Me: "Once again, I bid you readers welcome to the story. With the hunt for the Quartet Arms out of the way, we're starting to wind up for the big finish."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter IC) "We're getting close to the end of the story, huh? We need a totally awesome and dramatic finish."
Me: "I don't know if it will be dramatic, but I've already decided on how to end the story."
Heero: "So long as the ending doesn't feature any last minute additions that were not present during the story."
Me: "What do you take me for? I've made sure to remain consistent throughout this story."
Histoire: (Enters IC from Lounge) "It would seem I am getting a more prominent role in this chapter."
Lady Black Heart: (Enters IC from Break Room) "I was starting to think that you forgot about me. I'm I getting more time in the story? I don't want another repeat of that one chapter..."
Me: "How could I forget you? You're a fan favorite. Also, you'll get your time in the next chapter, just setting things up in this one."
Lady White Heart: (Enters IC from Lounge) "...You're gonna give me more time in the story, right? I haven't gotten to be in it nearly as much as I should."
Lady Green Heart: (Enters IC from Game Room) "If they appear in the story more often, the I feel it is only appropriate that I appear more as well. I have my fans too, after all."
Me: "People, please! You'll more time in the following chapter. Just gotta give me some time. Now, we should wrap this up and get the chapter underway so we can get to work on the next one.
Heero, Neptune, Histoire, Lady Black Heart, Lady White Heart, and Lady Green Heart: "HeeroUzuki does not own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Super Robot Wars, or any work pertaining to any of the franchises."
Me: "It's so painful to be constantly reminded of that fact. Let's hurry up and leave before I start to cry."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Histoire, Lady Black Heart, Lady White Heart, and Lady Green Heart: (Leave IC)
Ch. 42 The Memories of an Amnesiac
Deep in one of Lowee's snow covered forest's, a familiar antagonistic goddess was busy scowling and brooding. Arfoire had caught wind of the party's success in assembling the Quartet Arms, and was actually starting to get worried, "I don't believe this… they actually have all four weapons?! My plans will be ruined if I don't do something."
It was only a matter of time before Neptune and her party came knocking on her front door in Celestia, and as things stood now, she wasn't close to bringing her plans to fruition. Her only choice was to defeat the party… or at least kill Neptune now in order to prevent them from entering the holy land of the goddesses. "I must stop Neptune here. Before she ruins everything."
Xxx
The party had awakened early that day in preparation to cross the Sky Harbor into Planeptune. Their early rise could be attributed to the still high morale of the group, what with having found the Trust Spear the day before. Even when they left the safe house to reach the Sky Harbor and were subjected to the flurry of snow and cold weather, the party remained undeterred.
In an effort to reach the Sky Harbor sooner, the party cut through a forested area. As the group walked along, Compa was experiencing some doubt as to whether the Quartet Arms would really grant them passage to Celestia, "We're ready to go to Celestia. Are these weapons really gonna open up a path for us?"
Neptune was surprised that the nurse in training would start questioning the validity of Histoire's claim, "Compa! Are you doubting the cute little Histy now? She didn't lie about the Key Fragments!"
It wasn't as though Compa was alone in her skepticism. Every other member of the party shared similar doubts. It certainly didn't help that Histoire had not contacted the party even once during their search, a fact that IF couldn't help but bring up, "You're right, but… She didn't get back to us even once. We ended up find all of them on foot. The only reason we found them so quickly was thanks to Z and because Heero had some reliable sources of info on them."
Histoire had said that the 'world was her everything' and that she was 'the world's everything,' surely she would have had no problem finding the weapons. Yet she had not assisted the party even once in their search for the Quartet Arms other than the vague hint she provided on their locations. Lyrica was somewhat miffed by the lack of aid from the tome of the goddesses, "If what Histy said about herself is true, she should know everything about Gamindustri. How could she not know the weapons were in pieces? Or where the pieces were?"
Compa didn't want to completely undermine Histoire. She wanted to believe the fairy-like girl had tried to help them, "It's probably because the weapons were in pieces. It may have caused her research to take a long time."
The nurse in training's theory might have held water, provided she had some way to prove it. Nisa herself wasn't entirely convinced, "I don't know… Histy said that she was part of the goddesses' power, so she must be omnipotent. Something like that really shouldn't be enough to slow her down."
Once more, Neptune tried to defend the tome of the goddesses,' this time using their archenemy as the reason, "Histy's got so much on her shoulders. If only Arfoire stayed quiet, we wouldn't hafta go through all this trouble."
Mere moments after the amnesiac spoke of the evil goddess, an all-too familiar melodramatic laugh filled the air followed by the appearance of Arfoire, "Haaaah ha ha ha! Well, so sorry for not staying quiet. Y'know, I don't take orders very well."
Upon seeing the goddess they had just been talking about, Compa began quoting her uncle, "My grandpa would say 'speak of the devil and he shall appear!' I remember you! ...Barely!"
The former goddess found it annoying that the nurse in training had forgotten about her so easily. "Could you have seriously forgotten my face at this juncture?" Putting aside her irritation, Arfoire directed her attention to Neptune, "Anyway, you still plan to rebel and listen to Histoire?! There is no turning back once you open the path to Celestia. For either of us!"
Neptune brushed off the warning as she was more focused on the fact that the former goddess was there when she was supposed to be in Celestia, "Aww, c'mon, Arfie! We collected the four weapons and were gettin' amped up about the journey. You're here too early!"
Once more the fallen goddess found herself annoyed with the party's leader. "Arfie…? Am I a dog now? Good to know you're still energetic, because this fight will be different. Let's go, one on one!"
No one in the party could figure out whether Arfoire was joking or showing signs of stupidity if she really believed they would let her face Neptune in a one on one battle given everything that she had put them through. IF herself wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to deal with the former goddess, "Are you just trying to stop Nep? Do you really think we'll let you?"
The brunette's sentiments were shared amongst the group. Nisa already started proclaiming the party's intent to defeat Arfoire then and there, "You are the source of the evil that plagues our fair world of Gamindustri. You will not get the honor of a fair fight. We will defeat you here and now!"
While the others in the party were raring to go, something about the situation felt off to Heero. They had battled the former goddess more than once, and surely she couldn't have forgotten her defeat at their hands before. There was something about the way Arfoire had stated her intent to challenge Neptune that suggested she had some kind of trick up her sleeve, "Either there are monsters lying in wait, or..."
There were no monsters, but Arfoire did have a means to stop the rest of the group from interfering, "Outsiders can stay outside! This is a problem amongst the goddesses to begin with."
Without warning the party found themselves collapsing to their knees. Heero tried moving, but felt as though there were invisible chains keeping him bound to where he was. "What the hell?!"
IF tried moving as well, but her efforts were just as futile, "Whoa! Damn… I-I can't move a single muscle in my body… Wh-What'd she do?!"
Like the Guild Moderatist, Compa struggled to free herself from whatever it was that was keeping them restrained only to have her attempt amount to nothing, "Oh nooooooo, me neither…!"
The only one among the party that was able to move was Neptune, who demanded the former goddess stop what she was doing, "Hey now, Arfie! Stop that! Bad! What's you do? Let 'em go!"
Despite the amnesiac's demands, Arfoire refused to undo her work, "I told you it will be different this time. I've barricaded the area with a simple seal. Enough to restrain their actions!" The evil goddess then goaded Neptune into fighting her. "You wanted to face me, right? Settle this, right? Then you better take advantage of this opportunity! Or are you not confident without you bodyguard and little fangirls? How disgusting, Neptune!"
Every time the party had faced Arfoire, they swiftly defeated her through the combined efforts of every member in the group. Now there was the prospect of Neptune facing the former goddess by herself, so there was no telling how the battle would go.
No one else in the party was able to move despite their best efforts. IF soon stopped trying to overcome the invisible force that kept her pinned where she was, "Dammit, I can't move! ...Nep, don't worry about us. Hurry and protect Histoire!"
Since they couldn't do anything to help, Compa supported the brunette's decision to have the party leader run, "Y-Yes… Run while you can…!"
Even Gust could do nothing but promote the purplenette's hasty retreat, "Retreat is best option for Neptune…! Must hurry...!"
Contrary to their pleas, Neptune refused to run from Arfoire, "How could I leave my buddies behind?! Beating Arfoire is the whole reason we collected the weapons, right? There won't be any chance if I lost you guys. Plus, she's right here! What's the point in taking the weapons to Histy?!"
When the amnesiac put it that way, it really did seem like there was no point in telling her to run, which caused IF to reluctantly concede, "Ugh… Nep is right..."
Arfoire gave another melodramatic laugh as the purplenette choose to stay and fight, "Haaaah ha ha ha! Splendid! This is getting interesting, as I had hoped."
The former goddess's provocations started to wear on Neptune's nerves as she readied her sword, "You're really pushing my buttons this time! Don't get mad if I accidentally hurt you really, really bad!"
Deciding that she hadn't provoked Neptune enough, Arfoire levitated over to the restrained Heero and pressed her glaive up against his right cheek and slowly dragged the blade across his skin, leaving a cut on the boy's face that was just deep enough to draw blood. "Shut up! Your powers aren't enough to tickle me. This is your final stop, Neptune!"
While the injury to Heero's cheek was negligible, it was enough to send Neptune over the edge. "That does it, you gaudy old hag! No one hurts my Heero and gets away with it!"
Heero had hoped that the amnesiac wouldn't fall for the obvious ploy, but instead allowed it to get to her, "(It's obvious she's trying to get Neptune worked up so she can't think properly. This could be bad...)"
Throwing rationale out the window, Neptune charged at the former goddess with the clear intent of causing serious bodily harm. With the purplenette taking the bait so easily, Arfoire levitated away from the restrained party so there was nothing to get in the way of the battle between the two goddesses.
Neptune swung her sword wildly at Arfoire with each attack failing to land against the former goddess. Seeing the amnesiac goddess struggle to even hit her made Arfoire even more full of herself than she already was, "What happened to you hurting me really, really bad? It seems like you're all talk."
Being taunted by the former goddess just infuriated Neptune even more. The purplenette suddenly lunged at Arfoire while thrusting her sword out, leaving a small cut on the side of the fallen goddess' face.
A sneer flashed across Arfoire's face as she slammed her glaive into Neptune's stomach, sending the amnesiac sliding across the ground. Picking herself back up, the goddess of Planeptune tried once more to land a hit by swinging her weapon with wild abandon. Instead, the tactic left her open to another attack from Arfoire, as a ball of energy that had accumulated at the tip of her glaive was pointed right at the purple haired girl. "You're making this too easy."
Neptune didn't have time to dodge or defend herself and was left to take the full-force of Arfoire's attack. The sphere of energy detonated right in front of the amnesiac, sending her tumbling backwards a few feet before coming to a stop on her side.
It took a moment for Neptune to shake off her daze before getting back on her feet, "Don't think you've beat me cuz you got in a few cheap shots!"
A few cheap shots was all it took to convey to Heero that Neptune was losing the battle. The party's leader was so worked up that she was focused too much on simply attacking and spared no thought toward defense, "Dammit, this is bad..."
Once more, Heero tried to free himself from his invisible bonds. At first it didn't seem as though he could break free, but slowly he was able to get one leg out from under him, followed by the other. As soon as he was standing, the boy tried to move his right hand. "(Come on… I just need to free my hand…!)"
An audible 'clang' drew the Gundam pilot's attention back to the battle before him. Neptune had defended herself from another attack, but the blade of her weapon broke in half as a result. The amnesiac had nothing to defend herself with.
Lyrica tried to look away, but was still unable to move because of Arfoire's seal, "Neptune's in serious trouble!"
Seeing the now defenseless Neptune lying on the ground sent Heero into a frenzy as he tried to move his hand. Slowly the boy was able to move his hand just enough that he was able to access his array of discs and use HDD. Although he had no way of knowing whether it would free him of his invisible restrains, but Heero had to try something to save Neptune.
The disc containing the Wing Gundam was the Perfect Soldier's choice, and because Arfoire was so focused on Neptune she failed to notice the transformation take place. Accessing HDD seemed to be enough to free Heero from the seal, and the moment he was no longer restrained the Gundam pilot charged at the former goddess.
Arfoire was gloating to herself as she stood over Neptune, "How I've waited for this moment. Now you die, Neptune!"
Neptune shut her eyes as she waited for what seemed to be inevitable. Instead, she heard the sound of Arfoire struggling against something. When the amnesiac opened her eyes, she saw a robotic hand tightly wrapped around Arfoire's wrist, and the mobile suit the hand was attached.
