Chapter 82
*Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Click.* My alarm clock goes off but I stop it soon after it begins. I barely got any sleep last night with everything happening right now. I hope we get Nepgear back soon, or else I may have those awful dreams again.
I've got to remain calm though, I can't freak out at a time like this, that's what the enemy wants from us right now. Today I'll go to school like normal, then me and Neptune are going to look for clues in Gamindustri later.
We'll also have to inform the people who need to know, as dreadful as that's going to be. I don't want to tell Rom and Ram about this yet, they're only children after all. I don't want something to happen to them like it happened to me, that's not fair to them.
I get out of bed and start getting dressed. As much as I want to lay down and go back to sleep, I have to maintain a sense of normalcy in a time like this. Just some jeans and a long sleeved shirt will do the trick for that. I put on my overcoat and complete my winter outfit.
I leave my room and meet my brother in the kitchen. Maurice got home later than usual from his job, so he's making a pot of coffee to get through the day. He got home after I passed out anyway, so for all I know he could've just gotten home.
"Morning Jack, you want some?" Maurice holds a mug to me and goes for the coffee pot. Most of the time I take him up on the offer, but today, I don't feel like eating or drinking at all. I'll be declining his offer then.
"Thanks, but I'm good... I don't feel like coffee today." I just want to look for Nepgear right now, but even I can't escape the chains of everyday life. I'm just a kid still, I don't have that freedom yet.
Maurice, despite his tiredness looks at me puzzled. There's only ever been a few times when I've turned him down for coffee. And he knows that when I don't drink some, there's something going on in my life that I don't want to talk about. Call it a brotherly quirk between us.
Will I ever tell my brother about this situation? He's the only family I truly have left, I love him more than anything. Still, I don't know if I could trust telling him about an interdimensional battle between Goddesses for the control of a world. Or if he would even believe me for that matter.
"You only say that when you're down, everything alright dude?" My intuition was spot on, it didn't get past him. I really want to tell him what's going on, but I can't. All I can do is give him a fake smile.
"I'm fine... Just not feeling it today." I give him a forced smile. I know that he knows my tells at this point. Maurice is an airhead though, hopefully it goes over his head.
He stands there for a moment and finishes filling his travel mug. Maurice then puts a hand on my shoulder and looks me in the eyes. "Alright, I believe you. But just know that you can talk to me if anything's wrong?"
It hurts me deep inside to hear those words. If only it could be that simple Maurice.
"Now, I've got to get you guys to school and make it to work on time, so let's head out." They have him coming in on normal time the day after he worked late? Since he's the only one paying the bills he probably doesn't have too much of a choice. That's just cruel is what that is.
I nod to him and walk out the door with him following close behind. Only a few moments later Neptune walks out of her apartment and joins us in the car. To my surprise she sits in the back with me. Still, I can't ignore the sullen look on her face.
Maurice turns back to face us and gives a questioning glance. "Isn't that where Nepgear usually sits?"
The beating of my heart stops. I forgot that we'd have to explain why she's not here for a while anyways. I've got to come up with a long term excuse. Think Jack, think!
"Nepgear's really sick right now, so she'll probably be away for a while in the hospital." Neptune covered my ass with that one. That should be good enough to ward off suspicions from Maurice at least for now.
"That doesn't sound good, hope she gets better soon." Thank you Neptune, I didn't have an answer ready right there.
A few moments later we begin riding down the road towards school. A little of a ways into the drive I look to Neptune who in turn slightly faces me back.
This isn't the Neptune I know, only a shell of her. She isn't smiling, telling a joke or even trying to make me angry. Right about now I wish we could go back to a time where that was a nuisance. But now it seems like paradise, and she blames me for it in a way.
Even through all of the pain, all of the anxiety of yesterday, Neptune forces a smile like I did to my brother. I grip Nepgear's hair ornament in my jacket pocket tightly. Seeing Neptune... fake a smile of all things... It's a reminder that we've got a long ways to go before we can truly laugh again.
"That's... such an awful thing to happen..." At a lunch table in the cafeteria before school starts, Neptune and I broke the news to most of our friends. Neptune agreed to not tell Rom and Ram about any of this... Nobody here wants to expose kids to this either, so Martin agreed to watch them for a while and we'll tell him about it later. But Noire's reaction sums up everyone's faces right now.
