Like I promised, here is part two of the last part of my flashback.
Chapter 34- Restart Part 2(F)
(Lastation-Basilicom)
Neptune awoke from her sleep with heavy eyes. Her vision came in and out as she fixed her gaze around the room she was in. She let out an involuntary stretch that buried her nose in a nearby pillow. Her eyes fully opened from the distinct scent and fragrance of Noire coupled with the rich aroma of black coffee. She lifted herself understanding where she was now.
"N-Noire?" she said with a weak voice. The memories rushed to her like crashing waves onto a boat, and she remembered all the events that happened yesterday, including the one when she passed out. After that, it was all distorted voices that she could remember with one of them being Noire asking her if she loved her.
She slowly got up from the bed with her body feeling heavy. Taking a few steps, her body almost gave out on her until she jolted upright with a burst of energy. "Okay…" she stood still seeing what her body would tell her next. After a few seconds, she started to move around with less difficulty. "Hmm…I felt tired a minute ago and now…" she placed a hand on her chest feeling her heartbeat with a strong rhythm. She let out an unknown smile when she started feeling a great warmth radiating from her chest. She had never felt it before, but it felt warm and friendly as if she was being accepted by so many.
She got out of the room and was greeted with a small horizontal hallway that had another door across from her. She turned her head in the opposite direction of the other door to see a window with Lastation's buildings being shown.
"Yep, this is Noire's place." She said remembering that Noire's office was also her room, but she did have a housing unit that was across from her office. Technically, it was this small hallway and these two doors that made up Noire's housing unit in the Basilicom with an elevator at the end of a branching vertical hallway that led to public Basilicom workspace.
She quickly walked to the other door and opened it gently, when she walked through it, she was in another hallway that was Noire's housing unit. Voices could be heard originating from the end of the hallway. She continued to walk further until she was near the opening of Noire's kitchen.
"I'm telling you to put some blueberries on those pancakes!" said a voice that sounded like Croire.
"Jeez, I don't have any. How about strawberries? or bananas?" said another voice that sounded like Noire.
"Ugh, you're going to make a bad impression with those if you do. You should just make some pudding if you ask me." Said Croire.
Neptune smiled to herself at the fact that Croire painfully knew that she loved blueberries considering that she had to put up with her when she sang in joy about them. She walked into the room and cleared her throat. "I'm not picky. I'll eat whatever right about now." She said with an awkward laugh to make her presence known.
Both Noire and Croire froze when they heard Neptune's voice. Noire was near the stove with a red apron, and Croire was floating right next to her.
"N-Neppy…" Noire had wrapped her arms around her with her face buried in her neck. Her tight embrace left Neptune feeling complete.
"Noire…" said Neptune when she started to feel Noire trembling softly. She placed a hand on her head to try and soothe her. "Hey, don't be sad." She started, but then Noire removed her face from her neck.
"I'm not sad! I'm happy." She said as she locked her arms around Neptune's neck and gave her a smile behind her tears.
"What happened?" said Neptune knowing that she shouldn't be standing here after what she did yesterday.
Noire made a slight strain face trying to find the best way to tell her. "I think we should sit down first. There are pancakes." She said with a blush.
"They don't have blueberry though." Said Croire with a matter of fact face which earned a scowl from Noire. Over the next few minutes, Noire spoke with Neptune about what happened last night, and what she had to do to save her.
"I'm…a Lastation CPU?!" said Neptune with an open mouth.
"Y-Yes, it was the only way to save you." Said Noire timidly. She quickly ate a piece of pancake to distract herself from her blushing and nervousness.
Croire remained silent during this whole conversation with her eating her pancakes until she heard Noire tell Neptune that. "Hmph, Lastation CPU? You make it sound so formal and business-like. Just say that she's your wife because that's technically what you are." She knew this was the best way to get the gears rolling.
Noire started to choke on her pancake from how direct Croire made it sound.
"N-Noire! Do you want me to do the Heimlich?" she found herself looking silly that she waited for a second for Noire to respond before she hit her on the back to remove the blockage.
She let out a gasp as she gave Croire an angered look then comically narrowed her eyes at Neptune before composing herself. "Thank you." Was all she could muster before she felt arms wrap around her.
"Noire, is this true?" said Neptune with a light in her eyes.
"I mean…if you feel ready to label it like that. I don't want you to feel like you're being forced to…" she was silenced with a kiss that made Croire pretend to gag and all that Noire could do was reciprocate the kiss.
They parted with Neptune smiling at her. "I'm going to make you proud. As a Lastation CPU and as your wife." She said determinedly.
So much weight was lifted from her heart by those romantic words, yet she hardened herself to confront the conflictions that plagued her mind. "I'm already proud of you, Neppy, but I need to know if you're truly happy." She said with a stubborn pout. She needed to know if Neptune was conforming to what she was expected of now because as she thought about it, it almost felt unfair that she was robbing her life while ironically some could say that Neptune robbed her life when Noire linked her life with hers. Of course, Noire would say that she wasn't forced to do it and Neptune didn't understand the full gravity of her words when she told her she loved her in her barely conscious state.
"Noire, my happiness is with you. That is why I was so broken when you broke up with me and why I ate the CPU memory. I was never forced to do anything, and I am happy to give my new life to you…to us." She grabbed her hand tightly showing her resolve.
Noire smiled radiantly at her. They leaned forward for a kiss, and that was when Noire's phone started to ring. "Oh, why now!?" she said annoyed.
"What a relief." Said Croire with her hand resting on her cheek.
Noire narrowed her eyes at her then looked at the phone to see Mr. Badd's name. "Neppy, I'll be right back." She made her way out of the kitchen to answer the call.
Neptune remained silent as she looked at Croire with a tranquil smile.
"You know, I hate when people look at me eat." She said displeased with one eye looking at Neptune.
"My bad. I just don't know what to say with all you did." she and Croire had been by each other's side for a good number of years, and those moments when she would be nice to her were far and few, but recently she had noticed a change in her almost like she wanted to turn a new leaf, but didn't know how to. This had created moments when her actions were kinder than her words like when she got her that cake for her birthday.
