A/N: This is a story for a friend, staring his bae. You know who you are.

And for those wondering, yes I AM working on the next chapter for the Blanc story. Chill guys. There is a reason it says it's not complete yet after all.

A Dream Of...

By: Snidne

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

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...

The Virtua Forest, located on the outskirts of the nation of Planeptune, was considered by all to be the proving grounds of all beginners. Though a number of different monsters called the forest home, most of them were relatively harmless in terms of actual raw power. And while a horde of them could make for an actual threat from time to time, anyone who sought to make their beginning journeys as an adventurer (Or in one particular case, have had their levels drop down to the single digits from laziness), set out into the forest as a means of testing their mettle.

Of course, that didn't mean abnormalities didn't occur. In particular for this day, news came to the Guild of an unusually strong squid-like monster roaming around the forest, attacking any traveler in its path. While many wouldn't see this as too much of a problem, seeing that most people would tend to run away from such a creature if it appeared, it would become a hassle if left completely unchecked. Still, it wasn't something worth bringing up to the Goddess, Lady Purple Heart, to handle. Thus, the Guild had opted to send its finest agent to bring down the beast.

Unfortunately, said member known as IF, the 'Windwalker of Gamindustri', was on another mission in the far off nation of Lastation.

That left the mission to another, a young man named Blade, to be completed. The man was currently jumping through the trees, keeping himself out of sight to avoid any unnecessary fighting. Stopping to rest for a moment, he looked around to try and spot the monster. Reddish-brown hair framed his face, as he pushed some of it out of his eyes. A dark brown jacket hung open over a dark green shirt, with several pockets lining the inside of the jacket. He also wore dark pants and boots, with a belt around his waist that had three pouches settled on it, each with a different colored flap; one red, one blue and one yellow. Resting on his back was a large longbow.

"Come on, this place isn't that big… where the heck is it?" A rustling of some bushes had him crouch down and try to hide his presence. Looking in the direction of the noise, he was greeted to the sight of a large, green-colored squid, hopping about through the woods. "That must be it. Definitely doesn't look like it's from around here." Gripping the bow, he notched an arrow into it before reaching to the yellow pouch and pulling out a bright yellow crystal. Holding the weapon steady, he set his sights onto the monster, as electricity began to spark and dance the length of the arrow, the crystal in his hand granting the weapon an elemental property.

Unbeknownst to him, however, a distortion in space-time was occurring somewhere nearby his location.

Blade kept his eyes on the monster as it made its way through the trees. He knew that he would have only try to take the shot and get the initiative. Thankfully there was a clearing nearby that the monster was heading straight towards. As soon as it was in an open space, he would have the edge. Come on, just a bit closer. The squid monster finally made its way into the clearing. Got you now-!

"Mayday, mayday! Troubled maiden coming through!"

"The heck is happening now!?"

"What the-," was all Blade got before two objects smashed into him, breaking the branch he was resting on and sending a group of three people crashing into a tangle on limbs on the forest floor. Blade let out a groan, looking up to see his face close to that of a red-haired girl. He blushed as said girl pushed herself up, rubbing her head.

"Ugh, did someone get the license of that portal?"

"I think so," came another voice, Blade looking to see a lilac-haired young woman also laying on top of him as well. "Darn it Crostie, you did that on purpose didn't you?"

"The hell I did," came a third voice, though Blade could not tell where it was coming from. "I keep telling you that damned notebook drains my power! You're lucky that the portal was stable enough to get us here in the first place."

"Um, not that I don't have a bunch of questions, but do you girls mind?" Both turned to him and quickly stood up, brushing themselves off. Getting a good look at them, he noticed the red-haired girl was wearing a white jacket over a black tube top, with an orange tie with a white swirl mark on it. Her shorts were held up by suspenders, with dark boots, leg warmers and fingerless gloves completing her look.

The other, surprisingly, looked very much like the Planeptune Goddess Neptune, if she were aged a few years older. Her style of dress was also similar to the Goddess, wearing hair clips that looked like D-pads, a one piece parka dress and boots, the main difference being that while the CPU of Planeptune wore white and purple, this older-looking Neptune wore primarily black and purple.

"Hey, sorry about that. Guess we dropped in at the wrong place," the red-haired girl said, looking slightly embarrassed. "You're not hurt or anything, right?"

"I'm alright. I'm made of tougher stuff than you think."

"That's a relief," the other girl said cheerfully. "Cause you kinda look like you're made of-."

"Uzume, watch out!"

Yet another new voice reached out to them, and Blade felt his instincts kick in. He dove at the red-haired girl, pushing them both down as a jet a water smashed into a nearby tree, having just missed where they were standing a moment ago. Both turned to see the squid monster looking furious, angrily waving its tentacles around. "Oh hell, I forgot about you…"

"Thanks for the save," the red-head, who Blade assumed was named 'Uzume', said picking them both up. "Yikes that looks like trouble."

