I finally did that idea with UNoire/mainNep, though, this turned out a hell of a lot darker than I first expected. I'll give you this as fair warning - if you don't mind a bit of technical mind-break, NTR, and hardcore UNoire-bashing to achieve a pretty positive ending, then read on.
I'll probably skim through it now, and post anything I have to say at the bottom. I still think it's an okay shot, even if I did skip through a couple things that could've been extended to... well, be darker, really, more than anything.
I refuse to taint my vanilla yuri with too much darkness! Away with it! Begone!
Lately, things have been really uncomfortable whenever I'm not around everyone else. And, that's not one of those statements to get harassed about 'being lonely' or whatever, but genuinely uncomfortable. No matter where I go, I get this… weird premonition that someone's following me, but I can't find them no matter how hard I try. I've asked my guards to double their security efforts, to notify me if anyone is around, and so on and so forth – but there's been no clues as to what's going on. I asked Histoire about it at one point, but she just smiled sadly and shook her head, unable to tell me anything about it… which is unnerving, and frustrating, since I didn't manage to figure out anything by talking to her. A wasted trip. Ugh.
Plutia's been sleeping more recently, and things have been relatively quiet – Neptune's off… doing whatever, though it's not like I care too much what that nitwit's doing. Though, it's disappointing that Plutia's so lazy lately… I kind of miss the lazy days we had together before all of this weird stuff started. Multiple dimensions, an organization of lunatics, fighting with Lowee, and so on and so forth – with a strange, spiky-haired ball of irritating energy standing at the center of all of it.
Speaking of which, she's been staring at me more lately, and that's weird, too. I get that I'm probably the prettiest woman she's ever met, and I still don't necessarily buy her story about knowing exact replicas of us from her world or whatever, but it's still discomforting, what with this current business going on.
It's come to my mind a few times that she might be involved in the stalking business that I'm troubled with, but that's impossible – she might be a handful, but she's not like that, is she? No, I'm just paranoid and overthinking things.
I straighten another stack of papers on my desk, sighing. Tidying up keeps my mind off things, and staying busy helps my nerves, though I'm getting tired and bored of the same thing day in and day out. I don't like running around at Neptune's pace, but she does at least bring some life to everything… sort of. Kind of. In a weird way. Maybe… I feel stupid for trying to defend that lazy dolt.
Setting the current stack off to the side, I glance over a few new sheets that had been placed for me to find – details regarding new machinery that might boost production and extend the amount of open space on our hard drives, which might give way to a lot more leeway with game creation, and could achieve even higher notoriety and public support worldwide for Lastation. This should be useful – even if it saps a bit more life out of Planeptune, it'll hinder Lowee quite a bit more. Plutia, and technically Neptune, have a city of laidback, diehard loyalists – Lowee was simply the first giant, and now it crumbles for being outdated and isolated. We discovered a few spies coming to investigate our business, and got rid of them with ease, but I've yet to muster a counteroperation to breach their city, yet. Ugh.
Sitting down again, I quickly gloss over the documents, checking for clever wording or underhanded tactics – and find none, so I sign off and add them to the pile. Alright, now to get this to the main hub for processing and finalization, and in turn, I'll go make rounds at some of our special, sponsored factories. Maybe some fresh air will do me some good.
Stepping out of my office, I hear the sounds of pitter-pattering, quieted footsteps fleeing from sight, and I furrow my brow, sighing. Maybe one of the guards is just shy, or something – it always happens like this, and nothing has come of it for the past two weeks, so I'll just… ignore it like always. Unnerving, though.
I cough, clearing my throat as I proceed down the hall toward the front of the Basilicom, listening intently for the unknown person's movements – but nothing comes of it, and I find myself even more worried by this fact. At least if they followed me at a certain distance, I could eventually catch them, but like this, I'm not able to get a good feel for it. Are they doing this just to mess with me?
I feel a little afraid, I'll admit – it's not like there's too much out there that can defeat me, since I keep myself in shape and keep working at bettering my combative abilities, but that doesn't mean that a stranger stalking me doesn't get under my skin like anyone else. At times like this, I could even wish for Neptune's company, and that's saying something.
