A/N:
Celestial: Hey everyone, welcome to the singing chapter of Hyper Dimension Neptunia Hearts! Because no story is complete without one!
Noire: I suppose...it's like the obligatory beach chapter, there always has to be one.
Akira: I'm actually looking forward to that one. Noire and Uni look nice in bikinis, makes me wonder what the other girls look like.
Uni: Grr...men, they can only think of one damn thing can't they?
Celestial: Aw, don't be offended, he said you looked nice and I'm sure you do! Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed that parkour type chapter I posted yesterday. It was rather interesting to write. The part where Akira went through the house was a reference to Assassin's Creed where you could run through houses. Don't remember if it was 3 or Unity, but one of those two.
Vert: I'm so happy you are all enjoying my nation so far...sorry for being gone most of the time. My guild is doing a castle raid so we have to give it our all. I promise to meet you once I'm done!
Noire: It's fine Vert, sort of pisses me off that you didn't even show up for this chapter, like at all. But it's your loss..
Akira: Really hoping you would listen to my little number, but oh well.
Celestial: FYI, the songs used in this chapter are Strider's High, from the anime Prince of Stride Alternative and of course Dimension Tripper from Hyper Dimension Neptunia the animation. If you want to know, Akira is actually from the world of Prince of Stride. There's gonna be a lot of easter eggs further on in this story, because no Hyper Dimension Neptunia story is complete without them!
Noire: So, we hope you enjoy this chapter! Make sure you listen to those songs! Celestial went through the trouble of writing in Japanese so he could bring you the lyrics to them.
Celestial: Yes, it was a total pain in my ass because I still have no goddamn internet, so appreciate it! With this, I bring you Chapter 9 of Hyper Dimension Neptunia Hearts! As a side note, for everyone currently in Florida, I wish you all the best of Luck. One of my aunts is currently in Tampa, and that was one of the harder hit areas in the state. I can only pray to God and hope that she is perfectly safe. If you guys are out there, please don't be reckless, stay inside until you know for sure you are safe. There's flooding everywhere, and the last thing anyone wants is to die because you want to check on something or get something from your house. Please just stay safe everyone!
Hyperdimension Neptunia Hearts
Chapter 9
Idols Are Different in Person
After meeting with Noire and Uni, and checking into the hotel, Akira and the girls started heading back toward the arena. The streets were rather busy, and they had taken a lot of side streets to get to the venue. When they did, they're eyes almost bulged from their skulls. The sheer amount of 5pb fans gathered at this thing was enormous. There was no way to count how many men, women, children and adolescent had been gathered there. There was a long line just for everyone to meet the idol and get something signed by her. There were stands and shops around the arena, selling all sorts of things for the concert, including glow sticks and all sorts of souvenirs.
Akira had taken out his lanyard, placing it around his neck. He knew that if he didn't have it, there was no way he could ever get to the front of the line. Uni and Noire did the same thing, and they saw some people looking at them, jealousy written on their faces. The VIP tickets had sold out like hot cakes, and getting one to this concert was nearly impossible. He had been listening to Leanbox Radio from his LS Vita on the way to the concert and already several people had been arrested for forgery of tickets and attempting to sell them before the concert. A lot of shady people were trying to strike it rich by using the Siren of Leanbox to their advantage.
People were getting banned from the arena, starting fights in the line, pushing, shoving, literally anything just to get a glimpse of the woman. He had even passed some people starting a mosh pit near one of the parks. He felt bad for the twelve year old that was power bombed into the crowd. He wanted to help her out, he truly did, but that would be like staring a Great White Shark down before it ate you. No way in hell he was getting himself involved in that one.
They had finally made it to the arena's courtyard, the building being bigger than they imagined. The courtyard was filled with at least a hundred thousand people, and that only accounted for Thirty Percent of Leanbox city's population, the others were hanging around the area, or just coming into the city itself. He heard people talking about them coming down from Hero City which was near the eastern part of the nation, and others had come as far Greenville, a city located nearly five hundred miles south of the central city. 5Pb was the real deal, and he could tell the people of Leanbox truly loved her, and her voice.
"This is insane. These people don't know the meaning of crowd control!" Noire snapped, crossing her arms. She glared at a few guys who had been checking her out. Akira did the same, causing them all to walk off.
"I get what you mean, 5pb is a national icon, you would expect people to be more civil." he said firmly.
"Well, they're all fans who want a piece of her. Sadly they choose impulse over self control." Uni said, pointing to one teen who was getting tossed into a Paddy Wagon. Akira couldn't help but chuckle.
"Would anyone bearing a VIP Ticket move to the front please? I repeat, everyone bearing a VIP Ticket move to the front, thank you!"
"That's us ladies, let us go." Akira said, taking the lead of the party. Noire sighed, following close behind. She was trying to avoid the leers she was getting from other people, including some girls that had been giving Akira some passing glances.
They arrived at another line separate from the main one. There were two guards, along with an official who was checking tickets. They got in line behind some teenagers, who seemed to be around Uni's physical age. One of the boys glanced over his shoulder, giving her a smile. She scoffed, glancing away from him with a pout on her face. Akira smirked, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"Loosen up a bit Mini Tsun! You'll never get a boyfriend if you keep sneering and pouting all the time." he said.
"Gah! Don't call me that! Also who the hell said I wanted to have a boyfriend?" she cried, glaring at him. He hummed to himself, giving her a grin.
"Ah, I get you...you want to have a cute girlfriend...I'm totally okay with that. So who's the lucky girl that's caught your fancy? Is it Nepgear?" he asked.
"What? Don't make me elbow you in the dick asshole! I'm not interested in girls!" she cried. The boy chuckled, letting go of her shoulders as they moved forward.
"You know, pissing her off isn't a good idea. You know how moody she gets, and if she has a gun on her, that'll be the end of you." Noire said.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take. Besides, she makes a cute face when she's flustered. You on the other hand turn into a tomato." he said, giving her a wink. She growled, clenching her fists tightly
The three black haired Lastationites finally made it to the front of the line. Akira handed the official his ticket, the man looked it over, scanning the barcode with his scanner. After checking him over for weapons, he allowed him through. He checked Noire and Uni as well before sending them through. Akira smiled brightly as he passed through the large doors, walking into the high vaulted hallways of the Leanbox Arena.
"This is so cool! I've never been in an arena before." he said, looking around the area with stars in his eyes.