"Tell me about it," the older-looking Neptune said. "This isn't going to turn into one of those cliché adult manga scenes is it? Cause I'm pretty sure we aren't rated properly for such graphic scenarios…"

"Uzume, are you alright?" Blade looked to the source of the voice and nearly dropped his jaw in surprise. What could only be described as a blue and yellow flying fish with a stoic human face 'swam' up to the red-head. The juxtaposition was even more pronounced by the fact that the fish spoke in one of the most elegant, deep tone of voice he had ever heard.

"No sweat Umio," the red-headed Uzume said, giving a thumbs up. "Little thing like that won't even leave a scratch. Anyway," she said, turning to face the monster, "looks like you could use a helping hand here."

"Geez, we just show up and already there's a boss fight? Well, I suppose this is about Uzume, so what better way to introduce her."

"Right… well, I would appreciate it." The two girls nodded, the older Neptune clone drawing a pair of swords while Uzume pulled out a… megaphone? Blade shook his head. A weapon was a weapon, no matter how it was used.

"Alright then!" Uzume pointed to the monster. "Listen up, you're about to face the wrath of Uzume Tennouboshi!" Blade quickly looked to her in surprise. That name is… wait, could she be-! Before he could voice his thoughts, Uzume rushed in. "Let's do this!" The monster lashed out at her, but she skillfully dodged each strike before jumping and giving the beast a mighty kick. Using its body as a springboard, she launched herself backwards and took a deep breath, bringing her weapon to bear. "Dream Roar!" A shockwave of energy damaged the monster, as it flailed angrily in response.

"My turn!" The older-looking Neptune rushed in as well, batting away attacks with her swords. "Useless, useless, useless!" Unfortunately one of the monster's tentacles snuck around and grabbed her by her ankle. It pulled her off balance, dragging her up as she frantically pushed her dress up to preserve her modesty. "H-hey! I thought this story wasn't supposed to go this far!"

"Paralyze Shot!" A lightning charged arrow smashed into the squid, forcing it to let go of its prey as an electric surge powered through its body. "Icicle Shot!" Blade drew another arrow and launched it, this one with freezing properties. Unfortunately, this one had very little effect outside of angering it. The Squid launched another shot of pressurized water, knocking into Blade and pushing him back until he hit a tree. "Ouch… that hurt."

"Hang in there," Uzume said, rushing in as the purple-haired young woman rushed to Blade's side with a Nep-Bull already in hand. "Let's settle this one on one! Dream Combo!" The squid monster continued to fire shots of water at the red-head, but Uzume was fast enough to dodge them until she got right into the beast's face. "Oraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraoraora!" Uzume continuously released a lightning fast barrage of punches, steadily weakening the monster. "ORA!" With a final cry, her next punch launched the squid back until it crashed into several trees. "How do you like that?" The response was a cry of anger from the monster. Though it still stood, she could tell that it was on its last legs. "Tch. Resilient bastard."

"Don't worry, this should finish it," Blade called out, aiming his arrow into the sky. Uzume could see it was glowing a white light. "Piercing Volley!" Letting it loose, it flew up into the sky, and upon reaching the apex of its climb, seemed to shatter into multiple white lights that began to rain down on the monster. Blade notched another arrow, this one also glowing white. "This is the arrow that penetrates all things!" He launched the attack, as it shot at incredible speeds. The strike smashed into the monster before it pierced clean through its body and out at the other side. The squid gave a final cry of defeat before it disappeared into white light. "Phew… that was tougher than I thought it would be."

"Nice work there tough guy," the older-looking Neptune said, giving a thumbs up. "Pretty good moves you have there."

"Um, thanks. And thanks for the help. I thought I could handle it myself, but looking at it now, I have to wonder if that would have not been the best idea."

"Hey no sweat," Uzume said, smiling, the fish swimming besides her. "Besides, we kind of dropped in unexpectedly. By the way, we never introduced ourselves. My name is Uzume Tennouboshi."

"Ah… so you are that Uzume after all," Blade said surprised. "Lady Uzume, one of the past CPUs of Planeptune."

"You heard of me, huh? Guess I can't be too surprised by that. But no need for any of that formal stuff. Even if I am a CPU, it's not like I'm in charge of anything anymore. Nepsy is."

"Nepsy? You mean, Lady Neptune?"

"You bet," the lilac-haired girl said. "In fact, we were on our way to meet Mini Me when we triggered that event flag earlier." Blade looked at her slightly confused.

"Apologies, big Nepsy here does tend to seem rather erratic to those not used to her manner of speaking. My name is Umio," the fish said with a bow. "And this, if you haven't already guessed, is Neptune. Though not the Neptune you would be familiar with. This is her counterpart of another dimension."

"Another dimension? I've heard about those. Never thought I would find living proof of one though. In any case, my name is Blade. I am 'The Arrow that Pierces Darkness'." Though in truth, he was embellishing his title a bit, as in actuality he had none. Still, he knew one day he could also become famous enough to warrant one, and wanted to be prepared in that case. "That monster was causing a bit of trouble for travelers here, so I was sent by the Guild to clear it out. I'll need to report back to Lady Histoire…"

"You're heading back to Planeptune right? Mind if we hitch a ride with you," Uzume asked. "I kinda feel bad we crashed into you as well, so let us make it up to you."