"Dammit... to think they'd attack us in this dimension... and so openly too..." Blanc's right, Gamindustri was already theirs. So why come here to fight anyways if we had to come to them? We have taken out two of them though, maybe they thought it was time for some payback. An attack like this was bound to happen.
The tension between all of us is thick enough to be cut with a knife. Just two days ago we were having a snowball fight without a care in the world. Things are changing fast that's for sure.
Uni starts to whimper slightly and Vert goes to comfort the poor girl by holding her close. Nepgear was Uni's best friend, so to have her kidnapped must be a heavy toll on her heart. I know what she's feeling, and I'm sorry for her.
"Nep...*hic* gear..." I can hardly listen to this, it's opening up wounds that are still fresh if that's even possible. Vert rubs her head and tries to calm her down. Realistically, it's going to take more than that.
"There there dear, I'm sure we'll figure something out." Vert's motherly side is coming out now. It's at least working a little bit, Uni's whimpering isn't as audible anymore. I'm glad that she's at least found a little comfort from Vert.
However, only a few moments later Uni glares at me with one of her red eyes. It's not a normal glare, more like the one's Neptune gave me last night. Does she blame me for this too, at least a little? I care about Uni a lot, but I don't want my friends to blame me for something beyond my control.
Noire doesn't look too comfortable at seeing her sister so disturbed, but she has to shake off those feelings to return to the conversation at hand. I'm jealous of her, she's so strong. Why can't I just remain calm, even though I know I should?
"By the way, Jack, Neptune, how are you both holding up now?" Neptune looks to the floor, not even wanting to give Noire a verbal answer, but I think this is an answer regardless. Me though, I feel like I need to speak about it just to get it off my mind if only a little bit.
"I'm... trying to hold on..." I'll let my weakness show in front of my friends. It's not like when I first met them, I can trust everyone with my feelings.
"I'm sorry Jack, what you're going through must be tearing you up." It's one of the few times I've seen Noire speak so apologetically. I'll admit, it comforts me a little, although I couldn't tell you why.
"This wasn't meant to happen..." Blanc's attitude is sinking more by the minute. If the plan were as simple as go to this dimension and find someone who's part of a heroic bloodline in their world to come and fight using artificial bodies in a MMORPG style controller for them, then I'd say there were probably a few hiccups that could've happened along the way.
A few more moments of silence pass by us. The roaring sound of other students here is completely drowned out by our group just from a few minutes of retelling events. If that doesn't speak about the gravity that's weighing down on us then I've probably gone insane.
"Jack, Neptune... if either of you needs to get away, my guest room is open to you. I'm sure the other Goddesses will say the same." Vert offers a place to stay in case we just need to clear our minds. Noire and Blanc also shake their heads in agreement.
The fact that I have friends who would offer me this calms me down slightly. I'm glad that I've met such wonderful people through this year of school, even if it will all come to an end eventually. We've got to find Nepgear first though, I refuse to end this journey without her by our side.
"Moving on though, what should our next move be?" Noire moves straight to the point like she always does. Neptune sits up just enough to get her attention.
"After school, me and Jack are looking in Gamindustri for anything." Literally anything will be helpful to us right now. We just need a lead.
Uni stops glaring at me and lets go of Vert. Knowing her she'll want to find Nepgear as soon as possible, and sitting by idly isn't going to help anyone. "I want to go with you. It'll be safer if we have more people."
"Thanks Uni, we'll have better odds with you around." I want to show her that I'm still strong through this. If we can both reach Nepgear somehow then she'll have no reason to put blame on me.
"I'll see if Lastation has any scouts left on standby during fifth period today. I can also check to see if there's anything left in the building the Deity occupied." Noire offers her support in any way she can. Since we killed the Deity that was bound to Lastation, the people there should start to have faith in its Goddess again.
"Vert, Martin and I can check around town. Maybe he got sloppy and left a thread. From what you've told us though, it won't be that easy." Vert nods to Blanc's proposal. Three people in Gamindustri and three people on the streets here, it's sounding pretty solid right now.
Neptune looks almost happy at the moment. From the start we knew the other's would support us, but we didn't think it'd be this good. I still don't think we'll get anywhere so early in this, but we need to have hope, now more than ever. That's what Nepgear would want.
"Jack, we're going to find Nepgear right?" Uni asks me coldly, more so than she would normally. I don't know if we will, I just don't have the answers right now.
