o 0 Chapter Two 0 o .
The day that had started off slow and boring had soon escalated into a game of tag.
Sergeant Major Kururu had arrived at the Space Parking Area in answer to a message he had received earlier in the day. He had taken his time traveling from the Hinata residence to the shopping center in order to reunite with his older sister Rinono, expecting a worthwhile talk and perhaps some quality family time, only to realize he had been tailed by a very curious pair of the green Sergeant Keroro and his love-struck follower Second Class Private Tamama.
The yellow alien was not at all sore or offended at the thought of being stalked, instead he was amused those two even thought they had the balls to attempt such a thing. Did his scatter-brain leader think he could get the drop on his higher-ranked superior? Honestly? Kururu doubted it, he had been in the spying and stalking business for as long as he could remember and knew the ins and outs of such an occupation, but nevertheless he would invite the green one to try and get the better of him.
He will consider it a treat and a show for the day and something to keep himself on his toes, and as soon as the green one flunks with something he could exploit, he will strike those two down like the god of thunder from the heaven.
In need to flee his pursuers for the fun of the chase, Kururu had escorted his sister who agreed to masquerade as a girlfriend, into the nearest shop he could find.
It was a curry shop and as much as he wanted to grab a bite to eat he did not quite feel in the mood for curry, and thus pretended to look for a table for two at the very back corner of the shop, feigned not being satisfied with their interior and then inquired the man at the counter for availability of a private table. After a bit of exchange and disagreeing with the irate counter attendant, Kururu made his way to the backdoors of the shop without bothering to ask permission, demanding to see the chef, with his rather perplexed sister's arm linked with his own.
They marched crossed the kitchen doorway, past the puzzled attendants inside and hurried towards the backdoor, coming out at a different section of the shopping center. They had made it to one of the more secluded and rather eerie back wards of the building, and as thus Kururu hurried to guide his sister out of the building.
Sure to try and lose the trail of those following him, never once bothering to look back and see if they were even there at all, Kururu guided Rinono outside to the public park-like area that adorned the back side of the shopping center, and soon to a homey little an ice cream shop just past the turn parking lot. Well out of reach and out of view, he waited for a little while to make sure they were not followed before picking a nice corner that was hidden from the window-shopper's view.
Of course since they had to make an order, Kururu requested peppermint and chocolate, while Rinono requested a casual vanilla and strawberry swirl. Seated and comfortable he let her pick a side first before scooting in to sit across of her, then leaned back with his arms over the back rest and an ankle crossed over a knee, he wiggled the tip of his boot with a large smile as he addressed her. "Now then, since we seem to be alone at last, care to tell me what's going on?" he began, curious to what she had to say.
"I could be asking you the same question," she replied, sounding a bit on edge, "were we being tailed by someone?" she asked, a hint of paranoia clear in her voice.
"Naw, just two idiots from my platoon, they're nothing to worry about," he said at first, leaned back against the cushy seat and a small frown shown on his features, "though from the look on your face, I'm guessing you've expected to be followed?" he inquired.
She nodded once and when she said nothing more in reply, Kururu could tell from the shifting in her eyes that she was unsure how to go about explaining without something happening. Being the geniuses in the platoon had taught him to think of a thousand and one ways to get across a block in the road, and this was one of the times he was glad to have quick wits. They could not risk talking in case someone was listening into the conversation, and they could not risk making any gestures in case someone was watching.
They needed a way to limit the conversation to only the two of them, but… how can they achieve that in such a somewhat crowded place? Most of the people in the ice cream shop were aliens and invaders, anything his sister could blurt would cause a lot of panic, if not trouble later on for either them or whatever it is she wanted to discuss, so he had to think of a way to keep the info spill to minimum.
Kururu perked with a smile and lowered his arms off the backrest of the comforter, he gestured for his sister to scoot closer and sit next to him, instead of being there at the opposite of him across the table. Rinono was not sure what he was planning, yet trusting him she complied and shimmied from her spot to sit shoulder to shoulder with her brother. Moments later he leaned against her a little and brought an arm over her shoulder to pull her into a half hug, letting her head rest on his shoulder.
