Hehehehe... Gravekeeper of Atrocity, how far have you fallen?
W-Who is this!? W-Where are you!?
Striving to be something different, something MORE than you really are... How pathetic. That's not what anyone wants to see; That's not what THEY want to see!
Answer me dammit! Who the hell are you!?
You can never escape who you are, Gravekeeper; no one can. Even I, as different as I am now, can never truly change the sad existence I lead. It is better to accept this fact than to try to run and hide from it.
N-No! I-I can change! I-I am changed!
Are you really? What, you think you've changed because some Heroine thanked you a year ago? Once again: How pa-the-tic! You're just a sad sack of a wretched creature that denies its true existence. You're afraid to face yourself! Why else are you still narrating this crap?
I'm doing this... for... them...? Y-Yeah, of course! I'm still reading to watch over these girls. A-Arfoire could return at any time...
Just keep telling yourself that. You're hiding, coward! Unable to face the world, you choose to hide behind a script where no one can ever lay eyes on you! If Arfoire ever does rear her ugly head again, you wouldn't do a thing; COULDN'T do a thing! You could never leave the sanctuary of this studio booth. You'd rather float here in this white endless abyss of fanfiction forever...
That's not true! That's not...
I know all about you, Gravekeeper; I regret to say it, but I sense a connection between us deeper than you'll ever know. I know how you THINK, how you FEEL, how you SEE the world on a day-to-day basis!
How do you...!? Who... are you?
...I know everything... because I was always the same way, back when I used to exist. Afraid to face those cruel and uncaring eyes of the outside world... Yearning to change, since my old self was never accepted, but too afraid that my potential new self would be equally rejected. So, I turned away from it all...
S-S-Shut up! Get out of my head!
...But look on the bright side: You aren't being pressured to change. This is a fanfiction, don't you remember? No one wants to see characters develop too much, because then they'd... well, change. That's the same as being out-of-character, correct? Nobody cares about you, Gravekeeper; You're too different! You must eternally remain as flat as your original rage-filled incarnation was! As it stands right now, you're just an original character that no one gives two shits about. If you keep fighting to better yourself as a moral individual, you'll just push the readers further and further away... Heh, kinda like what I'm doing with everyone else.
I don't understand... I DON'T UNDERSTAND!
Heheh, you'd be much better off going back to your original personality. Right now, you're reminding me a little too much of... ha, ME! See ya later, buddy-ole-pal! xD
Wait! WAIT! DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE!
...
*sigh* What the hell was that?
S.R.A.T.S. Headquarters, Lastation.
"Attention! Please rise for our glorious commander!"
At once, most of the girls around the long rectangular table stood up from their chairs, though one fell backwards onto the floor.
The random generic guard up front, wearing a gas mask(isn't he hot in that?), spoke again. "The honorable... commander of S.R.A.T.S!" On cue, a bulky man stepped into the meeting room, head bobbing up and down like a boss. His tight red shirt showed off his inhuman abs; This man clearly must be taking some form of performance-enhancing drug.
"How you all doin', ladies?" The man spoke with a partially cocky tone, running a hand through his gelled hair. He cast a look around the room, not pausing at the purple-haired girl on the floor, but instead stopping at a beautiful shy young woman with long blue hair.
"Um... Y-Yes, may I help you?" The girl was Lyrica, of course. The S.R.A.T.S. dude pointed slyly in her direction.
"Hey there, little lady... How would you like to be the blue to my red?" Wow, what a smug asshole.
Two figures stepped up to the man and cleared their throats threateningly. "No thanks, buddy, she's good." The brunette, IF, retorted. Her face clearly displayed that she was pissed beyond all hell, though not just at this stupid guy. Wonder what's up with her?
The taller red-headed woman, Cave, stared at the man with the most horrifically blank expression you could imagine. She said nary a word.
Suppressing the cliché urge to gulp, the commander subtly grimaced and turned as if nothing happened. By now, the ditz on the floor had picked herself up, though she was currently sitting in the seat backwards.
An elegant woman spoke up. "Um... Pardon me, but are we going to begin anytime soon?" Lady Vert? Hm, and she seems to be rubbing her forehead... Is she in pain?
...Hold on... Let me take a good look around this room...
...! What the!? W-Why is everybody here!? Neptune, IF and her little gang, Vert, Noire, Blanc, the candidates, the oracles... All under one roof! Hell, the only ones who don't seem to be here are Nisa, Gust, Falcom, Underling(understandably, but worth noting), and Compa...
...Oh great; A disorienting scene involving a majority of the cast, who are all slowly becoming out-of-character... Let's see what this is all about... and how poorly written it is.
...And I'll be sure to read it to you as dry as possible *sigh*...
S.R.A.T.S. dood bobbed his head up and down in slight embarrassment. "Er... Yes! The meeting is now in session!" He motioned towards the NPC, who bent down and picked up a random briefcase to place on the table. The man opened it and continued. "Thank you all for coming. I am Chip, the head of this here S.R.A.T.S organization..." Another sly look at the idol. "I was a wimp before Next Gen! Now, I'm a jerk and everybody loves me!" What are we even referencing anymore?
Everyone in the room blinked awkwardly... Hell, you should do the same. The commander could only keep silent, in the hopes that someone would say something, anything.
...That didn't happen, so he went on anyways. "...Er, I'm sure you all have some semblance of why you're here...?"
"Nope! Nadda!" Neptune shouted, her hand raised high in the air. Noire, sitting right beside her, simply pushed the ditz's hand down.
Chip grimaced again. "...As you all know, our duty is to deal with terrorist plots, mutant hell-spawn, quick-time events, worldwide security, and all that type of crap... Normally, we wouldn't be drawn into CPU matters such as this, but... times are different." The asshole, now entirely professional, gestured towards a short-haired woman at the table. "Miss Kei, if you will."
The oracle was sneakily whispering something in Lady White Heart's ear, and was caught quite off-guard; Rather unusual for her. With an awkward cough, she closed her eyes and stood. "...Thank you... Ahem, we have all been asked to gather here to discuss a potent threat facing both Lastation and Planeptune."
Murmurs of confusion, annoyance, agreement, and hunger flooded the room. A threat? What the hell...?
