Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Memorial

Today was the day, the day of the Memorial.

The day when Planeptune as a whole would gather to say their final goodbyes to the lives lost at the hands of mercenaries.

The Basilicom buzzed with activity, and workers who weren't part of the skeleton staff were given a day off to attend. Basilicom Staff helped one another to make themselves look their best. The entire building could be compared to a hive of insects, workers walking in all directions to complete some sort of goal during those final moments.

It came as a surprise to no one that Histoire allowed everyone in the nation to take a break to attend, productivity was secondary to the publicity. Especially when the life of the ruler literally depended on it.

Which was why the CPU Candidate of Planeptune, and even the CPU of Lowee were getting prepared for departure.

"You sure it was a good idea to make Rom and Ram stay here?" Nepgear asked, watching her reflection in the mirror as her hairdresser folded her hair into a neat bun. It felt weird having her hair done, especially by someone else. She was never a person to do something with her hair, she just let it grow.

"Do you really want two rowdy kids to crash this event?" Blanc answered with a raised eyebrow. Mina (who was already done with her preparations) was currently assisting the CPU in making her usual outfit look as clean as it could. Because the Loweeans didn't bring any ceremonial outfits (especially the kind to fit a funeral), Mina and Blanc didn't have much to work with. Hopefully the public will be too shocked to say anything. The rescue of Blanc wasn't published yet.

"Lady White Heart does have a point, Lady Nepgear." Nepgear's hairdresser said. "And also, kids would be bored on an event like this, as all we'll be doing is standing around."

Mina let out a small sigh. "I silently hope that the mercenaries won't get into any trouble, or rather won't cause any issues." It would be best if they didn't come at all. Mina might have known them for only 3 days, but this was enough for her to… form an opinion on the mercenaries' usual behavior, one that wasn't the most positive.

"Demo said they're leaving the crazier ones in the Hotel, and that he's also staying. I think they'll be fine, Histoire is with them right now." Blanc reassured.

Then Soldier, Pyro and Demoman won't be there. Maybe a few others too. - Nepgear thought before the hairdresser finished. "Done!" The woman exclaimed. "You look great, Lady Nepgear. I made sure to show off your mature side, I hope you like it." The lilac bulb of hair on her head matched with her dark purple suit, giving her a dignified look that people would expect from Noire, but here was Nepgear, looking like a proper ruler. The hat she just donned only bolstered said image, though the veil covering her face was annoying.

However no other hat would match, and headgear was important. Just like the mercenaries said.

"How do I look?" The Candidate turned towards Blanc and Mina, giving them a full view of her outfit. The Loweeans looked up and down at her, their expressions positive. "Heh. I can barely recognize you with that get up." Blanc commented. "You look good though, in a serious sort of way."

"Yeah, since this day is pretty important, I thought I would experiment a little. What do you think, Oracle Nishizawa?" The hairdresser looked at the Oracle for her opinion.

"I think you look great, Nepgear." Mina smiled. It felt weird seeing Nepgear with pants, as the Candidate, or all CPUs in general, generally wore skirts and dresses. It wasn't an unwelcome change though.

"It kinda makes me think that we shouldn't even transform. What's the points of all of these preparations if we're just going to stay in HDD?"

"You have enough shares to stay in HDD for that long?" The hairdresser commented, before realizing who she was speaking to. "Oh, I'm sorry Lady White Heart, I just-"

"It's fine." Blanc cut her off, annoyance thick in her voice. Then the CPU sighed, realizing the cruel reality. "No, at least I don't have them. Damn ASIC drained all my shares, I'm running on reserves." Rom and Ram did a good job of getting enough shares to just scrape by, but one small misstep and Blanc would have to take a nap again.

"We could just walk with the others, in our human forms." Nepgear suggested. "There's no point in wasting shares and the time we spent preparing our looks."

"Yeah, you're right." The Lowee CPU admitted. It's not like CPUs only ever showed themselves to the public in their Goddess forms, they can take it easy and not use their energy transforming for no reason. It may also present a more down-to-earth feeling for the occasion, put them on a level closer to the civilians to be more sympathetic.

The clock showed that twenty minutes remained until the memorial. It was plenty of time for them, as the memorial was held in front of the Basilicom, but it wouldn't hurt to check the crowds and wait with them. Millions of people stopping their work and gathering together to grief over a handful (comparatively) of people lost, it spoke volumes about Neptune's subjects.

"Let's leave now, we don't want to keep the people waiting."

Hopefully the folks here would be too surprised by Blanc's reemergence to lash out at anyone.

