This war is over. You lost, I won, nobody died, now we go back to being good friends and you will like it!
-Neptune
Uni twirled around the room, trying to keep her body straight and following the movement patterns her sister had laid out. Doing so was much more difficult than it had initially appeared, though part of it could likely be blamed on her tense anticipation.
This time however, the upcoming event could not be prepared for just by studying. She had to exercise and practice, and in a subject which she had neglected for many years in favour of what felt more important.
Now Uni paid the price for her hubris.
A knock on the door disrupted her concentration somewhat, but the CPU Candidate did not pause in her exercise. Only one of two people would be around, and Kei would have said something instead of just knocking. "Come in!" she called to her sister, who opened the door and stepped inside.
Noire wore a faint smile that grew the tiniest bit upon seeing her younger sibling practice, though Uni paid little attention to it. As much as she relished the rare instances of praise she got, this was arguably just as important to her in these moments.
"You should take a break," the older CPU advised, a soft note in her voice. "Dancing is not that different from fighting, you will be fine." Though there was also pride in her words, a notion that made Uni happy all by itself.
The Candidate considered her sister's words for a long moment, slowing down in the process. Then she shook her head and threw Noire an apologeptic look. "No can do, sis. This is my first time and I want to be as good as I can be." Not to mention that she had a one in five chance to be paired with Nepgear; putting in extra effort to impress her crush and rival was obviously the right choice.
From the look Noire gave her, the reason she did not state was noted just as well. Not like Uni expected her to miss the part. The older CPU shook her head and closed the door behind herself, then caught her sister as she was moving past. She effortlessly integrated herself into the Candidate's dance and took the lead. "We have about two hours before we head out."
Uni's eyes widened for a moment, then her lips curled into a happy grin and she let her sibling lead for the time being. "Thanks."
She got no response, but neither of them was much for actually speaking about such things.
::
Time passed much too quickly for her liking and the sisters soon transformed to head out. The capital quickly fell away behind them as they accelerated far above into the sky. Blanc and Vert would also be on their way by now, Uni knew.
It took Noire and her little more than an hour until they crossed the border and entered planeptunian airspace. Vast cities of shining metal stood in the evening sun, visible on the horizon from their height. Air rushed past them as they raced for Nicos, a freedom Uni could enjoy far too rarely. Flying high in the sky was one of the joys she found after reaching adulthood; ever since she learned how to fly, few things had been more relaxing for her.
This was a good thing for Uni, seeing that it allowed her to somewhat quell the excitement and ease her anxiety. It failed in dispersing all of it, though; the young Candidate's mind still focussed on the events yet to come.
Like every year on the Day of Unity, the CPUs would dance atop LAN Castle. It was a tradition at this point, originally put into place to celebrate the end of the Console War and to display the bonds between the rulers. Every year, they would fly to the primordial castle at nightfall and dance for all the world to see.
Now that both Nepgear and Uni had reached adulthood and were thus capable of flight, they were expected to join the dance. A prospect which filled the Lastationite with a certain tension, as she never went public in such a manner before. She happily went about exterminating monsters and doing related chores, not minding about being seen; in this case however, she knew everyone was watching.
Then again, Uni reasoned to herself, it was but another stage to be conquered. She practiced hard to do well and was confident in her capabilities.
What she was not confident in was her heart.
Noire told her that dance partners were assigned randomly. Out of five potential partners, if she ended up with Nepgear, that would most likely trip her up. Her thoughts became more erratic whenever her crush was near, a sensation that only grew worse since Uni's apotheosis. They did not have much time for each other recently, far too little for her own liking, but she did not want to mess up on her first dance either.
Uni was dreading to be paired with Nepgear.
Uni was hoping to be paired with Nepgear.
The divide was infuriating in itself.
Only one thing remained clear to her: she was not ready yet. She had adjusted her own mindset ever since her apotheosis, thrown away what broke and restructured the rest, added new traits she liked. Began to actually like herself like never before. Yet it would still take just a bit longer; her head was not ready yet. She needed to get herself sorted out completely, make absolutely sure this new her was who she wished to be. A task which no one could help her with. She could not afford to mess up.