"You can say, nothing. I like the silence when I eat, and besides, with you dead, Noire would have shoved me back into the book faster than I could leave out of this dimension and she would never let me out." Croire had some logic behind that, but it fell apart in Neptune's eyes considering that Noire would have been too heartbroken to even care and she knew Noire didn't know how to fully use the book even if she saw her use it in the past. Their conversation had reached its end when Noire came back with a sigh as she brushed one of her twin tails with her hand.
"I have to go to the lobby area, but I'll be back. Just take it easy."
"That I can do." Said Neptune with a nod to her.
Time had advanced after that, and it was soon noon.
After Neptune finished eating and Noire coming back, they headed to Noire's office so that Neptune could learn the ropes of being a CPU.
"Here you go!" grunted Noire as she placed a huge load of papers in front of Neptune who was sitting in Noire's chair as the stack of papers loomed over her from the desk.
"Ah! That's a lot." Neptune couldn't help but sink in Noire's chair at all this work.
"This is a normal day if you ask me. Don't let it scare you, it's a lot more imposing the first time you look at it, but some of these aren't that hard. Normally, you grab a paper, give it a good read, then you approve it with this stamp if you think it will help out Lastation." Noire held up a black seal stamp with her HDD face on it giving off a big smile.
"Oh, that looks cute!" said Neptune with a childlike shine to her eyes.
Noire then straddled her on the chair to give her a better look. "Soon we will get you your very own. I figure that with the two of us, we could get through daily work quicker to have more time on our hands." Said Noire sheepishly.
"I like the sound of that," said Neptune placing her hands on Noire's waist giving her a stimulating sensation.
Noire loved that Neptune was being prepared for life as a CPU. She knows that they just talk about this, but she couldn't help it. "Neppy, you told me that you're ready to be a CPU, right?"
"Oh, Noire, I'm as ready as cooled down pudding."
"What about living together. I mean, a CPU is expected to live in the Basilicom, and this is a full-time job, so…your other job." Noire couldn't continue. She was indeed robbing her life and that only made her despondent.
"Well, it's simple. I move all my things here, and I'll tell Martha that I will no longer work there." Said Neptune casually.
"W-What?! A-Are you sure? I mean, That's your life…"
"This is my life now. And it's only a change of scenery. At the end of the day, I want this, I want you, and we are going to make Lastation the best place to live!" She said with an over-energetic yell.
"Neppy, I promise you that you're going to enjoy it here. Our nation will accept you I just know they will." She said with tears in her eyes edging her face closer to her wife.
"Even if they don't, I'll just have to prove myself to them. I am after all their protector now." Those words rang with absolute truth considering that Lastation's faith- the people's prayers and wishes, were flowing through her body. This was the feeling that she had felt earlier on. The warm and friendly sensation from before. It was from the people that she needed to protect, the ones she wanted to protect.
They stood there in silence just enjoying the other one's presence when a loud knock was heard.
"Noire! Are you in there!" came the shouts of Vert as her thunderous knocks echoed in the room.
Before Noire or Neptune could do anything, the door opened revealing Vert who had an exhausted and worried face. "Oh, Noire. Forgive me for not being there yesterday. I was in a meeting all day and had no outside connection for…" she stopped talking when her eyes landed on Noire in a compromising position with Neptune.
"Oh my…" she covered her eyes quickly to shield herself from what she was seeing. That was until she hesitated when she could have sworn she saw Neptune before covering her eyes. "Neptune…is that you?" she removed her hands from her eyes as Noire jumped out of Neptune's lap.
"V-Vert! What are you doing here?!" she laughed nervously with a hand behind her head.
"I wanted to see how you were doing. Mr. Badd tried reaching out to me yesterday, but I was at a meeting the whole day." Her eyes landed on Neptune who was still on the chair. Upon further inspection, this girl looked like Neptune, but she appeared to be more developed and older.
"Pardon my bluntness, but who are you!?" she said a little freaked out.
"M-Me?" Neptune pointed a finger at herself.
"Yes, you. You look like someone I once knew and that voice is impressively accurate." She narrowed her eyes at Noire. "I dare say this, but…did you hire someone to dress up like Neptune?" she said with white eyes and dark outlines. She knew that Noire was going through a difficult time, but to channel her feelings in this way was borderline unhealthy.
"Hire?!" Noire said offendedly.
It was at this point that Neptune shot out from the chair. "Wait just a minute their lady. I'm no girl for hire, and my name is Neptune," she said in a final statement.
Vert stood motionless not knowing how to handle this.
"Both of you settle down!" Noire was getting agitated from all these misunderstandings. "Vert since you're here…I have something to tell you." Said Noire with a blushing face.
A few minutes went by as Noire explained everything to Vert. "…and after that, she became my other half to rule Lastation by my side," she said.
"She became your wife? And this Neptune is the Neptune from our dimension?" Vert's eyes were enlarged so much that she needed to blink before her eyes dried up. "My, you did have a busy day yesterday. With that machine terror, Plutia's hate…the damage to Planeptune, and you joining together to save her life. I am lost for words." She folded her arms trying to sound understanding, but she was still having a hard time.
"You might think that this is all out of the blue, but Noire and I have been hanging out with each other for more than a month." Said Neptune trying to lighten the mood.
"Over a month!?" said Vert.
Noire could only nod in acknowledgment to that.
"Listen, um…Vert! I both love and owe Noire a ton for saving me. There is no way I'm going to make her regret this decision so if you have that on your mind, then you should put that to rest cause that's the truth." Neptune talked enthusiastically with that perky and serious tone that Vert knew all to well from the other Neptune.
Vert smiled cautiously seeing what kind of person this Neptune was. "Hmph, your words are so nostalgic, and your positive attitude is simply radiant. Noire, if this is truly what you desire for yourself then so be."
"Thanks, Vert," said Noire feeling very happy that Vert was starting to come around to this. It gave her strength knowing that she had her on her side for what was to come.
"Here's to friends!" said Neptune with an extended hand.
Vert had other things in mind. "I'll have to admit. Having our own Neptune will be absolutely exciting!" she embraced the positives of having their own Neptune and then she proceeded to embrace Neptune tightly putting her face in her breasts as Neptune struggled for freedom.
