I should have let her out much earlier, y'know? She could have already had nice friends for years. I don't regret keeping her for myself for so long, but that doesn't mean I couldn't have done better... stop laughing, Histy! I'm serious!

-Neptune

While they made their way through the outskirts of Planeptune's capital, IF regaled her friend with what happened the previous day; Compa raptly listened to her recounting of the battle against the Dolphin, curious but also amazed.

They had to walk for a bit after taking the bus out here, then needed to look for the right place. Buildings were less tightly packed in these neighbourhoods, allowing for rather spacious yards. This was also confirmation for something they had been assuming for a while; the Nep sisters were from a well-off family at least. Perhaps not rich, but definitely close.

"Is this it?" Compa looked back and forth between a slip of paper in her hand and the sign; IF double-checked the number Neptune sent to her phone the previous evening, then nodded. "Looks like it." Her eyes wandered over the neatly trimmed hedges and flowerbeds surrounding the stone path leading inside; she could tell a lot of care went into all of this.

They got going with Compa in the lead, both of them carrying small bags with their respective presents. Both girls knew the other was curious about how their mutual friend lived, though IF also wondered what brought her to join the Guild.

"It's actually pretty convenient that Nepgear's birthday is a holiday," Compa noted on the way. IF made an agreeing noise while ringing the doorbell; they had no school this day, which made it much easier to take the time for coming this far out.

They did not have to wait long, as the door opened about an instant after the bell was rung. "Aha, the first guests are there!" And greeting them was a familiar face, framed by bright purple hair. Neptune beamed at them as she always did, quickly darting around the two and pushing them inside. "Come on, come on!" Neither of them resisted the small force of nature, though the girls exchanged a knowing smile.

For all that Neptune was older than them, she acted as excitable as a child.

IF noted the fact there was little in terms of furniture, at least beyond the necessities. They quickly left the entrance behind after taking off their shoes, with both girls being pushed into a spacious living room. There they found the birthday girl, sitting at a wooden table and with a faint blush on her cheeks; Nepgear fiddled with the strap of a tiny party hat, but stopped doing so when they entered. "Ah, IF, Compa. I'm glad you found it."

"No problem, it's just a bit further out than we're used to." IF looked around for a moment, finding no one but the four of them. "I guess we're early?" She rolled her eyes when Neptune jumped on her back, but left the older one where she was; she long since learned that leaving her be was better for everyone's sanity.

"Oh, no," Nepgear told her with a glance to her tablet. "You're actually right on time, it's just... Uni is running late." IF quickly found a similar party hat to Nepgear's on her own head, the straps lightly pushing into her skin. Compa received the same treatment right after.

"Uni? You mentioned her a few times, but I don't think we ever got her name before."

The purplette shrugged at that, a little sheepish. "I guess it wasn't important before. The storm last night was pretty strong and they took a while to check the rails."

IF wondered; Nepgear was shy, but she did not strike her as the loner-type such as herself. She would not say so, but it was a little surprising after all. "So she's from another city? Did you meet her on the internet?" Nepgear's nod turned into a shake at that. "Ah, no. Our big sisters go way back and she has been my friend for a long time now."

This made IF raise an eyebrow before turning her gaze to Neptune, who just grinned and showed them a V-sign. Nepgear did not seem to mind, seeing that she answered the other question as well: "And yes, she is technically from another city. From Lastation."

Now she knew why they never met Uni over the year since meeting Nepgear. Living that far away made it a hassle to meet up. "I see, and the trains weren't running for hours." The other girls nodded in response while Neptune brought out a cake.

Compa tapped her chin in thought, though. "What kind of girl is she? I heard that people in Lastation are really serious and always busy with work. Like Iffy." "Hey!"

Nepgear giggled, as did Neptune. Once the sisters were done, the younger one answered. "Well, that stereotype isn't all wrong. Not everyone is a hard worker, but the majority is. And, uh, so is Uni. She studies to be a blacksmith like her sister." She made a short pause to hand a plate from Neptune to IF, seeing that the former started cutting the cake. "Here you go. Anyway, she's... ugh, this is pretty difficult."

Meanwhile, the smaller purplette laughed without making any noise and poked her sister's back. Nepgear did not react much, being lost in thought. "Uni is... proud, I guess. People over there are competitive in different ways. Or they are more serious about it? Anyway, she is really proud of her skill."

From the sound of it, IF figured this might be someone she would not get along with. She was proud of her own abilities as well, but never saw any reason to push them in anyone's face. Then again, she did not really hear anything concrete just yet.

