It wasn't often that Nepgear set out on her own anymore. Between being the only one of the people trapped in the Gamindustri Graveyard to get freed initially and then everything that had happened in the other dimension (getting left behind, being the only Candidate, and so... so much more), Nepgear found herself feeling perfectly comfortable kicking back and enjoying the company of her friends and family. With no great crisis in the world to force anyone apart, she stopped finding herself feeling particularly lonely almost completely — n-not that she was the kind of girl that couldn't do things herself, you know! She was growing up!

Really!

Whatever she was, in the end, Nepgear just didn't have much reason to go running off on her own, and she was perfectly fine with that. Of course, sometimes she liked to take the occasional stroll by herself, but that was about the most of it — and even those could be more fun with company. After all, who wanted to be alone? Certainly not her.

Yet... All that actually made her already peculiar actions this afternoon all the stranger, now didn't it?

Today, Nepgear had ventured away from Planeptune's Basilicom all by her lonesome. She had a very specific destination in mind, but she had no intention of traveling there with anyone other than herself — in other words, until she arrived at her destination, she was on her own... but was that really such a big deal? Given where she was going, she knew she wouldn't really be alone for very long. Just for as long as it took her to travel from one dimension to the other and get to where she wanted to go. Her friends, from both sides of the dimensional gate, did it all the time.

"I... I guess it's because of who I want to see... She does do that to a person, even if she doesn't mean it..." The CPU Candidate sighed as rather cumbersome, lonesome memories flashed before her eyes — Nepgear quickly shook them away. She had already come as far as passing through the gate, so there wasn't much sense in giving up now. She was on a mission. Of sorts, anyway.

During her stay in the other dimension, to say that things had been a bit off for her would be an understatement, to say the least. Despite the fact that she was technically a CPU in that world, in other words, technically their equal... It hadn't really started out that way, had it? She had to wonder if it even finished that way, but at some point she had gotten so familiar with them that she had stopped caring — years together tended to do that. Maybe it was just because everyone started off seeing her as Neptune's younger sister right away, or maybe it was thanks to her own need to be clingy to her sister at the time, or maybe it was just her self-confidence issues creating this all in her head.

At the end of the day, Nepgear liked to think she could confidently say (or as "confidently" as she could say anything at least) that the CPUs and people of this world did view her as an equal, or at the very, very least, as a friend... They had welcomed her, for better or worse, into their lives. That much she was sure of.

Plutia, for how scary she often was, had become, like Peashy, practically family. Nepgear had gotten along with this world's Histoire from the start, or so she liked to believe, and she and Blanc had never had any particularly noteworthy problems... IF and Compa she had watched grow up, and even now she occasionally got misty eyed when she met either pair of them, recalling moments from their childhood. And Noire could be a little hotheaded sometimes, but Nepgear liked to think that, despite Nepgear's many faults (Nepgear's words), Noire still saw her as a voice of reason sometimes. Especially/Unless when Neptune was involved.

In other words, she definitely wouldn't be lonely if it was her who ended up stranded in this world like her sister had!

... Well...

There was one nagging and, in a way, ironic exception to that.

The last CPU on her list. She was the one main person who Nepgear hadn't considered a moment ago. For not only was she the person who had initially made Nepgear feel the most welcome in that crazy new world, even more than her own sister had...

... but ultimately, she was also the person who had been the one who left her feeling the most left behind.

War had come to the land known as Leanbox.

Chaos spread as far as her eyes could see. Fires and broken buildings were all that was left of the land that she had been tending to for so long. There weren't even enough left alive for her to hear screams anymore. It was like nothing Vert had ever seen before. The fact was that she wasn't sure if she would be able to hold off the enemy for much longer. She had trained tirelessly for this moment, from the moment she had heard of their march, but nothing could have possible prepared her for this.

The goddess wasn't sure how much time had passed since the battle had begun. She sent for reinforcements multiple times, but none came. It was readily becoming apparent to her that she was most likely on her own. Unless a miracle presented itself before her, it was her against an army. She assessed what she had left. Her health was low, but not low enough to waste her energy using a recovery spell. She could always use items, but who knew if she would need them more later?

She could hear the approaching footsteps of the enemy army. She was running out of time to prepare! Any moment now...

A loud crash silenced her thoughts.

They had found her.

But just before Vert's world went black, she did manage to catch one fleeting glimpse of her foes.

It would haunt her for the rest of her days...

... or it would have, if she had had any left.

"Who knew these new developers had it in them to create such an amazing demo...? I'm so moved...! My, the full game must be absolutely incredible... I'll need to preorder five copies of the special edition right away."

The first thing Vert heard as she gently removed her headphones was the sound of birds chirping outside the window of her office. The blonde CPU stretched her arms out behind her and turned to the side, a small smile creeping onto her face. Compared to the world inside of the game that she had just left, it was just another beautiful day here in Leanbox. Some might have questioned why their beautiful goddess was spending such a lovely day inside, strapped to her computer and trying out all of the new demos that had been released for the games of the coming year. Games were important, certainly, but why not go outside and let the people see her pretty face once in a while? ... is what they might think.

Gamindustri, of course, was a wonderful world that was fantastical and centered entirely around gaming. It made sense, then, that the goddess of one of Gamindustri's primary nations might be an avid gamer, no?

From what Vert occasionally read on the message boards... That wasn't always what people wanted to see from her. Sometimes she wondered if she shouldn't look at sites like that, but her curiosity always got the better of her. She wondered if her older, wiser self from that other world made mistakes like that. Despite how clearly similar the two of them were... When she was around that person, Vert always got the feeling like she was in the presence of...

Vert's smile faltered somewhat, before she shook her head as a brief, strained laugh escaped her lips. She had gotten to know her counterpart enough to see where the goddess' love for this sort of thing came from. Being a higher being, a true deity even, it was all new and exciting to her — Vert herself had watched more than one anime series with a premise just like that. The god, the time traveler, the being from the other world — all of those types could be highly susceptible to media and entertainment if their tastes matched up, as her counterpart's tastes most certainly did. On the other hand? That... was not the case for her. She had been born and raised as a human being, after all.

Without thinking, the young woman unconsciously raised a hand to her chest. Her gaze was still towards the window... but it was no longer as though she was admiring the view. If anything, it was as though she was looking beyond it.

The goddess kept her gaze like that for a few moments, before she lowered her hand and nodded to herself. Her normal smile returned soon enough, and before she knew it, the moment had passed and she was already feeling in the mood again.

"Okay, okay, enough of that. I still have four more demos to try out before I head to the store!"

Her plans for the rest of her afternoon decided for sure, Vert turned back to her computer and began clicking through folders to find the program she wanted to try next. One of the demos would be best left for last — it was for the long awaited sequel to one her favorite BL titles — but that still left three other demos for her to pick from in the meantime... So which would it be...? Oh, that one looked fun!

"And... start!"

At last, after what seemed like a trip that took forever, perhaps because she hadn't had anyone to talk to during the flight, Planeptune's CPU Candidate gently set lowered herself to just in front of the window. The place was familiar enough. She had found herself here often over the years. Sometimes having been dragged unwillingly, but often having gone on her own as well. Hovering out here, she recalled how she had always found it strange that this Vert didn't have any sort of balcony like the one in her own world did. A balcony for tea, a balcony for lunch, a balcony for... let's call it other, more flowery, more sparkling events than those and leave it at that. Even now, Nepgear occasionally might wind up on that balcony — sometimes accompanied by the other Candidates, and sometimes just by herself — but in the end, Vert was Vert.

