DISCLAIMER :: I do not own Neptunia or Ranma Half.
Act VI - Eve of Concert in the Land of Black Regality
Several minutes prior to the Ranma and Noire Basilicom office incident…
A long-haired brunette wearing a blue coat surveyed her surroundings in front of the Basilicom Palace's main plaza. She had several straps of cellphones around her outfit, part of her long brown hair tied with a green ribbon to form a side tail around her bangs and an air of eccentric confidence that rang about her. She paced back and forth, sending various text messages. "Tch…she hasn't answered any of my e-mails…she should have arrived at the capital by now."
"Iffy!" a familiar voiced called out for her from the other side of the plaza.
"Compa?!" the girl thought and she turned to her right and sure enough, she saw said mentioned Planeptune nurse rushing for her. In a matter of seconds, the brunette was tackled by Compa while her face was buried against her chest.
"I've missed you so much, Iffy!" Compa cheered while retaining her close friend with a tight embrace.
"For crying out loud, Compa! It's only been like a week!" the girl, IF of the Planeptune Intelligence Agency, also identified by her nickname, "Iffy", stammered yet she found herself enjoying her embrace. "Never mind that…I'm glad you could make it here…"
"Iffy, did something happen?" she questioned the brunette with puzzled eyes. "You told me to come here as soon as possible. I'm sorry if I couldn't come much sooner…"
"Nah, you're not at fault," she responded, "…it's not that major but I wanted you here as soon as possible…it's about the guilds…"
"What about them…?" she replied. The blue coated warrior continued, "They have some valuable information for you involving rare medicines within uninhabited regions in Gamindustri. I thought they'd be really useful to you, now that your medical convention is over. That and I just wanted us to meet up. We'll be returning to Planeptune tomorrow."
"That means…I have to part ways with Mr. Ranma," Compa thought, feeling somewhat gloomy. She then remembered, "Oh right, I'm supposed to be looking for Mr. Ranma!"
"Wait, who the heck is Ranma? Oh right, that guy you mentioned in one of your text messages. What's he like?"
CRASH! The brunette, Compa and many others within the crowd became witnesses to what looked to be a shattering explosion of glass on the top floor of the Basilicom…in other words, the office. The crowds in the plaza became scattered in panic. Clusters and flurries of voices roared through the commotion. Well, in one form, IF's question was answered for her unknowingly.
Inside the very comfort of her own bedroom, Noire adjusted herself to the nearby seat which faced her personal laptop. Tomorrow was going to be another busy day, one which mostly consisted of preparing documents for the following week. After a long day of work, it was that time of evening where the goddess could simply relax.
She had just finished washing her face, brushing her teeth and undoing the ribbons that held her pigtails up during the day. She grabbed a hair brush from the side of the desk and began to soothingly stroke her long raven colored hair with it. While she did everything she could to maintain a calm look, she couldn't exactly lie to herself.
"Today did not go as expected," Noire cursed in her own thoughts while the rhythmic pattern of her brush strokes continued. She reclined on her seat just slightly, letting her hair fall behind the spindle of the chair. She took a deep breath and let her train of mixed sentiments continue. "I expected him to be suspicious but by no means did I expect his actions to generate such…such…"
The raven haired goddess fumed at just the mere recollection of what took place inside her Basilicom earlier that day. Tens of thousands of credits worth of property damage and not once but twice did the martial artist catch the goddess off guard and saw through her icy cool façade as a goddess who wished to do "only everything" for her nation. She felt absolutely insulted that day.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who is it?" she called out, looking over her shoulder from where she sat.
"Sis, it's me. Can I come in?"
"Uni…? Alright then, hold on a sec," Noire replied and went on over to open the door for her younger sister. As soon as the door opened, Uni rushed passed her and sat on the right side of her bed seconds later. It was going to be one of these talks, her intuition as an older sister believed. Noire walked on over and took a seat next to Uni in bed, mentally preparing herself for a long conversation tonight.
"I thought you were already asleep. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow so you should be getting all of the rest you can get. Is something the matter, Uni?"
The CPU Candidate held on to the side of Noire's black sleeping gown as her eyes appeared dull, if not a little gloomy. She began to utter out without making it sound like a whimper, "I'm really sorry. If I didn't call security, then the damage to the Basilicom wouldn't have…"
"You're still thinking about that?" Noire cut her off with a puzzled expression. "You did what was needed. You used your own intuition as a goddess in training. The property damage was troubling but the office should be in top shape again by tomorrow night. Don't fret over it."
"I know, I know…" moaned Uni, tracing circles against her older sister's gown, "…but…I'm going to succeed you one day…I know I can't keep ignoring that fact. I want to be able to do 'just everything' too. Like you sis!"
"Uni, you're already doing 'just everything'…" Noire reassured Uni as she slowly caressed the strands of her dark hair, "…however, doing 'just everything' doesn't include straining yourself. You've done so many things for all of our friends. Nepgear included. You do treasure her, right?"
"O-of course…I mean…what I meant to say was…well…as a friend," Uni stuttered between phrases, trying to divert the course of the conversation, "I mean, what would Nepgear do without me?"
Noire couldn't help but chuckle slightly. It felt too similar to how she felt about Neptune as both her close friend and her rival. "See? You know that you're already doing 'just about everything'."
"I just have to be more careful," Uni continued for her older sister, "…thanks…for listening to me, I mean." The CPU candidate leaned closer to give Noire a tight hug. Momentarily, she let go and rushed for the bedroom door. "Good night Noire."
