Lastation Ghost Game
A Hyperdimension Neptunia & Digimon Crossover Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
Episode 5: Enter Kyoko
"I see," Kei Jinguji nodded as she observed the file on Merlin on the monitor. "I admit I never would have thought to check criminal databases from the other nations... but it seems you've hit pay dirt, Miss Kuremi."
"Indeed," said the woman seated at the computer. She had long blonde hair and black eyes, dressed in a white business jacket and black short shorts with a black and gold-striped scarf worn loosely, a pair of hot pink sunglasses atop her head. Her white jacket was somewhat unbuttoned in the front, exposing a good amount of her cleavage. "After all, if this man is an experienced mage, it's highly unlikely for him to have no records, especially if he's a wanted criminal... therefore, the obvious implication is that he's a foreigner. And it seems he caused quite a bit of trouble for the Planeptune Guild before coming here..."
"Assault, kidnapping, child sacrifice, attempted murder of Guild agents... quite a rap sheet," Kei observed. "He must have fled to Lastation to escape the police heat... then perhaps, that demon lord found and seduced him into working for her... though that's only a hypothesis with no supporting evidence."
"So why would he be so interested in recruiting one of these Digimon?" Kuremi pointed out. "I do agree that more investigation is needed, however. Perhaps we could check the hotels in the general area where these Digimon have been appearing, see if anyone matching Merlin's description has checked in recently..."
"Or the demon lord's," Kei added. "I do have one stipulation, however."
"And that would be?"
"When you come to present your findings to Lady Noire, it would behoove you to cover up a bit more," Kei said critically. "I understand that you likely dress that way to loosen lips of possible informants, but we do have decency standards at the Basilicom."
"Oh, is my attire indecent? I had no idea," Kuremi mused as she looked down at herself. "I suppose I could wear some white slacks when I report to you and your goddess..."
"That's a start. A brassiere would also be prudent," Kei suggested.
"I'll see what I can do... but are you sure you don't want another sip of my special blend?"
"One was more than enough, thank you," Kei said as politely as possible, making a note to herself to drink down a tall glass of water to cleanse her palate when she got back...
*The next day...*
"So this Merlin is actually a wanted criminal from Planeptune?" Noire reiterated. "This reminds me of how we couldn't find the infamous Dragon Killer because he was actually a Leanbox citizen..."
"True, but in that case, he was careful not to commit any murders in his home nation so as to not leave a trail," Kei countered. "Still, it seems this mage is skilled enough to give Agent IF trouble, and she's a veteran warrior in relation to some of the other Makers we've fought alongside in the past. Definitely not someone to be underestimated."
"Might be how he got Lilithmon's attention," Noire nodded grimly. "That, and he's deceptively cute. Kinda makes me glad I don't like men- er, at least in the romantic sense."
"That would be a boon for you," Kei nodded with no hint of sarcasm. "Anyway, Miss Kuremi promised she would get back to me as soon as-" a ringtone suddenly cut her off. "Oh, excuse me..." She pulled out her mobile device and checked the ID. "Ah, that's her right there... hello?" she said as she answered, putting the phone to her ear. "Have you found something? ...Oh, truly? I see. Yes, actually, she's with me right now. Give me a minute and I'll patch you through to the Basilicom line..." Pulling the phone away, Kei walked over to a nearby console, pressing some buttons and tapping at her phone. Soon, a holo-screen popped up, showing the detective's face. "There, you're in."
"Oh! I wasn't expecting FaceTime," the blonde woman chuckled. "A pleasure to meet you, Miss Noire. I am Kyoko Kuremi, cyber sleuth and private detective."
"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you," Noire nodded. "Um, did you forget to put on your bra this morning? No offense, but you're less than an inch away from a wardrobe malfunction..."
"Oh," Kyoko looked down at her chest, before making an effort to close her jacket up a bit. "My apologies, your Oracle warned me about dressing decently if I were to visit the Basilicom personally, but I wasn't expecting us to talk face-to-face in this manner. Please excuse me."
"...All right, I'll let you off the hook this once, but try to be more decent next time," Noire allowed. "So, I assume that you found something about Merlin?"
"Nothing other than what I already showed to your Oracle," Kyoko shook her head. "That being said, I was measuring the digital wave activity around the area where the portal to this Digital World is located, and I found something very odd... there was a burst of digital waves in an entirely separate location from the alleys where the portal is located."
"Where, exactly?" Noire pressed.
"If I had to guess... in the vicinity of a snazzy hotel a short distance to the southwest," Kyoko postulated. "It's quite possible that your demon lord Digimon is holed up there... I'd like to go investigate, but this... er, that is, I have no real combat ability to speak of, aside from basic self-defense techniques. Would it be possible for you or your sister Miss Uni to escort me, just in case?"
"I'd like to, but I've got a really big backlog of paperwork to catch up on..." Noire sighed. "And Uni's helping the Guild in Laguna City at the moment..."
