(Yahoo! 4000 words for this Chapter. I hope you enjoy it or whatever. )
"Behind you, Noire!" Neptune shouted, gripping the hilt of sword tightly and slashing the goblin that had attempted to strike her from behind in half. Noire gasped softly and looked behind her where the enemy had been and then back at Neptune. She scoffed, placing her hand on her hip with her eyes closed all in a cocky way. "Tch...I totally didn't ask for your help...but...Thanks anyway."
A busty green haired woman and blue haired girl approached the two of them from behind. "I see you've finished this room. We have no time to waste. Let's get moving shall we?" the green haired woman said, smiling at both. "Vert, Blanc, You're done already? You just went into that room not too long ago." Neptune said in slight amazement as the girl with the blue hair named Blanc placed her large axe over her shoulder. "It's not like the enemies were a challenge. We smashed them to bits in seconds." she replied with her eyes closed.
"Okay! Okay! We're done! That means we only have one room left, right?" Noire said, opening her eyes and looking over at the large red door in front of them. The busty female named Vert, Blanc, and Neptune all looked at the door as well. The four girls then looked at each other before nodding their head and gazing back over at the door. "The boss room..." they said in unison.
Neptune walked over to the door with a large red key in hand, placing it into the lock on the door and turning it. The lock immediately fell off and the door slowly opened by itself revealing a new room five times the size of the one they were in. "You guys ready...?"She asked, looking back at the other for confirmation before she dared to take a step inside.
"Hell yeah! I'm ready to destroy that fucking thing!" Blanc declared as she zoomed into the room without waiting for anyone else's response. "Well then, we may as well head in as well before she gets herself killed." Vert twirled her spear around one good time and then dashed into the room herself. Noire sighed and simply walked into the room shaking her head. "Let's just get this over; I have other things to do."
Neptune shrugged her shoulders and walked in behind the three of them. Hopefully the group would be able to handle what was quietly waiting for them past this door. As they entered the room they immediately noticed how empty it was. There was literally no sign of any monster anywhere. "hm...where could it be hiding..." Vert thought aloud, keeping a firm grip on her spear as her amethyst eyes glided across every inch of the room.
Suddenly the loud sound of wings flapping could be heard echoing throughout the room. The four CPUs quickly got into battle position, looking around the room but seeing no signs of any enemy. Noire eventually looked up and her eyes met with a ferocious dragon flying above them. "There it is!" the green-eyed goddess exclaimed, holding the hilt of her sword tightly as she jumped up into the air and began charging at the winged beast.
"Noire! Wait!" Neptune called out, flying up after her with her sword firmly held in both hands . The dragon instantly noticed the two patron goddesses and growled under its breath before shooting a massive fireball at them. Noire easily avoided the attack and brought her sword back as she fly to the side of the dragon and attempted to slash its right wing off. Before she could even manage to get her weapon close enough the dragon unexpectedly smacked her away with its mammoth sized tail.
"AH!" Noire screamed, spiraling back down to the ground towards Blanc and Vert. She quickly caught herself before making collision with the ground and hovered in the air. Neptune, who was still near the dragon, lifted her blade as it became surrounded in a purple aura. "I got this." she assured her party members. The dragon averted its attention over to the lavender haired cpu, preparing to fire yet another flaming ball of death. Neptune locked onto the wing that Noire had aimed for before being knocked down. She swung her blade once, sending out a huge purple wave of energy towards the same spot. The wave had successfully made contact with the dragon's wing and had sliced it off with ease.
The winged beast began to fall out of the air ever so slowly, attempting to use its other wing to keep it supported but to no avail. The other three took this as their chance to do so serious damage. "My turn." Vert said, twirling her blade and shooting up towards the enemy with a spiraling wave of green light following behind her. The amethyst eyed goddess slashed the beast several times directly at extremely fast speed. Noire followed this up by summoning her rainbow blade as she took off into the air. She twirled her body, delivering huge slash to its back as she flew over it followed by a direct stab through the side right before the blade disappeared.
The dragon was practically dead at this point as Blanc grinned, lunging after the creature. She headed directly for the beats head, readying her axe as she lifted it up above her and then brought back down with phenomenal force towards it neck. When the attack connected, the dragon's entire body was covered in ice, making its descent to the ground even faster. Neptune flew towards the large block of ice, bringing her sword back as another purple aura surrounded her blade. "This is it!" she called out, preparing for the last strike.