But I was always told to never lie to a girl you care about under any circumstances. That holds true even now, so I'll give her what's on my mind and my heart.
"Yeah... we're going to bring her home." Nepgear wouldn't want us to give up or dispair. So... for her I'll be strong. I'll be strong until I see this nightmare end.
"Take this, Cross Combination!" Neptune's avatar unleashes her signature flurry of blows to a wild beast we encountered in the outskirts of Lastation. We don't have much to go on, just a report of strange activity in this area from someone Noire calls Kei.
Right now we're occupied by these beasts, but they could be the cause for the disturbance. One of them lunges at me and I block its jaw with my blade, on to shoot it with my revolver a moment later. Neptune and I stand back to back against the small horde and ready our weapons.
A few more of them jump at us and we're forced to fight defensively since they're extremely fast. I push one back and stab it through its head with my sword. While I'm trying to kill this one, another one comes up from my side while I'm distracted.
I hold out my mechanical arm and let it clamp down on it. It's made of really strong metal, so a bite like this won't do much. While it gnaws on my false arm, I throw my sword into another advancing beast going towards Neptune and shoot this one with my free hand, sending it to the ground lifeless.
Neptune dodges one by balancing herself on her sword that she's planted in the ground. The beast loses its balance, which she capitalizes on by kicking it far back into a tree from atop her sword. As she draws it from the ground, a monster running towards her is impaled by my sword.
"Grr..." The growls these things make are menacing. Not only that but they're surprisingly hard to take down. The one I stabbed in the head a moment ago is still standing after all.
Neptune grabs my blade from the beast and tosses it to me. Both of us are pretty worn out already, but we can finish the rest of these guys that's for sure. "Get ready, here they come." I say to Neptune quickly.
*Bang!* From the bushes only a little ways from us, half a beasts corpse launches out with Uni jumping out with it. While she's in the air, she aims down her cannon and fires more shots into the horde.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!* Three explosive shots are fired off, looking more like condensed fire than bullets. All of the birds in the area fly away rapidly, and all three shots hit their targets, sending them to the ground to meet fiery deaths.
*Howl!* What looks like the alpha howls to the sky and the rest start to scatter quickly. Neptune rushes forward and slashes one from the side rendering it immobile, then she conjures a 32-bit mega blade, only to send it flying towards another one.
*Yelp!* The ethereal sword pierces its target who yelps, only to die moments later.
Uni runs towards another group of them fleeing in the opposite direction and fires off a scatter shot with her cannon. Most of the shots miss, but it's enough to get them to stop moving. She then snaps her fingers, causing the ground around them to erupt in a pillar of flames. I never knew she could do trap shots.
If those beasts are making any sounds the blaze is blocking them out. Once the fire subsides only the charred corpses of them remain in place. That only leaves one of them left, the alpha of the pack who's now the sole survivor.
I look at it and it looks at me, both of us judging each other in our own ways. It's probably looking for the best chance to escape and survive, but I won't let it get away, it could hurt more people if it's allowed to live.
*Bang!* I fire off a shot to its left, causing it to face the right. Before it even gets the chance to run, I throw my sword into its bottom jaw. Dropping my gun to the ground, I break into a sprint to close the distance between that beast and me.
Even though it's in a lot of pain, it rears back on its hind legs and tries to down pounce me as I approach. I jump back with a flip, landing on my mechanical hand and push into the ground.
When it goes to pounce again, I launch myself from this position feet first into the hilt of my implanted sword, the force is strong enough to knock it to its back and drive the sword further into its skull. I stand up on its chest, the beast still breathing slowly.
I yank out my blade from its jaw, making it yell out once more, but it can't do anything from how much damage it's taken. Not wanting this thing to suffer anymore, I drive my sword into the beasts chest, ending what little life it had left.
"haa... haa..." I can't help but breathe heavily, I've never attempted a counter attack like that before. Good to know I can pull something off like that.
"Are you alright?" Uni comes closer and hands me the revolver I dropped. I take it from her and holster it along with sheathing my sword.
"I'm fine, we need to keep moving." This fight was just a distraction. We should be focused on finding Nepgear and not our own well beings. If we wanted to stay safe, we wouldn't be doing anything right now.
I step off the monsters corpse and start walking deeper into the forest. The longer we wait the more danger that she's in. He won't kill her yet, that's what he told me. But he never told me how long he would wait...