As they neared Nicos, the planeptunian capital, she lamented about not being ready; the dance would have been a perfect opportunity to finally speak. Perhaps Nepgear even expected her to do it then.
No, Uni corrected herself. Nepgear was too kind to expect it. She would hope, though. A hope that she hardly knew how to address.
The fourth of July would come to an end soon, leaving them with less than twenty-four hours to prepare once their partners were assigned. A small grace, all in all. On the evening of the fifth, the Day of Unity, they would head out to dance.
. .
. .
Entering Planeptower from the roof felt a little surreal still. It was a similar feeling to entering any place from above, but Uni slowly got used to it. This building however, the highest tower in the world, still held a certain majesty that she could not help but be unsettled by.
Both sisters detransformed once their feet hit the roof, Noire being the one to open the door to the small staircase down. A door so heavy that only CPUs could open them, just in case a human was insane enough to try getting up there.
Inside, three of their fellows were already present; Nepgear did not even seem to notice her entrance, seeing how engrossed she was in her N-Gear. Neptune waved cheerfully from her spot at the table and Vert smiled at them in greeting. Uni returned a wave of her own while Noire nodded at the other CPUs.
"Five are here, so we are only waiting for Blanc. Come on, sit down," Neptune beckoned them to sit with her and Vert, an invitation that Noire followed immediately.
Uni however, after considering the older CPUs and Nepgear on the couch, decided to torment herself and sat with her childhood friend. Looking over her shoulder revealed quickly flowing lines of code, written as she watched; Uni eyed the project and gathered that it was some kind of complex algorithm from the comments Nepgear left.
Neptune giggled in the background, saying something about her sister being nervous. Uni could tell as much, though she also understood it quite well. This was Nepgear's first dance, too. Seeing that she had no way to disperse her own feelings however, the lastationite Candidate felt she might as well draw her friend into the suffering.
So she poked Nepgear's cheek.
Admittedly, the cute squeak she made when poked was worth it by itself. Nepgear blinked and looked at her, eyes widening slightly. "U-Uni? Goodness, when did you arrive?"
"About three minutes ago," Noire provided from her spot; Nepgear looked over in confusion, then back down at her work.
"Huh. I'm sorry, I, well..." She fidgeted a little, blushing in embarassment about having missed their entrance entirely. Uni just patted her shoulder while Vert and Neptune chuckled in the background.
"It's fine. Happens to all of us from time to time." She could not help but try to cheer her friend up; Nepgear gave her a thankful smile and saved her progress before shutting the device off. Once the younger purplette turned her full attention to Uni, it appeared like a good time to chat. "How is IF doing?"
Her question made Nepgear think for a moment, a thoughtful hum coming from her. "Hmm, we do not get to talk as much recently. She is busy trying to keep up with the other Makers." Then she pointed back to her sister. "We're keeping an eye on her, though. Both so you don't try to snatch her away and so she doesn't burn out."
So business as usual, though Uni could not help but take the bait. She crossed her arms mockingly. "Oh? You think we would need to try recruiting your Makers?"
"Nope," her friend returned without hesitation and a bright smile. A smile that was at odds with her next words: "But you'd try to recruit IF in particular because you like her and have no other friends."
Neptune burst into laughter while the Candidates stared at each other. Uni could not help but smirk, even though her friend had hit a sore spot. "Excepting yourself because you're my best friend?" Nepgear nodded cheerfully, using the very same reasoning her older sister used on Noire in the past.
Granted, in their case it was also that they might be more soon. That part remained unsaid, but they both knew it.
Instead, Uni shrugged and leaned back lazily. "Well, joke's on you; I have been talking with our Makers and am going out some more recently. I wouldn't call anyone a friend yet, but I'm getting there. Which leaves Noire in the dust," she could not help but quip. Her sister's glowering almost made her giggle, but she kept it together. Nepgear joined her own sister in laughing, though.