Rinono wasted no time taking off her hat to place it on her lap and lean into the hold, trying not to laugh at how nice and yet somewhat silly it made her feel. It had been ages since Kururu had made an open display of affection, and though she knew this was probably just for show she treasured and appreciated it nonetheless.
The waitress arrived about then with their order and placed it on the table, smiled at the couple and left them to enjoy each others company. During that Kururu had reached out with a hand to place it on his lap and offered it for Rinono with a subtle grin. Rinono looked at it for a second before she seemed to get what he was aiming at, and then reached out to take his hand into her own, the same hand that was holding onto the hat.
With their hands clasped together and the hat shielding them from view, his fingers began a subtle yet felt dance against the palm of her hand and hoped that she could figure out what he was doing. Fortune smiled on the two of them when Rinono recognized it as a code; she hurried to cuddle up next to him to look as convincing as a couple as possible, while her fingers drummed against his palm. It was a silent conversation, a connection both physical and mental that only they shared and understood. There was no chance of any other picking up or eavesdropping on their discussion now.
Where Rinono's expression became more docile and placid, comfortable against his shoulder with her eyes closed and looking peaceful, Kururu's grin twitched and turned from genuine to forced as the seconds ticked by, his glasses reflected the lights as he looked like he was lost in his own world of thought. In fact, that wasn't too far from the truth. What his sister was coding him was grave news indeed, well worth the risk of her going out of her way from Keron to Pekopon just to tell him in person.
Just as he had foreseen, it left an even more bitter taste in his mouth than before…
This did not just affect him in person, it also affected the platoon and their mission on Pekopon altogether.
. o 0 o 0 o .
Somewhere back at the Hinata residence, in the safe corner within the backyard was a sturdy little red and brown tent.
Inside, Giroro was in the process of sorting out his bullets and organizing his weapon gallery, when the cat being lazy next to him began to move. Ms. Fluffbottom opened her fanged maw with a wide yawn and stretch, flexed her limbs and then shook herself awake before sitting up next to him and licking her paws. Once bathed and clean she began rubbing herself against his sides and back in an open display of affection, which earned her a mellow chuckle from the red skinned invader.
Giroro raised a hand she had nudged away from his magazine uzi-clip to pet and scratch her chin, moving the treatment across her skin and fur to the side of her head, and then to shower her with loving scratched up and down the neck, as well as between the ears. When he felt she had had enough pampering he withdrew his hand to focus back on the task laid before him, needing to keep his gallery organized for quicker and easier access later on.
With the feline sated she stretched herself into a more limber form again, and made her way out of the tent with a lazy walk and twitching whiskers. It was only a few seconds after she had left that a loud mew and hiss of alarm were heard.
Somewhat startled at the aggressive noises she was making, with squared shoulders, a tingle bit into the back of his neck as a familiar presence touched the back of his scalp like cold fingertips. A faint shiver went up Giroro's arms and he shook it off, not wanting it prickling his skin further. Uncomfortable with the foreboding feeling, aware that something was amiss that may or may not require his attention, the Corporal put everything down and pushed up to his feet to see what was upsetting the cat.
When he had expected some sort of aggression approach from foes upon exiting his tent, he was surprised to find the baffling form of the salmon-red colored tadpole with the green helmet, who had pressed his face against the barrier of the glass doors and was making faces from his side of the living room, taunting, or rather traumatizing the kitty.
The instant Tororo spied the baffled face of the Corporal gawking at him in shock, he pulled away from the glass with a cough and fluster before letting go of the curtains to veil himself from view.
Giroro stared. Wasn't Tororo a member of his brother's platoon? What was the kid doing here?
And What was he doing Inside the Hinata Household!
A pang of alarm struck the red alien's chest, and as thus without a second thought Giroro reached out to slide and slam the door open and slapped the curtains away with a shout, aiming to call the child back for a good thrashing, and perhaps get some answers why he was here to begin with.
