RaiXGear Chapter 21 ~ Valentines Special Part II

[Histoire's P.O.V.]

Even though Valentines Day is due tomorrow, and my plans to visit the Tsutsumi household are already set, I continue to concentrate in my office as I type in on my documents required on the reception desk downstairs.

It became very silent when Neptune and Nepgear are not around in the Basilicom. I do miss them very much, and yes, even Neptune's quirks and annoyances. It makes the Basilicom lively, despite me losing a nerve every now and then.

I then hear a knock on my door, stopping my thoughts and my fingers from typing onto my computer.

"Who is it?" I called out, floating up in my book of records and proceeded to the door.

When I opened up the door, I see a very doubtful, insecure and a fearful blonde man standing before me. The scar running down his eye immediately gave away his identity. It was Raiken.

"A-Ah…Raiken! Welcome. Please, come in."

I hear nothing from him, only a nod. He then went in as I implored him too, shyly sitting down on the couch, looking very much troubled by something. After a moment, I prepared some tea for him as he sat still, almost like a warrior who had made a fatal mistake and survived.

"Why are you here, Raiken? Do you wish to speak with me about something?" I warmly asked him.

"…I…mmng…" he couldn't say it completely, but I can immediately tell that he wished to speak about something that holds importance to him.

"Raiken, please. I would not persecute you. Tell me anything, and I will be right here to help you." I told him, approaching him to get a closer look at him.

"…I do want to speak to you about…something…" the blonde man said with much modesty…in fact, he is too modest.

"Please. I am very open to any topic you wish to speak with me about." I held his hand that is sitting on the knee, assuring him that everything would be okay.

A long moment passes. And in that moment, I can most definitely tell that he is still worried over whatever my response would be.

Just as I was about to pat his hand once more, he finally spoke up.

"Have you ever felt so nervous in your life…about not being given another chance?"

Raiken's words were deep, but not too deep. It was basic, yet it held a certain feeling behind it. The feeling of doubt is indeed powerful within him. Though, I wanted to know more, so I can understand what he meant.

"…I don't understand…I have never felt any emotion such as that, though I do care about what you are thinking of right now. Please, elaborate for me." I comfortably sat back on the couch, intent on listening to him further.

"There's someone…that I hold very dear to me…" he said it with a sad tone in his voice.

"I see…who could that person be and what special deed has she done for you?" I asked, smiling.

"You see…the truth is…

…I'm in love with Lady Nepgear."

The words resounded in my head very well. From the tone of his voice, to how he looked at me while doing so. I was surprised by his sudden start.

"Raiken…?" I spoke. After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke up again, this time, looking up, his eyes open, looking straight into mine.

"…I'm in love with Planeptune's CPU Candidate." he said again, to make his point clear.

"I…I-I see…" I looked at him in worry, now fully aware of what he is doubting about. He bowed his head low, unable to show his face any longer.

I now know that Raiken's source of fear at this point is me. From what I can tell, I seem like the main obstacle he wants to clear in order for his doubts to be thrown away. Knowing he is in love with Nepgear is indeed quite honest of him to confess, I commend him for his honesty and bravery to tell me this fact.

Normally, I would send other men away from courting Nepgear due to the fact that they probably would only treat her as a trophy or a symbol of status in Planeptune. There had been cases like that with other families in other nations, and I have learned from those families. I am very strict with Neptune and Nepgear in regards to having relationships with men indeed.

But when I look at Raiken, I can see the sincerity in his eyes, the honesty, the honor he wishes to uphold, his ideals for Nepgear and the benefit of Planeptune.

First, let us take to account Raiken's status. To sum it up in one sentence: he has a good reputation, as a commander of the Federation, a family-oriented individual and a loving character. He is kind, smart, and most dedicated to whatever tasks or endeavors thrown at him. From what I heard from Neptune, he completely showed that during their last 2 battles together. And despite hearing it with much exaggeration from Neptune, I felt it was a valid point.

