Hi, everyone! I woke up this morning, and the first thing I thought of while trying to go back to sleep (I do that, I mean it's finally Summer Vacation, give me a break!) was this story line. I'm going to try to fit it into no more than one or two chapters, so the chapters should be pretty long. I hope you enjoy my first attempt at a strictly GiroNatsu storyline! (All the others had other things going on) I really hate Saburo, but I'll try to not make him seem evil (even though he is), because I know not everyone hates him. He does get good and rejected though. ;3
As usual, Giroro woke with the sun that morning. After a few minutes polishing a sniper rifle, he went inside to see if Natsumi was up and making breakfast yet. It had become a routine, now. She came to him for sweet potatoes after dinner, and he helped with the before breakfast preparations.
Natsumi was usually up by now, but Giroro didn't see her anywhere. Had her alarm malfunctioned? He would've gone to wake her up, but he didn't trust himself to not freak out if left alone with her in her room. He decided to wake Fuyuki instead. He needed to wake up, anyway, and Natsumi couldn't if she was still asleep. Then Fuyuki could wake Natsumi up for him.
He marched up the stairs and flung open the door to Fuyuki's room, then trotted over to the bed and dragged the blankets off, leaving Fuyuki cold, awake, and annoyed.
"Hey! Corporal, what was that for?" Fuyuki asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes grouchily.
"Natsumi hasn't woken up yet, so she can't wake you up. I figure someone has to do it and Aki's still at work," Giroro said defensively.
"Wait, Nee-chan isn't up yet? That's weird. Is she sick or something?" Fuyuki asked. Giroro shrugged, turning to leave.
"How would I know? I haven't been in her room," Giroro said, and left the room to go downstairs.
"I'll go see if she's okay," Fuyuki said tiredly, and swung his feet out of bed. Giroro made toast. If Natsumi was unable to make breakfast, Fuyuki still needed some sort of nourishment. Toast wasn't great, but it was certainly better than nothing. A few minutes later…
"Corporal!" Fuyuki called from upstairs, sounding worried. Giroro ran upstairs and into Natsumi's room, perfectly comfortable since it wasn't just him.
"I can't get her to wake up! She's breathing, she doesn't have a temperature, and the only thing that I can find wrong with her is she won't wake up!" Fuyuki said quickly. Giroro bolted over.
"Natsumi! Wake up!" Giroro said, putting a hand on her arm. She stirred slightly, then sank back to sleep.
"More of a reaction than I got," Fuyuki muttered under his breath, so Giroro couldn't hear him. Giroro was terrified at this point.
"I'll go find Kululu," Giroro called over his shoulder as he bolted down to the base. Kululu, who was actually an early riser, unknown to most, was enjoying a nice plate of curry when Giroro burst into his lab.
"Corporal! Ohayou! What brings you to my office this morning? Kukuku…" Kululu said, spinning his chair around.
"Natsumi won't wake up. Fix it," Giroro demanded. Kululu laughed.
"Ask nicely. I won't do it if you're rude!" Kululu said. Giroro grit his teeth. This was for Natsumi.
"Please," he forced out, though it pained him to do so.
"Kukuku… I'll see what I can do," Kululu said. Grabbing a few small gadgets, he was dragged upstairs, because on his own he would've been walking too slowly.
Once up in Natsumi's room again, Giroro planted Kululu firmly next to Natsumi's bedside. Kululu pulled out one of his machines.
"Kukuku… Well she's definitely sick. She's got some sort of space illness," Kululu said. Giroro bit his lip. At that moment, Sarge was passing the room, and ran in.
"Natsumi-dono is sick? I swear it wasn't my fault this time!" Keroro said.
"That data is still inconclusive, but I should know what's wrong with her by the time you get home, Fuyuki. Kukuku… I hope it's something dreadful," Kululu said, and with that he disappeared out the door with a few strands of Natsumi's hair to run tests on.
Giroro decided to wait until he was sure it was serious before running off to find a Space Cerberus liver, but he didn't leave Natsumi's bedside all day, even when Fuyuki had left for school and Keroro had gone off to do chores. Her condition never changed. The only times she moved at all were when she breathed or Giroro tried to wake her up. She would shift slightly every time his hand touched hers.
It was a long day, but when Fuyuki came home, the news had spread to everyone, and he was followed by Momoka, Koyuki, and even Saburo, who'd decided to show up at school today for once.
"Is Natsumi okay?" Momoka asked, walking into the room after Fuyuki. Koyuki walked over and sniffed Natsumi, and her face started looking even more worried than it already was.
"So she's sick? That sucks," Saburo said poetically. At that moment, Kululu walked in with the results of his test, followed by the rest of the frogs.
"Kukuku… 'Sick' may be a slight understatement. She's got Space Sleeping Beauty disease. There's only one cure. Not even Space Cerberus liver will help her now," Kululu said. Giroro paled.
