Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Sega, Idea Factory and Compile Heart and whomever else worked on it.
Chapter 35
"HEY!" Neptune called out as she and the others walked through the dimensional labyrinth. "ARFOIRE! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Noire sighed and groaned. "Jeez, we've been walking for almost three hours now."
"Neptune," Vert spoke up, "we should take a break."
"OUYA!" Neptune called out. "STADIA! IF YOU'RE THERE CALL OUT! OR BLAST ME! OR TRANSFORM!" She tried to keep her eyes from watering as she looked around desperately. 'Please... We finally can have our happy ending together. I promised you both. Please be okay.'
As they continued to walk through the dimensional labyrinth, Neptune's mind started to wander back in time.
*Flash*
"Noire..." Neptune looked at the Lastation CPU sadly as she sat on a lounge chair looking out at the city.
"...Was it really worth it, Neptune?" The dark-haired girl asked as she let her hair out of its typical twin-tails while sitting there in her pajamas. "...Was it worth giving up what made us happy?"
Neptune was silent. Blanc, Vert and even Plutia had asked her the same question of the past few decades. Eventually, she answered. "...Even if the world hates me, even if they spit in my face, I'm a CPU, Noire. Didn't you teach me that we have to do the right thing as CPUs?"
Noire sighed and got up before walking over to Neptune and gave her a neutral look. "...But are you happy?"
Neptune didn't answer and Noire pulled her long-time friend into a hug, which they stayed in for a long time. Even as Noire dragged Neptune to bed and they spent the night just sleeping in each other's arms.
*End Flash*
"No," Neptune whispered, "no matter what, I lived my life doing my best, I don't regret it." There were things she would have changed if she had the opportunity, sure, but there wasn't much of anything she truly regretted.
'Is that really true?' A voice whispered in her ear. 'Do you really not regret anything?'
Before Neptune could answer, a jerking sensation stopped her cold and she ended up falling on her butt. "Oww!"
"FINALLY!" Noire yelled as she gave Neptune an annoyed look. "We've been trying to get you to stop for ten minutes now."
"Please, Neptune," Blanc said, an exhausted look on her face, "let's at least rest for a little bit."
"Well, okay." Neptune nodded and reached into her inventory and pulled out some cans. "Cold drinks? They might be a bit old, I've had them on me for awhile."
"Well, so long as it doesn't make us sick." Noire commented as she took the can and gave Neptune a dirty look. "Like that Nepbull you gave me after our sisters were born and Nepgear and I almost got lewded by that tentacle plant monster."
Neptune laughed nervously. "That was so long ago that I had forgotten that. These are just cold coffees."
"I was worried it was soda." Blanc muttered as she cracked the can open and took a drink, sighing in relief. "You need to calm down, Neptune. No kidnapper ever hurts the person they're kidnapping because it would hurt them in the long run."
"I know, but..." Neptune fidgeted as memories flashed through her head.
"STOP! MOMMY! STOP US!" Gray Heart's voice echoed in her head.
"It's just..." Neptune trailed off.
"Just kill us." Rainbow Heart's voice was heard. "I'm tired of being a weapon."
"Neptune?" Vert asked, concerned for her friend. "...What aren't you telling us?"
Neptune sighed and slumped. "...The last time they were kidnapped... The last time they were free..." The three others watched in worry as Neptune's shoulders shook and tears fell from her eyes. "I... I just want them to be happy. I want to be a family again." She whispered to herself. "...I just want..."
There was a roar that interrupted Neptune and the group looked to see monsters that none of them had ever seen before coming after them. Some looked like a mixture of a large dog and a lizard and the bigger ones looked like a giant mutant bug of some sort.
"Goodness, what's this?" Vert gasped in surprise. "Demons?"
"I've never seen any Demons like this." Neptune stared. "And I lived among Demons for years."
"Well, whatever they are," Noire said as she and the others transformed, "how about we take care of them?"
White Heart smirked and hefted her axe. "It might be fun to smash something new for once."
"Indeed." Purple Heart nodded as she materialized her katana. "I've got some stress to work out."
"Let's go." Green Heart said and the four charged the oncoming monsters.
(-)
Meanwhile, in Planeptune...
"It's been long enough." Uni said as she looked at Nepgear, who nodded. "Let's go." The two of them had been waiting by the Dimensional Door, having gone there shortly after their sisters had gone inside.
"I'd feel better if we had others with us." Nepgear said as she and Uni went through the corridors.