I round the corner, and a few minutes later, the footsteps sound. They're not dumb. I glance over my shoulder, seeing nothing – besides a shadow from behind one of the pillars decorating the walls. Damn it, I installed those without considering how they could be used against me. I'm too superficial sometimes, and this experience has taught me that. I sigh, contemplating dumping my papers to pursue, but… I've tried that before, and they somehow managed to elude me. Scary – an intruder capable of outrunning a CPU. Maybe the Seven Sages are after me? I… should contemplate talking to Plutia about it later, maybe. Ah, but then I'd seem weak in front of her. Crap, crap, crap, can't do that. I'll just… have to figure it out myself.
What a pain in the ass.
Even despite this consistent turn of events, I make it to the main room unharmed – as always – and deliver my abundance of filled-out forms, earning wary smiles from my staff. I praise them for a job well done until now and ask them to have it done by tonight, to which they agree – like always – before I nod, turning on my heel to head outside.
In the city, even more-so than the Basilicom, I discover that I can't keep a tab on my stalker at all. Too many faces and places to hide. Though, I did enlist a couple more new faces, unbeknownst to the Basilicom. Sorry, guys, but if you can't do your job – I'll have to. Stretching comfortably, I begin my journey of proceeding through my glorious city, yawning. I'm a little tired, since I've not been getting that great of sleep, either, but if I can root out the culprit, I suppose it's all worth it in the end. At least it's me, and not Plutia.
A sudden hand on my shoulder causes me to jump in horror, and I whirl around to notice… Neptune's soft, silly face before me, and I sigh aloud, wiping my forehead.
"Ugh, Neptune. You scared the hell out of me," I complain, taking a deep breath to recompose myself. Better her than anyone weird, and I doubt that the stranger will get any weird ideas with her around – she's useful for something at least.
"Ah, ahahaha, sorry about that!" she exclaims, rubbing the back of her head. She grins at me, and I roll my eyes. "I figured I'd come play here since Plutie's out like a light and Histy's on the warpath again, so, yeah! You don't look too well – is everything okay?" she asks, leaning forward to eye me with genuine concern, and I lean back in slight embarrassment.
Ignore the closeness, Noire – she just has no sense of personal space. If you just calm down, the redness will go away… and… haah. "Things are… alright. I'm just… uh, having trouble sleeping lately. Couple of things going on that have kept me busy and focused, is all. No need to worry – you can't really help me anyway."
She nods slowly, crossing her arms. "I see, I see. Well, I'll walk with ya' for a bit, so if ya' want, I can at least listen and stuff. We're friends, right?"
I roll my eyes, nodding. "Yeah, I suppose that's true, though it's more like I'm just not able to get rid of you."
Her expression falters for a minute, and I feel a sudden pang of guilt – I treat her rather poorly sometimes when I don't need to, don't I? Maybe I should apologize… "Hahaha, I guess you have a point. I'll work on it, maybe," she remarks, beaming again, and I blink in surprise. Maybe she just had something on her mind? I'll be nicer, but maybe I overthought it… "So, what's going on?"
"I've… just been having a couple problems with being followed by someone I don't know, lately," I admit slowly, frowning. She follows me side-by-side through town, seeming rather attentive. She must be really bored, huh? "I've got my Basilicom investigating it, but it's been keeping me up since I've had to devise new routines and methods for them to pursue the culprit myself, so…"
Her eyes widen, and she frowns too. "That's horrible! Creeps like that give me the heebie-jeebies. I can help ya' look, if ya' want? I don't have much to do lately, so I've got some free time if y'want, Noire."
I scratch my cheek, contemplating. She's being really nice, which is a pleasant change of pace, but I don't really want to trouble her. "I think I'll be fine, though, don't tell Plutia, alright? I don't want her worrying over nothing."
"Gotcha', gotcha'," she answers, nodding, while kicking the pavement with her feet. I smile softly, suddenly feeling like this girl isn't all bad, for once. "So, what're ya' doing now, then?" she inquires, and I sigh.