Noire replied back, "Sweet dreams, Uni." Once more, the Goddess of Black Regality was alone. She sunk down into her bed, laying down in exhaustion. It wasn't anything new. She had been strict to Uni in the past but most of it stemmed from her desire to make her younger sister into a goddess who would one day be fit to rule their nation. There were times where she felt as if she treated her sister too harshly and times where she questioned her role as an older sister.
Needless to say, every time Uni poured her emotions out to her older sister, it made Noire feel a little bit better….
"Blanc hasn't said a word to you?" Lyrica spoke from inside the hotel suite shower room. "You said that she didn't seem angry when you last saw her."
"Well, she didn't," Ranma answered back as he sat on the side of his bed while his gaze kept focus on the beautiful evening cityscape of Lastation's capital. "She seemed more quiet than usual. She practically gave me the cold shoulder treatment save one thing she told me before I got back to the hotel room."
"Tch…I don't want to catch you stirring shit up like that again, jackass. I won't waste my time giving you a rant about it…you know very well where you stand."
"I feel bad now," he groaned while reminiscing on Blanc's words, "She probably wanted to beat me into tar for wrecking her meeting with Noire. Yet she's putting of all that self-control over her temper for the sake of her friends."
"It wasn't exactly your fault," Lyrica argued, still inside the shower, "…the security ops had no idea that Noire was expecting you but you're kind of at fault too. I mean, jumping from roof top to roof top. Really, Ranma?"
"I'm used to it. At least from where I came from," he shot back, sounding somewhat dull, "My old man trained me in the most rigorous of martial arts and the like so stuff like acrobatics, walking over hazardous places and stunt-like maneuvers were common ground for me."
"Hmmm…I never did ask about your family, Ranma. What were they like?"
No response was generated from the travelling martial artist. The idol stammered from behind the shower room door, "O-Oh god. I'm sorry for bringing that up…"
"Nah, I'm just exhausted…that's all," Ranma exhaled, feeling himself close to just collapsing into bed, "I need to do what I'm capable of in order to make it up to them. Blanc and Noire. I know I haven't gotten along with Blanc but I still feel like crap after that incident. Blanc probably had every justification in existence to kick my carcass out of her group yet she lets me off with a warning…"
"You can repay hers and Noire's generosity by not letting your curiosity get to the best of you," Lyrica advised him as she exited the shower at long last, wearing a bathrobe.
"I dunno what is it with me," Ranma chuckled somewhat with a cynical tone, "I always have this affinity to mayhem everywhere I go. Even when I'm probably trillions of light years away from 'them', that affinity doesn't seem to disappear." He expanded this sentiment within his own private thoughts, "Even with the Jusenkyo Curse gone…it feels no different."
Lyrica sat back on her own bed, facing Ranma eye to eye. She began, "Well…you don't have the worst of intentions and that's all that matters. I don't think you're an eyesore at all."
"You don't? I would have expected somebody like you to just get tired of what I'm capable of attracting," he remarked, noting the idol's calm hearted expression.
"I think you're a strong person," she commented, "I don't mean by strong as in physically strong. I mean strong as in strong at heart. You've told me many things during our trip about the life of a martial artist yet all I've seen in your eyes is a person who wants to find an answer to his life. Somebody who wants to gather enough strength to find that answer they're looking for. That's the kind of person you come off to me as, Ranma."
"Flattering words for a mere ronin like myself," he grinned slightly while scratching his head. "Eh, no use dwelling on this. Don't worry about me. I'll think of something tomorrow."
He drew out the curtains that separated his and Lyrica's individual beds inside of the hotel suite. "Good night Lyrica."
"Sweet dreams," yawned Lyrica as she let herself fall onto bed. Within minutes, both idol and martial artist were consumed by their dreams once more until morning came.
At the outskirts of the Lastation capital, within the open fields of the Terraportation Station, a grand ship-like vessel slowly but steadily landed. Two rows of Lastation soldiers assembled near the exit of the vessel as a mobile staircase was brought forward by the Station staff. The Lastation Guard posed with their rifles, followed by a rigid and direct salute as a custom of welcoming a foreign guest of high power. In the middle of these two rows of soldiers, Kei Junguji awaited her arriving guests.
The Terraportation Ship's exit opened and two figures descend down the mobile platform ladders. The first among them is a beautiful, long-haired blonde woman, wearing an outfit resembling a classic green dress. She was a curvaceous individual whose azure eyes seemed like they could gaze into every fiber of a single individual. Eyes that screamed, "The gentle ones see through all." She gracefully surveyed her surroundings as she made her descent towards the Lastation oracle.
Following the blonde, a woman with long mint-colored exited the Terraportation ship. She carried two sets of massive suitcases with a clear minded smile that screamed "I'm here to serve". She wore a black dress and two dark ribbons kept her high ponytail suspended.
Seconds later, Kei faced both individuals with an "all business" stance being hinted by her body language.
"I'm glad you could make it to the capital, Vert."
Vert, otherwise known as Green Heart, replied with an easygoing handshake with the shorter girl. "It's been such a long time since I last saw you, Kei. How have Noire and Uni been faring?"
"They've been well enough," she commented while her attention kept focus at the mint-haired woman behind her who rushed back into the Terraportation ship to draw more suitcases out. "Uni's getting the hang of her personal duties much better than before and she's already doing as much paperwork as her sister on a daily basis."
"Here's the last of your suitcases, my darling sister!" the other woman swooned as she dropped a 3rd and heavy suitcase on the ground.
Kei gave the mint-haired woman a cynically sarcastic look in the eye, "You haven't changed one bit, Chika. You're Leanbox's Oracle. Why you chose to accompany Vert while you should have stayed behind to keep things in check back at your nation is beyond me."
