Chapter 4 – Reunions & Meetings
Nepgear's POV
And so, the day of my really extended family coming here for a week-long visit had finally came. To be completely honest…I was still worried about this. But at the same time, I was actually pretty excited. It has been quite a while since I last saw my cousins. And having them explore Planeptune almost feels like an honor…as if we're showing off what we've accomplished as a nation.
…
E-Even if…Neptune had little to no involvement in its progression.
"So, your cousins are really coming to this world, Gear?" IF asked me as we were all on the balcony waiting for Neptune to return with Amitie and the others in tow.
"Yep. They are. It still feels kinda strange to me…but I'm sure they'll have a good time."
"I see…but what exactly made Histoire change her mind about it?"
"Uh…w-well…"
I already told Uni, Rom, and Ram about it. So, there's no point in hiding it now…
"…Apparently, my cousin Amitie has a Crystal Shard and that sparked Histoire's interest. To some degree."
"A-A Crystal Shard?! You mean the things you had to collect in Kirby 64?! How are they real and how the hell does she have one?!"
"Sh-She's been to Dream Land and is friends with Kirby…a-apparently."
"Y-You're kidding…" IF gained a huge sweatdrop.
"I wish I was, IF…"
"Wowie…you cousin sounds like a really interesting person, Gee Gee." Compa said.
"That's one way to put it, Compa…" I gained a sweatdrop of my own.
"Ooh~…your cousin sounds way more interesting than yesterday, Nepgear!" Ram cheered. "Now I'm REALLY excited to meet her!"
"M-Me too." Rom added.
"Even I gotta admit…my interest grew a little from yesterday." Uni said.
"Wait…how did you three get here without letting your sisters know about this?" IF asked.
"We told them we were hanging out with Nepgear. Noire didn't suspect anything after that."
"Neither did Blanc." Ram said. "She was too busy writing her manuscript to show any interest."
"Okay…not really sure if that's a good thing or not…"
"In our case, it's definitely a good thing." I said. "We rather not have a lot of people know about cousins from another universe."
"You say that, Gear…but why is Famitsu here?" IF then pointed out the sole reporter girl standing amongst us.
"I'm just here for an exclusive article about this game that originates from there." Famitsu said. "Nothing about the "universal cousins" will leak out of here. I promise."
"Really, now…" IF then let out a huge sigh of stress.
"You still seem so unsure of it, Iffy." Compa said.
"It's just…I don't know…I have this tremendous bad feeling that something is going to go wrong during all of this."
To be honest…so do I. Not that I don't want to see Amitie, Rivitie, and Melody again. It's just…you can't help but worry when two completely different worlds are coming together for any period of time…
"Ah, quit your worrying, IF." Ram said. "We're Goddess Candidates. If some creepy-ass dipshit comes by and starts trouble, we can just punt that fucker across the pavement."
*JAB*
"Ow! What the hell, Rom?!" She then yelled in anger after Rom had jabbed her in the side for swearing. Again.
"And you just made my worries grow even more, Ram…" IF gained a sweatdrop.
"So, when's Nep-Nep coming back, Gee-Gee?" Compa asked me.
"Well…when I spoke to her early this morning, she said that they were getting some last-minute stuff done. They could be on their way now…"
Right when I said that, a mysterious star-shaped portal formed in front of us. It pulsed like a heart for a bit…before it finally opened up, and out came Neptune. Bearing a nonchalant smile like this was normal for her.
…
Which, when you think about it…it actually was.
"Hiya, y'all! Imma back!"
"Welcome back, Neptune." Histoire said. "I assume the trip through Space and Time was a success, right?"
"Pssh! Who do you take me for, Histy?! A dimensional-traveling noob?! Of course, it worked out! Noting to worry about!"
"Hearing you say that only makes me worry more…" Histoire gained a sweatdrop.
Suddenly, the portal began to pulse rapidly again and glow a bright light. Going faster and brighter…it was honestly amazing seeing a dimensional portal work in front of my own eyes. Usually, I'm the one being wrapped through the thing.
