RaiXGear Chapter 18
[Nepgear's P.O.V.]
Raiken took us around his mansion, first stopping at the obvious open space on the yard. I admired the view of flowers and a fountain on the middle of it all, along with some ornamental chairs and a pathwalk to a containment shed.
"What's over there, Raiken?" Noire asked.
The blonde wiped a bit of sweat off his face as he replied "It's just your ordinary shed, containing the lawnmower and other gardening tools. And in case an intruder walks in, a shotgun is also hidden somewhere inside."
"A-A shotgun?!" Uni shrieked.
"Well…I know…kind of an impractical place to set it in, but eh." Raiken smiled.
Neptune and the two Lowee sisters sat under a tree, taking in the cool breeze. "Hey, Nep Jr.! It's really cool down here. Come, sit with us!"
"A-Ah! Coming!" I immediately rush over to them, sitting under the tree. Indeed, it was a good breeze. "Oooooohh…you're right…the breeze feels so good here…"
Raiken shook his head, smiling. "Oh boy…"
"That's the Nep sisters for you…geez, they're always so sidetracked." Noire sighed, smiling.
"It's kind of a cool thing about those two. They're both quirky in their own ways." Raiken replied.
"Raiken, may we have some tea on the tables over there?" Vert pointed towards the bench table on the other side of the garden.
"I'll go make some right away." Raiken went inside as he took a good glance at us having fun lying under the tree.
[Raiken's P.O.V.]
After entering, I took a look back through the glass, looking at the ladies outside lollygagging around while Noire shakes her head in disapproval, Uni, Rom and Ram playing tricks on Nepgear while Neptune prances around like a little kid in a park. Vert just admires the view, sitting on the porch while Blanc reads a book beside the Candidates under the tree. It was a beautiful sight to see.
"…These girls. I knew they were quite the bunch, but never did I expect such a rowdy crowd." I thought to myself as I enter the kitchen, where my sister is baking some cookies.
"Ah, little brother. You seem very happy." she simply smiled.
I return the response to her, rubbing my head. "You too, actually. Yeah. Our house is gonna be quite lively from here on out…" I replied.
"Well, do you think you can handle all of them?" she smirked, smiling suggestively. "If y'know what I mean…heeheehee…" she giggled.
I shook my head in disapproval, chuckling as well "Don't get any weird ideas, Nee-san. I'm not that kind of guy…well…it depends…" I smirked back.
"H-Hey…I'm kidding, I'm kidding…" she laughed a little. "I'm sure you'll be able to take good care of them…like how Mom and Dad took care of us." she solemnly replied, tending to her cookies in the oven.
"…I know…" I began to grab some teabags from the cupboard and 2 trays as I prepare some boiling water from the heater. "Do you think I'm kinda like a father figure to them? Or a brother figure?" I asked.
"More like the latter, little brother. You're too young to be like Dad." she replied as she blows a bit on the tray she took out from the oven. "Mmmmm! These are coming along quite nicely…" she said.
"Cookies!" I childishly proclaimed before trying to take one. She pushes me off as I tried to grab one piece.
When I see my favorite food (example: chocolate chip cookies or pizza), I immediately get the urge to try and snatch a piece off of my sister's tray. It's kind of a bad habit of mine sometimes.
"Nuh-uh-uh, little brother. Wait for the CPUs, damn it!" she kept on pushing.
"Come on! Just give me one! I want one!" I grinned.
"No! Bad Raiken—wait! Aaahahahaaaaa-!" she tried to protest as I begin to tickle her afterwards. "Little brooooootheeeeerrr! Noooooooooooo!" she screamed, trying to resist me further for the next few minutes
[Nepgear's P.O.V.]
"Hey Neptune, did you bring your console with you? There's a TV in our bedroom." I smiled at Neptune as I said that, sitting with her under the tree.
Neptune stood up and jumped. "Yep yep! Got mah console and games!"
"That's great! Do you have Sonic and the Streets of Nep with you?" I asked again.
"Yup and yup! I also got Nepstar Heroes 2."
Meanwhile, Noire and Vert sat on the porch, watching over us as we bicker around, Rom and Ram playing freely on the yard after a few minutes.
"Hmm…Vert, do you think Tsutsumi is really cut out for this job?" Noire asked the busty blonde, who shifts her attention to the field of flowers.