The streets of Planeptune were cramped, the sidewalks and streets alike taken over by the masses of people. That was normal here. What wasn't normal however was the sullen and somber atmosphere. It was the first time Nepgear has left the Basilicom that she wasn't met with loud noises. The usual noise of a city hosting millions of people just disappeared for today, and it was… creepy.

There was once an empty space in front of Basilicom, Histoire could never figure out what to do with it so she decided to just leave it empty. Now, the ASIC has placed a monument right in the middle. A big slab of rock, surrounded by flowers and candles, with names etched in it. So many names were written, and yet underneath it was another, smaller pedestal.

"...And 4,248 other unidentified people."

Blanc had to stop her own jaw from dropping as she gazed upon the monument herself. She knew the mercs killed a lot of people, but seeing the sheer amount of names on the collective tombstone and the additional count put the situation further into perspective. She wondered if she should be disturbed that she found herself just a bit impressed that 9 people killed this many in so little time, or that the ASIC actually put the effort into carving that many names into the monument for an event that clearly held ulterior motives.

The Loweean CPU could feel the surprised gazes of people on herself and Nepgear. Just as predicted, her arrival was a big shock to everybody, and her ears caught countless whispers going on.

Histoire, IF, Compa and Falcom stood at the front, dressed appropriately for the ceremony. Histoire's expression was unreadable, but a great guilt brewed within her. IF held her hands together in a silent prayer, Compa stared at the ground with a sad face and Falcom was deep in thoughts. The adventurer's abrupt transformation came as a surprise to Nepgear, but she shrugged it off.

But she couldn't shrug off Falcom's attempts at avoiding Nepgear, and the other CPUs as well.

Blanc heard about her from Mina, and the CPU understood her actions. Nepgear and Falcom shared a brief look before the blue-haired woman turned her face back into the ground, and shuffled a bit away from the Candidate. Nepgear's heart broke. Histoire informed her that Falcom was a potential threat, but it didn't stop the lilac-haired girl from trying.

An army of Basilicom Staff and Guild members kept the public away from the monument, giving Nepgear, Blanc and other important personnel some space to grief. Curiously enough, the ASIC grunts were helping with setting up the perimeter, and they largely outnumbered the forces of Planeptune. The message here was clear: ethics, religion, gender, nationality, good or evil. Sides didn't matter today, everyone gathered in one place to do just one thing.

Honor the dead's memory.

And the mercenaries themselves were among the crowd, their red clothing stood out from the rest of the population. Scout, Soldier, Heavy, Engineer, Medic, Sniper and Spy. The rest stayed behind in the hotel. Those outsiders were a direct reason for this day, but it was Histoire who hired them and gave a greenlight. And Nepgear didn't object towards it.

But those killers still attended the memorial. Maybe because deep down they regretted it, maybe because it was convenient, maybe because Nepgear was there and they felt like they needed to protect her. Only they knew the reason. But Blanc hoped that this was a sign that they can be redeemed, they did agree to stop killing the ASIC after all. If Blanc played her cards right, there won't be another Memorial to attend.

Soldier in particular was a surprising sight. He didn't have his helmet on, he held it close to his chest and was staring down at the floor, muttering something.

Everyone were here, even the CFWs themselves. CFW Trick and Brave were at the sides of the small empty space, standing guard for anyone daring to break through, and CFW Magic stood between the CPUs and their friends, the Felon watching the approaching Goddesses with a passive expression.

"Well, you're early. We still got about ten minutes." Magic said when the CPUs got close enough.

"Yeah, we do know how to check the clock." Blanc dryly commented. If this was anywhere else, she would have transformed and charged the Felon right then and there. But with so many people nearby, two other CFWs close by, and the context of the event, she couldn't act rashly. As much as she despised the woman before her and knew her to be a threat, she'll have to stay calm until the end.

CFW Magic said nothing, and the three of them walked towards the monument.

Nepgear and CFW Magic stood arm to arm, before the felon did something unexpected. She wrapped her own hand around Nepgear's, holding it in a gentle mother-like squeeze. The lilac-haired candidate looked at her hand, and then at the taller woman, confused by Magic's gesture and even more confused by what Nepgear saw on Magic's face.

There was a single tear running down her cheek. Something that Nepgear never expected to see, nor she knew how to react at the sight of someone who is supposed to be her nemesis holding her hand and crying right in front of her.

In that moment, Nepgear felt sympathy.

It was two of them, sworn enemies, holding hands before the griefing crowds. The families of people who lost their lives, because of actions made by Nepgear's forces. Their friends and colleagues in ASIC, strangers from the streets of Planeptune, even the workers from the Basilicom and the mercenaries themselves, all of them gathered here and set aside their differences.