"M-Miss Hakozaki…you're breathing really rapidly!" a maid clad in green, an aide from Leanbox, rushed out from the ship in order to attend to the older woman. "Please, let us carry Lady Vert's luggage!"
"Silence!" she hissed back in a prideful tone of voice, "I, Chika Hakozaki, the High Oracle of Leanbox, will not let myself be easily faltered by such meager and trivial tasks! This is nothing compared to what my dear sister puts up with on a daily basis! Besides, ASIC is far from a threat these days and I have the entire council back in our nation keeping tabs of things. Under my surveillance of course." The last part, she uttered out with a hint of mischievous malice.
"Just cut the long speeches short," Kei cut off any further rambling from the fanatical Oracle, "I'll have my men carry your luggage to the transport vehicle. We'll bring you to your hotels in the capital momentarily. I assume all of you had a rather occupying voyage?"
"Well, yes. Not because I found the trip boring," Vert spoke up, her gaze being directed at the Terraportation transport's entrance. "We have more arrivals unveiling themselves shortly."
"Auuugh! Man, I'm so sleepy!" an energetic sounding female voiced whined and ranted on, "I didn't even have any pudding on the way here!"
"Neptune, please behave yourself!" a much calmer female voice scolded. She went on, "Kei and her troops came all this way to welcome us all at this time of night and here you are whining like a spoiled child."
"Mou…I told Histy that Miss Lonely Heart is probably just overreacting. One lil' data breach won't do any major damages to our security systems and they didn't."
"It's been bothering Kei and Noire. That's saying a lot. Take these meetings more seriously and I'll have Histoire make us some of that pudding from her old recipe book."
"Hooray! You're the best, Nepgear!"
Kei closed her eyes and snorted, having become a tiny bit annoyed. "Of course, I should have predicted this. There was no chance that her leaving even past the front door would have gone smoothly." She left behind her thoughts that left traces of inconvenience and said out loud, "I'm glad you could make it, Neptune."
Two individuals stepped out of the Terraportation ship's entrance and made their descent. Among these two was a short purple haired girl with d-pad hairclips, wore stripped stockings with a similarly colored white hoodie jacket that had purple linings around it and maintained an easy going yet evidentially bored "I wanna go home now" expression. The taller girl next to her had longer purple hair with similar d-pad hairclips, wore a white sailor schoolgirl uniform with purple linings and similarly to her sister, she had on a white choker around her neck.
These two were the CPU and CPU Candidates of Planeptune, respectively.
Vert chuckled, "Histoire called me earlier after the official declarations were sent. Neptune wouldn't even get out of the door, let alone her own bed so…she called me over and requested permission that I travel to Planeptune via the Terraportation ship and personally help Nepgear 'escort' her here…if escort means helping Histoire drag Neptune out of bed, that is."
"You're an ogre, Vert," Neptune moaned, "I was so busy today."
"Yeah, stuffing your own mouth with those chips I bought you yesterday," sighed Nepgear, turning to her sister, "This is an important matter, Neptune. You're this nation's goddess yet sometimes you play around a bit too much."
"There hasn't been an incident since the last one…" Neptune protested, "Besides, good ol' Noire could easily fix this mess up by herself."
"I'm more or less surprised that she willingly called Blanc out of all people over," Kei added to their conversation, "Those two fight like cats and dogs especially."
"Why don't we all cut this meager chit chat out and just get going already?!" Chika interrupted the group with her voice raised, "My darling sister's MMO Guild is in danger and unless we head to the nearest hotel with a PC, her records are doomed!"
"Still going on with the 'Vert is my sister' charade as always, huh Chika?" Kei gazed at her while she spoke condescendingly, "Guess some things never really change. I think our round of greetings overstayed its welcome. Best we move on back to the capital. Due to security reasons, all of you are to stay in a separate hotel from Blanc's group until tomorrow evening."
"Awww poo, there goes staying up late with Iffy and Compa to play card games…" Neptune pouted.
"I wanted to see Uni too but I take it that she's fast asleep by now," Nepgear said with a disappointed tone in her voice, "We can see each other tomorrow morning then…"
"Well, shall we be off?" Kei directed their attention to a black SUV that was stationed near the position troops. "All 5 of us can fix with the driver included."
With that, the black SUV drove to the capital…and soon, a new day would begin.
Inside the privately booked dining hall of the hotel, Ranma Saotome quietly consumed his breakfast. At 6:00 AM, both of them had gotten up earlier than the rest. As a result, Compa took the chance to ask the hotel staff if they could access their rented dining hall and its kitchen early in order to prepare breakfast for everyone else in advanced.
"We didn't have the chance to introduce ourselves properly since the incident yesterday," IF broke the ice. She sat down across the table from Ranma and grabbed a croissant from the basket and put it on her plate. She skipped to the formalities, "My name is IF. I'm a Guild member and an operative of Planeptune's intelligence agency. You must be Ranma, right?"
"Yeah. A pleasure to meet you," he greeted after downing his 2nd plate of eggs and bread rolls. IF commented, "Gee, you have a big appetite, huh?"
"It's not that. I hadn't had the chance to eat anything at all last night," he shrugged, putting his plate aside.
"Did Blanc send you to bed without supper?" IF sarcastically asked. She eyed the annoyed expression on Ranma's face who simply tapped his fingers on the table.
"Not that! Too much happened…that's all…Compa called me up for dinner last night but I had a lot of things in my mind," he said after taking a sip of his orange juice, "So I just skipped dinner and lay down in bed until Lyrica came back. By the way…did you stay in this hotel too?"
"I booked my room last night," she informed him, "I was initially staying somewhere else but then I ran into Compa so I transferred hotels."
