Me: "Whelp, here we are. Hello, my good readers. If you were paying attention last time, you will know that this is gonna be a bit of a slow chapter. No real action this time, so… brace yourselves."

Neptune: (Enters IC) "I'm glad that Heero's back and all… but why doesn't he have a bigger role in this chapter? As my Destined Lover, he has to have as big a role as mine. That means more talking and stuff!"

Me: "Have you already forgotten he was close to death in the last chapter? How do you expect an unconscious man to do anything? No, this chapter focuses on you and the others for a little longer."

Compa and IF: (Enter IF from Break Room) "You are giving us Heero back by the end of this one, right? This party's going nowhere without him."

Compa: "The story is more serious and less fun without Heero… I don't think I like it that way."

Me: "It'll be fine. It's just one more chapter."

Vert: (Barges into IC from Game Room) "One more chapter of abusing my heart! I cannot bear to see Heero in such a state."

Noire: (Enters IC from Lounge) "You know there's a problem when I'm willing to agree with her. You're not pulling our leg here, right? Heero's coming back this chapter?"

Blanc: (Enters IC from Library) "...I don't think I need to tell you, but I'll get pissed if you don't bring him back."

Me: "Chill, I wouldn't lie about this. I just needed more time to bring the story together, and that's what this chapter is for."

Histoire: (Floats into IC from Lounge) "I ask that you hurry. Neptune has been getting more restless without Heero around. I'm worried she will do something unreasonable."

Zero: (Appears in IC) "Histoire is worried that Neptune will start resorting to drastic measures and… well, I can understand why she would think that. We should operate under the assumption that Neptune will do something drastic and give her what she wants for the sake of her health."

Me: "I swear, you guys worry too much. He'll be up before you know it, so stop worrying. Now, we have a disclaimer to read off before the chapter starts so… by this point, you all should know what to do. Let 'em hear it."

Neptune, Compa, IF, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Histoire, and Zero: "HeeroUzuki does not own Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Hyperdimension Neptunia, Super Robot Wars, or any work pertaining to any of the franchises."

Me: "We hope you enjoy the fruits of our labor. Now the, we need to get to work on the next chapter, so if you'll excuse us. Back to work, people!"

Me, Neptune, Compa, IF, Noire, Blanc, Vert, Histoire, and Zero: (Leave IC)

Ch. 50 Moment of Reflection

It was the day immediately after their rescue operation, and the party was on edge. Following Heero's rescue, the party immediately returned to the capital city to seek medical treatment for the Gundam pilot. Due to the severity of his injury, the girls' first thought was to take him to a hospital. Unfortunately, all of the rooms were being used to treat adventurers and members of the Planeptune Defense Force that were injured fighting against monsters.

With no way to get Heero admitted to a hospital, the only other option available to the girls was to treat him themselves. Compa and Gust were the only ones among the party that had the skill sets to even attempt to heal Heero, leaving the others with nothing to do but sit and wait until the two girls were done.

Even when the nurse in training and young alchemist were finally finished and the others allowed into Heero's room to see him, it was no less jarring to see the state the Perfect Soldier had been reduced to. The Gundam pilot may have had bandages wrapped around his torso to cover up his wound, and some of the color had returned to his complexion, it didn't change the fact that Heero, who had been a seemingly invincible force for the party, was still lying unconscious with no sign that he would wake up.

Down in the living room, most of the party was sitting around with feelings of anxiety pervading their every thought. While they weren't depressed like they were before, the girls were still more or less paralyzed by their worries over Heero's health and well-being.

Compa was seated on the couch with a cup of tea in front of her on the table. The nurse in training had planned to drink it, but her worries prevented her from putting a hand on the cup in case something came up in regards to Heero that would require her attention, "Gust and I did everything we could. I just hope it was enough..."

Despite the fact that Compa wasn't a licensed practitioner of medicine and Gust couldn't produce a potion to completely heal the Perfect Soldier, the very fact that the two were able to stabilize him was proof enough that the girls had been working very hard at perfecting their crafts, and gave the party reason to have hope that Heero would recover.

IF wasn't about to knock the efforts of either Compa and Gust when they had done such a job, and were really the only members of the group who could have pulled it off with their situation as it was, "You two did your best. Anyone can see that. We just need to have a little faith now. I'm sure Heero will pull through."

Although IF was trying to encourage the pink haired girl, a part of her knew that she was really just trying to reassure herself that the boy would make it. Even though Heero was stable, there was no way for any of them to know for sure whether or not he was really in the clear regarding the horrendous injury on his chest.

For some, sitting around and waiting to hear about any change in the Gundam pilot's condition was proving to be too taxing. Such was the case for Blanc, who had been trying to read a passage from a chapter of her book 'Writer's Guide to Writing a Best Seller,' and finally hit her limit, feeling the need to get out of the house for a while, "...Just sitting around isn't going to magically make him better. I'm going outside."

Lowee's CPU kept her book close as she headed out the door, and it wasn't long before Noire found herself in need of some time out of the house as well, "I have a few errands I need to take care of. I'll be back later."

Even Vert was too distraught to remain idle. A sense of inequity had come over her after looking upon Heero's diminished form, and being unable to do anything for him now only made it worse, "I apologize, but I too must take my leave for a moment."

There was nothing the girls in the room could do or say that would dissuade the trio from taking off, though it wasn't as if they didn't understand why the three goddesses needed time away from the safe house. Given the state that Heero had been brought home in, the CPUs no doubt felt as though they had failed in some way. It was a feeling that was shared among all of the girls.

But what was bothering the girls more than the preconceived feeling of failure was that they had already done all that they could to help with Heero's convalescence, and there was nothing more that could be done. Nothing. Waiting for the Gundam pilot to wake up on his own was all they could do now… and there was no telling when that would happen.

Histoire looked around the room and there was a sullen expression on everyone still present. There was no doubt in her mind that any attempt to get the girls to make a move on Arfoire was going to be met with uncertainty and push back, "Even though we were able to rescue Heero; Neptune and the others are unwilling to go to Celestia without him. (╯•﹏•╰)"

Zero's holographic form had been leaning against the wall observing the party as they waited on Heero to recover. The party's plan may have been to rescue the Gundam pilot, but that didn't necessarily mean they would get him back in good condition. While the outcome had been expected, it was no less disheartening to see the girls look so defeated... especially the group's leader, "It's as I told you, Histoire. Neptune is the one that can get the team moving, and Heero is the one that holds them together." The armored woman looked up at the ceiling, as Heero's room was just above them. "Until Heero is awake, Neptune won't feel compelled to move."

Since bringing the teenaged soldier home, Neptune had spent every waking moment worrying over his health. It didn't matter that Arfoire was creating monsters to lay siege to Planeptune's capital, or that all of Gamindustri was hanging in the balance. Planeptune's goddess felt no inclination toward taking a single step forward without the one who had supported her since the start of their journey.

Looking over the group of girls again, it made no sense to Zero for all of them to sit around and wait for news on Heero's recovery. No, what they needed was some time to themselves and to not think too much on Heero's condition, "I think it would be a good idea for you girls to have the entire day to yourselves. Since we're not going to Celestia immediately, you might as well do something productive with your time."

The suggestion caught the group by surprise. They hadn't entertained the thought of going out and enjoying themselves while Heero continued to lie in bed debilitated. An exchange of glances ensued that showed the girls' hesitancy to leave the safe house. Knowing that they wouldn't leave without some kind of assurance that the Perfect Soldier would be okay without them there, Zero decided to drop the fact that this wasn't the first time Heero had a brush with death. "While I don't know if it will make you feel any better, I can tell you that this isn't the first time Heero has suffered a life threatening injury. It is simply a matter of time before he recovers."

As soon as the holographic woman was finished, the looks of hesitancy were replaced with ones of shock. Obviously, because they didn't know anything about Heero other than what he had talked about or showed, the girls were surprised and a little dismayed to hear that the Gundam pilot had been severely injured before. Before any of the others could raise an issue on the subject, Compa beat them to it while voicing her reservations about leaving the boy alone, "That doesn't make me feel better at all! What if Heero wakes up while's we're out and gets himself hurt again?"

The argument seemed to be that if left to his own devices, Heero would exacerbate his injury, putting him in a more precarious state then he was already in. While she could understand the concern, Zero felt that the nurse in training was worrying a bit too much, "My point is; at the end of the day, this isn't Heero's first brush with death. Moreover, he's not quite as reckless now as he was then. It will do you no good to sit around worrying over what may or may not happen, considering just who is watching over him right now."

Other than Zero and Histoire, there was one other person among the group that was watching over Heero, and was undoubtedly not moving from the Perfect Soldier's bedside. There was still a feeling of guilt hanging over the girls as they thought about going out to 'enjoy' the day.

Compa stood up from the couch and headed to the kitchen, and it wasn't long before she came back with a pudding cup. As the pink haired girl started to head upstairs, IF turned her attention to the others, "We'll meet you guys outside. We're gonna check on Nep and Heero for a minute."

The brunette took off up the stairs after Compa, leaving the other human members of the party in the living room to debate whether they really should go out, until Nisa finally conceded, "Z is right. We're just gonna end up getting depressed like last time if we stay here."

Remembering how miserable they had been before they rescued Heero, Lyrica immediately began to shake her head rapidly in an attempt to banish the thought of returning to such an abysmal state, "I'd rather not… we must've looked really pathetic."

It was only once she had been reminded of the depression they had suffered through that Red came to the realization that she had made no headway in regards to her personal goal of obtaining one hundred wives, or towards winning over any of the girls that were in the party, "I really should spend some time getting to know the wifeys that I already have here. How else will I get more wifeys?"

Setting aside the absurd quest of the red head, Gust was none too keen on lapsing back into a state of depression either, as she had ended up shorthanded on her reagents because of it, "Gust's supply is quite low. Cannot get more by sitting around house."

Having arrived at the consensus that staying there in the safe house would do more harm than good; Lyrica, Gust, Nisa and Red headed out the front door of the safe house. As the quartet filed out of the party's residence, Compa and IF arrived at the top of the stairs and were standing outside the door to Heero's room.

Compa pressed her ear up against the door, waiting to hear from either or the room's occupants. When she received nothing but silence, the nurse in training slowly open the door until both she and IF were able to see into the room.