"Well, perhaps Sister Ciel could go in your stead?" Kei suggested. "And if you feel she won't be adequate, then the other Sistermons and that Hackmon as well..."
"Oh yeah, that's a good idea!" Noire nodded. "Would you be all right with that, Miss Kuremi?"
"That should be sufficient," Kyoko assented. "Your Oracle should have the address for my agency, so perhaps they could meet me here tomorrow?"
"That'll work. Kei, go get Sister Ciel and tell her what's going on, and see if you can't pull her sisters off community service as well," Noire instructed.
"It shall be done, Lady Noire. By your leave." With a formal bow, Kei turned and left.
"And I'll be sure to try and dress a bit more decently for their sake," Kyoko added.
"Yes, please do," Noire half-snarked.
*The next day*
"This detective agency is pretty well hidden," Sistermon Noir stated as she, Ciel, Blanc and Hackmon arrived at a nondescript oak door in the back corner of a broadway's bottom floor. "We never would have found it without the Oracle's direction..."
"It's probably to ensure that any criminals looking to rub her out won't find her easily," Ciel suggested.
"But wouldn't that also make it hard for customers to find her?" Blanc pointed out.
"Maybe she takes cases over the internet? She said she was a cyber sleuth, right?" Hackmon spoke up.
"Possibly. Now pipe down, Hackmon, we don't want to spook this lady like you did with Miss K-Sha," Ciel said.
"Right, right..." Hackmon said under his breath as Noir went up to the door, gently rapping on it...
"Just a minute!" came a voice from inside. Soon, the door opened, revealing Kyoko, who was wearing a pair of white slacks but was otherwise dressed the same as before. "Ah, you must be the Sistermons. Apologies, but I could not find a bra in my size that I could afford... I'm a little strapped for cash at the moment, you see."
"Not many cases coming across your desk, huh?" Noir commented. "But I bet if you posted a picture of yourself online, you'd have tons of clients in no time!" She promptly doubled over in laughter.
"Noir, that's not funny," Blanc shook her head, Hackmon making a whining sound and covering his face with a paw in shame.
"I apologize for her, Detective, she's got a warped sense of humor," Ciel sighed. "Anyway, yes, I am Sister Ciel, and this is my twin sister Noir and my younger sister Blanc. And just so we're clear, their having the same names as the goddesses here and in Lowee are just coincidence. And this here is Hackmon."
"I see, I see," Kyoko nodded and smiled. "Well, you twins certainly look like experienced warriors, despite your cute looks. And this one..." She walked up to Hackmon, bending down with her hands on her knees to get a closer look. "Is he training to become a hero or something?"
"Yep!" Hackmon barked in a way indistinguishable from a normal dog.
"Good boy," Kyoko chuckled as she gently patted his head. Straightening up, she pulled her jacket a bit more closed before saying, "Well, shall we be off to the hotel, then?"
"W-we're not g-going to fight Lilithmon, are we...?" Blanc said nervously.
"Of course not; I just want to confirm her location," Kyoko assured her. "Once we've done that, we'll report back to Miss Noire so she can decide what to do next..."
"Sounds good," Noir nodded. "Let's hope we can nip her plans in the bud before any other dangerous Digimon get lured through that portal..."
"For once we're in agreement," Ciel concurred. "Off we go, then..."
*And so, near the hotel in question...*
Kyoko had taken the lead of the group, holding a device that read digital waves, Ciel and Noir at her flanks while Blanc and Hackmon brought up the rear. "All right, we're getting close," Ciel cautioned. "Might want to get your weapons out just in case..." She promptly summoned her sheathed blade.
"Roger that," Noir nodded, pulling out her Antony guns.
"I'm not smelling anything outta the ordinary," Hackmon spoke up.
"Hssst!" Blanc tried to shush him.
"Oh, so he can talk, can he?" Kyoko chuckled. "It's fine, I've seen plenty more bizarre things than a talking dog. Let's duck in here real quick." The group promptly went down the nearby alley, staying alert. "What the... that can't be right," the blonde muttered as she looked up, then back down at her device. "Is this device malfunctioning?"
"What's wrong, Detective?" Ciel asked concernedly.
"Well, my device is detecting a massive digital wave reaction... but it's right in front of us-?!"
Suddenly a blaze of dark energy erupted in front of the group, the shockwave knocking Kyoko and the twin Sistermons head over heels! Being further back, Blanc and Hackmon only stumbled a bit, before freezing as a haughty laugh echoed from said blaze. "I-is that...?!" Blanc trailed off, quaking with fear.
"Who else could it be?!" Hackmon grunted, all his muscles tense as a female figure appeared within the dark energy, which suddenly dissipated to reveal...
