Hyperdimension Neptunia
Nepgear: A Savior's Tale
Chapter Five: The Changing Tides
"Ladeeda-deda-deda~ La-lala-lala~" A sweet voice rang out within the nation of Planeptune. The singing voice belonged to a woman happily skipping along the streets late in the afternoon. The woman has long light Congo-pink hair with matching Congo-pink eyes. She wears a tan-white wool sweater top with matching arm warmers and boots, but with fuzzy balls at the top. She also wears a red plaid skirt, a black choker with a small heart on it, black-brown knee-socks with light pink heart cut frills, and often carries a black hip purse, and heart shaped buttons. Like her headband, both her purse and the heart on the choker has a familiar and very noticeable C logo.
"Hehehe~ That was a great day at the hospital today! All the patients were so kind and, well, patient with me. I didn't use too many bandages on anyone, and I even got a sizable allowance!" The woman said to herself in glee. She suddenly stops in front of her reflection from a mirror outside a store. She smiled and flicked her hair before pointing two fingers at her reflection like a gun, "Here's lookin' at you, Compa! …Hehehe, that sounded like something Iffy would say."
CRASH! THUD!
"Aah! What was that?" Compa heard a noise coming from a nearby alley. It sounded like a trash can being knocked over, followed by something hard hitting the concrete, and then… plastic? Whatever it was, Compa felt like she needed to check it out. For all she knew, someone could have collapsed in the back alley close by. That would mean it's a Nurse's job to help them!
She made her way to the alley, and heard a static voice from within.
"—Someo–...ave m…—"
"H-Hello? …Is someone there?" Compa called out as she walked in the alley. She didn't get a response, but she did see something silver with a light orange pattern on it. As Compa got closer, she could see what looked like an old game console. Kneeling down, she saw the orange pattern was a swirl pattern and a white body. The dim lights on the power symbol and the thin area where the disk goes were also an orange color.
"Is this a Game Console? Doesn't look like anything I'd see in Nep-Nep's room." Compa said as she picked up the console from the ground, "...I do feel like I've seen this before, though."
"Som—ne, any—... Sa– me… S-ve… — Zero Dimens—...!"
"Zero… Dimension…?" Compa repeated silently to herself, "This thing sure feels strange. Maybe I should hang on to it and see what the Zero Dimension is about?"
Just as Compa was about to turn back around, a dark blue light was flashing in the corner of Compa's eye. The nurse in training turned her head and nearly dropped the game console she just picked up, "Haaa?! Who's that on the ground?"
Compa ran closer to the collapsed person. She had long bluish-silver hair and was wearing a blue and white maid uniform. She breathed heavily as her body was surrounded by a blue and black aura around her. Compa knelt down to the woman on the ground, "Are you okay, miss? What happened here?"
"Haaa… haaa… haaa… haaa…" The woman had her eyes closed, and her chest moved up and down from the heavy breathing. Compa even noticed her body shaking a bit. The nurse-in-training figured she either had a high fever, a bad nightmare, or… Compa's cheeks flushed red as other problems came to her mind.
"A-Aaaaaah!!" The woman cried out painfully as the black and blue energy around her pulsed from her body and burst out in a small radius from where she laid, the energy going through Compa's own body before it seemingly faded away.
"Gah! …Brbrbrbrbrbrbrba!" Compa shook her head rapidly, getting her mind out of the gutter. She looked at the woman with concern before as she seemed to calm down a bit, her breathing seemingly steady and light again. Seeing that she seemed safe to move, Compa places the game console on her body, and then she tucks her hands below the woman's legs and back to pick her up from the ground. When she did so, Compa could've sworn she saw dried tears on the woman's face, "Poor thing… whatever's happening to her must be making her suffer emotionally. I'd better bring her and this console to the Basilicom. Maybe Histy or Ge-Ge will know what's going on."
Compa looked around the alley for a bit in case she missed something else. It didn't look like a third strange occurrence was happening, so she decided to make her way to Planeptune Basilicom.
Planeptune Basilicom, CPU's Office
Meanwhile, Nepgear seemed to be taking some time alone to try and calm herself down from what happened with Rei earlier today. She decided to vent to her mysterious pen pal from an unknown continent. One that she's been talking to for the last year and a half.
