So... this is the second update for the day. I won't hold you any longer so unto the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
If some of you noticed some similarities with other fics, then that person's story inspired me. All credit belongs to their respective author/s.
~~~~ Chapter 10 Start~~~~
"Kukuku... Two down, three more to go." Ganache chuckled. "Killachine! Shoot another beam, right away!"
Given its order, the huge machine let out a screech and fired at the defenseless Eiji.
"Eiji/-kun!"Compa and Black Heart exclaimed as they rush towards Eiji, whose eyes are closed in anticipation for the worst.
Compa being the nearest to the male, had stood in front of him, allowing herself to be hit by the red beam.
"Com... pa?" Eiji whispered out as the nurse silently screamed in pain from the laser beam that hit her.
Immediately, he was assaulted by a dark feeling.
'See? What did I tell you?' The dark voice once again taunted. 'All of this happened because you were too WEAK.'
'Then what do you want me to do?!' As his mind was in disarray, Eiji asked the dark voice, almost pleadingly.
'Use my power, Eiji.' The dark voice whispered to him in the tone of a calm teacher. 'Use the same power you used to protect yourself all those years ago.'
He wanted to resist. He refused to give in. But with the tables completely turned against them and the building pressure was starting to get him. Until...
'Didn't you promise that you were going to protect her?' That was the last straw that broke any sign of doubt within Eiji.
'... Under... stood...' Eiji answered his face now blank.
'Good.' The dark voice praised, satisfied.
A familiar dark strength began to seep in through Eiji's veins.
However, before Eiji was to be completely engulfed by his inner dark self's power, he whispered to the paralyzed nurse,
"Don't worry Compa. I'll save you... just… wait for a bit…"
"Hmph! That beam was supposed to hit that boy but I guess it still did its job in decreasing your numbers. Three down, two more to go." Ganache indifferently shrugged.
Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. No, a chill ran down everyone's spine, even those that are paralyzed.
And the source of that uncomfortable feeling?
"Hah..." Eiji exhaled as black miasma surrounded his form. His bangs dangerously shadowed his eyes, making him look intimidating.
"H-Hmph! Is that supposed to scare me?" Despite his bravado, Ganache knees shook ever so slightly.
"Eiji?" Black Heart can't help but ask the teen in worry.
However, Eiji did not grace her with a response. Instead, he pointed a finger towards the red eye piece of the Killachine.
The black miasma surrounding him crawled into the outstretched finger until a condensed black ball of dark energy formed just at the tip of his finger.
"... Bang." With a blank voice, Eiji motioned his outstretched finger in the same manner as one who shot a gun.
Fearing the worst, Ganache ordered the robot to dodge the beam. It did as it was commanded; however, it did not come out unscathed as its entire right armament was disintegrated by the black beam.
It was at this point that someone metaphorically slapped some sense into Eiji. Well, literally if you count the slap he received from the other persona residing in his head.
"Eiji-kun! Wake up!" Eiji saw himself looking directly at a mad, older, female version of him.
"... What... happened?" Suddenly, memories of his involvement came to mind. 'Don't tell me...!'
"What are you not telling me Eiji-kun?" The woman glared at him. "... Well?!"
"... He happened." Eiji looked down in shame and anger as he replied. "I let him take control... again."
"He? Who are you talking about, Eiji-kun?" She inquired with a motherly tone to her voice.
"My dark side." Eiji answered, tears running down his eyes.
This was not the Eiji she has come to know. To see him broken like this, it saddens her.
The woman that was once called the True Goddess has started to think as she hugged her incarnation to comfort him.
As she mulled over who 'he' is, she could only think of only one possible suspect. No matter how impossible it may have been.
'I thought I sealed him away! How could he possibly be back?! I did not even sense him!' She thought with a sense of urgency.
"Shh... Eiji-kun, it's all right. He won't be back to hurt you, I promise." She cooed in the tone a mother would use on her child.
She continued to soothe him for a few minutes until Eiji found his voice once again.
"Thanks..." He whispered out.
"You're welcome, Eiji-kun." She smiled warmly. "Now, shouldn't you go back to finish what you and your friends started?"
Hearing her reminder, Eiji's eyes hardened with resolve. "Hai."
"Good boy." She patted him warmly, with Eiji responding by leaning to her touch, albeit reluctantly.
She continued to do this until Eiji has faded away from mindscape.
Once she was sure that he's gone, she thought to herself.
'It would seem that I have some unfinished business with you, ******.'
~~~~Back to Reality~~~~
Eiji saw himself in the battlefield once again. Black Heart was eyeing him cautiously, the rest of their friends are still paralyzed, Ganache was worrying about his machine, and the hulking behemoth was missing its entire left arm.
"Eiji... what was that?" Black Heart asked him, a slight sense of caution laced in her tone.
"I... I don't know." He hated it. He hated lying like this, but he doesn't want anyone to worry about him. Especially since it's a personal issue he must deal with on his own.
"Well, in any case, whatever that was weakened the Killachine greatly. I could take it down myself, but with the others needing protection and the beam's effects still active, I don't want to take any chances." Black Heart mused.
