Chapter 35- A Tested Relationship.
The blades of grass moved peacefully at their pace with the gentle wind blowing. In this area, a large number of people had congregated with witnessing a shocking truth from the purple haired girl that was sitting on the ground. "So, little me. I wanted to tell you early, but I hope you understand why I couldn't." she darted her eyes at Ultra Black Heart, her wife.
"You're married, but how?" said Neptune.
Ultra Neptune winked at her counterpart happily. "It was all Crostie. She told Noire that there was this ritual that could bind one CPU who didn't have a nation, to another. Noire saved me and in exchange, I became a Lastation CPU." Ultra Neptune looked at Plutia who had been quiet. "That is how we were able to join. So, if you were hoping to do the same with Blanc, one of you has to lose your nation, and be close to death." She said with a look of satisfaction. She didn't know how accurate the last part was, but she added the death thing in for dramatic effect anyway.
Plutia did not hide how steamed she was from hearing it wouldn't work for them. She had wanted to find the truth when she first caught word of this ritual when Ultra Noire and Ultra Neptune told the public, but now it was all shattered.
There was a mixture of different emotions circling the air. One of the emotionally conflicted one's came from Orange Heart who was still holding onto Ultra Vert.
"Hmmm…Uzume, you're very quiet all of a sudden." Said Ultra Vert worried about her. She suspected that with her personality, she would be ecstatic to hear such wonderful and amazing news like this.
Orange Heart looked at her with a lifeless and soul-crushing expression of sorrow on her face. She wanted to utter words, but she couldn't. A bright flash blinded Vert, and soon, the bright and energetic Orange Heart was replaced with another girl that caught Ultra Vert by surprise; personality wise.
"I'm fine other Vertsy. I'm happy for the both of them." She forced a smile that Ultra Vert could clearly see that it did not hold the warm and cute radiation that she had when she was in HDD.
"Uzume, this is your human form?" said Ultra Vert.
"Yo, I can be a little different when I transform similar to Nepsy, but yeah, this is me." Uzume gave her another smile, and this one was much warmer. While Orange Heart's smile was cute and warm, this one was strong, comforting, and had a sense of coolness that Ultra Vert could not narrow down on. She was captivated by this girl that was one thing she knew, and the low spirits that she could sense in her voice did not deter from seeing that.
"Big Sis!" came a voice from the sky.
Everyone looked up to see four people flying towards them. As they got closer, it was the CPU candidates in their HDD form.
"Nep Jr," said Neptune with surprise. Purple Sister and the others dropped down looking at all the other familiar faces.
"Oh, I guess we came too late." Said Purple Sister with a frown.
"I told you that there was no reason to keep following that specific trail that our target was making. I kind of already predicted where she was heading anyway." Said Black Sister who opposed Nepgear's logic from the very start.
"Speaking of the target, Peashy! It's us, Rom and Ram!" said Ram who had reverted to her base form with a highly motivated yell.
"Target?! I'm so going to make Histy tell me where she bugged me!" Yellow Heart sulked for a moment, yet seeing her two friends, Rom and Ram, she turned her displeased face into a wide smile. Yellow Heart reverted to her base form, and she skipped happily towards the two sisters.
"S-She was a little kid?" said Uzume with wide eyes.
"Yes, it would seem that Peashy wasn't the only one hiding a drastic change." Said Ultra Vert with a sly smile.
Uzume let out a comedic sigh "That explains a lot now," she recalled her fight with Yellow Heart, and it clicked why she had acted like this was all a game. She was just a kid and to her, it was a game.
While the Lowee sisters and Peashy basked in their reunion, the other candidates who had also changed back, walked up to their sisters.
"Neptune! We had a call that came from the Ultra dimension Histoire. She told us that Plutia was coming and that we should be informed, so she gave us coordinates that told us where Peashy was located thinking that she would be with her." Said Nepgear.
"It looks like you guys also heard the news." Said Uni. She looked at Neptune and could see Ultra Neptune and Plutia sitting on the ground not saying anything. She also noticed that her sister was in HDD, while the other Noire and Blanc from the other dimension were also in HDD too. "Hey, what's going on here?"
"Oh, um…" Neptune awkwardly smiled. There was a lot of information tossed around, and she had to gather it all, in order to explain it. A short time passed as Neptune tried to explain what had happened with Noire helping her on the small details.
"They're married?!" shouted Nepgear when her and Uni were pulled aside so that their older sisters could explain things.
"That's how much we gathered so far. And apparently, that Neptune is a Lastation CPU." Said Noire with her arms crossed with deep thoughts plaguing her mind.
"W-Wow." Uni's voice had elevated with excitement as her eyes shimmered towards Ultra Neptune.
