Five years have gone by since the Hinata's have met the little Keronians. The Armpit Platoon had only gone away a few days for a mission which was quickly ended due to Keroro's inability to successfully invade. Upon their return, they overheard an argument between Hinata Aki and Fuyuki in the living room. The keronians had made sure to turn their anti barriers on fully so they wouldn't know they were eavesdropping.
"But Mama! You can't just let this happen! She should have a choice when she goes! Besides, what are we going to do when-"
"Fuyuki! Don't yell at your mother! Besides, she's already accepted it and it's for the best. Think about her future before you argue about this. Now, I'm going to go take a bath, when I come back we'll continue this conversation"
Fuyuki just stood there, his mood was completely sullen. Hinata Fuyuki was now seventeen years old, he was starting his senior year in high school. He had grown quite tall and matured, but he was still the same caring and occult crazed boy the platoon knew. Keroro had never seen him look so sad, it was heart breaking. He turned off his anti-barrier and ran up to his best friend. "Fuyuki-dono! What's going on?" he asked. Fuyuki turned in excitement at the sound of Keroro's voice and then sulked as he remember the situation. He couldn't speak, he just picked him up in a hug, small tears rolling off his cheeks. The platoon just stared in shock. It took a lot to upset Fuyuki, especially now that he'd matured, so it must be something horrible.
"Fuyuki-dono, please don't cry. Tell us, what's wrong. What's going on that made Mama-dono so mad?" Keroro began asking. He couldn't stand seeing his best friend so torn up.
Fuyuki regained his composure and lead the platoon to Natsumi's room. The platoon of course were freaking out since they all knew no one was allowed up there without her permission. But when Fuyuki opened the door, everyone's jaw dropped. The room that once held Natsumi's belongings and joys, was now empty. Only a few packed boxes lay on the ground. Giroro's heart sank as he thought of all the possibilities of what could have happened to Natsumi. His heart was crying out as he honestly began believing that she was gone. The rest of the platoon ventured her room in hopes of any answers, but they found nothing.
Giroro turned to Fuyuki and probed for any answers. "What happened? Where is she?"
Fuyuki stood in the doorway staring at the ground. He knew it wasn't that bad, but it hurt him deep inside. "Nee-chan's moved out…since she's so amazing in her academics and sports, she was offered a full paid entrance into a very expensive college. When she got that offer, Mama and her had a conversation that night and Nee-chan hasn't been the same. She had accepted the offer and she hasn't been home in days. She's not supposed to move in until next month, but her stuff had been taken straight there since we assumed she was already living there. We found out recently that she has yet to enter the school" Fuyuki began explaining. Half way into the story he had begun crying again. By then, Aki had joined them in Natsumi's room. They were all sitting on the ground just talking about what had happened in the platoon's absence. Everyone was sullen at the news, but the invaders all had the same thoughts in mind now, the reason for our failures is now gone, we can fully invade. But no one made that motion while the Hinata's were in the room. Everyone remained quiet for a long time, no one really knew what to say.
Giroro's heart was aching. The thought of never seeing Natsumi again hurt him badly. Even though she was the liability in the invasion, he could care less. He loved having her there, he loved watching her defeat them. It made him strive to be stronger, it made him realize he truly loved her. He couldn't go on with this silence, he couldn't go on not knowing where she was. The truth was, no one knew if she was safe or anything. No one was looking for her.
"Why…why hasn't anyone gone looking for her if you care so much?" he blurted out. Fuyuki and Aki were shocked at his remark, but they knew the reason for those stinging words. Of course, he loved her as much as they did. It was true, why weren't any of them out there looking for her right this second? The only explanation was that they were afraid of never finding her. Giroro was the first to speak, and now the first to make a stand. He couldn't help himself, he got up and ran down the stairs. He dashed out the front door and ran through the area looking for her. He didn't want to do nothing and let the fears come true. He didn't want to lose her without even trying.
