Rest easy Ben Pardue, my awesome uncle Bud.

4-16-2018

Gone but never forgotten.

I originally had something else here but... yeah, it'll be next chapter folks. Two things I feel the need to address... or rather two people if they can be considered as such.

"For f***'s sake, we get a f*** BLOG INSTEAD OF A NEW CHAPTER? DEAL WITH YOUR S***, BUT DON'T BOTHER US WITH IT! It ain't my business, and I don't f*** care what your uncle's liver is doing. Just deal with your s*** and bring me back my PREMIUM CONTENT! I WANT MY NEP, IFFY AND AXEL THREESOME!" -PsychoAdrian

Bit of an entitled little shit aren't you? Do me a favor, kindly piss off and find another story. Don't hold your breath about your "premium content" either, I'm feeling particularly spiteful at the moment so you and anyone else clamoring for lemons probably won't like this story since I may very well not bother with them, anyone who has an issue kindly take it up with Mr. PsychoAdrian there. Lemons, if they do come, will be when I feel it's right to do 'em if I bother of course and not a moment sooner. Must be difficult to comprehend those of us who write on this site have lives outside of it, but eh, oh well.

"Dan:I'm not here to read your blog." -Dan (Guest)

No, you're not and my apologies. I will, however, update my readers as needed if things in my life affect my time to write in a similar manner. You can either suck it up, shut up, and get used to it or also find another story. I can't say I care, either way, you don't even have the stones to say that on an actual account. Hence why guest reviews are off for a little while, that option will come back when I'm more of my usual odd self again.

Those two accounted for, I apologize for the negativity and such for those of you that aren't those two wastes of skin reading that. Normally I stay the better man but obviously, I'm in a rough place at the moment, and that was just a bit satisfyingly cathartic. To those of you who have been patient and understanding... you're great people, through and through and I can't express in words how much I sincerely and utterly mean that.

Thankfully the majority of this chapter was written before things happened and in a much better mindset.

]l[

Axel wasn't sure when he had finally drifted off to blissful sleep after Neptune had purposefully brought about a rather awkward situation involving his anatomy that caused him toss and turn to avoid any unnecessary comments thrown his way by her, only that when he next opened his eyes... the same pitch black void from before was around him, making him grunt in annoyance. "The heck? Is the scenery still loading Histy? Yo, Histy! You there?" He called out, his voice echoing with no reply which confused him greatly. "Weird... usually these dream segments have me and Histoire havin' a chat."

"That's 'cuz Histy is a bit pre-occupied, you blockhead."

In an instant he found himself standing upon a stained glass mural depicting himself and what he could only assume was the four goddesses judging by how he could easily see Purple Heart though strangely there were... cracks in her form. Then, of course, there was that voice, one he knew quite well. After all...

"Of course you'd know my voice, man you really are slow on the uptake aren't you Axxy?"

Standing before him was himself, though oddly it wasn't him per say it was his HDD form looking at him with a bored expression on his face and his arms crossed in annoyance. "Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Axel barked out, slowly taking in his surroundings.

"Are ya really askin' me that one? Seriously? Do I need to hold up a mirror or somethin' for ya? I mean you've never been the brightest but..."

"I know you're me you jackass! I meant who exactly are you, and don't push me or I'll-"

"Simple, I'm you who else could I be?" In an instant, a grin split his face and he began to snicker as Axel started fuming. "Man it's so easy to hit your buttons, but I know you more than you even know yourself obviously after all."

Growling in annoyance Axel clenched one of his fists, more than ready to wipe that smug smirk off of his doppelganger's face. "Quit actin' like you know me, and quit pissin' me off! Where's Histoire; you do something to her?!" He may not have had Clementine but he'd-

"Punch my teeth out? That won't do any of us any good." Holding up a hand as Axel opened his mouth he continued. "That reading your thoughts bit? Also pretty easy considerin' we're in your head and I'm you. As for Histy, she's a bit occupied. Seems the old man's bombshells were something she didn't have a clue about which as we both know would be kinda worryin' to her."

"Wait... how could Histy not know about any of that?"

"Beats me, accordin' to her the information or the very memories of that stuff simply aren't there like they were purposefully removed or blocked off from her... somethin' along those lines. Either way, she's indisposed tryin' to figure that little mystery out. Not my problem, either way, not why you're here."

"So why am I here then? If Histy is busy I take it you dragged me here for a chat then?"

"Look at you usin' that noodle of yours...!" His other self slow-clapped in amusement, letting forth a sharp whistle. "I'm impressed; I'd have thought it'd take you a lot longer to figure that one out."

"Y'know you're pretty sarcastic..."

"Don't you mean you're pretty sarcastic?"

