ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: December 19th, 2009
Welcome! You might be wondering why I gathered you all here—Well, instead of the normal update, I bring you a multi-chapter, extra-special Keroro Christmas special! Just a note, this has fancharacters that I've been using in my stories—But don't let something like that turn you away! Here's a quick rundown on what and who you'll see that you might not know!
Kirere—A failed attempt at a Pekoponian supersoldier, made by Kururu with both his and Giroro's DNA. Clumsy, good natured, but not all that bright. Excels in mechanics and puzzles, loves curry. Has a bit of a crush on Dororo; Tororo's developed a little crush on her of his own since she lost her temper and beat him up. Her switch comes on when she's called stupid; her hidden Kururu ego meets her hidden Giroro temper, and she becomes an uncontrollable force. Keroro falls to more accidents when he's around her, and Tamama treats her as an annoying little sister. Garuru knows of Kirere's true nature, but the rest of the Platoon plays it off as though she's Giroro's child with Kururu's older sister.
Haruki Suzuyama—Kirere's Pekoponian. A mechanic who owns a junkyard and spends most of his time dodging bill collectors. Has a crush on Aki, much to Natsumi's chagrin. He comes from a rich family who specialized in building motorcycles, but has cut off most ties to them. Grew up with his grandmother who was a firm believer in spirits and yokai.
Romama—A young major and the leader of the first scout mission to Pekopon, which ended in failure. Romama was only awakened about one hundred years ago by a Russian occultist named Nikolai Kezanstav who later used Romama as a weapon for his own personal gain. He's still very young, falling between Kirere and Tamama's ages, and quickly loses patience. Keroro's distant uncle, and a mute who uses Dororo as an interpreter. He lives above a dance studio. Only the Keroro Platoon and their Pekoponians know of his existence.
Aya—A Pekoponian who Romama's taken to protecting. Not much is known about her, except for the fact she is the worst student in a dance class in the studio Romama lives above. This isn't for lack of trying; she practices often, and Romama makes sure to take care of her without being seen by her. Aya doesn't know of Romama, but she knows someone is watching out for her—She refers to this unseen force as her "Little Angel".
The Hug Jar—Not a person, but an important object. Kirere loves to show affection, but her hugs often leave the wicked Kururu incapacitated for some time. Kirere takes the money she earns from helping Haruki and from her allowance and places it in the "Hug Jar" Kururu's set up; when she fills it with the right amount of money, she cashes it in for a hug.
All right, with that done, on with the chapter! :D P.S.: This doesn't mean I'm not updating my other story... I just wanted to do something in the spirit of the season! :keroro3:
"Oh tannerbaum, oh tannerbaum!" the sergeant sang at the top of his scratchy voice as the went about dusting, going to work dusting the television, the tables, and anything else with the slightest gray haze over it, singing to himself all the while. In one corner of the Hinatas' living room there was already a Christmas tree set up, with bulbs of every different color, golden garland, and a matching golden star atop it.
"Ojiisan!" Kirere shouted out, and the sergeant gave a start, tumbling off of his stool and falling onto the ground, his duster now atop his head.
"H-hello, Kirere-chan…" Keroro croaked from his spot crumpled on the ground. "What brings you out here this time of the day?"
"Haruki's off avoiding some bill collectors, and Papa kicked me out of the lab, and I can't find Dad anywhere so I thought I'd hang out with you!" Kirere answered with a wide grin. "Won't that be great?!"
An afternoon with Kirere usually led to broken limbs, Keroro thought with a shiver.
"Is there anything I can help you with? Oh, I know!" she picked up a glass jar full of Christmas candies from atop a table, and Keroro immediately began to protest as he saw the potential dangers of her carrying something heavy and fragile. "I'll help dust this!"
"That's really all right, Kirere-chan, you can—"
CRASH!
The glass shattered as Kirere placed the jar back on the table with much too much force, and Keroro watched this all unfold in horror. The green Keronian went pale, and Kirere slowly backed away.
"I… I'll go play outside in the snow…" she said in a whisper, shutting the door behind her to the back yard.
"I can only hope she's one day blessed with children just like her," Keroro sighed and hung his head.
"I heard something break, Stupid Frog, what did you—That's an heirloom!" Natsumi gasped in horror as she stopped short into the living room.
"N-Natsumi-dono, I didn't, what I mean is, I, I—"
Kirere didn't hear the scream that followed as she walked out back into the back yard and looked about, seeing Giroro's tent but no sign of Giroro. He had mentioned something vaguely about shopping for the invasion and then had left her in a rush.
"Everyone's always too busy for me," she muttered, heaving a sigh and taking a seat on one of the bricks in front of Giroro's extinguished fire. Neko hopped up on the same block and gave a meow, still warm from sleeping in Giroro's tent throughout the night.
Kirere scratched beneath the cat's chin, then gave a glance at the tent and tilted her head to one side. "Hrm."
"Can I help you, um, Sir?" the woman in the department store ended with confusion in her voice as she laid eyes upon the intimidating red-faced man who looked lost among the girls' items.
"N-no, I'm fine," Giroro answered, turning away from her and going back to the ad. Not one, but two women to find something for this year. Finding gifts for both of them was proving a challenge. He knew exactly what he wanted to get one, but couldn't find it anywhere. Conversely he had no idea what to get the other one but was being bombarded by ideas.
"Sir! Sir, you can't smoke in here!" shouted the same clerk as she headed over to a man who was lighting up in the middle of the store.
"Can't smoke anywhere these days!" grumbled the voice.
"Eh? That voice… The bill-dodger!" Giroro said aloud in amazement as there stood Haruki in the same area of the department store. Their eyes met, and an awkward silence passed between them.
