert, and Blanc was indebted to.

"I will, sis. I'll call back later." Uni then ended the call.

Noire put her phone down beside the monitor and sighed. She had this weird feeling in her chest that was suffocating her a little. She couldn't calm down as if she felt like something big will go down later.

"…"

Short while after that, she heard a knock on the door. She stood up and went to check who was outside her room. As soon as she opened the door,

"Blanc…?"

Yes, it was Blanc who was at the other side of the door. The reason why she was here being definitely…

~o~O~o~

As soon as Uni ended her call with her sister, she dialed another number. The number of the agent of The Guild she met a week ago, who was looking for a missing person involved in a certain accident in Leanbox on their way to Lowee.

She waited for a few seconds before someone picked up the call. "Hello Uni, what's up?"

"Ms. IF, Ms. Vert found the person you're looking for." Uni said. She cut to the chase already as it was already a few minutes after Vert sent the data. Their target could've moved somewhere else but hopefully, she didn't move that far. Because they didn't have access to the Goddess' Eye, they had to be fast. "Where are you right now?"

"I'm on the outskirts of Lastation, near the Planeptune Border. I'm on my way back to the city."

Uni was shocked to hear that. What convenience! "Just stay there! She's near your location! I'm sending you the data right away." Uni said.

"Really?! Alright, I'll go to her as soon as I receive her location."

Uni nodded at herself. "I'm at the other side of Lastation right now, but I'll go there as fast as I can." She then ended the call.

Even after all of this progress, Uni was still nervous. Things were working out too well for them.

~o~O~o~

IF was walking around the place that seemed to be a forest, as it was filled with trees. Her call with Uni just ended, and she found out about the location of the person she had been searching for weeks.

"Compa… please be safe…"

After that, she received an e-mail from Uni. She immediately checked the contents, and saw a geographic map of Lastation, with a mark on a certain location.

"My Goddess, she's near!"

She then jumped on a tree branch and leaped from tree to tree. She couldn't run through the forest as the ground was not really a pleasant one to walk through and it was filled with obstacles. She could see an exit from afar as she leaped.

"Compa…!"

IF jumped down and ran through the exit. Her heart was racing as she headed towards her destination. She had missed Compa; she wanted to see her again.

As she got out of the woods, she was welcomed by a very large field, with a cliff at the far end. She could see Planeptune miles away from her position, but that wasn't her concern right now.

Several meters in front of her, there was a person sitting down on the ground, staring at the direction where Planeptune was. That person had a bandage around her arms and legs, implying that she suffered an injury.

IF's breathing went faster as she stared at the said person.

"Compa…"

She would never mistake that light-pink hair of hers for any other. She didn't know Compa for years for nothing.

After IF called her name, Compa turned to her slowly. "Iffy…?"

IF's heart raced once more. This was real! She wasn't dreaming anymore! Compa was in front of her, the real one!

"Compa…!" IF then slowly walked towards her.

At the same moment, Compa stood up from the ground and walked towards IF as well. Both of them hadn't seen each other for weeks, and of course, they would miss each other as well.

"Iffy…!"

"Compa…!"

At long last, they finally reunited with each other after all those weeks. They extended their arms, trying to reach the other.

"Com-"

IF's eyes widened as she stopped herself from walking because what she just saw was something she never, ever expected to happen right there.

"…Ah…?"

Compa slowly lowered her head and directed her attention below. After doing so, she saw a blade sticking out of her chest. The blade then was suddenly pulled out from her body from behind, and she started to fall down to the ground as she bled from her mouth and chest.

"COMPAAAAAAAA!" IF dashed to Compa as she was falling down and caught her just in the nick of time. She was confused; confused about everything. There, she just saw Compa after all these weeks of searching for her, and now that she found her, something like this happened.

"Compa…! Compa…!"

But Compa couldn't hear her. The signs of life were gradually fading from her eyes, and she herself could feel it as well. "If…fy…?"

"Compa…! It's me…!" IF's mind was jumbled. She didn't know what to do with this situation. "It's me, IF…!" She then held onto Compa's hand tightly.

Compa tried to crack a smile, but she failed. "If…fy… Long… time no… see…" She said between her short breathing. "How… are you… doing…?"

"Ah… Ah…!" IF couldn't contain her tears. She was breathing very fast, obviously, because of the fear she was feeling as she stared at Compa. She placed her hand on top of Compa's chest, in hopes to stop the bleeding, but her attempts were futile.

Actually, everything was futile.

"Compa…! Compa…! Compa…!" IF pulled Compa close to her. "No…! Compa…! Just when I finally found you…!"

One last time, Compa tried to crack a smile. "I…ff…y… don't… cry…"

At the same time, Compa's hands went limp, and her breathing stopped.

"…?!"

IF's heartbeat stopped for a moment.

"Compa…?"

No response.

"Compa…?"

Yet again, no response.

IF released Compa a little. There, she saw her closed eyes. She couldn't hear Compa's breathing anymore, and her clothes were completely drenched in blood which also got into hers.

She then turned to her front. There, she saw a woman standing a few meters away from them, with a dark purple katana on her right hand, staring at them.

IF then embraced Compa's body again. "Compa… Compa…!" She didn't want to accept this, even though she already knew what had happened.

The woman in front of her then dashed towards them, but before she could get close,

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

~o~O~o~

Uni was nearing her destination. Even at her fastest flight speed, it still took her a few minutes before passing through the center of the city. She was nearing her destination and could see the outskirts from her position already, but before she could reach her target, the far end part of the place was suddenly engulfed in flames.

"What the-?!"

But that wasn't all. The flames continued to expand, and in no more than ten seconds, the whole forest below her was already burning.

Not only that, she also heard a very loud scream. It wasn't a scream of anything like of the monsters, but a scream of a person.

---

Alright, chapter 7 is done!

Sorry again that it took so long. God, it's almost 15k words, the longest one I had in my entire time here in the site.

Anyways, I think that's all for the massive exposition of the story. There will be more action in the future (I think so?)

Another thing, I decided to include one maker character who will have an important role in the future chapters (snickers), but I haven't made a decision about who it would be. Well, even though I personally asked a few in facebook (friends keks), still not sure. My picks were Cyberconnect2 or MarvelousAQL, but I want to know your thoughts as well. I will not spoil it completely, but there would be an event here where *ssshhhh* is needed, if you know what I mean.

One more thing, I think you guys will know what will happen next. You know me, I have a habit of putting foreshadows xD

If you spot some mistakes, please do tell me. I can get blind sometimes.

Alright, that's enough from me. How did you guys like the veeeery long chapter? Was it good? XD Drop your mighty reviews, I want to hear your impressions xD Just don't roast me, 'kay?

Until next time, see ya guys!