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Neptune stared at the screen in silence for a very long time before shaking her fists violently in the air. "NOOOOO! WHY?! I was almost done with the event!" she whined, bashing her head against the desk and making crying sounds with no tears coming out. She had finally had free time to actually sit back and relax for a change ever since she got to the ruined planet. When she realized that she could somehow connect to Gamindustri's internet service from the PHCU, she was overjoyed. She had quickly signed onto Four Goddess Online and saw that the other goddesses were playing it as well. There had been an event going on that rewarded whoever cleared the dungeon and defeated the boss in under 15 minutes a prize of over a million in-game cash points to spend at their leisure.
Being disconnected from the server meant that she would no longer be in the party when she signed back on. No longer being in the party meant no prize for her. In the darker recesses of her mind she hoped that the other three had shared the same fate as she. However, considering her luck on many occasions; they were more than likely bathing in those cash points and laughing at her misfortune.
Noire stared at her computer monitor screen in silence. Her left eye twitched in anger as she read the words 'You have been disconnected from the server. Please try again in 30 seconds.' Her hand slowly made its way over to the power button and pressed it, turning the computer off. She crossed her legs and folded her arms as she sat in the chair, not saying a word. She closed her eyes and began to tap her finger up against her arm. "There is nothing to be upset about. Nothing at all. Hahaha..." she said, her voice trembling due to the anger she had attempted to suppress.
Anger began to fill Blanc as the disconnection notice popped up on her screen. Her hand soon formed a shaking fist as her bangs fell over her eyes. They were just one move away from completing the event and winning those points; only to be disconnected from the server. "I've been...DISCONNECTED?!" she shouted picking up the computer monitor and throwing it out the window in pure white rage. "BULL-FUCKING-SHIT!"
A soft sigh escaped past Vert lips as she turned off her computer monitor after reading the disconnection notice on the screen. She had been up day and night grinding to increase her level considerably just for this event. While she didn't show it externally, on the inside she was burning with raw hatred and anger. She smiled to herself and even started to laugh. "Looks like today is my unlucky day. I suppose I'll just have do something rational like abuse my influence as a goddess to get the cash points."'
Casshern entered the room, looking over at the lilac haired girl who seemed to be in utter disarray. He had heard her in the other room and decided to see what was up. "Is everything alright, Neptune?" he asked her.
Neptune slowly looked over her shoulder and stared him with dull, lifeless eyes. "...Yeah." she said, her voice was monotone and unenthusiastic which was unlike her. She slowly stood up, walking over to the male with her back hunched over, head down, and arms dangling in disappointment.
"Are you sure, Neptune?"
"Yeah..." she assured him, lifting up her head and smiling a bit.
Seeing her smile erased his concerns as he nodded his head. "Then are you ready to head out?" he asked the lilac haired CPU. They had put off traveling for a day and had taken the time out to relax; which Neptune couldn't have been happier about. She had said something about playing 'video games.' he wasn't sure what that was but as long as she was happy he didn't care.
Neptune nodded her head and gave thumbs up. "You betcha! I'm ready and purring to go!"
"Then let's go." said Casshern turning his back to her and walking out of the room and towards the front door of the PHCU.
Neptune scurried along after him, walking out as he did and closing the door behind the two of them. She pressed the button in the corner of the house, changing it back to its capsule form. After picking it up and placing it inside her N-Gear, she ran back over to Casshern. "Let's transform and roll out!" she said, activating HDD and transforming into her goddess form, Purple Heart.
Casshern's face became confused in response to this. Normally, Neptune would only transform if she had to fight or had to chase after someone (usually him); but there was no reason for her to be in goddess form now. It wasn't that he didn't like her that way; on the contrary he actually preferred it. He enjoyed her presence regardless of which form she chose to take; they both had their charms. In human form she was cheerful and optimistic and he loved seeing her hop around enthusiastically despite never really understanding her at times. Her goddess form was more mature and serious but retained the same optimism as her human form. He really didn't understand why he preferred her with HDD activated and he probably never would.
Neptune smiled at the brunette in white after finalizing her transformation and nodded her head once more. "Alright, now I'm really ready to go."
Casshern nodded his head as well and started to walk off in the same direction he had taken off in the night before. Neptune followed closely beside him with her hands clasped in front of her. Every now and again she glance over at him from the corner of her eye and quickly look away. Casshern took notice of this and looked over at her. "Neptune...?"