"Well, you're welcome to come along, but you really don't have to do anything for me. You guys helped me fight that thing, so we're even."

"Nope," Uzume said, cheerful and completely convinced. "I already promised, and it would be super lame for me to go back on it."

"Besides," the older Neptune called out, "fast-traveling is so much easier when everyone is together. No worrying about if some people get there too early or too late."

"Well… if you insist."

"Sweet! Alright, time for a scene break!"

"Is she going to be like this the whole way back?"

"You'll get used to it," Umio responded.

...

As Neptune would say, one convenient scene change later, the group of four had made it to Planeptune proper and were standing before the entrance to the Basilicom. Uzume reached forward and pushed open the doors, stepping inside. "Yo! Anyone home?"

"Uzume?" Coming towards them was a fairy-like figure, long blonde hair styled into pigtails and wearing a headdress with an 'N' on the front. She wore a purple dress that reached down to her knees, with a white open collar and a teal-colored tie. Thigh-high socks and white shoes completed her outfit along with fairy-like wings attached to her back. The strangest part of her appearance though was the fact that she was currently floating on top of an open tome. This was Histoire, Oracle of Planeptune and known as the 'Tome of the World's History', an artificial life form with the task of recording all of Gamindustri's history.

"Yup, it's me! I came back for a visit," Uzume said smiling.

"Welcome back. It has been quite some time since we last spoke."

"It is good to see you again, Histoire."

"Likewise, Umio."

"Hey, hey don't forget about me Histy," Neptune said calling her by her nickname.

"It is unlikely that I could ever forget about you Neptune. Either version of you." Histoire turned to face Blade. "And who is this? Did you perchance gain a new traveling companion Uzume?"

"No, nothing like that. My name is Blade, Lady Histoire. I'm from the Guild stationed here in Planeptune. I wanted to report that the dangerous monster sighting in the Virtua Forest has been taken care of."

"I see. I thank you and the Guild for your assistance in this matter, then. I will be sure to inform all the proper parties involved that the situation has been resolved."

"Speaking of which, why wasn't Nepsy taking care of this problem? Seems like something she should have been on the ball about," Uzume asked. "She's not slacking off too much again, is she?"

Neptune, the Goddess Neptune, was known for being a rather lazy CPU who, despite always trying to weasel her way out of work to play games or eat pudding, had managed to stay popular among the citizens. The reason that Planeptune was even still standing was mostly do to the efforts of Histoire and Neptune's younger sister Nepgear, though it often meant they had a very low amount of shares most of the time. Recently though, after the situation involving Uzume and places known as the Zero and Heart Dimension, Neptune had become relatively more hard-working. Histoire liked to think that after meeting Uzume, Neptune wanted to impress her and show she too could work hard for the sake of Planeptune, especially in the face of the previous CPU's go-getter attitude. It likely would have felt disrespectful to her, especially after witnessing what happened to Uzume in the past, to keep living the carefree life she had lived. That was not to say Neptune became a workaholic, unlike a certain lonely tsundere Goddess, as she still liked to take frequent breaks whenever she felt like she could get away with it. But Histoire had certainly had to do less yelling to get Neptune to do her duties as a CPU. She had even managed not to lecture the purple Goddess for a solid nine days straight, a new record.

"No, no, Neptune has been doing fine as far as her work is concerned," Histoire said, sounding almost too happy to admit that. "Today just happens to be the day the CPUs have their monthly meeting to discuss matters concerning the nations. I believe Blanc is hosting them at the moment. Though it is likely she won't be back until later today or at the latest, tomorrow."

"Darn, and here I was hoping I could hang out with Mini Me today," Neptune said giving a sigh. "Oh well, I guess I can wait. Not like I got much to do anyway."

"Tough luck. Well, guess we'll just hang out here for a while. Come on Bladesy, this way."

"Bladesy? I'm not sure how to feel about that…" Blade followed Uzume and Neptune, leaving Umio and Histoire to themselves.

"Is there… something going on," Histoire asked, slightly confused.

"Uzume just wishes to express her gratitude. In the meantime Histoire, perhaps we can catch up over some tea?"

"That would be lovely."

As Umio and Histoire proceeded to catch up on current events, Uzume, Blade and Neptune took the elevator to the CPU living quarters. Once there, they headed into the kitchen, where Uzume cracked her knuckles in anticipation. "Alright, time for the Uzume specialty! Just sit tight and leave things to me," she said with a smile as she rummaged through the refrigerator to look for anything edible.

"I hate to sound like a broken record, but you really don't need to go through all the trouble…"

"Oh just accept it already," Neptune said taking a seat at the table and watching Uzume work. Considering their travels, it wasn't often that Neptune and Uzume could afford to cook in a proper kitchen with proper utensils. Often that meant cooking over an open flame or settling over some kind of stew. And as Neptune was terrible at cooking and Umio was a fish, that left Uzume to be the one who cooked all their meals. Something she had gotten very good at over the course of their journey.

