Author's Note
Did I say 2 years? I meant 2 weeks. It's a Chrismas Miracle, guys! I posted another chapter!
Planeptune, Gamindustri
Place: Planeptune City
Date: September 10, 2019
Time: 4:02 P.M
Noire wiped the tears off of Neptune's cheeks and placed light kisses around her face. Neptune giggled at the display of affection that her girlfriend was giving her. She really missed this.
"Noire, that tickles!"
The black CPU chuckled, "Sorry, couldn't help myself."
"Some things never change. I'm glad to see you guys lovey-dovey as ever," Nepgear voiced with relief.
Noire turned to the audience she had and blushed. She was so engrossed with Neptune that she didn't notice anybody else. "Nepgear… Uni… and everyone… H-How long…"
Nepgear lightly chuckled as her cheeks were dusted pink. "Oh, not that long…"
"Just when Neptune dove into your arms," Blanc added.
Noire's face burned bright red as she realized everyone had seen all their intimate actions. She dropped to her knees and covered her face in embarrassment. "Kill me…"
Neptune laughed as she tried to pry Noire's hands off her face. "It's okay, Noire. Everyone already knows you're my lover. It's fine! Show me your cute blushing face!"
Noire whimpered out, "No," as she avoided the purple CPU.
"Awww, don't be like that," Neptune cooed.
Black Sister was a bit ashamed of the way her big sister was acting in front of everyone. "Noire…"
Noire heard the disappointed sigh from her younger sister and quickly recomposed herself. She stood up slowly as she held her abdomen, trying not to strain it. "Ahm! Excuse my behavior, everyone. It's been a long time since I saw Neptune, so I got a bit emotional. I hope you all can understand." Even though Noire had pushed Neptune away from her, she still compromised by holding Neptune's hand as she didn't want to be apart from her.
"Oh, she's quite honest." Blanc had expected her to make some kind of excuse.
"Yep! Noire's always honest about our relationship!" This made Neptune very giddy inside. She knew her girlfriend didn't like to show her weakness in front of people, especially her affectionate side.
"This Noire behaves very differently from ours, don't you think?" Vert asked as she looked at the other Noire.
"I can be honest," grumbled the other Noire.
"Noire! It's soooo good to see you in person!" Plutia's eyes sparkled from being able to see her friend from another dimension up close.
Noire smiled when she noticed how Plutia was holding onto her counterpart's hand. "Plutia. I see things are going well for you."
"Hmmm?" Plutia was confused by what she meant at first until be noticed how the other Noire was looking at her hand which was in her Noire's hand. "Oh…" Plutia didn't want to give anyone the wrong ideas. It would be bad for her Noire if there was a misunderstanding, so she pulled her hand away.
Noire felt how the braided-hair girl let go of her hand. She turned to Plutia and gave a confused look. "Plutia?"
"I thought only Neptune and Nepgear would be crossing over, so this is a surprise. I assume you all are from the Ultradimension?" Noire scanned her eyes over the other Vert, Blanc, and Noire."
Neptune tried to introduce her friends from the Ultradimension. "Yeah, so… Noire, this is Vert. This is Blanc and that's Noire. Um…." Neptune scratched her head. "It's hard to differentiate the two of you in text form, so which one of you wants to be Pseudo-Noire?"
The Noire from Ultradimension didn't like the sound of that. "It feels like I haven't heard that name in a while, but no! No way can you can call either of us that!"
"As your girlfriend, I would like it if you didn't call me pseudo, Neptune."
Neptune lightly chuckled, "Kidding, kidding!"
Vert hummed, "While there are differences in personality, they are similar. They do look the exact same."
Peashy tilted her head in puzzlement as she looked at the two black CPUs. "Two Noires… Who's the real one?"
"Oh c'mon, that's easy!" The younger White Sister looked at the two Noires and felt her forehead sweat. "It's uh… Um, tell her, Rom!"
The other White Sister sighed, "I dunno, either…"
Black Sister sadly smiled. "I can tell them apart because of their clothing, but even as her sister, it would be hard to tell who's who if they wore the exact same thing."
