Hello all! Welcome back, I hope you're ready, cause it's time for fluffy payout! A nice little interlude chapter before we get back into things, to raise the spirits a bit, I hope you all enjoy!
-marketvalueneps
Nnhh…?" A voice gently stirred as she yawned, awakening from her comfortable rest. Looking around, she noticed she was not in the position she would usually be when she awoke, that was, she was not in her bed, instead, she was ungracefully sprawled across the floor. Looking around she picked out her clock as it read 8:28. Ok, so, she wasn't up that late… that was good. If she got up now, she could get all her work done by…
"Mmmm…" Except, there was a problem.
As Neptune looked down, she noticed the other woman resting on top of her, her blonde hair still held in its ornament, neatly flowing into two short tails. Peacefully, her small body rose and fell rhythmically in her calm rest. Neptune couldn't help but stare at her as the memories from the last night flooded back in her mind.
"B-sha…" She looked at her, a somewhat mystified expression on her face. What was it she had said again?
"I'll show the whole world the real Nep-Nep! I'll show them all how much you can be loved! The whole world will know!" Was that it? She'd show everyone? Or was it…
Neptune could feel her lip quiver as the anxiety built in her system. Wriggling herself out of the blonde's grip, Neptune could feel her breaths aching across her throat, rapid, shallow, as her throat dried up. Slowly she backed up as she kept staring at the gilded woman, the tumultuous thoughts still tumbling through her mind. An angry face with piercing red eyes still staring back at her. She had messed up before… why should she believe; she wouldn't screw up again?
But…
"I'd… love that"
That's what she had said… was that what she wanted? Was that what she deserved?
Backing up more and more, Neptune's breath grew more and more rapid as the thoughts swirled like a brewing storm. Did she deserve another shot? Would… would this end up any different? Why were those eyes glaring at her!? What did she ever do! She was just being herself. Like she always did. What did she do to make her so angry?
"Stop looking at me…"
By this point, Neptune was hyperventilating. Why was she so angry? Why did that upset her so much…? Didn't… didn't she love her? Why?
"Stop…"
"Nnnngh…? Nep-Nep…?"
"Why…"
Why was she glaring at her!
"Nep-Nep?"
WHY WAS SHE LOOKING AT HER LIKE THAT?
She was shaking. The lights were fading. Those eyes. Why were those eyes still looking at her? Gripping her head, Neptune could feel the world fading out, those words… they were coming back.
Sel-
"Nep-Nep" She felt arms reach out as they gently wrapped around her, she saw a face appear in her vision, as the world started to fade back in. The color fading back in, as she saw the gentle face, her eyes, those blue eyes; warm and gentle, accepting her back in.
"B…"
"I know." Was all she said as she gently smiled, as Neptune buried her face into her shoulder, taking long, deep, comforting breaths. The tempest swirling in her mind calming. As the moments passed, eventually her breathing returned to normal, and as her tensed muscles relaxed, backing up, B-sha flashed her another smile, "There. Much better right? Nep-Nep gets B-sha guaranteed quality hugs, ordinarily a 100,000 credit value, all for free!" She gave her a thumbs up as she tilted her head, Neptune subtly smiled, before she suddenly turned to leave, "Wait, where are you going?"
"...I gotta get the work done for the day" she slowly paced out, before feeling a force grip her hand, turning, she saw B-sha's conflicted expression,
"W-wait… Why… why don't you…? Can't you let the others handle it…?" She nervously asked, her voice pleading, as Neptune gritted her teeth,
"I can't just push everything off on them…" She couldn't… she couldn't… that was so-
"Just this once. Nep-Nep… everyone else is worried about you too. Just today, just relax, ok? Let them handle it." B-sha grabbed Neptune's other hand, as she pulled her back, "C'mon, you need rest, it's still too early, ok? Didn't you tell me you needed 12 hours of sleep a day?" B-sha could still see the bags under her eyes, when was the last time she had to be persuaded to sleep? She certainly couldn't remember that…
"Are… are you sure…?" Neptune stared back at her contemplatively, unsure of what to do. Conflicting thoughts running through her head, every hardship that had plagued her for the last weeks culminating as she looked back into her eyes. And yet, it was funny in a way, words were not necessary, even if B-sha spoke,
"C'mon. You need to rest. I promise I'll be there when you wake up, k? I'll bet every credit I own" She winked, as Neptune warmly smiled, allowing herself to be dragged towards her bed. She somehow knew that was the case… even if it still eased her mind to hear it.
