Silence filled the room as the unknown girl and Neptune stared each other down for a considerable amount of time. Had she really found who Casshern had been searching for this entire time? If she had, that was wonderful. There was only one problem however. She had no clue where Casshern was.
"You are Luna….right?" she asked, staring her down and awaiting her answer. "Yes I am….who are you?" the girl responded, smiling like an innocent child. The CPU couldn't help but feel like something was terribly off about this girl. She couldn't put her finger on it but she somehow had the feeling that this was going to waltz in an unfavorable direction. "I'm….Neptune."
The girl continued to stand there, looking Neptune over once as she continued to smile. Even that smile made Neptune feel as though something was wrong with her. "You don't look like you need my healing…so why are you here?" Luna asked, staring deeply into Neptune's eyes as if staring into her very soul. "That stare…." She thought before proceeding to answer her question. "I need to talk to you…..about….Casshern." she finally said.
Luna tilted her head at the name she had mentioned. "Casshern….? I remember him… he is the monster that killed me…." She said as her smile slowly changed into a mere smirk. "Please, don't call him a monster…." The purple haired patron goddess was aware of what he had done but she knew better than anyone else that he was far from being a monster. Every time the words monster and Casshern were associated together she couldn't help but feel upset.
"But he is… he killed me and caused the ruin…." Luna's smirk widened as Neptune's face started to go from a blank expression to one of slight annoyance. The ruin; the thing Casshern had supposedly caused due to him killing Luna. "Killed…? Then why are you standing right here in front of me? If killing you is was brought the ruin in the first place then why is it still happening? You're alive and well. You can end this, yet you're doing nothing. You're making Casshern feel bad for something that's not even really his fault…" Neptune was right. This conversation was already going in the wrong direction.
"I know…isn't it beautiful…? I am erasing all the death and decay from this world…" Luna said, turning her back to Neptune and walking towards the large glass window in the very back of the room, staring out at the moon. "Getting rid of death…through death? Where is the logic behind that statement?" Neptune was starting to not like Luna more and more as the conversation progressed on.
"I will grant eternal life to those I believe worthy and allow those I don't find worthy…to die… The people who live through the ruin will live happily in my new world. The end justifies the means…" She explained, not turning back to face the goddess behind her. "What…? If that is the case then the end is just as bad as the means. You're telling me you intend to wipe out most of the world's population and only let those you find 'worthy' to continue living on?" Neptune balled her hand into a fist. This Luna girl was really getting to her.
"That's just your opinion… this is all for the sake of the perfect world." The light blue haired girl said, turning her head only slightly to look at Neptune who was now glaring at her. "And it's also your 'opinion' that a world like that is even worth having in the first place." The CPU managed to say while still keeping her same cool and collected composure. "We will see…" Luna said turning her head away and staring back out of the window. "Yes we will…and I will be right." The goddess retorted with confidence.
Silence filled the air once again before Luna began to speak once more. "You're so foolish…" Neptune's sword vanished as she folded her arms and narrowed her eyes in resentment at the girl before her. "No... You're the foolish one. Everyone is going insane because of you. What happened to the Luna who made people happy? No one wants to live forever in world where their family, friends, and loved ones have died off. What gives you the right to judge who's worthy and who's not? What gives you the right to decide the fate of others? I don't care who you are, THAT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE!" Neptune had finally shouted. She couldn't hold back her anger anymore. This Luna person was insane. Her idea of a perfect world was anything but.
Luna turned to face the heated goddess completely, her eyes closed as she stood there quietly for a moment. "I am only doing what I was created to do…" she said in a calm voice. The goddess took a deep breath in trying to regain the same composure she had initially before beginning to speak again. "And what is that? What were you made for?" she asked. The word 'made' implied that she was robotic. How was a robot capable of granting immortality to others?
"Healing... and making the world a better place to live in…a world free of death…" she answered, opening her eyes and revealing her deep blue irises once more. It was obvious that Luna truly believed that what she was doing was the best idea for the existence of both humans and robots. However, Neptune strongly disagreed.
