Welcome back to my story. Sorry about the long delay, I've been extremely busy these past months. With life, games and being stopped with writers block. I haven't even had much time to read other storys. But enough of that and on to the reviews.

RedBurningDragon: I would say Fulman is close to indignation, but it first moves through the user, Desmond, before hitting the target. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending.

Blue555Nexus: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. The next few chapters will be more filler-esqe but will have moments to tie into the next arc. The last question is a little tough. Red Heart has more physical strength with a higher array of fire magic, while Blue Heart is faster and has more finesse and a higher array of electric magic at his disposal. So each has their advantages in combat. I probably will make another mode for him eventually but not sure when, it might not be in the next arc, not sure yet.

MarioBrosFTW: I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for other OCs into my story, I've thought about the idea before. They would most likely be one off fight characters or would be only seen once in a while like a cameo. So, I would say it depends on what you, or anyone else, had in idea.

Derpenkampfwagen: I'm happy to see that you enjoyed my story. I might make another story in the distant future, but for now it's updates for this one.

Thank you everyone for your reviews. They really motivate me to work on these. So, again thanks.

The sun rose on the day after Desmond's return. Desmond, IF and Neptune fell asleep on the couch watching a movie. As he woke, he carefully moved the girls to keep from disturbing their sleep. He moved over to the kitchen and started to make breakfast, pancakes and eggs, for everyone. As he was cooking, he felt a pair of arms wrap around him. "Good morning." IF said with a somewhat tired voice.

"Good morning sweetie. Did I wake you up?" he asked.

She let go of him and moved beside him "A little bit. Your going to see the other nations, right?" she questioned.

"Yeah, need to let the others know I'm back." He answered.

"I wish you didn't have to leave just after getting back. But I know this is something that you have to do." She said as she began putting food on a plate.

"Thanks for understanding, I'll try to be as fast as possible." He stated, giving her a smile.

"Good morning, you two." Nepgear greeted as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Gear." The two responded.

"Did you sleep well?" the young man asked Nepgear.

"Yes. Thanks for making breakfast." She responded.

Desmond turned off the stove and turned around "Go ahead and eat. I'm going to get Neptune up."

"Okay." Nepgear said as she moved toward the counter.

As he got to the couch he saw the purple haired girl leaning on one of the arms to the couch. He shook the girl's shoulder "Wake up."

She groaned a little as she moved slightly "I'm still tired…" she murmured.

"Either get up or no breakfast." He threatened.

Neptune grabbed Desmond's shirt as she half way off the couch. "N-No… I'll get up…" she started to slip off, falling on the ground. "Oww…" she looked up at the young man "Meanie…" she stuck her tongue at him.

"I love you too honey." He responded nonchalantly, as he moved her so she'd be sitting up. He than gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She gave him a bright smile "Can you bring my food here?" she asked.

"No, you need to go to the table. Now get up." He answered as he stood back up.

"Awww… come on…" she pouted "Can you carry me then. I'm still too tired."

Desmond let out a small sigh "Fine, just this time. You shouldn't be so lazy." He lifted her up, bridal style, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thanks Dez, you're the best." She stated with a smile, before giving him quick kiss.

After eating breakfast and getting ready for the day he left the Planetower and headed toward Lowee. As he walked up to the basilicom doors, he could hear yelling from inside. As he opened the door he saw the three CPUs of Lowee running around, the elder chasing and yelling at the younger two. The three stopped in place once they noticed the open door. "Hey, girls. I'm back." Desmond said as he let the door close behind him.

"Big brother!" the two candidates shouted as they ran toward the young man, hugging him as a few tears fell from their eyes.

"We missed you…" Rom stated.

"Yeah, what took you so long Desmond?!" Ram questioned.

"You know… just saving the day." He gave a small chuckle. "I missed you both as well."

Blanc walked up to the three and gave a small bow "Welcome back Desmond. We can't thank you enough for what you did."

"Well, I couldn't let that old hag destroy my new home." He responded, "Where's Mina?"

