Me: "Well, here we are my good readers. After the last two chapters, I'm sure it was quite obvious where this chapter was going."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter IC) "Do we really have to add her to the party? There are three goddesses already, and I'm one of 'em! We should be fine."
Heero: "It's better not to leave anything to chance."
Green Heart: (Enters IC from Game Room) "You continue to remain so hostile even now. What is it that you have against me, Neptune?"
Neptune: "What I got against you is that you're a cheap floozy that throws herself at my Destined Lover! Heero and I are the main pairing of this story! You can go find someone else to smother with those big boobs of yours."
Blanc: (Enters IC from Lounge) "What the hell are you shouting for? Some of us are trying to do something productive."
Neptune: (Points at Green Heart) "Greeny over here is throwing herself at Heero again!"
Noire: (Barges into IC from Break Room) "She's doing what?! I expect that crap from Neptune, but I thought that of all people that wasn't me, you would exercise some restraint!"
Blanc: "Just what the hell are you trying to pull?! Do I need to beat your ass now, rather than later?!"
Green Heart: "I have not done anything wrong, yet all of you persecute me based on Neptune's paranoia. Quite frankly, it's appalling."
Heero: "Let's not do this… Especially not here."
Me: "Can you guys please save it for the chapter? Now, regarding the lateness of this update… it wasn't writers block that kept me from posting it, contrary to what some of you might have been thinking. I had finals and Christmas shopping I had to worry about, which was a drain on my time and energy." (Looks at watch) "And before I go on a rant we should be wrap this up and get on with the story." (Points at cast) "You know the drill."
Heero, Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Green Heart: "HeeroUzuki does not own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Super Robot Wars, or any work pertaining to any of the franchises."
Me: "We're getting closer to the end of the story, I can feel! We do hope you enjoy this chapter, and we will continue working on the next chapter… when I'm not live streaming, anyway."
Me, Heero, Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Green Heart: (Leave IC)
Ch. 45 Recruiting an Otaku Goddess
Blanc let out a groan as she slowly peeled open her eyes. Once she was fully awake the CPU found that she was in her goddess form. Looking around, the CPU of Lowee wasn't able to determine where she was… chief reason being because of how dark it was.
When White Heart tried to stand up, the goddess was only able to get on her knees before she felt a jerk at her wrists. Looking down at her hands, Lowee's CPU saw that her hands were cuffed and the cuffs themselves were connected to a chained attached to the ground.
Blanc had no idea where she was or why she was chained to the floor, and her visceral response… was to start swearing, "What the hell?! Who did this?! Who am I gonna give a new asshole?!"
Shortly after spewing out her profanity the lights in the room came on, forcing her to shut her eyes. As Blanc adjusted to the sudden change in brightness, she heard a pair familiar voices before her… and there was condescension in their tone, "Well, you certainly took your time getting up."
"What do you expect? Out of the four CPUs, she's the pathetic one."
The voices were that of Neptune and Noire, or rather their goddess forms; Purple Heart and Black Heart. Blanc lifted her head up to look for the two goddesses that were both metaphorically and quite literally looking down on her.
White Heart couldn't believe what she was seeing when she laid eyes on her fellow goddesses. Both CPUs were wearing lingerie that barely fit them and their chests looked as if they would spill out of the thin clothing at any moment.
Upon further inspection, Blanc noticed that there was a third person seated in a golden throne with their arms around Purple Heart and Black Heart's waists and the two goddesses were seated in the individual's lap. The moment her eyes finished adjusting, White Heart could plainly see that the third person was none other than Heero, who was only wearing his black shorts.
Under normal circumstances the goddess might have been stimulated by the sight of a shirtless Heero, but given the context of the situation Blanc saw little reason to be enthused, "What the hell are you two bitches doing with Heero?!"
Purple Heart had a rather smug look on her face as she answered the CPU's question, "While you were busy sleeping in here, we were busy… sleeping with Heero."
It didn't take long for Blanc to decipher the meaning behind what the twin braided goddess meant, and the answer she came up with made her blood boil. "...You didn't."
Black Heart had been looking down at the bound goddess with a smirk the entire time, and the moment the conversation shifted toward them 'sleeping with Heero,' Lastation's CPU directed her attention to the Gundam pilot. Her eyes were laden with unbridled lust as she ran her hand from the boy's abdomen up to his chest, "Oh, but we did. And for quite a while at that. Heero really knows how to touch a woman. I was screaming his name after just five minutes into our first session."
Having to sit on the ground and listen to the two goddesses gush over how they had been intimate with Heero was beyond infuriating for White Heart, "You…! Don't think for a second you bitches are getting away with this!"
Turning her attention back toward the restrained CPU, Black Heart snickered at the empty threat directed at her. "Oh? And just what is the Titless Wonder going to do?"
Even though she was in her goddess form, Blanc was powerless to silence the goddess of Lastation who was speaking to her in a deprecatory manner. While the CPU of Lowee seethed over the belittlement she was having to endure, the sound of a door opening followed by another voice caught her attention, "What could she possibly do? An immature child like her is no threat."
Yet another voice that was painfully familiar... and perhaps the only voice that irritated Lowee's goddess more than Neptune's, "...Don't tell me SHE'S here."
The sound of a single pair of footsteps echoed through the room, and seemed to be coming from behind Heero and the other two CPUs. White Heart's fears were realized when Green Heart came into view. Unlike the other two CPUs, Leanbox's goddess was clad in nothing but a pair of panties and was covering her sizable assets with one arm.
Purple Heart looked over at the scantily clad CPU, somewhat annoyed with her lack of clothing, "Could you not be bothered to put something on? While I can understand not wanting to wear anything around Heero, as goddesses we need to exercise at least some level of decorum even in situations such as this."
Unlike the goddess of Planeptune, Green Heart didn't see the point in putting anything on, "Why bother? Even if I put something on, once I get back in bed with Heero it would just come right off."
It was clear that the three goddesses had forgotten about Blanc as they discussed their plans for Heero in bed, and it was grating on her nerves, "Why am I stuck in here while you assholes get to be with Heero?! This shit isn't fair!"
Green Heart turned her attention back to the profanity spewing goddess of Lowee. Though she was uninterested in White Heart, the CPU of Leanbox answered the girl's question regarding her 'unfair' situation. "Because frankly, you aren't good enough to be with Heero. You are immature both mentally and physically. What could you possibly offer him with that small body of yours?"
White Heart struggled against her restraints as she snapped at the green haired goddess for mocking her. "Come down here and say that to my face, Thunder Tits! We'll see just how smug you are when I knock you flat on your ass!"
Heero looked over at a clock hanging on the wall as the two CPUs exchanged insults, "Is it that time already…?"
Blanc was about to inquire what the boy was talking about when Purple Heart cast a brief glance at the clock before standing up from her place on Heero's lap, her attention on White Heart, "It would appear our break time is over. Since you're woefully inadequate, you are to remain here."
Once Heero stood up with Black Heart, Planeptune's goddess had her arms around the boy's neck. The CPU's intentions for the boy were clear as day on her face. "As for us REAL goddesses… we have a man to please."
As the group of four turned to leave the room White Heart voiced her malcontent for the other CPUs, "So you bitches are just gonna leave me here by myself, while you get to screw Heero?! That's fucked up!"
Black Heart looked over her shoulder at the fuming goddess, "We're not that heartless. We asked the others to bring you some new friends to keep you company."
Leanbox's CPU talked down tothe restrained CPU with the same condescending tone that, from Blanc's point of view, seemed to be woven into her voice at all times, "The fact that you will never experience Heero's touch almost makes me feel bad for you. However, you have no one to blame but yourself for that infantile body of yours."
With their smug comments out of the way, the trio of goddess proceeded to escort Heero out of the room. Once more, White Heart fought against the cuffs keeping her grounded, but her efforts were for nothing, "Why the hell is this happening to me?! Let me out of here, dammit!"
Eventually Blanc stopped struggling against her bindings since she wasn't getting anywhere. As the blue haired CPU tried to think of another way out of her bonds, she noticed some movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, White Heart saw a pile of blue slime with a dog face on it… a Dogoo. Lowee's CPU was confused why a monster was there in the room, when she thought about Black Heart's parting words. Even as a joke, the goddess found it very distasteful that the other CPUs would make a monster her 'roommate.' "...Those bitches have a sick sense of humor."
While Blanc had been talking to herself, a second Dogoo had appeared, then a third, and a fourth. While the Dogoo themselves weren't intimidating, the CPU founded it alarming that the monsters were suddenly popping up out of nowhere.
Before she could start questioning the sudden appearance of the additional dog faced creatures, White Heart heard cracks forming on the wall to her left. The cracks were small at first, but they quickly grew and spread out across the entire wall.
Suddenly, the wall broke down and a tsunami of blue began to flood into the room. The tsunami was made entirely of Dogoo, and the massive wave was speeding toward White Heart. Try as she might, the goddess was still unable to free herself from the cuffs keeping her rooted to the center of the room. Blanc could do nothing but look on in horror as the immense wave of monsters began to descend upon her, Ah… ahh… AHHHHHHHHHH!"
Xxx
Blanc's eyes snapped open andbeads of sweat cascaded down the sides of her face as she sat up in bed, "Ahhh!"
The CPU breathed in and out at a rapid pace as she slowly came to her senses. Looking down, Blanc saw that the lower half of her body was covered by a bed sheet, a brief glance around the room was enough to tell her that she was in the bedroom of the party's safe house. Taking a deep breath, the goddess of Lowee sighed in relieve. "It was just a dream..."
Turning to look over at the clock on the nearby nightstand, Blanc saw that it was 8:00 in the morning. By now the rest of the party was up at this time and getting started with their day. The CPU of Lowee wiped the sweat from her forehead, Neptune popped up right next to her, "Whatcha screamin' for, Blanc?"
Neptune's appearance was so sudden, Blanc was momentarily startled by her appearance, "...The hell?!"
Planeptune's CPU wasn't the only one there, Noire was standing next to the purple haired girl and was just as curious about Blanc's rude awakening, "Isn't it a little early for you to be fishing for attention? You only joined yesterday."
Upon seeing the two goddesses, Blanc's anxiety turned to anger as she thought about the dream she had just woken up from. What made it so terrible for her was that the nightmare had the possibility of being reality if she wasn't careful, "You…!"
Lowee's CPU got out of bed while facing the two CPUs. She wanted to make it clear that size was not going to be the determining factor in deciding who was going to win Heero, "Don't think for a second you bitches are gonna win Heero over with a display of tits and ass! I'm not giving him up to either of you or Thunder Tits! You hear me?!"
Neptune and Noire looked on in confusion as they watched Blanc storm out the room and slam the door behind her. The party's leader didn't know what had set of the goddess of Lowee and was hoping Lastation's CPU knew something, "Hey, uh, Noire? You know what Blanc was talking about?"
Much like the party's leader, Noire hadn't the faintest idea what the small CPU had been going on about. All she really caught was something about the two of them, Lady Green Heart based on the slanderous nickname Blanc used to refer to her, and Heero, "Why are you asking me? I know about as much as you do. Though she brought up something about..."
The raven haired goddess' faced turned red as she looked away, thinking about the idea of using 'tits and ass' to get somewhere with Heero. "(I'm not flat like Neptune or the brat and I'm not an overblown cow like HER… It's shouldn't be a contest at all. I've got the figure of a goddess, so I doubt I would have to go that far. Although… If Heero asked for it...)"
Neptune saw the crimson hue on Noire's face and immediately assumed that her Destined Rival was thinking about Heero, "Hey, you were just thinking about Heero weren't you?!"