'Crap, I feel tired. That attack must've taken a lot out of me. I can't even think straight on what weapon I could use.' Eiji analyzed before he suddenly glanced at Black Heart, specifically her lips.
'Well, there IS another method of winning this fight.' He thought with burning cheeks.
He noticed the reddening cheeks of his friend, leading him to ask another question.
"... I said that out loud, didn't I?" With even redder cheeks, Eiji asked the white haired female.
At her nod, he could only look away from her in embarrassment, not that she isn't doing the same.
Meanwhile, the Killachine has been slowly but surely adapting to the loss of its arm thanks to Ganache using an emergency program to its hard-drive using his device.
"Just what is that power?" Ganache muttered as he looked over at Eiji, who is currently talking to the paralyzed Neptune. How that's even possible is beyond him.
"It felt just like that woman's... but darker and much more powerful." Ganache said under his breath, before his controlling device alerted him of the Killachine's completed download.
"Oh well, I don't need to think much. He's going to die soon anyway."
~~~~Back to our lovely couple~~~~
"WHO'S THE LOVELY COUPLE?!" Eiji suddenly shouted in embarrassment... at nothing.
"What was that for?" Black Heart raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"I don't know, just felt like I should say that out loud. Too much exposure to Nep, I guess." Eiji said while rubbing the back of his head.
"... That actually makes sense." Black Heart mused, thumping a fist to her open palm.
"Hey, I resent that!" A voice, whom they recognized as Neptune's, said.
Both of them looked at the paralyzed goddess, and true enough, she had transformed back to her human form. Except it doesn't explain how she was able to speak just a while ago.
"Did... did she just speak?" Black Heart asked incredulously.
"Of course, I did." With a sarcastic tone, Neptune spoke... without even opening her mouth.
"... This is starting to creep me out." Eiji held back a shiver.
"How is this even possible?" Black Heart pointed an accusing finger at her long-time rival.
"Well, duh. I can't just stand by and let you take my spotlight, Nowa-chan. And besides, the author gave me his 'go ahead' to do this." Neptune sai- Wait, what?!
I never gave you a 'go ahead'. Heck, I don't even remember planning this!
"Well, what's done is done."
We'll see about that. Author powers... ACTIVATE!
"Wait, what do you mean by- *Gasp*- NOOOOOOO!"
*Bleep*
... That should keep her quiet for a while...
On with the show!
"... Well that was weird." Black Heart said bug-eyed.
"No kidding." Eiji said in a similar fashion. 'And here I thought I was used to it.'
They then heard a familiar screech. Both immediately assumed their battle stances. Black Heart gripped the handle of her giant sword while Eiji gripped his pendant.
"Well, look who is back? Finally awake, I see?" Ganache smirked.
"But no matter, you may have destroyed the Killachine's right armament but I'm sure that it can still defeat you both." A cruel smirk appeared on his face once again. "It isn't called 'Avenir's Greatest Creation' for nothing after all."
As if responding, the Killachine let out a shriek and charged.
'Tch... Come on brain, think! What weapon could be most suitable for a robot with fast enough reflexes to dodge a dark ray? A speedy type weapon would be great but what? While I don't doubt Red Queen's ability, the Killachine has already gathered data through the robot we fought in the old factory.' In a panic, Eiji thought as he dodges the swings of the huge axe aimed at him.
Meanwhile, Black Heart was looking for an opening to attack as the Killachine focused on Eiji. But it would seem that it had already anticipated what she was doing as it was shooting countless missiles at her direction.
'Just what is Eiji doing?! Why isn't he using his pendant or something?!' She can't help but think.
But her thinking stopped when she saw Eiji narrowly dodge a downward swing the nearly bisected him.
'Fuck. That was close...' Eiji can't help but think as he jumped back to distance himself from the axe.
*RIP*
The sound of fabrics ripping gained his attention. He looked down and sure enough his jacket and shirt was ripped open, revealing his well-developed chest and abs.
'Damn it... this was my favorite jacket.' He can't help but inwardly lament. Ever since he bought the black jacket using his birthday money, he never let it out of his sight for one second.
In case it needs to be washed, he'll see to it that he did it himself, same with drying it. When he sleeps, he hangs it on a hanger in his closet...
People might call him weird (not like they haven't already) but he can't help but feel attached to it.
…I doesn't compare to his Ragna ensemble though…
But his life is still more important that fabric. That was his main thought when he dodged another swing meant for him.
So focused was he in dodging the swings that he didn't notice Black Heart flying or rather crashing straight... at... him.
~~~~ A minute earlier ~~~~
'Grrr... Can't I just help him without the missiles chasing after me.' Black Heart growled as, sure enough, missiles erratically chased her through the air.
Should she swoop down low enough, she risks the safety of her people. Should she fly too high; she loses her watchful gaze at her eye candy... She meant Eiji.
So focused was she in her thoughts that she didn't notice a missile that was closing in on her. Specifically, her right wing armament.
She noticed this a little too late, as she vainly tried to swerve out of its path, to no avail.
One explosion later, and the damaged part crumbled into light while Black Heart struggled to maintain her balance.
On a positive note though, the other missiles chasing her down flew past her as she lost her balance. The bad news though...
She's crashing straight towards Eiji.