"You really must care a great deal for Compa, huh?" Ranma commented. The brunette's cheeks became somewhat red, "Yeah…well…we're friends. Close friends. Simple as that."
"Anybody want seconds?" Compa called out from the kitchen counter, holding up two plates of freshly fried eggs. IF walked over to the counter and complimented, "This smells nice…what kind of spices did you use for these?"
"Nothing special, honestly," Compa shook her hands off and continued, "Just a few local spices from downtown Lastation. Nothing else…"
"So…after we eat breakfast, we'll be both heading back to Planeptune." IF reminded her ditzy nurse friend. Said nurse gloomed upon being reminded of the sad reality, "Oh…right…"
"Compa, you're leaving so soon?" Ranma asked her.
"I'm afraid so. I only accompanied you all to Lastation because Iffy asked me to come here. Now her business in Lastation is finished, we have to head back to Planeptune," she said with a wave of sadness in her voice, "I wanted to keep travelling with my friends but even then we would have to go our separate ways eventually…like before."
"Awwww geez Compa, it's so early in the morning and you have to be all wishy washy and sentimental? Saying good bye doesn't mean it's over, you know?" huffed a cheerfully hyper voice from the dining hall entrance. Ranma and his group turned their direction to the purple haired girl with the hoodie who waved her hand at the group. "Iffy, Compa~! It's been a while!"
Her long haired younger sister followed, panting in exhaustion. She ranted, "Sis…please…you were running so fast…I couldn't even catch up…control yourself…hah….Oh my goodness…Compa! Iffy!"
Compa widened her eyes and cried out, "…Nep-Nep?! Ge-Ge!? What are you two doing here?"
The Goddess of Planeptune herself rushed past Ranma and tackled the fluffy nurse with a tight embrace. "Awesome! I thought you and Iffy would have already gone back to Planeptune by now but you guys are still here!"
Nepgear turned to IF and hugged her lightly, "I've missed you both so much…"
"Me and Compa have been gone for like what, 2 or 3 weeks? We were heading back to the capital shortly anyways," Iffy said as her face continued to flush.
Nepgear informed them both, "About that…Histoire sent us a message. Iffy, she wants you to stay with me and sis…same with Compa…"
"Wait, before I forget, what are you both doing here?" Iffy demanded to know while her arms were kept cross.
"Ugh. Ummm, yeah. About that. Histy went all bonkers on me because I wanted to stay home instead of going to some boring emergency meeting Noire laid out…like, she needs to chill," Neptune casually laughed while putting her arms behind her head.
"You made Histoire have to call Vert just so she could pick us up," fumed Nepgear, eying her sister with an embarrassed stare. "Seriously, Histoire dragging you out of bed was too awkward to watch."
"Well, we're here so no use complaining now," Neptune said with a sing sang tone of voice while approaching the breakfast table. If there was one thing Neptune was known for, it was her ability to play her part when it mattered, despite the lazy air surrounding her personality.
"Wait, Vert is here too?" Compa questioned in a puzzling tone of voice.
"Uh-huh," Neptune musically answered, "Even Chika came with her. She even brought all of their BL and MMO games with them. Talk about dedication."
"More like talk about flat out weird," IF said while placing her hands on her hips. "Well, looks like we're going to be staying here a little while longer."
"Ooohhh, did you know Miss Lyrica has her concert tonight?!" Compa excitingly asked while she rushed over to Nepgear. "We should watch it together! Lyrica says she got us VIP seats. I'll ask her if she can get any more for you and Nep-Nep."
"A free concert's awesome in my book," Neptune laughed and then suggested, "I still think you should get into the idol business, Nepgear."
"Sis, that was one incident. One incident with a promotional music video we both made," Nepgear flailed her arms, refusing her older sister's suggestions. "We're goddesses, not idols. Besides, competing against 5pb would be so weird."
"Awwwww, you're no fun, Nepgear," her older sister snickered slightly. She wrapped her right arm around the younger sister's shoulders and grinned. She continued, "Our shares practically went up with that one video and don't forget…You did perform for a crowd with Uni, Ram and Rom that one time in Leanbox."
"That was years ago, sis…" Nepgear moaned quietly as if to dodge any further questions. "Well, never mind that. Blanc and the others are in the upper floors of the hotel, right?"
"They're sleeping quietly in their suites," Compa answered, "They should be awake in half an hour. I've got breakfast already laid out for the most part. Lyrica has her big concert tonight so she'll be spending all day doing rehearsals before her big show."
"So, now can we eat?" Neptune pleaded as she drooled over the freshly cooked set of eggs and croissants near the counter. Compa winked and answered, "Go right ahead. You and Ge-Ge must really be hungry."
"Neato!" exclaimed Neptune as she drew a chair out from the table. "I haven't tasted Compa's cooking in like..forever."
"That's because you always eat junk food," Nepgear put her hand over her face, "If you want some home cooking while Compa and Iffy are occupied, you could just ask me to make something for you. I don't want to watch you stuff yourself with chips and chocolate sticks on a daily basis you know."
"I'm a goddess. We don't gain weight," Neptune casually mused as Compa set her plate down in front of her. "Ahhh, whatever. Time to dig in! Nepgear! Come and sit! These smell absolutely irresistible."
"AHEM," Ranma coughed loudly with a "Hello, I'm still here" look in his eyes.
"Goodness gracious, I'm so sorry," Compa gasped and bowed in apology. "We were so preoccupied catching up on old times that we've completely forgotten about your very existence!"
"I wouldn't go that far," Ranma shrugged, "Sorry about that though…"
"Nah, I feel where you're coming from," IF leaned against a nearby wall and commented, "I don't like being left in the dark like an invisible gold coin either."
