The growth of deities is similar to that of humans. CPUs are born older, at about the appearance of an eight-year old human child. They are immediately capable of communicating, interacting with their world, and learning properly. However, young CPUs grow only half as fast as humans; the common formula for how old they appear is eight plus half their actual age. However, the process stops entirely upon achieving their apotheosis; from then on, they are locked into the appearance they had at that point.
-Histoire
And yet they all fall in the end.
-A§"o!§e
There is a place between waking and sleeping, between life and death. A constant stream of where existence and unexistence touch, converging. Creation and destruction are one there, beginning and end a circle.
In a timeless instant, one was born. In a timeless eon, they grew and waited. This being knew something would happen; they had no idea what, but they knew nonetheless. Conscious thought came naturally, fleeting though it was in this space.
For an instant, this being saw all that ever was spread out in front of itself. Knowing, naturally, that what had been seen would be gone the moment something happened. No memory of this place would remain.
Yet the being was not sad, but patiently waited for another instant; to their amazement, knowledge began to fill their head. Their, her nation, Planeptune. The nation's protector, her sibling.
Then she felt herself connecting to another existence. A subtle bond that she knew would last a true eternity, not the moments that felt eternal to her. She could feel this other being's presence.
However, she knew little of the world that lay ahead. Her purpose was as clear as day, but everything else remained fleeting.
She could remember, and she could think. She could see all that came before her for an instant longer, and beheld it with awe. Even if it went forever erased from her memory, the impression the past had left on her would remain until the day all existence ended.
The stream around her began to coalesce, octarine quickly blossoming into pure silver. She knew what this meant; the moment of her birth was close. Her very being began to ripple in anticipation, wanting to meet her sibling and see what Gamindustri would be like.
Understanding followed as all became light. Her name was...
::
An hour of free time was nice, Neptune mused. She liked to spend a bit of each day just lazing around. Work was sparse these days, though she had never been naive enough to believe it would stay this way. At the very least, it would pick up in volume once the night ended; as usual.
Nonetheless, a cup of pudding in hand, knowing that Histoire sat at work and could catch any emergencies, Neptune remained content. Her nation ran smoothly despite the existential danger lurking beyond the walls she built for her people.
From one moment to the next however, she felt something change and darted to her feet. Her Share influx, normally steady, wavered for long moments. It settled quickly, but Neptune knew something happened.
Deep within her very being, she could feel it. The flow of her Shares was different; split. Just a small trickle that no longer went to her, but enough to be noticeable.
Jumping up and quickly finishing her pudding, the purple-haired CPU lost little time dashing for the door; past her office where Histoire was working, down to 400. Aside from housing the Maker's lounge, this storey held Planeptune's Share Crystal.
In general, it was an add-on in regard to Sharicite Engineering; not directly necessary. The Share Crystal was meant to gather a CPUs Share Energy before directing it to that CPU, its main use being for administrative and statistical purposes; the Share throughput could be analysed and compared to that of other nations.
As Neptune now learned, another function of it was to focus abnormalities in the secured area a Share Crystal would obviously be deposited in. She could feel that whatever happened, it happened there.
Deep within the CPU, a relentless mind had already produced a hypothesis. One that filled her with anticipation and dread alike; even though she felt herself connected to another and this normally only happened in one specific occasion, she did not dare hope before having confirmed it with her own eyes.
The room was tightly locked, with only her and Histoire holding the key blueprint. Keys did not even exist, seeing that both of them could easily create one out of Sharicite whenever necessary. Which was exactly what Neptune did, opening the heavy doors a moment later.
The soft, silver glow of her Share Crystal greeted her, yet the palpable warmth it relayed her way went unnoticed; her eyes were glued to the little girl sitting in front of the crystal, looking back with wonder.
The moment their eyes met, both pairs lilac, Neptune knew that she had fallen in love. For the first time in over five hundred years, the entirety of her being stopped, admiring and adoring the little frame. She knew that this was the presence she felt, could feel being connected to her on an almost instinctual level.
For the first time since she was born, Neptune truly had a family. A Candidate. Her Candidate.
Her sister.
In this first moment of their meeting, they both knew this as a fact. Neither of them averted their gaze, they simply took each other in.
This eternity took but a handful of seconds, silence broken when the child spoke up: "Um, you are my big sister, right?" She knew it as well as Neptune, yet she asked for confirmation. The older CPU understood that wish just fine; she, too, could hardly believe what was in front of her.
"Yeah," she whispered, warmth in even just that one word. She quickly dashed forward until she knelt before her sister, who did not shy away in the slightest; they did not know each other, but the little one instinctually knew she was safe.