"If you don't have anything important then you can just skip to the part where I wake about now... I'm pretty sure I was having a nice dream before you yanked me here. That's another thing, what's up with the mural?"

"Man, anyone ever tell you that you're impatient and ask a lotta questions?" As Axel's left eye twitched in irritation he chuckled. "Right, right, well for starters... think of that as a nice representation of you and Nep there."

"The heck? I apologized, I..."

"An apology ain't fixin' all of that. With time? Yeah, it'll be good as new, hopefully, better but the fact remains... you done goofed."

"...And because of that my HDD is more of a strain on me."

"Nice to see you retained some things in that empty chasm you call a noggin... Yep, without the CPU's support using HDD is a major risk. You should be grateful all you're feelin' is heavier and more winded from usin' it. If you damaged things past the point of no return and tried using it extensively well..." AX Heart shrugged casually, one eye closing as he fixed Axel with a frown. "That'd be it for you; the old man wasn't kiddin' about that."

Glancing downward and running one his fingers along one of the cracks Axel nodded, some of his earlier fire fading. "I see, I really screwed up then..."

"No shit moron! Cool that temper of yours in before you kick the bucket and we're both sent to an unwanted oblivion! Geez, I've only just started to get some freedom. I don't wanna end up with a game over just because you messed things up."

"Yeah, yeah... I get it... now to my earlier question. Just who in the hell are you supposed to be?"

"Ain't I been over this...? I'm you, the real you."

"What? Make some sense, I'm me, you're just some dirty-minded flirt who gets me into damned trouble when I go HDD! Thanks for getting me roundhoused in the face by Iffy by the way!"

"Oh c'mon, don't play innocent with me you dummy it's bound to have dawned on you by now at least. When you go HDD you let your real self out... that's me. I'm the side of you that you've kept locked up for who knows how many years now; it's only thanks to Nep I even get to get outta that prison I've been stuck in and let me tell you I'm not goin' back so you best hang up any hopes you've got of gettin' in control of me."

"Tch, and why would I believe any of that? What's to stop me from just pummeling you into submission 'till you learn to freakin' behave?!" Axel turned away, fully intent on jumping from where they were conversing... at least until a very familiar clawed gauntlet rested upon his shoulder.

"You could pound me black and blue and until the horsebirds came home Axxy, wouldn't mean anything 'till you accept me. 'Sides... as you are I could probably wipe the floor with you and take over for a while... force you in the backseat for a change." He didn't need to turn to see his other self was grinning wickedly... and was utterly serious about that little threat. "Only reason I haven't is that Histy would rein me in quick."

Shoving the offending hand off of his shoulder Axel scowled. "Fine, me. I'll listen to what you gotta say; for now."

Not phased in the slightest AX Heart shrugged, his grin turning into an easy-going smile. "That's better, fewer difficulties we have the better y'know? Now, where was I...?"

"Explaining just what exactly you are?"

"Now that's the proper question... just what am I exactly? Simple, I'm you. If you'd rather I be a bit more on the dramatic side... I am thou, thou art I."

"That's the same bullshit answer you gave me before you son of a-!" Axel, having had enough stepped forward and took a swing at his HDD form only to be effortlessly dodged as if he had seen it coming a mile away.

"'Course I knew you were gonna try to knock my block off... it's just not getting to you that I know what you'll do before you even do isn't it? Right then... to dumb it down so even you can get it; I'm your wild side. The part of you that gets a thrill to be in a fight, the part of you that wants to show off how strong we are, your pride... your ego... your desires, I'm all of that, kiddo. Every little thing you try to bury because you're too chicken shit to admit to it. Far as I'm concerned... I'm the real Axel, you're just a cracked mask that needs to be yanked off."

Seeing that his other self-wasn't buying any of it AX Heart merely chuckled. "Well, I guess seeing is believing... let's fix that yeah?" With a snap of his fingers, a door materialized; purple in color and with a share crystal embedded within it.

"The heck is that supposed to be?" Axel felt his blood run cold at the mile-wide grin AX Heart was giving him, he really wasn't going to like this...

"I did just say I'm the you that you won't admit to really bein'... this door here? This would be where every little less than innocent idle thought about Purple Heart is locked away, from the first time we saw her to the spar we had in front of Compa's house and beyond. How's about we open it up and relive all those nice little memories?" His hand resting on the doorknob he didn't need to wait long for Axel's response. "Of course we'll just be starting at this door, there's a few more to go after all."

"O-okay! Okay! Slow down there, I believe you! I believe you're everything I've locked away and all that!"

"That's a shame, but I guess it's for the best... we wouldn't want to fluster Histy too much since she's listening."

"Hold up, Histy is list-!"

