Noire raised a hand to her cheek, gingerly touching where she'd just nearly had her lights knocked right back out. Her mouth was agape, her head still twisted aside from the force of the impact that had struck her.
I deserved that.
She finally managed to focus her eyes on something in the darkness, making out the shape of Blanc's girlish face leaning in close to her own. Noire half expected the goddess of Lowee to start screaming her head off, pouring out the great frustration she no doubt felt toward Noire with enough expletives to make a sailor blush. But the anger never came.
"S-Sorry, Blanc," Noire mumbled, the numbness in her cheek making it a little difficult to speak.
"It's fine."
"I-I didn't mean to hit you…t-to cause you so much trouble," Noire added, swallowing with some difficulty – her mouth was awfully dry. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm…"
Blanc said nothing as Noire became too choked up to continue speaking, the Loweean CPU merely rising to her feet and taking a step back.
A feminine sigh came from one of the figures standing over Noire. "It is a strange sight indeed to see Noire acting so…demure."
"I agree. Her dere side is showing a little too strong. The turtle must have decided to stick its head out of the shell for once. I just hope she's learned her lesson."
Vert and Blanc. Of course. They always did like to laugh behind Noire's back about…well, everything. Not that she hadn't given them plenty of ammunition. Plus, it wasn't as if Neptune poked any less fun.
"Eh…this Noire's no fun," said Neptune, right on cue. "Isn't she supposed to jump up and say, 'B-Baka! I totally don't have maxed lily ranks with you or anything!'"
Noire forced herself to sit upright, cycling through about a dozen possible replies. Yet, she paused just as she opened her mouth. Was it even worth getting into this argument again? Her instincts screamed at her to defend her pride, but she knew that it would just end in a burning zinger that left her with no comeuppance. It was three against one, after all – what chance did she have?
"Perhaps you should not have hit her so hard, Blanc?" remarked Vert, a hint of real concern in her voice. "You may have knocked her hormones out of balance!"
Such a change in such a short span. Since when has the busybody of Lastation ever had time for self-awareness?
A more disturbing thought then arose: how much of it was change, and how much of it was simply allowing her outer shell to be removed, even if only temporarily? Had she spent so long as the CPU of Lastation that she had forgotten her own self? Was she just a fragile, demure "dere" inside? She thought back to all of the jokes others had made at her expense. Could everyone else see it, too? Even after all she had done to shape the image of Lady Noire?
The cracks in your shell were already formed long ago, CPU of Lastation. What do you believe would happen if you abandoned your crumbling shelter? What if you became the pretty wallflower you always were inside? They would accept you with little question – all of them. Who could resist adorable little Noire, crafted to utmost perfection, after all?
The idea gripped her with terror. Was her shell afraid of being left behind? Or was the person within too afraid to leave it? Had there always been such a push and pull? What was this silent voice constantly nagging at her, telling her that she needed to push herself harder, that to express herself was childish, that to reflect on her thoughts was fruitless?
Noire continued to sulk wordlessly in silence, the gunshots from below having ceased. Her gaze eventually moved up to find that Blanc was staring at her intently. The CPU's expression was as unreadable as always, but Noire could sense the storm of thoughts brewing behind those eyes. What did Blanc really think of her? Did the Loweean goddess pity her Lastation rival?
The thought of it made Noire cringe. She wondered what her past self from the days of the Console War would think to see her now. Back then, she had been focused so intently on becoming the sole ruler of Gamindustri. Now, here she was in the midst of a land where only one goddess ruled. It would be entirely within her grasp to take over this world's government. This place seemed similar enough to home that, surely, she could adjust. She'd have all the power that she'd pined for so long ago.
Except that wasn't quite right. Power had never been her goal. In fact, she wasn't sure if she'd ever thought about what she would do if she actually defeated…no, killed the other CPUs. Her gut wrenched as the mental image of Lady Black Heart standing triumphant forced its way into her mind, three other goddesses lying dead at her feet. Was this a vision of another world – or of this one, perhaps?
Wouldn't that be what you wanted?
Noire blinked, realizing that tears were beginning to fill her sight. Blanc was still staring at her, as quiet as ever.
Isn't that all you ever wished for?
Vert watched all of this play out with a curious smile. She gave a chuckle when she saw the two CPUs exchange more than just a glance. "My, my."
Hah. Is the "real" you too much of a coward to create your perfect world? A Gamindustri free of conflict, with its one true Lady at its helm? Where you would finally be free to give in to the life of decadence you crave? Or would your pride remain strong, even then?
