Chapter 26: Rest and family time.
Noah POV
When I awoke, I believed myself to still be dreaming. I wasn't on some dirty, rubble-filled floor, but a comfortable bed. Not only that, but instead of lying on my own, I had the arms of my precious little girl wrapped around me.
It was only when I tried to move, did I realise that I was not dreaming.
(Argh! Damn it!)
Pain, a lot of pain. Whether it was a finger or an entire limb, excruciating pain followed. (Well shit, I suppose this is the price I have to pay for using that power.) I was actually okay with it. Sure the pain was, well, painful. But from what I could tell, it was well worth it. I mean, Freya was safe, Neptune and Compa were safe, and by how IF was when she woke up, my brown-haired sister was safe too.
To top it off, Woden wouldn't be a problem anymore. I really couldn't have asked for a better outcome.
I felt the arms around me begin to move.
"Mnn…Papa?" My daughter's voice rang out. Pushing through the pain, I craned my head down to look at her.
(Play Neptunia OST: 100$ ( only 'Neptunia' because the track is used in numerous Neptunia games.)
"Hello little one…..Did you sleep well?" my throat felt sore, every word hurt to say. But I was her father, and thus a father I would be. "PAPA!" Her grip on me tightened, and I could feel my clothes getting wet. "*sniff* T-there was loud noises, a-aunty Compa was shouting, A-a scary man was there!" Though my arms screamed at me to stop, I brought them up, and wrapped them around Freya.
"Shh, it's okay…..You're safe now. Your mum and aunty's are…..As well." I gently spoke, rubbing her back. My little Freya continued to cry for a while, and I let her, realising she need to. It was only when her voice started getting hoarse that I spoke again. "Please don't cry…..I don't want you…..ruining your lovely voice." I wanted to hear my little girl giggle in joy and excitement, not cry in sadness.
"I'm a little…..Unwell right now…..But I'll be…..Okay. I'll make…..sure to give you…..Some ice-cream when…..I get better." I could hear her sobs end, and her laughter slowly begin to appear.
"I love you, papa."
(Ahh, times like these are what I live for.) I was in pain, yes, but my little girl was happier.
Turning my head to the side, I bore witness to the sight of Neptune and Compa sleeping soundly in the bed next to me, arms wrapped around each other. From the looks of it, they were using each other like teddy bears. "pfthahahah-GHYK!" The sight was so cute that I couldn't help but laugh in happiness. Unfortunately, my body didn't like me laughing, so I ended up coughing up a little bit of blood. "Papa!" I quickly brought up my left hand to pat her on the head. (Agh!)
"There-there, Freya…..I'm okay." And I was. Sure my body hated me at the moment, but not only was my little girl safe, so were my loved ones. I even got to see such a cute sight, how could I not be happy? (Though that does beg the question, where exactly is IF?) She was not in the room, so perhaps she was out? (Maybe she's explaining to Blanc what happened?) Come to think of it, how was the Goddess of Lowee, anyway? I was sure she must have heard the ruckus Woden caused.
A door was opened. "Huh, so you're awake now? That's good. Good morning sleepy head, sleep well?" Huh, so there she was. "Yeah, well as…..Good as I can…..Be." I replied, voice still hoarse. "Geez, you sound like crap. Don't stress yourself, yeah?" IF spoke, before looking at the bed next to me. "Considering how nicely they healed up, Neptune and Compa should be up soon." IF looked back at me, or more specifically Freya. "Ya hear that, Freya? Your mama, and aunty Compa are gonna wake up soon."
My little girl giggled; how lovely her voice was. "Mama and aunty Compa are suuuper strong, that's why!" she spoke, grinning widely. IF and I shared a glance, and a single thought was shared. We would protect this smile.
I could feel my eyes getting heavier, which lead to me realising how tired I was still. "Freya, your papa is…..still a little…..Sleepy." I patted her head again, giving her a smile while I did so. "Goodnight, Freya. I…..Love you." Before I knew it, darkness had claimed me again.
.
..
…
….