Having successfully staved off Arfoire's attack the Wing Gundam threw the former goddess into a nearby tree, breaking the tree in half in the process. Arfoire couldn't believe that the Perfect Soldier was able to break free of her seal, "You shouldn't be able to move! How did you break through my seal?!"
It was only after he had helped Neptune back on her feet that the Gundam pilot bothered to answer the former goddess, "My mission is to protect Neptune. I will remove any obstacles that would keep me from completing that mission."
Neptune saw the boy's timely intervention as a sign of love, "You think some dumb old seal is gonna stop my lover? The power of our love makes us invincible! As long as I've got Heero, I don't need anyone else!"
Heero couldn't believe the amnesiac was talking about love in the middle of a battle, "Neptune this is neither the time nor the place for that."
The party leader's remark produced varying results among the rest of the party, none of which were positive. Compa was slightly depressed by Neptune's declaration, "We're supposed to be a party… all of us are needed..."
IF was irritated that the purplenette tried to make it seem as though the Gundam pilot was only interested in her, "Stop pretending that Heero is only interested in you!"
Neptune disregarded the rest of what the girls had to say on the subject and focused on Arfoire, "You better give up now, Arfie! Heero and I are unbeatable together!"
Had the Gundam pilot not interfered, Arfoire would have succeeded in killing Neptune. The former goddess would not accept any outcome that didn't end in the amnesiac's demise, "You're clearly no ordinary child if you were able to break free of my seal. It doesn't matter… you can share her fate!"
The Wing Gundam's retrieve the beam saber from the hidden compartment in its shield and tossed the thermal weapon back to the unarmed Neptune, "This battle won't end the way you planned."
It wasn't as if the Perfect Soldier was making a false claim. Histoire had said that the real Arfoire was quite strong, to the point where Heero might not be able to protect Neptune. If this had been the real thing, she wouldn't have bothered putting up a seal to incapacitate the party… this was just another of her alter egos.
Having just received a temporary replacement for her broken sword, Neptune was ready to fight once again. The Wing Gundam sped toward the fake Arfoire, knowing that because she wasn't the real thing a few well placed attacks would be enough to defeat her.
Arfoire lunged at the mobile suit with her glaive only to have it deflected by the Gundam's shield and leave her exposed to an attack that came from Neptune who emerged from behind her robotic bodyguard.
Tightly clutching the saber in her hands, the amnesiac swung the thermal blade at the former goddess and was able to land a solid blow this time. A storm of bullets from the Wing Gundam's machine cannons followed closely that kept the fake Arfoire pinned where she was.
The two attacks served to get on Arfoire's nerves, since she had gone from the being the one in control of the battle to being on the receiving endof the duo, "Don't think your insignificant attacks will be enough to stop m-"
Much to Arfoire's chagrin she was not allowed to finish her sentence, as Neptune firmly planted her foot in the former goddess's face… and to further add to her humiliation, the Gundam had raised it's right arm overhead and slammed the armored limb against Arfoire's head, forcing her down into the snow covered ground face first.
It had only taken four attacks, and just as Heero had predicted the alter ego fell like a house of card. The fake Arfoire lifted her beaten body off the snow covered ground, still reeling from the defeat, "H-How could this be?! My power wasn't enough…?!"
The only thing that had been different between this battle and all of the previous run-ins with the former goddess was that the majority of the party was unable to help this time. Neptune didn't care to listen to Arfoire rant about her loss, "Don't bug me! Evil will never get what it wants. You see that you're totally the villain here, right?"
With the former goddess now lying in defeat, IF saw no reason to let her go… though she was still immobile from the seal Arfoire had placed in the area, "Nep, don't let her go! You've got to finish her off!"
Not wanting to allow Neptune to make good on the suggestion, Arfoire turned to run away, "Gah! Even if the path to Celestia is open, there's nothing you can do… Stop this nonsense!"
Neptune just watched as the fallen goddess retreated from sight. IF couldn't believe the party's leader was allowing their archenemy to escape. "Hey! W-Wait, Arfoire! Wait…! Nep… You let her go on purpose."
A shrug of her shoulders was Neptune's response to the Guild Moderatist, "I'm more worried about my fanclub. Plus, you guys owe her a couple of slaps. I didn't wanna take your fun away."
Heero would have spoken out against letting Arfoire go, were it not for the fact that he knew that what they had just fought was a fake, "Just try not to make it a habit. If you see an opportunity to eliminate a threat you should take it."
The amnesiac walked over to her fellow party members who were still sitting on their knees. "Can you guys stand? Let's go say hi to Histy."
The seal Arfoire had placed on the area must have vanished with her defeat, as the girls were soon able to stand once more. Once the others were on their feet, the party resumed their walk toward the Sky Harbor.
Red dusted off her knees while casting aside any notion that she would try and make the former goddess one of her wives, "What a mean old crone. I know someone that is definitely not getting a place in my collection of wifeys."
As the rest of the party grumbled and complained about their inability to do anything because of Arfoire, Neptune was grinning over the results of the fight, "You really saved my bacon there, Heero. I can always count on you when things get tough."
Heero was concerned the amnesiac put too much trust in him to bail her out of trouble. After all, what if there came a situation in which he couldn't help her? The Gundam pilot tried not to dwell on the idea, hoping such a scenario wouldn't arise, "(I hope I'm just being paranoid...)"
Xxx
Upon entering the Land of Purple Progress, the party immediately headed for the hotel Histoire was using as a temporary place of residence. When they arrived at the room the fairy-like girl was staying, Neptune barged in with the Trinity Sword in hand, "Histy! We're back! We got all four weapons, so we can go to Celestia now, right?"
Histoire expected the amnesiac to be enthusiastic about facing Arfoire, however she felt that the party's strength alone wouldn't be enough, "Neptune, I understand your eagerness to face Arfoire… But I don't think you are prepared to face her."
The purplenette was rather offended by Histoire's statement. The idea that the party wasn't strong enough to defeat Arfoire was a blow to her ego. "But we've beaten her plenty of time before. We can totally beat her again!"
Fighting an alter ego and fighting the actual goddess herself were two different battles… and the latter was a battle the party was unprepared for. "The real Arfoire is much more powerful than any of her alter egos. If you were to face her now, not even Heero would be able to protect you. (*/ω\*)"
An enemy that was too strong for even Heero was a chilling thought to the girls. Compa was curious to know how they were going to defeat Arfoire is she was really so powerful, "Then… what do we do? We can't let her do as she pleases."
It wasn't as though the tome of the goddesses had been just sitting in that room doing nothing. She had went over their options and found that enlisting the aid of the other three CPUs was their best chance at victory, "We need the other CPUs on our side. With their help, we may be able to defeat Arfoire."
IF thought about the idea, wondering if it was going to be as easy as Histoire made it sound, "It would be nice to have the other goddesses helping us… but I doubt it will be easy to convince them to join us."
Someone with extensive knowledge on the issue would be needed to explain things to the goddesses, which was why Histoire was going with the group. "I will go with you to see them. If I explain things, the CPUs should be more willing to help us. (^▽^)"
There was no way of knowing whether the other three CPUs would really help them, but they at least had to try. Heero looked out the window toward Lowee, "If that is the case, we should return to Lowee first. We can decide on our next course of action after meeting with Lady White Heart."
Xxx
The party found themselves back in Lowee, this time to seek an audience with Lady White Heart. Hopes were high that the goddess of Lowee would aid the party in defeating Arfoire, but Heero knew that even with Histoire there to explain things their odds of convincing the CPU were slim.
After a walk through the forest the party arrived at Entremets, and were greeted by Financier, "What a pleasant surprise this is. I didn't expect to see you guys here so soon."
Neptune cut right to the chase, since the she believed the party was in good standing with the CPU, "While I'd love to sit and chat and have good food, we kinda need to talk to the goddess."
IF couldn't believe the party leader was being so crass with requesting an audience with Lowee's highest figure, "Neptune's bluntness aside, we really need to speak to Lady White Heart. It's really important."
Financier looked over the party for a moment before turning to enter the audience chamber, "I can't make any promises, but I'll see what I can do."
Once the Basilicom staff member disappeared behind the door, Histoire made known her disapproval of Neptune's lack of refinement, "Neptune, you really should work on your manners. It is unbecoming of a goddess to act so frivolously when dealing with other.(ᗒᗣᗕ)՞"
It was true that Neptune needed to exercise a bit more decorum, Heero would admit that the amnesiac's attitude proved convenient at times, "Neptune's bluntness does have its advantages. She just needs to know when to act properly and when her candid attitude is appropriate."
While the party was busy conversing amongst themselves, Financier approached Lady White Heart, who was sitting upright while reading one of her books, "Lady White Heart, some travelers are requesting an audience. What would you like to do?"
The CPU finished reading the sentence she was on before closing her book. When ever she heard 'some travelers are requesting an audience,' she knew it meant that Neptune and her party was there. Lady White Heart rolled her eyes as she imagined what the bubbly amnesiac wanted from her this time, "...I've heard that before. Just bring them in."
Shortly after Financier left, Neptune, Heero and the rest of the group entered the audience chamber. And as everyone in the room expected, Neptune spoke in a blunt manner that really had no place in the current situation, "Yo, Lady White Heart. You seem bored and pissy, as usual."
Lady White Heart's eye twitched for a moment. The description she had used along with her voice which sounded like grating plates to the goddess was already getting on her nerves. "...I am now. Neptune, Heero, the other six… and..." The CPU noticed that there was yet another girl among the sizable party, one that she had not seen the last time they were in Lowee, "You kidnapped another?"
Neptune brought Histoire closer to the CPU for her to see. "You're quick, my hungry little piggy. We're here today to show Histy off to you."
The tome of the goddesses acted slightly bashful as she addressed the purplenette, "Oh, please. We only met a few weeks ago."
Observing the fairy-like girl for a moment, the CPU of Lowee thought they act a bit similarly to one another, "...I'm glad she seems to be on the same idiotic wavelength as you."
To Histoire it was no surprise, considering that for all intents and purposes she not only hailed from the same plane of existence as the goddesses, but the CPUs were a part of her in a sense. "The goddesses are practically a part of me. Tuning into my wavelength is only natural. Anyway, I have some important things to discuss with you today. Will you listen?"
Lady White Heart thought about whether or not she should listen to Histoire. It wasn't as if she had to and there were or things she could be doing at that moment. That said, the CPU was under the impression that the group would continue to pester her if she said no.
Reluctantly, the goddess of Lowee decided to hear out Histoire, "...Fine. Make it snappy."
Over the course of an hour, Histoire explained the situation to Lady White Heart from Arfoire, to the monsters, and her plan to destroy the world. It was only once she was sure the tome had nothing else to say that the goddess decided to speak up. "...Uh-huh. So, Arfoire is out to destroy the world with monsters. You believe this, Neptune?"
Neptune replied by furiously nodding her head, "Well, naturally! We fought her a buncha times now. You met her, too. Remember Conversation?! She was one of Arfoire's creepy alter egos!"
That was a name the CPU would rather forget about. She had lost count of the number of times the former evangelist had gotten on her nerves, "...Right."
Since she now had the CPU's attention, Neptune tried to push the fact that the former goddess was trying to destroy the world and get Lady White Heart to join their cause. "Arfoire is gonna bust up the world! We dunno why yet, but your land's in danger too!"
Even though Histoire had been there to explain just how dire the situation was, Lady White Heart remained unconvinced. "...One, what is she going to do after destroying the human world? So pointless. ...Two, the frequent monster attacks and manipulating the Guild won't affect the world at large much."
Heero wasn't really surprised by the goddess's response. Even the party didn't know what Arfoire planned to after she destroyed the human world. What reason did she have to believe them? Meanwhile, Neptune was unable to accept that Lady White Heart could so easily downplay what she had just been told, "But it involved all of us! Please help! Are you gonna ignore this as a goddess?"
Another wave of irritation washed over Lady White Heart as the amnesiac goddess tried to guilt trip her into aiding the party. She had only given two reasons for why she wouldn't help them, Lady White Heart had one more, rather personal reason for not helping them, "...Three, why would I help you, who preaches about being a goddess when she doesn't even remember her past?"
Having given her reason for refusing the party, Lady White Heart saw no reason to listen any further. "Sorry, but… can you leave? I'm not helping you."
Neptune didn't want to accept no for an answer from the goddess, but before she could try again to persuade the CPU, Heero placed his hand on her shoulder. The amnesiac looked back at the boy, who only shook his head at her.
Waiting until the others were gone, Heero decided to speak to the goddess to see if Neptune's amnesia really was going to be an issue, "Does Neptune's lack of memories really bother you?"
Lady White Heart allowed the tone of her voice to soften since it was the Gundam pilot speaking to her now, "...How can you waste your time protecting someone who runs from her responsibilities?"