"Vert! You're suffocating her!" remarked Noire in franticness trying to pull Neptune out of Vert's death embrace.
Neptune gasped as the air was sweetly granted to her. "I think I saw a faint light…" she said that earned a shocked face from Noire.
"Oh, you two exaggerate," stated Vert with a beaming smile feeling a joy of unity that she had not felt in a while.
They talked for a few minutes until another knock came, then the door opened to reveal Mr. Badd. "My, Lady their waiting for you he said with a stoic voice yet his voice held a tone of uneasiness. The glare of his glasses moved slightly at an angle indicating that he was looking at Neptune.
Neptune could feel Noire straighten her posture and let out a breath. "Thank you, Mr. Badd. I'll be there shortly." She said with a stern voice.
Both Neptune and Vert looked on with curious and worried gazes. After that, Mr. Badd left the room quietly as if he never entered at all.
"An important business matter?" declared Vert with her arms crossed.
This pulled Noire out her thoughts. "Huh? Oh, it is, but it's nothing private. In fact, I would prefer you stayed around to hear what I have to say." Said Noire with a nervous look on her face.
"Noire, what's going on?" said Neptune looking concerned.
Noire faced her to give a strong look. "I called a press conference to tell the people of Lastation and also all of Gamindustri about you." She said.
"Tell them about me?"
"Yes, the longer I keep this hidden, the more reason the people will think this was something shady that their CPU wasn't even transparent about. We can't afford that, and how would you feel that your faith is going to someone you don't even know exists?"
"Noire makes a fair point. This will only create an invisible barrier between her and her people that will soon reveal its self once word catches on about Lastation's second CPU. Transparent is good, it builds trust, and that leads to faith." Declared Vert calmly.
"Oh, boy. I don't do good with a crowd. But, I'm totally down for this." Said Neptune with an optimistic tone.
"Let me do most of the talking." Said Noire with a newfound surge of confidence. If all went well, then Lastation would enter a new age where she and Neptune could rule and be together as they worked to ever improve their nation.
"I'm not sure that's what the people would be looking for." Said Vert hesitantly.
"It's going to be okay." Said Noire.
They soon made their way out of the office and into the elevator. The doors opened making them see a mass number of reporters gathered near the room that was specifically made for public announcements by the CPU of Lastation. Luckily for them, the reporters were facing the other way in the direction of a platform with a stand and a black curtain behind it while Basilicom staff were getting their attention. She could faintly hear the reporters asking questions, and the staff continued to evade their questions knowing full well it was not their place to divulge information. She wondered how little information her staff was told about this and she respected their unwavering faith.
The three CPUs had even greater luck when Mr. Badd had caught them just as they exited out of the elevator.
"Let's make our way to the door that leads to the back area while our staff keeps them at bay." Said Mr. Badd using a handkerchief to wipe the nervous sweat from his face. No more was asked as they rushed to the back.
"I hope you have a speech written up for this." Said Mr. Badd as he peeked through the curtains.
"There's no need to. They are going to hear the truth and nothing less." Said Noire sternly.
"Relax, Mr. Baddie. Noire won't falter." Winked Neptune with a finger at him.
"It's Mr. Badd!" he said with temper flaring. He wasn't completely mad at her, but the overall situation coupled with that comment did trigger his already nervous state from what might happen.
"I would advise you two to settle down or else Noire might start to hesitate with her concentration." Encouraged Vert.
Both Neptune and Mr. Badd could see Noire with her eyebrows twitching holding back her anger to maintain a clear head for what lay beyond her.
"I apologize." Said Mr. Badd calmly.
"It's cool. Your goddess forgives you." Said Neptune trying to get the mood going with a light jab.
This caused Noire to turn her head slightly at Mr. Badd observing his reaction to Neptune saying such uneasy topic at the moment.
The glare in his glasses prevented one from knowing his true emotions, but he merely folded his arms and grunted in response. "That will remain to be seen after this conference." He said bluntly.
They were soon greeted by one of the Basilicom staff who peeked behind the curtains. "My Lady, we are ready when you are." Said one of the Basilicom staff personnel.
"T-Thank you." Said Noire.
She activated her HDD and soon Black Heart stood with a level head compared to her base form. "Neppy, you should transform as well. I have a feeling that some may not believe it unless we show them."
Neptune nervously swallowed as she gave her a nod. A flash of light appeared and Purple Heart stood in Neptune's place.
"Wow, you look…" Vert could no longer speak after seeing Purple Heart's face after so long. Mr. Badd was probably shocked, yet hid it a lot better than Vert did.
Purple Heart gave them a warm smile which Vert found herself giving one back to her since it felt right with the nostalgia she was feeling. "I'm ready when you are Noire." She said strongly.
Black Heart nodded, and she pulled back the curtain to walk forward into the light. Flashes from cameras went off, and chatter started to rise when she took the stage standing next to the stand with a microphone. She could feel even more chatter when the reporters saw Purple Heart stand behind Black Heart.
"Hey, who's that behind Lady Black Heart?" said one reporter.
"She's a CPU, but I don't even…wait, isn't that Lady Neptune?" said a second reporter.
"That can't be. She went back home a while back and wasn't her outfit black and purple instead of white and purple?" said a third reporter.
The chatter grew even louder until Black Heart held out her hand to silence the crowd. "Welcome, everyone. I'm sure you are all wondering why I am holding this press conference. As most of you are aware, there was an attack on one of my facilities yesterday by a mechanical monster that put my people in great danger. Some were badly injured, but no one had died which is a great comfort to me. I want to start by clarifying that the threat is dead."
A roar of applause erupted from the reporters as more flashes from cameras went off.
Black Heart was not feeling prideful for this accomplishment as it was not from her. "But I wasn't the one to kill it!" She said loudly into the microphone.
The applause died down replaced with confused looks.
Black Heart was struggling to bring out the next set of words, but her stubborn side was pushing hard. She didn't want to tell her people about her weak moments, but she had to right now. "The truth is, it bested me, and it continued to beat me until I was on the ground no longer able to be in the form you see me in now."
She could see people look at her in horror at how their goddess could be pushed that hard. She could feel indecisive faith in the air and so could Purple Heart who stood slightly forward in dizziness. Black Heart facepalmed herself mentally knowing that she shouldn't be saying these things since her wife was barely recovering from share deprivation.