While Nepgear fell into another long pause, Neptune took up for her. "Uni throws lots of work into the stuff she makes and she's good at it, too. Think Iffy but with a higher drive to compete, and even less willing to show her true feelings." "Hey!"

Now it was Compa and Nepgear who giggled; IF hid her smile behind her coat's high collar, knowing that the older purplette was not wrong. She could admit that to herself by now. "So she comes with the inferiority complex, too?"

"Yup~"

Neither of the other two smiled this time, though the brunette did. She and Neptune exchanged knowing looks while Compa pouted at them. Nepgear sighed and changed the subject.

. .

. .

Morning soon turned to noon and in time, their conversation was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door. Nepgear immediately shot up from her chair and Neptune waved for them to get up as well. Together with the older sister, both IF and Compa snuck to the doorframe to peek.

In the hallway was another girl with Nepgear, perhaps slightly younger and a little shorter. IF faintly wondered where all the beauties came from, considering that this one was as spotless in her appearance as the purplette that let her in. Uni wore mainly black that accentuated her pale skin, a simple blouse together with a skirt that passed her knees.

"-so glad you made it," Nepgear finished whatever she was saying, before pulling the other girl into a hug. Uni simply rolled her eyes before wrapping gloved hands around the other girl's back. "Of course I am here, I said I would come." Her voice was sharper than Nepgear's as well, though IF could not hear any edge in it. In fact, her whole expression appeared rather more soft than the previous description would have made them imagine.

Then Uni's piercing red eyes landed on the three of them and narrowed. The softness vanished and an immaculate eyebrow was raised, the frown emanating displeasure with just that much. Neptune quickly pulled back, so they did the same and got back to standing properly. IF exchanged a look with Compa, who shrugged.

The two girls entered a few moments later, Uni a step behind Nepgear and with a faint blush; her sharp eyes measured both IF and Compa in an instant, offering none of the previous friendliness. She did not say anything, though. Nepgear motioned for her with a bright smile. "Now everyone is here! This is Uni, and these two are Compa and IF."

The newcomer's attempted harrumph was drowned out by Compa, who came forward without a thought spend on the fact they just were spying on her. "It's nice to meet you, Uni. We already heard a lot about you."

By herself, IF had to admit that the confused expression on Uni's face was amusing to watch. The indifferent attitude cracked to reveal her being completely flat-footed. "I-I see?"

Neptune giggled in the background while IF tapped her friend's shoulder to stop her. "Yeah, we heard you two go way back. Nice to meet you."

Green and red eyes met for a moment; IF had no idea if her intentions were received, but Uni did offer her a subtle nod. "Naturally. It's a pleasure."

Compa and Nepgear simply beamed, one because she got to meet someone new and the other because her friend was well-received. Then a plate with cake hovered into their field of vision, held by Neptune and pointed at the black-haired girl. "Here you go, Uni. Put your stuff down wherever and the present to the others over there." "Thank you."

The calm facade was in place again by this point; Uni took the plate and set down the bag she had been carrying, before fishing out a small parcel. The wrapping was neatly done and only slightly rumpled from the journey, with a black bow on top. Meanwhile, Neptune turned to IF and Compa, a resigned expression in her whole posture. "I tell her every year she only needs to bring herself, but she never listens."

Uni almost dropped both the present and the cake when she heard IF's response: "Do you mean as a guest, or as a present?"

Compa blinked at her in surprise while Nepgear and Uni both flushed a deep scarlet, the former hiding her face and the latter looking positively scandalised. Neptune laughed before returning a sly smirk. "Heh, yes." IF just shook her head at that. "Figures." She had met Neptune on a few occasions, quickly finding snark to be the only viable defense against her. For some reason, the purplette did not seem to care one bit.

On top of that, she also got to tease Nepgear for once; they knew each other long enough for that to be okay, and Uni appeared not too angry about it. She gave them a narrow-eyed look that was not scary with how red her face remained, then shook her head and went back to putting down her present. "So you found someone new to play off of?" "Yup~!"

IF let her cover up for the joint embarassment, though she did wonder if there was perhaps a grain of truth in the joke Neptune made. Then she shook the thought out of her head, deciding to wait and see how Nepgear and Uni interacted before getting to weird conclusions. Instead, she threw a curious look at Neptune, who beamed right back. "It's usually Noire snarking back at me. This way is twice the fun, y'know?"

She just snorted in response while Compa giggled about it. "Would that be Uni's sister?" "Bingo!"