As one would expect, Heero was lying underneath the sheets of his bed, his arms resting over them with bandages wrapped around both arms to cover his bruises and cuts, and there were bandages wrapped around his torso to cover up his chest wound. Seated in a chair to the right of the bed was Neptune, her back facing the now open door and her attention fixed on the unconscious Gundam pilot. On the table a few feet behind the CPU of Planeptune was Heero's closed laptop and three unopened cups of pudding.

Compa had entered the room three times prior, each time with a cup of the dairy treat for the goddess, yet still she hadn't touched any of her pudding. Her worries over Heero's physical state had left her next to no interest in anything else.

As the two girls entered the room, IF noticed that Neptune would nod her head every so often before looking back at Heero. Planeptune's goddess had been getting less sleep over the past few days, and when they had brought the Perfect Soldier back, Neptune had been so distraught over Heero's state of well-being that she stayed up almost the entire night and only gotten around one hour of sleep.

Neptune felt Compa and IF's eyes on her, prompting the goddess to look over her shoulder for a moment before immediately turning her gaze back to the sleeping Gundam pilot. Both the nurse in training and Guild Moderatist entered the room, careful not to disturb the boy resting in bed. Compa placed the cup of pudding in her hand down next to the three cups on the table, then directed her attention to the fatigued party leader, "Nep-Nep, we're going to be out for a little while. Do you need us to get you anything?"

There was no immediate response from Planeptune's CPU, and Compa began to assume that she either didn't hear her, or that the purple haired girl had suddenly fallen asleep. Those thoughts were quickly brushed aside the moment Neptune shook her head to keep herself awake, "...No, I'm fine."

IF didn't need a polygraph to tell that the CPU was lying. She was anything but fine. Setting aside the obvious emotional strain, Neptune was exhausted and had not eaten anything since yesterday morning. Sitting by Heero's bedside wouldn't be an issue, if the purplenette would do more than just that, "Nep, if you're not gonna sleep, then at least eat something. You're not doing yourself any favors by neglecting your own health."

It was hard for the CPU of Planeptune to focus on her health when she was so concerned with the health of her Destined Lover. Every waking moment of her time was to be spent caring for Heero, and until he opened his eyes, Neptune would forgo eating and sleeping to look after him.

Realizing that she might as well be talking to a brick wall, IF headed for the door, deeming any further attempt at getting through to the party's leader to be fruitless. Once she knew that the brunette wouldn't try to talk anymore sense into Neptune, Compa turned to leave, though not before casting a concerned look toward Planeptune's goddess.

After hearing the door close, Neptune looked at the small bundle of pudding cups sitting on the table behind her. The CPU of Planeptune reached over and grabbed the cup containing chocolate pudding, and had gotten as far as getting her thumb and index finger around the flayed edge of the seal when she stopped.

Deep down, the purplenette knew she was tired and hungry, but her anxiety over her human lover caused her to lose her appetite. And right now was no exception. Neptune put the cup of chocolate pudding back on the table and focused her attention on Heero.

The goddess reached over and grabbed the Perfect Soldier's right hand. Now that he was no longer losing blood and had been allowed to recover, there was a faint warmth in his body that gave Neptune some hope that he would recover soon. But even that only brought a modicum of comfort to the CPU. Only upon seeing Heero open his eyes would Neptune be able to relax and focus on her own state of health.

Down in the safe house living room, Compa was voicing her grievances to the Guild Moderatist waiting just in front of the front door, "I'm getting really worried about Nep-Nep. If it were just her bad sleeping habits, I wouldn't be concerned… but now she's not eating."

IF was at a loss as to what to say to the nurse in training. Words alone were obviously not going to be enough to bring Neptune out of her state of misery, "I don't know what to tell you, Compa. I mean, it's not like I don't understand how she feels, but there's no sense in neglecting my basic needs as a human being. Not when I know that Heero would be disappointed in me if I acted like I've been defeated."

The pink haired girl didn't like being unable to help her friend and rival, but there was nothing she could do to set Neptune's mind at ease or convince her to rest. Clearly, the CPU was only going to return to a sense of normalcy when Heero regained consciousness… whenever that was.

As the two girls passed through the front door to rejoin the other human members of the team, Histoire was left to ponder on the group's ability to cope with Heero's recovery, "I hope the girls will be all right. Even though they succeeded in rescuing him, they still act as if they failed."

Zero cast a sidelong glance at the Tome of the Goddesses before shifting her gaze out the nearby window. IF may have spoken of not neglecting her basic needs, but in reality she had been losing sleep over Heero, just as the others had. No one in the party was actually 'all right,' "...Perhaps in some way they feel they have. They just won't come out and talk about it."

For all they had accomplished from the start of their journey to that point, at the end of the day, they were still girls. Girls that had their own hopes, aspirations and dreams for the future, and their own feelings regarding the Gundam pilot that was lying in bed upstairs. Heero had served as a guiding hand when they were uncertain of what to do next, and without him... they were lost. And no one in the party felt more lost than Neptune. Histoire could do nothing but hope that Heero would awaken soon. "Even if it is only for Neptune's sake, I hope he will wake up soon. ( ≧Д≦)"

Xxx

Following up on Zero's suggestion, the girls had gone into the city to try and forget their troubles and enjoy themselves. No one had a set destination in mind, preferring to just wander around and see where they ended up.

While the party's human members walked down the busy streets of Planeptune's capital city, Compa found her attention going to the nearby general store. There was a sale going on for produce, and it reminded the nurse in training that the group hadn't decided on what they were supposed to do about dinner that night, "We should probably decide on what we want for dinner soon. I kind of wanna make something special in case Heero-"

The pink haired girl began to trail off after saying Heero's name, for obvious reason. The girls had gone out to try and put their worries aside for a while, so bringing up the boy's name was sure to bring those concerns right back.

Gust grabbed Compa by the hand to lead her away from the store, hoping that the nurse in training wouldn't succumb to depression, "Gust understands Compa's worry, but worry will not help right now. Must trust that Heero will recover."

Not long after Compa's stop at the grocery store, IF found herself stopping in front of a store that provided internet service and sold phones. The brunette found her attention going to the phone with a blue and gunmetal gray case on the display shelf just behind the pane of glass that separated the store from the outside.

Lyrica had stopped walking once she noticed the Guild Moderatist was no longer next to her, and eventually the others came to a stop as well, wondering what the Guild member was focusing on. The cerulean haired singer walked over to see what it was IF had grabbed her attention, and upon seeing the phones assumed that the brunette was in the market for yet another cell phone, despite having a sizable number of them already, "Don't you already have eight or nine phones? Do you really need another one, IF?"

The brunette could understand why the underground celebrity might assume that she was looking to get another cellphone for herself, but the one she was looking at wouldn't have been for her if she chose to get it, "Actually, I was thinking about getting one for Heero. It's something I've thought about for some time, I just never got around to getting him one. Normally I lend him one of mine when he needs it."

Seconds after bringing up who the phone would have been for, IF fell silent. Shaking her head, the Guild Moderatist put on a forced smile as she walked away from the store in an effort to push away her thoughts on the Gundam pilot. "Let's go somewhere else. We're supposed to enjoy ourselves, right? Won't do that standing around here."

Red watched as her 'number one wifey' continued down the street, concerned with how she had forced herself to try and forget her worries regarding Heero, "Iffy can talk to us about this… right? There's no reason for her to keep what she's really feeling inside."

Nisa wanted to come out and support what the red head was saying, but how could she when she felt the same way as IF? "Well, maybe if she came out and talked about it, but..."

None of the girls were sure how they were to discuss this feeling of failure that hung over them like a cloud and refused to go away. With no one wanting to actually come out and talk about it, the human members continued to walk the streets of the capital… only now in a gloomier mood.

Further down the street, Vert was perusing the aisles of a game store in search of games to add to her collections. At first, Leanbox's goddess was having some luck in purging her mind of her excessive worries, finding a few games she didn't already own that piqued her interest.

Things were going well for the goddess, until she stumbled upon a multiplayer game she believed would serve her well in her efforts to bond with Heero. And just like that, thinking about the Perfect Soldier reminded her of his state of being, and the reminder caused the once enthusiastic CPU to leave the store with only a single game. A fact that was not lost on Vert, "I thought I could clear my mind and buy a few games… yet I can't help but worry about my innocent Heero."

In the library across the street from the game store, Blanc had seated herself in a chair near one of the corners of the public building. Lowee's CPU had searched the shelves for a book to occupy her time, but the moment the book began to strike similar tones to what the party had experienced the day before, the goddess immediately dropped it. It became clear that Blanc wasn't going to be able to read her problems away., "...This sucks. I can't read anything without getting so damned depressed."

Much like her Lowee and Leanbox counterparts, Noire had wanted to dispel the dread that plagued her mind, going to the clothing store next door to the library to find a few sets of clothes to take back to Lastation with her once Arfoire was defeated.

While going over the various articles of clothing, a maid outfit stuck out to the goddess of Lastation. The CPU happened to indulge in cosplay as a hobby, and seeing the black and white outfit reminded her that it was one that she didn't already have in her collection, "This looks cute. It's got the headdress and everything. I wonder if Heero would like it?"

Just like Blanc and Vert, once she brought up Heero's name, Noire lost her vigor for finding new clothes. Lastation's goddess took only two of the outfits she had found and left the store in a sour mood. "...What's wrong with me? Just bringing up his name makes me upset."

All three goddesses stepped out onto the street, too caught up in their own worry and shame to really notice one another or anything. Before long, the party came across the depressed looking CPU, which only served to hammer home the fact that the group was an emotional wreck as they waited for some glimmer of good news in regards to Heero.

Seeing that the goddesses were faring no better than they were, Compa thought it best that they stick together in an attempt to overcome the invisible force bearing down on all of them, "Let's see if the goddesses want to hang out with us. In times like this my grandpa would say 'misery loves company.' Maybe we can forget our worries if we spend some time together as a party."

There were no objections to the nurse in training's idea. It didn't hurt to try, and the worst that could happen was they would remain as depressed now as they were before. The group of girls approached Blanc as she look at the book she was holding with a sullen expression on her face. It wasn't until they were right next to her that Lowee's CPU even noticed the girls. Blanc did her best to address the group without coming off as moody, "...What do you guys want?"

