Welcome back to HDN: A New World.

ARSLOTHES: The magic erebea does look like quite an interesting ability. I might use it. Thanks for the suggestion.

Blue555Nexus: I really like the idea of the two type of HDD modes. I started to shape things toward that way. Only Red Heart used in this chapter. Thanks for the idea and the support.

RedBurningDragon: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. I do understand what you mean by too many moves, I just get annoyed at times when a major character just uses one or two moves through an entire show. I haven't seen anything from the tales series, so I guess I might as well check some of it out.

Thanks for the reviews everyone.

Now to the chapter.


About a week and a half later, the party met up in Lastation for a quick met up. "It's been a while since we shut down that factory's operations, but…" Noire started once everyone showed up.

"Life has become such a snooze… Isn't there anything fun to do?" Neptune questioned.

"What? I'm I not fun to hang around?" Desmond asked in mock offense.

"You know I didn't mean you, Dez." She responded.

"I'm so bored, I'd actually rather play the waiting game. I wanna go out and see someplace cool…" Ram exclaimed.

"I agree. This is a waste of time." Blanc weighed in.

"Unproductive, indeed. If we've no immediate plans, perhaps we should return to our homes?" Vert suggested, before a ringing was heard.

"Huh? The N-Gear… oh… It's not mine…" Nepgear said while looking at her device.

"That would be mine. Ah, Chika is calling me. Hello, Chika. How are you?" Vert stated while pulling out the device and turning it on speaker, so everyone could hear.

"Darling!? We have a problem! Could you please return to Leanbox immediately?" Chika said in haste.

"Immediately? My, whatever could be so urgent?" Vert asked.

"Rioters are trashing the city! We're trying to put a stop to their antics, but we're vastly outnumbered." Chika answered.

"Oh, no! Not the city…!" 5pb. shouted in worry.

"Understood. I will head your way. Chika, make sure not to do anything rash until I've returned." Vert commanded.

"Of course." Chika replied.

"You all heard the situation. I must return to Leanbox." Vert stated.

"We'll go with you." Nepgear spoke up.

"Darn tootin'! And I'm not the type to take no for an answer, you dig?" Neptune added on.

"Yeah, I've been helping your city for the last three years. Now isn't the time to stop." Desmond stated.

"I would be very grateful. Then, please, lend me a hand." Vert responded.

"We sure will!" Nepgear said, as the party left for Leanbox.


The group arrived in the city, a vast mulititude of buildings were damaged in one way or another. 5pb. was the first to speak "This is terrible… Everything is in shambles…"

"How dare they treat my precious nation in such a manner…!" Vert stated in an angered tone.

"Check it out. Someone's flipping tables over that-a-way! Hey buddy, you better stop that right now!" Neptune shouted, while pointing at the culprit.

They could see Underling commanding a group of kids with weapons, down the street. They were close enough to hear her shout commands "Destroy everything! Our only order was to make this an unforgettable act of carnage, so do your worst!" The kids shouted back in agreement.

"This is getting very stale, nyu." Broccoli stated, unimpressed by the same villain back again.

"It's like trying to keep track of how many patients sued the hospital because of Compa. Can't do it." IF commented.

"Yeah… It might not be the nicest thing to compare it to. But, Compa does have a track record for having that happen." Desmond added with a sweat drop.

"Umm… I kept track until I ran out of fingers." Compa confirmed.

"Oh, the broad brigade is here. Quicker than I expected, actually." Underling stated, giving a smug look.

"Huh? Not gonna get all surprised and be like "oh snap, not these idiots again"?" Red asked.

"I'm not gonna say the same damn reaction line each and every time!" Underling shot back. "I've been waiting for you idiots."

"Why would you be doing that?" Nepgear questioned.

"Hmm, I wonder. I guess you'll have to beat me up if you want me to…" Underling spoke, before being interrupted by a fist to the face from Desmond. Causing her to fly back several feet.

The man let out a contented sigh "I've been wanting to do that since I saw your, very punchable, face."

Underling shook her head as she stood back up "Whoooooa! Hang on, hang on. At least let the game load up a boss battle or something!" she shouted.

"Nah, that takes too long." Noire denied.

"The result should be obvious at this point. Why waste the player's time?" Blanc commented.

"Our stats vastly exceed your own. The game can no longer label you as even a low-tier mid-boss." Vert added.

"At best you'd be considered as cannon fodder." Desmond jumped into the insulting.

"Urrgh! Stop breaking the fourth wall!" Underling shouted.

"Shut up already. A win's a win. We'll have that information now." Uni commanded.

"Tch… Well, this should be enough bought time. Let's ditch this joint, fellas!" Underling yelled as she and her little group of destructive children ran off.

"Wait! You never told us what you were planning by doing this…" 5pb. shouted.

"I have a bad feeling about this…" Desmond commented.

Vert's N-Gear rung off again. "My, Chika is calling me again? How clingy. Hello, what is it? Things have settled down here."

"My darling Vert, I'm so very sorry to say, but… I completely fell for the enemy's feint!" Chika responded.

"What do you mean? Wait, are you saying this entire riot was mearely…?" Vert started.

Desmond put a finger on his nose while pointing at Vert, as to say "you got it."

"A ruse, yes. While you were all busy there, Planeptune has been felled by ASIC!" Chika explained.

"Ok, we'll come in to come up with a plan." Vert stated before hanging up the device.

Desmond growled as he walked toward a light pole, footprints of fire behind him. Forming hand blades with both arms, he went to town hacking up the pole. "Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! They freaking pulled a fast one on us! And I should've have seen it coming! Dammit!" His breath a little heavier, as he stood and looked at the mess of metal on the ground.

"D-Desmond, don't take blame for it all. None of us realized what was going on. Now, let's go to the basilicom and get the rest of the info from Chika." Vert stated, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He pulled away the hand blades and turned to look at her.

"Yeah, Dez. It's my nation and you don't see me flipping out over it." Neptune stated as she jumped in front of the young man.

He let out a sigh, calming himself down. "That's just your nature Neptune. It's hard to get you even half as angry as I can get. So, you don't tend to worry about things as much. I'm sure you wouldn't mind too much, as long as the people weren't hurt." He then placed a hand on her head and smiled "But I wouldn't have you any other way. It's one of the reasons why you're so fun to be around with." he took a quick sigh "I suppose you two are right. Let's get to the basilicom and get the rest of the information from Chika."

Neptune jumped on him in the form of a hug. "Thanks for the praise, Dez." She had a bright smile on her face. He bent down and kissed her check, Neptune's face reddened slightly. The party left for the basilicom moments later.


After arriving at the basilicom Chika spoke when she saw them "There you are."

"Miss Chika! Did Planeptune really fall into ASIC's hands?" Nepgear asked.

"What about Histy? Is she still kicking?" Neptune added.

"Let me explain first. The riot in Leanbox was, as we now know, a decoy." Chika started. "It was meant to pull you all out of Planeptune, and at that, it succeeded."

"Then they moved into Planeptune while we were away and snagged an easy win. That about right?" IF questioned.

"We've been had, nyu" Broccoli commented.

"I cannot apologize enough. I should not have called you here without analyzing the situation…" Chika stated dejectedly.

"Worry not. Anyone whose nation looked to be in jeopardy would have reacted the exact same way." Vert responded.

"My darling Vert… No, please, do not console me. This is clearly my fault." Chika said.

"Miss Chika…" 5pb. said in a worried tone.

