Me: "Hello my peeps! I felt really good about getting three chapters updated and it really got me going. Thankfully I didn't submit this chapter along with the other three."
Heero, Neptune, Compa and IF: (Enter IC) "What? Why didn't you put it in? Was it not done or somethin'?"
Me: "Unfortunately… yes. This chapter wasn't finished, and I almost submitted it for the sake of having four updates in one day. Our readers wouldn't have appreciated a half-assed update."
Zero: (Enters IC from Lounge) "Well with the end of the semester coming up, you will have more time to work on the story."
Me: "Yes I will! No school work means more time for writing."
Black Heart: (Enters IC from Break Room) "So we can expect you to update the story soon, right?"
White Heart: (Enters IC from Left Entrance) "…Hopefully the Author will return to his regular pace of updating the story."
Green Heart: (Enters IC from Right Entrance) "It would be nice, that way all of our readers can see Leanbox in its entire splendor."
White Heart: "…Who gives a shit about your landmass? Lowee is much better."
Green Heart: "Must you use such language in front of the readers? Your behavior is not fitting for a goddess."
Me: "And… cut! Let's try NOT to kill each other, okay?"
Gust and Nisa: (Enter IC from Break Room) "Gust must have time to sell tickets first."
Black Heart: "If you're going to be making money off of their fight, then I want a cut of whatever you make."
Nisa: "Hey, I was gonna say that!"
Compa: "Umm… shouldn't we focus on reading the disclaimer instead of making bets?"
Me: (Looks down at watch) "In a minute. She should be here any moment."
Neptune: "Huh? Who's gonna be here?"
5pb: (Enters IC through a hidden entrance in the center of IC) "Hello to all of our readers out there!"
Me: "A regular ray of sunshine as always, 5pb. Now, one more..."
Red: (Enters IC from an open window) "I was wondering when I would be put into the story."
Me: "Well, I bought the DLC, it would be a waste not to put you into the story." (Suddenly clenches fist and trembles) "One more… just one more, and we'll have our entire cast here to read the disclaimer!"
Neptune: "Really? That's coolios! Then you'd better get your stomp on so we can have everybody here!"
Me: "Right!" (Points to the cast) "トップの人から、大丈夫!" (Alright, from the top people! Pronounced: Toppu no hito kara, daijōbu!)"
Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, Gust, Nisa, 5pb, Red Black Heart, White Heart and Green Heart: "HeeroUzuki does not own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Super Robot Wars, or any work pertaining to any of the franchises. However, he does own the idea of crossing over Gundam Wing and Hyperdimension Neptunia."
Me: "Yes I do! Now, off to work on another chapter!"
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, Gust, Nisa, 5pb, Red Black Heart, White Heart and Green Heart: (Leave IC)
Ch. 15 Chance Encounters and the Plan to kill Neptune
It was 5:25 in the morning on Leanbox, and the party was still asleep. They had decided to wait until today to go to the Basilicom once again and ask for an actual map that showed the locations of dungeons around Leanbox.
The party had to share two beds, and IF had been forced to share her bed with Neptune. IF rolled onto her side, her soft snoring the only indication that she was still asleep, "Zzz… Hrmmm…"
Just when the brunette had found a comfortable sleeping position, she was forcefully awoken by something on her stomach, "Gah! Wh-What's this cold thing on my stomach…?" When IF looked down she saw a foot. "A… foot?"
IF slipped out of bed and examined the limb that had rudely woke her from her sleep, and then looked at who the foot belonged to. The brunette was restraining the urge to strangle the individual that kicked her, "…Nep."
IF looked at the digital clock located on the bed stand, the irritation she was feeling towards Neptune still on her face, "That's a depressing wake-up call. It's only five-thirty in the morning. The sun's just starting to rise." The brunette let out a tired sigh. "I don't really feel like going back to sleep, but it's too early to get up. Ugggh. So sleepy."
As she was debating on what she should do, IF heard someone's voice through the open window of the room, "…Huh? Was that someone's voice? Who else is hardcore enough to be up this early?"
The Guild member looked around the room and noticed that one member of the party was missing, "…Well, Heero WOULD be up at this time in the morning, but I doubt that was his voice."
IF grabbed her jacket off of the coat rack next to the door and quietly crept out of the room so as not to wake up Neptune or Compa.
Xxx
IF walked through a slightly dense forest located near the party's safe house. She stepped carefully through the grass to avoid tripping over any fallen branches while following the sound of whoever's voice she was hearing. As the brunette rounded a tall tree she caught sight of Heero, who was leaning on another tree with his eyes closed, "Is that Heero? What's he doing out here?"
IF made her way towards the party's male member. IF was only a few feet away when she stepped on a twig, the sound of which caused Heero's eyes to snap open and catch sight of IF, who was frozen in place, "…H-Hi, Heero."
"Should you not be asleep at this time?"
IF saw no point in trying to sneak around since Heero had saw her, "Neptune kicked me out of bed in her sleep. What about you? Did you get enough sleep?"
Heero nodded his head in response, "I only require three to four hours of sleep for the daily activities we conduct. This way, I will have plenty of time to gather information, procure supplies, check inventory, and take care of other matters pertaining to our mission. And to answer your first question; I left the safe house to see whether or not she came here with hostile intention."
The brunette in front of Heero tilted her head to one side as she tried to decipher who the Gundam pilot referred to as 'she', "Who's 'she'?"
Heero gestured past the tree the two were behind with his hand. When IF poked her head out from behind the tree she couldn't help but be surprised as to whom she saw, "Isn't this… the artist known as 5pb? The unsigned singer/songwriter who travels the world, known only as 5pb…"
The girl known as 5pb appeared to be around IF's age. She had long cerulean hair that came down to her lower back, crimson colored eyes that were full of joy as she was singing, and she wore a set of black headphones on her head that had pink rings around the ear pieces, silver antennas and a microphone attached to the left ear. Her nails were painted black and she had a musical note with a heart on the left side of her stomach. Her outfit was rather showy, to say the least; it consisted of black bikini top with thin silver vertical stripes, black ruffled lining, and there were silver dots that traveled the length of the straps of her top. 5pb wore a ruffled skirt that matched her top with white straps and consisted of two smaller frilled layers; one black, the other pink, wrapped around her waist was a black belt with a pink buckle and tied on the back was a pink ribbon. She wore black boots with white and black striped socks underneath with a pink design on the front of her boots. One of her socks almost cover her entire leg, though there were some tears in the material that Heero assumed had been caused intentionally, and the other sock was shorter, attached to her skirt with what seemed to be a garter belt.
5pb seemed to enjoy having accessories, as she had two black shoulder bands with pink frills and silver musical notes sewn around the center, a pink and black bracelet on each of her wrists, a black frilled choker with studs fit snuggly around her neck and a small heart was attached to the choker.
Heero nodded his head in response to the brunette's question, "I checked my database to make sure that she is indeed 5pb. Her choice of clothing, the tattoo on the left side of her torso, height, the accessories she chooses to wear… She can be no one else."
IF had her attention fixed solely on the blue haired songstress, "I hear she's a radio MC now, too. She's one of the most popular underground artists on Gamindustri…" The Guild member had a small smile on her face that made her look… cute. "…Meh. She's near my age and works solo. She reminds me of myself, so I'm secretly a fan of hers."
The brunette looked slightly perplexed as to what 5pb was doing in here so early in the morning, "But, what's she doing so early? Secret vocal training? Her voice is so awesome. I can't hear her clear enough from here…" IF got down on her stomach, like she was about to crawl. "…I should get closer."
Heero would have stopped IF, however he wanted to see how close she could get to 5pb without being spotted by the songstress, "This could be a good opportunity to gauge her stealth capabilities."
IF crawled through the tall grass towards the cerulean haired singer so she could hear her better, "A little more…" Deciding that she wasn't close enough, IF crawled closer to 5pb. "…Little more…"
Heero found it was becoming increasingly painful to watch IF as she crawled through the tall grass towards 5pb like some creeper. It wasn't the reason that she was doing it, rather the way she was going about doing it. Aside from getting down on her stomach, IF had done nothing to hide her presence, "(…There are a number of things IF could do to decrease her chances of being detected… even something as simple as removing her jacket would increase her chances of success.)" Heero turned his head to look away. "Three… two… one."