"I wonder why they never told us that. If they were able to join then I'm proud of Noire for saving her," said Nepgear with a soothing tone to her voice.
Noire gave her a look that was not hostile in any way, however, it did hold a level of distaste when she talked about her counterpart.
"Girls, while that's all good and stuff, we need to settle this bad blood with Plutia and big me. That's what's more important. We can further poke and celebrate later." Said Neptune trying to center the conversation back to the actual problem.
"I'm not touching this. As long as they are not causing any harm to our dimension, then they can hate each other for all I care." Said Noire with her arms still crossed.
"Noire?!" said Neptune with a sunken heart. Did her girlfriend seriously just said that she didn't want to help?
"Hmmm…" Was Noire's only response.
Uni gave her big sister a worried look. The way Noire was acting with her subtle facial expressions, and the way her body leaned from the hips. Noire was down right mad at something, and she could tell that Neptune was barely catching up to that.
Over to where the two Ultra pairs were, both Ultra Noire and Ultra Blanc were tending to their loved one
"Ouch!" hissed Ultra Neptune when her wife placed a hand on her stomach.
"It's going to bruise, but it's nothing serious." Said Ultra Noire checking the wound that Iris Heart made when she flung her wife into the sky.
"Hmph, I've felt worse." Said Ultra Neptune with a confident smile. It soon faltered when she made a grunt of pain coming from her shoulder.
"Wait, that's where Blanc hit you. Let me see." She lowered her wife's zipper just slightly and adjusted the clothing so that her shoulder was visible. "It's more than a scratch. Thankfully, it's not bleeding anymore." Said Ultra Noire with a sigh knowing that it should heal in a day.
"It's another meager flesh wound, besides I bet Plutia is hurting more from our combined skill." Said Ultra Neptune.
Over to where Ultra Blanc and Plutia were, Ultra Blanc was tending to her girlfriend. "Ouchi…Blanny, that hurts." Said Plutia with tired eyes and tired voice from the fact that Ultra Blanc was putting pressure near her sides to see how far her wounds went.
"I hope this has thought you to not go all battle crazy like her over there." Said Ultra Blanc with a soft voice that hardly had any anger.
"I just wanted payback. Don't you feel the same?" said Plutia with a pout.
"I don't care about that. I would rather keep you from getting hurt you know." Said Ultra Blanc. She gazed at Ultra Neptune with disdain, yet her emotions were in check much better than her HDD personality.
"Everyone, listen up!" shouted Neptune. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over to Neptune who had her chest puffed out. "We obviously have something to discuss, so you all have two options. One, you can all go home if you want to, or two, come to the Basilicom so that we can all have a nice party to throw in celebration that our dimensions are finally back together." Her serious expression changed shortly after saying her idea for a party.
"P-Party?" said everyone in confusion.
"A party, huh? That sounds kind of nice." Said Nepgear agreeing with her sister's idea.
"If Nepgear thinks it's a great idea, then count me in," said Uni. She looked at her sister to only find that she still had her arms crossed while looking off into the distance.
"A party! We want to go too!" shouted Rom, Ram, and Peashy. Peashy did no longer look mad at Ultra Neptune, of course, it was with the help of seeing her two best friends and both of them staying out of each other's way at the moment.
"A party. Well, if Nepsy finds these girls as her friends, then why not? They're both different compared to their HDD." Said Uzume giving the situation a chance.
"That is so like Neptune to find a wonderful approached to settle this matter." Said Ultra Vert with a big smile.
Everyone looked excited about a party in Neptune's Basilicom except for both Ultra couples who started to give each other looks. It was at this point that Neptune walked towards them with her arms to her sides. "What about you four?"
Both Ultra Neptune and Plutia did not respond right away making Neptune agitated. "Plutie, big me already answered your question so will you two make up?"
Plutia closed her eyes for a few seconds letting her anger subside. "Were you telling the truth?" she said to Ultra Neptune.
"Yes, it only works for nationless CPUs." Said Ultra Neptune with a stern voice.
"Hmmm…fine. I'll go to Neppy's party, but only because she wants me too." Said Plutia. She was then grabbed by an arm around her neck along with Ultra Neptune.
"Thank you both so much. Here's to friends." Said Neptune with a smile of joy.
Time had advanced a few hours and Neptune's housing unit was buzzing with activity as everyone moved around setting things up.
Vert, Blanc, IF, and Compa were quickly told about the events that happened earlier on with Neptune trying her hardest to get her facts across. It would have been easier if Noire had helped her, but for some reason, she had been in a bad mood.