"I'm taking some time away from filling out various work forms to make rounds with the factories and the like that work directly under the Basilicom. You're welcome to come, I guess, though it'll probably be boring and I'll have to keep you away at certain times for company secrets and all that."
She nods, shrugging. "That's fine, since I wouldn't be doing anything else really, anyway. Though, if ya' want my opinions on stuff, feel free to ask the 'ol Neppro!" she says, patting her chest confidently while puffing it out.
"Sure, sure," I say placatingly. I don't really believe I need any feedback from her, nor would it be all that useful, but I'll make a show of it to try and be nice. "It'll be good to get some raw advice on certain things, so I'll take it. Sound good?"
"Yeah! I'll do my best, alright?" she chirps, grinning, and I nod. She's… not that bad, I guess. Or maybe I'm just missing Plutia more and more lately, so I'm getting desperate for company.
That reminds me, I haven't really heard anything weird going on behind us, but I haven't really conversed with any of my secret agents. I ought to put them to invading Lowee if they can shed any light on this matter, since they'll be relatively reliable. If not… no harm done, I guess, since I've got Neptune at the moment.
Speaking of which, I notice Neptune chatting merrily with one of the ones I hired recently – which is coincidental, I guess, since she's an outgoing dolt, after all. The two chatter away about some games, or something, though I'm not really paying as much attention to them as I am with heading in to speak to the factory owner ahead of us.
"Hey, Neptune, I'll be back soon, alright? I'll join that conversation of yours, too, when I get back, so," I end off vaguely, hoping that my agent will pick up on it.
"Mm! Go get 'em, Noire!~" Neptune cheers me on, pumping a fist for me. "Fighto~, fighto!~"
"…You're such a dolt," I remark, shaking my head as I disappear into the oil-reeking garage…
Later.
Exiting, I use the rag that they offered me to wipe my hands and arms clean. I sort of smell like metal and grease now, but I guess I can just shower it off later. I've got a few more places to see to, anyway, so I'll just ignore it as best I can. Looking around, I notice my agent seems to be missing, but Neptune is just leaning on a small rail dividing the building's walk area from the main street, and she raises her head, shooting me her usual goofy smile. Huh, at least one of them listened.
"Heya, heya, Noire! Did it go well—whoaaa, you smell like nothing but metal. Metal Gear Noire is your new hobby? Nep Jr. likes to tinker like that too, so…," she continues babbling on, though I sort of tune her out since it's just her usual happy garble. It doesn't merit enough for me, but I'll play along with nodding and smiling and agreeing where necessary, so she doesn't get sulky. Especially if my agent's gone, she's useful, at least…
We walk along toward the next destination, her jabber still going even as we arrive. I find myself impressed with how much she can chatter away aimlessly, though I cut her short. "Hey, hey, sorry about this, Neptune, but I gotta' check in here, too, alright? You can tell me more when I get back out."
"…Ah, alright! That's cool – go knock 'em dead… Noire!"
She seems a little off now, but her facial expression and body language doesn't mirror that. I nod, excusing myself politely as I leave her to wait while I check in with this batch of workers, next…
Later.
I wince, rolling my shoulder. I shouldn't have tried to lift that by myself, but I didn't really expect it to be so awkwardly heavy. I should've known that even CPUs can struggle with weight, especially in these human forms. What a painful way to discover it…
Stopping, I look around, noticing Neptune, once again, waited for me, only a short distance away. She waves to me, jogging over as she beams at me, and I nod. Off we go, again, with a new conversation about her world starting, now. The way she describes it, it almost sounds believable, though I'm still going to remain skeptical – incredibly insane people can make anything sound real if they go on about it long enough, and Histoire's… kind of hard to put all my faith in sometimes.
"…and, like, my world's Noire always has about eighteen projects always coming out – along with new games and a new console system constantly, and it always turns out kind of buggy since she doesn't feel comfortable enough asking everyone to help stress-test it, so it always ends up with really dumb bugs! I remember, recently, the last one…," she rambles on, and I exhale through my nose to feign amusement.