"We're just making sure that our sisters are fine and nothing else." Uni told her. "That's why Noire told us to follow after they were inside." Nepgear nodded, knowing that much. "But yeah," Uni sighed softly, "I'd feel better knowing that Rom, Ram, IF or Compa were with us."
"Let's just hope that we don't have to fight or rescue..." Nepgear trailed off and she and Uni gave each other and uneasy look before both transformed and quickly flew through the corridors to find their sisters.
(-)
Meanwhile...
Green Heart smirked as the last of the monsters fell and the four CPUs transformed back into their human forms. "Goodness, that was a workout."
"Yeah," Neptune nodded and started walking in the direction that the monsters had come from. "I bet anything that stupid witch sent those monsters from this direction to keep us away from Ouya and Stadia."
"Well, you're not completely wrong." A voice that was vaguely familiar spoke up and Neptune stared as a familiar-looking redhead stepped out from behind a pillar. "Hey, Nepsy."
"A friend of yours, Neptune?" Noire asked as she looked at the redhead. The girl was wearing a white dress shirt that was buttoned only enough to cover her breasts, leaving her stomach bare, an unbuckled dark skirt that was actually a pair of shorts were held up by suspenders, she had black and orange striped knee socks on, finger less gloves, some sort of wrist-device on her wrist, her eyes were of a similar color and hue to her hair, which was long and was done up in twin braided ponytails while she had two hair clips to keep her long bangs out of her eyes.
"Sort of..?" Neptune scratched her head in confusion. "Sorry, I'm drawing a bit of a blank."
"I suppose we only met for a little bit." The girl gave Neptune a small smile. "It's me, Uzume. Though I think I was Orange Heart at the time?"
"Ah!" Neptune's eyes widened in surprise as she made a fist and slammed it into her open palm. "Now I remember! You're that super cute CPU!"
Uzume's cheeks turned slightly red upon hearing that and she scratched her cheek nervously. "...Was I really that cute?" Neptune nodded and she chuckled. "Just like the other Nepsy." She muttered softly.
"Did you say something?" Blanc asked. When Uzume shook her head, she let out a small huff.
"So," Neptune gave Uzume a confused look, "what are you doing here? I thought you were the CPU of Zero Dimension or at least that's what Nepgear told me."
Uzume just smiled at Neptune. "Well, can't I just want to see you, Nepsy? Besides, we are in Zero Dimension."
"So this is just a tunnel between dimensions, huh?" Noire muttered. "Say, Uzume, we're looking for someone named Arfoire, you wouldn't happen to know anyone by that name, would you?"
"You could say that." Uzume nodded at Blanc. "I saw her with a couple of girls in some sort of energy bubble just down this way." She jerked a thumb behind her. "I would have taken her on, but she said that she would have killed them if I tried."
"Good to know." Neptune nodded and ran past Uzume. "Thanks, Uzubae!"
"Uzubae?" Uzume blinked in confusion as the other three CPUs ran past her. "...Heh, Nepsy, you really are something special." She held a hand up and gave Neptune a sad look. "I almost have trouble doing this." She snapped her fingers and a large shadow appeared over the four CPUs, who all stopped and looked up in shock as Dark Purple suddenly appeared and grabbed all four in its hands. A dark pulse engulfed Dark Purple's hands, causing the four CPUs to pass out, before turning and flying off into the air. "And now..."
"Uz..Uzume?" A voice that was full of shock and sadness spoke up and Uzume turned to see Purple Sister and Black Sister flying into the area. "W...Why? I thought you were fighting the Dark CPUs."
"Ah, Gearsy." Uzume gave Purple Sister a cruel smirk. "If I wanted a CPU Candidate, I would have called for you as well, but I only need the CPUs." She held up her hand again and snapped her fingers. "This place will become unstable in a few moments and it's a long way to the other end."
The CPU Candidates could only watch as Uzume disappeared before they looked at each other, turned and fled back the way they came as the walls behind them started to collapse. Thankfully the collapse was only in the room they had been in, but it was enough that they couldn't go back through that room.
"So now what?" Black Sister asked.
"...Now?" Purple Sister said as she turned and floated back to the entrance. "We regroup, gather up everyone, and save our sisters."
"...And how can we do that?" Black Sister asked.
"Simple." Purple Sister said as they escaped the Dimensional Labyrinth. "We go to Zero Dimension the same way I did the first time, through that console."
(-)
Later...
"LAME!" Ram pouted as she heard what happened from Nepgear while Uni made a report to Histoire. "How could our sisters lose?!"
"B-But they were taken by surprise, right?" Rom asked and Nepgear nodded.
"Yes." Nepgear nodded and looked as Uni walked in with Histoire. "Is the console ready?"