The moment Heero had finished his three second countdown, 5pb had stopped singing. IF had stopped moving the moment she could no longer hear 5pb's voice, prompting her to look up. The cerulean haired singer was looking right at IF, who had frozen in place the moment she looked up; she knew she had been caught.
There was complete silence between the two girls. Heero thought that he could see wavelengths in 5pb's eyes, which already looked full of nervousness and fear. 5pb suddenly screamed at the top of her lungs, "Ah! Aghhh!"
IF was quite surprised with the singer's reaction… which was to scream at the top of her lungs without any warning, "Huh? H-Hey! What's the matter?!"
5pb looked like she was scared out of her mind as she looked at IF, and she continued to scream despite the fact that IF had not done anything, "Ahhhh! Ahhhhhhhh!" By this point, 5pb looked delirious and IF wasn't sure what to make of her situation. "Kyaaaaaaaah!"
5pb turned on her heels and ran as fast as her legs would allow her. IF tried to stop her, but the cerulean haired girl had already put considerable distance between them, "Wh-Whoa! Don't run away for no reason!" 5pb was soon out of sight, and IF had a disheartened look on her face. "Too late. She didn't have to run like that. Am I really scary-looking in the morning or something?"
"Rest assured, it has nothing to do with the way you look." IF was momentarily startled until she remembered that Heero had been here before her. She turned to face the Gundam pilot as he closed the short distance between himself and the brunette. "Such an outcome was to be expected. She came her alone, which suggests that Miss 5pb had not intended to meet with anyone. This becomes even more apparent when you consider what time it is."
IF let out a tired sigh, "Still, did she have to run away like that?" The Guild member covered her mouth as she let out an audible yawn. "…I guess I'm still a little tired."
IF began to walk back in the direction of the party's safe house when she suddenly stumbled into Heero. The brunette's face turned a bright shade of red as she was leaning on the Gundam pilot, "I-I'm sorry about that, Heero. I guess I'm a little more tired than I thought I was."
Heero looked down at IF, "Will you be able to make it back on your own?"
"I don't know… maybe. Still, I should probabl-" IF experienced a sense of weightlessness, and then soon found herself looking right at Heero's face, "H-Heero?! Wh-What are you d-doing?"
"If you are uncertain as to whether or not you can return to the safe house on your own, then it would be best to carry you back myself. We should return as soon as possible, Neptune and Compa may wake up before we get back."
Heero proceeded to carry IF back to the safe house, while IF contemplated how she ended up in such a rare moment with the Perfect Soldier.
Xxx
When Heero and IF had returned, Neptune and Compa were both up and had given them both a lot of lip service and questions as to what they had been doing. After the matter had dropped the party went back to the city that the Basilicom was located, hoping to acquire a map that would tell them the exact locations of the dungeons around Leanbox.
Neptune had transformed before the group had left their safe house, as the party had thought that if Neptune and Heero looked tough then the employees at the Basilicom would not turn them away. The swordstress thoroughly scanned her surroundings, "…Everything here is so… old-fashioned. Archaic. This is Leanbox?"
Compa nodded her head as she addressed Neptune, "Yes, that's right. This planet is Leanbox, protected by the CPU Green Heart." IF picked where the nurse in training left off, "This land is fairly wealthy now, but it was at a big disadvantage a while back. Almost got destroyed."
Neptune looked around at the trees and other vegetation that was around the town, "It's rich with nature and the air's so clean. I bet it's nice to live on." Neptune returned her attention to the party to find Compa and IF giving her questioning looks. "What is it, you two?"
"…Nep, actually, can you get out of that form? You stand out way too much."
The party was receiving awkward and questionable stares from the people around them, most of which were directed at Neptune. The purple haired teen let out a somewhat disappointed sigh; she had used the energy to maintain her transformation, and the party was not even going to use it like they had originally planned? "Fine. Let me just-"
Neptune stopped when she noticed that Heero was looking off into the distance. It wasn't that Heero was looking at anything, rather, it was the look in his eyes that had gotten her attention. Heero's eyes were a mixture of anger and sadness as he looked out at the peaceful town he was standing in, "(…How many battles have I fought that took place in a peaceful town like this? And how many of them were still standing in the aftermath?)"
As a Gundam pilot, Heero had fought numerous battles during his mission to attain peace between Earth and the colonies. Battles that took place in areas such as this were usually left in smoldering ruin in the end with barely anything standing… and those were the lucky ones. Heero had been so deep in his thoughts that he did not notice Neptune, Compa and IF until they were right in front of him, calling his name, "…o… eero..? Heero?"
Heero snapped out of his reverie of thought and looked at the trio, who had concerned looks on their faces, "Are you feeling alright Heero? We've been calling you for a few minutes now."
Heero cast his eyes to the ground as he gathered his thoughts,"…I apologize for causing concern among you three. I am quite alright. Even if I wasn't, I would not allow myself to become a burden on our mission."
Neptune continued to watch the Perfect Soldier, "Are you sure? For a moment you looked… sad." Heero froze in place; was this girl that he had been charged with protecting so observant that she had been able to see what he was feeling? Or had his walls come down that much during his time in Gamindustri, "(…No, I cannot allow myself to show any kind of emotions on this mission. It could jeopardize the outcome.) It would be best for us to focus more on our current objective, which is to go to the Basilicom and inquire about a map that we can use in our search for the Key Fragment."
Neptune, Compa and IF weren't at all convinced that Heero was all right, he was just putting up a tough front so that they would think that he was. Neptune reverted to her normal form and the trio followed after Heero to the Basilicom.
Xxx
Like any of the party's other trips to a Basilicom, Neptune barreled right through the doorway with Heero, Compa and IF following right after her, "Mr. Archbishop guy! Your dungeon info didn't really help us! Can't you tell us where to find, like, rare item drops and boss monsters?"
Yvoire, the Archbishop of Leanbox, was already standing in the main room of the Basilicom when the party had arrived. He turned his attention to the party the moment Neptune had asked about monsters, "…Did you go to the dungeons? I thought I warned you to stay away. It's dangerous."
Compa gave an apologetic bow to the Archbishop, "W-We're sorry. We really need to find a strong monster in order to find a Key Fragment, though…"
Neptune chimed in after Compa, "Additionally, you're the one who misunderstood. We never said we were tourists. I'm not wearing a fanny pack!"
"…Regardless, I find it hard to believe you fair-skinned little girls returned safely from the dungeons."
Neptune glomped Heero while addressing Yvoire, "Pffft. Please, there isn't a dungeon we can't conquer when I have my Destined Lover here to help us." Heero narrowed his eyes at the preteen that was hugging him, "…We are not lovers."
"I suppose I shouldn't judge you from your appearance. At least, not in games, The Evangelist was right about this…"
Compa tilted her head at the mentioning of Lowee's Evangelist, "What did she say?"
"She said you four are travelers who fight monsters on the different landmasses. I thought you were so foolish, but now… I suppose there are other monster habitats I can tell you about." Yvoire reached into his garbs and pulled out what appeared to be a map. "This time, I'll give you a military map. We may ask for your assistance formally sometime soon."
Compa gingerly took the map from the Archbishop, and the party promptly left the Basilicom to go over their plan of how they would search for the Key Fragment.
When the party was gone, the Evangelist from Lowee Conversation, stepped out from behind one of the pillars supporting the religious structure and received Yvoire's undivided attention. Both the Archbishop and Evangelist began to exchange words and Yvoire was silent for a brief moment when they came to a certain topic brought up by the Evangelist, "The… Console War? I know the CPUs have clashed before, but I had no idea a war was brewing in Celestia."
"Yes. Humans cannot reach Celestia. We, the powerless masses, can only pray for each CPU's victory from here. Celestia was razed severely by Overlord Momus and the goddesses are coming to the human world to escape him."
The tone of Yvoire's voice suggested that he had heard of this 'Overlord' from the Evangelist more than once, "This Overlord again? However, having the CPUs all descend to their respective landmasses at once is unprecedented… I'm concerned that a goddess has failed to descend to Planeptune's Basilicom thus far. If what you say is true, what am I to do?"