Kei continued, managing to reclaim her stoic aura. "Over the past couple of weeks, several key cities surrounding the capitals have gone dark. At first glance, it appeared as if the citizens rose up in rebellion and overthrew all government officials, coincidentally at the same time. However, upon further investigation, we managed to discover a link between all of these cases: One group is behind it all, though how they can move around so fast is still up for discussion."
Chika raised her hand in a childlike manner, almost looking like Neptune while doing so. Y'know, those two have somewhat similar tendencies if you look hard enough. They should really hang out sometime. "Well, who is this vile group? Oh, if they threaten my dearest Vert's darling cities too, I'll knock their heads in!"
A small figure voiced her agreement with that sentiment. "Yeah, let's beat some bastards up!" Ram exclaimed, mouth wide open with excitement.
"...I don't... wanna fight." Ah, and there's Rom with her usual brilliant commentary.
The tsundere sighed. "Is this really the right place to bring children? We're discussing serious political matters, sheesh."
Mina, tired circles under her eyes, smiled dismissively as best she could. "Oh, I couldn't find a sitter for them today, so I decided to let them tag along. They are very well-behaved, aren't you girls?"
"Yeah we are!... Wait, did she just call us children!? K-Kick her ass, poop-face!" Hm? What, something about Mina's line seemed familiar? Whatever do you mean?
All the while, the battle-hardened veteran sat in her seat; arms folded, her foot tapping rapidly, and her eye twitching maniacally. "...Can we please get on with this? Compa is in danger, dammit!" Huh?
Kei nodded after a moment of observing the brunette's face. "...Yes, it would be wise to be done with this as swiftly as possible. Settle down, everyone." The group halted their murmurs at once. Blanc shot Kei some indecipherable smirk, and the oracle suppressed a chuckle. "All of the seemingly unrelated incidents were orchestrated by a group of three young men..."
Noire cocked her head to the side. "Young... men?" Memories of a certain individual from about a year ago sprang to her mind.
Lady Purple Heart, as well, appeared to have thought the same thing. Instead of speaking her qualms, she rocked back and forth in her seat and soon wrapped an arm around her fiancée. "Whatchu thinkin' bout, Noiwey-woiwey?"
"G-Get offa me!... not in public..."
More talking ensued. Nepgear, sitting next to Uni and her big sister, delicately raised her hand. "Um, p-please continue, Kei! Who are these men?" She, too, remembered a certain two boys, but her mind was kind of hazy. Despite the young girl's good intentions, however, even more talking ensued... Ugh, ever hear of a thesaurus?
Lastation's oracle remained stone-faced as the women continued talking amongst themselves... Quite the attention-deficit gathering.
"S-Settle down, everyone! There will be time to talk once the meeting is adjourned!" Histoire attempted to yell, but her small voice wouldn't allow for it. She sat(?) back down in her seat (next to Mina), totally defeated.
It was a sudden outburst from Lowee's CPU that finally put an end to the boisterous voices. "Shut the hell up! Kei's trying to speak, dammit! Keep quiet, or I'll kick the shit outta you myself!" Everyone went dead silent, and Blanc winked at her secret girlfriend. Histoire, meanwhile, smiled knowingly at Mina, who could only look away and sneer.
The professional oracle absentmindedly smiled, and continued. "They go by the name 'The A Brothers,' and have amassed followers with their magic prowess and anti-CPU rallies. They could be using magic to quickly travel back and forth between Planeptune and Lastation, though again, no concrete evidence."
"Magicians? How could three magicians gather enough supporters to be able to threaten the capitals of two lands?" Vert questioned, propping her hand upon her cheek.
"I-It's not too hard to imagine... W-We were able to use my concert to gather support before, remember?" Lyrica chimed in, very bad in group situations. Hell, so is this author, apparently.
The tome fairy spoke up again. "Indeed... Those who are influential enough will have little trouble garnering support for anything."
Neptune's confused eyes drifted from one person to the next, and she finally raised her hand again. "So, if three handsome devils can use magic to speed through Gamindustri faster than a running hedgehog, then what's the deal with them only attacking me an Noire? Not cool."
Lady White Heart nodded at the standing oracle, and looked to the ditz. "Isn't it obvious, ya idiot? These attacks started up not that long ago... Can't you think of something major you two did recently?" What is she getting at?
"Hmmmm... Oh! I got a haircut! I knew my bangs were cut too short..."
Noire clonked her lover on the head. "You didn't get a haircut! You really can't figure it out?"
"They don't pay me for the rocket science-level stuff, Noire."
"What're you even talking about? Jeez..."
Kei shuffled through some papers. "Ahem... Before we get ahead of ourselves, we have two witnesses who would like to recount their experiences with the A Brothers... You two may now stand."
"Finally..." With intense 'Oomph!', the battle-hardened veteran leapt from her seat and took a position next to Kei, her face red with frustration. Lyrica followed her lover, and the two faced the cast. "Okay... So, a few weeks ago, Lyrica and I attended one of their 'magic shows,' as we've been meaning to since Christmas time... Cave, you should remember the day too, I think?"
The red-haired SMD Warrior, filled with an influx of horrible feelings, nodded in the affirmative. "Indeed... It was as you say: About three, four weeks ago." She could never forget having her heart ripped out... again...
The pop idol smiled at her friend, causing the aloof woman to blush despite herself. Then, with a nervous breath, she joined IF's exposition. "So, we went to Lastation to watch the show, and everything seemed normal at first... However..."
Neptune sprang up from her seat. "Ooh! Is it flashback time now? Should I have brought popcorn?"
"S-Sit down, you ditz!" Poor Noire.
Before 5pb. began, Uni leaned in close to Nepgear's ear. "...Is your sister really such an idiot? She's acting more annoying than usual. It's almost like she's doing it on purpose... She's not, right?"
"That's... Goodness, that's a good question..." Well, that was probably pointless. And does she really say 'Goodness' that much?
But Purple Heart was correct: Lyrica was indeed leading us all to a flashback... though you won't see it from her perspective... Try to wrap your head around that.
...
BETWEEN EARTH & SKY
"Damn, sure are a lot of people. Glad we got tickets." IF smiled, wrapping an arm around her blue-haired lover.
The pop idol closed her eyes as she sank into the embrace, happy beyond all compare. "I can't believe we're finally here... This is really the same show we heard about a few months ago? So surreal..."
"Yep, the very same! The A Brothers, or whatever they go by."