"Vert's not wrong Chika. None of us noticed. If anyone should've noticed something sketchy about the situation, it should've been me. Having fought them for the last few years, I've had some experience with their tactics. So, do not blame yourself." Desmond stated.

"Ehh, nobody cares who's at fault. I just wanna know if Histy's okay!" Neptune interjected.

"ASIC called me while you all were en route." Chika responded. "They demanded the CPU Candidates go to Gathering Castle alone if we want to see Histoire again."

"What a textbook move. They may as well have bolded, underlined, and italicized "hey, it's a trap!"" Noire pointed out.

"It's not cool of them to use a hostage against us again!" Red shouted.

"It doesn't matter. I'll go." Nepgear stated calmly.

"What!?" Desmond yelled.

"Do I literally need to bold, underline, and italicize it for you?" Noire asked.

"It's too dangerous. We still have no idea what their end game could be." Blanc added.

"But Histy's in serious trouble! Someone needs to help her!" Nepgear exclaimed.

"IT IS A TRAP. Who says they'll let Histoire go even if you do show up!?" Noire disputed.

"But if nobody goes, then it's for sure that we won't save her!" Nepgear argued.

"Like I've been trying to say, we need to draw up a plan, and—" Noire started.

"Oh, I can't stand it anymore. I'm going with you. You're too stubborn to change your mind…" Uni interrupted.

"Uni!" Noire shouted.

"Are you sure?" Nepgear questioned.

"Yeah, I guess. They did ask for all of us CPU Candidates, right?" Uni responded.

"I wanna go, too…" Rom stated.

"Yeah, me too. But you totally owe me and Rom something awesome for helping you out!" Ram added.

"Rom… Ram…" Nepgear said with a happy tone.

"Heavens, it appears that someone's undying optimism has rubbed off on her little friends." Vert stated.

"This is your sister's fault. What're you gonna do about this?" Noire questioned.

"I'll kill you if my sisters get even a scratch." Blanc said in a firm tone.

"Huh!? Whoa, don't dump the responsibility on little ol' me!" Neptune said backing away from the three CPUs.

"I'm sorry. Due to my oversight, this blunder is only growing in severity…" Chika stated.

"Don't worry, we'll be just fine. We're going to come back with Histoire, safe and sound!" Nepgear responded.

The Candidates gathered their things together as they got ready to leave. IF looked around and noticed Desmond wasn't there, and the door was left open. She went out to see if she could find him. A few seconds later, she saw him standing outside, leaning against the wall "Hey, what're you doing?"

He opened an eye to look at her, then moved away from the wall. "Sorry, had to get out of there. I didn't want to start yelling at Gear and the others. So, I came out for some fresh air."

"I see. I understand that it must be hard for you to see them go off into what appears to be a trap. But Gear is right about getting Histoire back."

"I know, but most of me doesn't care. The thought of them going into a trap and getting hurt pisses me off to no end! And on top of that they use Historire as a hostage!" He shouted as he hit the wall with a fist, his back turned to IF.

She walked up and wrapped her arms around him. "Just breathe. I'm here… None of us want to send them off into a trap, but they asked to go." He turned around to hug her back. "Let's just think through this and figure out a plan. Until then, we'll have to let the Candidates go." She could feel the anger leave his body as he relaxed.

"You've always found a way to calm me down." He chuckled a little as he kissed her "Thanks, I needed to hear that. I might not like it, but the fact that they are wanting to do this shows how much more confident they have become in themselves. I should be happy about that. It's just… I've already lost one family, I don't need to lose anyone else. So in light of that, let's do all we can for them and get Histoire back. We should get back in there and start getting a plan together." The two walked back into the building, and met back up with the rest of the group.


Everyone except the Candidates, left after quickly forming a plan to help the younger CPUs. They moved into LAN Castle, after the Candidates. Most of the monsters were slain by the Candidates, so they had mostly free reign in the dungeon. They stopped at a partially opened door. Inside they could hear voices, they could hear the Candidates, two ASIC members, and Histoire. They party was waiting for an opportune moment to rescue Histoire, so neither ASIC member would hurt her. They could also hear screams, coming from Nepgear and Uni, who were being attacked by Underling.

Desmond paced back and forth as Blanc and Noire watched for an opening, the others stood in wait. "Why are we waiting so damn long." Desmond growled quietly. "There are more of us. I say we just go in there and blitz them."

"We're not changing the plan now, just wait. We don't want any harm to come to Histoire, you know that." IF responded.

The group waited longer for their opening. What they heard from inside pissed off Desmond immensely. Sparks were flying around him. He looked to be in a focused rage as he kept his eyes shut as he paced around in anger. Suddenly the air pressure changed in the room, the group looked to the young man, as they felt the change come from that part of the room. They saw a light blue aura around him. Sparks of lightning flowing on and around him, even his eyes glowed slightly. "I'm done waiting." Desmond spoke calmly. Before any of them could say anything, he was gone.

"Crap, where did he go?" Noire questioned.

"Well you should know if you were paying attention to his lines." Neptune stated as she pointed toward the room.

"I suggest we head in there as well now." Vert said.

"I agree." Blanc added before the party moved in, but not before Desmond could do some damage.

Once Desmond left the others, he moved into the room. Faster than he had ever moved before without fully becoming lightning itself. But this was different, he didn't know what or how. He just felt the power welling up. As soon as he could see where everyone was, he fired a continues bolt of electricity onto the latch that held Histoire down, melting it and releasing the tome. He then moved over to Trick landing a few strikes, each one left electricity flying all around the hit. The attacks caused the CFW to move back several feet.

Desmond then ran to where Underling was, she still had not registered what had happened yet. He stuck her in the gut causing her to fall after hitting the wall about ten feet back. Desmond then grabbed her by the throat and slammed her into the wall. She screamed from the pain, she finally was able to see who did this to her. And when she did not like what she saw. "The hell!" She saw nothing but anger in his eyes.

"Now what was it you said… Oh, yes that's it." He moved close to her ear ""Let me see those tears" that's what you said wasn't it. So, I think it's time you show them." Before Underling could blink He hit her in both arms and legs, then another hard knee in the gut. She cried out, her eyes forced close. When she opened them, she saw a demented smile across his face, strength left her as fear took over. Every fiber of her being was telling her to run, get as far away as possible. But she knew she couldn't. "There are those tears I asked for." To her even his words felt like they kill. His smile was gone, and his face looked uninterested "Get out of my sight." He said as he lifted her up and tossed her aside, to where Trick was. She coughed trying to get her breath back, struggling to stand.

The rest of the group entered, Histoire was near The Candidates. She and the twins ran to Nepgear and Uni's side. Neptune greeted the tome. "Howdy, Histy! You all right? They didn't crumple your bookmark or whatever, did they?"

"No, I am perfectly fine." She replied.

"Neptune… And everyone… Why did you all come here?" Nepgear asked.

"We knew it was a trap, so there's no way we'd let you come here alone, We were just waiting for our chance." Noire answered.

"But Desmond ran in before we could find a quiet entrance." Blanc stated.

"No need to hold it in anymore! Pay 'em back tenfold!" Red shouted.

Desmond chuckled deviously "That's right little Red. Let's… make them suffer." he finished in a chilling tone.

"Yeah. I'm going to let them feel just how great if felt for me…" Uni commented.

"I'm actually very angry this time." Nepgear added.

Underling finally standing back up, freaking out at the situation "Sh-Shit… What're we gonna do? Boss, they look crazy pissed off!"