Only when she came to rest in front of the little girl did Neptune realise that her Candidate was stark naked. Silver light rolled over her rosy skin, inhumanly unblemished just like Neptune's own. It was just an idle observation, put aside as neither of them cared for it.
Neptune's smile had rarely ever been as bright when she brought her sister into their first embrace. "Yeah, I am your sister." No greeting or welcoming was needed; she was here, and both of them were happy with that. "What's your name?"
The newborn thought about that for a moment, her own arms snaking around Neptune's shoulders and squeezing her in a gentle hug that would have been life-ending to a human. "Nepgear. What is yours?"
She half-mumbled the question into her older sister's shirt, who cooed and began to pet her head, daintily running her fingers through the girl's shock of purple hair. "I'm Neptune; we match." Much to her dismay, Nepgear only nodded against her; she did not get to hear her sister's adorable voice again. It did not deter her for long, though. "Let's get you home first," she told the newborn softly. "Can you make clothes?"
Her sister held still for a moment, arms wrapped around Neptune. Then she weakly shook her head. "I can't. Is that bad, Neptune?" Her own name had never sounded better, she found.
With warmth surging through her entire being, the petite woman picked her sister up in a princess carry. "Nah, it's fine. I couldn't do it immediately, either. You will learn it in time." She twirled around a few times and admired how the light played over her baby sister's skin, the very image of perfection. Nepgear giggled cheerfully and clutched her tightly, giving her a shy kiss on the cheek.
Neptune chuckled in response and dashed off, quickly sealing the room again. It was the middle of night, so nobody held them up; not that anyone would have done so during the day, either. Nobody dwelled this far up in Planeptower without permission.
It was not a long journey, yet Neptune rarely ever felt more alive. The small body in her arms was so much more firm than any child she ever held, yet so fragile. Nepgear could withstand grenades with little more than bruises already, but at the same time, the older CPU knew that there would be so much worse trials than that awaiting her.
And it was up to her to prepare her sister. Nepgear was her Candidate. Hers, and nobody elses.
Her family.
Such a simple word, yet one that Planeptune's Purple Heart had never truly associated with herself before. Even when Noire had proposed to her, offered her life and her nation to bind them together, even then Neptune had not felt like she did now.
For the first and only time in four hundred years was her mind truly at peace. Even the echo of Arfoire's voice could not reach her in these moments of bliss, as she held her newborn sister and ascended the stairs toward her, no, their home.
"Neptune?" Nepgear asked her on the way, eyes wide with curiousity as she looked around, "this is Planeptower, right? Do we live here?" Her question told the older CPU that her sister did not come without knowledge; Neptune simply nodded in response.
"Yup, our home is right at the top, where we can see the entire city and far, far into the distance." She made a stop at the office, noting that the lights were on and Histoire at work. Closing in, the door slid open to reveal everything as it always was; Neptune made a mental note to have a third desk installed.
Once she and Nepgear poked their heads in however, they found the Tome's avatar already facing them with a friendly smile. "I see you noticed her already. It is quite a pleasant surprise to have a new face around."
With these words, Histoire took to the air and maneuvered her main body toward the awestruck Candidate; Nepgear shily hid behind her sister a moment later, though her eyes never left the Tome. "You are Histoire, right?" She was hesitant, but obviously curious as well. The woman herself nodded benignly and lowered herself to Nepgear's eye level.
"Quite. It is a pleasure, Nepgear. You are quite the lucky girl, having been born as the Purple Sister. Neptune will certainly take good care of you."
Her pleasant tone and voice quickly coaxed the little girl from her hiding spot, the Tome's words making her smile and nod in agreement. Neptune found it drop-dead adorable, especially when they shook hands, with Histoire holding but three of Nepgear's fingers.
After finishing her introduction to the newborn CPU, the blonde turned her attention to Neptune and offered her a smile. "I... believe you should take the next week off to spend with her. I will compose her curriculum during that time, and you can introduce Gamindustri to her." Nepgear brightened at the prospect of knowledge, giddily hopping by Neptune's side and grabbing her hand out of excitement.
The older CPU took it with a smile, which was then extended to Histoire. "Sure thing. Thank you." That the Tome educated all CPUs was a given, seeing how no human could keep up with them for long. That she took over Neptune's workload so she could be with her sister... was not. It was a kind gesture, one which she was grateful for.
"Think nothing of it," she was told in response. Then Histoire's gaze wandered back to Nepgear. "To think that Planeptune received a Candidate, and the first of her generation on top of it."