"She left. She felt like she wasn't fit to be Oracle after everything that happened. Seeing these two kidnapped really didn't sit well with her. She felt like she could have done more. Now she's trying to better her abilities in all parts of her life." Blanc answered.

"What? Really? Wow… Didn't expect that. Hey girls wanna go play something?" He asked.

"Yes!" the two candidates shouted as they ran off.

Desmond started following them "Running the nation and trying to keep these two under watch. You must be exhausted. Go rest, I'll watch them for a little while."

"Thank you." Blanc responded before walking away.

After spending the rest of the day in Lowee, Desmond left for Lastation the next morning. As he arrived at the basilicom, he walked into the elevator and pushed the button to go up. After the door opened he walked through the hallways, heading for Noire's office. On his way he heard someone call his name. He turned around just in time to see a ravenhaired girl embrace him, before she moved back. "Hey, Uni. How is everything?"

"It's been going rather well. After everything calmed down, it's been nice. Also, sis and I have been going out on quests together more often as well. I think she's entrusting more to me." She stated with a smile.

"That's good. I'm sure you've gotten stronger after all this time as well. And remember to keep getting better, even if it's to be even better than your sister." He responded.

"Yes, I remember. But for now, being as good as sis will be the first mark." She said.

"Okay. Have you gotten any new guns lately?" he asked.

"A few, a pistol and two rifles." She answered with a smile. She looked at a clock on the wall "Oh, I got to get back to work. Are you staying long?"

"Probably for the day, I'll come by and check on those guns later. I'll let you go work now." He responded.

"Okay. See ya!" Uni said as she walked off.

Desmond then walked the rest of the way to Noire's office. He knocked on the door. "Come in." he heard and entered. He saw Noire siting at her desk, putting pen to paper. "Do you have more papers U-" she started before looking at the young man. Her pen fell on the desk and she stood as she stared at him. She started to tear up before running up to him and tightly hugging him. She then began to sob into his shoulder.

He returned the embrace, a couple of minutes later "Looks like someone missed their friend~" he teased.

She lifted her head up and looked at him with a blank look for a couple of seconds before her face turned red. "W-W-What do you mean!? What's wrong with greeting someone you thought was dead." She turned away.

"Come on, you know I'm messing with you. No need to go tsun on me." The young man said with a small chuckle.

"If you're here just to bother me, go ahead and leave." Noire said as she crossed her arms and sat down in her chair.

"I know that's not how you feel." He walked over to her desk and moved papers aside and placed them into folders "Let's do something fun. I'm here and you've most likely been working way too much… like usual."

"Ugh, fine. What do you want to do then?" She asked.

The next morning Desmond took his leave and moved toward Leanbox. After arriving in the main city, he entered the basilicom. The first he came across was Chika "Hello, Desmond. I suppose I should thank you for standing in place, for my dear Vert, against the Deity."

"It's good to see you again as well Chika. I'm was on my way to see Vert." The young man responded.

"I don't think so. I'll let Vert know you're alive, so you can le…" She started before turning around and seeing him no longer there.

Arriving at Vert's door, the young man knocked. No response came. Again, he knocked, still nothing. He started to hear Vert speak, letting out a small sigh he walked in. Seeing Vert at her computer with a headset around her ears. "Knew it." He muttered.

He then walked next to her and turned off one of the monitors. Vert stopped and took off her headphones before turning to look at him. "It's wonderful to see you again, Desmond. Thanks to you I was able to get to my backlog of games without delay." She said with a smile.

"I can't say I'm surprised at all. Well as long as Leanbox is doing well it doesn't matter." He stated.

"Let me give you my thanks." Vert said as she stood, as she pulled the young man into an embrace. Bringing his head down to her chest.

After a couple of moments, he was able to pry himself free "Could… you… not." He responded with a small dusting of red across his face.

Vert just giggled as she sat back down in her chair. "I am currently busy. But after I'm done, we can play some games together if you wish."

"Yeah, that sounds fine." He responded as he sat on a nearby couch.