Although it had been her intention not to come off as being pissed, the human members of the party could see that the goddess was still in a foul mood, though given the circumstances they could understand why. Brushing off the bad attitude on display, Compa attempted to ask Lowee's CPU if she would spend time with them in the hopes that they might get over their stint of depression as a party, "We were wondering if you would like to spend some time with us. I'm sure being out all by yourself gets lonely."

Blanc really didn't want to be seen by the others, not when she was sure that at any moment she might go off the deep-end and violently assault someone. "I'd rather not. In case you've forgotten, I'm in a really bad mood right now."

Compa hadn't forgotten from how the CPU took off from their safe house, which was why she was hoping that Lowee's goddess would join them so they might overcome this bout of negativity hanging over them. Before the pink haired girl could try asking a second time she was interrupted by Vert, who had crossed the street after seeing the group and their failed attempt at convincing the upset goddess, "Come now. Why would you refuse such a small request? Are we not here to forget our worries?"

Lowee's goddess cut her eyes toward her Leanbox counterpart, irritated with the blonde for her perceived verbal jab, "What's it to you? If I don't want to be around anyone, that's my decision. If it's such a big deal, why don't you hang out with them?"

Vert had expected such a comeback from Blanc as well as her hostile tone, but she hadn't expected the CPU of Lowee to write off the party's request so easily when they were all going through the same emotional pains and felt it was better to work through it together, rather than suffer alone. "Actually, I was planning to. Having a shoulder to lean on, or a sympathetic ear to talk to is better than suffering in silence. But above all, I wouldn't want Heero to see me act so weak."

An instinctive flinch was Blanc's response to Vert's justification for spending time with the girls. The ivory haired girl was worried about the Perfect Soldier, but if he found out that she had been acting so defeated as to cast aside the other members of the party, the CPU wasn't sure she could live that down. Ultimately, Blanc gave in and accepted the invitation extended to her. "Alright, fine!"

Lyrica looked past the irate CPU of Lowee to see Noire looking over at them, before looking away once she saw the songstress look right back at her. It was only right that they extend the same offer to Lastation's goddess as well, "What about you, Noire? Do you wanna hang out with us?"

The raven haired CPU glanced at the girls for a brief moment before looking away, acting as though it was a minor inconvenience, when in actuality she was grateful, "I have a few things I want to take care of… but, I guess I can spare some time."

Everyone had been trying to deal with their fear and anxiety in their own way, but the way Compa saw it, only by coming out and talking it would they be able to get past this. With that in mind, the nurse in training believed a location with fewer people was needed for the girls to get their feelings out, "We should find some place to sit. All this walking around can really make you tired."

IF tried to figure out where the pink haired girl was going with that line of thought. They hadn't walked THAT long, but assumed that Compa had something in mind and decided to just play along, "Okay… lead the way, I guess."

With the three CPUs in tow, Compa led the party through the streets of the city toward one of the parks that dotted the capital of the Land of Purple Progress. At first the others wordlessly followed the nurse in training, taking in the sights as they went, but after a few minutes they began to notice fewer and fewer people around them until they arrived at their destination where other than a scant few passersby, there wasn't a soul in sight.

After Compa took a seat on one of the nearby benches, the others followed suit, seeing no reason to remain standing. Given the lack of pedestrians, Nisa couldn't help but question the party's nurse on her choice of locale, "So, why did we come all the way out here? If we're just hanging out, couldn't we do that anywhere?"

The pink haired girl shook her head at the blue haired heroine's question. A few of the girls, namely Noire and Blanc, would become self-conscious with multiple people around and would be unlikely to talk about how they were feeling. And only by voicing and getting this off their chests would they be able to move past their crippling negativity, "Well, I think we should all come out and say what we're feeling. It's not good to keep it all inside."

When she had been asked if she wanted to hang out with the girls, Noire hadn't anticipated a group therapy session and predictably, her response did not inspire confidence, "What? That's what you brought us here for? I don't need to share my feelings with anyone, I'm perfectly fine!"

It wasn't just Lastation's CPU pushing back on the idea, Blanc was also against having to talk about what she was feeling, "...This is a load of shit. You won't get me to talk about what I'm feeling."

Unlike her Lastation and Lowee counterparts, Vert wasn't so quick to dismiss the suggestion, "While I can understand your reluctance, I feel there may be some merit to Compa's idea. Let's humor her for now."

Neither Noire or Blanc saw how this was supposed to help them, but the two CPUs fought the urge to just walk away. Hoping that an exchange of dialogue might get the goddesses to open up, Compa started the conversation… with an apology, "I just want to say… I'm sorry I'm not a good nurse. If I were even a little better, Heero might have woken up already, and we wouldn't have to worry so much."

None of the girls had been sure of what to expect to get the conversation going, but they definitely had not expected Compa to apologize and start blaming herself. IF started to feel bad as the nurse in training downplayed her own usefulness with tears welling up in her eyes, "Don't say that… At least you and Gust were able to do something. If I were more capable, we could have saved Heero before Arfoire started using him against us."

After hearing Compa and IF bemoan their lack of ability, Lyrica soon found herself breaking down as well. Having been a singer before joining the party, the cerulean haired girl knew she wasn't the most capable fighter and she wasn't going to start pretending that she was, "Let's be honest, I'm the weak link of the party. I'm not as good at fighting as everyone else. If I were, then..."

Although she had been able to help with resuscitating the Gundam pilot, Gust wasn't satisfied with the fact that she had been unable to do more, "Gust is also sorry she could not do more for Heero. Did not think that he would be in such shape when party rescued him, and Gust is not quite skilled enough to completely treat such injuries."

With her fellow party members telling of their perceived incompetence, Nisa lamented her own sense of inadequacy, "I'm at fault as well. If I were stronger, I might've been able to stop Arfoire before she abused Heero the way that she did."

The domino effect of the girls apologizing for their shortcomings reached Red, who believed that she was the actual weak link of the group, "Lyrics may have said that she's the weak link, but I'm the one that doesn't have any real skill in a fight. I'm just dragging the party down."

Getting their feelings out may have been the intention, but the girls were instead blaming themselves for Heero's terrible state of health. Hearing the others pour their hearts out and apologize to one another aggravated Noire, as it only served to remind her of how she believed herself to be responsible for what happened to Heero. It didn't take long before Lastation's goddess finally broke her silence, shooting up out of the bench she was seated on to vent to the other party members, "You want me to talk about how I feel?! Fine! I failed! If I hadn't been arguing with the others and actually fought Arfoire, none of this would have happened! Are you happy?! Lady Black Heart, Lastation's goddess, the perfect CPU, feels like a failure! If you wanna laugh at me, go right ahead!"

Noire quickly turned her back to the others as she tightened her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white, knowing that despite her best efforts she was about to start crying. As for Blanc, she might have laughed or even ridiculed the pig-tailed goddess, were it not for the fact that she harbored similar feelings of self loathing, "...Don't be an idiot, pigtails. I may not like you, but even I'll admit that you couldn't have screwed up this bad on your own. I fucked up pretty bad myself. I couldn't exactly let my past grudges go… and this shit happened because of it."

Even Vert was not impervious to the feeling of grief that had fallen over her fellow goddesses. Noire and Blanc had expressed how they felt, despite how much it hurt to admit, so it was only right that she come forward with her regretful acknowledgment of her own failure, "I too bear the blame for what has happened. Instead of putting the good of Gamindustri, the party and Heero first, I let my past misgivings cloud my judgment."

A few of the girls were sniveling after speaking of the guilt that had plagued their minds. Looking over the party, IF could see just how miserable they were. Sure, she knew Heero was an important member of the team, and beyond that to her, but the brunette couldn't have guessed that the lack of the Gundam pilot's presence would be enough to reduce them to this, "...So, here we are sitting and mopping over what we could've or should've done for Heero. We must look pretty pathetic right now."

No one in the group could argue that they looked miserable. Hell, the constant arguments that they had over Heero was preferable to this. Wiping the tears from her eyes, Compa sought to get the group of girls out of the emotional tailspin they were in. After all, it wasn't as if Heero was dead, "Arfoire is still making monsters, Gamindustri is in danger of more monster attacks because of that… and Heero is recovering from the horrible way she treated him. But at least he's still alive." The nurse in training was able to take solace in the fact that the Perfect Soldier lying in bed back at their safe house wasn't on the brink of death anymore. "As bad as things are, it could've been worse. I know that Heero will wake up soon. And I won't stop believing that."

IF would never have guessed where the nurse in training found the confidence to speak so positively, were it not for the fact that it was Heero she was talking about. The Guild Moderatist wiped the stray tear that had welled up in her eye before flashing a smirk at Compa, "Get a load of you. If I didn't know any better, I could swear you were replaced by a clone or something."

After the brunette made her witty comment at the pink haired nurse the mood began to lighten among the girls, and in no time they went from feeling down in the dumps to wondering how they allowed themselves to fall so far in the first place. With some sense of normalcy returning to them, Lyrica heaved a sigh of relieve. Having spent so much time in an emotional pit had left her feeling rattled, so for the group to finally come out of it, there was nowhere for them to go but up at this point, "I was worried we were gonna be stuck in that rut forever."

Nisa herself had to admit that the time they spent sulking was more than a little disheartening. With their inner turmoil now over, the Keeper of Justice felt an invisible weight being lifted off her shoulders, "I believe the saying is 'it's always darkest before dawn.' Considering what we went through, that seems about right. Having been stuck in darkness for so long, the light has finally come."

Gust welcomed the change in attitude amongst the girls, preferring the usual banter, jokes and camaraderie over the grim and dreary atmosphere that had been hanging over them, "Gust is glad party is going back to normal. Would have made mood changing potion, but requires too many rare reagents. Too expensive to make in bulk."

Even Red was elated by the shift in mood. She would take the party's normal banter and bickering over the depressing mess they had been any day, "I can't believe we were THAT depressed. Can we never go through that again?"

As the girls began to joke and make friendly banter, Noire addressed her Lowee and Leanbox counterparts, feeling compelled to apologize for the way she acted during their encounter with Arfoire the day she took control of Heero and the day after, "Listen… I just wanted to say… I-I'm sorry. I've acted pretty pathetic the last few days, even though we're supposed to be a team now."