"I'm sure you are asking yourselves how I am standing here if what I say is the truth, well, the thing is…I was saved by…" she extended a hand out to indicate Purple Heart's presence, and she could feel a lump in her throat that she forced a pass to continue. "…my girlfriend, Purple Heart," she said.
"Purple Heart widen her eyes in puzzlement that she called her her girlfriend when they were so much more now.
Black Heart could see the flashes of cameras in the corner of her eyes and the chatter from the reporters were rising with every second. For her, the sound was faded as she made eye contact with Purple Heart and then she tightened her hand. "My girlfriend, who has now become my wife as of last night when we performed a CPU ceremony that bonded us together under one nation." She let it all out with a quiver in her voice that she suppressed quickly.
"WHAT?!" the flashes grew in rapid succession as the chatter became deafening. "What are you saying Lady Black Heart?!" said one reporter.
"Who is this CPU and where is her nation!?" said another reporter.
"Isn't that Lady Neptune former goddess of Planeptune!?" said a third reporter.
The reporters started to advance subconsciously towards them, but the Basilicom staff regardless of the shell shock they received maintained their duties and held them back. "Everyone, settle down! I will answer all of your questions. First of all, this is not that Lady Neptune. She might look like her, but I tell you the truth when I say that she isn't. As for her nation, …she didn't have one."
The chatter grew silent and the crowd of reporters subsided now being confused.
"She and I have been spending precious time together very recently, and she was the one that pulled me out of a troubled point in my life. We grew to love each other, and she was by my side when I fought that machine terror. As fate would have it, a CPU memory was revealed during the ensuing battle and without a hesitation, she ate it pushing the likelihood of her becoming a monster aside as she became a CPU. She valiantly fought and won using up her remaining share energy to…"
Black Heart was stopped when she felt a hand being placed on her shoulder by Purple Heart. "Noire, we must keep the truth." She said sadly. She had managed to catch Black Heart before she subconsciously told a small lie that could possibly hurt them in the future. It was that reason that they needed to be transparent.
Black Heart moved aside for Purple Heart to take the stand. "All that she said is true, but after we won that battle. Iris Heart came to our aid, but it was a short-lived one." She could see some reporters tense at the mention of Planeptune's CPU knowing full well that she was always an odd and eccentric one when she was around.
"She invited us to Planeptune to discuss some personal things, and one thing led to another as she ended up insulting my wife. I could not let that stand, so I attacked her." Large inhales were heard echoing around the room.
"So that incident that happened in Planeptune…that was you?!" shouted one reporter as the chatter reignited with more flashes from the cameras.
"It was me. Plutia and I got into a fight that did some damage to one of Planeptune's areas. Thankfully no one was hurt, and I sincerely apologize to the residents of Planeptune for my behavior."
"Do you seriously expect us to accept you after telling us that?!" shouted one reporter.
"Why even tell us?" said another.
Purple Heart could feel her heart sink from their harsh words.
"Hey, she told you the truth because she doesn't want to lie to any of you. She has lived here in Lastation and has worked hard like everyone else to maintain this wonderful nation of ours. This is her home." Purple Heart could feel the love radiating from her wife that made her smile in joy.
"What does this even mean to have two CPUs?" said one reporter who appeared to be more rational than the others in tone.
"Well, for starters. The protection that safeguards our nation against monsters is stronger than ever now." Said Black Heart remembering all the information the Croire provided last night.
The reporters quietly chattered to themselves coming to agree to that claim.
"Surely, you have noticed that Lastation feels more warm and safer than ever, don't write it off as just a great day because this is the result of two CPUs. Just imagine how far Lastation could expand with not just a safer atmosphere, but with a longer radius letting our protection reach newer areas. And if you're worried that the nation's faith will split, then don't. If you put your faith in me then my wife will receive the same amount, and that goes for her too; if you put faith in her then I will receive the same amount."
Everyone started to cheer with joy at the possibilities this could mean for the future of Lastation.
"Pardon me, my Lady, but we can't ignore the fact that your…wife tried to kill another CPU. Isn't that considered an act of war?" said one reporter that got everyone thinking about that.
"As of now, there is no warrant for war. Plutia will understand that no good comes from that since it will put a strain on the faith of the people as well as affect our economy."
"Even though, how can we be sure that your wife is stable to be a CPU? She not only disregarded the possibility of hurting random civilians, but her anger might be detrimental to the future of Lastation." Said the reporter from before.
"Y-You have no right to write off my wife as emotionally unstable!" Black Heart sensed her world shrinking and crumbling all at once. If this was how her people thought, then what could she say to prove to them?
Fate decided to answer her wishes when Purple Heart placed a hand on her shoulder as she pleadingly asked for the microphone again. Black Heart did not resist as she moved aside.
"You there, the one who spoke to my wife about me," She said sternly.
The reported looked nervous not knowing what was going to happen next.
"You have every right to say those things. I admit, that I did not think of the innocent people during that fight, then again, I was dying. The fight had left my share reserves that the core held dry, and I did not want the last thing I saw to be my loving Black Heart to be shamefully begging on her knees for Plutia to help me. Would any of you tolerate such a thing!?"
The crowd did not respond, understanding where she was coming from. Just like her, they too were prideful for Black Heart. It was a mixed bag of conflictions that they understood and couldn't really object to it. Sure, there were rights and faults to her logic; yet they knew that it was from the notion of painfully being the one to ultimately force their CPU to a state of humiliation. Even if it was to save them, no one ever wanted to be associated by that if they could help it.
"My wife has given me a new life that I am gladly happy to give to all of you." Her HDD deactivated leaving Neptune staring down at the crowd. Everyone gasped at seeing her human form considering that this made her more relatable. "I was born in Planeptune, but I never felt like I belonged there until a small friend of mine took me to great adventures. I soon realized that I was missing something- a place to call home…then again…I think I never knew that. It wasn't until I moved to Lastation that I found myself happy with friends that I made. Everyone is hardworking and so caring for one another. I am happy to call Lastation my home, and if you accept me, I will never stop trying to exceed your expectations."