But the instant he ran into the house he hit his face against something with a 'thunk!', and he toppled backwards and to the yard again with a loud yelp and grunt.
Ms Fluffbottom was startled and jumped back a few feet with a hiss, alarmed to her friend being knocked back.
The Corporal fell to his rear at first then landed flat on his back right after. Feeling the ache throbbing against his snout and stinging his eyes, Giroro's navy blue gaze swam with tears. He looked up with a glower at the doorway when someone had opened the door further, and the ruffling of the curtains being moved away followed.
At first when his eyes could focus again, Giroro saw Natsumi in her school uniform with a sheepish smile looking down at him, and around her knee-level stood a purple Keronian.
He recognized the new arrival as his brother… who was rubbing a spot on the back of his own head as well.
"As thick skulled as ever I see," Garuru somewhat teased, and then reached out with a hand to help his younger sibling back to his feet, "it is good to see you in good condition, Giroro." He added in greeting, a small toothy smile shown across that stern face.
Confused yet accepting the hand, Giroro was pulled back to his feet. He gave a small thanks to the purple frog's complement as well as his help. The Corporal was a bit flustered, having slammed into his brother like that; it was embarrassing yet not a hard blow to his pride, just awkward. He dusted his seat then turned to his older sibling, then to Natsumi, wanting to ask what was going on when he caught Tororo's 'pu pu' sounding chuckles from somewhere beyond the couch.
Natsumi and Garuru stood by the glass doors leading to the backyard, while Fuyuki and Angol Mois sat on the couch, while he stood at the threshold of the doorway, and Tororo stopped hiding behind the couch. The little tadpole approached his leader with a small chuckle, standing at the side of the couch a little behind Garuru. The Corporal scanned the rest of the room and was a little surprised to find only two members of Garuru's team present; where were the others?
Giroro then noted Tororo was sending the cat a few feet behind him a taunting look, and Ms Fluffbottom did not look at all amused at the little brat. Nevertheless, the cat settled down seeing no battle was going to break out and then decided to approach the red frog. She settled besides him with a mew and Giroro seemed to not notice her at all, he was in a locked stare with his brother, as if the two of them were having a private conversation of their own.
A second later Giroro spoke, "You really need to stop popping in without a warning, Garuru." the scolded, a little irate.
The purple lieutenant smiled and crossed his arms over his chest, regarded his younger brother with a hint of mirth and then tilted his stance a bit to the side, "Whatever my reasons be for not calling beforehand are not the issue to discuss right now, Giroro." He said in a casual tone, but his sibling very well knew that tone of voice; Garuru was here because he had bigger fish to fry and whatever it was Giroro was involved.
"I came here today with Recruit Tororo on a mission;" the purple invader said at first and gestured for the young tadpole to come closer, and when the young technician did as told the lieutenant placed a hand on the young one's shoulder, "we have been given orders to escort you as well as Sergeant Major Kururu to the Grand Star post haste." came the blunt and clear declaration for all to hear.
The collection of shocked and confused cries of surprise from all who were in the room, including the cat, almost went unheard to Garuru's unmoving and unaffected form. Natsumi and Giroro gawked at that announcement, neither having an idea what that meant or why it was happening.
"The Grand Star?" Fuyuki spoke from the other side of the room; he was then on the edge of his seat at the thoughts coursing through his head, "Isn't that the Keron race's mother ship?" he exclaimed, sounding far more happy and excited than anything else. He even had a hint of sparkling glister of stars in his eyes. Oh how it would be if he could go there and scout a Keronian vessel with his very own eyes, it would be so exciting!
Flat-out ignoring Fuyuki's inquiry, Garuru moved his hand off Tororo's shoulder to clasp his hands together behind his back, and then continued as he directed his full attention to his dazed brother, "We will receive our mission briefing as soon as we land. I have attempted to get in contact with Sergeant Keroro as well as Sergeant Major Kururu for the past hour, but they are not returning the calls and we're not receiving signals of their communicators, thus they could not be located through regular means." he said and paused to let that tidbit sink. "Would you, by chance, have an idea where we could find them? Our rendezvous is in twenty solar hours. The sooner we leave the better." He explained.