"Huh? I am the first?" The news appeared to surprise Nepgear, though she was mostly curious; her bouncing became a little less pronounced, but she did not dig deeper when Histoire just nodded.
That in mind, Neptune had to admit that it may not be such a nice thing to be first. It might potentially take centuries until another Candidate was born, which would leave Nepgear without a peer. Without a friend like Noire was Neptune's friend.
She would have become a much different person, had it not been for the friends she had. She dearly hoped there would be more Candidates soon.
For now however, she had tasks to fulfill, which was why she softly squeezed her sister's hand and threw her Oracle a smile. "I'm gonna go play with Nepgear then. Don't worry, I'll do some work when she sleeps; and I'm definitely gonna be back to show her off to everyone." Her smirk elicited a chuckle from Histoire, who nodded in response. Then she waved and wandered off, Nepgear strolling along without prompting. The younger sister copied what she just saw and waved goodbye as well.
It was but moments until they reached the place Neptune called home. Yet, for the first time in her life, it was with the prospect of sharing that home. She had the occasional sleepover with friends of course, but it was different this time. "So, this is your home now. Our home. Wanna look around?"
She reluctantly let go of Nepgear's hand to give her a chance to walk by herself; as the younger CPU nodded however, she also took a hold of Neptune's skirt and followed her every step. The action almost made her squeal in joy.
After a quick tour of the necessities she mainly had for her human friends, they stood before the door to her room. "And this," Neptune finished cheerfully, "used to be my room. Now it's ours. I have to get some more furniture for you first, though. We can share my bed for now."
"Okay." Nepgear looked up at her with a soft smile, though she became a little confused when Neptune pushed her forward a little. "Um, do you want me to go first?"
"Yup, this is now your room, too. Go ahead and take a look."
So Nepgear took a step forward and grabbed for the door's handle. She then proceeded to press it down and pull, only to crush it in her hand and then rip it out of the door wholesale.
Neptune blinked at the casual destruction while her sister stared at the bent metal in her hands. Her lips began to wobble and tears gathered in her eyes as she looked to the older CPU. "I b-broke it. I'm sorry, sis, I, I..."
By the time she hiccupped, Neptune already had her arms around her. She gently pulled the broken lock and handle out of her sister's hands, then dropped them and held Nepgear close. "Shh, it's fine. I know you didn't mean to. Don't cry, Nepgear." She softly cooed and stroked her back, making the Candidate calm down quickly.
Still teary-eyed, Nepgear slowly let go of her and looked down at the broken mechanism. She did not say anything, but Neptune could guess what went through her head easily enough. That was why she gave her cheek a soft poke and smiled once her attention was back on the older CPU. "It's fine, really. I'll teach you how to rein in your strength and it will be fine. I will fix that in a bit."
While she personally had not needed to learn how to do it, as it came instinctively, Neptune could guess that the same did not apply to her sibling. Perhaps, she reasoned, Candidates did not require the knowledge immediately because they had a guardian sibling.
After a moment of consideration, Neptune picked up her sister and then pushed open the door, admitting them into a room that had seen few changes over the centuries; now it would have to be remodeled, but the CPU did not mind that in the slightest.
Nepgear took in her room with excitement. The spark of joy returned to her eyes as she looked this way and that, making Neptune chuckle. "Do you like it?"
"Yeah. I love it, sis." A handful of words that made the older sister feel warmer again.
She did feel a little playful in these moments, aside from wanting to hear Nepgear say more cute things. "Say, between this room and your big sister, which do you-" "You. I love you more." The response came before she even finished her question, without hesitation. Nepgear quickly wrapped her arms around her in a possessive hug. "I will always love you the most, sis."
Neptune suddenly felt really stupid for having even asked. She pulled her sister into a tight hug and dropped to the ground, just lying there in utter bliss. "Yeah, that was a dumb question." Then she began to run her fingers through Nepgear's hair, the Candidate content with staying in her arms. "Want me to tell you about Gamindustri now? Or do you want to do clothes first?"
Neither of them cared much for it, but Nepgear was still naked and would need to wear clothes once Neptune took her outside. They both knew that and the young CPU considered the matter for several moments. In the end, she looked up at her older sister. "Clothes first."
"Good, good," she cooed before getting up and stepping back a bit. "Do you want anything in particular? I can model it for you to copy, and you can focus on making it." The Ability to weave things out of Share Energy was innate to them after all, though clothes were the most complex thing a newborn could create most of the time.
Nepgear thought about this long and hard, frowning as she tried to conceptualise words she knew the meaning of yet never truly saw. In time, her mind reached a term she quite liked and the Candidate's eyes lit up. "Something cute."