"Wait, you're telling me that they are married?" said IF with a surprised voice, yet did not act overly surprised.
"Crazy, right?" said Neptune trying to find her humor in this situation.
"Well…" Compa wanted to say her thoughts, but she had to hold them considering that Vert and Blanc were standing right there with them. As far as she knew, Neptune had yet to tell them that she was in a relationship just like her counterpart was with her Noire, and she didn't want to add anything else that might raise flags.
"It appears that a lot has happened during the wedding planning with Compa and IF." Said Vert with her arms folded slightly that this was happening while she was in Planeptune and she was none the wiser.
"Why the hell didn't you tell us that those two were rampaging near your nation? People could have gotten hurt!" said Blanc.
"I-It was all under control, plus it was a last minute thing so I couldn't wait for back up." Said Neptune sweating a bit.
"Neps got a point there Lady Blanc. Anyone in that situation would have acted first." Said IF trying to lend Neptune a hand.
"Hmm…then I can only assume that Noire was with you before this happen?" said Vert with a teasing smile as she leaned closer to Neptune.
"Yeah, and why are you wearing that outfit? Were you working out or something?" said Blanc. She could still feel Vert poking at the topic of Neptune and Noire acting strangely weird. Of course, with the revelation that Ultra Noire and Ultra Neptune were married did not diminish any curiosity on the matter.
Vert looked around the living room to see Noire with her also wearing a workout suit. Vert didn't care that she would be called crazy by Blanc because she knew deep down that this was happening. That Neptune and Noire were dating considering that their counterparts were happily married. It just made sense in the grand scheme of things.
"Oh this, umm…" Neptune's mouth started to become dry, and her hands started to sweat. She was about to blurt random nonsense when she felt the presence of someone behind her.
"We were wearing these because I was whipping Neptune into shape." Said Noire with her cold presence that Neptune was starting to slowly realize the reason she was acting this way.
"Oh, then you two were working out together? How very adorable that I must dare say it teeters on something a couple would do." Said Vert.
Neptune stood straight with her eyes wide with white circles and dark outlines. Blanc gave Vert a death glare that did not effect Vert in the slightest while IF and Compa stood still in nervousness. As for Noire, she was still holding her front with acting still mad and having her arms folded. Of course, there was a noticeable blush on her cheeks. "Couple? don't be ridiculous Vert. I'm only helping her so that she won't get fat." Said Noire like a piercing dagger that hit Neptune.
That comment stung really bad, yet all that Neptune could do was smile in acknowledgment. "It's true. I blame all the delicious snacks I ended up eating." Said Neptune with narrow eyes at Noire. If Noire was playing some angry game then she was going to do the same until they got some alone time to talk.
Vert closed her eyes tiredly from hearing all this denial coming from Noire. Her best bet was to wait some more time until that cold wall of indifference subsided. She looked around and found her counterpart from Ultra talking with Uzume near a big window, and it looked like Plutia and Blanc's counterpart were also near them. "Well, we will see the both of you later when Uni and Nepgear come back with the party snacks. In the meantime, it's been a while since I talked to the other me from the other dimension." Vert gave Blanc a nudge indicating her to agree.
"Y-Yeah." Said Blanc confused.
Compa grabbed IF's hand giving her an eye signal that they should depart too. "Um, Compa and I are going to see if Histoire needs any help in the kitchen." Said IF and soon, Noire and Neptune were by themselves.
Both Neptune and Noire did not react to everyone leaving as they stared each other down. "Alright, what's the big deal Missy?" said Neptune to Noire as she fired up the conversation.
"What are you talking about?" said Noire. She was taken aback by Neptune's stern voice, and a part of her hated that she was acting so annoyed to her girlfriend.
"Your attitude has been in cold mode since we broke up the fight with big me and Plutie. What gives?"
Noire sighed as she brushed a hand across one of her twin tails. She closed her eyes for a second until she decided on what to do. "What gives? I want to know too, so let's go to your room." She grabbed on to Neptune's hand and they made their way out of the living room.
Over to where Ultra Vert and Uzume were talking, they were having a discussion that sounded serious. "Vertsy, you're telling me that your share energy is low?" said Uzume with worry in her eyes.
"Yes…it pains me, but with the sudden explosion of popularity with Noire and Neptune having a unique nation because of them being married, and Plutia and Blanc announcing their joint console- I'm afraid that I am fighting an uphill battle." Said Ultra Vert with a depressed tone.
"A joint console? That's pretty epic." Said Uzume completely stunned trying to imagine such a machine of that caliber.
Ultra Vert could see the look of delight in Uzume's eyes, and it only made her sad that even she became smitten by the idea.