"….y"
Huh?
"…dy."
Was someone calling out to me?
".eddy!"
I felt a weight on my stomach.
"ZEDDY!"
I opened my eyes.
"Mn…..good morning, Neptune." The weight on my stomach had been my wife-to-be. (Heh, what a way to…..wake up.) Even my thoughts still felt sluggish, how fucked was my body? (Wait a moment…..What is she…..Wearing?) "Don't 'good morning' me! Do ya have any idea how long I was shouting your name? I bet the neighbours think we were doin' something naughty!" I couldn't help but let out a pained laugh. "Heh, kind wish…..That was the…..case." Seriously, that scenario would've been far more preferable when compared to the pain and fatigue I was experiencing.
"Oh my, how lewd~ Can I take that as permission~" Neptune gave me her best attempt at bedroom eyes, and cupped my face with her hands.
.
..
…
"PFTHAHAHAH!"
"pfthahahahaha-gyhk!"
The both of us began laughing, enjoying the moment for what it really was; a joke. Sure it hurt for me to laugh, but that didn't mean I wanted to fully avoid doing it. Don't get me wrong, I was attracted to Neptune, just as she was to me. But the both of us knew each other's stance on intimacy; we would wait for the right time, as we both wanted it to be special.
"Nep-Nep, get off Zeddy, he's our patient!" Compa voiced out, having just arrived to see Neptune basically straddling me. To my surprise however, she didn't seem embarrassed to see us in that position. (Hmm, she is a nurse-in-training, perhaps she just takes this seriously.) Wait, 'our'? "Is that why your dressed like that, Neptune?" The purple-haired girl wasn't wearing her usual clothes, instead, she was wearing what I recognised as scrubs, the proper attire for nurses.
"Yup! I originally wanted to dress all sexy-like, but the author wanted to break away from the stereotype."
"What?"
"What?"
….
(Ooookaaay, that was….weird.) Seriously, who was this 'author' she mentioned? "Anyway! Neptune, get off of Zeddy, he needs his rest!" Compa spoke up, distracting me from my thoughts, as well as making Neptune pout. "I don't wanna!" my future-wife complained, snuggling into my chest. The act would normally be welcome, as I enjoyed the close proximity, and affection, of the girl who was currently on top of me. However, being in the condition I was, meant that the act was unfortunately painful.
"Neptune, I love…..You, but please can…..you get….Off?" I pleaded. Neptune gave me a seemingly random smirk.
"Are you suuure ya want me to do that?"
Wait, what did she mean by tha-OH DEAR ME NO!
"Not…..what I meant…..Please get…..Off me."
Her beautiful face morphed into a cute pout.
"Aww…Whhhhyyyyyy?"
"Because my ribcage feels like it's about to collapse."
"Naw, don't be such a baby!"
"Neptune I swear to-GYHK!"
"OH SNAP!"
In the end, Neptune did in fact get off, the purple-haired girl making sure to apologize for her actions. Afterwards however, she leaned close to my ear. "We need to talk later, when you get better, I mean." She spoke, giving me a peck on the lips quickly after. Her voice was serious, the usual mischief in her tone missing completely. "I will." I answered back. I didn't know why she was suddenly serious, but I knew that whatever it was, it must have been important.
(Play Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 OST: Silence Comes.)
There was a short silence after she had left. Thankfully, Compa was kind enough to quickly fill the void. "Nep-Nep's worried, Zeddy. We all are." …… (Did Woden really get to them that much?) It was the only reason I could think of, Neptune was not normally one to be worried about anything. (I mean, from what I know, they lost. To themselves, maybe they failed.) I of course knew different. They may have not been able to kill Woden like I had, but they definitely stalled for enough time for me to complete the trial.
Without that extra power, I doubt that I would have actually been capable of finishing off the old bastard. (Shit, well at least I know a way to fix this.) all they needed to know, was how useful they truly were in the fight.