"Since when was I the butt of the joke?" Noire asked without much heat, though her eyes were narrowed the tiniest bit.
The question went to no one in particular, and the response came from the door: "Because you are one of two serious people in this circus, and the clowns can't laugh as much about each other." Blanc entered with those words, a small smirk on her face. She closed the door quietly while Neptune waved at her, paying no attention to it.
"My, Blanc," Vert greeted with a soft chuckle. "It is quite mature of you to admit to it yourself. Nepgear certainly grew quite competent." The blonde smiled beningly, a gesture that made even Uni feel a little smitten; Blanc just shoved her back into her chair as she passed by, ignoring the giggling purple CPUs.
Noire rolled her eyes at the display before pushing back to the original topic: "Speaking of our Makers, I was thinking we should start to familiarise IF with everyone. Lastation doesn't need all three at the moment, so I could send Falcom over in a bit."
Neptune showed her a thumbs up; Blanc, though unbothered by the sudden change of subject, shook her head. "We just had a high, so I can't send any of my Makers abroad. Maybe once things have calmed down in a month or two." The others nodded understandingly and Uni winced. From what she read, Lowee appeared to have gotten many of the monsters Lastation should have had. With only one CPU...
Uni considered this and spoke up: "I can drop in and help clean up a little next week." Her words got her an appreciative nod from Blanc while the others appeared to smile more generously for some reason.
"I might pay you a visit as well," Vert offered gently. "We had a few things to talk about anyway. I think I can spare Tekken for a few weeks, too," she noted with a glance to Neptune; the purplette was beaming now.
"Great, thanks! I'll see if I can spare my little Nepgear to help, too."
Nepgear shook her head immediately, though. "I don't think we can do that at the moment. Too many monsters, too little time." She looked rather sad about it, especially when her sister agreed.
Uni wondered about that, some part of her hoping that her friend was sad because she could not fight by her side. Before she could bring herself to ask however, Noire spoke up: "I think we dallied enough for now. Let's get this over with."
And just like that, her anxiety was back. All attention thankfully went to Neptune, giving Uni a chance to hide how nervous she was.
The planeptunian CPU jumped out of her chair with a cheer, ushering everyone onto the soft carpet in front of the TV; Nepgear exchanged a look with her, the usual soft smile a little shaky. It was enough to tell Uni she was not the only one who was nervous.
To pass the few moments Neptune needed to prepare herself, Uni quietly assessed her potential dance partners.
There was the purplette herself, beginning to shine. She was a kind woman and always willing to give her a nudge, but also of the mind that she had to work hard for what she wanted. A decent partner, if unlikely to stop her from tripping up. She would prevent any actually noticeable mistakes, though.
Then there was her own sister, Noire. With mastery brought to her own steps and thus likely holding the widest gap to Uni's own skills, she was also the most familiar with her. Noire certainly would cover any mistakes she made, if just this once because it was her first dance. Due to who she was however, Uni knew she would then get additional lessons to curb the more egregious missteps... and it was an excuse to spend time together. Going by the understanding look her sister had when their eyes met, she had similar thoughts.
Vert was a beauty through and through, both in appearance and behaviour, as the gentle smile on her face attested. If she was paired with Uni, there would either be more attention on her or less, depending on whether people kept their eyes on the leanboxian CPU or took interest in her partner. Vert was a gentle person and likely going to whisper encouragements to her when she needed them, though.
Blanc would be the hardest to dance with, mainly because Uni stood a head taller than her; a problem which even flight could only mitigate somewhat. Her stoic nature could not hide the fact she would still try to make it easier for her, but she doubted that any of her mistakes would be covered for; Blanc was not the kind of person. She would let her stumble to learn from her mistakes. Though Uni did not know whether Blanc even liked this tradition; she stood with her arms crossed and a small frown on her face, ignoring everyone else even though Vert was petting her head.