Koyuki had managed her way into the Hinata residence when she sensed that Dororo had come back. She had heard everything and couldn't have agreed more with Giroro. She wanted to find her precious friend as much as anyone. "Come on everyone, we all need to look for her. We can't just keep sitting around doing nothing." she said. It was enough to motivate the group to search. Fuyuki had called Momoka to assist in finding his sister. She had flown over there quickly with Paul. She would have done anything for Fuyuki. She had let her hair grow out and had gained a figure that she'd dreamed of. She was the same age as Fuyuki now, and she had gotten closer to him. They were secretly dating under everyone's noses and no one had yet suspected it. Fuyuki had planned on revealing themselves as a couple a few days ago, but with his sister missing he didn't have the heart to do it.
Kururu wasn't as interested in this ploy, but decided to help for Aki's sake. He couldn't lose any of his movie models, how else was he going to earn money? He had sent a text to Saburo to shed some light on her disappearance. To his surprise, Saburo had no idea where she was. He did see her a while ago, but it was the day before her disappearance. Saburo was now nineteen and he had developed popularity amongst many of his radio fans. His image had been revealed by one of his fans and every since then, he's gone into secrecy so no one bombards him with fanatics. This would be his first time in weeks actually going out into the open with someone.
Hours passed, and no one could find any trace of Natsumi. They had checked all of her favorite spots, all of her least favorite areas, school, the college, everywhere. It was like she had never existed. Keroro had sent robotic minions around the globe in search of her, but no sign of her showed up anywhere. Everyone feared the worst. A thought popped into Tamama's mind then, "What if Natchi is somewhere in space? We can't rule out every option." Tamama was right, any hope of her existing was better than the alternative. Everyone had gathered back to the Hinata residence to think up how they'd search for her.
The wafting aroma of beef stew filled the house, intoxicating everyone. Only one person could make beef stew so intoxicating. They rushed into the kitchen, but there was no sign of her. The table had been set, dinner prepared. Giroro saw his fire in the backyard was lit and then taken care of. He found freshly baked sweet potatoes waiting for him when he crawled outside. She had been there. She'd still be somewhere close by then. No one touched the amazing food that was prepared for them. Instead, they all ran outside, full sprint and began once again searching for her. They called out her name over and over again, but she didn't come out. Saburo, Giroro, Momoka and Koyuki had taken to the skies to get a better view point of where she could be. Again, it was like she never existed.
None of the radars picked her being up anywhere in the area. They couldn't believe it. Maybe someone was messing with them. Someone was this sick and twisted to mess with the family with their missing daughter. Who would be so horrible to do that to them. Natsumi wasn't the kind of person that many would hate. Outside of the house, she was one of the nicest people there was, one of the most enviable too. Was someone this jealous that they'd resort to tormenting the family? No, it couldn't possibly be it.
Giroro's scanner caught something. He called it in to everyone. They had all begun traveling the same direction he was flying now, determined to find Natsumi. The dot on the scanner was traveling quickly, taking twists and turns into alley ways and small, cramped areas. This had to be her. But why was she still running from them? "Natsumi!" Giroro called out, but the dot continued its path, quickening. All of a sudden, it had disappeared. Giroro couldn't believe it. He quickly made his way to where the trail had ended. It was an open area, no possible way of hiding anywhere. No man holes, blank walls surrounded and encircled anyone that entered the area. So where did she go?
"Dammit! She was right here, and I lost her!" Giroro growled. Fuyuki tried to reassure him that it wasn't his fault. It didn't make sense why the trail had ended where it did. There was no sign of anyone, yet the atmosphere there felt like they were being watched. Was she watching them? Giroro looked helplessly around the area, calling out her name. His voice only echoed as it pleaded for a response.
"Corporal Giroro, that's enough. It's clearly a dead end. Master Natsumi isn't here. Maybe your scanner had a glitch" Keroro reasoned. No one was willing to believe that, not even Keroro. They put their hopes on the scanner, and it led them here. Where was here anyways? Saburo had taken the time to draw up a door onto one of the walls to see what was behind the secluded area. To his surprise, the street continued through the tiny, coliseum-like area. "Check this out" he said. "Kukuku, so this building doesn't even exist then. So the projection machine should be somewhere around here" Kururu explained. "But why does deactivating this place matter so much?" Fuyuki asked. "This building is jamming transmissions . I'd assume Natsumi had figured that out and must run off close to here if she's close to being captured" he elaborated. "So if he destroy this building, then we could find her Kururu?" Aki asked. He nodded.