~~~~ Back to Eiji ~~~~
'Collision in 5, 4, 3, 2...'
'What the- Don't you have anything better to do?' Eiji deadpanned at his internal resident.
'Nope. But Eiji-kun you better look up and think fast!'
'Look up and what no-' "Umph!" Eiji and Black Heart found themselves in a kiss. One painful kiss.
But nevertheless, it did its job. The pair was soon engulfed in a pillar of light, and power coursed through Eiji's being.
The light died down, revealing Eiji with messy white hair with his bangs nearly covering his eyes. His eyes are a vibrant lime green, his pupils being replaced by power symbols.
His ripped clothing still remained the same, and Black Heart found herself being hugged close to his bare chest.
Aside from that, a single-edged mechanical-looking great sword was in Eiji's grip.
'This sword... isn't this Cloud's Fusion Sword? The one he used in 'Advent Children'?' Eiji thought as he inspected the sword in his grasp.
An embarrassed cough was all it took for him to notice that he is currently giving the goddess of Lastation a close-up encounter with his developed muscles.
Awkwardly, he released his grip on the goddess, allowing her to land softly on the ground.
"... Sorry about that." Eiji scratched his cheek.
"No, no, it's fine." Still red, Black Heart shyly replied.
That is until she noticed Eiji's appearance change. Just like what happened when he kissed Neptune during their first fight, he looked like a male version of her.
And honestly, she likes what she sees. Not like she'll ever say that aloud.
Still, she wished that she could at least kiss him normally. The kiss, if anyone could even call that kissing, they had earlier was by no means normal.
She didn't even get to enjoy it!
...
...
…
Cue steaming red face, courtesy of Black Heart.
"N-Noire?" Slightly perturbed by his now fellow divine being's sudden explosion of red, he worriedly asked.
"I'm fine. Completely fine!" She replied, all too happily.
"Well, if you say so." While Eiji sounded sincerely dense on the outside, he kind of had an idea what she's thinking.
The way her eyes 'stealthily' gazed at his lips pretty much gave her away.
... And he is inclined to agree. It could have been done less painfully.
Eiji then gazed at the source of their painful collision, her missing wing armament.
"I'll deal with the Killachine, Noire. Think you can sit this out?" Eiji asked, focusing his sights on the machine.
"But..."
"I have no doubt that you can continue Noire, but with your wing like that, you risk getting by hit by those missiles again. I can't just stand seeing you get hurt like that." Eiji replied looking back at the white haired goddess.
"... Why do you care so much? You've only meant me for only days, and you care like you know me for much longer. So why?" Black Heart asked, eagerly waiting for his answer.
'If only you know Noire.' Eiji can't help but think at the truth of her statement but he must focus on bringing down the machine right now.
Hence, he said what first came to his mind.
"Because you're precious to me."
Dazed at his answer, she didn't notice him turning his back to her as he faced the Killachine.
"Alright, let's finish this Ganache!"
"Hah, thought you'd never ask!"
*SSSSSSSKKKKKKKRRRRREEEEEEE*
These sounds effectively brought Black Heart back to reality so she spurred to action.
Before Eiji could charge towards his opponent, he found himself unable to fly forward as he was hindered by Black Heart grabbing the hem of his jacket.
Before he could tell her to let go, she beat him to the punch by saying, "Wait."
Curious at what she meant, he did what he was told.
With strength he didn't know she possessed, she pulled him towards her in one quick motion, the lips meeting each other's in one quick kiss.
Separating, Black Heart whispered. "For luck."
He looked at her, momentarily dazed but he shook himself awake. "Leave it to me." Grinning at her for a split second, he flew in a charge towards his adversary.
"Killachine!" Ganache shouted as he fiddled with its controls.
A salvo of deadly missiles flew towards Eiji, who readied his sword.
He started by flying low before shooting upwards, which caused the nearest missiles to miss him. He swerved, turned, spun, and slashed to avoid/destroy the missiles coming at him. He flew higher, the few remaining missiles steadily following. Quickly, he dive-bombed towards the Killachine.
Charging cannon, at 20%.
The Killachine's chest piece opened, revealing another ray gun.
'Really? An Ironman rip-off?' Eiji can't stop his right eye from twitching, but he quickly regained his focus as he felt a drain from his energy.
40%.
He spun his massive sword effortlessly, blue flames of energy started to coat it, and then he waited until he's within range.
60%.
Closer.
80%.
...Now!
The sword split up into six blades. And at the same time...
100%. Fire!
With a gush of speed, even to the point of leaving an after image behind, he reached for the sword that was spinning behind the monster.
The red beam fired harmlessly in the air, while Eiji began slashing.
He swiftly slashed all over the machine, switching blades as he went, until he saw its circuits crackle with electricity before dealing the final blow by stabbing the sword in his hand at the Killachine's exposed part. The gun, which he assumed, is also where the core is located.
As soon as he did that, he flew back at his friends' sides, transforming back as soon as he landed, and then waited the result of his attack.
His assumption proved correctly as he saw the massive steel bot crumble, slowly disintegrating into a familiar string of 0s and 1s.
He scanned the field to find Ganache, but alas, he was nowhere to be found.