"Jeez, I can't take you anywhere can't I? Stop running around idiot, you're embarrassing me." Noire said, glaring at the boy, who forced himself to stop.
"Ticket Holders, continue down to the main arena. I repeat, Ticket Holders, continue down to the main arena!"
Akira calmed down a bit as he followed the crowd of people down the hallway. All of the lights had been turned on, and given a bright green tint. All around, the excited voices of 5pb's fans could be heard bouncing off the stone walls. After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached the main arena.
It was honestly the biggest one Akira had ever seen. Even bigger than the Yokohama Arena back home. He had only seen it on television, but he could tell this one out did it. All around him were millions of seats, all of them being painted a brilliant green color. The arena which was normally used for sports had been turned into a stage, with large 4k screens all over the place for everyone to see the band that would be playing. There were large green railings, keeping the people from literally jumping down to the stage. The crowd turned toward another stairwell, leading down into the arena main floor.
He could see a large table in front of the stage, which was being crowded with people. But he could see the familiar blue hair belonging to 5pb. The idol was happily signing autographs and taking pictures with her fans. The band was currently setting up on stage, most likely doing sound checks for the concert that would he happening that night. Akira was honestly glad he had gotten VIP Tickets, since he was able to decide what day he wanted to go to the concert. Of course he had decided to go to the daytime one, since all of his friends would be attending that one. But at least he had early access to the other stuff.
"There sure are a lot of people here...and all of them are here for one teenage girl...maybe I should become an idol. Imagine all of the faith my people would put in me if I started singing for them." Noire said.
"Or you could deafen them with your untrained voice. I bet it would crack during your first high note." Akira said, causing her to go wide eyed. She grabbed a hold of his jacket, holding her fist up.
"Noire! Put the fist down!" Uni cried, grabbing her sister's hand. The black haired goddess grit her teeth as she lowered the appendage down, holding her nose high.
"I'm a wonderful singer, and that's what matters. Hmph."
"Nice going dumb ass." Uni said, shaking her head in annoyance. Akira cringed, knowing that comment had been too far. He was going to apologize to Noire, but she was actively ignoring him now. He decided to remain quiet, glancing down at the crowd of people that were gathering in front of the Siren of Leanbox.
xxx
"Hehehe, I can't believe these idiots don't know how to run security."
Underling was smiling brightly to herself. After the blunder she and Trick had committed in Lowee, she had decided to rework herself to become something that was more in her itenerary. A thief. Not just a thief, a thief that was going to steal from famous people.
Of course when she landed in the outskirts of Lowee, she had decided it would be better to avoid big cities for awhile. But when she heard how much one of 5pb's autographed guitars went for on Nepbay, she just had to try her luck. She had been studying pictures of 5pb's signature and had quickly mastered it, being able to forge it quite easily. She had bought some CDs and signed them herself, turning them to profit just as fast.
So with a pocket full of cash, she took the first Airboat to Leanbox and had started her plan. The first part of it was buy herself a security guard uniform that matched the ones from the arena. The second one was buy a pass from one of the guards that didn't care about their job, the third and final one was to get close enough to the stage to steal the guitar.
It was a fool proof plan. She had even gotten herself a real weapon, instead of her rusted iron pipe. There was no way she was going to loose this chance, she was going to make it big, and she was finally going to be called by her first name, and not Underling.
She walked down the empty halls of the southern half of the arena. The northern entrance was the one that was currently being overflowed with people. So this would be how she made her escape. She had memorized which areas would take her out of the arena and into the streets. If anyone gave chase, they would be stopped by the general landscape of the area. No way a person would be able to run up and down stairs and through buildings and catch up to her. She glanced at her watch, nodding to herself.
"4:35...she's already been signing autographs for an hour...so this will give me enough time to get close to the stage. This plan is fool proof." she said to herself, walking toward the main arena.
The loud cheers of people strained her ears a bit, as she looked around the area. The astroturf had been laid out for the baseball games that were going to happen the day after the concert was over. She showed her ID to the Concert official and started walking toward the stage, a small sneer on her face. She rose her hood over her head as she did so. She was still surprised the head of security had allowed her to wear a hoodie over her uniform. That was their first mistake. Underling was going to make it big, and no one was going to stop her.
xxx
"Excuse me, could you possibly stop breathing down my neck?" Noire snapped, glaring at the fat teenager behind her.
"Sorry miss." he said, turning away from her slightly.
"Stop pressing up against me Akira, it's annoying!" Uni cried.
"Kinda fucking hard to do when so many people are behind us!" the boy said, trying to distance himself from the raven haired candidate only to bump into her sister, who was already annoyed.
"Why am I even here? I don't care about this concert at all!" Noire snapped, earning a sigh from Akira.
"Sweetheart, you have leave that office some time. You need to go outside and smell the roses!" he said.
"Well no offense, but the roses smell like BO and Barbecue potato chips. And I thought I told you to stop breathing down my neck!" she cried, earning an meek cry from the boy behind her.
Akira sighed shaking his head. He didn't think Noire hated crowds so much, or rather he didn't think she hated crowds full of nerds and fanboys. He knew she liked anime, just from the reactions she gave him whenever he brought it up. It would make her such a better person if she just came out and admit it, but he knew there was no chance in hell she would. The line moved forward, giving them a bit of breathing room.
"These people would be more calm if security did their job...hey, that one up there looks familiar." Akira said, pointing to the security guard on stage. It was a young green haired woman, who was currently speaking to a few band members.
"Who? That security guard? I've never seen her before...you must be confusing her for someone else." Uni said, earning a nod from the boy. He couldn't share the feeling that he knew her though. He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a good look at her when Noire pushed him, urging him forward.
"I swear, this is the last event I'm coming to with either of you." she said. He sighed, pushing her in front of himself.
"There, I won't breath down your neck. Sorry about my girlfriend bro, she tends to get really annoyed in public." he said, glancing at the young man behind him.
"It's alright, I'm only breathing so hard because it's hot." the teen said.
"I'm not your girlfriend, stop telling people that!" Noire cried, earning a chuckle from the boy.
"Aw, she still has trouble accepting it. She's a tsundere you see, and she has trouble admitting her feelings." Akira said, earning a laugh from the boy.
"I know how that is, dealing with Tsunderes is quite difficult, thankfully I got fifth prestige when it comes to dealing with the opposite sex." he said, placing a hand on his glasses, making them twinkle a bit.