The two flopped onto the large bed as B-sha flung the covers over their bodies. "See. Much more comfortable than the cold hard ground" She giggled, before, "Eh? Nep-Nep?" She asked quietly as she felt Neptune taking the ornament that held her hair in place out,
"It can't be comfy to sleep with that ol thing in, can it?" She asked, "Besides… I've always kind of wanted to see your hair without it in…" She then added, slightly embarrassed, causing B-sha to snidely chuckle,
"Well, then you need to take these ol things out!" She insisted as she grabbed Neptune's signature d-clip hair accessories, placing them next to her hair ornament on the nightstand, as the two relaxed "See-" B-sha turned to say something before realizing; Neptune was already asleep, with a warm smile on her face, she cuddled into her form, as she let the sleep thoughts overtake her own mind.
Somewhere down the hall, another adolescent stirred from her sleep as she shook off the cobwebs, getting ready for the day. Nepgear gently combed her hair, removing any tangles from her long hair, before placing her own d-clip in her hair, like she had every day since she was born, before she made her way out of her room, taking a deep breath, she prepared herself for another day.
"Good morning, Histoire" She greeted the artificial being, like she did every morning, expecting today to bring much more of the same that she seemed to feel like would become the new normal. Yet,
"Good morning, Nepgear, have you seen Neptune this morning? She was not in the office, and I have yet to see her, is she still sleeping?" Histoire asked, as Nepgear immediately looked over, that was… different. Ever since that day, Neptune had gotten up before everyone else without fail.
"Sis… Do you think she finally wore herself out?" She asked, almost fearful of the answer, as Hitsoire gave her an indifferent look. Unsure herself as to whether her protege could keep up with the insane schedule she had placed on herself.
Histoire wasn't sure what to do anymore. Conflicting thoughts intersecting in her mind and heart. She just wanted to see her smile again… like she always did. Even if times were rough in Planeptune, it always felt like they would make it together. That stabilizing force, that smile, she just wanted it back.
"Perhaps we should check on her?" She asked, as her and her candidate exchanged looks for a moment, nodding before they made their way down towards Neptune's room, gently knocking, Nepgear spoke first,
"Sis? Sis are you up?" She asked, knocking once more before she opened the door, revealing, "Oh…" was all she could say as she looked at Neptune gently resting, a soft smile on her face, as B-sha lay there, cuddled up next to the goddess, looking over to Histoire, she could tell she shared the same emotion,
"My…" Yet, through it all, both couldn't help the smiles that formed on their own faces, or the slight feeling of joy, and hope, that coursed through their systems. "Shall we do the work today, Nepgear?" Histoire asked, despite feeling as though she'd never enjoy saying those words,
"Sure, I'll make us some breakfast" The ever polite candidate responded, as they both made their way back down the hall, making sure to gently close the door on their way back, lest they disturb the two gently resting women inside.
"What do you think happened?" Nepgear asked as she prepared a light breakfast for the two, the ever astute book fairy contemplating for a moment, before sighing, offering up,
"I'm not sure…" She admitted, even if it somewhat frustrated her to not have the answers.
"...do you think this means I'll get to see sis again?" Nepgear asked the seemingly paradoxical question, although, Histoire more than understood the true meaning, and yet,
"..." All she could say was, "I'm not sure, Nepgear. Let's just have faith in Neptune, and perhaps faith that B-sha can help her…"
Perhaps, that's all they could do…
A few hours later, in the same room, a pair of purple eyes would gently open once more, fluttering awake as she stirred herself from her sleep, once more taking the opportunity to look at the clock on her bedside table as it read 12:57. Turning her attention to the additional weight that rested with her hands wrapped around her waist, she gently shook her, hearing the soft muffled voice of resistance emanating from the petite blonde,
"Mmmmm… 5 more minutes…" B-sha mumbled, burying her face farther into the person she had made her pillow, Neptune only able to softly smile as she ran her hands through her hair,
"That's pretty cliche you know? Cmon, we need to get up" She added, getting out of the bed as B-sha sighed,
"You're the queen of cliche lines you know…" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes as she tried to force herself up.