Considering how similar the two Verts were, Nepgear would have thought this version of the CPU would surely have wanted an area to do the same things... but no such luck. It would have been nice to have somewhere to land and transform before she made her entrance. She didn't want to come off as looking threatening after all, given what she wanted to talk about today...

"O-Oh well. There's nothing I can do about that now unless I go inside and take the long way." The purple haired girl reminded herself, moving closer to peer inside. Maybe if she was lucky, Vert wouldn't even be there and she could just sneak in? Ohhhh, sometimes she really wished she had her sister's boldness! Taking a deep breath, the CPU Candidate slowly raised a hand, put on what she hoped was an easygoing face, and slowly used her knuckles to knock on the side of the window. A sweet and easy entrance like this couldn't possibly give much away, could it? She still remembered all too well, with a bit of shame felt on the other Vert's behalf, how quick to tears this Vert had been when they were still getting to know each other. "... Huh? I don't think she can hear me..."

Nepgear frowned. She could see Vert from here. There wasn't even much distance between them, relatively speaking at least! The window wasn't even closed all the way! And that gave Nepgear the perfect view of what was going on in the office she was essentially now better off breaking into, considering Vert was probably dead to the world, headphones equipped and completely absorbed into whatever game she was playing. In Vert's defense, Nepgear did understand that there was nothing wrong with that, especially considering this Vert didn't have an Oracle to keep her company and probably didn't have any other company to speak of, but...

It wasn't that she wasn't used to this kind of thing from Vert — from either Vert for that matter — but her stumbling upon it from this Vert made her feel sour. Once more, Nepgear found herself recalling those lonely memories again — and the reason she had decided to come here. Even though she knew full well that she couldn't, no, that she had no right to blame the CPU for not noticing her now, she just couldn't...

"Oh, I know! I will trade Nepgear back for Peashy."

She just couldn't forget how easy it had been for Vert to do that!

Even though she hadn't really been "Vert's" to begin with, s-she had still been a good little sister figure to Vert, hadn't she...? And-And Vert had been so nice to her, too! In fact, Vert had been nicer to her than anyone else had been since that whole mess had started, at least up to that point anyway... Too nice sometimes, but... I-It was more than Neptune had been being at the time...! What if she hadn't wanted to be traded, huh? Had that ever crossed Vert's mind? Like how she hadn't wanted to get left behind when Neptune left her or how she hadn't wanted to leave Neptune in the Gamindustri Graveyard...! It wasn't like she hadn't been being Neptune's real sister just fine alongside... Whatever was happening with Vert, right? Why couldn't she be both?

Just as Nepgear was starting to wonder if maybe coming here had been a bad idea, wonder if maybe she wasn't ready to confront the older CPU about how she had been feeling about all of this just yet, her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Nepgear? Nepgear, is that you...?"

It looked like she didn't have a choice now. There was Vert, sans headphones and opening the window, looking at Nepgear like she wasn't sure if she was dreaming or not.

"Y-Yes, it's me! I, um, was in the area, and, um, goodness..." Flailing her arms around and she tried to find an excuse — she hadn't counted on being taken off guard like this — Nepgear looked around, hoping to come up with something before she lost her nerve. If she even still had any of it left, that is. "S-So I just wanted to come over and say hello! I-It's been so long, you know? A... Ahahaha..."

Thankfully, Vert had watched Nepgear's display without interruption, but now was the moment of truth... and truthfully, even Nepgear wouldn't have bought the nonsense that she had just put out of her mouth. It wasn't like she could very well tell Vert she really wanted to talk about given their current positions, after all... And considering this was Vert, surely she wouldn't put too much thought into what Nepgear was saying? Or maybe that was her not giving the CPU enough cre-

"My, that sounds lovely! Come in, Nepgear, don't be shy."

N-Never mind...

"Right..." Once Vert stepped away from the window and allowed Nepgear room to enter, the CPU Candidate slowly entered the blonde's office, quickly releasing her transformation as to appear as nonthreatening as she possibly could — and also perhaps to ease the situation enough so that she could feel less threatened (by what? herself?) as well. Despite how little they had seen of each other since everything had returned to normal, or the new normal at least, Vert seemed... surprisingly happy to see her. Part of Nepgear felt a little happy seeing that, but more than anything, she couldn't help but feel indignant. Hadn't she been tossed to the side as soon as something much more appealing had come along? At least Neptune came home and made it up to her! Vert, though...

She just hoped all of that didn't show on her face.

"What brings you to this dimension today? Were you visiting Plutia? Oh, or Peashy? Both maybe?" Nepgear felt proud of herself for jumping at the mention of the little CPU from Planeptune. She was starting to worry about her own motives for coming here now, but the fact she wasn't jumping on Vert for starting the conversation with that was probably a good sign, right? After all, it was a fair enough question, and Nepgear had just told Vert she hadn't come here today to specifically see her, even though that was a complete lie... "Hmm? Nepgear? Is something the matter? Please, sit down."

This might make it hard to approach the topic Nepgear had actually wanted to address, wouldn't it?

Nodding slowly, Nepgear lowered herself onto the couch that Vert had brought her to, the CPU cheerily following and sitting down beside her. Seeing Vert looking like this... Nepgear realized she wouldn't be able to take the guilt of leading her on if she did this for any longer! It hadn't even been a full minute yet either, but it was just too much pressure for a girl-next-door type like her...!

"A-Actually, Vert, the truth is... I really did come here to see you today."

Vert seemed surprised by this revelation. Nepgear wasn't sure what to make of that. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? Did that mean Vert had detached Nepgear from her life to the point that she didn't even expect visits from her anymore? Or was she just really happy to see her? Looking at Vert's face... It did seem to be the latter, if Nepgear had to guess, though it being the latter didn't necessarily stop it from being the former either...

"You did?" Nepgear blinked, now starting to become unsure if she was seeing things or not. It didn't even seem like Vert had gotten as far as either of her two worries — she was just staring at Nepgear, wide eyed, like a deer caught in the headlights. This actually pointed Nepgear more towards her first concern about where she stood with the CPU, but surprise didn't have to mean the worst! There was still hope, wasn't there? Wait, did she even want there to be... Ohhh, forget it! Nepgear was surprising her, after all, just... not with a particularly good surprise... Nepgear opened her mouth to try to halt what she assumed was an incoming situation, but Vert broke out into a smile and beat her to the punch. "That's very nice of you to say, Nepgear, but you don't have to say that. Oh, please don't be confused now, I am delighted to see you, but you should know you can always be honest with me!"

"... E-Eh?"

She definitely hadn't expected this reaction.

Vert definitely seemed happy to see her, now that she had got over her surprise... Except it seemed like the idea that Nepgear would seek Vert out on her own was something Vert wasn't even willing to accept! Like the idea that Nepgear would willingly want to spend time with Vert apparently didn't even exist in Vert's mind! That wasn't fair at all! It wasn't even true! Nepgear's whole reason for being here was getting undercut before she even had the chance to present it...!

"N-No, Vert, really, I did come to see you today. You can even call up any of the other CPUs and ask." Nepgear took in a breath, hoping to calm her nerves. For a moment, it actually did work. Thankfully. She was starting to feel just like she had that day that she had been switched out for the new model of sister, and if she let it get to her now, she would never be able to talk about this... Instead, she offered Vert a timid sort of smile. Considering the blonde was starting to show that surprised face again, Nepgear knew one of them had to look this way, even if neither of them would be smiling soon enough. "I... um... I wanted to talk to you about something. It's important."