"Yes..?"
"Is something wrong?"
"No..." said the goddess turning her head away from him.
The brunette male came to a halt, walking over in front of her. He looked down at the female with a serious expression as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, you know you can tell me. You would do the same for me if I had something on my mind."
"..." Neptune looked over at Casshern, staring into his serious green irises for a moment before closing her eyes and sighing softly. "It's about Luna..."
"Luna...?"
"Yes...about what happened that night in the temple… I've been meaning to tell you..."
Casshern immediately became interested after hearing that she was going to tell him what exactly transpired that night. He kept his same serious expression, waiting for her to tell him what he had wanted to hear for the longest time. "Okay, go ahead."
"Remember when I said Luna wasn't what we expected her to be?"
"Yes, I remember. What happened to make you say that?"
"Luna... told me of her plan to create a new world." said the CPU.
The man in white became confused. If Luna wanted to create a new world, wasn't that a good thing? The world as it was now was the least desirable place to be in. "I don't understand. How does that make her nothing like we expected?" he asked, trying to get a deeper level of understanding of what she meant.
"Luna has no intention of saving everyone. She said she will grant immortality to those she deems ''worthy' of being in her new world. Anyone else will be doomed to die in the ruin. She thinks she has the right to pass judgment onto others. She knows she's the population's only way of survival. She's abusing her power and influence to play god..." Neptune looked down and shook her head in disgust. Her hand tightened into a fist for a moment before easing up again. She looked up at Casshern with a saddened expression and stared deeply into his eyes. "I know this isn't my world...but I want to help these people. I just can't allow myself to stand by and do nothing while people die just because of one selfish girl. Casshern, you may have killed Luna and that may have caused the ruin; but you are not the monster here. The only monster in this equation is Luna."
A strange, indescribable feeling started to fill Casshern's body. He had no idea what it was he was experiencing or why it was happening. His expression softened into a gentler faced look as he stared back into her electric blue eyes. The brunette's body began to move on it's almost and before he knew it, he had pulled Neptune into a tight embrace. "Neptune..."
The patron goddess rested her forehead on his chest as she closed her eyes. She eventually wrapped her arms around him to return his embrace and then looked up at him once more. Her expression had gone from sad to a more serious this time. "I know I've made a lot of promises to you lately, but saving your world is something I need to do; not only for you, but for myself as well. I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll find some way to save as many people as I can and keep my promises to you."
"Neptune, you don't have to do this..."
"I know I don't. It's not a matter of what I have to do; I'm doing it because I want to."
"Because...you want to...?"
"Yes. Everything I've promised you so far has also stemmed from my own personal desires." she said, placing her hand on his cheek.
The feeling of Neptune's warm hand against his face sent a strange tingling sensation through his body. His hand which was placed on her shoulder at first; slowly made its way over the hand that had been placed on his cheek. "Personal desires...?" he said in a questioning tone, his eyes not leaving hers for a second.
The woman nodded. "When we first met and I saw how depressing you were; every fiber of my existence just wanted you to cheer up and be happy. I feel like if I help you with your problems then maybe I can make you a happier person. And if I can manage to turn your life around then I will have achieved my goal." she explained.
"You're doing all of this...just because you want me happy..."
"Right and I won't stop until I have. I'll stay by your side forever if I have to." she declared.
Casshern was a bit surprised at her declaration and wasn't sure what to say. A small smile appeared on his face for the first time in a while as he continued to gaze at her. "You really are too kind...I... I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you."
"You don't have to. Remember, while these things are to help you; I'm also doing it for myself. My reward will be seeing you not so gloomy. Like now." she said, removing her hand from his cheek and placing her index finger on his lips. "That smile is my motivation. I want to be able to see this all the time. When you smile that means that just for this moment I have achieved bringing some joy into your life. Now the real challenger is making sure I can get you to do it all the time."
The man in white closed his eyes and started to rest his head on the goddess' shoulder while continuing to have her in his embrace. "I really don't know what to say... I can't find the words to tell you how grateful I am to have met you, Neptune. Thank you...Thank you so much..."
"I keep telling you don't have to thank me, Casshern." said Neptune with a small laugh at the end.
"I know that...but...I can't help it."
"Fine then. You're welcome."
"Thank you..."Casshern lifted his head from her shoulder and looked back down at her with the same warm smile on his face.
