I figure it's time to delve into Rider/Sharon's backstory a bit...

Neptunia Guild Files: Fate/book one

A Hyperdimension Neptunia Fan Fiction

by Derald Snyder

Section 36: An Easy One For Once

(Flashback Arc- Begin)

"Aww, I can't believe you caught me!" exclaimed the red-headed child in goth dress, with horns on her head, currently being held aloft by her black dragon tail by Cave.

"Your plan was flawed, hastily executed, and to put it bluntly, stupid," Cave deadpanned.

"Indeed it was! Even I could sing better than that!" Nero proclaimed, flanked by Tamamo and Rider. "Why, in my old home of Laguna City, the people blew their car horns for me, bowed their heads in reverence, and even tried to give me money, though I always refused!"

"They bowed their heads and tried to cover their ears, I bet..." Tamamo muttered under her breath.

"But daddy always said I was a good singer!" the child protested.

"He probably just didn't want to hurt your feelings," Rider mused.

"At any rate, your attempt at hijacking 5pb.'s concert is over," Cave stated. "And your parents will be hearing about this as well..."

"Grrrr! And I'd've gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling adults!" the horned child lamented. "But just you wait! One day, the name 'Elizabeth' will be known far and wide as an idol even more popular than 5pb.! You'll see!"

"Only if you stop flunking out of music class," Rider snarked...

*The Bullpen*

"So, how did it go?" Archer asked as the trio entered.

"A complete success, naturally!" Nero exclaimed with a smile. "No less than you would expect from veteran Guild agents like ourselves!"

"You and Tamamo are still barely above probies," Rider shook her head.

"Let her have her delusions," Tamamo sighed. "Sometimes it's not worth trying to argue with her..."

"By the way, how are you feeling, Artoria?" Nero asked, forgoing her fellow agent's codename.

"Still a little under the weather..." Saber sighed. One of her eyes had gone back to its normal green color, though the other remained gold. Her skin was slightly less pale than before, and her wayward hair strand was only half it's usual size. "This was the worst part of letting my darkness bleed off last time..."

"She's still got a bit of an appetite, though," Archer sighed. "At least now she'll eat ground beef-derived dishes, instead of just straight hamburgers..."

"I'm sorry, Shirou," Saber shook her head. "Just bear with me for a little while longer..."

"At least you're starting to act like your old self again," Rider sighed as she sat in her chair. "No offense, but your 'Alter' self kinda creeped me out a little..."

"You're not alone on that, mikon," Tamamo concurred. "Part of it's probably because her evil mother tried to make you kill us all, and almost succeeded..."

Seeing Saber visibly grimace at that, Nero decided to change the subject. "Ahem... Speaking of which, we know about Saber and Archer's backgrounds somewhat, but what about you, Rider? How did you come to be a Guild agent here?"

"Well... I kinda joined at the same time Saber and Archer did," Rider replied. "Though I still kinda considered myself 'in-training' at the time... Shirou and Artoria were already seasoned warriors in comparison. Hell, Shirou actually saved my life once, which was what kinda inspired me to become a hero of justice like he was..."

"So wait, were you a vigilante or something back then, mikon?" Tamamo asked Archer.

"Yeah, you could say that," Archer nodded. "Though if you compared me now to how I was back then, you would find it hard to believe I was the same person... But we're getting off-topic here. I mean, are you okay telling them about your childhood, Sharon?"

"Well... I think we could give them the Cliff's Notes version," Rider sighed as she leaned back in her chair.

"Well, we already know that you have abusive stepsisters and a neglectful stepmother..." Tamamo pointed out somewhat hesitantly.

"As well as an aunt and uncle who love you dearly!" Nero said in an effort to lighten the mood.

"True," Rider cracked a small smile. "Well... let's start from the beginning. My mother died giving birth to me, so my father married my stepmother so he didn't have to raise me on his own... actually, let's not sugarcoat it, he's a lazy bum, who'll hardly lift a finger for any effort. He just married my stepmother because she had money, so he wouldn't have to get a job himself... a total fucking deadbeat."

"W-well, at least he didn't ship you off to a foster home, like what happened to me!" Nero interjected.

"Well, to be fair, my early childhood wasn't that bad," Rider allowed. "Even if lazy Dad ignored me, I still had my step-sisters to play with... they're twins, actually, so I always felt a little left out, but they usually treated me decently, even if they always called me 'Medusa'..."

"Why would they call you that, mikon?" Tamamo tilted her head curiously.

"Because their names are Stheno and Euryale, after the other two Gorgon sisters," Rider explained. "Of course, once I read about the Greek legend, I complained to them about it, but Stheno just said, 'Have we treated you like you have snakes for hair? Of course not. Don't be so stupid!'"

"So when did things start to go south?" Nero inquired.

"Well... you know term 'late bloomer'?" Rider began. Getting a nod in response, she continued, "Well, I was an early bloomer... I started hitting my growth spurt at ten years old."

"That early?!" Tamamo gasped.

"Yes. And I just got taller, and taller, and taller... In the space of a year I was head-and-shoulders above my sisters. That's when they started calling me a freak, too tall, beanstalk... I tried complaining to stepmother, but she just blew me off, saying the twins would hit their growth spurts soon enough... But even when that happened, I was still taller than they were... and the insults just kept coming."

"That's terrible!" Nero cried. "Could they not understand that you had no control over your height?!"

"I tried telling them that I didn't want to be that tall, but they would just say, 'It doesn't matter what you want, you're still a beanstalk growing up into the sky! Maybe you'll become a giant that crushes entire houses under her foot!' It was awful... the only escape I had was riding my bike that lazy Dad got for me on a whim..."

"That's actually how we first met," Archer suddenly spoke up. "I was just walking down the street, minding my own business, when suddenly she comes out of nowhere like a bat out of hell! Next thing I know, I'm suddenly doing a 'dead possum' impression!"

"Ouch!" Tamamo winced.

"I know, I felt terrible about that," Rider nodded grimly. "He was just bruised up, though, thankfully. He was going to visit Artoria, so I went with him and apologized for running him over... and yes, I said sorry to his father too. I begged him not to tattle on me to my parents, and Shirou vouched for me, so he decided to let it go."

"Yeah, well, you were almost crying your eyes out, since Arty had already read you the riot act," Archer expounded.

"Perhaps I was a bit harsh..." Saber allowed. "But keep in mind, we were just kids back then."

"He did call my stepmother, though, and she scolded me for playing with 'random street kids', as she put it, when she picked me up," Rider continued. "Even so, I'd still bike out to their neighborhood and play with them once a week or so... it helped keep life bearable, at least, until Uncle Clyde came into my life..."

*To be continued...*

Seemed like a good place to stop for now. Next time, we cover Rider's adolescent years!