UPDATE: Made some corrections in grammar and added some extra dialogue.

Hello again! Back for more of this story, I see?

It's going to be a chilly day in Lowee for Neptune and Dorumon as they march on to see what their friend Blanc is up to. Let's just hope they don't catch a cold in the process.

Now, some people have been asking me if the characters will be getting Royal Knights as their partners. Unfortunately not all of them will have Royal Knights. Besides, that would probably be a bit overpowered lol. Maybe one or two, but that's my limit.

Speaking of partners, one of you actually recommended me some ideas for who a couple of the Candidates could be paired up with. I appreciate the assistance, as I might use one of them for one of the Candidates later in the story. I also believe I already have an idea for who the other three will have.

Now with that note aside, let's see how our purple pair is doing. On with the fifth chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. Both franchises belong to their respective companies.


Chapter 5: A Snow Day Afternoon

It was snowy as ever in the land of Lowee. Even when it was summer it snowed in the Land of White Serenity. Those who were used to the freezing weather didn't mind one bit, sometimes never feeling it. Many would wear warm coats over themselves, while others would stay indoors for most of the day and enjoy the warmth of their fireplaces.

For Neptune and Dorumon, however, they were trying to tough out the coldness of the snowfall as they reached the Basilicom in the city.

"N-N-Nept-tune, y-you nev-ver t-t-told m-me t-that it w-would b-b-be this c-c-cold!", Dorumon stuttered, his teeth chattering from the cold air.

"M-My b-b-bad. I f-f-forg-g-got t-to b-bring a w-warm c-c-coat", Neptune shivered as she open the door to the Basilicom.

The second she did, the pair zipped on inside and quickly shut the door, not wanting to let the cold air in the building. They sighed in relief as they felt the nice warm temperature of the Basilicom melt the frost on their faces.

"Ahhhhh, that feels so much better", said the lilac haired CPU.

"Yeah, you're telling me...", added Dorumon.

"Now, if I were Blanc, where would I be?", Neptune asked herself as she and the purple Digimon looked around.

They searched high and low, but there was no sign of any life so far. Suddenly, they heard a loud voice coming from the hallway.

"YOU DAMNED BRATS! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!", the voice said in a terrifying manner.

"Yikes! I think we might have come at a bad time!", Neptune quivered.

"I don't know who that is, but it sounds scary...", Dorumon added, shaking in fear of what's to come.

They soon heard two pairs of footsteps coming down the hallway way, then they saw two individuals running towards them.

It was the CPU Candidates of Lowee, Ram and Rom. Unlike Planetune and Lastation, which only have one CPU Candidate, the nation of Lowee had two. Both Ram and Rom were twins, but both their looks and personalities were quite different. While Rom was shy and quiet, Ram was more brave and reckless. Rom was also more older than her twin, according to Blanc. They both mean well, but they can be cheeky at times, which often results in them causing trouble sometimes, even more so for their eldest sister.

They both have dark blue eyes and brown hair, however Ram's hair was longer, while Rom's was shorter. They had winter coats and caps on their heads, but they were differently colored. Rom's coat and hat was light blue, while Ram's were pink. Their coats had puffed sleeves with a white lining and a big gold button, a frilled white center with gold buttons fitted on the front of their coats, and bows with six white puffballs attached to them, two on their bows and four on their sides. The bows were differently colored, with Ram's bow being light blue and Rom's bow pink, and they carried purses that had colors to match. The twins' hats had white frills, their boots matched the colors of their dress, and they had two gold buttons on each boot and ribbons attached with colors that matched their bows and had two puffballs attached to them as well.

"Hahaha! Blanc's making her angry face again!", Ram exclaimed as she ran down the hall.

"Scary", said Rom quietly as she followed after her pink-clad twin.

As they were running they saw Neptune and her purple creature and stopped right in front of them.

"Hiya Neptune!", greeted Ram in a bright attitude.

"Hello, Miss Neptune", squeaked Rom in a shy manner.

"Hey guys! You two troublemakers running away from Blanc's wrath again?", Neptune asked the twins.

"Yep. We thought we'd try using fake spiders and put them inside Blanc's books and wait until she opens one and gets spooked by them!", Ram explained.