"Movin' on!" Ax Heart declared, the door fading away by some silent command. "Long story short; treat the girls right and you'll be good. Act like a jerk and well... sayonara. As for why I brought you here, that's pretty damn easy to figure out."

"You don't want me to lock you away any longer... that it?"

"Ding ding ding! He finally got it ladies, gentlemen, and tome fairies! Yeah, that's about the size of it. I'm pretty fed up bein' locked away and ignored... you're a red-blooded male surrounded by ladies, Axxy. Some temptation and thoughts aren't gonna kill ya you prude; till you accept yourself? Can't say I'll stop enjoying my freedom when you go HDD and there isn't a thing you can do about that."

"I'll keep all of that in mind, are we done here?"

"Just about... all fun and games aside I'd keep on my toes if I were you. Remember that warning Histoire gave you about Arfoire?"

"The one about her and some guy in armor?"

Nodding, AX Heart's expression turned serious as he turned and glanced off into the black abyss surrounding them. "Listen, Axel, he's here... I'm just makin' sure you've got fair warning. After all, he's lookin' for you here in Lastation. You'll run into him sooner or later, you'll understand when you meet him." With that his HDD form smiled, waving him off. "That's all I've got for ya, you can go ahead and leave now."

"Thanks for the warning I guess... y'know I still don't accept that you're my real self."

"'Course you wouldn't, you're stubborn, but you'll come to terms with me one way or another even if my existing just proves you're kind of a perv. Anyways, back to the waking world with you!" Before Axel could react his other self suddenly kicked him in the chest, grinning as Axel plummeted below.

"That's not funny you asshole!"

"You're right, it isn't funny... it's hilarious, and it takes one to know one buddy!" As Axel vanished from sight, cursing and yelling all the while AX Heart chuckled to himself. "Shame I won't be able to do that too often. Aw man, I could have yelled "This. Is. Gamindustri!" if he had set me up for it... oh well, maybe next time."

"You did not tell him everything; do you think that was wise?"

"Wouldn't do him any good, Histoire, even if I told him he's not the sort to plan ahead. Axel takes challenges full throttle with no planning... Best to just let him find it all out himself. I've got faith in the moron; after all, he's me, y'know."

"I suppose you would know best in this case... but do you think he will be prepared when the time comes?"

"Honestly? Probably not, but he's got people that have his back. He should be okay if he keeps his temper in check. 'Sides, I'll be here to help if the worst happens, so may as well put our faith in the knucklehead and watch what goes from there. Hopefully the next time the idiot pops in we can try and make some progress on co-existing."

"I will put my faith in him, but... I must ask, were you kidding earlier? About... the doors and his thoughts."

"Nope! Can't wait to spring that on the girls should they ever have the misfortune to be dragged into this moron's noggin somehow. Should be comedy gold to see their faces." Already planning out that situation should it ever come to pass he started to move with a rhythm to his step. "They'll never see it coming~"

]l[

It was with a start that Axel found himself jolted back to the waking world, immediately sitting up with a snarl. "Asshat! I'm gonna kick your-" Something felt off, very off; so much so he shoved his irritation at his HDD self on the backburner and glanced around. Neptune wasn't using him as a pillow, or even snoozing away still judging by how he was the only one in the room. "Eh? The heck? Where did she..."

"GOOOD MOOOORNING, AAAXELLL!"

All at once every hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding his father flying into the room intent on kicking him awake; the attack meeting his headboard instead of his skull, without thinking he twisted his body and lashed out with a kick of his own which the older man blocked before grabbing his leg in a vice-grip and shaking him vigorously while holding him upside down. "Wakey wakey my glorious son! You've overslept, your friends all ran off to meet Chian while you've been sleeping like a log!"

"Who in the hell wakes up their son by attacking them?! I should strangle you ya old goat! Wait... what!?"

"You heard me, they left without you! Now up and at 'em I won't have you sleeping away while they run off on their adventures!

"Gah! How could they have run off without me! Damn, damn, damn! Lemme go already, I gotta go!"

"Lot of good you'd be without a weapon kiddo; what, you gonna fight everything with your fists from now on?"

"Don't tell me you didn't even start workin' on it?! I ain't got time to be hangin' around here waiting for you in your old age, Pops!"

"Cool your jets kiddo, come down to the garage and you'll be good to go." Dropping his son unceremoniously upon the floor his father left the room, alone once more Axel felt a frown form as he mulled over the news. "How could they just pick up and leave without me...?" It just didn't seem like something the girls would have done all things considering and it kinda... hurt, to be honest. Shaking off the negative thoughts aside lest they linger he stood up and grunted as he stretched out his limbs. "No use wasting time thinking about it I guess." There were more important things to deal with at the moment, mainly getting his new weapon and catching up with the girls before they possibly left him even further behind.