Conversation turned her back to Yvoire to hide a cruel, evil smirk, "It's simple. Just kill the stupid one, Neptune… Then the protection for Planeptune will cease and the inhabitants will migrate to other lands and convert. With more followers, your protection will grow stronger. It's for the benefit of both Leanbox and Lowee."
Yvoire was in silent contemplation, questioning how killing one little girl could possibly increase the protection that Leanbox received from Green Heart. Conversation could see that the Archbishop was conflicted, but knew that his loyalty and faith towards Lady Green Heart would cause him to see things the right way… Her way, and decided that he needed a little more prodding, "This is our only chance as humans to control the war between the goddesses!"
Xxx
Despite having acquired the map to the dungeons around Leanbox, the party decided to hold off on their search for the day. This was because Heero had factored in the time it took them to get to the Basilicom, the time it took for them to get the map, the distance between the town and the dungeons, and how long it normally took for them to search a dungeon at a given time, and that was not even factoring the stops they would have to make between their searches to replenish their supplies after each dungeon.
The party had turned in early, like the previous day, and Heero continued to work into the night. Heero went about his usual routine of looking for information that the party might be able to use in their search for the Key Fragment, but found nothing other than what they already knew. The Gundam pilot took a short nap at 2:00 and woke up at 5:25 to resume his work.
Three minutes after he woke from his short rest, Heero heard a vibrating noise coming from his bed. He looked over to see a tired IF lifting herself out of bed and shutting off her cell phone's alarm clock, "…Should you not be resting?"
IF looked up to see Heero in front of his laptop, though he was now focused on her instead of his screen, "Well, I thought I might be able to see 5pb again if I got up early enough. It's tiring, but I really want to see her again."
Heero watched the brunette for a moment before going back to his laptop. He could hear IF's footsteps as she made her way towards the door, but the sound stopped right behind him, "Umm… Heero?"
The Perfect Soldier looked over his shoulder at IF. Her jacket was hanging on the coat rack near the door, so he could see her tanktop, which came up just above her chest. IF was playing with a few strands of her hair as she looked at Heero, "I was wondering if… you could come with me. I know you have other things you could be doing, but I think it might be easier to talk to 5pb if you were there."
Heero gazed at IF for a moment and saw the hopeful look in her eyes. The Gundam pilot returned his attention to his laptop, and after a few seconds IF thought that Heero didn't want to be bothered by such a trivial matter. With a brief sigh, IF made her way to the bedroom door.
Just as she reached for the doorknob, IF felt something slightly weighty being placed on her shoulders. The brunette saw her jacket sleeves fall to her sides and noticed that Heero was standing behind her, "It would be in our best interest to complete this task as quickly as possible so as to avoid the same misunderstandings of yesterday morning."
IF was beside herself; Heero was willing to help her, despite the fact that he stood to gain nothing? IF turned her head to look at the door so Heero would not be able to see the blush creeping onto her face, "Y-Yeah… you're right. (Looks like I owe Heero big time.)"
Heero quietly opened the door as IF slipped her arms into the sleeves of her jacket and the two departed from the safe house in search of 5pb.
Xxx
Heero and IF returned to the area they had encountered 5pb the previous morning, deciding to begin their search for the songstress there. IF silently scanned the area that she and Heero were in, "It was around here. I don't remember the exact location…"
IF pushed aside a few branches from a bush in front of her and caught sight of the individual she had been looking for, "There she is!" 5pb was in a small clearing near IF and Heero. She was doing the same thing she had done the previous morning, which was singing. The songstress was smiling as she worked. "Seems like she's practicing diligently. It must be hard to find a place to practice in peace and quiet when you're so popular.
Heero found a spot on a nearby tree and made himself comfortable, "As I only came here to support you in your endeavor, I will remain here. It will most likely be difficult for you to communicate with her if she is faced with more than one person."
IF looked back at Heero with a small smile on her face, "Okay… wish me luck."
"I do not believe you will need any luck. Just remain focused, and you should achieve the desired result."
IF nodded her head as she returned her attention to 5pb, "I'll try to keep her calm this time. I just have to remain casual." IF approached the singer as she continued with her practice. The moment 5pb caught sight of IF, she froze; the nervousness in her eyes was plain to see… as were the wavelengths that seemed to come along with her fear.
The brunette knew that unless she kept the conversation casual, the cerulean haired singer would scream, turn around, and run… just like the previous day, "Hello. You're the artist, 5pb, right? Nice to meet you."
A few painfully silent seconds passed… then, much to IF's disbelief, 5pb responded by screaming, "Agh! Aghhhhhhhh!"
With the way the situation was now, IF knew it was only a matter of time before the singer would turn and flee, "Stop, stop, stop! Don't flip out. I don't want our readers to get complaints from their neighbors about screaming girls…"
After a moment 5pb stopped screaming at the top of her lungs, though she looked somewhat delirious. The teenaged singer was panting as she attempted to catch her breath, "Hahhh… Haahhh…"
IF had to steer the conversation back so as to make 5pb more comfortable, even if only slightly. She tilted her head to the side as she addressed the idol, "Calm down, okay? I'm sure that was, uh, good vocal training or something."
5pb seemed to have calmed down, however she still looked very nervous. The singer was silent as she averted her gaze from the brunette, while IF gave her a questioning look. The Guild member folded her arms as she looked over 5pb, "You act pretty different from your radio personality. Why're you so tense?"
5pb refused to look at IF, "…Go away."
While it was the first time the singer actually said something, they didn't exactly reassure IF that she could strike up a conversation with her. IF gave a nervous smile as she tried to continue their exchange of words, "I'm not suspicious or anything. I mean, I know it's not convincing when I say it myself, but…"
The cerulean haired singer in front of IF looked at her, she was still very nervous and looked as if she could turn and run at the drop of a hat, "I don't… I don't believe… you…"
Yeah, it's a strange time of day, but you're being unnecessarily cautious."
5pb's face began to look pale as a wave of anxiety and fear ran over her, as was clear by the appearance of the wavelengths in her eyes. The singer took a step back from IF, "Please, just… stay back.
IF knew she had to think of something quick, or else this conversation was going to end very quickly, "I wasn't trying to scare you. I apologize for all that. You are 5pb, right?"
The singer silently looked at IF. Her face wasn't pale anymore, but she still did not think she could trust the brunette. As the teenaged idol was not going to say anything, IF continued, "I know of you. You travel around and put on live shows and performances, right?"
5pb looked away from IF, not feeling comfortable with the brunette talking about her, "I…"
The Guild member decided to start off with something simple to talk about, "I heard your voice here a while ago, so I thought we could maybe try and get to know each other. I travel a lot, just like you. It's nothing glamorous like music, but I journey with friends and fight monsters!" IF looked away for a moment as her cheeks began to burn. "One of them is a very dependable guy… who's also pretty good looking."
5pb just looked at IF who began to wave a hand at the singer in a dismissive manner, "I-It's nothing. Forget I said that. (It seems unlikely, but the last thing I want is more competition.)"
"Umm…"
IF smiled at the cerulean haired girl, hoping that she would be a little more open with her, "You want to tell me any of your journeys?"
"Um, well… Ahh…" After a moment of silence between the two girls, 5pb suddenly had a delirious look on her face. "M-My name's Lyrica! Y-You must have the wrong person!"
Lyrica, as the girl was now known, turned around and ran from IF who tried in vain to get her to stop, "Hey, wai-!" Lyrica had been running so fast that she was already out of sight. "Damn. She's gone again."
IF was silent for a moment, her mind processing what the girl had said before she left, "So that wasn't her? Oops. I feel dumb. She looked and sounded a lot like 5pb… Lyrica, huh?"
"The result from this attempt was different than what I thought it would be."
IF turned around to see Heero right behind her, the Gundam pilot was looking in the direction that Lyrica had gone. The brunette let out a sigh, "Turns out she isn't 5pb… guess I got my hopes up for nothing."
Heero looked at the slightly disheartened girl, "Your efforts were not a complete waste. You were able to determine that she was not who you though, therefore you do not need to waste any more time with her."
"I know… it's just that it would have been great if she really had been 5pb. Whatever, let's just get back to the safe house before Nep and Compa wake up. I'd rather not have my ears nagged off." As IF turned in the direction of the safe house her foot got caught on a root that was sticking out of the ground, causing her to fall forward into Heero. The Perfect Soldier looked at IF, "You appear to be tired, can you make it back to the safe house under what stamina you have left?"