The two watched the eager CPU pull out random ingredients and set them across the countertop, fiddling with the knobs on the stove and checking the sharpness of the knives. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm like, eighty percent sure she'll make something good."

"Only eighty percent!?"

"Well, she can get a bit overzealous sometimes…"

"That is a freakin understatement and you know it." Blade looked surprised at hearing an unknown voice come from thin air.

"Oh, you still awake Crostie? I would have thought you'd be sleeping right now." Neptune reached into her pockets and pulled out a purple-colored notebook. Opening it, Blade could see a pair of translucent wings pinned down to the pages.

"Hey if we're going to be actually resting someplace indoors, the least you can do is give me something to eat to keep my energy up. You'd forget if I didn't have to constantly remind you. And my name's Croire!"

"Neptune, what the heck is that?"

"Oh that's just Crostie," she said dismissively. "She's the reason we dropped in unexpectedly on you before. Speaking of, you should probably apologize for that Crostie."

"The hell I am," Croire shouted in annoyance. "I already told you that's not my damned fault! Ugh, what the heck did I do to deserve getting stuck with you?"

"I can write you a list later if you want." Blade wasn't entirely certain if Neptune was joking about that or not. Deciding that the conversation with Neptune and whatever Croire was, was too bizarre to keep following he returned his attention to Uzume who had apparently already made plenty of side-dishes to go with whatever they would be eating.

"Okay guys, dig in," Uzume shouted excitedly as she placed the last of the plates on the table. "I think I really outdid myself this time!" Indeed, it seemed she had. One plate had several skewers of meat and vegetables looking perfectly grilled, with several bowls beside it of thinly sliced meat resting atop steamed rice. Another plate was piled with steak, sitting next to a plate of diced, steamed potatoes. Stacks of sausages and short-ribs could also be seen amidst other cooked greens of wild plants. Truly, it was nothing short of a feast.

"Holy meat-pocolypse! I think you might have made too much, Uzume," Neptune said worriedly.

"Nah, this should be good," the CPU said, looking ready to tear into the food.

"I have to say, I'm impressed. It's pretty cool you know so many recipes."

Uzume, who was just about to take a bite of some steak, paused for a moment. "Did you say… 'cool'?"

"Hm? Yeah. Something wrong?"

"No, no!" Uzume quickly shook her head and waved. "It's just, I'm glad you think so. You have some good eyes there, Bladesy."

"Someone had their coolness switch flipped," Neptune said in a sing-song voice.

"Gah! Don't say stuff like that Big Nepsy!"

...

A few days had passed, since the impromptu lunch with Uzume and her friends, and Blade had resumed his work at the Guild. It was already late in the day and the Guild would be closing in a few hours. Blade himself had already finished his assignments and was idly passing time when a voice reached out to him. "Hey, Blade! You got a minute?"

The young man turned to see none other than IF walking towards him, dressed in her usual outfit with her signature large blue overcoat, a wide variety of cellphones hanging off of it, and hair done up with her leafy bow. "Hey IF. I'm not busy right now. What do you need?"

"Great, glad I caught you then. I was wondering if you could do me a favor. You see, a recent request came in to deliver a package and I was wondering if you could make the trip for me instead."

"I don't see why not but, why can't you make it today?"

"I would, but I promised Compa I would be getting off work early today. We have some plans and I really don't want to cancel them. The package came at the last minute and I don't want to put it off for tomorrow either." Blade nodded in understanding. Compa, he knew, was one of IF's childhood friends and worked in a hospital in Planeptune as a nurse.

"Ah, ok then. I'll be glad to help."

"Thanks. I owe you one for this." With that, he handed Blade the package, an unassuming box covered in brown paper wrapping. "This goes to the village of Eplam, just on the outskirts of Planeptune. It shouldn't take too long." With that, IF waved goodbye and took off, leaving Blade with the box. Placing it safely in his inventory, he proceeded to keep an ear out for any other emergency requests, seeing as the delivery should be an easy job.

An hour later, he was off, searching his map for the village. After nearly another hour of wandering around though, he was confused. "Weird… according to this, I should have gotten there already. Am I lost?" Looking around, the forest didn't seem to hold any significant clues. "Let's see… I passed that… and I went this way… wait, did the path always go right? Could have sworn it was left…" He looked up from his wandering to see a wooden signpost. "Oh… right, or just follow the markers, of course…" A little longer, following the signs leading to the village, Blade found himself at the entrance to a rather, out of the way bundle of large houses that seemed to blend seamlessly with the surrounding nature. The strangest part of it though…

"Oh, we don't get many visitors around here, goo. Especially any human ones, goo."

The entire village seemed to be populated by monsters. Blade was well aware that there were friendly monsters who even resided in many Planeptune cities, but he was never aware that a whole village of nothing but monsters existed. It seemed strange they could have built all this though…

"Um, is this Eplam Village?"