Giroro bit back a mutter and curse; if Garuru could not get in contact with Keroro then chances are the green imp had gone after Kururu; therefore they were both supposed to be at the Space Parking Area causing whatever riot Kururu had been after…
"Hold on just a second!" Natsumi began with a huff, "You still hadn't answered my question! What's so important that Giroro and Kururu both have to leave at such short notice?" she said at first, then stammered, "I mean, okay, Kururu can go to hell for all I care, but what does this have to do with Giroro? He's a freeloader and his absence wouldn't make much of a difference either, but still…" she muttered, looking a bit pensive and flustered, and avoided the red keronian's gaze in particular.
Ignoring the hurt and crestfallen gleam in his little brother's navy blue eyes, Garuru lowered his head just a bit and huffed a small laugh, "I have no reason to explain anything to you," his reply was unfeeling and sharp. "Remember you are the enemy," he then turned to look at her, tossing a rather pointed and challenging glance her way.
Natsumi grit her teeth and clenched her fists in rage, "What! So you come uninvited, go into HQ and when that stupid frog turns out not to be there, you think you can just waltz in and do what you want?" she shot, tone hot and angry. "And also I can throw that right back at you!" she exclaimed, "You are the enemy and I have no reason to trust this isn't some sort of ploy to scatter the stupid frog's team so you can attempt a full takeover while no one is looking." She growled.
Fuyuki had snapped out of his excited daze in time to hurry and try to calm her down. That didn't stop her from giving Garuru an irate sneer nonetheless, and yet all it ever did was make Tororo nervous; the tadpole hid behind his leader and muttered how scary this Pekoponian creature was.
"I swear if you try anything funny I'll stomp the purple out of you." The hotheaded redhead of the Hinata family snarled, making her distaste known.
"Natsumi! Please, calm down." Giroro called out, both terrified that she would anger his brother into attacking her, and part exhilarated to see her pumped and ready to kick some ass; though he had to admit that she did not stand a chance against Garuru, thus he did not want her tangling with someone he himself could not yet defeat.
That is when Mois approached the bickering crew, looking timid and nervous yet needing to cut into the conversation, "Corporal Giroro, I am really worried about Uncle; it's unlike him not to return my calls and I've been trying for an hour; can we say available but not responding?" she said while she fingered her device, that was actually a weapon of mass destruction. Her golden-yellow eyes gave a shimmer as she looked at the uneasy red invader, "If you know where uncle went, can you help us find him?"
Giroro stared at those dazzling and innocent eyes for a long awkward moment, looked at Natsumi being cranky with Fuyuki trying to calm her, then at his brother who expected him to cooperate without complaint, at Tororo who was still uneasy regarding the whole thing, and then at Mois who continued to peer at him with pleading kitten eyes.
The red invader palmed his face and gave a loud, aggravated sigh. This was going to be a very long day; he might as well call Tamama and Dororo and let them in on the situation, because he sure as hell did not want to deal with this hassle alone.
. o 0 o 0 o .
Meanwhile at the Space Parking Area, Kururu reached across the table to pick up the spoon and take a few scoops of his melting ice cream.
He was never a fan of sweets, but the tangy spice of mint mixed with chocolate dazzled his tongue in a pleasant tingle, so it would do to keep him in a good mood. "So what next?" he murmured in a low, soft tone, then turned to her while she continued to stay leaned against his side long after he had withdrawn his arm.
Rinono shook her head, no; she did not know how to answer that.
Kururu sighed, the pleasantries of their meeting now gone and replaced by a foreboding and heavy fog of discomfort.
If what his sister told him is true then his playtime on Pekopon will be cut short and the invasion would be inevitable.
As much as he had to admit to himself that the reasons they've lasted this long were because of Keroro's fascination with the Gundam modules, Giroro's complicated love life with Natsumi, and his continuous shenanigans of backing out of a full scale invasion because he lost the thrill of the fight, there was no stopping the Keron Army from taking matters into their own hands and claiming the entire planet under their hold, regardless of who stood in their way.