His focus was diverted when he heard the sounds of feet touching the ground. Looking behind him, he saw that all of his paralyzed friends are moving again. In fact, one of them is currently running towards him.
...
...
...
... Shit.
"EI-KUN!" "Guh!" A relieved Neptune dove straight into Eiji's stomach, knocking out all the air in his body.
"Wah, that was the worst! I can't believe I just stood there while my Destined Lover was risking all he is to protect me! Not to mention, that Noire stole my spotlight!" Neptune shot a glare at the recently transformed Noire.
"Not only that, she even sneaked a kiss!"
"How can you even call that a kiss?!" With burning cheeks, Noire fired back.
"I'm talking about the second one!" The two goddesses stood face to face, glaring at each other's eyes.
"Owie, that hurt." A clumsy voice says from behind Eiji.
Remembering something, Eiji quickly rushed towards Compa who was rubbing her posterior after taking a fall.
"You okay, Compa?" Reaching out a hand, Eiji asked the downed nurse.
"Y-yeah, I'm okay." With a slight tint of her cheeks, she reached for his hand to stand up.
Only Eiji pulled her a little harder and enveloping her in a hug. To make matters worse (?) for Compa, Eiji's jacket is still ripped.
Pink immediately turned red as the cream haired nurse tried to comprehend why her crush suddenly hugged her. Not that she's against it in any way, she just wanted to know a reason.
"Don't ever do that again." His stern voice broke her out of her thoughts. "You don't know how worried I was when you suddenly took that shot for me."
His hug tightened, his shoulders shook, indicating that as he said he was so worried at her earlier action.
Awkwardly hugging back, she began patting his back. "I-it's okay, Eiji-kun. I promise I won't do it again."
"*A-Ahem* Should I even be here?" A calm voice, laced with a small hint of mirth, asked the hugging pair.
Instantly feeling conscious, Eiji and Compa separated while IF gave them a teasing smirk.
In an effort to avoid further teasing from the brunette, Compa went to the pair of glaring goddesses.
"Man, I wonder what Nep-ko would say if I told her about this?" IF teased.
"... I don't even want to know." Eiji dreaded.
"Hahaha... Maybe she'll try to sneak into your bed again at night. You're a lucky guy, ain't ya?" She patted him in the back.
"Very funny, IF." He dryly replied, much to the brunette girl's amusement.
Said amusement died down quickly as a frown replaced the smile she had on her face earlier.
"Sigh, can't believe that I wasn't able to fight with you two. Some friend I am."
"Hey, you can't help it alright. It's not like we expect it to fire at you." Eiji tried to calm her down.
"That's just it. If I could've been faster, stronger, then you and Noire could've had another set of hands to help you in the fight." IF's fist tightened in anger.
"Compa wouldn't have sacrificed herself like that, and you wouldn't have been-..."
"So you saw it too, huh?" Eiji's bangs covered his eyes, depriving IF the opportunity to see his expression.
"Yeah... all of us did. What was that anyway? Compa and Nep-ko will probably think that it's your Rage Mode or something but I know that there's more to it than that." IF looked at him, worriedly.
"You don't want to know, IF."
"But…"
"But, I'll promise you this. I'll tell everyone about it when I'm ready." He told her.
A silence came upon them, before a sigh escaped the brunette's lips.
"... If that's what you're comfortable with."
"Thank you, IF." He gave her a heartfelt thankful smile.
Her cheeks slightly burning from the smile he gave, IF simply turned to the side to hide her cheeks.
"A-Anyway, shouldn't we go back to tend to Chian now?"
~~~~ Line Break ~~~~
"So he escaped, huh?" Chian mumbled as she was given the summary of their fight with Ganache.
The party was currently in their hotel room, with Chian sitting on the bed with Compa while Noire and IF sat on the bed across them. They were talking about the earlier incidents.
Noire, IF and Compa told Chian about the happenings in the abandoned Avenir factory while Chian told them how the Killachine destroyed everything in its path before demolishing Passe.
At first, she was rather apprehensive, seeing as her landmass' deity is in front of her, but as time went on, along with a few "calm downs" from the others, she eventually relaxed in Noire's presence.
As for Neptune... well…
"Come on, come on, come on, why don't these stupid keys work?!"
... She's using the keys she manifested out of nowhere to get a peek of Eiji in the shower again.
"Hey author, why aren't these keys working?!"
Eiji's my bro, can't have you taking advantage of him, you know.
"But aren't we this story's main pairing?! At least give me an event to grow closer to him, I mean, Noire had hers, then Compa, then a bit with IF, this is unfair! Why don't I have mine?!"
... Well, you got a point there.
"*Gasp* So you'll let me peek?!"
No.
"Guh!"
But I will give you an event to grow closer to him. So can you please stop trying to peek on him?
"Deal!"
Okay, good.
...
Now where was I?
"Writing what Ei-kun's doing in the shower?"
I thought I told you that we're done talking about that.
"No you don't."
... Ignoring her, let's get back on track shall we?
~~~~ 1st POV ~~~~
Pellets of warm water soaked my hair as I washed the sweat of my body. But as I do so, I can't help but let my mind linger on the thought of him returning.