The CPU Candidate turned her gaze towards the ground, and then to the hand she was holding. The sleek, pink hand of CFW Magic was wrapped around her own one. A gesture that the ASIC Leader imposed herself.

They were supposed to be mortal enemies, but for today Magic was willing to set aside her hostility in honor of the dead. Nepgear decided to tighten the grip a little, not knowing how else she should return the favor, if she should be returning the favor. The situation was too bizarre.

"W-Why did you do it?" The CPU Candidate began meekly, almost afraid to speak up. Behind them CFW Trick cried in an almost exaggerated manner, but the Candidate and the Felon didn't pay him any mind.

"I didn't do it." Magic retorted, not bothering to lower her gaze as she wiped her eye. "It was you, and your Secret Staff that killed them. All of them." Her tone was casual, unbothered even. But the words were like knives to Nepgear, stabbing deeply into her and cutting down her resolve. She could've sworn that suddenly everything felt heavier...

"I-I didn't mean them. I mean… all this. Why did you kidnap the CPUs? My sister? Why are you trying to have ASIC take over the nations? What are you trying to accomplish?"

"Tell me, what were their lives to you? Those people who died in the past two weeks?" Magic asked, finally locking her eye with Nepgear's, who was surprised by the change in a topic. The lilac-haired girl could only blink with a confused "Huh?", and Magic took that as a sign to continue. "There's a clear difference between capturing a Goddess, who knew beforehand the risks of venturing to the Gamindustri Graveyard, and needlessly murdering thousands of people that were just following orders, and had nothing to do with the capture of your sister."

At this point, Blanc, who had been listening in on their conversation, grit her teeth and glared daggers at the leader of ASIC. "Get off your high horse, bitch! You guys aren't saints yourself, or who else has been trying to destabilize the whole friggin world?"

"You've been doing that just fine without my help." Magic replied, adding fuel to Blanc's fire. "The people's suffering has never been our goal. We only had to remove you CPUs because you were an obstacle to what we want. Knowledge."

Nepgear blinked. This was their reason for kidnapping her sister and the other CPUs? Not sowing chaos, not taking over the world, but knowledge? Knowledge to what? "W-What do you want to know?"

The Felon looked down at her, her amber eye staring into Nepgear's purple eyes. The candidate felt nervous under Magic's calculating gaze, exposed, vulnerable. The only thing preventing them from fighting was the public, but the threat of political suicide isn't as severe to Magic as it was to Nepgear, and the Felon could easily summon her scythe and send Nepgear through the Re:Spawn.

Then Magic smiled, and Nepgear didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing. "And why would you want to know?"

Nepgear's mind blanked at first, but she quickly found her words again. "W-Why wouldn't I? If it's knowledge you want, maybe we can help?" Everyone nearby was surprised, shocked by Nepgear's offer to help the ASIC, everyone but Magic herself. "After all, if we can help you find this knowledge, that means you can let the CPUs go, right? And stop trying to summon Arfoire? We won't have to fight anymore. No one else will have to die…"

The Felon stared down at the Candidate, a strange look in her eye, before shaking her head. "The information I want can't be found in Gamindustri. Only Arfoire holds the key."

"How can you be so sure?" Nepgear pressed.

"..." CFW Magic didn't answer. Instead she glanced at CFW Brave who tapped his forearm while looking at her. Not moments later bells started ringing and silenced everyone. "It's about to begin." Magic stated.

She didn't miss the look Nepgear gave her.

The noises of the crowd gradually died down again, as the bells rang again. Soon there was total silence, broken only by the bells.

Usually the CPU and Oracle would follow the parade to the place of the event, but because that place was in front of the Basilicom, the parade came without them. 2 men and a woman in white robes with purple lining; Nepgear didn't recognize their garb, but it looked ceremonial. They were escorted by other people in suits, who were ringing the bells.

The crowd split into two, letting the parade through without trouble. The woman suddenly stopped and walked towards the crowd, with the other two people following her. An old man was crying and Nepgear's heart sank at what she saw. A pitiful old man crying over someone who lost their life... killed by her friends and staff…

The woman gave him a tissue, and whispered something to him. The man took it, nodding and wiping away his tears.

There were more people like him, Nepgear and Histoire realized. Today they were harshly reminded that all those ASIC grunts, their enemies, were also citizens of Planeptune, their own subjects. It was different from just seeing it on the news, or reading about it in a report. Right there before Histoire was a man crying over a dead family member, effectively executed under the Oracle's orders for being hired by ASIC. And he was far from the only one.

