Hey guys!

New chapter here, and this one is going to be a doozy. Now, as you all know, this is a harem fic, and in this chapter one of the girls will be making a move on Nico. This is how it will play out, as well as how he would react... which will be further explained in the next chapter. This is not going to be an easy romance between him and the girls, either. Pretty sure I've made that clear with all the issues Nico is facing by himself right now. The girls will have a LOT of barriers to get through before they can truly be of help to him.

Anyways, lets go!


Chapter 57 - Dark Tid- oh my!

Back in the Basilicom, Yvoire had been talking to some other officials, officials who were expressing concerns about the lack of presence that their CPU was having in the Basilicom. Nevertheless, he made sure to assure them that the CPU would be alright, that she was just resting from going out protecting their borders. It wasn't actually a lie, since he did get reports from Military scouts that they saw a woman matching the CPU's description go out and into the city several times.

It was only after he had managed to finally assure their worries and send them away that he heard the large doors to the Basilicom's main hall open. He turned his head to look at them, to see the familiar sight of the evangelist Conversation entering the main hallway, closing the door softly behind her. His eyes flashed with questioning intent, and then the woman looked back to him. Instantly, he realised that she was here to talk about their previous discussion. Mentally, he hoped that she had so he could get back at that insufferable Spec Ops Agent. The two made their way to an isolated area so nobody would hear them, before the woman held out a picture before him. "… This picture is proof."

Yvoire's eyes widened like saucers when he saw a picture of Neptune and her friends, with the Disks that they were given, summoning monsters in a Dungeon. Though inside, he was almost gleeful, but had to remain strong in his façade. "It… It can't be! Such young girls as messengers of Overlord Momus…" he said with a fake sadness to his tone.

The woman smiled pleasantly, pocketing the photo in her robes. She didn't show it, but her eyes had picked up the signs of Yvoire's acting. This would almost be as easy as taking candy from a baby. Once she pocketed the photos, planning to burn them away later since their purpose was fulfilled, she returned her gaze to the stunned (-_-) man. "Now do you believe me?" She asked him, now she was certain that the man would believe her story, but there was more to say than this. Oh, there was so much more that she wanted to say.

"You gave me no choice." The man sighed sadly after replying with that. Though inside, he was almost dancing with glee. Now that he had something to go along with, he could go after Neptune herself, to get back at her for constantly getting his name wrong. It was Yvoire! Yvoire! How hard was it to say that name?! He would have to show her, her place when he got the chance. Plus, if he could convince the authorities to leave her friends in his care... His gaze fell to the ground for a moment, before it returned to hers as he spoke on another topic relevant to this discussion. "However, I have no proof of any claims to DEATHSTROKE. Surely he would have tried to stop them if this is the case."

Despite his mental eagerness, he wasn't stupid. Neptune may be considered a target now, but Nico was not. He still had the façade of innocence, as well as the protection from Planeptune's government. If they were to lose one of their most promising Spec Ops Agents, then they would likely use that as grounds to instigate a war. Despite his pride in their military, Yvoire held no illusions that they would win, especially with their CPU acting this way. It didn't matter if Purple Heart hadn't made it back to her Nation, they still had not only a sizable Military, but they even were foolish enough to let the Spec Ops Program thrive in their borders. As a result countless powerful Agents had been produced from them, giving them an edge militaristically. It would be foolhardy to do anything to him without sufficient means of protecting Leanbox from rebuttal.

Conversation's gaze turned to a troubled one at the mention of the male Spec-Ops Agent. She began rummaging through her robes as she spoke. "I am afraid then I have more bad news for you The Spec Ops Agent DEATHSTROKE is arguably worse than the messengers of Momus, for he has made a deal with this entity and thus has gained incredible power, power that rivals that of the CPUs. Here, these are proof."

Pulling out her hands, Conversation showed him more photographs this time of Nico in his human form and then as Crimson Soul. The demonic, intimidating armour he wore in this form combined with his fiery wings gave a truly twisted image, especially with the way these photos were taken. Yvoire stepped back, eyes wide and his jaw dropping with what he was seeing. "What… what sort of twisted sorcery is this?!" he shrieked, dropping the photos. They clattered onto the ground with an audible SMACK, one which seemed louder according to his ears than they should have been. "Explain!"

However, Conversation caught them before they could hit the ground, pulling them back into her robes. "This a boon granted to the most devote of followers in Overlord Momus's reign: Demon Drive Demonica, or DDD for short. This is a twisted mockery of the Goddesses divine Hard Drive Divinity, yet also just as, if not more so, powerful. It allows a mortal to ascend into something never seen in this world before, a Demon Patron Unit, or DPU. This power, this great and terrible power has the potential to rival if not surpass that of the CPUs, for they do not require share energy to sustain themselves. Worse still, is that Here, this is footage of this beast just as it finishes off a helpless victim."

The woman pulled her Recon Drone out and it floated in front of her. Its lense shone before it began projecting a holographic screen. Yvoire could only lose all skin colour as he watched the thing that Crimson Soul became fight against what looked like a normal young man. He held his own well, until the man met a slow and brutal end by being ripped to pieces by the creature's claws. "This… there's no way this can be allowed!"