"Remain calm, fool! I let myself revel in their company too much. I don't plan to die in battle today!" Trick shouted.

"Y'know what? I've wanted to bust your stupid skull open ever since we met! The brainwashing, that stink… That totally gross slobber…" Ram yelled.

"Bullying Miss Nepgear and Miss Uni… You won't get away with this!" Rom exclaimed in anger.

"Great! Great! Now let's put an end to this sorry excuse of a creature!" Desmond shouted.

The ranged members of the party launched attacks at the CFW, Trick blocked several of the projectiles with his tongue. After Trick moved it down, the melee fighters closed in. Several strikes were thrown, the CFW blocked a few. The rest of the attacks hit, causing the CFW to move back. Trick threw out his tongue for a counterattack but was quickly pushed to the ground as a metal pole speared it, breaking the ground locking it in place. Shortly after a large bolt of lightning hit the pole and spread across Trick's body. Desmond then moved in front of the large creature in a flash and delivered a massive kick to the side of Trick's head.

The CFW tried to grab the young man but before he could reach out Desmond disappeared, and appeared behind Trick. Desmond hit the CFW with a multitude of punches. The ranged members sent out another barrage of shots, this time all hit. The CFW grunted in pain. "It's time I kill you." Trick couldn't follow the young man's movement as Desmond ran up to the creature, slicing off both of Trick's arms with his arm blade. He then poured more power into the blade, extending the size of it. And cut the pole from the CFW's tongue and threw it into the CFW's chest, right before slicing Trick in half.

Knowing he was about to die, Trick spoke his final words. "I have no regrets for the life I have lived!" He then exploded.

"Good riddance, you worthless piece of shit." Desmond spat at the remains of Trick.

Desmond's aura went away, as a sudden heaviness filled his body. Causing him to stumble, IF moved over to him. She placed a hand on him "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah… I just need to sit down for a bit." He responded as he placed an arm around IF. She flicked him in the forehead "H-Hey!"

"That's what you get for being so reckless! You could've got Histoire hurt! You were supposed to stick with the plan." She stated.

"I couldn't hold back anymore, those two needed to be put in their place. And that power… I knew that I could solve the situation easily." He said.

IF sighed "Even though you might be reckless, at least you produce results. Anyway, what the heck was that?"

"I can't be completely sure. It felt like an extreme speed boost. I was easily able to match my top speeds without trying. At times, I didn't even have to think about what I was doing, my own instincts took over as I moved." Desmond answered. The two walked over to the rest of the group.

"And, done. That was one too many pervs than this world needed." Uni commented.

"That was soooo easy. We shoulda done that way earlier!" Ram shouted.

"Hehehe… I did my bestest…" Rom added.

"Wait, where'd Underling go?" Red questioned.

"I don't see her anymore… Maybe she ran away during that last fight?" Compa said.

"You could set a clock to that trait of hers, nyu." Broccoli added.

"I am so sorry for the trouble I have caused." Histoire stated.

"Don't sweat it, Captivisty. Let's just blame the baddies." Neptune responded.

"And we took their bait, so there's nothing to apologize for." Blanc agreed.

"That solves one crisis, but we still have a major one to deal with." IF stated.

"Yes… Planeptune is still under ASIC's control…" 5pb. said looking a bit worried.

"They won't get away with putting their grimy hands into my nation's cookie jar! Let's get my home back!" Neptune exclaimed.

"Normally, I would leave this to you, but I suppose this is an exception, since it involved me indirectly." Vert stated.

"Without support from the other nations, I fear this would be a nigh impossible task. Please, help us." Histoire commented.

"Let's actually think of a plan for this one, though. I'll get all the Oracles together." Noire responded. The party then left the dungeon, and to Lastation's basilicom where the rest of the Oracles were being gathered.


After the party made it to the basilicom, the Oracles were already in place. Histoire spoke "Thank you all for gathering once more. The reason why we are here together is…"

"Skip the formalities, if you would. We're well aware of why we're here." Kei interrupted.

"You are right. Then, I would like to ask for your help in releasing Planeptune from ASIC control." Histoire stated.

"Leanbox's forces are ready to assist. After all, this all stemmed from my poor judgment." Chika responded.

"It's hardly picturesque to have a nation next to ours under the control of something like ASIC." Kei mentioned.

"I have no qualms with providing support. Do you have a detailed plan we can go over?" Mina asked.

"Time is too short to draw up any kind of intricate plan. I suggest the simple method of using force." Histoire answered.

"I like that plan." Desmond said laying on a couch in the room.

"That's definitely simple, nyu." Broccoli added.

"It may cause some casualties on our end, but there is scarcely a more effective approach." Vert reasoned.

"Okay, then let's mamma jamma our way over there now! Time is shorter than our skirts, ladies! And Dez!" Neptune shouted.

"Just a moment. This plan has one problem to iron out. Even if we use greater numbers, it will have little effect on the enemy leader. That said, I wish for the CPUs to act separately, seek out, and eliminate the enemy leader." Histoire stated.

"Whoa, so you think someone really though is hiding in there?" Red asked.

"Who's the leader?" Uni questioned.

"I believe her name was CFW Magic." Histoire answered.

"Magic!" Nepgear shouted.

"That bitch." Blanc said in her monotone voice, with a little anger mixed in.

"Now we're talking. That woman has been at the top of my hit list ever since we got back." Noire commented.

"Very well. We will commence the operation tomorrow morning. Please rest until then." Histoire stated.

"We'll fight Magic again…" Nepgear said as she poked her fingers together in nervously.

"Why're you making such a nervous face, Nep Jr.?" Neptune asked.

"Huh? U-Um, no reason… I'm perfectly fine…" Nepgear tried to dodge the conversation.

"I dunno. I read faces better than words, and yours is like, "AHHH!" Don't worry. You're stupid tough." Neptune stated.

"I wonder about that…" Nepgear muttered.

"And hey, you got me as support. Plus my whole CPU posse, and your little sister posse! And Dez! We're gonna win, okay? Trust your adorable, eternally young older sister." Neptune added.

"She's right Gear. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for. And that we'll be there too. Oh, and that she's adorable." Desmond spoke leaning up on the couch.

Neptune giggled a little "Thanks Dez." She blew a kiss toward him.

"Okay… Thanks, Neptune, Desmond." Nepgear said, looking more confident.

Desmond raised up an arm "Now, if one of you girls would kindly help me to a room, I would be grateful. My legs still don't want to work like they should." IF started to walk over to him before getting cut off by Noire.

"I'll help him IF, it's my basilicom after all." Noire stated, holding a hand out.

"A-Are you sure? I mean if you'd tell me the room you want him to be in, I can take him there." IF said.

"Yes, even if he can be a bit annoying at times. I think I can manage. I swear Neptune rubbed to much of her unruly nature on him at times, but at least he can be more serious. You've had a long day as well, so go rest. I've gotta take care of some paperwork, so I'll be up for a bit longer anyway." Noire reiterated.

"Okay, if you say so Noire. Goodnight." IF said as she walked off with a wave.

"Night." Noire responded also waving. She then turned her attention to the young man, grabbing his outstretched arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Thanks for the help Noire. I didn't really want to sleep on the couch if I didn't have to." He stated as the two walked down a hallway.

"It's no problem. You helped Uni while I was gone, so it's the least I could do." She responded.

"You don't need to do anything for me. She's stronger than you might think, but she does have a long way to go." He stated, looking forward as they walked.