"Yes it is, goo," a grey colored Dogoo said, the monster having welcomed him in. "Did you come here to visit our famous hot spring, goo? One dip and you'll feel just like a Dogoo would!"

"Actually, I came here to deliver this package… though a dip does sound nice."

"A package," another monster asked, who had overheard the conversation, a Baby Bug. "If it's for the village, then you better take it to the chief! I'll show you the way!" The Baby Bug was quick to take off, leaving Blade to try and catch up. Many of monsters, Blade saw, were rather small and considered much weaker than the other ferocious beasts that roamed around the wilderness. Perhaps they had banded together for that reason. The Baby Bug led Blade into a building where a rather old and wizened looking Dogoo was resting. "Chief, we have a guest!"

"A guest? Is that so…"

"Er, hello. I came to deliver a package here?" Blade pulled out the box, placing it down before the Dogoo.

"Oh? Then it must have come at last… Rea, be a dear and take that to the place. You know the one… bah, seems my memory might finally be failing me."

"Yes, right away sir!" Eager to respond, and apparently already knowing what 'the place' was, the Baby Bug took the package and ran off with it.

"Now then stranger… perhaps you would like to stay awhile and try our hot spring? It's a big hit with all the monsters around! We have a special bath for human guests as well, even if we don't get many."

"Thank you. I'll kindly take the offer." Blade bowed once to show his respect and thanks before heading out. It didn't take long to find the entrance to the spring, seeing as it had a rather big sign advertising it. Stepping into the lobby, he saw two more signs pointing in different directions, one with a generic shape of a person and the other that of a fish. Taking the fish to be the monster side, he walked down the other path until he came to a changing room. He took his clothing off and placed it in a basket before taking a towel and wrapping it securely around his waist. As he did, he noticed another basket with clothing in it. "Guess someone else is there too… wonder who."

Stepping into the area proper, he took a few steps in and called out, "Sorry for the intrus-." He stopped however, as the only other person in the room took that moment to stand up in the spring. They turned and for a few moments, the two stared each other down in surprise. It took a few seconds for Blade's mind to realize who was looking back at him was none other than the red-head who he had befriended not just a few days prior, Uzume Tennouboshi.

It took just a few more moments before he realized that he was looking at a completely naked Uzume Tennouboshi. Though the steam in the room kept him from seeing the more intimate details, there was no mistaking her figure, from the swell of her breasts to her pronounced hips.

"KYAH!"

Uzume's girlish scream rung out and snapped him out of his trance. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Blade quickly covered his eyes and turned away, intent on running out of the room. In his haste though, he had failed to take into account one thing: the wet floor. Trying to run out, he felt his feet slide from underneath him and caused him to trip, falling backwards until the back of his head painfully met the ground below.

...

"Oh no… oh no, this is very bad…"

"Please calm yourself."

"But… but Bladesy is hurt really badly! And it's all Uzume's fault!"

"It was just an accident… you don't need to blame yourself."

Blade groggily opened his eyes, moaning in slight discomfort as he tried to regain his sight. He could make out a faint tingling sensation on his head and saw green energy around himself, signaling healing magic. As consciousness returned to him, he was gazing up into the worried face of Uzume who had been performing the healing on him. "Bladesy, you're awake! Uzume is so glad!"

He blinked a few times. There was no way he had heard such a cutesy sounding voice coming from her, right? "I'm glad you are okay, Bladesy." Blade turned his head to see Umio floating next to him, looking concerned. "Uzume told me you hit your head rather hard…"

"Ah… I'm okay, I think." He rubbed his head a bit, before realizing three things. One being that they were still in the hot spring. Two being that both he and Uzume were only in towels. Three being that his head had just been resting on Uzume's lap. His face blushed before he sat up quickly, rubbing his head as he winced. "Ah…"

"You shouldn't get up so quickly! Let Uzume finish healing you." Okay, so it wasn't just a concussion, Uzume was really speaking in the most girlish voice he could imagine. Uzume rested her hands on his head again, letting her healing magic do its work while Blade tried and failed to look anywhere except at Uzume. The image he had seen just minutes ago was still too fresh in his mind. Even now, he could imagine the silky smooth, cream colored skin that was hiding underneath her towel, could just barely make out her perky, pink-

NO! Bad thoughts, bad thoughts! He tried to banish such things from his mind, but they returned unbidden, teasing and tantalizing his thoughts with what he had seen. And he was undeniably sure he had really liked what he had seen.

"There, all done." Uzume smiled at him, and Blade felt himself having to restrain his body from just reaching out and holding her, his blush not having faded in the slightest.

"T-thanks," he stuttered out.

"Very good. Now, Uzume, if you wouldn't mind perhaps you can give me and Bladesy a moment alone? Not to mention your voice…"

"Huh? Oh!" Uzume coughed a bit, clearing out her throat and when she spoke up again, she was back to her normal voice. "R-right. I'll leave you to it, Umio." Now, apparently having caught up with the situation, Uzume blushed a bit and quickly got up to leave. "I'll see you later!" And with that, she quickly made her way out of the hot spring.