"Ohoho? Is that so? Well… who else would say things like… 'Because I'm the main character!'" Neptune argued, and even if her tone wasn't as it maybe usually would be, the fact she felt safe to say those things around her made B-sha's heart flutter,
"Hehe… maybe you have a point." B-sha admitted, stepping out of the bed as she stretched her limbs, before she skipped over, latching herself around Neptune's arm, "Say, you finally wanna play that game I bought a few weeks ago? I'll let you play for free! Girlfriends discount!" B-sha offered, chuckling mischievously, as Neptune felt taken aback for a minute,
"Girl…" She blankly said before B-sha soon nervously flailed her arms in front of her
"Aaaa s-sorry! I uh…" She tried to explain before Neptune cut her off,
"No… that sounds… nice" She delicately responded, "Just…" She then added her voice hitching ever so slightly, the words catching in her throat. B-sha made sure to allow her as much time as she needed to organize her thoughts. She knew how difficult this must be for her, but… that's why she was here, right? To make things easy for her again?
"I don't know… how long it'll take me to be comfortable with some things… you know it's like you played one game and then all of a sudden the sequel is all like 'wowzers we know the first game was a turn based game, but this one is all real time!' Haha you kno-" She rambled, and yet, now was her time to get cut off,
"I know. We can take as much time as you need. After all, isn't that what it means to love someone? You do what makes them comfortable?" B-sha smiled, a brilliant smile, that stunned Neptune,
"What it means to… love someone…" Neptune repeated slowly as she looked on, still unsure, the doubts still flooding her mind, and yet… somehow, it felt ok. For maybe the first time in her life, she felt ok being unsure, and like she didn't know what would happen next.
Her and B-sha would figure it out. Together. Anything the world threw at them, it didn't matter.
"Mhmm, don't you think so too, Nep-Nep?"
"Yeah" Neptune stood up, giving a toothy grin, as she offered her best attempt at her trademarked peace sign, "Why don't we get to that game?" and suddenly, B-sha couldn't help herself from smiling,
Sometime later, Nepgear stretched her arms as she let out a yawn. The work honestly wasn't that bad, far from what she was used to handling as a matter of fact, usually she had to manage a massive stack of backlogged papers that Neptune had neglected, and even if that wasn't the case today, it certainly didn't help her productivity that she couldn't shake her mind of her worry for her sister.
She couldn't help herself. It felt like for the first time in endless weeks that she felt like she had hope. Hope that she could see her sister once more, see her sister smile like she always did. It was funny in a way, it seemed like all her hope resided in a singular blonde…
She wasn't even sure how she felt. On one hand, who cared who did it as long as Neptune went back to her usual self? Everyone had the same goal in mind, they all cared deeply about Neptune, but…On the other hand… what did it say about her that the blonde could help her sister, when she could not? Gritting her teeth, Nepgear forced down the thoughts. She couldn't afford to think like that. What good would it do her to get down on herself at a time like this? Uni would certainly give her an earful if she caught wind of it…
Nepgear didn't really know B-sha all that well, after all, during the time of the Gold Third incident, she had gone to Leanbox, so she was much more familiar with the melodramatic S-sha. Sure B-sha was over frequently, and she had been able to pick up on a few things over the years, but the two had hardly sat down and talked one on one over the years.
Instead. She just had to keep looking towards the future, whatever that meant. If it included B-sha, then so be it. What would be the point in being petty now of all times? She'd learn to appreciate her as well. If she gave her back her sister, it was the least she could do, no? If her voice was the one that ended up reaching her, then that was all Nepgear could ask for.
Nodding her head, if she had to learn to appreciate B-sha, then that would just be another friend, right? Who said there was a limit on how many friends she could have? She already treasured the ones she had, what was one more? B-sha seemed likable in her own right, she was a kind soul, even considering her seeming greedy nature.