"Do you now? I would like to hear more of this prestige of yours good sir."
"Ugh...Akira is such a nerd." Noire muttered, earning a giggle from her little sister.
A few more minutes passed, before their group was finally brought to the front, where 5pb was sitting, with a few of her publicists. She for one, wasn't wearing her usual Idol outfit, and instead was wearing a black halter top, which she tied up to show off the tattoo on her waist. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and some boots. She was sitting down at the center of the table, a stack of glossy pictures beside her.
The boy in front of Uni had turned into a blubbering mess, not exactly speaking anything that was understandable. The CPU Candidate tried not to break into a giggling fit, especially when the idol gave him a smile and thanked him dearly for showing up at her concert. He handed her something for her to sign, giving her some compliments. Akira shook his head, trying to ignore the fact the boy had been out right flirting with the idol.
"Um t-thanks again!" the boy said, giving the idol a formal bow before running off to meet his friends.
"Ugh...finally." Uni muttered as she stepped up to the idol.
"Hello there, you look stressed, did the line get to you Lady Uni?" 5pb asked, earning a nod from the girl.
"Of course it did, all of these people are just outrageous...hey how do you know my name?" she asked, earning a giggle from the idol.
"I know all about you and the other CPU Candidates. Lady Vert has told me a lot of stories about you all, especially about your exploits in Lowee. She said you would be showing up, along with your sister and the boy who rescued the girls."
"Wow, Vert actually talked to you about us? I'm impressed...of course I am an awesome person to tell people about. Although I'm surprised the CPU of Leanbox knows you personally." Noire said, earning a sigh from Akira.
"Must you be this haughty out in public? Were standing in front of an important idol here in Leanbox...at least try to be more humble." the boy said said, earning a giggle from 5pb.
"You must be Akira, the boy from another dimension correct? I'm so happy to see you here, I heard from Vert that you recently listened to all of my albums. I appreciate the love."
"Oh, um...yup that's me. It's nice to meet you 5pb, you're music is amazing, I didn't listen to any pop from where I'm from, but here you are, making me a devout follower. Don't worry, I'm not a love crazed fanboy trying to steal your guitar or anything." he said, earning a laugh from the girl.
"I haven't heard that one before, and please call me Lyrica...all of my friends do. Do you have anything for me to sign?" she asked, earning a nod from the boy, who handed her his copy of her first album.
"This is my favorite album...I mean I love all of your music, but this one touched me on a personal level."
"That didn't sound perverted at all." Noire said, earning a glare from the boy. They all watched as the idol signed her name on the case with a silver marker.
"It's totally not perverted, trust me I get a lot worse comments, especially on my talk show. Incidentally, what was your favorite song from the album?"
"Dimension Tripper of course...but well...I like the lyrics you wrote, but honestly I think it would sound better as a fast paced electro song." he said. Noire and Uni looked at him flabbergasted, not expecting him to actually say something like that. 5Pb gave him a look of interest, rather than of annoyance.
"Oh, an electro song? That doesn't sound too bad actually. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be a slower love song, but a more fast paced adventurous song...I might actually make a remix of it with this idea, thanks. I love hearing the opinions of my audience. Sometimes they grow scared because they think I'm gonna lash at them, but I appreciate all criticism, good and bad." she said, handing him the CD back.
"I honestly thought you were gonna stab him in the neck with that pen, color me surprised." Noire said, arms crossed in annoyance.
"Heavens no! I love all my fans dearly, why would I stab him in the neck?" she asked. Akira had taken notice of the musical lines in her eyes, almost as if measuring her heart beat. While he found it odd, he also found it cute.
"Oh you know...he technically did insult your music, but whatever."
"Jeez Noire, it isn't an insult. It's called critique! You know where I come from, I wrote a lot of amateur stories, and there was a review function in the website that I used. It's perfectly normal for people to critique others."
"You're an author? Have you written anything I know?" the idol asked, earning a head share from the boy.
"I haven't written anything here yet, but I'll be sure to let you know if I do." he said cheerfully.
"Well, we should probably go, we're holding up the line. It was nice meeting you in person Lyrica, I can't wait to hear you live!" Uni said cheerfully.
"I'll make sure to keep an eye out for you. Thanks for coming all the way here today, it means a lot that you did!" the idol replied.
"Hey, what are you doing?! Put that down this instant!"
Akira glanced up at the stage, seeing one of the band members wrestling a case from someone dressed as a security guard. The person ended up shooting his hand with a gun, causing him to let go of the case. They quickly turned to run, jumping off the stage.
"Chris! Oh no they shot him!" 5pb cried, standing up from her seat.
"No, they took your guitar! It was the one for the raffle, someone has to go get it!" the man named Chris said, clutching his bleeding hand. Akira smirked, handing his CD and VIP pass to Noire.
"I got this. Up up, Speed up!" the boy chanted, an orange clock appearing under his feet, bathing him with a light orange light. He shot forward with great speed, rushing through the gathered crowd. He started closing the distance between him and the suspect, who was running straight for the exit, hugging the guitar case close to themselves.
He hissed as he turned the corner, hopping over large crates and sliding under large stage equipment. The perpetrator had used this go gain speed and get some distance from him. He ended up reaching the exit, the light of the setting sun blinding him for a few seconds. He looked around, catching them running toward a stairwell leading away from the stadium. He broke into a sprint, quickly heading toward the stairwell, he reached the top step and sprung forward, jumping over the stairwell, landing on the ground and rolling away. He smirked as he continued running, racing after the perpetrator.
"Come on, I was in the Stride team back home, this should be childs play."
He ducked into another street, running in the same direction as the thief. They turned into another plaza, and he quickly crossed the street, ducking and weaving through the cars, ducking into the side street. The thief threw some trashcans in his way, which he easily jumped over. He took a sharp right, racing up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. He reached the top and stopped for a few seconds, taking a deep breath. He caught the thief a short distance away, and started running in their direction.
"Jesus, they're speedy, they must be using some Agi Boosters or something." he thought to himself.
He kept running toward the thief, running through a fountain splashing water in all directions. He jumped onto the ground, rolling to reduce the impact. He pressed his palm to the ground, holding his arm behind himself. He let out the breath he had been holding, breaking into another sprint after the person. He caught a strand of green hair peeking from their hood, his eyes widening a bit. He was forced to stop when a truck drove down the street, making him growl in anger.