Pekopon itself was not hard to conquer, the platoon had come close to taking full control countless times, but the ones that were in the count were the times he himself had aborted mission on the last second, simply because he wanted to. If Pekopon was conquered then it will just be added to their record like some stamp of approval, and then they'll be moved out and towards another planet to labor over ways to control it all over again.
Kururu would admit there was a lot of Pekopon he wanted to explore, so many things he wanted to take his time to unravel the mysteries of, hence why he had been stalling and messing around instead of trying to give it his fullest for the past four years.
Trying to take over this little speck in the galaxy didn't mean much when added to a record, but as a person with a thirst for exploring the unknown and an appreciation for knowledge, much like Fuyuki, the treasures that he found within the bellies and hidden folds of this world were what interested him and made him not want to leave.
There were many traces of Keronian as well as other alien-life origins littered about and across this planet, as if thousands of creatures tried to take over this spot in the galaxy time and time again, only to change their mind and leave Pekopon. Pekopon had had so much in common and in relation with Keron that he found it hard to ignore; he knew his people and ancestors have repeatedly tried to take over the planet, only to back out of it for some reason or another, he wanted to figure out why, and being forced to leave will not sit well to his personal standards.
From watching the Pekoponian children play and grow, the teenagers muck about their life and make drama out of nothing, the love incited quarrels, to the adults who fascinated him with their own entitlement issues. His favorite part was the teenagers; those kids were so clueless and fun to meddle with, but as soon as they figure out his ploy it bites him on the rump. Not that he'd mind, he'd been punked at his own game more than once which sort of balanced out the odds and made it more fun.
If he had won all the time then this game would have lost his interest ages ago…
Of course, being an adult male with a strong interest in certain activities when it came down to females of other races was only part of the equation; it was not easy to find precious gems such as Hinata Aki on other planets and as disadvantageous as having her run tests he still liked her. Aki was a mature, level-headed, adventurous and a wild card who was always up for a good challenge, it was one of the things he loved about her.
He really couldn't fault himself for falling for ones who were older than him though; he found adult females far more attractive and alluring than those who were younger than himself… who were likely to be more annoying… or too innocent for that matter.
The mere thought of overwhelming innocence made him tense; any tighter and his glasses might crack from the tightness of his knit brows.
For a contemplative moment, Kururu found himself wondering where Giroro fit in the picture; the scarred man was a mix of the things he liked and the parts he didn't like, it was neither sensual nor sexual and yet it ignited a spark in the yellow demon, a sensation he could not put words to.
Yanked out of his thoughts, Kururu straightened up with a jolt at the loud, thumping sound of something droning against the earth, forcing tableware to shake and rattle against their holsters with sharp clanks and jingles, followed by people giving low cries of alarm, and then the walls of the ice cream shop began to shake and rattle more violently as the seconds ticked by. The customers who were there had also jumped in their seats in confusion at the loud and increasing rumbling, a wave of panicked cries began when fear started shaking the foundation of the very building like an earthquake.
Kururu wasted no time ignoring the ice cream cup in favor of wrapping his arms around his sister, who had jumped in surprise at the rumbling as well. The two locked in an embrace, holding one another offered them a sense of comfort and safety until the shaking had passed.
"Was that an earthquake?" Rinono gasped, a hand on her heart and her eyes wide turned to her brother; the experience unsettled her yet did not scare her, Kururu could tell she was not frightened, just surprised.
"I don't think that was an earthquake," Kururu muttered; he had experienced earthquakes and had caused a few himself, and he sure as hell knew that rumbling was fabricated.
After all they were miles above sea level and the parking area being constructed by aliens was levitated in the air, thus earthquakes were impossible for both location and foundation origins prevented such a thing from happening. The area was like a sky island and therefore the mere thought of earthquake occurring were unheard of. The only thing they had to worry about would be if the levitation engine malfunctioned and they were under the risk of plummeting into the ground below, but if that was the case then the alarms would be blaring and the peacekeepers would be running around giving warnings and securing an escape route for the people aboard.