Nodding in agreement, the Evangelist dismissed the Recon Drone. The technology Spec Ops Agents had was way more useful than the bumbling idiots in the Momus faction. "Agreed, such heresy cannot be allowed, even if he is a Spec Ops Agent. Nico and Neptune must be dealt with soon, otherwise great ruin shall await Leanbox, no, all of Gamindustri." Conversation proclaimed. There was nobody around to hear them, so they could speak as loud as they wanted.

The man's gaze hardened, at last he had a way to get rid of that abomination once and for all. Spec Ops Agents are bad enough, but Nico himself was worse than any of them put together, for reasons that were classified beyond top secret to cover up the greatest heresy of all time. "Agreed."

"Very well." The woman nodded as she reached into her robes again, searching for the last few items she would be needing for this conversation. She then pulled out several vials, one filled with dark purple liquid and the other filled with a mix of black and red liquid. "Let me give you these." She told him, holding the vials out to the elderly man by their necks.

Frowning in confusion, the man nonetheless took the two vials, holding them in his hands. Just looking at these vials made him shudder in primal fear, for some reason his instincts told him to NEVER let these liquids go inside of him. It was like looking at his own death at the hands of the reaper, something that would frighten anyone into action. Looking back to the woman, partially so he didn't have to look at the Vials, Yvoire asked while placing them within his robes carefully, not wanting them to spill their contents. "What's this? Vials?"

"…Of poison."

"Poison?!"

The woman nodded her head solemnly. "Yes." She confirmed, before pointing to the vial he had placed in the left side of his robes. "Use that one… to poison and kill Neptune. The other…." Her finger pointed to the opposite side of his robes. "For DEATHSTROKE." Lowering her arm to her side, Conversation continued with a grave and stern voice, one that even Yvoire found himself shuddering at the might and sinister intent behind. "Neptune and DEATHSTROKE have tainted the 2 young girls to evil. They must not go unpunished."

While Yvoire was all for poisoning the abomination known as DEATHDTROKE, he was confused on one point, a point that the Evangelist had yet to explain to him. "Why not just capture her and report back to our ladies?" he asked her, his lips set in a line. He didn't understand the need to go through so much trouble themselves, when the divine CPUs could handle this easily.

"Overlord Worship has disturbed the Goddesses greatly, just like the Spec Ops Program, but…" Conversation seemed to think hard about something, but whatever it was Yvoire didn't care at this point. "They are busy as is. Notifying details will only burden them more." This was so easy, she could almost laugh her signature laugh. Convincing Yvoire of Nico's threat, anyways, and the best part was that she didn't even need to bullshit anything. Not with what he had done in the MS Mountain Dungeon. Furthermore, Nico's DPU powers were indeed a threat to the CPUs rule. There was a reason why the DPUs once ruled Gamindustri like they did, and it didn't help that the CPUs were the way they were, completely inferior to their ancestors. If they were to band together, and fight Nico at full power when he was in DDD, then they would only make him draw on 45% of his power before he utterly crushes them.

Yvoire nodded his head in understanding as he cupped his chin, turning so his left side was facing her. "True… Our lady has been quite worried over something as recent." He remarked, stroking his beard and moustache.

"If so, do you not want to reduce your lady's load?"

The man remained silent as he contemplated what she was saying. She didn't need to know what he was thinking, she already knew what his answer would be.


Nico slowly awoke, his eyelids aching as he did so making him groan in discomfort. He felt like he had been burned alive by an oven, along with being diced by dozens of small knives and pounded by a rockslide. Definitely not his best day, one would think. "Ugh… what happened to me…?" he muttered, holding the side of his head as he sat into a sitting position, resting his hand on whatever he was sitting on for support his eyes returned to being closed, but this time tighter as a pounding headache assaulted his skull.

"Sh-Shit!"

"It would be wise not to move too much, Nico. You have just awoken from a serious setback." Biko's voice spoke from behind him, slightly catching the male off his guard. The male wasn't so caught in his headache that he didn't notice the man as he looked behind him, seeing Biko floating there. The sight of a familiar face was so good right now, so a smile was quick to form on his lips.

That smile then turned into a frown when he noticed something off about the man, something that made his eyes widen by a small fraction, alarm bells ringing in his mind that he barely supressed, to keep his headache from screaming through his ears. "Biko… what happened to you?" he asked the man, weakly raising his arm and pointing at his body. His clothing had many holes in it, some being bigger the others, with his entire leg wear shredded to the knees, as well as his right shoulder armour. He sported a blackened right eye while a trail of dried blood could be seen down the left side of his head. "You look like shit."

"You could say that we did go through hell, Nico. Me and THAT part of you anyways. This is why I, as you aptly put it "look like shit". But to explain this, I must start at the beginning." Biko replied as he began pouring energy through his body, healing his wounds and mending his clothes. In moments, he was back to normal, the only reason he didn't do this sooner was because he wanted Nico to be aware of what has happened while he was knocked out. To show him the consequences of the mistake that was made, and the consequences that will be coming in the near-future.