Heero wouldn't deny that Neptune shirked responsibility at times, but the amnesiac at least did what was right when it really mattered. It was part of the reason why he continued to protect her. "Because the mission I was given is to protect her. It is through her that I'm trying to find a reason to live beyond just fighting."
It was infuriating to hear the boy say that what he wanted out of helping the amnesiac was a reason to live. If anything, it sounded as though Neptune was taking advantage of the Gundam pilot… and she found that unacceptable. "I see… Was there anything else you wanted to ask?"
For a brief moment the Perfect Soldier heard Lady White Heart's voice crack just enough to suggest that she was more upset with Neptune now than when she had been in the room. It was painfully clear that Lady White Heart really wasn't going to help them fight Arfoire andany further discussion would likely make a future attempt at persuading the goddess impossible, "No… I imagine you have more important matters to deal with. I'll leave now."
Heero left the audience chamber, leaving Lady White Heart alone with her anger. The small goddess's hands were balled into fists as her rage began to bubble towards the surface, "...That bitch doesn't deserve him."
Once the Perfect Soldier had rejoined the girls the party left Entremets, stopping in town to plan their next move. Compa was quite disappointed with how things played out with the goddess of Lowee, "I didn't think Lady White Heart would refuse us like that. The whole world is in danger, but she won't help us."
Nisa herself was still trying to come to terms with Lady White Heart's refusal, "I'll be honest… I didn't expect her to say no to helping us. It feels like this is a bad dream."
Unfortunately it wasn't a dream. Despite the clear and present danger Arfoire presented, the goddess chose not to do anything. Neptune wasn't about to let the refusal of one goddess be the end of it, "Well… there are still two other goddesses we can ask. So there's still a chance we can get help… right?"
All hope wasn't lost if they could recruit the other two goddesses. Heero had already looked over the schedule for the Sky Harbor, and found that returning to Planeptune was there best option at the moment, "We should return to Planeptune for now. Leanbox will pass by tomorrow, and it is in our best interest to meet with the other CPUs as soon as possible."
With their next course of action decided the party headed back to Planeptune, hoping that they would have better luck in convincing the goddess of Leanbox to aid them in their battle against Arfoire.
Xxx
The following day the party immediately headed into Leanbox once the Sky Harbor opened, their first stop being the Basilicom.
IF looked at the Basilicom employee for a moment, not whether or not she heard him correctly, "...Lady Green Heart isn't here?"
The member of the Sanctified wasn't sure what else to tell the party, "I'm sorry. She's been out fighting monsters every single day lately."
As soon as the brunette heard the member of the Sanctified say that the goddess was out fighting monsters all she could do was stare at him. For a moment she questioned whether they were talking about the same person. "The feminine and gentle Lady Green Heart is fighting monsters? What's going on?"
"I'm not sure. She's been acting different and we're all a little worried about her. I could tell you which dungeon she headed towards if you wish to go and bring her back."
IF was still having some trouble believing what she had just heard regarding the goddess of Leanbox. Trying to put aside her disbelieve, the Guild Moderatist accepted the offer for information on the CPU's whereabouts."Sure..."
The party promptly left the Basilicom to find Lady Green Heart once they had the location of the dungeon she was in. Even as they walked through town toward their destination, Heero could see that IF was still having trouble believing that the seemingly fragile and gentle Lady Green Heart was going out of her way to fight monsters on a daily basis, "Is it that hard for you to believe?"
Having been in her own thought since they left the Basilicom, it took IF a moment to realize the Perfect Soldier had been talking to her, "W-Well… yeah, it is..."
Nisa was having some trouble believing what she had heard as well, "Lady Green Heart never really seemed like the type of person to pick up a weapon and fight… even against monsters. That's what we're here for."
Heero may not have lived in Gamindustri as long as they had, but the boy had seen enough of both the goddess and the landmass she protected to know that her sudden change in behavior was inevitable, "You have to remember that it wasn't that long ago that she had to deal with the prospect of a civil war in her home. Having lived a rather sheltered life, this change was bound to happen sooner or later."
Part of IF didn't want to accept that the CPU who was the very model of what a goddess should be like would take up arms and fight… it didn't suit her. On the other hand, the Guild Moderatist did understand why she was doing it.
Red tried to cheer up IF, not wanting her wifey number one to look so depressed, "It'll be alright, Iffy. Once we get Lady Green Heart to join our party, we'll beat Arfoire and everything will go back to normal!"
A small smile formed on IF's face as she found some comfort in the red head's words. If the party did defeat Arfoire then things very well could return to the way they were before the former goddess had started meddling in the affairs of the human world.
Xxx
The dungeon Lady Green Heart was supposed to be fighting monsters in was an abandon mansion. A telltale indicator that the goddess had indeed been through there were the dead monsters lying around.
Heero examined the remains before deciding that the best way to track down Lady Green Heart in the large structure was to simply follow the trail of dead monsters she left in her wake, "We should be able to find Lady Green Heart by following the trail of deceased monsters."
It wasn't going to be hard, considering that the bodies only followed one path in the mansion. After five minutes the trail of monster corpses stopped at a room at the end of one of the many corridors in the mansion.
Compa saw Lady Green Heart standing in the middle of the room with more monsters lying lifeless on the floor, "There you are, Lady Green..." Without warning the goddess collapsed to the floor, sending the nurse in training into a panic. "Heart…?! Oh no, she overheated and fell! We must help her!"
The party rushed over to the exhausted and injured CPU. As they tended to her, Lady Green Heart's eyes fluttered for a moment as she tried to see who was there with her, "Ooh… Oh, Compa… Heero… Nep-Nep… and… Iffy?"
Not wanting the fatigued goddess to overexert herself any further, Compa silence her while looking through the party's supplies for an ice pack. "Shhh. Don't talk. You must cool down. Let me treat you with some ice packs… Oh, please don't move!"
Despite her condition the goddess of Leanbox sat up, not wanting to worry the group. "Thank you, but I'm okay. I'm a goddess. This is nothing." Lady Green Heart turned her attention to the party, "Are you here to fight monsters, too? You should go to another dungeon. I can handle this place alone."
Compa was not going to hear of such a thing, not from someone who was clearly in no condition to be fighting, "No! I can't let you fight any more with those wounds."
Neptune tried her hand at trying to dissuade the goddess from fighting any more monsters for the day, "You need to go back and rest up for a bit. These monsters aren't gonna go anywhere!"
Lady Green Heart was about to respond, when she suddenly fell unconscious. Compa looked delirious as she checked on the goddess's condition, "...She's out. We have to carry her back. Iffy, get her legs!"
It was rather surprising to hear the nurse in training speak so confidently, so much so that it caught IF off guard, "Huh? Oh, sure. You've gotten a lot more confident since I first met you…"
Doing as she was instructed, the Guild Moderatist picked up Lady Green Heart's legs, while Compa lifted the goddessby her arms. Once they had a comfortable grip on the CPU, the party made their way out of the mansion and headed back to the Basilicom.
Xxx
Upon their return to the Basilicom, the party was allowed to stay until Lady Green Heart had regained consciousness. It wasn't until an hour later that the CPU of Leanbox began to stir. Compa was immediately at the goddess's bedside trying to keep her from getting up, "M-My Lady? Stay down, please! Your injuries aren't bad, but your body is very, very hot..."
Even though she knew the nurse in training was right about the state of her health, Lady Green Heart refused to remain confined to her room, "I'm fine. I've slacked off enough. I need to push my limits! I've awakened to my true mission. I want to protect this land as its goddess."
The small beads of sweat running down the sides of Lady Green Heart's face were a clear sign that she hadn't practiced moderation when dealing with the monsters earlier. Had the party not come to Leanbox looking for her, the goddess could have been in serious trouble once she collapsed.
Compa didn't want Leanbox's guardian goddess to keep overexerting herself the way she did, especially when the problem regarding the proliferation of monsters around Gamindustri was no fault of hers, "But you need to take care of yourself to do that… Plus, the monsters aren't your fault."
With the conversation shifting towards monsters, Histoire thought it best if she explained the situation to Lady Green Heart, "Compa, allow me to explain. Is this our first time meeting? I am Histoire, the one who presides over this world..."
Lady Green Heart thought Histoire's voice was rather familiar, even though she had never met the small girl before her. "Histoire… Oh, I know you. I heard a voice in my head once who said the same name." Realizing that the voice she had heard from before was that of a real person, the goddess was simultaneously relieved and embarrassed, "So the Histy that Nep-Nep was talking about was you… I thought I was just hearing things out of boredom."
Although slightly disheartening to hear, Histoire did understand the CPU's earlier skepticism. "My voice could only reach goddesses at the time. I do not blame your disbelief." The fairy-like girl's voice took on a more serious tone as she focused on the topic of Arfoire, "Now then, let us talk about the former goddess, Arfoire. You are involved in this, too."
Over the course of the conversation, the CPU, as well as the party moved to the audience chamber. Histoire enlightened the goddess on the very real threat of Arfoire, and how she was responsible not just for the monsters, but for the attempted civil war in Leanbox. It was a lot of information to take in, but Lady Green Heart seemed to understand what was going on, "I see. The cause of our war, the monsters… The conflict between the Aristocrats and the Basilicom… All instigated by Arfoire..."
It was difficult for the CPU to believe that a single individual was responsible for what had transpired on the Land of Green Pastures. Histoire on the other hand found it easy enough to believe. Even if she was the former goddess, it didn't change the fact that Arfoire was in fact a goddess, "She still possesses the powers of a goddess. Her power is absolute, different from the abilities you currently have…!"
Now that she knew that the one that was causing all of the chaos was a goddess, Lady Green Heart found the party's claim that Arfoire was trying to destroy the world to be a little farfetched, "She's a goddess, huh? Why would she want to destroy the world?"
Unfortunately, not even Histoire knew how to answer that question. "That, I have no information on. But we cannot let her continue! Please, lend us your power!"
If what Histoire was telling her was true, then the situation was even more grave than Lady Green Heart realized. Of course, that just made it even more apparent to her that she needed to stay in Leanbox. "I'm sorry, but caring for my land is my first priority. I understand it may sound foolish, but..."
To Neptune, not only did it sound foolish, but she failed to understand the CPU's line of reasoning, "How are you not all mad and yelling and stuff?! I am! How can she do this even though she used to be a goddess?! She doesn't deserve that title!"
It was one thing to hear Neptune rant about how Arfoire's scheming had made her upset, but to listen to the purplenette talk about how the former goddess didn't deserve to be called a goddess when she didn't even remember her own past or responsibilities seemed to strike a nerve with Lady Green Heart, which was made apparent by her sudden shift in tone, "...Neptune. You still don't remember your past, do you? Please don't act like you know what it means to be a goddess. I realized this by interacting with the people here. The goddesses are the foundations of this planet. If the former goddess is doing this because she was tired of the responsibility, I sympathize somewhat."
Neptune began to wilt under the goddess's stern gaze as she continued to bare down on her verbally. "You can't talk her down when you're not even aware of yourself or your responsibilities as a goddess."
If it hadn't been clear before that Lady Green Heart was not going to aid the party, it was now. The CPU had nothing further to say to the amnesiac, having said her piece, "Please leave. I'd like to focus on myself and Leanbox."
Most of the girls had found it startling to hear the goddess of Leanbox come down on Neptune so hard. Heero remained where he was while the girls left the room in silence. It was only when the others were gone that the Gundam pilot finally spoke, "Lady Green Heart..."
A sad smile graced the goddess's face. While she was happy to see the boy, Lady Green Heart would not suddenly reverse direction and say that she would help the party just because Heero asked. "I'm sorry, Heero. But… even if it's you that asks me, my answer is the same."
Somber silence filled the air once more. Heero had suspected that would be the case. Any further attempts at trying to persuade the CPU would just end in wasted time. The boy turned to leave, though spoke to the goddess over his shoulder. "While your actions at being more proactive in safeguarding your land is praiseworthy, you should consider exercising moderation. Shifting from a sheltered life to a more physically active one can be harmful to your health if don't take a break now and then."
Lady Green Heart had experienced for herself what happens when she overextended herself. If she kept going the way she had been, the goddess would get sick and then how would she protect her people? "You're right… I shouldn't be so reckless if I want to protect Leanbox."
The Perfect Soldier turned to leave the room. Lady Green Heart continued to watch the boy as the door to the audience chamber closed behind him. It was once she was alone that the goddess muttered under her breath something she had not said when the party had been present. "Her lack of memories are not the only reason I refuse to join you..."
When Heero found the girls outside they all looked quite disheartened. It was understandable, Lady Green Heart seemed liked the one goddess that was most likely to help them in their battle against Arfoire, yet even she turned them down.