The next morning Desmond left to go back to Planeptune. He and IF had planned to do some quests once he got back to spend sometime together. On the way back, Desmond received a phone call. Seeing that it was from IF he answered. "Hey, sweetie. I'm on my way back."

"Okay. I'm walking through Virtua Forest; the guild had a post saying that there were dragon sightings around the forest. So, I came out here for a little recon, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that any have been around here." IF stated.

"Alright, where in the forest are you?" he questioned.

"I'm not too far from the entrance, I'm about to le… Agh!" IF started before she felt herself thrown into a tree, as a loud roar came with it.

"IF… IF!" Desmond yelled, almost dropping his phone. He then bolted toward the forest.

As he arrived at the forest, it wasn't long before he could see a trail of destruction. As he caught up, he saw IF struggling to stand. She held a hand on her right leg as she fell to the ground, as blood flowed from a moderate sized wound. The dragon started to charge at IF, before having several shots hit the creature. It turned around and roared at the man, shortly before throwing a large amount of fire from its mouth.

Right before the dragon turned back toward IF, the fire started to converge on one point. A ball of flame floated above Desmond's hand, he moved the ball to his body, absorbing it. A torrent of flames coated his body as claws of fire formed on his hands and feet. Also flaming wings formed on his back. He let out an angry growl as he ran toward the monster. The dragon swiped at the young man. He jumped over the attack, counterattacking by hitting the dragon's wings, rendering them useless. The creature cried out as it tried to turn itself around to hit Desmond. It was too slow, Desmond cut the arms from the monster and stood in front of it. Desmond stood in a slight bent position, Staring at the dragon with nothing but hatred. The creature hesitated, then stared to charge a breath attack. But before it could attack, it's head was severed from its body.

Desmond yelled into the air, as fire shot upward. He than laid his eyes on IF, the flames incasing his body suddenly disappeared. Tears started to come down his face "I made it in time…" he muttered. He moved next to IF, hugging her tightly. "You idiot, you should have waited for me."

"It's… not my fault it came out of nowhere." She responded.

Desmond looked at her leg "What happened?"

"When it ambushed me, it hit me into a tree. And when I hit it… I hit a broken branch." She answered. "Hurts like a bitch, but it'll heal."

"I'm gonna need to cauterize the wound, you really need to stop getting yourself into these situations." He said.

"It's not like it's by my choice that I'm letting myself get this hurt. Ow." She stated before a spike of pain came from her leg.

"Don't get so riled up. You need to stay still." Desmond was about to start, until a large crash came from nearby. Accompanied with a loud roar and the forest filled with fire. "Crap, a second one. How many were there supposed to be."

"It was never specified." She answered.

"Great…" he looked around and a thought came to mind. "IF, focus on your fire magic. To the point where you are about to use it."

"Why?" she asked with a puzzled look.

"Just do it, I have an idea. So, I'd like to see if it works." He responded. A small red pebble came out of his hand. "Put this near your chest as you focus."

She took it without questioning, knowing she'd get the same response. She held it close and began to concentrate. The stone began to glow "What do you want me to d…" she started before getting cut off with a kiss. The pebble disappeared into IF, as a bright light enveloped the two. IF's appearance changed, her hair changed to blonde, while her clothing changed to a mainly black and red scheme with some yellow. And her eyes changed from green to red.

"Hmm… Looks like it worked. I got to say, you look good as a blonde." Desmond stated.

"Huh, what do you mean…" she asked before some of her bangs fell in front of her eyes. "What… What did you do?"

"I think an explanation can be saved for later. First you need to stop anymore bleeding from your leg. Just concentrate on that area and it should start to work." He responded.

As she focused the energy on her leg, the bleeding effectively stopped. "Now, we need to get rid of the fire around here. You should be able to manipulate the fire now. Pull the fire to you, your body should absorb it." Desmond instructed.

"What!? You want me to absorb the fire?" IF questioned.

"You'll be fine, it'll be like when I do it. You should also be able to gain some power from it." He stated.

She concentrated and pulled some of the nearby fire toward her. The flames reached her arm and continued to flow around her body. As the fire dissipated, she felt her body grow lighter as the fatigue left. "Wow, this is crazy." IF muttered.