Once he was done with his task, Biko opened his previously closed eyes and began to explain. "To start, when you were fighting that Ghoul and when you heard my voice, you went into what was called the Berserker Mode. It's a mode that transforms all the DPUs demonic energy into physical power, infusing it with their bodies. This boosts their physical prowess greatly, at the cost of being unable to use their Skills, with some exceptions. It also gives the user unimaginable bloodlust, the amount of it depending on how much demonic energy is infused. In your weakened state, you were desperate, so…"

When Biko trailed off, the teen frowned in confusion. He didn't change his facial expression, but he got the feeling he was nervous somehow. Likely due to knowing him for so long. There was little that could make Biko nervous, but still, it was possible. Nonetheless, when he was nervous, then there was definitely a cause for concern. A thought came to him, and the male didn't bother repressing the urge to put his hands on his face and groan loudly. "I used all of it, didn't I?" It was a statement, not a question that he asked just now, his mind concluding that to be what had happened.

It was only made worse when he heard an affirmative hum escape his demonic personification's lips. "Indeed. Luckily this meant you couldn't use any Skills, as if they were used then the entire Dungeon would have been reduced to nothing, including everything within it." Nico gulped at that, and Biko continued. "It was almost childsplay for you to take the Ghoul out in that form, ripped him to pieces with Soul Edge and your own hands. Unfortunately, there was still time left before you would be forcibly returned to human form, and during that time you went in search of more prey… namely your friends."

Now THAT got Nico's attention as his mind went into overdrive. Worry filled his thoughts like a tap rapidly spewing water. Did he just hear that right? Did he go after his friends in that state? Shit, he better not have hurt them too badly, or he swore that things would get chaotic for the entire nation! The teen paled at the thought, nearly fainting as he quickly stood up straight. "What?! Are they okay, what happened-whoa!" he stood up too quickly and lost is balance, falling back onto his backside ad letting out a wince afterwards. "Ouch, that smarts… best not to move for a while." He muttered under his breath.

"Do not be alarmed, your friends are okay." Biko replied, raising a hand when he saw Nico about to ask again. "They managed to hold out until the transformation forcibly reverted. However, during that time your body was in chaos, the defences that I told you of when you first came to your Inner world were forcibly activated and made to run amok, destroying both each other and your body. it was literally like the transformation was destroying you from the inside out."

His words caused Nico to once again gulp, his eyes wide with the pupils shrunken into dots as he tried to imagine wat that must have looked like. During their training spars Biko would sometimes take him to the dunes between the many buildings that represented aspects of him in some way. He would then make him fight these giant, twisted monsters that made Abnormals and the few sinister looking normal ones look like works of fine art. Those times, as well as the residue craters around the dunes that he could see, painted a VERY clear picture in his mind.

Then, he remembered a piece of what Biko said previously, about him and IT. "Wait, both you and IT worked together? How the heck did that happen?" he asked his demonic personification.

The older version of Nico looked to the dunes, and Nico noticed he was looking at certain craters more than others. "It was less working together and more IT, going on a rampage. I joined in soon after and while we didn't intend to, we formed a temporary truce during that chaotic time. The fighting rained him and much of his gathered power was spent, so we won't have to worry about IT making you use IT's power any time soon."

Hearing those words brought relief to the male as a huge sigh escaped his lips, his head hanging low. Hearing that he wouldn't have to worry about IT coming out around his comrades for a while was a blessing, at least one good thing came out of this, he hoped. A brief spike in pain made him wince, and made him ask. "S-So what is this…. Urgh, pain I'm feeling? I feel terrible."

"That's the worst part." Biko said, and while his face didn't show anything, his tone shad a great deal of graveness in it. "This transformation shouldn't have had to happen, but it did. Thus, your body was forced to adapt to it, and because of that you have begun experiencing side effects. First, you won't be able to transform, for how long I am uncertain. The amount of damage your body has taken makes me believe it'll be a week before you can regain your powers. In addition, you will not be able to use your demonic Skills, even your normal sills will drain you quicker. Your body was severely damaged by the infusion, to the point where you cannot use much demonic energy in the first place aside for simple enhancement. Any more and your body will not hesitate to reject it, causing severe backlashes to your system which will only worsen your condition, as well as impede your recovery. While I can numb the pain, so you can move normally, I would advise you to fight as little as possible."

Now wasn't that a big barrel of fun? That summed Nico's thoughts in a nutshell as he took a moment to let the information sink in his mind worked overtime to process it all, and then there were multiple sharp spikes of pain from his wrecked body. He could faintly make out the Dunes repairing themselves by filling the craters with sand, slowly at first but it was getting there. Though, he couldn't focus much on that thanks to the pain coursing through him right now.

When he felt like he had reasonably gotten through most of it, Nico took a few deep breaths, making sure not to stress his lungs too much otherwise he'd suffer another pain spike. Looking back to Biko, he then asked another question. Okay, I get wat happened has left me with some side effects, but what I don't get is why you felt the need to use it in the first place. I mean, transforming usually suppresses IT since demonic energy is flowing through my body at the time, acting as a suppressant like the drugs from my armour do."