Uni catches up with me and stands in my path while Neptune makes it just behind me. She gives me an ice cold glare straight into my eyes while both are breathing heavily like I was moments ago. Were they really not following me for that long?
"Jack... you shouldn't move forward without thinking. What if there were more monsters?"
"Then we'd take care of them."
"That's not the point, what if you got hurt?" So she's concerned about me getting hurt right now? Even if she's looking out for me, we still need to find Nepgear, or at least a clue leading to her. So what if I get harmed?
"I know how you feel, but I'll do anything to make sure she's safe. I'd do the same for any of you." I don't want to deal with this anymore. I want to nightmare to end already. But as long as I have to live in it, I'll do whatever it takes to keep all of my friends safe.
Uni looks saddened by this. I thought she of all people would being at least a little happy to hear that. Uni must still blame me for Nepgear being kidnapped. The tension between us only grows as we remain silent.
"Uni, why don't you scout out the surrounding area and see if our jobs done? That way we're less likely to be hurt." Neptune chimes in more serious than I'm used to her being. I have to remember that this is her Goddess form and not the same as the one I know more closely.
"Alright alright, I'll be back in a minute." Without looking at either of us, Uni jumps into the trees and goes invisible in the camouflage at least. I let out a sigh of relief, being that way around Uni really hurts deep inside, but it's something I have to do.
Neptune walks around me to stand in front. I don't pay her any mind, instead I stare at the ground just thinking about what's gone down so far. I don't know why I can't be honest, or why I feel like it's my duty to save Nepgear. But when I get in this mode, it's hard to bring me out.
"She doesn't blame you, you know? Neptune speaks to me in a somber tone. The last time I spoke with this Neptune I promised her that I'd protect her sister. But I'm sure this will put a dent on our trust.
"Uni?"
"Both the other me and Uni. They know it wasn't your fault." The other Neptune answers her question. I'm finding this hard to believe after what Neptune said last night and how she's been today. Uni's words and actions also seem like she blames me.
"But... do you blame me?" She's never been my biggest fan, and she never said that she didn't so that has me worried. Out of everyone, Neptune has more than enough reason to hate me for this.
"No... I can't. As much as I'm in pain right now, as much as I want someone to yell at for hurting my family... I know it was out of your control. You were only taking her on a date, you couldn't have known what was going to happen."
"I'm sorry though... I was still the one who said we should go out that night." No matter how much I tell myself that we'll do good, I still feel that deep down, I'm responsible for this, and anyone who wants to blame me has every right to.
Neptune puts a hand on my cheek and lifts up my head to match hers. She looks me in the eyes and gives me a tender smile. "Let me tell you a story that may help you. A long time ago, before my sister was even born, me and the other Goddesses were locked in a deadly conflict over control of the worlds shares."
I never really asked about what things were like in their homeland. They all used to be enemies?
"Eventually, the fighting got to the point where Arfoire was able to trick the other Goddesses into teaming up against me. I was defeated, and I fell from the sky, losing all of my memories as a result."
Neptune closes her eyes and keeps her smile. Whatever she's about to tell me is important, important enough for a Goddess to tell me about probably a dark moment in her past.
"When I awoke, I was human. I didn't know anything except my own name." A tear rolls down her cheek. I can relate to that. The pain and isolation she must've felt from having amnesia must've been grueling on her.
"I met new friends, went on plenty of adventures, but I was no closer to finding out who I truly was, or what my past was like. All I knew was that we needed to complete our quest and save the world from certain doom. Eventually though, I got my memories back, but..."
She paused, and her lips are quivering. More tears are coming from her eyes now. Whatever she's about to tell me, it must be very personal if she has to force herself to find the words, find the courage to say it.
"I remembered the unspeakable things I did to the other Goddesses... My true nature and my new human memories were clashing, it was like a war in my own head that I couldn't find the answers on how to stop it... Who was I? What should I do now? Could I even go back to being a friend to those I held close to my heart? So I..."
She paused again. I want to know what happened next, what happened to Neptune that she has to think about how she's going to say something, bring up the memories of her past that make her feel uncomfortable.
"I ran away... I was lost, I didn't know who I was anymore. Was I Neptune, or was I Purple Heart? I ran away from the people who got me that far..."
I've never seen this side of Neptune, even if it is her alternate version. The Neptune I know who can annoy me to no end, she went through this too, she suffered alongside her other self. Just hearing about this makes me want to cry.