Moving to his bathroom he hissed as he turned on the lights and was momentarily blinded before his eyes adjusted, blinking owlishly he shook it off and stared at the mirror in front of him. Looking at own reflection in the mirror he found it odd that he hadn't any need to shave ever since the fight with the guard vermin. Rubbing his cheek he couldn't even feel any stubble or otherwise but simply played it off as unimportant. Brushing, flossing, and washing his face to fully wake himself up he went back to his room and smiled as he saw his clothes were freshly cleaned and waiting for him. "Thanks, Mom."

All but flying down the stairs once he had his pack, he made a beeline towards the garage where his father no doubt waited. He couldn't help but feel a bit excited about just what kind of awesome new weapon he'd be wielding. "Clementine Mark II? Nah... hm, what to name her..." Stepping inside he was greeted to the sight of his old man standing next to a table covered with a cloth. "...Don't tell me you made me some gigantic ridiculous cannon or something, seriously I'm no good fighting at a distance. I mean if it blows things up I ain't gotta worry about aim... much, just friendly fire."

"How about you wait for me to show you before you jump to conclusions? I think you'll be more pleased with my work." Smirking as he could see he had his son's full attention now he pulled the cover off of his creation with a flourish.

"...That isn't an axe." Axel replied in a deadpan tone, his eye twitching in irritation as he beheld the weapon laying before him.

"Obviously."

"It ain't shaped like a guitar either..."

"Obviously..."

"That ain't what we agreed to! How the heck am I supposed to wield that thing properly?!"

"We didn't agree to anything, you lost your temper, picked a fight, lost, and I said I'd make you something after we were done, and it'd be my choice what it'd be. Either take it or be ready to start relying on your fists. It's got the power of an axe and the precision of a spear, a perfect fit for you."

"Gaaaah! You're impossible you know that?! Why make me this, it ain't at all what I'm used to! Not to mention look how freakin' heavy and... and... bland it looks! You couldn't make me something awesome looking like a whirligig saw, a dragonslayer greataxe or... or... hell, a moonlight greatsword?!"

"This ain't your Nepsouls or Nepborne games, Axxy. Besides kiddo you're more than some simple hack and slasher... you've got power and speed, this weapon will suit you perfectly. Besides, with all of the work I poured into this thing if you don't want to be clotheslined you'll quit complaining and be glad I did something for you instead of getting some much-needed sleep. You ungrateful little..."

"Alright! Alright! Sheesh, lay off the guilt I'll take it. Though I'll be lucky I don't poke my eye out or something. Cripes it looks heavy..."

"You'll just need an eyepatch if that happens, might even be an improvement... as for the weight, dost though even hoist son?"

"I'm gonna leave that alone, that whole sentence that just flew out of your mouth... just, nope, ignoring it."

"Yeah yeah... your friends have about an hour headstart; if I were you I'd start booking it."

Inspecting the new weapon which he had strapped to his back he chewed the inside of his lip before glancing at his father. "Look, I'm not good at this whole... touchy-feely mess with you, and I know we ain't always got along but... thanks... Dad."

"Don't worry about it kiddo, I'm proud of you, y'know that?"

"I would hope you plan to say goodbye to us this time before you leave, Axel."

Turning to see his mother and little brother watching him he chuckled awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah... I guess that was kind of a jerk thing to do back then, sorry."

Shaking her head the older woman merely smiled as she embraced him. "You're going to find your own way, just try to keep in touch more often... please. Stay safe out there too, as much as you can anyway."

Returning the hug Axel nodded as he patted his mother's back lightly. "I promise, no worries. I'm tougher than I look y'know?" Seeing Aidan looking up at him expectantly he kneeled down once his mother had released him. "Hey, I know we didn't get to hang out much but..."

"When you get back you're gonna tell me all about your adventures and how you beat up all the bad guys!" Aidan extended his fist expectantly, Axel smiling as he bumped fists with his little brother.

"Deal, well, I should get going now. It was... nice, seeing you all." Axel gave them all a small smile before he turned and started running in the direction of the city.

"Axel! I expect you to take responsibility should anything happen! You come back with grandchildren, you best be bringing home a wife or two as well!"

"Not listening! Not listening, Mom!"

As their son got further and further away Alannah sighed, smiling warmly before returning to the living room. "I think he'll be okay."

"Dad, what does taking responsibility mean...?"

"...I'm going to make a call to Lowee, 'scuse me!" Fishing out his phone once he quickly hurried away from that awkward talk and smirked as he pulled up someone on speed dial. "Yes, this is Clint Wallace... I'd like to rent out your hot springs for a visitor and his pals once they arrive. Yep, you guessed it... much appreciated, Kuri!"