Blanc threw her Leanbox counterpart a stern look. "Hey. Don't get the wrong idea."
Noire, or Black Heart – which do you prefer, hm?
"Ahg!" A pained yell came from Jake. "That hurts! A lot!"
And which side will little Uni take after, I wonder?
"Hold still," insisted Falcom, who had decided that having Jake bleed all over whoever had to lift him wouldn't be too great. "You're lucky that I carry a first aid kit around in my storage."
The Noire who secretly indulges in her selfish, lonesome desires, forever pining for the kinship of a sort that she will never allow herself to find? Beautiful, weak, worthless Noire, a vapid model for a lost generation?
"Are you almost done?" asked Blanc. "We're bound to have company soon."
Or the ruthless Black Heart, always in pursuit of a lofty goal she will surely never reach? Lady Black Heart, protector of Lastation and not a single soul more?
Falcom nodded just as Jake gave another cry of pain. "It'll do for now."
Make your choice. Time is not on your side, CPU of Lastation.
Blanc didn't looked too pleased. "Hmph. I guess we'll have to make room for the baggage—"
Their conversation was interrupted when the occupants of the roof were forced to shield their eyes from the sudden, intense glare of a spotlight.
"This is the LEPD! By the order of Her Grace, the Duchess of Leanbox, you are under arrest! If you resist, we will use lethal force!"
An annoyed groan came from Blanc. "Damn. Looks like they finally found us."
In the span of mere moments, a force of heavily armed and armored policemen entered the scene, some rushing up from the stairs below, and others rappelling down from the vehicle hovering far above the roof. They worked quickly to surround the party, although they kept what they must've believed to be a safe distance away.
Neptune gave a nervous laugh. "Oh, come on, guys. Do ya really think good ol' Neptune would pal around with a bunch of crooks? Our record is squeaky clean! Probably."
Blanc shot the girl a glare. "Quit yer yackin' and transform already." The CPU of Lowee was in the process of helping Noire to her feet, noting that the Lastation goddess was still looking a little disoriented.
Vert's brow raised at Blanc's words. "But did you not tell us before that we shouldn't—"
"I know what I said. We're left with no choice now."
A sigh came from Vert. "Must we really resort to violence? How very droll. And in my own nation, no less!"
In contrast to Vert's reluctance, Neptune had already struck a pose, one hand pointed into the air, the other placed upon her hip. "Alright! Super CPU Squad, transform!"
Blanc had to resist the urge to raise a palm to her face. "Neptune. Please never say that again."
Noire forced down a gulp, knowing that she hardly had the energy in her to fight. More debilitating than that, though, was the terror gripping her heart – not of death, but of what she might become if she once again tasted the heat of battle as the Lady Black Heart. There was no time for such fears, though, of course. The others needed her at full strength, and they needed it right now. She could only pray to whatever being presided above the goddesses themselves that she would not find her hands coated in divine blood by the time she had fully exhausted herself.
One blinding series of flashes later, the quartet of CPUs stood at the ready, their weapons of choice in hand. An onlooker might muse that they indeed looked much like a group of magical girls ready to unleash a whooping on the latest villain of the week – but of course, such things were the purview of childish fantasy.
Both Falcom and Jake stared open-mouthed at the sight before them with dazzled eyes, having known that this moment would come, but not quite knowing how to process it as real. There was no possibility of doubt at this point – the so-called Decadent Devils had returned. And the world would tremble before them.
"Do we have a plan?" Purple Heart asked, eyeing the wall of guns around them. She didn't recognize the make of the armaments being pointed their way, but she had no illusions about their effectiveness.
White Heart practically scoffed at her. "What? Aren't you normally the one who makes the plan?"
"Not as of late, no." It took effort for Purple Heart to hold her tongue from further comments. She had the patience of a saint when it came to her friends, but Blanc's new tendency to bark orders at them was starting to rub her the wrong way.
"Well, shit."
Even despite the situation, Green Heart found herself chuckling at the Loweean CPU's reaction. "You never did care for being family friendly, did you?"
"I don't want to hear that crap from you!"
Black Heart gave an exasperated sigh, closing her eyes for a moment. She'd been hoping just as much as the others that Neptune would somehow get them out of this. The goddess of Planeptune always did seem like she'd allocated every single stat point into luck. Well, that wasn't quite right – half of them were dumped into charisma, too. Come to think of it, it was a bit strange that they always seemed to defer to Purple Heart whenever they were in trouble. Maybe it was time for someone else to take the reins for once. "We're a little outnumbered, but I think we can take them."