As the two cleared the immediate area of fire, they followed the direction the dragon set off in. Once they caught up to the dragon, they found it throwing fire on nearby trees. Desmond summoned one of his beam sabers before IF stopped him. "Let me take care of this one. If you're gonna give me this power, I might as well use it."

"Go ahead. I'm not going to try to stop you." He responded.

IF walked forward summoning her katars, as Desmond fired a few shots at the dragon to keep it from throwing anymore fire onto the landscape. IF wrapped fire around her weapons and dashed toward the monster. As she neared it she dodged an attack from the dragon, as she then released a flurry of attacks at the creature. She moved behind the creature and used a controlled explosion that flung the dragon upward. IF then jumped up to it as she slashed the monster in a diagonal motion with both blades. After landing on the ground, several explosions went off around the dragon. As the body of the creature crashed into the ground, it tried to move. Its wings were torn beyond recognition and several large lacerations covered its body. IF walked over to it cut it's head off, as it soon turned into data and disappeared.

Desmond grabbed his girlfriend and pulled her into a hug "Haha! That was awesome sweetie! I wish I would've thought about something like this before now."

"H-Hey, careful. Don't hug so tightly." IF said squirming a little.

Desmond let go of the brunette as he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that. I got a little carried away, you were just so cool out there."

A small dusting of red filled IF cheeks "W-Well, I guess it's fine then."

"No need to feel embarrassed. And as much as I like the new look, you probably should revert back." Desmond stated.

IF changed back to her normal self "How did you cause this to happen anyways?"

"Well, hmm. I used my natural fire power and infused a little bit of share energy into it. But that was mainly for it to maintain that pebble form. The power mostly stems from nature energy. But with that said, my theory was that with my power and the infusion of the share energy, it would allow a normal human to transform. Even if it was only for one time, but I would like to see if you could change into it again before we leave."

"I guess I could try." IF again focused the energy in her body again. Suddenly a large flash exploded from around her, as she awakened the power from in her body once more. "I-I did it… that's cool." She then reverted back.

"Awesome, so it's not a one-shot wonder. Good to know." Desmond stated. "I guess we should head back now and grab some more quests. You look more than good enough to fight it out a little longer."

"Sounds good to me, let's go." IF responded as the two walked off.

A few days later, Desmond walked into the living room after working some quests. "Hey, buster!" Neptune shouted as she stood from the couch. "How come ever since you got back we hardly hang out? All you've been doing is work."

"That's because work needs to be done when you run a nation. And you've just been playing around. Leaving Histoire, Gear, and I to pick up the slack. But, I guess I could take the rest of the day off.

"Yippie!" She jumped up and pulled him to the couch. "First on todays to do list, is games!" she shouted with joy.

"Okay, what do you want to play?" Desmond asked.

"Hmmm. How about some good ol' kart racing?" she answered.

"Sounds good to me." Desmond picked up a controller as Neptune started up the game.

An hour and many games later, the two were close in wins, until the final tie breaker. "Eat my dust and I win!" Neptune cheered as she held her fingers in a V formation.

"I wouldn't get too excited if I were you…" Desmond stated before grabbing and tickling her.

"Hahahahaha, stop! Stop! No fair, haha, you know my sides are super ticklish!" She cried out between laughs.

After stopping he placed her back on the couch and stood up. "Let's go for a walk. It's been a while since we've done that." He said as he walked toward the door.

"Ooo, that sounds fun." Neptune commented as she stood and followed the young man.

After the two made their way to the streets of Planeptune, they walked to a near by park. As the walked Neptune let out a little giggle. "What's funny?" Desmond asked.

"I was just thinking about the last time we were here. A lot has happened since then. I'm just glad that everything ended up going well, ya'know." She clung to his arm "I know ever since everything started it's been hard on everyone. But, I think it was necessary. Nep Jr. has grown up so much since we left. Before she'd come to me for any little thing that would bother her. But now, she's tackling world saving problems. She's gained so many new friends to help her. And she's taking on so much of the CPU work… All I do on a typical day, is play games and hang around the basilicom. And most of the time I work, Histy or you force me to do it…" she said, sounding a little dejected. "Maybe… Maybe Nepgear would be better as CPU… What do you think?" She asked as she looked up.