"What do you mean by that?" Noire asked, giving him a puzzling look.

"It seems that she tries to be like you… as much as possible in fact. Everything she would do would be to make you proud, to be up to your grade…" He started

"R-Really?" the ravenette CPU was caught off guard.

"She wanted for you to praise her for her hard work, or at least that was part of the vibe I got. She even came to me because she felt some sort of familiarity with our strength. I don't know what exactly she thought was similar, but she wanted to know what secret there was to become stronger." He continued.

"What'd you tell her?" She asked, giving her full attention.

"I told her she was wrong, that she shouldn't strive to be like you…" he answered.

"W-What? Why did you…" Noire started before getting interrupted.

"I told her that she should try to be better than you." Noire stopped speaking as he continued. "I said that trying to be just like you would only stunt her ability for growth. She puts herself down at times for not being as strong as you, but she needs for that level to be a bare minimum. Not the full extent of her abilities. You should have the person under you to be able to work at your level or higher, to help the with the load you know. So, I think that you should do all that you can to help her achieve such levels. She's a good kid, with a good head on her. You've done well as her sister. She just needs a bit more guidance and confidence."

Noire just looked at with a bit of shock and a small blush due to the praise he gave her. "W-When did you become so attentive? I thought you were more goofy and comical, until it came to the fighting."

They reached the room that he would stay in, she opened the door and they walked in "I always have. It's just not a surface level type of trait that most people notice, I keep it a bit more hidden. It can help if people don't think you're paying attention to them on stealth missions, ya know. And I guess Neptune has rubbed off a bit on me." He stated as they sat on the bed.

"Y-You heard me huh?" She asked sheepishly, and he nodded before continuing.

"I wasen't always this… happy go lucky before coming here. I mean sure I had fun, but after the accident, I didn't talk too much of anyone before coming here. Of course, my closest friends tried to pull me out my dark pit. But it would have been hard for them, only seeing me during school since I didn't want to see anyone. So, when I arrived here. I couldn't just go into a corner by myself and sulk. Because, well… I didn't know where the hell I was. And of course, I had Neptune pulling me left and right to places. After about a week or two I realized just how much I enjoyed just being around her. She was able to rip me out of that dark past, making me forget about it, at least most of the time. But it wasn't just her, all of you have helped me. In fact, just being in Gamindustri I think helped, being away from my old life."

"I guess having you be more like Neptune is better than seeing you depressed for hours on end." She commented.

"It's nice to see you be less tsun around me." Desmond joked as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"H-Hey! I am not a tsundere!" she barked at him, batting away his hand. A small blush on her face, she coughed and started on what she originally wanted to talk with him about. "Have you used your HDD much after gaining it?"

"Not really, why?" he asked.

"I'm just wondering of any personality change while you're in it? Like how Neptune acts more mature, Blanc can't control her anger." She responded.

"Hmm… I guess a little. Hard to tell, I haven't been in it much. But I felt calm for the most part, other than when I saw Magic. I could feel a deep rage burning in me, knowing that she captured all of you. And then set this world into a tailspin, letting her army kill innocent lives!" He ranted as his anger started to seep out, Noire could see his eyes turned to power buttons. "That woman deserves to be torn to shreds, for what she's done!" She could feel his HDD about to initiate. Not wanting to deal with a pissed off Red Heart, decided to snap him out of it by shaking him.

"H-Hey! Calm down! She's not here, no need to get angry right now. You can knock her down a few pegs tomorrow, okay." She exclaimed while shaking his shoulders, until he turned to look at her face. Seeing that he wasn't going to transform, she let out a sigh. "I just hope you can keep yourself under control in you HDD."

"I know I can, even if I can get angered easily in it. I felt a peace come over me seeing you all. So, at worst I'll just be beating the crap out of the enemy. It's nice to know that you worry about me." He said as he smiled at her.

"N-No I don't! It'd just be bothersome to have to deal with a CPU that can't control their abilities." Noire said as she turned away with a blush.

"Haha, told ya you're a tsun. Neptune and I are not wrong." He teased.

"You…! Don't…! I…! Ugh…" She stammered as she stood and moved to the door "Night!" she slammed the door as she left.

"Night. ~" He said as he waved "Neptune's right. It's easy to get a rise out of her. Anyway, I should get to sleep." He laid on the bed and closed his eyes.


Desmond's eyes opened. As he peered around the room he noticed something was wrong. He was in Planeptune's basilicom instead of Lastation's. He stood and walked out of the room to notice everyone gathered, talking about something. Looks of anger and worry we on the faces of many in the room, he was starting to become concerned. Before he could make out what they were saying, or even get close. The other CPUs left, leaving even more questions. "What happened? What's going on?" he asked, but never got a response. He walked even closer to Neptune and reached for her shoulder "Hey! Neptune, what the hell is…" as his hand reached her it didn't make contact. Instead just went through, like if she was a hologram. "What?" he questioned as he made rapid movements with his head eyeing different parts of the room trying to find an answer. He then saw a bright light, and couldn't see for a few moments.

Once he could see again, he was in Lastation's streets. He looked around, trying to gage what was happening. All that he could imagine is that it was either a dream or a vision, but couldn't rule out something else currently unknown. As he looked he could see the girls, and that Nepgear and Noire were rolling on the ground. Try to see what was going on, he ran to them. He was close enough to hear what was being said, he could hear Noire say "Don't… you dare let it go…" right before a sword pierced her body, blood poured from the wound. Desmond stopped in his tracks, his eyes went wide. He couldn't move, couldn't do anything. After a few moments Noire's body disappeared.

He couldn't believe what just happened, there was no way that could happen. He was so caught up trying to gather himself back together, that he could only hear snippets of what the others were saying. He heard Uni tell Nepgear "It's my turn" and "Do it, Npegear. Kill me. Do it with your own two hands." A few moments passed before those words registered with him. When he looked up he saw the sword in Nepgear's hands, as it was driven through Uni. Blood was thrown to the ground as he rushed over, trying to grab the girl but his hands were unable to touch a thing. Uni's body disappeared, and Desmond dropped to a knee as he stared at the ground, where the blood laid upon. All that he could hear was Nepgear sobbing, and he wondered 'Why? What is the reason for this?' the bright light returned, all that was present in the void was the crying of Nepgear.

The light was once again gone, he was in Lowee. He looked around and saw the girls gathered in a clearing. This time as he moved, his body felt heavy. He didn't want to think of what might happen. He once again saw the sword. This time in the hands of Neptune, pointed at Blanc. He forced himself to move, to try to somehow stop what he knew was about to happen. But he was too late, Neptune pushed the blade through the CPU of white, using her other arm to hold Blanc in a hug. Blood trickled down to the snowed-on walkway and onto Neptune, as the stood. Blanc disappeared faster than the other two, Neptune handed the weapon back to Nepgear. Tears could be seen building to the sides of Neptune's eyes. Desmond stood, looking at the blood-soaked ground and clothing, as she looked to the ground. A few moments later, Neptune looked back upward, and Desmond noticed the movement. Tracing her eyes to where the Candidates were, his heart sank. 'No' one word filled his mind 'No' 'No' 'No' he moved closer to them. The twins were hugging each other, Nepgear slowly moving the sword into a striking position. 'No!' No!' he quickly stood between the two, trying to protect the twins, unsure if it would work. The sound of flesh being torn open was heard. Desmond opened his eyes, he saw the sword through him, but not touching him. A loud cry was heard, then another. He could see the tears rolling down Nepgear's face. He turned around, instantly regretting the decision. The sword was driven into the twins, blood covering their coats and falling onto the snow below them. The two disappeared. He trembled as he felt weak, he tried to do something, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't help at all, whatever this was, it didn't allow him to interfere. But why, why would he be forced to watch all his closest friends die, one by one. If someone was trying to make him go mad, he was starting to think it was working. His vison once again taken by the light.