Casting her gaze to the ground, Blanc worked up the nerve to form her own apology over her conduct, "Shit… I guess I owe you two an apology as well. Even though we don't see eye to eye on just about everything... that was still no reason for me to throw a bitch fit and keep treating you guys like enemies."

Vert knew that she had conducted herself no different than the two CPUs before her, and thus extended an olive branch to the two goddesses, "I owe both of you an apology as well. My conduct as of late has been unbecoming of a goddess. I continued to show you animosity, even when our real enemy has shown herself to us."

The trio of goddesses knew that they still needed to reconcile their differences with Neptune once they returned to the safe house, but it would have to wait for the moment. With their downward spiral into despair now over, the girls were free to use the rest of their time off without feeling weighed down. As such, Compa wanted to use some of that time to go about shopping like she had originally planned, "If you guys don't mind, I want to stop and pick up a few things for dinner. We haven't really eaten anything since we had to deal with Arfoire."

Standing up from the bench she was sitting on, IF decided to follow up on her idea of getting the Perfect Soldier his own phone so he wouldn't have to wait to borrow one of hers, "There's something I want to take care of, too. Why don't we just make this one big shopping trip? I'm sure everyone here wanted to grab something while we were out before we… you know."

Just remembering how miserable they were not long ago left a bad taste in the girls' mouths. Wanting to leave the dreadful experience behind them, the group of girls went about their shopping trip without the sense of despair hanging over them.

Xxx

Within the confines of Heero's room, Neptune continued to watch over the Gundam pilot as her energy dwindled. While it could be seen as praiseworthy conduct for one to look after their love interest with such drive, doing so at the expense of their own health wasn't exactly model.

Despite her diminishing strength, Planeptune's goddess refused to leave Heero's side. As the CPU continued to watch the unmoving boy, there was a knock at the door. Neptune didn't respond to the non-vocal request for entry, mainly because she suspected it was one of the party members coming back from their time out of the house.

When the door opened, it wasn't Compa or IF, nor any of the other human members of the party, and it wasn't one of the other CPUs either. On the other side of the doorway was Histoire. How the Tome of the Goddesses was able to knock on or even open the door was certainly a question for another time. Right now, Neptune wanted to know what had compelled the fairy-like girl to come upstairs, "What's up, Histy? Did you need something?"

Histoire looked upon the visibly exhausted goddess, increasingly worried over her decision to forego much needed sleep and sustenance to maintain watch over the Perfect Soldier in bed. Setting aside her dismay, the small girl entered the room to address something that had been nagging at her since the previous day, "Neptune… yesterday you asked me if I would stop you. If I would try to defend Arfoire and what she had done."

It took the purplenette a moment to figure out what Histoire was talking about, until she remembered that she had asked such a question while under the influence of the ZERO System. "Oh, yeah… sorry about that. I guess I really shouldn't have asked that, huh?"

The Tome of the Goddesses couldn't fault Neptune for asking such a question, even if she was under the control of the future predicting system at the time. It was relevant to the party's objective, and was even more important to the CPU watching over her lover. "No. You were right to ask that question. After what has happened, you deserve some kind of answer. (⌣_⌣")"

Although she had said that, Histoire hadn't exactly reached a determination on Arfoire yet, "In truth, I am unsure how to answer that question. Part of me wants to believe that I can get through to her. However, setting aside what she has done to Gamindustri, what Arfoire did to Heero is inexcusable conduct for a goddess. And for that… part of me feels that the Arfoire I once knew is gone."

There was no doubt that the fairy-like girl was struggling to come to grips with the reality that her friend had gone from being a goddess that protected the world, to being an irredeemable monster who thought nothing of manipulating others into doing her bidding and only wanted Gamindustri's destruction.

As for Neptune, it didn't matter to her whether Histoire would try to defend the fallen CPU or not. From the CPU's perspective, Arfoire had already made it clear that she was beyond redemption once she used Heero for her own ends. Even so, the purple haired goddess sympathized with Histoire. If one of the other party members had turned into someone like Arfoire, Neptune would have been hit hard, too.

A noise from downstairs, followed by the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs drew Histoire's attention. Because the door hadn't been closed, the two girls didn't need to wait to see that the source of the noise was Compa and IF. The duo peered into the room through the open doorway with their bodies still hidden behind the wall, and after verifying that Heero was still asleep, Compa and IF entered the room. Neptune noticed the two girls each had a bag in their hands, with Compa's bag containing fruits and vegetables, and IF's bag contained something from a phone store, but the contents were not immediately apparent.

Having chose to stay with Heero, the party's leader had no idea where the party had gone and done beyond the clues provided by the bags they were carrying, and thus inquired about their activities, "Hey, you're back. Where did you guys go?"

Compa lifted the bag in her hands while offering a sad smile to the CPU of Planeptune, "We went out and bought a few things. I needed to buy some groceries, and I thought Heero would like some fruit when he woke up."

Whereas the nurse in training had bought food for the Gundam pilot, IF bought something she expected would see plenty of use from the boy, "I got Heero his own cellphone. I thought he could use one for himself." The Guild Moderatist dropped the bag onto the table as Compa asked about the boy's state of well-being. "Has he still not woken up?"

Looking over her shoulder at Heero, Neptune shook her head in response. Despite spending nearly every second of the day looking after the Gundam pilot, not once had she seen him regain consciousness, "No… and I'm getting really worried."

Given the severity of his injury, no one was expecting Heero to be up and walking that day, but they had hoped to at least see the Gundam pilot open his eyes. As the trio looked over the sleeping boy, the quartet of Lyrica, Gust, Nisa and Red poked their heads into the room to check on the room's occupants before entering. Like Compa and IF, they had come to see if Heero's condition had improved even slightly. But just one look at the girls in front of her was enough to tell Lyrica that the Perfect Soldier was still out of commission, "...He's still asleep?"

IF cast a brief glance over at the cerulean haired singer before returning her attention to boy lying in bed, a quick nod being her response to Lyrica's question. Even though they were no longer walking around with depression hanging over them, the girls had still been hoping that they might at least see Heero awake before they turned in for the night.

Nisa knew that they shouldn't rush Heero's recovery no matter how much they wanted to see him conscious, as it could do more harm to the Gundam pilot than good for the party, "Right now, simply letting him sleep is the best thing we can do. I'm sure he'll wake up before too long."

Shortly after the girls' resigned themselves to the fact that Heero would not be waking up that night; Noire, Blanc and Vert entered the room with Lowee's CPU carrying the portable ZERO System and Projector that contained the partner of their lone male member. As the ivory haired girl set the projector down next to Heero's laptop on the table, Noire worked up the nerve to apologize to her destined rival from Planeptune, "Neptune… I… we're... sorry for how we acted before."

After turning on the projector for Zero, Blanc explained the reasoning behind the apology, "...We let our past grudges get in the way, and acted pretty childish because of it."

Vert sought to reconcile with Planeptune's CPU as well, feeling just as culpable for recent events as Noire and Blanc, "It was shameful of us to act in such a manner when there are lives at stake. Even worse, it took Heero being placed in grave danger for us to realize how foolish we've behaved."

Neptune may have been tired, but her mental faculties were still functioning well enough for her to process what she just heard from the other goddesses. For them to come out and say they were sorry, and to admit to behaving irresponsibly could not have been easy for them. Recognizing her own part in the debacle, Planeptune's CPU extended her own apology to her fellow deities, "I'm sorry, too. I know I was trying to save Heero… but I guess part of me was trying to prove something. If I had helped you guys, Heero wouldn't have gotten hurt like this."

It may have been a little late coming, but seeing the four CPUs exchange apologies was another sign to Histoire that they were working past their prior differences for the good of Gamindustri, "I'm happy to see the four of you getting along. As long as this alliance holds, Gamindustri will be well on it's way to recovering from the damage caused by Arfoire's monsters."

The projector finished turning on after the exchange of apologies between the CPUs, and once the hologram of Zero was projected into the room, the manifestation of the ZERO System sought to verify whether they had finally overcome the grief they shouldn't have been holding in the first place, "I take it you girls have finally pulled yourselves together?"

Having spent a considerable amount of time acting as though the world was going to end, it was only natural that the armored woman asked them if they were truly fine. While they wouldn't be completely fine until Heero was awake, Compa was confident that they were at least able to function, "I think so. It took a while, but talking things through really helped."

Clearly the girls were better now than they were before, but it didn't hurt to dispense a little wisdom on these girls that had just come out the other side of a spate of misfortune. "If beating yourselves up somehow made Heero better, I can guarantee you that he would be up and walking right now. What you could or should have done is irrelevant now. What's done is done, and there is no changing that. Instead, all of you should be focusing on the here and now, as well as looking toward the future."

Looking over the collection of girls, Zero could tell that they were in higher spirits… the sole exception being Neptune. Planeptune's CPU wouldn't feel better until her human lover opened his eyes. Compa began to head for the door with the intention of fixing dinner for the party, "I should probably get started on making dinner. Noire, would you mind helping me?"

Lastation's goddess didn't expect the nurse in training to request her help, but she didn't have any reason to refuse her either. Especially when she needed something to help take her mind off of Heero for just a little longer, "Right… sure."

As Compa and Noire left the room to make dinner for the group, Vert was in a playful mood and hoped that the other might be willing to play along with her, "If it's all the same to you, I'd like to take this time to build a better rapport with everyone. We can try one of the new games I bought."

It wasn't just that Leanbox's goddess wanted to improve her relationship with the other party members. Like Noire, she wanted to take her mind off of Heero for the time being, knowing that it wouldn't do any good to worry about the boy now. Blanc seemed to catch on to the CPU's intent, and was willing to humor her Leanbox counterpart, "...Alright. I have some time to burn."

Wanting a distraction themselves, the others followed after Blanc and Vert to partake in video game session. After they left, Neptune, Histoire and Zero were the only ones left with the unconscious Heero. Planeptune's CPU knew that she should join them, if only so she could eat something substantial, but she couldn't bring herself to leave her Destined Lover's side.

Sensing Neptune's hesitancy, Histoire encouraged the party leader to follow her friends downstairs, "Neptune, you should go with them. If nothing else, you need to eat something. You've never gone this long with food."