IF was about to tell Heero that she wasn't tired and had just tripped, when her inner chibi stopped her, "(Hold up there, IF! You were about to tell him that you weren't tired, weren't you?)"
The Guild member had a questioning look on her face, "Uh, yeah. You got a problem with that?" Heero just looked at the girl who was leaning on him, "There is no problem. I was merely asking if you could walk on your own."
IF looked up at Heero with an embarrassed look on her face, "I-I wasn't talking to you Heero! I-I was, uh…"
"(Nice going… next time, try talking in your head.)" Once the Guild Moderatist did as she was told, she spoke in a rather irritated tone of voice, "(Don't get smug with me! This is your fault.)"
IF's inner chibi let out an irritated sigh, "(Regardless of whose fault it is, at least it kept you from making a mistake. Now, IF, we have you here alone with Heero, and he asked if you could walk back on your own. If you were to say 'no', then he would carry you back and you could score some points with him! Unless of course you don't want Heero…)"
IF flinched for a moment before asking the chibi in a tone of voice that suggested that she was suspicious of what she was getting at, "(…What's THAT supposed to mean?)"
The inner chibi's lips curved into a noticeable smirk, she had IF's attention now, "(Well, the stupid one and the ditz have made more progress with winning Heero's hearts than you, even if said progress has only produced miniscule results... If you don't want Heero, then you might as well give up now.)"
Silence dominated the air, IF looked at the ground in utter disbelief. Neptune and Compa had gotten farther than she had in regards to winning Heero's affections, and unless she did something she could very well lose out to the two, "(…Would that really be the right thing to do? I-I don't want Heero to do more than he has to.)"
"(It's either that, or lose out on your chance for love.)" IF stuffed her face into Heero chest to avoid his gaze, "…I-I'm sorry Heero… I must be seeing things… I guess I'm pretty tired."
Heero nodded his head in response before lifting IF into his arms and carrying her back to the party's safe house, with IF remaining silent the entire time "(IF: one, Dumb and Dumber: Zero.)"
Xxx
Fortunately, the difference between the previous morning and this morning was that Heero and IF had managed to make it back to the safe house before Neptune or Compa could wake up, saving them from having their ears talked off by two jealous girls.
The party was about to start their search for the Key Fragment, when the group suddenly received a bounty job from the Basilicom. Deciding it best to take the job, the party made their way to the Basilicom to receive the details of the job. A Basilicom employee was already in the main room when they arrived, "We've been waiting. Here's a detailed map of the area we'd like you to go to and exterminate monsters."
Heero took the map from the employee, while Neptune eyed the map from her place next to the Gundam pilot, "Ooh, groovy. Looks like a straightforward bounty hunter job."
"This will remedy most of our concerns. The others were taken care of after the current Archbishop got appointed."
Neptune gave the Basilicom employee a quizzical look, "Your… current Archbishop? He must be a totally bad dude."
"He is benevolent, but strict. Especially to heathens, heretics, and the Guild. There are those who disagree with him… But, it is understandable if his actions all stem from a strong faith towards Lady Green Heart. Plus, he was one of the leaders who suppressed the overpowering Parliament. I heard he negotiated with the Aristocrats to regain the powers the Parliament recklessly took over."
The purple haired preteen scratched her cheek after having listened to the employee talk about the Archbishop, "So, he's all respected and stuff. Gotcha. He wasn't all chummy, though. Maybe I shouldn't judge people so quickly."
As Heero and Neptune made their way back to IF and Compa, the Gundam pilot had his gaze fixed on Neptune. The party's bubbly leader had noticed the Perfect Soldier looking at her from the corner of her eye, "Why're you looking at me Heero? Have you realized that I'm totally irresistible and decided that you wanna have an M Rated scene with me right here and now? Cuz if you are, I'm totally ready!"
"Nothing of the sort. I was simply marveling at how you were able to say something mature."
Neptune assumed her thinking position, "Whatcha mean by that? Oh, whatever. Hey, after we finish this job, why don't we get something really sweet to eat? I know of this really great pastry shop I saw yesterday, they make the best triple Decker cakes!"
"(…And she starts thinking of food.)" Neptune grabbed onto Heero's arm and pulled him towards the doors of the Basilicom, "C'mon, Destined Lover! Let's go beat up some monsters!"
Heero gave the preteen an irritated look, "We are not lovers."
Xxx
For the party's bounty job, they were to eliminate monsters that had taken up residence in an old castle… that for some strange reason looked as if it had just recently been built. Neptune was bouncing up and down in excitement while Heero, Compa and IF were looking at the map they had been given, "Ooh, I betcha there are a ton of really strong monsters her! We'll totally level in no time!"
Compa looked up from the map and directed her attention at Neptune, "But Nep-Nep, all of us are only 47 experience points away from leveling up."
"Exactly Compa!" IF looked up from the map with an irritated look on her face, "Looks like we're getting our daily dose of her stupidity earlier than usual."
As the girls were having a small exchange of words, Heero caught sight of two monster skipping out from the path on the right ahead of the party. The monsters were known as 'Weeping Grass', and it was appropriately name because the monsters looked like… well, grass that could burst out into tears at any moment, "…We did not even have to go looking for any enemies. They came out for us."
The trio of girls directed their gaze to the monsters in front of the party. There was quite a bit of distance between them, as the party had not even moved from entrance. Neptune had her arms pumped as she looked at the 'Weeping Grass', "Awesome! Let's beat 'em up and level up!"
Neptune grabbed the prototype beam saber in her hoodie pocket while Compa hefted her syringe, "U-Umm… Nice to meet you!"
"Compa, why're you sayin' hi to the bad guys? We're just gonna beat 'em up anyway." After their short exchange, Neptune ran at the first 'Weeping Grass' while Compa aimed her syringe at the second. Neptune held the 'Mech Sword Armas' overhead as she closed in on the plant-like monster, "Hah!"
After the first slash hit its mark, the 'Weeping Grass' was sent tumbling a short distance away, which prompted Neptune to go after it, "Hold still, baddy!" Once she had gotten close enough, the bubbly preteen swung her sword horizontally and left a large cut across the monster's abdomen, followed by one last vertical slash.
Compa fired at the second 'Weeping Grass' as it made its way towards her, "Uh… umm… next one is…" What Compa didn't know was that the only reason the monster was moving was because she kept shooting at it; the monster was already dead. Heero placed a hand on the nurse in training's shoulder, prompting her to stop, "That will suffice, Compa."
Neptune was jumping up and down as the monsters lay on the ground defeated, "Leveling up is awesome! I feel soooo much more powerful." Compa herself had a big smile on her face, "I'm getting stronger and stronger! (This will make it easier for me to show Heero that I'm the most useful.)"
Even though they had stood off to the side and watched, Heero and IF had also received experience points and leveled up as a result. IF looked down at her hands, "Ooh, my level went up! (This will make it easier for Heero to see that I'm the most useful.)"
Heero remained silent even when the words 'Level up' appeared in big bold orange letters over his head. Neptune looked at the level up sign over Heero's head for a moment, "How come Heero gets the really cool looking level up sign?"
IF shrugged her shoulders at the question, "Probably because he's the most important member of the party. (That's a stupid question.)"
"Nuh uh! Heero and Histy said I was the most important cause I'm gonna save the world! Well, it's Heero and me who will save the world, but Heero said that I was the most important member of the party!"
The brunette rolled her eyes, "Well, I don't know! Maybe because he's the strongest member of out party?"
Neptune's cheeks began to puff up and turn red, "Strike two, Iffy! Heero said that I was the strongest! Have you even been listening?"
IF's eye began to twitch from listening to Neptune, "(You're really pissing me off right now.)"
Heero knew that if this discussion dragged out any longer that not only would an argument ensue, but they would waste precious time doing nothing, "...Perhaps it is due to the fact that I am not from this world."
Neptune thought about it for a moment before her lips curved into a big smile, "I betcha that's gotta be it! People from other worlds get some cool stuff!"
"Now that the matter has been settled we should return our focus to the task at hand."