The light faded, he was in Leanbox. His body was heavy, he could barely walk. His eyes dull, knowing why he would be there. Again, he could see the girls and Vert in a clearing. The girls retreated as vert stood in her HDD. He let out a heavy sigh, 'Maybe, it'll finally end' he thought. Until a scream was heard, and saw Vert on the ground. Underling gloating over beating down a defenseless CPU. Desmond blew up into a fury, dashing to Underling, creating his hand blades and slashing at her over and over. He didn't care about anything else at the moment, that he couldn't touch her, that he didn't pay attention to the voices talking, about the fact that none of this was real. He just kept attacking. He stopped when he heard once again, that sword cut through someone. Desmond saw the blade through Underling's chest. He started to laugh a little, before growing into a full blown crazed laughter. Nothing but hatred for the member of ASIC as he yelled "Die! Die! Die! Die! DIE! I should have killed you back in Lowee! DIE!" He let out torrents of flame at both Underling and to the surrounding vicinity. The flames couldn't hit a thing, but he didn't care. As he watched Underling's body finally go limp he stopped and was breathing heavily. When he finally turned to where everyone else was at, he saw the sword already through Vert as Neptune held it. Tears were falling onto Vert as Neptune was kneeling over her. Vert disappeared, leaving blood where her body laid. Pain, anger, sorrow, rage, and confusion flowed through Desmond, not knowing what to do as he succumbed to the light.

The light vanished, revealing a forest. A forest he recognized to be one in Planeptune. He wondered why, they had taken out the other CPUs already. Why was he still in this dream state? He moved through the forest when he heard rustling and voices, he moved closer. He saw Neptune and Nepgear walking around before they stopped. The two stood for a few moments before he could see Nepgear reel back slightly. He wondered what was said, he moved closer. The sword was drawn once again. That sword, if he saw it ever again, real or fake, it'd be too soon. 'Why do they have it out here?' he wondered moving closer, before realizing what was about to happen. The breath left his body, his knees locked up. He couldn't move, why? Why are they doing this? From what he gathered it was to defeat the Deity of Sin. But… why Neptune? Hasn't this nightmare done enough already? But he was unable to do anything as the sword moved closer to the CPU. As the sword was driven through her blood flowed onto the sword and the grass. Neptune cupped her younger sister's face before wrapping her arms around Nepgear. Tears could be seen streaming down both girl's faces. Desmond tried all he could to do something, anything, even if were to just close his eyes to not see what was going on but couldn't. Desmond's eyes looked dead "N…N…Nep-Neptune…" on his knees, he finally was able to pull away his eyes after seeing her body disappear, he looked down at the grass flowing in the wind. He could feel tears fall from his own face. "Neptune!" he shouted. He was done with this place, with this nightmare. Fire blew all around him, lightning was thrown everywhere, the ground shook. He yelled into the sky. Cracks formed in the ground and the place around him darkened.


Desmond opened his eyes, he quickly sat up. Covered in sweat, he looked around the room. Seeing the room in Lastation, it was still dark, he looked at the clock on the nightstand. It was ten minutes after two in the morning. He held his head as a strong headache moved onto him. The door to the room burst open, Noire running in. "What's going on? Are you okay? I heard yelling."

Desmond tried to speak through his heavy breathing "I… I-It's… okay… Everything's u-under control."

"Bullshit, you're crying. Now tell me what happened." Noire commanded firmly.

He pulled away his hands from his head, touching his face. He could feel the tears there now. "I had… a nightmare… or maybe a vision, I don't know."

This caught Noire slightly off guard, she spoke more softly this time "Nightmare… Was it about your family?"

He shook his head "No, it…" he paused, not wanting to remember anything he saw. "It was about all of you…" He couldn't say more than that. He just sat there quietly.

She sat next to him, placing a hand on his back "Hey, it's okay, none of that was real." 'I don't think I want to know what he saw if it made him like this.' She thought.

About fifteen minutes of them sitting there, Desmond finally started to move again. He looked at her, he gingerly placed his arms around her in a hug. "Thank you… I'm just glad you're safe… Is everyone else okay?" he questioned.

"A-As far as I know. Everyone went to bed a long time ago." She answered, as a blush moved across her face. She hadn't expected that from him.

"O-Okay…" He pulled away from her.

She could see pain in his eyes. 'just what did he see?' she thought.

"What are you doing up this late?" he asked.

"W-Well, I was up doing paperwork… I've had a lot to do since coming back after being gone for three years. I heard you yell, when I went to get a drink."

"Ha, that's gonna suck in the mornnin'. I've pulled some of those kind of work schedules, it always is a pain the next day." He said, looking a bit livelier.

"Yeah, but someone's got to do it. If you're alright, I'm gonna get on that paperwork. You should probably get some more rest." She stated.

"I-I'm actually gonna walk around, get some fresh air." Desmond spoke as he stood. "You should try to get at least some sleep soon."

"Okay, be careful, it's dark out there." Noire said before walking out of the room.

Desmond walked out of the room and walked through the halls until he met a door, it opened up to a balcony and he stepped onto it. He placed his arms on the hand rail and looked out at the city. 'What was all of that supposed to be? No matter what… I can't let it happen.' He thought. He stood there trying to clear his thoughts, he heard footsteps coming from behind. He turned around to see Neptune walking toward him. His mind went back to the dream, seeing her bleeding, dying, without a chance to help. His hand that still held onto the rail, clenched. He could feel a tear fall from his eye. This didn't escape Neptune, she moved closer to him.

"Hey, hey. Are you okay Dez. You're not one to cry over nothin'." She grabbed his free arm.

Desmond pulled her into an embrace, kissing her. After pulling away "I'm just glad you're okay. I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He leaned back onto the wall and held her.

Neptune was a bit shock at the quick kiss and the words that came with it. "Whatcha talking about? I'm just the same as when we went to bed."

"I-It's something that I saw, it might have been a dream, or a vision. It didn't end well. I don't want to think about it." He answered.

"Well, everything's hunky dory now that I'm here." She exclaimed with a bright smile.

He chuckled a little "I guess you could say that, it's a reason why I love ya… Oh, crap."

A large grin grew across Neptune's face "You love me, you love me, you love me…" She teased before getting cut off with a kiss.

After pulling away he spoke "I guess that's one way to get you to stop talking." He smiled "Don't start the teasing thing, you love me too."

"Yeah, sure. But you're the one who said it first." She said while sticking her tongue at him.

He grabbed her tongue before she could retract it "Haha, if you don't want me to start tickling you, just say so… nothing then let's start." Letting go of her tongue he reached for her sides, causing the purple haired CPU to burst out in laughter.

After a solid minute of tickling, she tried to move his arms away "S-Stop, haha, stop. I-I, ha, give up let, hahaha, me go…" He finally stopped, and she tried to catch her breath. "Y-You really have some nimble fingers mister. Just don't do it again."

He moved her so that her back laid on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her. "I missed times like this, when you were gone. Just hanging around having fun ya know."

"Yeah, no joke! I was stuck in those wires, next to Noire, Vert, and Blanc for so long! It was such a snore chore." Neptune complained. She could feel his arms constrict slightly as she talked about her and the others being captured.