]l[

"Whew... that was some battle." Purple Heart panted lightly, glancing at the fading body of the mecha-bird like Hraesvelgr that had been plaguing the trade routes. A tough fight but given the number of fighters it had to contend with it had fallen somewhat quickly once they had a decent flow going to their teamwork. "I suppose it was good we practiced with the weaker monsters beforehand. True they had more than once nearly run afoul of the area's resident Ancient Dragon but they had managed to carefully avoid raising its ire.

Of course, as cheery as everyone was at their victory it seemed somewhat subdued on account of someone not being present. "Really? I think it was rather quick because of us all working together, Nep-Nep. Plus your HDD helped a lot."

"It would have gone faster with Axel present." IF said bluntly, shooting a look at Purple Heart who glanced off to the side. "It helps we're working together, but not if the entire team isn't present for it.

"I-I don't like that we left him behind..." Lyrica added in quietly as she worked to clean some of the scuffs and marks her guitar had taken during all of the fighting.

Unsurprisingly the most vocal in objection to leaving the axe-wielder behind had been Nisa, shouting that heroes of justice didn't abandon their comrades and it had taken most of the group holding onto the girl to keep her from marching back and waking Axel up and drag him if she had to. At the moment she was taking a few swipes at the air with her fists, keeping herself ready just in case more monsters came upon them. She wasn't in the best of moods clearly but knew better than to argue since the troublesome monster was already dealt with now, the look on her face saying loudly enough she was in agreement with Lyrica.

"It couldn't be helped, we had to take care of things out here as urgently as we could. I'm sure Axel will understand." In spite of her words, Planeptune's CPU felt a small twinge of guilt for doing this without the group's resident hothead; they couldn't afford to linger around waiting forever but still... 'I don't know how I can talk to him after the other night.' True, his little tantrum had upset her a bit and to some extent, she was still bothered at him for it but there were some more complicated matters at hand she wasn't sure how to approach when it came to the redhead.

"Gust hopes he catches up soon and isn't too annoyed."

Above them, Lastation's CPU watched carefully as she surveyed the group in its entirety. She couldn't figure why they would leave Axel behind, but it'd work to her advantage regardless. "After all, if I injured him his parents might change their plans..." And even with the shares that were coursing through her, there were still entirely too many enemies for her to have to pull her punches on just one.

She hadn't expected them to be resting up after a battle that she herself may have had some difficulty with. "I made all of this effort following them and staying out of sight but I ended up losing the perfect chance to show myself. Attacking them right now is too low for me... Still, it does make sense to end this in one stroke if I can. I've only just got these shares but there's no telling how long they'll last. If I don't act quickly I could lose this boost in power... I wouldn't be able to regain my position or hope to win the Console Wars as I was before."

At the same time, however... "But, fighting Neptune right now isn't like me. It isn't a great image as a goddess. I sure wouldn't enjoy my victory... And my pride wouldn't let me." As much as her ego demanded she fight Neptune at her best to prove her own power this was an opportunity that may likely never come again for the twin-tailed raven-haired CPU. "Sadly enough, with things as they are, I don't have much of a choice..." As light enveloped her she steeled her resolve for what was to come. 'For Lastation...!'

"I suppose we should start heading back now, maybe we'll catch Axel at Passe with Chian." Compa smiled hopefully, not liking Axel being left behind any more than IF did.

"Hey, wouldn't it be faster if Nep in TRANS-AM mode flew us there? It would save us some walking and a lot of time at the very least." IF suggested, taking a small sip from a bottle of water.

"No. There's no way I could carry you all... even if I did back and forth trips. It's very tiring to be in HDD, you know?"

"How about being our taxi for one pudding each person you carry?" Compa added in, holding one of the gooey treats up as a bribe. "This is no ordinary pudding, after all, I'm talking about the super-premium one."

"Ah... Th-That's enticing, but I'll have to pass. Even I have my limits, unfortunately."

"Aw... That's too bad. It would have so easy if we just flew instead."

"Not to mention we'd avoid the monsters..." Lyrica winced as she rubbed a bruise on her knee that was slowly fading away.

"Enough on this already. I'm changing back."

"Wait a second, Nep. Don't undo your transformation just yet." IF glanced to the side, a serious look on her face.

"What's the matter, Iffy? You won't be able to sway me with more pudding."

"We're being watched, from behind those rocks there to be specific. You may as well come on out, I spotted you earlier!"

Caught off-guard Purple Heart blinked as she followed IF's gaze. "Wha-?!"

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to notice. Well done, you're sharper than I expected, but then again you are one of the more talented Guild agents within Gamindustri from what I've heard." From behind the rocks emerged a woman similar to Purple Heart in appearance with lime green eyes and pure white hair that fell past her shoulders with a fringe standing above her eyes and bangs caressing her face. She was wearing the same manner of outfit as Purple Heart herself albeit with some differences, namely black and white in color and the mechanical appearance being much more visible. It also exposed a mild amount of her cleavage. Her sleeves were pure black, with silver patches in the bicep and tricep area, her gauntlets being black with silver protrusions on the knuckle.