Not only that, she even sounded like she knew him.
Only one way to find out though. And that's when he gets to talk to her in his sleep.
Turning the shower off, I reached for the towel to dry myself off. Soon after, I put on the clothes that I prepared beforehand. A plain red tank top and black basketball shorts.
I opened the door to exit the bathroom with the drenched towel around my neck, only to notice that the lights are turned off.
... Huh, then again it was one hectic day so turning in early sounded like a good idea to me.
It was then that a thought came to me.
Where the hell am I supposed to sleep?
Okay, let's start with the sensible choices.
IF would be my first choice but that would make things a bit awkward for me. Especially since I remembered what happened earlier this morning.
Alright so IF's out. I could try Noire but with the kiss we had earlier things would be pretty awkward when we wake up, I'm sure of it.
Same reason with Compa with our moment earlier.
And that leaves Neptune.
While I know that I might find her drooling on me again, it would at least be a lot less awkward since it wasn't really the first time it happened.
... What the hell am I even thinking?! Did it really become a normal thing that I would even consider it?
But, it's either her or the floor. The cold, hard, unforgiving floor.
...
...
...
I'll regret this.
I sneaked towards Neptune's bed and tucked myself in with Neptune, who is strangely not sprawled out on her bed like she normally does.
As I carefully squirmed around to get comfy, my bedmate rolled. And yes, you guessed it, on me. My chest specifically.
I knew this was going to happen.
I was about to move her off of me before I heard her mumble in her sleep.
"Ei... kun..." She said in between soft snores.
If I had been a lesser man, I would have hugged her tightly at how adorable she is.
But alas, I am no longer a man, I am a god.
So, with my self-control in check I let her do as she wishes. No turning back now, really.
And with that said, I tried to lull myself into sleep whilst ignoring the softly snoring girl on me.
...
My efforts prove ineffective though.
But, as I peered at the girl snoring off on my chest, I can't help but smile.
While I might not be able to say this to her vocally, but I admire her.
The way that she'd just shrug in the face of danger, the way she would play with her friends instead of doing work, or the way she would cheer others up by making a fool of herself when the atmosphere is somber, I can't help but admire her for that.
She's strong. Not only in the literal sense of the word, but also on the emotional side.
It's actually one of the reasons that I feel so drawn to her as I play the games.
She had the strength to fight on which I lacked. I'd let each insult bring me down while she'd just shrugged them off.
And now that I'm transported here in Gameindustri, I get to see her in the flesh. I get to meet her, to interact with her in her fullness.
Sure, her antics can be a bit annoying but it was something that I was always something I would anticipate to see.
I didn't know what came over me, really. Here I was, apprehensive to sleep with her at first but now I was quickly relaxing. In fact, my hands had even subconsciously wrapped around her.
Words came to me, words that I would always dream that I would be able to say to her when I was still on Earth, words that I can say to her right now.
"Thank you Neptune." I whispered out and gave her forehead a soft kiss. "For being an inspiration to me."
She snuggled up closer to me with a cute smile on her face. Smiling to myself, I began to close my eyes and let the darkness take me.
Never expecting that his sleeping habit will get the best of him when he wakes up… as well as a certain divine being locking his body in place.
~~~~ Dream Sequence Activate ~~~~
Strangely, I didn't end up in the usual black void where I always converse with my internal resident.
Instead, I found myself standing on a floating island among the numerous floating islands in Celestia. However, I can notice that something isn't right.
The sky is dyed red. If that wasn't an indicator that something is horribly wrong, then I don't know what is.
"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
I heard a guttural roar from the distance. I looked and I saw a figure of a woman that was covered by thick black miasma. Her teeth are bared, set in a fanged snarl, and her eyes flashed red.
"You dare defy me?!"
She shouted towards a group of islands to my left. I looked again and I saw five figures crossing the rainbow bridges that connect the islands that lead to the woman in black.
I looked a little closer and saw that four of these figures are male, the last one being the only female.
I recognized the female as the same gray haired woman from before. The male figures, however, I can't make out a single detail.
They're covered in shadows. Like... they're silhouettes.
What did catch my attention; however, are the weapons the men carry.
A vibrant purple sword, coal black revolvers, a pure white bow, and a forest green spear.
And with that, I was blinded by light.
~~~~ 3rd POV ~~~~
"Enjoyed your moment with my dear Neptune?" That was the first thing Eiji heard as he arrived at the black void known as his mindscape.
He turned to the direction of her voice and sure enough, there she was with a smug grin on her face.
"What are you even talking about?" Eiji crossed his arms, diverting his gaze at her.
"Oh, you know what I'm talking about. I didn't know you think so highly of her."
"I thought that you knew that already. You're in my mind after all."
"Please, I had the decency to give you privacy when you think stuff you don't want to share Eiji-kun. Just because I'm in your head, doesn't mean that I could always read your thoughts." She crossed her arms and huffed, slightly offended.
"Sorry." It was all he could say, really.
"Apology accepted. Now, unto business..." The air around her suddenly changed. Gone was her carefree attitude, the woman that stood before Eiji was the goddess that had earned the title "True Goddess".
"Unfortunately, I was unable to locate him."