Red let out a disappointed sigh, thinking on how she had missed a chance of recruiting another girl to be one of her wives, "I was hoping my next wifey would have big-boobies… guess that's not happening..."
Even IF couldn't hide her disappointment over Lady Green Heart's rejection, "I guess it was too much to hope that she would say yes..."
Neptune was rather split on how she felt about the CPU declining to join them. Part of her was glad, since it meant the well-endowed goddess wouldn't be there to make passes at Heero. And then part of her was upset that she said no, because it meant two out of the three goddesses had no interest in helping them, "I though Lady Green Heart would join us for sure. This sucks."
There was still one landmass the party needed to visit, and already the girls looked defeated. Lastation was the final destination on their list, and the party was praying that they wouldn't be refused a third time.
Xxx
After another twenty-four hours had passed, the Sky Harbor connecting Leanbox to Lastation had opened. With their failure to recruit Lady Green Heart, the goddess of Lastation; Lady Black Heart, was the last CPU they could try and ask for help.
Lyrica had argued that third time was the charm when dealing with the goddesses, and that Lastation's CPU would surely help them. Heero didn't see things the same way. Sure, he knew that Neptune's amnesia would be an obstacle in their bid to recruit the other goddesses, but he hadn't expected it to be such a glaring flaw.
As they made their way through the city, the party caught wind of a rumor that Lady Black Heart was resigning from her position as Lastation's CPU. Even though they were just rumors, they had a real effect on the citizenry of the land.
Lyrica was beginning to worry whether or not the rumors were really just unsubstantiated claims or if there was in fact some truth to them, "Is what everyone saying true? If it is, then..."
While she was unnerved by the idea, Gust wanted to see for herself if Lady Black Heart really was giving up her position as the landmasses CPU, "Gust will only believe fact, not rumors. We must see for ourselves if rumor is true."
Hoping in the face of long odds, the party continued on their way to the Basilicom to seek an audience with the goddess.
Xxx
Within the audience chamber of Lastation's Basilicom, a member of the sanctified was meeting with Lady Black Heart to discuss an order that the goddess herself had given them, "Lady Black Heart, the order has been given. However… people are falling into confusion."
The raven haired goddess knew this was going to happen… but she wasn't going to turn back from her decision, "It's fine. Stop the formalities. I'm retiring as goddess today. Politicians resign when they screw up, right? Avenir, the Tech Expo… I've caused so much trouble for everyone."
"That doesn't mean you have to take full responsibility!"
Lady Black Heart blamed herself for Avenir's uprising and the incident at the Tech Expo, believing that had she not been involved in the human world then none of it would have happened. "It was my mistake to interfere with the human world. I should've stayed in Celestia."
Even though she was going to resign as goddess, that didn't mean Lady Black Heart was just going to leave a power vacuum for both the Sanctuary and Parliament to fight over. She had already though pf a way to mitigate the damage her leaving would cause, "Integrate the Sanctuary and Parliament. There'll be minor conflicts at first, but eventually they'll learn to get along."
"Still…!"
It wasn't as if this was easy for Lady Black Heart. If anything, in doing this it felt like she was losing a part of herself. Even so, the goddess smiled at the member of the Sanctuary, not wanting to appear weak. "Enough of your interjections! These are the last commands from Lastation's CPU. Just accept it."
For the member of the Sanctified, it was heart wrenching to hear the goddess say that. Suddenly there was a knock at the door that grabbed the attention of both Lady Black Heart and the member of the Sanctuary. "Hmm? I asked everyone to stay away for a while."
The door to the audience chamber opened and the party entered the room. Compa believed the best way to get the goddess of Lastation to aid the party was by starting the conversation on a positive note, "Long time no see, my Lady! It's your favorite party along with Histy!"
Lady Black Heart had been caught off guard by the party's unannounced arrival, "What're you all doing here? And another member on top of it?" While she had not anticipated the group's arrival, it didn't really matter to the goddess. She would at least humor the group as listen to why they came. The raven haired girl looked over at the member of the Sanctuary. "Fine. Whatever. You may leave."
"Understood."
Once the member of the Sanctified had left the room, Neptune started off by asking Lady Black Heart a very random question, "I gotta question! Whose love-child do you think Histy is? Ready, go!"
A look of surprise made it's way onto the goddess face as she tried to comprehend the question Neptune had asked, "What?! Love-child?"
Heero couldn't believe the amnesiac would even think to act in such a way when they had a more pressing matter to tend to,"Neptune, this is neither the time nor place for that."
IF gave the purplenette a disgruntled look and reprimanded her for asking such a question in the first place while apologizing to the CPU, "Quit with the random crap! Sorry, she's definitely nobody's love-child."
The goddess of Lastation looked at Neptune with mild annoyance as Compa tried to steer the conversation toward the group's reason for being there, "Anyway… My Lady, we came here to ask for a favor today. Histy will explain the details."
As with the previous goddesses, Histy explained to Lady Black Heart how Arfoire had been manipulating events from behind the scenes. After an hour of listening to the tome of the goddesses, the CPU of Lastation was able to make sense of the events that had happened on her land, "Huh. Okay. That explains everything about the monsters and Avenir. You're saying it was done by our former goddess… Arfoire?"
Neptune nodded her head while voicing her disgust, "Uh-huh. Even though she was this world's goddess, she did a class change and became a villain." The purplenette began to vent her anger as she went on to ask Lady Black Heart for her aid. "How can you accept that as a goddess? I wanna ask you to come with us and beat her up!"
Sadly, the party had arrived just after Lady Black Heart had stated that she was resigning as Lastation's CPU. "Sorry. I was just going back to Celestia. I swore to myself I was done with the human world."
Hearing that the goddess was going to Celestia led Neptune to believe that the party had finally caught a break and would get at least one goddess on their side. "That's perfect, then! Arfoire is in Celestia right now."
Compa began to plead for the CPU's aid since the party's strength alone wasn't enough to stand against Arfoire, "Please, we beg you! Arfoire will destroy the world. We need your power!"
Despite what she had been told, Lady Black Heart still had trouble believing the party, "This story's unbelievable. All these monsters are from our former goddess… and that girl's a tome? I met the Evangelist you claimed was Arfoire. She didn't look like someone who'd destroy the world to me! B-But… it's not like I care."
Arfoire, disguised as Conversation, was able to pass herself off as a harmless Evangelist to the CPU, which left Neptune grasping at straws as she tried to prove that the Evangelist wasn't who she seemed, "Yeah well… But, um… Monsters exist, y'know? Who else can summon them besides a goddess?"
From Lady Black Heart's perspective, it was possible someone else was responsible for the increased monster activity. "Meh. Maybe someone's breeding them in a monster ranch or something."
Naturally, Neptune didn't believe such a thing. "Yeah, whatever. Monster rancher isn't a job. That's so silly!
It was at this point that Lady Black Heart was becoming rather irritated with the amnesiac. So much so that the CPU dropped her calm and composed demeanor, "Ugh, just shut up! First off, Neptune, you haven't gotten your memory back, have you? You're such a noisy little outsider. Don't tell me what to do!"
The purplenette flinched from Lady Black Heart's condemnation of her. Having to listened to Neptune rant right after she made the decision to resign as Lastation's CPU was more than the goddess could take. The goddess turned her back to the party, wanted nothing more to do with Neptune. "Are you done? I'm not helping. I'm not joining you, you got that? Now get outta here!"
Having made it clear where she stood on the matter aiding them, the party began to file out of the audience chamber. Heero stayed behind to speak with goddess alone. If nothing else, he wanted to know if the rumors were true, "Are you really going to resign as the CPU of Lastation."
Looking over her shoulder, Lady Black Heart could see that Heero was the only other person in the room at that point. Even if it was the Gundam pilot asking her, the goddess had no intention of joining the party, "I've made my decision. Both on resigning as Lastation's goddess and about joining your party. I won't change my mind."
Heero knew better than to try and convince the CPU to reconsider joining them after the failed attempt by Neptune. "As long as you don't have any regrets, then I won't try to persuade you. Though your resignation does answer a question I had. I was wondering why Lastation's most important figure would go out of her way to learn tasks that she could leave to the staff of the Basilicom."
It wasn't as if Lady Black Hearts choice had left her without some regret. Even so she was resolute in her decision. The goddess truly believed it was for the benefit of her land's people. "I do have some regrets… But I can't let that stop me."
With nothing more to ask, the Gundam pilot turned to leave the room, "Just remember to take care of yourself."
Heero left the audience chamber, giving Lady Black Heart a moment to sort out her thoughts. The Perfect Soldier hadn't tried to persuade her to remain as CPU of Lastation. He was the only one that accepted her decision.
Lady Black Heart was reminded of the fact that the Gundam pilot was supposed to be Neptune's bodyguard… and that just gave her another reason not to help the goddess that had lost her memories, "I would treat him better than she ever has..."
Outside of the Basilicom, the girls were sulking over the latest refusal. Lyrica was thoroughly depressed with Lady Black Heart's refusal, "We've had some bad luck trying to get the goddesses to help us…"
Gust's mood was no better than that of the songstress. It might have been a long shot, but the young alchemist had still hoped the CPU of Lastation would help, "Gust is most sad. No goddess will help us..."
Over the last three days the party had tried to enlist the aid of the goddesses, and Lady Black Heart's decision not to help the party was strike three. None of the three CPUs were willing to help, and the favor they owed Heero was unlikely to change that.
There was nothing left for the party to do but return to Planeptune and try to come up with another plan.
Xxx
The following morning, as soon as the Sky Harbor to Planeptune was open the party traveled back to the Land of Purple Progress, their first stop being the hotel they had used to hide Histoire. After failing to recruit any of the three goddesses, the party's morale had plummeted to the ground.
If Arfoire really was as strong as Histoire had claimed, then the party had no hope of winning, and with the three CPUs refusing to aid them… they were stuck.
Neptune was sitting in Histoire's room, still sulking over the other CPUs refusing to help them against Arfoire, "Bawww. Is it cuz I dunno anything? They're not gonna listen to me until I can remember my past… as a goddess."
Because Neptune had lost her memories, the other three CPUs would not see her as their equal, and as such not lend their aid to the party. IF tried to make a brave face, believing that the party could still accomplish the task of defeating Arfoire, "Oh well. We can do this alone, without the other goddesses. Cheer up!"
The chief reason as to why the goddesses wouldn't aid the party was because Neptune didn't remember her past, and as such Compa had come up with a rather ridicules idea as to how they would go about helping the amnesiac get it back, "If you really wanna remember… This is our last resort. Let's shake you like when you smacked into the ground from the sky!"
In preparation for the idea, the nurse in training had grabbed her syringe and was ready to smack Neptune over the head with it… and IF immediately tried to dissuade her from following through with the idea. "Put down the syringe! Only old TVs get fixed when you smack them."
Unlike the Guild Moderatist, Compa wasn't ready to dismiss the idea. "...Haven't you seen Nep-Nep when she uses her special skill? She might be kind of similar to household appliances."
Thinking on it, IF couldn't completely discount the possibility that Compa's idea didn't have some merit. The look Neptune was getting from IF made her nervous that the brunette would let Compa go through with striking the amnesiac, "D-Don't lookit me like that! It's not gonna work! I'll just get a headache." Planeptune's CPU ducked behind Heero to save herself. "Don't let that crazy nurse in training anywhere near me, Heero!"
Seeing that Neptune was not going to consent to such a… barbaric method of regaining her memories, the pink haired girl considered more conventional methods. "Then, how about some medical treatment? Planeptune's medical technology is very effective, but very pricey."
If the cost of the treatment was reasonable, then IF was willing to consider paying to have Neptune's memory returned, "How much? This is a worldwide crisis. If this'll turn things around, I'd consider it."
Gust wasn't so sure the brunette would like the answer, given what she herself had heard regarding the cost, "Gust had heard that treatment is quite expensive. Party might not have enough."
Since IF clearly didn't know the cost of such treatment, Compa decided to whisper the answer to her, not wanting some of the others to know, "Well… psshsshshhh..."
Heero saw IF's facial expression change a few times from shocked to annoyed. After Compa was done telling her about how expensive the treatment on Planeptune was, IF directed her attention back toward Neptune. There was no way the party could afford the bill for such a cure, not with a goddess planning the destruction of the world on the loose. She was ready to go straight to the nurse in training's first proposed method, "Hell no. Advanced technology is bad! Let's stick to the old-fashioned way. Get ready for my backhand, Nep!"