Although the allegation was true, the tsundere goddess wasn't about to admit it. In typical Noire fashion, the CPU of Lastation denied the claim made by her rival, "No! Why would I be thinking about him? You're obviously paranoid!"
While the party needed Noire's help against Arfoire, that didn't mean Neptune had to like her. And when it came to Heero, Neptune really didn't like her… or the other two goddesses, for that matter. The CPU of Planeptune headed for the door that separatedher from the living room, and more importantly, the objective of her affection… and the kitchen. "Whatever, Tsundere Heart. But I already know you're lying."
Ignoring Noire's shouts of protest, Neptune left the room in search of Heero and food, in that order. Meanwhile, the rest of the party was seated in the living room waiting for the goddesses to join them while indulging in their breakfast.
Compa was positively ecstatic over the party's turn of the successful recruitment of Lady White Heart, the group now included three of Gamindustri's goddess, and hopes were high that their good luck would continue with regards to convincing Leanbox's CPU to reconsider joining them.
Taking a bite out of her toast, the nurse in training expressed her joy to the other party members in the room, "Isn't this wonderful? With Lady White Heart in our party, we're one CPU away from having all of the goddesses!"
While the pink haired girl wasn't wrong, there was something about the way Compa described the recruitment of the goddesses that rubbed IF the wrong way, "Don't make it sound like we're on a collectathon. They're goddesses, not pets."
The thought of having all four of Gamindustri's guardian goddesses on their side was very appealing to the others in the room, and was no longer outside the realm of possibility. Along with Blanc's enlistment into the party came another boost in the group's morale, and with Lady Green Heart being the last goddess they needed to recruit, hopes were high that this time around the CPU of Leanbox would aid them.
Nisa saw no reason for the goddess to refuse them a second time. There were three CPUs in the party now, which should have been more than enough to convince Lady Green Heart of the severity of the situation they faced, "We won't be deterred like before. Unlike last time, Neptune has here memories, and Noire and Blanc are with us. Lady Green Heart has to believe us!"
Neptune's amnesia had definitely been a key reason for Lady Green Heart's earlier refusal. With that problem rectified, the CPU of Leanbox would surely take her more seriously even if Lady Black Heart and Lady White Heart weren't already in their group.
As much as he would like to go along with their way of thinking, Heero had a feeling that Lady Green Heart, despite her sweet disposition, was going to make the recruitment process difficult just like Noire and Blanc had, "(I want to believe that Neptune can convince Lady Green Heart without resorting to force... But that didn't happen with Noire or Blanc. Chances are Neptune will have to fight in order to persuade her.)"
Having persuaded two CPUs to join them, the party wouldn't accept another refusal from the last of the four goddesses. Not when they had come so far and their goal was in reach.
Gust was feeling quite optimistic herself, believing Leanbox's CPU would gladly join them once she knew that Neptune had regained her memories, "Gust knows Lady Green Heart will see reason and join party. Then we can face Arfoire."
While the girls continued to chat and reassure themselves that there was no way Lady Green Heart would refuse to join them, Blanc entered the room, having listened to them for the past five minutes. It gave the goddess no joy to know that they were actually going to Leanbox to recruitment the CPU that had been a major source of irritation for her for as long as she could remember, "(I was hoping they were joking about getting Thunder Tits on their side. As if I didn't have enough reason to be pissed.)"
Compa turned her attention to Lowee's CPU once she was aware of her presences, addressing the goddess in her usual benign tone of voice "Good morning, Lady Wh- Miss Blanc. Did you sleep well?"
Considering the nightmare she had just awakened from, there was no way Lady White Heart would even be able to pretend to be fine, "...Not really. I just woke up from a terrible dream."
Lowee's goddess plopped down on the couch just as Neptune entered the room with Noire following shortly thereafter. The party's leader was following her nose toward the kitchen, captivated by the scent of food, "Something smells gooood… Whatever it is, its practically beggin' for me to eat it."
Despite knowing her for so long, Noire was still baffled by how easy Neptune was swayed by food, "If the fate of the world was left entirely in your hands, we'd all be screwed."
No one was going to refute the goddess' claim, primarily because she wasn't exactly wrong. If the fate of Gamindustri was left entirely in Neptune's hands, her love of food would inevitably lead to their untimely demise.
With the three goddesses present, the party could get into the matter of recruiting the last CPU; Lady Green Heart. IF opened the topic up for discussion, believing it to be in the group's best interest to arrive at some sort of consensus on how to get Lowee's guardian goddess to join them, "Now that we have Noire and Blanc in our party, we just need to get Lady Green Heart to join us. Then we'll be able to face Arfoire. The question is, how do we get her to agree to this?"
Nisa's first thought was to have all three CPUs in the party meet with Leanbox's goddess to give themselves more credibility, "Noire and Blanc should go and talk to Lady Green Heart with you. Surely she will take us more seriously once she sees the other three goddesses before her."
Blanc's impassive face turned to one of annoyance at the prospect of essentially begging Leanbox's CPU for aid, "...It'll be a cold day in hell before I ask that bitch for help."
The party was flabbergasted by Blanc's hostile response, but Noire wasn't surprised by the answer, "...Probably should have mentioned this earlier. Over the years, Green Heart has said a lot that's gotten on Blanc's nerves. She really doesn't like the CPU of Leanbox."
Lastation's CPU was putting it mildly. Blanc viewed Lady Green Heart with seething contempt, and it was because of how the goddess of Leanbox kept making fun of Blanc's lack of breasts. Lowee's CPU was constantly antagonized by Green Heart for her small chest, and the verbal abuse had gone on for centuries. Just the thought of having to ask her most hated enemy for help made Blanc sick.
Despite the goddess' clear unwillingness to speak to Lady Green Heart, Lyrica was under the same notion as Nisa. If Leanbox's goddess at least met with Blanc, as well as Neptune and Noire, then she would have to change her mind. She just had to, "Well… you don't actually have to talk to her. If you'll just meet with Lady Green Heart, then she'll have to reconsider."
Even though she knew that the party was going to urge her to meet with Green Heart, that didn't mean Blanc was any less irritated. Neptune strode over to the fuming bookworm and pat her on the back, "Don't worry. You don't gotta say nothing. Just let me do all the talking."
The corner of Blanc's mouth twitched as the party's leader insisted that she would handle the verbal aspect of Lady Green Heart's recruitment, "...Why do I get the feeling that's somehow worse than if I were to actually talk to her?"
While most of the party was under the believe that her enlistment into the party was a done deal, Heero and the trio of CPUs didn't see the recruitment process being quite so simple. Underneath Lady Green Heart's goddess-like facade was a CPU that most likely held no goodwill for her fellow CPUs.
Everyone else in the party had been under the notion that Neptune had somehow talked the CPUs of Lastation and Lowee into joining them, and it would be preferable if they continued to believe that even after they recruited Lady Green Heart. But much like with Noire and Blanc, a display of force from Neptune was going to be required before Lowee's CPU would even consider joining them.
Rather than rush to a possible solution, Heero thought it best to go with the original plan of having Neptune speak with the goddess by herself. If nothing else, Neptune's persistence was more likely to result in a favorable outcome than if Blanc were to talk with the CPU of Leanbox, "Instead of trying to force Blanc to speak with Lady Green Heart, we should stick with what has worked thus far."
The girls began to discuss the idea amongst themselves. Seldom did they oppose Heero's plans, and when it was clear none of them were going to raise any objections, Blanc breathed a mental sigh of relieve, "(There's no way in hell I would ask Thunder Tits for help. Frankly, we don't need her.)"
Blanc reached for her book 'The Writer's Guide to Writing a Best Seller,' as she did not want to listen to Neptune brag and boast about her importance. However, the book that had constantly been within arms reach for the goddess was nowhere to be found. It was then that the CPU remembered that she left the guide back in her room at the Basilicom when Neptune challenged her to the fight the day before.
Unlike the other members of the party, Blanc wasn't used to having to deal with Neptune's idiocy and airheaded antics for extended periods of time. Nor was she used to taking a prolonged leave of absence from her land. If she absolutely had to leave Lowee, then the goddess wouldn't go without taking the book she had received from Heero. It was perhaps the only thing that was going to help her maintain her sanity while traveling with the group.
Lowee's CPU stood up from her seat on the couch and proceeded toward the front door of the safe house. The moment the small girl started making her way towards the door, Neptune was already suspecting her of trying to leave the party, "Where you running off to, Blanc? You can't leave the party until you've helped us beat the stuffing outta Arfoire."
As tempting as it was to run away from the purple haired girl, Blanc had joined the party because Heero had asked her. It was for that reason that she wasn't going to simply cut and run, "...You idiot. I need my book if I'm going to put up with you. It's probably the only thing that will keep me from going crazy."
It was only after the door shut behind the CPU of Lowee that Neptune voiced her thoughts on small girl's reason for leaving the safe house. "I betcha she's gonna try and run out on us. Heero, I need you to go after the angry little girl!"
Heero saw no reason to go after the goddess of Lowee, but seeing as he was being ordered to follow her by Neptune the Gundam pilot complied. The Perfect Soldier took off after Blanc, and as soon as Heero closed the front door behind him, Neptune spoke her mind… which at that moment had to do with food, "I think I deserve a snack. I can't think on an empty stomach"
IF found herself questioning whether the CPU of Planeptunehad some kind of plan in mind for when they met with Leanbox's goddess, "Please tell me your at least thinking about how to approach Lady Green Heart. It would help to have some kind of plan."
Noire saw no reason to put that much hope in Neptune. The idea that the CPU of Planeptune would formulate a cohesive plan was absurd, "You might be asking for too much there. It's nothing short of a miracle if Neptune can think of anything other than food."
Neptune didn't like Noire's insinuation that her mental capacity never went beyond food. "I don't just think about food. Most of the time I'm thinking about Heero and me in a totally romantic setting. It's just that right now I'm thinking about the pudding I've been saving."
The party's leader ducked into the kitchen to satisfy her need for food. As she watched Neptune disappear from sight, Lyrica couldn't help but comment on how different the CPUs acted during every day life, "The goddesses are nothing like what I thought they would be… In everyday life, I mean."
Lastation's goddess was slightly miffed by the underground celebrity's comment, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"
Not wanting the CPU to think she was trying to insult her in some way, Lyrica tried to explain what she meant. "Well, it's just… You, Neptune and Blanc are goddesses… and we've always believed that you guys did some amazing things when no one was looking. It's just weird to see you acting so… normal."
There was no arguing with the musician's statement. Throughout their lives, the girls had always been under the believe that the CPUs of Gamindustri adhered to the highest levels of etiquette and were always prim and proper. But after recruiting three of the four guardian goddesses and seeing the waythey acted and spoke of one another, the notions the girls had regarding Gamindustri's most prominent figures had certainly changed.
IF herself had caught a glimpse of what Lady Green Heart indulged in when she wasn't handling her duties as a goddess. The shelves full of anime, manga and video games within the CPU's room were a clear sign that Lady Green Heart's personal life was that of a tried and true otaku, "I get what you mean. I really wasn't expecting them to be so human when no one was around."
"I worry they may indulge themselves a bit too much."
Histoire floated into the living room from the kitchen, the crumbs around her mouth a clear indication that she had been eating during the party's back and forth on how to recruit Lady Green Heart. Because she was the Tome of the Goddesses, Histoire knew just about everything there was to know about the four CPUs that protected Gamindustri. "Neptune, Blanc and Green Heart have a very bad habit of over indulging themselves. Noire is the only one that takes her role as a goddess seriously… But I worry that she will become like the others if she is exposed to them long enough."