This pen pal says that they were a lot alike, the youngest sisters of a ruling nation that plays by their own rules. Nepgear asked where the pen pal was from, but they didn't want to talk much about it. All Nepgear knows is that they lived far away in a remote location from the other 4 nations, another continent entirely. One where their CPU is in a coma and slowly inching closer to the verge of death. Nepgear's following letter explains how she lost her own sister, Neptune, in a battle to destroy the Deity of Sin once and for all, only for her to be sealed within her body. From there, Nepgear and her pen pal had a growing friendship. There was still so much to the pen pal that Nepgear doesn't know, but she wasn't gonna pry too much.
Anyway, Nepgear was venting a little about what happened earlier today for her. A brief touch up on the news that was going around Gamindustri due to the Shift Period, and then talking about what happened between her and her maid, who she left anonymous for the time being.
"Please don't think badly of my maid. She has a good heart, she just needs guidance down her path to a happy life. I want to be that guiding light for her." Nepgear spoke out what she was writing, "If there ever comes a time where we can meet in person, I'd love to introduce you two. She's a bit of an 'Are you okay?' mom type, but you'll grow to like her a lot. I know I do."
Nepgear wraps her letter up by saying she hopes to hear from her pen pal soon before signing "From, CPU Nepgear" and then reviewing what she wrote before folding the top and bottom into flaps, "That should be enough for right now."
Nepgear placed the letter in a light purple colored envelope and sealed it shut just as she heard the door open. Histoire floated in the room and hovered over Nepgear's desk, "I take it you're feeling better about earlier."
"A little. I just needed some time to myself and vent a bit." Nepgear said as she stood up from her chair, "Pardon me, Histy."
Nepgear unmutes the bracelet to show a purple glow again before tapping a finger on the connected PH letters, "Summon: Purple Heart!"
A purple flash shines in the room as the light bursts from Nepgear's bracelet and onto the carpeted floor of the office room. The purple light materialized into a feminine figure that appeared similar to the previous CPU Neptune, but a dark aura was shown around her body for a moment before it fades. The woman let out a yawn as she stretched her arms, "Haaaaaaaa…" She opened her dark bluish-purple eyes and placed a hand on her hip, "I was enjoying my nap in there, Nepgear. What do you need me for today?"
"I finished my penpal's letter and I need it delivered to them straight away." Nepgear held out the envelope to CFW Purple Heart, "Be a doll and take care of that for me, will ya?"
"What?! Nepgear, you know what'll happen if I go out there in public view!" CFW Purple Heart argued with a glare, "Besides, isn't it Iffy's turn to be your errand girl?"
Nepgear returns her 'sister's' glare with one of her own, "Uh huh…"
Histoire knew she shouldn't get involved, but spoke out anyway, "Your cloak is hanging on the coat rack beside the elevator."
"...Urgh! Why do we even have the chore wheel?" CFW Purple Heart snatched the letter from Nepgear's hand before her free hand grabbed Nepgear's arm and glaring at her bracelet (the PH letter losing its glow altogether while A is shining purple), "If you do anything to her while I'm gone, I'll make you suffer through a living hell!"
"She realizes I already am, right?" Arfoire spoke out in Nepgear's mind before CFW Purple Heart lets go of Nepgear and walks away.
"I realize the circumstance is not permanent, but having CFW Purple Heart roam out and about with Arfoire remaining sealed inside you is a risky play, Nepgear." Histoire commented.
Nepgear placed a hand on her hip, "I can't rely on big sis forever, Histoire. Even if the Neptune I knew and loved is… half gone. So anyway, was there anything else for me?"
"Yes, I was just informed by IF three minutes ago. Compa is currently on her way over with a strange Console she found in an alleyway." Histoire said plainly. But then she looked concerned, "There she also found someone in a collapsed state. The way Compa described the person… is almost entirely identical to Rei Ryghts."
"Compa found Rei?!" Nepgear looked panicked as she held her hands over her mouth, "What was she doing in a dark alley? Did something happen to her?"
"That's what we all would like to know. Let us wait in the living room for her arrival." Histoire said before she floated away.
Nepgear sighed and walked after her, "I guess this is one of those random segway moments before advancing the main story."
Lastation Basilicom, CPU Office
"Of all the days to be in my big sister's shoes…" The voice of a young girl could be heard complaining in the office room of Lastation's Basilicom, "I know how Noire gets with her not-so-secret-anymore hobby, but did she really have to leave every piece of work in my hands all day? At least have Kei on video call or something!"
