Me: "Well, I hope everyone has been enjoying the story so far. Now, we're moving back to Leanbox."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter IC from Break Room) "So am I getting more time in the chapters like I normally do again? I didn't like having such a small part like in that last chapter."
Me: "Will you get over it already? It was only the one chapter, it's not like it was going to kill you."
Zero: (Enters IC from Break Room) "It was important to the overall development of the story. Besides, it is as you said. You are the main pairing of the story."
Neptune: (Puffs out her chest) "That's right! Heero and I are totally gonna end up together at the end of this awesome story."
Black Heart: (Enters IC from Break Room) "Hold on, who said YOU were going to be paired with Heero? If anything, Heero should be paired with another girl who is more fitting of the role of the heroine! (And that girl is me!)"
Compa and IF: (Enter IC from Lounge) "I know I shouldn't say this, but she's right, Nep-Nep. Why should you be the one to get paired with Heero? He's our lover too, you know!"
IF: "While I don't appreciate being lumped in with them, I have to agree as well. Heero should be paired with a girl more suited to the heroine role."
White Heart: (Enters IC from Left entrance) "…What the hell is going on here?"
Neptune: "Hey, it's the Newtype who decided to start stalking Heero! Did you come here to steal my Destined Lover from me, missy? I'll transform and kick your sorry little butt if you did!"
Black Heart: "S-She's stalking Heero?! That's a new low! Even for you!"
White Heart: "…What the hell are you bitches going on about?! I never said I was stalking him! Besides, what I do is none of your business, you little shits!"
Green Heart: (Enters IC from Right entrance) "What is going on in here? I could hear you all from the other room."
5pb: (Points at White Heart) "She said she was stalking Heero!"
Green Heart: (Gives White Heart an incredulous look) "Stalking? I must admit I'm surprised. I would expect that kind of behavior from Neptune because she is random and inappropriate, but I expected more from you."
White Heart: "…Shut the hell up! All of you are really starting to piss me off! I never said I was stalking anyone. And you! Shut the hell up, Thunder Tits! You're the last person I want to hear that kind of crap from!"
Heero: (Clears throat to get girls' attention) "I hate to interrupt, but we do not have time to waste on meaningless banter."
Black Heart: (Turns away to look in Heero's direction) "Y-Yeah, what Heero said. Stop wasting time and let's read off the disclaimer."
Neptune: (Cheeks start to puff up) "She's definitely trying to make me look bad in front of Heero."
Green Heart: (Frowns at Black Heart) "Not just you…"
White Heart: (Eye starts to twitch in anger) "…The damn bitch is making us all look bad."
Me: "You certainly have a way with women don't you, Heero? But like they said, we have a disclaimer to read and a chapter to roll off, and since we have the majority of the cast here-"
Red: (Enters IC through an open window) "W-Wait! I want to read off the disclaimer, too!"
Me: "Red? What are you doing here? …And why is that window open?" (Looks around IC) "Who keeps opening that fucking window?!"
Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, 5pb, Black Hear, White Heart and Green Heart: (Give different expressions to show they don't know)
Me: "You all know how cold it gets out there! And unless it's snowing, I don't like the cold!" (Points to cast) "We'll worry about that later, we have a chapter to get to! 行く!(Go! Pronounced: Iku!)"
Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, 5pb, 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: "Okay, now let's get back to work on the story, and let our readers enjoy our hard work."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Zero, 5pb, Black Heart, White Heart, and Green Heart: (Leave IC)
Ch. 17 IF and the Archbishop's plan
While the party was supposed to be on Leanbox, they had made an unexpected detour to Planeptune so that IF could see 5pb's live concert… which inadvertently led to a chain of events that also took the party to Lastation and Lowee to put an end to a Black Market operation that focused on stealing music. While long and arduous, Heero and IF were successful in their endeavor and Lyrica, aka 5pb, joined the party.
At first Lyrica was well received by Neptune and Compa… that was until they saw the way that the cerulean haired musician acted around Heero. Of course, both girls ended up blaming the addition of another love-struck girl into the party on IF, "Iffy, you suck! Now I have even more competition for my lover's love!"
"Why didn't you tell us that Ms. Lyrica was in love with Heero, Iffy?"
IF had more or less been subjected to Neptune and Compa's bickering non-stop since the previous day and felt that the two girls were trying to nag her ears off, "Get over it. She's coming with us, and that's that. It'll make it easier for us to find the Key Fragment if we have more eyes looking for it."
Neptune let out a huff as she turned her back to the Guild Moderatist, "I still don't like it."
As the conversation began to die down, Neptune began to steer the trio onto a more relative and important topic, "Anyway, you done with your Guild stuff? We gotta go get that Key Fragment!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm done. We still have to wait for Heero and 5pb to get back." Compa tilted her head to the side, which normally happened when she had a question, "Where did Heero and Ms. Lyrica go?"
IF pulled her pink cell phone out of her jacket pocket, flipped it open, and looked down at the screen, "I think Heero said he wanted to see what Lyrica could do in a fight, so they're out practicing."
Neptune's eyes were narrowed into a half open glare, "So you're telling me the new girl is all alone with my Destined Lover? Boo! She might be trying to steal him from me right now!"
The door to the safe house swung open, a gust of cold air blew through the room and a few snowflakes fell onto the floor in front of the doorway. Lyrica walked into the room through the open doorway, followed by Heero who closed the door afterwards. Lyrica was rubbing her arms to generate some heat since she had been out in the cold weather, "I didn't think it could get so cold outside…"
Heero watched as the musician tried to warm herself, "The amount of snow this landmass receives should have been a clear indication that the temperature was going to be below freezing. It is important to dress appropriately for such weather."
IF approached the two, eager to talk to anyone other than Neptune or Compa, "So? How'd it go? Did Lyrica do well?"
Heero gave a nod in response, "I was unsure at first since she was originally employed in the entertainment business. My concerns regarding her combat abilities have been put to rest, Lyrica is far more capable of fighting then I originally thought."
