Chapter Text
Note: This story is based on the first OG Neptunia game, not Re;birth 1.
The purple-haired woman is limping before she trips and grabs hold of the pillars to support herself. Her body is covered in bruises, and her suit is filled with tears. Her breathing is ragged, and she feels herself almost passing out from overheating due to pushing herself and overclocking her CPU Unit system. She desperately tries to force herself to stand, but her legs decide to give up on her.
No use.
"Damn it. Not now... I have to keep... pushing." She winces as she grips her shoulder and uses her katanas to balance herself. She knows she's running out of time, and it won't be long before they catch up with her. She takes out her last supplementary overclocking drug and swallows it, feeling the effect kicking in almost instantly
She then senses something coming at her from above. With the aid of the drug, she quickly raises her katanas to deflect the attack with lightning reflexes. Their weapons clash, releasing sparks from the friction. Purple Heart's body goes into overdrive as she struggles to keep her hold as the pain in her shoulder intensifies before she ultimately gets knocked back.
Her body flops to the floor and lets out a gasp as she feels as if thousands of needles are piercing all over her body. She slowly picks herself off the floor as she hears a familiar cocky cackle.
"You're not looking so hot over there, Purple Heart."
Her eyes shoot up with fierce anger at the white-haired woman before she wipes the blood from her mouth. "And your ego is still as big as your head." She shoots back, which makes the woman laugh even more. "Still have your fighting spirit, I see. That won't be for long."
She then sees the two more women join up next to Black Heart. The purple CPU knows she doesn't have a chance against the three, at least not with her current condition. Her eyes desperately look for a way out before she feels herself back into a dead end as she reaches the edge of Celestia. She turns back at the edge and then back at them with a glare like a cornered rat.
"Give it up, Neptune. There's no way out." White Heart calmly states as she cracks her neck and rests her wielding axe on her shoulder.
"Hm, I admit, you did give us a run for our money, but it's futile in the end. Give yourself up, and we'll see that you receive a quick and painless end." Green Heart smirks.
"Like hell I would give myself up." She sneers, unwilling to show an ounce of submission. "To think all of you would gang up on me like that."
"It's called being tactical." Black Heart grins.
"Enough, with the chit-chat. Let's just kill her already." The blue-haired girl snaps, gripping her weapon.
"We're still unsure if we can kill her or not, but I suppose we shall find out. Who shall take the honor of delivering the blow?" The green-haired asks.
"Hmph, I think it should be obvious be me."
"Hold on, why the hell should it be you?"
"Well, I was the one who got to her first."
"Yeah, well I—"
The three then start bickering among themselves.
Are they seriously arguing once more? And most importantly, did I just get ignored once more?
The woman feels a tad annoyed for having been ignored a second time. However, she doesn't wait for them to finish, as she has already made up her mind.
"I won't give any of you the satisfaction of ending me." Purple Heart takes a step back; her foot is dangling at the edge. This causes the three to widen their eye; her action catches them off guard. She takes a deep breath and leans her whole body back, and she feels the wind on her back as she begins free-falling. Finally, she feels her body giving up on her as she's forced out of her Hard Drive Form from exhaustion. She can't even lift a finger.
I guess this is it, huh?
She doesn't feel sad or angry. The girl has already come to terms with it.
Her head is running with all kinds of thoughts as she begins to reflect on her whole life. She wonders if there is anything on the other side waiting for her, or will be complete darkness. I suppose it doesn't matter now. She sees her whole life flash through her eyes. She can't help but think that in her final moments that she has a lot of regrets. She regrets failing her own people, regrets failing as a CPU, regrets failing the former goddess, and finally regrets not claiming the true goddess title.
Still... if I'm going out, I'm going out on my own terms. I wonder if the former goddess is proud of me?
Neptune closes her eyes and hopes that her final moment will be swift before she finally blacks out.
And then she all falls down...
In the deep, deep, end.
(N)
The sun shines brightly in the sky, along with the sounds of birds chirping in trees. A brunette-haired girl is seen walking through the grassy field. She takes a glance once she's on top of the hill and sees the outskirts of the city appear on the horizon, along with wind turbines in the distance.
"Alright, not much further." She says to herself. "I should rest up for a bit. My feet are killing from walking."
The girl then finds a suitable spot to rest underneath a tree's shade that's close to a lake.
Perfect.
She crouches by the lake and begins to scoop up the water in her palms before drinking it and splashing it on her face, quenching her thirst and feeling refreshed. She notices something peculiar in the distance. A body that belongs to a young girl lying ashore.
The heck...?
The brunette approaches the body with tentative steps. Once she gets close, she is able to make out her appearance. The girl looks no older than 10 years old, and she appears to wear a white hoodie and has short pink hair.