"That is because your energy was still flowing through you and IT had nearly finished breaking through. It would have changed nothing whether you transformed or not. Activating Berserker Mode was the only way I could think of to stop IT for the time being. In addition, in your desperation you unconsciously activated it yourself, I was merely the observer. I am not the one who controls your powers for you, that's all you. Nevertheless, I had hoped you would be able to maintain your mind, however it was proven to be too much for you. You were physically and mentally exhausted with your constant battles with the Necromorphs, and IT drained your mental fortitude more."

As he looked to Biko, Nico frowned and pondered on what he had learned. In basic terms it was the only way to stop IT from taking over. Also, he had unconsciously activated Berserker Mode in his desperation. He could see that to make sense, he was wishing hard that he could go on, to save IF, keep IT in check, and above all to kick ass.

Still though, it hasn't been that long since he had attained control over himself as Crimson Soul, so it felt like being cheated somehow. That thought irked him to no end, but he wasn't like Neptune whoever she lost 10 games in a row against him in M*r*o K*r*, he wouldn't rage quit. No, he would make sure that he would safely recover from his injuries and recklessness, so he could once again transform as quick as possible. It was his trump card after all.

"There is one other matter that needs our attention, Nico." Hearing Biko's words, Nico roused himself from his thoughts before looking up at the man, his interest piqued. Biko raised a hand and a burst of flame manifested in it, forming a fiery sphere. I was black, but the red core was oddly shaped like a whirlpool. "Because of the unplanned Berserker Mode, new powers have been awakened, therefore you will have some new training to look forward to when you can once again Transform."

New powers? Okay, that was sweet. If only he had unlocked them the right way, he would have tested them right the hell now to see what they were. Nico almost growled his frustration, as he couldn't try them out thanks to his current condition. The word condition sparked a memory in his mind, memories of the worried faces Neptune and Compa had when he first woke up from becoming Crimson Soul. "Thanks for the info, Biko, but I really gotta go. The girls are going to be demanding an explanation soon, so I gotta give them one. I'd rather face them with this than hide it like a coward. See ya later, Biko."

With that, Nico vanished from his Inner World, leaving Biko by himself. The older version of Nico then turned to the dunes, watching the craters become filled with Sand was he muttered to himself. "Those words…. Make you a slight hypocrite, Nico… Even though you have a good reason to hide IT from them…"


Back in the real world. Nico began to open his eyes, groaning at the feeling of the afternoon sun hitting the skin on his face. Thanks to being in his Inner world for so long, his body had healed a portion from its injuries, but he could still feel the vice-like grip on his mind. 'Was this what is like for the CPUs to lose their Shares? Ugh, it feels like I'm being gripped on my brain…' the male thought as he held his head with his right hand. If this was the case, then he could feel their pain.

Nevertheless, what Biko told him about his demonic powers filled him with dissatisfaction, as a scowl formed on his features. 'Still though, not being able to use most of my powers? Shit, that's a steep Price to pay. While I can fight against Abnormals without them, fighting high-ranking Demons will be much harder from now until I get them back…' he thought to himself.

Nico held no illusions that he wouldn't be fighting high-ranked demons in the near future. His mother had warned him that he would be fighting more Demons from Hellgates that were appearing in larger numbers across Leanbox. If he had his powers back, then he wouldn't have much cause to worry, however thanks to his new condition, Nico felt like a cripple going to battle against a martial arts champion.

Not a good thing, seriously.

While he would have pondered further on what he had learned while unconscious, Nico saw something in the upper portion of his vision: a mass of purple. His curiosity was piqued at the sight, since the purple was that of a dark shade, not unlike Neptune's HDD Form, Purple Heart.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that there were the black and blue corkscrew headwear in her head, making him frown in confusion…. Before realisation settled in. 'Oh… oh, shit!' he screamed, panic slowly rising within his chest as he looked down, praying that he was wrong. Wait, if he was a demon god, then would preaying even work dffor him?

Those thoughts left him when he saw the face of Planeptune's CPU, sleeping soundly on his chest… and when he lifted the covers he saw that she was completely naked, draped over him with both legs tangled up in his own with her arms wrapped around him. He could feel two hot things on his chest, making his face redden to nuclear levels instantaneously.

"WHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!" he screamed, trying to scramble backwards however the grip she had on him was too great.

'WHA-WHA-WHA-WHA-WHOA! What the hell is going on here, why the fuck is Purple Heart on me NAKED like this?!' Nico shrieked, shock and panic coursing through his system. He almost thanked this so he could forget the pain that his body was under, but still this wasn't really the best substitute. His heart pounded like a jackhammer against his ribcage, almost threatening to explode from within. His forehead gained a light coating of sweat while his face turned crimson red, almost like the colour of the flames he once commanded.

While he was like this, Nico barely managed to hear something that the woman was muttering. Her eyes were closed, so was she talking in her sleep? Nico forced his mind to calm down to a reasonable level upon this revelation, trying his damned hardest not to look down at her nude form. He strained his ears to try and pick up what she was saying through his heart pounding through his eardrums, but eventually he began making out words. Then sentences, then verses. His eyes widened in shock once more, when he realised what she was doing.

Purple Heart was singing, but not just any song... Unravel.