5pb had her attention directed at the ground as her cheeks turned red from Heero's praise. Meanwhile, Neptune was giving the cerulean haired singer an irritated look before attempting to assert herself as the number one female of the party, "Well, just remember that Heero says I'M the strongest. You are free to play runner-up with Compa and Iffy, but I am so not giving up my title as the super awesome and strongest girl of the party." Neptune then latched onto Heero's right arm while looking at Lyrica. "And most importantly, Heero is MY Destined Lover. He's my man, and I'm his girl. You can look, but you can't touch."
As with every time Neptune would stake her claim on the Gundam pilot, Compa latched onto Heero's other arm while looking at the purple haired preteen, "Heero is my Destined Lover too, Nep-Nep! You can't have him all to yourself!"
IF instinctively latched onto Heero's torso after Neptune and Compa grabbed onto his arms while her inner chibi went off on one of her fits, "How many times do I have to tell you two?! Heero doesn't belong to anyone! 'He's mine! Mineminemineminemine! You two can go rot in hell!'"
Lyrica watched as the three girls were fighting over the Perfect Soldier, and noticed the irritated look on his face. Lyrica grabbed Mr. Guitar, which was dangling behind her, and strummed the cords of the electric guitar, causing small bolts of lightning to fall down on the trio of girls around Heero. Neptune, Compa and IF were left slightly charred from the electricity used to flash fry them.
Neptune coughed for a brief moment, a cloud of smoke came out of her mouth as she did, and the purple haired preteen fell to the ground along with Compa and IF. Lyrica put down Mr. Guitar and looked at the trio of girls with a slightly pouty look on her face, "Why are you three acting like this? Heero clearly didn't like having you three violate his personal space, but that never occurred to you, did it?"
Heero was grateful that Lyrica sympathized with him enough to actually take action against the three girls, but retained his emotionless façade, "Lyrica, I thank you for alleviating the situation, though I would like for you to use force only if there is no other option available."
The Perfect Soldier walked over to the living room table and sat down in front of his open laptop, indicating that Heero had been working on something before he had gone at with 5pb to see what she could do in terms of combat. Lyrica looked at the Gundam pilot with a slightly dazed look, her cheeks turning a soft pink as she did, "Heero…"
IF stood back up and shot a look of pure disdain at Lyrica, "I see what you're playing at… make us look bad in front of Heero while making yourself look good."
Just as Heero was about to go back to his work, Lyrica let out a small squeak which got the attention of the rest of the party, "Umm… I forgot some of my stuff on Lastation. Do you… think we can go and get it before we leave for Leanbox?"
IF looked out the window of the party's safe house towards the Sky Harbor, "Well, Leanbox isn't going to be passing by Lowee for a while… and Lastation is connected to Lowee right now. And if I remember the schedule right, Leanbox should pass by Lastation tomorrow, so it would probably be a good idea to go to get 5pb's gear. Two birds with one stone, right?"
Considering the fact that the landmass that the party was supposed to be on would be approaching the same landmass that Lyrica's traveling items were located, it seemed to be in the group's best interest to return to Lastation and retrieve the items. Neptune ran towards the bedroom and promptly returned with her sword, "Let's go people! We'll get the thingies that our new meat shield needs, then head for the landmass and get the Key Fragment!"
Lyrica stared at Neptune incredulously, "M-M-Meat shield?!" Compa began to chastise the party leader for her choice of words, "That's not very nice, Nep-Nep. Lyrica isn't a meat shield, she's a valuable member of our party."
"Whatever, let's just go. Beside, I'm getting hungry again." The party went about gathering their supplies and personal items before leaving the safe house and braved the cold weather as they made their way to the Sky Harbor.
Unbenounced to the party, the mysterious blue haired girl that had attacked them numerous times on Lowee was watching them as they left for the Sky Harbor, "...Heero is going to the landmass runned by Thunder Tits?! Dammit... this must be Neptune's fault. If I'm not careful, that cow might end up seducing him..."
Xxx
It did not take long for the party to retrieve Lyrica's items after they returned to Lastation, but now they were forced to wait a day before they could head to Leanbox and continue their search for the Key Fragment on said landmass. With nothing else to do and no new information to retrieve, Heero headed into the city.
The Perfect Soldier began to retreat into his thoughts as he walked down the street towards the park, "(I can't help but feel as though I am forgetting something… but what is it? If I was able to forget it so easily it must not me of great importance…)"
"Heero?" Heero was pulled out of his train of thought by a familiar voice. Standing in front of him was Black Heart, and she seemed slightly surprised to see the Gundam pilot, "…It's you."
Black Heart shuffled around slightly from nervousness, "S-So what are you doing here? Not that I'm really interested mind you, I'm just curious."
"Lyrica left some essential traveling items here, so we returned to retrieve them before heading to Leanbox." Heero didn't see the harm in revealing the reason as to why the party had come back. If the information were of a more sensitive nature and the threat greater he would have remained silent. Black Heart flinched upon hearing Heero's next destination before going into an uproar, "What?! You mean Neptune is dragging you to that big breasted cows' landmass?!"
Heero raised a questioning eyebrow at the teenaged girl, "What are you talking about?" Black Heart slapped a hand over her mouth, embarrassed from her outburst, "I-It's nothing! Nothing at all. Forget I said anything."
The white haired beauty mentally slapped herself. "(Focus Black Heart! You played all of those strategy games so you would have something to talk to Heero about… and get closer to him… and maybe… even…)" Black Heart's cheeks began to turn red as she was left in her thoughts. She lightly shook her head to regain her focus. "(…No, no, no! Don't think about that! You just… want to find out where Heero works! That's it! N-Nothing else!) So… I'be been playing a lot of strategy games lately. What's your favorite-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Black Heart felt an arm around her waist and a sense of weightlessness. The next moment, she felt herself fall against someone's chest. She looked up to find herself face to face with Heero, causing her cheeks to change to a dark red hue, "H-H-Heero?! Wh-What are doing?!"
