Chapter 26 – Neptune's Future
Noire's POV
And so, in the back of the library side in the employee break room…
"C-Can't I at least wear a towel?!"
"No, you can't wear a towel." Arly said to a highly embarrassed Neptune as she stood in the middle of the room completely naked. Covering up her small breasts and privates. "The best way to feel your soul is to have your body free of any obstacles and interferences. So, try to bear with it as I feel your child-sized body from the inside~! *giggle*"
"Th-This was a HUGE mistake!"
"Arly, knock it off. You're making Neptune feel worse about this." Arle said to her clone.
"*giggle* Sorry, Arle-sama. I just couldn't resist teasing her a little. She looks so innocent…I could make her my little toy~. *giggle*"
"N-Not interested!" Neptune yelled.
"Come on, Neptune. Just suck it up and get it done already." I said.
"E-Easy for you to say, Noire! And why are you even here?!"
"W-Well…I-I'm just curious about how soul manipulation works, that's all. It's not like I'm worried about you or anything."
"I am in NO mood for your tsundere nonsense!"
"Neptune, please calm down." Histoire said. "This may be the only chance we have to repair your shattered soul. Please bear with whatever Miss Arly does to you."
"B-Bare with…*sigh* Fine. It's not like I have a choice. Hit me, Arly."
"Fufufufu~…As you wish, Neptune." Arly said as her left hand began to glow an ominous black aura. "Diamond Cutie~!" She then shoved her entire hand inside of Neptune's body through her stomach. Making Neptune lose all consciousness in her body as her arms dropped down. Revealing her breasts and crotch.
I'll…pretend I didn't see anything…
"Woah…I've never seen anyone go limp before." I said.
"It is interesting, to say the least." Histoire said. "Hopefully, this fixes Neptune's soul. She may not be the most proactive CPU, but having her original goddess powers restored would be a great help for this current situation."
"Wait, so…CPU doesn't mean computer in your world?" Arle asked.
"C-Computer?" I gained a sweatdrop.
"Oh~…OH~…this is interesting! I've never seen anything like THIS before! *giggle*"
"Did you find anything, Arly?" Arle asked her clone.
"*giggle* Sure did, Arle-sama. This girl is REALLY interesting~! Fufufufu~!"
We watched as Arly removed her hand from Neptune's stomach. Causing Neptune to regain consciousness as she fell to the ground shivering like crazy.
"H-H-Holy crap…m-m-my body is…s-s-so freaking cold…"
"Oh, yeah…that's a little side-effect." Arly said."Your body's going to be near freezing for a couple of hours. No biggie."
"H-H-How the hell…i-i-is that…n-n-no biggie?!"
"Anyway~…I gotta talk with Satan about this for a bit. It's something REALLY big. See you later, my precious little kitten~! Fufufufu~!" Arly then teleported out of the room in a quick flash. Leaving the rest of us there without really much of a warning about the bright light she made during her teleportation.
"Geez…she just left without telling us what she found out." I said.
"Well…if she has to talk to Satan about it, then it must be big." Arle said.
"Hopefully, it is good news." Histoire said.
"W-W-Will you guys…pl-pl-please get out…s-s-so I can put my…cl-cl-clothes on?!" Neptune yelled as she was still shivering.
Oh, yeah…she's still naked. Kinda forgot…
Hours later, into the night (still can't believe nighttime still happens despite the sky looking how it is) we were back in Akuma's office after being called back in here. Apparently, Arly was ready to tell us what she found out about Neptune's soul. And what she can do to fix it.
"So, what did you find, Arly?" Nepgear asked. "Can you restore my sister's soul?"
"Well~…I've got good news and bad news. Good news is…the shattered soul had no effect on Neptune's disappointedly small chest in any shape or form. And they won't be changing anytime soon. *giggle*"
"I hate you so much…" Neptune said in an irritated tone.
"And the bad news is…it can't be fixed no matter what I do. It's completely hopeless! *giggle*"
"C-Completely hopeless?!" Compa asked.