His heart clenched at the song lyrics, a sharp pang of pain erupting within his chest as he held back a grimace. He could feel his breath choking within his throat while slight dampness began to form in his eyes. That song always got him, no matter how many times he heard it. It just resonated with him down to his very being, nearly leaving him in tears by the end. No matter what he did, that song always held that kind of power over him. It just... well, it just fit him, like a glove. He had to blink back tears that gathered in his eyes at the beautiful, yet sorrowful, lyrics coming from the woman's lips.

Said woman's lips then uttered something else once the song was finished.

"Ah, you're awake."

Purple Heart's inhuman blue eyes slowly opened, and a sultry smirk soon formed on her features. The lack of sleep in them made him realise she had been faking being asleep, much to his horror. "Now, you and I have some quality time together… nobody's around to stop us, we're all… alone..." She said, the last part being uttered in a faint whisper. That, combined with the seductive gleam in her eyes, made Nico's red face get even redder if that was even possible. His earlier emotions were thrown out the window, replaced by the embarrassed mess he'd been in when he first discovered what his situation was. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead constantly at the stimulating sensations he was feeling. "Hm? Oh, it looks like little Nicky is wanting to play."

Her comment about how his little 'soldier' was not happing him calm down, as he desperately covered both their bodies and flattened them, so she couldn't see his junk, much to her disappointment. Though it had the unfortunate side effect of pushing their bodies closer together. "Wha-Wha-Wha-what are you doing, Neptune?! Why the hell are you naked in the bed with me?!" He barely managed to get out without sounding like a complete retard. If this was going to be daily, then he had to find a way to repress his hormones. His poor teenage heart wouldn't be able to handle the stimulus. Neptune in human form was easy enough, though she was still insanely beautiful, but her HDD form?

Totally different ball game.

Purple Heart's smirk widened by a small margin at his embarrassed state. He looked so cute like this, which wasn't something many got to see since he was wither being serious or badass. 'Hehehehe, the big and scary Nicky is such a shy little one with the ladies…' she thought in amusement. Even her human self would agree that, whenever a girl flirted with him, Nico would either not notice, or be completely flustered. It was amusing to watch, yet also very flattering.

If he was flustered, then that meant he looked at you like a woman, and that was something that she found he did at her no matter what form she was in. Finding good men was hard these days, she thought. After all, men like Nico were usually overshadowed by the perverted pigs who just wanted to get into a girl's undies for a quickie.

Yet it also sent a pang of sadness through her heart as Purple Heart recalled what her human self-had learned of him from his adoptive mother. To live in a world full of demented, twisted psychopaths, murderers, rapists and paedophiles for so long would darken anyone's heart, and Nico had spent over 4 years in it. How had he not lost his sanity with all the horrible things he'd seen? If that was the source of his trust issues and his lack of social interaction, then she could perfectly understand.

Another heart-wrenching fact she had discovered, was that Nico, for all of his powers, exploits and all that jazz... Nico was lonely. She figured this out a long time ago, like when he first sung Unravel. She didn't show it at the time, but Neptune had felt the emotion behind the song, the raw pain and loneliness that made her heart ache like it had been overused. She may be a comic relief character, but she wasn't stupid. All that talk about him seeing past her Mask, and yet Neptune also managed to briefly see past Nico's own. The boy sung that song with such passion and sadness that she couldn't help but feel like it was connected to him on a level nobody knew. He felt lonely, and yet he didn't want anyone to 'see' him for what he really was for some reason, a reason powerful enough to warrant extreme caution when someone tried to get close to him.

She'd lost count of the nights when she would listen to Unravel before heading to bed, in secret of course, till she could recite the song off by heart.

Remembering he had asked her a question, the CPU of Planeptune recovered her previous demeanour and looked down at him. "Well, iffy and Compa went out to get some groceries for our stay about 10 minutes ago. They should be back in another 30." She mused, looking away from him while placing an index finger on her chin thoughtfully. She then placed her arms beside his head to support herself while untangling their legs, placing hers on either side of his waist. "As for why I'm naked… well, don't hubby and wifey do this thing usually? Sleep together in the nude?"

"O-Okay, first, we aren't married, N-Neptune! So, we shouldn't be seeing each other like this." Nico stuttered, but it was clearer this time. With the fact that they were in conversation, he managed to get some composure back. "Second, what happened to my clothes? I would have thought you girls would at least let me remain clothed until I woke up."

At the mention of his clothes, Purple Heart looked to the side, a tinge of pink on hr cheeks as she recalled what happened. "You were naked when you stopped… whatever it was that you were doing. We had nothing to do with it. We carried you back like this, laid you in bed, and tended to your injuries." She explained.

Dread and fear rose within him as his face lost all colour. Did Neptune just say they brought him back NAKED? His face, which had lessened its redness, returned to its previous state in full force as a picture of his naked self being carried by a bunch of girls came to mind. Yet, before he could speak, Purple Heart stopped him, having seen his face. "Don't worry, Iffy gave you a spare Trench Coat for modesty's sake." She informed him, getting a sigh of relief from the male. "Only myself and possibly Compa get to see those goods."