It was alarming to hear the brunette state her intent to use blunt force trauma to get Neptune's memories back, and the aforementioned party leader looked ready to make a run for it, "No hitting cute little girls! Don't give me a shot, don't shoot me, don't cut me, gut me, slap me, clap me, or pinch me!"
The amnesiac was hellbent on avoiding physical pain to get her memories back. Histoire had been considering another plan during the party's discussion, finally making her thoughts know when she was finished deliberating, "...Once more. Let us return to the goddesses. I will convince them, no matter what."
While it was nice to know that the tome of the goddesses was still willing to seek the aid of the other three CPUs, Heero didn't see it happening, regardless of what Histoire did to convince them, "I would advise against trying to persuade them at this time. Doing so might render future attempts impossible."
Neptune didn't see the goddesses helping them either… not when the purplenette was without her memories, "Totally impossible. I wanna get my memories back, too… I feel like I'm just running away if I don't." The amnesiac goddess faced the rest of the party with a smile, wanting to believe she would get her memory back and that they would be able to turn their situation around. "Worry not, buddies. We'll find a way to get my memory back and then we can go ask the CPUs to join us again!"
It was rare to hear the goddess of Planeptune say something so mature, and there was something about her smile at that moment that Heero found to be heart warming. Histoire could see Neptune was determined to get her memory back. The fairy-like girl did have a way to help Neptune with what she was wanted, "...If you truly insist, I can repair your missing records using the tome."
No one in the party had expected to hear that Histoire was capable of such a thing. IF wondered if it was truly possible, given that the stipulation to do anything with the tome was that a goddess was needed, "What? How?! I thought you didn't have the power to write in the tome without a goddess."
Histoire realized that she had forgotten to mention that not all of the tome's functions required a goddess, as was apparent by her nervous smile. "Repairing is an exception. We have had facts disappear before… like UFOs."
Putting aside the fact that she had just talked about information regarding UFOs had gone missing, if it was true that Histoire could restore Neptune's memories, then the party may have found their lucky break. The tome of the goddesses focused her attention on the amnesiac, "Are you sure? Once your memory is regained, there is no forgetting it again."
Neptune gave a quick nod. What she wanted the most in that moment was to get her memory back, no matter what those memories contained, "Yeah, yeah. I'm a CPU, right? A goddess has gotta protect her land and stuff." Once again, the party leader was brimming with confidence as she thought about what else the return of her memory would do for the party. "It's my job to convince the other chicks to fight Arfoire and protect Gamindustri!"
There was something worrying Histoire, and it was obvious Neptune couldn't see what that something was. "That is not t-"
Neptune would not take no for an answer on the matter. She needed to get her memory back no matter what, "C'mon, let's hurry! Monsters are still out there attacking peeps!" The amnesiac goddess wanted to reassure the others that even after she regained her memories that she wouldn't change. "No worries, guys. This Neptune isn't gonna go anywhere. Let's just do it!"
It seemed the CPU of Planeptune was going to see this through. Histoire could see the determination in her eyes, and she was not going to stop her, "Understood. Then, here it is…!"
After a few seconds Neptune's vision suddenly became white, and the world around her disappeared.
Xxx
When Neptune opened her eyes she was no longer in the hotel room. Looking around, the amnesiac couldn't find anyone from the party, "...Huh? Nobody's here… Iffy? Compa? Histy-poo?" When she didn't see the other girls, she immediately turned around to look for Heero, but the Gundam pilot was missing. "...Heero?"
Where she was, Neptune didn't know… but the place somehow felt familiar. As the amnesiac looked around, she heard footstep approaching, "Someone's a-comin'…" At first she considered looking for a place to hide, but then the CPU realized that there was no reason for that. Not when she needed to know where she was. "Oh, I guess I don't gotta hide. I need to ask where this is."
It wasn't long before someone entered the room Neptune was in and the goddess turned to speak with the newcomer, "Excuse me! Do you know wh-" Neptune stopped when she saw that the person that was now in the room was none other than Arfoire. "...Whoaaaa! Arfoire? I finally gotcha! This'll be our final battle!"
Even though Neptune was speaking directly at her, Arfoire continued to walk in silence. Being ignored by her enemy was upsetting to the purplenette who began to shout at the former goddess, "Don't ignore me! What's up?! Are you totally not gonna say hi?" Shortly after leaving the room, Arfoire began to walk back. "Oh, she's coming back."
Arfoire came to a stop in the center of the room. Despite there being no one else in the room, the former goddess began speaking out loud, "I can't rule the human world anymore. This must be the time..."
Not only was Arfoire there, but Histoire as well. The tome of the goddesses approached Arfoire, speaking as though there was no malice or contempt between them, "Arfoire, what is the matter? You appear tense."
Neptune had already been surprised at seeing Arfoire, she had not expected to see Histoire there, "Wha-?! Wh-Where did Histy come from? ...U-Uh, hellooooo?" Both Arfoire and Histoire paid no heed to the amnesiac, as if she wasn't even there. While it was annoying to her, Neptune saw nothing she could do about it. "Am I like, invisible? Or are they just ignoring me? Fine, whatever. I'll just be a voyeur like I always wanted."
Arfoire looked at the tome of the goddesses, hereyes reflecting exhaustion, "I can't stand it anymore, Histoire. We must create a new, more competent CPU."
The former goddess continued down the halls of Celestia, leaving Histoire to think on the matter, "The next goddess may need another to share in the responsibility. Celestia is far too quiet for one person, after all..."
As soon as the fairy-like girl was done talking to herself, the world around Neptune became pitch black for a moment before the world of Celestia took form around her again, "Oh, the air feels a bit different now. Is this still Celestia?" The sound of footsteps caught Neptune's attention. "Nice, someone's coming again."
Arfoire and Histoire entered the room Neptune was in, and they both looked rather content, "...Histoire. I've rewritten each land's records for the four goddesses. By the time the new CPUs are born, billions of years will have passed in the human world. No sign of my rule will remain by then."
Histoire directed her attention to the center of the room, where four individuals remained unconscious. "They are ready. Look. These are your children. They have your eyes."
The former goddess looked at the tome in mild annoyance. "...That's not funny."
Ignoring the look she was getting from Arfoire, Histoire went on. "You are giving them your knowledge, your experiences, your wisdom… That is how things are passed on in history."
The former goddess closed her eyes and looked away, knowing that there was another thing that was being passed on to her 'children,' "And my responsibilities. This detestable ritual may end someday."
Histoire wasn't sure what Arfoire had meant, but went along as though she meant the four new goddesses would enact change in the future, "End? Sure… I hope these goddesses will be able to change the future."
Once more the world around Neptune became a sea of pitch black, and just like before when the darkness receded she was still in Celestia. Neptune had fallen asleep during the conversation between Arfoire and Histoire, but was stirred from her slumber by Arfoire, who's voice carried a sense of urgency, "...Neptune! Neptune!"
The sleeping goddess opened her eyes, surprised that someone was finally paying attention to her after so long, "Wha-?! Me? Are you talkin' to me, now? Well, why'd you ignore me all this time, you big-boobed meanie?"
Arfoire continued as though she had not heard the insult thrown at her by the purplenette. "Celestia is in a very unstable state right now. Each CPU is changing their planet as they see fit! The people below are getting dragged around by their goddess' selfish acts..."
Neptune couldn't explain why, but for some reason she felt as though she had heard all of this before. "This sounds… familiar."
The amnesiac could do nothing but listen to the former goddess as she continued, unable to sense the evil intent behind her words. "Take the other goddesses down. Bring them down and unify both the human world and Celestia! That is the only way to save the people from the impending apocalypse. Once you defeat the other CPUs, Celestia will be forced to accept you as the True Goddess and let you protect the world."
After everything that was told to her, the CPU of Planeptune had to stop and think. She knew Arfoire couldn't be trusted, but she also didn't like the idea of civilians being made to suffer because of the arrogance of the other goddesses. Arfoire continued to work on the silent Neptune, a wicked smile forming on her face, "The world will end unless you bring order to the human world. You are the only one who can save Gamindustri!"
Arfoire suddenly vanished, leaving Neptune all alone. The goddess of Planeptune looked down at the floor with a sorrowful expression on her face as her memories began to return. "I remember that. I was told I'm the only one who can save the world. That's why I wanted to help the folks in need."
Tears began to well up in Neptune's eyes as she realized the mistake she had made all because she wanted to help the people of the human world, "I was fighting the other goddesses to protect my own land..."
Drying her eyes, the CPU of Planeptune tried to figure out how she and the other goddesses didn't see what was going on while they fought one another. "Why didn't we notice? Everyone else was probably told the same poppycock…! We were lied to. By that meanie hag… Arfoire!"
Xxx
Before she realized it, Neptune found herself back in the hotel room. The purplenette shot up out of bed, having been placed there after Histoire started restoring her memory, "Guwaaah?!"
Histoire had been closed by and was happy to see the goddess awaken from her slumber, "Are you awake? I figured it was about time. I believe your lost and current memories were merging, causing you to fall into a confused state of mind."
Neptune looked at the tome of the goddesses for a moment before looking away, remaining silent the whole time. The fact that the purplenette hadn't made a joke or some random comment began to worry Histoire. "Are you all right? Do you recall anything now? About your time as a goddess?"
A sad look was on Neptune's face as she confirmed that she had indeed regained her lost memories, "Yeah, thanks to you. I found out a while lotta stuff. About you, the other goddesses, and Arfoire..."
Seeing as nothing was wrong with Planeptune's CPU, Histoire told her the whereabouts of the other party member, "...Heero and the others have left to go shopping. They figured you would be hungry upon regaining consciousness. It has been six hours."
Once the party had returned they were curious if their leader had really regained her memories, but decided against asking. They wanted to give Neptune time to sort out everything before prying about her life.
After a relatively quiet dinner, the party began to settle in for the night. Each member of the group was busy doing there own thing, when Compa suddenly came barging into the room with a piece of paper in hand and a panicked look on her face, "Heero, Iffy! Nep-Nep… she… she's gone!"
IF had been looking at her phone when the distraught nurse in training entered. Frankly she didn't see anything wrong with the party's leader stepping out for a while, "She just went through a big information dump. I'm sure she'd want some time alone. She's probably out stuffing her face."
A nervous smile crossed Lyrica's face as she thought about where their leader could have ran off to, "It does take a lot of food to satisfy her. I'm sure IF is right and that she ran out for a late night snack."
Although the two girls past the news off as Neptune going to eat her problems away, Heero got the impression that it was much more serious considering how teary eyed Compa was. "No! All her stuff, including her wallet and antacids, are here. No way she's gorging. She left a note and disappeared."
Compa directed her attention to Histoire, hoping the tome could find the missing party leader, "Histy, can you find out where she is? Please, hurry!"
While it was concerning that Neptune left so abruptly, Histoire felt that looking for her through the tome would invade her privacy, "...It will take some time, but it is possible. Is this not an invasion of privacy, though?"
The nurse in training was about to break out into tears as she looked at the note in her hands. "It says 'thanks for all the fun times' in very neat, curly, girly writing! This is nothing like Nep-Nep!"
Gust could attest to that, having seen Neptune's otherwise atrocious handwriting when coming up with a grocery list, "Neptune is not neat with handwriting. Most disturbing."
There was no arguing that it was out of character for Neptune to be neat and precise with her handwriting. Histoire could understand the urgency of the situation, but wouldn't be able to immediately provide the party with an answer. "This is true. It is just that… the information I contain is quite large. This may take up to three days..."
It was alarming to hear that the tome of the goddesses would need three days to find Neptune, and Compa could not hide her shock at that fact, "Three days?! It'd be faster for us to look around on our own. We must look for some witnesses!"
IF had the situation covered, pulling out a second cell phone from her jacket pocket, "Leave that to me. I can finally put my cell phones to use!"
Although he wanted to humor IF, Heero didn't have time to waste sitting and waiting for a lead on Neptune's location. The Gundam pilot stood up from the chair he had been using and headed for the door.
As soon as he was outside of the hotel, Heero immediately asked his partner and most reliable source of information in Gamindustri about the location of the missing goddess, "Zero, I need to know where I can find Neptune."
There was no immediate reply which lead the boy to believe the ZERO System was busy with something else, until he received a response from her, "I could tell you… but before I do, I want to hear it from you. Why do you want to find Neptune?"
Was she really asking this question? Surely it was obvious why he was looking for. "Because it is my mission. I need to protect her."
"Is that really the reason?"
Now Heero was starting to get confused. What other reason could there be? After another round of silence, Zero tried asking the question again. "Is it really because it's your mission to protect her? Or is there something else that is driving you to find Neptune?"