It was only until Uzume seeing Ultra Vert diminish even more, that Uzume wanted to slap herself. "Oh, my bad for sounding so excited."
"No, No. I understand how wonderful a joint console sounds especially for someone who deeply loves games. For my people that have left my rule, I can only hope that they have found the yerning games that they have so longed for." Ultra Vert gave a sigh of defeat.
"Hey, don't tell me you are going to give up! If you do then, those people were right to leave your rule. I believe that you have the potential to show the people what cool games are made off." declared Uzume strongly with narrow eyes.
"I…of course not. I am being pushed, but my faithful people are still with me. In time, I will push back and regain my shares. Then Leanbox will rise even greater." Vert could feel the rush of confidence surge through her like energy. Uzume's words truly did motivate her tremendously compared to anyone else. She wondered why that was the case.
"I hope you know that for a CPU, giving up is never a choice." Said Uzume with a friendly smile.
"I will remember that. Just please, don't tell Noire or the other Neptune about this."
"Why? They're your friends and they can totally lend a hand in helping you."
"Because I do not need help for this situation!" declared Ultra Vert strongly.
"Vertsy…"
"If I am not able to emerge out of this situation by my own power, then I am not fit to lead a nation." Said Ultra Vert with her eyes showing a fire that would not be put out, regardless of their owner's physically weaken state.
"Boy, you're one stubborn CPU. Fine. If it makes you feel better, I will not say a word…for now, but if I notice or hear you fainting, then big Nepsy is going to hear about this." Said Uzume, she was starting to respect Vert's strength finding that she acted differently than her Hyper counterpart.
"I would prefer that she wouldn't, but very well." There was nothing that she could do to deter Uzume from watching out for her, and if she had to be honest with herself, she enjoyed that Uzume cared a lot about her well being.
Their conversation halted when Vert and Blanc joined them. "Hello there, other me. It has been some time that we talked." Said Vert to her counterpart with a friendly voice. The opposite thing was said for Blanc with her not saying a single word due to her secretly being shy from this interaction.
"It has indeed been a while. I hope that time has been treating you well." Said Ultra Vert with her most polite voice that she could muster. While she enjoyed the conversations she had with the other her in the past, she really wasn't feeling up to talking with anyone else other then Uzume at the moment.
"Oh, time has really been good for me." Vert gave Blanc a cute wink that Blanc instantly noticed. The brown-haired girl's cheeks soon started to grow red as she gave Vert a disapproving look.
Hey everyone!" said a voice from behind Ultra Vert. Plutia soon appeared with Ultra Blanc. The concern feeling in the air was not lost with the other CPUs knowing that they had just fought her no more than a few hours ago because of some silly feud with Ultra Neptune.
"Hmm, I'm going to go get something to drink." Said Uzume which earned her a sad look from Ultra Vert.
"Hey, mind if I tag along? Pretty please." Said Plutia with a child-like smile.
"W-Why?" said Uzume, taken aback. She didn't know that much about this CPU, and she would think that they would be at odds if she was one of the people that had fought her.
"You're my Neppy's friend so I want to be friends with you too." Said Plutia.
"Plutia, I think we should save that for later." Said Ultra Blanc hesitantly because she didn't want Plutia starting something again.
"Aww, why? I can bring you something to drink Blanny."
"Blanny?" said Vert with a confused stare.
"I don't mind. If you keep your word to be nice to my friend, big Nepsy, then I'll give you a chance. Just don't start trouble." Said Uzume seriously.
"Okay! Boy, you sure sound really cool and tough when you're not in HDD." Said Plutia.
Uzume faltered for a second as her demeanor shifted into her less angry and more cheerful side that was Orange Heart. "C-Cool?! Thanks…uhh, I mean…sure." Her cheeks turned red that could rival her hair. She glanced at Ultra Vert who gazed at her with curious fondness at learning that her personality from her Orange Heart form had manifested.
Being in a state of total embarrassment, Uzume ran to the kitchen with the source of her embarrassment mostly coming from Ultra Vert witnessing her slip up.
"Hey! Wait up, Uzi!" shouted Plutia running to catch up with her. This had now left Blanc, Vert, Ultra Vert, and Ultra Blanc alone.
"S-So…I see that you all have been doing well." Said Ultra Blanc with her shy and soft voice that could bearly be heard. It was even worse when she was thrown into this uncomfortable situation without any means of backing out now.
Vert smiled at her own thoughts that told her what she had to do. "More or less. We have had our fair share of trouble, but we've had each other, along with the bonds we keep to overcome anything." Vert lovingly placed her hands on Blanc's shoulders that immediately raised eyebrows from both Ultra Blanc, and Ultra Vert.