The complaining girl has red eyes and black hair worn in two pigtails that are tied up by two black ribbons with white stripes. She wears a black one-piece pleated dress decorated with white stripes at the bottom of the pleats. She also wears matching arm warmers and shoes with knee high black socks sharing the same color scheme as her dress. This was none other than Lastation's CPU Candidate, Uni.
"I feel like who I was based off of my dialogue was obvious, narrator. But thank you." Uni spoke to no one in particular. She finished signing a few more papers before placing her pen down and leaning backwards in Noire's usual chair, "Haa, great. Now I'm doing Neptune's thing where she breaks the 4th wall. …I guess it's not exclusively her that says random junk like that in a video game or fanfiction."
Uni stares at the ceiling as she keeps talking, "I guess while I've got the bit going, I'm amazed a story like ours got adopted a while back. Sure there were numerous IRL delays with our new author, but the fact that we're even here is phenomenal in its own way. And with how long this took to make, we even got a new game to work with in hopes for a sequel or extra side story to coincide with the main one. Heck, I wouldn't even be talking right now if the adoption never happened. …Well I would, but no one would hear my words or read my dialogue. Whoever's reading this right now… thanks a million. Your support, no matter how miniscule, goes the extra mile."
"..." Uni stopped talking for a moment to embrace the silence that was present in the room she was in. She stared at the ceiling for a few minutes longer before she turned her head to the side, "And I guess it's not all lonesome without Kei or Noire. CFW Brave is still here with me. Arfoire in Nepgear's body brought him back, and now he's here in Lastation, fulfilling the promise we both made in our final battle. Heh, funny how that works out."
Uni's eyes shifted to the direction in front of the desk, "Hm? What's with the look? You're reading my words as if I've gone insane, aren't you?" She turned to focus in front of her and sat up properly, "Remember when Nepgear, Rom, Ram, and I had to work together to save our sisters– and Vert, from ASIC over three years ago, and had to fight off the Four Felons, CFW Judge, Brave, Trick, and Magic to get them all back? Yeah those 4 are good guys now." Uni crosses her arms as a pout forms on her face, "Geez, did Nepgear seriously not tell you guys? Ahh…! Well it falls to me to lay out the juicy details… as usual." She throws her hand up towards the ceiling and shouts, "Flashback time!"
Planeptune, Virtua Forest Gates
"You…"
"Can't…"
"Be…"
"Serious? I'm afraid so."
Nepgear stood on the road to Virtua Forest with three mechanical figures and a humanoid female one behind her. These Four Felons, previously slain by the CPU Candidates, were all brought back and released from Arfoire– err, from Nepgear and brought back to the world of the living. Thanks to the Sharicite necklace, Arfoire's berserk power is contained from controlling Nepgear, while also preventing the Felons from re-entering her body. After she recovered, Nepgear appeared before the other CPUs, CPU Candidates, and even the Oracles to discuss an important matter.
Blanc was the one to wave her hands in front of her, "Okay, okay, wait! So… You want us three… to take one of these four… and bring them into our nations?"
"Yes, Blanc. With Arfoire still sealed inside me, and her influence cut off from these four, I figured it would be high time we gave them a new purpose for their new lives." Nepgear stated firmly, "As the CPUs of each nation, it's our job to help out anyone in desperate need of our power. And within that power… I propose that each of us work to reform the Four Felons, to work with the CPUs and her leading nation."
"You really think that's possible?" Noire asked.
"I do. See, Brave here had this tight-knit relation– er, friendly rivalry with Uni, and they promised to make the children happy around all of Gamindustri."
"Y-You don't have to talk about that in front of everyone…!" Uni said in an embarrassed tone. To which Nepgear points out, "You two promising each other was one of the few good qualities I had to work with."
"The other three can hear you, ya know?" CFW Magic said with folded arms over her chest.
"I don't know. I seem to have some fair… 'competition' with you." Vert says as she stares at Magic's… nearly naked (yet still somewhat decent) form. Specifically, her chest.
"D-Darling Vert!" Chika gasps dramatically.
"Must such acts of depravity be displayed in the open?" CFW Brave asks as one of his hands rests against his mechanical face.
"Oh, relax. We're just ogling each other's goods." Magic said with a smirk on her face.
"You're really doing this in front of me…" Blanc said as her face was covered by a shadow, save for a glowing red eye.