After a few seconds, the portal's light was glowing dimmer. And as the pulsing was also slowing down…
*BZZZT*
*BZZZT*
*BZZZT*
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT*
"GAAAAH!"
*THUD*
"*groan* Geez…that was a trip…totally forgot just how fast Space-Time travel is."
"A-Amitie!" I cheered in excitement as I was now face-to-face with my cousin from another world.
"Woah…hey, Nepgear! Long time no see!"
"Wow…so, this is Amitie?" IF asked.
"The two of you look nearly identical to each other, Nep-Nep." Compa added.
"Do we?" Neptune and Amitie then looked at each other for a little while.
…
…
…
"You know…I kinda see it." Neptune said.
"Our hairstyles are kinda similar…I can see how people could mistake us as twins." Amitie added.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT*
"Mistake YOU TWO as twins? Please…that's a bigger insult than calling Raffina a lesbian."
"Is that an insult, though?"
"Hello, Rivitie." I greeted my other cousin after she had came out of the portal.
"Oh…hey, Nepgear. Nice seeing you and whatnot."
"Wh-Whatnot?"
"Can't you show at least some excitement for this?" Amitie asked.
"I don't get excited. I'm the mellow, calm reasonable twin. If I was just as giddy as you 24/7, no one would ever tell us apart."
"As if the red markings on your body and the fact that you float don't already tell us apart…" Amitie gained a sweatdrop.
"W-Wait, they're twins?" Uni asked.
"Yeah, they're twins." I replied. "Their names are Amitie and Rivitie Rose."
"But you know…how they became twins is a bit of a crazy story." Neptune added. "You see, there was this hat and…"
"Th-They don't need to know that, Neptune!" Amitie yelled as she covered Neptune's mouth.
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT*
"Why not? It's pretty much common knowledge at this point." And now, it was Melody who came out of the portal. Oddly eating a bag of chips while doing so.
"I'd rather not confuse the hell out of people we just met with questionable stuff you did back when we were younger."
"Hey…you both know that I had my reasons for the stuff I did. And besides…you both got badass powers from it all. So, I don't know why you're complaining."
"It's not like we wanted these powers, Mom…" Both Rose girls grumbled in aggravation.
What kind of powers could they be talking about?
"*clears throat* Well, then…" Histoire spoke out. "…I welcome the three of you greatly to Gamindustri. I'm sure you're all rather tired from…"
"Woah, woah…slow your roll, Histy." Neptune said. "We've still got more people coming."
"More people?" Histoire gained an exasperated look. "Neptune…how many people did you invite?"
"Well…"
*BZZZT*
*BZZZT*
*BZZZT*
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT*
"Fufufufu~! Finally~…I have arrived in a completely new world~! Now, I shall learn its secrets~…and use its dimensional power for my own~! Fufufufufu~!"
"Wow, Feli…not even 5 seconds and you've already gone creepy loli on us."
"That's gotta be a new record. A personal best, even."
"Sh-Shut up~! I'm not a loli, damnit~!"
Next to come out of the portal were three girls…one with long purple hair tied with a red string ribbon, one with long blonde hair and carrying a broom (for some reason), and one with green hair buns that looked like they were hiding something.
They look like…horns?
"These three are my best friends and classmates." Amitie explained. "I asked Neptune if they could come. So, please don't fully blame her for this, Histoire."
"*sigh* Amitie…your willingness to bail Neptune out of situations like this can be rather something."
"*giggle* That's what makes her a great cousin, right?" Neptune said as she hugged Amitie.
"That wasn't a compliment, Neptune…" Histoire gained a sweatdrop.
"Fufufufu~. Greetings, other-worlders." The purple-haired girl said. "My name is Feli Kuromi. A young maiden who studies the Occult Art of Divination."
"D-Divi-what now?" Ram asked in a confused tone. "What the hell is that?"
"Something with Dark Magic…perhaps?" Rom added in the same tone.
"Hmph…I can assure you that the Occult Arts are MORE than just simple Dark Magic. With the power of the stars, I can easily…"
"…Turn into a girly little loli."