The Perfect Soldier stopped to process what the ZERO System had asked him. What was the reason he was trying to find Neptune now? Because it was his mission? No… that didn't sound right. That may have been his reasoning when he had first come to Gamindustri… but now there was something else that compelled him to find the goddess, "I'm… not sure. Maybe it's not because it's my mission to protect her… All I know is that I need to find her. I don't want Neptune getting hurt."
Hearing the Perfect Soldier's answer confirmed what Zero believed to be the real reason for his haste in trying to find Neptune. "(Heero, don't you see? The reason you want to find Neptune… to protect her… The answer is right in front of you.) There is an island north of your current position that has a tower built on it. That island is where you will find Neptune."
While he was curious as to why his partner had started questioning the boy on his reason for searching for Neptune, he was glad she at least told him what he needed to know. Before he could take off, the front doors of the hotel opened and the rest of the party came running out.
Compa had a worried look on her face as she addressed the boy, "Heero, what's wrong? You left the room all of a sudden."
The boy shook his head, not wanting to add to the nurse in training's worry. "Nothing's wrong. Zero has found where Neptune is. We need to go, now."
Nisa was just as worried as the rest of the party, but was still able to maintain a level head about the situation, "I know she may be a goddess, but Neptune shouldn't go off on her own like this. We're supposed to be a party."
Of that everyone could wholeheartedly agree on. Heero pointed towards the island that Neptune was currently on, "That island is where Neptune is. We need to bring her back before anything happens to her."
As the rest of the party took off toward the island that Neptune had supposedly gone to, Heero was stopped by Histoire. The tome of the goddesses had a look of uncertainty, but drove aside whatever it was that was feeling to ask the boy a question that was of a similar vane as the one Zero had asked him just moments ago, "Heero, there is something I have been meaning to ask you… What does Neptune mean to you?"
What was with these questions all of a sudden? Sure, it wasn't as if Heero hadn't been thinking it, but why was he being asked about it now? The Gundam pilot collected his thoughts before speaking. "To be honest I'm… sure myself. At first, protecting her was just another mission to me. But after some time, I thought that by being here with Neptune and the others, I could find something… my reason for being here. And now..."
Heero looked towered the tower Neptune was supposed to be in at that very moment. Almost all of his thoughts were centered on the CPU, make it next to impossible to think about anything else, "...I'm not sure what it is she means to me. Only by finding her will I be able to understand just what it is I'm feeling now."
The fairy-like girl was silent as she took in the boy's answer. He may not have understood what he was feeling at that moment, but she did. The Gundam pilot returned his attention to the tome in front of him. "There is something I have been meaning to ask you."
Histoire didn't need the Gundam pilot to say it. She already knew what else was on his mind. "I already know what it is you are going to ask me."
It wasn't surprising to Heero that she already knew and it just made it easier for him to get to the point of his question, "Then I will ask, did it affect you in anyway?"
While it had certainly been surprising to find out about the Wing Zero, Histoire knew she had no reason to be alarmed, "I will admit I was surprised at first… knowing you had access to something with such power. But after seeing the way you act around these girls, I realize that there is nothing to worry about. I know now that you would not do anything to hurt these girls… at least not intentionally. (‐^▽^‐)"
And with that Heero could say that he had spoken with the entire group of girls, and now knew that they held no ill-will toward him as a result of finding out about the Gundam. With the matter of their questions out of the way, Heero returned his focus to the more pressing issue of finding the CPU of Planeptune. "We should go. I imagine Neptune is going to do something reckless, and I won't stand by and let it happen."
Histoire nodded in agreement, and both the Perfect Soldier and tome took off after the girls to find Neptune.
Xxx
Following the directions provided by Zero, the party traveled to a large tower located on one of Planeptune's islands. Heero scanned the entrance for a moment, not seeing any immediate trace of the girl they were looking for like candy wrappers and the like, "Zero has traced Neptune to this dungeon.
Compa wanted to know what had possessed Neptune to come to the dungeon by herself, "What is she doing here by herself?"
Histoire knew the exact reason for the purplenette's traveling to the dungeon, for it was not an ordinary tower for a CPU, "She is probably going to face Arfoire. There is an area over there for goddesses to ascend to Celestia."
The tome was clearly suggesting that what they were looking for was located further inside, and that was where they would find Neptune. It didn't take long for the party to catch sight of monsters in their path. Apparently even this dungeon wasn't safe from monsters.
Before anyone could ask Heero for a battle plan, the Gundam pilot had already gone into a dead sprint toward the monsters, and he had already armed his GN Sword. In a few quick, fluid motions the Perfect Soldier cut down the monsters and took off further into the dungeon, leaving the others to try and catch up. As he made his way further into the tower, Heero couldn't help but think out loud, "Why… why did you go alone…?"
As soon as the girls reached the end of the corridor they had just enough time to see Heero disappear into another hallway and the dead monsters he had left behind. Lyrica was still panting heavily from the run to the dungeon, so the added running was making her even more winded, "Did anyone else know… hah haaa... Heero could move this fast…? You think I could… get him to carry me?"
Compa just saw it as the Perfect Soldier being worried for the well-being of their mutual friend, "Heero is just worried about Nep-Nep. She shouldn't have come here by herself."
Red voiced her concern on the matter as well, though it was for a different reason, "We gotta find her! She's the one girl in the party who's playing hard to get, and won't be my wifey!"
Putting aside the red head's reason for being worried, it was enough to know that the entire party wanted to find Neptune as soon as possible... and that was most apparent with Heero. Every time he ran into a group of monsters, the boy would put them down in very little time, and seemed to move even faster as a result. Just trying to follow after Heero was all the girls could do at the moment.
It wasn't long until the group arrived at the back of the tower… and Neptune was in the room before them, facing the wall. The party quickly ran into the room, hoping they hadn't gotten there too late. IF and Compa shouted at the purplenette to get her attention, "Nep!"
"Nep-Nep!"
The way the CPU of Planeptune flinched suggested that she had not expected anyone else to be there. When she turned around, Neptune had a serious look on her face as she took a step back from the party, "...Stay back! I remember all my stuff now! How Arfoire lied… What she's done up until now!"
What IF wanted to know was if Neptune knew all of this; why was she trying to go after the former goddess by herself? "So… So… Why are you trying to do this alone?"
Compa was getting teary-eyed again as she thought about the party's leader trying to face Arfoire alone, "Nep-Nep… You're not the only one who wants to stop Arfoire."
Neptune's resolve waned slightly as she looked at sad nurse in training, "That's not the point! I just… can't stand knowing a part of her is inside me and I can't get rid of it!"
Heero couldn't believe Neptune was serious about going to Celestia by herself even after everything Histoire had told them, "What exactly makes you believe that your strength alone will be enough to defeat Arfoire?"
It wasn't just Heero trying to get the purplenette to see reason, but IF as well, "You don't even know if all four of the CPUs could do this. Why would you think going alone is enough? You'll die!"
The goddess of Planeptune didn't want to hear anymore of it. Whether or not she would survive the encounter didn't matter. The only thing she could think about was putting a stop to Arfoire… to everything, "I wanna end this craziness! Arfoire… myself… and everything else!"
Gust didn't like the way the party leader was talking, "Neptune is not talking like normal self. Gust does not like."
It wasn't just Gust that was disturbed by the change, but Lyrica as well, "Come on, Neptune. This isn't like you."
Nisa tried her hand at trying to persuade Neptune to reconsider her decision, "A heroine acknowledges the limits of her strength and when to accept help from others. Surely you know you can't win on your own!"
Even though she was uncertain if she could change the goddess' mind, Red attempted to talk her out of going as well, "We're all supposed to be friends, right? You should let us help you."
Neptune shook her head. She didn't want to drag the others into what she saw as her own problem, "I can't! If I do… you guys could get hurt, and..."
Despite hearing the pleas of the other party members, it didn't seem as though Neptune would be swayed to reconsider her plan, irritating IF, "We're a party! We share the same fate!"
Compa wiped away her tears, doing her best to smile despite her inner turmoil, "That's right. You aren't coming off as cool at all by trying to beat her alone."
The nurse in training's talk about how uncool she was being got to Neptune, "H-Hey! It's not like I'm trying to look cool…!"
After enough prodding the girl the party knew and loved was back… even if some didn't admit it. Just being able to get through to the purplenette was a small victory to IF, "There she is. The Nep we know. If you really want to go, then we're going to stop you."
Although she was slightly nervous about fighting against her own party, Neptune was not going to back down now. "F-Fine! If you think you got the stones or whatever! I've got Heero on my side, so there's no way I'm gonna lose!"
Heero shook his head in response. He wasn't going to be fighting alongside the purplenette this time, "Sorry, Neptune… but not this time."
Neptune was flabbergasted when she heard the Gundam pilot say he wouldn't help her, "What?! But you're my Destined Lover and bodyguard! You're always supposed to help me!"
It was true that Heero was going to help Neptune… just not in the way she was hoping. "My mission is to protect you, Neptune. That includes times such as this, where I need to protect you from yourself. And just for the sake of argument I agree with you and say that we are lovers. In that case, I would still need to act in your best interest. If fighting you here will keep you from making a decision that will get you killed, then I will do just that."
Folding her arms, the goddess of Planeptune looked away while muttering under her breath. "(Jeez… had I known that, I wouldn't have gone through with this in the first place...)" She couldn't back down now, not when her goal was in sight. Neptune unsheathed the wooden sword behind her back and readied herself for the inevitable battle, "Hope you guys won't regret this later!"
Reluctantly, the party prepared themselves to face Neptune with the intent of bringing her back with them. Heero charged at the CPU, knowing that if he acted now while she was still in her normal form, he could end the battle quickly.
Swinging his GN Sword, the Gundam pilot knocked Neptune's wooden sword out of the way and was preparing to strike the side of her head with the flat of his blade… when the boy suddenly froze. For some reason, Heero was unable to follow through with the attack like he planned.
Neptune took advantage of Heero's pause to reorient herself and strike back, "Even if you're my lover, Heero, I won't hold back!"
The CPU swung her wooden sword at the boy, only to have it stopped short by a pair of blades. IF had suddenly gotten between the two and blocked the attack. The brunette looked at the boy out of the corner of her eye, "Heero, what're you doing? You had her!"
Something had held the Perfect Soldier back. What that something was, he couldn't say, "I… don't know."
IF shoved Neptune back, and Nisa quickly moved in on the purplenette, throwing a few punches that Neptune was just barely able to block, "Neptune, stop this! We shouldn't be fighting like this!"
Planeptune's CPU was able to force Nisa back, earning her a short reprieve before one of the others decided to attack, "You're not the one that has part of an evil goddess inside you!"
Compa, Lyrica, Gust and Red were unable to help with subduing Neptune, because she kept so close to the other members of the party. It seemed that she was subconsciously taking into account the fact that the four of them wouldn't attack so long as the others were put at risk as well.
Once more, Heero moved in to render the belligerent Neptune unconscious. The Gundam pilot struck with just enough force to knock her weapon out of the way, but just like his first attempt, stopped before he could follow through with the next attack.
Neptune quickly backed away before one of the other members got the idea to attack her while she was open. Heero looked at his now shaking right hand. It seemed that just the thought of harming Neptune caused him to hesitate... and he still didn't know why he was hesitating, "(What's wrong with me…? Why am I hesitating like this… when we need to bring her back?)"
With Heero's failure to bring down Neptune, IF took it upon herself to try and bring down the CPU. The brunette blocked an attack from the goddess' wooden sword before knocking the weapon out of her hand, "Sorry about this, Nep!"
IF had attempted strike the side of Neptune's head with the back of her blade when at the last second, a bright flash of light enveloped the CPU, and IF found her attack stopped short. A nervous bead of sweat ran down the side of the Guild member's face as she looked at her opponent. "This is bad..."
Standing before her was the twin braided swordstress that was Neptune's alter ego… no, her true form, the goddess Purple Heart. The sword maiden had stopped IF's attack with the back of her hand, and to add insult to injury, she didn't even appear to be trying, "What are you sorry for? Did you think you had me?"
IF wasn't even given a chance to retreat as Purple Heart grabbed the brunette by the wrist with one hand, and using her right foot, stepped on the end of the wooden sword on the ground and caught it with her free hand. As soon as the wooden weapon came into contact with the goddess, it changed into the futuristic katana that served as her weapon of choice.
With weapon in hand, Purple Heart slammed the handle of her sword into IF's stomach before striking with the flat of her blade, sending the brunette flying right into Compa. The nurse in training caught her, but was sent flying a few feet back as a result.
Compa sat up on her knees and found IF's clutching her stomach. The Guild Moderatist was struggling to regain the breath that had been knocked out of her just seconds ago, "...Didn't know… she could hit that hard..."