"It was funny", added Rom quietly.

"Geez, you two sure come up with the craziest things sometimes", the purple CPU said.

"Hey, what's that thing behind you, Neptune?', Ram asked, pointing at the purple Digimon.

"A purple dog?", added Rom innocently. This made the purple Digimon cross.

"I'm not a dog! I'm a Digimon!", he exclaimed.

"Wha?!", the twins jumped in shock and surprise, not expecting the creature to talk.

"Easy there, little guy! We're here to visit, not scare people", Neptune cautioned her partner.

"Oh, right. Sorry about that", Dorumon apologized. But the two Candidates were smiling.

"Wow! A talking monster! That's so awesome!", said Ram in excitement.

"He looks cute", Rom said, smiling brightly.

"Wow, didn't expect the twins to not freak out in front of a talking monster", Neptune commented.

"Are you kidding? Having a pet monster to raise is one of the best things that a kid could dream of!", Ram exclaimed.

"Well, my friend here is one of a kind. His name's Dorumon, and he's my partner", Neptune explained.

"Nice to meet you. I hope we can be friends", said the purple Digimon.

"This is so cool. I'm actually jealous. Now I want one of my own!", Ram shouted.

"I want one too", added Rom quietly.

"Oh right, I forgot you two played Pocketed Monstrosities a lot", the purple CPU said.

Just then, they heard another loud voice coming from down the hallway.

"WHERE ARE YOU BRATS AT?! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR MESSING WITH MY BOOKS AGAIN!", said the voice angrily.

"Uh oh! That's our cue to skadoo!", Ram exclaimed as she ran off to hide somewhere.

"Wait for me, Ram!", Rom said, chasing after her sister.

The purple pair then heard another pair of footsteps enter the room. A girl taller than the Candidate twins was huffing and puffing with a look of anger on her face.

"Damn those two! They're going to be the death of me one of these days!", she exclaimed.

The angry girl was Blanc, the CPU of Lowee, who goes by the name of White Heart when she is in her Goddess form. Normally she is a quiet and sometimes emotionless girl who mostly likes to read books, sometimes even writing her own novels. But if someone gets on her nerves enough, she'll snap and go into a rage, even sometimes emitting a murderous aura around her. And anyone or anything unlucky enough to get on Blanc's bad side when she's in a state of anger are in for a world of hurt. Despite her attitude, though, she still manages to somewhat get along with the CPUs at times.

She had brown hair like her sisters, but was short like Rom's, and has dull blue eyes that showed no expression. She wears a white cap with light blue ruffles and attached to it were a brown and gold under and center piece. During cold weather, she would wear a white coat with powder blue markings, dark brown linings, and light brown fur, and underneath her coat was a white dress with dark brown linings and markings. She also wears a light blue choker on her neck with a single white stripe in the middle and a blue gem in the center, a white ribbon wrapped around her right leg, and a pair of blue sandals makes up her footwear.

She looked at Neptune's direction and groaned. It was bad enough for her sisters to bother her, and now has to deal with the CPU of Planetune.

"Ugh, that's just what I need, the fruitcake of Planetune...", Blanc sighed in annoyance.

"Is that any way to treat a friend?", asked Neptune innocently.

"Just tell me what you want, Neptune. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not in a good mood", said the brown haired CPU.

"Oh I noticed alright. I just choose to ignore it is all", said Neptune in her carefree attitude. "Anyway, just wanted to come over, say hi, see what's happening and all that."

"Otherwise known as 'freeloading in my Basilicom', am I correct?", Blanc deadpanned.

"Ehehehe, ya got me", giggled Neptune.

Blanc pinched the bridge of her nose, not wanting to deal with Neptune's antics. Then, she noticed the purple Digimon standing next to the lilac haired CPU.

"Hey, what is that?", she asked. "It looks like a purple dog."

"Digimon! Not dog, Digimon!", Dorumon snapped in annoyance again.

"Huh?!", Blanc said in surprise, as she was not expecting him to talk.

"Oh right, forgot to introduce you to him", Neptune explained. "This is Dorumon! And he's not a dog, he's my Digimon partner."