The party advanced into the dungeon and followed the path on the right. There were a few turns to be made along the way, and the only thing that the party could see was the black and white tile on the ground, the red carpet that had been placed in the center of the halls, torches lined the hallways and the walls were a bland white color that would make anyone feel sick if they looked at them long enough.
The party walked passed a large room that was clearly empty, rounded the next corner and stopped just at the corner of another three way intersection. Heero carefully looked past the corner to see their target, the monster, a 'Titan' was a moving gold suit of armor with some cloth worked into the armor and carried a typical sword.
Neptune eyed the monster from behind the corner, "The monster's got no head... weird. So, how're we gonna fight it?"
Heero analyzed both the enemy and the area around it, "The target is alone, though the area it is currently in is small. It would be best to draw it out with a distraction, then encircle the enemy."
Neptune stared at the Perfect Soldier for a moment, "We're gonna draw circles on the boss?"
IF swat Neptune on the back of her head, "Heero said 'encircle', as in we're all going to get around the monster so we can catch it off guard."
Compa looked between the other three members of the party before tilting her head to the side, "Then who is going to get the boss monster over here?"
"I will go, as I do not want any of you to be subjected to needless risk." The trio of girls turned a bright shade of red as Heero made his way towards the boss. Neptune pumped her arms as she watched the Gundam pilot, "Is that a lover for ya or what?"
Compa could feel her heart thumping against her chest, "Heero is so brave... we're really lucky to have him in our party."
IF scratched her cheek as she averted her gaze from the Gundam pilot, "...I don't think he even realizes just how cool he's being right now."
The 'Titan' that the party had been sent to defeat readied its sword the moment Heero drew near. Without a head it was not as if the monster could see the teenaged soldier or anything, unless the monster just had a transparent head. The suit of armor charged at Heero with its sword held overhead.
Heero side stepped out of the way, the attack was very predictable... so predictable that anyone could have dodged it, "This enemy poses little threat, but I will stick with the original battle plan."
The Gundam began to lead the 'Titan' towards the intersection where the girls were waiting. The clumsy suit of armor quickly entered into the intersection in its bid to strike Heero, "We got 'em now!"
Immediately after entering into the opening, the 'Titan' was blind sided by Neptune, who struck the back of the monster with her Mech Sword Armas. The monster turned to face Neptune, only to receive a bullet to its left torso from Compa. As expected, the 'Titan' was about to charge at the nurse in training when it had been struck once again in the back, this time by IF.
It was then that the monster realized that it had been surrounded. Neptune pointed her saber at the suit of armor, "Let's just get him! Goooo!"
The party charged the monster from all four directions, insuring that any attempt at a counterattack would be doomed to failure. The four sets of attacks found their mark along the walking suit of armor, which crumbled to the ground shortly thereafter from the damage that it had accumulated in such a short length of time.
Neptune flailed her arms at the defeated 'Titan', "Boo! That boss battle was so anti-climactic! I betcha our readers totally hate it!"
IF cast a questioning look at the party's leader, "What are you talking about? Whatever, at least we're finished. Let's go and report this to the Basilicom."
With their rather short job completed, the party left the castle to report the completion of their job and get some rest.
Xxx
The party returned to the city immediately after completing their job request, and IF's shoulders began to slump, "We're gonna have to rent a few hotel rooms for tonight. Neptune ended up destroying our only two beds at the safe house in her sleep."
Neptune flailed her arms in the air, "I told you I was sorry about that Iffy! Can't ya let it go?"
Compa step in between the girls in order to keep the peace, "Fighting about it won't fix our beds. Let's just find a hotel for now."
The group found a hotel a few blocks away from their safe house and after renting three rooms, went about getting ready for bed. Because they had spent a great deal of time getting to the location of their bounty job they did not have enough time to go looking in any more dungeons for the day.
Heero had decided to keep working after Neptune, Compa and IF had gone to sleep, which was normal. It was 12:45 A.M. when Heero heard a knock at his door.
Being the cautious soldier that he was, Heero slipped his pistol behind his back and walked over to the door. He put his head up against the door so he would be able to hear whoever was behind it much more easily, "Who's there? Identify yourself."
"It's me! Your Destined Lover, Neptune! Will you let me in?"
Heero mentally sighed before opening the door to his room, "We are not lovers."
Neptune strode into the room and plopped down on Heero's bed, "Sure we are! Back when my amnesiac best buddy left, I was all sad and stuff... but you gave me that really great cake cause you were worried about me."
Heero returned to the desk he was sitting at and continued to work on his computer, "I gave it to you because the leader of the group must be well and in good condition, otherwise the team suffers as a result."
Neptune walked over and stood behind Heero, looking at his laptop screen with a bored expression on her face, "You aren't seriously gonna work all night again, are you?"
Heero was beginning to regret his decision to let Neptune into his room, "It it imperative that we gather as much Intel as we can so that our search for the following day yields a greater chance of success."
Neptune reached over an pushed the power button on Heero's laptop, causing the brightly lit screen to turn dark. Heero narrowed his eyes at the bubbly girl, " I was still working."
The preteen grabbed onto Heero's arm and pulled him towards the bed, "You can work all you want tomorrow after you've caught tons of Z's with me."
After getting Heero to lie down on the single mattress bed, Neptune turned off the light and promptly draped herself on top of Heero. The purple haired girl looked up from Heero's chest, "Y'know, we could totally have an M rated scene right now! Compa and Iffy are asleep, it's night time, the lights are off... we're in bed together..."
"...I respectfully decline."
Neptune let her head fall onto Heero's chest, "I know you'll come around eventually, my Destine Lover."
Two hours into their sleep, Heero woke up and looked at the alarm clock, which read 2:45 A.M. After looking at the clock, the Gundam pilot directed his attention to the preteen on top of him. Neptune had been known to kick in her sleep, or so IF said... yet not once did Heero feel any kicking. If anything, Neptune looked quite content where she was.
For some reason, Heero was captivated by Neptune's cute face. The preteen began to stir, only to crawl up a short distance on the bed until her face was right next to Heero's. Instead of loud noises like Heero was expecting, Neptune was snoring softly.
Despite the fact that Neptune had gotten so close, Heero did not seem bothered by it. He knew he should move in case Neptune decided to try anything, but his body simply would not respond. The purple haired preteen lying on Heero let out a soft moan as her face inched closer to his own until her lips touched the left corner of his bottom lip.
Heero's eyes widened for a moment before he regained his presence of mind and turned his head so the two were not touching, "(...What has gotten into me?!)" The Perfect Soldier glanced at Neptune before looking at the ceiling. "(I cannot allow myself to become too involved with her, otherwise I may be unable to effectively carry out my mission.)"
The Gundam pilot closed his eyes to go to sleep once more, allowing sleep to take him until morning.
Xxx
Heero was looking for any new information that may have come up overnight, while Neptune was hovering over his shoulder looking at the laptop screen. They heard a knock at the door and directed their attention at it once they heard who it was that was speaking, "Excuse me, is this the young Miss Neptune's room? This is Yvoire, Leanbox's Archbishop."
Neptune walked over and stood at the door, "Yeah, yeah, I'm here! Who is it? Delivery? Room service? Mercenary? Oooh, I'm so excited to open the door I peed a little!" Heero shook his head as the preteen was getting excited over nothing, "…He just announced who he was."
When Neptune opened the door, her excitement dropped like a rock. "Oh… it's Mr. Archbishop. Suckitude."
"Well, excuse me. You did hear me announce myself, didn't you? I'm here to deliver a parcel from Lady Green Heart."
The preteen assumed her thinking position, "From Leanbox's CPU, eh? Neato. What is it?"
"An invitation. Considering your last bounty job… And what the Evangelist told us regarding your journey to save the world… Our Lady was touched by your bravery and wishes to show her respect and appreciation. She would like to have a banquet to praise your hard work at her Red Ring Table."
Neptune pumped her arms as her excitement began to skyrocket, "A party?! Oh, yippee-skippee! Party-hardy! We're gonna get to dress up and stuff our faces with yummy food…" Neptune stopped for a moment as her eyes widened. "Waaaait! Does this mean we get to meet the goddess?!"
"Yes, though I cannot guarantee it since she's been fairly occupied by the monster ordeals."