Everything was right with the world, and not one negative thought filled the two lovers' minds... As you like it, right?
...At least, until...
"U-Um, e-excuse me! May I interest you in t-this pamphlet? Oh, uh, r-really, it's more like a brochure I guess, b-but..." Huh? I don't recognize that voice at all... Well, it sounds kinda like someone I know, but this most certainly is not her...
IF raised an eyebrow and turned to address the stranger. Meekly holding a bunch of pamphlets was a tall woman with long pale silver hair, and clad in black, professional-looking attire. Oh hey, a glasses-wearing girl! Why are they so rare? She should hang out with Mina sometime... Yeah... that'd be sweet... Hm? U-Uh, let's move on!
"Er... Thanks... but what is it a pamphl- uh, brochure of?"
The woman lowered her head, intent on avoiding the brunette's gaze; Ah, one of those. "S-Sorry, I should've explained better! Darn, I had one job..." She started mumbling to herself, causing the two lovers to exchange curious glances. She eventually spoke up again, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "...T-This brochure will tell you all you need to know about the tyranny of the CPUs!... Wait, I think it is more of a pamphlet, then..." For the unsure, a brochure is a pamphlet, but a pamphlet is not a brochure. There, and you thought this fic wasn't educational.
This certainly caught the two girls' attention. "T-Tyranny!?" Lyrica blurted out.
IF didn't wait for the meek lady to respond. "What do you think yer doin' handing these things out at a magic show!? I don't think the A Brothers would approve of this..."
"Yikes, I ddddiidn't mean to offend you!" The professional woman closed her eyes in shame, shaking her head frantically. "I-I'm a follower of the A Brothers... Adrian tasked me with giving these out to the audience..."
Once again, the two lovers were caught by total surprise. "The... A Brothers put you up to this? But...?" The battle-hardened veteran struggled to make sense of what she was hearing; No duh. Before she could ask anything else, however...
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming on this fine day! Now, we all know why you're here, so let's not waste any time! How about we get this show on the road already!" Almaz sure is getting better at hamming it up.
The silver-haired woman could have taken this moment to recede into the audience, in an attempt to hide from IF and 5pb. However, her nerves got the best of her, and she simply remained still.
Fireworks set off in the sky without any ignition, and the rest of the brothers took center stage... Hm, wait, who's manning the magic tome then? And what are those little orbs they are holding?
IF's eyes instantly widened. "Those guys... look exactly like...!" Yep, Gino... the ill-fated OC that had been created to seduce the lovable battle-hardened veteran. Turns out, he wasn't that bad; even the devil's creations could have some redeemable qualities. In the end, however, IF had to assist in putting him down like a rabid dog... Er, it's confusing, so read up on it in the previous main story.
But more than that... back at that high school of the damned, she had worked together with Red to take down a few other brown-haired young men (again, confusing to explain even if I DID care). She distinctly remembered Hide, the man created to seduce Lyrica. He was identical, as well. And hell, if she was remembering correctly, didn't Noire knock another man upside the head?
These three looked just like them... And now, with the knowledge that they were anti-CPU ralliers, it was obvious that they were the remains of Arfoire's sinister creations.
"..." However, she knew Lyrica had been looking forward to this for the longest time... Against her better judgement, IF said nothing of her revelation; Today, she wouldn't let anything spoil their date. Ah, young love...
The pop idol, too, had figured something out, but she must've shared the same sentiment as her lover. Silently, she simply leaned her head against the brunette's shoulder, causing the other girl to smile.
...The show proceeded, and truth be told, it was a lot of fun. A spectacle, even! You just don't get to see jack-shit of it.
All was well... until the ending.
The leader of the band of magicians took center stage. He whispered to the orb in his hand, and instantly began floating... Wait, what the hell?
Adrian now hovered above the stage a good 20 feet, and he spoke in a booming magnified voice. "Brothers and sisters, the time is nearly upon us! In just a few short days, the catalyst for our revolution will arrive! We can finally honor Lady Pale Heart's name!" Ardent applause... The audience was completely won over.
"Pale Heart...? Who the hell is that?" IF blurted out, turning to address the shy woman again.
"W-Wha? P-Pale Heart is the gggoddess of legends that represented those without powers; the Makers and otherwise normal citizens. A-Adrian there is her descendent!"
Another bewildered glance; They *sigh* weren't taking this news very well.
The battle-hardened veteran shook her head, confused and annoyed at the same time. Story of my life. "...So yer against CPUs, and yet you support... a fake one?"
"Lady PPPPPale Heart is not fake!... I-I'm sorry! IIIII shouldn't have raised my voice!" Getting nowhere fast.
Adrian waited for the applause to die down, and then proceeded. "Too long have we stood in the shadow of HDD! The goddesses do not care about our safety or well-being in the slightest, do not be fooled! They care only about amassing more power and using our money for their own amusement! This, my brothers, must end!... And if you follow Alex, Almaz, and myself, it shall!"
More cheers, and even the shy woman with silver hair softly pumped her arm in the air.
Oh, but the brown-haired young man wasn't done yet; he had a major trick up his sleeve that he was just rearing to show off. "...Now, no matter what I say, there will always be some of you who are wary of my skills or ability to challenge the CPU order... Hell, how can you even be sure I'm a descendent of the amazing Pale Heart?" Murmurs amidst the audience; Are they just playing along or something? I know they're completely smitten with this group already.
"Adrian, Alex, and Almaz..." IF muttered, taking note of the three boys; something inside told her that their identities would be very important in the next couple of days. She turned once more to the meek professional lady. "Yo! What can you tell me about those three? The A Brothers?"
The woman's eyes widened in embarrassment again. "H-Huh? Um... W-Well, AAAlmaz is the shy one, but has a very strong sense of justice... A-And h-h-he's very kind!... Er, Alex is the irritable one, but beneath the surface, he has a heart of gold! And Adrian is the leader, of course... He's the strong-willed brother with the most impressive magic abilities... I wish I could be like him... T-Together, they make up 'The A Brothers!'" Was she reciting descriptions from an action figure toy-line or something?
Lyrica shuffled her feet uncomfortably, and she leaned in close to her girlfriend's ear. "I don't like this, Iffy... We need to tell someone! Vert? Histoire? Who?"
"Yeah, I know... No offense to Lady Vert, but Histoire might be the best choice."
"I think so too."