Nisa attempted to accomplish what IF was unable to do, trying to stop the goddess before things got any more out of hand, "Goddess or not, I'll stop her!"
The Keeper of Justice launched a flurry of punches and kicks, hoping that at least a few of her attacks would land. Unfortunately, Purple Heart effortlessly evaded every attack. Before Nisa realized it, the CPU had grabbed her by the ankle during one of her failed attacks, "I'm sorry… but you leave me no choice."
Purple Heart tossed the blue haired heroine into the air and struck her in the back with her sword twice, taking care to use the back of her weapon to do the job. Nisa was sent sliding across the ground toward the party.
The powerful blows dealt to her made it difficult for the Keeper of Justice to stand, making further combat virtually impossible, "Is this… the strength of a goddess…? It's… overwhelming."
As the other girls helped IF and Nisa to their feet, Purple Heart was looking at the floor with a slightly pained expression. The goddess didn't take joy in hurting the people she considered her friends, but she would not allow them to stop her now, "You would not understand, nor could you understand… what it feels like to know… that someone as evil as Arfoire is a part of me. It makes me sick just thinking about it..."
Pointing her sword at the group, the CPU stated her intent to face Arfoire alone, "I must face Arfoire… and end this charade. I won't allow anyone to stop me!"
The goddess before them had been an irreplaceable ally during their travels and her strength made her seem invincible. It was reassuring to have her on their side when they fought against monsters… but having to be on the receiving end of that immense strength now was demoralizing.
Heero stepped forward to face the goddess. Purple Heart was momentarily shaken by the Gundam pilot's decision to face her. Not wanting to face him, she instead tried to talk the boy out of what he was doing. "Are you really going to face me, Heero? You yourself once said that I was stronger than you."
There was no denying that. That fact still held true even now. Even for all of his strength, the boy couldn't quite match up against the woman before him, "I'm aware of just how strong you are. I already know that in a one-on-one battle, I have no hope of winning."
For the first time in her life, Purple Heart broke from her usual calm state of being. She was visibly confused, frustrated and sad that Heero would still stand against her despite how much the odds were stacked against him, "Then why? If you know you can't defeat me, why are you still trying to stop me?!"
It was strange. Heero normally tried to avoid being placed in such high risk scenarios. But for some reason… he didn't care. All that matter was bringing Neptune back. "I can't allow you to go through with a decision that may very well cost you your life."
Purple Heart bit her lower lip. Of all the people in the party… in the world, the person she didn't want to hurt the most was the boy stating his intent to keep her from going. With her sword still pointed at Heero, Purple Heart tried one last time to talk him out of this decision, her voice breaking slightly. "Heero… please… don't do this..."
Heero was not going to let her go. Even if it meant putting his life on the line, Heero was not going to lose Neptune, "I can't do that. If I don't stop you… I'll regret it for the rest of my life."
It was painfully clear that a battle between Heero and Purple Heart was unavoidable. While Heero couldn't beat the goddess in front of him, that only applied to a drawn out battle. The Gundam pilot had one chance to end this… and only one.
Heero had prepared himself to defend against the CPU. He had good reason to believe that she would be the one to make the first move. Purple Heart had readied her sword as well. If she had to harm the Gundam pilot, she would make it as quick and painless as possible.
Deafening silence followed for a few seconds before Purple Heart had dashed toward the boy with alarming speed. Before anyone else realized it, the CPU was already in front of the boy and preparing to attack. Heero closed his eyes, bracing himself for the attack, "(I hope this works. I won't get another chance.)"
As the swordmaiden's blade drew closer, the GN Sword on Heero's arm disappeared at the last second, leaving the boy defenseless. There was no warning, no indication that he was going to do such a thing… and no way for the CPU to stop.
Shock and horror was what registered on the face of the party as they watched Purple Heart's blade pierce through Heero's body. Even the goddess herself was paralyzed. Blood began to flow out of the injury and down the goddess' weapon... and on to her shaking hands.
She had expected Heero to dodge, or at least try to block the attack. Purple Heart never meant to actually injure the Gundam pilot like this, yet now the boy was bleeding, and it was her sword that caused the injury, "Why…? Why did you…?"
There was no verbal response from the boy. The only thing that followed was the crack of his fist against Purple Heart's stomach. The CPU had been so focused on what she had done that she failed to notice the attack. Her eyes grew hollow and the goddess was just barely able to hear the last words from Heero as she began to lose consciousness, "Now we're even… That's one for one."
As soon as her eyes closed, Neptune reverted back to her normal form. Heero caught her the girl in his arm, gently putting her down on the ground. The rest of the girls rushed over to the two, slightly more worried about Heero because he still had a sword stuck in his chest.
Grabbing the handle of the sizable blade Heero began to pull it out, grunting from the pain shooting through his body. Once the katana was out, the Gundam pilot let it drop to the ground, at which point it reverted back to the regular wooden sword.
Blood continued to drop from the open wound, leaving stains on the boy's tank-top and jeans. IF wanted to scold the boy for the reckless move, but couldn't bring herself to when he already looked to be in pain, "Why did you do that? She could have killed you!"
Heero looked at the unconscious goddess, unable to forget the look on her face when she drove her sword into his body, "...I believed that she wouldn't aim for anything vital."
Compa began to check the Perfect Soldier's injury. Just at a glance she could tell it was serious, "It looks really bad. We need to treat the injury right now!"
Despite his injury, Heero was insistent that they take of Neptune first, "We can treat this after we take care of Neptune."
While she didn't want the Gundam pilot walking around with a stab wound, Compa did relent and instead focused on carrying Neptune… until she realized that the purplenette had gotten heavier since the last time she carried her, and asked for help in performing the task.
As they made their way out of the dungeon, Heero couldn't get the look on Purple Heart's face when she stabbed him out of her head. He may have done it to get the one chance he needed to defeat her, but the Perfect Soldier was worried about what kind of effect the incident would have on Neptune.
Xxx
Neptune slowly began to open her and observe her surroundings. Wherever she was now, it was rather dark, "It's super dark in here… It's like when I had that dream of Histy… But this isn't the same." The purplenette could see something else in the dark space… she saw herself and the party. "Is that… us?"
A flash of light enveloped Neptune as she began to have flashbacks of the party's travels throughout Gamindustri. The first thing she saw was Compa standing in the room telling the group of their latest job request, "Today's job is to rescue an Avenir employee!"
Neptune saw herself, or at least, the herself from that day start to complain about the job, "Whatwhatwhat? Helping Avenir again? I dunno about helping out our sworn nemesis! Besides, don't their employees carry giant boomsticks they make at their factories?
The IF from the flashback who was seated on one of the beds looked up from her cellphone, "Chian said Avenir doesn't make weaponry for human use, due to their president's motto."
Compa let the purple haired girl know how ashamed she was of her, "Plus, the employees themselves aren't bad people. You shouldn't be picky about what lives deserve saving, Nep-Nep!"
The flashback suddenly ended, and Neptune found herself in a void of white. Looking down at what she thought was the ground, the CPU began to reprimand herself, "I remember that. I wanted to save people… but not the people I didn't like… I'm such a selfish little girl."
Before Neptune could dwell on the memory any further, the white void she was in disappeared, replaced by another instance from the party's travels. This one was from the time they were in Leanbox just before Neptune had inadvertently eaten food that had been poisoned.
The Neptune in the flashback was seated on the edge of one of the hotel beds, looking at the clock on the wall, "Iffy sure is being a slowpoke with her shopping. Maybe she couldn't find a store? Should we order some pizza?"
Compa was there as well, seated on the second bed waiting for the Guild Moderatist to return as well. The nurse in training was willing to be patient regarding the matter of their lunch, "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?"
Once again the flashback ended with Neptune ending up in a white void, and the girl reflected on what she saw, "Iffy went to buy me some yummies… but I got sick from some poison sandwich. I wonder if she ever found tuna-mayo?"
Apparently, the flashbacks weren't over yet, as the void around Neptune melted away and was replaced by what appeared to be an audience like those from the Basilicoms. The memory the CPU was witnessing now was when the party had met with Lady White Heart to ask about the location of the Key Fragment in Lowee.
Well, 'asking' was putting it mildly. The Neptune in the flashback was pestering the goddess of Lowee for her help in finding the golden object. "But, but, but this is your land! You gotta know it like the back of your head, right? If you're busy, we can come back later. When're you free? Tomorrow? The day after? The day after that? After that? That?"
Lady White Heart was hidden behind a veil that surrounded her bed, and her tone of voice suggested she was becoming irritated with the purplenette, "...You're really pissing me off. I said to ask the Basilicom. I don't care anymore."
The Neptune from the memory wasn't quite done asking questions of Lowee's CPU as she continued on with what must have felt like an interrogation to Lady White Heart, "Would that other chick know? What's her name? ...Wait, one more! Have you heard of anyone named Histy? Her full name is-"
Before she could finish, Lady White Heart cut her off, not wanting to hear anymore from the amnesiac. "Holy crap, shut up! I said I don't know! Such nerve, showing yourself in front of me like this. Enough! Don't ever return!"
When the flashback ended, Neptune found herself in the dark space she had been in before the flashbacks had started. Looking back on what had happened, the CPU of Planeptune realized she had acted no better than Arfoire, "I was such a… spoiled little princess. How can I talk about justice? I'm like, the same as Arfoire."
A familiar voice called out to Neptune as she slowly fell into despair over how similar she had acted to Arfoire, "That is not true. You did not ignore my voice. You were the only one who believed in me…"
Another flashback ensued, this one was from when Neptune had been taken back to Compa's house along with Heero. The Neptune in the flashback was sitting up in bed with an annoyed look on her face, "...Get some sleep? I feel like someone asked me to do something while I was unconscious." As she thought about it, the purplenette realized that someone had asked her for help. "Yeah, someone was crying out for help… in my dream!"
As this was a time before the others knew of Histoire, the Compa in the flashback assumed that it was just that, a dream, "In your dream? Then it's not real."
The Neptune in the memory wasn't about to discount the possibility that it could have been an actual call for help. "Oh, you never know. It was so weird. I betcha someone from far away was like pa-choo and sent me a telepathic message, y'know?"
Like every other memory Neptune had witnessed the scene before her disappeared, leaving her where she had been before. The familiar voice of Histoire soon followed as the CPU of Planeptune tried to make sense of what she had seen, "Noticing the shortcomings of yourself or others is natural, but everyone has both good and bad traits. Try focusing on the positives, or you will be consumed by hatred."
"And besides..."
Neptune could hear another familiar voice, only this one was emanating from behind her. Turning around, the CPU of Planeptune saw Zero standing behind her. The personification of the ZERO System stood with a smile, knowing that Neptune had something that the former goddess lacked. "You have something… someone that Arfoire doesn't. And that someone believes in you, just as much as you believe in him… even if he won't come out and admit it."
It seemed that there was one more memory that Neptune had to see. The memory she was witnessing was from when the party had obtained the Key Fragment on Planeptune. The Neptune in the memory looked at Heero with a big smile on her face as they were making their way towards the entrance of the dungeon, "You know, I feel pretty confident about this adventure we're gonna have because you're gonna be with me, right?"
The Perfect Soldier's lips curved into a small, almost unnoticeable smile as he responded to the question, "...As long as you need me."
Neptune grabbed onto Heero's arm with both of her own as they continued along their way. "Did you smile, Heero? You totally did! Well, I'm always gonna need you, my Destined Lover!"
And just like the other flashbacks Neptune had witnessed, this one dissipated as well. The goddess of Planeptune could never forget that moment. It was the beginning of her relationship with Heero… her Destined Lover.
The CPU continued to look forward, despite nothing being there, "I've relied on Heero for… well, everything. He's always been there when I needed him."
As she recalled the various fond moment she had shared with the boy, she was reminded of the fact that before she ended up here… wherever 'here' was, she had injured the Gundam pilot. Neptune couldn't hold back the tears that were welling up in her eyes as she thought about what she had done to the person she loved. "Heero's always been there for me… and I… I..."
Zero could understand Neptune's dismay. It was a blow to the girl emotionally when she thought about how she had harmed the one she had always said was her soulmate, "Neptune, any healthy relationship must have at least some friction in it. Without it, your relationship will grow stale… and you two will grow apart. Heero doesn't blame you for what happened."
The sorrowful goddess tried to wipe away her tears, but they wouldn't stop falling down her face, "But I hurt him…! What kind of lover does that to the person they love?!"
Watching Neptune as she continued to cry her eyes out, Zero realized that she really was a good match for the Gundam pilot, "Do you still love him?"
Moving her arms away from her face, Neptune looked at Zero in confusion, "...What?"