Fearing the worst, she places two fingers on her neck. After a moment, the girl lets out a sigh of relive as she feels a faint pulse.
The purple-haired girl is alive and seems to have a few scratches on her. However, she takes notice of something else about her. "Jeez, her body is flaming hot."
The girl then stands up and takes out her flip phone before she begins to scroll through her contact list. She presses the phone to her ear once she hears a ringing noise before a male voice comes through. "Hello?"
"Jim. Listen, something came up."
"Oh, hey IF. Did something happen?"
The girl, named IF, begins scanning her surroundings to make sure it's clear before continuing, "Yeah, you wouldn't believe this, but I found a young girl by the lake near Planeptune's city."
"What? Is the girl still alive?"
"Yeah, and she might need medical attention ASAP. I'll send you the coordinates."
"Alright. I'll come by as fast as I can."
She then slams her phone shut. She then lifts the girl and places her on her back. She secures her arms around her neck and grabs her legs before she begins to carry her. Fortunately, the girl seems to weigh nothing for IF.
(N)
Executing Program...
Checking system status...
HDD status OK
Memory status OK
Clock frequency NORMAL
Body Temperature Ideal
System status: All online!
Rebooting...
The young girl slowly opens her eyes and blinks away the blurriness. Her purple eyes stare at an unfamiliar ceiling. "Ugh... where the heck am I?
She tries to move her body but feels a sharp jolt of pain and a throbbing headache. Her whole body feels sore. She tries to look around before she hears two faint sounds in the distance.
"—The girl seems fine. Just a few minor injuries, but she should be okay."
"That's good. So, have they found anything about her?"
"Unfortunately, nothing matches the girl's description. No records or known parents."
"Huh. That's... strange. She could be an orphan."
"In any case, I did the best I could. The girl is under your care. I'll be taking my leave now. "
"Sure, and thanks again."
She then hears footsteps leaving the room. She tries to speak but can't get the words out. Slowly, the sensation in her body is coming back, and she feels her whole body is sore. Gradually, she begins to move her muscles.
IF then notices the young-looking girl is now awake. "Oh, you're awake, I see."
"Where...?" She grimaces as she shifts to her side.
"Hey, careful. Don't push yourself too hard." The brunette warns her before she leans on the doorway. "We're an abandoned shack just outside of Planeptune. I found your body by the lake."
Lake? Pleneptune? Oh... that's right.
The purple-haired girl sighs before she flops her head on the pillow and rubs her forehead. It seems she fell into the world below and miraculously survived. "How long have I been out?"
"A few hours and you're welcome, by the way. Anyway, how are you feeling now? Can you move at all?"
"Yeah, I'm... okay now, I think." The girl lies through her teeth. She attempts to sit up on the bed and ignore the pain in her body. She takes this moment to study the girl in front of her. The girl has long brunette hair with what looks like a green leafy bow. She wears an oversized blue jacket with a black tank top and shorts underneath. She also notices that she is strapped with a belt that has phones in it.
That's way too many phones for one person. Neptune can't help but think.
"I see. Well, I was on my way to the city. I can drop you there if you want."
"Yeah." She hisses before she hops out of bed and gives her a bright smile, or at least attempts to. It hurts like hell, and she's pretty sure her smile is skewed. "That would be great... thanks."
"Thanks for helping me again. By the way, I never caught your name, mysterious savior."
IF blinks for a moment before she shakes her head. "Ah, right. Name's IF. A beautiful gust of wind that blows through Gamindustri."
"IF... huh?" She tries it on her mouth. "Well, I'm Neptune. Nice to meet you... mind if I call you Iffy?"
"I prefer that you don't."
Well, at least she's doing ok. However, she doesn't like that the girl is being awfully chummy with her. "Come on then. The city shouldn't be far from here."
The two heads outside the shake, with Neptune following behind IF. She tries to initiate a small talk with the girl. "So, Iffy—"
"It's IF."
"Right, whatever. So, what is it that you do? Are you some sort of an adventurer?"
"Yeah, you could say that." It was then her turn to ask her. "What about you? Why were you doing outside the city anyway? Don't you know it's dangerous for little kids, especially with the monster crisis?"
Firstly, rude! Seconds, who are you to judge my appearance when you look no younger than me, mortal?
"Hey! I take offense to that." Neptune huffs and pouts. "I might not look like it, but I can handle myself just fine, thank you very much."
Such disrespect wouldn't go unpunished. However, Neptune, being the merciful CPU she is, decides to let it slide since the girl doesn't know better, and she also helped her. Wait... did the girl mention a monster crisis?
IF mentally rolls her eyes at the girl's attempt to look tough and brushes her off. "If you say so. How'd you end up in the lake anyway?"