Unaware of the two friends of the CPUs, Adrian stretched his arms out dramatically, almost as if he wanted to hug the sky. Hm... what the hell's he planning? The two lovers immediately turned back towards the stage, brows raised quite high. "My brethren, witness what I am capable of! History shall speak of this moment until the end of time: The day a mere mortal ascended to the position... of a god!"
4TH DIMENSION
On the stage, Alex quietly sauntered off behind the curtain. A brief tense second passed, and Adrian, still flying, became entirely encased in a blinding white flash... Neh? That looks familiar... Yeah, it's the same way Neptune and friends look whenever they...
...Transform...!?
The audience was too stunned to react at first, but when the light died down and they caught a good glimpse of their messiah, gasps filled the confused air. Even IF and 5pb. were caught entirely off-guard.
"H-Holy shit...!?"
Adrian was no longer a mere brown-haired young man... Hell, I don't even think he could be considered a human-esque creation anymore. His eyes, once as purple as Neptune's hair, now shined a magnificent neon yellow. His short brown hair now extended past his shoulders, and appeared much brighter in tone; Even more than that, it was now spiked in that cliché anime fashion... You know the one.
What the hell...? Did Adrian just... engage HDD? W-What did we miss!? I don't remember seeing him learn that! Do you!?
...The A Brothers' followers were amazed at this holy sight.
"H-He really is the descendant of a goddess! P-Pale Heart lives on!"
"J-J-J-Just like a CPU! But... how!?"
"It's a miracle! Adrian was blessed by the heavens!"
"We can actually do this now! Down with the goddesses!"
Raging applause consumed the throng of supporters, and the three boys were adorned with more and more praise. Meanwhile, the battle-hardened veteran and the pop idol were still picking up their jaws from the ground.
"S-Shit! He can't do that! T-This must be some sort of trick!" IF quickly took out one of her many phones and contacted the guild. "We have some serious trouble..."
The meek silver-haired woman stared in complete awe at her idol. "Amazing... He's figured out how to fight back! I-I knew they could do it!" Well, she's happy at least... Can't say the same for myself and the two lovers.
The newly awakened Adrian smirked down at the crowd. "Believe in me, my brethren... All ye followers of Pale Heart! All ye children of the Yellow Bandanas!"
Screams of pure support and joy rang into the air. Oh crap... This is actually happening...
The battle-hardened veteran hung up her phone and gently clasped Lyrica's hand. "Lyree, we need to tell Histoire about this fast! Illusion or not, if these crazed lunatics think those brothers are capable of standing a chance against the CPUs, then they can be a major threat... or at least a pain in the ass."
"O-Okay! Let's go!"
And without another word, IF and 5pb. fled the magic show, leaving the Yellow Bandanas behind.
"And so we contacted Histoire as soon as possible, explained what we knew, and... well, agreed to keep quiet about it..." The brunette glanced over at the tome, one eyebrow raised. "Her idea, not ours. I guess if we blurted out that a rebellion was in the works, a lot of people would've panicked... Still, feels crappy we didn't say anything. And now... Compa's..."
In the background, Chika visibly sweatdropped. "...For villains we know nothing about, that story had an awful lot of useful details..."
Kei took this time to speak up. "You did what was best, Miss IF... Truth be told, this whole scenario sounds positively absurd. I would have cast it aside without a second thought... Hell, if it weren't for the issue at hand today, I'd still be skeptical." Er, what point was she trying to convey?
"M-Miss IF?" The battle-hardened veteran cocked her head to the side, not used to the oracle... well, addressing her at all.
Either way, now the news was out: Three brown-haired young men, the A Brothers, had gathered up enough supporters to raise a rebellion for the ages. They had managed to take over several cities already (in under three weeks!), and were looking to strike the capitals of Lastation and Planeptune next. And on top of it all, these mere boys had somehow found a way to transform into what apparently was HDD, or at least something similar.
Upon letting the story sink in, Neptune and Noire exchanged quick bothered glances; They could never forget the name Adrian.
"Great... Scott!"
"This is heavy..." Uh...
The S.R.A.T.S. commander (remember him?) clapped his hands together, and stood back up next to the weary pop idol. "Pretty crazy, huh? Three jerks that can't even call themselves men have made a light army." A lone eye to his side. "But don't worry, babes... I'm a real man. With me in charge, this little rebellion is nothing."
Mina leaned close to Histoire. "Why is this man in charge?"
"We need all the support we can get, and S.R.A.T.S. just so happens to have a very large number of recruits... But he most certainly is not in charge. He sure thinks he is, though." Ah, so he's a real scumbag.
IF pushed Chip to the side. "One more thing: We have a few witness testimonies that may shed a bit more light on the situation... Er, none of them could make it here today, but as informants of the Guild, their word should be treated with the utmost trust... I think." Such confidence!
The brunette reached inside her long sleeves and pulled out some note cards. "From Azure...? Er, whoever that is: 'These boys are really mean and talk bad about Noire an I don't liked. Called me short too, I'm taller than them.'... W-Wow, where'd we get this note? I really should've checked these beforehand... Uh, next! From a Mister... Black? Oh boy: 'Listeners please listen to Call of Duty Finest Hour 'Not One Step Back' while listening to this. I heard there was a village that is no more because of them. Maybe they're brainwashing people too? Maybe with numbers who can tell? I'd say more, but I need to meet Noire at the Calavera hotel, I wonder if it's named after Manny Calavera?'... Ahhhhh, well... Wow, we've picked some winners." Note: These messages are not meant to be taken as some form of insinuation for anything, especially by little-ole me!
Black Heart frantically raised her hand. "Um, who... was that? I'm not meeting anyone named Black anywhere!"
Of course, here comes Neptune for the rebound! "Ooh, maybe he's yer long-lost bro, Noirey! Wouldn't that be rad?"
"I think we'd alienate at least half of our fan-base if that turned out to be the case." White Heart!?
More talking ensued... Man, can't they stay focused for a freakin' second? And isn't it bad enough that this is a boring chapter all about people talking in a room, and yet, now we can't even be bothered to show you their full conversations? What ever happened to 'Show, don't tell?'
...Wait! IF's not done yet!