"So what's the cure?" he yelled, walking so he was right in Kululu's face.
"Kukuku… There's a reason it's called Sleeping Beauty disease, you know. Don't you read fairytales?" Kululu asked.
"Of course not! I am a battle-hardened soldier!" Giroro exclaimed. Kululu laughed, then whispered something in Giroro's ear. Giroro flushed.
"That's stupid," Giroro said flatly. Everyone else, who knew the fairy tale, laughed slightly. But there was a question lurking in the back of everyone's mind. Who?
"Oh, and we might want to find her prince charming soon. Kukuku… If she's not woken up soon she may never wake up," Kululu informed the room at large.
"Oh no!" Momoka said, tearing up. Everyone in the room, other than Giroro of course, glanced quickly at Saburo and away again. He started.
"What?" he asked. No one wanted to answer. Feeling his rage and jealousy overloading, Giroro left the room hotly.
"Well, you see…" Koyuki started. She whispered into Saburo's ear. His eyes widened.
"Really?" he exclaimed, blushing slightly. Koyuki nodded. Saburo glanced at Natsumi.
"Will it really cure her?" he asked, his flush deepening. Kululu, laughing, nodded. Giroro ground his teeth. This was awful. He'd always known that she loved Saburo, but this irrefutable proof was too much for him, and he refused to watch his beloved Natsumi get kissed and woken up by Saburo. He waited a minute outside the door, his rage bubbling inside him. Not fair…
"Kululu, nothing's happening!" Saburo said. "She's not even moving!"
"Kukuku… Hmm. I suppose she's found a different prince charming?" Kululu said.
"But it could be anyone! How are we supposed to find…" started Fuyuki, but he trailed off. Something Saburo had said struck a chord. Not even moving… The only time she'd come even close to waking up was when Giroro had touched her!
Giroro was listening at the door in earnest, now. So she didn't love Saburo anymore? So not only did he have to live with his worst rival kissing his girl, but now he had another rival?
At least, that's what he thought, until Fuyuki burst out of Natsumi's room.
"Corporal! Get in here!" he said quickly, and the soldier was picked up by his head and dragged into the sickroom.
"Corporal, touch Natsumi's arm like you did this morning!" Fuyuki said excitedly. Giroro looked taken aback and suspicious.
"Why?" he asked.
"Just do it!" Fuyuki said. Everyone's eyes trained on him, he gently put his hand on hers. She moved slightly towards him. Everyone stared.
"Has she been doing that every time you've touched her?" Fuyuki asked slowly. Giroro nodded.
"Kukuku… you could've told us that earlier, Corporal," Kululu said.
"Why does it matter? She's just stirring in her sleep!" Giroro said heatedly.
"Then why is it that you're the only one who can get her to move at all?" Fuyuki asked pointedly. Giroro started flushing.
"You can't seriously mean…" he started, trailing off. Everyone was staring at him. But that was impossible! His feelings for Natsumi had always been one-sided!
"She's got minutes before the point of no return. Kukuku…" Kululu informed the room.
"You've got to try, Corporal!" Fuyuki said, grabbing Giroro's arm. "Natsumi could die!"
"Fine! But just watch as it doesn't work," Giroro said. He couldn't believe he was doing this. He felt like he was somehow forcing himself on her. And all it would accomplish would be Giroro knowing once and for all that there was absolutely no chance of it happening, ever, before Natsumi died. Flushing madly, he climbed up onto Natsumi's bed. Feeling very uncomfortable under everyone's stares, he leaned in.
"You've got about thirty seconds. Kukuku…" Kululu said. Bracing himself, his heart thumping wildly like never before, and his face somehow flushing even more than before, he leaned in and kissed the love of his life. For one terrifying second as he kissed her, nothing happened, but Natsumi suddenly bolted upright. Giroro was thrown across the room. Everyone sighed in relief. Natsumi flushed scarlet.
"WHAT THE HECK, GIRORO?" Natsumi yelled, covering her mouth and almost as red as the frog in question.
"SHUT UP! I WAS SAVING YOUR LIFE!" Giroro yelled, standing up.
"A lover's quarrel. How sweet," Momoka said, smiling. Natsumi shot daggers out of her eyes.
"A what?" she asked angrily. Momoka shrunk back. Kululu's glasses had a crack in them, and all the frogs had their mouths hanging open. So the Corporal's feeling WEREN'T one-sided?
Giroro, his heart still fluttering because of Natsumi's reaction, turned his back on the room, not wanting anyone to notice his dreamy expression. She'd actually woken up when he kissed her! He kissed her! Everyone gradually trickled out of her room. Giroro was one of the last, looking over his shoulder before quickly disappearing down to his tent to make sweet potatoes and try to get his mind off of Natsumi. It must've been a fluke, he decided. There was no way. Especially since she'd gotten mad at him. No way on Pekopon.