The woman in green tilted her head, her surprise fading away to an expression of concern. With the way Nepgear was wording this, it seemed like it wasn't a visit for pleasantries... Though logically, if it was about something truly dire, Vert certainly wouldn't have been the first person she visited — probably the last, if anything. Definitely after Plutia and sweet little Peashy, if nothing else.

Even so... Vert couldn't deny that she was very happy to get a visit like this. Despite herself, she even let as much slip out.

"Still, you really came all of this way just for me? Really, Nepgear?" Vert gently raised a hand to her cheek, sighing dreamily as she gazed at the purple haired girl sitting beside her. She was already picturing all sorts of things they could do together, once Nepgear was done telling her whatever the important thing she needed to tell her. It probably could be over with quickly, then they could do all sorts of things... She smiled brightly at Nepgear, already caught up in her own fantasies. "If only Peashy was here too... It would be perfect!"

Nepgear fought back a sigh of her own, albeit one of a different variety, seeing the gears start turning on the face of the older woman before her. She had been with her too many times not to be able to recognize the signs and know just what was going on in her mind right now. It wasn't even that she particularly minded when Vert got this way towards her either. All things considered, Vert stopping this behavior was sort of why she was here, wasn't it? It just... It was like Vert didn't even realize how hurtful she had been to Nepgear! And now it was like she thought she could just pick up where she had left off, right after dropping her! It was like one extreme to the other with this woman, goodness gracious...!

How little was she really worth to this Vert if she could just be picked up and put down like a game system like that...?!

It still wasn't even enough for her that...

The CPU Candidate turned her gaze downward.

She could understand her sister's affection towards Peashy. Peashy was practically Neptune and Plutia's baby, in a sweet, but also very weird "don't think too hard about those implications" kind of way. She loved Peashy too. It wasn't that she was jealous or anything, not at all. She just...

"Nepgear...? I'm sorry, you wanted to speak, that can wait-" Nepgear raised her head, eyes somewhat wide, as she felt Vert gently touch her shoulder. She realized she had been clenching her fists into her dress. Her jaw had been set and her whole body was tense. "What is it?"

The Candidate inhaled. Maybe Vert was willing to play the older sister game again now that Nepgear had walked right up to her, but that hadn't been how things had been between them. Not since she had gotten returned for the hot new sister on the block, so to speak.

"Vert, the thing is... I... You don't have a little sister, so you can't know, but... We're more than just... Toys...!" Nepgear had had a lot she had wanted to say to Vert when she had set out from Planeptune. What Vert had said that day had hurt, and how she had treated Nepgear (or hadn't treated her, rather) after that point... That had hurt too. Yet now that she was here, finally able to confront the CPU on the matter, she couldn't find her words. "I may have complained about it all the time, but... I didn't not like spending time with you, Vert. Surely you must have realized...? But... Ever since Peashy came back, even though the Vert back home eventually started treating me normally again, you... You didn't do that...! Today was the first time, but... Even now I'm not good enough by myself, am I?"

Nepgear sighed. She wasn't even sure what she was saying. It felt like she had said what she had wanted to say, but at the same time, so much more hadn't been said — and maybe, at the same time, too much had been as well. She looked at the blonde, feeling strangely helpless, hoping for... something. Really hoping for something from her. Something grown up, something that would fix how she was feeling. That was what older sisters were supposed to do, right? Make the little sisters feel better when they needed it most? Even if that wasn't what they really were, that was still what Vert was to Nepgear — it was why this hurt her as much as it did...!

Vert simply looked back at her, considering the CPU Candidate's words. Her hand came to rest on her chest as she wondered what to do... but what she didn't do was exactly what Nepgear wanted from her.

After all, as Nepgear had, perhaps unintentionally, so clearly pointed out to her, she did not have a little sister — meaning she was not an older sister herself. How could she be something she wasn't? How could she do something that only people that weren't her could do?

As if her mind was trying to make excuses for it, despite the perfectly understandable logic Nepgear had presented this to her with, her mouth slowly tried to repeat those excuses out for Vert — like they were putting up a wall or a barricade or something. It was painful to watch.

"You... You always said you weren't my... A-And Neptune, she always was saying..." Vert couldn't get the words out. She had never cared about any of those things before and both of them knew that. She knew well that her counterpart certainly didn't care even now either. She had heard about their "play dates" on occasional interdimensional phone calls on more than one occasion. After a few moments of struggling to speak, the blonde finally lowered her gaze, unable to meet Nepgear's.

Nepgear bit her lip. She hoped Vert wouldn't start to cry on her. It was one of the few things about this one that still shook her, on those rare instances it happened. But it... It had to be said...! Didn't it?

She could have been clearer. She could have said it gently. More so than that, anyway.

"I-I could have been more honest back then- Just, with Neptune being the way she was, I wanted-"

To Nepgear's surprise, Vert raised her head — her hand along with it — a strange smile on her face. Her hand seemed to signal "silence" to Nepgear, so she did so, though the surprise of seeing Vert doing a 180 like this was more than enough to make her to that on her own anyway.

"I'm not blind, you know. I'm aware that I can be... overbearing, Nepgear. I suppose I just can't help myself. Shame on me, ignoring your feelings like that..." Nepgear's heart wrenched watching this. There was something very wrong with Vert's smile "You're... You're quite right, Nepgear. I don't have a real little sister of my own. I have no idea what I'm doing and I never will. I just... No, I suppose that would sound no different than using you like toys, wouldn't it? Forget I said anything."

That was it. The girl closed her eyes, shame quickly filling her insides faster than her sister could fill up on pudding. "I don't have a real little sister"...? How could she make Vert say that? Or even think that? Nepgear knew full well how the other Vert felt about this sort of thing, so how could she have... She had said something really terrible, hadn't she?

"Vert, I don't..." Nepgear started to feel exasperated — with herself or with Vert, she couldn't be sure. She just knew that she needed to fix this somehow. There was probably some irony to that somewhere, but Nepgear was too kind to think about that sort of thing right now — however, Vert, despite all presumptions, was, and cut her off at the pass.

"My my, I hope you aren't trying to apologize to me for something." Nepgear looked away. So Vert had realized how strange it was then, for this to take that direction. "I'm the one at fault here. I've been... Or rather, if I were really..." Even though she wasn't looking now, Nepgear could tell now that Vert couldn't even say it now. They were both away of it, and it had hit Vert to the point that it was stunting her speech now, but Vert paid it no mind. "In any case, the point is, sometimes I just get carried away. Clearly... I got too carried away. With both of you, it seems. I'm sure your Vert does the same, doesn't she?"

They both knew how true that was too. Deeming it a good a time as any to finally get her say in, Nepgear looked back to Vert and opened her mouth, ready to try something, when once again she found herself cut off by that smile. At a glance, it was filled with all the things Vert's smiles normally were, but Nepgear would have to be a fool to claim that there wasn't more to this one. She had to just...

"It's not... What I mean is... When you weren't carried away, we really..."

Vert shook her head. She wouldn't allow Nepgear to say any more.

"I'm truly sorry, Nepgear."

And that was that. It was clear that Vert was not going to allow the subject to be pursued any further, for better or for worse... and Nepgear got the distinct feeling this definitely fell into the latter category.

Part of Nepgear felt like pushing whatever Vert might have been thinking of doing earlier, but it felt like doing so now, after what she had said, would be incredibly inappropriate.

Ultimately, with a heavy heart, Nepgear left Vert alone, somehow having wound up feeling worse than she had when she had arrived.

So much for her growing up.