Noire seemed offended by Histoire insinuation that she was going to end up the same as the other three goddesses, "As if! You really think I'm gonna end up a lazy slob like Neptune? Not in your wildest dreams! Unlike the other CPUs, I take my responsibilities very seriously."
Normally Histoire would have believed the pig-tailed goddess, were it not for the fact that she had said to her Basilicom staff that she was resigning, "But Noire… Did you not tell the members of the Sanctified that you were resigning as Lastation's goddess? You have yet to reverse that action, so in a sense… you are becoming lazy like Neptune and the others."
As she was about to retort, Noire realized that the Tome of the Goddesses was right about both her resignation and the fact that she hadn't reversed that decision. The goddess of Lastation had left no room to defend herself, and her inability to do so really did make it seem as though she was becoming like her fellow CPUs… a lazy, good-for-nothing.
By the sound of it, the fairy-like being had all but given up on the CPUs of Planeptune, Lowee and Leanbox, and was worried that Lastation goddess might end up just like them. While nothing they were hearing was scandalous or mind blowing, it served to hammer home the fact that the girls knew nothing of what the goddesses were really like.
All of a sudden, the sound of Neptune screaming filled the safe house. The girl's turned their attention to the kitchen in time to see their leader come storming out, and she looked absolutely livid, "Which one of you did it?! Who's the pudding thief?!"
Everyone in the living room exchanged glances before looking back at Planeptune's goddess. The reason she was mad was because of some pudding? Compa tried to calm down the irate CPU, "Nep-Nep, there's no reason to get upset. We'll buy you some more pudding."
From Neptune's point of view, there was plenty of reason to be upset. "Compa, you ignorant, naive bimbo! That wasn't just any pudding! It was limited edition! And I was saving it for a time like this too… There's no replacing that!"
IF disregarded the fact as inconsequential. To her, it was still just pudding and something that could be easily replaced, "So what? It's just a cup of pudding. Get over it."
Noire herself didn't care for the party leader's woe, "It's your own fault for leaving it unattended."
The nonchalant responses she was receiving her Neptune convinced that the pudding thief had been a collaborative effort between the other girls. If the goddess of Planeptune had to suffer this injustice, she would make them all suffer with her.
Xxx
The walk to Entremets wasn't very long, and within ten minutes Lady White Heart arrived at the Basilicom. Lowee's CPU made her way through the main hall right toward the audience chamber and into her personal room, "...I can't believe I let myself get roped in to helping Neptune. If it weren't for Heero asking me, I'd have told her to go fuck herself."
Whether she liked it or not, Blanc was stuck helping Neptune on her quest of stopping Arfoire. Putting aside her discontent, the goddess of Lowee focused on retrieving her book and returning to the safe house.
As soon as she opened the door to her chambers, Blanc was greeted by the sight of a girl jumping up and down on her bed, another girl sitting on the corner of her bed, and a woman that was trying to get the rambunctious child under control, "Ram, please stop that. You should know better than to jump on someone's bed."
Ram ignored Mina's protests and pleas, continuing to bounce up and down on the furniture, "Aww, big sis won't mind. Besides, it's fun! You should bounce with me, Rom."
Rom looked on as her lively sibling continued acting against the request of their caretaker. Part of her wanted to join Ram in jumping on their older sister's bed, the other part wanted to remain in compliance so that she wouldn't get in trouble, "I don't know… What if big sis comes back?"
Once more, the energetic girl brushed off the appeals made to her, believing there were to be no consequences for her actions. "You worry too much. Besides, even if she came back, big sis wouldn't care. She's too busy reading to sleep anyway."
None of the room's occupants were aware that White Heart was standing in the doorway, and the goddess found it somewhat irritating to be ignored, "...As a matter of fact, I do care. That's where I sleep."
The moment they heard Blanc's voice, the twins ran over to their older sister. Almost immediately, the CPU of Lowee was bombarded with question from her younger siblings, "Where have you been? We also heard you joined a party with a boy in it. Is he nice? Will he give us candy if we ask? Do you think you two will be a thing? Can we go out for some crepes? Will you play with us now?"
White Heart began to grow increasingly annoyed with the barrage of questions, even if it was from her sisters. "It's hard to answer your questions when you ask so many at one time."
Mina questioned the goddess of Lowee, though more slowly than the girls she was charged with looking after, "I brought the twins over becausethey wanted to see you. When we got here we couldn't find any trace of you. Where were you?"
Now that she could understand the question, Blanc could actually answer the concerned younger sibling, "...I was staying over at someone's place. That much should have been obvious."
Despite her reasoning that it should have been obvious, Blanc hadn't given any advanced notice whatsoever, nor did she tell any of the Basilicom staff just where she would be staying after she departed from aside the obvious flaw in her goddess's answer, Mina continued with her line of questioning. "We happened to hear a rumor that you joined a party as of yesterday. Is it true?"
Although she hadn't explicitly said anything on that front, it was no surprise that the members of the Basilicom were able to make the connection that she had joined Neptune's party when she left with the group. "It's true. I didn't want to at first, but there was someone I owed a favor to. I couldn't say no to him."
Ram suddenly popped up in front of Lowee's CPU, intrigued by the idea of her sister not only being in a party, but one that had a boy in it, "You're in a party with a guy? Are you two gonna be a thing? Are we gonna have a big brother now?"
Blanc was taken aback by Ram's questions. Specifically; whether she and Heero would be a thing, and if the Gundam pilot would be their brother. The ivory haired CPU's cheeks took on a light red hue as she tried to classify the relationship she had with Heero at the moment, "We're just... friends. There's nothing going on between us." Blanc's voiced trailed off into a whisper as she finished her sentence. "For now, anyway..."
It was somewhat disappointing to hear that they wouldn't be getting a new sibling, but Rom kept her disappointment to herself for the most part, "That's too bad… At least you have a new friend."
Unlike her timid sister, Ram believed that Blanc's new friend wouldn't compare to their own, "I bet your friend isn't as cool as ours! Heero played with us and bought us crepes."
Normally Blanc would have taken offense to the remark, were it not for the fact that Ram and Rom's friend just happened to be her new 'friend,' "Heero is your friend?"
The tone of the CPU's voice led Rom to believe that her older sister also knew the boy, "Have you met Heero, too…?"
Before she answered, Blanc took a moment to think about how she was going to explain how she met the Perfect Soldier. She couldn't tell them that she had gotten into a fight with him during her attempts at getting rid of Neptune, and she definitely couldn't tell them at one point she tried to kill him.
Rather than risk scaring the twins, White Heart built her meeting with Heero around something non-violent. The first thing that came to mind was the book she had received from the boy. "...We met at a bookstore. I found a book that I wanted, but forgot my wallet. Heero bought it for me, and we've gotten together a few times since then."
Ram looked rather underwhelmed. She wasn't sure what to expect, but the circumstances she was given wererather boring, "That's it? You met at a bookstore? That's so boring. When we met Heero he played tag with us and bought us snacks. We would've gotten him to play doctor with us too, if Mina hadn't told us we had to go home."
Just the idea that her sisters tried to get Heero to play Doctor was not only a cause for concern, but was fundamentally disturbing to Blanc. Mina was reminded of something else that happened, or rather said that day, and felt it necessary to bring it up to Lowee's goddess, "That reminds me, Lady White Heart..."
The Oracle of Lowee walked over to the CPU and whispered into the goddess's ear what she felt needed to be disclosed. Blanc's eyes widened for a moment before she started frowning at Ram and Rom, "...They what?"
Although they didn't know what their caretaker had said, the look on their older sister's face told Ram and Rom that they were in trouble. Ram started to panic, imagining what sort of violent action Blanc was going to take against them, "Wh-What? What did we do?"
As aggravated as Blanc was to know that her younger sisters had gone through some of her more private books, she really couldn't do anything about it. Taking a deep breath the CPU tried to get her two sisters to refrain from reading her 'personal' reading material without resorting to violence. "Listen, I know you two are bored, but that doesn't mean you should go through someone else's belongings. Some of my books are not suitable for either of you, so if you want to borrow one of them, you need to ask first."
Both Ram and Rom had expected Blanc to get mad and start swearing at them. The rather tame response gave the twins reason to be suspicious, "...What's going on? Normally you would have started swearing at us. Now you're acting different."
The skepticism was understandable. Every other time her sisters got on her nerves, White Heart would start shouting and spewing profanity at them. It was one of the reasons she had assigned Mina to be their caretaker, "I'm trying to keep a lid on my anger. I can't just blow up over every little thing that gets on my nerves. Why? Would you rather I start shouting at the two of you?"
Ram and Rom backed away from the goddess, not wanting to incur her wrath, "N-No, we're good."
Blanc walked toward her bed, her attention focused on the book sitting atop the bed sheets. As Lowee's goddess sifted through the pages of her writing guide book Rom approached her, shifting nervously as she spoke to her sister, "Umm… sis? Can you… play with us?"
Looking over her shoulder, the CPU could see the hopeful look in her sister's eyes. And it was those eyes that made it harder on Blanc to deliver her reply, "...I'm sorry, Rom. I can't play with you two right now. I have a job to do."
Ram was understandably upset with the answer. The twins had not seen their older sister in some time, and when they finally get to see her she's too busy to spend time with them, "What? Why? Can't you do it some other time?"
Lowee's CPU looked out the window with a somber expression on her face. She didn't enjoy this anymore than her sisters, but knew that she still had to go. "There is someone trying to destroy Gamindustri. If they were just trying to destroy the other landmasses I wouldn't care. However, my land and it's people are being threatened."
When she looked back at the twins, Rom looked as though she was going to cry, "That sounds… dangerous. Can't you get someone else to fight…?"
Blanc placed her free hand on the shy girl's head. She wasn't sure whether or not it would be enough to console her younger sibling, Blanc knew she had to try, "...I know it's dangerous, but as the goddess of Lowee it's my responsibility to protect this land and it's people. And it's not like I'm going to be dealing with this by myself. So… have a little faith in me."
Even though they were against the idea of their older sister going on such a dangerous assignment, Ram and Rom could see how serious Blanc was about handling this up to the CPU, Ram held out her hand and extended her pinky, "You've gotta promise to play with us when you get back. Pinky promise!"
Lowee's goddess looked at the digit in front of her, and before she could respond, Rom followed suit, raising the opposite hand and extending her pinky as well. It was endearing to White Heart to see both of her sisters acting in such a matter… and it was another reason that she had to leave Lowee with the party to put a stop to Arfoire.
Setting aside her book, Blanc raised her hands to the twins and wrapped her pinkies around theirs before shaking their hands. Once Ram and Rom appeared to be appeased, the goddess picked her book back up and directed her attention to Mina. "I shouldn't be gone too long. All the same, please look after them for me, Mina."
The Oracle of Lowee gave a bow in response to her goddess's command, "Of course. Please take care of yourself, Lady White Heart."
Remembering that the Oracle had no idea that she had a new name to go by while in her human form, Blanc decided to break the minor news to her. "...Just so you know, from now on my name is Blanc while in my human form."
Mina was somewhat perplexed by the declaration. She knew that Lowee's CPU had been contemplating a name to go by while in the human world that wasn't White Heart. She had even come up with a list of names to help with the matter, but the name 'Blanc' wasn't on that list. "I've gone over the list of names you came up with… but I don't recall that one being one of them. When did you come up with it?"
The CPU wasn't about to reveal that it was one of her rivals that had come up with the name, nor did she want to tell the Oracle or her sisters that the party she was joining included two of the other goddesses out of concern that they would start worrying about her even more, "I came up with it yesterday. It just suddenly came to mind, and it sort of stuck."