"Like the Ancient Planeptunians used to say," Neptune sarcastically spoke out, "An invisible wall being ignored is like a party without the spice."
"That made no damned sense at all," IF groaned, "Stop taking and modifying lines from that weird skateboarding show you and Nepgear keep watching."
"Well, whatever. Let's skip to the formalities. Y'know. The typical JRPG element," Neptune extended her hand to Ranma's. "The name is Neptune. Planeptune's gorgeous CPU."
"In other words, the idiot who runs the place…sadly," IF snidely remarked. Neptune pouted, "Meanie…"
"She looks and sounds like a complete ditz…but…for some reason, I feel that there's more to her than meets the eye," he thought to himself as he accepted her offer to a handshake. After shaking Neptune's hand, Ranma saw Nepgear approach him.
"My name is Nepgear. I'm Planeptune's CPU candidate…in other words…I'm Neptune's younger sister. It's a pleasure to meet you," she greeted with the most heart melting smile she could muster. "I hope we can all be good friends."
Ranma felt his face fume just a tiny bit. He realized how much of a heartwarming aura the CPU candidate possessed. He thought, "That smile…really gives off that 'the girl next door' kind of vibe…"
"So, what brings both you goddesses to this nation?" asked Ranma.
"Lonely Heart wanted me and Vert to come and discuss data breaching issues…of course, I had better things to do but Histy had to drag me out of bed and here I am," Neptune said with a somewhat annoyed tone in her voice. "No use complaining now though. I'm here so I may as well amuse Lonely Heart."
"…..whose Lonely Heart?" the martial artist had to ask.
"She means Noire," IF deadpanned, "Don't let that give you the wrong idea, however. The two of them are as close as best friends can get. It's just Neptune teases her from time to time."
"I can see why," Ranma remarked. He stood up from his table and brought his plate to the sink. "You sure you don't want me to help out inside the kitchen?"
"No, I'm good," Compa reassured him, "You should get some more rest today. Your audience with Noire isn't until tomorrow. Lyrica has her concert later so Cave is probably going to ask you to be a bodyguard for the event."
"Right…" Ranma sighed.
In one instant, the doors of the dining hall entrance opened one more and familiar faces made their arrival.
"Speak of the devil," Blanc half-groaned as she gazed at Neptune. She walked over to the Planeptunian goddess who was preoccupied with breakfast. "So, what kind of bribe did Histoire offer you? A 5 year supply of all the junk food you can buy?"
"You're so mean, Blanc," Neptune shot back after finishing her glass of orange juice, "Histy made Vert come over and pick us up."
"Hot damn, she even got Thunder Tits involved. A new low," the brunette goddess said in a somewhat analytical manner. "Ah, Nepgear. How was that book I lent you?"
"It was really good, Blanc…I have the book in my hotel room so I'll be sure to return it," Nepgear complimented the other goddess.
Blanc cracked a small smile, something she rarely did except to the people she was close to. "Glad you liked it."
Blanc walked passed Ranma without saying a word and headed to the kitchen counter to get her food.
"Hey Blanc…I just wanted to say I was sorry," Ranma attempted to apologize before Blanc cut him off.
"Just don't land yourself in any more trouble…got it?" she coldly said before walking on over to another table to enjoy her breakfast in quiet peace.
Ranma could only groan. It was obvious that the snowy goddess was still angry at him for the ruckus he had caused. There wasn't any use in forcing the situation or so he believed. "I should just take it easy for now…if I try anything else…I could just make the situation worse."
"Ooohhhh, Blanc sounded so mad," Neptune suddenly rushed over to Ranma's side. She started coaxing him into spilling the details, "So, what happened? Did you two suddenly fall in love? Did you break her poor, romantic heart?"
"Nothing of the sort," Ranma answered back. Neptune continued for him, "Ahhh right…that little incident in Noire's Basilicom…she told me the details through a text message last night…still…you oughta feel privileged. Getting so clooooooose and personal to this nation's beautiful raven haired goddess!"
"Tch," Ranma glared slightly for a second but his expression returned to its calm state in a few seconds. "Eh. Whatever. I'm just gonna go walk around town."
"Don't screw any buildings over," Blanc called out from her breakfast table in a catty sounding voice.
"Alright, mom," Ranma annoyingly replied back, addressing the goddess as such as if to brighten the mood somewhat. It partially worked as by the time he left the dining hall, Neptune was already rolling on the floor and laughing her heart off. On the other hand…
"Jackass," Blanc hissed and then pouted quietly, "…that idiot really loves making people worried…I just don't want you to get hurt..."
Nepgear was within earshot when Blanc muttered those very words. "Hmmm…."
"Thank you very much for finding the time to give your reports, Cave," Noire said while she meticulously filed her documents for the following week.
Cave stood straight in front of the Lastation Goddess's desk while retaining a dignified air surrounding her stature. "It's no trouble at all, Lady Noire. If I may ask, where is younger sister at this time?"
"She went out to meet up with Nepgear," Noire answered while eying the PC screen that was situated to the left side of her desk. She continued, "Neptune and Vert are coming here at noon for our talks involving the data breaches. Kei's already rescheduled that troublesome martial artist for tomorrow."
"Ranma you mean…" Cave commented, "He didn't have any ill intentions. It was a simple misunderstanding on all of our parts. I'm not putting the blame on Uni but on circumstance in general."
"I understand that clearly," Noire retorted, "However…he could have just let himself be taken under their custody and explain everything afterwards…as opposed to causing this."
The last part she uttered out while pointing to the various construction men inside her office fixing up the walls.