"Y'know, without you…..Without Neptune, and…..IF, I wouldn't have…..been able to…..defeat Woden." To my surprise, Compa shook her head. "No, that's not what I meant." Compa grabbed one of my hands, holding it with both of hers. "We're worried about you." …What? "What do you…..Mean? If you're on…..About my injuries, then…..Don't worry…..I'll be fine soon…..Enough."
Once again, Compa shook her head. "That's not the point Zeddy. The point is that we haven't seen you hurt this bad before." Her eyes bore into mine with upmost seriousness. "How long will it take for you to recover? How many times will you be hurt this bad?" Her hands moved, now cupping my face. "How many times will we have to see you hurt?" I had a feeling she wasn't even talking about my current injuries.
"If it's to…..Keep you all safe…..This is…..Nothing." I got to see my little girl smile, had I not intervened, I wouldn't have. It was a more-than-fair deal.
I was not expecting her response.
"Do you think we wanted this? To see our brother, a father and a future-husband, suffer?" (….What?) "Do you think we wanted to see you in pain?" (Eh?) "Do you think any of us wanted to live, knowing it came at the cost of your happiness, your wellbeing, your life?" (Is-is this…..how they all felt?) Was I hurting them? By fighting, by putting myself in harms' way for them?
Compa's arms wrapped around me, and the nurse-in-training began to cry. "W-what if one day y-you don't come b-back?" I had heard enough. Ignoring the pain and exhaustion in my arms, I wrapped them around my peach-haired sister. "I'll always…..Come back…..I…..promise." Compa continued to cry for a while after I responded. She must have been holding onto those feelings for a long time.
All I could do is comfort her. While it hurt to move, seeing her go without comfort would have hurt far more.
"P-promise me. Promise me y-you'll take care of yourself."
I kissed her on the forehead.
"I will."
After all, how else was I supposed to react when faced with such a sight?
IF POV
After getting those four into their beds, Histoire had used healing magic to speed up Compa's, Neptune's and Zed's natural healing. After making sure they were all stable enough to leave alone, I dragged Histoire out with me for a little errand.
"Please excuse me, IF, but where are we going?" Histoire asked. "Were going to go see a tailor." My kinda-mother-in-law looked at me with confusion. "Why are we going to go see a tailor, and more importantly, why must I go with you?" She asked. "It's simple. You know everything, right?" She carefully nodded. "Yes? But what does that have to do with going to a tailor?" Oh sweet, innocent Histy, it meant everything. (Wait, that sounds like something Neptune would say!) Damn it, the cheeky Goddess was influencing me!
"Well, it might sound weird, but I guess that also means you would know Zed's measurements?" Suddenly, Neptune's mum gave me a blank look. "I did not know you were such a pervert IF, I'm disappointed." Wait…. (Ah crap!) "NO, that's not what I meant! I meant because I was going to have an outfit made for him!"
Histoire blinked. "Oh…Why did you not tell me before we left?" I could only sheepishly rub the back of my head. "Er….I kinda wanted it made before the day ends, so I wanted to get there as soon as possible."
…
…
….
"ANYWAY, lets get going. I'd rather get this over and done with." I could only hope that Shift was still making clothes, would be reaaaalllly embarrassing if that wasn't the case.
Now you might be wondering why I was trying to get Zed a new outfit, the answer was pretty simple: he was simply too cool to be wearing just any set of plain clothes. (Seriously, how does someone have such awesome and flashy abilities, yet only wear the plainest outfits.) It may have been my chuunibyou talking, but having him not look cool irked me.
Besides, I kinda owed him my life…again. The very least I could do was to get him a decent outfit.
Timeskip: 30 minutes later.
"And we're here!" it took us a non-insignificant amount of time, but we finally made it to Shift's shop. From the looks of it, the place was still open. "C'mon Histoire, this way." I spoke, guiding the fairy-like being into the building.
"Hey IF, long time no see, eh?" The, for some reason, orange-and-brown-haired woman spoke. "Yeah, how ya been? I see your still dying your hair." Shift's actual hair colour was brown, but she normally dyes it. For some reason she currently had dyed it partially orange. "Yeah, I know. Orange and brown got really popular as a hair colour recently. So I thought 'why the hell not?', and gave the colours a go. How do I look?"