"W-What are you doing?" angerly whispered Blanc with a blush intensifying as she scanned the room to make sure no one was looking their way. Regardless of the situation, she failed to do anything due to the warm feeling she was getting from being touched so delicately by Vert.
A few seconds rolled by and with each passing second, both Ultra Vert, and Ultra Blanc slowly widened their eyes finally grasping the situation that had loomed over them.
"What the hell?!" yelled Ultra Blanc. Her eyes began to move between Vert and her counterpart as one of her eyebrows started to twitch. "A-Are you joking?" she finally said with her breath increasing.
Ultra Vert crossed her arms with hesitation on her face from learning the status of the Hyper versions of themselves. "T-This is very surprising. Are you telling us that you two are…"
"Shut up, Shut up, Shut Up!" yelled Ultra Blanc hysterically.
"Grr…what's your problem?!" said Blanc to her counterpart. She was already sensing that her counterpart wasn't in the same status that she was with Vert.
Vert sighed thinking in her head that this Blanc was still in her early stages of stubbornness. "Forgive my forwardness. Yes, we are together, and we are very much in love. Just like our Neptune and Noire who refuse to admit it to us. At least, I hope they have confessed to each other instead of circling themselves around their feelings." Said Vert with a big smile.
"I told you to stop jumping to conclusions. They need to figure it out for themselves." Said Blanc rather annoyed at this topic again.
"Come now. Love is universal just like their counterparts. If they could have found each other, then that is enough proof." Said Vert with unwavering devotion to her theory that had become her absolute guide to how love transcended through dimensions.
"Love being universal? I don't know whether to be anger or vomit at even seeing myself with Vert," said Ultra Blanc with cold hard anger.
Ultra Vert made a sound of annoyance towards Ultra Blanc. "Hmph, I hate to agree with her, but I would believe even more ridiculous things than being with her. She isn't even my type with her personality being so one-sided and flat." Said Ultra Vert with a mischievous smirk.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last part. Why my counterpart even has a thing for you is already baffling. I could never tolerate a bitch like you as my girlfriend." Said Ultra Blanc to Ultra Vert.
"Hey! I don't care if you are me, but say that again and I'll make you see stars." Said, Blanc, as she moved forward but was stopped by Vert.
"Why are you two being so rude to each other? If you were to move beyond the storm of anger that you two harbor, then you would see what so many things both of you have in common." Pleaded Vert with dejection in her eyes.
"Other me…there is no love with us, much less than acquaintances or friends. She is insufferable and absolutely not my type." Said Ultra Vert.
"You took the words out of my mouth." Said Ultra Blanc.
"Then why? This doesn't make any sense." Vert held back her frustration, but this sadness would not stop until she had an explanation.
"Maybe because I'm already with someone else." Said Ultra Blanc with an unpolite laugh.
"Someone else?" Blanc narrowed her eyes wondering where her counterpart was going with this.
"It doesn't matter what you think, but I'm actually in a relationship with Plutia." Ultra Blanc cracked a small smile with feeling delighted at herself for saying it.
"What the…you're with that psycho ditz?!" said Blanc.
"Grr, don't call her that. She might be a little off, but she's sweet where it counts." Said Ultra Blanc.
"I had enough. This was a mistake Vert for you to go running your mouth." Said Blanc.
"There is no sense in me being here, so I'm just going to go." Said Ultra Blanc feeling a headache setting in.
"Other me. Regardless of what we might feel, I wish the best with your Blanc and may your future be bright together." She sounded kind, but Vert could tell that she was cringing from even sounding out those words.
Ultra Vert looked to the balcony and saw Peashy, Rom, and Ram playing tag outside which was her chance to exit herself from this conversation. "Excuse me…" she politely said, and like that, she was gone probably to join up with Peashy.
"Vert…" said Blanc reaching out to her. She overcame a blush forming her face and connected her hand with Verts. "Can you stop your gloomy mood? It doesn't matter what they think about each other. In fact, I figure this makes out relationship more unique."
Vert could feel the love radiating from her wonderful and angry bookworm of a girlfriend. "Thank you…" said Vert who applied a firm grip on Blanc's hand and gave her a warm smile. Unfortunately, it did not reach her eyes.
(Neptune and Noire)
The door burst opened as two girls walked into the messy room that was Neptune's. Once they were in, Noire closed the door and folded her arms ready to discuss her growing anger with Neptune. "Tell me. Tell me what happened with you and her," said Noire.
"Me and her?" said Neptune uneasily with her index fingers connecting together.
"Stop playing dumb. You know why I'm angry after hearing what Plutia had to say!" Said Noire.