"Oddly enough, Lyrica…I mean Miss 5pb appears to trust him greatly," she said with an observing look on her face, "He feels like a powerful and competent fighter as well…"
"Cave, we're all friends here," Noire stated, "You can address 5pb by her real name if you want…you don't have to go 'too' overboard with the formalities."
"I apologize," answered Cave. "I do mean what I say about Ranma. Lyrica…she really does put a lot of trust into him…She's a shy girl. She's capable of opening up to her closest of friends…yet she has no trouble expressing her trust towards him, even after that incident."
"It was Lyrica who patched him up after our fiery goddess here clawed at his arm like a scratching post," Kei commented as she entered the broken down office with a snide tone in her voice.
"Well, how was I supposed to react when I found his hand on my chest?!" Noire fumed at her Oracle, "He should be thankful enough that I let him free without any serious punishment or any kind of charges against Lowee in property damage."
"The past is the past," Cave remarked, "We're here to discuss the future…so…for the most part, we've confirmed that he doesn't seem to be lying…he virtually knows nothing about this place and he has possessions that don't seem to be of this world…so…in the situation that any of the scientific institutes from any of our nations can't find a way to send him home….what will happen…in the situation that he knows too much?"
Thus, the figurative crickets in the office chirped loudly than their voices did.
"Well…we're no charity," Kei commented first, "However…I could just offer him a job as a soldier in the Lastation Defense Forces…lodging would come with his salary assuming that 2% of his salary would be taken as tax interest to the government…and if what you say is true Cave, he could make a good asset to us. You know me well. I'm not keen on wasting away potential that would benefit out nation."
"Why are we even discussing this so early?" Noire questioned her Oracle's logic. "None of us have seen him fight before. Whether or not he's lying doesn't matter to me. Whatever happens to him afterwards is no skin off my bones. Don't decide things too quickly until we've finished my audience with this individual."
"I suppose we can't disagree with that," Cave stated, "Regardless…he does have potential. Maybe it's me overanalyzing all of this but who knows. He may surprise us."
"Yeah, like with what he did with my office!" the goddess growled. Kei shot back, "Still…jumping from roof top to roof top in such an easy going fashion intrigues me no matter how many times I review the footage. Beyond the capabilities of a normal human, that's for sure."
"Hmph, think what you want Kei but I'm not convinced," Noire spoke with a light glare. She stormed out of her office shortly after.
"You're too easy to read, Noire," was all that Kei could utter out of her mouth that very moment.
Several hours had passed and soon enough, the night skies and its stars reigned over the capital. It was now 9:00 PM. Just half an hour before the idol 5pb a.k.a. Lyrica was to hold her first major concert in Lastation's home soil.
The Imperial Memorial Park in down town Lastation was flooded with her fans from all walks of life in Gamindustri, be it male or female. Many of them had set up tents around certain areas in the grassy pastures of the park, some had taken refuge on nearby benches with glow sticks ready and others rushed to various snack venders in preparation for the show. On the center field of the Memorial Park, a grandiose circular stage with spotlights surrounding it had been erected and the crowds gathered around it, awaiting their idol.
"They sure are riled up for this," Ranma said while grazing past the sea of fans that swarmed past him.
Cave followed up on his comment. "Lyrica's concerts are always this packed. I didn't imagine it would be this crowded though. It's her first official performance in Lastation. It just means she's gotten to this point of popularity…I'm truly happy for her."
"You've known Lyrica for a long time, I take it?" he asked.
"You could say so…I met 5pb just when her idol career was kicking off. I was a rookie in the Special Mission Department of Leanbox. I was assigned to become her bodyguard for her debut concerts…Eventually, we got to know each other more and…here we are…she's somebody precious to me…and I couldn't bear imagine something happening to her and me unable to do anything…"
Cave shook her thoughts off and regained her icy cool façade, "Look at me…dwelling on the past like this…a soldier like myself shouldn't be wasting too much time on what is done…the future is what I'll continue to look forward to."
"There's no shame in reminiscing," Ranma argued, "Sure, maybe it'll be painful sometimes and maybe it'll be difficult…but we've had 'some' precious memories out of our experiences…for better or worse."
"Since when did you become the philosophical type, Ranma?" she asked with an unassuming look on her face.
"Jeez, what's with that look?" the martial artist growled slightly, "Here I am giving you advice and you suddenly wonder why I'm not acting like some goofy jock?"
"That isn't what I meant," retorted Cave. She sighed and then said, "Forget it….but…thanks for listening."
"No prob," Ranma uttered out. By the time they had finished conversing through the crowds, they had already reached their destination by then.
"So, these are the VIP seats, huh?" Ranma asked as he directed his attention at several couches that were placed just a few meters away from the circular stage. The couches were situated just against two layers of crowd control barriers that encircled the circular stage and its grassy area.
Cave walked up to a female attendant and handed her two cards, "My name is Cave of the Leanbox SMD. I'm here to confirm permission to enter the VIP area with this man, who is a sanctioned bodyguard of the organization." The woman looked through the papers for a short while and then gave them both a nod. "Alright, you're free to go."
She opened part of the crowd control barrier and then immediately closed it after letting both individuals in so that a crowd swarm could be avoided.
"Hey Cave! Ranma!" Compa called out from one of the couch seats.
"So this is the VIP seating…Not bad. Not bad at all," Ranma remarked as he sat himself on a recliner couch next to where Compa and IF sat.
IF stated, "Neptune and Nepgear went to get some snacks from a nearby shop so they should be back in the VIP area when the show's going to start."
"Where's this nation's goddess?" he questioned the absence of a certain tsundere.
"Noire has paperwork to attend to," IF informed him, "So she sadly won't be watching the show with us."
Ranma looked to his left and noticed Blanc seated with both of her younger sisters on the couch next to his.