"It's been a while, Neptune. Of course, you probably don't know me now... you did suffer quite the beating the last time we crossed blades after all." Obvious pride in her voice she regarded the group imperiously, her sword staying at her side for the moment as if they weren't worth the effort in her eyes. "Though I will admit to being surprised you can find so many to follow you."

Fragmented as her memories were Neptune did vaguely remember this woman, her eyes narrowing as she recalled the fight that sent her plummeting to a crash landing but not much else. "Iffy, she's...!"

"I figured as much, she does look like you in that form of yours after all. That form and eyes... seems Lastation's CPU found us." IF stayed on guard, she had no illusion of being able to stand against one of the goddesses but it was clear as day the woman wasn't here just to chat with Neptune. "Maybe if we ask nicely she'll help you with your memory problem, Nep."

"Oh? So your memories are indeed fragmented, I suppose I could try to shed some light and fill in the gaps since I know you so very well..."

"Really?! Then you'll tell me everything that I don't know about myself?" The moment the question left her lips something told her it wouldn't be that simple, a feeling that was all but confirmed as Black Heart began to chuckle before a smirk came to her face.

"Being asked for help by Neptune, this is almost too much! Very well, I'll tell you what I know..."

"That's great Nep-Nep! Seems Lady Black Heart is a very nice person to want to help you like this." Compa smiled, only to quickly frown as IF hadn't relaxed her guard.

"But, it's on one condition."

"And that condition is...?" IF exhaled slowly, her muscles tense as she prepared herself to move on a moment's notice.

"It should be obvious enough, defeat me in battle!" With that Black Heart shot forward, Neptune barely managing to meet the strike that came with her own, sending sparks erupting between their weapons as they met. "Just a warning though, there's no way I can lose!"

]l[

If it was one thing Chian prided herself upon it was her work ethic, sure she can be a bit high-strung and a have a bit of a no-nonsense attitude when she was busy but it was to be expected working two jobs and desperately trying to keep a factory from going under but it wasn't anything she hadn't long since grown used to. Since her father's untimely and early passing she had been running Passe in his memory and knew he'd be proud of her when everything paid off. Naturally, of course, this left her a bit unflappable when it came to many of the things she was dealing with as of late.

A certain teenager barreling through Passe's front door and going face first into the floor, however, was not on the list of things that didn't faze her. "Wh-what... who... you okay there?!" As the young man lifted himself from the ground and groaned a smile split her face as she recognized just who exactly had come stumbling into her place of work. "Well, you certainly haven't lost your ability to make an impression Axel." She crossed her arms, shaking her head in amusement as Axel sat up, drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"Sprinted... all the way... here... forgot about the last step..." He flopped onto his back and tried desperately to catch his breath. "The girls... still here...?"

"Nope, you missed them by a little bit ago. I sent them off to one of my trade routes that's been having a lot of trouble."

"Son of a...!"

"Don't worry, it's not too much of a trek from here... though it looks like you're pretty winded." The bluenette tossed him a water bottle, taking a seat on one of the vacant stools behind her. "Odd to see you running with anybody but your old buddies... let alone that many girls." She raised a brow, crossing her arms. "You are behaving yourself I hope?"

"Already got interrogated by my folks, lay off Chi." Axel grumbled, taking a long swig from the bottle and gasping before taking another drink, pausing just as the bottle was inches from his lips. "Zeno said things have been rough around here but wow, this place is a ghost town." An odd thing to see considering how often he relied on Passe for steady guild jobs back before he took off on his own.

"Thanks for that, because I didn't see it already myself." Chian sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Can't even afford to keep any help short of people working without pay... Avenir is steadily taking over but I don't plan on giving up." With a confident grin, she jerked her thumb back to herself. "Even if I have to hold the roof up by myself I'll make sure this factory keeps going, once your girlfriends get that trade route clear and the carriages and trains get moving again things will improve, I know it. Speaking of the girls... I'll be borrowing this for a second." She reached over, swiping his phone from his pocket.

"Hey! Invasion of privacy much?!"

"Oh relax, it's not like you ever keep anything worth snooping into on your phone... you still have the same password too. And, done, wouldn't want you getting lost... your phone will lead you right where I sent them. You should hurry and catch up with them, sooner business picks back up the sooner I can start tossing you plenty of jobs from the guild again like in the good old days... which reminds me, I'm guessing the new clothes and accessories are where all of that money saved up went?"

Suddenly not where this conversation went Axel sheepishly began to laugh to himself. "Err... well, y'see..."