"Underling...I knew I recognized them...she must be trying to...make a quick buck...with that guitar." he muttered. The truck finally drove off, allowing him to cross the street. He looked around, frowning a bit.
"Hey you, we're you chasing that woman with the case?" an elderly man asked, earning a nod from the boy.
"Yeah, she stole that case from 5pb, did you happen to see where she went?" he asked.
"Yeah, she went that way, heading toward the docks. She had slowed down a bit, so she may have stopped." the man said. Akira thanked the man and broke into a sprint, running in the direction he had pointed out. He started lightly jogging, pretending to be a runner out for some exercise.
He kept his eyes peeled as he looked around, hoping to find a trace of Underling. He did see a shop owner picking up some stuff from the ground, telling a police officer about someone who had bumped into his stand. When he saw the direction the man was pointed, he started jogging in that direction. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw Underling taking a break not far from him. He smirked and quickened his pace, heading straight toward her.
"Hey, stop right there!" he called out.
"Gah, stop chasing me!" Underling cried, breaking into another run. Underling disappeared down another street, making him growl in anger. His eyes widened a bit when he saw a nearby building was completely open. He sighed and changed his course, heading toward the house.
He raced up the steps, startling a woman who was about to close the door. He apologized profusely as he continued running through the house, shooting through the back door. He vaulted over the picket fence, landing in a crouch before bursting forward. He snapped his fingers, casting another Haste on himself, giving himself more speed and stamina.
It wasn't long before he spotted Underling again. He saw her running down another stairwell, heading down toward the docks. He continued his chase, running straight onto the roof of the building that was located next to the stairwell. He landed on it with a bang, the tiles broke from his weight and slid off the roof, breaking on the cobblestone below. He shimmied down, slowly dropping to the ground below. He crouched down and crawled toward the nearby shipping yard peeking around the corner.
His eyes widened a bit when he saw Underling, speaking to another person, a man it seemed. He was dressed in a typical sailor uniform, a white shirt with matching white pants and a round hat with a black bill. There was a large speedboat docked beside them, making Akira believe he was the captain of the vessel. He saw Underling handing him a stack of money, and wondered briefly where she got it. He took a deep breath, walking calmly from around the corner, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"So yeah, you'll take me to Zoon District right?"
"I don't know why you'd like to go there miss, but I'll take you. We'll have to wait until the tide goes down a bit for you to get safely on it though."
"I don't care, just take me as soon as possible!"
"Aha! I have found you woman!" Akira cried out, causing Underling to scream, almost dropping the guitar case in her hands.
"How did you find me so quickly? I thought I ditched you?!"
"You can't ditch me...just so you know, I was the number two racer in my old school's Stride Team, and I was the third runner, meaning I'm used to courses like this. I happen to be good at parkour. You can't ditch me that easily." he said, a proud smile on his face.
"The hell is Stride?" Underling asked, causing the boy to deflate a bit.
"It doesn't matter, what does matter is that you stole 5pb's guitar and shot her band member in the hand. Return it now, or I'll show you a world of hurt!" he said, adopting a firm look on his face.
"Whoa, you stole 5pb's guitar? I'm sorry miss, but deal's off...I don't help thieves out." the man said. Underling pulled out her pistol, pointing it at the man.
"You will take me to Zoon District, or I'll kill you!" the woman said, causing the man to hold his hands up. Akira grit his teeth, quickly summoning his keyblade. He aimed at at her, firing a block of ice at her hand, freezing the gun and making it useless.
"Nice try, but I won't let you. Now, I'll tell you again, return that guitar, or I won't respond for my actions." he said firmly.
"Fine, I'll show you my new power!" she said, pulling out a blue bottle from her pocket. She ingested the liquid, her body glowing brightly as all of her stats were maxed out. She let out a laugh, tossing the guitar aside, thankfully not damaging it.
"Oh boy, a stat booster...I'm so scared." Akira said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"You should be scared, I'm going to show you my new strength." Underling cried angrily. He shrugged, smirking at her as his body started glowing crimson.
"Well, I hope you don't mind me stepping up my game. Sharicite, Give me Power!" he cried, snapping his hand down. Lowee's Sharicite appeared in his hand, and he quickly placed it in his chest.
His clothes turned crimson, all of the areas that were black became a brilliant red, while the areas that were blue turned a dark black. He snapped his arms to the sides, willing his arm guards to appear. He kicked the air, his leg guards flashing onto his legs. He crouched down, taking a hold of the glowing energy, which burst from his hands, forming his keyblades. He spun them around as fast as he could, striking them hard enough to cause sparks to fly in all directions.
"What the hell? I thought that was a one time thing!" Underling cried, fear etched in her mind. Akira shook his head, holding the keyblade in his right hand outward.
"Not at all...you see, White Heart has granted me access to her sharicite, since it was her sisters that allowed me its power in the first place. So I can use this form to whoop your butt any day of the week. Also, do you like my new keyblade? It's pretty isn't it?" he asked.
The keyblade in his right hand was indeed a very beautiful blade. It was slightly longer than Starlight, and much thinner, looking like a sword made of ice. It had a sharpened point at the end, the teeth being in the shape of a snowflake. The hilt and guard of the sword was also in the likeness of a snowflake, glittering brightly in the disappearing sunlight. The chain attached to it was made of sterling silver, and shaped like Lowee's Crest. The familiar calligraphic L was etched onto the hilt of the blade, where it met the guard.
"Where did you get that?" Underling asked, curiosity and fear etched in her voice.
"It was a gift from White Heart of course. She took some of her shares and created this special keychain for my keyblade, synthesizing it from some ores located deep in Lowee's White Mountains. I like to call it, Chrystal Heart. Come at me, I'm gonna show you just how much stronger I've gotten in the last few days."
Underling grit her teeth as she ran forward, making Akira roll his eyes at her sudden move. He shot forward, spinning his entire body around, slamming both blades into her body in a diagonal slash. He easily pushed her back, jumping into the air.
"Brave Shot!" he cried, the crimson energy flowed through the ground, making the woman scream in pain. She slammed into the ground, quickly getting to her feet. She held her hand outward, summoning an iron sword into it.
"Rapid Slash!" the woman cried, throwing a chain of speedy slashes at the boy. He rose Chrystal Heart in a defensive guard, easily blocking each strike. He easily moved forward, spinning around to deliver a Retaliating Slash, stunning the woman a bit.