Purple Heart threw her a cautioning look. "I have my doubts about our chances of victory in a fight here. Even if we succeed, a lot of people would be hurt."
"Oh, come on. We're not afraid of a few bullets, are we?"
"I am," Jake managed to squeak out. "I'm quite afraid of bullets."
Black Heart's eye twitched as she turned her head toward the human. "Quiet, you."
A few more officers were trickling in from below at this point. White Heart's grip on her weapon tightened. "Whatever we do, it needs to be soon."
Purple Heart turned her gaze upward, squinting at the spotlight shining from above. The source of the light was an aerial vehicle that vaguely resembled a helicopter, sans the rotors. In fact, there were no visible means of lift present on its matte black surface. The only part of it not coated in a light-absorbing material was the acronym LEPD printed in large, white letters across each side. The CPU took a moment to file through her memories of the games she had played for a term to use. "What about the VTOL up there? It looks sturdy enough to take a few hits for us. If we can get inside…"
"…and do what?" Black Heart questioned. "I don't suppose you know how to fly that thing?"
"In a sense."
As soon as Black Heart saw the familiar smile on her rival's face, she could feel the fear melt away. That smile meant that there was no chance they could fail – at least, not while they were united against a common enemy. She gave a nod, lifting her weapon to a ready stance. "Okay. Let's do this."
The others barely even needed to exchange glances with their leader to let her know that she had their full support.
"Er…what about us?" Falcom asked.
"Make sure to hold on tight," was Purple Heart's answer.
"Lay down your weapons!" came the command they had been expecting for a while. The forces around them must've been growing impatient.
"Alright." Purple Heart exchanged another series of glances with the rest of the group before motioning to set her sword upon the ground. She reached down ever so slowly, keeping her eyes placed upon the faceless visors of those around her – one could easily feel the tension from those who bore the onus of attacking beings known as the devil goddesses. Would they really open fire if it came down to it?
"NOW!"
A mere instant passed before the CPUs leapt into motion, leaving behind the ground beneath their feet and flying directly up to the vehicle hovering overhead. The force of the motion left behind a visible, multicolored trail, as if an afterimage of the ones that had been previously standing there.
The metal shell of the VTOL proved to not even be an obstacle to the power of a CPU's blade – a gash was cleaved directly across the bottom before being wrenched apart by a pair of gauntleted hands. The arms they were attached to seemed woefully inadequate for the inhuman strength on display.
"What the—"
The pilots hardly had time to register what was happening before being grabbed by those same hands and tossed through an opening that the vessel was most definitely not designed to have.
"Okay! We're in! So how do we move this damn thing?!" White Heart shouted, her voice nearly being drowned out by the collection of alarms blaring in the spacious cockpit – the seats lining the sides revealed that the vessel doubled as a transport.
"Like this!" Purple Heart hovered a few inches from the floor, curling up her legs and pressing her hands to the roof.
A worrying groan reverberated through the VTOL as its occupants were pulled downward by a sudden lurch. Then, a look out the new viewport in the bottom revealed that the city below seemed to be moving further away.
Black Heart gave a laugh when she realized what was happening. "Oh, man! This is such a blatant slap in the face to physics! I love it!" She leaned out the ragged hole and laughed even harder when she saw the personnel glancing about in what had to be total confusion. Most of them hadn't even realized which direction their quarry had gone in. Others were preoccupied by the two bodies that had just struck the roof, finally providing a clue to the whereabouts of the CPUs and co.. "Hah! See you later, idiots!"
Her head then snapped back with such violence that she was left lying on her back, her limbs sprawled in an unnatural pose.
"No! Noire!" Purple Heart almost rushed over to her friend's side before the sound of a hundred objects striking the hull of the vessel met her ears. Several bullets came flying up into the interior of the vehicle, creating a hazardous spray of shrapnel that Falcom quickly moved to deflect.
"Come on!" yelled White Heart, who had joined the Planeptune CPU in pushing the vessel away from the scene of the crime. "We need to go!"
Green Heart hesitated for a moment, taking another look at Black Heart's unmoving body. "Is she…oh."
Black Heart's eyes had opened to a narrow squint, doing their best to gaze at the massive welt that had formed between them. She raised a shaky hand to touch the reddened skin there, rubbing it with a wince. A weak chuckle came from her, soon building up to a laugh tinged with more than a hint of insanity as the reality of the situation finally hit her. Or was it that her brain had been rattled around a bit too much by the force of being struck by an anti-materiel round, plus the equally powerful slap from Blanc?
"What a joke! You can't kill a fantasy! You can't kill me!"