Plutia pouted, "That's soooo nice… I want to have another me, too…"
Noire sighed, "We're getting a little off-topic. This is what I can think of for our identity problem. Since this Noire is from Ultradimension, why not call her Ultra Noire?" she suggested. "The people from Ultradimension can call me Hyper Noire since I'm from the Hyperdimension."
Black Sister nodded in agreement. "As expected of my big sister! Quick to find a solution."
"We can't keep chit-chatting here forever. So are we in agreement with this?" Noire asked. "I'll of course be calling this Vert and Blanc, Ultra Vert and Ultra Blanc."
"So I have to call Bert, Ulta Bert then?" Peashy questioned.
"Oh, you can call me however you want, Peashy dear!" Ultra Vert said.
"I'm alright with using Ultra and Hyper titles to differentiate us. It would get confusing otherwise when joining the other Vert and Blanc in battle," Ultra Blanc voiced.
"With that settled, then let's hurry to where Blanc and Vert are!" Neptune walked away only to feel Noire letting go of her hand. She turned back to see Noire giving a sad smile. "Noire?"
"I can't go," she revealed.
"Why not?" Neptune asked.
"Was that why you are waiting here, Noire?" Black Sister concluded.
She nodded. "I'm tasked with opening a hole in the barrier to let people through. It takes a lot of share energy to break through this barrier."
"But we're all here. Once we all pass through, it's not like you need to stay by the barrier anymore," Ultra Blanc reasoned.
"I understand that point. But it's actually for our escape plan. If we all need to run, it would be good for someone to stay behind and open the barrier without anyone having to stop mid-flight to wait for the barrier to open," Noire explained.
"But that wouldn't be the case if we win, right? Are you saying we need this escape plan?" Ultra Noire inquired.
"It's for just in case." Noire glanced away as she touched her stomach.
Plutia glanced at Noire's hand that clenched the fabric of her dress. "Theeeeen… We'll bring victory back for you!"
"The fact that you're acting as our doorstop is quite admirable," Ultra Vert commented.
Noire rolled her eyes. "I don't want to, but I can't let my selfishness get the better of me. If there really is no need for the escape plan then that's good. No harm in being prepared."
"Still it would be nice to have an extra pair of hands in the fight," Ultra Blanc said.
Noire moved to the barrier and touched it. "I'm sure you all will win. I heard about the Rei from your dimension, if you all are here then you must have taken care of her. It makes me more relaxed to know you're helping us defeat the Rei from our dimension." A hole opened up in the barrier. "Hurry through. My shares are burning away every time I keep this barrier open."
"You heard her guys! Good luck! I believe in you all!" Neptune cheered.
Everyone stared at her.
"What? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Nepgear asked, "Aren't you coming with us, Neptune?"
"Nah," Neptune waved her off. "You guys don't need me, I'll make sure my lonesome Noire doesn't get too lonely out here. So you guys fight enough for the two of us!"
Noire sighed, "Neptune…"
"Neptuna's not going?" Peashy pouted, "But I wanna go with Neptuna!"
"Peashy dear, you can go with me," Ultra Vert suggested.
Noire pulled her hand away from the barrier and the hole slowly started to fix itself. "Neptune, listen to me. You need to go. You're the strongest CPU on Gamindustri. Both Vert and Blanc are waiting for you. I'm worried that they might be struggling, so please go in my stead."
"But… We just got together…" Neptune reached out for Noire's hand.
Noire gave it a light squeeze and said, "And we'll be together after Rei is defeated as well. Because I know you won't lose."
Neptune looked at her friends who were leaving for battle and then looked at her girlfriend who was staying behind. "Do I really have to go?"
Noire grinned, "Don't think you can slack just off because you're back in Hyperdimension! I'm putting you straight to work!"
Neptune sighed, but quickly smiled. "Then this old Nep will have to finish up quickly!" She then hugged Noire tightly around her waist which caused her to wince in pain, but the Planeptune CPU didn't notice. "Once everything is over, I'm sticking to you like glue."
Noire softly smiled as she squeezed the girl back. "I anticipate it."
It took a lot of willpower, but Neptune was able to let Noire go. "Then I'm off! I'll make sure to bring victory back as Plutie said!"
"I'm counting on you, Neptune."