Though, I also have my doubts about him, though it was not about how he would treat Nepgear or do things for the benefit of the nation, but his overall visage. He is a crippled man due to his past, and I do not want him to suffer. And if he is filled with much negativity, it might affect Nepgear as well. That was the only thing I was worried about.

But, knowing full well that he is very dedicated to protecting Nepgear, I found his intention to ask me a very honest thing to do. I then decided to inquire more on his feelings to make sure.

"May I ask why you love her…? What were the special deeds that Nepgear has done for you? I would love to know…" I said.

He then looked up, with tears in his eyes waiting to fall out. That made me all the more worried about him even more.

Though, his words had made a lasting impact on me.

"…From the moment you all visited me at Kurumi's grave, her words…her words saved me." he said.

"…I see…when she comforted you back in that beautiful place." I replied.

"…To be honest…I was at the brink of…ending it all with one shot…I could not take the sadness any longer, and I felt like giving up." he continued, shocking me to the core.

"…S-Suicide? Why would you say such things?" I asked in worry.

Raiken sighed, wanting to explain more. "It's just that…the feeling of losing everything…it just ate away at me…And Kurumi's words haunt me this day…particularly her promise to me…"

"And what was that promise?" I solemnly asked, a hand on my chest with concern.

"…I promised I would stay with her…be with her…together forever…when she died, I broke that promise. I couldn't protect her. I was worthless…all of my honor was lost that day." he sadly replied.

I now remember what he said…he could not free himself from his chains. Now I fully understand what he meant that day…It was a sad thought to think of indeed. The pain of the loss of a loved one was the reason why he became so crippled inside. And it made him weak emotionally.

"That's why I swore to myself that day…" he added. "…that the promise I made will be the last promise I would ever break…"

I smiled at him, holding his hand with both my hands, knowing fully well his dedication and his desire to redeem his honor.

"I understand now, Raiken. Your dedication speaks a million words."

"Huh?" his tears fell, though he could speak normally still.

"I'm very happy that you were honest with me. And that you told one thing that other boys had done, but failed to address properly. I'm very proud of you. You are indeed a Gundam in my eyes." I patted his hand, calming him down.

"Lady Histoire…" was all he uttered until waiting for whatever else I have to speak out.

"Nepgear is very lucky to have found someone like you. You need not ask any longer. I will leave Nepgear's heart in your hands." I finally gave him the word, prompting him to smile.

"…Thank you…thank you…" he repeated the words of gratitude as he began to sob and cry tears of happiness. I can feel that I lifted a lot of weight off his shoulders at that moment.

"It is alright, Raiken. You deserve her kindness. Her love, her attention, her time. I'm sure she would be very happy to know your true feelings…"

Raiken gave me a warm, gentle embrace, taking my size into consideration. I was shocked by his sudden gesture, but I immediately returned the embrace.

"Thank you…I'm glad you understand…" he said as he wiped away the tears from his face.

"You're welcome, Raiken. I will be cheering you on." I placed a palm on his cheek, rubbing it gently.

"Leave it to me…I'll make sure she is the happiest girl in Gamindustri." he placed a hand on his chest, vowing those words solemnly.

"What are you planning for tomorrow then, Raiken?" I asked in curiosity, lightening up the mood.

"…I'm gonna need a lot of lightsticks and flares…"

[Nepgear's P.O.V.]

A few hours later, it was already 8:00PM. Raiken finally came back, though through the backyard door. It was unexpected of him to come through the back door of the household.

"Oh, Raiken! Welcome back!" I bowed, approaching him after.

"…Sorry, I had a few business matters to take care of…" he smiled.

"Man, where were you?! Geez! We were worried about you. Dinner is almost up!" Uni pouted.

"Now, now, dear Uni, it's water under the bridge. At least he came home safely." Vert said.

"Yeah. Lets eat already, and—" Noire tried to speak until Raiken had to cut her off.

"You guys go ahead…I'll…sleep early…"

"Huh?! It's only 8:05. Aren't you interested in some yakiniku?" Naomi suddenly joined in the conversation.