Motivated, everyone began searching for any transmitters that could be creating the building. Momoka found a control box shortly after and called Fuyuki over. "Um, could this be it?" she asked meekly. Fuyuki didn't know for sure, so he called Kururu for clarification. "kukuku, it could be. I'd be careful though of which switches to turn in case they are booby trapped" he said. Aki wasn't going to let any of the children, no matter how old pull any of the levers. The platoon couldn't decide on who to send up so Aki decided to do it herself. This frightened everyone, but still no one stood up to it. Finally, Giroro chocked out the words, "If something happened to you, Natsumi wouldn't forgive any of us…let me do it." She wanted to argue, but Fuyuki had convinced her otherwise. He didn't want anyone getting hurt, but he knew Giroro had a high tolerance for pain and wouldn't give into a no. Carefully, he pulled the first lever. To everyone's surprise, nothing happened. "Are you ok Corporal?" Fuyuki asked just in case. Giroro nodded. He tried the next lever. Again, nothing happened. With the next, the same thing. He had three more levers to go.
"Kerokerokero! Whoever put this up must be quite stupid if they don't have any booby traps!" Keroro chuckled and he pulled the fourth lever. He was quickly electrocuted by 500 bolts of electricity. Everyone stood back, afraid that it'll strike again. "Keroro you idiot!" Giroro shouted. Fuyuki reverted their attention to the switches. "Ah! They all turned back to normal! Sergeant, I think you messed up the order." Fuyuki said. Kururu chuckled evilly, "It seems whoever put this up designed the switches to reset if someone triggered the wrong one. The Corporal was lucky" he said. Giroro stared at the switches carefully. His intuition told him to go backwards and skip the fourth switch for last. He attempted it, so far, the last three switches didn't harm him. Avoiding the fourth, he continued to the fifth and then the sixth. Last but not least, he was facing the fourth switch. Carefully, he pulled it down. A projection of a small silhouette of a girl formed in front of everyone. "Welcome back Master. Please input security code" she chanted.
"A three digit security code? Whoever made this is pretty smart" Fuyuki muttered. Aki stared intently on the silhouette of the girl, something seemed familiar. After several minutes of silence, the silhouette asked once more, "Please input security code."
Something triggered in Aki's brain as she came up to the silhouette and typed in the numbers, 7-2-3. The silhouette repeated the numbers in a childish voice as Aki imputted the code, "Na-tsu-mi. Security code accepted. Welcome back Natsumi!" she little girl said excitedly as the silhouette faded and turned into Natsumi when she was a little kid. Everyone was surprised and then quickly looked at Aki. "Mama-dono? How did you know the code?" Keroro asked. She simply smiled and replied with, "A mothers intuition." Giroro stared at the little girl. It was Natsumi, beaming with joy for whatever reason. It assured him that she was safe. He heard Kururu sneer behind him. "So, Natsumi made this then. It's pretty amateur at best" he sneered. Giroro glared at him. Even if he was a genius, this was something incredible for a Pekoponian.
"Natchi, can you please deactivate this barrier?" Aki asked her sweetly. The little girl seemed sad as she fought the words to accept. "Summer isn't happy living at home or being on her own?" she asked. Everyone stared at the projection. "What do you mean?" Aki asked. The projection had begun to realize her mistake of talking to strangers. This wasn't Natsumi, this was someone else. But she couldn't stop the deactivation process without the second code created. "System shutting down, come back to play again soon Summer~" the projection replied. The building began to disappear and revealed the hidden street. The control box still stood in place, but was now password locked. Aki knew her daughter would have multiple passwords so she didn't try her luck.
"Let's go" she said, not looking at anyone. She felt horrible inside, almost torn. The feeling that her only daughter was unhappy wherever she was hurt her deeply. No one talked to her as they kept walking, no one knew what to say. They wondered why Natsumi was so unhappy. The platoon remembered what Fuyuki had told them, she had changed ever since Natsumi and Aki talked. "Fuyuki-dono, how exactly did Natsumi-dono change after her chat with Mama?" Keroro asked. Aki froze. Was what she told her the reason she wasn't happy? "After their chat, Natsumi started to act differently. She'd stay out late every day, she'd come home with a new cut or bruise every time and when we asked her about them she wouldn't even look at us. She'd just say they've always been there or it was an accident not worth mentioning. He changed her appearance and the last time I saw her she cut her hair shorter than usual" he explained. Tears were escaping Aki's eyes. She knew it was her fault. She was hardly ever there for her daughter, she relied too much on her, expected her to be the mature one every time. Expected her to keep Keroro and his friends under control, to deal with everything on her own. Natsumi never had time to enjoy her life, so the idea of being stuck in college right after high school was just another way to trap her. Mi wouldn't come home on her own because of her pride. She knew it would take a lot to bring her home. But she was going to try her best. Aki took off in full sprint down the dark street.