Almost immediately after the Tome of the Goddesses mentioned the word 'food,' a loud growl filled the air that emanated from Neptune's stomach. The purple haired CPU silently looked down at the lower half of her torso, mildly embarrassed by the sound that came from it. Neptune wanted to satiate her need for sustenance, but didn't want to leave the Gundam pilot alone. After taking a moment to think on her inner dilemma, the goddess of Planeptune remembered that Zero was in the room now, and as such could afford to leave Heero's bedside for a little while, "Z, could you watch Heero for me? Just for a little bit. I'll be back after I've grabbed some food."

Casting a glance over at Heero, the manifestation of the Zero System wasn't sure what need there was for her to watch the Perfect Soldier when it was obvious he wasn't going anywhere. Even so, Zero complied with Neptune's request, "If that's what you want, I'll oblige. Though I doubt he's going anywhere."

Histoire watched as Neptune made her exit from the room, stopping to look back at Heero before finally heading into the upstairs hallway. Even though she had already seen some of what Planeptune's goddess was willing to do for the Gundam pilot, the Tome of the Goddesses continued to be astounded by just how serious Neptune took her relationship with Heero, "I know I shouldn't be surprised anymore, given what Neptune has shown she is willing to do… But I can't help but be amazed out how serious she is about Heero. And it's not just her; all of them have accomplished some truly remarkable deeds during their travels. Love truly is a powerful emotion."

There was no denying that what the CPU of Planeptune and the rest of the party had done for Heero's sake was astonishing, and it made Zero hope even more that the boy would reconsider his idea of leaving Gamindustri once his mission was over. The holographic woman sat down in the spare chair at the table, looking over the Gundam pilot at Neptune's request, while commenting on Heero's incredible luck, "Although she's a goddess, Neptune is quite devoted to you. You're really lucky, you know. And I'm not simply talking about your ability to survive a fatal injury."

With Zero and Histoire watching over her lover, Neptune headed downstairs to get some of the dinner being prepared by Compa and Noire. As the party leader descended the stairs, the sound of bubbly merriment filled the air of the living room, and while not as distinct, there was also the sound of a knife hitting a cutting board. Upon reaching the ground floor, Neptune was greeted with the sight of the party crowded in front of the TV. The girls had bought a replacement for the one Neptune had destroyed two days ago, and were amusing themselves with the game Vert had purchased. The game in question seemed to be about anthropomorphic animal characters running around a race track.

Vert, Blanc, Lyrica and Red were the ones currently playing, and the fact that their eyes were practically glued to the television set was proof enough that they were enjoying themselves. IF had been focusing on the game playing out in front of her when she caught sight of Neptune in her peripheral vision. The Guild Moderatist knew that Planeptune's goddess wouldn't have left Heero's bedside unless absolutely necessary, but all the same she was relieved to see the purple haired girl out among them, "How are you holding up, Nep? I know this is hard for you, but you can talk us."

Neptune knew that she could talk to them, but the purple haired girl wasn't sure just how much help it would be to talk to the girls about the emotional pain she was going through. Still, the CPU was grateful for their support in this difficult time, even more so when she stopped to consider what could have happened if they hadn't been there, "Guys… thanks for being here. If I didn't have you guys here… well..."

There was no need for Neptune to continue. The girls could imagine what would have happened if they hadn't formed the party. Planeptune's goddess would have followed through with killing Arfoire and Heero would have likely died by now, assuming the two had even made it this far on their own.

Noire had been preparing some chicken when she heard her Planeptune counterpart start thanking them for being in her party. The somberness of Neptune's tone indicated that she continued to wallow in sadness and hopelessness, and Lastation's goddess would not accept that. Not from her rival. Putting down the knife in her hand, the raven haired girl headed straight for Planeptune's goddess and came to a stop right next to her, "Hey."

As soon as Neptune turned her attention to Lastation's goddess, Noire flicked her on the forehead. The goddess of Planeptune brought her hands to her forehead to dull the minor pain as Noire pointed at the purple haired girl while speaking with an authoritative tone of voice. "What are you doing looking sorry for yourself? As my destined rival, I expect better from you."

After rubbing her forehead for a moment, Neptune gave the CPU of Lastation an annoyed look. When Noire brought up the bit about them being 'destined rivals,' she naturally assumed it had to do with their battle over Heero, "Yeah, yeah, we all know we're rivals cuz you wanna steal Heero from me. You get one kiss from him, and you suddenly act all all n' mighty. Well, I'm not giving my Heero up to you, pigtails!"

With the exception of Blanc and Vert, the other members of the party turned their attention to Lastation's CPU upon hearing that she had kissed the Gundam pilot. Suffice it to say, because they hadn't hear about it beforehand, the girls were flabbergasted by the revelation. Lyrica wanted to know when it was that Noire had taken such a proactive step towards romancing the boy, seeing that the CPU hadn't been in the party that long, "Noire kissed Heero? When? How?!"

Blanc and Vert had paused the game they were playing to cast the evil eye at their Lastation counterpart, none too thrilled to be reminded of how she had gotten from Heero what they hadn't, "Apparently it happened when you were trying to recruit her into the party. I firmly believe she used some underhanded means to get Heero to kiss her."

The goddess of Lastation was growing increasingly embarrassed with the accusations and insinuations that she had kissed Heero and was trying to win the boy's heart. Because Neptune was the cause of her dilemma, Noire promptly took it out on the party leader by pinching her cheeks while pulling on her face, "Why you little…! You pushed me onto Heero, so it's your fault it happened in the first place!"

Neptune responded to the assault on her face by grabbing ahold of Noire's cheeks and pulling on them, intent on beating the CPU in the sudden pinching contest. The two goddesses continued to pinch, twist and pull on one another's cheeks for half a minute before they finally backed away, staring each other down to see if the other would try to follow up with more pinching, or even physical violence.

After a period of silence between them, Neptune's lips cracked into a smile before she started laughing. Noire was caught off guard by the abrupt laughter, but quickly regained her composure before interrogating the party's leader. "Wh-What are you laughing about?! Are you making fun of me? I'll do more than just pinch your cheeks if you are!"

Neptune wasn't laughing at Noire so much as she was laughing at how pitiful she herself must have looked. From the moment Arfoire had taken Heero away from her, to the party's rescue of the Gundam pilot, and especially now, the goddess of the Land of Purple Progress had been so anxious over Heero's recovery that she hadn't done much of anything else. She hadn't socialized with her party, nor ate any of her pudding cups, or putting out random and outlandish ideas… she wasn't even getting into arguments with the other CPUs over Heero.

It took Neptune a minute to stop laughing, and when she did she had to wipe away the tears that had formed in the corner of her eyes from laughing so hard. Once the purplenette calmed down, she extended her heartfelt appreciation to the girls, "Guys… I'm happy you're here with me. I've been feeling down since we brought Heero back. Without you all here, I'd probably have curled up in a corner and cried over how I can't help him."

Compa knew that the party's leader was hurting inside, but that could be said for everyone in the party. They were all going through the same emotional pain, and it was for that reason that they needed to be more open with how they were feeling and support one another, "Nep-Nep, we know how you feel. We're all sad about what happened to Heero, which is why you should talk to us. We'll listen if you need to get something off your chest."

All of the party was there for her, even the other CPUs, regardless of whether they would admit to it. "I know you guys are trying to help me. Even if some of you are trying to steal Heero from me. Noire. Blanc. Vert."

The three goddesses didn't appreciate being singled out by Neptune for the perceived transgression of trying to steal Heero, and the trio quickly downplayed the assertion against them with the loudest voice being Noire, "What the hell?! Do you have brain damage or something?! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not trying to steal Heero! You only think that because YOU made me kiss him!" Lastation's goddess looked away as she thought back to the kiss she shared with the Gundam pilot, her cheeks heating up as she spoke to herself in a hushed tone. "Not to say I didn't like or anything… It actually felt nice..."

Blanc caught what Noire said to herself, and her temper began to flare in response to the admittance of joy over the lip-locking Lastation's goddess did with Heero, "The fuck did you say?! Did you just admit to enjoying that kiss you stole from Heero?!"

Like her rival from Lowee, Vert was furious with Noire for encroaching on her territory. They may have been in the same party, but Leanbox's goddess still deemed the other CPUs as unqualified to receive Heero's affection, "I cannot overlook your transgression, Noire. To simply take from Heero something so precious… You clearly feel no shame."

No matter what Noire did or said, the other goddesses refused to believe her. As the CPU of Lastation went into another rant, Neptune felt strangely at ease with the back and forth banter. Sure, they would never love Heero as much as she did, but everyone here cared a great deal for the Perfect Soldier and were doing what they could to stay positive until the lone male party member regained consciousness. Setting aside her discontent, Planeptune's CPU refocused her attention on Noire, seeing as she was helping with the task of making dinner, "Hey, Noire."

Having just been lambasted by Blanc and Vert, the raven haired CPU immediately assumed that Neptune was looking to accuse of trying to abscond with Heero again, and promptly lashed out at her rival, "What? What is it?! You wanna accuse me of trying to steal Heero again?!"

Noire's response didn't come as a surprise to Neptune, and instead went on to ask the CPU for a favor of sorts. "You think you and Compa can make a little extra dinner? For Heero, I mean."

Once more, Lastation guardian goddess was taken by surprise. She hadn't expected Neptune to shift the topic of the conversation so quickly when it seemed to be about something she couldn't let go of. As for the purplenette's request, it really wasn't something she needed to ask for. Noire had already planned on cooking up an extra helping of chicken for Heero. Lastation's goddess looked away as she abided by Neptune's favor, "Well… obviously. I wasn't going to forget about him."

Compa and Noire headed back into the kitchen to cook the food they had prepared, while the girls went back to playing their game, believing that Neptune was no longer in an emotional pit. The party leader seated herself on the couch to watch the others as they laughed, complained and smiled over the time they were having. She may have been feeling better, but Neptune wouldn't say that she was okay. Only once Heero was awake would she finally get peace of mind.

After ten minutes of watching the girls and waiting, Compa and Noire finished cooking the party's dinner, which consisted of hand breaded chicken strips and rice with a salad bowl as a side. With the party's dinner laid out on the kitchen table, Neptune grabbed a bowl and piled in a generous helping of rice and grabbed a small plate for her chicken before taking off back upstairs to eat her dinner in Heero's room.