The cowed remained silent taking in the speech that Neptune had poured her heart into. "I'm willing to give you a shot!" yelled one reporter who felt moved by her speech.
"Same here! I want to see how great this nation can become with two CPUs!"
The crowd soon started to cheer as they chanted in joy for Neptune.
"Oh, I promise you all that this nation is going to be the best! And same for the people watching! If you feel like you don't fit in where ever you are then come to Lastation and see what great things we will do!" she held up her fingers in a V in front of a camera.
Black Heart smiled silently as a tear rolled down her face in glee.
Time had advanced with the reporters asking questions about their love life and what kind of ceremony they had. Noire gave them good information about their relationship, but she didn't disclose the ceremony that much considering that she was still learning all these new things that Croire had told her about herself as a CPU and about other dimensions being linked together.
"Neppy, that was amazing what you said back there." Said Noire giving her wife a hug in the middle of the lobby room of the Basilicom entrance.
It was then that a group of Basilicom workers came up to Neptune with anxious faces. The one that was leading the group held her hands together in nervousness. "M-My Lady. We are honored to be working with you, and we are here to assist you in making Lastation better." They all began to kneel which made Neptune have white eyes and dark outlines.
Noire did nothing but cross her arms and smile to herself knowing that her workers had a habit of doing that.
"Alright! Some rules!" said Neptune which earned an interesting look from Noire. The purple haired CPU started to lift her hands up indicating that she wanted them to stand.
The workers looked over to Noire who only kept smiling. They hesitated, yet stood up awkwardly.
"While I appreciate you all getting pumped and supporting me as your CPU, this whole kneeling thing has got to go. I'm not a big fan of that, so just stand straight while we talk. It's so much better that way." She said happily.
"As you wish. Thank you, Lady…" they stopped considering what they wanted her to be called. Even Noire looked deep in thought.
"Can't be helped I guess. Just call me Lady Neptune or Purple Heart," she said with a giggle. She looked over to Noire who slightly smiled at her to show her support. In her opinion, those titles didn't remind her of the other Neptune in the slightest.
After the workers left, Mr. Badd and Vert joined them. "It seems that the tide was in our favor for this. Thank you…my Lady." He said with his head looking at Neptune. There was a sense of respect between them as she gave him a thumbs up. "No problem Mr. B."
He looked like he wanted to object to that, but he then nodded in acceptance.
"I'm so happy for the two of you! Many great things will await the both of you so you better keep each other strong," said Vert with her hands together.
"You betcha! Noire and I are one, and I aim to keep it that way!" said Neptune who hugged her. Noire was blushing but then closed her eyes to feel her wife's love. This was it. This was her happy ending that she felt life would never give her. All those years of chasing Plutia, her becoming a CPU, her finding that her heart resonated stronger with the other Neptune, her heart breaking because of that, and now her true lover putting her back together. She was happy that she took that walk that day and met her Neptune.
"Then I wish you good luck, of course, I will not idle from this. I too will strive to make Leanbox better with my own hands." Said Vert with her own iron will.
Time once again advanced and Noire and Neptune were leaning on their balcony overlooking Lastation. They were in the housing unit section as the sun began setting.
"Hey, where's Croire?" said Noire.
"Oh, she's in my Nep book. She was being rowdy so I put her in."
"Really?" said Noire kind of confused. She figured that Croire would have more freedom after helping them.
"If you ask me, I think she was being intentionally rude so that she could go back. She's almost as stubborn as someone else I know." She gave Noire a wink which made the black-haired goddess pout.
"You can't say that after all that I did." Said Noire with narrow eyes.
"Just kidding, honey!" said Neptune with a hand behind her head.
Noire handed her a soda which Neptune took and opened it to start drinking it. "So, Neppy…if you like, we can go to your place tomorrow and start packing." She said as she also took a drink from her soda.
Neptune did a hard swallow making a face as her throat started to burn a bit from the soda. "That sounds like a plan. Of course, where will I sleep?" said Neptune pretending to be thinking.
"Really? In my room of course!" said Noire with her blush increasing.
"You mean in your office?" said Neptune with a raised finger pointing it towards Noire's noise.
"I mean, it is, but I'm willing to remodel my place if you want." Said Noire casually moving the liquid from her soda as she looked away from her wife.
"I'll like that. I mean, I love the idea of work being a few steps away when you wake up, but doesn't that feel kind of odd that your bedroom is also your office?"
"I never gave it much thought since it was just me, but with the two of us here. I guess remodeling is in order."
"Oh, Noire." She wrapped her arms around her slender waist and kissed her tenderly. Sadly, their intimate moment was short-lived.
"Now that is romantic." Said a flamboyant voice from the right side of the balcony.
Noire detached her lips from her wife to stagger comically at the direction of the voice. "You! You have some nerves showing your face around here after all the damage your side project has done!" she raised a fist in the air towards the very man that created the machine terror.
Anonydeath lifted his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. "I totally deserve that, and I am oh so happy that you didn't get killed." He was sitting on top of the rail with one leg over the other.
Noire gritted her teeth and folded her arms. Neptune had a few question marks popping up around her head from Noire's attitude towards this strange person. "Noire, who is that robot?"
"Who am I?! Well, for starters, I'm not a robot so don't let the suit fool you, honey. And for your question, Noire and I are longtime BFFs." Said Anonydeath.
"He's the one that made that robot that trashed my facility, and you and I aren't friends! Just your presence makes my skin crawl." Shouted Noire.
"Ugh, just look at that adorable face- never truly honest with her self, but you should know since you married her," he said teasingly with a hint of a pout.
Noire was ready to activate her HDD to throw him like a spear out of her Basilicom, but then Neptune walked forward with her arms to her side. "So, you're the dude that made that robot?"
"Guilty as charged. Although, I didn't anticipate it would be so power hungry with that memory core speeding up its processing power."
"I take it that it failed your expectations at being the ultimate accessory, as well as your vision of being used to spy on me?" said Noire bluntly.
"Oh, it told you about that?" he said with his index fingers connecting together.
"I don't care anymore. It's dead now." Said Noire.
"You were going to use it to spy on Noire?" said Neptune confused.
"He's a stalker and a perv, Neppy." Noire crossed her arms.