"…I'm quite exhausted today...there's still a tomorrow guys, don't worry." Raiken spoke, his tone suggesting otherwise, but we let it slip by. "Anyway…good night…"

He went upstairs, and I can definitely tell he is planning something…Though, I'm not sure what it is…

"He must be tired…" Blanc said, continuing to read one of the books she borrowed from the house's library.

"Aww! I wanna play Ninja Gaiden III with him!" Ram whined.

"Me too…" Rom added.

"Well…he must be preparing for Valentines tomorrow." Uni thought out loud.

"Well, you could be right…Men are desperate in Valentines Day…" Noire smirked.

"Wow, Noirey sure is cold…Icy Tsundere Heart is a real thing for her." Neptune teased, prompting Noire to stand from her seat.

"Hey! I'm not an ice-cold tsundere! Come here you little wimp!" Noire chased Neptune again.

"Geez…Noire is so easily triggered…" Blanc commented.

Vert chuckles, admiring the scene unfold.

Though, our concern was fixated on Raiken. Why did he have to sleep so early…?

We all went back to our rooms after a while, sleeping through the night while thinking of how we will give each other chocolates and sweets tomorrow.

[Raiken's P.O.V.]

-2:00AM in the morning-

I woke up, thankfully by my own this time, looking at the clock. "2:00AM…It's time…"

I got up from by bed after a few stretches. I washed my face and looked at myself, smiling at the mirror. I then wiped my face off and went out the washroom.

A few minutes later, I began writing certain instructions and notes for Nepgear to read in some sticky notes. I found myself writing 5 of them and placed numbers on them to indicate the numerical order and simple instructions on where I placed the next note. I then wrote on each paper a specific quote from me on the bottom. Though, to make the surprise even more special, I decided not to put my name in the notes.

I then began going to certain places around the house that was usually traversed by people, particularly Nepgear. First off, I opened the door to Neptune and Nepgear's room and placed the first note on their door.

I then proceeded downstairs and placed the next note on the wall just beside the last step downward. "Hopefully she notices this…" I told myself.

The next note was on the breakfast table. Though I left an instruction on the bottom of the paper, telling Naomi not to remove it. "Haha…" I chuckled to myself before moving on.

The next note was stuck on the fridge, at a certain angle, supported by a magnet. Afterwards, I moved on back to my room.

I then activated my mobile suit, the room extremely bright with light for a few seconds. My helmet was set on the bed while I pack a lot of things on a large bag. I then jumped out my window in silence. I grabbed a box that I snuck in my shed the other night and grabbed its contents…

"Flares…check. Lighters…check. I need metal rods…" I peered further inside the shed, and found long, spare metal rods at the back along with some switchboxes.

"Perfect…" I told myself as a smile beams from my face.

I then went out, carrying a lot of heavy stuff with me. Luckily, little to no noise was heard by anyone during the transfer of items. "Now…to Planeptune Park…" I told myself.

I decided to walk the items out of the house until I reached a safe spot to activate my thrusters and flew upward, the helmet HUD showing a map of where I should go. The flight was very brief, but it gave me time to think of what I'm going to do with the materials I just gathered.

I saw a perfect spot up on the large landmark known as Planeptune Park, a hill nearby the stream that flows from the center of the park. There is a large sakura tree nestling on top of the hill. I thought it was a perfect idea for the setup, so I decided to land on the hilltop. I then laid down my materials and grabbed my beam saber to be used as a torch. I then laid out the metal rods on the ground along with the flares.

"Now…to get to work…"

[Nepgear's P.O.V.]

It was 8:00AM in the morning, a little late than the usual time that we wake up to.

I admired the beautiful sunlight beaming through the window and the sound of birds chirping happily on the edge. I smiled to myself as I slowly got up from bed. I then went to the closet and changed my clothes. Afterwards, I decided to leave the room, but when I turn to the left, I see that Neptune was already up and on the door, reading something pasted on it.