Upon opening the door to the Gundam pilot's bedroom, the party leader found the room more or less the same as she had left it. Zero pulled her attention away from Heero as soon as the door opened, not surprised that Neptune decided to bring her dinner to the Perfect Soldier's room. It may not have looked like much had happened during the short time Neptune had left the room, but Histoire took the fact that she had returned with her dinner as a sign that she was better now than she was ten minutes ago. The Tome of the Goddesses made for the open door, feeling rather famished herself, and seeing no need for her presence, "I will join the others for dinner. Neptune, if you should need anything, feel free to ask."

The fairy-like girl exited the room, leaving Neptune and Zero with the still unconscious Gundam pilot. After setting down the plate and bowl she brought with her, the goddess took the chopsticks in her hand, broke the wooden eating utensils in two, and partook of the rice. The hot grains felt like a goddess-send to the CPU's stomach, which had been deprived of nourishment for over twenty-four hours at this point. After a few bites of rice, Neptune took a bite out of the chicken on her plate and was surprised by the flavor that greeted her tongue. The entire surface of the poultry was evenly coated in a flavorful breading, and the inside of the chicken was still juicy, which only made the piece of chicken that much more delectable and gave Neptune reason to reconsider her opinion on Noire's culinary skills.

As the goddess of Planeptune ate the warm food, her consciousness began to take a hit. Each bite of food served to entice the CPU into falling asleep. Neptune shook herself awake, forcing herself to remain awake as she ate her dinner. Zero watched Planeptune's goddess as she ate in silence while trying not to fall asleep then and there. The food may have satisfied Neptune's empty stomach, but not her lack of sleep which by now she desperately needed. It was then that the manifestation of the ZERO System was struck with an idea that might helped to remedy the purple haired CPU's sleeping problem, "Neptune, for the sake of your health, I think it might be best if you spend the night here."

Neptune looked at the armored woman sitting across from her at the table, took a look over at Heero, then quickly returned her gaze to Zero, "Are you sure? I mean, I can sleep on the floor if that's what you mean."

There was no way that sleeping on the floor would do the CPU any good. No, what she needed was to feel her lover's presence there with her before she could actually go to sleep, and Zero understood that. It was the reason she suggested the idea in the first place. "Hardly. Let's be honest, you're likely to just toss and turn like the last five nights. As long as you mind his chest wound, there's no reason you can't sleep in the same bed as Heero."

Neptune couldn't deny that the offer was appealing or that her past few nights were rather 'lacking' in regards to rest. As much as she wanted to avoid disturbing Heero the goddess ultimately gave in, knowing that spending the night with her human lover was more likely to lead to a restful nights sleep than sleeping in her room or even on the floor of Heero's room. "It's been kinda hard to sleep lately."

Having decided to accept Zero's offer to spend the night with Heero, Neptune ate the rest of her dinner in silence. As soon as she finished eating, the party leader got out of her seat at the table and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth, and it wasn't until she had taken care of her oral hygiene that Neptune notice her complexion. With her eyes red from lack of sleep and bags starting to form under her eyes, the party's leader looked like the living dead, and it was perhaps the only time that the goddess was glad that Heero wasn't awake, "I knew I felt bad… but I didn't think I LOOKED bad. I look like a zombie. I hope Heero doesn't see this."

Little by little the remnants of Neptune's consciousness began to fade as she headed over toward the light switch next to the door leading into the room, stumbling every few steps she took. A single flip of the light switch darkened the room, and left the CPU was left to stumble some more before reaching Heero's bed. The last vestiges of Neptune's awareness dissipated once she made it to Heero, collapsing onto the bed and pulling herself up to the Gundam pilot before letting her head come to rest on Heero's chest. Between her excruciating tiredness, the warmth of Heero's body and the sound of his heartbeat in her ear, it took no time at all for Neptune to close her eyes and succumb to sleep.

Zero had watched the goddess as she had stumbled around the room and almost instantly fall asleep on top of Heero. The offer to share the bed with Heero wasn't just for Neptune's health, but because the ZERO System felt that Planeptune's goddess deserved something for her steadfast devotion to looking after the Perfect Soldier.

For one hour the manifestation of the ZERO System ran through various articles of data she had collected prior to the events that resulted in Heero being incapacitated, occasionally looking over at the two occupying the bed. Aside from very minute movements every now and then, Neptune was sleeping peacefully with the Gundam pilot.

It was 10:30 PM when Zero stopped to check the time. The rest of the party had likely turned in for night by this time. As the holographic woman went back to analyzing her data, the sound of the bedroom door opening drew her attention. On the other side of the door was the duo of Compa and IF, both of whom were clutching pillows in their arms. Zero had anticipated that some of girls might pay Heero a late night visit, but clearly the two girls were here to spend the night, "I take it the two of you want to sleep here tonight?"

The two girls gave a quick glance to one another before IF nodded. Despite the improvement to the party's mood, the brunette was still having trouble going to bed, "We… couldn't sleep."

Compa had the same sentiment as the Guild Moderatist and believed that it was shared amongst the rest of the group even now, "I know we were having fun earlier, but it's still hard to sleep when Heero is like this."

Lack of sleep seemed to be the party's other problem, along with waiting for Heero to recover. Neptune was still sound asleep and showed no sign of waking up, meaning that she was no longer so distraught that she couldn't sleep. If sleeping with Heero was working for the CPU, then surely it would help both the nurse in training and Guild Moderatist, "As long as you two are quiet, I see nothing wrong with you sleeping in here."

With the permission of the ZERO System, Compa and IF entered the room and made their way over to the occupied bed. With Neptune lying on top of Heero, there was still just enough room for two more people. Compa placed her pillow down on the right of Heero's head as IF removed her jacket and placed on the back of the empty chair at the table in preparation for bed. As the brunette walked over to the right side of the sleeping furniture, Compa couldn't help but ask her fellow party member a question that had been plaguing her ever since she helped to heal the Gundam pilot earlier that day, "I know I shouldn't be thinking this, but… do you think Heero will ever wake up, Iffy?"

IF didn't want to entertain the thought. She refused to believe that Heero, tough as he was, would just lay there unconscious after the party had come so far. Walking over to the left side of the bed, IF set her pillow down on the left of Heero's before laying down on the bed herself while answering the nurse in training's question, "Of course he will. This is Heero we're talking about. There's nothing that can keep him down." The Guild Moderatist looked down and muttered to herself as what little doubt she had began to surface, "...at least I hope..."

Despite not being able to hear what exactly IF was saying under her breath, Compa could tell that the brunette really didn't want to talk any more on the subject. Not wanting to push for an answer, the pink haired girl instead let the conversation die down and took the remaining free space on the bed next to Heero. It wasn't long until both Compa and IF drifted to sleep, not feeling as restless now as they did when trying to sleep in their own room.

Zero was about to go back to her data analysis when the ZERO System detected four lifeforms just outside the room, and she had a pretty good idea just who it was. Turning her attention to the still open door once more, the holographic woman saw the quartet of Lyrica, Gust, Nisa and Red. Based on the fact that the four girls were dressed for bed, they no doubt had come to Heero's room with the same intention as Compa and IF.

As if to confirm suspicions, Lyrica finally spoke up after a moment of silently shuffling her feet, "Umm… we saw Compa and IF come here. We were wondering if it would be alright for us to spend the night, too."

Red poked her head out from behind the cerulean haired singer and explained their reasoning for being there, "Seeing that my one and only hubby and my wifeys are having a sleepover, I thought it might help us to get in on that."

The red head's reasoning for them being there wasn't quite how Nisa would have worded it, "We can't sleep, and since we didn't hear Neptune kicking or talking through the walls… We kinda thought something was wrong or actually right for the first time in the last five days."

Zero cast a quick glance over at the only bed, there was no room left if they were hoping to sleep there, "As long as you don't mind sleeping on the floor. As you can see, those three have already taken the best and… well, only spots. You can blame the bed size for that."

There was no qualms among the four girls with having to sleep on the floor. In fact, they came prepared for such accommodations. Gust held a rolled up sleeping bag over her head, with Nisa holding one under her arm, "Is no problem. Brought sleeping bags just in case."

Gust and Nisa rolled out their sleeping bags onto the floor close to the bed, taking care not to set them too close to the sides to avoid getting stepped on in the morning. Satisfied with where the sleeping bags were, the four girls doubled up into their sleeping arrangements; Gust and Lyrica in one bag with Nisa and Red in the other.

Once they had finished settling in; Lyrica, Gust, Nisa and Red finally went to sleep. Just like Neptune, Compa and IF, it took less time for them to go under than when they tried to rest in their own room. After observing the growing number of party members in the room, Zero surmised that it wouldn't be long before the remaining members of the group would take notice and decide to spend the night in Heero's room as well.

Sure enough, thirty minutes after the quartet had entered the room, the ZERO System heard the hushed bickering of three goddesses just outside the room that abruptly stopped just as Zero felt three pairs of eyes on her. Looking over at the door, the holographic woman saw Noire, Blanc and Vert peering into the room from behind the wall. For half a minute Zero watched the trio as they wordlessly looked into the room, and despite the fact they knew they had been seen, the CPUs didn't say anything, prompting her to start the conversation, "Staring does nothing to ask your question. If you want something, just ask."

Noire flinched before stepping out and talking in a defensive manner toward the ZERO System, "Who said we were here for anything? Maybe we were just checking on Heero. Did you think of that?"

Blanc rolled her eyes at the terrible attempt at lying on display from Lastation's goddess. Given that they were carrying pillows, it was a dead giveaway as to why they were there, "...It's pretty obvious that we wouldn't be here unless we wanted something."

Knowing that standing and staring wouldn't get them anywhere, Vert stepped out from behind the wall and stood in the doorway, "Forgive our intrusion. We noticed that the others were no longer in their rooms, so we came looking for them." Leanbox's goddess shifted her gaze to the party members that had fallen asleep in Heero's room. All of them appeared to be sleeping peaceful, which was a sharp contrast to how they had been resting as of late. "And with how well they seem to be sleeping, we were hoping that you would allow us to spend the night here, too."

The blonde haired CPU made a fair point. It was apparent that the girls were actually getting their sleep, and Gamindustri's guardian CPUs wanted to share in the ability to sleep without tossing and turning in the night, only to wake up at some ungodly hour and unable to go back to sleep. Zero didn't see a reason to refuse the request, provided they could find a place to settle in, "If you can find a comfortable spot to sleep, you're welcome to stay here for the night."

