Multiversity

A Memory Frozen In Time

Lastation, the nation commonly known for its technological advances and machinery. Once was a factory-riddled city overrun by a thick pollution that made life difficult for those who couldn't stand the smog, now a city with blue skies and greenery, still keeping its steampunk theme. The goddess of this nation really fixed the place up, after an organization bent on controlling the market stepped down. M and Z were relaxing in a small cafe on the edge of the nation. M had specifically chosen this place because of the low customer rate this time of day. Being on the edge of the nation, there weren't many people there. The only customers to come here are the occasional elderly and those who want a quiet place to work or study. M sips his cup of coffee as Z takes a bite of pudding, this cafe's specialty. M sets down his cup and looks to Z, a serious look in his eyes. "Did you find anything useful on your hunt?" As M was talking, Z had spooned a large chunk into her mouth, resulting in her having to chew it before she could speak. M stared at her with mild annoyance as Z slowly finished the pudding in her mouth. "Aah~ Yep! I found out some pretty important information. There are a lot of places we can benefit from in this nation." Z pulls out a pair of headphones from her bag. "These were on sale in the nearby game store. They're even bluetooth!" Z slips the cat ear hairband off and puts the headphones on, M still looking at her in mild annoyance. Z takes a moment to fiddle around with the headphones before looking to M, who was staring at her with increasing annoyance. "Oh..." She takes the headphones off and puts them around her neck. "I also met someone from the Guild. They said they'd be able to get us some important information." M sighs and leans back, picking up the cup and moving his hand in a small circle, the coffee in the cup moving around. "You keep saying 'important information.' Does that mean you got some?" Z nods, leaning in closer. "Yep, it's juicy." She leans in so close that they're inches away from headbutting. "I heard...that Planeptune's CPU is lazy..." Z leans back, grinning like she had obtained the secret recipe for Burger King's sauce. M takes a sip of his coffee, before setting the cup down and glaring at Z. "We already knew that. We've been doing this for years, OF COURSE Neptune is lazy." Z pouts, fiddling with the pudding spoon. "Oh yeah... What good did you do yesterday?" M deadpans, lifting the cup off the table. "Did you forget that I copied the katana?" He looks down to the cup in his hands, realizing that it was empty. Z sighs, putting the pudding spoon in her mouth. "You did that in the morning. What about the rest of the day? You can't think that I didn't do anything worth reporting." M sets the cup down on the table, reaching into his bag sitting next to him. "I checked out the shops and bought the necessities; healing items, a few stat boosting rings..." Z takes M's hand, the spoon still in her mouth. "Aw, you know we don't need any more rings." M looks down to the silver ring on his ring finger, a matching ring on Z's ring finger. The two of them look at each other silently for a few seconds, before M pulls the spoon out of her mouth, setting it down on the table. "You can act like a real child sometimes, y'know?" Z giggles, letting go of his hand. "Well, you can be, too." M lets a small smile escape. "Yeah...perhaps you're right." A light jingling sound resonates from the front of the cafe, the door opening as a girl in purple drags a girl taller than her in. M quickly turns his gaze away from the door, prompting Z to look over to where M was looking. "What's up?" M continues to keep his back turned to the door, tightening the cloth concealing his face. "Why NOW of all times...?! That goddess really knows how to be a thorn in my side." Z quickly looks to M. "Wait, what? She's the goddess?!" M nods, trying to keep his voice down. "That's Neptune, the goddess of Planeptune. She probably still remembers me from yesterday. The girl with her is most likely Noire, the goddess of this nation." Z looks back to the two girls who had just entered the store. "If that's Noire, doesn't that make it easier for us?" M shakes his head, keeping his head low. "It would be fine if it was just her. But having Neptune here is going to ruin everything. I can't get closer when she's gossiping about everything." Neptune dragged the raven haired girl into the cafe, the goddess still excited as usual. "C'mon, Noire. You've got to try the pudding they make here. It's to die for!" Noire struggles to escape the girl's grasp. "Let go of me, Neptune! Didn't I tell you I have work to do?!" Neptune suddenly stops, looking around the cafe in confusion. "Huh? I could've sworn I just saw that guy pass us?" Noire sighs, rubbing her temples. "I think I'm getting a migraine... What do you mean 'that guy?' Did you really see him?" Neptune tilts her head, trying to remember. "I'm pretty sure he just passed us... He was wearing the same mask as yesterday..." Noire shakes her head. "I didn't see anything. Are you sure you aren't messing with me?" Neptune shakes her head, turning to Noire. "I definitely didn't see anything... Why does this feel like deja vu...?" Z continues to watch the two of them, before looking back to where M once was. The masked man had made his escape out of the view of everyone else, and Z had pieced two and two together. "Dammit M!" Z quickly grabs her stuff, pays the bill, and runs past the two goddesses.

Z catches up to M just down the street, the masked man was leaning against the wall. "M, you used it again, didn't you?" M steps away from the wall and looks to her, a saddened look in his eyes. "Zoey...how long have we been married?" Z gives him a warm smile. "For almost three years now. How long were you in there?" M sighs, looking at the sky. "Only a minute. But it was long enough..." He looks back to Z, the girl reflecting in his eyes. "Please...promise you won't leave me." Z approaches M, wrapping her arms around him. "I promise. I'll stay by your side for the rest of eternity. I love you." M returns the embrace, the two of them standing in the center of the street. Z had noticed something off about M, something that made her fear for the future. He was shaking.

End of Chapter