He looked at her with a serious face she hadn't seen since the battle against the DOS. "Don't you dare think that you are a poor CPU." His face softened a bit. "I mean, sure you slack off and don't work most of the time. And when you get out of the basilicom you usually either go somewhere else to play games or it's for a pudding run. But Gear isn't ready yet to actually run this place by herself. She still needs you more than you might think. You also a natural leader, confidence pours from your entire being. Even in the most dire of times, you still find a silver lining in it. I wouldn't want to see anyone other than you run this place." He gave her a hug, tears started to form as she returned the embrace with a smile.

"Thank you Dez." She looked at his face "You really are the best."

"I try." He said with a chuckle.

The two let the other go, as Neptune turned around "Onward to the pudding!"

After the two stopped at a nearby pudding shop, the walked back to the park and sat at a bench. "Hey, let me have a bite of your pudding." Neptune stated.

"Well, knowing you, you'd try anyway. Here." He took a small amount on the spoon and she ate it.

"Ah ha. That's sooo good. Chocolate is great. Now it's your turn, open wide." She said holding her spoon up to the young man. "So, what do ya' think?"

"The milk pudding isn't too bad." He responded.

She leaned onto his shoulder. "It's nice how peaceful this is." She finished off her pudding and placed the empty cup next to her. "I wanna stay like this for a little longer." She said as she closed her eyes and the breeze lightly blew around them "I love you Dez."

"I love you too. It really is nice to take a breather every now and again." He responded with a smile as he placed an arm around her. The two sat there for a while longer before heading back to the basilicom.

A few month later, Desmond was walking back to the guild after finishing quests in the morning. On the way there, he received a call from Histoire asking for him to meet with him as soon as he could. He stated that he had to stop by the guild, but would soon be in. She also asked him to bring Neptune with him.

After arriving back at the basilicom, Desmond with Neptune walked to the Sharicite room where Histoire was at. As the two entered the room the book fairy greeted them "Hello you two."

"What's the emergency Histoire?" Desmond asked.

"Yeah, Histy? Where's the fire?" the purple haired CPU questioned.

"Well… I'm not sure how to say this. I guess I'll just show you. Come over here." She said as a girl walked to the middle of the room with them. She stood taller than Neptune, but shorter than Nepgear. Her hair came down to her shoulders and it was dark purple in color, except closer at the ends which held a small red tint to it. She wore a white t-shirt with a dark purple jacket, black shorts and wore dark red fingerless gloves. Her eyes were purple, as she darted them between the three others in the room. "H-Hello." She said timidly.

"Umm, Hi. Who is this Histoire?" Desmond asked.

"Ooo, she's cute. Where did she come from? Is she lost?" Neptune questioned.

"After some extensive research, she appears to be a CPU created from the people." The tome started.

"What!? Another CPU, hmm. That's pretty cool. Oh, where are my manners. My name is Neptune, the protag of protags." She let out a giggle as she finished speaking.

"So, how is this going to work then Histoire? Is she a candidate on level with Gear, or possible lower in rank?"

"Well, I suppose she would be ranked lower, but that would deal with what I shall tell you next." Catching the attention of the two. "Again, after research I have concluded that she is your daughter."

"Wait, what? What!? B-But how is that possible!? Well, I mean I'm not opposed to having a daughter. But it's a bit shocking coming out of nowhere." Neptune exclaimed.

Desmond stood silent for a moment "A-Are you sure Histoire? You didn't make a mistake?"

"No, it appears the people wished for a CPU to be created that was part you and part Neptune. Thus, she was created to be the daughter for you two. You should have felt a disturbance, she was connected to your sharicite along with Planeptune's." Histoire stated. "Apparently, through the many outings you two go on through the city. Many of the citizens quite liked the idea of you two together and wished for you two to have a kid."