"She is quite the handful, sometimes," Umio said good-naturedly. "Now then." The fish turned to Blade who stiffened up. "Calm yourself Bladesy. I know what happened here is not your fault. And yes, Uzume explained everything that happened."

"Right… I'm sorry," he said, though a part of him really, really wasn't.

"It's quite alright. I understand that these things happen. Moreover, though I care for Uzume quite a bit, I do understand that she does have her own life to live, and sometimes that means living it without my involvement. That being said, if that time ever comes, I hope you will treat her well."

"Of course… wait, it's not like that, I swear," Blade yelled in a panic.

...

Uzume laid on a bed in a house within the monster village that they had given to her since its founding. The truth was, this village was founded with the help of Uzume, as all the monsters here had once been residents of the now destroyed Zero Dimension. During the incident involving its collapse, Uzume and Umio, with the help of their friends, had evacuated all the friendly monsters of Zero Dimension into Hyper Dimension and eventually built them a place for them to stay. Even if she no longer ran a nation, Uzume saw them as her 'citizens', especially since they were her primary source of Share Energy in this world. She had felt a responsibility to lead them, even if she wasn't always around.

For now though, she wanted to be left alone. She could still remember the embarrassment of what had happened. "Somebody freakin kill me already…" The only silver lining she could see was that Big Nepsy had remained behind in Planeptune to hang out with her successor for some 'quality Nep-bonding' as she called it. No doubt she would have teased the red-head about this for sure.

Why was she even so embarrassed? It wasn't like it was the first time anybody had seen her naked. Nepsy and Gearsy had, heck, even most of the monsters must have caught a glimpse or two. So why now? Just because Bladesy was a guy? Did such a thing really make that much of a difference? Granted she had seen quite a lot of him too, though perhaps not as much as he had of her. She blushed in remembrance. "GAH!"

"My, my, it's been a long while since I saw you worked up over something, Me." Uzume's eyes widened at hearing the voice speak in her mind, before she furrowed her eyes and closed them, concentrating. When she next opened them, she was standing in a white void that glowed a slight orange color, facing down another person who could have easily passed for her twin.

"What do you want?"

The twin Uzume only chuckled. She wore the exact same outfit Uzume herself normally wore, save that her colors were more along the lines of black and blue with sprinkled bits of orange. Her eyes looked almost hollow and matched her midnight blue hair, as they looked at her with amusement. This person was the dark and evil personality of Uzume, named Kurome Ankokuboshi by Neptune. "Must you sound so hostile? I was only stating an observation. Besides, can't I talk to myself once in a while? Or is that a crime now?"

Long, long ago, in a time nearly forgotten by all, Uzume had been the ruling CPU of Planeptune and was beloved by all its citizens. She possessed a special power over dreams and sought to make Planeptune the greatest nation of Gamindustri. But Uzume had almost no control over her incredible power and often it went out of control, hurting the very people she was meant to rule and protect. And so, to prevent that power from bringing devastation to the world, Uzume had sealed herself away within a special 'console' that served as her jail.

What no one expected or could predict, was what happened afterwards. Trapped by her lonesome, with nothing but her guilty conscious for company, her continued thoughts of what had happened and what she had been forced to endure began to twist and warp in her mind, consuming her with rage and hatred. The hatred brought forth a new type of power, Negative Energy, to fuel her continued existence in the absence of Share Energy, and thus, the twisted persona of Kurome was born, seeking only one thing: revenge against all of the Gamindustri of Hyper Dimension.

Exploring her powers, Kurome created the Heart Dimension, a reflection of her shattered soul that sought destruction, and Zero Dimension, a 'shell' that served as a gateway to Heart Dimension, in an attempt to breach beyond the boundaries that bound her to her seal and reemerge within Hyper Dimension to exact her revenge. What she had not anticipated was a piece of her soul, untainted and uncorrupted by the ever whirling vortex of delusion and Negative Energy, to break apart from her and attempt to prevent that revenge from coming to pass, despite the fact that it did not possess the memories of her current darker self.

With newfound friends found within the current generation of CPUs from Hyper Dimension, Uzume eventually confronted her darker self within the crumbling remains of Heart Dimension for one last battle. The winner had the right to be reborn as the dominant personality within Hyper Dimension as the seal on her body was finally broken. In the end, the 'Light' half of her won, though not without coming to a realization. She knew that she could not remain whole and complete without all the aspects of herself, even ones she didn't like. She would never blame the people for her shortcomings. She could never despise the other CPUs for doing whatever they had to do.

But to be complete and whole, she had to accept the fact that at one point in her life, she had hated and despised the very world that brought her into being.

As such, the dark personality known as Kurome remained within her, buried deep within her soul. It could not influence her or force her to act against her will, but it always remained as a reminder to Uzume's past and her potential for darkness. The dark half of her also very rarely spoke up to her, only a few times reminding her of its presence. It existed solely within the core of Uzume's soul, the Heart Dimension. A place that Uzume found she could still access whenever she pleased, if she tried hard enough.