And then, of course, Nepgear. She fidgeted a little as she waited for Neptune to finish her preparations, not even noticing Uni's gaze. They were both Candidates, so being paired together would definitely get them additional attention for being new. Moreover, both of them spent little time on actually learning to dance; that went especially when compared with any of the CPUs proper. If either of them messed up, the other was most likely unable to cover for her.
Nepgear was logically the worst choice for Uni's partner; she did not want to receive too much attention when doing something she was likely to mess up in, and their performance could not be improved by the other's experience. Noire and Vert were logically the best partners she could get.
Yet Uni wanted to dance with Nepgear. She so desired to keep her close and share this experience with her, but part of her mind still did not let her actually communicate as much. She wanted to speak up, to ask if they could make an exception and let the Candidates go together, but her tongue was tied by indecision still. Weaker than before, yet still too strong to be overcome.
Soon, though. Uni would meditate more and get her head in the order she wanted in the near future.
"Alright," Neptune chirped and interrupted her train of thought. Six folded paper slips hovered in-between her hands, outwardly indistinguishable from each other. "You know the drill: six dancers, six numbers. Same numbers are paired, Candidates draw first." She looked around with a mischievous smile. "Also No Items, Final Destination, Fo-" "Let's go already," Blanc interrupted whatever kind of joke the purplette was trying to make. Vert snickered.
Neptune pouted, but the air between her hands began to move and quickly form into a nearly visible ball that whirled the slips this way and that, making even the fast minds of the gods unable to follow them. No one even knew which number was where to begin with, but this made it actually feel random.
After a few moments of whirling the paper around, she held the ball out to Nepgear and Uni. "Here you go, but don't open them yet!" She sounded so cheerful that the Candidates began to relax slightly.
Uni motioned for Nepgear to go first, who did so with a soft smile; her delicate hand passed through the layer of moving air and grasped for a lazily floating piece. When she retracted it, Uni reached in and took another in the same way. Soft gusts caressed her skin for the few moments it took, making her feel a little as if she was mid-flight again.
Noire, Blanc, and Vert followed the same procedure, each of them appearing entirely unconcerned about the whole proceeding; instants became eons in these moments, as Uni waited for Neptune to disperse the wind and take the remaining piece.
Then the wait was over. All CPUs held a slip of paper and Neptune cheerfully smiled at everyone. "Alright, open on three!" And while everyone prepared to do just that... the purplette rattled down the countdown at a speed they could hardly follow.
Uni and Nepgear were the last to behold their numbers, half a second after everyone else; neither of the older CPUs had been surprised by the sudden change of pace, and nobody commented on it. Neptune pouted... though when Uni's gaze met hers, she winked.
Uni blushed and hoped that nobody saw. Everyone saw, except Nepgear who had the very same thing happen to her for the exact same reason; Neptune knew them both quite well.
Focussing back on her paper, the lastationite Candidate found a number three written on it. "Got two!" Neptune called a moment later, followed by Blanc showing them her piece with the same number.
So those two were out. If Uni had a heart, it would be beating heavily now. Her eyes turned to Noire, who studied her paper a moment longer; maybe dancing with her sister would be better after all, she reasoned. Then Noire's question made that idea crumple as fast as it appeared: "Who else has the one?"
And Vert raised her hand.
Which meant...
The Candidates looked at each other, turning their papers as one; they were partners for the dance. Uni took a deep breath, a habit she picked up to calm her nerves; Nepgear appeared no less anxious, at least.
"Oh my," Vert noted merrily, "the little ones get to spend their first time together." She immediately got slapped by Blanc, which she dodged with a quick step.
Meanwhile, Uni and Nepgear both turned crimson over the innuendo. Embarassment surged through the Lastationite and was not even slightly quelled when Neptune took both of them by the arms. "Hehe, this will be great fun!"
Uni's head spun.
. .
. .
It still spun the following day.
All CPUs had stayed in Planeptune to practice with their chosen partners, a prospect which got easier as the two Candidates actually began. Sixteen hours spent just between the two of them and in a way that made her furious with herself.