"Mama!" Fuyuki shouted as he took chase. Even though he was older, he wasn't any better at athletics. There was no way he'd catch up to her, but thankfully he had his friends there. Saburo swooped him onto his giant, paper airplane and took flight after Aki. Everyone had the same goal in mind now, to bring Natsumi home tonight and show her how much they cared.
Giroro was catching up to Aki on his own two feet. Even though Natsumi wasn't there, he'd show her how strong he was because of her. He'd show her just how much he cared.
His ears heard a struggle up ahead with a familiar voice he's heard so many times before. He began sprinting faster than Aki, he would be the first to see her, the first to help her.
Turning the corner, Giroro finally saw his beloved, but not as he remembered. She wore darker clothing, a cap that perfectly fit her now short hair and gloves stained with red. She was pretty badly beat up and he couldn't take it. He looked and saw who she was fighting, a group of men who were bulky in size and with horrible thoughts in mind.
Everyone piled behind Giroro, but no one could move to aid Natsumi. "Kuku, it seems like she planted another barrier. Better find the control box quickly, she looks like she's about to fall" Kururu informed them. Everyone panicked. They spread out searching for the control box, except Giroro. He kept trying his best to fall into the barrier, to break in. No matter how hopeless it was, he kept trying. Natsumi finally saw them. "Shit…they got me" she thought to herself as she smirked. "Better make this quick then" she said out loud. Dashing up to the men, she punched, kicked, threw, broke bones, etc. She had gotten stronger over the years and wasn't about to lose to anyone. But she had her limit and she was there. Only three men remained standing. She couldn't keep fighting, she was already damaged as it was.
"Natsumi! Natsumi! Release the barrier! Let me help you! Please!" Giroro shouted at her. She was taken back by his words, almost delirious from the fighting. She made her mistake then, taking her eyes of her predators. They had lunged and had her against the wall. She tried fighting back, but he had her down. Her only hope now, was Giroro. "Natchi! Deactivate the barrier!" she shouted in pain as the men were gripping her arms and legs down. "Voice recognition activated, pass code please." Natchi's voice trailed in the alley way. The men covered her mouth, but she was determined to end this. She bit as hard as she could, tried kicking and punching. They broke her left leg in the process, but she managed to utter the code, "G-6-6!" Natchi's voice trailed along the code, "Gi-ro-ro. Password identified, releasing barrier."
The barrier instantly disappeared and Giroro was in flames. Following him were Aki, Paul, Saburo, Koyuki, and the rest of the platoon attacking the men who dared to hurt Natsumi. They broke their bones and made them bleed in numerous ways. While the beat down was going down, Fuyuki and Momoka carried Natsumi away back home. She had passed out after shouting out the password. She was badly injured, not only did she have a broken leg, but two of her ribs had cracked, she had cuts and bruises all over her and a deep, bloody gash on her wrists. Momoka called for a helicopter to take her home quickly with one of the best doctors in the world so the Hinata's wouldn't worry about the expenses. Everyone got onto the helicopter except Aki and Giroro who decided they wanted to have a little more fun with their new friends. No one stopped them, no one wanted to.
