One-shots.
Some are funny, some are serious. Some short, some long.
The theme of each chapter is reflected in its title (I do take requests, as well).
K+ rating - I'll warn you if otherwise.
Relationships a-plenty.
Let the games begin!
"4) What should you do if stung by a venomous space cubozoa, and what is the best way to kill one?"
The young Keronian tapped the end of his pencil against his desk and gazed out the window, wishing he was one of those lucky ones out there whizzing around on saucers rather than being stuck in school taking a boring test. Just last week he'd gotten his very first saucer as a birthday present, and he spent almost every moment he wasn't at the academy with it. The first night, he'd even slept with it. To take him away from his beloved saucer for something as menial as an exam was, in his eyes, nothing short of inhumane.
Sighing, he drew his eyes back down to the question. Having not studied, he hadn't the faintest idea what a space-cuba-thingy even was, much less how to kill one or cure its sting. The way he saw it, he was destined to be a man of action – academics simply weren't his forte, so why force it? Nonetheless, his pencil was tapping more anxiously than before. Casting a glance at the clock, he noticed that there was only five minutes left of class. He'd have to write something, and fast.
He turned to the student on his left. His friend, a young red Keronian with a skull insignia and a serious demeanor, had just finished scribbling in an answer and jammed the end of his pencil in his mouth as he contemplated the next. Keroro watched him from the corner of his vision for a few seconds, then casually leaned to the left as he strained to get a look at his friend's answer sheet.
"Keroro," Giroro muttered without looking up, "if you look at my answer sheet, I'll tell the teacher. Then your dad will take away your new saucer."
Something seemed to shatter inside of Keroro, causing him to totter off balance and crash to the floor. A few students turned and snickered at their classmate as he struggled to his feet, drawing the attention of the teacher.
"Are we having a problem, Keroro?"
Thoroughly abashed, the disgraced Keroro slid into his seat and hunched down. "No, Mrs. Turara."
He looked back up at the clock: three more minutes. There was only one solution now – the one he should have done all along. Leaning as far to the right as he could without attracting the teacher's notice, he whispered to the student on his other side, "Oy, Zeroro! Let me see your answers!"
His friend's large, blue eyes widened as if scandalized. "K-Keroro-kun! You want me to… let you cheat?!"
"Shh!," hissed Keroro, casting a nervous glance toward the front of the classroom. Fortunately, the teacher had her back turned and didn't seem to hear. "I just need to… to check my spelling on a few things! I'll give it back in a minute, promise!"
Zeroro's eyes watered, torn between loyalty to his best friend and his own personal sense of honor. Keroro, however, could not wait any longer and snatched the paper off his friend's desk, feverishly scribbling in answers as the clock ticked relentlessly onward.
"K-Keroro-kun…!" Zeroro whined, grabbing at his arm urgently.
The bell rang, just as Keroro finished writing in the last answer. "Phew! Here you go, Zeroro," he said, handing the sheet he had just filled out to his friend. "Don't worry, you won't get… caught…"
He froze as he saw a large shadow standing over him. Whatever a venomous space cuba-thingy was, it couldn't possibly have been as frightening as Mrs. Turara was at that moment; placing her hands on her hips, she leaned over and glared ominously at them over the rim of her thick glasses.
"Keroro," she said, "you should know better than to help your friends cheat." Keroro blinked in surprise as she turned to poor, timid Zeroro. "And you, young Zeroro – I'm very disappointed in you. I had no idea that all of your good grades so far have been because of things like this."
Tears began to run down Zeroro's face. "But… but…"
The teacher shook her head. "No buts. You were caught in the act. From now on, you'll be attending mandatory tutoring sessions every afternoon. And, of course, I'll be telling your father about this."
Once again, Keroro's misdeeds had made a scapegoat of his unfortunate friend. He felt a pang of guilt as he exited the classroom, leaving behind the sound of Zeroro's voice as he pitifully wailed, "Keroro-kuuuun..." However, his remorse was short-lived, for he soon distracted himself with thoughts of the shiny new saucer that awaited him upon his return home. Soon, he would be flying unhindered through the open air...
He never saw the unfortunately placed banana peel lying before him. In an instant, he really was flying through the air, only to slam to the floor seconds later, landing flat on his rump with a gloriously painful-sounding crash.
"Ow ow ow ow!"
From a nearby corner, Giroro watched as Keroro rose stiffly to his feet, all the while swearing and massaging his aching backside. Turning, he smiled to himself and tossed the rest of the banana into the trash on his way out of the building.
He hadn't really wanted to eat it, after all.
