Hyperdimension Neptunia is owned by Compile Heart, Idea Factory, Sega and whomever else worked on it.
Don't forget to check the previous chapter in case you missed it and leave a review for that chapter as well.
Chapter 39
"Hello, Nepsy." A cool, confident voice spoke up and Neptune turned, half dreading what she would see. Sitting on a rock with her elbows resting on her knees while she rested her chin in the palms of her hands was Kurome. "We have more time to talk now."
"What do you want?" Neptune asked her. "I don't know if you know, but you're dead."
"Again with that?" Kurome asked, sighing in amusement. "What makes you think that I'm here for the same reasons I was before?"
"Did I die sometime and get sent to Hell again?" Neptune asked. "Maybe that power surge killed me and this is how Lord Yemma is punishing me? No, wait, there weren't any angels dragging me to Hell, so maybe I'm alive?" Neptune tapped her chin and looked around, not seeing much other than the dust and dirt paths around her. She started pacing in circles and muttering to herself. "So if I'm alive, then I must be dreaming, right? Or maybe..."
"Are you done yet?" Kurome asked, amusement in her voice as she watched Neptune walk in circles. "As fun as this is, Nepsy, I actually did want to talk to you."
"...What do you want, Kurome?" Neptune asked as she stopped to look at her predecessor. "...You know, I've always wondered something." Kurome tilted her head in confusion. "You and Uzume dress similar, but have different colors, which one was the outfit you wore when you were the CPU of Planeptune?"
"I'm the real Uzume, you know?" Kurome smirked at her. "I don't really remember, but is it really important?" Seeing Neptune's annoyed look, Kurome's smirk merely increased in size. "Well, whatever, tell me something Nepsy... is this really what you want?"
Neptune blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Saving these people, I mean." Kurome's face became somber. "I get it, you're a good person, Nepsy. But aren't you burning yourself out? Besides, wouldn't you rather just relax and unwind for awhile? Aren't you the lazy one?"
"...Yeah, I'm lazy," Neptune admitted to her, "but," she balled her hands into fists, "I can't just let people get hurt if I can stop it! That's how I am!" She flinched at the raised eyebrow Kurome gave her. "It's true!"
"Is it?" Kurome asked her. "You aren't a typical CPU. You're envious of people like Compa and IF, for how they can choose what they want in life. Wasn't the happiest memories you ever had, not of your sister, of Histoire or even of being a CPU... But taking care of three little children?"
"How do you know that?" Neptune asked as a cold spike went through her body as it felt like her blood instantly turned to ice.
"I saw your memories, Nepsy," Kurome chuckled at her, "when those three girls were happy, you were happy. When they were sad, you did all you could to make them happy. When they were sick, you took care of them. You played with them, fed them, clothed them, taught them as they grew up. Of all the cherished memories you have, there are tons with those three girls." She pushed herself to her feet and slowly walked towards Neptune with exaggerated steps while keeping her arms crossed behind her back. "I know that if you could have given up your ability to be a CPU, you would have, if it meant you could have more moments like those, right?"
"You don't know anything!" Neptune protested and Kurome chuckled while leaning in close and Neptune could see that her pupils were an upside down and black power symbol. "You... You're a Void?"
"Void? Is that what you think, Nepsy?" Kurome asked before grabbing Neptune's chin and smiling at her. "I'm Uzume Tennouboushi. The original Uzume at least."
"No you're not." Neptune twitched and pushed Kurome away from her. "You aren't Uzume! You're Kurome! I don't know why you're here, but I'll Nep you up if you think you can..." She trailed off as Kurome chuckled at her. "What?"
"Just admit it, Nepsy..." Kurome smiled at her. "You would rather be lazing on the couch eating pudding and playing games. There's no reason for you to care so much about these people. As soon as you can open a portal, you'll be home and then what? You haven't fixed the underlying problems of this world. Eventually the Fearicite will return and more Voids will come to ruin people's lives." Neptune's face fell as she heard that. "So why do you bother? You're trying to save a world that doesn't deserve it." Kurome narrowed her eyes and swung her arm to the side and the area was filled with images. "Look!" She pointed to the memories of what Neptune had seen in Lowee. "When White Void was tormenting her sisters the people stood to the side and did nothing. When you freed them from White Void's rule and were injured, they demanded that you let them kill the children."