That is when a loud and painfully familiar laugh of 'Haaaaaaah Ha Ha Ha Ha!' started somewhere in the distance, growing closer and louder as the seconds ticked by once more.
Sergeant Major Kururu never got the chance to warn his sister to grab her hat and run, because a large, bulky figure smashed through the front window with knees together and arms crossed before his shadowed face, the agile and nimble alien landed with his boots in a sleek acrobatic movements onto the marble floor with only the jingles of shattered glass, and the squeak of his footwear rubbing against the ground.
The figure then ricocheted off the ground and back-flipped three times into the air, only to land on the tabletop right in front of them with a loud thump. The rough landing sent the ice cream cups flying up a good few inches only to land and hit the floor with a smash and shatter, as well as having the ice cream dollops they contain to hit the floor with loud splattering. The person who had arrived in such a destructive entry held the overzealous and heroic pose for a long second, before he twisted himself around to face the astonished pair with a low 'Go!' sound escaping his non-visible lips.
The brilliant and narrowed yellow glint of his visor within the silver helmet shone bright and shiny under the glaring lights of the ice cream shop.
Space Detective Kogoro (556) had arrived, as flamboyant, loud, laughing and flashy as he could ever be.
Kururu, for a nano-second, wished if he could crawl under a rock and die…
Rinono however, arched a skeptical brow and glanced at her brother, hoping for some sort of explanation to this strange man's identity. She could tell her brother had a pretty good idea who this person was from the aggravated sneer on his features.
Said brother felt his lips and brows twitch in suppressed aggravation, having a pretty damn good idea why someone like Kogoro would target him and his companion out of everyone else within the shop. He could feel it in his bones; somewhere outside Keroro was laughing his ass off and waiting for a good show from the yellow invader. Oh, that arrogant twit was asking for it! The agitated Sergeant Major was sure to leave a mental note-to-self to give the green pest a proper reply, just as soon as he got back to base he was going to make sure his green imp of a leader received his 'thanks' ten folds as comeback to this little stint.
But of course, before the yellow one could even utter a sound, Kogoro had wasted no time shifting into different battle positions, before swinging an arm and pointing at his lady.
"You!" he exclaimed in his too-audible and joyous tone, making her jump in her skin with a squeak.
Rinono blinked once and then pointed at herself in question, the helmet-wearing alien remained unmoving for a second, and then shifted into a swift tall standing and poised stance while he continued to speak, "What is Love!" he said, not quite sounding like a question, but not a statement either. Ankles together and arms crossed over his chest in a heroic stance. "I will protect those who need protection, the guardian of the weak and upholder of justice!" he announced, and again shifted into more hero-like victory poses as if trying to show off his skills, unaware of how out of place he seemed compared to the rest of the people in the shop.
Rinono stared, even more confused and feeling far more awkward then before. She turned her wary glance to her brother who seemed to resist the urge to plant his face against the table, or just phase a blaster and shoot this nimrod to kingdom come.
She made a gesture of asking him if this person was sane, and Kururu shook his head in negative, so she offered a weary grin, "Well then, want me to try and kick his face in?" she joked in a very hushed voice, which earned her a wide grin from her brother.
"I invite you to try, but I'm not going to save you if you can't handle it; ku ku," he answered with a casual shrug.
"I guess this requires a tactical retreat," she said in a soft whisper to her kin again, and then turned her attention to the dope standing on the table. Rinono brushed her dress and stood up with a reprimanding pose and tone, donned on her hat again and then pointed a lecturing finger at the Space Detective looking down at them, "You there! Don't you know it's rude to stand with your dirty shoes on a table? You step down right this instant!" she demanded.
Much to Kururu's pleasure, Kogoro was taken aback by her demand, looked around the mess he had created at his entry, and then hesitated for only a second before doing as told. The Space Detective was reluctant, giving the pale-orange Keronian lady a look. The Major was not sure what the other youth was thinking, Kogoro's lack of expression was one thing and the helmet he wore did not help clarify matters any, either.