"Sonic End!" he cried, spinning his keyblades as fast as he could. He let out a battle cry, slamming his blades as hard as he could against Underling. He raised stats made it much harder for him to do significant damage to her.
"Hehe, my raised stats make your attacks that much weaker boy. There's no way you'll beat me!" Underling cried, throwing a fierce punch to his face. She planted a foot on his knee, driving her elbow into his chin, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Fuck...the hurt like hell!" he thought, spitting some blood on the ground. He pain in his gut as the woman kicked him, sending him tumbling back.
"Ha, so much for the invincible...what's your name again?" She asked.
"It's Akira...Akira Takamaki, and you better remember it! Omega Finale!" the boy cried, slamming his knee into her chest. He spun his keyblades around, chaining several slashes, finishing with a crossing slash. He clutched his chest in pain, feeling a sharp sting in his chest.
"She must have bruised one of my ribs...Valor Form gets rid of all my magic, so I can't even heal. Damn, I should have packed more potions." he thought. He saw a bright glowing light at the corner of his eye, before it swirled around him, healing all of his injuries, he looked a bit confused, only to hear footsteps behind him.
"So, this is where you went. I gotta say, you made it quite far thief, but this is far enough. Now you have the audacity to attack my friends?" a familiar voice asked, causing Underling to cringe. Standing beside Akira was the Siren of Leanbox, and she looked very pissed.
"Oh ho ho, since when is 5pb friends with this lowly wretch?" Underling asked, holding her sword at the ready.
"That isn't your concern, now return the guitar, or I'll have to attack you." 5pb said firmly. Akira noticed she had another guitar in her position, a black Fender Stratocaster, that was plugged into a waist amp.
"Then try me, there's a lot of money to be made from something like this, and I am not giving it up. Rapid Rush!" Underling cried, racing at the idol.
"Lyrica, look out!" Akira cried, trying to intercept the attack. 5Pb on the other hand didn't look at all worried. She rose her hand up, a smirk on her face.
"Requiem Fortissimo!"
The Sharp A chord shot out of her amp like a sound wave, forming a large ball of lightning magic before the idol. It flew straight toward Underling, who easily slashed through it. She threw an attack at the Idol, which Akira easily blocked. He grabbed a hold of Underling's arm and spun her around, slamming Starlight into her back, sending her flying forward. He spun his keyblade above his head, charging his ExE Skill.
"Nightmare Rain!"
"Slow Down!" Underling cried, tossing a bright blue ball of light at Akira. It slammed into his chest, a large clock appeared under his feet, a ticking sound filling the area. The boy grit his teeth as he was physically forced to slow down, so much so that he moved at a Snail's pace.
"Ha, I knew you would try something like that, but I thought ahead. You aren't the only one who got stronger big boy!" she said, running at the boy with a Rush attack. Time returned to normal, forcing the boy to the ground, clutching his chest in pain. He felt his Share energy disappear, returning him to normal.
"Damn, she did too much damage to me." he spat, groaning in pain. 5Pb, grit her teeth in anger, unplugging her guitar from her waist amp.
"Dimension Breaker!" she cried, rushing at the green haired woman. She swung her guitar full force at Underling, slamming it into her chest. She spun around her heel driving the bottom of it into her gut. She rose her leg which crackled with electrical magic, and delivered a fierce leg strike to the woman, who screamed in agony from the electricity. 5Pb finished her attack by bringing her guitar down on Underling's back, driving her to the ground.
"Damn." Akira muttered, forcing himself to his feet. He cast a weak Cure spell on himself, using the last of his mana to do so. He frowned as he went into a recharge state, waiting for his mana to slowly regenerate. 5Pb plugged her guitar back into her amp and started rapidly strumming it, causing Underling to scream in pain.
"Okay, okay! I give up, just stop playing that horrible music!" she shouted, trying and failing to cover her ears.
"That's what I thought." the idol said, a smile on her face.
"Well, it seems you two did our job for us." a familiar voice said, causing the two to turn around. Green Heart landed behind them, along with Black Heart and Uni. The three goddesses looked ready to fight, but were quite surprised to see Underling laying defeated on the ground.
"Took you long enough Vert, jeez what were you doing? Playing a video game?" Akira asked, giving the green haired goddess a grin.
"You know me well Akira, I didn't see your email until a few minutes ago. It was a good thing Noire came to inform me." she said, glancing at the white haired goddess.
"Well of course, I just figured a goddess needs to handle the issues that arise in her nation...I didn't do it because I cared or anything." she replied, arms crossed.
"You should have seen her Akira, she was really worried about you...although I am curious, how did you send a text if you were running after Underling?" Uni asked, ignoring the glare her sister was giving her.
"Oh that's easy, during the time I lost Underling, I shot off a quick email to Vert, hopping she would read it. I already knew you two would inform her, but I figured I would give her a heads up. However, now that she's been defeated, its time to toss her ass in jail." Akira said, turning to face the woman. She shot to her feet, gaining some distance between them.
"Ladies, Akira...remember today as the day you almost cought Linda Grimoire! Have a nice day everyone!" she said, jumping into the water. Akira raced toward the edge of the dock, only to see a cloud of white water where the woman had landed. He sighed, head hanging low.
"This isn't the first and last time I'm gonna see her...and what's up with that Pirates of the Caribbean reference author? Did you seriously have to throw it at me?" Akira asked, looking at the sky.
Well duh, what kind of story do you think this is? I need to keep you all on your toes.
"Well...fancy that." Vert said, returning to her human form, followed by Noire, who had a frown on her face.
"I was hoping to actually catch her...she's still wanted for questioning after what happened in Lowee."
"Can't do anything about that now." Uni replied, earning a nod from her sister. Akira knelt down next to the case, looking it over for damages. While scuffed, it looked like it didn't suffer a lot. He flicked it open, eyes widening at what was tucked inside.
"Oh wow...this is a beautiful guitar." the boy said, tracing the instrument that lied within.
It was a faded Cherry Red Gibson Explorer. It was a six stringed guitar, with bright golden keys, and an oak colored neck, with black colored frets. The outer edges of the instruments were a dark smokey color, fading into the brilliant red around the center of the guitar. The headstock was a bit dropped, with a pointed edge which was also cherry red in color. The knobs matched the keys, being a brilliant golden color, with black colored numbers on the edges. Even the on switch and whammy bar were gold. He could see 5pb's signature near the bottom of it, in a brilliant silver marker. He noticed it had been glossed over to preserve the signature.