"But how? He should be in my mind, right?" Eiji asked, surprised by this development.
"As I may have mentioned before, I can't fully scan through your mind and the most probable place that he would be hiding in would be in the dark recesses of your consciousness, those that are out of my reach."
"Then, how are we going to deal him then? I can't just let him run around and control me again!" Eiji stopped himself.
"You did see what happened 'that night', right?" He asked a bit fearful and whole lot scared.
"Yes, I'm sorry that you had to go through that Eiji-kun." Her earlier seriousness evaporated as she enveloped him in a hug.
"That's why, when I see him reel his ugly face again I'd deck him real hard." She assured him.
"Thank you." Was all he could say.
"Huhuhu... well, you better wake up now Eiji-kun. With how you slept hugging Neptune, it might spur some jealousy among your harem members." She teases. "And I'm sure you'll love my surprise." She winked.
"For the last time, I don't have a harem." With that said, he faded out of his own mindscape, leaving the divine being to herself.
"You're just blinding yourself, Eiji-kun." She shook her head. "Oh well, he'll come around soon enough."
Her face then turned serious. "Now where could you be hiding, ******."
~~~~ Line Break ~~~~
'Shit, I forgot to ask her how she knew of him. Oh well, maybe next time.'
"Mmmhm. Hm?" Eiji slowly woke up and he can't help but wonder what he's currently holding right now.
'Let's see, it's smooth... and soft. Oh and whatever it is, it moans when I squeeze it... Oh no.' Memories from last night assaulted his now awakened brain and as he opened his eyes, his assumption proved correct.
While their sleeping position did not change, in fact Neptune's hands didn't even stray under his shirt, heck he wasn't even topless like how he usually wake up when he arrived in Gameindustri.
In fact, the one causing his whole body to freeze in shock was him himself. Or rather the place where his hands ended up in his sleep… That's right, Neptune's butt.
'This... This is bad!' He tried to pried his hands off but found that he's unable to. In fact, his hands clamped more on her rump. It did not help that she's moaning a whole lot.
'Why can't I move my ha-?!' His mind then went back to what she said just before he wakes up. 'This is her surprise?! Gluing my hands to her daughter's butt?!'
'Well you must admit that's it a pleasant morning call.'
'How is this even pleasant?! Well, it sort of is, I have to admit, but do you really want me to die?!' He yelled at his mind's resident.
'I wouldn't worry about me, if I were you.' She teased. 'She's waking up.'
That declaration was all it took for Eiji to freeze again.
"Unngh... Mou, what is squeezing on my Nep-flesh? I'll have you know that it's for Ei-kun on... ly." Her purple eyes met his amethyst... and chaos was set loose.
"Ei-kun you final- ah- Not too tight." Too bad, the shock of it all just caused Eiji's grip to tighten.
"I said- ah- Too... tight. But, if you want- ah- to play rough- ah- it's okay with me." Red started to climb from his neck to his cheeks while Neptune was blissfully enjoyed his touch.
In fact, she enjoyed herself too much that all her moaning awakened a certain brunette.
"Nnngh, what's with all the racke- Eiji! Nep-ko! What are you two doing so early in the morning?!" IF shouted, her face beet red at the scene in front of her.
Her shout then awakened the room's other residents as well.
"Nnngrh, IF why did you shou- What are you doing to Neptune, Eiji?!" Noire shot up, her face beet red along with IF.
"Mmm... why did you have to shout Ai-chan? Eh?! EEEEEHHHHH?! Nep-Nep, you're not playing fair!" Compa started while rubbing her eyes before all signs of drowsiness left her face when she saw the pair. So with an angry pouting face, she stormed to the pair's bed until her angry expression turned to worry as she saw Eiji's condition.
His face is beet red, his eyes are cartoonish swirls and he even had smoke whistling out of his ears.
"Nep-Nep, get off of Eiji-kun now! He's overheating!" The nurse-in-training frantically tried to pry her friend of him.
"Compa! Don't you know that it's rude to disturb a couple when they're enjoying themselves?!" Neptune responded by hugging Eiji closer, not letting go as Compa attempted to separate them.
"More like you're the only one enjoying it." Noire deadpanned. Her cheeks now calmed down to a dusting of pink.
"Nep-ko, let go! Eiji needs to calm down or his head will explode!" IF urgently shouted as she fanned Eiji's face with her hands.
"... Oopsies." Neptune sheepishly got off of the male.
"Good, now try asking the clerk if he had any fans. Noire can you get some water from the bathroom. Compa get some cloth." IF commanded.
"Roger-dodger/ On it/ Okay!" All three exclaimed as they do the tasks appointed to them.
~~~~ Line Break ~~~~
It took a few minutes for the group to finally calm the male down, after he started blubbering stuff that sounded like, "I didn't do it", or "It wasn't intentional".
So now with his face back to its normal color, the group was finally able to sigh in relief.
They then proceeded to check out of the hotel and go to a nearby coffee shop for some breakfast, after Eiji made an awesome discovery.
As his favorite outfit was ripped during the fight, he had searched for clothes to his liking in the clothing disk that IF gave him.
And boy was he surprised when he found the ensemble he's currently wearing.