Nepgear kept walking down the hall, until she heard a noise emanating from the room at the end. That was… the game room. Ever since that day, Neptune pretty much had never entered the room, and if she wasn't there, really no one had a reason to go there, slowing down, she listened in closer to hear… voices. They were muffled from the wall, but she could still hear them well enough to deduce…
"Sis!" Nepgear rushed into the game room, to find her sister lazing about on one of her beanbags, seated next to her was the blonde haired hero. Somehow, Nepgear had forgotten how familiar this sight was. Even if it had only been a month or so, it felt like it may as well have been eons since she saw the simple sight. The simple joy of sitting down and playing a game, how easy it seemed to be forgotten, and how easy it appeared it could be stolen.
The adolescent, watched with teary eyes as Neptune seemed to hitch, her muscles tensing up, had she been on the other side of her, Nepgear would have been able to see her bite her bottom lip in trepid anxiety, her heartbeat increasing as her breath started to speed up. She didn't even consider this…
How was she supposed to face her sister after all this? Was she supposed to just pretend none of it ever happened at all…? Just turn around, give her a goofy smile, 'oopsie, sorry Nep Jr, just felt a lil down… teehee~' or what about, 'Sorry I made you cry your eyes out… my bad!'
Well… what was she supposed to do!? She showed her the ugliest part of herself, and even if Neptune felt that, deep down, she would continue to carry this with her for the rest of her life… how was she supposed to look at Nepgear? Her little sister… to her she was supposed to be… invincible, unflappable. Yet… she was anything but. She… failed…
"Oh hey, Nepgear" It was B-sha who first turned to face the candidate, subtly grabbing a hold of Neptune's hand, squeezing it ever so gently, "Me and Nep-Nep are playing a game, pretty sure it goes up to 4 players, wanna hop in?" She amicably offered, "What do you say, Nep-Nep?" Before turning the floor to Neptune, giving her an opportunity to speak,
"Y-yea. C'mon Nep…gear it'll be fun! I mean look at the mechas. I know how much you love those!" Neptune shakily spoke at first, before she found her voice, or as much of it she could muster. It wasn't perfect but…
Nepgear couldn't help but smile. It wasn't all there yet… and she wasn't entirely sure if it ever would be, she wasn't sure if the scars would ever heal over completely. She wasn't sure if Neptune would ever forget about the pain she had endured, but Nepgear was sure of one thing,
Her sister was back.
"Yes… I would love to!" Nepgear rubbed her eyes of the stray tears, as she quickly made her way over, dragging a beanbag up, as Neptune plugged in a third controller, the three quickly getting absorbed in the simple, yet addicting arcade style game. Unaware of the fact that the hours bled by,
"Nepgear-?" A quiet voice emanated from the entrance to the game room, as the ever diminutive oracle slowly entered the room, it had been at least 3 hours since Nepgear had left the office, saying she needed a short break, which she never returned from. Yet… "My…" Histoire, despite the limitations of her artificial personality, couldn't help the ear-to-ear smile that formed on her face.
She could hassle them about the work tomorrow.
"Hey! Hey! Nepgear no fair that was mine!" Neptune whined as Nepgear accidentally cut her off, inadvertently stealing one of the powerups from her sister,
"O-Oh… did I? Sorry" Nepgear feverishly apologized
"Don't listen to her, Nepgear! Nep-Nep is just greedy!" B-sha soon chastised the candidate, causing Neptune to glare in her direction,
"Like I wanna hear that from you! Back me up, Nepgear!"