"Sh-Shut up, damn you~! I'm not a freaking loli~!" Feli then proceed to hit Amitie with these bent metal rods in her hands. All while whining in this new personality that definitely took us by surprise.
"Feli's got a split personality thing." Neptune said. "Mention anything about her short-stature and she'll start acting like this."
"I see…" Was all I said as a reply.
"Howdy! Name's Witch!" The blonde-haired girl said. "Imma witch-in-training and I sell homemade potions at very reasonable prices!"
"Very questionable homemade potions…" Rivitie added.
"Hey! Quit besmirching my brand! Imma tryin' to get new customers here!"
"Witch…no one in their right mind would buy one of your potions. Not even in a different world."
"And just why the hell not?! My potions are grade-A products from my grandmother's own mind! People would be crazy NOT to buy them!"
"Yeah, I highly doubt your grandmother created a potion that lets you fly with your ass cheeks flapping like bird wings." Melody said.
"Okay, not gonna lie…I actually want to see that." Famitsu said.
"Wh-Why?" IF gained a huge sweatdrop.
"So, I guess I'm next, huh?" The green-haired girl asked. "Wonder how I should go through with this…"
"Just go easy on them, Lidelle." Amitie said. "I'd rather not have you fry my cousin's brains from shock like what you did with Kyoko and Chinatsu."
"Well, they're the ones who asked."
"Even still…"
"Wait…Lidelle?" Histoire asked with a look of pure shock as she made her way closer to the girl in question. "Pardon me for asking…but does your name happen to be…Lidelle Namanari?"
"Yep. On the nose."
"O-Oh my…"
"H-Holy crap…Lidelle Namanari?" IF gained a look of pure shock.
"W-Wowie…sh-she's actually real…" While Compa and Famitsu both looked absolutely afraid.
"So, I'm guessing I'm well-known in this world too, huh?" Lidelle gained a sweatdrop.
"Wait, I don't get it. How do you guys already know her?" Uni asked. Her, Rom, Ram, and I all looked confused. None of us understood why they were so afraid of Lidelle.
"W-We'll…explain later." Neptune said. As she had a huge sweatdrop of her own.
Could it really be THAT bad?
"So, is that everyone, Sis?" I asked.
"Nope. Just two more remain."
"Two more?" Histoire asked in shock. "Neptune…I know we never discussed how many people can come here, but this is truly a lot more than I expected."
"It'll be totally fine, I promise. And besides…one of them you guys just HAVE to meet! Especially you, Famitsu!"
"Huh? Why me specially?" Famitsu asked with a confused look.
"Well…"
*BZZZT*
*BZZZT*
*BZZZT*
*BZZZZZZZZZZZZT*
"Woah…so, THAT was Space-Time travel…that was freaking awesome! Traveling like a speeding bullet train through all of those timelines and landscapes…no wonder you guys do it all the time, Feli-chan!"
…
…
…
The room was dead silent as we all stared at the next girl who came out of the portal. When Neptune said that this next person was someone we needed to meet, she wasn't kidding.
"No…freaking…WAAAAAY!"
Though, no one was more shocked than Famitsu. And for obvious reasons.
"You look just like me!"
"And you look just like me!" The Famitsu look-a-like cheered as the two were now standing directly in front of each other.
"Holy crap! There are TWO Famitsus?!" Ram yelled in shocked excitement.
"Wow…so, it really is like with Rin and Dalida." Feli said. "Looks like you have a parallel doppelgänger, Famitsu."
"Awesome…!" Both Famitsus cheered. Making it rather confusing as to who Feli was talking to.
"Parallel doppelgängers? Is that a common thing in your world, Amitie?" Histoire asked.
"W-Well…it's a recent discovery." Amitie said. "All we really know is that they're usually born on the same day with the same body features but with different personalities. Although, both of them being named Famitsu is definitely a new one…"
"I see…yet another mystery to figure out."
Yet another? What's the first one?
"This is the BIGGEST scoop ever!" Our Famitsu cheered. "My very own parallel doppelgänger! I can't wait to freak out Dengekiko with this!"