"Well that plan seems to be failing horribly... Considering how there is barely going to be anyone left and the people who are left really just want to die because they're now alone. Does this really seem like the best idea for a new world; A world full of nothing but contempt and sadness? You have the power to change this... You should be making a world where humans and robots can coexist and can accept the inevitability of death. Everything dies... And a world where people can accept their fates and live happy lives up until the end is a world worth fighting for and a world worth living in. The only people who should live forever are the people who have to so that they can make sure the world stays peaceful. It sounds to me... That you're just a scared child abusing her power." Neptune hoped that perhaps her words would make Luna change her about her 'Perfect World' but she knew that all these words were for naught.
"…" Luna was quiet. It was almost as if Neptune's speech had left her speechless. Was it possible that Luna was considering everything the woman had said to her? If only she could read minds…
"Hm... I shouldn't be the one telling you this... There is someone more fit for this. The one who has suffered the most due to your actions." She said, causing Luna to look back her with a look of discontent on her face. The CPU had finally managed to break the cold-hearted childlike robot and couldn't help but smirk. "What's with that look…?" she said in a teasing voice, placing her hands on her hips with her head tilted to the side.
"You will not fit in my new world…" Luna continued to stare the goddess down with a slight scowl. Who was this strange woman and where had she come from? Her appearance was strange and she seemed to be unharmed by the ruin. Was she immortal? How was that even possible? Without her blood no one could become immortal. This Neptune girl was going to prove to be a major thorn in her side; she could feel it.
"And what makes you say that…?" the blue-eyed patron goddess asked, still smirking at the girl's sudden change in demeanor. The tables had been turned yet again in Neptune's favor and she was enjoying it thoroughly. "You resist the creation of my perfect world. You openly object to ideals…such insolence cannot be tolerated in my new world….." Luna said, her voice possessing a hint of anger towards the confident goddess.
"That is solely because your methods are absolutely wrong and unacceptable. I have no problem with you trying to create a new and better world for people to live in, but the way you're going about the matter is entirely wrong. I cannot sit by and allow you to play 'god' by determining who has the right to live forever and who doesn't." Neptune said, closing her eyes and placing her hand over her chest.
"I am doing this for everyone…!" Luna responded in a slightly louder voice than she had used throughout the entire conversation. Neptune shook her head, opening her eyes and looking at Luna with a serious expression. "Everyone…or just the people you want?"
Luna fell silent once more, not sure about how she could even respond to what was just said. "It is too my understanding... That the world was happy until you did this..." Neptune added in addition to her earlier statement. Neptune knew she was right about how she felt and somewhere deep inside of her, Luna knew as well. Trying to convince the other to believe in the opposing forces ideals was close to impossible, for they were both stubborn and passionate about their beliefs.
"I did nothing…this is Casshern's fault, remember? He caused the ruin…not me…"the deep blue-eyed robotic girl said softly. At this point she had nothing more to say to the woman. She had been verbally defeated but she wasn't going to idly stand by and let Neptune know that. "Right…. Casshern started the ruin because he killed you. Your death caused it and yet somehow you're alive and the world is still the same. I know what you're doing. You're having all the blame placed on Casshern while you destroy the world." Neptune said.
"In order to create the new world…the old one must be destroyed and reborn. It will be a perfect world of immortals. No death…no suffering…it will be…perfect." Luna replied, not going back on her earlier statements. She was going to stay true to her convictions and not let anything or anyone change her mind. She was doing this for the world. Her plan was one only she understood. The world would be a better place and she intended to prove it. "And for the sake of your perfect world…my friend has to suffer…Even though he hasn't said anything directly to me…he has implied many times that he wishes to die. He can't live bearing such a heavy burden on his shoulders; everyone treating him like some sort of demon." Neptune placed her hand over her heart, releasing a sad sigh as her eyes closed once again.
"It makes my heart ache… such undeserved sadness…. I want him to smile…a truly genuine smile. I just want him to be able to put all of this behind him and live a happy life…I…" Neptune shook her head and opened her eyes once again with a smile on her face. "I want him to be happy. That is my mission. I won't stop until I do just that! No one deserves to feel the way he does and I will do everything in my power to make sure that he can smile happily every day!" she declared.
"…Your compassion for him is sickening. Your feelings don't matter…they are insignificant." Luna retorted, looking away from the woman. It was clear to her that Neptune felt very strongly about Casshern. She hoped that this compassion didn't evolve into something that would intervene with her plans. With this in mind, Neptune became even more of a potential threat.