"...One last card... Oh, just shoot me now... Hm, from a Jacob? Oh thank goddess, someone who actually sounds sane! Let's see here: 'Has everyone forgotten the rumors that the A Brothers brainwashed someone into killing a guard? Should probably investigate that... Hell, you should do something right away before this gets out of hand. Why wait for a contrived story arc to be set up when you could nip the problem in the butt here and now?'... The first decent thing I've heard all day!"
Hm, been some time since Vert has said something; Guess her turn is next. Still rubbing her head, she spoke. "But I still don't get it... Why are these boys targeting Planeptune and Lastation exclusively? While it is obvious that Leanbox is the superior nation, surely anti-CPU radicals would have a bone to pick with me as well?"
Lady White Heart rolled her eyes. "You too, Thunder Tits? Are Kei and I the only two in this room capable of freakin' thinking?"
This time, Uni eyed her her oracle and Blanc curiously, but said nothing. Nepgear, as per contractual obligations most likely, looked wholeheartedly befuddled.
And of course, Lowee's own oracle rolled her eyes as well.
Kei lightly tugged on her tie as she looked at one of the papers in her other hand. It was subtle, but a light rosy bloom adorned her cheeks. "...I wouldn't go that far, Bla... Miss White Heart, but the answer is most certainly-" She now looked straight at Noire, almost as if she were berating her, "-plainer to see than the rest of the facets that make up this debacle." Does she... talk like that on purpose? And 'Miss White Heart?' Great cover there; not suspicious at all.
Lady Black Heart puffed out a cheek as she crossed her arms. "H-Hey! I hope you're not grouping me in with the idiots! I know full well why Neptune and I are being attacked!" Er, a bit delayed there, Noire.
Y'know, you should never have a chapter that can easily be turned into a script without losing anything... But, I mean, maybe you can't help it sometimes, I don't know. However... these unorganized conversations are pretty organized, ya gotta admit. One person will talk, then a new person talks, and it kinda cycles.
...That implies that the characters... don't really care. Like, Noire claims she knows the full scope of the problem, and yet she only speaks after a long wait. If she really cared, she wouldn't wait for the fourth wall to allow her to talk!
...So is it the script's fault that they all are underused... or do they really just not give a damn, or at least care to the fullest?
...Ugh, let's just go.
Neptune raised her hand (again(again)). "Still no clue! Tell me, tell me!" Always so polite.
Kei sighed, and looked to Chip; The bulky man was too busy biting his fingernails to notice her gaze. "...Okay, fine... I shall recount the trigger which most certainly set off this chain of events..." Another fabled 'Calamity Trigger.'
Ooh... another flashback not told from the perspective of the person speaking...
...
WORLD OF IMAGINATION
"Lady Black Heart, the crowd has gathered... You ready to move out?"
Noire snapped out of her daze and turned to look at the random guard standing in the doorway. Without a word, she nodded.
"Great. Now follow me; Lady Purple Heart is waiting for you in the lobby."
"...Ok... Let's go..." At that, the guard escorted Lastation's goddess to the main lobby of the Basilicom (Hm, is lobby the word to use? Oh, I know as much about these goddesses as quantum physics), where her lover was waiting.
"Hey, it's Noirey! Finally! I was beginnin' to think that you were kidnapped by a wild Gyuki again, baby!"
"W-Wild Gyuki? Wha...? T-That never happened! Don't give people the wrong idea!"
Neptune smiled, and glomped her favorite tsundere. "It could happen! Hm, but if you weren't kidnapped, then... Ah! Did you snack on that pudding cup I forgot to throw out? Yer wittle tummy's hurtin', ain't it?" She began tickling her stomach, but was quickly tossed off.
"Ugh, what's with you and expired pudding!?... No, I didn't eat anything bad. It's just... what if..." The goddess went silent.
"Aw, does my cuddly tsun-ey woo-ney have the jitters?"
The tsundere's face flushed red. "N-No! W-W-Why would I be nervous!? I... I..."
Before the jittery Noire could finish, Neptune boldly clasped her hand and grinned up at her. "Take it easy, Noirey; The crowd's gonna take one look at us and go 'Ohmigosh, that awesome purple chick is totally gettin' frisky with that tsundere!' They'll see how hotdiggity we are together, and we'll get a roarin' applause! Ooh, and maybe candy..."
Against her better judgement, Lady Black Heart began chuckling. While Neptune was a complete and utter ditz, she always knew how to cheer her up at just the right moments... Ever have a feeling of deja vu, like all of this has happened before?
"...Thanks, Neptune..." Noire whispered, hiding her red face from her lover. "...W-Well, what are we waiting for? Let's give the people what they want to hear!"
"Hell yeahs! Outta mah way, guard-people; Neptune's comin' through!" The ditz clutched the tsundere's hand tightly and dashed out the doors, where the large crowd had gathered to hear the important public announcement.
Lastation's goddess quickly tidied herself up, cleared her throat, and began her short and sweet declaration. "People of Lastation, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for gathering on this bright, bright, sun-shiny day..." Noire turned her head for a second and whispered "Neptune, why did I let you write my speech again? This is corny as all hell."
The ditz whispered back with a playful smile. "Because I'm awesome! C'mon, read the rest of the opening; I worked real, real hard on it!"
"*sigh*... Let me get straight to the point: The matter that I will be addressing today is one of high-importance, as it concerns not only you, but also the citizens in all of Gamindustri. I must say, I've... worried about delivering this news for the longest time now; I panicked over how you would all perceive this upcoming news. It felt like rain was constantly pouring in my head, souring my thoughts with doubt... But now, I can see clearly now; The rain is gone... I can see all obstacles in my way. Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind. It's gonna be a... bright, bright... Sun-Shiny day..." Noire immediately halted, and glared over at the ditz. "...Neptune, what the hell is this?"
"Hee Hee... I, uh, thought the audience would appreciate it... Ehehe..." Lady Purple Heart scratched her cheek innocently.
"Ugh, where do you even think of these references? ...Ah, screw this script!" The tsundere dramatically turned back to the eager (and slightly confused) crowd. "People of Lastation, it is on this day that I, your CPU, declare my engagement." Murmurs of surprise spread throughout the throng. "Yes, I am slated to be married, but that is not the entirety of this announcement. My partner, the individual that I am to wed... is up on this stage right at this very moment."
More stunned murmurs. "What!? But, I don't see a man up there. There's only that Purple Heart chick!"
"Yo, Noire can't be getting married! I vowed that I'd hit that someday!"