"Hey Blanc…you're still…" he began to speak but was sub-sequentially cut off by the very mentioned goddess.
"So, you just stayed inside the hotel the entire day…nothing else?"
"Like I had a damn choice," he retorted, sounding somewhat blunt. "…but I caused you enough trouble the other day so…tch…I'm not really good with apologies so bear with me…sorry about the other day…giving you all that grief I mean."
Blanc didn't give him any further looks. Rather, she simply said in a soft spoken manner, "…fricking dumbass…just be careful next time…okay?"
The martial artist couldn't help but grin slightly. He and the brunette goddess weren't exactly on best terms yet he found himself relieved that she had forgiven him. "Alright then…"
Compa whispered to IF, "Iffy…where's Vert…we haven't seen her all day…but she was in the meeting with Noire and Nep-Nep today…"
IF whispered back, "…no clue…I haven't seen her fangirl Oracle either. I wonder if they have other business needed to be dealt with. It's odd. You'd think the Goddess of Leanbox would be here to see her nation's star idol perform for the first time in foreign soil."
Suddenly, Kei rushed through the crowd barriers and tugged on Ranma's shirt sleeve. "We need you. Now."
Ranma pushed the Oracle back and stammered, "Hold on there! What the heck happened exactly? What's so urgent all of a sudden?"
Kei declared, "We haven't made any emergency broadcasts…but…there's a Fenrir running lose near the capital's entrance."
The color on both IF and Compa's faces drained away. "A…Fenrir?!"
Blanc stood up and glared, facing the Oracle. "Is this some sick ass practical joke? No way in hell a Fenrir could make it all the way to the capital unnoticed by the border patrol, let alone the capital security."
"My division is reporting that it appeared out of nowhere," Kei spoke with a stone cold tone in her voice. "My troops currently have the beast detained but I'm afraid that they won't be able to hold it off from storming into the city for too long. If it reaches the park…there'll surely be mass havoc and heavy casualties…"
Without thinking about it any further, Ranma asked the Oracle. "Where's this thing being held back?"
Kei informed him, "The southern entrance gate of the capital. If you take the road that's south east of Memorial Park and head another two blocks…you should find your way to the main…"
SWOOSH! A split second later…the martial artist was gone. Kei was rendered speechless, it was as if he materialized into wind and stormed for the destination.
Blanc staggered under her breath, various possibilities running within her thoughts, "….is this guy even human?!"
Over at the southern exit gate of the capital…dozens of Lastation Defense Force officers placed barricades around the area of hazard where people from the other side oversaw the massive wolf-like beast that was being pinned down by the authorities.
Several more officers of the Lastation Guard drew out guns loaded with tranquilizers in an attempt to make the beast fall into a deep slumber. In the end, their efforts proved worthless as it only roared, shaking off any chain or wire that had been tied around his legs as an attempt to slow him down.
The situation became even more dire…as the Fenrir's eyes became red in fury…assuming a position that meant that he was ready to pounce on the local authorities and turn them into its dinner.
A Lastation military commander locked and loaded his heavy duty rifle and roared out a command, "Fire at will! Use any means to slow this son of a bitch down!"
His firing squad unleashed an unholy flurry of bullets at the maddened Fenrir but again, to no avail. It only made the beast even angrier. The Fenrir let out a single roar and in an instant, a massive icicle spear rained down on the group of Lastation Defense Force officers.
The rest of the group had all but scattered…save a poor soul who was now sitting on his bottom with a sprained ankle. The gigantic Fenrir gazed at its helpless victim, read to tear him into evening supper. As the beast raised its claws and prepared to finish its pray off, the soldier screamed, "GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
SMASH! Seconds later, the soldier slowly opened his eyes, wondering as to whether or not he was in Heaven. He wasn't anywhere near Heaven or Hell for that matter. Instead, he bore witness to a certain raven-haired martial artist who had his arm outstretched and his fists countering the Fenrir's massive claws with little to no difficulty. Seconds after, Ranma unleashed a ki shockwave which sent the Fenrir tumbling back several meters and he made another martial artist stance. He closed his eyes and let the ki flow into his body that very second. He calmly kept his cool and prepared for a final attack. The Fenrir growled once more and assumed a pre-pounce position.
"I'm not the same reckless martial artist on the day he left his town," he thought to himself, "Maybe some things don't easily change…but I'm certainly not the person I was 5 years ago!"
The Fenrir pounced at great heights and readied its claws to slice its victim into tiny bit sized pieces. BAM. Instead of finishing its opponent off…the Fenrir croaked in pain…seconds passed and it found itself flying at massive speeds into the air…eventually falling towards an uninhabited empty lot in the forest, miles away from the capital.
The crowd was in utter awe as they witnessed Ranma remaining in a roundhouse kick position. It's as if he had saved all of his energy for that one single kick: that one single and decisive blow that settled this incident. He stood up straight again and exhaled, "Damn. I haven't gotten into a fight like this in weeks…well, that's all settled. Gotta head back to the concert!"
SWOOSH! Once more, Ranma had disappeared like a gust of wind as he sped back for Memorial Park to catch the idol's concert in time. Among the crowd, Kei Jinguji's eyes widened like sauce pans…and her mouth dropped agape as if she had witnessed Old Saint Nick himself. She muttered, "…what in god's name is this man…"
"Ranma!" Cave called out as the martial artist swiftly returned to the VIP seating. "I heard everything from an operative of mine down at the southern gate…y-you really…"
Ranma cracked his fists, sweating in exhaustion, "Tch…wasn't anything special…damn…I've gotten a bit sloppy this week…I need to remind myself to add training supplements tomorrow…"
Neptune gave the martial artist a compliment, "I have no idea what went down with you and that wolf but if what they're saying is true…neeto, that sounds awesome!"