Watching the goddess for a moment, Mina couldn't help but think she was lying. Rather than push for an answer and risk inciting an angry episode from the CPU, the Oracle refrained from further questioning, "Very well then… Blanc. Take care of yourself."
Blanc retrieved her book once more and departed from the room. As soon as the door shut behind her, the CPU leaned against the wooden surface. The goddess of Lowee suddenly felt drained after seeing the of her was happy to have seen her younger sisters… however, another part of her hadn't been too thrilled at seeing them.
It wasn't that she didn't like her younger sisters. On the contrary, she adored them... when they weren't testing her patience. The problem was that she really didn't know how to act around the two. And that fact truly bothered her.
Pushing herself off the door, Blanc proceeded through the Basilicom while hanging her head. The CPU passed through the main door and kept walking in a straight line, seemingly on auto-pilot. Without any prior warning, Lowee's goddess found herself bumping in to something, and her vision was filled with a pale green color.
Before her visceral response of swearing could kick in, the voice coming from the person in front of Blanc caused her to hold her tongue, "I take it something is bothering you?"
When she looked up, the goddess found herself looking at the lone male member of the party, who was carrying a plastic bag with some mechanical parts in it. Blanc hadn't expected to run into Heero, believing that the entire party would be waiting for her back at the safe house, "...Heero? Why are you here? I said I was just coming to get my book."
"Neptune asked me to follow you. She was under the belief that you would attempt to run away once you left the safe house."
It was irritating to the goddess to hear that the most irresponsible person she knew believed that she would do something so… irresponsible. While she didn't like Neptune, Blanc would put up with the CPU of Planeptune to honor the favor she owed to the boy in front of her. "Does that ass-brain really think I would run the first chance I get?"
While it wasn't hard to believe that Neptune would think this, that didn't make it any less annoying. Rather than worry about the party leader's reason for sending him, Heero was more focused on what had been bothering the goddess before she literally walked into him, "I'll ask again. Is something bothering you?"
The goddess of Lowee paused for a moment. She wasn't one to share her problems with others, but felt that at the very least Heero wouldn't go telling the others about her troubles, "...I met with my younger sisters while I was in there."
Heero wasn't sure why the goddess meeting her sisters was a bad thing. Unless they constantly got on her nerves, there shouldn't have a problem seeing her siblings. Blanc seemed to catch the Perfect Soldier's lack of comprehension on the issue. "The thing is… I don't spend a lot of time with them. I'm not sure how to act around them… I don't even know if I'm being a good sister to them."
In short, Blanc was worried about how her younger siblings perceived her. Heero had no siblings himself, so he had no experience in that area. However, he imagined that they naturally looked up to their older sister, "Have they said anything that would suggest that they don't think highly of you?"
Lowee's CPU shook her head in response. Not once during their conversation did Ram or Rom say anything that made her believe they thought less of her. "Did they ask you to do anything for them?"
Now that was something the twins had mentioned. Before leaving her room, Ram and Rom made the CPU promise to spend time with them after defeating Arfoire, "...They asked me to play with them when I got back from helping you deal with Arfoire. They had me pinky promise that I would. It was childish… but it was cute."
If that was all, then it was evident that Blanc's sisters thought of her as an integral part of their lives and wanted more time with their older sibling, "If that's all, then you have nothing to worry about."
Blanc couldn't understand why the boy was so sure of himself, and was interested to know why. "What makes you so sure?
"They wouldn't have asked you such a thing if they disliked you."
The goddess took a moment to think on Heero's answer and realized that she had been concerned over nothing. Because of her responsibilities as Lowee's CPU, White Heart didn't have much time to spend with her sisters. And what time she did have didn't amount to anything meaningful. It was because of this that Blanc was worried her sisters' perception of her might be negatively affected.
Heero watched as a look of relief spread across the goddess's face. Strangely enough, the Gundam pilot himself felt relieved seeing her worries disappear, "It's clear to me that they want you in their lives more often. They even made you promise to entertain them when you returned. You now have an obligation to follow through on that promise when this is over."
With the invisible weight on her mind fading into nothing, Blanc felt somewhat better about joining the party in their quest to stop Arfoire… somewhat. The CPU of Lowee still didn't like the idea of teaming up with Neptune, but she would endeavor to try, "I'll do that… provided I can survive Neptune's dumbassery."
At one time, the Gundam pilot questioned whether he could tolerate Neptune's antics. After a while he warmed up to Planeptune's goddess. If he could do it, then surely Lowee's CPU could, "There's no doubt in my mind that you will persevere. I was able to, so it should be no problem for you."
Having talked about her relationship with her sister's, Blanc remembered that the boy in front of her had been looking out for them when she wasn't. "And… thanks for watching over the twins. Ram and Rom can be a bit difficult to manage at times."
This was the third instance in which Heero received verification that he had interacted with the younger sibling, or in this case siblings of a goddess, "I had some reason to believe they were related to you. They take after you in some aspects."
"They can be a handful at times, so… thanks for looking out for them. I suppose even after this is over, I'll still owe you."
Heero turned to leave Entremets, seeing as their business at the religious structure was over. "...There won't be any need for that. All that matters is completing the objective before us."
The Gundam pilot began the walk back to the safe house with Lowee's goddess following behind. It was a quiet walk back, though it gave Blanc time to revel in the alone time with the only male member of the group. While she had a basic idea of what kind of person Heero was, there was still something mysterious about him, and she found it quite alluring, "(Heero's like a character out of a fictional story. There's an air of mystique about him… the kind that's hard to resist. Maybe I can use him for my writing...)"
Just like the trip to the Basilicom, the walk back to their place of residence was short. As they approached the safe house, Heero and Blanc heard what sounded like Neptune shouting. Drawing closer to their house, the voices of the other party members could be heard, though Neptune's shouting would cut them off.
Opening the door of the safe house, Heero and Blanc were greeted with the sight of Neptune pacing around the living room with a gun in her hand, and the rest of the party was tied to the chairs and couches. Some of the party members were angry, while others were scared out of their minds.
Compa looked at the fuming CPU with teary eyes. She was quite scared of the party leader at that moment, "N-Nep-Nep… none of us took your pudding. We swear..."
Neptune, who was acting belligerent and unwilling to listen to reason, turned around and pointed the gun in her hands at the nurse in training, "I don't believe you! I know one of you jerks took my pudding, and I'm gonna find out who did it!"
The pistol in the CPU's hands looked very familiar to Heero. Reaching behind his back, the Gundam pilot searched for his gun, but was unable to locate it. Heero had disassembled his pistol in the kitchen that morning to clean it, and forgot to take it with him when he followed after Blanc. To make matters worse, he had loaded the gun after cleaning it. A Neptune with a loaded gun sounded like a very bad combination, "...Shit."
Noire struggled against her restraints as she shouted at Neptune, "Damn it, Neptune! Let us go!"
The goddess of Planeptune walked over to Lastation's CPU and pistol whipped her across the top of her head. "Shut it, Noire! Right now you're the one I've got my eye on. You seem like the type that would take someone's food and eat it outta spite."
Lastation's goddess could do nothing but growl in anger at having been struck. Neptune went back to pacing around the room, and Red couldn't help but voice her disappointment over her situation, "When you said we were doing stuff with rope… this isn't what I was thinking of."
Gust was quite fearful of her situation, not liking the fact that she might have somehow incurred the wrath of a goddess without intending to, "Gust does not know what she has done… but she is very sorry. Please let Gust go."
Nisa would have undoubtedly said something about how Neptune was making a mistake or something along those lines, but the heroine was unconscious with several lumps on her head. Most likely for saying such things to the enraged goddess.
Histoire tried to reason with Planeptune's goddess, as she was also tied down like the rest of the party, "Neptune, please be reasonable. Surely if someone ate your pudding they would have said something."
Neptune turned her gaze on Histoire, finding her to be the next most suspicious individual behind Noire, "Cram it, Histy! You're just as suspicious as Noire. I saw your face when you came out out of the kitchen. You were stuffing your face when no one was looking. Maybe you ate my pudding!"
Blanc couldn't understand what she was looking at, or how it came about, but she was going to have a hard time working with the party if this was the norm, "...What the hell is going on here?"
The party's leader looked over at the open door to see Heero and Blanc observing the scene before them. Neptune pointed at the other party members who were in a state of hysteria over their predicament, "One of these jerks ate the limit edition pudding I was saving! None of 'em are fessing up to the crime, so I gotta beat them all up until they tell me who done it!"
Heero looked at the group as they struggled in vain to free themselves. Once again, Neptune had jumped to conclusions regarding something she liked, "Neptune, none of them took your pudding. I did."
Silence filled the air as Planeptune's CPU stared at the Gundam pilot. Neptune then started laughing over the Perfect Soldier's claim, "You don't gotta lie for them, Heero. We're Destined Lover, I know you wouldn't take my pudding."
She was in denial. Neptune would never believe that Heero took her pudding. The Gundam pilot repeated his claim once more in an attempt to get through to the CPU. "Neptune, I did in fact take the pudding."
It was only after the second admittance that Neptune accept the boy's answer. The look in her eyes made it seem as though she had just been betrayed, though that was true to some extent. "W...Why? I wouldn't give any pudding to these jokers, but I woulda shared with you!"
Obviously the goddess thought the Gundam pilot had eaten the pudding. While he had 'taken' it, Heero hadn't consumed the pudding like Neptune believed, "I didn't eat it, if that's what you're thinking. I used it for something."
Trying to get over what she believed to be a grievous breach of trust, Neptune wiped away a tear from her eye, "...What didja use it for?"
Had he known it was going to cause an incident like this, the Gundam pilot would have mentioned it to the party's leader sooner. Heero ducked into the kitchen for a brief moment, the opening of a silverware drawer and fridge being the only noises to come out.
As quickly as he went in, the Perfect Soldier came back out. In one hand he held a spoon, while in the other he held a small plate with what looked to be a small cake. Heero presented both to the grieving CPU of Planeptune. "Because it was the last of the pudding, I decided to make this Pudding Cake. Had I know you were going to do all of this, I would have said something."
Neptune had a gleam in her eye as she took the cake from the Gundam pilot, "What sort of magic is this? You mean I can eat pudding AND cake at the same time?"
The purplenette used the spoon to take a piece of the cake and promptly inserted it into her mouth. As soon as the confection touch her taste buds Neptune's eyes lit up with delight, "Wow! This taste better than if I were to eat pudding or cake by themselves!"
Now that Neptune had gotten her pudding back (in some way), IF saw no reason got the party leader to keep them tied to the furniture, "You've got your pudding back. Now, you wanna let us go?"
Planeptune's CPU stopped eating her pudding cake for a moment to answer the Guild Moderatist. "Nope. Heero made this tasty cake for me, so it's full of his love. That alone would be enough for you guys to try and steal it from me."
Noire started kicking and squirming in another vain attempt to free herself while growing increasingly frustrated with Neptune, "You mean you're just gonna leave us tied up while you stuff your face?!"
Neptune simply turned around and went back to eating the pudding cake, which was a pretty clear answer to her question. Blanc really didn't see how they were to defeat a rogue goddess if this was the party she had to work with, "...We're fucking hosed."
Xxx
The moment the Sky Harbor to Leanbox was open and Neptune finished indulging in her snack, everyone in the party grabbed their belongings and headed for the Land of Green Pastures. After dropping their belongings at their Leanbox safe house, the group headed straight for the Basilicom to seek an audience with the goddess.
Neptune moved with purpose, as was apparent by the way she walked. She was fully intent on recruiting Lady Green Heart into the party, and she wouldn't accept any answer that wasn't a 'yes,' "I'm tellin' you guys now, I ain't leaving til Green Heart accepts our party invite. I'll beat her black and blue and drag her out by her hair if I gotta!"