"…That's really unbelievable, maybe you're just bad at picking up hints?" I say vaguely, my eyes traveling wherever as we walk. I don't mean to be mean to her, nor be so cold, but it's just… "…Hm? Ah, that… Plutia'd look really cute in it… Don't you think, Nep… Eh?" I trail off, suddenly noticing she stopped a short distance away, her eyes downcast. I blink, tilting my head, wondering what suddenly just changed. I raise a hand to beckon to her, but multiple people get in the way, and once they disperse, she's already gone.
…Huh, well, at least it's quiet again. I suppose I'll see her later – it's not like she doesn't always bounce back, anyway. Ah, there's the next one. After I deal with this, I'll have a couple more stops, and then I should be able to call it a day. She managed to make a bit of the day pass by faster, so I owe her my thanks whenever I next see her.
Well, if I think about it, at least.
Much later, toward the evening – the sun begins to set.
I stretch, finally having finished my tasks for the day, yawning pleasantly. I've managed to get yet another series of productive corrections going in each of the locations, so our progress should see improvement by as soon as tomorrow. I'm just so wonderful, Plutia ought to really take a hint and ask me for advice sometime. She needs to learn more about being a good CPU, or her people will eventually shift out from underneath her, and then I'll be having to care for two lazy CPUs as a result of it. Neptune could probably do more, too, even if she actually is from another world.
Speaking of which, I really haven't seen her since before, when she disappeared. I hope she's alright – she's not a bad person to be around. I'm just… not really interested, is all. Frankly, the sooner she can return, the better for all of us.
Rubbing my hands off on another rag they lent me, I whistle merrily as I walk through the crowds toward the Basilicom for the evening. I had no more problems with the stalker, and I got a lot done – what more can I ask for? I raise a finger to my cheek contemplatively, fishing out my phone from my skirt pocket as I flip it open, figuring I might as well contact that agent from before – I never managed to see the others, so maybe she, at least, saw something. Hitting the call button, I lift it to my ear, waiting for it to connect.
Riiing… riiing… riiing… Khhhk.
"There you are. Hello…"
"…Lady Noire! A… are you alright?!"
"…Huh?" Why wouldn't I be? "Of course, I've been fine. You disappeared even when I tried to tell you…"
"M-my Lady, I… I couldn't get to tell you… I'm so sorry…"
I have a bad feeling about this conversation. "Are you alright? Speak, did something happen?"
"…My Lady, how do you not know?"
"Eh?"
"…That woman you were talking with earlier…" Neptune? What about Neptune? Oh no, did something…? "She… intercepted me before I could say…" Wait a minute, what? "…She was the one following you out of the Basilicom. She… she had the most horrifying eyes I've ever seen… I… She told me to not say anything, o-or else… Ah, I've said too much, my Lady. P-please, be careful…" Click.
…
I feel my blood run cold, the color draining from my face as I slowly move the phone away from my ear, staring at it in disbelief. A very cold feeling is spreading over me. And… panic. Maybe… she just saw things wrong? She's new to the job, and it's an important one, so maybe she's just overstressed. Though…
…No, I'm sure she misinterpreted things. Neptune's not like that, even if she's weird. Hahahahah…
I just need to get home, and sleep. I'll ask her to monitor me again tomorrow, and we'll find a completely different person. Neptune just didn't want me to get the wrong impression. That's all.
Returning to the Basilicom, I can't help but shake the cold feeling, yet I'm sweating nervously now, as well. I sigh, greeting the guards as I wipe my brow, excusing myself to my room without much more conversation. Kicking off my boots, I lay back against my pillow, staring up at the ceiling for however long, trying to calm down.
It's definitely not what it seems. I'm overthinking things. I could just call…
…
I don't even have her number, do I?
It's not important. She's not the culprit. She talks so warmly of the me from her world, she wouldn't do anything to me…
…Right?
I close my eyes, opting to leave the lights on, tonight. I'll figure things out tomorrow morning, and I'll even find Neptune and talk about all of this. It'll be sorted out, and we'll move on, and that'll be that. Nothing bad will happen.
…Yeah, I can just sleep…
Late into the night.