"Hold it, Famitsu." IF said. "If this really is "recently discovered" as they say it is, then it's definitely a bad idea to be bragging about it to other people. So, don't tell anyone."
"Aw, what? But this is too cool to keep a secret! And besides, that goes against my game reporter duties!"
"Woah…you're a game reporter?" The other Famitsu asked. "Cool! That's just like this gaming magazine back in my world!"
"Let me guess…is it called "Famitsu"?" IF asked.
"Yep! Totally!" The second Famitsu then went silent for a bit. "You know, that I think about it…it is kinda weird that I'm named after a gaming magazine. I guess that what happens when both of your parents are hardcore gamers, huh?"
"You don't sound all that proud about it, Famitsu." Feli said.
"It's…something I'd rather not talk about."
Her mood suddenly changed…
"W-Wait, where's Julia? Did she get lost while in there?" Amitie asked.
"Oh, yeah." Melody said as she took off this small backpack she had. "She fell apart shortly after jumping in. So, I grabbed her pieces and stuffed them in here. That's why I was lagging behind a bit."
"F-Fell apart?"
"Gr-Grabbed her…p-pieces?" Uni and Compa asked. Both with looks of absolute worry…wondering what Melody meant by what she just said.
…
And then she started shaking the bag. Letting a whole bunch of body parts fall out one by one.
Including the head.
"KYAAAAAAAAA! I-IT'S A…D-D-DEAD BODY!" Rom screamed in fear as she hid behind Ram.
"Rom, calm down. It's just a puppet." Ram said.
"Please~…do not call me~…a puppet~."
"H-Huh?"
The body parts suddenly began to move on their own. Each were slowly coming together…fully assembling into an actual body.
And when the head was last to be attached, the lifeless ruby-red eyes stared back at us all. Giving the impression that it was looking deep within our souls.
"K…K-KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! TH-TH-TH-TH-TH-THE PUPPET! I-I-I-I-IT'S A ZOMIBE! GAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" By this point, Rom had completely lost it. She had ran back inside and was balling her eyes out in absolute fear.
…
I almost did the same…but someone has to continue narrating this chapter.
"Why do people keep~…referring to me~…as a puppet~?" The fully complete girl, who I'm assuming is Julia, asked in slight irritation.
"W-Well, you do kinda look and act like one…" The other Famitsu said with a sweatdrop.
"A-Amitie…who is…" Histoire also looked terrified…but managed to keep her composer.
"Y-Yeah, so…this is Julia Rycroft. Long story short…she was revived from the dead two months ago. So, her body still falls apart from time to time."
"Long story short…I feel like we need the FULL story to understand this." IF said.
"L-Like I said, it's a long story. And also pretty violent…" Amitie mumbled that last part to herself.
Which I'm going to completely ignore for now…
"I-In any case…that's everyone!" Neptune cheered. "Two worlds coming together for one week of fun…this is going to be so nepping awesome!"
"I still have my worries about this, but…welcome to Planeptune, everyone!" I said with a cheerful smile of my own.
Amitie's POV
After everyone had a chance to rest a bit from the trip (Space-Time travel does take a lot of energy from you), Neptune and Nepgear were giving Rivitie, Mom, and I a tour of their home…which they call Planeptower.
Not sure if that's some sort of pun or something…
"Wow…this place is HUGE!" I yelled in excitement as we were walking down a hallway. "You guys seriously live here?!"
"Gotta admit…even I'm freaking impressed. This place has to be like…10x the size of Raffina's mansion." Rivitie added.
"And so many rooms, too…do you guys even use them all?" Mom asked.
"Well…kinda." Nepgear said. "Most of the rooms are basically designated for each of the different game consoles."
"Game consoles?"
"Sure…" Neptune said. "…We've got one for the Meca Drive, the Jupiter, the StreamCast…74, WayStation, GameSquared, Zii, Ybox…can't forget the retro ones like the Betacom, Super Betacom…ooh! I've been meaning to fully deck out a Ztari 5200 room! If I could get Histy to approve that…"
"Are those…even real consoles?" Rivitie asked with a confused look. Completely lost from this conversation.