"You haven't answered my question," Uzume said.

"I suppose not. Very well. I'm simply curious about why you seem to be so uneased by something so obvious," Kurome responded. "We already know the answer to that, though."

"The hell you talking about," Uzume said confused.

"Simply put, you, that is to say, we, are attracted to Bladesy. Nothing more."

"W-what!? The hell you get that idea from," Uzume said in shock and embarrassment.

"As I said, it's a simple conclusion based on observation. As you are no doubt aware, feelings of attraction and even the very concept of love are dangerous thoughts for a CPU to possess. Such things could bring ruin to us and our nations if such information got loose. So it was much better to simply ignore or remain unfeeling towards those particular emotions. It's not a new thing. I'm certain many CPUs of the past have had such forbidden desires at one point or another.

"However, as we are now, we have a unique opportunity to explore. As you have already explained to Bladesy, though we may be a CPU, we control no nation. We have no responsibility to anyone but ourselves. It's why you can freely come and go as you please across dimensions with Big Nepsy, Me."

"I know that. So what does this all have to do with Bladesy?"

"Well… tell me, even with all the memories of our life when we ruled over Planeptune, how much interaction have we ever had with the opposite gender?" Uzume thought to herself. Looking back, she realized that her other self had a point. The only man even remotely close to her had been Umio when he was once human, and Uzume had never felt any sort of attraction to him. The most had been something close to familial love like with Histoire, which only became reinforced with his current incarnation as a fish. She had never once felt shy or embarrassed like with what happened in the hot spring earlier. And she had certainly interacted with male citizens and monsters alike both in Hyper Dimension and Zero Dimension, but it was always in a Leader-Follower sort of relationship. Bladesy was a friend first.

"I… guess I can see that… wait, but it's not like I'm in love with him or anything. I don't think my feelings are that strong."

"Correct. We are not in love with him. But we have a golden opportunity that other CPUs have not been so lucky to have. That is to say, we can pursue something of a relationship with him beyond the boundaries of friendship, and thus, satisfy our curiosity about what it would be like to form such relationships."

"Well… I mean, I won't say I've never thought about it. But when you put it like that, it kind of feels like I'm just using him. And I don't want that," Uzume said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at Kurome.

"Perhaps I misspoke. But I'm sure you realize that not all relationships form lasting bonds. However, at the base of it is the fact that you have formed a friendship with him, and on some level, you find him attractive, at least physically." Kurome gave a teasing smirk. "It's not like I heard you complaining about how underdressed he was, after all."

Uzume blushed, remembering how she had seen him in only a towel. A towel that really didn't cover a lot of him or hid just how fit he was. Kurome gave a small laugh.

"It's nothing to be ashamed over. You won't hear me complaining, Me. Besides, what do you have to lose?"

Uzume closed her eyes in thought. In truth, she knew all this. The fact that the darker half of her existence, Kurome, knew all this was proof enough. And Kurome, like it or not, often did not let things like emotions influence her judgment. It was purely the facts with her, and none of the embarrassment or conflicts that Uzume had to shift through in making decisions. "You know, the way you can just say all that without worry, it almost makes me a little envious of you, Me."

Kurome only chuckled. "And yet despite this, the one who holds the power to make it a reality is you. No matter what I may desire, I can only rely on Myself to make those dreams come true."

"Then… what, do you like Bladesy too?"

"I am You. And You, are me. Whatever you may think of that, I cannot feel anything you yourself don't. I admit, I never once believed I could feel anything like this to anyone. But I won't say that I dislike it. Now, will you take that chance, Me?"

"Well, of course! I'm Uzume Tennouboshi, and if there's one thing I don't do, it's take the coward's way out. If there's a chance, then of course I'm gonna take it." Uzume smiled softly at her other self, which prompted a look of confusion. "You know, sometimes you aren't so bad, Me."

"Don't thank me just yet. The hard part is yet to come. Do your best, Me." Uzume nodded, closing her eyes as her body faded from view, returning her consciousness to the real world. "Heh… I wonder… If back then, something like this were to have happened, what would I have done then? I suppose there's no sense thinking about it anymore." Kurome closed her eyes, and let herself fall into a restful slumber. Good luck out there, Me. Though somehow, I don't think you'll need it.

Uzume opened her eyes, once again looking at the room she was in. It was difficult to judge how much time passed while she was within the subspace that was Heart Dimension, as the passing of time was often skewed. However, she awoke in time to hear a knocking on her door. "It's open."

The door opened, with Umio and Blade walking in. Blade was trying to keep his gaze away from the red-headed CPU. "Ah Uzume, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, thanks for asking. I'm glad you're okay too, Bladesy."

"Right… um, anyway, about what happened before," he said, a tiny blush adorning his face, "I wanted to apologize again… I really didn't mean for that to happen."

Uzume thought for a moment, before an idea struck her. "Alright then. You really want to make it up to me? Nepsy told me about an amusement park that just opened up in Planeptune. You take me there and we can call it even."

"Really? That's it?"