For whatever reason, I suddenly rouse from my sleep, sighing. It's been a fretful sleep, after all, and the cold feeling's still resting in my chest and stomach. Opening my eyes hazily, I stare into the darkness, raising my arm to rub at my forehead as I shift onto my back, yawning. I don't know what time it is, but it's got to be late, to be this dark…
…Dark? Wait a minute.
My eyes slowly open as I notice the room is, genuinely, pitch-black. It's hard to see, like usual, and something in my instincts tells me to run. But… I ignore it. It's probably… a bad light? But that'd only affect one, so…
Movement. There's movement somewhere ahead of me, and I inhale sharply. Someone's in here. Maybe a guard came by to check on me? Yeah…
I hear fast breathing as whoever it is approaches, and I calculate ways to handle this intruder. My blade is off in the other side of the room, but I can probably transform and fend them off long enough to retrieve it if they're dangerous, and a deranged civilian should be easy enough to deal with… I roll my eyes over to my desk, looking for my weapon… but it's missing.
Panic begins to set in as I quickly try to sit up, a hand suddenly shoving into my chest, wrapping around my throat as I'm thrust back down against the bed. I gasp aloud, my body already instinctively flailing in an attempt to fend off whoever it is, though I think I might already know, now. They sit on my thighs, pinning my lower body down, and their pressure on my neck is real – I could be choked to death if I'm not careful, and they know this fact as well as I do.
Dark purple eyes sit above me in the darkness, the usual sparkle in them diminished and almost non-existent, and for once, the outline of her face, especially in this darkness, terrifies me. Her other hand pushes both of mine above me, pinning them – though I submit without any fight, knowing that I'm fucked if I resist – as she laughs. It's not the comfortable kind, either – it's almost… insane.
"Noire, Noire, Noiiire,~ you're being so good about this," she says, leaning in to look me over, and I shiver. My blood's running colder than ever, and her voice is… it's not hers. It's nowhere near the bubbly warmth from before. It's… cold. Discomforting. "Don't try to run away, okay? You're not the only one that'll be hurt." My eyes widen, interpreting her threat to be genuine. Is something going on with Plutia? Histoire?
"Wh… what're you doing, N…," I trail off, wincing as the hand around my neck tightens, cutting me off forcefully. I cough, my breathing being constricted so easily.
"Hush, hush, don't speak like that. You might not be my Noire, but I'll teach you how to be. Don't worry, it won't be forever, okay? Once I figure out how to go home, you won't be necessary anymore, and I'll leave you alone. But, until then, you're mine, okay? Hehehehe."
My eyes tremble slightly, finally beginning to understand without having to ask. It's already been over a year since she was here, hasn't it? The way she talks about her, the way she keeps trying to treat me, and how she reacts when I treat her the way I do… "You… Ack… love her…"
She laughs coldly, nodding. "Of course I do. And I don't get to see her for a while, so let's make a deal. You fill some of her role, or try, since you'll never be as amazing as she is, and I'll leave your entire life intact, okay?~" she says, not really hiding the fact that she's threatening me more than anything. "Plutia wouldn't believe you if you told her anyway, and I won't do anything to jeopardize your future. Just indulge me, and everything'll… be just fine. Understand, Noire?"
I nod weakly, knowing that some of this might be my fault. I can feel a couple tears welling up in my eyes, but I won't back down. Not when it's like this – too much will be destroyed. For Plutia's sake, too… I'll… do it.
She grins, some of the insanity noticeably gone. I gulp as her grip on my neck loosens, her body shifting to wrap around mine. I shove away the uncomfortable pain in my heart, praying that she'll be quick.
Only that it never becomes… well, much of anything. She just… hugs me, her breathing still uncomfortable, but slowly beginning to sound more normal. More… Neptune. I look down at her, somewhat embarrassed at being held like this, noticing her eyes are still open wide, watching my every move. She's not trusting me.
"…You're kind of warm. You smell nice," she says after however long, and I chuckle nervously. She runs a hand through some of my hair, working to carefully untangle one of my two 'tails,' her breathing calming down considerably at this action. "I won't… hurt you."
"…I… I know," I say uneasily, sighing shakily. My life has been threatened, as well as Plutia's, so I don't really believe her, but a part of me… actually does. "…It feels nice, I… guess."