In these hours, Uni hated nothing more than that she tried to be reasonable. She knew she was not ready to make the next step yet, but something within her wanted to be impulsive and just do it anyway.
Being this close to her crush for so long, with no interruptions aside from IF calling in out of curiousity, really made this troublesome. Nepgear definitely noticed, but said nothing and occupied Uni's attention with their planning as best as she could.
Nonetheless, as the final hour of their practice time had arrived, Uni could not help but speak up.
"I'm sorry."
Nepgear looked up from where she was thinking, but did not ask. They both knew what the younger Candidate meant. She did, however, smile. "Don't be. I know this is hard on you, so take all the time you need. I'm a patient woman, I can wait."
Sometimes, Uni thought she did not deserve someone this understanding and encouraging. She knew she was being so very selfish in her actions, yet Nepgear did not chide her even once. "It's still unfair to you," she could not help but mutter.
Her friend, however, did not answer at first. Nepgear got up and walked over, sitting on the ground as Uni did; they remained back to back for a minute, silent in their own thoughts.
"I'm not immune to all this, either," the purplette finally began. She kept a weak pressure on Uni's back, signalling her to stay as she was. "Perhaps it is unfair to me, but that does not matter. I love you." Those three words made the Lastationite stiffen, unexpected as they were. Of course she had known them, but never heard. Neither of them had been willing to actually speak them up until this point.
In the pregnant silence, Nepgear's voice rung: "So putting your wishes first is no problem to me. You would do the same if our situations were reversed."
Her words only made Uni hate herself more.
Going by the way her hand clasped Uni's, Nepgear knew it as well.
The other Candidate giggled for some reason, squeezing gently and pulling to signal her to turn around. Uni did so and came face to face with a mischievous expression, far too close for her liking. "But just so you know, I am a little selfish myself. Once you are ready, I expect you to shower me in attention."
Nepgear's eyes twinkled as she delivered her demand, only half-joking, and Uni nodded slowly. That was a demand she did not mind complying with at all. "Sure. Is that really all you want, though?"
Her question made Nepgear turn thoughtful, their faces still too close for Uni's nonexistent heart. She withstood the part of her that just wanted to throw it all to the wind and kiss her, but only barely.
Her friend smiled a little brighter and shook her head. "Probably not, but I will get back to you about that. I still have some thinking of my own to do about what I want." Uni nodded understandingly, averting her gaze from the brightness in front of her.
"We should get back to our practice now. Those last few steps are still a problem," her friend noted and got up, with Uni following her lead.
::
They had to head out not much later. All CPUs gathered on top of Planeptower again, exchanging smiles and nods.
Then they all transformed, the Candidates respectfully letting their elders go first and following them a moment later. Silver light shone where the six arrayed themselves in pairs; for the time being, all of them still wore their normal attires.
Naturally, changing their appearance to floating dresses could be easily done without sacrificing much of the enhancing effects, but aside from Green Heart in her combat dress, none of them was wiling to make the trek with emulated cloth flapping around their legs. Bodysuits, as all CPUs preferred even with their individual alterations, were much more useful in that regard.
As they took to the air, they all knew that a small army of drones was being brought in position around LAN Castle; planeptunian technology was prevalent in these hours, foregoing all arguments to national pride in favour of the most efficient machines and highest resolutions.
::
Once the sun had sunk behind the horizon from the primordial castle, all of Gamindustri began to pay attention.
For the drones recording the spectacle, at first there was only the darkness, illuminated by the stars above and the faint glow of the castle below.
Then the perspective turned slightly, beholding six specks of gentle light nearing. The CPUs became distinguishable soon after, gathered together in one big group for the time being. Each of them was clad in an elaborate dress in the colour of her nation, radiant in the young night.
They floated toward the castle at a sedate pace, sending gentle smiles this way and that. Passing the lake surrounding this island, they soon reached the castle grounds.
LAN Castle had stood since before the new order of the world. Birthplace of Histoire herself and seat of power to the old goddess, the progenitor. Crafted entirely from Sharicite, it had weathered even the remaking of the world and stood as a symbol of the gamindustrian will to move ever onward.