Mina rubs her back gently, "There there, Lady Blanc…"
Ram didn't quite understand what her big sister was angry about, so instead she turned towards Nepgear, "So which of these baddies do we gotta take to CPU Rehab, Nepgear?"
"Ahhh…!" Nepgear looked at Ram, them at Rom, then at Blanc Mina, "I, uh… hahahahaha…"
At that moment, a monster-esque figure with a large tongue came up to the Lowee goddesses and Oracle, "It appears I'll be the one to endure the cold harshness of Lowee with you cuties."
"Y-You…?!" Mina froze up and covered her own chest.
Blanc, despite knowing she can't fight anything out here due to… reasons, clenched her fists as she glared up at CFW Trick, "You really think you're gonna get anywhere close to my home turf?"
"Come now, I'll behave like a good former felon." Trick reassured as one of his hands waved in front of him, "I'm a changed man, and I want nothing more than to ensure the cute little ones are safe from harm. Miss Nepgear would be more than delighted to vouch for me."
Nepgear felt prying eyes from everyone, even the other Ex-Felons, and looked just as annoyed at everyone, "Well what the goodness do you want from me? He doesn't get along with Vert and bustier girls like her, Uni wouldn't forgive me if I let her be Trick's… 'cutie'… And I especially didn't want him."
"Oh for heaven's sake…" Blanc said quietly.
"Haaa… I suppose I'll keep the assignments short and simple, even if we seem to know who's going where." Nepgear sighed as she at least tried to maintain some formal order, "Noire, Uni, and Kei will work alongside CFW Brave in Lastation."
"She was gonna assign us together anyway?!" Uni said in a happy tone.
"You got excited quickly…" Kei said as she folded her arms.
"It will be an honor working alongside the CPUs rather than against them." Brave declared calmly.
"I'm expecting great things from you, big guy." Noire remarked with a smile… before she leaned forward with her hands on her hips, "Just watch yourself around Uni, got it?"
"Uhhhhh…!" Safe to say, neither the Candidate nor the ex-Felon had a response for the last part.
Nepgear looked over at Team Lowee, "Blanc, Rom, Ram, and Mina will keep CFW Trick out of trouble in his stay in Lowee."
"Do we have to?!" Blanc and Mina exclaimed at the same time.
"That stupid Nepgear… she's entrusting us with a near impossible task!" Ram complained.
"You cuties have nothing to worry about. I promise I'll behave." Trick reassured the ladies.
"Well… if Miss Nepgear is asking us to do it, then we just have to do it!" Rom began as she pressed her fingers together.
"Rom?!?!" Mina, Ram, and Blanc yell out in shock.
"I expected the other three's responses, but… Goodness, Rom." Nepgear sweatdrops before she looks at the two ladies of Leanbox, "A-Anyway, Vert and Chika, you two will be returning to Leanbox with CFW Magic."
"I suppose I shall accept this task presented to us by Lady Nepgear, against my better judgment." Chika stated proudly, "And I must admit, it will be nice having an extra pair of hands to help out. Especially from the sexiest of the Four Felons around the Basilicom."
"You have a good point, Chika… a very good point. Well then, I too shall welcome her with open arms." Vert said as she clapped her hands together in excitement.
"Heh. Having other sexy bitches around would be a nice change of pace." Magic said as she looked at Vert and Chika intently, "Fine then, I'll cooperate with you girls."
"Glad to see you're getting along already…" Nepgear said with a blush on her cheeks seeing those three together. She shakes her head and continues, "Now, all that's left is Histoire and myself of Planeptune to keep CFW Judge entertained."
"Hm! Alright, I'll play by your rules, Lady Nepgear!" Judge said in a surprisingly compliant manner, "But anytime we go monster hunting, I get the first swing!"
"I fear you would wipe the area clean if we allowed that." Histoire pointed out.
"As long as no one else gets hurt, it saves us a bit of trouble." Nepgear said before looking at everyone again, "That will be all for now, everyone. Brave, Trick, Magic, enjoy your new homes."
"We will, Miss Nepgear." The three of the Felons departing for other nations said.
After Nepgear called off the impromptu meeting, the four teams headed back to their own nations. Uni, of Team Lastation, looked over at her troubled Oracle, "Hey, you alright? Why the long face?"
"Just taking the extra time to process what has happened…" Kei said with little emotion.
"What's there left to process besides 'Bad guy go good' and us having to lead him down the good path proper?" Uni asked while narrowing her eyes.