(Wait, why would those specific colours become popula-Holy crap Zed, that's why!) I knew the colours seemed familiar, Zed's hair was currently a mix of both. (Come to think of it, both his hair and eyes keep changing colour. I wonder why…) originally he had brown hair and blue eyes, then Orange hair and green eyes, now a mix of both.
What a weird older brother I had.
"Er, fine I guess?" She actually looked kinda weird, but considering I was gonna ask for a favour, I refrained from telling her. "I suppose the colours got popular because of the Liberator, right?" I asked, referring to Zed by his most recent nickname. Shift nodded. "Yup, he's a real celebrity in Lowee now. According to one of my relatives in Lastation, he also really popular over there too."
Well, no surprises there, he did rescue Black Heart after all.
"Apparently, he was the inspiration behind 'Radiant Dawn' an elite military group based in Lastation that work as Black Heart's elite guard." Huh, that was new. (Though if he gets credited for anything else, I'm afraid he might turn into a Gary Stu.) What a horrible thing that'd be. No one likes a Gary Stu.
(Wait, is Neptune influencing me again?) Damn it Neptune!
"Er IF, you listening?" I swiftly nodded. "Er, yeah, I get it. Zed is 'mr popular' and all." I got a unamused stare from my tailor friend, who then began to pout. "You don't sound very impressed…" In truth, I really wasn't. I guess it was because I knew Zed personally, he was my brother. So hearing someone basically kiss his ass didn't exactly hype me up. "Eh, I mean, he's only human, right? Nobody's perfect." I decided to be honest, rather than pretend to be interested. Shift was a good friend of mine, so she at least deserved some honesty.
I was expecting a few different responses, but I did not expect the dead serious expression Shift had on her face.
"IF, as your friend I need to inform you not to say that in public." Why was she being so serious? "Er, why?" Shift grabbed both my shoulders. "Do you have any idea what his Fanclub would do to you?" Crap, this was getting sinister.
"Er, no?"
"YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW!"
Holy crap, were they that bad?
(Y'know what? She's right, I don't wanna know.) That sounded like a 'Zed' problem, not a 'me' problem. (Besides, if anyone of us got hurt, he'd definitely go apeshit.) So there wasn't really any issue with mine and the other's safety. "Er, can you let go please?" Shift blinked, finally noticing how tightly she was gripping my shoulders. "Oh, er, sorry?" There was silence for a moment, before Shift awkwardly coughed. "So, what can I do for you?" Finally, we were back on track.
"I need an outfit made for a friend." Shift nodded. "Okay then, I'll need their measurements. Do you also have a design in mind?" I nodded, both in acceptance and confirmation. "Yeah, Histoire here-" I pointed to the small woman. "Can tell you his measurements." I brought out my 'super-cool outfits' book, happy that it was finally getting used properly. "I have the design drawn out in here." I moved, placing the book open on Shift's counter, flipping the pages until I found a cool enough design. "Here, just make a male version of this." Shift gave my design a once-over, before smirking. "isn't that your 'super-cool outfits' book from when you were a chuuni? And that design, I remember you asking me to make it, before I told you how high the material cost would be."
Shift began laughing. "Y-you then ran off, saying y-you would 'make a pact with a rich demon' or s-something?" Shift's laughter got louder. "Y-you came back a few hours later, w-when your mum brought you back to apologise for wasting m-my time!" She continued to laugh at my expense for 10 minutes straight.
When she stopped, she took a moment to catch her breath. When she finally appeared normal, she took one look at Histoire.
"Ahh, good ti-HOLY CRAP WHAT IS THAT!?"
Did-did she not notice Histoire before now?
"This-" I started, gently placing a hand on the small fairy's shoulder. "-Is Histoire, a friend of mine. She's going to tell you my friend's measurements." Histoire, looking surprisingly calm at Shift's shouting, as if she was used to that type of reaction, spoke with a gentle tone.