As soon as Nepgear's form was out of sight, dashing away in the sky at top speed, Vert gently closed her window. It might have been cute seeing Nepgear like that, had the situation not been what it was. As it was such, though, Vert sadly could find no pleasure in the way the girl was acting like she might have... When might she have? Had she really just switched the girl's standing in her heart for another, as it was so clear the girl seemed to believe...? No, that wasn't quite right. It was more...

"That certainly didn't go as I expected it to..." She spoke with a sort of bitter amusement in her voice, a wry smile decorating her face as she closed her curtains, setting her thoughts to the side. Her office, which had been filled with bright sunlight and the sounds of the outdoors just moments ago, was now dark and quiet. It was like she was in a different building, or at least a different room, given the clear contrast between the two.

She simply... didn't particularly feel like enjoying the view anymore. It wasn't like the world outside of her computer screen mattered to her one way or the other, right? Especially now, with that having been pointed out to her.

"It's not like I don't know, you know..." The blonde pursed her lips, casting a glance towards the direction of her computer. She still had a few demos left to play through, but strangely enough, even that didn't seem like it would be enjoyable right now. Sighing, the goddess closed her eyes and leaned against her wall. She just felt so... so...

After a moment's pause, Vert slowly raised a hand to her chest, gingerly slipping a pair of fingers up beneath the large, bright green, round gem that set her dress' collar. She slipped her fingers into the small space between that and the fabric it was attached to, closing her eyes and feeling around for a moment. Her fingertips brushed a bit of metal. It was a small object, hidden away from anyone who didn't know where it was, but this brief contact made Vert feel momentarily at peace.

The moment passed, as it always would.

Once it did, the CPU still did not move from her position. Instead, she waited. She thought. She considered.

And then she was gone.

No more than four minutes after setting off for the portal to take her back home, Nepgear found herself turning around and pushing her limits to try to get back to Leanbox in twice the time it had taken her to get this far away.

How could she have done something so cruel?

Who was she to complain about what Vert had said and done if she was the kind of person who would complain about a person, all but mock them for not being and having something they clearly wanted very dearly (being an older sister and having a little one, in Vert's case), and then run off and leave that person all alone? Here she had been thinking about how no one liked to be lonely, and... What had she done here? Had she even thought about it? Of course she hadn't. This Vert didn't even have an Oracle with "Big Sister Senses" to come rushing to comfort her like her Vert back home did! No one in this world ever really stayed in Leanbox, either, did they?

"She's all alone..."

That must be why she wanted a little sister so much. It made so much sense, now that Nepgear really thought about it. In this world, Blanc had had Mr. Badd and eventually came to have Copypaste (and in her mind Plutia) in his stead, and Plutia and Noire had had each other, both now having their own lives and even more friends in addition to that, but who did Vert really have? At least, who did she have within an arm's reach, when she needed them the most...?

"She doesn't have anyone like that..."

Nepgear, being Nepgear, was able to ignore the fact that her logic here was certainly based on more than one assumption, and she was easily able to ignore the fact that her original complaints that had started all of this had been perfectly valid — that her feelings had been perfectly valid. It wasn't that she was putting herself out there to be a "doormat" again, of course, it was that she really did...

"Wait... Is that...?"

As the CPU Candidate got closer to the Basilicom, she caught sight of something peculiar on the ground. Nepgear blinked, glad she could stop in midair without comically crashing into something like others might in her position. There was Vert down below her, not in the Basilicom where Nepgear had left her, heading somewhere with a sense of purpose about her. In other words... Like she had somewhere to go.

"Or maybe... Someone to go to?"

She couldn't be sure just yet... Though if it was true, and Nepgear sincerely hoped that it was, then it would probably be best for her not to intervene here. For now, she chose the ever intelligent, ever it-never-goes-wrong plan to follow Vert from above. What could go wrong if she did that?

Maybe Vert had made a friend online? Or maybe she had had friends here in Leanbox all along? It wasn't like there weren't NPCs and gamers abound... But if that was the case... What if they tried to take advantage of her...?! Thinking like that, Nepgear was starting to feel even more glad she was (secretly) tagging along. Vert could be hurt and walking right into some horrible trap! Had she really caused that much damage, though...?! Maybe it would be better for her to just head down there and talk to Vert before she got herself into a situation that would be risky for both of them...

... or not. Where Vert was headed, it didn't look like anyone was around. That was both comforting and very worrisome. If Vert was heading towards such a secluded area all by herself... Wasn't the only possible explanation... That she wanted to end it all...?!

"Calm down Nepgear, obviously she's not going to do something like that... This is Vert we're talking about...!" The Candidate, who was growing increasingly worried with each passing moment and each meter that they got further and further away from civilization, forced a nervous laugh. More to convince herself than... Well, no one else was around at this height — it was only to convince herself. "She must have taken up a quest to get her mind off of everything I said to her, that's all. There are too many new games coming out for Vert to think about doing something like tha...at...?"

Vert was stopping. They weren't anywhere that looked particularly noteworthy, though. The area looked run down, like it had been a bustling community at some point, but abandoned. It reminded Nepgear of a few games, but given the genres of those particular titles, she quickly dismissed those thoughts — Vert had picked up the pace again anyway. Maybe this had surprised her too? She seemed to be moving around the area with such familiarity, though...

Wait a moment. Judging by Vert's current movements, from Nepgear's vantage point, there was only one thing ahead of her now — anything further and the woman might as well have flown, unless for some reason she really wanted to walk. It wasn't that far ahead now, but Nepgear didn't want to believe it. If that was what she thought it was...

"V-V-V-Vert is heading for a graveyard...!" The girl let out a panicked whisper, despite the fact that no one could possible hear her from where she was, and flailed around in mid-air, looking around frantically as if for something to stop Vert from approaching such a gloomy looking place. If she was heading towards a place like that, then wasn't it given that she planned to do something drastic?! Why else would an occasionally overdramatic goddess with very hurt feelings head to a place like this...?! Even if it wasn't for the reasons Nepgear thought, whatever reasons she was here for couldn't possibly be good! She clearly hadn't been intending to come here before Nepgear had said those things to her, so it had to be bad news! "I-I have to stop her...! I hope I'm not too late-!"

Even the crunching the leaves made under her shoes was nostalgic. Perhaps the trees around here were native only to this area? She had never looked it up before, but... It would certainly explain a thing or two. Maybe it was all in her mind. Regardless, she still couldn't bring herself to smile completely at that thought, but it was a somewhat nice feeling all the same. It was a feeling worth at least a half of a smile, wasn't it? Vert seemed to be able to offer that much to the poor, fallen leaves beneath her feet, so that much would be what they would receive from their goddess today.

At last, she had reached her destination.

It wasn't particularly glamorous, though she wasn't sure if these sorts of things should be. Ever since she had become a goddess, this part of life... was no longer part of her life.

It was crude, but even after becoming a CPU, Vert didn't have the heart to change it. The words that had been quickly engraved on it once upon a time had long since faded, and were barely even legible now. It had taken a lot, back then, just to be able to get this much. She didn't want to disrespect those efforts, even if the only one who would probably be disrespected was Vert herself.

"I used to come here every day... Should I be ashamed of myself for letting the time go by like this? Or would you be proud that I haven't felt like I 'need' to come here...? ... Ah... That would be me using you too, wouldn't it...? Just like with Nepgear..." The blonde's half-smile faded. Slowly, she reached for that spot, hidden in her collar, seeking that small metal object once again, this time with the intention to remove it. "In that case, I suppose I should be, shouldn't I? For that, I think I owe you an apology as well, moth-"

"VERT, NOOOOOOO!"