After that, they all got back to the table and sat down. Uni took a seat between the sisters, opposite to IF, who noted her behaviour and dismissed it immediately after. She took a bite out of her cake and enjoyed the taste before Uni brought her back into the conversation: "I heard you're in the Guild with Nepgear?"

She nodded quickly and swallowed. "Yeah. It's a good team."

"I see." The other girl pondered her words for a bit, then looked to Nepgear when the purplette took over with a smile. "Uni will join up in three months, when she's sixteen."

This got their attention; IF took another look over the raven-haired girl, who rolled her eyes but did not deny it. "Really? I thought you're going for blacksmithing."

"I also do that, yes," Uni responded and straightened up. "But that doesn't mean I can only be a blacksmith. I'm also a sniper, and a good one at that." She stubbornly held IF's gaze until the brunette nodded in understanding. Then her eyes snapped downward. "Actually, Nepgear said you're using a pistol?" "...Yes?" "Show me."

IF cast a glance at the other girls, noting Compa's interest and Nepgear's sheepishness. Neptune did not seem to mind either way, so she sighed and snuck a hand into her coat; Uni immediately took the weapon once presented, looking it over calmly. "Hm. It's standard, but a good... oh. Nepgear~?"

For some reason, the birthday girl averted her gaze, though Uni appeared more amused than angry. "Say, wasn't this one of the models I told you is good for beginners?"

"Um, maybe?" If the way Nepgear played with her hair was any indication, she would have preferred for this particular matter to stay unmentioned.

"You have to know," Neptune stage-whispered to IF, loud enough for everyone to hear, "Uni is also a gun-nut. If it shoots, she knows it."

Instead of being embarassed however, the Lastationite preened. "Of course." Then she went back to examining the weapon for a bit longer and handed it back. "I see you're taking good care of that one, but it's not a quality model and starting to wear out. You should replace it in the near future."

The brunette just shook her head over the situation in its entirety, pocketing her pistol. "I'm trying and thanks for the advice. Anyway, perhaps we should all go hunting together sometime? With most of us in the Guild, I mean." No one could claim she was not trying, though Uni remained a little off-putting to her. Prim and proper and everything, but still... off.

The black-haired girl considered her words with a slight frown before nodding. "I wouldn't mind that. Nepgear and I went out to hunt a few times over the years. But I don't have my rifle on me, so we'll have to do it some other time. I would not mind showing you around if you come to Lastation sometime." IF nodded her agreement, as did Nepgear.

Then the brunette thought about what was said and cast another look at her newest acquaintance. "Wait, where would we hunt Monsters in Lastation?"

"Everywhere you find them?" Uni blinked at her in confusion, but both IF's and Compa's incomprehending gazes made her pinch the bridge of her nose. "Seriously? Ugh. You do know you can leave any city through any gate, right?" When they shook their heads, the younger girl sighed. "Of course. Look, we can go out anywhere and everywhere, the only restriction is that children need their parents' or guardians' permission. And insurance won't pay if you get hurt or die outside, if you go as a civilian. There is some legal stuff in place for the Guild and adventurers.

"So really, that's all there is to it," Uni finished with the proper behaviour back in place. "Virtua Forest is just Planeptune's tourist attraction; it has additional security and is basically the only place you can safely bring children outside of a city."

Had Uni known IF better, she certainly would have said it differently. As it was, she had no idea of the memories especially her afterthought brought up. IF only barely managed to hide her frown and the cold "Sure" made it through, though it was quiet enough to only catch Neptune's attention.

Now that she was reminded of the matter, IF realised two things. The first was that this day was that day's anniversary. The second was that it had been years since she visited their graves.

Those thoughts remained on her mind for the whole time they stayed, through conversation and games. It stayed in the background, but she could not shake it off. And as the afternoon sun began to sink, IF sighed before passing her controller to Neptune. "I guess I'm heading out now, there's still somewhere I have to be. You think you can win this for me, Nep?"

The others threw her curious looks, but any questions were heeded off by the smaller purplette's "Aye, boss! Leave it to me!", though the cheer did not reach Neptune's eyes. IF had a feeling that she knew something, but did not feel like asking. Instead, she put on a smile and turned to the others. "It's been a fun day. I see you two tomorrow... and nice meeting you, Uni."

Nepgear quickly paused the game and got up to see her friend off, returning with a puzzled expression while Compa appeared worried. Uni just looked between the other three with slightly narrowed eyes, but said nothing. The atmosphere remained subdued for another hour, which was around the time Compa had to leave.