Vert sighed, patting Noire on the shoulder. "Please give him a chance, Noire. We learn and we grow. That is how humans work. And, from the records I have heard, he has quite a good reputation. Let us see how he manages things around here. Then you be the judge of the result. Do not be such a killjoy, dear." she crossed her arms, shaking her head after thinking about the harsh words Noire had said earlier.
"A-Are you still kind of annoyed about that? I already apologized, geez! I-It's not like I don't trust his ideas or anything!" she cutely said, in her usual tsundere manner.
I can definitely hear their voices from the tree, and Uni and I just shake our heads.
"How about we take him along with us for a quest? Let us see how he truly fights. Hearing the events from Neptune may be overly exaggerating the truth. I wish to see his abilities in actual combat." Vert lifted her head up, smiling.
"A-A quest?!" Noire exclaimed.
"Yes. After all, you do want to see if he is worth learning from, no?"
"I'll do it." a familiar male voice surprises the two.
"H-H-Haaai?!" Noire exclaimed out of shock.
"O-Oh…! M-My…R-Raiken…please don't surprise me like that." Vert held her chest in relief.
"S-Sorry." the blonde bowed. "You want to see me fight, right…? Tomorrow morning, we go on a quest. I'll be ready." he lifted his head up with a face of determination beaming from him.
"A-Are you sure about this?" Noire, still insecure, asked.
"…I have fought bloodier battles, Lady Noire." Raiken looked outside the yard again. I can see the determination, yet a hint of sadness in his eyes.
Since I could not listen in well enough on their conversation, I'm not quite sure about the reason why he had that sad expression on him. I wanted to know, and I will know soon enough.
"Raiken…what's troubling you, I wonder…" I thought to myself as the others continue to play around the serene yard, only I being the one noticing the sudden change in Raiken's outlook.
A few hours later…[5:32PM]
"Hey, hey, hey! Get that one! The one on the left!" Ram instructed in excitement, as everyone watches Raiken play Ninja Gaiden on one of his consoles.
"Hmmm nah, I'm okay with just the Fire power. It's easier on the first final boss." Raiken replied calmly, playing the game with a bit of difficulty.
"But…the orange shuriken is also good…" Rom said.
"It's fine. Watch me. I can handle this." Raiken replied back, pressing the buttons in a much coordinated pace. "I just need the mana to do it."
[Raiken's P.O.V.]
While we were playing one of the hardest games in the LES (Lowee Entertainment System), Naomi suddenly came in, gently calling me out.
"Little brother, someone is waiting for you outside." she peeked her head from the hallway.
"O-Oh. Hold on." I placed my controller down. "You guys play next. I'll be right back. Excuse me." I walk out on the door, allowing the girls to have their way…well, not without a bit of an argument on who gets to play next.
When I went out the door, I initially saw nobody, until I look to my left and there was a Federation soldier whose Humvee is just parked by our gate. He saluted at me with due respect.
"Commander Tsutsumi, good afternoon sir." he spoke.
"Greetings, soldier. State your business." I smiled.
"Delivery from the top brass to you, sir. It's from our guys on Earth." he held out a box and an envelope.
"E-Earth?" I was slightly taken aback, gently taking the two items from him. He then bowed again afterwards.
"Yes sir…it's…from the R&D Division, sir. I shall be going then. Please, excuse me and have a good day." he saluted with a smile before running back to his vehicle, a few more men waiting on him.
"You too." I simply replied, staring into the envelope, whose identification reads "Gundam Project Special Units Division…"
"A new mobile suit…I have to take a good look at this." I went back inside as I said to myself.
Noire stood by the hallway, waiting for me.
"Hey, what was that?" she crossed her arms.
"I-It's nothing, Lady Noire. It's just a document." I hid the box inside my pocket. I was lucky that she didn't notice.
Noire looked at me as I discreetly shuffle towards my room, curious about what I have in my hands.
[Nepgear's P.O.V.]
"Hey, Ram! That's not what you're supposed to use on hi—Agh! Geez! Let me fight it. There's unlimited continues anyway…" Uni said in an uneasy manner.
"Nooo! I wanna be the one to finish it!" Ram replied back, desperately trying to defeat the boss on screen.
"Umm…girls…you might want me to try and—" I tried to protest before the two near themselves on my face, screaming.
"You can't beat that thing, I can!" they both chorus before they stare at each other again, fighting for the controller.
"…Oh, that's just cruel…" I whimpered silently. Then I notice Raiken looking very much serious at an envelope he is currently holding. "Hmm?"
Raiken went upstairs to his room in silence.