There it was again… Nepgear flinched for just a moment. Was she still… gonna call her that? She supposed, it might be too much for everything to just flip back to normal just like that huh? Although… she still did have her own questions about, well, she supposed the obvious. But, she also supposed, she could get to that after their game,
"Uh… I think we should all try our best, and have fun!" She nervously explained, causing both women to deadpan,
"Lame"
"Total copout"
They both complained, before chuckling, that really did sound just like Nepgear. Their voices of dissent causing the adolescent to mumble as she shrunk herself, the trio continuing their game, eventually reaching the end, as they eventually decided to call it a day, packing up everything as they made their way to the main area, sitting around the table, Neptune soon asked,
"Say, did you and Histy handle everything today?" She gently asked, scratching her head, as she couldn't help but notice B-sha narrowing her eyes for a moment,
"Oh? Yea, don't worry about that, it wasn't much for us to handle" Nepgear shot her hands up as she eased Neptune's worries,
"..." But for the moment she was silent, shaking her head before continuing, "Feels weird doesn't it… Nepgear…" She added, her tone reflective as Nepgear bit her finger nervously, "I don't want to push things off on you guys anymore"
"Nep-Nep…" B-sha didn't like this, she didn't like where this was going,
"I know B-sha… but… even if it hurt… and even if I hate her for it… not everything she said was wrong" Neptune painfully explained, as Nepgear and B-sha cautiously eyed her, "I know I can't keep acting like that everyday… I don't want anyone else to be burdened like that"
"You're not a burden!" Neptune couldn't even tell which had yelled it, as a matter of fact it might have been both of them, feeling a warm smile form on her face Neptune turned to face them, before she heard the door to the CPU open up, revealing two figures, as Neptune gulped. Two more people she didn't know how she could face…
"Hey what's happeni- Nep!?" IF's voice reverberated as she quickly rushed in, followed, as she always was, by her ditzy nurse childhood best friend,
"Nep-Nep!" she called out, as Neptune put on a fragile smile, waving them over,
"H-heyy! Iffy! Compa!" She called out, her tone cracking ever so slightly, but even still, the old friends could tell just how much more vibrant and full of life the goddess seemed to be,
"You finally get it through your thick skull you were being needlessly down on yourself?" IF asked, flashing a snide smile, before receiving a gentle smack from Compa,
"Hey! Iffy! Be nice! You don't know what Nep-Nep went through!"
"..." the guild veteran considered it for a moment, before continuing, "I suppose that's right, you feelin better, Nep? Seriously?" IF wasn't used to having to worry about her, she was used to Neptune being the one that had to worry about everyone else…
"Y-yea… sorry for worrying you all…" Neptune gave the whole group as confident a smile as she could manage, before looking over to the woman responsible for it all, "But… you all should be thanking B-sha… really" She then added, as everyone stared at the blonde, who gulped being under the spotlight,
The moment made Nepgear remember the scene she had walked in on earlier that morning, just what happened between those two? Were they…?
"Sis? What exactly happened…?" Nepgear gently asked, Compa, and IF, soon nodding in agreement. The two the question was seemingly aimed at shared a look, somewhat attempting to telepathically communicated the conversation, with B-sha eventually leaning over to whisper to Neptune
"You wanna tell them, you don't have to if you don't wanna…" B-sha meekly whispered, before Neptune took a deep breath, standing up with a determined look,
"No, they deserve to know… they're my sister and best friends," she turned to face the more than confused group before she spoke, "I… well…" She shuttered out, unknowing of if she could get the words out, until, softly, she felt a hand fold itself into hers, looking over to see a brilliant smile from B-sha Neptune took another long, deep breath, "B-sha helped me… I… love her… She'll show me… what it means to love someone" She delicately presented, as everyone looked on at the two, a flurry of emotions rushing through their shared consciousness.
Was… was this really what she wanted? Was this what would make her happy? IF and Compa had seen a lot, they were human, they grew up around humans, if they had to be honest… this sounded like a rebound…
Almost as if she could sense their trepidation, Neptune faced them once more, a determined look on her face now. Looking at them, she spoke fiercely, "I know what you're thinking, I… went through something nasty. But… I promise you, I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't mean it!' She declared, as B-sha felt her heart skip a beat,
"Nep-Nep…" She could feel her eyes watering up, before she felt determination building in her own body, "Yea! I promise! I'll show Nep-Nep all the love she could ever need!" She too looked at the trio, who could only feel their minds ease up, a feeling of relief taking over the nerves that had preceded it.
"Jeez Nep…" IF could only shake her head, despite the smile that was very clearly on her features, "You know she's gonna charge you, right?" She mocked, before B-sha quickly pointed her finger at the brunette,
"Hey! T-that's not!" She angrily attempted to defend herself, before the group soon devolved into their normal brand of nonsense. Yes… normal… something everyone could say they had forgotten the simple pleasure of.