"Greetings, I am Histoire."
.
..
…
"Er, Shift? You doing okay there?" The woman was as still as a statue. "Oh dear, this may take a while." (Yes, Histoire. Regrettably, I think so)
Timeskip: 1 hour later.
"Ahh, so she's a magic construct, huh? Why didn't you say so earlier!" … (Maybe because I didn't expect you to freak the hell out!?) "Er, yeah, anyway… Can ya do it?" The woman nodded. "Yeah, sure I can. The question is, do you have enough to cover the costs?" Ah yes, that age-old question. "Yes, actually. It's not as if I've been doing nothing these past few years."
Before I met Neptune, Compa, and Zed, I had actually been a well-known and well-connected member of the guild. Working as hard as I did, for as long as I did, meant I had a decent amount of credits saved up.
"Huh, this friend of yours must be special then." Shift spoke, before her smile suddenly went mischievous. "Is is for a maaaaann?" Was she really trying to tease me? "Not in the way you think, it's for my brother, actually." I corrected. Sure, Zed was a man, but he was a man I saw as a brother. "Huh, didn't know you had a brother." I shrugged. "Well, surprise, I guess…" I wasn't going to explain the full situation, that can of worms was faaarrrr too complicated.
.
..
…
"Soooooo, how long will it ta-"
"6 months."
"-ke. SAY WHAT!?" Shift shrugged. "It's a very complex piece." I sighed, exasperated. "Fine…I'll pay half now, and the other half when your done." As my mum always said; 'Never pay full price on a job that ain't done yet'. Shift nodded. "Sure." I placed the first half of the payment on the counter. "See you later, Shift." The woman smiled. "Yeah, see ya. I'll phone you once I'm done." I was about to leave, when I remembered that Histoire hadn't actually told Shift about Zed's measurements.
Before I could ask her to, Histoire floated/flew(?) Over to Shift, and whispered into her ear. Afterwards, the fairy gave me a knowing nod. "Ah, right. Good job remembering, Histoire, lets go." My sorta-mother-in-law nodded, and we were off.
Noah POV
(Play Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 OST: Brother and Sister by the Window.)
"Wakey-wakey Zeddy, it's time for your medicine." Compa spoke, pouring out some form of medication on a spoon. After our emotional talk, Compa left to allow me to rest. Now, some unknown amount of time later, she woke me up because of some medicine I didn't even know I needed. (But I suppose she is the expert here.) so, regrettably, I sat up, yawning quickly after.
"say 'ahh'." Oh sweet merciful Neptune, she was going to feed me the medicine herself. (No, don't think about it, just get it done with.) I was never an explicitly prideful ma-oh who was I kidding, thanks to Rex, presumably, I actually was. So having to be fed medicine was a little embarrassing. (At least Freya isn't around to see this…Come to think of it, where is she?) Presumably due to the amount of rest I got, my thoughts had returned to normal, no longer feeling sluggish.
"Where is….Freya?" I asked. Unfortunately, my throat was still incredibly sore, as was the rest of my body, hence why Compa had to feed me the medicine in the first place. Compa looked at me sternly. "I'll tell you once you take your medicine, mister." She didn't shout, but her tone was very…. Inarguable, like I shouldn't question anything, and just do as she says. (I guess this is what nurse training does to someone.)
It was definitely a shock to hear the ever kind, and casual Compa act all serious though.
"…Ahhh." Seeing no other way, I did as she asked, and my peach-haired sister fed me the mysterious medicine. (Ergh, bit of an acquired taste…) like I imagined all good medicine was, the medicinal liquid was very bitter. Hopefully I wouldn't have to take it much, otherwise my tastebuds might kill themselves.
"To answer your question, Zeddy. Frey-Frey is with Nep-Nep. As far as I know, they're just playing games with the other children. I guess Nep-Nep wants to make sure Frey-Frey makes friends." Huh… (I suppose that makes sense.) Though it was a bit strange to see the ever-carefree Neptune take anything seriously, she did seem to treat anything to do with our daughter with the upmost importance.