She snorts, snuggling a bit closer to me, and I tense up for a moment before relaxing, realizing she wasn't upset by my statement. Thank the Goddess.
The night passes painfully slow, my entire being unable to grow tired – I'm still terrified, but… "Were you… the…"
"What about it? I never hurt anyone."
I hesitate, contemplating talking about it. I might worsen the situation, but I can't help it. "You seemed… genuinely worried."
"Of course I was. I don't hate you. You're like her. I could never hate you. Hurting you hurts me."
"…You mean that?" I could argue, but I can kind of tell that that'd just be being somewhat bitchy. I understood what she meant, for the most part.
"...Yeah. I do."
We don't really talk much more until the sun begins to rise, and I only now notice that she opened the blinds for me without saying anything. When'd she do that?
I glance down at her again, wondering. "So… uh, I hate to ask."
"What?" Her voice is softer, but still… weird. Progress, Noire. Progress.
"…What do you actually want from me?" I ask cautiously, hoping to avoid stepping on a landmine.
"…Nothing too extreme. I'll be around at night, you'll let me enjoy how you look."
"…How I look?" I continue, feeling a strange emotion in my heart beginning to bud.
She tilts her head up, looking at me with stormy eyes. "You'll never be like her, but you can at least seem like her physically, so I'll just… make due."
"Make due? I'm not that bad," I argue, a sense of jealousy truly building. She can't be that much more amazing than me.
"Make due. My Noire's able to do anything."
This exchange continues for another hour, until the morning sun now shines over Lastation. I wince at the light as she slowly rises from my bed, turning to depart. She pauses, setting down a can on my nightstand, and then she pulls my blade out from underneath my bed. She shoots me a look, and I tilt my head in confusion.
"Our secret," she says, rolling her shoulders. It sounds more normal than anything I've heard all night, and I nod. Watching as she leaves, for the first time, I notice…
She shines brilliantly in the sunlight.
…
Summarizing, the next day passes by completely normally – the stalker completely gone now. That can she set down turned out to be a hell of an energy drink, which helped me get myself moving again, and I set about things as normally as I could manage. I kept looking around to see if she was actually there, but she never was, and I found myself both relieved… and somewhat unhappy. Sighing, I credit it to being annoyed that the answer was right in front of me, and the person in question gave me so much stress unnecessarily, and just continue about my business.
Then, at night, as I lay down and turn off the lights, I wait… and sure enough, a half-hour later, she slips into my bed – silent as a mouse, which is now unsurprising; my guards didn't see anything last night nor in the morning of her departure, either. She nestles up against me, and while I'm a little uncomfortable at first, she quickly 'helps' me decide that submitting to tolerating anything again is in my best interest, and we spend the night debating my qualities versus my counterpart from her dimension. At first, I thought she was insane – and while I know now that she definitely is, I can no longer deny that she has to be from a different world. And the me there… I find myself competing with.
In her eyes, I'm not even a hundredth of the other me, and this fact frustrates me on multiple levels. We discuss the many projects the other me undertakes every day, and how she copes with Neptune, and how much kinder in general she is compared to me – a somewhat upsetting set of facts that she doesn't have a problem stating. She spends the time playing with my hair, just as before, and I just lay there, tolerating it until daybreak. Then, once again, sure enough, another can, and then she's gone.
It's sugary and sweet, and nothing like anything I've ever had before.
The days proceed like this over and over, and somehow, she manages to completely fool Plutia, never rousing suspicion of her activities or seeming out of the ordinary in the slightest as time passes by before us without any recourse.
And night after night, there she is. We discuss me, we discuss the other me, we discuss the world, and what the other two CPUs we'll likely meet here in this world, too, were like in hers, and sure enough – the CPU of Lowee turns out to be exactly as she says, with only minor variations. I of course, say nothing, but stand in awe as it all plays out just like she thought.
And night after night, we argue over whether I can compare to her world's Noire in any way, and it's always the same.
"You'll never be as amazing as she is."