"Ohhh-hohohohohoho! Indeed it is I, Lilithmon, the Demon Lord of Lust, and your future mistress!" the woman in question laughed. "Congratulations on sniffing me out. But let's take stock, shall we... two Champions and two Rookies, up against a Mega-level? Something tells me you didn't quite think this through, hmmm~?"
"W-w-what do we do..?!" Blanc squeaked, quaking in mortal fear.
"How did you know we were looking for you?!" Ciel demanded to know as she sat up, one hand on her sword hilt.
"Oh, my subordinate put up a bounded field that would alert him if any digital life forms came within a hundred yards of our hideout," Lilithmon chuckled.
"Merlin. Of course," Kyoko grunted as she also sat up. "I should have realized it sooner... of course he would have detection measures set up..."
(Dammit, why can't I move?!) Noir thought desperately, only able to sit up, unable to even reach for her guns.
"It seems even my evil aura is too much for you Sistermons to handle," Lilithmon said with a smug smirk. "What a shame, I was hoping to at least get some exercise... but I suppose I'll have to take out the trash instead!" She charged forward, grabbing both Ciel and Noir by their faces, dragging them across the pavement before turning and slamming them into the wall, the bricks cracking significantly!
"NO!" cried Blanc as she finally got her body to move. "Divine Pierce!" she intoned, firing a ray of light from her staff which nailed Lilithmon in the back... but alas, it only caused the succubus to flinch slightly.
"And what was that supposed to do?" Lilithmon said disdainfully, letting Ciel and Noir drop bonelessly to the ground as she turned to face the youngest Sistermon. In an instant, she had driven her knee into Blanc's stomach, causing her to cough blood, before grabbing her head and slamming it into the asphalt!
"Let her go!" Hackmon cried as he leapt at the Demon Lord- only for Lilithmon to nonchalantly backhand him with her claw, the Digimon smashing into the opposite wall and leaving a small crater.
"Bad doggy. Play dead," Lilithmon quipped as she stood up, watching as gravity reasserted itself, Hackmon tumbling to the ground all but unconscious, the demon then turning back to Kyoko, who had just regained her feet. "So much for your bodyguards, detective."
"Just what do you expect to accomplish?" the blonde woman asked defiantly. "The people of Lastation, much less Gamindustri, will never accept a demon like you ruling them."
"They won't have a choice in the matter," Lilithmon replied as she walked up to Kyoko. "Aren't you the least bit afraid of what's about to happen to you?"
"I won't give you the satisfaction," Kyoko shot back. "If you're going to kill me, then get it over with."
"Kill you? Oh no, my dear..." Lilithmon said as she leaned in close. "As if I could let such a nice body go to waste..."
"E-excuse me?" Kyoko gasped, nonplussed.
"You heard me. I'm the Demon Lord of Lust, remember?" Lilithmon pointed out, before grabbing the other woman in an affectionate embrace. "No, my dear detective, we're going to have some fun together..." Her mouth closed the distance...
"Hmmmph?!" Kyoko's eyes went wide as the succubus kissed her deeply... then her eyes glazed over as she went limp in Lilithmon's arms.
"Mmmm, that's a good girl," Lilithmon chuckled. "Shall we be off, then?" Flapping her wings, she took flight with the prone blonde in tow, soon vanishing into the sky.
"No..." Hackmon grunted in despair as he watched them leave. Despite the pain, he managed to stand, looking over at the defeated Sistermons... (I gotta do something, find help...) He staggered out of the alley and into the street, looking for anyone nearby... then he saw an NPC couple a fair distance down the street, walking after them and barking to try and get their attention...
"What's that barking...?" the husband said in mild annoyance, turning to see Hackmon stumbling after them. "What kind of dog is that?"
"I have no idea, dear," the wife replied as she also turned to look. "Wait, it's hurt!" She quickly ran up and knelt down before Hackmon. "Are you okay, boy?" Hackmon let out a whining noise as he turned and pointed to the alley. "What is it? Did something hurt you in there? Dear, go take a look."
"All right, stay with him," the husband said as he stepped past them, cautiously approaching the alley and peering into it, before recoiling in shock. "Honey, call 911! There's people injured here!" He ran up to the prone Sistermon Blanc, kneeling down to check her pulse... "Thank goddess, she's still alive... hey! Can you hear me?"
"Nnngghh... huh?" Blanc stirred. "Who...?"
"Hey, we're calling for an ambulance, okay? Just stay out of the light!" the NPC insisted. "What's your name?"
"B... Blanc..." she coughed. Her eyes blinked open, seeing Hackmon walk up. "Where... Miss... Detective..." Hackmon just whined and shook his head in response. "Oh no..."
"Hey, just save your strength! Help is on the way, just hold on," the husband told her. Soon, a wave of relief washed over him and Hackmon as they heard sirens in the distance...
*Episode 5-End*
A/N: I think the phrase 'that could have gone better' would be a massive understatement... what will become of poor Kyoko?