"You don't mind if we just sit like this for a little bit. I'm still trying to get that dream out of my mind." He asked.

"Sure, it's all good to me. It's warm and cuddly." She stated as she cuddled up to him. Before long, she heard snoring. "Huh?" she was able to turn her head enough to see that he indeed was sleeping. "Aw man, just as it was getting good. All well, probably shouldn't leave him out here." Neptune transformed, stood up and lifted him. She walked to his room where she placed him on his bed. Transforming back to her human self, an idea formed in her mind. She ended up jumping in the bed with him and throwing the blanket over her head and fell asleep.


Desmond opened his eyes as the sun shone through the window. As he did, he realized he was back in the room. He felt an object next to him. Pulling back the blanket, he saw Neptune sleeping peacefully on the bed, holding onto his arm. He bent down and spoke quietly "Wake up Neptune…" She ended up pulling closer to him, mumbling.

"But it's so warm here…" she said.

"Doesn't matter, we have to take back your nation. When did you climb into my bed anyway?" Desmond asked.

She looked up at Desmond, eyes half open. "Oh, yeah. I brought you in here after you fell asleep on the balcony. So, I decided to jump in here with you." She finished with a cheerful tone.

"Okay, well that explains that, but… You still need to get up and get ready." Desmond said.

"Ugh, but I don't wanna…" she whined, as she moved closer to him.

"Nope." He stated before lifting her up and forcing her to stand up on the floor.

"Sleep…" she muttered as she tried to jump back on the bed. But, Desmond grabbed the back of her hoodie before she could.

He moved her toward the door "Go get ready. If I find out that you go back to sleep, I'll make sure you don't get pudding today."

Neptune had a look of mild worry. "O-Okay… uh, let's not do anything hasty, Dez. That's my pudding your talking about."

"Yes, I know. But it might not be for long. So, go get ready. I hate the thought of Planeptune being under ASIC control." He stated.

"Fine, I'll get ready." Neptune said as she walked out of the room.

Desmond got himself ready and walked out of the room to see Noire walking around rather haphazardly. "Hey, you okay there?"

She looked at him with tired eyes "Oh, yeah… I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night. I had too much *yawn* paper work to do."

Desmond mentally facepalmed "You should've gotten more sleep, we have a battle to win today. I know that you have to fix your nation and all. But this is quite important right now."

"What about you? Did that nightmare keep you up any longer? Do you wanna talk about it?" Noire questioned, showing some level of concern.

Desmond grimaced, looking away "I-I'd rather not. There's no need to worry anyone over what it was. I'll keep it to myself, and hopefully forget it."

"If it becomes to much, you can come to me. I'm sure IF or Neptune would listen as well." Noire stated.

"Thanks. I'll make some coffee for everyone, we need to leave a soon as we can." He said before turning around.

"Thanks, that'll help. It's in the top cabinet next to the fridge." Noire said.

"Okay." He walked off to the kitchen, lifting his hand in a small wave.

After about an hour and a half later everyone was ready to leave for Planeptune.


As the party arrived at the main city of Planeptune, they could see the fighting had already started. "Wow… the battle's already started without us…" Nepgear stated as she looked around.

"It's like this all over the place. Seems we've got the upper hand for the time being." Uni added.

"Then we just gotta beat up the old lady and call it a day!" Ram shouted.

"Victory…" Rom said cheerfully.

"This will be a wondrous battle that allows us CPUs to settle a grudge that began three years ago." Vert commented.

"You bet your booty! We're gonna spank her good!" Neptune agreed.

The party moved toward the edges of the town, to a small village. There was low resistance for most of the way there. Once arriving they found their target standing in a field. "CFW Magic!" Nepgear Yelled.

"It took you long enough." Magic taunted.

"Get that silver platter ready, 'cuz you're gonna gimme back my Planeptune on it!" Neptune shouted.

"We're going to defeat you while we're at it, too." Noire commented.

"More words without action… Three years ago, none of you were able to even scathe me." The CFW taunted farther.

"Perhaps, but much can change in three years' time." Vert fired back.

"Totally! We're here now, so ha!" Ram yelled.

"And we weren't with them three years ago. Don't underestimate the strength of us humans." IF commented.

"We're gonna help the CPUs big time, just you watch!" Compa added.

"My songs will fill us with strength!" 5pb. called out.

"Strength in numbers, is that it? A tactic reserved for the weak and cowardly." Magic said.

"More like a tactic used by those with a strong military presence, that want to crush their enemy underfoot." Desmond stated.

"Words without action, right? Where one person may fail, they can succeed with the help of others." Uni countered.

"I mean, have you SEEN all my awesome wifeys, and my partner in crime, in action? They'll never lose to you!" Red shouted.

"Prepare to be cleansed, nyu." Broccoli stated with a matter of fact tone.

"Are you all quite finished? If so, I ask that you sacrifice your lives to our goddess." Magic said.

"No, thanks! I'd rather eat my shoes!" Neptune retorted.

"We're going to defeat you!" Nepgear declared.

The battle started, Uni fired several shots, all deflected by Magic. Neptune, Vert, Blanc, and Nepgear all dashed toward and attacked the CFW. The CFW was able to deflect and parry the attacks, with relative ease. IF launched a fire attack, Magic jumped back to avoid it. Spikes of ice grew from the ground of where she was going to land, she used her scythe and destroyed the ice under her.

Desmond looked at her, then the dream flashed back into his mind. How his friends died all to stop the Deity of Sin, ASIC's true leader. He knew that they couldn't let her live past this battle. He swore to himself to never see that dream or vision come true. Not wanting to give Magic a chance, he transformed.

It had been about two minutes since the start of the battle, the HDD state of Desmond being revealed once again. This time everyone could feel the anger surrounding him. His cold eyes glaring at her. The others still fighting, slowly gaining ground on their opponent. A bolt of lightning came down from the sky, striking the CFW. Although it didn't seem to affect her too much, to the annoyance of Red Heart. He floated closer, a fog that looked like a void moved around him. The fog formed two large handguns from the void, black in color, and fired a multitude of shots at Magic. She was able to block most of the shots, but between the shots that hit, and the others unrelenting strikes Magic was starting to slow. Red Heart closing in, got rid of the guns, the fog forming into a large broadsword. Swinging with a large amount of force at the CFW, clashing and locking weapons, slightly pushing her back. He growled as he stared at her. Blanc came in with an attack, Magic barely jumping back in time. Neptune attacked from the CFW's left, blocking the strike, she also kicked Nepgear moving in on the right. From above, Red Heart had changed his weapon into a double-bladed axe, slamming down onto Magic. Getting her scythe up in time to block the axe, but the force was still great enough to create a small crater in the ground. Red Heart moved back a few feet, changing his weapon again into a scythe to match Magic. Spinning the weapon around, he stopped its movement with the tip pointed downward. Magic attacked first, slicing at a diagonal angle toward him. Red Heart using the long handle of the weapon to bat away the blade, then struck Magic's arm with his blade. After doing so, he kicked her in the gut sending her flying back.