The CPUs formed a loose circle above the castle's main two spires, facing outward. Their eyes scanned the surroundings in case any monsters had opted to interrupted the procession; White Heart flicked her hand once, a stream of ice rushing into the darkness followed by the flash of a dying enemy.
All of them were relaxed in their positions, finding no more enemies. A minute passed, then two. The people watching knew it was always like this, guessing what their deities were thinking yet never truly grasping their train of thought.
Then, without any warning, the CPUs scattered and began to emanate light of their associated colour.
Both blacks, somehow managing to remain visible even in the dark night, despite the fact radiating black light was supposedly impossible, rose up high. The purple CPUs dipped lower, with green and white slipping to the side before circling around the imagined center of their formation.
Then, in difference to every year before, Black Heart and Purple Heart took their respective sister's hand; they took a few steps in mid-air, down and up respectively, before letting go and giving their siblings a little push toward the center.
When the Candidates met, hands intertwining amidst the four older CPUs, music began to play for the audience; a piece composed by the goddesses.
The first pair twirled around the central axis of their group, making one, two, three full turns before floating aside without letting go of each other. They joined Green Heart on the circle around the center while Black Heart descended to do the same.
Meanwhile, Purple Heart rose up to meet White Heart amidst them, both of them bowing to each other. White offered her hand, which Purple took to be led aside. They began to circle opposite to the Candidates, the petite deity twirling her taller partner.
Green Heart and Black Heart were last, simply floating around each other without actually touching at first. Only after brushing past each other along the peaceful march they could not hear themselves, they joined hands.
With the three pairs formed, their order broke. Each one began to rise or sink as their rythm aligned with each other. Yet they always remained aligned with the rest, dresses fluttering in a soft gust of wind; like a group of stars, their colours mixing with each other.
Those highly proficient in the art of dancing, Maker RED among them, noticed that it was not anyone so much setting the pace. Rather, the old deities matched the Candidates in theirs, adjusting whenever they changed it. Chances were, the younger two did not even notice it happening.
The deities stepped on solid air with each move, a tranquil sight to a calming melody. There were no particularly fast movements in their dance, yet each one flowed into the next to entrance all those watching. None of them paid any attention to the cameras, either; all six were focussed on each other.
Their dance went on for several tranquil minutes, CPUs gliding around the old castle and shining their light upon it. Toward the end of it, they aligned on the same height once more, forming a rough circle.
This was followed by Black Sister, Black Heart, and Purple Heart twirling their partners toward the center of their formation, where the three colourful CPUs met and joined hands. They turned around each other, circling several times before separating and twirling back to their respective partners as the music began to reach its final stretch.
The next time all six were properly aligned to each other, it was when the song faded out; all CPUs slowly bled off their momentum and came to a stop. All pairs let go of each other, the deities taking a few steps back in mid-air before bowing to their partners.
Following this, they orderly reformed the circle they stood in at the beginning. Then, once again in pairs, they took up momentum and flew off. The first to leave were White Heart and Green Heart, as usual. Following them were the lastationite CPUs, and the two planeptunians remained as the last to take up speed.
Once even the purple light had faded from the premises, the cameras were shut off. The dance had concluded.
. .
. .
Even several hours later, Uni still rode on her high.
Not only had she succeeded in dancing properly, she had done so together with Nepgear. She even hugged Noire on the way back, lest her joy made her burst without an outlet.
She tried to make a more professional expression with Kei around, but simply failed; Uni beamed, accepting and ignoring the fact both her sister and her Oracle were present in the kitchen.
Then again, she reasoned, the alienated look on Kei's face might be worth letting down her walls a little. As well as they got along, even the Oracle rarely saw Uni smile, and never like that.
All in all, Uni was happy. Everything had worked out and she felt she got a step closer to the state of mind she wanted. It would take just a little longer, maybe a few months.
She dearly hoped she could dance with Nepgear again in the next year.