Heero had just begun to open his mouth to speak when his eyes darted to the mass behind Black Heart. The Perfect Soldier rolled over with the teenaged girl, placing Black Heart on her back. The swordstress looked up at Heero, her cheeks growing darker with every passing second, "H-H-Heero? Wh-Why are you… (I had no idea Heero was so… bold. Is… Is Heero going to… if that's the case then… I guess I'm supposed to wait for him to make the first move…)"
Black Heart was lying on the ground with her eyes closed, waiting for Heero to do something, anything at all. When nothing happened, the teen girl slowly opened her eyes to see Heero fighting a monster. While she was flattered that Heero was fighting to protect her, Black Heart felt a wave of pure rage wash over her being, "(…Everything was going so well… everything until this monster showed up! Heero and I were about to have an M rated scene! One that all of our readers would no doubt appreciate and cause the popularity of this story to go through the roof! But most importantly, it would be established that Heero is MY lover!)"
Heero had his attention focused on the monster, which was a single Ice Fenrir that had obviously come from Lowee due to the fact that there was snow in its fur. The Perfect Soldier was about to make a move when he suddenly felt a strong intent to kill coming from behind him. He looked over his shoulder to see a seething Black Heart and her rage seemed to be directed at the Ice Fenrir. Without warning, the white haired swordstress shot past Heero and began to viciously assault the wolf-like monster.
Thirty seconds later the monster was hardly recognizable, having been beaten to a bloody pulp. Black Heart was breathing in and out rapidly, having released a rage fueled onslaught on the unfortunate creature. The teen suddenly remembered that Heero was still there, and turned to see him staring at her in silence, "Umm…"
"…That was certainly an unexpected turn of events, though I will commend you on disposing of the enemy so quickly." Black Heart felt her cheeks grow warmer from Heero's praise. Black Heart puffed out her chest and held a condescending tone of voice, "Naturally. A monster as weak as that could never hope to defeat someone of my caliber. But I was only using a fraction of my power! No sense using my full power on a lower class monster."
Heero turned his attention to the nearby forest as he heard a noise coming from within, "There appears to be more than one monster. I apologize, but I will have to cut this conversation short and address a more pressing matter."
The Gundam pilot took off into the forest, leaving Black Heart by herself. A few moments passed before she began to berate herself, "…What were you doing, Black Heart?! You just wasted a perfectly good opportunity to get closer to Heero!" As with many times before, the white haired girl stopped herself upon realizing what she had said. "N-Not that I like him or anything, I just wanted to know more about him! It's not like I was hoping we can be involved in a more personal relationship or anything like that!
Black Heart's cheeks turned on an even darker shade of red as she thought about what she had said to herself before she had attacked the monster from Lowee. "B-But what was I thinking?! I-I didn't want to have an M Rated scene with Heero! Not that I would be completely against it or anything, but I don't know much about him! And Heero as my LOVER?! Heero may be a really great guy and all, borderline perfect, b-but that doesn't mean I want him to be my lover!"
The embarrassed swordstress suddenly had a look on her face that was a mixture of confusion an irritation, "Also, why was talking like some character in a story breaking the fourth wall? Maybe I've been working too hard lately…"
With Heero now gone, Black Heart had no reason to stick around and quickly retreated from the area.
Xxx
Within one of the forests near the central city of Lastation an old man was running away from a monster that clearly thought that the pedestrian was its lunch. The hungry monster let out a feral growl as it chased after the old man. The elderly man shouted at the top of his voice as ran from the beast, "Eek! Help! Someone! Anyone!"
Nearby a male that looked as though he was in his early teens looked on as the monster chased the old man, "Never thought a strong monster like this would appear so close to town."
Behind the young teen was a slightly older teen, who was also watching the scene before them, "No time to waste, brah. Let's go! We got lucky the monster picked that helpless old man as its target."
The younger teen who seemed to be the younger brother of the older teen looked back at his brother, "Yeah, brah. Sucks to be him, but he's taking one for the team."
Another loud growl escaped from the maw of the hungry monster as it continued to follow the old man. The elderly citizen let out another cry for help, "S-Someone! P-Please!"
Just when it looked like the old man was done for, a voice echoed through the forest, "Wait!"
The older teen brother looked from side to side, trying to find the owner of the voice, "Who's there?!"
A figure jumped down from one of the trees, who turned out to be the self-proclaimed heroine Nisa, "The dashing heroine appears to save the old fart! Don't worry, oh aged one, I am here to rescue you!"
The older brother looked over Nisa's frame, "Heroine, huh? Hmm… she's dress pretty provocatively."
"Brah… She's got no tits."
"Oh, nice washboard. Or is it a cutting board? What a cruel joke…"
Nisa turned her attention to the two brothers, her cheeks burning from the comments she was receiving from them, "Hey there! How can you speak thusly of a heroine?!"
The older brother shrugged his shoulders at the blunette, "Sorry, but those images just kept popping up in our heads."
Nisa shook her head, "…Geez. Boys." The heroine returned her attention to the monster that was still chasing after the old man. "So this is the demon threatening these fair lands?! I shall be opponent today!"
A set of bush nearby gave off a rustling noise before a figure stepped out from behind them, "It seems I was right in might in assuming that there were more monsters near the city."
Nisa fixed her attention on the newcomer who turned out to be Heero, "Heero? So my fellow hero has come to assist me in defeating the evil that plagues these lands. This is very reassuring!"
As Heero and Nisa were preparing to deal with the monster, the two brothers were getting ready to leave, "Okay brah, let's bolt." The younger brother was in agreement with his older sibling, not wanting to stick around any longer, "Yeah."
It took only a few short minutes for Heero and Nisa to dispose of the monster that had been chasing the old man. Nisa dusted her hands off as she looked at the defeated monster, "That monster was a slice of easy pie. Now then, you two!" The blue haired heroine turned in the direction of the two brothers. "How could you try to flee, leaving a frail old man to be eaten?!"
Nisa scanned the area, only to find that the two boys were now there anymore, "…Huh?"
"…They ran off while you two were fighting."
Nisa clenched her fists as her anger towards the cowardly brothers grew, "Bastards. Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine, thank you. Saving me will make you look like my friend, or maybe a caretaker…"
The heroine had an ever confident smile on her face as she addressed the elderly man, "I don't know who you are or what you do, but I cannot ignore someone in need." Nisa held one of her fists in the air as her eyes burned with fiery determination. "That's the call of a justice keeper."