Blanc looked at the purple Digimon. She was now curious as to why Neptune had a creature like Dorumon following her around.

"I think you have some explaining to do, so I'll have my maid Financier bring us some hot cocoa for us in the lounge. Come on", Blanc said as she gestured Neptune and Dorumon to follow her.

"Alright. My throat's been getting cold ever since arriving here", the lilac haired CPU said as she and Dorumon followed behind her.


Later, after Blanc had cooled down and Financier had brought the group their hot cocoa, the purple pair told the brown haired CPU everything about what's been going on, from Neptune meeting with Dorumon, to Noire getting a Digimon partner herself. Blanc nodded at every word they said as she listened on. She found it all impossible to believe at first, considering that it was Neptune who was telling her the story. But as she had listened on, she started to think that it wasn't as made up as she had originally thought. Blanc blinked a bit after processing what Neptune had said.

"I see", she said finally after Neptune had finished her story. "Well that's not exactly the strangest thing I heard in my life."

"But aren't you the least bit surprised about all of this though?", asked Neptune.

"Not really", replied Blanc. "In fact, this actually might make a great idea for my new story."

"Uh, Blanc, hate to burst your bubble, but we're already in a story, and the author is currently writing as we speak", said Neptune, breaking the fourth wall once more.

"What are you even blabbering on about?", the brown haired CPU deadpanned.

"Oh, never you mind", Neptune said, ignoring the question.

Blanc sighed as she took another sip of her hot cocoa. She still couldn't help but be fascinated by the Digimon's appearance in Gameindustri. She even wondered what the Digital World even looked like.

"Well, if this Dorumon is from the Digital World as he says he is, then how come he hasn't returned there?", Blanc asked.

"I'd really like to, but I want to explore Gameindustri first. It looks so interesting", the purple Digimon replied.

"I see. That makes sense. It's not everyday that you end up in a new place and then you want to explore", the brown haired CPU said.

Dorumon then sniffed her cup of cocoa. Blanc jerked her cup away from the purple Digimon.

"Please don't do that", she said.

"But I want a taste", Dorumon responded, poking his nose further.

"Well get your own then", Blanc persisted, pushing him back. Dorumon pouted as he sat back down.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot to ask, but have you seen any monsters like my partner here?", Neptune asked.

"I don't think so. We haven't got any reports of strange monsters in Lowee", the brown haired CPU replied.

"Well, I'm just asking because Histy told me to check up on you and the other CPUs for any Digi-man sightings", Neptune stated, butchering the name of the purple Digimon's race again.

"If I knew of anything about these 'Digimons', I would be telling you by now, wouldn't I?", Blanc said to the lilac haired Goddess.

"Well, you got a point there", Neptune said, now trying to think of something else to say before Blanc spoke up again.

"I just realized, I haven't heard a peep from Ram or Rom", she said. Neptune noticed how quit it was too.

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe they're napping?", asked Neptune.

"No, it's not exactly the time for that yet", Blanc doubted as she got up from her seat. "I'm going to check on them. Stay here."

"You got it, Blanny!", Neptune replied teasingly.

"And don't call me by that ridiculous name. I thought we made that clear", the brown haired Goddess stated in annoyance.

"C'mon, after C-Sha started calling you that, I just have to do it too", Neptune replied.

Blanc sighed as she started down the hallway towards Ram and Rom's room. As she got close, she still didn't hear anything coming from their room. She knocked on their door, expecting a response, but there was no reply.

"Ram, Rom are you two in there?", Blanc called through the door, but there was still no response.

After a few seconds of silence, she opened the door and looked inside. She didn't see any sign of the twins anywhere. She then thought that they had sneaked into her room again when she wasn't looking, so she exited Ram and Rom's room and walked further down the hall to where her room was she reached her door, she opened it up, only to find nobody inside either. Now Blanc was getting worried. She then went back down the hall towards her study, hoping that the twins were just playing hide-and-seek. She soon reached the doors to her study and opened them, only to find her maid Financier inside, doing some dusting and cleaning.

"Lady Blanc? Do you require something?", she asked the brown haired Goddess.

"Have you seen Ram or Rom anywhere? I can't find them", Blanc inquired, hoping Financier would know.