Only then did the Lastationite speak up: "Okay, what happened there with IF?" There was a hint of irritation in her voice, only weakly covering the concern both Neps could hear clearly. Nepgear considered for a moment, but admitted her lack of insight with a shrug. She only knew something was up, not what exactly.

Neptune remained quiet a little longer, pondering the situation. When she spoke, it was preceded by a sigh. "Oh well, not like you couldn't just look it up. Remember that comment you made about Virtua being safe?" Uni nodded and tilted her head in a silent question; Neptune obliged. "Well, Iffy lost her parents over there when she was little. Exactly twelve years ago."

She immediately regretted having said anything, seeing how much the children paled. However, at least Neptune could run some damage control if it was her breaking the news. "Don't worry, she's not mad at you. You couldn't know." She gently tapped around the table and pulled both girls into her arms, one on each side. Uni stiffened for a moment before relaxing while Nepgear happily snuggled up to her without hesitation.

The three of them fell to the floor without a care, staring at the ceiling; Neptune kept a hold on both girls, feeling them relax into it. "Really, it's not your fault." She knew the only one to blame was herself, after all. She could have prevented this in its entirety, many years ago. Had she been faster, that was. "Anyway," Neptune changed the subject after another few moments, "what do you think of them?"

The answer took a while. Uni had her eyes closed in thought while both purplettes watched her. "I... am not sure, to be honest. They strike me as good people, but that is hard to say for sure after just a few hours."

"Heh," Neptune agreed with a light poke into the girl's side, "they're both great gals. But I'm sure you're warming up to them so fast because they make Nepgear smile. Isn't she pretty that way?" Both girls blushed while the woman in their midst giggled and sat up, pulling the other two along without any effort. "Come on, let's get some tea going. I have chocolate pudding, too!"

However, Uni shook her head. "No, not yet." She wandered back and forth for a moment, then cast a look at Neptune. "I think I should apologise to IF first. Even if I didn't know, what I said was still insensitive. But, um, I have no idea where to find her..."

The way they began to smile at her, knowingly and encouragingly both, made the Lastationite wonder if she should be embarassed or happy.

. .

. .

Night had begun to fall by the time IF fell out of her thoughtlessness. She blinked down at the gravestone in front of her, having read the inscription again and again without ever processing it. There was a hollow feeling in her chest, both raised and quelled at the same time.

She felt stiff after standing still for so long, hands hidden in her pockets. If there was any kind of feeling there, she could not tell. If she should say something, she had no words to speak.

They had been buried together, their eternal souls put to rest in a much different place.

No tears found their way out of IF, she simply sighed. "Sweet dreams."

With those words, she turned on her heels and wandered off; deep within, a part of her wondered if they were dreaming of a life where they were still around. So many possibilities existed, it might as well be a dream of them never meeting. Such was the Gamindustri Graveyard, where all life ultimately ended to dream of what could have been.

It took her a moment to recognise the black-clad figure waiting next to the cemetery's entrance, red eyes focussing on her the moment she left the place. Uni opened her mouth, but reconsidered and closed it again; her expression softened somewhat, though she did not meet IF's gaze.

They stood there for seconds that felt much longer, then the younger girl lowered her head. "I... I heard about this." A hand vaguely motioned for the cemetery's fence, making IF understand that her past was no secret to at least Neptune. "And I know I said something hurtful earlier, so... I'm sorry for that."

She had visible trouble with the apology, revealing how obviously unused she was to offering one. IF took a deep breath to shake off the last of her flaky thoughts and shrugged lightly. "You couldn't have known. Did you really come out here just to tell me that?" Uni nodded, frowned, and stood straight once more. When their eyes met, anything brittle she might have shown earlier was gone. "Yes, I did and you better appreciate it."

There was a slight bit of heat in her words; IF chuckled quietly and shook her head at that. "I do and it's fine, really. But it's getting dark... how long are you staying?"

"Tomorrow morning, and don't worry. I know the way back." Her actual question was instantly read out of the one she asked, making IF raise an eyebrow at Uni. "Really? Is it because Nep is hiding behind that corner?"

She had said it as a joke; much to the brunette's surprise, there came rustling from the corner she pointed at, followed by an alarmed shout. "We're busted, run!" Which in turn was followed by a surprised noise -Nepgear- and the patter of shoes on the ground. Uni grumbled under her breath while IF laughed about how ridiculous the situation became.

One could not even mope properly with Neptune around.