Just then, Compa jumped out from behind a tree with her syringe in hand, "Now, Mr. Monster, brace yourself!" The nurse in training stopped herself when she saw the dead monster. "Aw, it's dead already…"
IF came out from behind the same tree with her arms crossed, a smile was on her face that contradicted the somewhat disappointed aura she was giving off, "Ugh, she beat us to it again."
Nisa had her hands on her hips as she turned her attention to the two girls, "Hello, fair citizens. I decided to quell the monster threat on your behalf."
Compa had a gleam in her eyes, the same kind that fans had for their hero that they tended to ogle, "Thank you!"
"I realize I just got here, but I must go. Justice can never rest! If we're lucky, let us meet again." The blue haired vigilante turned her attention to Heero. "I thank you for your assistance, Heero. I sincerely hope that we have another chance to work together again."
Nisa turned away from the group, "Up, up, and awaaaaaaay!" The teenaged heroine jumped up into the trees and disappeared from sight, and Compa waved at Nisa the entire time, "Okay! Bye-bye, Ms. Heroine!"
Heero watched as the vigilante left, retreating into his thoughts the moment he could no longer see her, "(…Who was that girl? I remember her tell us her name… she must not be of great import if I have already forgotten who she is.)" The Perfect Soldier turned his attention towards Compa and IF. "Where is Neptune? I would have expected her to be with you two."
IF stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets, "Same place she's been since we got back… Right in front of the TV with tons of candy within arm's reach."
Compa grabbed onto Heero's arm and began to pull the Gundam pilot in the direction of the city, "We should head back too, or Nep-Nep might eat everything in the house. Besides, it's almost bedtime."
With nothing else to be done the trio made their way back into the city. During the walk back, Heero was thinking about how he could forget someone he knew he had met before.
Xxx
"(Heero… Heero…)"
Heero began to stir as he heard is name being called by a familiar voice. The Gundam pilot didn't need require much time to awaken and was on his feet, though the source of the voice he had heard was nowhere to be found, "…Am I hearing things?"
"(Rest assured Heero, you aren't hearing things.)" Heero had heard the voice of the person talking to him before on Lowee, "Is that you, Zero?"
"(Yes. It seems I can finally communicate with you while you are conscience.)"
Heero scanned his surroundings and found that he was in the party's bedroom instead of the dark space he had normally found himself in when Zero or Histoire had something to tell him, "Is this all you came to relay to me?"
There was a brief pause before Heero heard the voice of his anthropomorphized Gundam, "(I wish this were all I had to tell you…)"
Something about the tone of Zero's voice troubled the Perfect Soldier, "What do exactly do you mean? Have you been able to learn anything that might help us?"
"(Your current destination, Leanbox… something will happen to Neptune there. I am still sorting out a lot of variables, but it does not look good.)"
Heero attempted to piece together what he was hearing from Zero with what he already knew from listening to IF and the Archbishop, "…That Archbishop of Leanbox will carry out Neptune's assassination."
"(It seems to be the most probable conclusion… though, exactly how he will carry it out is what I am unable to determine.)" Heero looked over his shoulder towards the row of beds, his gaze fixed on IF, "It is likely that IF will try to poison Neptune."
There was another pause before Zero continued, "(That is possible, but I wouldn't jump to conclusions. There is still too much we don't know. All I can tell you is to be vigilant tomorrow, as there is no telling what could happen.)"
Heero could no longer hear Zero, and guessed that their communication had ended. The teenaged soldier checked the digital clock on the table which read 4:30 AM. Having received the warning of what may happen, Heero could not go back to sleep, nor could he tell the girls of what may or may not transpire… especially when one of them would most likely be the cause, "I will have to take greater caution than normal, otherwise the mission will end in failure… and Neptune will die."
Xxx
It wasn't until around 7:00 that the girls began to wake up, with Lyrica being the first, followed by IF, then Compa, and Neptune being the last to get out of bed. After the party consumed a light breakfast, they packed up their equipment and headed towards the Sky Harbor the moment it opened.
From the moment they left their safe house in Lastation to when they arrived on Leanbox, Heero made sure not to take his eyes off of Neptune, "I cannot afford to make any mistakes while we are here, as it could jeopardize Neptune's life."
As the party walked down the street, Compa caught sight a familiar little girl with a bunny cap on her head, "Hey, isn't that Gust? Let's go say hi!"
The party began to approach Gust, who was talking to herself, "Boy… This ingredient impossible… but if Gust doesn't get…"
Neptune was the first to get in front of the little girl, a big smiled plastered on her face, "I spy with my pretty eye… Gust! Yay, it's Gust!" The preteen noticed the disheartened look on the alchemist's face. "…Huh? You okay?"
Gust managed a smile as she addressed the party, "Hi, friends. Eghhh." Compa could tell that Gust was forcing herself to smile, "What's the matter? Talk to us."
The little girl cast her gaze down to the ground, "Well…" It took a few minutes of explaining for the party to figure out why the young alchemist looked so blue. IF had her arms folded over her chest as she looked at Gust, "Basically, your adventuring pal is poisoned."
Gust gave a slight nod in response, "Yes. I try all antidote in memory, but none work."
Compa smiled at the little girl as she gave her answer to Gust's problem, "Why don't you him to Planeptune's General Hospital? They use the most advanced technology there."
The girl with the bunny cap lightly shook her head, "I wish, but no insurance. It take two days to get there anyway." Tears began to well up in the corners of Gust's eyes. "Doctors already said he won't last another night…"
Compa was beginning to get teary-eyed from Gust's predicament, "Oh, my… isn't there something we can do?!"
"Actually, yes. But Gust does not have needed ingredient." Compa had a serious expression on her face; she was determined to help the distressed alchemist, "What is it? We'll go find it for you."
"It is Erde Crystal." A nervous bead of sweat ran down IF's cheek, "…You serious? This isn't a joke, right?"