"Hey, Nep. Jr., uhh…this is written for you." Neptune stood aside slightly, prompting me to read what's on the door.

It was a white note, with red ink written onto it. It read:

"To Lady Purple Sister…

Have you had a good morning today? I hope you do, because there are a lot of things you must know. For now, these notes will be your guide to knowing these things. The next note is to your right when you take the last step on the stairs downward. Drink some coffee, have fun for today and I'll be seeing you very soon…"

The letters were sort of like an italicized style, which I like. And it's written very neatly with no mess. I then saw a heart at the bottom of the paper, rendering me even more curious as to who wrote this.

"Oooooooh, a secret admirer! Darn, tootin', Nep. Jr! You got an admirer!"

I had a hunch about who wrote the notes, but due to the shock and my flustered expression, and due to Neptune's strange ability to make others go along with the flow of events, I went along with the flow as if I have no idea who wrote it.

"A-Ah…N-Neptune…w-what is the meaning of this?" I asked, my face blushing red.

"Today is Valentines, Nep. Jr! Of course there things like this are gonna show up." Neptune replied, very much enthusiastic with the context behind the note.

I became curious as to what this was about. I took the note off the door and kept it neatly folded and into my pocket.

"C'mon Nep Jr.! The next clue to the treasure is downstairs, right? Lets get huntin'!" Neptune jumped with excitement as we leave the room.

Naomi went out first, looking very much deep in thought. I decided to greet her.

"Good morning, Miss Naomi!" I smiled as I said to her.

"O-Oh, good morning, Lady Nepgear." she replied.

"I-Is something wrong?" I asked in concern.

"N-No, it's nothing. Anyway…uhh…Raiken…uhm…he left early to do some uhh…sudden work at the office." she said nervously.

"O-Oh, I see…anyway, shall we get to breakfast?" I smiled again, though she could see that I'm still blushing a bit.

"…Oh, she's flustered…so she did read the first note…" she thought to herself, only making me a bit confused.

We went downstairs, only to find Uni reading something on the wall. It was the next note.

"G-Good morning, Uni!" I greeted her with a nervous smile.

"O-Oh, Nepgear…Good morning, uh…There's a note addressed to you here." she said. Then she looked at her phone, reading messages.

"A-Ah…I see…" I then turn to the green note on the beige wall.

"Nepgear…I never thought I would find love nor have a heart, until I finally met you.

(The next note is by your seat in the dining table.)"

Uni suddenly received a message that says "Don't let her have a hint. The surprise will come to her later. Tell everyone else to keep quiet about the notes." She then hid her phone from my view when I tried to peer along, then went back to the note, only to realize what it meant, rendering me with more reddened cheeks.

"W-W-W-What the goodness?! U-Uni?!" I screamed as Uni pats me on the shoulder

"L-Lets just go to the table and eat…uhh…We got a lot of stuff to do…" Uni blushed a little, as if the message left a large impact on her.

We finally proceeded downstairs. We were greeted by Noire and Blanc while Vert, Rom and Ram are already on the dining room.

"Good morning." Noire simply smiled.

"Good m-morning, Noire!" I greeted back.

"What's with the face, Nepgear? You seem very flustered. Are you sick?" Blanc blankly said.

"N-No, I'm fine…it's just…" I tried to explain, until Uni approached Noire and Blanc, whispering something to them.

"Blanc, Onee-chan, I received a message from a certain somebody…don't tell Nepgear that you-know-who is planning a surprise for her."

Noire peered in to Uni and huddled with her, a lot more curious of what she meant.

"W-What do you mean, Uni?"

"Nepgear is 'his' Valentine…"

"O-Oh…OH…" Noire uttered a bit loudly, but subtle enough. "I-I see…"

"…I kinda knew from the way they interact…" Blanc whispered back.

"Y-Yeah, lets just keep quiet about it…we don't want to spoil 'his' surprise for her." Uni whispered softly.