"Such mean words. I see myself as your biggest fan." Said Anonydeath with open arms.
"Listen…er." Began Neptune
"Oh, you can call my Anny, girl." encouraged Anonydeath.
"Well okay, Anny. You seem like a pretty upbeat person, but I'm going to have to ask you to stop harassing my wife you got that?" demanded Neptune with a finger raised towards him.
"No one's harassing anyone here. I just wanted to drop by to congratulate the both of you and to apologize for the events. That cute little robot that I originally planned out didn't go as I expected. But I'm glad that you weren't hurt Noire."
"I will not accept your apology." Said Noire with a deadly serious gaze.
"Oh, even though that little rumble with my machine gave your wife a CPU memory?"
"Screw that! Whatever good came out of your stupid creation; it still injured my people. So don't expect any gratitude." Coldly shouted Noire.
"Oh, that cold wave of tsundere has reached absolute zero!" said Anonydeath with his arms in the air.
"Well, you heard her. So I'm the one who is going to say it, thank you." Said Neptune with a giggle that earned her an exaggerated look of shock from Noire. While this guy sounded like a pain for her wife, he seemed nice, and she couldn't ignore how indirectly he helped her and Noire in being together.
"You're a sweet one. Is there any chance that I could have it back?" said Anonydeath with his hands together.
"Sorry, Pal. Got it fair and square." Winked Neptune.
"Ah, worth a shot. I'm not going to lie, it pains me to see my sweet Noire hitched, but maybe I can befriend this Neptune and get some exclusive shots." Anonydeath held up his hands in a framing pose.
"Haha…not going to happen." Said Neptune with a light-hearted laugh.
"Hmmm…fine. Well, I'm going to skedaddle now before Noire has me handcuffed."
"Like hell I'm going to let you escape!" she started to advance towards Anonydeath but was stopped by Neptune.
"Noire, he kind of indirectly helped us when you think about it. He seems nice, so let's just turn an eye for this one time and if he makes trouble again, then totally."
"Grrr…fine. I owe you nothing now." She said venomously to him.
"Thanks, big Neppy. Your way nicer than the little one from back then. I have a feeling that you and I are going to be the biggest BFFs around." He sat back down on the railing with one leg over the other as he leaned back to fall when the need arose. "Well, I'll leave you with this. That portal that we had will reopen in about…a little more than a month. So you can tell little Neptune the news to see what kind of kick she gets from this."
"W-What?! How do you know this?" said Noire.
"I have a little friend on the other side that I keep a good communication with. Don't worry, I don't gossip about the stuff happening here; however, they did get into quite a mess over there in Hyper, it's all cleared out now though."
Noire was left quiet thinking about the portal. She accepted that maybe it finally ran out of time and closed, but now it was going to come back.
"See ya!" he said as he dropped down over the railing causing Neptune to run over to that end in a panic. "H-Hey, he's gone. He didn't even hit the ground."
"He's very eccentric." Said Noire with her arms folded with her thoughts weighing her down.
"Are you alright, Noire?" said Neptune looking over her shoulder.
"Hmmm…yeah, I'm fine. Neppy you should rest up a bit. You're probably still getting used to the changes in your body now that you're a CPU. I could see how dizzy you got when our people's faith was wavering."
"Oh, it was just a dizzy spell." Assured Neptune.
"I doubt that. You're still new so you feel the changes in faith more easily than me since my body had longer to get used to being a CPU. Just don't push yourself."
"Alright, but tomorrow, I want to be there doing all the hard stuff you do regularly. Maybe you can even show me how your console operates underneath the hood." She said with a super motivated attitude.
"You asked for it, but I'm going to make you disassemble it and put it back together. In time, I'm sure we can make an even more powerful console." Said Noire with a smile and blush.
"I'm down for that. I'm chalk full of ideas for adventure games that we can think of making." Said Neptune.
Noire was indeed ready. She already shared her nation with her wife, and she felt confident to share her console that would soon become a combination of both of their work. "Take a nap in my room while I make some dinner." Said Noire with a smile.
"You mean your office?" Said Neptune playing this game again.
"Go…" she said firmly.
Neptune accepted Noire's words and made her way out of the housing unit, into the small hallway, and into Noire's bedroom/ office. She closed the door feeling the opposite of tired. A thought crossed her mind on what she could do. Pulling out her Nep Note, she held it close to her. "Hey, Crostie."
"Huh? What I'm sleeping." Said Croire's voice from inside the book.
"Can you open a portal to the Sly Raccoon?" she said kindly.
"What's this? Are you disobeying your wife's orders?" she said with a matter of fact tone.
"I thought you were asleep?" said Neptune with a jubilant laugh.
"Shut up! Fine." She said angrily and soon a portal opened up in front of Neptune. "It's your ass on the couch if she catches wind of this." Said Croire as Neptune walked into the portal.
(Lastation- The Sly Raccoon- Nighttime)
The sky had now darkened leaving Lastation engulfed in darkness that proved useless as the nation's bright lights pierced the night to enter Lastation's nighttime world. Even at night, the nation continued to operate.
"See you tomorrow, Martha!" said one of two girls who worked in the Sly Raccoon as they waved to their boss.
"Get home safe now." She waved back and started to lock the door. She then heard footsteps that were approaching towards her. She turned around feeling alert until her eyes landed on Neptune.
"Neptune?" she said shockingly as if she was seeing some celebrity.
"Yo, Martha!" said Neptune with a big smile.
Martha chuckled slightly as she crossed her arms together. "Do I really need to kneel?" she said as a joke.
"I would hope not unless your feet are hurting from standing up all day." Said Neptune trying to ease the tension away.
"My feet are fine, but you seemed to have had a bigger day today than me." She said sternly.
"I take it that you heard what happened." Said Neptune feeling slightly embarrassed and nervous.
"Well, yeah, I got worried when you ran off yesterday and when you didn't show up for work today." Martha did not hide her worried voice showing how much concern she had for one of her brightest workers.
"I'm sorry." Said Neptune.
"Why are you apologizing? You saved Lady Noire and saved Lastation from crumbling." Neptune smiled at Martha's comment and they both remained silent enjoying the state of happiness and relief in the air.