Neptune was bouncing up and down as she clearly could not contain her excitement, "I'll go! I'll go! I'll bring Heero, Iffy and Compa, too!"
Yvoire held out an envelope to the preteen, "I'm glad to hear it. This invitation details the place and time. We'll be waiting."
The Archbishop of Leanbox promptly left the room, and Neptune shifted her attention to Heero, "Didja hear that, Heero? We'll get to meet the goddess!"
"Unfortunately, there is no guarantee that we will. However, if we are by some chance to meet with Lady White Heart, we would be able to inquire about the locations of dungeons around Leanbox, thus increasing our chances of finding the Key Fragment."
Neptune grabbed Heero's arm and began to pull the Gundam pilot towards the door, "Let's go get Compa and Iffy! It'll be great! This'll be our first official date!"
Heero was irritated that Neptune was dragging him when he was more than capable of walking himself, "I do not need you to pull on me." Suddenly, Heero came to a complete stop causing Neptune to look at him, "What's wrong Heero? Did you forget something?"
"I feel that I have forgotten SOMETHING, though I cannot recall what exactly it is. It cannot be of great import if I could forget it so easily."
Xxx
The location written on the invitation took the party to Leanbox's Basilicom. The party went behind the room that the people used to worship the CPU Green Heart, and entered it a large and very extravagant room.
Compa and Neptune looked around in wide eyed fascination, "It's so big! I never knew the Basilicoms had places like this. It's so wonderful!"
Neptune had her attention fixed on the food lying on the table, "What's wonderific is all this food! Look! They seem normal, but they taste unreal! My mouth won't stop watering!"
IF had her cell phone in hand, looking between it and the people in the room, "...Anyway, there are a lot of commoners here. Where's the goddess? You seen her, Nep?"
Neptune looked up from her plate, which she was piling with food, "Nope. I bet she's sprinting down from Celestia to thank us as we speak."
The brunette put her phone into her pocket and rolled her eyes, "How goddess-like. I'm gonna scout around, so stick with Compa. Don't get lost."
Neptune watched as IF disappeared into the crowd of people, "Iffy's a buisnessy stiffy. But I should learn from her. We gotta find the Key Fragment, too!" The preteen looked around and saw Compa, but noticed that the fourth member of the party was missing. "Hey, where's Heero?"
IF was looking from side to side, looking for the goddess in case she was already here. The Guild member stopped when she noticed a certain Archbishop approaching her, "Excuse me, young Miss IF. I'm Yvoire, Leanbox's Archbishop."
IF uncrossed her arms and let them fall to her sides, "Yeah, I know. Well, it's hard to tell sometimes." IF let her eyes roam over the room for a moment before looking back at Yvoire. "Uh, where's the goddess? She here yet?"
"You realize the goddess is usually in Celestia, yes? She has a lot to care for when it comes to the human world. She may not be able to make it here tonight..."
IF was quite irritated to here the Archbishop say that Lady Green Heart might not come, "Huh? So this is just a big waste of our time?" IF felt as if her energy had just been drained from her body. "...Ugh, I suddenly feel exhausted."
"It's wonderful to hear you were anticipating her attendance so much... Even if you are a Guild Moderatist..."
IF folded her arms over her chest as she eyed Yvoire, clearly suspicious of him, "...I'm not ashamed of it, but you ran a background check on me? That's only a teensy bit creepy."
"So, you are who I think you are. I was uncertain since you are accompanied by some unique companions. Why don't we find a place to sit down and become better acquainted...?"
As IF and Yvoire made their way out of the Basilicom, Heero was watching them closely. He had been listening to their conversation from the beginning, and was more than a little suspicious as to why he wanted to converse with IF if he detested members of the Guild so much. Making sure not to look suspicious, Heero followed the two from a safe distance.
Xxx
Once outside, Yvoire was looking out towards Leanbox's city, with IF looking at his back. Heero had also made it out, though he remained undetected and hid to make sure he stayed out of sight.
Yvoire was not paying attention to anything in particular as he spoke to IF, "The Guild... A gathering of heretics who abandoned the other CPUs and chose to worship Lowee ten years ago... This was after our Basilicom's purge. I hear the Guild Extremists fight against the Basilicoms. Lowee's CPU must have it hard."
IF studied the Archbishop carefully for a moment, making sure to choose her words with care, "...It's as I heard. Leanbox's Archbishop discriminates heavily against heretics and Guild members. Just because you live in a certain land doesn't mean you have to worship that land's goddess. People can choose."
The Archbishop turned to face the Guild Moderatist, "How is that natural?! You were born on Leanbox, yet you refuse to acknowledge Lady Green Heart? As an individual who receives our Lady's protection and blessing, I cannot forgive this insolence."
IF had her arms folded as she listened, and let them hand at her sides as the tone of her voice became slightly more hostile, "Is that why you tried to kill them? Masking it under something 'noble' and calling it a purge?! But you failed. They all got away and created the current Guild in Lowee!"
"And now those same Extremists are putting pressure on Lowee's political leaders." Yvoire decided it was time for a change of topic. "Hmm, enough about other lands. For now, I'll turn a blind eye on the Guild's actions and appreciate this chance encounter."
IF already knew that the Archbishop was suspicious, but his choice of words only made him moreso, "What's that supposed to mean? You called me out here knowing full well I'm a Guild member. You intend to kill me, don't you?"
"Absolutely not. You're not from Leanbox, but you worship Lady Green Heart most vehemently. That said, I must ask a favor. Your one companion, the little excitable one... Neptune. I need you to get rid of her."
Heero narrowed his eyes into a glare as he listened to the exchange between IF and Yvoire, "(So that was his real reason for asking IF to speak with him without many ears...)"
IF was shocked at the so called 'favor' that the Archbishop had asked her, "What?! That makes no sense. Why would a Basilicom under Lady Green Heart want Nep out of the picture?!"
"I cannot tell you yet, but without a doubt, that girl is one of our Lady's greatest nemeses. Sooner or later our Lady will punish her personally, but I would prefer to not force her to taint her own hands."
IF wasn't sure she could along with such an act without good reason, "So you want me to do the deed instead? Tell me why Nep is Lady Green Heart's nemesis! I can't consider killing her wi-"
Yvoire stopped the Guild member in mid-sentence, hoping to coax her with an offer to get her to kill Neptune, "Upon success, our Lady will personally come to give you official membership as a citizen of Leanbox... You'll no longer be a heretic, freely able to proudly worship Lady Green Heart. All ties to those immorals will be cut."
IF proved to have a rather strong will as she resisted an offer that other people more than likely would not have been so quick to decline, "I'm part of the Guild by choice. It's not a gathering of immorals like you believe. They worship, just like you!"
"Isn't it hard? Hiding your beliefs from people out of fear? Denying your existence? ...Ignoring your heart? Are you not tired of shouldering all that guilt alone?"
IF was silent, letting Yvoire's words sink in. The Archbishop continued, seeing as he had gotten IF's attention, "You've only knows those girls and that boy a few months, correct? Your faith and love for the goddess is eternal. Please think it over." Yvoire put a vial of a strange liquid in IF's hand. "Once you've decided the correct, slip this potion into one of Neptune's meals."
IF looked down at the liquid, which she could only assume was some kind of poison. The brunette looked back up at the Archbishop, "...I need proof. Show me evidence that this is truly what Leanbox's CPU wants!"
It was clear IF would not go through with killing Neptune without a little more persuasion, "As I said, there is nothing I can share with you as of yet. But, if you insist... It may be a good idea to meet with our Lady in person for confirmation. I'll organize a meeting for you. It should help you make the right choice."
Heero knew that he would not be able to tail IF and Yvoire any further if they were meeting with Lady Green Heart. The Gundam pilot decided to return to the banquet so as not to raise suspicion, "...I may be forced to kill IF, depending on what course of action she takes."
Xxx
IF and Yvoire arrived in Lady Green Heart's room. The Archbishop turned to the Guild Moderatist, "Lady Green Heart will arrive shortly. Please keep in mind who you're meeting with and act accordingly."
IF was silent as Yvoire left the room. A feminine voice drew her attention, "...You are the one the Archbishop wished me to see?"