(Heh, I wish I was there to see it.) witnessing Neptune be motherly was definitely something I wanted to see with my own eyes. (Ah, then again, with how my body is now, I'm sure seeing such a sight may be enough to kill me.) Such was the power that my dearly beloved and daughter held.
"What about IF?" If Neptune and Freya were playing, I half-expected IF to watch over them, as was her duty as one of my more responsible siblings. "Ah…" Compa began, before rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, her and Histy are doing something important. They should be back later though." Huh? Something important? "What exactly are they doing?" I was curious, normally anything important was talked about beforehand.
"Um, it's some kind of surprise. Sorry Zeddy, but I can't tell you." Compa answered. Before I could enquire further, the singular door in the room opened.
"Heeeeeeeeey! Guess who's baaaaaaccckk!" a familiar voice spoke; Neptune and Freya were back. "Welcome back you….Two." I spoke, causing the two to smile in my direction. "Hi papa, are you feeling better!?" My dear daughter asked, voice brimming with energy despite having just returned from, presumably, playing. "Yes, while I'm not….All better, I'm….much better than….Earlier." my words caused my little girl's smile to widen. "Ahh, see mama, papa is getting better!"
Neptune nodded. "Yeah, see, what did I tell ya? Your papa is made of strong stuff!" seeing the look in her eyes, I got what they were saying; 'we'll talk now'. I looked at Compa, giving her a nod. Understanding what I meant, the nurse-in-training spoke up. "Ah Frey-Frey, can you come with me for a little bit? Your mama and papa are gonna have a super serious talk."
Freya looked at Compa and nodded, which surprised me, seeing as I expected at least some protest. "Mn, okay. But I wanna give mama and papa a hug first." Compa nodded, and both Freya and Neptune came over to me. The both of them wrapped me in a hug, something that I returned, ignoring the pain it caused. After a few precious seconds, we broke the hug.
"See you soon, Freya." I spoke. "Yeah, see you in a little bit Frey-Frey." With both of our goodbyes said, Compa took Freya's hand and took her out of the room.
…
…
"You mention that….You wanted to talk?" I asked, having a decent idea about what she was going to say.
"…You worried us, y'know that?" Her voice was quiet, almost meek, something that felt entirely wrong. "I…I know. Compa….Already told me. I'll….Tell you what….I told her." I mentioned for her to come forward. When she did as I asked, I gave her a hug. "You, all of you….Are my….Everything." moving through the pain, I rubbed her back as she began to cry. "I'm sorry that….I worried you….All." Her sobs hurt me more than anything else. "I promise that….No matter what….I'll always come….Back."
Forcing my right arm up, I cupped her face and wiped away some of her tears. "So please, please….Don't cry." My throat was still sore, and I could feel the urge to cough. "I love you….Neptune." Thankfully, I was able to supress that urge.
I don't know how long I held her for, only that I would continue until she was okay. As her future-husband, it was my duty to care for her.
"Y'know, back when Compa and I were fighting that old fart, I was able to damage him. But then he just kept healing. I'd make a joke about him 'using hax' but there no joking about how useless I felt." I could feel her sadness. And I hated it. "Don't!" I shouted, stopping abruptly as to stifle a bloody cough. "Y-your not useless….Without your efforts….I wouldn't have….Managed to get strong….Enough to kill that bastard."
I would not stand to see my beloved be so miserable. I would do everything to make sure she knew the good that came from her efforts.
"To put it simply….He was playing with….Cheat codes." Because that's exactly what that ability was, a damn cheat code that made the entire fight one giant pile of bullshit. "Besides, he's gone now….While you'll only….Continue to get stronger." Whether she did it by herself or with help, I had no doubts.
"…Thanks, Zeddy. I love you."
"Heh, anytime….My love."
END OF CHAPTER
An: As you can see, there were actual consequences to utilising a portion of the true power of Terminus. Our protagonist is still a human, after all.
Please feel free to let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas for improvements.
I do try to improve my writing with each chapter, though I also have no idea if I actually am or not.