"I…think I've heard of a StreamCast…but that's only because Lidelle almost won one a while back." I said.
"Trust me, they're ALL real! And I can show you all in full game-binging detail of how each and every one are super nepping freaking awesome!"
"N-Neptune, we don't have time for that…" Nepgear gained a huge sweatdrop.
"Woah…check out the freaking view!"
We heard Misuki's voice coming from a nearby room. And we soon joined her and the others as they were all looking out a very huge window.
"I ain't never seen a city this big before! It's gotta be like…100x the size of Primp!"
"I'd say it's roughly the size of Tokyo." Famitsu said. "Maybe even more…"
"And it's so futuristic, too." Lidelle added. "You sure we didn't time travel by mistake, Amitie?"
"Yes, I'm sure." I then stood next to Lidelle and embraced the stunning view for myself. "Although, I gotta admit…even I'm amazed at how this place looks. It truly is different from Primp."
"*confident giggle* Gaze upon the beauty that is Planeptune, everyone." Neptune said. "Known as the Land of Purple Progress, this nation's the most nepping exciting place you could ever experience! And I rule it all as its Goddess!"
"Y-You're a GODDESS?!" Misuki and Famitsu yelled in shock.
"That means you gotta be like…stupid old, right?" Feli asked.
"I'm NOT old! I'm actually…w-wait…" Neptune then went dead silent as she truly thought about the insult that was thrown at her.
…
And it actually got me thinking, too.
How old ARE Neptune and Nepgear? I mean…I guess they could pass off as being around my age, but…I just can't tell…
"Hey…no fair, Neptune! You guys get to brag about Planeptune!" Ram yelled.
"Well, this is where they're staying, Ram. They're only here for a week."
"A week is enough time for them to see the rest of the world! I'm sure you guys will be totally impressed once you see Lowee with your very own eyes!"
"Lowee?" Lidelle asked.
"It's where Rom and Ram are from." Uni said. "And I'm from a nation called Lastation."
"Other NATIONS?" Mom asked. "Wow…this place is bigger than I thought."
"While it is true that there are other locations here…going to them poses a huge risk to this already controversial vacation plan." Histoire said.
"That you agreed to at the last minute…" IF said. "…I don't think you have any right to be worried about this, Histoire."
"Y-You have a point…but still…"
"Look, Ram." Neptune said. "I already had to go through so much just to get this one week for my cousins and their friends. Sticking with Planeptune is all the time we have. Plus…if Blanc and the others found out about me having family in a different universe, they'll no doubt ask me questions I can't answer."
"Ugh! This fucking sucks!" Ram whined.
*POW*
"OW!" She then yelled in pain after Rom had hit her in the head for the sudden f-bomb drop.
Kid's got a surprisingly vulgar mouth…
"*yawn* Well, anyway…I'm gonna sleep." Mom said. "Night, everyone."
"We just got here and the first thing you want to do is sleep?" Rivitie asked.
"It's not even nighttime." I added.
"Hey, this is the first time in a while that I get to sleep without any worries flowing through my mind and I want to experience that as much as possible. At least until I have to go back and finish that story. You girls go wild without me."
"*sigh* As predicted of Melody Rose…"
"I'll look after Melody." Histoire said. "The rest of you should go out and have as much fun as possible. After all…you only have a week to do so."
"Thanks a bunch, Histy!" Neptune cheered. "Alllright, everybody! Let's go! The tour of Planeptune begins NOW!"
"Better take care of us, Neptune." I said with my own excited smile.
Author's Note: The vacation officially begins! Now with residents of both worlds meeting in full, it's time to cram whatever fun they can have in one week or less.
So, uh…sorry for the long wait with this. I know I said that I would be putting more focus on this story, but…at some point, I felt like scrapping it already. I didn't want to do that since I had already put The Zodiac Stones on hiatus…and to give up on this one when it just started…so, I decided to just step away from it for a while. Come back with a fresh mind. And I honestly think it worked. Managed to get this done before the end of the year.
Thanks for reading. Later.