"Noire…" Neptune tried to reach out to her, but a part of her was holding herself back.
"Stop! I have a right to know at this point if Plutia is already well informed than me. The fact that she knows and was angry means that it was a bigger issue than just personal things." Said Noire.
Neptune felt the walls closing in on her as this conversation scratched at the corners of her mind. "Oh darn. Why do you even want to know! It wasn't a big deal anyway, so let's just drop it!" desperately begged Neptune.
"Then tell me what happened if it wasn't a big deal." Encouraged Noire with a somewhat pleading look in her eyes that she hoped Neptune would understand that she was giving her a chance to explain.
"I…I can't," said Neptune. She couldn't even look at Noire anymore because if she did, then she would see how hurt she had made her.
Noire merely nodded accepting Neptune's decision. "I see how you really feel I guess. Then you leave me with no choice. The fact that you're always shooting down this conversation makes it painfully clear now."
There was a pause that lingered in the air with neither of them saying anything to counter it. It was only until Neptune began to open her mouth that Noire finally spoke. "Why is this so hard for you to tell me? I feel like I already know, but just the fact that you're so tight-lipped is infuriating!"
"I can't bring myself to say it, Noire." Said Neptune quietly as she brushed tears from her eyes. Her mind was telling her to do it now, but she couldn't. Why couldn't she do it now when Noire was giving her the chance than back then when she stayed at Lastation feeling at least a hint of readiness then?
Noire let out a sigh of stress feeling angry and confused with Neptune's stubbornness. And this was coming from her who she would admit that she was very stubborn in the past. "You know what, I think we need to take a break."
"L-Like a launch break?" said Neptune as she sniffs her nose. A few hours back they had agreed on a hearty meal, but it looked like that was a far dream now.
"I mean like a relationship break, Neptune!" said Noire.
"But why? I…I…" Neptune's heart felt like it was being weighed down by heavy bags of sand. She didn't want this to happen, yet she couldn't convey her feelings into words.
"It's because I don't trust you anymore! My heart is telling me the answer to my question, and every second that you denied me an answer is more evidence!" Noire took a deep breath to press forward. "Plutia was mad at the other me because what she did drove you away. It's obvious now that she ended up confessing her feelings to you with her probably doing something that made you run away. I can't believe I was so blind. I love you because you're such a ditz, and you're so carefree. You have always complemented me in that way by making me move past my comfort zone and keeping me from closing myself off. I'm never alone with you by my side," Noire's face was red, and her tears had begun to come out.
"Noire!" hearing those words from her made Neptune feel even worse than she already was.
"I can't blame her for liking you. At least she had the guts to say it first. I probably would have never said anything. Now she has her Neptune, and she's married. Married!" screamed Noire as she gripped her hair in frustration. "So tell me, the whole falling out thing was because she confessed her feelings, right?"
Neptune was blown away at how accurate Noire had gotten. She must have given that a lot of thought, and yet, Neptune still couldn't find her voice to respond.
"You're silence is the worst." Said Noire as she opened the door ready to leave. "If you won't trust me, then I'll figure this out myself. And don't try calling me tonight." Noire walked away hiding her face to not show Neptune her tears.
A while earlier, when Neptune and Noire were still in the room discussing their conversation, Uni and Nepgear had returned with the party treats to kick off the approaching night. "Uh, Uni, please tell me where I'm going. I can't see a thing with all these boxes." Said Nepgear. She was holding what appeared to be several boxes of pizzas while Uni was holding bags full of chips, drinks, and other treats.
"We are already at the door. So I'm just going to reach into your pocket and take out your keys." Said Uni as she juggled her bags around to grab the key with a free hand.
"Hey, Uni, did you wanted the portal to reopen this soon?" said Nepgear finally saying what was on her mind. This caused Uni to stop completely from opening the door.
"Huh? Why would you say that?" said Uni.
"It's just. Everyone was fighting today for silly reasons. When the Histoire from Ultra contacted our Histoire, I thought she was being a little paranoid thinking that Plutia could start trouble, but then Neptune told us what had happened. Now I feel bad for not being there sooner."
Uni was taken aback by what Nepgear had been holding deep within. "Nepgear, Jeez. The portal opening was unavoidable, and it's nice having that connection open again. To be honest, the fact that the other Noire knows Croire made me care less if it did open."
"Uni!" said Nepgear.
"Don't give me that look. I'm happy that the twins get to see the other Blanc again, and the other Vert is okay, but Plutia is a mixed bag for me. If I was still able to see my other…sister, then I would have been happy." Said Uni with a shame that colored her cheeks red.
"I guess It couldn't be helped." Said Nepgear.