"Do you like it?"
He glanced back at the idol, giving her a nod. His eyes fell back to the instrument. It was a beautiful piece, one that reminded him of his own guitar back home. He was at least glad both worlds shared similar designs when it came to instruments, it reminded him that even if he was away from the places he knew, he could still remember his home with the simplest of things.
"This is a special guitar you know, I had it custom made for my world tour, but I ended up receiving two of them on accident. So I was going to raffle this one off on my radio show. Not many people know this, but I'm ambidextrous, but my right hand gets strained quite a bit when I'm on stage, so I used my dominant left hand to play."
"So that's why you had it made...I'm sure you noticed, but I'm a lefty too...I was trying not to make it obvious when fighting dual hand, but I tend to swing harder with my left, which was why I was guarding so much with my right. The world doesn't really appease the left handed too much." he said, chuckling a bit.
"Hmm, I have a proposition for you, Akira...just by looking I can tell that you're well versed in playing the guitar. You wouldn't look at it so fondly if you didn't...so, since you went this far to get it back, I'll let you have it."
"What? Are you serious?" he asked shooting to his feet. 5Pb shied back a bit, looking away from the boy.
"Y-yeah, I'm dead serious! But I have a condition, you can keep it if you play for Chris during the concert. He was my lead guitarist and that Underling shot his hand, our friend Nathan won't be showing up until tomorrow afternoon, so we've got no one to fill his spot until then. You would have to play for tonight and tomorrow, it would be so much better to be in the concert rather than watching it, wouldn't you say?" she asked.
"You...want me to play the concert? But I've only heard your songs a few times, you can't expect me to just...play...just like that!" Akira said.
"That is true...how about I give you a list of songs that we're going to play. Think you can memorize them all before eight o'clock?" she asked. The boy looked at his watch, seeing it was ten past seven. He bit his lip, glancing at the instrument on the floor.
"I'll do my best, but I want you to let me remix Dimension Tripper. I got my laptop on me and I downloaded the latest mixing software, I'll have it ready by tomorrow's concert, do we have a deal?" he asked, holding his hand out. The idol smiled, giving it a firm shake.
"We have ourselves a deal. Lady Vert, Lady Noire, it's imperative that we not waste time getting back to the arena. We've got fifty minutes for Akira here to learn every song we're going to perform, would it be alright to ask for a lift?" she asked.
"Of course dear, I don't mind at all!" Vert said happily, an amused smile on her face.
"I suppose...but you better not get used to me carrying you Akira, I mean it!" Noire said, earning a sigh from the boy.
"Sure thing Noire. My body is in your supple hands, so don't drop me." he said, giving her a wink. She growled in annoyance, willing herself to transform. The boy closed the guitar case, locking it up and holding it close to himself.
Though Akira didn't show it, he was extremely nervous about what was going to happen. He had never been to a concert before, and now he was helping the headlining act. He knew there was another band going on before 5pb was due on stage, but in that span of time, he had to learn several songs, he only hoped his fingers could handle more than three songs...whatever the case, he was in for the night of his life.
xxx Omake xxx
"Excuse me Akira, are you perhaps busy with anything?"
The boy looked up from his sketch pad, surprised to see the oracle standing before him. Kei Jinguji was a kind woman, practically Noire's best friend when it came to office work. He hadn't seen much of her, only during dinner time or when they passed each other in the hallways. The young woman looked a bit troubled, as if something had been brought up to her attention, but it was too serious to ask anyone else but a personal friend.
"I wasn't exactly doing anything...is something wrong Kei? You seem troubled." he said, standing up from his seat, closing his sketch pad.
"Well...I'm not exactly troubled, but I fear one of us is. I normally try not to intrude into her life, but Noire seemed a little...out of it when she left earlier."
"Out of it? How so?" he asked curiously.
"Well...I handed her a stack of personal requests earlier. One of them seemed to bother her quite a bit, and I'm afraid she actually may have taken it." Kei said. Akira looked a bit concerned now, his body language changing from a relaxed one to a more anxious one.
"Just tell me where she went and I'll go check on her...she didn't decide to take a dungeon on her own did she?" he asked.
"Yes, she took an escort mission and headed to a dungeon not far from here. It's known as Vita Dimension, named for the unusual pixels and colorful dungeon floors. It was an abandoned expansion to Vita city to the north, but was abandoned when monsters infested it. Do be careful Akira, I'm not exactly sure what the mission specified."
"You can count on me Kei, I won't let you down!" he said cheerfully.
It was about a seventy minute walk from the northern exit of Lastation. Vista city was the closest city to the capital, about ten miles away, so the area that he was to explore was actually rather close, about seven miles away from the central city. The entrance to the dungeon was actually rather lucrative. It was a beautiful mechanical arch, with the letters spelling out Vita City out in bright blue neon. Large vines had wrapped around most of the sign, but the letters were still very visible.
Walking through it, the dusty path turned into a dark stone walkway that lead into the city's expansion. He now noticed what Kei had mentioned, about the buildings being all blocky and colorful. The streets were lined with black oil lamps, some of the electric posts flickered at odd intervals. Due to the smog in the area, it was actually a bit darker than other areas of Lastation. It actually reminded him of the industrial area of Lastation, which he often avoided walking through.
He saw a few monsters in front of him, and quickly summoned his keyblade, killing them almost instantly. He continued walking further into the small city, avoiding all of the monsters he could. The buildings around him were all in similar states, all of them having broken windows, missing doors and whatnot. They actually looked like they had never been occupied. If what Kei had said was true, then that meant that all of the houses in this area had been built only to never be used. It made it a good place for people to hide, criminals with dirty pasts...and that made him worry.
"No...Noire can handle herself...she's a goddess after all." he muttered to himself, continuing his walk.
It also occurred to him that he didn't know exactly where Noire had gone, or that person she was supposed to escort. So without much to go on, he just did his best to keep his eyes and ears out so he could find her easier. He walked into an open street, finding what looked to be a plaza of sorts, there was a large cement fountain in the center, with a stone statue that had been broken apart years prior.