"Yes." Histoire nodded. "But, Nepgear, do you think it's wise with just the four of you?"
Nepgear gave Histoire a confused look. "Four? I wasn't thinking that the four of us should go rescue our sisters." Everyone gave her a confused look. "When we saved them from the graveyard six years ago, we had help." She then smiled and poked her fingers together. "And, besides, who better to help us than those who already beat our sisters in combat?"
"You mean..?" Uni began, gasping as Nepgear nodded. "But they gave up their power for our sisters."
"Not completely." Histoire corrected Uni. "B-Sha and C-Sha's crystals were in tact, we only needed a chunk from each of their crystals to create the Hyper Share Crystals."
"Right, B-Sha told me that." Nepgear nodded at Histoire. "So, between them and..." She trailed off as she saw Compa and IF walk into the room. "IF and Compa, we should have enough to go rescue our sisters."
"Just like the graveyard, huh?" IF smirked.
"Well, at least there isn't Mr. Loud and Scary Robot or Miss Scary CPU blocking the way this time." Compa chimed in.
"So let's go and recruit the Gold Third." Nepgear smiled as Rom, Ram and Uni all cheered in delight.
Histoire gave Nepgear a proud smile as she and the others all left. "And to think, it wasn't that long ago she would have broken down over the thought of Neptune or Vert disappearing from her life forever."
(-)
Unknown location...
"Uzume..?" Neptune looked at where her smaller self and the other CPUs were in large tubes with diodes connected to the temples of their head while masks were on their faces. The four were out cold but they were being engulfed in dark energy. "What's going on?"
"I'm merely using them to create real Dark CPUs." Uzume, now with her blue hair and darker colors, told Neptune as she watched over the CPUs. "By draining their powers, I can create the instruments of my revenge on Gamindustri."
"But..." Neptune looked at her smaller self and the others in worry. "What will happen to Tiny Me and the others? Didn't you promise P-Ko and Plutie that they'd get Tiny Me back?"
"And they will get her back." Uzume nodded before turning and walking over to Neptune. "Even if I was to drain every single bit out of them, it would take years to do so."
"...So..." Neptune gulped nervously as she looked at Uzume. 'What's going on? She looks like she's going crazy.' Neptune tried to smile at Uzume. "What's happening to them?"
"Oh, I'm just showing them a good dream." Uzume smiled at Neptune and looked at the smaller Neptune. "This Nepsy doesn't have the same desires as the others."
"...Huh?"
"The other three have desires that are unfulfilled." Uzume clarified. "But Nepsy..." She tilted her head in confusion. "It's less desires of things she wants and more of a longing of something."
Neptune watched as Uzume walked over to her smaller self's container and put her hand on it. "You know, Uzume, Plutie and P-Ko won't be happy when they find out about this." She was confused when Uzume didn't answer her. In fact, she had an astonished look on her face. "Uh, Uzume, what's going on?"
"Nepsy..." Uzume whispered and took a step back. "...I see." She smiled and put her hand on the capsule again. "I understand now, you and me... We're so much alike, aren't we Nepsy? To be spat on and cursed despite what we sacrificed for the masses."
"Um..." Neptune was confused as she looked at Uzume. "Uzume, what's going on? How do you know that?"
"I can see their dreams as they sleep." Uzume explained to Neptune. "And your smaller self..." She trailed off and gave the sleeping Neptune a contemplative look. "...Is interesting. What she dreams of, what happened to her..."
Neptune walked over to Uzume and tapped Uzume on the shoulder. When Uzume turned to look at her, she reached up and brushed Uzume's right cheek. "You're crying."
"...So I was." Uzume said softly. "Could you leave me alone for a few moments?" Neptune nodded and walked away. Once she was gone Uzume turned to look at the sleeping Neptune and sighed. "You're just like me, Nepsy. The world betrayed you, hated you, spat on you, you gave up everything for the world, even going so far as to damage the relationship with someone who's like a sister to you, to hurt your daughters, all to protect it... But why don't you hate them back?" A small smile came to her face as she ran her fingers over the capsule. "You know, I could just leave you alone in that dream world for the rest of time while I throw your dimension into chaos and I drain your powers to make it happen. I figured I owe my successor a happy ending." Uzume sighed softly. "But I can relate to why you gave up your happiness even as it tore your heart in two to leave it behind." She turned and walked away. "After all, no matter how beautiful the dream, you eventually need to wake up and face reality."
After all, it was why she was trying to change the world to make it a new reality.
Special thanks to X the Reaper for that last paragraph.