It happened much too quickly for Vert to be able to say with certainty what had happened. One moment, she had been reaching for an old keepsake, the next she had been tackled to the ground by the CPU Candidate that she was quite positive she had watched fly home only a short time ago. Now, pinned beneath the smaller girl, Vert could only stare — because quite frankly, "stunned" didn't quite cover it.

In Nepgear's defense, from her vantage point, she had seen a clearly emotional Vert suddenly flash something clearly metal towards her neck. With what had been going through her mind at the time, she was positive she only had moments before it was all over.

"You... You can't... I'm so sorry..." Before Vert was given the chance to explain herself, the panting girl pinning her transformed back into her normal form as she collapsed on top of her — no, embraced her — and started talking about things that Vert just couldn't for the life of her understand a word of. She was starting to feel like she had missed a very important memo, all things considered. Or maybe this was another case of mistaken identity...? "I... It's not that bad... You have so much to live for... It's not too late...! You don't need to end your life...! Please Vert!"

While she hadn't the slightest idea what Nepgear was talking about, to say that the girl's words didn't concern her would be an understatement. Struggling to get to her feet — something Nepgear was making quite difficult — Vert finally chose to give up and simply take a more forward approach. Of all the rotten luck, too. She would have so loved to have been in this position with the girl before their earlier conversation, really...

"Nepgear, I have no interest in ending my life, alright? Could you please get off of me and tell me what this is all about?" Nepgear blinked at the words that suddenly came her way. Vert struggling had made sense with her theory, but the way she was talking now... Vert certainly sounded calm. Maybe all she had needed was a hug? Or maybe... Maybe this was a trick...?

"But... But the knife..." While she wasn't completely convinced, she did — cautiously, mind — listen to Vert's request and slowly remove herself from on top of the older woman, standing up slowly as to not make any sudden movements that might cause a change in the situation, or... or something. As Vert followed suit, the girl began looking her over — or more specifically, Nepgear began to look for what she had been sure would be the instrument of Vert's untimely demise. "I know I saw one..."

Finally on her feet again, Vert frowned at this accusation. This was starting to get a little ridiculous — not to mention a little insulting. Did Nepgear really have such little faith in her that she thought she would run off and end her life over hurt feelings?

Although... As she watched the younger girl before her looking over her, the only thing on her face concern, Vert's expression softened. Nepgear had chased her down and gotten worried about her, enough so to do something as ridiculous and over the top as this. It was... cute. Cute and many, many other things.

She closed her eyes, fighting back the urge to smile. Nepgear assumed it was to hide the disappointment Vert must have felt with her. It was obvious she had overreacted now. The truth, however, was as far from that as the truth could be — what Vert was trying to hide wasn't disappointment, but how much Nepgear had touched her through her actions here... besides for all the literal touching she had just done when she had tackled Vert to the ground, that is.

"Is this your 'knife,' Nepgear?" Having lost her battle, Vert smiled softly and held out a hand towards Nepgear, feeling somewhat nervous. This wasn't something she had ever shown anyone else before, but if it helped ease Nepgear's concerns, then she supposed she could share a little. In her open palm was not a knife, but nothing more than a small, decorated piece of metal and chain. Further assessment on Nepgear's part revealed the object opened on the side... It was a locket. "I don't think I could do much harm to myself with this. It's so old it would break before it ever strangled anyone. That's why I don't wear it, you see."

Nepgear nodded slowly, her cheeks starting to burn with an especially dark blush. She felt thoroughly embarrassed now. Not only had she just humiliated herself, but she had interrupted...

"Wait, then what are you doing here? This is really out of the way, Vert... And it's such a lonely place to come to..." Before she could stop herself, Nepgear looked up at Vert and blurted out the question that had quickly popped into her head now that she was realizing she had been wrong about Vert's motives for coming to this place... whatever and wherever this place was at that.

Surprisingly, Vert was taken off guard by that question, even though in hindsight it was obviously one that would have been on the way. She seemed to choke on her words for a moment, shooting a desperate look towards the thing she had been standing in front of, as if it would give her guidance or the correct answer in this situation.

"So... That? But that's..." Vert's gaze was all Nepgear needed to find her answer. A small gasp escaped her lips as she looked from the thing on the ground to the young woman before her as the pieces started to fit together, or so it seemed. She hadn't seen it at first, but she hadn't known to look that low — she was used to seeing traditional headstones in games more than anything else. Now that she could see it clearly, though, there was no question; the thing that both of them were now looking at was a quaint grave marker. "Vert...? I..."

Nepgear wasn't sure what to do in this situation. It felt like things had just gone from bad to worse. She had not only hurt Vert, but now it seemed as though she had intruded on something that appeared to be as though it was meant to be private. Something for Vert and Vert only. The look on Vert's face, lost and unsure of how to proceed, solidified this guess of Nepgear's in her mind — and it also solidified her own decision. Whatever was going on here... Nepgear could definitely be here as Vert's friend, if nothing else, couldn't she?

"You don't have to-"

"Do you remember where CPUs come from in this world, Nepgear?" Ignoring Nepgear's resolve quite literally staring her in the face, Vert closed her hand over her locket, holding it tight, before taking a few steps towards the grave marker that she had been standing in front of only a few chaotic moments prior. In fact, she paid Nepgear no mind, brushing some hair behind her ear as she bent down to squat before the slab jutting out of the ground. Her expression was passive, but not exactly distraught just yet — despite that, Nepgear had decided she would be staying with Vert no matter what, and she followed dutifully after the older woman. "We were all human once. You were too, for a little while anyway. Have you ever thought about what that means before?"

The CPU Candidate tilted her head, stands of hair falling in front of her eyes thanks to her position, blocking Vert from view. She considered this for a moment, frowning as she tried to think of the right answer. She hadn't not thought about it before, she just hadn't really thought much about it before, at least except when it came to Peashy... But faced with the reality of it like this...

"You should have a family." Nepgear stood up as she spoke — however, this time it was not for Vert's benefit, but now for her own. A feeling of dread was starting to sneak up on her, worming its way into her belly. She was a smart girl, after all. Given the conversation and what this was they were in front of, there was only one possibility. "So... This is...?"

Vert nodded, before standing up herself and shifting somewhat so she faced Nepgear a bit more — despite this, her gaze was still trained downwards, towards the piece of stone.

"My mother... My mother and my..." The blonde seemed to be really struggling to find her words, even more than she had been earlier. Nepgear couldn't even begin to imagine what she must be feeling. Obviously both of her parents must be under there... Even as they spoke. Saying one must have been hard enough for her.

Nepgear nodded to herself, reaching over to gently touch Vert's shoulder, to give her some kind of feeling of comfort. She had decided she would help Vert, hadn't she? She had decided she would be there, right? Then she couldn't just stand around and listen when she could do more. That wasn't the kind of friend she was.

The CPU offered a small smile in return for the gesture Nepgear offered, grateful for it. She wasn't sure how things had gotten to this point, but... She wasn't against the fact that they had.

"You know, I was something of a princess when I was a little girl. I had just about everything a little girl could ever ask for. I was as happy as could be..." Vert's words had a wistful air to them as she spoke. She cast a glance in the direction she had come, towards that abandoned looking community she had traversed through earlier. Did she mean the princess... of that? "My, what a face, Nepgear. Not a literal princess. I was the only child in our village, you see. A lot of the other families had left for Lowee or just to find somewhere better than this — this land wasn't like the bustling nation I've made it now all those years ago, obviously — but we were staying. The adults liked to spoil me, being the only little girl around, and we were happy. I was, at least." Vert let out a peculiar sounding laugh, returning her gaze back to the stone on the ground. Her smile was just as peculiar seeming — crooked, even. "Now that's not much for a traumatic backstory like you were expecting, mmm?"