Histoire found it unsettling how violent the CPU of Planeptune was getting over recruiting Leanbox's goddess, "Neptune… there's no need to be so angry or violent. I'm sure she will see reason this time if we just talk to her."
Obviously, Neptune still harbor many hard feelings towards the CPU of Leanbox. All of which centered around Green Heart and her attempts to woo Heero… or so Neptune claimed. So naturally, the goddess of Planeptune wasn't too thrilled about recruiting her.
With an apparent predilection towards violence, Blanc saw no reason to even go to Leanbox's Basilicom, "...Do we really need her help? There are three CPUs here. Surely that's more than enough to beat this Arfoire."
Under normal circumstances, just one CPU would have been more than enough to handle some out of control lunatic. But considering that Histoire had explained just how powerful the rogue goddess was, Compa had every reason to believe that all four CPUs were required to defeat her, "But Histy said that Arfoire is really strong. It's better to be safe than dead!"
IF cast a sidelong glance at the nurse in training, who failed to stick the landing with her remark, "You mean it's better to be safe than sorry. Not that you're too far off the mark if we screw up. And I can understand the sentiment. Having three CPUs on are side is pretty good. But I'd rather have a guaranteed victory than one that's left to chance. No matter how good our odds are."
Despite the misgivings of a few members, the party continued on their way to the Basilicom. Upon their arrival, Neptune knocked on the door of the religious building rather than simply barging in as she often did, "Hello? Anybody home? We wanna talk to Lady Green Heart!"
Noire was somewhat surprised by Planeptune's CPU exercising some civility, which was a contrast to how she had expected her to act, "Did Neptune hit her head or something? I've never known her to act polite."
Although she didn't show it, Blanc was also surprised by the display of decency, even if it was something as minor as knocking on a door, "...Perhaps Heero was able to train her on how to be civil."
After a minute of waiting the door to the Basilicom opened and a member of it's staff was standing in the doorway, "Yes? How can I help you?"
The party leader repeated her request to meet with Leanbox's CPU, "We wanna meet with Lady Green Heart. You think we could see her?"
Unfortunately for the party, the member of The Sanctified wasn't able to give them the answer they were hoping for, "I'm sorry, but Lady Green Heart is not here right now."
Neptune's shoulders sank upon hearing the news, "What? She's gone again?"
The Basilicom staff member bowed apologetically for having to give them the news that Leanbox's goddess wasn't in. "I apologize for the inconvenience. She's out fighting monsters, like last time."
Planeptune's CPU was disheartened by the news. IF rubbed the back of her head while trying to give a reasonable explanation for Lady Green Heart's absence, "Since the Aristocrat ordeal, she's seemed so determined to act like a real goddess."
Blanc rolled her eyes over the idea of Lady Green Heart wanting to act like a real goddess, "...Right. And it only took her land being pushed to the brink of civil war for it to happen."
It was a harsh truth that no one could deny. Had Leanbox's goddess been more proactive during that time, the situation between the Aristocrats and Basilicom would not have been quite so strained. That being said, Lady Green Heart was able to pull herself together and stop the fighting before things really got out of hand.
Compa turned her attention to Planeptune's CPU, who was disappointed with their current situation, "So? Should we go look for her in dungeons?"
Neptune didn't really feel like going to look for the goddess, wanting instead to just wait for her to return from her monster killing spree, "No, let's hole up here. I wanna talk to her in a comfy chair and preferable with a soda."
And just like that, what little respect Noire had for the purple haired girl had just gone out the window, "And here I thought you were actually taking this seriously. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
IF didn't agree with Neptune's idea. Considering the state they found Lady Green Heart the last time they were in Leanbox, waiting for her to return sounded like a bad idea, "I disagree. She might never come back, especially if she overheats again."
Histoire offered her services to the party, siding with IF on the matter of locating Leanbox's goddess, "I shall start looking for Lady Green Heart. I will need a moment to locate her. Perhaps… three days?"
Neptune was already unenthusiastic about looking for Lady Green Heart, so the idea of waiting that long to find her was definitely unappealing, "But you kinda suck at finding stuff, Histy. We'll just ask Z to help us like always. She is more helpful than you."
It was a blow to Histoire's ego, but she had to admit that Zero was more capable than she was. Neptune called out to the party's disembodied helper, "Hey, Z? You think you can help us find the big-chested goddess?"
Zero had already started working on finding the blonde haired CPU when Neptune had asked for her assistance, "(She is currently in an abandoned mansion on an island on the other side of Leanbox. I hope you don't mind having to do a bit of walking.)"
Noire and Blanc were able to here Heero's helper, and they didn't like the idea of having to trek towards the other side of the landmass just to find Lady Green Heart. Neptune hung her head as she slowly trudged toward the party's next destination. "C'mon guys… Z said we gotta do some walkin'."
For once, Blanc could sympathize with the goddess of Planeptune. She wasn't looking for ward to the walk or having to see her rival, "...That cow is more trouble than she's worth. Let's just get this over with."
With her pride slightly damaged, Histoire began to float away in the direction of the party's safe house, "I will return to the house, since I am not needed..."
Neptune ignored the Tome of the Goddesses' depression, instead thinking of something else she could do while the group focused on finding Leanbox's goddess. "You can make dinner for us when you get home, Histy. Make sure you cook up something stupendous by the time we get back."
Having received their next destination, the party headed out for Lady Green Heart's location in the hopes of persuading her to join them in stopping Arfoire.
Xxx
Following Zero's directions, the party arrived at one of the many abandoned mansions that dotted the islands surrounding the Land of Green Pastures. The first thing the group noticed was the deceased monsters lying about, a clear indication that Lady Green Heart had been through there.
Noire looked over the dead monsters, commenting on how Leanbox's CPU had improved… in her own way, "I guess the shut-in isn't as weak as she use to be. She's still not THAT strong though."
Nisa wasn't sure who's standards Noire was going off of. For a human like the blue haired heroine, it was no small feat to handle so many monsters by herself, so seeing the results of Lady Green Heart's work was rather humbling, "I wouldn't say that. Lady Green Heart must be quite strong to handle all of these monsters on her own."
While it was impressive, IF felt that the CPU of Leanbox didn't quite have the stamina to make use of her power, "I don't mean to speak ill of her, but I don't think Lady Green Heart is quite THAT strong. She does seem fragile at time."
There was no need to ask Zero for Lady Green Heart's exact location. All the group needed to do at that point was follow the trail of dead monsters that Leanbox's CPU had left in her wake.
Further in the mansion, the individual the party was searching for had just dispatched another monster when she finally fell to her knees. Lady Green Heart had reached her limit for the moment due to overheating, and was quite exhausted as a result of her training, "How many monsters does that make…? I seem to have lost count..."
As the exhausted goddess tried to gather what little strength she had, the familiar voice of Zero called out to her, "(I can understand wanting to improve one's self, but I believe you may be pushing yourself a bit too hard.)"
Lady Green Heart was so surprised that she lost her concentration and collapsed onto her side. The blonde haired goddess responded weakly to the feminine voice, "Oh… is that you, Z…? If you're here… that means... Heero is here, too..."
Leanbox's CPU was in a sorry state, overheated and completely spent from trying to thin out the monsters nesting in the mansion. "(If you keep overworking yourself like this, you're going to get hurt. You should exercise more care when going about such dangerous work, Lady Green Heart.)"
The goddess continued to lie on the ground, her overheated body refusing to get up. "While I appreciate your concern… I must fight… If I don't, the monsters... will continue to attack my people."
Zero could see that the goddess of Leanbox wasn't going to listen to reason. What she was doing was certainly admirable, but Lady Green Heart could end up making things worse if she failed to stop and take a break from fighting the growing number of monsters, "(I'm believe Heero told you this already, but it is a terrible idea to try and move to a more physically demanding lifestyle than the one you have had thus far. Even if it's for your land and it's people, you need to rest.)"
Once more Lady Green Heart tried to get up, getting as far as lifting her upper body off the ground. There was an intense look in the goddess's eyes as she looked down at the floor, "It's not just that… I must become stronger… so I can save Heero from Neptune."
The CPU of Leanbox suddenly collapsed onto her side once more, having used up her strength. Zero had to commend Lady Green Heart for her strong will, even if her body lack the endurance to match it. "(It would be a shame if one of Heero's potential suitors were to endanger herself by constantly fighting by herself. I just hope Neptune knows what she's doing.)"
Just as the ZERO System finished talking to herself, the party finally found the room in which Lady Green Heart was in. IF had a nervous smile on her face as she looked at the goddess lying on the floor, "See, I told you. She might not be as strong as we think she is." The brunette knelt down next to Lady Green Heart to check on her condition. "Lady Green Heart, are you okay?"
The blonde haired woman shifted slightly to see who was speaking to her, "Oooh… Oh, Heero… Compa… Nep-Nep… and Iffy?"
Lady Green Heart tried to get up, but fell back onto her side. Compa immediately tried to dissuade the goddess from making any further attempts to get up, "She's like a broken record! Please, don't move. I'll get some ice packs and cool you down right now."
As the nurse in training was looking for some ice in her purse, Gust rummaged through her reagents to see if she could make a potion to heal the goddess, "Gust was not sure what to expect. May not have ingredients for potion, but Gust will check."
Heero could tell the CPU had been fighting for quite some time just by how flushed her cheeks were, "Lady Green Heart really should refrain from fighting by herself like this. She's could very well make herself sick."
Blanc watched as the nurse in training pulled a bag of ice out of her purse and place it against Lady Green Heart's head. She wasn't exactly impressed with her rival's kill count before she finally collapsed, "...How weak. I could defeat this many monsters no problem. How you survived this long is beyond me."
Neptune looked over the dead monsters in the room, all of which had been dispatched by the goddess before them. Her attempts at culling the growing monster population were admirable, but made futile by the fact that Arfoire was capable of creating more. The CPU of Planeptune was hoping she could use that fact to convince Lady Green Heart to join them, "I know you're trying, but these monsters aren't gonna stop spawning until we beat up Arfoire, y'know?"
After some struggling, Lady Green Heart was finally able to sit up on her knees. The goddess was not willing to leave her land, "If we isolate Leanbox and destroy all the spawn discs, the monsters will eventually go away…"
While the idea may have sounded okay, there was no telling if it would actually work out when put into practice. Arfoire may even find other ways of getting monsters into Leanbox, which would mean Leanbox would be isolated and unable to receive the aid of adventurers not already there.
Neptune didn't want to entertain the idea, mainly because it would guarantee that the party wouldn't be able to enlist the goddess's aid in battling Arfoire if they failed to persuade her this time. "Maybe you're right, but it's better to just take care of Arfoire first. You can fight all you want after that!"
Lady Green Heart had a feeling Neptune was there to convince her to join the party when it was apparent she had regained her memories. But the former amnesiac struck a nerve with the CPU of Leanbox and earned her ire instead of a positive answer, "After that? You're the same irresponsible little girl even after you've gotten your memory back."
The party's leader was surprised by the unfavorable response she received, especially when going straight for the source of Gamindustri's monster problem sounded like a good idea. Having rested enough, Lady Green Heart stood up and stated her intent to place Leanbox before all else."Exterminate the monsters as soon as possible. That's my responsibility as goddess of this land."
Blanc was becoming increasingly annoyed with Leanbox's goddess as the conversation went on. She already didn't see the blonde haired woman joining the party of her own volition, and this was just the realization of that thought, "...I knew she was going to say no. This bitch is being more of a hardass than usual."