"...That's just it, I'm afraid." Kei admitted, "A mere week ago, those 4 were released from within Nepgear's body, whose very existence was barely saved due to her Sharicite necklace after Arfoire took over her. Who's to say any of those four… those five could be plotting something?"
"...?" Brave looks over at Kei as she says this, but doesn't say anything to interrupt them. Noire caught this and said to him, "Don't mind her, she meant nothing bad by what her observations say."
"I'd say you're just still reeling from what happened a few years back, Kei." Uni offered up a theory, "It was rough already without Noire, that much affects you as much as it does me. I know what that's like. Give him a chance… for me, okay?"
"Mmmmmmm…" Kei let out a soft sigh after heavy deliberation, "...Fine. I'll do what you say, and… get over it."
To which, Uni let out a soft giggle, "Hehe~ Thanks, Kei."
Lastation, Present Time
Uni slams her hands on the desk in front of her, "She has not!! More and more work has been placed on me to keep me 'focused' on my duties as a CPU Candidate! I know I have to be as good as my sister when my time of ascension comes, but I'd rather have the free time to spend with her, Brave, and all my other friends! Why did Noire have to hire someone so easily jealous as our oracle…?"
Moments after she says that, Kei comes in the office and looks at the desk, "Ah, there you are Uni. I've a few errands to run out on the streets of Lastation. Can I trust you to… hold down the fort, as they say?"
"Yeah, sure. I won't go far, promise." Uni said with a deadpan tone.
"Hmph, with the amount of work you need to become a CPU, I shouldn't expect you to leave this room at all." Kei spoke in jealousy as she closed the door.
Uni turns to nothing in particular and holds her hand out at the door, "See what I mean? She's been like this ever since Brave joined! It's like she's keeping me away from him and everyone else!" Uni leans back in the chair and folds her arms, "…I hope Noire berates her on how to be a proper Oracle."
Uni looks over at the completed files, then at a smaller stack she still needs to do, "Haa, speaking of being jealous, I wish I had thought of Nepgear's alternative to gaining shares and the people's faith, if only to lighten this load by a significant amount. Nepgear… she's been through so much, the poor thing… And yet she's become the new CPU of Planeptune three years running. I'd be proud of her if I was a Planeptunian girl… Ah, who am I kidding? I am proud of my best friend! The girl's as gentle as they come, but when push comes to shove, hoo-boy! I wonder if I'll ever be worthy to be called her best friend… or even… even… Hehehe~"
Uni looks forward and gasps in shock, her cheeks turning red as her eyes widen, "Haa! Wh-Why are you all still here?! G-Go bother Nepgear again or something!!" She shoved her hand forward, as if swatting away a camera in front of her.
BZZZZZZZT!
Planeptune Streets, Dark Alley #2
CFW Purple Heart walks down a similar alleyway and stops in the middle of it, "This is the usual place where she drops this off, right? …Has Nepgear never thought about how weirder this seems than visiting a post office or something?"
"The nation my goddess hails from has no usage of a traditional postal service." A calm and collected voice called out as a feminine figure steps out from the shadows, "Secret exchanges like these are the only way Lady Lilac Heart can remain in touch with her 'pen pal'."
The woman has short, silver hair with black hair clips resembling playback buttons and cyan eyes. Her attire boasts a see through black and white dress with a long, black tie with a green eaten apple symbol, a USB cable sticking out the back, a black and green choker, and black gloves with a white stripe. Her legwear consists of black, thigh high socks and black and green boots with an "A" symbol on top.
Under her cloak, Purple Heart stared down at the mystery woman in front of her, "Who the hell are you?"
"A messenger girl between pen pals. When one finishes a letter for the other, I make my way to a disclosed location to pick up and deliver them to the reciprocant." The silver haired girl said as she held out a hand.
"..." Purple Heart looks at the girl's hand for a moment before looking back at the girl, "Care to tell me where this thing's going? Lastation, Leanbox, or Lowee? I could easily fly there and be on my way, if you don't mind."
"Actually, I do mind… because the pen pal and myself are not from any of those nations, nor are we from Planeptune." The girl said matter-of-factly, "She and I are from the PC Continent, if you must know. There are no maps detailing the area, but it is a very real nation. Ask Histoire about it, if you don't believe me… after you hand over Lilac Heart's letter, that is."