"Mr. Ranma…really defeated the Fenrir?" Nepgear gasped. She approached him in order to make sure he had no serious injuries. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you? If you feel like something hurts, just talk to Compa, she'll…"
"I said it's no big deal…what matters is this incident didn't turn into a mass panic…now people can enjoy the concert in peace…hey, where's Blanc?"
Ram spoke, "She left the seating area shortly after you did but she hasn't come back since…I think she's talking about grown-up stuff with Noire…"
Their conversation was eventually interrupted…as the spotlights around the circular stage, the lamp posts and any additional lights from buildings within the park shut down which left only the glow sticks held by the crowds as sources of light. A booming voice from the intercom revealed an announcement.
[LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. BOYS AND GIRLS. WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE. 5PB'S LASTATION ALL STARS FANTASIA IS ABOUT TO BEGIN. PLEASE, ENJOY THE SHOW!]
Slowly…music began to blare from the speakers…and the crowd's attention was directed at a Lastation helicopter flying down from the stage which then dropped a rope ladder. In the next second, fiery sparks roared from the stage to create a flashy lightning to reveal the idol, 5pb, holding on to the helicopter's rope ladder as the spotlights began to rapidly change colors. The crowd went mad with enthusiasm and thrill. [5PB! 5PB! 5PB! 5PB!]
Ranma was left almost speechless as the idol dropped down from the rope ladder and made her grandiose entrance. It was almost like she was a different person. Lyrica, now on stage as 5pb, Lastation's Star Idol, roared out, "Thank you so much for coming tonight, Lastation City!"
Further cheers responded to her enthusiastic greeting. [5PB YOU'RE SO DELICIOUS!] [5PB, PLEASE MARRY MEEEEEEEE!] [HELL YEAH, 5PB! HELL YEAH!]
5pb walked around the stage and then raised her right arm up and shouted, "You all ready to have the grandest time of your lives!" An even louder cheer followed. She continued, "AWESOME! That's what I wanna hear because we're sure as hell going to have the grandest time of our lives…TONIGHT!"
The spotlights immediately changed colors and music blared out once more…It was 5pb's turn to act. She drew her mike out and began the festivities.
Hikare! Yume no hoshi (mitsukedasou!) Oubaarimitto!
Genkai nante koete ku yo kitto!
Darenimo makenaikara!
The crowds went wild once more and the stunning idol of Leanbox continued to sing her heart out.
Ranma stammered, "It feels like she's a different person on stage…she puts so much emotion into that one song…"
Cave whispered to the martial artist in order to avoid disturbing the others. "Indeed…That's 5pb's ability. Her songs harnesses power that is drawn from the bonds she makes with the people she cherishes…and I have a feeling that you're no exception."
"….you think…?" Ranma questioned. For now, all he did was let himself rest and enjoy the rest of the show. He had a boring day, had to deal with a Fenrir and make it back to the concert on time without causing a public panic but in the end…he felt that this day was worthwhile. He only had one question in mind: Just where did Blanc run off to…and just who was the mysterious Goddess of Leanbox…?
Act VI – Fin.
Ranma: You're serious?! So none of the nations here have any answers as to how I can find a way home?!
Kei: You're stuck here for the time being, I regret to inform you.
Noire: Your handling of that Fenrir is above that of an average human's capabilities…perhaps you'll make good use of your abilities serving me.
Blanc: Bullshit. I discussed this with Mina on the phone last night. If we can't find a way home for you, you'll make good use serving my nation.
Vert: So, you must be Ranma. 5pb seems fond of you and Cave doesn't seem to suspect you. You'd be better off living in my nation!
Ranma: All of you are already deciding my fate in this world?! You have to be kidding me.
Next Time: Act VII – Ranma's Decisive Choice.
Author's Notes
-What do you know? I managed to update once more. Without taking a few months to do so.
-As response to a few reviews I've had…no, I'm not going to make this story harem in the sense that every character is going to fall in love with him. I'm still contemplating on pairings but Noire is a potential candidate. At max, only 2 or 3 characters are going to end up falling in love with our martial artist protagonist. I don't want to turn it into a story where every girl from the game is head over heels in love with him for no reason. The Hyperdimension Neptunia series in general is envisioned by its producer, Mizuno Naoko of Compile Heart, as a story that she feels where girls can just have fun together and form bonds. This is one of the reasons why the original games, the mangas and the ongoing anime (except Neptunia PP for the Vita) don't have any significant male protagonists or characters, because they play little to no role in the game's universes. The strong point of this series is all about the bonds characters forge with each other without making it look like a harem story.
-In relation to the second point, some are probably going to ask, "Why did you make a Ranma x Neptunia crossover"? I was bored. Simple as that. That and Ranma's one of my favorite childhood shonen protagonists. I just thought it'd be fun to see how he'd make his way around a chaotic environment like Gamindustri and how he would interact with most of the cast.
-For fans of the original game who are worried…don't fret. I'm still doing my best to include bonding scenes between the characters from the original game. Noire/Uni's sisterly bond in this chapter is one example alongside Compa and IF's close friendship. Not to mention Cave/5pb.
-Yes, that was a Rocket Power reference that Neptune pulled off.
-The song which 5pb was singing at the end of this chapter was the opening of Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 which was sung by the J-Pop artist "nao", who voices 5pb in the games.
-Next chapter will focus on how Ranma deals with the fact that he may no longer be able to go back home…and as to which nation he will move to. Will it be Planeptune, Leanbox, Lowee or Lastation? Find out soon!