Neptune turned to her group and shouted, "Come on, girls! We got a psycho to take down!"
Black Sister saluted to Noire. "I'll make you proud."
Noire nodded. "I know you will, Uni." She touched the barrier and created an opening big enough for everyone. "Good luck."
The younger White Sister was the first to fly through the barrier. "Let's hurry to Blanc and Vert everyone!"
"Wait for me, Ram!" The other White Sister quickly followed.
"Slow down you too!" Black Sister scolded as she followed them.
The group moved through the barrier with the three transformed candidates in the lead, but one person didn't move. Ultra Noire noticed the missing person and looked back to see Plutia standing still.
"Plutia, aren't you coming?"
Plutia nodded, "Yep! But everyone can go on ahead first! I've got something to say to Hyper Noire!"
Noire tilted her head in confusion. "You do?"
Ultra Noire's eyebrows scrunched up in worriment. "Want me to wait for you? I don't want you getting lost."
"Ooooooh, Noire!" Plutia waved her off like she was speaking nonsense. "I won't get lost. It'll be quick! I proooooomise!"
"Well… okay. Just don't be slow." Ultra Noire was still unsure but decided to trust the iris-haired girl and follow the group.
When Plutia was left alone, Noire asked, "What did you want to say?"
Plutia turned to Noire and her smile softened. "You really are the same as my Noire. Always keeping things to yourself."
"W-What do you mean?"
Plutia frowned and claimed, "You're hurt. Aren't you?"
Noire tensed up from her claim.
Plutia pulled out a small bottle from her inventory and handed it to Noire. "This should help you feel better."
The black CPU took the glass bottle that was filled with a light green substance. "This is…"
"It's a healing drink. I noticed you were touching your stomach once in a while. You were trying to hide it from Neppy, but I could tell. You are in a loooooot of pain, right?"
Noire sighed, "And I thought I was hiding it well. The reason I was put on barrier duty in the first place was that I got hurt. My friends were worried about me and I didn't want to hold them back. I'm so weak."
"That's not true, Noire! Neppy had told me how strong you are! And if you are anything like my Noire, I know you don't believe that."
Noire shook her head. "I'm nothing like the other Noire. I can tell how confident she was, unlike me. I'm not strong."
Plutia pouted, "If you keep staying that I'm gonna get aaaaaangry!"
Noire flinched and felt her danger senses going off. "P-Plutia?"
"I have never seen you fight, so I guess you don't believe my words, but I know you're strong! You have been fighting against Rei all this time with your friends. And you were able to hold her off until Neppy got back! You should be proud of that!"
Noire was touched by her words. "Plutia…"
"Neppy reeeeeeeally wanted to fight by your side, Noire. Don't say that you'll hold us back because I know we'll be neeeeeding your strength in this battle." Plutia looked straight into those red eyes. They were a lot softer than the eyes that her Noire carried. Even though they look the exact same, you could find small differences if you looked hard enough. This caused Plutia to smile. "So I'll be waiting." With that, Plutia walked through the barrier.
Noire stared at Plutia's receding back. She didn't think she could get such encouraging words from someone as ditzy as Plutia. Before Plutia moved too far away, Noire questioned, "How do you know? That I'll be needed…"
Plutia halted in her steps and turned to give Noire one last smile. "Hehe! Because I juuuuuuust do!"
Planeptune, Gamindustri
Place: Planeptune City
Date: September 10, 2019
Time: 4:27 P.M
Croire cheered as she saw the familiar group in the distance. "Yeeeeeah! Finally!"
Rei smirked from her throne made of stone and metal debris. Her feet rested on the two bodies of the CPU she defeated long ago. "So they finally made their way. I was getting bored of waiting."
"You could have gone looking for them instead, y'know?" Croire mentioned. "Whatever. I'll be watchin' from my special front-row seat."
Rei sighed, "Even at the most pivotal moments, all you do is watch. You are far too nosy, and you jumble up everything… All so you can sit back and be entertained."
Croire smirked. "Heh. I've earned that perk, though. Anyway, do your best out there."
"Hmph." Rei watched how the tome flew up into the air. "Such an insect. I should just squash her." She then glanced down at the approaching group of CPUs. "But I have something much more fun to squash."