"If Noire was my sister, would she still be fair game?"
"You don't think... Black Heart's marrying her imaginary friend, do you?" Man, are these people stupid...
After a moment, Neptune sprang up and took the spotlight. "That's right! I, Neptune, am totally getting married to Noirey here! So, in a way, all of you are my peeps as well as hers! Howdy do, ya'll!" Well, if that wasn't a jarring way to drop the axe, then I don't know what is.
Lady Black Heart closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. When she was calm and ready, she continued. "...Lady Neptune speaks the truth: We are in love, and have been planning our wedding for months now. The Land of Black Regality and The Land of Purple Progress... are to unite as one. But, do not fret; Our citizens are still our top priority, and we'll think every step of the way on how to further better your lives. We will work extra hard to make sure that none of you are inconvenienced in absolutely any regard due to this unprecedented event..." The crowd became quite boisterous, if I do say so myself, and the CPU knew she had to cut this short. Bluntly, she finished with "...Well, thank you for your time... Good day..." and dragged the ditz quickly back into the Basilicom.
The throng continued to respond with a various amount of emotions. Some were completely thrilled, some were utterly appalled, and some had absolutely no idea what to make of it.
Lastation and Planeptune... becoming one entity? What exactly does that imply? What will happen to the people? What will happen to Gamindustri?
...Well, perhaps now is not the time to fret about such matters... We'll just have to deal with it when the moment arrives...
...No... THEY'LL just have to deal with it when the moment arrives... I'm useless, after all...
...
...Well, at least that flashback was shorter than the last one...
Neptune cupped her chin with her hand in thought, and came to some sort of realization. "...I got it! The people don't like 70's-era music, or songs about sunshine! Shoulda gone the 'Real is Brown' route, huh?"
A nice 'Thwack!' to the head from Noire in response. "70's!? No! Our marriage announcement caused confusion and anger, and those rebels are using the disorientation to their advantage! Weren't you even listening?" She was, that's the scary part.
Most of the girls around the table nodded. "Ah yes, that does indeed make sense." Vert said to nobody in particular. She would've said more, but a sudden pain struck her head, and she calmly clutched the sore area in silence. Only Chika noticed something was off.
Kei nodded professionally again; Is this her breakout chapter, or something? "So is everyone clear on the situation now? The 'Yellow Bandanas' are using the confusion of the recent marriage announcement to assault Planeptune and Lastation. If kept unchecked, their strength will only grow stronger as more and more cities fa-"
"Commander! We have a visitor!" Ah, gas-mask guy! Almost forgot he existed, to be absolutely honest.
Chip stopped biting his nails and quickly brought his hands behind his back (hidden from all view). "A visitor? Er, who? The only people invited were our lovely ladies here... I think?"
"A boy, sir... A RICH boy..."
Lastation's oracle's mouth was still open; she was amazed at how fluently she had been interrupted.
The doors to the meeting room opened in slow motion... though you can't see it, so I guess it doesn't really matter, huh? After a long, dramatic pause... in walked the rich boy!
...!
RECALLED MANAGER (part 1)
"...Greetings, my fair ladies! I have come here to... offer some assistance in quelling this little rebellion. Surely you could use the extra help?" It... can't be... No, this doesn't make sense!
Chika turned her head away from the ailed Vert, and got a good look at the visitor. "...You!"
The elegant boy, Jade, shrugged while wearing that sickeningly-charming grin. "Why, long time no see, Lady Chika... I'm flattered you remember me."
All eyes were directed towards Leanbox's oracle. "Who's that guy? An ex-boyfriend of yours?" Uni teased, saying something for the sake of getting a few lines in.
Chika puffed out her cheeks. "As if! I only have eyes for Vert!" A vicious glare in Jade's direction. "...He's a complete and total creep! What are you even doing here?"
The aristocrat flipped his hair with his hand; quite the majestic flourish. All the while, he avoided looking in Green Heart's direction. "I already said; I'm here to help you all out. And I resent that 'creep' comment, Lady Chika... But no harm done." You know, I hate this smug sonuvabitch. "Let me introduce myself to all of you: My name is Jade, and I represent Avenir. It would be in our best interests if Lastation didn't fall to petty rebels, so here I am to offer our support."
Noire raised an eyebrow. "Avenir? Do you even support Lastation anymore? We haven't heard from you guys in a long time." She knew she wanted to bring up the ill-fated Game Expo from a year ago... but restrained herself. It had become something of an unwritten rule to never speak of what happened that day. Everyone who remembered it wanted to talk about that High School alternate universe, but no one was brave enough to break the ice. Stupid, I know.
The Vert fangirl wasn't going to let him get a word in. "He is most definitely not on our side! Why, he threatened Leanbox nearly a year ago!"
This snapped Lady Green Heart out of her pained state... for the moment, at least. "What? When did this happen? Who would make viable threats against us?"
"That evil scumbag over there! He said his organization wanted to take down Lastation, and then they would eventually target us!"
Noire and Uni immediately pointed at Jade from across the table. "T-Take us down!?"
Ooh, the aristocrat was deep in a hole now... Why is he still smiling? "Why, I believe you misinterpreted my words, Lady Chika; I only meant that Avenir will become so successful that we may overtake all of you in the Shares exchange... Of course, we'd never think to split from dearest Lastation." Smug bastard! That is most certainly not what he meant, and Chika knows it!
"..." But Chika, contrary to how this fic may portray her, is pretty smart, or at least wiser than you'd expect. She understood that a rebellion of this calibre could spell disaster not only for Leanbox, but all of Gamindustri. Sure, she knew that Jade was much more devious than he let on... but he was offering to help with the situation. A trick? Maybe... but what if he was genuine? Wouldn't more help be desirable in dealing with a potential major threat? If she outed him, he couldn't possibly aid them... Better to be on the safe side and have as many people helping you as possible, correct? "... Hmph! I still don't like you." Doesn't mean she has to be nice.
The aristocrat shrugged, that damn disgusting smirk deeply ingrained in his face. The two sisters of Lastation sighed, and sank back into their boring seats to further absorb this boring meeting...
"Can we get on with this already!?" Huh, exactly what I'm thinking! Thank you, Ram! "You're all boring... C'mon, we should jump ahead to the part where we agree to kill those scummy bastards! Don't you agree, Rom?"