Somewhere along the way, I find myself finding less and less interest in Plutia's qualities as I notice more and more about this purple-pink-haired girl, and how truly love-struck she is. I actively begin trying to be nicer, trying to improve on any even minute complaint she might ever voice about the other me, with every attempt going completely unnoticed.
Something inside me changes, day after day, week after week, month after month. I watch her chatter through the Histoires, to the other me – the way she genuinely brightens up, behaving in the same way when we first met her here, and eventually, after her sister joins us in our world, how hard she truly works when no one sees, in her endless hope to go home.
You'll never be like she is.
These words begin to ring through my mind, and it becomes my goal to try and steal even a little attention of this girl. As time goes on, she sometimes reacts to me in a fraction of the way she reacts to even the slightest contact with the other me, and even this is enough to begin pleasing me.
Never once does she try to 'do' anything to me – she simply plays with my hair and holds me close, and somewhere along the lines, I end up wishing she wanted more. Where did my love for Plutia go? When did I… become like this? How does she elude her sister's supervision so easily? How is she here, night after night, treating me like I'm nothing?
Do I deserve this?
And then, on that fateful day, our worlds intersect and we depart for her world – the truth being confirmed that she was never lying, that another, more advanced, more impressive world, existed in the future of ours, with the sake of both worlds hanging in the balance.
After we reunite with the sisters of our world's CPU counterparts, we depart to the final front lines, to defeat the evil Rei once and for all. The entire time, my eyes remain trained on her, and her eyes remain ever forward, searching, hoping…
The way she lit up at the information that we'd run into the other me soon, the way she seems so brilliant and unreachable now…
It hurts.
We run through the streets, the entire group, and up ahead – struggling alone with this massive forcefield – stands this world's me. I watch her entire body just… glow as she breaks into a dash, racing toward her.
"…Noire… Noire! Noire! Noire!" she shouts, catching the attention of the other me, who squeals aloud as Neptune tackles her, hugging her tighter than I've ever seen. I notice tears streaming down her cheeks, her smile the most blinding light that has ever come into my life as the other me frets over her, getting embarrassed at the sudden contact in front of everyone. Neptune, of course, doesn't let go, instead hugging her tighter, ignoring the rest of us. "Noire… It's so good to see you!~"
The other me sighs, shaking her head with a soft smile and bright red cheeks. "I… I'm glad you feel that way, Neptune, but it's not been…"
"Yes, it has!" she exclaims, her fingers digging into the other Noire's clothes, who winces but sighs. "I've missed you, so much!"
"…Haah. Alright, alright. There, there, Neptune. It's okay now. You're back, and I'm right here, okay?" she reassures her softly, petting her head hopelessly, looking to the rest of us with a confused expression. We lock eyes, and I find myself at a loss for words and unable to do anything but just stare at her. This is my counterpart? This… gentler… easily-flustered… almost nurturing woman? This is what I've been comparing myself with?
The two sit together for a few more minutes, though the time feels like an eternity in hell to me, before the other me and our party convince Neptune to recompose herself, that we have to continue on and put an end to things. Neptune is reluctant, very obviously, of course, but manages to make her usual, completely normal-seeming jokes, fluster the other me, and carry on as we proceed onward.
It'll end soon. She'll be gone soon. This'll all be over soon. Then, I can… I can go back to focusing on Plutia, and things will be okay. I always wanted this – I said it repeatedly, too. This was what I've… always wanted.
…
With the evil Rei defeated, everything regulates, and we have to quickly rush toward the connection between the worlds. The Histoires explain that the gate will be permanent, but remind us that both dimensions need to focus on rebuilding more than anything right now, so we should leave each side to their own work before anyone begins goofing off.
The entire time, Neptune remains glued to the other Noire, her entire being radiating happiness. Happiness I couldn't give her. And happiness I couldn't get.
It turns out, she was never that bad. Maybe it was me that had a bad understanding of her. And now, as we turn to return to the Ultradimension for the time being, the reality of it hits me.
I lost.
Much later.
I sigh, finishing yet another pile of work. The other Noire's sister has been helping me out quite a bit, and the other me has been rather supportive in getting both Lastations into working order. I find myself utterly jealous at how talented she is at everything, but I can't one-up her yet. All I can do is accept her kindness and work to someday surpass her in at least this. Of this, I swear.