Having received permission to stay, the three goddesses looked around the room for suitable sleeping locations for themselves, with Noire deciding to sleep against the head of the bed, much to Zero's amusement. Blanc set her pillow up against the foot of the bed and curled up next to it, passing out almost as soon as her head came to rest on the pillow. Vert had elected to take the unoccupied chair at the table, setting her pillow up against the back of it before leaning into the down filled cushion and closing her eyes.

In no time at all the CPUs fell asleep, and with their addition the entirety of the party was now in Heero's room, with the exception of a certain Tome of the Goddesses that was now hovering just outside the room, having been drawn there by the sound of the goddesses talking, "I was wondering why they were up so late. This would explain it."

Zero looked over her shoulder at Histoire, who was looking over the group of sleeping girls. The fairy-like girl hovered through the air and watched the party for a moment before moving over to the table, setting down on top of it. Histoire was relieved to see the girls actually sleeping, rather than stirring late into the night and ending up more tired the next day. "These girls have been through so much lately. I hope they rest well… And that Heero recovers soon. (⌣_⌣")"

Taking one more look over the party, Histoire could feel her eyelids growing heavy. Between worrying about the party and Gamindustri, the Tome of the Goddesses had been getting next to no sleep as well. Having reached her limit, Histoire fell asleep on the table, leaving Zero as the only conscious member of the group.

Only after verifying that everyone was in a calm state of rest did Zero get up out of her chair. The manifestation of the ZERO System walked over to the bed and looked down at Heero; still unconscious and unaware of the girls that had decided to spend the night with him. Taking the time to look over all of the members of the party one more time, Zero spoke to the sleeping Gundam pilot, despite the fact he most likely couldn't hear her, "If only you could see yourself right now. Lying in bed, surrounded by these girls that absolutely adore you. I just hope you realize that they can offer you more than anyone back home can… before this mission is over."

Xxx

Space; the endless expanse of stars, constellations and nebulas. That was what lay before and around Heero. Everywhere he looked, the Gundam pilot was surrounded by the infinite collection of celestial bodies he had come to know his whole life.

The last thing Heero remembered was collapsing onto his knees with Purple Heart right in front of him before blacking out. As the teenaged soldier tried to figure out where he was and why he was there in the first place, the scenery around him changed from the unending canvas of space to the interior of a space colony.

It wasn't just any space colony that Heero was standing in, but the colony he had lived in with his mother and step-father. And just a few feet away from the Perfect Soldier were said parents, and with them, his child self, clutching a toy Leo mobile suit in his arms while holding a vacant expression on his face, "I've been a lost child since the day I was born."

Before Heero was a scene that the boy had remembered as being the day his colony was attacked by rebels seeking to destroy an Earth Alliance function. The day his parents, Aoi and Seis Clark died as a result of what was essentially a terrorist attack. The moment his innocent childhood days came to an end. "I have nothing."

The child Heero accidentally dropped his Leo toy and could only watch as it broke upon hitting the ground. Shortly after the toy came apart an explosion erupted along the side of the cylindrical structure, revealing the interior of the colony to the vacuum of space and pulling the child's mother out into the cold abyss outside. It was only due to the intervention of Heero's real father, Odin Lowe, that the boy survived the rebel's attack on the colony. Seeing what he had lost on that day all over again made Heero feel empty inside.

Seconds after the Gundam pilot dwelled on what he had lost to the darkness of outer space, he suddenly found himself in the interior of colony X-18999, standing in front of a pane of glass. Heero was looking at both the vast expanse of space and stars... and his own reflection. Or rather, he was looking at his child self's reflection.

It wasn't just Heero that was being reflected by the big sheet of glass. A few feet behind the boy was his father, observing the boy looking out toward the infinite mass that lay outside, questioning what it was the boy was looking at, "Whatcha looking at…? The void of space… Which took everything away from you? Or… your own image, a face without a name…?"

What had Heero been looking at on that day, at that moment? Was it the cold abyss that swallowed up everything he had? Was it his nameless person that he had been looking at? Was it even either of those things? Heero wasn't entirely sure. What he did know was that he felt as hollow now as he did back then, "Space stole every single thing away from me… My parents, my Leo toy…"

Snippets of the Perfect Soldier's life flashed before his eyes, from Odin Lowe training him to handle a gun and survive on his own, to the assassination attempt on General Septum that ended with the death of his father, to his recruitment by Doctor J to become a Gundam pilot. And ultimately, the death of the girl in the hat and her dog. "So, when that time came, I was nobody. How many lives have I stolen since that day?"

Heero could only stand by and watch as a series of explosions ensued that resulted in a Leo collapsing against the apartment building where the little girl and her dog lived. What could he do? How could one who had nothing save anything? How could one who has taken life ever actually save a life? How could one who had been lost since birth ever save a life when he hadn't even found a reason to live himself? "I have nothing."

The Gundam pilot closed his eyes as he mulled over his feeling of powerlessness. Heero had nothing to call his own, and for all he knew, he was dead and being made to watch the life he had led up until now, and may be made to watch it until the end of time… if that was something that applied to the dead. As the boy began to accept the idea that he was deceased, an all-too familiar voice called out from above him, "Hi there. Are you lost?"

Heero suddenly opened his eyes to find the girl in the hat standing over him, looking down at him as he lay on the ground. As the Perfect Soldier sat up, he took notice of his surroundings and realized he was in the colony where he had unintentionally killed this little girl. Believing that the boy hadn't heard her, the girl in the hat asked her question a second time. "Hey! I said are you lost?"

As much as he wished that this moment could be changed, it just wasn't meant to be. Whether it was a dream or him reliving the past, Heero had seen this moment more than enough times to know how this would play out. The Gundam pilot looked off into the distance. There was nothing to do, but go through with this moment in time as it was intended, "I've been lost ever since the day I was born."

Melancholy set in on the girl's face as she heard of the boy's predicament, "Oh… that's so sad. Well, I'm not lost at all. I'm taking Mary out for a walk."

No matter how many times he saw this moment, each time he saw it was no less painful than the last. There was nothing Heero could do but watch the little girl and her puppy as they exchanged their affection for one another, knowing that their innocent lives would be cut short by him. The girl picked a flower off the ground and held it out to the boy. "Here. I'll give you this flower."

Heero took the flower offered to him by the girl in the hat, looking at it for a moment before watching the girl and her dog run off, only to look back at the flower in his hands shortly thereafter. The Gundam pilot couldn't remember how many times the little girl had given him this flower. What he did remember each time it was given to him was the lesson he had learned from that day; life was fragile. Perhaps more so than the plant in his hand. One fool and one moment was enough to extinguish a human life.

Looking at the flower in his hand, the Perfect Soldier couldn't help but reflect on the actions that led him to reliving this moment. He was supposed to serve as Neptune's bodyguard and aid the goddess of Planeptune in her quest across the world of Gamindustri. From acquiring the Key Fragments, obtaining the Quartet Arms and recruiting the other CPUs to defeat Arfoire, they accomplished each of their goals despite the hardships they faced along the way.

Now, after being forced to fight against the party, and possibly being on death's door, Heero questioned whether or not there was any meaning to his actions. Sure, by staying he was able to watch over Planeptune's goddess and ensure that the group was able to retrieve the four weapons and to a lesser extent ensure they successfully recruited the other goddesses. However, his decision to remain came with the most recent downside of him being used against the party, and despite their efforts to rescue him, it seemed as if death had finally come for the Gundam pilot.

As bad as it was, perhaps it was better this way. He had nearly killed Neptune the day Arfoire took control of the boy through his newest Gundam. Who's to say it wouldn't happen again? No, that couldn't be allowed to happen. Heero would sooner choose death over putting Neptune's life in danger like that again.

However, the moment that line of thought reached its end, the Gundam pilot began to question whether he was actually fine with simply dying right then and there. Back in his own world, militaries were disarming, soldiers were reintegrating into society, and those organizations that continued to maintain a military presence did so only as a peace keeping measure. The reason Heero came to Gamindustri was because his world had no need of him, and felt that he no longer had a purpose. Since coming to this world, while the mission given to the Perfect Solider outside the norm of what he was use to, there was a need for his abilities as a soldier.

But beyond that, there was the group of girls that he had come to know during his time in Gamindustri that gave Heero the most reason to pause and consider whether or not he was alright with simply dying. He had not only found purpose with the group of girls, the Gundam pilot came to care about their safety and well being. And then there was his relationship with Neptune. What started as a mission to act as the CPU's bodyguard had turned into something that Heero couldn't have predicted, and before he knew it, he suddenly found himself getting attached to the purple haired girl. Whether he was truly infatuated with Planeptune's goddess or not was something the boy was trying to figure out for himself, but simply thinking about the party's leader in his current predicament made the boy immediately question why he thought it was okay to die.

As the Gundam pilot continued to look at the flower in his hand, a noise that sounded no louder than a gentle passed through the air. Heero pulled his attention away from the plant to look for the source of the noise. While he couldn't make out anything specific, it sounded like someone's voice that was both far away, yet very close at the same time.

Silence filled the air once more, but it lasted only for a moment before the soft noise returned. Although it was still unintelligible, Heero could vaguely make out what was being said. Whoever it was, they were saying his name.

...ro… eero...

It took a moment for the Perfect Soldier to discern that it was Neptune's voice that he was hearing. Where exactly she was, he didn't know. Despite being in an open field within the colony, there was no sign of the energetic party leader anywhere. Although he couldn't see the CPU, her voice was still coming through… and it was tinged with sadness.

Wherever Neptune was, it was clear that Heero's absence was the cause of her distress, and that was something the Gundam pilot couldn't bear. The Gundam pilot stood up from where he was sitting and waited until he heard the voice of Planeptune's goddess. If he couldn't see her, then Heero would just have to follow her voice until he did.

Once Neptune's voice flew through the air once more, the Gundam pilot took off in the direction it originated from. As fast as his legs would move, Heero sprinted across the grassy plain in search of the purple haired girl that he had begun to view as more than just his charge.

After a minute of running, Heero's vision began to fill with a light that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Ordinarily, such a bright and intense light would have blinded the Perfect Soldier, or at the very least forced him to shield his eyes. Instead, not only was the source of light not a hindrance, but Neptune's voice became clearer the more he traveled towards it. In that moment, as Heero ran through the light that seemed to envelope him, the boy was so caught up in finding Neptune that he had all but forgotten about what he had been thinking about prior to hearing the CPU of Planeptune.