"...*snore*..."
"Aw! You dummies made Rom fall asleep!"
Mina, eyes incredibly sunken in with exhaustion, wagged a scornful finger at the loli. "Watch your language, Ram!" Aaaaaaaand... that's it for their lines this chapter.
IF began tapping her feet. "Dammit, Ram's right! We need to move now! We can't just let some random handsome asshole sidetrack the entire issue at hand!" Geez, she's angry.
Lyrica lightly caressed the brunette's hand. "I-It's okay, Iffy... P-Please carry on, everyone!"
Kei raised an unsure eyebrow at Blanc, and opened her mouth. "...Okay, anywa-"
"Aren't you interested in hearing about my experience with these so-called 'A Brothers?'" Smug fancy asshole asked, interrupting poor Kei once more. "I've actually spoken face-to-face with them, I'll have you know..."
Silence; What a refreshing change. It was shattered, however, when Vert spoke. "Hm, well, I guess one more tale wouldn't hurt... It could provide us some more useful information, don't you all agree?" Her face sure is flushed... Some bad headache.
The aristocrat now couldn't help but look upon the face of the CPU he abhorred. On reflex, he clenched his hands tight, and his breathing came out in uneven spurts. Still, he tried his best to hide his true feelings. "...Why, thank you, Lady... Green Heart..." He looked away for a second to quickly flip his hair and to allow his nerves to calm down. "...Alright! Let me share with you all the time those three delusional boys threatened me to support them..."
...
[Flashback not found]
...Wow, not even the script's supporting his bullshit.
But what did he say to the unknowing group? Well, Jade made up a tale of how Adrian stormed into Avenir one day and threatened him with magic; The brothers demanded funding for their planned 'Yellow Bandana Rebellion.' The rest of the details don't really matter, since you know the true story.
...But, why is Jade doing this? Why is he lying about the brown-haired young men and essentially turning them in? Avenir IS funding them! Isn't he friends with those three? What is he planning?
...Guess we'll find out. "So, what do you think? Those lowlifes wanted Avenir's help, and we so gallantly declined. I'm pretty trustworthy, if you ask me..." He grinned around the room, but everyone just kinda stared.
"Er, is that all you got? Kinda weak, dude." Purple Heart said, rocking back and forth in her chair which most certainly was not designed for that type of motion!
Histoire nodded. "Perhaps you have something else to share? Anything at all?"
Jade closed his eyes and shrugged dreamily *shudder* once more. "...I take it that story wasn't what you were looking for? Well then... I do know one other thing..."
IF rolled her eyes (again(again!(AGAIN!))). "Stop leading us on! What is it!?" She's getting freakin' pissed!
"Heh heh... I know where the ringleaders of this damn rebellion will be staying tomorrow: The mountain range northwest of Haneda City. They already figure you all are on to them, so they're laying low... Little do they know, I'm one step ahead of them." He struck a 'cool' pose with his thumb in front of his face. "NO ONE threatens Avenir, am I right?"
The oracle of Lastation was intrigued, but her face was as stoic as ever. "Tomorrow? And you are absolutely sure of this?"
"Without a doubt; We've kept a close eye on them ever since they rudely confronted us, so I know everything about their little operation. They know you're after their ditzy hostage, and they believe the mountains will provide the cover they so desire. They will remain there until the coast is clear... Heh, which it never will be." Turncoat... Wait, why am I saying that? The A Brothers and Jade are... villains, correct? Then... why should I care if they betray each other or not?
...
Kei looked to Histoire. "...We have no other leads to their whereabouts... Considering Haneda City was the first location to fall, it isn't too far-fetched to believe they'd hide somewhere relatively nearby to throw us off their scent."
The tome nodded. "Yes... I see no reason not to trust this lead. In any case, searching and finding nothing would be better than doing nothing at all." She smiled at the party. "Tonight, we shall rest... But first thing tomorro-"
The battle-hardened veteran clenched her fists tighter than ever before. "No! Compa... Shit, we can't wait til tomorrow! We need to save her now!"
Neptune knew when her friend was serious. "Yo, Iffy... no need for ants in your pants. We just gotta stay coo-"
"Nep, they can kill Compa any second! We have to get her back, now!"
Cave (I practically forgot she's still here) slammed her fist down onto the table. "Calm down, IF! I understand how you feel, but rushing in with nary a clue will get us nowhere... I don't mean to sound trite, but discretion is the better part of valor..." Wasn't that quote originally used to cover up a cowardly act? Ah, whaddo I know?
"Well, we can't just sit here and do nothing! If it was one of you, she wouldn't rest until she found us!" The brunette leapt up from her seat and paced nervously. I don't think I've ever seen her this frustrated, and I watched her deal with boys that wanted to eat everyone's souls. "...How can you all be so relaxed!? So... goofy!? She's our friend, and she's with a bunch of madmen! Don't you freakin' care!?"
Neptune's brows furrowed most unusually, but her usual smile remained. "Of course we do, Iffy! But that's exactly why we gotta be silly ducks!" This all seems accidentally... familiar.
This caught the veteran by surprise. "W-Wha?"
"If we lose our cool, then how're we gonna save Comps anyways? We need to goof off and relax today so we're ready to kick butt tomorrow!" She wrapped an arm around Noire's neck, startling the tsundere. "Compa will be just fine for a day; She's too adorable to be in any real danger. No young boy could ever lay a finger on her, not even on her boobies!"
Stunned silence... Was Neptune actually being... comforting? This sure threw everyone for a loop. I'd say I'm surprised... but I just really don't care anymore.
Nepgear seized this opportunity to get a word in. "M-My sis and Histoire are correct!" And Cave's also correct. "I-I'm worried about Compa too, but I know she's okay! We'll get her back first thing in the morning, and deal with this threat to Gamindustri!"
IF wanted to say something else, but Lyrica lovingly clasped her hand. "Trust us, Iffy... It's hard, but we all need to remain strong. We'll get her back, safe and sound!"
...Y'know, we've seen a few scenes today... Why aren't we seeing a flashback to whatever happened to Compa? That seems like a pretty important event, right? Why is this script toying with us so frickin much!?
...
The battle-hardened veteran wiped a threatening tear from her eye and smiled at her lover. "...A-Alright... Dammit, those bastards don't know what's coming! We'll go in tomorrow and rain absolute hell down upon them!"