"Wh-What do you mean by that?!" Nepgear asked.
"Allow me to explain." Satan said. "When that Arfoire witch shattered Neptune's soul, she completely destroyed the most important part of it…the Nova."
"Th-The Nova?! Aw, crap…"
"You know what that is, Yu?" Jarne asked her.
"Well, duh. Of course, I do. The Nova is pretty much the heart of the soul. It controls things like your emotions, your sanity, and even your ability to dream. Without that, you're basically a soulless entity."
"Yu's right." Satan continued. "Restoring one's soul without a Nova is impossible. So, I'm afraid that Neptune's will be forever shattered."
"Forever shattered, huh? Well…that sucks." Was all Neptune really said about that.
Seriously? That's it? She just learned that her soul can NEVER be restored and all she had to say is "that sucks"?
I know this is Neptune and all…and whatever comes out of her mouth tends to be unpredictable nonsense…but, geez! I would at least be sad about something like that!
"You're taking this oddly well, Nepsy." Uzume said.
"Well…to be honest, I didn't have high hopes of this working. In fact, I'm kinda relieved that it did fail."
"You're…relieved?" K-Sha asked. "So, you're really okay with having your soul forever shattered?"
"No, of course not. But what are you gonna do? Not everything can be a freaking miracle just because you're the face of the series. It's only natural that something didn't go my way every once in a while."
"Face of the…what is she talking about?" Feli asked.
"Apparently, we're not real(?)…" Amitie said. "…I don't really get it, either."
"So, you're really going to live your life like this, Nep? Always being on the verge of losing your sanity?" IF asked.
"Well, it's not like I have a choice, Iffy." Neptune then went silent for a bit. "But, you know…one good thing that came from this is that I was able to gain a Zodiac power of my own due to me fusing the powers of Scorpio and Sagittarius. I think it's called…Aquarius, right?"
"Aquarius…hey, Resta. You did tell Neptune about that thing, right?" Sagey asked her.
"Huh? What thing?"
"You know, THAT thing! The thing about what Aquarius really is!"
"Uh…" Resta thought for a moment. "…o-oh, yeah! THAT thing! No, I haven't told her. She was out cold since yesterday so I never got the chance. Plus, I kinda forgot."
"Be glad Spille isn't here to hear that…" Sagey gained a sweatdrop.
"So, uh…what's that you have to tell me?" Neptune asked.
"Well…" Resta said. "…back when you first got your power, I meant to tell you that you revived one of the 6 Passive Zodiac Signs."
"Passive?" Nepgear asked.
"Revived? Wait, you mean this power was dead?" Neptune asked.
"Well, I wouldn't say "dead"…" Resta gained a sweatdrop. "…you see, the Zodiac Signs of Aquarius, Aries, Gemini, Leo, Taurus, and Cancer are known as Passive because their powers have been asleep for centuries."
"Asleep?"
"Wait, I know this." Feli said. "Every few centuries, the 12 Zodiac Signs…split in half based on their polarity, or the type of energy they have…switch between Active and Passive based on the constellations in the sky. The most recent switch made the Positive Signs…being Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Virgo, Libra, and Pisces…become active. And made the Negative Signs…being Aquarius, Aries, Gemini, Leo, Taurus, and Cancer…become passive. Thus, making their constellations, powers, and even their potential Zodiac Stones hidden from all worlds."
"W-Wow…that's actually right, Feli." Sagey said. "I'm shocked that you knew all of that."
"When you're a young maiden skilled in the Occult Art of Divination such as myself, knowledge of the Zodiac and its history is nothing but child's play. Fufufufu!"
"Aw, geez…Feli's gone creepy loli again." Futaba said.
"Sh-Shut up~! I'm not a loli, damnit~!"
D-Did her personality just…change?
"Hmm…you seem to be quite knowledgeable in regards to the Zodiac, Miss Feli." Histoire said. "If you don't mind, would you teach me some of this information as well?"
"Huh? Seriously?"