"Now look at the mess you've done! Go pick up a broom and clean it." She pointed to the messed up, dirt and glass shard littered floor, then at the disheveled looking shop attendant, "and while you're at it, you will mop the floor and fix the windows, and help the nice man with the customers for the rest of the day, understood?" Rinono continued.
Kogoro gave a salute, "Of course! My duty to uphold justice, wrongdoings in hindsight shan't be overlooked! GO!" he replied and hurried to run past the baffled aliens in the shop to look for a broom and bucket in order to start cleaning, laughing all the way.
"Sometimes you amaze me, Ku ku…" the yellow one chuckled.
"It runs in the family," she laughed in response, she then took his hand into her own and the two hurried out of the shop, sure to slap money on the counter as payment for their neglected treats. "Now let us get out of here before that weirdo gets a clue, I have no idea who that guy was but I sure hope we don't bump into him again," she murmured.
"Oh I don't know, he can be entertaining too, sometimes." The yellow one chuckled once more.
At first his sister was dragging him away from the shop towards the parking lot, when she was about to say something again she was interjected by the loud laughter of Kogoro, he had returned and was running towards the pair with his broomstick in one hand and the bucket in the other, a rather visible trail of dust trailing behind him. The Space Detective demanded that they hold it right there, flailing the things he was carrying around and clobbering and clonking passerby aliens in his wake.
Upon turning around at the sound of the panicked screaming and cries of surprise, Kururu noticed there were two other cloaked shadows tailing after Kogoro as well; one had a hint of green and the other a deep shade of purple-black.
Oh, so the game was on, was it? This should be interesting…
"I think you just jinxed it," Kururu laughed again.
Rinono made a garbled angry noise at seeing the crazy youth was hot on their trail. "I knew I shouldn't have worn a skirt for this!" she muttered, staggered in her run to pluck off her shoes, and then with their straps held tight between her fingers she took her skirt in a bundled grip in order to lift it a bit over her knees, just so she could run faster.
Rinono and Kururu continued to run with Kogoro hot on their trail, and of course Keroro and Tamama chasing right after him.
Tamama started panting with his eyes bugged out in infuriated irritation, "Hot damn, she's fast!" he cried in what looked like a torn expression of anger and admiration. The dark colored tadpole in the blue-decked Pekoponian suit turned to look at the green one with a mutter, "If we keep this up Sergeant Major Kururu will know it's us for sure!" he argued.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Keroro shouted, decked in a blue suit as well, and then put double the effort into running. Catching up to speed with Kogoro, the two were coming up neck to neck. "Kogoro! Put more effort into it! Our target is running away!" he complained to his childhood friend, "You don't want to disappoint us, right? You can catch then if you push a little harder!" he encouraged, somewhat.
Kogoro, always one to oblige for having a strong belief in his friendship with the green frog gave a curt nod of agreement, and then put more speed into his run, flailing the bucket and broomstick when more. Shoulder to shoulder with a terrifying shout of accelerated speed, Keroro and Kogoro made a mad dash towards the two Keronians running just a few feet ahead.
Just as the two humanoid pursuers were in sync and leaped out to attempt to tackle and grab the smaller two, they had failed to hear Tamama's warning shout… which left them slamming into the wall with a loud crash.
Nailed to the stone barrier up to their shoulders, they remained stuck there for a few seconds when gravity decided it was against her laws and let their heavy bodies drop, Kogoro dangled with his head stuck to the wall, still holding onto the broom and bucket, while Keroro was dislodged from his suit as it disconnected from his body, leaving his head still nailed to the wall, and it fell to the earth with a clustered thump and a tangle of wayward limbs.
Tamama skid to a halt just a few feet away from the dazed figures of the two morons he had troubled himself with keeping company, and then glanced back at the path they had come from since it was where their target had chanced course to.
He was amazed to say the least; whoever this lady was her skills would explain why she was hanging out with Sergeant Major Kururu, that's for sure.