The doctor came downstairs to reassure everyone she'd be fine in a couple days. He told them she was lucky to have been so strong till the end and bid them a good night. Aki and Giroro were the only ones allowed upstairs right now unless they told the others it was ok. Fuyuki had offered them his room to keep Natsumi since her stuff was gone. Aki caressed Natsumi's shortened hair while Giroro held her hand. They both felt guilty for her leaving. Aki for her bad parenting and Giroro for being one of the parasites that ate away at her life. The doctor had told Aki that Natsumi would take a few days till she could wake up, but she'd be fine afterwards. Giroro was glad he had made it in time to save her. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything that horrible happened to Natsumi and all he did was watch. He gently squeezed her hand as a tear slipped out of his eye. Aki noticed this and gave him a faint smile, "Thanks to you, she's alright." He looked at her and shook his head, "It wasn't me. It was everyone." "I guess, but if it hadn't been for your scanner, we may have never found her in time, so, Thank you" Aki replied. He couldn't argue with that. His scanner was the only lead they had to where she could be.
Natsumi began shifting on the bed. Her hand lightly squeezed Giroro's and a faint smile appeared on her face. He couldn't help but blush a little. "Hehe, seems like she knows her guardian is here," Aki began. "I would have never guessed that last password of hers" she continued. Giroro turn away from her, flushing red. "I-it was probably because no one would think it" he returned gruffly. Aki just chuckled. "Oh come now Giro-chan, you know she waited every day until you'd get back from your mission. I think you're the only reason she stayed here as long as she did…" Aki trailed off. Giroro looked back at her and shook his head. "You're not a bad mom, you can't help your job. And with Keroro and us it's stressful. Don't put all the blame on yourself." Giroro told her.
Aki loved how Giroro could be so assuring even in stressful situations, she wished her daughter would recognize this in him already. But from hearing that password, maybe she already did. "I'm going to go downstairs for a bit to see how everyone's doing alright? Take care of her till then" Aki said as she got up and left the room. He wasn't expecting to be alone with Natsumi like this. Asleep or not, it made him feel nervous. He tried not to think too much about it, but he grew weak at the sight of her beauty. Her short hair looked rather nice on her, it suited her personality. She was now eighteen, considered an adult in this world. She had grown so beautiful, it was killing him that she would soon have to go away and live a new life. He didn't want to lose her like he did today. He clenched his free hand into a fist at the thought of it. He felt a familiar touch on his hand. He looked down to see Natsumi staring at him, smiling softly. "Giroro…thank you…" she whispered. It was wonderful to hear her voice and at the same time it hurt. She'd be gone from him, possibly forever.
"You shouldn't thank me…I'm one of the reasons you ran away…" he replied sadly. She stared at him incredulously. What an idiot he was. She gently pulled him down to lay with her and hugged him close. "You idiot, you're the reason I stayed here" she said smiling. "You've always been my reason for staying…"
Giroro couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had Aki already known this would happen? "Tricky woman…but, is Natsumi telling me she cares about me like I care about her, or just as a friend? I need to know, but she's so quiet right now…"
Natsumi lay hugging him quietly. She had said as little as possible about how she feels about him to make sure she was getting the right vibes from him. Had she been wrong? She lay there considering she made a mistake in how he felt and that she said something stupid to him. He couldn't possibly feel that way…
He motioned to turn around and face Natsumi, so she loosened her hug to let him. He stared at her amber eyes before he spoke. "N-natsumi…what you said…what do you mean by it?" he asked slowly. She looked at him for a second and then turned her face, blushing. He couldn't believe it, she did care! She actually cares about me kept going through Giroro's mind. Natsumi finally turn to face him again, still blushing. She tipped his head up just high enough to meet her lips. They were both taken back by their kiss. It felt like a part of them was torn off and given to the other, filling in the missing piece of their souls. They quickly pulled away when they heard someone coming up the steps.
Hinata Aki knocked lightly and entered the room. "Oh Natsumi! I'm glad to see you're awake dear" she said taking her into her arms gently. "I'm so sorry for everything mama…" Natsumi whispered to her. Aki kissed her forehead and told her it wasn't her fault. She got up after several minutes to let Natsumi rest. "I'll let everyone come in tomorrow to see you if you're alright with that, goodnight Natsumi, goodnight Giroro" she said, smiling, as she left the room. Leaning against the door, Aki sighed in joy. That Giro-chan can't keep a straight face to save his life, she thought to herself. Nothing could get passed Hinata Aki, especially the loving emotions between the two in the next room. "Now all I need to do now is to get Fuyuki to admit he's dating Momoka-chan~" she quietly said to herself as she walked to her room. She knew everything would be alright from now on.