He wore a vibrant red sleeved jacket with two long thin tails hanging from the back, under it is a black shirt. He wears a pair of black gloves with a red shell on the backs of the hands. He also wore a black hakama and steel-toed red boots.
Now, if only he had heterochromia and white hair, he'd definitely look like Ragna.
Fuck his chuuni past, he's digging the outfit right now!
"Sorry for the trouble I caused." Eiji rubbed the back of his head after a long awkward silence within the group.
"It's okay, Eiji-kun. But are you sure that you should be standing up now? You were so red earlier that it got me worried." Compa started to push him down.
"I'm fine Compa, I swear."
"But-."
"Look. What happened back there was just me getting extremely embarrassed at something, so don't strain yourself about it, okay?" Eiji reasoned with the cream haired girl, which calmed her down.
"Although, I must ask how did your hands go there?" Noire shot him glare.
"Most importantly, why are you even in bed with her?" IF shot her own glare.
"Well, Eiji-kun?"
'... Et tu, Compa?!' He can't help but look away from the angry nurse. He did not want to die via syringe right now... Heck, he did not want to die yet, period.
'Come on Eiji, think fast! Your life is on the line here!'
...
...
...
'I got nothing. Dammit! Something happen, please?!' Eiji mentally pleaded for a miracle.
"Well, isn't because I'm the most obvious choice?! We're destined for each other after all." Neptune puffed her chest out.
"Please, like that could be the reason." Noire rolled her eyes before returning them to a slightly sweating Eiji.
'Somebody, save me!'
"A-Ahem, I've brought your order." A man wearing a white polo shirt and low apron approached our table with a tray with waffles and coffee in it.
'... Thank you, waiter!" That instance was all it took for Eiji to compose himself.
Once the waiter has left, the girls then resumed their glare just as Eiji was able to come up with his excuse.
"Actually, I was so tired that I kind of lied down on the nearest bed and went right to sleep." Eiji made sure that his face and tone showed no sign of nervousness.
"Okay, then how did your hands end where it was?" IF still had her hands across her chest.
"Well... I kind of have to habit of *mumble* when I'm tired." Eiji now felt genuinely embarrassed as he confessed.
"Sorry, what was that?" Noire asked.
"I said I have a habit of hugging something when I'm tired." It's the reason why he had a dakimakura in his room.
"And as to how my hands ended up... there... I will never know." He can't help but look away in embarrassment.
"Awww... you like it, didn't you?" Neptune teased with a grin while poking his sides to earn a reaction.
"Phew... I'm just glad that Eiji-kun isn't red anymore." Compa sighed in relief as she dug in on her waffle.
"Hehehe... I never thought anyone could possibly overheat from being embarrassed. You're really something Eiji." IF grinned from behind her coffee cup.
"Very funny, IF." Eiji deadpanned, to her further amusement.
"Anyway, what happened to your talk with Chian last night?" He asked.
"Well it went well. It seems that after we were trapped in the factory, Ganache headed to Passe and called the Killachine, all the while destroying buildings that are in their path. It's a really good thing that nobody died. The worst the factory workers and pedestrians received are burns, gashes, and concussions." Noire sighed out in relief.
"If he had killed someone…" She stopped with a dark tone in her voice, giving IF and Eiji an idea of what exactly she would do.
"And from what Chian told us, she overheard Ganache saying that the Killachine we fought is just a test model.
So we might run unto another one and get some payback. I'm still frustrated that I just stood there motionless while you two were fighting." IF said, punching a fist into her open palm.
"Well, it's a good thing that Eiji-kun found a new transformation ability to save the day." Compa said.
"Oh yeah, I thought I was the only one able to do that, now Noire can too." Neptune shot a determined look at Noire.
"Hehe... just so you know that will be the last time you'll ever get to do that."
"Hmph... well, we'll see about that." Noire returned her expression.
"Rivals that are also good friends and, it's all thanks to Mr. Popular." IF patted Eiji's back.
"I really don't know how to feel about that, IF." Eiji's eye twitched at her teasing.
'Is this going to her thing now?' He certainly hoped not.
"Although, that begs the question on what exactly are you, Eiji." Noire then looked at the only male, who was sweating profusely.
"Not only are you able to transform when Neptune kisses you but, I as well, and I'd wager that it will also work when the other two kiss you." She continued.
"Then I won't let him kiss them." Neptune answered firmly. She can't have people stealing kisses from his lover for a power-up. That's her job!
"You can try." Noire shrugged before putting all of their focus on Eiji again. "So what exactly are you?"
"I told you guys that I don't know right?" He weakly argued.
"Hm… maybe you have the power to, I dunno, copy a goddess powers through a kiss?" IF posed a theory.
"But how exactly did he get that ability?" Noire asked once again.
IF, noticing the sweat dripping down Eiji's face, came to his rescue.
"Oh well, I guess we have to cancel our search for Lastation's Key Fragment for now." IF changed the topic, making Eiji turn to her gratefully.
"Eh? Why is that, Ai-chan?" Compa inquired, looking up from her waffle.
"Well, we know for sure that we're on Ganache's hit list. Not only that, we have a whole company after us as well. So it isn't safe to search other dungeons without Avenir knowing what we're doing." IF explained.