"I-I wasn't...!" Caught off guard by Vert suddenly teasing her, Nepgear averted her eyes as a bit of warmth rose to her cheeks. She hadn't expected that...! Though wasn't it a good sign that Vert was able to make comments like that? She supposed, technically, it was, wasn't it? Sighing, Nepgear lowered her head. She had been busted — though she was glad that Vert didn't apparently have any traumatic backstories to tell to her. Had she been worrying for nothing? "Sorry..."

To Nepgear's surprise, that actually got a genuine sounding laugh out of Vert. S-She was being made fun of, here!

Well... If it made Vert feel better...?

"My, imagine the things Plutia would say to you. Blushing that hard in a graveyard, Nepgear... What a girl you are." Nepgear could only open and close her mouth in a futile attempt to come up with something to say — she had never even seen a real graveyard before, much less been in one! — before Vert gently reached over and covered her mouth, winking as she did so. "Don't you worry now, I'll keep this between you and me. The only other people who can see what a little minx you are can't exactly go tell anyone else about it, so you don't have to worry onnnne bit."

"V-V-Vert...! T-That means- Y-Your mother c-can hear us...!"

Nepgear wasn't even sure why she said it. As if she hadn't said enough insensitive things today, pointing out where they were probably wasn't the best of plans — though quite frankly, for Nepgear, sweet, innocent, having never been in a place like this before Nepgear, that was actually a legitimate concern! Vert's comment certainly didn't help that concern any, either!

Even so, too late did she realize that she had likely said something else that was probably going to upset Vert even more than she already-

"Don't worry, she won't mind. She always told me that if she ever found a genie in a lamp, one of her three wishes would be to turn my father into a teenage girl." W-What kind of reaction was that?! What was happening to the mood that they had built up to here...!? And who wishes for something like that anyway?! Paying no mind, Vert held up two fingers towards Nepgear. "The second, if you're curious, was to see him passionately kiss his brother at least once. I never got to meet him, since he left for Lowee before I was born, but apparently he was gorgeous. For some reason she was only interested in talking about him in that context..."

Nepgear could only gape at how naturally Vert said such outrageous things. And she thought her sister was unique.

"Y... Your mother sounds like she was... um..." The CPU Candidate wasn't sure what word she could ever use to describe a person who had at one point said what Vert had just repeated to her. Considering how she was likely to feel about this, though, she supposed there was an easy enough option. "She sounds like she was unforgettable."

Vert smiled.

"She was." For a moment, Vert remained silent. The light hearted mood that had suddenly and without warning visited seemed to be fading, though Nepgear hoped it wasn't into anything dark — after a remark like that, Nepgear wasn't sure how that was possible, but one could never be too careful. Rather than risk putting her foot in her mouth once more, Nepgear chose to remain silent this time, however, and let Vert mull over whatever she was currently mulling. "Yes... She definitely was unforgettable."

Though Vert's smile had all but faded away now, a borderline sad, yet still peaceful sort of expression on her face, it appeared as though she was feeling calm, at least. Nepgear wondered if she wasn't cut out for comforting people after all.

"Oh, yes... My, where was I?" Blinking, Vert placed a finger to her chin and looked upwards. In her clenched hand, Nepgear could still see, thanks to the space the upwards turned finger had left, that the locket from before was still safely in Vert's grasp. Part of her wanted to ask about it, but she didn't want to challenge the relative good mood that they were approaching now. She obviously wasn't doing a good job of being a friend here, but she could certainly keep trying. At that moment, Vert nodded to herself, returning her gaze to Nepgear. Her expression had changed, and noticeably so now. "Ah, that's right. It's not really... very interesting, Nepgear."

The purple haired girl shook her head, offering a comforting expression to the older girl.

"You don't have to tell me anything, Vert. I never asked." Realizing she might have been cutting Vert off when she might have still potentially wanted to talk, Nepgear quickly continued. "But if you want to, I'll be right here to listen, though! And... If you don't, it's fine with me."

Vert opened her mouth, as if she had already been forming a response, before she nodded slowly.

"Yes, you're right... I started going on about all of that on my own. It's like I told you earlier — sometimes I just can't help myself when I get carried away. Sometimes I just..." The CPU shook her head. She seemed pensive, but Nepgear had already offered Vert her options — she wasn't about to push either of them now. Whatever Vert chose would be up to Vert and Vert alone, and Nepgear would accept that choice and continue along this strange road however she could, right alongside her. "You were right about something else, Nepgear. Before, when you... No, actually, you were right about a lot. Why did I ever trade... No, not why did I, how did I think I could... What kind of sister would ever...? How could you ever forgive me, Nepgear?"

She shook her head again. It seemed Nepgear's words from before, when she had tried to confront Vert in her office earlier, were still weighing on her. Considering where they were and how Vert was acting, Nepgear had all but forgotten how she had been feeling — she only was still able to really register that it had happened at this point, rather than why. Apparently Vert, meanwhile, had taken Nepgear speaking up to her to heart. Nepgear briefly considered how things could have been different if she had tried just taking Vert aside and talking to her about this so long ago instead of sitting back and taking it.

What's done was done, though. She needed to focus on what was important, and what was important was...

"Goodness..." What should she do now? She couldn't lie and tell Vert that it was okay and she hadn't meant all of that. That would be dishonest of her and unfair to Vert. If she told the truth again, though... Hadn't the truth been what had bothered Vert enough to get her to come to her mother and father's grave in the first place? On the other hand... It was the truth! "Please don't- Vert, you shouldn't blame yourself! Not... I mean, yes, some of it is common sense, but... Please don't think badly of me for saying this or take it the wrong way, but Vert... You don't have a sister. I don't think it's strange that when we met, you, well... You care a lot, but you didn't get to learn, because you never... I mean..." Nepgear shook her head and motioned to the piece of stone in the ground. She hoped Vert understood what she meant, hurtful as it may have come off to her. "I'm sure your parents would agree with me. I don't hold that against you. They wouldn't either."

Vert's eyes widened as Nepgear gestured to the ground, as if Nepgear had just said and done something very strange.

Had Nepgear done it again?

For a moment, Vert seemed tense. It was as though she had been caught off guard once again, but this time, she regained her balance much faster than she had before. Nepgear hoped it was because her words had helped, though she had a sneaking suspicion that that wasn't the case at all.

"You see, Nepgear... The truth about those wishes I told you earlier?" Nepgear blinked. There was a "truth" to them? She hadn't even doubted Vert for a minute — had she really just been being made fun of? Well... If it had helped... Maybe that was okay? Then again, Vert hadn't seemed like she had been lying... "This is what she would say when I'd tell her I didn't want my father doing any of that: 'Those two are just two see if the genie's for real. I don't mean them. The only wish I really would ever want granted is for me to be able to add the one more to the house that you and I have been crossing our fingers for.'"

"Add... one more?"

Vert closed her eyes, a soft, sad smile playing on her lips.

"She and my father couldn't get pregnant a second time. The first time — the time that resulted in me — was something of a fluke to begin with. I suppose that's the other reason I was like a little 'princess,' come to think of it..." The CPU shook her head, likely caught up in a memory. She had just, if her words matched her thoughts, uncovered the truth behind why she had been raised as "royalty" in her youth, after all. "Anyway, I was like their little miracle... But they wanted a second child, for themselves and for me as well, and I so badly wanted a sibling, a little friend, a sister, you can't possibly imagine how much I..."