For a moment, Histoire wondered if she had caused more suffering on Planeptune than the ASIC ever did.

After the parade reached the monument, the woman and the two men greeted the leaders with nods and "Good days.", before leaving a bundle of flowers in front of the monument. Another one to a big pile, Histoire allowed herself to think how hard it would be to clean it up later. All those petals.

"Citizens of Planeptune, and all of Gamindustri." The woman began, her voice amplified through the speakers set up around the area. "The CPUs and Oracles ruling the Four Nations, and… the Leaders of ASIC."

A speech, Nepgear and Histoire already knew about it. There always had to be a speech for a day like these, Histoire even had to prepare one herself, in case she would be called to give her own thing.

"Planeptune has suffered a great catastrophe. Day after day, our friends and families were losing their lives. To some of you, they were your fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters, your families. To some of you they were your friends or enemies."

Spy raised his eyebrow, this was a weird thing to add to the speech for the dead.

"But for today, we all gathered here to honor their memory, and give them the goodbye they deserved. To show them, that they won't be forgotten and they will be missed. To show their killers that justice will come for them with vengeance."

Histoire, IF and the mercenaries grew confused, and very concerned. This wasn't the type of speech you should hear at a burial… Histoire locked her eyes with Spy, and despite the distance she could still… 'read' his thoughts, for the lack of a better word.

Spy: I don't like this.

Histoire: Me neither. Can we do something?

Spy: Nothing you would be happy about, with all of these people around.

Histoire: CFW Magic and Nepgear are holding hands… do you think she would do something in front of all of these people?

Spy: I don't know… but our options are limited. One small misstep and the public could turn against us.

The Oracle blinked, surprised by the… conversation she just had with the mercenary. Spy himself just looked curiously at her, but for a different reason. Then he started pushing his way through the crowd, Histoire watching him skillfully walk around the people for a moment before turning her attention towards Nepgear. The Candidate was in a whispered conversation with Magic, but Histoire couldn't hear anything. Magic made sure it was for Nepgear's ears only. The Candidate turned her gaze towards the crowds, and found Scout looking at her, he gave her a cheery wave and a smile.

Nepgear said something, and a small, barely visible smile appeared on Magic's face. It had bad news written all over it.

"Violence breeds more violence, misery and death. And through that violence, all of us will lose something-"

"Why?! Why would you do that?!"

Someone shouted from the crowd, interrupting the speaker. Eyes turned to the source of the shout, and found a young woman pointing accusingly at Nepgear.

"Why did you kill those people?"

It spiralled out of control like fire. One person, it took one brave person to ask the question and the crowd soon followed.

"Why would you order DEATHS for them?!"

"He was our only source of credits!"

"What else are you hiding?!"

"It's your fault!"

Nepgear hyperventilated as more and more shouts came from the enraged crowd, determined to get their answers. She took a step back, but CFW Magic gently pushed her towards the crowd. Nepgear looked at her, and saw a smile present on Magic's face. "Shouldn't a leader answer their nation's questions? It would do you no good if you kept silent." The Felon teased, and Nepgear just realized in how much trouble she was in. Faced against her own enraged citizens, with no means of escape.

"Why do this?"

"Where is Lady Neptune?!"

"What kind of nation are you running?!"

"Fuck this government, I want the ASIC!"

"Would you all just goddamn shut up?!"

Light momentarily blinded Nepgear as Blanc transformed. There was a moment of silence as people were too shocked to see the CPU of Lowee transforming in front of them. Blanc took advantage of this and pointed at the woman who started it all. "You. What the hell are you talking about?"

The citizen, understandably, grew nervous after being on the receiving end of attention, the attention of a CPU who was known for her temper. To her credit however, she held her own ground and adopted a brave posture relatively quickly.

"This doesn't concern you, CPU of Lowee. These are Planeptune matters."

"Well Lowee and Planeptune are in an alliance now, so that makes this my freakin' problem as well." She spat back, and the woman's eyes widened. Giving her no edge in the conversation, Blanc continued. "Either way, this is a memorial service, so can you not try to start a riot while we're honoring the dead?"

Nepgear's fear turned into amazement. A seemingly hopeless situation was quickly and effortlessly defused by Blanc. Something Nepgear wouldn't be able to do on her own. Blanc looked back at the Candidate of Planeptune and gave her a nod, signalling that she has her back.

But Magic didn't stop smiling.

"We don't care!"

The crowd cheered at those words, and hostility intensified even faster than before. CFW Brave and Trick had to step in to stop the public from overrunning the security. "It doesn't seem like the public has a good opinion of you, Nepgear. Hm?" The purple-haired Felon smirked tauntingly.

