Disclaimer: Keroro Gunsou and all characters contained in this fanfiction are from the manga series by Mine Yoshizaki. The publishing rights of this series in America are owned by Tokyopop. I highly recommend that you go to your nearest comic book shop and pick up a non-pirated version of all 15 volumes - you can't get those shiny, holographic covers through illegal downloading, you know! (Oh, and while you're there, would you pick up some of those little melon-flavored candies they have next to the register? I love those things...)

Further Disclaimer: This series is rated OT (Older Teen) for disturbing scenes involving violence and madness, non-graphic sexual scenes, and a few instances of swearing. Chapters containing anything near-M-rated will be noted beforehand: 'Pirates, ye be warned.' Enjoy!

Natsumi yawned and rubbed her eyes blearily. She'd been hunched over those textbooks for nearly three hours, and her body was starting to feel like it'd rusted into place. With a painful crack of stiff joints, she stood and pushed away the Chemistry book she'd been studying from. She needed a break.

She headed toward the kitchen in search of a snack. As she passed the living room, a familiar irritating voice called out, "Ney, Natchii! What's for dinner?" She turned and fixed Keroro with a "drop dead" look, then continued on her way to the kitchen. "Heeey, c'mooon," he whined after her, "it's late already, and building Gunpla all day has really worked up my appetite, de arimasu!"

Ignoring the ensuing pleas, Natsumi leafed through the refrigerator with a frown. She hadn't been to the store in the past few days, so the selection wasn't great. Finally, she settled on a rice dumpling and hurried back to the sanctuary of her room before Keroro could yell at her again. Here, she wouldn't be disturbed by stupid frogs and their superficial problems.

Sighing, she flopped back on the bed and gazed through her bedroom window as she ate. It was already dark outside, and despite the glow of the city lights she could see a few stars twinkling against the night sky. Her eyes began to feel heavy and she sank deeper into the comfort of her bed. Even though she felt she shouldn't, she reached out her hand and turned off the lamp next to her bed. Studying could wait.

Natsumi didn't know how long she'd been asleep, but when she awoke the house was dark and quiet.

Great! So much for a quick nap….

She lay back against her pillow, still somewhat groggy, but not entirely in the mood to sleep again. She cast another glance through her window, and as she did so she picked up on the faint scent of woodsmoke from nearby. Giroro must have still been awake. Raising herself up, she propped one arm on the windowsill and peeked out. Sure enough, there sat the Keronian in front of a neat little fire, over which he was roasting a small piece of meat. His cat, Koneko, was pacing and butting her head against him impatiently, and he turned to speak to her. Natsumi smiled and pressed her head against the window, straining to hear what was being said.

"You're a walking stomach, aren't you, Koneko?" He chuckled, gingerly pushing the meat off of the stick and onto the ground near the feline. "If you keep eating it all, there won't be any left for me!"

Natsumi felt a bit guilty. Not only was she eavesdropping on her friend, but it was her fault that dinner hadn't been fixed in the first place. Nevertheless, she continued to smile and watch. She'd always known that Giroro, despite his tough appearance and perilous fighting skills, had somewhat of a softer side when no one else was watching. At first it had amused her, but now she found it touching. It made him seem almost… human.

She watched as he scratched Koneko's chin affectionately, then suddenly removed his belt and gazed at it thoughtfully. What was he doing? He flipped open the silver latch on the front and removed something from inside. From Natsumi's perspective, it appeared to be a photograph, but she couldn't see what it was of.

Koneko hissed.

"Easy, Koneko," Giroro warned, stroking her gently behind the ears. "Besides," he smiled, "you know you're still my favorite woman, right?"

Koneko was appeased, but Natsumi's stomach was doing flip-flops. Wo-woman? That's a picture of… a woman?! She nibbled her lower lip, leaning in closer to see what he was doing. Her mind was abuzz. Part of her felt wrong spying on such an intimate moment, but her curiosity had crested and now she couldn't let it rest. Is there… is there a girl he likes? No way…

Giroro held the picture up to the firelight to get a better look at it. His face seemed to glow as he gazed down at it. "I wonder what she's doing right now?" He mused to himself with a faint smile. His expression then faded to something more serious. "I wonder… if she ever thinks about me?"

If the questions were presented to Koneko, she appeared to pay no notice and focused instead on intense grooming of her left front paw. Giroro sighed deeply and lowered his head. "Maybe I am a fool," he commented sadly. "But," he whispered, now addressing the picture before him, "Still, I will always love you."

He pressed his lips to the photograph in a gentle kiss, then placed it back in its secret place on his belt. A few moments later, he extinguished the fire and retired to his tent with Koneko. The night was empty and still.

Natsumi, however, didn't move. Her heart was pounding so loud she could hear the blood pumping in her ears. It had never occurred to her that Giroro may have been in love, and now that this fact had been thrown in her face so suddenly, she felt… well, there was no other word for it. She was disappointed. The Keronians had been living in their house for just over four years now, and she had suspected throughout most of that time that Giroro had liked her. It wasn't that unusual of an assumption to make. After all, he blanched and stuttered and basically became stupid every time that she touched him… he went to extreme lengths to make her happy or defend her name… and not to mention the numerous times that he'd nearly died trying to ensure her safety…

She realized that she was biting her lip so hard that she was losing circulation. Releasing it, she lay back down in bed trying to sort out her thoughts. The notion occurred to her that maybe it was her picture that he kept in his belt. She frowned. No… there was something sorrowful, something… unrequited in the way he'd spoken to its subject. She couldn't imagine him speaking to her in a voice like that.

The only answer she could think of was the one that seemed most obvious. Giroro must have been in love with a woman on Keron, a woman from whom he was now separated by half a universe with only a photograph of her to keep him going. It was tragic… and while she wanted to shed a tear for her emotionally troubled friend, she couldn't suppress the prickles of jealousy that were now crawling in her chest.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would talk to Giroro and try to find out more about this mysterious woman. For now, she would simply try to clear her mind and get back to sleep, but she had to resolve the issue before she could go any further.

Yes, studying would have to wait.