Vert silenced herself after that. The sudden vehemence that had appeared in her voice shook Nepgear for a moment. It wasn't like she had never heard Vert speak seriously before, but about this sort of subject, it still reached out to her inside... It wasn't in a bad way, though. She couldn't imagine how it felt, that was true, but knowing Vert as well as she did — or as well as she thought she did anyway — made it not too difficult for her to picture what a little Vert must have been like, pining so desperately for someone to love. The way she had latched on to Nepgear so quickly, the way she had moved on to a more "blatant" little sister like Peashy... If Vert had wanted a little sister so much, for so long, but had never been able to have the chance... That certainly...

Nepgear felt a twinge of guilt. She could get so clingy when it came to Neptune, to the point that her "sister complex" was starting to become a running joke amongst their friends. Was it so wrong to love your sister? She didn't think so... If Neptune wasn't, well... Neptune, maybe Nepgear wouldn't feel as strongly as she did anyway... But in the way, Nepgear couldn't say she knew how Vert felt exactly, no... Yet in a strange sort of way, she felt like she could almost sympathize a little bit.

"It didn't matter. At that point, we knew full well that our only hope was something ridiculous like a genie coming along and conveniently granting the wish that reality just couldn't." The blonde sighed, blissfully unaware of Nepgear's current thoughts, a strange look on her face as she looked towards the stone on the ground. "It's silly, really. I've seen so much since I've become a CPU. Compared to what the people who lived in Tari must have gone through every day, we really were living like royalty... And yet..."

"It was your life." Nepgear finally piped in, looking to Vert positively, surprisingly confident in her words. The blonde she spoke to turned to her, pensive as the Candidate spoke, but did not interrupt. "I don't think it's wrong to feel the way you do, Vert. You weren't those other people and they weren't you. That's all that really matters in a situation like this. Isn't it?"

After considering those words for a few seconds, Vert offered Nepgear a small smile.

"That's quite true. You really are a wonderful girl, Nepgear... Neptune is so lucky." Vert turned her gaze downward one more, her smile still remaining. Was it nostalgia that left it there now? Or something more? Hopefully not bitterness or envy, considering how she had finished that statement... Whatever it was, it seemed as though Vert didn't have any interest in continuing that train of thought anymore anyway. "Do you know what else is true? In the end, we didn't even need the genie after all."

Nepgear blinked. She didn't understand what Vert was saying to her. Clearly, something important had just gone right over her head, but she couldn't even begin to guess what that could have been.

"You didn't... need one? For what?"

Shifting somewhat closer towards Nepgear, a sad but knowing smile on her face now, Vert slowly held up her hand and opened it to reveal the locket once again.

"I was getting a little sister after all." Nepgear's eyes widened. After everything Vert had said up until this point, she had assumed that her parents had never managed to conceive again... But they had? "I was so happy. Every day, all I could think about was meeting her, talking to her, her learning to talk to me... I wanted to be the one to hold her and feed her and baby her, you see, I wasn't going to let anyone else do it." The CPU laughed as the memories flitted before her eyes, gone just as quickly as they had come. "My mother and I would play pretend, and we'd come up with all sorts of silly names she might call me by mistake. The whole village was alive — everyone couldn't wait to see her. I couldn't, most of all."

The Candidate swallowed. Not noticing, Vert offered the locket to Nepgear, finally opening it and revealing what was inside for the girl to see — though Nepgear was quite honestly terrified at this point. What would be inside? Would it confirm what she was starting to suspect about this situation?

"When she was positive that she was pregnant, my father made her this. He put a picture of me on one side, and he was going to put a picture of their second child alongside me. It was so that she could keep both of us close to her heart."

She was beginning to realize what she had said that had surprised Vert so much a few moments ago — what it was that she had said that had spurred Vert on to keep speaking.

This wasn't the grave of Vert's parents. Not plural, at least.

This was the grave of...

"She didn't make it. Neither of them did. I wasn't just a miracle because it had been difficult for them to get pregnant. I was a miracle because we had both survived... She was small, you see. It was a terribly risky pregnancy, and this time..." Vert sighed. She didn't need to say it. Nepgear could understand that much, as much as she wished she didn't have to — as much as she wished this wasn't reality for anyone, much less someone she cared about like Vert. "We buried the two of them together, right here. After all of that... I never got to meet her. My sweet little sister... She never..."

There weren't words to describe the emotions Nepgear saw on Vert's face in that moment. Unable to look at her, almost feeling like she didn't have the right, Nepgear instead looked over at the locket now that it was open. Whatever was inside couldn't be as heart wrenching as looking at Vert's face right now.

To Nepgear's surprise, it wasn't at all as bad as she had feared. Only one of the two sides of the locket had a picture in it — a little girl that was clearly a young Vert. She had probably just been told what was on the way, given how she was beaming in the picture... As for the other half of the locket, though?

The other half was simply empty.

"They both... Well, Leanbox didn't exist yet, and there was only Lowee at the time. There was no way we could have done anything for her or the baby, much as we tried..." Vert laughed weakly. It was one of the most hollow sounds Nepgear had ever heard. "It wasn't all bad, at least. My father passed away peacefully a few years later, but he always said... Hahaha, he always said, 'Be proud of those knockers, Vert! You'll be able to carry ten babies just fine!' It sounds like something a dirty old man would say, and maybe it was, but I think he was just trying to stop me from worrying that it could happen to me someday. Not that it matters now, of course. I became a CPU shortly after he passed and... Well, you know the rest."

True as that probably was, Nepgear could see that Vert's body language said otherwise.

She'd probably take a body like Blanc's or her sister's and a life as a normal human any day if it meant she could trade the one now for what she had lost. At the very least, she'd certainly consider it, wouldn't she? Nepgear could just see it now. Sometimes Vert would probably imagine what it would be like, but other times she would probably berate herself for such thoughts and remind herself of who she was. Vert was the kind of person to do that sort of thing, wasn't she?

Vert closed the locket after glancing to see that Nepgear had seen, returning it to its hiding place, before crossing her arms in front of her and sighing wistfully. Nepgear didn't blame her — she had let out a lifetime's worth of feelings that she had been keeping in since becoming a CPU, and from the sounds of things, she had jumped right into being a CPU after they had all happened to her. She didn't know if she would have been able to do it...

Nepgear had to admit, she was impressed with Vert. In fact, she felt a lot of things right now that would fall under the "had to admit" category. Sometimes one just didn't know, she supposed...

But what does one do with that new knowledge?

Just like that, the two of them stood there in silence for a few moments. Nepgear wanted to try to comfort Vert, but she honestly wasn't even sure how to approach this now. She had always wondered, always questioned... She was starting to regret asking. She had been the one to open these wounds of Vert's. Certainly, she had been hurt that day, when Vert had become so taken with Peashy, but Nepgear could completely understand why now — because even with how much she had been hurt by Vert's words, she remembered something else about that day.

She remembered, just before Vert had said those words to Neptune and Plutia, how Vert had reacted to Peashy's initial mishap with her name. As Vert stood here, standing so quietly, that image was as clear in Nepgear's mind now as it ever had been.

She remembered how Vert had become suddenly silent, a stark contrast to her complaining and being worried about how Peashy had forgotten her and she would be called old. She remembered how downright shocked Vert had initially seemed — how everyone had assumed that Vert must have been so angry that she had been stunned into silence. She remembered how everyone else had started making fun of the situation, and how she, stepping in as Vert's "little sister," had spoken up to try to diffuse what she had, at the time, assumed was a ticking time bomb... And, quite clearly, she remembered how Vert had become overtaken with happiness — just before she had started to...