On his way home, Saburo muttered, "Beaten by a frog. How sad is that?"
Giroro set up the fire and started roasting sweet potatoes to distract himself. Once everyone had left, Natsumi was left in her room thinking. What had Giroro meant, saving her life? What was he thinking, kissing her? She had to admit, though… She'd kind of enjoyed it. Not that she would ever tell anyone that, of course. She'd been told about her illness and why a kiss was how to cure her, but she would've thought Saburo would be the one… (no one told her he tried and failed) And even if she did have feelings for the frog, he obviously didn't return those feelings! So how had they convinced him to try?
Trying to sort through her jumbled emotions, and almost succeeding, she smelled the scent of sweet potatoes wafting through her open window. She looked out into the backyard. He'd made one for her, too! She would've thought that he would've wanted nothing to do with her. Still in her PJs, she walked downstairs and into the backyard, where Giroro was still busy cooking sweet potatoes.
"Hey frog. I haven't eaten anything at all today and I'm starving. Chuck me a sweet potato, will you?" Natsumi said, walking up behind him. He jumped a little, then handed her a sweet potato, blushing slightly.
"Sorry about earlier," he said gruffly, though he wasn't really sorry at all. "It was Fuyuki's idea. He noticed that you only moved when I was the one trying to wake you up. Any reason for that?" he asked, trying to keep the hopefulness out of his voice.
"Dunno," Natsumi said, sitting down next to him and digging in to her sweet potato. Giroro wilted a bit.
"I'm just surprised they convinced you to actually kiss me. Sorry about that," she said.
"Wasn't so bad…" Giroro muttered, flushing. Natsumi looked at him, then back at the fire, which was swiftly becoming the brightest source of light as the sun set and the moon took over.
They were silent for a while.
"Do you…" Natsumi started.
same time.
"Look, I…" Giroro started.
They both flushed.
"You go first," Giroro said. Natsumi took a deep breath.
"Do you enjoy this time?" Natsumi asked. "When we sit together and eat sweet potatoes and look at the stars?"
"More than anything," Giroro replied, without a second's hesitation. Natsumi blinked.
"Look, I really am sorry about earlier," Giroro said. "I can imagine it wasn't exactly on your 'Top Ten Thing to Do Today' list."
"I wouldn't say that…" Natsumi mouthed to herself behind his back, blushing to herself. She had to admit it to herself. She definitely felt something for Giroro. That freaked her out a little bit, but it was definitely true.
With the lighting and the mood, Giroro was thinking about finally revealing his feelings. But something happened that he'd never expected.
Natsumi beat him to it.
"Giroro? Earlier, when you asked if I knew why I reacted to you and I said I didn't know? I was lying. See, the thing is, you may be an invader, but you're also my best friend in a way. And spending time with you, well, it's kind of grown to be more than that. I'm sure you don't feel the same way, but I wanted to get that off my chest. I thought I liked Saburo, but I realize now… It's you. It's always been you," Natsumi said, blushing. She stood up to walk inside, embarrassed. There goes our friendship! She thought. Giroro grabbed her hand as she turned to leave. She was startled.
"You mean it?" he asked slowly, not looking at her.
"Yeah," she said, still blushing.
"Good. I thought I'd never hear you say that," Giroro said, and pulled Natsumi towards him and planted one on her. Natsumi stiffened in shock, then relaxed, enjoying this moment. So, it was mutual?
"I've loved you ever since that first day I met you," Giroro confessed. "I was just waiting for you to catch up to me."
Natsumi smiled at him, no longer blushing. Giroro soon changed that.
"You know how I become sort of useless without the belt?" Giroro asked, taking it off and holding it in his lap. Natsumi nodded, confused. What did that have to do with anything?
"Well, it's not for the reason you would think," he said, and opened up the compartment where he kept his precious picture. Natsumi's flush returned quickly.
"Oh, Giroro. That's so sweet!" Natsumi said, and kissed his cheek. He flushed. She giggled.
"You'd better get used to it. Now that we're both out there, it'll be happening a lot," Natsumi informed him.
"I think I can live with that," Giroro said, smiling widely. They both started laughing.
Natsumi went up to bed reluctantly that night, glad that she'd told Giroro how she felt. And even more glad to find that he felt the same way! Part of her still felt strange that she'd fallen for an alien invader, but it was a very small part. And it was no stranger than Giroro falling for her, the invaded.
Something told her that the invasion would someday affect their relationship, but for now, she was going to enjoy it. She'd worry about that later.
That night, Natsumi and Giroro both stayed up looking at the stars well into the night, trying to imagine what they had ever done without their other half, who was sitting mere yards away.
Neither one could manage it.
So I hope you liked it! I've decided there will definitely be another chapter, but it will take place a few years after the end of this chapter. And then there might be a third a few years after that. We'll see…