"Heya, Nep Jr.!" Neptune suddenly hugs me from behind, surprising me.
"Eeeeek!" I screamed a bit.
"Haha! Everytime! Anyways, what's the good ol' male protag doing upstairs?" she asked, playing with the tips of my hair.
"I don't know, Neptune." I said. "Anyway, what were you all doing earlier?"
"Blanc just went to a room full of books. I never knew Raiken had such a huge manga collection too, like oh-em-gee, he's got a lotta genre selections to pick out. Also a lot of them nerdy hobby mags." she jumped into the couch beside me as she says so.
"O-Oh! I wanna have a look too!" I replied with excitement.
"Then lets head over there!" we both stood up from our seats before proceeding to the library room, where Blanc, Vert and Noire are sitting in.
Noire is currently reading about magazines that feature various celebrities from Earth, meanwhile, Vert and Blanc are reading manga books together on a couch. Neptune picked out a particular book containing candid pictures of girls in swimsuits.
I decided to take a look around and found a particular black book just lying on a single study table to the right. I felt that it needs to be placed in a proper shelf, so I decided to grab the book, only to stop in my tracks as I got closer. When I took a closer look and opened a page, it has Raiken's signature on it.
"Is this…no…no way…" I was shocked. It read "Raiken's Journal Log." It's his personal diary.
Neptune, being the one to easily fall for curiosity, decided to check out what I was reading.
"Hey, Nep Jr., whatcha' readin'?" she asked.
Me, being one to respect one's privacy, hid the book behind me. Neptune, trying to shift her pose to have a look. "I-It's nothing, Neptune. It's something…private."
Smirking evily, Neptune pounces on me. "Gimme!"
"Hyeeeeeeek! No! Bad Neptun—Stop iiiit!" she tickles me in order to loosen my grip on the book.
Noire nagged "Hey! Could you two keep it down?! We're trying to read in a library here!"
"I-I-I'm sorry—ahahaahahahh! Stoooop!" I finally let go of the book and Neptune snatched it with speed.
"Heheheh…gotcha! I wonder if you're reading secret R-18 content…!" Neptune said as she began to browse through the first page. "…Huh?" Neptune's face suddenly began to change as she looked at the second page, containing Raiken's first entry, dating back 4 and a half years ago.
February 21st, UC * _*
Hill 476, Planeptune-Lastation Border
2130 Hours
Battle has been bloody fierce. The enemy is continuing its advance towards the eastern border. I lost the original journal in a skirmish 3 weeks ago. Only now was I able to acquire a new one. Oh well, more memoirs lost, then. The entries from that last one are just a memory to me now.
Kurumi, Rein, Marc and I were able to round up survivors from the 52nd Armored Division and Delta Squadron and let them into our lines. They're currently sitting right on top of the trenches we're sitting in. Cheeno and Gideon were requested back to Battalion HQ for a damage report since our comms got cut off. It's cold, snowing and it's freezing. We're literally one with the color white as we nestled in.
Zeon and ASIC artillery still hit our forward positions since 1300 hours. A lot of good men and women perished before they could even get to a foxhole or trench. Only a few body parts were found after the ruthless barrage, fueling the rage of the others later on. I can hear the anger that the others were voicing out, particularly those who are with 2nd and 3rd platoons. Even Rein was furiously enraged when she saw Jay get shot in the neck by a Zaku Sniper. The poor guy just turned 17 too…
Victor and Mira got hit during reconnaissance, but fortunately, they were alive. They suffered a lot of shrapnel wounds and had to be taken back to Battalion HQ. Though, Victor took the brunt of the damage for Mira. He won her love that day, that lucky bastard.
Kurumi and Marc are still rounding up some leftover supplies left behind during our retreat to the hill. Hopefully, they return safe and sound. Right now, I'm just hungry. We haven't eaten in three days. Thank God, we're just nearby a stream, a fresh supply of water. I'm grateful to Mother Nature for this blessing. I'm not dying of hunger here. It wouldn't be much an honorable death even if I have a good reputation.
Oh, and another note, damn it, Rein and Marc still have their fucking rations…I'm nabbing it from them tonight with Kurumi. I'm starving to death. -_-
-Raiken S. Tsutsumi
"…Wow…this is a mixed bag of dark and humorous…even I can't come up with jokes…" she mumbles as she reads.
"Umm…what did you read about, Neptune?" I asked as I got up from the floor.