He heard a soft growl beside him, and instantly froze up. It was a growl that he had heard once before, on a mission he had taken with Uni. It was the growl of a Fenrir. A large wolf like creature, which was blue in color, and had sharp claws. They were normally B class monsters, and were scene around forests and other industrial dungeons. It made sense why it would be there.
"Alright...where are you?" he muttered, keeping his eyes peeled for the creature. He held his keyblade lose in his hand, ready to strike if needed. The hunkering form of the Fenrir started coming out of the smog, slowly stepping forward. It growled at the boy, as if sizing him up, as if he were prey. For all intents and purposes, Akira was prey, since he had walked into its territory.
Akira looked directly into its eyes, as it clawed at the ground, slicing the black blocks apart with ease, long gashes now decorating the ground. Akira lowered his stance a bit, keeping his weight on either leg, ready to make a move. Finally the Fenrir did, aiming a claw at him. Akira rolled out of the way, quickly jumping to his feet. He held his keyblade up, casting a Thunder Spell on it.
"Shit, the fur is too thick...guess I'll have to do this the hard way." he said, dashing at the large wolf. He used an upper swing on the underside, causing it to move back a bit.
Using this change, he ran forward, bashing the Fenrir's face with precise attacks. He jumped into the air, swiping to and fro, releasing a small blast of light. He chained together another series of slashes, the top of the keyblade bursting into flames. He jumped into the air, slamming it hard into the ground.
"Explosion!" he cried, releasing the energy into the ground. The Fenrir howled in pain, slamming into the ground.
"Take that! Up! Up! Speed Up!" he chanted, holding his hand up, a brilliant orange clock appearing under his feet. The haste spell took effect, making the boy run twice as fast as before. He let out a cry as a pink light swirled around the tip of his keyblade.
"Zantetsuken!" he chanted, jabbing the Fenrir in the side. The attack was so strong it made it fly into the fountain behind it, shattering the last of the stone statues.
The Fenrir got back onto its feet, roaring loudly as it dashed forward, using a sort of headbutting attack. Akira rose his keyblade in a guard, an ethereal shield appearing before him. The Fenrir moved back, stunned as the boy literally broke its guard. He jumped forward, chaining another Rapid Rush, jumping at the creature with a downward slash. He pulled his sword back, light bursting from the hilt, turning it into a giant sword of rainbow light.
"This is it, Tornado Sword!" he cried, swiping his keyblade at the creature. It let out a cry of pain as it was sliced clean in half. The Fenrir burst into pixels shortly after, a single claw being left behind. The boy grabbed it, running his finger over it, cringing a bit at the new cut on his digit.
"This is sharp as hell, I'm sure Uni can turn it into a knife." he said, placing it in his pouch.
He heard a sharp scream not far from where he was, and rapidly turned around. He broke into a sprint, quickly heading toward it. He jumped over some large water pipes that had been left behind, vaulting over a stairwell. Landing in a roll, he shot to his feet and continued running forward, using one of the signs to aid his turning as he ran into another street. He arrived at an open street, seeing a large disco ball like object in the center of the street, half of it being shattered on the ground, though it didn't look recent at all.
"Noire!" he cried out, catching the woman's attention. The nerdy boy next to her jolted a bit, backing away, hitting the glass ball behind him.
"Akira, what are you doing here?" Noire asked, quickly running to hise side. He panted a bit for breath, licking his lips slightly.
"Kei sent me to look for you. She said you looked troubled when you left for this mission. I heard you scream, is something wrong?"
"Yes, the person I was supposed to be escorting is actually a huge fucking pervert! And so are the rest of you!" Noire cried, looking into the smog. It was then that Akira noticed four more young men, all of them dressed almost the same. Plaid shirts, baggy jeans and face full of zits. The only one not like them was actually holding up a video camera.
"What...what the hell did he do to you?" Akira asked, causing the goddess to grow angry.
"He brought me here with the intention of making a sex tape. He wanted his friends to take turns while they all showed me their desire. Ugh, I honestly thought you wanted to come here to look for cosplay materials, but I was fucking wrong!" she cried angrily.
"P-please Lady Black Heart, it won't be as bad as you make it seem. If you'd like, that boy next to you can be the main actor. I'm content with watching." the nerd said, causing the boy to growl.
"You know, I'm not one to hate people. I call myself a bit of a nerd because of the games I play and the stuff I like to do. But you...you all fucking disgust me. You know I used to beat people like you whenever they tried getting fresh with my sister?" he asked, summoning his keyblade.
"P-please...don't hurt me or my friends...we just want an amazing lasting memory. Watching someone take Lady Black Heart's purity would be the act of the century! Watching as the slowly peel off her clothes, slowly massaging her breasts, right before they seal the deal...wouldn't that be something you'd like to do?" the nerd asked. Akira held his keyblade outward, throwing it at the boy as hard as he could, the sound of glass shattering filled the area as the weapon embedded itself into the large disco ball.
"You have until the count of three to get the fuck out of my sight...or I swear I will kill you." the boy said firmly.
"Come on Steven, it isn't worth it!" the camera boy cried, turning away from the scene. The others ran off, leaving Steven behind. The boy let out a chuckle, as he shrugged his backpack of, pulling out what looked like a gun.
"Alright, looks like we'll have to do this the hard way then. You move and I'll shoot Black Heart, and don't even think of transforming either sweetheart." the boy said, causing the two to raise their hands up.
"Tch...I should have known you had something like this planned. Who the hell are you anyway?"
"I'm just a humble boy, who wants to go down in history as the only man to bed a goddess. Trust me, I could have called your sister out here, since she cant transform, using the smog to my advantage would have been easy, but be glad I like women with a little meat on the front." he said, licking his lips.
"You sick bastard! When I get my hands on you, you're gonna wish you hadn't been born!" Noire cried. The boy smirked, letting out a single round, striking her shoulder.
"Noire!" Akira cried, trying to reach for the goddess, only to be shot himself. The two of them fell onto the ground, lightning coursing through their bodies.
"P-paralyzing...r-rounds." the ravenette hissed. She was unable to move, which meant she wasn't able to call forth her weapon, transform or even defend herself. Akira was in much the same state, his muscles completely frozen.
"That's right...you didn't comply my dear, so now I have to do things the hard way. So much for putting my faith in you, guess I should have believed in Green Heart instead." the boy said, walking forward the goddess, a sneer on his face.