Plutia jogged ahead when she saw the tower of debris. She looked up to see the blue CPU. "I see herrr…! I found you, Rei…"
Neptune stomped her foot and yelled, "No more hiding, 'cuz we're done seeking!"
Rei stood up from her throne and laughed, "Hahaha… I'm so glad you could make it… I was worried you would die before making it all this way."
Nepgear pleaded, "Rei, please stop this!"
Rei lifted an eyebrow in confusion, "Huh? Stop what? I'm not doing anything right now."
Nepgear blinked, "Huh? But, um… Oh… really?
Rei rolled her eyes, "Wooooow, what a rude accusation! Telling me to stop when I'd already stopped ages ago!"
Nepgear shrunk into her shoulder, not knowing what to say. "Um, uh, well… Sorry?"
"Don't apologize," Black Sister scolded.
Rei scoffed, "Jeez. If I'm going to hear complaints, I may as well start again at full strength!"
Nepgear panicked, "Goodness, no! Please stop!"
Black Sister lightly jabbed Nepgear in the arm and groaned, "Hey, stop caving into everything that woman says! Get a grip!"
Nepgear whimpered, "Uggghhh… Even when I finally got back home, I'm being treated the same way…"
Peashy pouted as she looked at Rei who was staring down at them as if they were trash., "Is mommy acting weird again?"
The pinked-hair White Sister gave the small blonde a confused look. "What? This is your mommy?"
The other White sister mirrored her twin's expression. "Your…mommy…?"
Blanc sighed, "It's a bit complicated. I'll explain it to you later."
Noire looked up at Rei and demanded, "Why are you doing this?"
Vert huffed, "It takes an unhinged individual to try and destroy an entire world."
Neptune nodded, "Agreed! There's stuff that's cool to do and other stuff that's very not cool to do!"
Rei growled as she crushed the makeshift armrest of her throne. "Oh… I see… You all plan to rile me up, do you? Ganging up on me with those one-sided arguments!"
Plutia didn't really understand her words. "Huh?"
"Even when MY nation fell apart!" The sky rumbled dangerously. "And after the fact! It was always pinned on me as if it were my fault!" Lightning struck behind Rei causing stone and glass to be flung in the air. "Ahh, it must be SO nice when you can dump all the blame on others from your high position!"
Neptune flinched. "Woah! Who stepped on her toys and go 'em all bent out of shape or whatever?"
Nepgear furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Hang on. This is the Rei from this world, right? So why does she know about her nation falling into ruin?"
"Are their memories linked?" Blanc theorized. "Or maybe the other Rei had her memories screwed with?"
Neptune shrugged, "Rei is just a mystery. To begin with, the Rei from here was human. Not a CPU."
The younger White Sister hid behind her twin. "This lady is scary…"
The other white candidate tried to act tough, "M-Meh! She's just some crazy old lady!"
Rei took a deep break and calmed down. "Hmph, how tasteless of me. I shouldn't get so worked up. That is why I will kill you all with my own hands!"
"You forgot to explain the "that" part!" Neptune reminded her.
Rei scowled, "What a stupid girl. Or are you not even trying to understand? CPUs should not exist. They are unnecessary. CPUs shouldn't be allowed to find their own nations. The rule stating CPUs must govern their land is flawed. Therefore, I intend to reset everything!"
Plutia tilted her head. "Huuuh? Ummm… I still don't get it…"
Noire sighed, "Basically, it's not her fault she failed. It's the system's fault. So she's saying she's not wrong."
Black Sister shouted, "That's absurd!"
Vert shook her head. "As an avid gamer, blaming the rules of the game is a most unseemly excuse!"
Rei clenched her hands. "If I just erase all of you… No… Not only you… Those who supported me when it suited them, and then discarded me whenever must also be reset! Ahahahahaha! I'll deal with them slowly, and with extreme prejudice!"
Nepgear gasped, "Goodness! That's all in the past, isn't it? That has nothing to do with the people alive today!"
Peashy cried out, "Mommy, don't do bad stuff!"