Compa turned her attention to the Guild Moderatist, "You know what it is?"
IF frowned as she explained the item Gust required, "Erde Crystal is crystallized magma, still possessing incredible heat. The energy an Erde Crystal gives off influences nearby ecosystems."
"Sounds like it'll be a challenge to find, but Gust needs it. We better find it no matter what!"
IF suddenly had a much more confident look on her face as she turned to face Gust, "We'll do what we can. I'll try to see if anyone in my network knows anything."
Compa turned in Neptune's direction, "What about you, Nep-Nep? If we can't find it above-ground, you'll need to transform and look for it underground for us."
Neptune didn't seem very enthusiastic about having Compa order her around, "Ugh, boo! Compa the Slave Driver!"
Compa was radiating with confidence, as if she knew that the party would be able to help Gust with her difficult task, "This is for Gust. Let's go!" Heero was somewhat surprised at Compa's ability to take charge, "I must admire your leadership abilities, Compa. You seem to know how to analyze a situation and assign tasks to the right members fairly well."
The otherwise ditzy nurse felt her cheeks getting warm from the compliment, "Y-You really think so, Heero?" Lyrica look between Compa and Heero before fixing her gaze on the nurse in training, "Well, you must be doing a good job if Heero is praising you for it."
Compa then realized that Heero had not been given anything to do in regards to helping find the Erde Crystal. "We still need to let you and Lyrica do something Heero. How about-"
"I will assist Neptune in searching underground for the Erde Crystal."
Compa, IF looked Lyrica as though they had just been punched in the stomach after hearing Heero say that he would go with Neptune, while the aforementioned preteen grabbed onto Heero's arm, "Yeah! After all, we're Destined Lover's!"
Before Neptune could completely drag the party's only male member off with her, IF was able to stop them long enough for her to give Heero a cell phone. Ironically, it was the same one she had given him when the party had left Heero to watch over the little girl on Lowee, "I-I'll let you know if anything comes up… so…"
The Gundam pilot took the cellular device and placed it into his jacket pocket, "It would be helpful to know if the location Neptune and I will be going actually has the item we are searching for."
As Heero and Neptune went off to check underground, IF grit her teeth while checking her phone, "(…Damn, Nep gets to be all alone with Heero. I should be the one alone with him!)"
Compa began to hang her head in defeat, "Nep-Nep is getting more alone time with Heero… it's not fair."
5pb looked as if she was about to break out into tears, "I know I'm the newest member of the party… but I wanted to pair off with Heero…"
Xxx
It had taken them some time, but Heero and Neptune had finally found a way underground. After a few hours of searching and a phone call from IF, the duo were successful in locating the Erde Crystal and were on their way to meet up with Compa and IF before handing the crystallized magma over to Gust.
Neptune had maintained her transformation after they had found the item they had been searching for and was leading the way back to the city. Neptune and Heero were passing by a waterfall when the swordstress came to a stop, "Why don't we take a short break? We're not far from the city."
Heero did not see any harm in taking a break from their current job, so long as it was short, "Very well."
Neptune sat on a rock in front of the body of water that had been made by the waterfall. There was a rock next to the one she was sitting on that was of equal size, Neptune cast a brief glance at Heero before lightly patting on the second rock; clearly she wanted the Gundam pilot to sit next to her.
Heero sat on the rock and set the Erde Crystal he was holding down on the ground, then focused his attention on the falls in front of him, "(I do not want to believe it, however I cannot ignore the possibility that…)"
"So, you have something you want to tell me?" Heero's train of thought was broken when he heard Neptune. The Perfect Soldier turned to the swordstress next to him to find her looking right at him, "…What would make you come to that conclusion?"
The purple haired woman cast her gaze forward, though she was not looking at anything in particular, "Ever since we left Lowee and came here, you've rarely taken your eyes off me."
Heero was clearly surprised that Neptune had noticed him watching her. The swordstress allowed her lips to curve into a small smirk. "Don't tell me you thought that I hadn't noticed."
Heero returned his attention to the waterfall before him; had he been so focused on his mission that his charge was able to notice him watching her? Neptune stretched her arms over her head, "I have come to two likely conclusions for why you've been watching me."
Heero was intrigued as to what exactly Neptune thought was his reason for watching over her with increased vigilance, "And what exactly would those conclusions be?"
Neptune took off the gauntlets that encased her hands and allowed the objects to fall to the ground, though her skin was still concealed by her bodysuit. Neptune leaned towards Heero, "My first conclusion…" The swordstress brought her left hand index finger up and gently placed under Heero's chin, a small smile on her face. "…Is that you've finally come around and decided that you want me. If that's the case, then I will gladly reciprocate those feelings."
Heero maintained an emotionless façade despite Neptune's advance, "(…Should have saw THAT one coming.) And the other?"
Neptune pulled away from the Perfect Soldier, "My second conclusion is that something has come up in regards to your mission of protecting me."
The Perfect Soldier looked away from Neptune, prompting the young woman to look back towards the waterfall, "I take it that it's the latter. What's wrong?"
Heero closed his eyes and began to collect his thoughts, "I don't believe you will feel comfortable knowing."
Before he could retreat into his thoughts, Heero felt Neptune grab his hand. The firmness of her grip was matched only by the intensity of her gaze, "I think that not knowing would make me feel less comfortable. Besides, if it's enough to make you worried it must be serious."
Silence dominated the air between the two, with only the chirping of birds and water crashing down from the falls making any sound. After a brief period of silence, Heero finally revealed to Neptune his reason for watching her so closely, "…I do not have any concrete information, but I have been led to believe that someone on this landmass is going to make an attempt on your life."
When the Gundam pilot turned to look at Neptune, he was inwardly surprised to see that she was so calm, "Is that what's been bothering you."
Heero frowned at the woman next to him, "You just found out that someone is trying to kill you. How can you possibly treat it like it-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the teenaged soldier found himself being pulled towards Neptune. For the most part, all that Heero could see was skin, though he could see some of the black and purple color of Neptune's attire. Neptune was cradling Heero's head in between her breasts with one hand running through his hair, "I'm sure most people wouldn't be so calm about hearing that someone is trying to kill them. The thought of dying would scare anyone."