Delighted by her sister's reaction and the prospect of getting her to look more adorable, Neptune immediately nodded and went through her mental catalogue of dressware. It was much, much smaller than what she knew her fellow CPUs had memorised, Vert in particular, but more than enough to please her sibling.
"Okay then, watch this!" And without further ado, Neptune's own clothes were absorbed back into her body. She stood as nude as her little sister for a moment, then enveloped herself in faint silver light as Share Energy bent to her will and turned into cloth. Within instants, it had formed into a pinkish white sundress reaching down to her calves. The short sleeves and hem were lined with frills, and Neptune struck a pose with her arms stretched behind her back, smiling at Nepgear. "How do I look?"
"Great! You look great, sis! And cute and pretty and everything," Nepgear gushed while her eyes flitted over the soft cloth. "I wanna have one!" And following her announcement, she, too, was enveloped in silver light.
It was brighter and took not instants but close to ten seconds, but Nepgear ultimately managed to weave an exact replica of the dress Neptune had shown her. The young Candidate beamed in joy at her success while her sister patted her head approvingly. "Good work, you look adorable," the older one cooed. Then however, she smiled and pulled up Nepgear's dress to check. "Buuuut you forgot the panties."
"Panties?"
Neptune lifted her own dress to show her, making the Candidate frown in confusion as she dutifully copied her sister's choice in underwear. "Sis, why do people wear that? I get normal clothes if they are cold, but why a second layer?"
The older CPU chuckled and pulled her sister back into an embrace and to the ground. "Well, you know... as deities, we are sterile. That little vagina you have there can't bear any children, but that is what it's for for humans." Nepgear nodded, already aware of both matters. Neptune continued with a fond smile: "So, see, especially in a dress, it can get cold there, so you have underwear to keep it warm. It also helps against chafing if you wear pants; those are quite sensitive."
"Huh." Nepgear curiously put a hand on her crotch to sense the feeling, then shrugged at her sister. "It just tickles a little, is it really?"
Those words made Neptune chuckle. "You shouldn't think about it too much for now, most of us CPUs don't really use ours much. We can get back to the topic if you're a bit older, if you want." Once the Candidate nodded, she cuddled her closer into her side and sighed happily.
They spent the next few hours talking about Gamindustri and the four nations, as well as every other topic Nepgear was curious about. Neptune happily changed the subject at the drop of a hat whenever it was demanded of her, filling her sister's head with trivia that she knew might be needed sooner or later.
She also considered feeding the newborn. CPUs did not require sustenance, but they still had a sense of taste and could enjoy the act of eating.
In the end however, that idea was postponed for a later time.
Yet, at the same time, she was presented with a conundrum; due to Nepgear's inability to control her strength, most activities Neptune could think of were unsuitable for her sister at the moment. It removed everything that required her taking anything into her hands, which did not leave much to do at home.
Daybreak was still two hours away, thus going out on a stroll together remained a bad idea for the time being.
Granted, she could have continued cuddling with her little sister and telling her things for days, or at least until Nepgear fell asleep, but Neptune felt this would be a waste. She wanted her sibling to see as much as possible, as soon as possible.
"Neptune? Sis?" Nepgear's concerned voice brought her out of her thoughts, the Candidate's face right in front of her own. "Um, did I do something wrong? You're frowning."
The older CPU blinked at her for a moment, then pressed a soft kiss on her forehead. "No, I'm just busy thinking about what to do now. Anything you want to do?"
Nepgear hummed in consideration and turned her head to look around, hands still wound around Neptune's waist. Her eyes went this way and that, discarding the books, the personal computer, and several other things on the way. In the end, the younger CPU shily turned back to her sister. "I do not. Um, do you have anything you want to do, sis?"
Which brought her back to the original problem. Neptune pondered for a moment longer, but then an idea presented itself. It made her smile mischievously. "Hmmm... wanna see the other CPUs and say hello?"
Just like that, Nepgear's eyes began to shine and they knew what to do next. Neptune chuckled while pushing herself up, her sister in her lap one moment but up on her feet in the next. She hopped up and down in excitement, quickly following her out of the room.
"Anyway," she mused aloud as they strolled down the stairs again, "I think I'll introduce you to them, then we can get to work on your strength. You need to work hard on controlling it so you can do all the fun stuff." Her sister nodded quickly, jumping down the last few stairs and onto her back. "Hehe, hey there." She just caught Nepgear and let her cling to her for the few metres they had left. "And I'm pretty sure you need to catch some sleep soon, too."