"I think the last time I saw them, they might have been heading outside. Is there something wrong?", the maid asked.

"Only the fact that they shouldn't go anywhere alone without telling me. What were those two thinking?", Blanc wondered aloud.

"Perhaps they wanted to wait until you calmed down after your recent 'episode'", Financier stated.

"That doesn't make me feel any better! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!", Blanc asked crossly.

"I didn't think they would be gone for long. But now that I think about it, they have been out for a while", Financier pondered.

"Damnit, I've got to find them. I bet they're headed for the snowfields", the brown haired girl said as she ran out of the study.

"Please be careful, Lady Blanc!", the maid called out to her Goddess as she resumed her cleaning.

Blanc had rushed back into the lounge where Neptune and Dorumon were still sitting at. They saw the look of worry on the CPU's face as they got up from their seats and walked to her.

"Hey, where's the fire, Blanc? You look like you're about to have a heart attack", Neptune asked her.

"I probably will if I can't find Ram or Rom! They wandered off somewhere and now I've got to find them!", Blanc said frantically.

"Whoa, check yourself before you wrickity-wreck yourself, girl! We'll help you out!", the lilac haired CPU exclaimed.

"Yeah, you can count on us!", added in Dorumon.

Blanc felt a little better knowing that Neptune and the purple Digimon were willing to help search for her sisters. She nodded in agreement, knowing that they have no time to waste.

"Alright then. They're probably heading for the snowfields outside of town. Let's go!", she shouted as she ran out the door with Neptune and Dorumon following behind.

As they exited the Basilicom, inside Blanc's room, a white light suddenly shined underneath the CPU's door. Financier had finished just finished cleaning the study room when she saw the light.

"Hm? What is that?", she wondered as she looked on.

Then as quick as it had appeared, it vanished. Curious, the maid decided to see what had happened inside Blanc's room. She opened the door and looked inside. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. Then she saw something on one of the shelves on a bookcase. She reached out to it and inspected what appeared to be a white device with light blue markings.

"When did Lady Blanc get this?", Financier asked herself as she wondered where it even came from.


Somewhere in the snowfields outside the city area of Lowee, the twin Candidates were walking through the white landscape, looking for something to do.

"Ram, are you sure we should be going out here alone? Blanc doesn't know we're here", Rom asked her longer haired twin.

"Blanc's still mad at us, and besides, we won't go too far from the city, so it's okay", Ram replied.

"I don't know about this...", Rom said worriedly as they marched on through the snow.

"Relax. We'll just build a snowman or something. And we can take care of ourselves if we get attacked", the pink-clad Candidate reassured her twin.

"I hope so", said Rom, still worried for their safety.

They continued on, looking for a perfect spot to build their own snowmen. Soon they found a nice flat area and started to gather up some snow, building it up into large white balls. They stacked them up one by one and then started to look for branches and pebbles. As soon as they found some, they used the pebbles for the eyes, nose, and mouth, and two branches for the arms. At last, their snowmen were complete.

"Hmmm...", Ram then pondered, thinking of something.

"What is it?", Rom asked the pink-clad twin.

"Something isn't quite right. It doesn't look complete", Ram stated, looking at her snowman inquisitively.

Rom looked at her snowman too, now wondering if her sculpture was missing anything either. Them Ram snapped her fingers, an idea forming in her head.

"I got it!", she exclaimed as she took off her hat and placed it on top of her snowman. Rom saw this and decided to follow suit, taking off her hat and placing it on her snowman as well.

"There! Now they look complete!", Ram said cheerfully.

"They look like us now", Rom said as she smiled at the sight of their creations.

"I bet nobody would be able to tell the difference if we stood beside them", the longer haired Candidate thought aloud.

Just then, the twins heard a noise from afar. It sounded like a fight of sorts, but the Candidates couldn't tell if it actually was or not.

"What do you think that is?", Ram asked her light blue-clad twin.

"I don't know", said Rom, now getting nervous.

"Well then, let's go check it out!", Ram exclaimed as she was about to go check out the sound, but her twin halted her for a moment.

"What about our hats?", the light blue-clad Candidate asked.

"We'll come back for them later, okay? Now let's go!", Ram persisted as she raced to the sound of the noise.