Even Noire didn't want to put up with what she was hearing, and she had a greater amount of tolerance for Leanbox's CPU that Blanc, "I'll be honest, I expected better from you. Isolating your land? That's sounds like the idea of a coward who's given up."
Lady Green Heart directed her attention to the two CPUs. She had been so focused with Neptune that she failed to notice them until that moment, "...To what do I owe the displeasure of this visit from you two?"
Lastation's CPU looked away from the goddess of Leanbox, though she cast a side-long glance at her. "Not that it should matter to you, Heero asked for my help."
Shifting her gaze, the goddess of Leanbox looked over Blanc, who was quite irritated just looking at the blonde haired woman, "I'm in the same boat as the tsundere. While I can easily refuse Neptune, Heero is someone I can't say no to."
Lady Green Heart frowned as she looked at the two goddess as Noire shouted 'I am not a tsundere!' at Lowee's CPU. She wasn't too keen to see the three goddess banding together not just because they harbored feelings for the boy she herself was captivated with, but Lady Green Heart wasn't sure she could deal with all three of them at once if a fight broke out.
Meanwhile, Neptune couldn't understand why Lady Green Heart was resisting when it was in their best interest to work together, "I getcha, but nobody can take down Arfoire besides us magical transforming girls."
Compa was growing concerned with the sudden silence from the goddess and carefully watched her in case she were to fall over again, "Lady Green Heart, are you okay?"
IF herself was worried for the goddess that still looked rather drained from fighting monsters, "You look like you're getting impatient, trying to make up for the time you feel you wasted until now."
Lady Green Heart herself had felt as much. Having spent most of her time playing games, watching anime and reading manga from the comfort of the Basilicom, the goddess had remained ignorant of what had been going on in her own land until recently. And now that Leanbox was besieged by monsters more frequently, she couldn't afford to remain isolated in her room any longer, "...That's possible, but it's only natural. I didn't do anything. I didn't know anything."
While the CPU of Leanbox may have believed she was taking the right course of action, the group knew that if things continued the way they had been, Lady Green Heart would run herself into the ground, or even kill herself trying to fight the monsters that continued to proliferate around her land. Compa tried to convince the goddess to rethink her plan, "I understand how you feel, but please take your time to think about this. You might be wasting your efforts right now. As Nep-Nep said, none of the critter trouble will stop until we get rid of Arfoire."
Although the thought of getting rid of the source of the monsters was enticing, Lady Green Heart didn't want to leave Leanbox while there were still monsters present. "However, I can't just leave these monsters here and go with you!"
From Neptune's perspective, Lady Green Heart seemed to be making excuses not to go with them, and was growing aggravated as a result, "Ugh, you're as stubborn as a mule! Nothing matters unless we get Arfoire first. It's not a matter of neglecting the issue! If you don't come with us, Heero will have to fight with his injury!"
The other CPUs just looked at Neptune once she blurted out what would happen if the group went to face Arfoire now. Blanc knew Neptune would do something stupid, she just couldn't believe the CPU of Planeptune would be this stupid, "...You just had to bring that up, didn't you?"
Noire wasn't surprised that Neptune was attempting to guilt trip Lady Green Heart into helping them, but she was disappointed, "You idiot! Stop using Heero to get your way!"
Lady Green Heart had stopped to weigh her options when Neptune decided to drop the news regarding Heero's injury. She already didn't trust Neptune with the Gundam pilot, and this revelation served to drive that fact home. Seeing as Neptune wasn't going to leave her alone anyway, the goddess of Leanbox thought of a way to vent her anger while still providing a means to prove that what she was doing for Leanbox was right, "...Fine. Then why don't we solve this in a one-on-one battle? Shall we see who is correct through force?"
This was the opportunity that Neptune was looking for. If she could best the CPU of Leanbox, Lady Green Heart would have to go with the party to Celestia for their battle with Arfoire, "Might makes right, huh? Accepted! If I win, you'll admit I'm correct, cute, skinny, and come with us?"
Really, the party only needed Lady Green Heart to join them, so why Neptune felt the need to add on everything else was anyone's guess. The CPU herself was taken aback by the demand, but accepted the conditions. "C-Certainly. I'll face you in my goddess form…!"
Before any of the other CPUs could raise an objection to the use of her goddess form in front of humans, an all too familiar disc appeared before Lady Green Heart with a flash of light following afterward the party had seen enough times to know what was going on.
When the light subsided, the lancer with seafoam teal hair and a revealing skin-tight outfit was standing in place of Lady Green Heart. This was the true form of Leanbox's guardian goddess. The lancer slowly opened her eyes, setting her gaze on Neptune, "...You remember this now, right?" Green Heart shifted her attention to the party. "The others seem rather calm, though."
Heero cast a brief glance over the party. While the CPUs weren't surprised by the transformation, the rest of the group was, they were just too shocked to respond immediately. Looking back at Green Heart, the Gundam pilot couldn't help but question her decision to transform in front of them, "I remember you asking me not to reveal your identity to them. For what reason did you decide to do this?"
Green Heart wasn't surprised with the Perfect Soldier's calm demeanor, as she had revealed her identity to the boy some time ago, "If I am going to be facing someone in a one-on-one battle, it only makes sense that I give my all."
Everyone else in the group was too surprised to give any kind of verbal response or failed to come up with a coherent train of thought. After a moment of tense silence, Compa remembered where she had seen the individual before and responded to the goddess's change in appearance, "...Wha-?! You transformed! I've seen that underboob before. We've fought!"
IF herself was shocked, though for another reason, "(Oh shit… I assaulted a goddess! Lady Green Heart at that! Sure, it was mostly because of Nep… but still! I'm going to hell for this, I just know it!)"
Lyrica was also stunned by what she was looking at. She had a hand in attacking the CPU back when they didn't know who she was, so she too was concerned with whether or not she was going to suffer any consequences, "(Oh… this is bad! I attacked a goddess! I mean, it was so long ago, and she was trying to steal Heero! ...I think. But does that still make it okay?)"
Although it took a moment, the party gave a response that seemed to please the goddess of Leanbox, "...I'm glad you're surprised to see this. Otherwise, what's the point in a dramatic transformation sequence?" Putting aside her glee over the stunned looks she had received, Green Heart returned her attention to Neptune. The CPU readied her lance in preparation for their battle. "Anyway, I'm ready. Here I come!"
Neptune suddenly formed an X with her arms while backing away from the goddess of Leanbox, "Wh-Whoa! Time out! Time out!"
Green Heart had not even gotten the chance to attack when Neptune had already called for a time out, resulting in a look of disapproval from the CPU, "What? Are you backing out now? My dramatic transformation will feel meaningless, but you are free to concede defeat now."
That wasn't the reason the party's leader felt the need to halt the battle. It had more to do with the venue, specifically the people that were there, "Well, it's just… you sure you wanna fight here in front of everybody? I don't wanna paste any of my party members or nothing..."
Looking over at the others, the goddess of Leanbox realized that she hadn't spared a thought for the humans that were there among them. It wouldn't do to have them caught in the middle of a battle between goddess, "...You make a valid point. I will wait for them to leave the room before we begin."
The party began to make their way towards the door leading out of the room, with Heero staying behind to consult the two goddesses that were about to fight it out, "I know I fight was inevitable, but I ask that the two of you not go overboard. The nearest medical facility is some distance away."
Green Heart kept her attention focused solely on her opponent, though took the time to address the Gundam pilot, "I give you my word as a goddess that I won't kill Neptune or do anything too drastic. But I will ask that you not interfere, Heero. This battle is about more than just determining which of us is right. It's about my pride as a goddess… and my feelings as a woman."
Her pride was one thing, Heero could kind of understand that. Her feelings as a woman, however, went right over his head. How that factored into the battle that was about to take place eluded him. Having received Green Heart's word that she wouldn't kill Neptune, Heero began to make his way out of the room. The Gundam pilot stopped by Noire and Blanc, taking what he felt to be a necessary precaution. "I'm counting on you. Both of you."
Once Heero left, Noire and Blanc were the only other people in the room. Green Heart turned her attention to the two CPUs that had stayed behind. "Is there some reason you two are still here? This is between me and Neptune."
Noire wasn't about to leave just because Green Heart was telling her to. The goddess of Lastation waved off the lancer's complaint, "We know that. We're just here to make sure you keep your word."
Blanc had her nose stuck in her book for the most part, not really interested in what was about to take place, "...We're just the referees. So you two can beat other as much as you want." The CPU of Lowee looked up from her book momentarily and directed her gaze at Leanbox's goddess. "Just remember this. If you break your word to Heero, I'll break your face."
With both Noire and Blanc standing off to the side as referees and no one to get between them, Neptune and Green Heart prepared for their battle. Unfortunately for Neptune, the lancer had one more caveat to had to their deal. "There is one other condition to our battle. Should I win, not only will you leave Leanbox, you must break off your relationship with Heero."
This was the third time Neptune had been told that she must break up with Heero should she be defeated, and as such the goddess of Planeptune was starting to feel as though there was some big conspiracy going on to break her and Heero apart, "First Noirey said that, then Blanc, and now you're saying that crap! What gives?! Do you guys really hate the idea of Heero and me being together?"
Green Heart didn't even need to think about it. The answer came to her naturally, "But of course. An irresponsible girl such as you has no right being Heero's lover."
Once more, Neptune found herself angered by someone's attempt to come between Heero and herself. The purplenette initiated her own HDD, and Purple Heart took her place. The swordmaiden of Planeptune's eyes sharpened into a glare as she pointed her sword at her opponent, "I don't think someone like you has the right to call me irresponsible. Especially when that person is a shut-in."
Green Heart pointed the tip of her lance at Purple Heart, "I will have you know that this 'shut-in' has undergone very rigorous training just for this moment. I may very well be stronger than you or the other goddesses."
Purple Heart's lips curved into a smirk. When it came to pure strength, the swordmaiden of Planeptune was easily the strongest of the four CPUs by a landslide. The idea that Green Heart was stronger than her was absurd, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you're not stronger than me. You never have been, and you never will be."
The lance wielder of Leanbox dashed toward Purple Heart, the time for words now over, "We will get no where trading words. Let's see which of us is truly right!"
Planeptune's goddess parried the first attack aimed at her before responding with a horizontal strike from her sword, which was blocked by Green Heart. After their initial attacks, the two goddesses disappeared from sight, and only the sound of clashing metal and destroyed interior could be heard.
Outside the room, the rest of the party couldn't help but be worried with what they saw and heard. They had never witnessed a true battle between goddesses before, so what they saw was truly astonishing… and it made them realize just how powerful the goddesses really were.
Compa was forced to duck as a piece of the marble floor flew the air towards her. Glancing over at the destroyed marble tile that had came flying at her, the nurse in training wondered how they had ever beaten Lady Green Heart before, "Was Lady Green Heart always this strong? Why didn't she fight us with her full power?"
Unlike the pink haired girl next to her, IF wasn't going to question it, "Just be glad she didn't. There's no way we could stand up to that."
As the girls watched the battle between their leader and Lady Green Heart, Heero stood against a nearby support beam. The only thing he was concerned with was whether or not the two goddesses would get out of hand, and if so, whether Noire and Blanc could break them up before something went wrong.
A few minutes had past since the start of the furious melee, and the room had already been totaled. There were large gashes in the walls, a number of support beams were lying in ruin, and a number of scars dotted the floor.
Noire and Blanc were standing against the wall, and somehow managed to avoid the chunks or marble and rock that had been flying despite being closer to the battle than the rest of the party. The CPU of Lastation was covering her mouth to avoid inhaling any of the dust that had been kicked up from the battle, "Would those two hurry up and finish this? I'm gonna get covered in dirt."