Xxx

Heero's eyes suddenly snapped open, having finally woken from his state of unconsciousness. It took a moment for the Gundam pilot to figure out that he wasn't running through a grassy plain, but lying in a bed. The boy slowly scanned what was in his peripheral vision, and once he caught sight of the pink haired nurse to his right, and the brunette Guild Moderatist on his left, Heero realized that he was back in the party's safe house.

Trying to lift himself out of bed, the Perfect Soldier but found that he was unable to because of a weight on his chest. Looking down from his lying position, Heero saw a mat of short purple hair with a familiar face… Neptune. The party's leader had climbed into his bed and fallen asleep on top of him at some point. When and why she did so was irrelevant, as just seeing the CPU's sleeping face was somewhat endearing and reassuring. Heero was about to lie back down so as not to disturb the slumbering goddess, when Neptune began to stir.

The goddess's eyelashes began to flutter as her eyes began to open, lifting her head off of the boy's chest as she began to wake. Neptune directed her attention toward the Gundam pilot that she was on top of, though she was still groggy from sleep and couldn't immediately tell that the boy was conscious, as was apparent by the way she opened and closed her half laden eyes a few times.

Once she was fully cognizant of the now conscious Perfect Soldier, Neptune eyes widened. But the Gundam pilot and Planeptune's CPU looked at each other in silence. Heero knew he should say something... anything, but he was having trouble forming a coherent line of thought. As for Neptune, she needed a moment to assure herself that she wasn't just seeing things. That her Destined Lover was awake and looking at her.

Seconds passed between the two and both continued to wordlessly stare at one another. After what felt like an eternity of agonizing silence, there was finally a response from Neptune over Heero's awakening… and it took the form of tears welling up in the CPU's eyes.

Heero's breath caught in his throat as he watched the tears spill out from Neptune's eyes and rush down her cheeks. As for Planeptune's goddess, now that she was sure that she wasn't dreaming, there was only one way she could think to express herself in that moment. The CPU called the boy's name as she let her heart tell her what to do, "Heero!"

Before he even had time to react, Heero found Neptune's face right in front of his, accompanied by the sensation of her lips against his own. At the same time, Compa and IF found themselves rudely awakened by the CPU's abrupt shouting, as did the other sleeping members of the party. The two girls looked around the room for a second before focusing their attention on Neptune as she locked lips with Heero.

Compa was about to get onto Neptune for kissing Heero, but stopped when she realized the reason she was doing it in the first place was because the Gundam pilot was awake. The nurse in training brought her hands up to her face to wipe away the tears that were forming, overwhelmed with joy, "Heero's… finally awake..."

Even IF had a few tears form in her eyes, which she was careful to flick away in case Heero saw her, "I hope you realize we were all worried about you."

Neptune was cognizant of the other members of the party that had woken up as a result of her shouting, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that her human lover was finally awake. Neptune's sadness, fear, frustration, joy; every little emotion she had pent up came pouring out into the kiss. When the goddess finally broke off the lip-lock, she hid her face in the boy's chest as she tried to fight the tears that were still falling from her eyes, "I was really scared…! I thought… you wouldn't wake up..."

Even though she hid her face, Heero could feel the CPU's tears against his chest, and with it the feeling of a stabbing pain in his heart. As much as his chest wound hurt, it didn't compare to the feeling of knowing that Neptune was crying because of him, and it didn't feel any less painful than it did the first time he had seen her tears. Heero put his left hand on the back of Neptune's hand in an effort to stop her crying, "...Sorry to trouble you."

Once the others were awake and aware of what was going on, A sense of relieve had washed over the girls with the news that Heero had regained consciousness. Compa and IF removed themselves from the bed now that they were awake, and Noire expressed her relieve over Heero finally regaining consciousness up in her own way, "You took your time waking up, didn't you?"

Remembering how Lastation's CPU had looked over the previous day, Blanc didn't want to hear Noire complain, "...Give it a rest. You're as happy to see Heero awake as the rest of us."

The Gundam pilot tried to sit up once Neptune was no longer lying on top of him, but the throbbing pain in his chest was making the task more difficult than it needed to be. Seeing the pained expression on Heero's face prompted Gust to leave the room to put together a potion to at least reduce the discomfort he was feeling, "Gust has ingredients to make pain relieving potion. Will be right back."

As the young alchemist departed from the room, Neptune tried to get Heero to lie back down. The last thing she wanted was for her Destined Lover to aggravate his wound, "Don't try to get up! You need to stay in bed!"

The sensible thing for the Gundam pilot to do was to stay in bed until his wound had fully healed. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option when the boy knew how close Arfoire was to enacting her plan, "We don't have time to wait for my injury to heal. Right now, we have something more important to take care of."

In Heero's bid to get up, the bed sheets that had been covering him had fallen off his frame and revealed his torso down to just below his waist. While Neptune was focusing on the boy's face and trying to persuade him not to get out of bed, the other girls in the room found their attention going to Heero's now exposed body. It suddenly dawned on the girls what they were looking at when they saw the Gundam pilot's waist, causing their eyes to widen and faces to turn a very dark shade of red.

Without warning, Noire let out a scream that was followed by her asking the question that the girls all wanted to know, "W-W-Why isn't Heero wearing anything?!"

Looking down at himself, Heero noticed that he wasn't wearing anything, other than the bandages around his torso and arms. Neptune quickly covered the Perfect Soldier's waist back up before addressing the question, knowing that it had really been aimed at her, "W-Well, Heero was all bloody when we brought him back, and I had to clean him up!"

Setting aside the implication that Neptune had gotten to see Heero without any clothes on, Blanc wanted to know why Planeptune's goddess didn't think to put any clothes back on the boy, "You couldn't be bothered to at least put his shorts on?! What exactly were you doing when we weren't looking?!"

Vert found herself looking away, having just seen something that she had not expected to see until she had built up her relationship with Heero more, "To think I would lay eyes on… that. We aren't moving too fast, are we? I mean, it's not that I'm completely against a display like this, but…"

Gust came running down the hallway with the potion she had mixed together for Heero, having heard Lastation's CPU scream at the top of her lungs. The business savvy young girl skid to a halt in front of the bedroom door, curious as to why the goddess had screamed, "Gust is back. What happened-"

Before the alchemist could see anything, Nisa swiftly covered her eyes. It went without saying that Gust was too young to be seeing what they had, "Sorry, Gust. But you're not old enough yet."

On the other side of the room, IF had averted her eyes from the Gundam pilot's exposed anatomy, but was also fighting the urge to look at it, "(Wh-What am I supposed to do in this situation? Is it okay to look? I-I mean, I'm gonna see him like this sooner or later… right?)"

After observing the various surprised and embarrassed reactions from the party over having seen the unclothed Heero, Zero cleared her throat in order to get the group's attention, "Perhaps it would be best if the rest of you were to vacate the room, so as to give Heero some privacy. We can talk more once he is… decent."

With their faces still as red as can be, the girls filed out of the room. Neptune seemed reluctant to go, which was understandable given how hard she had worked to rescue Heero from Arfoire, as well as how long she had been watching over him when they did. The ZERO System assured Planeptune's goddess that she wouldn't be separated from the Perfect Soldier for long. "Don't worry. You just need to give him enough time to get dressed."

Heeding the ZERO System's request, the party leader stepped out of the room, leaving Heero and Zero alone in the room. The Gundam pilot remained sitting in bed, his eyes closed as if in silent contemplation. It was a full minute before Heero finally opened his mouth to speak after having his… unmentionables looked at by the others, "Zero… I think I've lost something."

Zero had a fairly good idea what the Perfect Soldier was getting at when he said he had 'lost something,' but felt the need to inquire just to be sure, "And just what have you lost?"

Heero's cheeks took on a red hue as he thought of what had transpired mere moments ago, a feeling of embarrassment falling over him. "...A little something called dignity."

Xxx

Me: "Another chapter done. To those who were hoping for more action in this one… sorry, but consider reading the discussions we have at the beginning of the chapter from now on."

Heero and Neptune: (Enter ACCC): "I don't care if it's a less action packed chapter, at least I got my Heero back!"

Heero: "I will point out that I don't like having this chest wound. It's quite aggravating."

Me: "You're just gonna have to deal with it. We're too close to the end to revise it, and I sort of needed something to make you less powerful going into the final battle so you would rely on Nep and the others."

Compa and IF: (Enter ACCC from Break Room) "As much as I don't like Heero getting screwed over like this, having him back is more important."

Compa: "I just hope Heero doesn't do anything reckless. He could actually die, and no one would like that."

Zero: (Materializes in ACCC) "That might be asking for a bit much. Heero is prone to taking reckless actions."

Lyrica and Gust: (Enter ACCC from Hidden Entrance) "Well, can't he at least take it easy? We worked really hard to rescue him in the last chapter."

Gust: "Gust worries she does not have enough potions for reckless streak."

Zero: "Now you know what I've had to deal with. Truly, Heero can be a handful at times."

Nisa and Red: (Enter ACCC from Lounge) "Well… should we tie him to his bed, then? If nothing else, it will keep him from doing anything crazy."

Red: "I don't care what we do, as long as my one and only hubby doesn't get himself killed! I need his EX rank charisma to gather up my one hundred wifeys!"

Me: "Don't worry about Heero. If need be, I'll something about him. Now, as for why it took so long for me to get this chapter out, well… shit happens in real life, and I don't get paid to write my fanfiction. Now enough about that, we gotta wrap up this chapter and get right back to work on the next. Nep, you get to have the honors."

Neptune: "I want Heero to help me! It's been too long, and I need my Destined Lover with me at all times!"

Me, Compa, IF, Lyrica, Gust, Nisa, and Red: (Leave ACCC through Left Entrance)

Heero and Neptune: "Please read and review this chapter, and look forward to the next update."

Neptune: "And make sure you let the author know how much you support me and Heero being a couple! I mean, we got a really hot kiss in this chapter! What's not to like?"

Heero: "Please don't make this a regular occurrence. It may have the opposite effect on the readers."

Heero and Neptune: (Leave ACCC through Left Entrance)