'So Histoire dealt with this girl, too?' CFW Purple Heart thought to herself. She had half a mind to beat more answers out of the girl, but she could tell the girl didn't have anything to lie about. So out of reluctance to restrain herself, and to get back to Nepgear as soon as possible, CFW Purple Heart handed the letter over, "Urgh, fine. Take it and get out of here."
The woman smiled calmly and took the letter from CFW Purple Heart. She turned around and walked back into the shadows, "Pleasure doing business with you… Neptune."
"Huh?!" CFW Purple Heart shouted in surprise, "How does she… Hey! Wait a second!" CFW Purple Heart ran after the girl, but a dark blue light shined in front of her and stopped her in her tracks. The light seemed to shine brightly for a few seconds before fading away.
Behind that light, the girl stepped through a bluish-black portal and seemingly disappeared from where she was, the portal closing when the light vanished.
"...What's going on here?" CFW Purple Heart asked herself in confusion.
Planeptune Basilicom, Living Room
DING!
"Ah!" Nepgear looked up from the couch and saw someone enter, "Compa, you're here!"
"Hi, Ge-Ge! I was just getting off work when I ran into something strange… Well, two somethings." Compa said as she walked inside the living room, an unconscious Rei Ryghts in her arms and the white console on top of Rei.
Nepgear got up and ran over to Compa, "Rei! Oh thank goodness you found her, Compa! …Hm? What's that on her?"
Histoire floated over to Nepgear and Compa, her eyes widening as soon as she saw the white and orange box on Rei, "Haa! Could this be…?!"
"What's the matter, Histy?" Compa asked. Histoire picked the console up with her small hands, "This is an old Planeptune game console… From long before Neptune's reign as CPU."
"That's… a game console?" Nepgear asked. Histoire looked at Nepgear and nodded, "Mmm… I will need a full day to recover the historical records of this console, three days tops. But for now… Compa, lay her on the couch so she can rest from whatever condition she is in."
"O-Okay…" Compa walked over to the couch and placed the maid girl on the couch where Neogear sat moments ago. Nepgear walks over to Compa, "Rei… Where was she, Compa?"
"I was on my way home from work when I heard a noise from a back alley. When I checked what was over there, I found that strange console and a static voice from it…" Compa explained as she looked at Nepgear, "The voice was calling for help, asking someone to save her… to save something called… the Zero Dimension."
"Zero… Dimension…?" Histoire looked frozen in place as she heard Compa's words.
"After I picked it up, I noticed a blue light close by… that light came from her." Compa continued and she looked over at Rei, "She was breathing heavily, almost like she was in pain. I was wondering what to do when I saw a black field of energy blow up from around her. Or, was it blue…?"
"B-Black energy?" Nepgear's eyes widened, "Was she hurt anywhere?! Did someone attack her?!"
"Eep! I-I didn't see any boo-boos or major injuries on her body!" Compa yelped in surprise of Nepgear raising her voice, "I came here as soon as she calmed down enough for me to pick her up. I was wondering if you and Histy knew anything about her condition or the console."
"I-I don't know… Rei and I were talking about why I quit competing with the CPUs for Shares, and then she ran off crying." Nepgear told her childhood friend, "I was cooped up in my office for a while until now."
"I'm afraid I don't know what has happened to Miss Rei either, but I should be able to find something in regard to the console you have brought to us." Histoire said as she floated away from the girls, "If you two will excuse me…"
"Histoire…?" Nepgear watched Histoire float away, confused. Compa blinked twice as she shared Nepgear's confusion, "What got into her all of a sudden?"
"Nnnnnngh…" Both girls heard a groan and turned to the couch. Rei sat up from the couch and slowly opened her eyes, "Mmmmmmph… H-Huh…? Is this… the Basilicom?"
"REI!" Nepgear exclaimed as she leaned down and hugged the maid girl, "You're okay! I was so worried you weren't gonna make it!"
"M-Miss Nepgear…?!" Rei looked shocked and tried to back away, but Nepgear wouldn't let go of her. Rei looked confused at the worried Nepgear, "I-I wasn't even gone a full day… At least, I could've sworn I wasn't… I know I left the Basilico– Urrrp!"
Nepgear pulled away to look at Rei, "Please, don't blame yourself for– …Huh? Rei, what's the matter?"
"U-Urrrrp! I… ohhhh, I wish I knew…" Rei spoke softly.