"...You had more than a few thousand saved up from doing jobs for me, where did it go?"

"Well, taking off on my own meant not having Kuri around for healing, so pretty much all of that went to food and healing items and I'm kind of a reckless fighter so... kinda blew through it quickly."

"You had enough to buy yourself a motorcycle and a few high-grade accessories and that is what you do with it?" Chian's left-eye twitched before she shook her head. "Some things never change, you'd better get going now that you've had long enough to catch your breath. Once you and the girls get that job don,e I'll see about a decent reward for you."

"Yeah, thanks Chi-Chi. I appreciate it." Slowly standing and dusting himself off he checked the nav point on his phone before walking out the door before breaking into a mad dush, intent on getting to the girls ASAP.

"It's Chian! Don't think just because you're older I can't conk you on the head like I used to, and behave yourself around those girls!"

"Why does everyone keep saying that?! I'm not a perv for goddess sake!"

"Keep telling yourself that!" As the door closed she adjusted her goggles and smiled. "Quite the little heartbreaker, aren't you? Shame you're a bit on the lazy side unless prodded." Not that she'd probably be able to fight off all of the competition she'd likely have if she were even remotely serious. "Right, back to it for me!" She felt energized now, thankful it had been Axel who had fallen and not someone that'd try and take what little money she had left by trying to sue... not that they'd get much at the moment honestly.

]l[

By now it had been made more than obvious there was a clear gap between Neptune and her fellow CPU, even with the entire party fighting against her Lastation's CPU seemed to have hardly broken a sweat, still ready and raring to go in prime condition. The same of course could not be said of her group, while Neptune had taken the brunt of Noire's attacks and was still at just a bit under half-strength the rest of the group didn't have her endurance or ability to take as much punishment. While she hadn't been too rough with her friends Black Heart had easily exhausted the group's healers with the sheer force behind her strikes... the frontline, on the other hand, was having trouble just landing attacks that could phase her, let alone keeping themselves standing after taking some of her own.

Panting, Purple Heart raised her katana once more and brought it into her usual stance. "Haa... ha... how are you... so strong?" CPU abilities aside and her own hazy memory, she doubted Black Heart had ever been this much of a threat before. The group was on its last reserves, the fighters were tired and sore, the healers on their last reserves and exhausted keeping everyone up and fighting... this was looking like an almost certain defeat unless the odds decided to change in their favor anytime soon.

"Oh? Is this all you have? A shame, I haven't even begun to feel any strain... but then again I did prepare for this battle. I'll give you an A for effort of course, but if this is all you have..." Drawing her short-sword once more she smiled, she felt amazing; her shares were making this fight almost a cakewalk, though with their numbers she couldn't afford to be too confident in her victory, the drawn-out battle was actually beginning to tax her ever so slightly after all. 'Not that they need to know that...' Focusing on one at a time wasn't an option with their multiple healers, it also left her open to more than a few hits she was still a bit feeling... if she relied on some AOE attacks that'd make everything simpler but she didn't want them all hurt too badly due to her currently boosted stats, much as she wanted to win she had morals. "I'll just have to finish this, Venom Fencer!"

Neptune winced as Black Heart made a beeline towards her, readying herself though she wasn't sure how much of this she could take. Her HDD wouldn't last forever of course, and when it faded... things would go from bad to worse exceptionally quickly. 'There has to be something we can-'

"Helm Splitter!"

Glancing upwards Black Heart's eyes widened as she beheld Axel rapidly descending from above, weapon aimed downwards to smash into her. 'What is he doing here?!' Growling in irritation, she aimed her attack towards the ground rather than Purple Heart, her blade impaling itself before she brought her legs to it and pushed off, easily pulling her weapon with her as she used the momentum to backspace and avoid the attack that was aimed at her. She could have taken it with ease she was sure but his sudden appearance had caught her off-guard.

Naturally, Axel's strike slammed into the earth below him rather than its intended target, the ground splitting apart just a bit from the force of the attack. "Sorry, I'm late! Y'all could have slapped me awake, ya know?!" Keeping his attention on his nation's CPU he schooled his face, exhaling slowly. "Lady Blackheart," he greeted neutrally, shifting his weapon and readying himself.

'Of all the times for him to show up... why now!? Why NOW?! This is bad! If I rough him up any I could ruin everything!' After all, she doubted the son of the Blue Mages sent home with more than a few bruises and otherwise would endear them towards her any. 'They may cancel the show to take care of him or out of sheer spite and anger if they figure out it was me, and then I'll be even worse off than I was before! Not good! Not good at all! Ugh! Right when things were going in my favor too, not fair!' As low as her shares were before they'd plummet if the show she had just endorsed was canceled. 'Big heroic jerk!' Not letting her inner ranting show on her face she narrowed her eyes as she lowered her weapon as she regarded him.