The brunette turned her attention to the other occupant in the room... Lady Green Heart. She appeared to be VERY well-endowed with a curvy figure to match. She had long curled light blond hair with long bangs neatly framing her face and sad blue eyes. Green Heart wore an emerald green dress with gold markings. Covering her hands were rather big and slightly loose light green and white gloves and along the top part of her skirt was a big peach/orange bow. Around her neck she wore a white collar with green lining around the bottom and a very thin white cloth connected the dress and neck piece together. At the center of her collar on the front was a gold circular object with a small blue gem in the center and a tiny red ribbon with gold in the center of it was attached underneath it.
"It's nice to meet you. I am the CPU Green Heart, the guardian of this pla-aaaah." Lady Green Heart covered her mouth as she let out an audible yawn.
IF stammered somewhat as she began to speak with the goddess, "...Y-Yes, hello! I'm IF. I'm so honored to meet you... you... are you okay? You look... really... tired. U-Um, I mean...!"
Green Heart rubbed her eyes for a brief moment as she sat on the edge of her bed, "I was up late, so I don't think I got enough sleep. Ugh, I feel faint. Could I take your hand?"
After taking IF's hand, Lady Green Heart began to lean on the Guild member, causing her to stammer even more than she already was, "Oh! O-Oh no! L-Lady Green Heart, can you stand? Um... uh... wh-wh-what should I...?"
The CPU of Leanbox just looked at IF for a moment, "Do you have a speech impediment? Or are you that nerv-..." Lady Green Heart let out another yawn. "I'm done for... I need to... Zzzz..."
"D-Don't fall asleep! Please wake up! Is there a bed nearby?" IF was so confused and nervous from her current situation that she failed to notice that Green Heart had just just used the furniture in front of her as bed, which would have been a quick fix for her situation. IF looked toward a room nearby. "Back there? Wow, this is unexpected...!"
"...Most people I meet speak like you at first... but... I don't like... bald people..." It was clear that Lady Green Heart was sleep talking, considering the way she was speaking. "Little boy... no, not there... Don't shake me... I'll scratch you up... Zzzz..."
After taking Lady Green Heart into the other room for her to sleep, IF waited for the goddess to wake up. Shortly afterwards, the CPU of Leanbox began to stir and wake from her short rest. Green Heart was silent for a moment before addressing IF, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pass out while a guest was present."
IF assured the goddess that her falling asleep was not an issue, "I-It's no problem! You're a goddess, so I'm sure you're busy protecting Leanbox along with the Basilicom."
Lady Green Heart looked out one of the windows in the room, "...Goddesses are born with our powers. They'll do their thing to protect the planet even if we're not doing anything. I couldn't leave. I was the only one, glowing a bright red. Beginners needed my support..."
"Leave? Glow? You must be doing things I'll never be able to understand..."
Green Heart returned her attention to IF, a slightly perplexed look on her face, "Oh, you know. I'm talking about an online game. Don't you ever play games? I had to import it from Planeptune. You've been there. You must have seen it."
IF felt slightly embarrassed about her choice of words and failure to think before spewing something out, "O-Of course, I saw plenty of game shops on Planeptune. You play games, my Lady?"
"Oh, stop the formality. Be normal. Of course, I play games, watch anime, read manga... The Three Sacred Treasures! It gives me more supporters, I think. I was getting bored, though. Everyone was so bad. Fighting games may be tough for them."
The brunette looked at Green Heart before figuring our where she was going with the conversation, "So... are you saying you want to play a game with me...? I can't do that! How could I?!"
Lady Green Heart seemed pleased that IF loosening up, "You're not as hesitant as you sound, I see. I'm glad you're loosening up." The goddess of Leanbox put a game controller in IF's hands. "Here, I'm sorry this one's only single player. I don't have a lot of multi-player games. This one's kind of old, but people love it for some reason. I'll teach you the rules."
After Green Heart showed IF how to play the game, the Guild Moderatist went about playing the game for a few minutes. After a while, IF inquired to the CPU of Leanbox, "...Umm, my Lady? D-Don't you have something a little less... mindless... than this zombie mall-survival blood fest?"
Lady Green Heart looked down at the case for the game and focused specifically on the age rating, "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot this was rated M for mature. It's probably too intense for those young eyes, huh?" Green Heart then waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Also, stop calling me your 'Lady.' Just refer to me as whatever comes natural."
"I-I couldn't do that! I mean, I appreciate your incredibly kind gesture, but..."
"Then why don't I start off? I'll call you by your nickname. Does that make it easier, Iffy?"
It was one thing to have Neptune and Compa call her by that, because those two just annoyed her. Hearing Lady Green Heart call her that was another matter entirely, "I-I-Iff... I-Iffy...?! Oooh, now... now I'm the one who feels faint... I wonder what Heero would do if he were in my place...?"
Lady Green Heart blinked a few times as she looked at IF, "...Heero? Who's that?"
IF waved her hand in a dismissive manner, "N-No one really... forget i said anything."
The CPU of Leanbox had her hands clasped together, a small smile on her face, "But I'm interested. Won't you tell me, Iffy?"
Once again, the brunette felt faint. She kept herself conscious by focusing on the subject they were on, "(Well... I guess I could tell Lady Green Heart about him. I mean, sure Heero is really great, but I don't think she would fall for him, right? What are the chances?) H-He's... the only guy in the party I'm in."
It seemed that IF had was becoming less nervous as she talked about the Gundam pilot, "I... I don't know where to begin. Heero is very smart, incredibly strong... and while he does seem to focus a lot of his 'mission' or job, he doesn't have a one-track mind. He seems to think a lot about the party before making any kind of decision..." IF looked out one of the windows as she went on. "But it's so hard to figure out what he's thinking... he's always so stoic and he has an emotionless look on his face."
Lady Green Heart tilted her to the side, "Is he emotionless or something?"
"Of course not! Really it's just a front... at least I think. Heero is actually... really nice."
The CPU of Leanbox was leaning on her elbows as she listened to the brunette, "...Do you have a crush on him? It seems to me that you think very highly of him."
IF's cheeks turned a dark shade of crimson as Green Heart asked if she had a crush on the Gundam pilot, "I-I-I don't know! I mean, I certainly feel different about Heero than I do about other guys..."
"And why would that be?" Lady Green Heart leaned closer, clearly intrigued as to how IF felt about Heero. "It sounds to me like Heero obviously did something for you to notice him."
"W-Well, he..." IF thought back to when she first met Heero. Sure he was good looking, but she was looking for love back then... nor as she interested in his looks until she was interested in him. Then she remembered just what it was that caused her to fall for the Gundam pilot in the first place. "Heero... saved my life."
Lady Green Heart's watched IF as she scratched the back of her head, "I know it's pretty cliche. It's not like I noticed him at first, or because he's a great looking guy. I was taking care of a job when I ran into him... I guess I got in a little over my head when I accepted the job. And Heero... he risked his life to safe me."
The goddess was silent, then her lips curved into a big smile, "Well, if he's even half of what you make him out to be, the I would really like to meet Heero."
IF felt herself twitch for a moment before calming herself, "(What am I getting so worked up for? It's not like Lady Green Heart would fall for Heero or anything.) A-Anyway, it was an honor... no, a privilege to be able to meet with you Lady Green Heart, but I have to go."
The brunette gave a polite bow before leaving the room, and ultimately the Basilicom, since the banquet was long since over.
Xxx
After IF had returned to the party from her meeting with Green Heart, the party began to make plans to head back to the hotel, when IF saw something on her cell phone that said she should do otherwise, "Do you guys mind if we head back to Planeptune? 5pb is holding a live concert tomorrow and was hoping to go see it."
Neptune assumed her thinking position before putting her hands on her hips, "Well, okay. I've been wanting to eat some really great tasting burgers from their anyway."
Heero preferred to think of the work that the party would be able to do while on the technologically advanced landmass, "At least there will be job offers on Planeptune, so we will be able to generate some income for our mission."
Compa had a big smile on her face, "And all of the quests we do will help everyone on Planeptune as well."
Seeing as there was not going to be any arguments about returning to Planeptune, the party headed for the Sky Harbor that had just connected Leanbox to the futuristic landmass.