"Ram, wait for me!", her sister shouted as she followed behind.

They ran off to the direction of where the noise was coming from, now curious to see what was causing the commotion.


Meanwhile, near the same spot where the twins were, Blanc, Neptune, and Dorumon were searching through the snowfields, still looking for Ram and Rom.

"Damn it all, where the hell are they?!", exclaimed Blanc in frustration.

"Please don't get mad, Blanc. I'm sure we'll find them", Dorumon said in an attempt to calm her down.

"Shut it! I'll get mad whenever I want!", the brown haired CPU snapped.

Dorumon backed away nervously. Neptune patted him on the head for comfort.

"Don't worry, Dorumon. She's just worried as much as we are. You'll get used to her being cranky sometimes", Neptune reassured her partner.

Dorumon hoped she would be right about what the lilac haired Goddess said as they continued through the snow, keeping an eye out for any signs of the twin Candidates. Just then, they could see something up ahead. It looked like two figures in the distance.

"Hey, call me crazy, but I think I see some pink and blue dots out there", Neptune blurted out.

"That must be them!", Blanc exclaimed as she raced to the two shapes out in the snow.

"Hey, wait up girl!", the lilac haired CPU said as she and Dorumon chased after her.

As they got closer, the group could see that the figures were actually snowmen. It looked like they were made recently. What really caught their eye was that the two snowmen were both wearing distinctive light blue and pink caps on top of them.

"Those are Rom and Ram's hats", Blanc said as she inspected the snowmen.

"Oh jeepers creepers! Ram and Rom turned into frozen snow sculptures! We're too late!", Neptune gasped.

"Don't be an idiot, Neptune. Look", the brown haired CPU said

She grabbed Ram's hat and pushed the head off of the snowman. It fell to the ground with a thud. Now Dorumon gasped in shock.

"Oh my gosh, she killed 'Snow Ram!'", Neptune exclaimed.

"You cruel monster! How could you do that!?", added Dorumon.

"Will you two just shut up for one second! They're just snowmen! They're not really Ram or Rom!", Blanc explained to the pair. They looked at the fallen snowman and then looked back at Blanc.

"Ohhhh", said Dorumon as he calmed down.

"Oh yeah, I was just messing with you. I knew it all along", Neptune said with a smile.

"Somehow I doubt you were joking...", Blanc deadpanned as she look at Rom and Ram's caps.

"Hey, if they made those snowmen, that means they couldn't have gone too far", said the lilac haired CPU.

"You might be right. But we don't know which direction to look", stated Blanc. Neptune then looked at Dorumon, and then had an idea pop in her head.

"Hey, Dorumon, can you track Ram and Rom's scent?", she asked the purple Digimon.

"I think so. But I need something to track them with", he said.

"Will their hats do?", Blanc inquired as she moved the caps to Dorumon's snout.

He sniffed the caps for a moment and then started to move to a different direction. The two CPUs looked on in amazement.

"How about that? My partner has a super nose!", cheered Neptune.

"He really is like a dog", added Blanc as she looked on.

"I heard that!", snapped the purple Digimon. "Now follow me! I think they went this way!"

The CPUs nodded to each other as they chased after Dorumon, hoping he'll find the twins in the snowfield. But as they raced off to the distance, a pair of beady cold eyes watched them from within a snow pile. It got up from the snow as it watched the group get farther away.

"..."

The figure then started to move towards the direction of the CPUs, following their trail slowly.


Elsewhere, the twins were still following the unknown sounds. The noise seemed to be coming from a snow-covered forest. The sound got louder as the twins got closer. The Candidates were grew more curious as they went along.

"What do you think it is, Ram?", Rom asked her sister.

"I don't know, but we're getting close, so let's stay quiet", Ram said as she crouched behind a snow covered bush. Her sister followed suit as she got beside her. They peaked their heads out slightly to see what was on the other side.

In the distance was what appeared to be a monster slashing at a tree. The creature had reddish eyes, a blue body with white fur and markings, and his claws, feet, head, and tail looked like they were all covered in ice. The twins had never seen a monster like this in Lowee.

"I don't think I ever seen that before. Have you?", Ram whispered to the light blue-clad Candidate.