"But... they came for me... and even though I fought them at first, I denied them and tried to fight them off... they beat some sense into me. Because to them, it didn't matter if I was a Goddess or a human. No, to them... I was Nep-Nep, or Nep, I was their friend... and that's what they saw."
Neptune opens her eyes and smiles again, the tears stopping for now but still held up in her eyes. It's a sincere smile, one that I've never truly seen before from her.
"No matter what, your friends will always be there to remind you of who you are. Even in the darkest of times." She lets go of my cheek and walks behind me again. Moments later Uni walks out from the brush but can't see Neptune's face.
Her expression is what I expected from her, still sullen and lacking any joy at this. There must be nothing else in this area for us to explore. So this request was really just those wild monsters after all.
"We've done everything we can do here, it's probably best if we pick up tomorrow when everyone gets done with their investigations."
"Agreed, I'll see you both later then." Neptune logs off before either Uni or me can respond. I guess Neptune didn't want Uni to see her face tear stained and red like that. I can't blame her, what she just told me must be the same as the day Blake died in comparison.
I want to log off too, but Uni's still here. Everything's telling me to go, but Neptune's words resonate with me a little bit right now. I probably hurt Uni earlier and I didn't even realize it when I brushed off her concerns for my well being.
I take a few steps towards her, giving her a small surprise from the reaction I just got from her. Now, I stand face to face with the girl who I still care about as my friend. Whatever happens, I just need to lay it out here.
"I'm sorry..." I can only speak quietly at first, but after a moment I feel like my throat loosens up. "I'm sorry that I was being reckless earlier."
Uni doesn't know what to make of this at first, I don't think she was expecting something like this. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen, but for now I feel a little better.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt..." Uni speaks quietly.
"I really care about you and Nepgear... and I don't want to lose another one of you guys." So that's what she's been thinking this whole time. Her icy demeanor earlier was probably just a defense mechanism that she put up.
My arms go around her for a hug. I know it might be wrong to do this to her, but a hug for comfort never hurt anybody. I'm sure everyone understands.
"I'm not going anywhere... I'll find Nepgear and bring her back to us, then we can all hang out like we used to." I want to comfort her. If the story Neptune told me is anything to go on, I wonder what other experiences each of them has been through. Whatever they are, I'll be their friend through more of them.
"You promise?" What is it with girls making me promise things?
"I promise..." I can't be entirely truthful there. I still don't have all the answers about this. But I'll find Nepgear and restore what we had, that's the only promise that I'll make. But I won't promise that I won't go anywhere.
I let go of Uni and wave her goodbye, moments later I log out and shut down my computer. Hopefully tomorrow we have more information to go on. The one lead we had today turned out to be a bust after all...
It's close to dinnertime now, but that's got me thinking... Nepgear or me usually made Neptune food. What's she going to do with her sister gone?
Well, if she was able to trust me as a friend, then I'll be sure to pay her back if I can. I pick up my phone and dial Neptune's number, a few moments later she picks up still sounding not so happy in this form.
"Hey Jack... What is it?"
"Neptune... as long as Nepgear's not here... do you want to have dinner with Maurice and me?" The least I can do is offer her a meal every night. I can only imagine how lonely that apartment is right now, maybe this will put a little pep back into her step.
She hangs up the phone to my surprise, but a few moments later I hear a knock on the door from my room. Maurice calls out to me at that point.
"Jack! Neptune said she was invited to dinner!" I guess even when she's sad, she never loses her will to eat. The same can't be said for me however, but that's alright. The only thing I know is that I'll find Nepgear soon.
A/N: A lot longer than my original draft for this chapter but I think it works out. What do you all think of it? Well, the first lead they got didn't turn out good, but at least they're still hopeful, which is more than I would be if I were in their shoes.
Moving on, I recently started to reread the earlier parts of the story and let me tell you folks, I am embarrassed by those early chapters. I've already got the revised Chapter 1 finished, but I want to at least have Chapters 2-Whenever I'm satisfied done before I replace them, that way it makes sense.
Or maybe I'm crazy and you think that the first bunch of chapters aren't complete garbage written from a time when I was a high schooler who wanted to vent, and only then tried to make a real story out of it.
Ok I've gone on long enough, hope you all are doing well, and if I don't get a chapter out beforehand, Happy Thanksgiving. Until then, see you in the next update.