"So yeah, the last time I had to buy something for a girl it was a human girl," Haruki explained as he and Giroro now walked down the aisles of the store. "I don't even know what to get a human girl half the time, muchless an alien one!"
"Heh," was Giroro's only answer as they rode down the escalator.
"Eh? What's that you have circled? A music box? Knowing your kid, she'd probably just take it apart or give it wheels," Haruki muttered as he looked over at the ad Giroro studied intently in his hands. Giroro's face went red, and he closed the ad tightly and growled.
"It's none of your business, Pekoponian! I didn't ask you to follow me!" Giroro snapped.
"Not for Kirere then, eh?" Haruki grinned, and laughed. "You're really a softie underneath that tough layer!"
"And underneath that layer lies a man who only keeps you alive to amuse his daughter," Giroro answered, and Haruki's grin immediately fell.
"…So, wonder if they have power tools in pink…."
"Don't make idle conversation with me, Pekoponian," Giroro snapped in a warning. "I'm only tagging along out of pity towards you!"
"Not because you're just as clueless, got it," Haruki nodded, and looked about as they entered the tool department. "Hey, Miss Clerk Lady! Does this electric drill come in other colors? Pink, maybe? Purple's all right, too!"
"This is going to be a long day," Giroro muttered to himself.
"Please? I know I can do this! I'm the fourth backup, I'm supposed to take over for them! I know the entire routine!"
Romama took a break from decorating the small Christmas tree he had found up in the attic and scuttled over to the area where he was best able to view the dance class. It was Aya, following around her teacher.
The rest of the class had gone, but only Aya remained there, with the trapped teacher. "My… My father's coming to town, and…. It would mean the world to him if I could at least have a little part! I know you didn't think the other three girls would all have to drop out, but they did, and… And I was their backup for this part!"
Romama's fists clenched in anticipation as he awaited the teacher's response, along with Aya. The teacher stood there for a few moments, looking down at Aya, then sighed.
"I'm only doing this because of the season, and I need most of the other girls for other parts… It's a small number, so it shouldn't be too bad, and you will have a partner… This is your one chance, Aya."
"I… I won't let you down!" Aya nodded, and Romama gave way to a rare grin.
"A Christmas tree? I never took you for the festive type, Romama-dono!" Romama jumped at the noise behind him, and swiveled around on the floor to see Dororo. "I'm sorry if I frightened you… I just wanted to bring this, it's from Teicho-dono… It's an invitation. I'd be inclined to take it, Christmas is a time for family, afterall."
He set the letter in Romama's hand, and Romama looked at it, puzzled. When he finally looked back up, Dororo was gone… He was left alone with the hand-written, goofy-looking invitation. It was a Christmas card with Keroro right on the front; on the back were gift ideas for the sergeant. He shook his head and tossed the card to a side, and went back to decorating the tiny tree in his home.
"Eh? Kii-chi, what're you doing!?" Tamama gasped as he turned the corner, his mouth dropping open in shock at the sight before him. He had come to see Keroro, to see if his Gunso had wanted to share in some rare and expensive snacks Momoka had bought for the holiday, and instead came upon Kirere, who already had half of the Hinata house done up in white Christmas lights.
"Making it nice! Now come on and help me!" Kirere answered as she jiggled one of the bulbs on the strand of lights, causing it to suddenly come to life with white light.
"I think someone's gonna be mad at you for doing all this without asking…" Tamama began, but this his inner self stopped his train of thought suddenly, 'But if they like it, and I help…. And Santa's coming soon, so that means I have to be nice! Even to Kii-chi… I bet this would get much a bunch of Santa points!'
"Huh? Oh!" Kirere gasped as she felt her feet lift off of the ground, and Tamama smiled as he held her up by the waist to give her a better reach to a higher part of the house.
"Now hurry up and get those lights put up! You're heavier than you look!" Tamama instructed with a grin, although a forced one. She really was heavy; it must've been the curry. Kirere returned the smile, and began to string up another set of lights.
A full day, and not a single idea… Giroro entered into the house grimly, and went down to the base. The day had been a disaster… He hadn't found the music box for Natsumi anywhere, even after visiting five department stores. And Haruki drove like a lunatic, which had left him sore and mentally exhausted from having his life flash before his eyes so many times. At one point even Dororo's life flashed before his eyes.
"I care for her… But we have so little in common…" he muttered as the doors slid open. "Maybe there's a hint in her room, and—What the hell!?"
"Kukuku! I have no idea, either. I came home and it was like this," Kururu turned around in his chair and pulled off the red Santa Claus hat. There were lights all about the laboratory, enough strung up to make it look as festive as one of the department stores Giroro had visited. "I have a feeling as to who's behind it, kuku!"
"Kirere…" Giroro's should fell, and he sighed. "She's a free-spirit."
"Kuku! I didn't program that, don't blame me," Kururu laughed, and turned back around in his chair. "….You must want something if you're here this long without attacking me."
"I… I was just wondering what you were getting her for Christmas."
"Eh? Is that an obligation?" Kururu asked tiredly.
"Yes!" Giroro answered sharply. "This is one of the most important holidays to children on Pekopon! They look forward to receiving gifts more than anyone!"
"Well, we are on Pekopon, but she's not Pekoponian…" Kururu muttered.
"Idiot," Giroro huffed, and turned away from him. "Like I thought for a moment I'd get help from him!"
He went to go into Kirere's room, but stopped dead as there stood Natsumi with her arms folded in front of it.
"N-Natsumi! I can explain the—"
"There was someone on the front porch for you," Natsumi stepped out of the way, and there was Garuru, looking about in the bedroom already. There was a wrapped package under his left arm, and he was bundled down in a heavy military green coat, gloves, and a pair of red earmuffs.
"Nii-chan! W-what're you doing here!?"