"Oh, um... It's a long story." She drawls awkwardly and rubs the back of her neck. "Let's just say I've gotten into a fight and that's how I end up like this. It's a bit complicated."
"Okay then." IF, sensing the hencincy in her tine, decides not to push further. She really isn't interested in digging into people's pasts, especially when they don't want to share it. Besides, what people do is their business, and it's not like she's a saint, per se. She has her own past, so she really can't judge people.
Neptune appreciates that she doesn't pry further. She then attempts to shift the topic away. "So... What do you think about Purple Heart? She is pretty cool and stuff, isn't she?"
"Huh? Yeah, I guess so." IF shrugs and gives her a half-assed answer without looking up from her phone.
Really? That's all you have to say.
Neptune feels a vein appear in her head. She gives the girl a blank look from behind and decides to give up. The girl doesn't seem to be the best at small talk, and also not a big fan of Purple Heart.
Ah, well. Can't win them all.
The rest of the walk continues in silence as Neptune shifts her focus to the scenery around her and the city in the distance, and before she knows it, the short trip goes by in a blur.
(N)
The two go their separate ways after they reach the city of Purple Progress. Neptune begins to look around the futuristic city.
Dang, it's been a while since I've descended to the human world.
She can't help but wonder what has changed after her last visit, but this would have to wait as she has more pressing matters. She probably should check up on her followers at the basilicom and see the current state of her nation. She quickly heads to where her Basilicom is located, or at least hopes that she remembers the way. It would suck if she got lost in her own city.
Thankfully, the way to the Basilicom hasn't changed all those years.
"Ah, Home sweet home." She goes to the main entrance and makes her way inside. Neptune begins to look around. The place is the same as she remembers it. The are row of pews with the sun shining through the tinted windows.
Ah, I can't wait to rest in my comfy bed.
After regaining her energy, she will fly back to Celestia. Oh, she is so going to get back at those three for teaming up against her.
"Ah, hello there, young lady." A voice interrupted her train of thought. She turns and sees one of her devoted followers, the sanctuary is what they are called, wearing a long rope. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Oh, right. It's been so long since I've been here, so they probably don't have any idea who I am. They also won't recognize my human form too. Welp, time to announce myself.
She clears her throat and places her hands on her hips, and pounds on her chest with her fist. "Yo! Whattup. Your awesome CPU is back!"
"CPU..." He whispers. "Oh my! Lady Purple Heart, is that you?"
"Yup, the one and only." She puffs her chest. "So, you can just bow down or whatever."
"Oh, thank goodness you're safe." He quickly rushes to her side, which takes her by surprise. "Are you alright, my lady? We all thought the worst when all the CPUs descended to their nation except for you."
"H-Huh? Wait..." She furrows her brow. "What do you mean? Why did the other CPUs all descend from Celestia?"
"We're not entirely sure. They say that a powerful overlord took over Celestia. The other CPUs were forced to flee back to their nations."
"What?!" Neptune couldn't believe her ears. An overlord that is strong enough to take down three CPUs. How the heck?
"My lady, since you're here, should I announce to the nation about your arrival?"
The purple-haired girl rubs her chin for a moment. "Nope. Don't announce my arrival now."
Besides, if the others think I'm dead, then they're in for a nasty surprise, heh heh heh. Neptune does a comical villain laugh inside her head as she rubs her hands together like a fly, along with a smirk plastered on her face.
"Understood, my lady." He nods his head. "Anything else?"
"Oh, Yes." She quickly composes herself and raises a finger. "I want to know the current state of my nation as well."
"It's not very good, my lady... A lot of monsters keep appearing, and the Planeptune defense force fails. We had to close a lot of places, and the citizens are too afraid to, causing a lot of places to close down temporarily."
"Oh, that's not good." She mutters.
"Don't worry, my lady. Your divine protection barrier is still keeping the city safe."
"That's good to hear. That's one thing off my plate." She lets out a sigh. "Can you guide me to my room, please?"
"Certainly, my lady." He then gestures for her. "You must be very exhausted after traveling all this way."
For now, she can use a good rest after everything, and what a day this is. She nearly escapes with her life, and now she hears an overlord who takes over Celesita. It doesn't matter. Someone once told her that she's the one who can save the world, and she that what she will do.
No matter what the cost is.
AUTHOR'S NOTES
This is going to be another take on the Neptune retains her memory story.
The story will not follow the game's story and will be mostly different.
Again, this story is based on the OG game, so please don't point out any inconsistencies if it's based on Re;birth 1.
Next Chapter: Partners
Neptune embarks on her new journey to save the world. However, not knowing where to start, she decides to meet with her mysterious savior.