"Well, let's just trust in your sister that this party will get the good friendship feelings flowing with everyone." Said Uni with her dry humor.
As Uni opened the door, she was immediately tackled by Peashy. Thankfully, Nepgear was able to move quickly to avoid the attack.
"I smell food!" shouted Peashy with uncontrolled excitement. Peashy was then tapped by the twins who were right behind her.
"Peashy, you're it now!" said Ram.
"Ah! No fair." Said Peashy.
"Can't…move." Said Uni who was gasping for air while she was pinned down.
"Girls, please get off of Uni," said Histoire as she floated to the entrance. "Why don't you three get plates for everyone else so that we can all eat when everyone is ready." Said Histoire with a smile on her face.
The three girls agreed and ran to the kitchen to retrieve the plates leaving Histoire to stare at Uni who had bags spiraled around her and Nepgear still holding the pizza boxes. "I would have hated to see them make Nepgear lose her balance with all that food she is holding." Histoire then heard a groan come out of Uni.
"What about me then?" she said as she slowly lifted herself from the ground. She sluggishly picked up the bags that she had dropped.
"Forgive me, Uni. I have confidence that you were strong enough to take Peashy's tackle, and don't complain because all your snacks are already in their respective bags, so no spill." Said Histoire.
"It's the thought that counts," Uni muttered underneath her breath; however, she would have agreed to be tackled to avoid Nepgear getting hit.
"So, Histoire, where are our sisters?" said Uni. They placed the bags and boxes on the living room table finally letting out a sigh of being done with all that weight.
"Hmm, I'm not sure." Histoire scanned the room to see Compa and IF outside on the balcony. She knew that Uzume was in the kitchen along with Rom, Ram, and Peashy. She did see Ultra Neptune and Ultra Noire sitting near the couches and Ultra Blanc and Plutia were sitting on the other couch with both of the couples staring off in different directions. The last group of people she saw was Blanc and Vert who were talking quietly to themselves in a corner of the room. "Oh, dear. I don't see them anywhere." Said Histoire.
"Doesn't look like much of a party if you ask me." Said Uni with downcast eyes.
"I'm sure everyone will grow more chatty when the food is ready." Histoire floated to the center of the room and cleared her throat. "Everyone, the food is here. There is pizza with a whole bunch of snacks that Nepgear and Uni bought."
"Pizza! Smells delicious." Said Ultra Neptune as she got up excitedly.
"Hmm, I guess I did work up an appetite today." Said Ultra Noire with a smile.
"Food!" cried Plutia with joy.
"That does sound nice." Said Ultra Blanc softly.
In time, The twins, and Peashy had come out from the kitchen with Ultra Vert and Uzume right behind them. Uzume looked kind of flustered almost like she and Ultra Vert had some funny conversation that made her feel embarrassed.
"Oh, man. I guess I really do sound lame when I fall into my old habits." Said Uzume.
"Nonsense. I find you very interesting, and cool for having such a cute habit." Said Ultra Vert.
"C-Cool…" said Uzume with a dreamy look in her eyes, completely ignoring the cute comment.
The food was now set on the table with pizzas of different types spread out. There were drinks, chips, small cakes, and other delicious treats that Uni and Nepgear had brought.
"Everyone dig in!" said Histoire with a smile.
"Don't mind if I do!" said Ultra Neptune. she reached for an open box that had some cheese pizza, but as she touched the slice she had her heart set on, another hand had also gone for the same slice.
Ultra Neptune looked up to see Plutia who had the same idea as her. "Fan of cheese, I see?" she said without a smile.
"Hmm…I don't want it anymore now that your hands touched it." Said Plutia with a pout.
"What's that suppose to mean?! My hands are clean." Said Ultra Neptune quite infuriated by that. They began to stare daggers at each other until Histoire and Croire floated back to back right between them. Croire had just so happened to be floating around minding her own business this whole time until this very moment that she had sensed a fight about to break out.
"I will not have fighting be tolerated here." Said Histoire with narrow eyes at Plutia.
"Would you control yourself?" said Croire to Ultra Neptune with an annoyed expression.
Both CPUs mumbled under their breath and looked the other way trying to swallow their anger.
With the situation mitigated, Ultra Neptune got her slice while Plutia grabbed another. Eventually, everyone sat around either on the couch or near the table to eat. The conversations were lacking right from the start with no one hardly talking.
"Goodness, it's so quiet." Said Nepgear.
Just then, Noire had emerged from the hallway looking very tired and moving sluggishly.
"Noire!" shouted Uni as she ran to her big sister. "Oh good. I was wondering where you went to. Nepgear and I brought pizza." Her smile that she had soon vanished when she could see the sorrow in Noire's eyes. "Noire…"
Nepgear joined up with Uni with a confused expression. "Noire, where's Neptune?"