"Hey asshole...touch her and will show you no mercy! I won't stop until you are dead!" Akira hissed.
"Aw, isn't that sweet. Keep barking dog, because you won't be able to bite, not for a long time!" the boy said, kicking Akira in the face, sending him sprawling back.
"Akira!" Noire cried, eyes widening in shock. The boy spat a glob of blood onto the ground, looking up at the nerd with hatred filled eyes.
"Now then, just so you know, I use mimic magic, so I'm not even a nerd...this is just a form I took to fool you Black Heart. So now that I have you where I want you, you'll be able to fulfill my lust filled dream." the boy said, dropping to his knees.
"No...please you can't do this to me!" Noire cried, watching helplessly as the boy forcefully spread her legs.
"Wow, look at these cute panties! I love a girl who can shamelessly wear stripes." he said, unbuckling his belt. He reached up for Noire's underwear, grabbing the elastic band keeping the garment on.
"Asshole! Let her go!" Akira shouted, trying to stand up. He forced himself to his knees, the electrical magic crackling around his body. The nerd rose his gun, shooting the boy again in the center of the chest, a scream of pain echoed through the area as Akira fell down defeated.
"Akira no!" Noire cried. The nerd forcefully ripped her under off, licking his lips as he started down at the most sacred of her body parts.
"Well Black Heart, hope you're ready, because I am!" he said. Akira forced himself back up. Summoning his keyblade to his hand, he held it firmly in his hand. The nerd looked up, rolling his eyes.
"You're paralyzed bro...just let it go. You can have a go with her after I'm done...there's nothing you can do to help anyway." he said, shrugging it off.
"Cure!" he chanted, the weak healing spell swirled around him, healing his paralysis. The nerd's eyes widened as he rapidly stood up, aiming his gun at Akira, who sprung forward, deflecting the bullet.
"Gah!" the man cried, slamming into the large glass ball behind him. Akira let out a furious growl, as he punched the man in the face. He grabbed a hold of his head, smashing it into the glass ball repeatedly. He did it a second time, then a third and a fourth until the man had started crying from the glass in his face. Akira dropped him, watching him writhe in pain.
"P-please...I'm s-sorry." he said.
"You don't get to say sorry...not for almost doing what you were going to do, you fucking pig. You aren't going to lay a hand on my goddess ever again."
"Please...I don't want to die!" the nerd cried. Akira spun his keyblade around, slamming the tip straight into the nerd's chest. He let out a gasp as it sunk into his chest, glowing a brilliant gold. Akira pulled it free, watching as a crystalline heart left his chest, floating higher and higher until it had faded from existence.
"Rot in hell you pile of filth." Akira spat, watching the nerd's body literally burst into light, leaving no trace of the man behind. He turned back to Noire, who was crying from the ordeal. He used Cure on her, healing her from the paralysis. She quickly got up, wrapping her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder.
"Oh Akira...I was so scared! I felt so helpless, I've never felt something like that!" she said.
"It's fine Noire, it's all over now...none of this will ever happen again. From now on, I'm not letting you go anywhere alone. Being Gamindustri's most popular Goddess has drawbacks. I don't want anything like this to happen to you or Uni. I care about the two of you too much for that!" he said firmly. Noire released her hold of the boy, wiping her tears away.
"P-please...don't t-tell anyone a-about this." she said.
"Of course...this stays between us. Let's get you home...do you want my jacket? The bastard tore your dress a bit." he said, trying not to look at her skirt.
"Oh...yes please." she said softly. The boy nodded, pulling the zipper down, unhooking the bottom. He handed it to the goddess, who quickly tied it around her waist.
"Um...Akira...I want to thank you...this is gonna be weird so..close your eyes." she said.
"You aren't gonna stab me are you?" he asked.
"No...why would I?" she asked curiously. He shrugged, closing his eyes. The goddess took a deep breath, leaning up on her tip toes. She pressed her lips against his own, causing the boy to stiffen.
He wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to himself, deepening the kiss slightly. She tried pulling away, only for him to take a hold of her head, keeping her in place. They pulled away a second later, staring into each others eyes.
"S-sorry Noire...I got caught up in the moment."
"You're...an amazing kisser. That was my first kiss by the way." she said shyly, making the boy smile.
"I'm happy your first kiss was amazing...just so you know, I like kissing a lot, so that's why I'm so good." he said. She shook her head, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I know I almost got...well you know...but I still want to reward you...maybe you can use your imagination." she said, giving him a wink. She pressed her lips against his once more, moaning into his mouth as she darted her tongue within. She took a hold of one of his hands, lowering it down to her breast, causing him to pull away from her.
"Noire...what are you doing?" he asked.
"It's alright...this is what I want." she said softly.
"If you say so...wouldn't it be better to do this on a bed?" he asked.
"It doesn't have to be...just..put your hands on me, be gentle." she said softly earning a nod from the boy. He started kissing her, reaching a hand under her skirt.
xxx
Noire let out a scream, sitting up in her chair. She held a hand to her chest trying to steady her beating heart. She looked around her, seeing the light of her computer shining on her face. The door flew open a second later, and Akira ran in, followed by Uni and Nepgear who looked at the CPU with concern.
"Something wrong Noire?" Akira asked. She looked at him, a bright blush on her face.
"Nothing at all."
"Noire, you look flushed...are you sure you're alright? Are you perhaps sick?" Nepgear asked, earning a nod from Uni.
"Yeah, you're cheeks are red...maybe you should take a break." she suggested.
"You're right...I need to take a shower anyway...a really really cold shower." she said, logging off of her computer.
"Um...me and the girls were gonna hit the arcade...you wanna maybe tag along?" Akira asked.
"No no...you three have fun, make sure Nepgear gets a good look around Lastation alright?" she asked, hurrying over to her dresser.
"Of course...she did show us around Planeptune after all...Big sis are you sure you're alright?" Uni asked, earning a nod from her sister.
"I just had a weird dream, nothing major. Uh here, so you can get yourself some tokens." she said, handing her sister several banknotes.
"Thanks sis, come on guys." Uni said happily, dragging Nepgear out of the office.
"You had a weird dream eh? You know I had one of those too...for some reason I was surrounded by a lot of cotton candy...oh well, I'll bring you back a plushie or something...enjoy your shower." he said, earning a nod from the goddess. As soon as the boy left, she let out a sigh, running her fingers through her hair.
"I hate wet dreams."