"No barfing!" Compa suddenly yelled.
"Yikes! I'm sorry! So so so sorry!" Rei backed up against the couch, "...Er, I mean, who… are you? Did you bring me back here?"
"Mm-hmm. I found you unconscious in the middle of an alley, so I took you to see Ge-Ge so we can patch you up." Compa smiled at Rei.
"Ge-Ge…?" Rei looked confused at Compa's nickname, "...O-Oh! You mean Miss Nepgear?"
"Hehehe, good guess!" Compa giggled.
"Compa could never get Neptune's or my name right, so she gave up and used nicknames instead." Nepgear commented, "I got stuck with Ge-Ge since Nep-Nep was used on my sister already."
"You didn't have to tell her how bad I was at names…" Compa sighed before looking at Rei again, "Speaking of which, I'm Compa. A nurse-in-training and part-time caretaker of the CPU of Planeptune. And you're, uh… Rei Kiseijou, right?"
The name Compa said got a look of shock from Rei, "What?! Yes, my first name's Rei, but where did that last name come from?!"
"I told you Compa sucks at names…" Nepgear deadpanned. Compa looked offended at Nepgear, "Hey!"
"Heh heh heh…" Nepgear giggled nervously. She quickly turned towards Rei, "So… what happened after our fight?"
"All I can remember was tripping over in an alley and crying my eyes out… I was on my way to my old home, but then– Aaagh!!" Rei held her head all of a sudden, a blackish-blue glow surrounded her body for a moment. Nepgear looked concerned, "R-Rei?"
"That light…!" Compa gasped in awe. Acting quickly, she grabbed Rei by the shoulders to hopefully calm her down, "Hey now, easy there… Easy…"
Suddenly, Rei's eyes opened. But they were dilated and filled with an unfamiliar fury, and she shoved Compa away, "Stop it!"
"Ahhh!" Compa yelps as she falls on her bum.
Rei looked shocked at what she did, but couldn't speak a word, "M-mmmnn...! Guh!" She got up and ran down the hall, away from the girls.
"Rei!" Nepgear called out. Compa got up and rubbed her head, "Ouchies…! Do all maids act like this when they're overworked?"
"...She was never like this!" Nepgear stated before helping Compa up on the couch, "Wait here… I'll go talk to her."
Nepgear didn't wait for a response as she ran after Rei. The CPU would find her maid leaning against the wall, looking tired and about to collapse again. Nepgear reached out to her, "R-Rei!"
"...Huh? Ahhhh!" Rei yelps in fright as she turns around, "M-Miss Nepgear!"
Nepgear hurriedly grabs Rei's shoulders, "I'm here, Rei. You're safe here with me."
"Miss Nepgear…" Rei placed a hand over her head, "S-Sorry… I'm sorry…"
"It's okay… I know you can get carried away emotionally, but you're not prone to violent actions like that." Nepgear stated, "And… I'm sorry about this morning."
"H-Huh? Why are you apologizing about that?" Rei asked Nepgear, "I was the one who yelled at you, not the other way around."
"I know, but I didn't know how bad it was… how much you hated me since that day…" Nepgear looked down at the floor.
"W-What? No, I would never–" Rei said before another headache happened, "Nnngh…! I'd… I'd never… hate you…" She managed to get out.
"Don't force yourself… I said something I shouldn't have… I'm the reason you're so stressed out…" Nepgear closed her eyes as she spoke calmly, "I drove you away and forced you back here…"
"You're doing it again, Nepgear! You're taking blame for something you had no control of!" Rei shouted in an aggressive tone, "You have no idea where I've been! What kind of lame goddess apologizes for something that's not her fault?"
"Huh?!" Nepgear looked startled at what Rei had said and how her tone was, "Wh… Why would you say such a thing?"
"If you really cared about where I'd have run off to, you would've sent someone after me!" Rei yelled out at Nepgear, "Not let some random bimbo stumble across me in a back alley!"
"Some random what?! Compa's not THAT stupid!" Nepgear shouted back, "Wait, no! That's not important! What happened to you, Rei? You're never this nasty, even when you had that rebellion group!"
"Of all the complete and utter failures in my life, why do you of all people have to constantly remind me of that one?!" Rei said as tears formed in her eyes.
Nepgear looked very shocked at Rei, "G-Goodness gracious! Since when did your old group become such a sensitive topic?!" She then played back what happened this morning in her head and looked at Rei with a sad face, "Wait… you're still blaming yourself over that?"