"Do you want to come in for a drink? I kind of want the bragging rights that I was the first person to serve a drink to our second goddess." She laughed casually.
"You're not wrong." Said Neptune.
Inside, it was dark with all the chairs placed on the table upside down. The only light source was coming from the bar where Martha and Neptune were sitting.
"Umm…is this really okay?" said Neptune as Martha poured her some wine.
"Why not? You're never going to see twenty one anyway. At least, not physically." Said Martha with a laugh as she poured herself one too.
"I guess age doesn't matter anymore when you think about it." Said Neptune with a small smile.
"Was this really what you wanted? Running a nation is no easy picnic and Goddesses are always a target for monster putting their life on the line."
"I'm experienced in dealing with monsters from my adventures before coming here so that's not a problem. The whole picnic thing, well I have Noire to show me the ropes." She lifted the glass to her lips and drank some of the clear red liquid making a face from the aftertaste. "Oh, that's something else." She said with a laugh.
"You'll get used to it If you decide to keep on drinking that is." Said Martha who drank the whole thing in one sitting. She set the glass down as Neptune looked at her with astonishment on her face. "Sorry, it was a very stressful day. Had a lot of people."
Neptune nodded thinking that Martha was probably thinking that she could have used her today if she came to work. "Martha…I should probably address the metal dogoo in the room…"
"Hey, I know. I'm not going to hold you against it. You have bigger and important fish to fry then working here." Said Martha with a sad smile.
"Maybe I can work on the weekends?" said Neptune.
"You really are a sweet girl, Neptune. Sadly, it's not going to be a good idea when your full-time job is going to be working for the nation and what will your wife think when you leave all that work piled on for her?"
"She might be okay with that?" said Neptune trying to imagine Noire letting her.
"It's okay. You're always welcome here." Martha padded Neptune's shoulder showing her that it was okay for her to move on. As a small girl, she adored Black Heart and knew she would love this nation that she created. She further wanted to see how wonderful this nation could become now that Lady Black Heart had found someone she considered her other half and she was not below keeping Neptune here to further her own small goals.
"Thanks, Martha." Said Neptune feeling her faith flowing through her.
They continued to talk about what happened in the facility, strangely enough, Martha didn't ask her how she got there so fast. Their conversation lasted for a few more minutes when Neptune finally finished in the part where she fainted.
"That Lady Plutia, she's always been a bitch in my eyes." They were now outside with Martha locking up.
"The nerves she had for making Noire beg." Said Neptune equally upset.
"She would have done it you know." Said, Martha, as they walked to the parking lot.
"I know, but I didn't want that. I could never be happy with myself knowing that I made Noire discard her pride like that."
"She might see it differently. She joined her self with you because she loves you. As much as Lady Noire's pride is a great thing about her, I think it takes a back seat for you now. Pretty much what married couples do."
Neptune remained silent mulling things over. She just hated to think that Noire's pride wasn't anything because that confidence and strength was one of the things that attracted her.
"Do you need a ride?" said Martha as she started up her car.
"You forget that I can fly now." Pointed out, Neptune.
"Oh, sorry." Joked Martha which Neptune also joined in. "Take care and get back before your wife gets worried."
"You too, Martha." She waved her off as her car disappeared when it turned the corner. She stood in the dark street with one lamp light hitting her from above. She then got an idea as she pulled out her Nep note. "Hey, Crostie!" no response was received so she spoke again. "Crostie!"
"Huh?! What do you want?!" said Croire who sounded like she was groggy from just waking up.
"Do me one more small favor and take me to our apartment. I need to get some money really quick for this thing I want to do." There was hidden excitement in her voice that was oozing out.
"Thing?" said Croire.
"Come on. I want to get to a jewelry store before they close." Whined Neptune.
"Oh, please don't tell me you're going to blow all of our money on…"
"Zip it. And just do this." Asked Neptune with a small blush appearing on her cheeks.
(Lastation- Basilicom- Really Late at Night)
Neptune quietly opened the door that was connected to Noire's housing unit. At this point, she could say that it was their housing unit since they were now married. Neptune scratched her face slightly giving off a goofy and nervous smile from thinking that. She closed the door and made her way to the living room.
"Neppy, I know you're there." Said Noire with a serious tone in her voice.
Neptune made it to the kitchen, she stood with her mouth open as she saw a fancy red cloth draped over the table with beautiful candles Illuminating the dimly lite room with the lights being turned off. From looking at the candles, she could see they had been going for about an hour with the wax subsiding. Noire was sitting down with her arms crossed as a big pot of food lay next to a pot of rice and a basket of bread. "I thought I told you to get some rest. Where did you go off to, making me feel all worried?"
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I went to go see, Martha and I wanted to clear thing up with her," said Neptune with loving eyes that she quickly knew was dismantling Noire's cold exterior.
"W-Well. Was that really all?" she said looking relieved that she didn't go out and do something outlandish on her first official day as Lastation's CPU. She started to comically narrow her eyes when the room grew silent with Neptune standing near the chair with her big smile. "Are you going to sit down. This food is still warm so you saved yourself from sleeping on the couch." Said Noire with a smirk.
"Yikes! I'm sitting, I'm sitting." Said Neptune who sat down.
"I forgive you. Now, I hope you're hungry." She opened the big pot and Neptune's eyes sparkled at the sight of delicious curry that was inside the pot.
"You made curry!" said Neptune like a little kid.
"It was nothing really. I wanted to make something quick so I decided with curry." Said Noire with a small smirk trying to break out.
"It smells delicious." They both gathered their bowls and served themselves with a mixture of curry and rice on their plate. Knowing their situation of being recently married, one would think that it would be awkward for them, but it was actually the opposite. Them sharing meals was nothing new and the lingering notion that they were now married and it had to be at least a little awkward since it was a new thing for them had no weight at this moment. They were in love, and the talk that they had early on proved that they were both already comfortable with this wonderfully new status that they both shared.
"Okay, my turn." Said Neptune as, during their romantic meal, she had moved her chair closer to Noire and began to spoon feed her.
"Hey, you got some curry on my cheek!" said Noire through her giggles as Neptune had tickled her slightly.
"Then let me clean it up." She leaned close and licked Noire's cheek which made Noire turn deeply red ready to spew out steam.