The teenaged girl smiled at Heero. "I think the reason why I'm not scared about the idea is because… you're here."
Silence dominated the air between the two teens once more. Normally Heero would have done anything he could to get out of such close physical contact with Neptune, but for some reason it was different this time. He couldn't describe it, but Neptune smelled very nice, and the sensation he felt from her soft mounds against his face was certainly different than before, "…I fail to see why just having me around can make you feel so at ease when you know someone is trying to kill you."
Neptune began to rub Heero's back with her free hand, which strangely enough actually felt good to the Gundam pilot, "You've already proven that you will go to any extreme for my sake. I know that you would never let anything happen to me, and even if something did happen, I know you would do whatever it takes to make it better." The swordstress held the Perfect Soldier even closer. "I trust you more than anyone in the world, Heero. I trust you with my life."
He could not understand why, but being with Neptune like this and hearing her say how much she trusted him fill Heero with a strong desire to protect her. Not because it was his mission, but something else…
Neptune's free hand that she had been using to rub Heero's back slipped under his jacket, where she began to lightly scratch his back, "I think you've been working a little too hard lately. You have so much pent up stress."
Heero let out a grunt from having his back scratched by Neptune, and it was quite a pleasant experience. The Gundam pilot had spent many sleepless nights working to make the party's quest easier and to make sure that Neptune remained safe, all of which slowly began to build up more and more stress. And yet in just a few short minutes with Neptune it all seemed to melt away. Heero had met a number of women back in his world, but none of them had the same effect on him that Neptune had. Just when he felt like he was about to fall asleep, Neptune stopped what she was doing, "I think that's enough for now. If we stay here any longer, the Erde Crystal might become useless to Gust. Not to mention Compa, Iffy and Lyrica will come looking for us."
Neptune let go of Heero, picked her gauntlets up off the ground and slipped the armor back on. Heero watched Neptune for a moment before looking away, "It would be in our best interest to deliver the Erde Crystal to Gust, so that we may continue with our original assignment."
The swordstress nodded her head in response. Heero picked up the still hot magma crystal off the ground, taking a moment to examine it, "(This object could be used to make a powerful explosive. Gust might be…)" Heero lightly shook his head, dismissing the possibly of Gust being the one to try and kill Neptune. "(That is a highly unlikely possibly. Gust may use her talents to generate profit, but she also has a good sense of judgment. She would not consider using her talents to kill people for money.)"
As Heero stood up from the rock he was sitting on, he felt something on his cheek. It only lasted for a brief moment, but it was soft and warm. Neptune began to walk away from Heero, "Let's hurry back. We don't want to waste any more time, do we?"
Neptune already began the walk back to the city, and Heero stood where he was for a moment. His eyes never left Neptune, which slowly formed into a deathly glare, "(…I cannot allow my personal feelings to get in the way. If IF is the one who is after Neptune… I will kill her.)"
Xxx
Gust was sitting down on a bench in the same place the party had found her, a worried expression etched onto her face, "Late… I hope they make it back okay."
Neptune suddenly appeared in Gust's peripheral vision with the Erde Crystal in hand, "There ya go, Gust."
The bunny capped alchemist stared in awe at the crystallized magma in her hands, "This…"
IF had a look on her face that suggested that she was pleased with the results of the party's efforts, "That's the crystallized magma, Erde Crystal. Careful, it's hot."
Compa smiled at Gust as she continued to look at the object in her hands, "We couldn't find it on land, so we asked Nep-Nep and Heero to look underground."
Neptune had sweat running down the sides of her face and tried to fan herself in an attempt to cool off, "I thought I was gonna have a heat stroke. I'm totally drenched in sweat…"
Gust would most likely have been jumping for joy, were she not holding the Erde Crystal, "This is first time I see in real life. Fantastic! Thank you, friends."
IF herself seemed to be in a particularly good mood at the moment, "The reward… can wait for later. We got this as promised, so go on and finish your job."
Gust stuffed the crystal magma into the large pouch on the front of her dress and ran off towards the hospital to help her companion. Compa watched the little girl for a moment before turning her attention to IF, "Iffy, what should we do? Should we go to the hospital with Gust?"
The brunette waved Compa off, "I don't wanna be a distraction. Gust can handle this on her own."
Lyrica let out a deep sigh, prompting Heero to look at her, "Are you alright?"
The musician's cheeks turned a light shade of pink as she shook her head, "N-No, it's just that… I didn't know helping people could make you feel… so good inside."
Neptune began to lean on Heero, feeling completely exhausted from their search for the Erde Crystal, "So let's go find a hotel, get a nice big room with two bed, and order some room service! I'm tired and hungry."
Lyrica looked at Neptune with a slightly disturbed look on her face, "But if we only have two beds… then three of us will have to share one! I can't begin to imagine how uncomfortable that would be…"
An audible groan came out of Neptune's mouth as she began to fall to her knees, "Fine, we'll get a room with three beds so one of you can have a bed all to yourself. I just want to share a bed with Heero, and have some good food."
Compa's cheeks began to get puffy and red, "That's not fair, Nep-Nep! Why should you be the one to share a bed with Heero?"
With what strength her tired body could muster, Neptune wrapped her arms around Heero's torso, "Cuz Heero is my Destined Lover. We gotta do everything together."
Heero had to stop this before the argument escalated, "Instead of standing her arguing we should find a hotel to stay at. We can search for the Key Fragment after we have had a sufficient amount of time to recover."
The party's bubbly leader jumped onto Heero's back while pointing off in a random direction, "So let's go, peeps! Heero, you will carry me because that's what a lover would do."
"(…More like you would keep pestering me if I didn't.)" With Neptune secure on his back, Heero began to walk towards the nearest hotel with Compa, IF and Lyrica in tow. All the while the Perfect Soldier kept a watchful eye on the surroundings for anyone or anything that might endanger the preteen he was carrying.