'Goddamnit, this woman…' Nico thought in a mix of embarrassment and irritation. That damn smirk of hers was so not helping matters either. It was like she knew what she was doing to him, and took full pleasure in it. Knowing Neptune's personality in HDD form, she likely did, too. The teen cursed his lack of social skills for revealing how weak-willed he was whenever he was flirted with by the ladies. Usually, they went for the more popular Spec Ops Agents, so he slipped under the limelight to continue his duties. Now that he had a bunch of girls flirting with him, his submissive side was exposed, much to his chagrin.

"Speaking of what happened…" Purple Heart spoke once more, breaking Nico from his thoughts. His eyes widened when he saw her stare down at him with what looked like sadness and concern in them. His nose twitched as he smelt water gathering behind her eyelids. "We were worries sick about you, Nicky. You totally flipped out back at that Dungeon. What happened?" she asked him, worry shining through those blue orbs of hers.

Oh, how he HATED seeing sadness in those eyes. It was the same with any of the girls he had given a damn about. It just didn't suit them, and it made him feel even worse knowing that he had indirectly caused them to feel that way. For a moment, Nico warred within himself on whether to wait for the others, or to just tell her now then repeat it later. In the end though, he went with the latter option.

Repeating himself was a minor annoyance compared to what he did.

Thus, Nico began to explain, abridging the story when it concerned IT and Biko. "I guess you could all it Berserker Mode…. I activated it on Impulse when I transformed, after IF managed to get you all out of harm's way. It converts my demonic energy into physical power, the amount depending on how much I put into the Mode. In my desperate state, I used all of it." he winded at the slight sternness entering her eyes at that, but continued. "Unfortunately, it seems that it also adds incredible bloodlust and animalistic savagery to the mind as well, and because of my weakened, exhausted state I was unable to maintain my mind and became a mindless beast. Fortunately, I couldn't use any Skills in that form, but…"

A shudder went through them both as they imagined what it would have been like if Nico had used his demonic Skills in Berserker Mode. With his rampaging mindset and his bloodlust, the entire Dungeon would have been blown to pieces, as well as the surrounding areas, they figured. After a short, awkward silence, Nico released a breath, mildly wincing at a sharp pain exploding in his chest but continued, especially when he caught worry returning to the forefront of the woman's eyes. "Sadly, because of that mode, my body was severely damaged, in that I can't transform, use much demonic energy otherwise risk hurting myself even more, as well as being unable to use any of my demon Skills. I'm practically just a Spec Ops now."

After he finished his explanation, Nico looked back into Purple Heart's eyes, waiting for her reaction. For a moment, she was silent, and he couldn't see her eyes thanks to her bangs covering them, until he yelped when she bonked him on the head. "You are an idiot, you know that? Using a power like that without regards to the consequences…. You worried us sick, you know that?!" she scolded him, looking up and showing her teary eyes.

The teenage Spec Ops Agent grimaced, feeling how much those words hit home. He had felt this way when Biko told him of his reckless actions, but unlike back there in the Inner World, hearing them from Purple Heart only made them sting worse. "I know, I know, I messed up, and this is the price I must pay for it." he replied, groaning in discomfort as aches ravaged his body Biko mustn't be numbing the pain yet he figured, something that he didn't blame the personification for. He deserved it, and he wasn't moving for a while with the Goddess on top of him like she was.

It only took him a few seconds before an idea popped into his mind, an idea he took too immediately since he didn't wasn't to see those tears in her eyes any longer. He raised his hands on her shoulders, speaking in a low tone that was filled to the brim with sincerity, as much as he could express. "I'm sorry, Neptune, I am, really. Sorry for making you and the others worry like that. Please, don't cry. You know I hate seeing you cry. I'm still here, you know, so turn that frown upside down." The gentleness and sincerity reached her heart, filling it with warmth as Purple Heart placed both hands on both sides of his head.

She looked down at him intently, staring deep into his eyes. While in other situations he would have shuffled in discomfort, all he could think of was how beautiful her eyes were. The power button symbols made them unique, and he found that he liked that about them. "If you mean that, then you must make it up to me." She told him, seriousness saturating her tone and dripping from her gaze like acid.

Nevertheless, Nico nodded with an equal gaze to her own. "Anything, Neptune. Let me know what I can do to make this right, to make it up to you."

"Kiss me."

"Wha? I-UMPH!"

Purple Heart wasted no time, leaning down and pressing her lips onto his own. Nico's eyes widened as his mind got blown away by the passion and intensity in the kiss. It seemed she got a lot more aggressive in her HDD form, he realised. Neptune was always aggressive in make-outs, he knew this from when she first kissed him. However, her HDD form took it to a whole new level.

'What the fuck are you doing, you idiot?!' Nico's mind shrieked at him, almost like a banshee and nearly making the male cringe despite the situation at hand. All he could do was lay there, frozen in absolute shock and vulnerability at what was happening. Neptune was kissing him... Neptune was freaking KISSING him?! What the fuck was going on here?! 'Shove her off! Get away from her before you do something you regret! Remember what you are! Remember what you have to be, we can't do this! We Can't, we can't, we can't!'

The male would have done that, he so would have considering the fear and self-loathing that rose though him at this moment, but...