Rei huffed, "Whether it happened in the past or the present is irrelevant. I have been alive since those days… You should count your blessings that I'll be dealing with you right here and now!"
Neptune gave a disbelieving look. "Actually, you weren't even alive during those days. It's actually your counterpart."
"SILENCE!" Rei roared and lightning struck down.
"Eeek!" Neptune instinctively stepped to the side to avoid getting electrocuted.
"Rei…"
"Hmmm?" Rei glanced over to Plutia who was looking very stern. "What? You have something to say?"
Plutia sighed and started to say, "Um, I accidentally became a CPU, but it's loooooots of fun and I got to meet aaaaall my friends, and…"
Rei rolled her eyes. "Don't speak so slowly, dammit! Be brief and to the point!"
Plutia jerked from her harsh tone and lost her composure a bit. "Uh-oh…! She yelled at me… Um, well… Basically, being a CPU isn't a bad thing…"
Rei hummed. "I see. You're at your peak right now. But from here on, you will experience the people beginning to turn on you… So I'll be gracious enough to end your life before you have to suffer through that! I expect gratitude!"
Plutia pouted angrily. "But I juuuuust said you shouldn't reset everything…!"
Blanc shook her head. "It's no use. She won't listen. Plus, it's really hard to follow anything you try to say, Plutia."
Neptune agreed. "Not like this is the type of game where you can talk the final boss out of fighting you. So…!" She activated her HDD and transformed into Purple Heart. "Prove to us that you really have the strength to reset everything!"
Rei only smirked as her feet tapped on the two lumps of flesh that the others had yet to notice. She just sat on the mountain of stone and corpses, waiting for the show to be over. She can't wait to see their shocked faces when she reveals the two, especially, to Black Heart.
Blanc followed Neptune and also transformed. "So basically, since you failed as a CPU, you think we're also going to fail by default, right? Don't act like we're cut from the same freakin' cloth, dammit!"
Noire transformed and mentioned, "Well, you were pretty much the same way when we first met you."
Rei noticed the difference and felt her right eye twitch in annoyance. She grumbled under her breath, "You're not Black Heart…"
White Heart groaned at Black Heart's words, "Ugh, who freakin' cares?! You were able to stop me anyway."
Vert nodded. "And we'll stop her in the same manner, then. Are you ready, little Peashy?"
Peashy transformed and chirped, "Yep! I don't like naughty Mommy! I'll make her go back to normal!"
Rei gritted her teeth. "Where is she…"
Black Sister didn't understand what was going on. "The three of us don't really understand the plot, but…"
Nepgear apologized, "I'm sorry. I'll tell you all about it after we wrap it up, promise." She accessed her shares and transformed into Purple Sister.
The younger White Sister began to whine when she saw Peashy's transformation. "Lame! It's not fair that Peashy gets so big when she transforms!"
The other White Sister nodded. "I'm jealous…"
Rei stood up when no one answered and bellowed, "WHERE IS SHE?!"
Lightning rained from the sky toward the group. Everyone else quickly transformed into their HDD and scattered to avoid the attack.
"W-What's gotten into her?" Purple Sister questioned.
"Like the hell I know!" White Heart voiced.
"Grrrr… that was dangerous!" Plutia yelled.
Purple Heart looked over to the other Planeptune CPU. "Hmm? What is it, Plutie?"
Black Heart also noticed. "What're you doing? You usually just transform right around now, even if I say not to."
Plutia sighed, "Well… I reeeeeally thought that we should try and talk to this Rei properly…"
White Heart rolled her eyes. "And we just said that there's no way to get through to her!"
Purple Sister was shocked. "Amazing… Plutia would rather talk than use force…"
Green Heart hesitantly smiled. "Yet another sign of the impending apocalypse, perhaps? Of course, that would imply that we are going to lose."
Plutia whined, "You two are sooooo mean…!"
Rei felt all the veins in her body pop from how lightly everyone was taking the situation they were in. "ENOUGH! You think this is all games?!"
Purple Heart sternly voiced, "Plutie, this isn't the time to take things slow."
"Where is Black Heart?!" Rei demanded.
"Huh? But I'm right here?" Black Heart answered.