Neptune never leaves her side, though. Sometimes, we lock eyes, and I can see a knowing coldness in her eyes that she reserves for only me. It still chills me to this day, but it seems that the other me has no idea – Neptune opting to not tell her yet, I guess.
Time moves on, and today, I decide I'm done with paperwork. I'm going to go for a walk. Tucking my chair into the space in my desk for it, I stretch and drop off the stack of forms before excusing myself, heading out into my city. The bustling life of it isn't comfortable, though, so I decide against loitering around, and instead just make my way toward the forests on the outskirts of the city. Maybe I'll find something to do out here.
The weather is warm, yet there's a comfortable breeze, so I wander along lazily, trying to keep my head clear. Nothing really happens out here, so I come here now and then, having decided it a good place to be alone with my thoughts. Not that this is a good idea, I'm sure, but at least I can… let down my guard.
I cry. I fall to my knees, sobbing with the sharp pains in my chest finally surfacing, again, to be laid bare. I've started this cycle at least once or twice a week – a coping mechanism that manages to keep me afloat. It's not the most attractive, nor is it the healthiest, but nothing else will soothe the void, so at least crying about it helps me numb myself slowly but surely.
I'm broken and I know it. I won't deny it – she broke me to put herself back together, and it's not her fault; if I'd been more considerate, maybe she wouldn't have used me so brutally, and maybe I'd be the one she clings to, instead of the other me. Maybe it'd be different, and I hope in some universe, that I actually win. Somehow, some way.
"…Hey, hey! Why are ya' just sittin' there, crying? Cute girls aren't supposed to cry, y'know,~" a voice calls out, and my entire body stiffens. The voice, the speech… it couldn't be. My head immediately raises, whipping about in search of the source, noticing a singular figure standing before me.
She's taller than Neptune, and she's… better built, thinly concealed by a black hoodie instead of Neptune's white, with much longer hair and black pads in her hair instead of white ones, as well. Her face is a little more mature, but her smile is unmistakable, and I watch her in disbelief as she comes over to me, patting me on the head.
"There, there,~" she whispers, beaming. "You can tell all your woes to 'ol Nepsy here, cute girl.~ Don't cry anymore, okay?~ It's not an attractive sight,~" she teases, and I sniffle.
How could I forget? Technically… there'd have been a Neptune in this dimension too. So… this girl is…?
"…Nep… Neptune?" I ask shakily, watching her eyebrows arch as she blinks in surprise.
"…Whoa, you know me? I know my memory's not the greatest, but I think I'd remember someone like you.~ Wait! Ah!" she jumps, her eyes widening in the same way Neptune's used to when she'd tease me, way back when. "Are you an adoring fan?! I know I'm pretty, but… well, maybe.~"
I hiccup, rubbing away the tears streaming from my eyes with my left arm, and for the first time, as I tackle her, pressing my lips to hers – much to her vocally-evident surprise – I decide, that maybe… just maybe…
Maybe I can find my second chance to rediscover happiness, too.
He shoots for the double Nepoire ending! He... might score! Who knows!
It got heavy, and I don't regret not extending the middle section of this. It'd get dark as hell. I don't read NTR/mind-break for good reasons, but I can pretty much infer that, yeah, Neptune went ahead and used her to stay afloat, and, yeah, UNoire ended up getting attached, and of course, anyone who's ever chased after someone unattainable can think of how this situation would play out when the person you chase finally gets to be with the person they originally cared about. Good stuff.
Still, there's a bittersweet, yet happy ending. BigNep gets to pick up the broken pieces. And yes. I've decided - all BigNeps end in at least one kiss. This is decreed.
Might not be up to my usual standard, but today wasn't exactly the greatest, and I've now worked on this for five hours, and I'm actually rather proud of it. You know this translates to a little over ten pages? It feels so short despite how long it took to write it. Such a cruel mistress.
Now to go ahead and possibly sleep, or start up the next one. It'll be brighter, probably, and be another mainNoire/mainNep. I promise to give you quality content. :D
With less dark crap.*
Tainted out!~