"That is quite true," Histoire greeted her warmly. "Newborn CPUs require a sleeping cycle of eighteen hours awake and eight hours asleep. Seeing that Nepgear has not yet slept, she may get tired at any point throughout the coming day."
Only then did the Tome turn her avatar's head to greet them. "May I assume you are here to brag to your colleagues, Neptune?"
"Oh why, Histy, you know me so well," the older CPU returned with a bright smile; it made Histoire chuckle. Nepgear tilted her head a little, soaking up the interactions into her limited number of experiences to draw from. Then she yawned, drawing a telling look from the Tome. Neptune chuckled and petted her head. "You wanna go to bed, or meet the gals first?"
"Hm... I can stay awake a bit longer," the Candidate declared after a moment of thought. She quickly blinked a few times to cast the tiredness away and looked at her sister expectantly.
Neptune obliged her and wandered to her own desk, slumping into the wide chair. "Alrighty, come over here." She patted her lap and Nepgear obediently climbed on; she turned around until she could nestle into her older sister's front, with one of Neptune's arms wrapped around her.
After booting up her computer, she drowned every other CPU in messages and mails to get their Scope online. That done, Neptune quickly slid a few papers from the small pile Histoire had levitated over to her desk. Nepgear watched curiously, reading the words but failing to comprehend most before they were pushed aside, signed and stamped.
After a scant few minutes, Neptune, who had kept an eye on Scope to await her friends, smirked and put a headset over her ears. Nepgear got her spare attached and curiously eyed the piece of technology. "Okay, say nothing for now, okay? I'll tell you when it is time." Nepgear nodded.
That done, Neptune entered the voice chat cheerfully. "There you are, about time! You've got to see this!" The arm she had around her sister tightened possessively, though Nepgear did not seem to mind it at all. She simply watched and listened.
"This better be important," Noire grumbled to rustling sounds in the background. "It's crunchtime over here."
"It's always crunchtime in your office," Neptune shot back playfully, which drew chuckles from Vert and Blanc. "Anyway, it's really, really, really big. And you've got to let me see your faces when I show you."
"My, how intriguing." Vert became already visible on the last word, her golden hair shining in the light. She held an easy smile, though her eyes kept wandering over the screen. Neptune could see a controller sitting at the edge of the camera's view, so she knew the leanboxian CPU would be quite cross with her if this was not important.
"This better be worth our time," Blanc provided immediately after, echoing Noire and putting into words what Vert was thinking. Neptune's smile grew from mischievous to outright gleeful while both Black and White CPUs appeared, with all three of them in their offices.
"Yup, it is. Now then, ladies, behold!"
When she turned on her own camera, she could see the moment the image was transmitted. Of her, seated in her large chair, with a girl much younger yet looking so alike on her lap. They even wore matching dresses, as Neptune had never changed her own clothes.
The moment they saw, all three CPUs paused. Their eyes were fixated on their screens for an entire second, telling Neptune just how little they had expected this.
Nepgear, understanding that this was her sign, shily raised a hand in greeting. "Um, hello. I am Planeptune's Purple Sister, Nepgear."
Her words broke the spell and each deity blinked at the Candidate. Vert was the first to regain her benign smile, leaning closer to look over the child. "My, what a sweet girl you are." She chuckled when Nepgear blushed and hid her face. "I am looking forward to meeting you in person."
After saying that, her eyes wandered slightly. "You are planning to bring her here for a few days soon, I hope?"
Neptune shrugged at that. "She's a few hours old, so maybe next month or so? I'm probably showing her every nation, so you two should prepare to have Nepgear, too." Noire huffed while Blanc sighed and leaned back.
The lastationite CPU eyed them for a moment longer before her expression became soft again. "I will see what I can do. Do any plans change because of this?" There was warmth in her voice, telling Neptune that her friend was happy for her. Also envious, but that was obvious.
Having actual family was something they all yearned for at times.
"Neptune." Blance's voice sounded calm as usual, though her eyebrow remained raised. When she turned her attention with a quick "Yep?", Lowee's ruler sighed in disbelief. "She's asleep. And has been since Vert talked to her."
"Huh?" As she had just been told, her little sister was fast asleep, clutching her dress weakly. Neptune squealed quietly and pulled her a little closer. Then she turned her attention back to Noire, a smile on her face. "Nothing of the big plans. I'll be here only sporadically for the next week, and after that we will see. Thanks for making the time. Godspeed, ladies."
She quickly signed off and carefully picked her sister up, giving Histoire a nod. The Tome returned her gesture and levitated the remaining papers back to her own desk.
Meanwhile, Neptune hurried up the stairs and into her room to tuck her sister in.