I don't need no light to see you SHINE

32

TWs: Amnesia/Memory loss, mention of past death, past apathetic behavior, yelling/confrontation, crying, panicking, worrying. Stay safe :)

The atmosphere was still as everyone looked at Neptune.

The blue Celestial sensed the tenseness, looking back with a knitted expression. He gave a small titter, "Did I say something wrong again?"

"Y-You're joking with us... right?" Uranus asked.

Neptune pursed his lips, shaking his head.

Nine furrowed his eyebrows, scowling, "That damn black hole..."

Neptune averted his gaze, finally noticing the object in Uranus' grasp. He hummed, gesturing to it, "How's Wěi, by the way?"

"Oh, this isn't Wěi—It's Messier," Uranus said, handing the NovaStar to the other.

"Messier...? I thought I left you with Saturn." Neptune peered at the eight-pointed Star, eyes widening upon finding a small fracture, "Where'd you get this from...?"

"Saving you." Messier replied simply, "As I promised before."

Neptune's eyes flashed in remembrance.

"Well if it does get to me, then you have to promise me something."

"What is it...?"

"No matter what, you'll be the one to save me."

"And you kept it?" Neptune whispered.

"Of course."

Neptune smiled softly, bringing the NovaStar close to him, "Thank you..."

In the Ethereal, Messier felt warmth for the first time since he went Supernova.

Nine glanced at Uranus, making a few hand gestures. The cyan Celestial nodded once he realized what the white Celestial was signing.

"Hey, Neptune?" A gruff voice spoke.

The Celestial turned to his largest moon, eyes filling with panic, "Oh, Triton! I don't remember what happened, but despite what I might've said to you and the others, it's not-"

Triton cut him off, shaking his head, "I know, but that's not what I wanted to talk about."

Neptune frowned, tilting his head as he looked at the other curiously, "Then... what is it, Triton?"

Triton seemed hesitant, averting his gaze to the other moons. He pursed his lips, biting on his lower lip. He let out a small sigh, turning to Neptune with furrowed, twitching eyebrows, "Do you... blame me?"

Neptune's eyes widened, not expecting the question to come from his most level-headed moon. He laughed, though it sounded more like a cough, "What makes you believe that, Triton?"

"...Okay, I know I said we weren't going to talk about what you said, but it was something you said." Triton spoke, never meeting Neptune's eyes, "About Acis, Venilia, and Canens."

Neptune knitted his brows worriedly, silently knowing what Triton was getting at, "Oh..."

"You chose to ignore the problem, you never acknowledged the deaths of your moons and every time I tried to pry about it, you played it off as if it was nothing- as if your past moons never existed in the first place!" Triton's voice raised at the end as he finally forced himself to look at Neptune, his eyes blazing behind the sunglasses he wore, "You couldn't even look at me for millions of years and that only changed because the other moons came along!"