Standing back up Magic put herself into a defensive stance, as IF and Vert attacked. Redirecting Vert's spear, and throwing IF back, Magic moved forward to attack. Read Heart changed the fog around him yet again, willing it into a large katana. Blocking the strike from Magic, pushing her weapon off, he threw a few heavy strikes of his own. Pushing her further back, he then launched another strong lightning strike, hitting the CFW. Immediately after, Red Heart relinquished his weapon as he dashed to the CFW. Grabbing her scythe with one hand and her free wrist with his other. Screams could be heard as he burned the scythe into and Magic's hand away from her body. Red Heart then formed a mace, hitting the CFW in the gut throwing her back a few feet. He lifted his hand upward before speaking "Sky open…" his voice deadpan, a storm over head formed and intensified. "Mix…" the storm grew larger. "And burst!" with the downward swing of his arm large bolts of red lightning came down from the heavens, striking the ground with enough force to shake the surrounding area. The CFW didn't move as she breathed heavily.

"We won…? We really won…?" Nepgear questioned.

"Yeah! She's gonna have some real back eyes after that walloping! I knew we were strong leads!" Neptune shouted in a cheerful tone.

"So this is were my fate has led me… Then, so be it…" Magic spoke shakily.

"The other skirmishes are dying down. I dare say that your ambitions are at their end." Vert commented.

"ASIC is kaput! And we stopped the Deity of Sin from reviving!" Ram exclaimed.

"Heh… Heh, heh, heh…" Magic laughed

"What's so funny?" Noire asked.

"Her revival cannot be stopped. My death brings our end goal to fruition…" Magic explained.

"What? What're you saying? Stop trying to bring us down." Uni stated.

"We, the Four Felons, were created by our goddess… We were meant to act as her vessels in this world… Our deaths do not mark our end, rather, her beginning…" Magic continued.

"How does your death relate to the Deity of Sin's revival? Tell us, now!" IF demanded.

"The Four Felons… Vessels… I think I understand…!" Blanc stated.

"Our lifeless bodies will return to our goddess's side, and will prove sufficient to revive her…" Magic said.

"Oh, nuts! I'm pretty sure that she means beating her up made things worse for us!" Red exclaimed.

"Even if we didn't, the Deity of Sin would have revived eventually, nyu." Broccoli added.

"We lose either way…" Rom said dejected.

"I so wished to remain at our goddess's side in this form, but that is now a fading dream…" Magic stated as she was impaled.

Red Heart, holding the broadsword once more, thrusted the weapon into the chest of Magic. "I don't care what you say, it's meaningless! And if your so-called goddess does revive, I'll cut her down before she can do a damn thing!" he growled "Now, die." He finished speaking in a cold tone, as flames erupted from within Magic burning her inside and out. Nothing but screams were heard for the next few minutes. By the end of it, nothing remained.

"She's gone…" Nepgear pointed out.

"If what she said is true…" Noire started.

A large rumble shook the ground "Yeowzah!" Neptune shouted.

"This rumbling… Is this the Deity of Sin!?" Nepgear questioned.

Red Heart disengaged his HDD, a frown still on his face "If that is true, we need to get a plan together. Let's take back the rest of Planeptune and then gather the Oracles there." The others agreed.

IF walked up to him "Hey, you okay there? You looked a little more pissed off then you usually get."

"O-Oh, yeah… I'm fine… it's just, something I saw got me riled up a bit. That's all." He said, trying to play it off.

"What was it?" she questioned.

"I-It was… from… a dream." He answered sheepishly.

"Huh? How do you get mad at something like that!?" she asked.

"I don't really want to talk about it. But it'll probably be easier to tell you then Neptune or the others." He said, his gaze looking down.

"Nep said that you had a nightmare last night, is that what this is?" she asked.

"Yes." He answered as he moved her, so that they were further away from the group. Into an isolated area. "Now, what I will tell you is something that you can't tell anyone else and when I tell you, you must stay quiet. Got it?"

"Yeah, you're starting to worry me a bit, Desmond. What did you see to shake you up so much?" she questioned.

"I-I saw… Neptune and Gear attempting to gather Shares from the other nations, in an attempt to stop the Deity. Along the way, the first stop was Lastation. They fought Noire and Uni, defeating them. They had… a weapon with them… Gear and Noire wrestled, trying to hold onto it. Noire took the blade still in the hands of both of them and thrusted it into herself. Shortly after, Uni's life was taken… The blade apparently grew in power with the life of a CPU. The next stop was in Lowee… where the same happened, Blanc and the twins came out to protect their land, but lost. Neptune holding the sword, pushed it into Blanc…" He grimaced at the next part as he clenched his fists "T-Then… Gear… used the sword on the twins… Leanbox was next. Vert was able to hold out longer then the others, but in the end, she was also sacrificed to the sword. Neptune and Gear went to a field to talk… Neptune stated that there wasn't enough power in the sword… telling Gear to…" he spoke, not able to get the last part out. But IF had enough info to convey the ending.

She was visibly shaken up "W-Wow… But, why…" she pondered, before turning her gaze back on Desmond "This was just a dream, though. It's not real, it can't be…"

"The thing is, that it was presented like a vision… I couldn't interact with anything going on… Only watch… I pray it only be a dream. That's why I went off on Magic, I can't let this become real." He stated.

She embraced him, rubbing his back "We won't let it happen. I can't think of having Nep not be around permanently."

"Ah, I see you have grown a fondness of her as well. ~" he teased.

"H-Hey, don't say it like that! She's a friend, of course it would be weird not to have her craziness around. Those three years were long enough as it was." She tried to defend herself.

"I'm joking. Thanks for listening." He stated as he kissed her forehead. The two heard a voice call out.

"Iffy! Dez! Where ya two love birds at were leaving!" Neptune yelled.

"Well, time to go." Desmond stated.

"Looks like it." IF agreed, as the two walked back to the party.

The group moved back to the main part of Planeptune, by the point they reached the city center, the city was theirs again. They moved up into the basilicom, where they waited for the Oracles.


I have a little extra bit for Christmas. It's a bit short, as if taking a few highlights of the day. I just wanted to do something with Christmas for December. I was contemplating if this would be cannon to the story, and after a bit I thought it might as well. So, this would take place after the events of re birth 2.


The sun barely shone over the horizon, as a purple haired CPU burst into a room, leaping on a bed. "Wake up Dez! Come on get up, get up. It's Christmas!" she shouted, while jumping on the bed.

Desmond moaned as he looked at the clock "Come on Neptune… It's just past six. I swear you act too much like a kid sometimes…" he tried to pull the covers over his head.

Neptune grabbed them, trying to pull them off. "Nooo, you gotta get up. It's Christmas, you can't sleep on Christmas. And it's the first Christmas that we've had together since you got here."

"Ugh, fine I'll get up. But first…" He stated before taking the blanket and wrapping Neptune in it.

"H-Hey, let me go!" She shouted, trying to wiggle her way out.

"Can you please not yell so early in the morning, honey. I stayed up too late last night." Desmond said as he held the blanket closed. He then grabbed the sides of her cheeks and stretched them. "Sleep deprivation is not fun y'know." He let go of her cheeks.

"Ow. Maybe you should've gone to bed earlier." She criticized as she stuck her tongue out at him.

"What are you talking about? You stayed up almost as long as I did. You forced me to play games most of the night." He rebutted and flicked her nose.

"Ow! Hey! You're not suppose to hurt cute girls, especially girls you love." She gave him a confident look.

"That has nothing to do with the fact that you needed a good flick in the nose. You can't yell at me about when I go to sleep, if you keep me up." He stood up, letting Neptune out of the blanket "Since I'm up, I might as well make some breakfast."

"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talkin about. See, I just needed to pester you enough. It's what I have to do as the main character." She exclaimed as she held out a hand in a V formation.