"But that..." Neptune protested before the scenery changed to Leanbox and Neptune blushed as she saw the memories that went through her.
"The people there lust after you, they lusted after a monster like Green Void, yet none of them really wanted Green Void to die. Think about it. Didn't Green Void say she had six previous sisters before your precious daughter was revealed to be her seventh sister? The people there basically created children for the express purposes of DYING to that slut of a Goddess!" Kurome's voice was starting to get heated and Neptune could feel all the anger she felt when she saw Peashy about to be executed flooding back through her. And not just then, but the memories of when she saw Rom getting beaten and battered by someone who should have been her elder sister flooded through her and made her anger increase. "And what about Eden? To see your friend, someone who you lived with for twenty years appear before you in such a twisted manner."
"...Stop it..." Neptune trembled, tears coming out of her eyes.
"And who knows about Noire and Uni?" Kurome continued. "Do you think you can handle seeing your closest friend being like the other Voids? A complete monster? And then there's Planeptune..." She chuckled as Neptune twitched, tears in her eyes. "I wonder... Will you be the CPU there? Or will Nepgear? Or perhaps you'll get there when Nepgear is being beaten and left for dead."
"No! No!" Neptune covered her ears and shuddered. "No! I wouldn't! I love Nep Jr.! I wouldn't!"
"Ah!" Kurome smiled and got behind Neptune and hugged her. "Are you sure? Look." Neptune looked as a mirror formed in front of her and her eyes widened in fear as she saw the reflection in the mirror.
She didn't see her usual white hooded parka. Instead, she saw a black and red hoodie that was mostly unzipped, revealing that she was wearing a black bra underneath. Her left eye was covered in shade but was glowing red while her right eye...
Her right eye had an upside down black-colored power symbol in it.
And in the center of her chest...
Was a hole of pure darkness.
"No..." Neptune trembled as Kurome chuckled to her. "No! I'm not! I'm not!"
"You are..." Kurome purred softly. "After all, what you see is nothing more than the echoes of the darkness in your own heart."
"NO!" Neptune screamed as the scenery turned white and disappeared.
(-)
"NO!" Neptune screamed as she sat up in bed, her eyes wide, unseeing and sweat dripping down her face. "That was... That was..."
"Ngh..." Rom opened her eyes and looked at Neptune. "Big sis? Are you okay?" She crawled to her hands and knees and crawled up next to Neptune, who was trembling. "Big sister?" When Neptune didn't respond and was just rocking back and forth while looking scared, she got off the bed and ran out of the room.
Quickly finding Chrome's room, she opened the door and ran in, before shaking Chrome several times to get her to wake up.
"Hmm?" Chrome blinked a few times and squinted. "Rom?" She asked, getting a nod from the little girl. "What do you want? It's..." She looked at the clock that was on the corner table between the beds. "Three in the morning..." She hoped that whatever Rom needed wasn't anything major, she wanted more sleep.
"Big sis needs help!"
Any thoughts of getting back to sleep quickly fled Chrome's mind.
(-)
"Neptune..." Chrome said while shaking the trembling CPU. "Neptune..." She gently pulled the smaller girl against her. "Come on, relax."
Suddenly Neptune gasped and looked around wildly as she blinked her eyes rapidly. "Where am I?! What's going on?! What?"
"Big Sis!" Rom suddenly jumped onto Neptune, hugging her while Ram and Peashy both rubbed their eyes while waking up. "You were acting weird."
Panting hard, Neptune looked at Rom as things finally started to come into focus. "R...Rom? Is that you?" Rom nodded and Neptune hugged the girl tightly. "Thank goodness."
"Did you have a dream about her?" Chrome asked and Neptune stiffened and let go of Rom before sliding to the floor. "Neptune?"
"...I need to use the bathroom." Neptune giggled nervously and ran off to the bathroom, causing Chrome to look at her in worry.
(-)
After closing the door behind her and turning the lights on, Neptune stood in front of the mirror and looked at her reflection. "...No hole, no black power symbols..." She trembled and fell to her knees, panting. "Just a dream! Just a dream, it wasn't real."