"Yyyyyeaaaaah, private stuff. I'd rather not let ya see this…" Neptune replied before gently placing the book on the table it was once sitting on.
"You shouldn't be reading people's diaries without permission, Neptune. It's a breach of privacy." Blanc nagged silently.
"Y-Yeah, yeah, I know. Sorry-dorry." a sweat drop falls from Neptune's face.
Everyone continued their business, though Neptune was feeling quite different from her usual self after reading whatever it is that was contained in the journal.
[Raiken's P.O.V.]
30 minutes later…
"…Systems optimal, fission okay, neuro-link routers access granted, voltage level increased by 0.25…" I continue to look through the control module that opened from my laptop, peering into the progress of the optimization of my newest Gundam armor.
"…Gundam Astray…Chrome Frame D, huh…" I thought to myself as I continue to type in programs to be installed onto the mobile suit. I then decided to take a break and stand up from my seat, proceeding to the mirror to look at myself.
The moment I received note that this mobile suit is for my use, I felt not only a sense of gratitude, but a sort of melancholy as well, remembering that my father receives similar things in the mail back then when we were still together.
I remember that during the war, the mobile suit designs had their share of flaws; the OS and aim-assist system wasn't fully upgraded and optimized as they were immediately rushed to battle in order to defend ourselves against the Zeon invaders. We did successfully defend our home, but at the cost of many. It was a sad thing to think about even until now. Though, I'm grateful for the R&D Division that they made up for their errors, thus preventing like 40% of the casualty count.
My thoughts were suddenly halted when Nepgear's words before entered my mind again, remembering that she promised she would be the one to relieve me of my pains while back at the grave. The moment her smiling face becomes an image into my head, I couldn't forget it even if I tried.
"…I'll repay you tenfold…no…with my whole life." I told myself, smiling before closing my control module solemnly. "I'll continue this after dinner. It's 84% done anyway…"
I then went out of my room, a positive vibe coming to my senses as I see Neptune and Nepgear exiting from their rooms, both smiling in glee after spending a little time there.
"Man! This room is awesomesauce. I love that there's a TV there so I can jam in with mah games all night!" she cheered as she walked along.
"I know, it's great! I feel like living here will be so much fun…" Nepgear replied.
I decided to approach them after a sigh. "Hey, you two. Glad to hear you like your space in my home." I warmly greeted.
"Heyo, macho blonde! I can't wait to jam for days with ya." Neptune beamed a smile.
"How are you so far? Are you feeling okay?" Nepgear asked warmly, her voice extremely attractive to my ears.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Say, I'm going out on a quest tomorrow. Lady Vert and Lady Noire wanted to see how I function in combat. You guys wanna go?" I said as I placed a hand on my waist.
"Sure, Raiken. I'll come with you." Nepgear said without hesitation.
"Yeah! Totally!" Neptune followed.
[Nepgear's P.O.V.]
The rest of the day went on quite smoothly. Raiken was smiling again. I was relieved to see it. We all had a fantastic dinner, thanks to Naomi's top-tier cooking skills.
We had a lot of great discussions, particularly about the state of each nations…well…not exactly as smoothly…but nonetheless…me and Raiken just kinda stayed put as we watched our sisters bicker with one another.
"Man, these girls are vicious…" Raiken awkwardly smiled while a sweat drop falls from his cheek.
I sighed, replying back. "Yeah…it's always like this during a good meal…"
Raiken chugged down his mug of iced tea, saying this in the most nonchalant of tones.
"My home will be quite lively from now on…"
And I have to admit, it's actually really true. And it's the kind of peaceful bond that we will always share together…
A/N: Hello again, guys! I'm glad I was able to get this out just in time as I was working on Chapter 19. And it will be a Valentines special for you guys. So, yeah. Though, I'm not sure if whether it can be released on Valentines itself, or a few days after. Still dedicated to making a special. It's going to have that one element that some of you are looking for!
To those who read Hyperdimension Z Gundam, I am moving it to here, because I cancelled the story there. I'm not sitting well enough with the Rebirth 1 story while adding my own elements, so I decided to make something new instead. Sorry about that, everyone.
About the RP, I'm now okay with any HDN character if you guys wanna try it out. You can do Noire, Vert, Blanc or Uni, anyone you like except villains. I'm all up for it. I still emphasize Nepgear though.
Again, tell me in the PM and I will give you my Facebook or Twitter account so we can get started.
I hope you guys liked this one...because I feel this was a bit short.
Anyway, see you guys in the next chapter!