"No, me neither", Rom whispered back, now getting nervous.

Ram starts to lean out a bit to get a closer look at the creature. It looked like it was clawing at the tree for a reason. Either it was sharpening its claws or it was looking for food. It didn't seem to notice the twins yet.

"Wow", Ram said as she leaned out further.

"Be careful, Ram", cautioned Rom as she moved to look at the creature.

But as the twins moved their heads out, Ram suddenly lost her balance. Rom tried to catch her sister, but she too lost her footing and tumbled out of the bush with Ram. The sound of the fumble had caught the attention of the creature as it turn its head to the twins. The two Candidates looked up to the creature and it looked back at them.

"Uh-oh", they both gulped as the creature approached them.


Back with the two CPUs and the purple Digimon, the group were still looking for the twin Candidates. The CPUs had followed Dorumon into a snow-covered forest, who was still tracking the scent of Ram and Rom.

"Jeez, how much further is it? I'm getting chilly here", Neptune groaned.

"I told you to get yourself a coat, Neptune", Blanc replied to the lilac haired girl.

"You know I can't afford those things around here. They cost too much in Lowee", Neptune wined.

"I could've got you one if you just asked", stated the brown haired CPU.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to bother you about it", said Neptune.

"Guys, I think we're getting close! The smell is getting stronger!", exclaimed Dorumon.

Then they heard a loud shriek echoing through the forest. It sounded like two little girls screaming.

"That sounded like Ram and Rom!", Neptune shouted.

"Ram! Rom!", Blanc yelled as she followed the direction of where the shrieking came from.

"Hey, Blanc, wait up!", Neptune called out as she and Dorumon raced after Blanc.

As the group got close to the source of the noise, Blanc got her giant hammer ready, thinking that a monster was attacking her sisters. But when the group reached the source of the sound, they could see that it was the other way around. Ram and Rom were running around chasing a creature, shrieking in excitement.

"Huh?", the group all said at once. The twins and creature heard the group and turned to see them.

"Oh, hey guys! We're playing tag with this guy", Ram said.

"He's very fun. Can we keep him?", added Rom as she smile with her sister.

The CPUs and Dorumon looked at the frosty creature and it smiled at them.

"Ram, Rom...", Blanc said to the twins.

"Uh-oh", whispered Neptune as she and her Digimon partner covered their ears.

The twins now looked nervous as Blanc's face got covered in blackness and then a red eye glowed menacingly...

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TWO TELL ME WHERE YOU WERE GOING?!", she yelled at the twins.

"Yikes! Blanc's angry again!", Ram jumped as she started to run.

"Run away!", shrieked Rom as she followed her pink-clad twin.

"GET BACK HERE YOU BRATS! YOU'RE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE WHEN I CATCH YOU!", Blanc shouted as she gave chase to her twins.

"Are they going to be alright?", asked Dorumon worriedly.

"Oh, I'm sure they will. That's just Blanc's way of showing that she cares for them", Neptune replied as she smiled awkwardly.

"I'm still not so sure about that...", said the purple Digimon.

The pair then looked at the creature that the twins were playing tag with.

"So, is that another Digimon?", asked Neptune.

"Yeah, I think it is. Who are you?", Dorumon asked the creature.

"I'm Blucomon! It's nice to meet you!", it replied in excitement.

Neptune and Dorumon then looked at each other, then back at the sight of Blanc chasing her sisters in circles. They both thought it would be a while before they would settle down and head back to the Basilicom...


I hope you enjoyed this chapter. But just what was that figure following the two CPUs? We'll find out next chapter, won't we?

I honestly had some trouble thinking how I should make this chapter. At first I didn't know what scenes I was going to add to this one, nor how I would make them work.

Secondly, and this was a real problem, was how I can give a partner to Blanc. But I'm pretty sure that some of you who have read this chapter to the end will probably know who her partner will be. I'll admit, though, I was coming close to giving her Gomamon and his Digivolution line, but then I saw Blucomon and then I thought he looked like a better choice. It might become a problem later on, however. I'll probably explain this in the next chapter.

For now, this chapter is now concluded. If you enjoyed this, be sure to leave a review and follow for more. Until next time!