Nepgear's mouth opened slightly, forming an "o" shape as the word silently left her lips.

"Oh."

This... This all was why Peashy's silly mistake had had such a powerful effect on Vert, wasn't it?

It probably explained why Vert had looked so surprised to see Nepgear come and visit her out of the blue as well.

Nepgear closed her eyes, now hitting her mental fast forward button and thinking back to her own words from earlier today. The words she had spoken in her flustered state, unable to properly find herself... At the time, she had thought it the "truth," albeit perhaps a harsh "truth," but... She hadn't just said something "really terrible" to Vert back in her office. Those words may have been "really terrible" to say to the Vert of her world, who also longed for a younger sister of her own, but to this one?

What she had said was simply unforgivable.

And she had just had said it again, hadn't she?

Now, as she stood here, standing silently alongside this person who was more than she, and perhaps anyone else, had ever given her credit for — Nepgear decided something. She wanted to be the one to help this woman's — no, this girl's wounds finally heal. Not out of obligation or duty or even friendship, no, not even that. It was something else.

"Vert?" The sudden boldness in Nepgear's voice surprised Vert — though to be fair, just about anything coming suddenly like that probably would have surprised her, considering where her mind was at that moment. Inhaling, as if to prepare herself for the world ahead, the world that she had to return to once she left this place once more, starting with Nepgear, Vert put on a smile and turned to the shorter of the two of them.

"Yes, Nepgear?" Watching the CPU as she spoke, it seemed that Vert seemed to be recovering on her own... or so it looked, but Nepgear realized that she didn't want to leave it to chance... No, that wasn't it. She didn't care if Vert would recover on her own — that wasn't something she would allow anymore. Maybe it wasn't from the moment she had chased after her instead of going home. She had realized even then how incredibly lonely this Vert probably had it, but she now realized that she hadn't even begun to scrape the surface. If she could help Vert, if Vert could do it with her... Then Nepgear wanted that instead.

That in mind, she was sure in what she was to do next. In fact... She was happy about it. She hoped Vert would be too.

"I-If you promise to not tell my si..." Nepgear shook her head. Saying it like that wouldn't make sense right now. It wouldn't be right either, all things considered, but right now was her greater concern. "I mean... If you promise not to tell what I'm about to say to you to Neptune... A-At least before I can, anyway...!"

"W-What? Did something happen?" The blonde blinked down at the other girl. Had something happened while she had been thinking? She had been lost in thought, that much was true, but not to the point that she would have missed Nepgear making a phone call or something like that... Where was all of this coming from? "What's going on? What are you...?"

"N-No, it's nothing like that! Just listen to me, please! I know I'm not... What I mean is... I think Peashy is too young to understand all of this, but..." Nepgear took a breath, before she looked at Vert seriously, despite the fact that there was a faint patch of red on each of her cheeks — which only served to confuse Vert even more at this point. "If you'll take me... I don't mind being your little sister. No, not 'if you'll take me' or 'I don't mind'... I'd like it a lot if you would have me, Vert."

For a moment, Vert could only stare. The fact of the matter was that, quite simply, she didn't believe her ears. After years of Nepgear protesting her sisterly advances, for it to turn out like this... She couldn't accept it. She had half a mind to pinch herself to check to see whether or not she was dreaming. Nepgear was intelligent, she had to know that Vert wasn't a new person or anything just because she had shared a little about herself. That... It wasn't how it... It wasn't like her talking about her past had changed anything about herself, after all. She still was who she always was — this was simply how she had come to be that person. Surely Nepgear realized that...?

"I'll make you wear a matching outfits with me and take you all over Leanbox."

"That sounds like fun. If you promise not to use it as an excuse to do anything funny, we could go buy them right now if you'd like."

The blonde was taken aback. Nepgear was serious — she even had her game face on. Her heart starting to beat that much faster, Vert stumbled around for a response.

"M-My, well it just so happens I was going to use it as an excuse to do something funny."

"T-That's okay... Sisters fight sometimes. That's part of being sisters. We'll make up."

Vert almost immediately averted her gaze from the smile being offered to her. Nepgear had clearly planned that out, or if she hadn't, she was a more shrewd girl than Vert had ever realized... Or maybe her words were just that meaningful to her?

"I... I'll make you dye your hair s-so we're the same and-"

"I already have an outfit that makes me blonde haired anyway."

Vert hadn't expected that one. She wouldn't have even wanted Nepgear to do anything to her pretty hair anyway, but for the girl to give her such a quick affirmative response...?

Somewhere in the back of her mind, Vert realized she was fighting this. The thing she had always wanted was standing right here, quite literally offering herself to her, and she couldn't accept that she would ever be wanted — that it could ever happen, after all this time.

Her voice starting to finally crack, Vert blinked back forming tears.

"I-I live in another dimension! T-There's no way we could really be-"

Nepgear didn't even need to say anything back to her. They both knew that didn't really matter — Peashy's thriving, continued relationship with Neptune and Nepgear was living proof of that... But more than that, just looking into Nepgear's defiant eyes was all Vert needed to see.

She had lost this fight.

And she had never been happier to lose anything.

At one point, Nepgear had thought the tears of this Vert were childish. The childish part of her had even gone so far as to childishly think to herself "oh, my Vert doesn't do things like that," or something to the effect anyway... But now she wondered if that was even true. Maybe "her" Vert was just better at hiding those tears. This one certainly had been adept at keeping certain things to herself. She realized now, more than anything, that the most childish person of all had been her for judging like that.

As the woman before her wiped the last of her tears — despite how she had been acting mere moments prior to it, Vert bursting into sobs had taken Nepgear completely off guard — Nepgear shyly offered her a handkerchief. The amused look on Vert's face said it all. 'A little too late, Nepgear.'... or something like that. The CPU Candidate blushed, briefly wondering if she was good enough for having two older sisters — but the blonde quickly set those worries aside with her next action.

Despite her amusement, Vert was still touched by the gesture. She was touched by everything, as a matter of fact, but as she took the handkerchief, laughing just a little, she couldn't help but smile. She hadn't smiled like this since she was a little girl. If she thought about it a little more... She probably hadn't since the picture in the locket had been taken, probably.

"Aren't you getting a little carried away yourself, Nepgear?" Though her voice was teasing, now that she she had regained her composure, Vert was being serious. She wasn't fighting Nepgear's wishes anymore — rather, if anything, she wanted to make sure it was really what Nepgear wanted. She wanted to make sure... Nepgear would be okay. She wasn't even aware of it then, but in the end, maybe she had had that sisterly gene in her all along. "With how often I get carried away, if you start taking after me like that, who knows what kind of messes you and I will end up in... I won't hold it against you if you change your mind."

It was true. If Nepgear backed out now, she might be disappointed... but it still meant the world to Vert that she had even meant it.

As it just so happened?

The purple haired girl still meant it.

"Maybe..." Nepgear gently took one of Vert's arms in both of hers, looking up at the older CPU with a soft expression. She smiled up at... her new sister. She didn't mind the sound of that one bit. She was smiling up at her new sister. "But I think it's good to let yourself get carried away sometimes."

Vert's heart skipped a beat. Perhaps it had stopped beating completely.

Nepgear's mind was made up completely. There was nothing but herself left to hold her back from accepting Nepgear's offer now.

And so Vert smiled back...

"Now then, how about we get those matching outfits ? I have just the thing in mind for you..."

"I-It has to match, though! Nothing you wouldn't wear too!"

"Oh? Nothing I wouldn't wear?"

"W-Wait, nothing I wouldn't wear! Vert, waaaiiit!"

... at her new little sister.