"Gamindustri isn't all that aware of the astrological signs. We were completely in the dark until Amitie suddenly appeared that day. If we were to gather such information now, it might help us in the future. In case something similar were to happen."
"I get that. But for me to teach you…let alone anyone is…w-well…"
"I think you'd be a great teacher, Feli."
"L-Lemres?! D-Do you really think that?!" Feli yelled in shock.
"Of course, I do. You've always been passionate about astrology and what secrets and power it has. I can't think of anyone more fitting than you."
"He has a point, Feli." Rin said. "Why else would Naoko give you the nickname Astro-Loli?"
"Astro-Loli?" Some of us asked.
"*sigh* I'm seriously going to kill Naoko for that damn nickname…" Feli said with an exasperated tone.
Whoever this Naoko girl is, sounds like she's screwed…
"But, in any case…if I got people backing me up on this, then I guess I can help you out, Histoire."
"Thank you ever so much, Miss Feli." Histoire said with excitement (a rare sight for my eyes). "Your teachings will be very much appreciated."
"Wow…Histoire learning from someone else. That's rare." IF said.
"It's normally the other way around." Compa added. "Usually towards Nep-Nep."
"It may be true, Compa, but you didn't have to bring it up." Neptune retorted with an exasperated sweatdrop.
"So…since that's over with, what now?" Jarne asked.
"I don't know about you people…but I'm tired as hell. I'm going home." Rivitie said as she started floating away from us.
…
Wait, why is she floating? Kinda odd that one sister does and the other doesn't…
"Rivitie does possess a point." Histoire said. "Until we acquire some new leads, we might as well use this time to take a good rest. I'm sure everyone could use one after what we've all experienced these past few days."
"We'll have to find different places for everyone to stay in, but we'll figure something out." Arle added.
"Well…if there's nothing we can do right now, then we might as well." I said. "A little break might be good for us, even."
Cause God knows I could use one right now…
A couple of minutes after everyone had disbanded, I used this chance to just walk around for a bit. It's been a while since coming to this world that I've been alone. Thinking of that day when I somehow ended up here…now knowing that it and everything else that's happened so far was caused by the dimensional barriers slowly being destroyed…it's a lot to think over and honestly…I'd rather be alone while doing so.
I might end up crying again and don't want people to see…
I heard from Arle that there was a park nearby. So, I decided to head on there. While doing so, I looked around this world known as Primp Town. Getting a better look at it with a somewhat clearer sense of mind.
"Wow…this place really took a beating. But this is really due to monsters from our world showing up here. From the looks of things, this world is still intact."
I then began to remember what that drooling idiot Ecolo said before.
"…when two or more worlds collide and share the same space, their dimensional barriers grow SUPER unstable and begin to shatter. Causing server earthquakes and natural disasters…and eventually, the collided worlds will crumble apart piece by piece. With the chance of some pieces from each world surviving…at about 9%."
9%, huh? I thought to myself as I looked up at the sky. That much of Lastation managed to survive that nightmare. And based on that alone, it means that only 27% of Gamindustri is still standing whole. That's a crazy decrease…
And then another statement from Ecolo came to my head.
"The other person was someone from Gamindustri. She got involved at the last minute, though. So, it explains why that world took the most damage so far."
Still though…how was Vert the first one to know about all of this? And why didn't she bother to tell the rest of us? If she would've said SOMETHING, Gamindustri wouldn't be how it is now. She's gotta have her reasons though, right? Vert isn't the type of person to only look out for herself and not give a damn about others. What was she trying to hide?
…
"*sigh* None of this is making any sense…"
"What's not making sense?"
"H-Huh? Oh…Neptune, it's you." I said as I had somehow ran into her. "You're out here, too?"
"Yeah…I would often come here to think to myself. It helps when something depressing is on my mind."
"Wait, so…this isn't the first time you've been to this world?"
"Of course not. Ever since Amitie and I found out we were cousins two months ago, I've been coming here at every chance I got. Mainly to escape the work Histy piles up on me. But it's also just for fun."