"Who else was there?! I was the one who misheard your message! I tried to drive the goddesses out of power! I wanted you gone! There wasn't anyone else who shared my dumbass logic! I…! I-I…!"
As Rei struggled to find the words, she couldn't hold her tears back anymore, so she fell on the floor to her knees again and let them out, "W-Waaaaaaaaah!!"
"Rei… Please… talk to me… What's wrong?" Nepgear knelt down and held Rei close to her.
But Rei pushed her away and shouted, "Don't touch me, goddess! I don't need a CPU's pity! Or are you going to continue mocking me for the rest of your life?! WAHHHHHHHH!!"
"No, that's not it at all! You know I don't do it out of pity!" Nepgear pleaded with her human maid as she kept trying to reach out, "Now I know something's wrong! You've never pushed me away this much, in any sense of the word!"
"J-Just stop it…! A goddess like you… CPUs like you should…" Rei started to say as a dark aura surrounded her body, "CPUs should… should just disappear!"
Neither of them paid any attention to the dark aura around Rei, or the dark energy moving past them through the floor and rising up from behind Nepgear as soon as Rei said 'disappear'.
Nepgear only moved closer to Rei, caring only for the distressed woman in front of her than the rest of her surroundings, "No way in hell am I leaving you like this! I made a promise to help you, and I won't break it! Not now, not ever!"
Rei's tear-stained, blue eyes shrank and became dilated again as she lifted her head up. Rei pushed Nepgear again with all her might and screamed, "STAY AWAY!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
At the exact same time… the dark energy had formed a wormhole behind Nepgear, and it opened up and started to pull her inside.
"AAAAAH!!" Nepgear yelped from being pushed, but she quickly felt something pulling her, and her eyes widened in shock, "Wh-What's that pull?! I-I can't break out! Rei! REI, HELP ME!"
"Haa?!" Rei saw what was happening and gasped, her body losing its dark glow as she tried to get up, "Oh no! Miss Nepgear, no! Wait– AAH!"
A strong pulse from the wormhole pushed Rei backwards and made her stumble back on the floor. The freaked out woman looked back up at the sight, reaching her hand out for Nepgear, "No…! I-I didn't mean it, miss Nepgear! Don't leave me! PLEASE DON'T GO! NEPGEAAAAAAAAR!!"
"REEEEEEIIIIII!!" Nepgear cried out and reached out her hand too.
But before they knew it, it was too late. Nepgear's body was pulled into the wormhole, and she vanished before Rei's eyes. The wormhole closed and vanished without a trace, the dark energy going back into the unsuspecting woman's body.
"N-No… This isn't what I wanted…" Rei shuttered as she let the tears fall from her face, "Nepgear… You… weren't supposed to…!"
"R-Rei…?"
"Gah!" Rei turned around in a fright and saw a bewildered Histoire floating up in the air. The fairy girl stared at where Nepgear was in silence, "..."
"H-Histoire… I… This isn't…" Rei choked on her words as she looked at her shaking hands, "...! No… no matter how you look at it… it's my fault… Miss Nepgear is… miss Nepgear… she's–"
Rei was interrupted by Histoire floating to Rei and descending into her palms. Rei looked confused as to why she was holding Histoire now, "...Huh? I-I don't understand this… You should be mad at me… Miss Nepgear's gone because of–"
"Be quiet and look me in the eye."
"Eek!" Rei squeaked before she did as Histoire told her to. Histoire stood up from her book and jumped upwards as the book disappeared from Rei's hands. Histoire floated upwards, using her wings to fly up, and wiped away Rei's tears. "Rei… No matter what it may have looked like, I do not blame you for this. Whoever triggered this strange power inside of you is to blame. If you had deliberately intended to send Nepgear through that wormhole, you would not have tried to save her as soon as you saw what happened."
"H-Histoire…" Rei spoke softly.
Histoire flew to Rei's cheek and hugged her, the small fairy's arms resting on Rei's face, "I am still here for you, Rei Ryghts… I shall not leave your side in this time of need."
Rei closed her eyes and held a palm to Histoire's back, as if she wanted to hold the fairy close, "..."
In the back of Rei's mind, there was no denying that she did this… But Histoire's words on consoling did make her feel better. But one short question still plagues her mind right now…
"...What's happening to me?"