"Not you!" Rei denied. "Where's the Black Heart that humiliated me!? What's the point of beating these friends of hers if she wasn't even gonna show up?!" Rei swung her leg and kicked the two bodies that were hidden in the tower of crumbling concrete.
Everyone gasped when they saw the bodies being kicked into the air. Purple Heart's eyes widened when she saw the familiar figures. Like everything disappeared from her view and the only thing that mattered was the two battered bodies of the CPU that went airborne.
"BLANC!" The two White Sisters zipped passed everyone to the unconscious brunette that was falling.
"I got Vert!" Black Sister flew up to catch the falling green CPU.
Blanc and Vert were gently laid on the ground as everyone huddled around them. The two white candidates cried as they tried to wake their older sister. It was impossible no matter how hard they shook her.
"It's no use," said Black Sister. "They're both completely knocked out cold."
"This is… me?" White Heart looked at the Hyper Blanc covered in burnt marks. Her clothes were ripped up and dried blood stained her brown hair.
"Are they still… breathing?" Green Heart asked concernedly. It was worrisome to see someone look identical to you to be in such a critical condition.
"They're still breathing," Black Sister informed. "But they both lost a lot of blood. They need medical attention and fast."
"Uni, Rom, Ram," Purple Heart called out. "Take Blanc and Vert out of here. I won't forgive her for what they did to my friends."
"No one's leaving!" Rei summoned her staff and raised it up into the air. A ball of light formed as it slowly expanded. "I'll destroy you all and find Black Heart myself! Light of Domination!"
"Not on my watch!" Black Sister pointed her weapon at the incoming attack. "Nepgear!"
"On it!" Purple Sister pointed her gunblade at the ball of light. "Multiple Beam Launcher! Maximum power!"
"EX Multi Buster! Mode: Empress!"
The two candidates fired out their attack at the ball of light. Their beams fused together to create one large attack that caused Rei's Exe skill to explode. Everyone braced themselves from the heavy winds that the collision caused.
Black Sister picked up Vert and floated. "Rom, Ram, carry Blanc. We're getting these two out of here!"
Purple Sister glanced over at the black candidate. "Uni?"
The White Sisters didn't complain as they lifted their older sister by the arm and summoned their wings to fly.
Black Sister turned to Purple Sister and said. "Don't lose."
Purple Sister nodded. "Roger!"
Black Sister smirked and then turned to Purple Heart. "Neptune! Avenge Blanc and Vert for us!"
Purple Heart grinned. "But of course. Hurry off!"
Black Sister and the white candidates carried the injured CPUs away. As they took to the skies, bolts of lightning zipped toward them. Purple Sister refused to have any more of her friends harmed. She fired at the lightning bolts, stopping them from striking the other candidates.
"Rawwwwr! I'll kill you all and force Black Heart out!" Rei announced.
Purple Heart turned to Plutia. "Plutie, Rei is in no mood to converse. Transform."
Plutia was trying to be nice, but her friends were just put in danger because of her. "I knoooooow… Okey-dokey, then…! Access!" Light surrounded the iris-haired girl and her body changed to a much taller figure. Magenta eyes curved in amusement as a playful smirk curved on the CPU's face. "You're right. There's no need to overthink anything. I'll just do what I do best…" Iris Heart summoned out her serrated blade. "I'll break her spirit and then force her to listen to me!"
Black Heart smiled, happy to see Iris Heart for once. "Hmph. Good. If you tried to do anything else, it'd feel weird."
Yellow Heart shouted, "Ploot, don't be too mean to her!"
Rei growled, "You all are so chatty! I'm getting impatient."
Iris Heart chuckled, "Oh? You're not into foreplay? I'm so sorry. To make up for it, I'll be sure to start my real services right away!"
Lightning rained behind Rei as she floated in the air. "I'll make you all disappear along with the entire world!"
Purple Heart summoned out her sword and claimed, "It won't. I… All of us will protect Gamindustri! And this fight is now personal!"
Author's Note
Okay, now it's two years. Jk. I'll see you guys whenever the next chapter is out! Feel free to let me know if you enjoyed the chapters. I hope my writing hasn't gotten worse after the 2 year break. Anyway, wishing you all a Happy Holiday! XD
-Shiena