"I see…" I gained an exasperated sweatdrop. "…you know, I sometimes question how you of all people became a CPU."
"Yeah, well…I-I sometimes think the same thing."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Well…" Neptune went silent for a bit. "…I've been doing some self-thinking lately. What I truly want and if I'm really happy about everything. They were originally just thoughts…but then the day came when my soul was shattered. And then that "some" became "a lot"…with the thoughts wrapping around my mind like a Dogoo squeezing my body. Only it didn't destroy my clothes."
"Right…" Was all I said.
"But then…after talking to someone about it…I've finally made up my mind. I know now what I want and what would truly make me happy. And I'm not going to ignore it anymore."
Neptune then went silent again. This time, though…it was longer than before. With an added sigh of what felt like release finally leaving her body.
"Basically…once we stop those three and restore the worlds back to how they were…I'm stepping down as Planeptune's CPU."
…
"S-Seriously?! Y-You're…st-stepping down?! Wh-What made you decide on THAT?!" I asked in pure shock.
"Well…I've only told Amitie this…but I hate being a CPU, Noire. It's not fun or exciting…and it's certainly not worth not aging at all. Being mistaken for a kid constantly is such a pain."
"B-But…"
"But on a serious note…the reason why I'm doing this is because I want a normal life. One where I don't have to stress over saving the world from total destruction and similar stuff like that. I want days where I can just wake up, play games, hang out with friends…hell, I might even consider going to school. It seems fun from what Amitie tells me about it. Anything to be seen as normal for once in my life."
"W-Wow…Neptune, I had no idea you felt this way. Is this what you really want?"
"After hiding it for so long, I'm definitely confident on the idea. And I'm not gonna turn back on it, either."
"I see…" I went silent for a bit. "…well, Neptune. If this is really what you want…then you have my full support."
"S-Seriously?! Y-You're okay with it?!"
"Of course. I'm not gonna stop you from what truly makes you happy. If stepping down as a CPU will do that for you, then…I wish you good luck, Neptune."
"Wow, Noire…thanks for that. It's honestly a relief that you're okay with this. Hopefully, it goes well with Blanc and Vert, too."
"I'm sure if you explain it to them like you did with me, they'll understand. And even give you their support, too."
"Yeah…I hope so."
"So, this is basically a new direction for Planeptune's history. I'm sure Histoire was shocked to hear this from you, right?"
"Um…actually…y-you're the first person I've told this to. I haven't told Histy, Iffy, Compa, Uzume…not even Nepgear knows."
"I-I see…" I then went silent again.
I can't even IMAGINE how Nepgear would react to this…
"S-So, Noire…please promise me that you won't tell them about this. I want them to know by having it come out of my own mouth. Not by any more leaks and rumors."
…
…
…
"Sure, Neptune. Your secret's safe with me." I finally spoke again.
"*sigh* Thanks, Noire. Another weight lifted off my shoulders. Now, whaddya you say we get some rest. I'm sure we both can use one after what nonsensical hell we experienced these past few days."
"Yeah…no doubt about that."
We both then started walking through the creepy-looking night sky of Primp Town to rejoin the others. Eagerly wanting to put another emotionally insane day behind us.
And to hope that they get at least somewhat better in the days ahead.
Author's Note: After hearing the tragic news that her soul is unfixable, Neptune becomes fully committed that her future as a CPU must come to an end. And gains Noire's full support after letting her be the first to know. Now, she's on the path to becoming the former CPU of Planeptune. Hope it works out…
So, after this chapter…the plot isn't going to advance for a while. One of the main concepts of both Puyo Puyo and Neptunia is that they tend to have cutscenes that have nothing to do with the plot. And are only there for character interactions and stuff like that.
I want to implement those in this story. It'll give me a chance to have characters from both series in here that will otherwise have no involvement with the plot. Basically, giving them a chance to shine.
I already have a few planned out. I just need to write them. This will also last a few chapters. So, don't expect any dark moments or emotional feels for a good while.
Thanks for reading. Later.