A heat spread from where their lips met to the rest of his body, inflaming it like a furnace. Nico would have struggled against this with all his might... had the sensation not been significantly pleasurable to him. He didn't know why, but for some reason this heat inside of him was... comforting, welcoming even. It was like something that had been waiting to happen for a long time and was only now getting its chance.

Like a crush long overdue a confession in an anime.

Gradually, the voices in his mind screaming at him to stop this began to get more and more distant. Until he couldn't hear them anymore as they were replaced y the sounds of his and Neptune's heartbeats pounding away like machine gun fire. Gradually, something began to change in him, it was small at first, but it soon began to grow and grow, threatening to swallow him whole. Instincts rose within him, instincts he had always repressed with thoughts of combat and training his Skills to make them better for his duties as a Spec Ops. Instincts he had detested whenever he saw how men abused their wives and loved ones just because they could. Instincts that he denied thanks to all the crap he'd seen during his lifetime, instincts that he thought were worthless, just like how he thought of himself. Instincts that had been slowly cropping up throughout his journey with these wonderful girls these Angels, these lights to his darkness.

For the first time in forever, Nico let them loose.

His eyes slowly, but surely, closed as he tried to respond to the Goddess's passion with his own. He was clumsy at first, not knowing what the heck he was doing. It comes with the territory of having his first intense make-out session like this, he completely had no clue what he was doing. Something like this, no matter how much he denied it, was something that Nico had only dreamed of happening. Getting kissed by a beautiful woman, a woman who was actually interested in him, had always been a fantasy that Nico had never thought would become reality. He absolutely loathed himself to the point where he felt he didn't deserve anything like that. Whenever he met a girl who would show even the tiniest bit of interest in him, he would quickly think 'Oh shit, that's not good!' and then shoot it down while thinking 'She deserves better, dude, she deserves better than this piece of shit.'

However, he put his heart and soul into the kiss, placing a hand on the side of her head and the other on her hip. Nico could tell that Purple Heart was NOT disappointed with his response as she literally dominated the kiss, acting like she had centuries worth of experience in the matter. He wasn't sure what to feel at that possibility, but pushed it to the back of his mind before focusing on the bombshell of a woman above him.

Urges assaulted her mind, and Purple Heart let them out in this kiss. She raised a hand and placed it on the back of his head as their heated session intensified. The other gripped his shoulder tighter while her head pieces glowed a white light. They then vanished, letting her hair drape down the sides of her head, like a curtain, as well as down her back. It was almost like her hair was trying to hide the intense moment of passion and romance its wearer and the one who had her attention were experiencing together.

Nico almost jumped when he felt Neptune's tongue open his mouth and assault his own. His surprise caught him by surprise, something that Purple Heart capitalised on to get even more aggressive with the kiss. 'How the hell is she doing all this?!' he shrieked in his mind, trying to respond as best he could. Purple Heart however clearly had more skill in this than he did, and thus was the dominant one.

Finally, after 15 minutes, the two broke it off. They had been using their own energies to form oxygen in their lungs, though both were mindful of Nico's low demonic energy reserves. Once they sensed that the limits were being reached, both broke off, a trail of saliva connecting between their mouths.

After breaking away, Neptune raised her upper body with her hands back to their previous positions on the bed beside his head. She looked down at him with a smile, one that made Nico go wide-eyed at the affection he could feel from it. Her eyes twinkled in amusement and feminine glee at the sight of the male's dumbfounded expression. There was just something about blowing a guy away with kissing skills that felt so satisfying. Was this what it felt like to blow your partner away with your emotions? Purple Heart didn't know for sure, but she could damn well say she could get addicted to it. "Well, that expression says much about what you think about what we did, but I wanna hear it from your lips. How was it, kissing a Goddess in HDD?" she asked coyly.

His mind had bluescreened, his mouth opening and closing for a few moments, until he finally rebooted. The male tried to regain his composure, but he couldn't keep the dumbstruck expression off his face at what happened just now. Nevertheless, his body responded for him, his mouth opening and closing without control by his brain. "Amazing… Neptune, where the hell did you learn all that?" he questioned.

"What, you think I would practice on our friends?" Purple Heart asked with a teasing grin, making his face once again go nuclear at the thoughts racing in his mind, despite his best attempts to stop them. She let a slight chuckle escape her lips at his state, snapping him out of his funk and getting his attention. "No worries, I did no such thing. I just applied what I learned from the internet."

If that answer was supposed to calm him down, it failed epically as Nico gaped at her and tried to not have a panic attack. Did she say she learned this stuff from the INTERNET?! Bad things are on the internet! What if she tried to corrupt the adorable, innocent Compa or the tomboy known as IF?! Total disaster! Mayday-Mayday!

Before he could completely lose it, Nico took a few deep breaths, focusing on them so he could keep calm. It wouldn't do to blow up in a place like this, and like it or not, Purple Heart had done it. Who knew she would be the aggressive type, or the controlling kind? Well, he guessed it made sense, since she was a Goddess and people looked up to her for protection and safety. To do that she had to have control over lots of things, so it made sense for her to like control.