"Just… don't yell. This headache is getting bad." He let out a sigh "I need some coffee." He deadpanned as he walked to the kitchen.

She hopped up next to him, walking next to him while holding onto his arm. "While you're at it can you me some pudding flavored tea?"

"Y-Yeah, sure." He muttered, he turned his head to look at her "Hey, go head and set up some games. We can play something while we wait for everyone to wake up."

She gave him a quick hug "You're an awesome possum, Dez. To the games!" She ran off.

He smiled as he looked at her "It'd be nice if she could give me a little bit of that energy." He continued to the kitchen.

After some time, Desmond walked into the living room, where Neptune was at. She had the t.v. on, and a game on. "Neptune." He called out "Here you go."

She took the cup from him. "Thanks." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek "Now let's get to playing." She quickly downed the drink and placed the cup on a table.

Desmond sat on the couch and placed his coffee on the table and picked up a controller. Neptune sat on his lap and pressed start on her controller, setting up the game. "Can you not sit on me?"

"Why are ya complaining? You should be happy with me sitting on you. Don't guys like this kinda thing?" she questioned.

"Well I can't say for all men, but maybe… You also gotta think about your boney butt, digging into my legs after a few minutes."

"Hey! Don't insult my cute butt! I've got quite a bit of muscle on it ya know." She stated as she crossed her arms in mock anger.

"Ok,ok… It's still to early to argue with you too much. Let's start the game." Desmond responded.

The two were playing the ever popular Maryo Kart 8 game. They were playing grand prix at 150cc and bots on. Once they started the first race, Neptune moved around in her "seat" mimicking the turns in the game. During the final lap, Neptune was in first by a short distance. Going into the final turn, she moved her body to the side like she had done the entire race. Desmond pushed her just enough for her to fall off him and onto the couch, causing her kart to fly off the road and into a wall. "You should be more careful when you do that." He taunted as he moved into first place and secured the win.

Neptune crossed the finish line and then jumped at Desmond "You cheated! You pushed me off!" she threw a few punches at him, hitting his arm.

"Well, you shouldn't have moved around like that. It was too tempting." He laughed as he spoke, he then gave her a quick kiss. "Let's get back to the game."

"Fine, but I'm gonna beat you down and kick ya to the curb." She said with confidence and they started the next race.

About an hour later, Nepgear walked into the room "Merry Christmas Gear." Desmond stated.

"Heya Nep Jr! Merry Christmas!" Neptune shouted.

"M-Merry Christmas to both of as well. How long have you two been up?" Nepgear responded.

"Your sister woke me up barely past six in the frikkin morning. But I guess it's fine, we've had a good time playing Maryo Kart. How are you this morning?" he asked.

"I'm good, I just woke up a little bit ago." She answered.

"Grab a controller and join in." He stated.

"Yeah, it's always fun with more people." Neptune added.

"Okay." Nepgear said quickly before sitting on the couch.

Desmond looked at the tree in the corner of the room, seeing all the presents that were placed around it by the three sitting and all of their friends. "When are the others getting here?"

"Uni said that they'd be here in the morning, so probably not too long from now. I'm not sure about everyone else."

"Okay." He responded as the three started to play.

Another hour and forty-five minutes later. Noire, Uni, Blanc, Rom and Ram all arrived and greeted the three in the room.

"Hey Noire! Blanc! Merry Christmas!

Nepgear invited the other candidates to her room to play games while they waited for the last few to arrive. Desmond smiled as they walked off. "What's with the smile?" Noire asked.

"They're always so happy when they're around each other. It's nice to see that they get along well. Especially considering that you four CPUs fought each other. They didn't have to deal with anything like that." Desmond answered.

"I guess I get what you mean." Noire stated.

"Now, you two get over here and grab controllers. We don't know how long it'll be till the last few get here." Desmond said as he gestured to the table holding the controllers on it.

"Fine. What are we playing?" Noire questioned.

"We were playing Mayro Kart, now we were about to start up some Smash." He responded.

"This should be fun." Blanc said in her monotone voice.

Not much time passed, and Blanc would want to take back those words. She attempted to bash the other three after a three on one against Blanc, due to the game being from her nation. Desmond was able to take away her hammer before she could cause any damage and held it until she calmed down.

IF and Compa were the next two in. Then after another forty-five minutes later, Vert finally arrived. The Candidates were called out of Nepgear's room, to open presents.

They started to open the presents, some of the items that were received were. Neptune got several large packs of pudding from Desmond that he had hidden in the fridge. Rom and Ram got coloring books from Nepgear. Noire and Uni gave Desmond a pistol that was black in color, but had a chrome engraving of the Lastation cityscape. Blanc received novels by most of the people there. Compa got new cooking ware. Vert was given boxes of tea and figurines. Nepgear got several electronic and other hardware pieces. And IF received a new phone.

IF picked up a box, seeing it being from Desmond she gave the young man next to her a quick glance before opening it. Inside the box was a necklace. It had a silver chain, a round emerald that was surrounded by small sapphires. "Thank you Desmond… It's beautiful…" she turned toward him embraced him, and kissed his cheek.

"Oooo, that looks like it cost a pretty penny." Neptune stated while staring at the necklace. "Where's mine?" she asked in an innocent tone.

"It did cost a bit, but she's worth it." He gave her a quick side hug. "As for you Neptune. I wouldn't think that you'd want something like that, I would've thought that the pudding would be enough for you. ~" he teased.

She puffed her cheeks in a pouty fashion "Hey! I like other things besides pudding."

He reached from behind him and pulled out another small box and handed it to her "Well, if you're gonna be impatient, here you go."

Neptune's eyes lit up as she took the box from him and opened it. The necklace in the box was one that also had a silver chain. It had used several small amethysts, designed in a shape of a power symbol. She stopped and stared at it, she didn't say anything, nor did she move.

"Hey, ya there Neptune? I'm gonna take that you like it." He questioned as he poked her forehead. She nodded furiously, then quickly closed the distance kissing him.

After everyone opened their presents and spent most of the day having fun. After having dinner, the other CPUs left and so did Compa. Leaving just the Nep sisters, Histoire, IF, and Desmond left in the basilicom. They had played games, watched movies, just hung out in general. It was a little past ten and Desmond, Neptune, and IF were on the couch next to each other watching a movie. Nepgear was in her lab working with the items she was given earlier. And Histoire moved to her room to sleep.

IF looked down at her new necklace, smiling. She wrapped her hand around Desmond's, leaning on his shoulder. "Thank you…" she muttered as she felt sleep move over her, the heaviness of her eyes took control and closed.

Neptune hugged Desmond, leaning into him. "You're the best Dez, ya know. Well, the best besides me of course." She laughed. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before falling asleep.

He looked at the two girls to both sides of him and smiled. "Of course the two of you are better, why else do you think I got the necklaces. You're both amazing." He moved his free arm to pat Neptune on the head, while he kissed the top of IF's head. "Goodnight, you two." He put his head back and got some well needed rest.

Nepgear walked in a few minutes later to check up on everyone after finishing her experiments for the day. She smiled warmly at what she saw. She grabbed a blanket and placed it over the three of them, then went to her own room to sleep.

Neptune opened one of her eyes "Merry Christmas everyone." she closed her eye and went back to sleep.


I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It sucked going through, the ending that shall not be named. But it had to be done to integrate it into the story. I hope you all enjoyed the Christmas part as well. Leave a review and let me know what you think. And as always have a good day.