"R-Right…" the two nodded in silence.

"U-Uhm…what are you guys talking about?" I said as I tilt my head, feeling very inquisitive.

"N-Nothing! It's just plans for today!" Uni said loudly, looking very much nervous.

"O-O-Okay…s-shall we eat breakfast today?" I asked.

Everyone else nodded and proceeded to the dining table. But they came to a sudden stop as Vert, Rom and Ram are looking at something pasted on the table.

"Hrrrrrrrmmmm…" Vert thought deeply, a hand on her chin while her large breasts are propped up on her other arm.

"Umm…do you have any idea who wrote this, Rom?" Ram curiously asked.

"I-I don't know who wrote this, Ram…" Rom replied.

"So…he is Nepgear's admirer…" Vert thought to herself as she sat on her place on the dining table.

Noire approached Vert and whispered certain things into Vert's ear, while Blanc does the same to Rom and Ram.

"O-OH! Okay! We'll be quiet, Blanc." Ram whispered back.

"I-I see…v-very well…" Vert's eyebrows furrow, as she is feeling worried about something.

I then came upon the next note on the table, finally wanting to satiate my curiosity on the next note.

"Nepgear…you are a beautiful person. Your image is burned into my soul, into my heart and into my memories. Your face, beauty, your glow, your innocence, your kindness…everything about you, I truly adore…

(No one must take this off the table! The next note, read it at about 6:00PM at the fridge.)"

At this point, I am as red as a tomato, flustered and nearly steaming in shyness. Everyone else noticed it and became very much silent. Meanwhile, Naomi began serving the dishes with a solemn smile on her face.

"Happy Valentines Day, everyone. I made a very special breakfast for you today. Since I know you all wanna make chocolates for each other, I'm gonna let you guys rule the kitchen for today." she announced, then she went back to the kitchen and grabbed a large sack containing some chocolates that she made a few days ago. "Speaking of which, I have chocolates for all of you." she began grabbing chocolates and distributed it to us one by one.

"O-Oh! Wow! Thanks!" Ram became excited as she receives

"T-Thank you, M-Miss Naomi…" Rom bowed, her hands together.

"My, that is very sweet of you. Thank you very much." Vert nodded in approval, the chocolate in her hands.

"M-Mmnn…uhh…how nice of you…t-though…I-I can make chocolates for you too…b-but its not like I like you or anything!" Noire cutely turned around after getting her chocolate, being tsundere as usual.

"Wowzers! Aww, I wuv you Naomi!" Neptune' eyes sparkle in glee as the chocolate Naomi made was given to her.

"Hmm. Thank you." Blanc simply smiled, keeping the chocolate in her palms.

"Aaaaand, for you, Lady Nepgear…" I was given a nicely made box filled with chocolate balls. I smiled in much gratitude.

"T-Thank you so much…" I told her.

"No biggie. I welcome you all as a part of our family now…" she said without a second thought of hesitation.

We then began our breakfast on a happy note. The food was as great as usual. We took time to taste every dish that Naomi made. Though, I feel worried about Raiken's whereabouts. I thought to myself that he is too occupied with his job, which I do understand. It's strange of him to leave this early on such an important day…

Though…the notes that were written to me…I wonder why it's me of all people. I thought that it was not Raiken because the handwriting I saw partly on his diary is much more different from the penmanship of the notes. It was very different.

But then I wonder to myself… "Why me of all people…?"

A/N: Happy Valentines Day, everyone. I hope you enjoyed reading this second part. Unfortunately, Part III has a possibility of being late because I have a lot of college work to do. But regardless, it will be uploaded in a matter of hours. I'm still working on it as you read this. Hopefully I can blitz through everything very soon.

I do hope I'm not being too cliche with the method of Valentine tropes...but hey...nothing is already original, right? I can only do so much...

RP-wise, I had a couple of people helping me out and I am extremely grateful to them.

Anyway, hope you'd all leave a review for me this time...Part III will come very soon. I promise. Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a fantastic day.