"Hahahaha, you are hilarious, you know that?" Purple Heart couldn't help but augh as she watched him try to stop having a meltdown. In her human form she likely wouldn't know why he looked like he was about to freak out, but in her HDD Form that was not the case. "Anyways, it's good that you like it…" she told him, a big grin sweeping across her lips that practically OOZED seduction. It made chills travel down Nico's spine. "Because we're going to be doing this a whole lot more."

Before she could go again, Nico quickly started another topic of conversation, he knew he'd not last under another one of those kisses. "F-First off, can I as you something? I-I may not be able to use demonic abilities for the moment, but I can still sense energies. Yours seems to have some new tricks to it now, could you explain that? If it's not a bother to you."

Momentarily, Purple Heart blinked in surprise, caught off guard by his statement until she hummed thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose…" her eyes clearly told him she wanted to kiss him, to dominate him some more, but she decided to indulge him for the time being. That alone filled him with relief, that woman could do very well as a seductive temptress, especially if she had learned what he thought she did.

Looking down at him once again, Purple Heart began to radiate Share Energy, a dark purple aura manifesting around her. "It took some doing, but I have finally completed my Drive Skill. I call it PLANEPTUNE DRIVE." She explained, smirking smugly as she shifted so she was straddling his waist. She didn't mind the fact that he could see everything, and with the way he tried to restrain his eyes wandering, it was made clear how affected he was by it.

Nevertheless, pride quickly swelled within his light blue orbs, which soon had no problem focusing on her face as he grinned widely at her, giving a thumbs-up to her. "That's great, girl! You rock! Drive Skills are difficult to develop, let alone use in actual combat. Even Spec Ops have difficulty." His eyes then gave a knowing look to her, tilting his head. "I guess its incomplete though."

Purple Heart nodded, crossing her arms under her chest and pouting. "Yes, it is. There is still a long way to go before it is ready for use in actual combat, or at least how often you use your DEMON OVERDRIVE." She explained, grimacing as she turned her head to the side. Memories swamped her mind of the first time she used it against that form the man below her had taken. "That last battle drained me quicker than I'd like, a perfect piece of proof for this."

Yeah, he could get that. The use of DEMON OVERDRIVE for the first time for him was the same back in Lastation. Though, unlike most, he had learned it relatively quicker, having seen it done so many times by his fellow Spec Ops Agents. In a way, he could consider himself a prodigy in combat, learning tricks faster than normal people.

Thing was, he had created his out of demonic energy, while the rest did theirs out of their own. As a payoff for his, though, DEMON OVERDRIVE was stronger than normal Drive Skills. However, the consequence was that it drained energy faster. Good thing his demonic energy reserves were so large, otherwise he wouldn't ever be able to sustain the Skill for as long as he did.

"Well, keep up the good work, girl." Nico advised, giving her a supportive pat on her shoulder. "You'll get it down pat, I firmly believe that."

The CPU smiled down at him, her eyes shining in appreciation for his support. "That was a given, Nicky. I am after all, the main character of this franchise. The second word has my name in it, you know." She said, tilting her head with a loop-sided smirk, making Nico laugh a bit at her meta jokes. They weren't as common in her HDD form as they were in her Human form, but he had gotten used to them at this point.

'Heh, conversing with her HDD self, is...' The teen began to think as he looked up at the Goddess above him. 'Way different than when she's in human form.'

If he thought his troubles were over though, that opinion was soon dashed out of existence when Purple Heart once again palmed the bed with her hands beside his head, her grin regaining its seductive tint. "Now then, shall we resume where we left off? You said you'd do anything to make it up to me, so we'll be kissing till I'm satisfied. Don't you worry though, we can go further in the hopefully not too distant future… hubby." She spoke barely above a whisper, her hair falling back down around their heads like a curtain.

Nico began to stammer and stutter incoherently, but try as he might he couldn't move. The reason: Purple Heart had pinned his hands to the bed beside his head with her own, entangling them together. He doubted that he even could resist, given how numb his mental defences were. "There, now you can't escape, Nicky…" she said in a sing song manner, before proceeding to lean downwards again.

'OhgodsohGodsOhgodsohGodsOhgodsohGodsOhgodsohGods…!' Nico thought, panic settling back into his chest as Purple Heart's lips neared his own. He had barely held out on the first kiss, a second one will do him in!

Their lips were only millimetres apart at this point, and Nico's irises were shaking rapidly, yet he didn't pull away or reject what was about to happen next. After all, like it was stated before his mental defences had been shot when Purple Heart had strong armed him like she did.

Just before they could touch however, the door was flung open, and a voice that stopped the two in their tracks spoke up in a merry tone.

"Nep-Nep, Iffy and I got the groceries! Where would... EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?! NEP-NEP, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO NI-NI?!"

Compa, who had come in with a bunch of bags filled with groceries, dropped them when she caught sight of Neptune literally about to initiate her second (not that she knew that) make-out session with Nico. Her face froze in shock, mouth hanging open, while IF could only sigh into her hand, which had planted itself on her eyes. Nobody but Nico could hear the faint 'called it' she muttered under her tone.

As Compa raced towards them, intending on scolding Neptune for her conduct, Nico could only think to himself. 'What the fuck happened?'