"So what do you suggest IF?" Eiji asked the Wind Walker.
"Search in another landmass. That way, we can let Avenir cool down while we search for the Key Fragments." IF answered.
"Well, that does sound reasonable. But which landmass would we go to first?" Eiji asked again.
As IF was about to answer, Noire suddenly said. "Well, if you're going to another landmass then I can't go with you. I still have to go undercover and fix my landmass from the inside out."
"Eh? So Noire-san can't go with us?" Compa asked sadly.
"I'm sorry but I can't just leave my landmass in its current state."
"We understand Noire, besides I'm guessing that you had Chian agree to let you work as her 'material hunter'." Eiji smirked with his fork in his mouth.
"I'll have you know, it isn't easy." Noire deadpanned in exasperation.
"I'd imagine so." Eiji nodded in amusement.
"Whoa, when did that happen?" Neptune asked, her waffle and hot choco gone and in her hands was a cup of Compa's pudding.
"When you were testing out the bathroom door keys." Noire says.
"... Nep." Eiji turned to Neptune and gave her a blank stare.
"What?! I have to get my own touchy-feely moment together because you did one with everyone but not me." Neptune pouted.
Eiji was about to open his mouth to retort before he suddenly decided to keep his mouth shut.
For the sake of his sanity, he better keep his mouth shut and not respond.
Too bad Neptune took his silence as acceptance and began to speak again.
"But oh well, you did get touchy-feely with me last night so I guess I forgive you." She finished with a carefree smile.
Meanwhile, Eiji choked on his coffee.
"It was unintentional." Eiji says after he calmed his throat down.
"You like it and you know it." She smugly shot back.
"So, anything else that I missed?" Eiji asked, ignoring the preteen next to him.
"Nep-ko handed over Chian's sword so she's back to using that stick." IF sighed while Neptune said something along the lines of "Arma, don't go."
Yeah, just yeah.
"... Well we have to buy her a new sword."
"Yes!"
"But we'll have to go for the cheapest." IF quipped.
"Nooooooo!"
"We don't have enough money to buy an expensive sword, Nep." Eiji told her.
"Actually, Chian already got that covered." Noire suddenly said.
"Yes. Chian-san had given me 5000 credits last night." Compa chimed in.
"Huh, well that's convenient." Eiji commented after drinking some coffee.
"Wait... how come I didn't know this?" IF asked the pair, confused.
"You were busy lecturing Neptune at the time and we don't want to disturb you." Noire answered calmly, sipping from her cup of coffee.
"Huh, a lot can happen in just a short period of time." IF commented, leaning back in her chair to relax.
"True that." Eiji replied, doing the same.
"I know, right?" Neptune came next.
"Yes, I agree." Compa does the same.
Then all eyes fell on Noire, who hadn't leaned back in her chair yet.
Noticing the looks she's getting she simply said, "If you think I would do that too, then you're sadly mistaken."
At her words, all of their faces had crestfallen expressions on them while Neptune mumbled, "Noire, do you have to be such a spoilsport? No wonder you don't have friends."
This lead to another argument between the two, leaving the other three to their amusement.
"Mission accomplished, IF-taichou." Eiji smirked at the smiling brunette.
"Hey, don't pin it all on me. Besides, you also like watching them argue." IF remarked with a grin.
"Perhaps. I'm surprised that you'll play along though, Compa." He looked at the giggling nurse.
"It's fun to watch them get along so well, like they're sisters." Compa replied with her usual carefree smile on her face.
"Hahaha... I know right?" 'If only you knew how right you are Compa.' Eiji laughed before asking the woman in his head.
'You seeing this?'
'Yes. Huhuhu... They sure have grown.' Her warm motherly voice spoke with pride.
~~~~ Line Break ~~~~
After a rather lively breakfast in the cafe, we now see the party in front of the Lastation Sky Harbor.
"So... this is it, huh?" Noire said as she led her friends.
"Hey, it's not like it's the last time you'll see us, right guys?" Neptune regarded to the others behind her.
"We'll be back before you know it." IF smiled.
"Hai, Ai-chan is right!" Compa happily nodded.
"Besides, we haven't found Lastation's Key Fragment yet so we're sure that we'll be back." Eiji smiled at the black haired goddess.
"I'll be sure to welcome you with open arms then." Noire smiled at all of them.
"Then, I guess this is farewell." She said as the gate of the Sky Harbor opened.
"Yep! See you in a while, Noire!" Neptune waved back with the others with smile on their faces, but before Eiji could follow suit, he heard Noire call for him.
"What is it, Noire?"
"Take responsibility." She said, her face flushed red while averting her gaze from him. "Th-That's my first ki-kiss s-so..."
'... How many kisses was I to take responsibility for?'
'Three and still counting!'
Still, despite his thoughts, he nodded at her with a red face. And he followed his friends into the light.
"Hey! Don't go killing us off, Author dude!"
~~~~ Chapter End ~~~~
And... that concludes the Lastation Arc.
So... how is it? Review about your comments and let me know.
Oh, and, uh, there's also another chapter out so I'll see you guys there.