Soon the hours would bleed by, the day becoming evening becoming early night, eventually, they would all realize the lateness of the hour, standing up, B-sha stretched her limbs, "Well… I suppose I gotta get back to my place" She spoke, with a slightly disappointed twinge to her voice,
"Oh… ok, you'll be here tomorrow?" Neptune asked, looking at her with desperate eyes,
"Well… after work, sure" She scratched the back of her head as she explained, she did have a shift a Chuko's shop, but she didn't really have that much attachment to her humble (at best) apartment,
"Ok…" Neptune responded as she grabbed her arm, nodding, B-sha gave her regards to everyone else as she made her way out, taking the slightly long, but all things considered not too bad, walk back to her apartment, taking off her boots as she entered, she finally sat down, quickly changing into one of her nightdresses, she took her hair out of its ornament, brushing her teeth and cleaning herself as she prepared for bed, laying down, she nuzzled into a comfortable position, before realizing, with some embarrassment,
"Man… Nep-Nep is way more comfy than my pillow…" She mused, before shaking her head, once more attempting to find a comfortable position, a task that would carry on into minutes, into half an hour, only interrupted when she heard her phone on her nightstand buzzing, getting up, she sighed, as she picked up the phone, to find,
From, Nep-Nep- B-sha… I can't sleep… can you plz come over…
B-sha's eye's widened as she felt a blush cover her face, slapping her hands to her face in order to calm the troublesome emotion, she considered,
This was perfect…
She nearly jumped into her boots as she quickly made her way back to the basilcom, and just as quickly to her new room, making her way under the covers, as she could hear Neptune's breathing quiet down, her stressed body relaxing in her hold, as the two fell asleep.
The next morning, B-sha's eyes would flutter open as she felt a stirring next to her, stretching her limbs, she looked over to see Neptune dressing herself for the day, rubbing her eyes, she looked at the clock, 9:30 on the dot, did she set an alarm, how come B-sha didn't hear it? Questions for later she supposed,
"Where are you headin, Nep-Nep?" She groggily asked, as Neptune smiled,
"Just gonna head over and get some of the work done, figure I need to at least do the stuff that requires my input. Should be a healthy medium of overworking myself and not having Pissty on my case" She explained, as B-sha nodded, that seemed reasonable enough, "Sides, can't have my lovely girlyfriend being the only breadwinner!" She soon chuckled, as B-sha also felt a small laugh escape her lips,
"I don't have to be in till 11, though I always like to show up at 10, help Chuko open up and all, so I'll leave myself soon" B-sha explained, as Neptune nodded,
"Perfect, you should be back for dinner, right?"
"Yeppers! Make sure to save me a plate, I'll charge ya if you don't!" B-sha laughed as she grabbed the change of clothes she had brought, heading to the attached bathroom to change, before heading out, walking up to Neptune right before she departed, giving her a quick hug, "I'll see ya later, k?" She winked before exiting, leaving Neptune behind, who took a deep breath,
"Ok. It's the beginning of your new chapter, Nep. Let's get the true ending"
She couldn't lie to herself. Her heart still hurt, especially when she was with herself, it's why she texted B-sha last night. If she thought too long about… her… it started again. The thoughts would swirl up. Those eyes… would look at her… the self doubt, the hatred, and all that it signified. It would return.
But! This was her chance, this was her second chance! She didn't know how long the scars would last, or if they would ever truly heal, but…
B-sha would love her, even with them. That's what it meant to love someone. Of this, she had no doubt.