"Iffy! Axxy's here! Axxy's here!" Compa cheered, only to wince as her body protested moving so quickly in her exhausted state. "And not a moment too soon... but what's that on his shoulders?"

"Better late than never, though I'm not sure if he'll make much of a difference here. A new weapon from the looks of it, it's..."

A halberd lay upon the teen's shoulders, easily just as tall if not a few inches taller than Axel himself. It was typical in its design, a gleaming steel axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long freshly polished wooden shaft, the backside of the blade having a hook upon it.

"A citizen of Lastation stands between its CPU and her enemies? You are a citizen of Lastation, are you not? Step aside; this matter does not involve you. Otherwise, there will be consequences..." She was so very desperately hoping that would be enough to make him back down, his barging into this fight would be nothing but trouble.

"I am indeed a proud citizen of Lastation, and you are my CPU, but... I'm afraid I can't do that, Lady Black Heart. Loyal as my family and I are to Lastation..." He took the weapon in both hands, readying himself. "Can't let anybody hurt the folks that are important to me, even if it's you. So if you wanna get to them, you're gonna have to go through me.

"Spoken with such conviction! A true hero of justice in the making!" Nisa proudly declared, rolling her shoulder as she prepared to rejoin the fighting, her fighting spirit burning intensely with pride at the teen.

"Wow... so cool..." Compa blinked, staring doe-eyed at Axel while the others nodded or agreed. "He sounds confident he can handle himself!"

In truth, however, she couldn't have been any further off the mark.

'Gah! I'm so royally screwed! What was I thinking just jumping in like that?! I can't defy my nation's CPU, what if my folks get exiled... I could get tossed into jail or worse! My parents will kill me, I don't want us losing our house and being thrown out of Lastation 'cuz I had a stupid hero moment! This is bad! This is bad! Why the hell would I bluff when she's a CPU and can slap me around like it was nothing just like Nep did in HDD?!'

Of course, if any of them could see Black Heart's or Axel's inner turmoil they'd probably laugh at how they were on the same wavelength... tsunderes will be tsunderes after all.

'Stubborn! So stubborn! I mean it's kind of cool how he's standing up for them but, never mind that it isn't important! Ugh, so frustrating! I don't think he's cool at all, not even remotely! Nope! I wasn't even going to hurt them much!' Sighing quietly Black Heart shook her head, seems they were at an impasse and neither would be backing down. "Very well, if you will not back down I'll simply force you to get out of the way! I take no joy in harming any of my citizens even in a situation like this but I will do what I have to! Prepare yourself for the sword dance of Lastation!" 'I mess up and I'm so doomed!'

'Yep, I'm going to prison! The clink! The slammer! The crowbar hotel! I'm so goddess damned doomed once she's done putting a CPU level smackdown on me!' The two hadn't moved an inch in what felt like forever, both putting on brave faces while hoping desperately the other would withdraw... when neither of them did, however, Axel sighed. 'Welp, if we're doin' this I may as well go all the way... now that just sounds dirty, thanks to that HDD pervert goddess damn it all!' Seeing nothing left to do he closed his eyes as his body began to glow. "HDD install!"

When the light cleared AX Heart stood confidently, spinning his new weapon with a flourish, he had nearly hit himself in the process of showing off but thankfully nobody seemed to notice that very close blunder. "Sword dance of Lastation huh? Hope you don't mind if we turn this into a slow dance instead Lady Black Heart, that's more my style for a cutie like you." He winked, his worries eased as his more cocky side started chomping at the bit. He felt the telltale sluggishness in his body as his HDD form revealed itself but paid it no mind, he'd just have to try and fix things when this whole mess was over... even if it was behind bars or otherwise.

"Iffy? Why does he have a rose clenched between his teeth?"

"Honestly, Compa? I don't even know anymore." IF facepalmed, sighing in exasperation. "Never mind where he even found that thing! Of course he starts flirting the minute he goes HDD, ugh!"

]l[

And that's a wrap, I hopefully came into this with at least some of my usual quirky humor. I tried, though I can't help but feel I came up short for such a long wait, hopefully, that's just the negativity and otherwise that I'm still workin' on shaking off. Omakes to return next chapter as this one was to shake the rust off so to speak. I aim to really bring the laughs and craziness next chapter when the tsundere and AX Heart square off.

I almost pity Noire... almost.

As always there are references for those that look, namely Persona since I finally got into that series after picking up Persona 5 (and damn was it a good game...that style and music right?) plus some of my favorite weapons from Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3.

Oh right, as for the name change I figured it'd be best to match my DA account; that way nobody assumes I stole it from here over there.