"What is with the people wanting everyone else to be taller than me? I mean what kind of joke are they trying to get at?" Neptune questioned aloud.

"Well, I did feel something. Just thought it was heart burn or something. So, this is happening huh." He said.

"You are taking this rather calmly." Histoire commented.

"Just on the outside. Inside, my mind is racing. Thankfully I'm good at hiding it." He let out a small chuckle "It definitely is a lot to take in at once. What is her name?"

"She doesn't have one. I thought it would be more suitable for you two to give one to her." The tome answered.

"So, what do you think?" Neptune asked as the girl looked at them with slight anticipation.

After a couple of moments, he gave an answer "How about Samantha?" he looked at both Neptune and the young girl. The girl smiled at the name.

"Hmmm, I think it should start with Nep, but I'm not sure what would go after that. So, I guess Samantha is fine. Whatcha think Sam?" Neptune asked.

She looked at the two "Samantha… That's my name… Okay." She started to smile "Thank you mom, dad."

"O boy, that's going to take some time to get used to." Neptune stated.

"No joke honey." Desmond added placing a hand on her head "Now, the problem is revealing her to everyone."

"I don't see a problem, just group up everyone and we'll let them know." Neptune commented.

"Well, not problem. More of a pain, specifically with Vert." he stated.

"Oh, yeah… that kinda makes sense." Neptune responded while rubbing the back of her head. "I guess we should introduce Sam to Nep Jr."

"Who's that?" Samantha asked.

"She is your aunt, and Neptune's little sister." Desmond answered as the three exited the room with the tome fairy following behind.

As the group entered the living room Neptune left to grab Nepgear from her room. As the two sisters walked into the room Neptune jumped in front of her younger sister. "Now, for the big surprise…" She then gestured toward a new face, sitting on the couch next to Desmond "I would like to introduce you to Samantha, or Sam."

Samantha stood and walked to the two purple haired girls. "So, you are Nepgear."

"Hello, nice to meet you. Are you a friend of my sister?" Nepgear asked.

"Actually, she's your niece." Desmond stated.

Nepgear stood there for a few moments in silence "Uhh, pudding to Nepgear. Hey, Nep Jr. ya there?" Neptune said while waving a hand in front of her.

"W-W-What the goodness!? H-How do you have a kid!? And when, but she's to old for…" Nepgear exclaimed in shock.

"Calm down, Nepgear and I'll explain." Histoire interrupted, causing the girl to stop.

After the tome explained the situation, Nepgear took a breath and appeared to have completely calmed down. "I'm sorry about the outburst, the news just took me by surprise Samantha. I hope that we get along."

"I hope we do too, aunt Nepgear." Sam responded.

"Now I think we should pl…" Neptune started before getting interrupted.

"Hey! We're here!" IF could be heard calling out as her and Compa opened the door. After a few moments the saw everyone "Oh, everyone's here. Who's the new girl?"

"She's the daughter of Dez and I." Neptune exclaimed without hesitation.

"Quit messing around Nep. Histoire who is she?" IF asked again.

"She is as Neptune says." The tome fairy answered.

"B-But, if she really is their daughter that means they would've had to…" IF's face grew red "But, there's no way it could've been like that. She's too old clearly…" she rambled on lost in her thoughts before getting interrupted.

"She is a CPU created by the people. They apparently wanted for Neptune and I to have a daughter. So, she was born." Desmond stated. "Don't think too hard about it. IF, meet Samantha. Samantha, IF. IF is also my girlfriend."

"O-Oh, okay. Well, nice to meet you." IF said.

"So, if you are dad's other girlfriend… Would that also make you my mom?" Samantha questioned.

Everyone froze, not expecting a question like that to pop up.

"How about we go to the kitchen and get something to eat. Samantha hasn't eaten yet." Histoire spoke up to take focus of the question and the rest agreed.

I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, sorry for a shorter than usual one. But I did want to get something out after all this time. I would not call what flame mode he used against the dragon to be a new mode, just a magic enhancement. Just conformation if anyone was wondering. leave a review and let me know what you think. And as always have a great day.