Shortly after returning to Planeptune, IF took a random job request to go after monsters while Heero, Neptune and Compa found a hotel for the party to stay at. The request took IF to a forest around the capital city, and the brunette had spent a solid hour on the job.
IF tilted her head to the side as she crossed her arms, "Geez, it's a lot more difficult when I do this alone. I must've gotten soft. Having a party is a huge advantage." The Guild member pulled her pink cell phone out of her pocket and flipped the handheld device open. "Maybe I should check up on Nep and the others. I definitely want to make sure she hasn't tried anything with Heero."
As she was looking at her phone, IF her a scream, "Agggghhhh!"
IF quickly slipped her cell phone back into her pocket and actively searched the area for the source of the scream, "A scream! Where did it come from? Right? Left?" The brunette shouted to the individual that had gotten her attention. "Where are you? I'm coming to help!"
As she looked for the person who had scream, IF felt herself being forced to the ground... along with some weight on her stomach, "Oww!
"Aww, what's the matter? You're not allowed to be sleepy yet."
IF looked up at the girl who was sitting on her. She had long crimson hair worn with many bangs framing her face while her hair was worn in the shape of an R on the left side of her head, held with a black rope with two big tan beads. She had white colored strands of hair, one on the lower half of one of the R-folds, the other covering almost the whole bang on the right side of her face, her eyebrows were the same shade of red, while she had gray eyes, and she was quite well-endowed for her age. She was dressed in Chinese attire consisting of black and red colors, the top was dark gray and black with golden lining and ruffles with small red X-shaped strings under her breast and a belt like object wrapped around her waist. On her chest was an opal blue Magatama, she also wore unattached sleeves with small pink cherry blossom and petal patterns around the bottom, with golden lining and black at the bottom. On the top, just below her shoulders were black ruffles, her skirt consist of four big petal shapes resembling her sleeves, with a pair of shorts underneath and she wore similar black and red shoes. Around her body was a golden dragon, which may have been her pet.
IF blinked a few time before shaking her head, growing slightly irritated with the girl, "I'm not sleepy! Who are you? G-Get off of me!"
The girl that looked about two years younger than her just smiled as she looked down at IF, "Oh my, no can do. When you tell me to get off, it just makes me not want to."
The brunette was silent for a moment as she gathered her thoughts, "Then... don't get off?"
The red haired girl still had that big smile on her face, "Don't worry, I have no intention to."
IF knew that she would have to do something to get this little girl off of her, otherwise she would be stuck there, "Ugh! Just get off, seriously!"
The red haired girl was forced to the ground as IF stood up. The little girl rubbed her bottom as she stood up, "Well, you're a demanding one. You didn't have to stand up so suddenly. Ouch..."
IF wore an irritated expression on her face, "I warned you." Remembering her original intentions when she heard the little girl's scream, IF regained her composure. "Where did you come from? Are you hurt?"
The red haired girl was slightly confused with IF's question. She took a brief moment to look around before she smiled at IF, "Hurt...? Nope, thanks to you protecting me with your body..."
A nervous smile made its way onto IF's face, "...It wasn't intentional." The little girl's eyes were have laden as she looked at IF, "Ooh, modesty sure is a turn-on! I like your humble attitude."
The little girl tilted her head toe side as her smile grew bigger, "What's your name, chick? My name is Red. Y'know, R-E-D, Red!"
A few nervous beads of sweat ran down the side of IF's face as she answered Red's question in regards to her name, "I'm IF. 'Chick...?' That doesn't feel right. (Probably because Heero isn't the one saying it to me... and I doubt he would say anything even remotely like that.)"
Red began to look over IF's form, then held her left hand out with her index finger and thumb extended with a smile on her face, "Fine, Iffy! From now on, you're gonna be my wifey."
IF tilted her head to the side, a look of disbelief on her face, "Wh-Who? A wife?! Do you even know what you're saying...?"
"Of course. Whoever I love becomes my wifey, y'know? Like, marriage? Consecrating the vows..."
The Guild Moderatist's eyes fell to the ground, "You're not wrong, but..."
Red maintained her big smile as she tilted her head, "Once I call dibs on you, if we don't get interrupted for ten minutes... That's official, right?"
IF tilted her head as her lips curved into a nervous smile once more, "Huh...? That doesn't make any sense at all."
Red had a disheartened look on her face, "...You don't wanna be my wifey?"
The brunette's smiled turned into a more natural, comfortable smile, "That's really not the point." Red immediately perked up at IF's words, "Okay, then it's decided! Yay!"
Red turned around, clearly in a very good mood, "First wifey obtained! Now I gotta look for more!"
IF had yet another look of disbelief written on her face as she watched Red take off, "...More? She's definitely a child." The brunette began to think back on what they had been discussing. "A wife though..."
IF began to have a daydream of herself wearing a white wedding dress, and Heero, who was wearing a black tuxedo. IF could feel her cheeks heating up, "...I wonder if Heero would be interested in marriage."
A rustling noise drew IF out of her daydream. She turned around, and who else did she other than the teen she had been daydreaming about, "...So this is where you were."
IF's face had turned a darker shade of red as she looked at the Gundam pilot, "H-Heero? What are you doing here? (He came here while I was having a daydream about... us! Getting married! Is this a sign?)"
Heero stepped into the clearing and walked the short distance between himself and the blushing girl, "I came here looking for you. It is getting late, and while I know you are responsible and can take care of yourself, I do not want you to be out alone at such a late hour."
The brunette's cheeks grew a darker shade of red with each passing second, "W-Well, yeah... I-It probably isn't the smartest thing to do."
"We should head back to the city. We have already found a hotel that is close to the Sky Harbor so that when your business here is taken care of, we can grab our equipment and head back to Leanbox."
As they made their way back to the capital city, IF stole a few glances at Heero and went back to think about the daydream she had had not five minutes ago, "(Maybe... maybe getting married wouldn't be such a bad thing... if it was Heero who I was getting married to.)" IF lightly tapped herself on the head with her fist. "(What am I saying? We aren't even in a closer relationship yet, how can I think about getting married to him? ...But it would be nice.)"
Xxx
Me: "Chapter 16, done! I think we're making some good progress with the story. Though for whatever reason the story didn't update like it was supposed to, so our readers ended up waiting a little longer for the update."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter ACCC) "I like all of the really private moments I get with Heero!
Heero: "I would prefer that you refrain from asking me to engage in sexual intercourse with you though, as I clearly have no desire to partake in such activity."
Compa and IF: (Run into ACCC from Lounge) "We don't want to force an M Rated scene on Heero. We'll just have to be patient so Heero feels more comfortable with the idea."
Green Heart: (Enters ACCC from Break Room) "I finally got to make an appearance in the story. One of many, anyway."
Me: "Yes, yes, and you'll be making many more appearances while the party is on Leanbox."
5pb: (Enter ACCC from Lounge) "I got to make a few appearances myself. Hope to see more of you good readers in the next update!"
Red: (Enters ACCC from Lounge) "I only showed up at the end... oh well, at least I got my first wifey!"
Black Heart: (Enters ACCC from Break Room) "Well, I hope to get more time in the story as well. I don't want to spend all of my time just doing intros and closure."
White Heart: (Enters ACCC from Left Entrance) "...Same here. I'm getting fricken tired of not getting to do anything important to the story."
Me: "I know how you ladies feel, trust me. Before I forget, yesterday was a particularly import day for me... for all of us here. As it is the same day that this story was first published. So I though I would do something special for our readers."
Neptune: "Something special? What'cha got for 'em?"
Me: "The Prologue for the sequel of this story. But I must ask you people to remember that you are only getting the Prologue at this time, I want to finish up this story first so that when we actually do get to the sequel no one is confused."
IF: "Wow... way to think ahead."
Compa: "Wow... our first glimpse of the sequel... it sounds so exciting!"
Me: "I'm sure our readers can figure out when the sequel takes place, in the meantime..." (Points to 5pb) "5, Girl, friend, think you can wrap up this chapter for us?"
5pb: "Leave it to me!"
Me: "Let us go friends! We have much work to do for our readers!"
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Red, Black Heart, White Heart and Green Heart: (Leave ACCC)
5pb: (Looks at readers) "Please read and review this chapter everyone! Hope to see you in the next update!" (Leaves ACCC)