"She's in her room…and I'm heading home now." Said Noire with no emotion in her voice.
"Huh? Why?" said Uni.
Just then, she heard a voice come from the couch that was a few feet away. "Jeez, Neppy! You got your mouth dirty with sauce!" said Ultra Noire who did not look mad as she gave her wife a smile and cleaned her face.
Something inside Noire had finally cracked with seeing her counterpart so happy like this while she was in shambles with Neptune. She moved passed Uni without a word and got in front of the Ultra couple. "Hey you!" said Noire.
"Huh?" Ultra Noire along with everyone else focused their attention on her.
"You are the last person I would ever want to ask, but I demand you tell me what happened between you and my Neptune." declared Noire.
Everyone in the room remained silent as they all took in what Noire had said. Both Uni and Nepgear were confused at Noire's claim while Uzume could already guess where this was coming from considering she had found out about it earlier today when Plutia in her HDD form had confronted them.
"Why don't you ask her?" said Ultra Noire annoyed and irritated that her counterpart was bringing that up.
"I'm asking you. So, spill it!" shouted Noire not caring the drama she was making.
"I don't want to talk about it! It's in the past so why don't you forget about it before you blow a nerve." Said Ultra Noire who felt a fleeting sting of sadness from having to go back to that time. She was then pulled out of that sadness by a loud smacking noise that came down near the coffee table.
Noire had just brought her hand down on the coffee table with trembling eyes. "You're the lowest of the low. Just like Neptune, you can't even admit what you did." She looked at Ultra Neptune who only stayed quiet seeing if she did have to intervene.
"Does your Neptune know?" said Noire coldly.
Ultra Noire gritted her teeth in frustration. "What are you even declaring?"
"You know damn well. At the very least, you kissed my Neptune you two-timing Nep stealer!" shouted Noire at the top of her lungs. Gasps of shock could be heard in the room, but all of it was drowned out as both Noires stared at each other.
"T-Two timing?! I'm faithful to my Neppy! And your Neptune was just a point in my life where I was confused. "
"Confused? Yeah, sure. I bet the only reason you got with your Neptune was that she reminded you of mine." Declared Noire.
"Don't you dare go there! My wife is the only one I love, and I love her for who she is. And yes, she knows about my old feelings because we talk to each other about everything, even she told me that she knew your Neptune which is dame more than you and that ditz communicate apparently if she refused to tell you for this long." Said Ultra Noire.
Noire's eyes started to twitch with anger and sadness as her body trembled with fluctuating emotions. It wasn't fair that her counterpart had everything going right for her, and here she was with Neptune's secrets, even after when Neptune told her that she didn't want secrets between them.
"I hate you. I so hate you!" shouted Noire wildly.
"N-Noire…" Uni moved closer to ease her sister's anger.
"Shut up, Uni!" shouted Noire blindly and it wasn't until those words were spoken that she felt the full effects of it.
Uni now looking hurt, remained quiet.
"Don't you dare talk to Uni like that!" shouted Ultra Noire in disbelief.
"She's not your sister!" stated Noire with no purpose to her words.
"So? You shouldn't say that to her anyway. You're so sad like a little angry child, just like your Neptune."
"N-Noire…" Ultra Neptune wanted to chime in because this conversation of Nep bombardments was starting to make her feel uneasy. She loved her wife's faithfulness to her, but there was a line that had been crossed considering she was once like her younger counterpart.
"Oh, and for the record, I did kiss her, and she kissed me back until…" she never got to finish her sentence as Noire slapped her across the face so hard that she fell on her wife's lap.
"Honey!" shouted Ultra Neptune. She started to rub her wife's cheek where a handprint had been created. Ultra Noire could do nothing but wince in pain.
"Noire…" said a voice that came from the hallway.
Noire who was looking at her hand in shock looked up to see her Neptune with a scared look on her face along with tears.
Noire looked around the room to see everyone staring at her with worry. She looked at Uni who was almost on the verge of tears and that only proceeded to make her more depressed. "I…I…" she closed her eyes in frustration and ran to the balcony to activate her HDD and took off.
Neptune dropped to her knees and started to cry uncontrollably.
This chapter took forever to write. Not only was this the most horrible writer's block that I have ever felt, but my time was really limited from working a few more hours at my job. I gave this chapter some thought because in my eyes it could have been better, but then I realized that all the things that I wanted to get across are there and intact, so it's still good. This chapter is more like a launch pad for other things to come, and when I tried thinking of doing a rewrite, I had nothing better to replace it. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you guys in the next chapter.