"Yup, that's it." She quickly reached out and turned Blade around before pushing him out the door before he could react. "Okay, so buy tickets, make plans, all that stuff. I'll be at the Basilicom for a while, so meet me there. See you later Bladesy!" And with that, she quickly closed the door behind him before settling down. "Whew."

Blade, meanwhile, looked flabbergasted as he stared at the closed door. "Did… that just happen?" He shook his head. Okay… no worries then. All I have to do is take her to an amusement park and everything will be okay. With that, he walked away from the door in order to plan ahead for the outing. "Heh, hell that almost sounded like she was asking on a dat-."

His body stiffened, unable to finish the thought. He blushed again, before stamping out his thoughts once more and quickly leaving.

...

Damn it, Nepsy…

Uzume wasn't sure how to feel about what she was seeing. True to his word, Blade had shown up at the Basilicom two days later, asking for Uzume and surprising her with the invitation. And so they ventured to Planeptune's newest amusement park, Dream World. Neptune had designed it with Uzume in mind, as such with the entrance being that of two cutouts of Uzume's CPU form, Orange Heart, greeting people to enter the park.

With Uzume dragging Blade inside, the two set about looking for something to do. "So, what do you want to do first?"

"Well, we gotta get on some rides, right," Uzume said. "Can't have fun at a park without them!"

"In that case… how about that one?" Blade pointed to what had to be the tallest roller coaster Uzume had seen. It looked rather intimidating to the CPU, if she was being honest with herself. But Uzume had never backed out of a challenge, and she wouldn't with this either. Having never been to an amusement park before, Uzume really had no idea what to expect from it.

But if the first ride was anything to go by, it would be the most fun she had ever had.

After the thrilling ride on the roller coaster, Uzume was quick to drag Blade around to whatever ride caught her whim. And Blade was perfectly fine with being dragged around, if he was honest with himself. Seeing Uzume have so much fun, laughing and smiling, really brought a smile to his own face. Though he couldn't help but feel the whole time like they were together on some date. Given how clingy Uzume was being the whole time, be it holding his hand as they traveled the park, sharing some snacks like popcorn and candy, or making sure he was always next to her with every ride they went on, it was hard to think any other way.

It brought a warm feeling in his heart.

Eventually through, the hour grew late, and they knew it would be time to go. And Uzume really didn't want to have to leave already. She was having too much fun hanging out with Blade all day. It was a strange feeling to be sure, being so close with someone else. But she decided in the end, that she liked it. "Hey, before we go we gotta get on one more ride."

"Really? What ride could we possibly have left to go on?" Despite trying to avoid it, Blade was starting to get tired from everything.

"That one of course! You can't end the day without going on a Ferris wheel." The two of them quickly made it on the ride, getting a compartment to themselves. Blade was eager to simply relax, though his heart was pounding for some reason. "Hey Bladesy, thanks for doing this with me. I had a great time."

"Of course, Uzume. Anytime."

"Really? You know, I might just take you up on that offer." Uzume gave a laugh, before looking outside. She smiled at seeing the horizon, as the sun was starting to set, casting the sky in an orange glow. "Hey Bladesy… would you mind if we do this again sometime?"

"Not at all. Just say the word, and I'll be there."

"Thanks. I really appreciate that." Uzume took a deep breath before standing up and moving to stand before Blade.

"Hm? Something up Uzume?" The girl said nothing, instead leaning forward with a determined look on her face. "Uh, Uzume!? You're acting kind of weird right now…" Uzume's hands were pressed on either side of his head, pressed against the metal of the compartment.

"Bladesy… I…"

She leaned forward even further, both with massive blushes on their faces…

...

"…"

"…"

"So… I-I'll see you around?"

"Y-yeah… no problem. And thanks again, for everything."

The two walked out of the park, neither one looking at the other, and both with what looked like permanent redness to their cheeks.

"Bye."

"Night."

The two turned away and headed out to their respective homes. It was a tiring day and they both had a lot to think about in the upcoming night.

"H-hey, Bladesy!" Blade turned around to see Uzume looking nervous about something as she stared in his direction. Then in her most cutesy voice, she said, "U-Uzume wishes you have good dreams!" She then turned and ran off, without waiting for a reply. Really though, it wouldn't have mattered. Blade doubted he would have been coherent enough to reply to that anyway.

As Uzume walked away, she sensed another presence behind her, before a voice calmly asked, "Did you have a good time, Uzume?"

"Yeah… yeah, I really did. Thanks for keeping Nepsy and Gearsy distracted for the day, Umio."

"Of course. I was glad to be of assistance." For a few moments, the two simply traveled in silence. "So… are you sure you want to do this Uzume? No matter what happens, please know that I will always stay by your side."

"Thanks Umio. That means a lot. And yeah, I'm sure. It's kind of exciting, you know? Besides, I'm not afraid of whatever may happen." Uzume could only smile at that, thinking of whatever new exciting things would happen with her life now that she had taken such a huge step into the unknown.

One thing was certain. She would not be the only one with pleasant dreams tonight in Planeptune.