Blanc kept her attention glued to her writing guide, though she spared a moment every now and then to look up from the book to avoid getting struck by the flying debris. The goddess of Lowee wasn't interested in hearing Noire complain. She was staying right where she was because Heero needed her there, "...If it bothers you so much, you can and wait with the others. Then Heero can see you as a failure."
It annoyed Noire to here Blanc talk down to her. She certainly wasn't about to just up and walk out when it meant looking bad in front of the Gundam pilot. "As if a little dust could make me run. I'm just bothered by the two of them dragging this out."
Purple Heart and Green Heart came to an abrupt stop on opposite ends of the room. Before round two could begin, the goddess of Planeptune pressed her opponent for an answer as to why she was to break up with Heero if she lost, "I have a feeling I know the answer to this question, but I'm going to ask anyway. Why do I need to break up with Heero if you win?"
The goddess of Leanbox wasn't sure why Purple Heart that question now when they were in the middle of a battle, but she still addressed the question, "Obviously, I cannot allow someone like you to be Heero's lover."
Planeptune's goddess wasn't sure what Green Heart meant when she said 'someone like her.' "What is that supposed to mean?"
Green Heart began to grow more infuriated as she thought about what kind of person Purple Heart was, and the idea that she could be in an intimate relationship with Heero, "I know you fall in love easily. Not only that, but you put yourself before anyone else. For all I know… For all YOU know these feelings you claim to have for Heero might not be genuine!"
While it may have been true that she fell in love easily, that was only when she got to know someone, which seldom happened before. And the few times she did, nothing ever came of it. As for her thinking only of herself, Purple Heart had changed over the course of the party's journey, and was no longer so self-centered, "I know what I feel for Heero is real! I would never do anything to hurt him!"
Leanbox's CPU refused to hear any more from Purple Heart, believing everything she said to be lies, "Enough! A depraved woman such as you will do and say anything to have her way." Green Heart pointed her lance at the swordmaiden once more, her eyes beginning to cloud over with hate and resentment. "I will not stand by and let you break his heart. I will dispose of you before that happens!"
Before Purple Heart knew it, Green Heart had gone from being on the other side of the room to being right in front of her poised to strike. The goddess of Planeptune was caught off guard by the sudden display of speed. Not once had Green Heart ever been able to move that fast or cover such distance in so little time.
Green Heart thrust her lance towards the swordmaiden's right flank with the intent of striking something vital. Purple Heart shifted her torso slightly while using her sword to push against the lance in an attempt to avoid serious injury.
The sharp tip of the lancer's cut through Purple Heart's body suit and left a cut across her side. It wasn't deep enough to be fatal, but enough to draw blood. Before the CPU of Planeptune had time to inspect the injury she was forced to block another attack from Green Heart.
Both goddesses ended up in a stalemate, and right in each others faces. It was clear to Purple Heart that Green Heart's word meant nothing in that moment, and she was out for blood. The CPU of Leanbox pushed against her opponent in an attempt to break the stalemate, "I think it's about time I end this farce. If you aren't willing to give up something for the one you hold dear, then it proves that I'm right. You're still that self-centered fool. And you're not worthy of Heero's love."
Green Heart was pushing all the wrong buttons on the goddess of Planeptune. The lancer was mocking her feelings for Heero while claiming that she wouldn't sacrifice anything for the boy. Before she knew it, the CPU of Leanbox found herself being forced back.
Purple Heart was letting her anger dictate her actions in that moment, and she didn't care. All that mattered was proving Green Heart wrong, "My powers… My status as Planeptune's CPU… My divinity… I would give up all of that for Heero." The swordmaiden began to push against Green Heart's lance even harder, slowly overpowering the lancer as she kept her rage filled eyes on the CPU of Leanbox. "That you would dare test my feelings for Heero. It is a mistake that will cost you dearly. Now pay for your foolishness!"
Summoning up all of her strength, Purple Heart knocked Green Heart's lance out of her way and swung her sword… right at her opponents neck. Leanbox's goddess narrowly evaded serious injury, sustaining only a small cut to the region in question.
A rivulet of blood ran down the side of Green Heart's neck, but she was too focused on the battle to be bothered by it. The lancer was preparing to make another attempt at a killing blow as she stared down her opponent, "I will not be defeated by someone who only thinks they're in love. I will save Heero from you at any cost!"
Purple Heart had thrown reason out the window. In that moment she didn't even care if she killed Green Heart. All that matter to her was annihilating the goddess that dared to come between her and Heero, "I've had enough of you! Begone from my sight!"
As the enraged goddesses charged at one another, there was an explosion that kicked up a cloud of dust that filled the room. Purple Heart suddenly found herself facing down Black Heart, who had her sword pinned to the ground, "You know, the funny thing is Heero knew this was gonna happen. Seems to be like you're becoming rather predictable."
Just behind Black Heart, White Heart had driven Green Heart's lance into the ground and was keeping the lancer from taking any further action towards Purple Heart, "Cool your tits, asshole. Your no good to Heero if your dead."
Purple Heart found herself having to reflect on her actions. Once again, she let her emotions get the better of her, and even went so far as trying to inflict a fatal injury to the goddess she was trying to recruit into the party. The CPU of Planeptune took a deep breath before redirecting her attention to Green Heart, "...We've dragged this out long enough. I believe it's time we end this battle."
It was a sentiment that Green Heart could agree with. Their strength was beginning to fade, and she herself was beginning to overheat. If the battle went on for too much longer, her defeat was guaranteed, "Agreed. We shall let the next attack determine the winner."
Black Heart and White Heart reverted to their humans forms as they stepped out of the way. With their job finished, all that was left was to bear witness to the final attack and see who would claim victory. Purple Heart and Green Heart prepared themselves for the last attack, both intent on seizing victory from the other.
After ten seconds of waiting, Purple Heart and Green Heart charged at one another. Leanbox's CPU lunged at the swordmaiden, intent on following up with a knockout blow the moment she backed away from the attack.
But to her surprise the swordmaiden didn't back away, she kept moving forward. Purple Heart slipped into the blind spot of the lancer's attack and closed in for the finishing move. In one fluid motion, Purple Heart struck the goddess of Leanbox in the stomach with her sword before swiftly turning and bringing her sword down into her opponent's back, forcing Green Heart into the ground.
The lancer tried to pick herself up off the ground, but her body had reached it's limit. Green Heart reverted to her human form shortly afterward, signaling that Purple Heart had won. Planeptune's goddess looked down at Lady Green Heart for a moment before reverting to her own human form. Neptune wiped the sweat from her forehead, feeling quite exhausted from the battle, "She sure didn't make it easy."
As the purplenette commented on her victory, the rest of the party began to make their way through the cloud of dust that was slowly beginning to subside. Gust voice called out to the party's leader since she still couldn't see clearly, "If Neptune can hear Gust, please say something!"
Lyrica wasn't having any better luck wading through the cloud of dirt, blindly feeling around with her hands, "Maybe we should have stopped them before this happened. I can't see anything."
It wasn't long before enough of the dust settled and the party could see the CPUs. As they approached, they noticed Lady Green Heart lying on her side. Looking over the results of the battle, Compa couldn't help but feel Neptune had gone a little too far, "Nep-Nep, you went a bit overboard. Couldn't you have gone a little easier on her? She's completely overheated. She's unconscious!"
Neptune failed to see the problem seeing as she was the victor of the match, "Makes things easier. I don't want her kicking and screaming or whatever. We might get in trouble with the Basilicom."
While it was true that Lady Green Heart's condition made it easier for the party to get her back to their safe house, IF was rather disturbed by the way in which the party leader had phrased it, "...Nep, you sound like a kidnapper."
Nisa began to question whether or not Neptune was turning into a villain of some sort, "I know she's a goddess… but is Neptune turning into one of the bad guys? I might need to reconsider my thoughts on being in this party…"
Unlike the Keeper of Justice, Red to really much care how it happened, she was more concerned with adding another girl to her wifey count, "Who cares? All that matters is I'm getting a wifey with big boobs!"
Heero knelt down next to the unconscious goddess, carefully checking to see if she had any injuries that would need immediate attention, "She doesn't appear to be to be seriously injured. I'll handle the task of carrying her."
As the Gundam pilot was preparing to lift Lady Green Heart into his arms, Neptune noticed the CPU peel her eye open for a moment before closing it once more. She was only pretending to be unconscious. With a frown on her face, the party's leader walked over to Lady Green Heart and delivered a swift kick to her side, which garnered a response from the Leanbox's CPU, "Ow! Kicking me while I'm lying defeated… You really are a barbarian, Neptune."
Neptune wasn't amused with Lady Green Heart's attempt to get Heero to carry her, and possibly even pull a fast one and steal a kiss from the boy, "And you're a hussy. I'm always on alert when it comes to my Heero and some other girl."
With it now being clear that she wasn't actually unconscious, Leanbox's goddess stood up and turned her back to the CPU of Planeptune, "Regardless, I will not join you. You used underhanded means to achieve victory, so a battle is rendered null and void."
The goddess of Planeptune wouldn't accept Lady Green Heart's excuse for not joining the party, not when she already went through the effort of defeating her in the first place. "I beat your butt fair and square! You can't back out now!"
Noire didn't want to hear any excuses out of the blonde goddess either, believing that she was just looking for a way out of the deal they made before the battle, "I'm not one to agree with Neptune, but she's right. You can't just go back on your word because you lost!"
Blanc didn't care if Green Heart joined them. In fact, she wanted to brutalize the CPU of Leanbox herself, "...Can I just kick her ass? She's pissing me off."
Things were not going to plan, but they seldom did during the party's adventure throughout Gamindustri. While Lady Green Heart wouldn't join because of Neptune, she seemed open to the idea of dealing with the monsters at the source, meaning that Heero might be able to use the favor she owed him to change the goddess's mind, "If you won't listen to Neptune, will you at least listen to my request?"
Lady Green Heart knew the Perfect Soldier was going to try persuade her into joining the group, but she was at least willing to hear him out. "Given the circumstances, you can't expect to stop the monsters on Leanbox by yourself. Your idea of isolating this land might work in theory, but someone else could come along and undo all of that. You'll end up right back where you started."
It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear, but the goddess couldn't deny the Gundam pilot was right. Even if she were to defeat every monster in Leanbox and isolate Leanbox from the rest of Gamindustri, all it would take is one person to come along and undo all that work, "Even so… I must do something to protect Leanbox."
"It is for that reason that I am using the favor you owe me."
Leanbox's goddess was forced to halt her train of thought when Heero said he was using the favor that was owed to him. She hadn't been sure how to respond if the boy came out and asked her to join them, but using his favor now? And for someone else? "I don't understand… A favor from a goddess is not something just anyone receives. You could ask me for anything on Leanbox, yet you would use it for the sake of another? Why?"
It didn't really bother Heero much to use his one favor for something like this. After all, the thing he really wanted couldn't simply be given to him, "The one thing I want can't be given to me by you… or anyone, for that matter. It's something I must find myself. Before I can, I must help Neptune with her own task. If we are to succeed, we need your help. I need your help."
Lady Green Heart wasn't sure what to say. Heero was searching for something that couldn't be given to him, and he needed her help to find it. Looking into the boy's eyes, the goddess could tell he was being honest and sincere with his request for her aid. There was no way she could possibly refuse him now. "...You are undoubtedly the most interesting human I have ever met. I can't possibly say no to such honest eyes."
Neptune watched the CPU of Leanbox, wondering if she was actually going to join the party now, "You'll accept the invite, right? There's something wrong with you if you say no to Heero."