"Do you still love, Heero?"
Neptune wanted to know where that question came from. Was there something that made her think the CPU felt otherwise about Heero? "Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"
The personification of the Zero system continued to push for answer from the girl regarding her feelings, "Do you want to see him?"
The prospect of seeing Heero made the CPU flinch. She didn't think she had the right to see him… not after what had happened, "I don't know… Should I? He probably hates me now..."
"You may not know if you want to see him, but I know Heero wants to see you."
Some of the guilt weighing on Neptune seemed to come off as she heard Zero say that Heero wanted to see her. "I'm sure you realize what Heero's problem is. What's making a relationship between the two of you more difficult than it really needs to be."
Neptune hadn't been sure at first, but she had come to know what Heero's flaw was. The Gundam pilot had a problem both with coming to terms with how he really felt, and at times expressing his feelings. Yes, at times he was able to show his soft side at times, but such moments were brief, hardly long enough to convey what he felt. And if what Zero was saying was any kind of indicator, Heero was having trouble figuring our his feelings toward her, "Just as Heero has helped you to overcome your problems, you have helped him to overcome his problem… He just needs a push in the right direction now."
Drying the tears that were still on her face, Neptune had resolved herself to see the Perfect Soldier, "I do… I wanna see Heero."
Histoire, who had been silent during the exchange, broke her silence, "...I think I can understand why Arfoire is trying to destroy the world. She is trying to commit the biggest taboo for goddesses… although, it will not solve anything. ...Please, stop Arfoire. No matter what!"
Xxx
Neptune slowly stirred in her sleep. As she opened her eyes, Neptune noticed Compa sitting by her bedside watching her, "...Nep-Nep, are you awake?"
As she sat up in bed, the CPU of Planeptune saw familiar pink drapes and wallpaper, stuffed animals and pink furniture. The sight of all these things was reassuring to the purplenette, and only one place came to her mind at that moment, "This is… Are we at your house?"
The nurse in training just smiled at the CPU of Planeptune as she explained the choice in lodging. "We were closer to here than the Basilicom. This was the second time I had to carry you in like this. You're heavier now."
IF entered the room once she heard the friendly banter and focused her attention on Neptune, "Are you up? I guess we were a bit too hard on you. Sorry, but it's kind of your fault, too."
Ignoring Compa's remark about her weight, the goddess rubbed the back of her head while giving something of an apologetic smile, "I know, I know. Sorry-dorry. I was just being all stubborn and stuff..."
Lyrica suddenly entered the room wearing a pink frilly apron, obviously belonging to Compa, "Is Neptune up? I kinda just made breakfast, so if anyone's hungry..."
It wasn't long before the rest of the party had congregated in the room once they heard that the leader of the party had regained consciousness. Friendly banter quickly followed as the girls made amends with the CPU of Planeptune.
Compa wanted to give Neptune more time to rest before the party decided on what to do now, "You should get some more rest. We'll leave you alone for now."
Neptune brushed off the idea, not wanting to stay in bed now, "No, no. I'm getting up now." Once out of bed, the party leader began to reflect on her decision to try and go after Arfoire without telling the party. "I'm okay. I was kinda a failure as a leader, huh? I brought down the whole party."
Seeing as the purplenette was in a relatively good mood, IF took the opportunity to make a witty jab at her, "When were you a leader? Well, we are a party, though. Don't try to leave us again. You're the one who told me that, you know."
Compa nodded in agreement, remembering the exchange that led up to that conversation, "And I said it to Nep-Nep before that. Seriously though, don't disappear like that."
After what had happened the night before, Neptune had learned her lesson about pulling such a stunt, "Yuppity-yup-yup! I want try to go anywhere alone anymore except the bathroom. Histy taught me a lot. Where is she anyway?"
The nurse in training elaborated on what the tome of the goddesses had been doing while Neptune had been asleep. "She's been researching ways to defeat Arfoire. She knew you'd regain your motivation after you got enough sleep!"
Neptune was somewhat upset with the fairy-like girl, and wanted to know where she was. "Oh yeah? I need to go talk to her! Is she next door? She is, right? Histy!"
Compa and the others watched as the CPU stormed out of her room, while IF remarked on how they were somehow like siblings, "They're like sisters. A smart one, and… the other one."
The CPU of Planeptune looked around for Histoire, but as soon as she arrived in the living room she froze. Looking through the living room window, Neptune could see Heero leaning on the tree in the front yard, his green tank-top still stained red.
Part of her was afraid to see him, afraid that the Gundam pilot wasn't happy with her. The other part of her needed to know if things between them were still 'okay,' relatively speaking. Putting aside her search for Histoire, Neptune walked out the front door to see the Perfect Soldier.
Heero wasn't looking at anything in particular, but that was just because he himself was busy thinking about Neptune. The Gundam pilot heard footsteps approaching him from behind, and when he looked over his shoulder he found the very girl he had been thinking about behind him.
Silence passed between the two of them for a moment, neither one of them sure what to say. Finally, Neptune tried to speak, but was fighting back tears that were welling up in her eyes, "Heero, I… I'm really sorry..."
Even though Zero had said that Heero wanted to see her, the fact that she had stabbed the boy in front of her still weighed heavily on Neptune's mind. Heero watched the girl try and fight the tears for a few seconds before walking over to wipe away her tears, "Neptune. Look at me."
Slowly, Neptune met Heero's eyes and found no animosity within them. The teenaged soldier hated seeing this girl look so sad and miserable… no physical injury he had sustained could ever hurt as much. "You have made a number of illogical decisions throughout this journey. Many of which have put you in harms way. But even so, I've let your choices slide… Do you know why?"
Neptune just looked at the boy. She couldn't figure out what he was trying to get at, but what she did understand was that he seemed to approve of the decisions she had made up until now. Heero continued, since the look in the CPU's eyes told him she wanted to know, "The reason I've gone along with your choices is because regardless of the consequences you faced as a result, you always did what you felt was right. Even when it put you in danger, you never stopped trying to fight for the right cause."
So just because Neptune fought for what she 'felt' was right, Heero had willingly put himself in danger for her? "I'm going to tell you something that someone once told me. It has served as something of a guide for me, and I have no doubt it is something you will take to heart."
The goddess of Planeptune continued to look at the boy, feeling a strange shift in his tone as he dispensed his words of wisdom on her, "The only way to live a good life is to act on your emotions." Heero's eyes shimmered slightly, remembering something from long ago. "Do what your heart tells you, so you won't regret it later. That is the right path for people who live in the present."
Neptune repeated some of the words to herself, saying them just loud enough that Heero was able to hear them, "Act on my emotions… Do what my heart tells me…?"
Heero nodded in response, though not before making a slight correction, "I will ask that you refrain from taking any action similar to what you did last night. I… didn't like having to hurt you."
Another moment of silence passed as the Gundam pilot's words sank in. Neptune shifted her gaze to the ground. "You're not… mad about what happened?"
It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what Neptune was referring to. She clearly believed that he was mad at her for injuring him, "The only thing I'm mad about is the fact that you went off on your own to fight Arfoire. Even if it had been possible for you to defeat her by yourself, I still don't want to lose you."
Neptune's cheeks took on a brilliant red hue, deciding now was as good a time as any to act, "Hey, Heero… close your eyes for just a sec."
Now Heero was the one who was curious. What could she possibly be planning that she needed him to close his eyes? "Is there some special reason?"
It was difficult to look Heero in the eyes as Neptune thought about what she was going to do. "Well, because… just do it. Please?"
His curiosity winning out in the end, Heero did as he was asked and closed his eyes. Before he knew it the Perfect Soldier suddenly felt some weight against him, as well as something wrap around his neck an a warm sensation against his lips. When he opened his eyes, Heero found Neptune's face right in front of his.
How long had she waited for a moment like this? Neptune couldn't remember, but then again, she didn't really care. All that matter was what was happening in that moment. Her first kiss, and it was with Heero. After a moment of lip-locking, the two parted with Neptune's face taking on an even darker shade of red than it was before, "We're REAL lovers now, Heero."
Heero's own cheeks were red from the sudden physical interaction. He hadn't expected something like that, at least not so suddenly. The boy relented on the matter of whether or not they were lovers, finding it rather charming at the moment, "If you say so."
It was then that Neptune realized that she had forgotten to bathe the other day. Of course, she had been so caught up with trying to go after Arfoire on her own that she didn't have time to. "Y'know, I kinda have to take a bath. You wanna join me? We can wash each others backs."
She was bringing that up now? Granted, her personal hygiene was important, but it was something she should have done last night, "As long as-"
Neptune beat the boy to the punch, knowing would his requirement was for them bathing together, "I know, you want me to wear a bathing suit, right? I know the drill."
As the purplenette began to walk back toward Compa's house, Heero brought his fingers up to his lips. There was still a faint warmth, and a lingering sweet taste. Just thinking about the kiss that had just taken place made the boy's heart beat faster.
Could it be? Was it possible that he was really in love with Neptune? Heero thought back to another girl he knew from his world; Relena Peacecraft, and thought about his feelings toward her… But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that what he felt for the princess of the Peacecraft family wasn't as strong as what he felt for Neptune.
Before Heero could be completely absorbed in his train of thought, Neptune was suddenly right back in front of him, "Hey, Heero? I've got something I wanna ask you."
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the Perfect Soldier listened to the CPU's question. "One of the things I remembered was that I've got a younger sister. Does me forgetting about her make me a bad sibling?"
That was a question that came out of left field. Of course, by this point Heero had come to expect such questions from Neptune. What the boy wanted to know was how forgetting about her sibling made her bad when she had no control over the situation, "Neptune, you do realize that amnesia isn't something you have any control over, right? You had no intention of losing your memory in the first place. I'm sure your younger sister would agree."
Neptune breathed a sigh of relief, "That's a load off my mind."
Thinking on the subject of Neptune and her younger sister, Heero couldn't help but remember Nepgear, which brought a question of his own to mind. "This sister of yours. By any chance, does she look like you only slightly taller with longer hair and a timid personality?"
The CPU of Planeptune was rather surprised that Heero was able to describe her younger sister when she herself hadn't seen Nepgear since they started their adventure. "That sounds like my Nep Jr.! How d'ja know?"
While it had just been a feeling at the time, Heero now had the word of the goddess that the Neptune look alike he had encountered on Planeptune was in fact her sister, "I've run into your sister a few times. Nepgear was actually the one who gave information on where we could start our search for the Trinity Sword."
It was heart warming to the goddess of Planeptune to hear that her sister had helped the party with their goal of saving the world, even if it was indirectly, "Isn't she the best little sister? Helping out her big sis even though she's got amnesia. Well, not anymore cuz we fixed that. But seriously, I gotta work on that kid's confidence issues."
Once more, Neptune began walking towards Compa's house. Heero was relieved that she was back to her normal self… and curious to see if they really could make something of their new relationship.
Xxx
Me: "Finally! I realized I said this chapter would only take two to four days to finish, but I kinda got caught up in the writing process for this one, and… well, it ended up being longer than I had originally planned."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter ACCC from Lounge) "I don't care. Heero and I finally got to have a hot kiss and seal the deal! Now everyone has to acknowledge that we're lovers!"
Heero: "Please don't go overboard."
Me: "I am a little upset. I didn't get to live-stream and chat with the readers like I had planned… But what can you do? I wanted to give them something that would really satisfy them, so I had to forgo playing any games in favor of writing."
Histoire: (Enters ACCC from Break Room) "If you find a balance between writing and gaming, perhaps you will be able to engage your readers the way you have been hoping."
Zero: (Suddenly appears in ACCC) "It is for the benefit of the readers. I'm sure that as long as you provide them with more story content, they will be inclined to see your… live-streaming, was it?"
Me: "One can hope. Seriously though, I didn't expect this chapter to be so long. By the time we finished, we clocked in a little over twenty-two thousand words. Whatever. More there for the readers to… read. Anyway, if you guys have the time, consider stopping by to visit my Twitch channel… Assuming I'm not too busy working on another chapter. I also put my Twitch schedule on my fanfiction profile, in case you guys needed to see a good guesstimate of when I would be on." (Points at Heero and Neptune) "You two can wrap this up for us. Because you are REAL lovers now."
Neptune: (Rubs the back of her head in embarrassment) "Aw, shucks. You're embarrassing me. But yeah, we'll do it."
Me, Zero and Histoire: (Leave ACCC through Left Entrance)
Heero and Neptune: (Faces readers) "Please read and review this chapter, and look forward to the next update."
Neptune: "Because, y'know… Heero and I are getting really romantic now."
Heero: "Please stop that for now."
Heero and Neptune: (Leave ACCC through Left Entrance)