Xxx
IF had said that she needed to go shopping and left the party shortly after they had gotten their room. Neptune, Compa and Lyrica thought nothing of it, while Heero was more than a little suspicious and left shortly thereafter, stating that he important business to take care of.
About an hour had passed since then, and Neptune was sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at the clock on the wall, "Iffy sure is being a slowpoke with her shopping. Maybe she couldn't find a store? And Heero is taking a long time with the stuff he's gotta do."
The preteen looked over at Compa and Lyrica who were sitting on the bed to the right of hers. "Should we order some pizza?"
"Iffy is out getting us food. Let's just be patient and wait for her. Do you want to call her and ask where she is?"
Neptune watched as Compa pulled a cell phone out of her skirt pocket, "You've got a cell phone? Iffy looks like she has a lot, Lyrics over there uses a different one all the time, and Iffy keeps lending one to Heero… So, I'm the only party member without one?!"
The nurse in training nodded her head in response, "Mm-hmm. Cell phones are seen as advanced outside of Planeptune." Compa returned her attention to her cell phone, only to find that she had no service. "Aw, poo… I don't get service on Leanbox unless I pay a fee?"
Neptune assumed her thinking position as Compa looked at the virtually useless cellular device, "Maybe Iffy's is special? I've seen her get calls before, so what if it's an adult walky-talky instead?"
"I don't think that's very likely." As the two girls were busy chatting amongst themselves, Lyrica was scribbling away on a piece of paper, "Hmm… it looks good so far. Maybe Heero can help me come up with some lyrics when he gets back."
Suddenly, the piece of paper the musician had been writing on was snatched up by none other than Neptune. Lyrica tried to get the sheet back from the preteen, "P-Please give that back! I don't want anyone to see it!"
Neptune was jumping around the room to keep away from the cerulean haired singer as she looked at the piece of paper, "Whatcha writin'? I wanna read it!" The purple haired preteen crashed into Compa just as she had started reading the first verse, allowing Lyrica to quickly grab the paper back.
Compa picked herself up off the floor, "Ouchie… Nep-Nep, it isn't nice to take things from other people."
Lyrica checked the piece of paper to make sure that it didn't have any smears or tears, "If you must know, this is a song that I'm working on. I'm still working on the lyrics, so no one can see it."
Neptune hopped back onto her bed, a bored expression on her face, "Boring! I wish there was something to do."
With nothing else to do, the group of girls were left to wait in their hotel room until Heero and IF returned.
Xxx
IF was walking down a street of the city that strangely enough, was deserted. In one hand IF was carrying grocery bags, while in the other was a glass vial. The brunette was looking down at the vial in her hands that she had received from the Archbishop of Leanbox during the banquet, "This is… poison, isn't it? It's purple and bubbly. I would think even Nep would notice this right away. The Archbishop said a drop of this could take down a giant enemy crab…"
IF looked at the glass vial full of the lethal toxin for a few seconds before shaking her head and stuffing the poison into her jacket pocket. "Urgh! I can't do it! It's not right for me, a mere human, to see a goddess to begin with. I just hope I'll be forgiven."
As IF turned around, she saw Heero approaching her from the other end of the street, "Oh, H-Heero! What are you do-" The brunette stopped when she noticed the Perfect Soldier glaring at her. "I-Is something wrong?"
Heero didn't utter a word until he was right in front of IF, "…Where is it?"
IF was caught off guard by Heero's question, "Huh? Where's wha-" Before she had any time to react, IF found herself forced up against a building with both of her hands restrained. The brunette struggled to break free, but Heero was simply too strong for her… and he was only restraining her with one hand. "H-Heero, what are you doing?!"
With his free hand, Heero slipped his hand into IF's right jacket pocket and fished out the glass vial full of poison. The Gundam pilot shifted his to the vial in his hand for a moment before looking back at IF, "This is the poison you received from the Archbishop. The poison you were going to use to kill Neptune."
IF was shocked that Heero not only knew who gave her the poison, but whom it was to be used on, "No, you've got the wrong idea Heero! I-"
Heero's glare became cold, chilling the Guild Moderatist to the bone, "You were given a private audience with Green Heart as well as the promise of official citizenship into Leanbox once you carried out the assassination. Considering how you reacted, I would easily believe that you worship Lady Green Heart… and that gives me more than enough reason to be suspicious of you."
The brunette felt her heart stop. Had Heero spied on her when the Archbishop of Leanbox called her out? Considering what the ever faithful Yvoire had done to persuade IF to carry out the deed, as well as what his job was, Heero had every right to suspect her.
The Perfect Soldier released IF, reared his right arm back and threw the vial full of poison. While it was still airborne, Heero reached for his pistol which he kept holstered behind his back, and took aim the fragile object. It only took one squeeze of the trigger, a single bullet to destroy the sinister concoction. The sound of shattering glass, followed by the sight of a liquid raining down on the ground a short distance away from the two indicated that the poison would be of no use to anyone anymore.
Heero returned his attention to IF, still maintaining the same cold glare, "I will be keeping my eye on you, so don't even think about running away."
IF didn't see herself being able to talk to Heero at this point, so she began the walk back to the party's hotel room. Heero followed behind her so that she couldn't run away, not that she was going to, "(…I've really screwed up. What do I do now?)"
Xxx
When they arrived back at the hotel, Heero opened the door to the room and IF walked in first, "Hey, we're back. Seems like tuna-mayo doesn't exist on Leanbox…" The brunette turned her attention to a certain purple haired preteen to see what she was doing. "Huh? Hey!"
Neptune looked up from the food in front of her, some of which was crammed into her mouth, "Mmm, welhum bach!"
Compa turned her attention to IF, "The innkeeper brought us some food. You ordered it for us, didn't you?" The nurse in training returned her attention to the preteen next to her. "Hehe, she started before you got back."
Lyrica was watching the purple haired preteen with disbelief evident in her eyes, "I've been to Planeptune, Lowee, Lastation and Leanbox… but I've never seen anyone on any of the landmasses in Gamindustri who could eat so much food at one time… it was as if she inhaled it!"
Heero took one look at the food in front of Neptune, and then it hit him like a ton of bricks, "(…No! That food…! It must be…!)"