The response the purplenette was met with assuaged her worries on the matter, as the CPU of Leanbox gave a curt nod, "I cannot say no to such a heart felt plea for my aid. I will help you."
There was a collective breath of relief from the girls as they received the affirmation that Lady Green Heart would help them in their fight against Arfoire. Even though she had fought to get the goddess to join them, Neptune still didn't want Lady Green Heart getting too close to Heero. "You may be in the party now, but that doesn't mean you can start hitting on Heero whenever you want, Vert."
Leanbox's CPU paused to look at Neptune's. She was addressing her as something other than her goddess name, which was new to her. "...I'm sorry. What did you call me?"
"Vert. Since I beat you, I get to give you a new name. Just like with Noire and Blanc."
Noire and Blanc were irritated by the reminder that Neptune had bested them. Heero himself thought it was a good fit for the CPU of Leanbox, "I believe the others won't object to the name."
Compa voiced her support for the choice in name, as was expected of the bubbly nurse, "I think it really suits you, Lady Green Heart."
IF would have objected, had she not thought the name to be perfect fit as well, "I don't know if I'll be able to call her that… but it does sound pretty good."
Seeing that Heero liked the name, and there was support from other members of the party for it, Lady Green Heart saw no reason to say no to having it be her human name, "Very well then. From now on my human name shall be Vert. I look forward to our time together, everyone."
Vert then turned her attentionto the Gundam pilot for a moment, deciding now was the time to act. "With the way you are able to sway a woman's heart, I partially blame you for my defeat, Heero. So I do hope you will take responsibility."
Heero wasn't following her. Before he knew it, Vert was right in front of the boy and could feel her lips against his cheek. Neptune, Noire and Blanc were furious with the sight before them, while some of the other party members couldn't help but feel either embarrassment or jealousy.
The goddess of Leanbox withdrew from the boy, turning away from the boy to hide her face, "There is no denying it now. I'm completely, hopelessly in love with Heero."
IF felt her world shatter at those words. Lady Green Heart, Console Patron Unit of Leanbox, was in love with Heero? At first she thought she was hearing things, but those words continued play in the Guild Moderatist's head. The brunette was so caught up with the revelation that she didn't noticed Neptune walk up right next to her and transform back into her goddess form.
Without warning, IF was struck on the back of the head by Planeptune's goddess. IF looked back at the goddess who's hand was clenched into a tight fist, "What the hell was that for?!"
Purple Heart looked at the brunette for a moment before returning her gaze to her newest rival, "That was for not believing me when I said Vert was interested in Heero and was trying to steal him from me."
IF had just started to turn her head back around when she was struck a second time, this blow even more forceful than the one before. "That was for hitting me every time I said Vert was trying to steal Heero from me."
The Guild Moderatist could feel a lump forming on her head from the blows she received. As if that wasn't enough, Purple Heart didn't even wait for IF to look away before striking her across the head a third time. This blow sent the brunette to the ground flat on her stomach.
Looking up, IF wanted to know the reason behind the third strike, "...And that one was for…?"
Purple Heart smiled to herself as she brushed off her armored hand, "Because oddly enough, hitting you is making me feel better right now."
Not wanting to risk IF getting a concussion, and because they succeeded in their objective, Heero thought it best to leave the area, "We've completed our mission. We should return to the safe house a make plans for our return trip."
Planeptune's goddess walked past Vert and linked arms with Heero, escorting the boy towards the door, "I'll leave you to get to know the others. Heero and I will go back ahead of you guys."
Heero and Purple Heart didn't make it far before the Gundam pilot shifted to the right. Vert had caught up to the two and latched on to Heero's free arm, "There's plenty of time for me to socialize with the others. Right now, I want to get to know Heero better."
The swordmaiden was already not liking the newest member of the party. "Heero and I need some quality time together. So if you don't mind, please let go."
Vert frowned at Purple Heart as she tried to intimidate her. "I will do no such thing. And besides, such a decision should be left up to Heero, should it not?"
It wasn't long before Noire and Blanc started staking their claim on the Gundam pilot. Noire forced Vert out of the way and grabbed onto Heero's arm, "You say that, but you keep throwing yourself at Heero like his opinion doesn't matter!"
Blanc grabbed onto the boy's waist while denouncing Noire's claim, "...You're one to talk. Just like Thunder Tits over here, you're a horny bitch who's looking to get into Heero pants without taking his feelings into consideration."
Purple Heart was growing more and more aggravated with the other goddesses trying to claim Heero for themselves, "Between our kiss, and my battles with each of you, I believe I've secured my place as Heero's number one girl. The three of you might as well give up, because Heero only has eyes for me."
As the goddesses continued to argue, Zero couldn't help but feel bad for Heero's predicament, "(Seems like you're going to have your hands full for the time being.)"
The Gundam pilot wasn't enthusiastic over the idea of dealing with four arguing goddesses, "You're not helping me, Zero."
With the fourth and final goddess now in their party, the group made their way to the exit of the mansion and headed back to their safe house.
Xxx
After returning to the safe house, the group took some time getting to know their newest member… minus Noire and Blanc, who were still somewhat uneasy around her, as well as each other.
Once the initial pleasantries were over, the group went about making preparations for their return trip to Planeptune. As Heero went through his belongings, he heard a knock at the door to his room. The Perfect Soldier walked over and opened the door to find Vert on the other side, "Did you need something from me?"
Vert was acting slightly bashful as she looked at the Gundam pilot, but was still able to converse with the boy, "After speaking with some of the others in the party, it has come to my attention that you are willing to bathe with another… Provided they have some kind of swimwear."
It tended to take a bit of effort on the girls' part, but they were in fact able to convince Heero to shower with them under the condition that they wear a swimsuit. "...Is there some reason you're bringing this up?"
Once she was made aware of it, Leanbox's goddess planned to use that knowledge to get closer to Heero. "Since we are in the same party we should deepen our relationship. I felt that this might be a good starting point for the two of us."
The Gundam pilot cocked an eyebrow. Improving relations between party members would help them work together, though why Vert felt that showering with him was a good place to startmade no sense to him. Even so, he couldn't deny that better cohesion amongst the group was necessary if they were to defeat Arfoire, "...Very well. Give me a minute."
Vert left the room as Heero went looking for swim trunks to wear, all while thinking how best to capitalize on the alone time she was going to have with the boy. Five minutes later, the Gundam pilot arrived in front of the bathroom wearing blue and black swim trunks. The sound of running water was a sign that Vert had already started the shower.
Upon opening the door, Heero was greeted by the sight of Leanbox's CPU in a white two piece swimsuit with some purple added in. Vert had curves and swells in all of the right places, add to that the fact that she had a pretty face and a gorgeous figure, the goddess of Leanbox would definitely turn heads in her swimwear.
It was rather embarrassing to the CPU to be seen by Heero while wearing the swim suit, yet at the same time she found it rather thrilling. Remembering that she asked Heero to join her in the shower to improve their relationship, the goddess motioned for the boy to enter, "I'm glad to see you aren't too nervous to join me. I know it's sudden, but the sooner we start bonding, the better prepared we will be in the future."
The Gundam pilot was having slight difficulty looking the goddess in the eye. Zero had once mentioned that he began to experience an increased attraction toward the opposite sex, which was the only way he could explain how he was feeling now. "I don't mind so long as we're just bathing."
Vert waited for Heero to enter the shower before joining herself. The CPU grabbed a nearby washcloth and applied body-wash to it, preparing to wash the Perfect Soldier from behind, "If it's all the same to you, I'll start by washing your back."
Before Vert could even press the washcloth against Heero's back, the bathroom door opened and slammed against the wall. Looking over at the doorway, Heero and Vert could see a very angry Neptune wearing an orange two piece swimsuit, as well as Noire and Blanc, though they were still clothed in their usual attire, "See?! I told you she was in here with him! My Destined Lover Senses are never wrong!"
Blanc was livid upon seeing Vert in the shower with Heero, "You've got some nerve pulling this shit, Thunder Tits!"
Noire herself was upset with the goddess of Leanbox for getting Heero into the shower with her, though she would never admit to it, "I just know you have something indecent planned for Heero! I can't take my eyes off you for one second, can I?!"
While Noire and Blanc retreated to their rooms to fetch some swim suits, Neptune entered the shower and pulled Heero over towards herself, "I see what you're trying to do. Well it ain't gonna work while I'm around! So you might as well get lost, cuz you're not gonna get my Heero to fall for you!"
Vert was annoyed by the sudden arrival of Neptune, ad it was interfering with her bonding time with the Gundam pilot, "We were merely bonding, or trying to anyway. Why don't you leave us and go play with your friends?"
It wasn't long before Noire and Blanc showed back up, this time in swimsuits of their own. Noire was wearing a pink two piece with white polka dots and frills as well as matching ribbons, while Blanc was wearing a two piece with blue stripes and white squares and brown frills, including a bow that adorned her head.
Both CPUs barged into the shower bringing the total number occupants up to five… more than should be in the shower at a given time. Blanc kept her heated gaze fixed on Vert for her transgressions, "Don't think you're gonna get away with this crap. I'll keep my eye on you from now on so you can't try anything funny with Heero."
Noire snatched the wash cloth out of Vert's, not wanting the goddess of Leanbox to put her hands on Heero, "I bet you had strange ideas going through your head. You can't be trusted with Heero by yourself."
Vert was growing increasingly frustrated with the three CPUs that were coming between her and a possible romantic moment with Heero, "I was only going to wash Heero's back. You three make it sound like I was planning something indecent. Now would please leave us?"
Neptune raised her voice once more, refusing to leave Heero alone with another girl, especially when that girl was one of the other CPUs, "Why don't you get lost, Vert? You're the newest member, and the lowest on the priority list!"
As the four goddesses continued to argue, Heero couldn't help but question how this happened. Regardless, the Perfect Soldier saw a bumpy road ahead of the group if the goddesses were going to keep arguing with each other like this… or at least he had a bumpy road, anyway.
Xxx
Me: "Finally! Damn, I hadn't planned on waiting until Christmas to update this story… but I didn't really have much choice this time around."
Heero and Neptune: (Enter ACCC from Break Room) "Boo! We're so close to the end of the story, and me and Heero having a super romantic scene together! Now isn't the time to crap out!"
Me: "Oh, shut up. I had other crap to deal with."
Heero: "So long as you do not sacrifice quality for the sake of a deadline, I'm certain no one will complain."
Vert: (Enters ACCC from Game Room) "I agree with Heero. Though, I do believe that the readers will complain if Heero and I are not give a proper romantic scene to ourselves."
Neptune: "You shut your face, Vert! I'm the only one that should be having a romantic scene with Heero. We're the main pairing!"
Me: "Children, please. We'll get to that stuff later. Anyway, I'm going to be putting a bit more attention into live streaming at the moment because I'm playing SD Gundam. It shouldn't be too long a wait for the next chapter because… well, it's a bonus chapter. Those typically don't take long for me to write. Meanwhile, Vert, you can wrap up this segment for us."
Vert: "I ask that Heero assist me with this."
Neptune: "No way! Why should he?!"
Me: (Grabs Neptune by the collar of her hoodie) "Because this chapter was about recruiting her into the party. So she gets to have this. Anyway, we all hope you continue to support this story, and have a merry Christmas." (Exits ACCC while dragging Neptune kicking and screaming through Left Entrance."
Heero and Vert: (Turns to readers) "Please read and review this chapter, and look forward to the next update."
Vert: "I also hope you look forward to the two of us becoming… closer."
Heero: "I don't see how that's going to affect viewership of this story. Regardless, we should get back to work. I'll be stuck helping him with his live streaming nonsense."
Heero and Vert: (Exit ACCC through Left Entrance)