"You did it again!"
"Ah... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
"Don't apologize."
"Okay, I apologize for apologizing."
"Casshern, you're still doing it!"
"Sorry! I mean...ah..."
Neptune couldn't help but laugh at Casshern's behavior as he looked away from her in shame. "I just can't help myself."
"Just forget it. Hehe...I understand." she assured the male, standing up on her tiptoes and placing soft kiss on his forehead before pulling away.
Casshern's eyes widened as he placed his hand on his forehead after she kissed it. He stared at her in shock, watching her turn her back to him and walk ahead. Not sure how to react, he merely followed behind her with a smile on his face.
Meanwhile, a certain light blue haired girl was watching them from afar. Her eyes narrowed at the scene as she observed them in absolute disgust. With motives like that, Neptune was going to prove to be a real thorn in her side. If the strange woman had the intention of preventing her creation of a new world; she would have to destroy her. "I can't allow her to poison my plans..." she whispered, turning away from the two of them and walking off.
"Luna!" a familiar voice called out to her which caused her to stop dead in her tracks.
"hm...?" Luna turned her head in the direction of the where the voice originated only to see Tristen standing before her. "Tristen...correct? What brings you here?" she asked, staring into his soul with her deep blue eyes.
"I want to come with you."
"Why..?"
"Because... I feel like I owe you. You gave me your blood and for that, I owe you my life." he said.
Luna was silent for a moment, closing her eyes as she began to think about the situation. He felt like he owed her? Perhaps she could use this to her advantage. Tristen could prove to be a very useful asset to her in the near future. He would be a pawn on her chessboard of domination and conquest. "Very well then; you may come with me." she said, giving him a sweet smile to hide her wicked intentions.
"T-Thank you Luna." he said, rushing over to her side with wide smile on his face.
"No. Thank you, Tristen." said the girl as she began to walk once more.
Luna was going to make sure that nothing intervened with her plans; even if she had to manipulate and use everyone just to make sure. In order to make the world a better place deception and manipulation were necessary factors. Those who resisted change had two choices; Accept change and allow it to happen without any fuss or be destroyed. It was as simple as that. She knew what she was doing was the right thing to do and nothing would be able to convince her otherwise. She was going to create a new, beautiful and eternal world where death no longer existed and nothing was going to prevent her from doing so; not even Neptune.
The sun had just started to set as Neptune and Casshern finally stopped at the edge of a cliff. They had walked for hours now and conveniently had no problems thus far. "Looks like the sun is getting ready to go down. Should we stop?" Casshern asked the goddess next to him.
Neptune was silent, looking straight ahead over the cliff. Her attention was fixed on what she believed to be a large city in the distance. "Casshern..." she said softly, lifting up her finger and pointing over to what she saw. Casshern's attention riveted over in the direction she pointed in and his eyes soon met with the formation of white buildings not too far away from them. "A city..."
"A city that size must have people in it. We should check it out."
"I agree, but I don't think we'll be able to make it there before nightfall. I'd feel better heading there during the daytime." said Casshern.
Neptune nodded her head in agreement. "Okay then. I say we start walking now, stop once we're halfway, and then rest so we can continue later." She suggested.
"Alright then, let's do that."
Casshern turned around and began walking once again towards the general direction of the city. Neptune followed closely behind him, turning on her N-Gear and watching the map. The world was so badly destroyed that it was almost impossible to know or remember where anything was; unless you were like Casshern and remembered everything perfectly. She had been marking key locations on her N-Gear's map for her own note. If she ever needed to return somewhere she would check the map. The N-Gear was the most useful invention ever made by Planeptune. She started to think about what she was going to label the city as on her map. If there were any natives there she probably wouldn't have to think of a name but she continued to ponder on the subject for when she was faced with the situation. "Hey, Casshern."
"Hm? Yes, Neptune."
"What are we going to do if there are people in the city?" she asked.
"We'll ask around and see if any of them know anything about where Luna may be."
"And what if they're hostile...?"
"We'll fight if we have to and keep moving on. I only hope it doesn't come to that." he answered, looking down at the ground beneath him.
"Well then...we'll see what will happen when we get there." she responded, smiling as she grabbed his hand and interlocked her fingers with his.
This sudden action had surprised Casshern, causing him to glance over at the goddess. A warm smile appeared on his face as he nodded his head in agreement. "Yes...we will."