1 month later-
"Aaaa! Where'd I put that dress!?" Neptune yelled out in frustration, throwing all the clothes in her collection in random directions as she scrambled looking for her nicest dress, "I know it's in here somewhere! What kind of where's Maldo is this?!" She grumbled, before hearing a voice call out,
"Sis, is this the one you're looking for?" Nepgear nervously laughed as she pointed to the dress clearly hanging on the door to the bathroom,
"Oh… thank ya Nepgear~" Neptune cooed out, as she ran over, giving her sister a quick hug, before rushing over to the bathroom,
"Tell B-sha, I'll be right out, k?" She asked, as Nepgear nodded, making her way out of the room, quickly spotting the aforementioned blonde,
"Oh, hey B-sha, sis will be just another minute," she dutifully explained,
"O-oh… t-thank y-you Ne-Nepgear…" B-sha stuttered, practically a walking ball of nerves, walking up to her, Nepgear gave her a kind smile,
"Don't worry, sis has been looking forward to this," Nepgear reassured, as B-sha took deep breaths,
"I know… but this is the first time we're actually going out, I'm just a little nervous" B-sha nervously explained, as Nepgear offered her more words,
"B-sha… you're the one who gave us sis back, I'm sure there's nothing you could do that would upset her. You're not her, just be yourself" Nepgear nodded, as B-sha soon felt a calmness wash over her features, offering her a thumbs up, Nepgear soon made her way down the hall, it was the first time she would be by herself in the basilicom since those months ago… maybe she should invite Uni over…
And so, B-sha was left by herself, taking a few deep breaths as she looked in one of the mirrors positioned outside of the room, making sure her look was perfect, she continued her waiting. Unaware to the candidate, there was something else resting in the young woman's heart at the moment. Was… was she better than…
Noire
She had to be better. Neptune… deserved it. B-sha refused to let her go through that again. But, how would she even know if she was doing better? Was she-
Breaking her out of her thoughts, she heard the door open up, immediately looking over, she couldn't help but let her face heat up as she saw Neptune walk out, the strawberry pink dress she was wearing accented by white frills along the hem of the skirt. Her usual d-clips foregone for accenting flowers in her hair. She was…
"Y-you look like a million credits…" B-sha complemented, a rosy hue outlining her cheeks, as Neptune cheekily smiled, spinning posed a bit,
"I know~ I never get a good opportunity to wear it~" She giggled, before taking a moment to look over at her partner, and appreciating the look she had, a black strapless top accented by a matching black skirt lined with gold, held to her with a gold belt. Completing the look were forearm length black gloves, "You don't look so bad yourself~" She rubbed her chin, as she swayed her way towards her date for the night, "Mhm… I'd say you're worth 10 million credits! No… the whole national budget!" She cooed, before hearing a deep sigh emanating from down the hall,
"I do hope you do not plan on blowing the whole budget…" Histoire floated her way down the hall, as she looked over the two women,
"Ack! It's the popo! I did all the work, I swear!" Neptune covered her face, as B-sha giggled, Histoire only offering a wry smile,
"By 'all the work' you more accurately mean the bare minimum that needs the CPUs attention." She pointed out, as Neptune grumbled, a slight crack in her smile appearing,
"It's more than I used to do…" Her tone broke for a moment, as Histoire felt a somber expression form on her own face, quickly, she amended,
"I know. You give me no reason to doubt you over the last month, I hope you two enjoy your night. Now, if you'll excuse me" Histoire bowed as she made her way past the duo, Neptune quickly thereafter linking her arm with B-sha's. Histoire could only look back at the sight with a content smile, she figured, Neptune more than earned the right to enjoy a night out.
"C'mon, let's not stand around like extras!" She yelled, with B-sha nodding as the two made their way out for the night. The location of their date they decided to be one of the restaurants in the basilicom itself, but, even still…
"Oh, Lady Purple Heart. Miss B-sha," The hostess greeted, as she looked at her book, nodding "You got a little lucky, reservations are void if you are 15 minutes late" She presented, as both B-sha and Neptune exchanged a look, quickly withdrawing their phones as they looked at the screens as they read, 7:43… 13 minutes after their reservation.
"O-oh… oops…"
"Uh… No harm no foul?"
They nervously presented as the hostess simply nodded, bringing them to their table.
And so, the night went on for the two, and as they ate their lovely meal, Neptune couldn't help but notice the obvious nerves written all over B-sha's face, eventually, Neptune looked over as she offered a smile,
"Say, what are you so nervous about? This can't be any worse than any of those sales pitches you've made, can it? Am I just that frighteningly gorgeous?" Neptune smugly asked, as B-sha gulped, biting her lip,
"I just… I don't want…" She tried to force the words out, yet they caught in her throat, as Neptune gently grabbed her hand underneath the table,
"C'mon. I can't be the only one who has to say the tough stuff, right? Talk to me" Neptune wryly added, as B-sha sighed, Neptune was right. What kind of person would she be if she made Neptune dump her heart, if she couldn't even do the same?