"If my feelings don't matter, then yours don't either. We both have our own ideals and I doubt either of us will be going back on them any time soon. However, I came here because I made a promise to Casshern. My own personal feelings about him are an entirely different and unrelated matter. Fulfilling my promise to him is the most important thing to me now. Nothing else comes before it." Neptune's smile faded and her face soon went entirely blank as she thought about her words.
"….goodbye…Neptune…." Luna said, walking past the purple haired deity and towards the exit of the room. Neptune looked over her shoulder as the girl stopped before leaving, looking back at her as well. "We will meet again. I'm sure of it…" were Luna's last words before leaving the room entirely.
Neptune looked forward and nodded her head, walking over to the window and looking up at the moon in the sky with her hand placed on the glass. "Until we meet again…Luna…" she thought.
A few minutes after Luna's exit, a certain man in white entered the room. His green eyes immediately went to the woman with the long lavender hair on the other side. After searching for so long he had finally found her and was relieved to see that she was just fine. "Neptune…" he said softly but just loud enough for her to hear.
The goddess slowly turned her head in the direction of where the voice came from. A small smile appeared on her face when she saw who it was that had called her name. "Casshern..." she said in a strangely sweet voice. The man in white walked over and stood beside the deity with his usual blank expression. "Are you alright?" he asked, scanning over her appearance for any sign of harm or injury. "Yes…I'm fine…are…you okay?" she asked, also sharing concern for his well-being.
He merely nodded his head at the woman making her smile even more. "Good…I…um…." She started to speak but hesitated, not sure if it was best to tell Casshern about what had just happened or not. She averted her attention away from him and back to the moon. Casshern tilted his head, wondering what it was she had to say. "Is something wrong?" he asked.
Neptune shook her head. "It's just…I met Luna…" she responded. The brunette's eyes widened at what he had just heard. Luna was here and Neptune met her? That could only mean she really was alive. Maybe there was hope after all. "Luna..?! You met her? Please Neptune, tell me what happened." He requested eagerly.
"…she isn't anything like we expected." Was all she had to say to him. The response given to him made the green eyed male confused. Luna was nothing like they expected? What could Neptune have possibly meant by that? He decided to ask further. "Neptune…what are you saying?"
The CPU sighed quietly and turned her back to the glass, resting up against it with her arms folded. "She…she's corrupted…I….I can't even begin to explain…" Neptune's face had gone from happy to generally upset within a matter of seconds. Seeing Neptune this way, Casshern thought it best to not press her further for information and decided to wait for her to say it on her own when she was ready; knowing Luna was in fact alive was good enough for him.
"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I understand." Casshern assured her. Neptune's expression softened and soon reverted back to being blank once more. "Thank you…" she said, lifting up from the glass. She turned her body to his and suddenly wrapped her arms around the male, hugging him with her head on his chest. Casshern blinked in surprise at this and tilted his head. "Neptune…?" he said in a questioning tone as he looked down at the goddess with his green irises.
"…I'm tired…" she said, closing her eyes as she rested against his chest and slowly began to drift off while standing up. It had been a long night for her and she just wanted to rest so that she could digest everything that had taken place. Casshern wrapped his arms around the woman to support her and smiled, sitting down while still keep her against him.
Since Neptune had fallen asleep, Casshern had no choice but to allow her to rest and wait for her to wake back up. He understood that she had been through a lot and so he waited patiently, watching her sleep. "She looks….very peaceful." He thought as he stared at her in awe as the moonlight's rays illuminated her face with the utmost elegance.
Casshern still couldn't but wonder what exactly had made Neptune say Luna was corrupted. He could only hope that she would eventually tell him exactly what happened. Perhaps even make him question why he was pursuing Luna in the first place.
Questions, Questions, and even more Questions; The biggest question of them all was if he would ever find out all the answers to these questions that often crossed his mind.
Casshern looked out of the window, staring up at the starry night sky. "Only time will tell. Until then, I have to keep moving forward…" he said to himself. No matter what happened he had to keep going. He felt like he could…as long as he had Neptune to keep him from straying too far off path. There was always the chance he would never find out who he was or even atone for his sins so he had to prepare to accept that possible harsh reality.
"I promise….I'll get your memories back…..Casshern…." Neptune said in her sleep which surprised him. Was she talking in her sleep? That meant she was dreaming about him. A small smile appeared on Casshern's face; even though she wasn't actually speaking to him, hearing her say that made him happy. "Thank you…." He said quietly.