Yet, no matter what she told herself, those words felt hollow, empty and meaningless, as though she was trying to convince herself more than anything else.
It was more than fifteen minutes later when there was a knocking on the door. Neptune didn't answer and when she heard Chrome's voice, she opened the door silently and let the other woman into the bathroom.
Seeing Neptune's condition, Chrome sighed and gently led her out of the bathroom. "Come on, let's talk." Neptune idly nodded as Chrome led her back into her bedroom. "Before you ask, I sent the girls to sleep in my room." Neptune nodded as she was sat on the bed. "What's wrong?"
"...I don't..." Neptune shuddered and trembled. "Chrome, I..."
"Calm down," Chrome told her, "take a deep breath and why don't you tell me what's going through your head right now?"
Neptune did just that and trembled softly. "...It started yesterday, I... An enemy that I thought was dead appeared in front of me and wanted to talk." She didn't look at Chrome while her purple eyes glistened with unshed tears. "She made me nearly kill my little sister. She made me nearly destroy my world. She forced herself into my mind and did things to me to make me like a Void."
"Neptune..." Chrome whispered softly, unsure how to react to this information.
"We beat her though, and she's dead, but..." Neptune squeezed the bottom of her hooded parka. "She showed up yesterday... And she showed up again and..." She screwed her eyes shut as her body shook. "I don't know what she wants. I..." Neptune tried to recall everything Kurome told her but couldn't. She could only remember the sensations. "I was so cold, Chrome and... I felt anger in me, all sorts of anger." She turned her head and suddenly lunged at Chrome, burying her face into the other woman's chest, shaking and sobbing softly. "She showed me... She showed me an image of myself..."
"Neptune," Chrome whispered softly and rubbed the trembling girl's back. "What else?"
"I... She showed me what I'd look like... As a Void." Neptune sobbed out and Chrome's pupils shrank as she heard that. "I..."
"Listen to me, Neptune." Chrome pushed her back and gave her a stern, but gentle, look. "You are NOT a Void. You will NOT become one, do you understand?"
"But..." Neptune whimpered and Chrome shook her head.
"I won't let you become one. You mean too much to everyone to just become a Void." Chrome pulled her back against her chest and hugged her. "I promise you, Neptune... I won't let you become a Void."
Neptune hugged Chrome back and started to sob into the other woman's chest.
As she heard Neptune cry, Chrome felt as though knives were being stabbed into her heart with each passing moment. 'How long have you been holding this in?' She asked herself, but didn't let go of the hug while Neptune sobbed.
After everything Neptune had done for her and the people of Gamworld, this little bit of comfort was the least that she could do for Neptune.
(-)
Meanwhile...
K-Sha frowned as she looked at the new facility that they had all moved to after Uni had been rescued. "I don't like this."
"I don't either." Enzo said as he walked up beside her. "The fact that we were forced to move has set us back tremendously."
K-Sha spun and took a knee as she bowed deeply. "Master Enzo! Please! I'll do anything! The CPUs will pay for the pain they've caused the citizens of Lastation."
"Anything, huh?" Enzo slowly rubbed his chin.
"Yes!" K-Sha nodded, "my abilities are not strong enough to defeat a CPU Candidate, much less a fully realized CPU in combat. I wish to have that changed."
Enzo slowly smirked at her. "Very well, Gernia G.!"
"Yes?" The blonde asked as she walked into the room and looked at K-Sha, who was standing up and looking at her nervously. "What do you want me to do to her?"
"...Give her the full upgrade and be fast about it."
Gernia G. giggled and K-Sha rolled her eyes at the blonde's antics. "Oh, don't worry, by the time I'm done with her..." A savage grin came across her face as she approached K-Sha, "she'll be a brand new person."
"Excellent, see that you do." Enzo said and left the two of them alone.
"Well then," Gernia G. smiled at K-Sha. "Let us begin."
To be continued...
Apparently I've been spelling Gernia G.'s name wrong. It's supposed to be Gerenia G. I was going by how it was pronounced, whoops! Oh well, too late to change it now. (I'm too lazy to change it)
But man, that was a heavy chapter.