IF seemed to have been thinking the same thing, as she quickly ran over to the leader of the party, "Wait! Don't eat that! I know it's too late, but… put those utensils down!"
Heero himself marched over to Neptune. He slapped the forked out of her hand and placed a firm grip on her shoulders, "Whatever it was that you put in your mouth Neptune, spit it out!"
Neptune had a panicked look on her face, and both Compa and Lyrica had somewhat bewildered looks on their faces from the tone of Heero's voice. Neptune inadvertently ended up swallowing the food that was in her mouth, "W-Woah, what's up Heero? Why are you actin' all serious?"
The Perfect Soldier grit his teeth, "Dammit, I said for you to spit it out, not swallow it!"
"Why did you want me to-" Before she could say another word Neptune suddenly fell to the floor. Compa looked down at the preteen, "Nep-Nep, getting the 'itis' already? You'll become a pig, you know. They say obesity is the source of all ills."
IF tossed the bags of groceries she was carrying to the side, "That's not the issue here!" The brunette grabbed a piece of the food of the tray Neptune had been eating off of. "Is this what Nep ate? You didn't eat it, did you, Compa? Lyrica?"
Compa herself shook her head, "Nope. They said it was made just for our cute little Nep-Nep." 5pb shook her head, "I couldn't get to any of it the way Neptune was hogging it."
Compa looked back down at Neptune, who was still lying motionless on the ground, "Umm… wh-what's wrong with Nep-Nep?"
IF swallowed hard, panic evident in her eyes, "…I don't know. Can you look her over? I think she may have been poisoned!"
The nurse in training had a fearful look on her face from hearing the brunette say that Neptune had been poisoned, "Poisoned?! Why would anybody…? We must get her an antidote, no, a panacea! I can't do anything here…"
Lyrica was almost instantly on her feet, the musician was in just as much panic as Compa, "Then… what should we do?"
Heero knelt down next to Neptune and turned her onto her back. The preteen's eyes which were normally bright and full of life were now cold and lifeless, "(…No. This poison has already affected Neptune much too quickly to be cured with an antidote or panacea. What kind of poison spread through the body so quickly, though?!)"
Suddenly, the door to the room slammed open, and Yvoire walked in with a group of soldiers, "Don't move! Miss IF, please step away from those tainted girls and that boy. Arrest those four criminal!"
IF was shocked by the unwelcomed quest in their room, "No… You're behind this? What's happening?! I thought you ordered me to do this!"
"What are you accusing me of? Was it not you who sneaked the poison into the food after talking with Lady Green Heart? Thank you. Though you are a dirty Guild member, your loyalty to Leanbox's CPU is much appreciated."
IF now saw what was going on, Yvoire had planned to use her as his scapegoat the entire time, "What?! No! What are YOU accusing ME of?! Let them go!" The brunette turned he attention to the other four members of the party as they were surrounded by soldiers. "Heero! Compa! Nep! Lyrica!"
"…Fool. You're no different than the other heretical, immoral scum. Take her as well!"
Heero furrowed his brow as he analyzed the group's less than favorable situation. They were trapped in a now crowded room on the second floor of the hotel they were staying at. Neptune was poisoned and effectively incapacitated, Compa and Lyrica were out of reach of their weapons, and IF had already been restrained by two of the soldiers.
Normally, Heero would have no problem escaping. He could easily break through the window and land on the ground with relative ease since it was just a jump from the second floor… but that was if he were by himself. The mission he had been given upon coming to Gamindustri was to protect Neptune. He couldn't very well leave her here, but that also presented a problem to the situation: Heero didn't know if he would be able to get Neptune out of the room through the window without hurting her in the process, and there could also be more guards outside. He also could not overlook the possibility that even if he were able to get Neptune to safety, Yvoire's position as Archbishop meant that he held a lot of power, and would probably start a manhunt for the two if they were to escape. There was also the fact that Neptune had been poisoned, so he would have to carry her, and that would make it harder to find a safe place for the preteen.
What's worse, if Heero choose to escape by himself that meant that the girls would be in danger. They would more than likely be taken to some kind of prison facility… possibly even tortured. If that were to happen, Heero had no doubt that the girls would break under such abuse, whereas he could easily endure it.
With no options available to him that would guarantee Neptune's safety, Heero could do nothing but allow himself to be captured as well. At the very least, it meant that he could watch over Neptune so that no more harm could be done to her.
Xxx
Me: "Well, another chapter done… after a 'slightly' longer than needed break… I blame my school work."
Heero: (Enters ACCC with unconscious Neptune in his arms) "Perhaps the school you go to needs to be demolished."
Me: "I wish… but, what can I do? I can only grit my teeth and take it with a boat load of salt. Anyway, Neptune is going to be taken out of the party rotation for obvious reasons."
Compa: (Runs into ACCC from Lounge) "I tried waking her open by making some pancakes, but even that didn't get her up! M-Maybe I should try shaking her?"
IF: (Enters ACCC from Break Room): "Nep was poisoned, remember? I think shaking her will just make it worse."
Lyrica: (Runs around ACCC in a panic) "Ohmygosh! What are we gonna do?!"
Me: (Raises eyebrow at the panicking Lyrica) "Umm… wait until the next chapter? I should have it up sometime soon… like tomorrow… maybe."
Heero: "It would be appreciated, I cannot be expected to carry Neptune forever."
Neptune: (Lies in Heero's arms lifeless) "…"
Me: "I hate seeing Nep look so… dead to the world. Well, let's wrap up this chapter peeps." Looks to Left Entrance of ACCC. "Gust!"
Gust: (Poke head through Left Entrance) "Yes?"
Me: "I'll give you 500 credits if you wrap up this chapter for us."
Gust: (Money signs appear in eyes) "Gust will finish chapter!" (Turns to face readers) "Read and Review chapter please. And look forward to next update."
Me: (Points to exit) "Let's go people! I want to work on the other chapter now, so we our readers don't have to wait too long for the next update."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Compa, IF, Lyrica and Gust: (Exit ACCC)