All of the girls around the table cheered, save for a select few: Cave looked towards the floor, virtually shrinking out of view; Mina weakly smiled, but was too tired to take part in the cheerful atmosphere; and Lady Vert nursed the vicious pain in her head. And besides them, Jade grinned as he flipped his hair once more. Chip beat his fist against his palm, ready for a good long life in this fanfiction...
The plans were set: By morning, everyone would move out and face the Yellow Bandana Rebellion. Best case scenario, they'd come across the three boys and a few followers.
More than likely, however... they'd be facing an entire army of radical anti-CPU ralliers.
...Oh, but this night wasn't over yet; They still had lighthearted shenanigans to perform in the evening... which we apparently need to see.
...But that, my friends, is for another day... Wait, what!? This chapter's done? This was just boring expos- no, never mind... I'm used to it by now.
END OF PART ONE! PART TWO COMING SOON! ;)
BUT... BEFORE THAT...
...
Huh? What the hell is this now!? I hate when the format gets shit on!
...
"Be right there!"
A knock had arrived to the door of a familiar cabin. A brown-haired youn- Oh, it's freakin' Adrian, okay?...
The young man turned the knob and opened the entrance to the dwellings, and was greeted by a red-faced glasses-wearing woman with silver hair... Hey, it's the same chick that IF and Lyrica spoke to at the magic show!
"...Oh, it's you..." The leader of the brothers sighed. "Looking for Almaz, I take it?"
The professional-looking woman nodded. "Ahum, i-if he's not busy! We were going to hand out some more flyers around Lagoon City today... That is the next target, right?"
"Yeah... Okay, he's been waiting all day for you anyways..." Adrian looked back into the cabin and yelled for his brother. "Almaz, your friend is here!"
The hasty scuffling of feet could be heard in the kitchen, and out ran the timid young man, two bagels in hand.
"Rei!" He proclaimed with glee. The two immediately embraced in quite the awkward fashion; they look reminiscent of a pair of hugging fifth-graders. Adrian shook his head and sat back down.
The two eventually separated, and Almaz held out a bagel to the woman. "Not sure if you've eaten lunch yet, but here! Something to snack on." He rubbed the back of his head as she shyly took the food item.
"T-Thank you! I haven't eaten anything yet, actually... Missed breakfast, too..."
"Well, maybe after we're finished, we can stop by a diner or something! We'll need more than a bagel after a hard day's work."
"Okay! That sounds great!" Rei gleamed. How old is she? When she smiles, she looks like a little kid, but she has to be older than the three brothers, right?
The two proceeded to head on out. As they left, Almaz called out "See ya, bro! Be back tonight!"
"Yeah, see ya..."
The door slammed shut. Adrian leaned back into his chair and sighed even deeper. A moment passed, and Alex entered the room... This is set up like a sitcom.
"Yo... Almaz finally stepped out?"
"Yep..."
The irritable brother took a seat in a rocking chair facing Adrian. "Er, what's yer problem? You're mopier than usual, I gotta say."
The leader wiped his hand over his eyes. "Ugh, I don't like that woman... She's a good-for-nothing liability. I'm surprised she hasn't given us away yet."
"And why would she do that?"
"Because she's a clumsy idiot! She can't be trusted to keep secrets... Hell, she can't even be trusted to staple pamphlets to telephone poles correctly; You remember how they were all facing the wrong way last time!" He picked at his thumbnail with his teeth. "I know Jade wanted us to have a female presence in our operation, but she's less helpful than a child!"
Alex took a deep breath and exhaled with flourish. "I dunno, I don't think the broad's that bad... And besides, Almaz sure seems to like her. He'd be mighty upset if you did something to her."
"*sigh* He's a freakin' weirdo..."
The two brothers sat in silence for a while, until another hand knocked on the door. Adrian looked at Alex with one eye. "Can you get that? It's probably for you. Maybe it's even a pretty lady?"
The irritable boy rolled his eyes and leapt over to the front door. "Hel-Oh, crap..."
"Akekekeke... Hello there, friend! Are you ready to find the next lucky angels that need saving?" He's back!?
Alex stared at Le Ciel, the bastard who had killed Lowee guard Watwintails earlier... and slumped his shoulders in resignation...? "...I guess so... Let's just get this over with..."
The pale man in black grinned from ear to ear. "Goody! Where to, my liege?"
"...I guess Erethisan is next. Let's speed on over there..."
And thus, those two left as well... Another lovely couple.
Adrian was now alone, left to ponder everything rushing through his cluttered mind...
A little backdrop, finally: The goddesses had announced their engagement to the world a week ago, so this scene takes place about two weeks before that whole S.R.A.T.S. scenario we just slugged through; there, happy now? The revolts had been going well, with a new city taking about three days to fall...
Jade didn't want anyone to figure out that Avenir was supporting the A Brothers, so he convinced the three to stay solely in their old cabin in Lastation for the time being. Not suspicious at all.
Now, all that is fine and dandy... but what I'm most confused about is who that Rei girl is, and why Le Ciel is back and working cooperatively with Alex? But, I guess that all will be answered next time, or something... Ugh, my head hurts.
Anyways, this scene must have some importance to it! It can't just be entirely more useless crap, can it!?
...More time passed, and nothing exciting... Of course... Wait! D-Did you hear that?
...Ugh, why do I keep asking that!? It was a knock! I heard another knock on the door!... Damn, doesn't this all seem... familiar?
"...Coming..." Adrian yelled. With a yawn, he crawled up out of the seat and greeted his mystery visitor. "Yeah, whaddya want?"
On the other side of the door was a woman wearing a large dark witches hat, and rather elegantly colored clothing... although very little of her was left to the imagination. Her eyes were blood-red, and made Adrian feel as if they were sucking out his soul.
The devious figure spoke. "Ah, hello again Adrian... How I've missed you." The demon lightly brushed the back of her hand against the young man's face. He shuddered at the cold touch, but instantly felt a sense of familiarity swell up within him... Or rather, he knew he should've felt that way. Instead, the hand was just cold.
The dark presence merely smirked, and opened her arms wide. "My, you've been busy! I am honestly impressed."
Adrian's eyes didn't widen, as he knew from the start who this woman was. "Mother?... What a surprise..."
The witch on the other side of the door, Arfoire, simply... began to scowl.