"I knew you were up to something. You planted a few toadies in the crowd didn't you?" Blanc growled, glaring daggers at the felon. It had no effect however, Magic was simply unbothered by Blanc's angry face.

"I did no such thing." The leader of ASIC shrugged. "The people connected the dots themselves. All we did was give them an opportunity to voice their suspicions." So this whole memorial was just to trap them with an angry crowd, unable to escape due to the repercussions an enraged crowd can do to Shares, Blanc concluded. "You brought this on yourselves." Magic added.

"Screw you." Blanc spat back. "I was stupid to think for even a second you actually cared."

In the meantime, the crowd's anger continued to rise like an erupting volcano.

"Throw Nepgear out!"

"We don't want her!"

"We want a different CPU!"

"Yeah! Kill her!"

THUMP

The crowds in front of her became irrelevant. Their angry shouts and jeers were the last thing Nepgear focused on. She placed her hand on her chest, feeling strangely cold all of a sudden. She was shivering, and she was strangely calm… unnaturally so.

THUMP, THUMP

Nepgear blinked, confused. Something felt wrong, and it wasn't people wanting her dead, nor IF separating her from Magic. There was this sense of impending doom rooted within her mind, screaming at her that something was very wrong. It weren't the CFWs nearby, it wasn't her own citizens wanting her head on a pike. It was something else, something very important...

Was she always this heavy? Was her heart always beating so loud?

THUMP, THUMP

"Hey, Gear! Snap out of it!" IF dragged her away, and looked at the Candidate's face. Something confused the Guild agent, but it was outside of Nepgear's interest. The CPU Candidate knew that IF was getting worried about her, but she didn't care. There was some sort of… event about to happen that is far more important.

THUMP, THUMP

Nepgear's legs buckled under her weight, and IF caught her before she could fall. "Hey, hey hey! Are you alright?!" The brunette questioned, concerned and confused. She didn't understand it, Nepgear didn't understand it. There was something happening right now, and it had something to do with Nepgear. But she didn't know what.

THUMP, THUMP

Her vision grew hazy and dark, her eyelids struggled to stay open. Her breath was ragged, and it was hard to draw oxygen. Every breath had to be a conscious effort, and even then it was so hard to achieve.

"IF, what is happening to Nepgear?" Histoire questioned, hovering closer. The fairy tried to appear brave, something which IF wasn't able to do. "I don't know, she just collapsed! Hey, Gear! Talk to me!" The Guild agent began shaking Nepgear once more, but it was a futile effort. The lilac-haired girl was focused on just two things: Breathing in and out, and finding out what was happening.

"Compa, call Medic here, we need his Medi-gun." The fairy ordered, but the mercenary was already here, along with the rest of the team.

Nepgear felt the healing beam on her, but that gave her no relief as she kept searching for an answer. Her body slowly shut down, but there was no pain. Nothing hurt her, like the pain receptors were shutting down as well.

THUMP

Then, she heard Magic's voice, as clear as day.

"Try as you might to wipe away the red off your purple flags, the stains will remain forever."

"Oh, and Nepgear. I wouldn't be trying to summon the Deity of Sin if I wasn't sure about that."

And during her final moments, Nepgear finally reached the answer.

Her shares.

She didn't have enough shares to live…

Nepgear passed out.

Interdimensional RED-Coded Contract

Memorial

This one is kinda short, but it gets the job done. There's an angry mob wanting Nepgear, Magic reveals her reason for resurrecting Arfoire, which isn't for deh evilz (Tell me, how many of you expected that?)

And I think we're going to Lowee soon, finally!

Also I need to tell you something. Turns out I'll have to change the plans, I was planning to do 5-6 Arcs, each for a landmass with Badlands and Gamindustri Graveyard included…

I am not going to do that.

It would take too long, so I'm not going to do that. Hell, I don't think I'll even do all CPUs here. I have about a year before I finish the school (unless I fail the year), and I'm going to try a military service after that. So I won't have time to write.

Which means I'll have to end the fic way earlier.

To be honest, at the pace I'm going now. It would take few years before I even get to the last arc of my previous vision. I was just too ambitious with it. I'll try to finish this fic, I already put too much effort into it to just drop it, then I'm gonna go through few years of the military and then…

Then I guess I'll write my own book. I already have few concepts for it.

Responses:

- Metastable

Uhhh… but I did write few chapters with mercs wearing silly cosmetics. Chapter 14 and 21 comes to mind.

- Caddy

I guess they would. I am proud of this project and I intend to finish it… let's see how far I'll go before I change my mind.

Harmless Orange