"I don't want to be like-"
"You're not" Neptune immediately cut her off. As B-sha's eyes widened, fighting back the urge to gasp. Neptune not even allowing her to finish, she refused to let her say those words. She didn't even need to hear her finish to know what she wanted to say. She sort of figured it would get brought up at one point or another, and she already knew what she had to say.
"But-"
"But nothing. Look at me." Neptune said, her tone dead serious, "You're. Not. Her. Ok?" She slowly and articulately spoke as she looked right into B-sha's eyes, who seemed taken aback for a moment, "You, love me right?"
"Of course…" B-sha meekly responded, before biting her lip, "But-"
"What did I say?" Neptune gave her a harsh glare, "But. Nothing. I don't want to hear that again, ok? You love me, that makes you infinitely better than her."
"O-ok… I'm still a little nervous though, this is the first time I've ever been on a date" She soon added, nervously laughing a bit, before Neptune considered something for a moment, soon withdrawing her phone, her glare from earlier all but dissolved as she spoke again,
"Smile!" She ordered, a wide smile on her face as she scooted next to her, the women taking the commemorative photo, as Neptune soon started typing something, B-sha giving her a curious glance,
"What're you doing?"
"Just what any girl should do~" she said as she soon turned the phone to face her, B-sha quickly having a broad smile plastered on her face…
Lastation-
In the famously busy Lastation office, as Noire let out a sigh, she cracked her knuckles as she looked over all her work.
"That should be enough for the night, I should go and check if Uni finished hers" She spoke to herself as she walked down the hall to her sisters office, finding the work on her desk as it always was, with no sign of Uni. Grabbing the documents, Noire made her way further down the hall as she knocked on Uni's door, only to receive no response, curiously she opened the door to find no sign of her younger sister,
"Where is that girl?" Opening her phone, Noire planned on calling her younger sister, only to find that she had a message waiting for her from the very adolescent,
From, Uni- Hey, sis, I'm going over to visit Nepgear for the night, all my work should be on my desk.
Noire narrowed her gaze. Unsure of what to think, she supposed enough time had passed… Deciding to get her mind off of it, Noire mindlessly opened her chirper, scrolling through the posts on her home, liking a few, ignoring others (mainly K-sha's chirps…) before she paused, staring at her screen, a befuddled look forming on her face,
"Huh… she sure moves on quickly…" Was all she could say, as she looked at Neptune's newest post, her and B-sha clearly dressed up the caption reading,
'First date, kinda nervous y'all, atB_Sha'
Noire stared at the post for who knew how long, before closing her phone, a slightly weird taste in the back of her mouth.
I see I have a few reviews to get to, including one that might take me a little to respond to...
FenixBlaze- I see you have quite a lot to say, just want to respond from the way I see it as the one writing it, even if it's entirely possible I'm not presenting the ideas I have as well as I would like. Firstly, I don't think Noire's behavior is supposed to be something that's sympathetic, with the idea being that it's pushing the boundaries of her personality. I understand it's not necessarily how she would usually act, what I had intended was the idea is that people often say and do things they regret, or don't fully mean when they're in a relationship with someone. I think the stubbornness that Noire shows is fully in line with her personality (especially if you've played SVS), I think it's just Noire hit a straw that broke the camel's back and blew up. Secondly, I think it's fair to say Noire idealized her, sure she knows how Neptune is usually like, but that doesn't mean she fully accepted all these things before getting into a relationship with her is all. Third, yea, I had originally planned on detailing Blanc's interaction with Noire but decided against it because it felt tangential to the story, I might go back and add it in later. Also, don't worry, in my interpretation, the share energy that affected the gold third halted their aging as it would for the goddesses, so Nep won't outlive her (and even if you don't accept that, they can always go and grab her a CPU memory from Ultra dimension...). Lastly, I plan on getting more into Noire in the near furture, so I hope you stick around to see it.
amixan0402- Why thank you, I think it'll get real interesting with Noire real quick, just you wait ;). Gotta love the underused ships! While, like I said before, I still do like NepNowa more generally speaking, I think B-shaNep deserves its due every so often!
Guest- Hahaha thank you! I'll be sure to tell her that! I hope you enjoyed this sweet chapter as well!
end5- Thank you as always, hope you enjoyed this one as well!
Tony Anderson- Aww thank you! I hope this chapter was up to snuff as well.