"Y-You play too much." Said Noire with her words coming out less serious.
"I'm just trying to make sure my wife finishes her food." Said Neptune.
"Why? You think I'm too skinny?" she said as a joke to gauge her reaction.
"Not at all. You're perfect the way you are." Said Neptune with a kiss on her lips. The night had progressed smoothly as they finished their food. Whether it was the magical moment or the wonderful food that Noire had made, there was a sense of tranquility in the air that made both of them feel very free.
When Noire was placing the dishes in the sink, Neptune wrapped her arms around her wife and trailed kisses down her neck.
"Neppy…don't stop." She said with a sharp and breathy voice whose very words were the catalyst that encouraged Neptune to abruptly pick her up not wanting this magic of intimate love to subside.
"Ugh…this is a lot harder than the movies depict it." Said Neptune with a strained face.
"Are you saying I'm fat?!" This time Noire was generally hurt instead of amused. Maybe she shouldn't have had that second bread portion.
"No, No! I'm just weak, Noire." Encouraged Neptune with a smile. At that moment, even though she was playing the fool, a hint of competitiveness inched its way into her mind. "Yeah, I'm weak, so I'm going to carry you to your office to show you how strong I can be." She then started to sprint to the door making Noire cry out in shock.
"Stop saying it's my office!" her shouts soon fading.
They soon reached the office/room as Neptune placed Noire gently down on the bed as she fell to her knees trying to breathe.
"Well, that was unnecessary." Noire pointed out with a goofy smile to herself at kind of liking Neptune's bizarre attitude of trying to act tough.
"I…just…wanted to show my strength." She said tiredly.
"You're not weak, Neppy." Said Noire lovingly as she held her face.
"I know, but I can be stronger right?" she said.
"What's going on in that noggin of yours?" said Noire with a laugh. She had noticed that Neptune's personality had started to show signs of competitiveness and extream determination when she became a CPU. She picked this up when she talked about how she viewed that machine with wanting to give it it's all and with how she challenged Plutia's authority with no fear. This was something that she would have to keep an eye on.
"Is it wrong to be strong to protect you?" said Neptune.
"We protect each other. I want my wife, not a bodyguard."
Neptune's rush of competitiveness faded letting her recollect her thoughts. "You're so right, Noire. Which is why I want you to have this." She pulled out a purple box, and she opened it to reveal two beautiful rings. They were gorgeous with a silver ring band and two diamonds in the center with one being blue and the other purple.
"N-Neppy!" said Noire with an open mouth.
"I want to do this right, so after seeing Martha, I raced to a jewelry store to see what kind of rings they had."
"T-This looks like it costs a lot."
"I used up all my credits that I had been saving up. Plus the store owner was ecstatic that Lady Black Heart would be wearing one of her finest pieces so she gave me a good CPU discount." Winked Neptune.
"You're not supposed to be flaunting your title like that," said Noire getting stressed out from this.
"She offered. I didn't go in there saying that, hey I'm the new CPU in town so give me a discount."
"It still feels wrong." Said Noire, yet not denying that the rings looked magnificent.
"I hope you change your tune after." she slid the ring into Noire's ring finger and Noire's heart skipped at how it sparkled. She held back a smile, but it was still noticeable.
"I'll return them if you want." Neptune didn't want that, but if Noire did, well she will have to find another way.
"N-No, come on…that would only make the girl who sold you these feeling down." Stated Noire with a breathy voice.
They stared at each other giving a small smile as Neptune leaned in to capture her lips. This time, the feelings were reaching higher and both of their hearts were yearning for the other. Neptune on impulse moved her self onto the bed in a position that had Noire underneath her.
The kiss intensified with Noire locking her hands around Neptune's neck as her lover moved her hands to the black haired girl's sides rubbing her exposed skin.
Noire pulled her away to gasp from the lack of air and also trying to calm the overwhelming sensation that she had felt.
"Noire, let me make you mine tonight. I want to show you how much you eternally mean to me." She grasped Noire's hand that held the ring with her very own that now had her ring respectively placed. The way they shined in a rhythmic pattern was like they knew that they were part of a set and they were reaching out to the other.
"I…I…never done that before." Said Noire with a blush.
"Even after all these years?"
"I'm not that type of girl!" shouted Noire feeling conflicted.
Neptune gave her a soft chuckle. She leaned in lifting Noire's chin slightly higher to better look into her eyes. "I won't lie to you. You are not my first." Said Neptune with a frown brushing her wife's hair with her free hand.
Noire widened her eyes then lowered them. She had known that Neptune was experienced in romance, but she didn't expect that she had already gotten that far.
"It was during my travels and she was someone close to me. We spent our time together and before I knew it…I gave her everything I could give, even my heart. Then she betrayed me and I took back my heart. I only wished she betrayed me sooner before we ended up…"
Noire held up a finger to her lips. "Is she in the past?" she said sternly.
"Yes, she means nothing to me and what we have is beyond just love. We now share a connection that I would never betray."
Noire's eyes moistened with Neptune's definitive proof of her love. She respected her so much considering that she didn't have to tell her this, but she wanted to prove that there was no one else she wanted than her. "Then show me." She said with placing her hands on her wife's cheeks. That night, Noire felt a whole other world of passion that stripped her down to her most vulnerable. However, she felt overwhelmingly protected as her wife moved in harmony with her indecisive movements.
We reached the end of the flashback story! I know that I probably left a bunch of stuff out like implying that Neptune and Plutia come to the agreement that they won't step foot in each other's nations and Neptune still having to tell Noire that she knows the other Neptune because Plutia already has a hint from their fight. Those two are the ones that are fresh in my head with a few small plot points to add, but I thought long and hard about those parts and I can't see myself continuing another chapter with all those small plot points. Currently, Neptune and Noire go to hyper around two weeks later leaving them plenty of time to get situated. What I was thinking of doing was adding them to the main story now that Plutia is there with small flashback moments of dialogue to brush up and connect any missing things that I couldn't include in this chapter. Big thanks to all of you that have continued to read my story and I promise that we are getting to good stuff into Act 3. I hope that this chapter has been able to make you all smile and I'll see you all in the next one.