The lady Keronian had been dragging Kururu with her and running in a straight line towards the side of the building, where she was pumped and going strong the yellow one was staggering in his run as he could not match up to her speed. She had somehow yanked Kururu forward before her and pulled him into her arms just as they were a mere few feet away from colliding with the wall, but then she surprised him with her grace when she leaped in an impressive display of agility and strength, ran a few steps up and then ricocheted herself by kicking off the wall and into the air, she twirled herself around to pass over the two idiots who had jumped to tackle them, and landed safe a few feet away with yet another loud thump.
The lady did not even waste another second after landing, never losing momentum or speed for that matter, even as her hat was thrown off due to that aerodynamic action she paid it no mind because Kururu had reached out to grab it before it got too far away. In fact, she had been so focused on the task of running away with the yellow Keronian, her feet hit the ground running and shifted Kururu's weight from her arms and over a shoulder as if he did not weight much at all.
The tadpole stared as she continued to add distance between herself and her pursuers. Kururu was tossed over her shoulder like a sack and the Major was laughing as he put on her hat, waving a hand at him as if this whole situation was the funniest scene he had ever witnessed.
No more than a moment later the lady jumped over the rails and down to the lower floors, probably heading towards the parking lot for her escape vehicle.
All the while what infuriated and boggled Tamama the most was the fact Kururu was laughing the entire time!
What was wrong with the guy, did he not realize he was being taken hostage! What Was So Goddamn Funny?
The dark colored youth felt his body flare with suppressed hate and anger, he wanted to smash the ever living guts out of something right there and then…
At that instant, Tamama decided to help Keroro and Kogoro out of the wall was a priority; if this lady was trying to kidnap Kururu then he had to save him! Although he doubted that was the case since Kururu was not trying to escape; then again Kururu pretty much never bothered trying to escape even when he was in danger for any number of reasons, because in the end he always ends up coming out of it unscathed one way or another.
Even if the Major could handle himself just fine, it still did not make the Second Class Private feel any better.
They had no idea who she was or what she was planning, and if she was capable of escaping with such little effort then she might be far more challenging than they thought. Kururu was an asset to their platoon and regardless of who she was, he couldn't just let her run away with him!
Tamama hurried towards Keroro who was trying to pull his face from the stone wall, ignoring Kogoro who continued to dangle there like an idiot, he had to get his leader out of this little predicament.
. o 0 o 0 o .
Elsewhere at the boarders of the parking lot and a good fifteen minutes later, hidden by the shade of the building Rinono had stopped to catch her breath.
The yellow one no longer over her shoulder and had been shifted to cradle in her arms as she was about to lower him back to his feet, but had stopped during the action to bounce his body in her arms as if he was a giant baby, thus earning his confused stare. "You've lost weight," was her comment and continued to weight his mass in her arms a moment longer, a contemplative frown shown on her features, "if I didn't know any better I'd say they hadn't been feeding you at all." she somewhat grumbled.
Kururu felt a vein bulge on the side of his forehead, he smiled nonetheless, "And you've gained weight, obviously. If I didn't know any better I'd say you've joined the army." He jibbed with a low, strung laugh.
"I'm six months into basic boot-camp training actually," She replied with a sheepish smile and allowed her sibling back to his feet. "But we can talk about that later; we need to meet up with Shupepe, he was supposed to cover for me while I delivered the message." She muttered, looking irate. "He probably found a nice skirt to chase and forgot all about this."
"I don't blame him nor would I be surprised. The ones following us are known to be quite devious, Kuu ku ku…" he amended, smoothed his jacket and then adjusted her hat, not bothering to give it back to her just yet, "But if Shupepe is here as well then this might be far more… delicate than you said it was." He said, sounding a bit cross.
Rinono sighed and brushed an earflap from over her shoulder, tired eyes turned to her brother, "Yeah, my bad. I guess I underestimated the situation, huh?" she smiled, sheepish.
The yellow one shrugged, "I don't blame you, they're unpredictable at best," he answered, and after a moment of silence he decided to continue, "Though that still doesn't answer my question; what do we do now?"
"I'm not sure." She admitted with a heavy sigh, "All I know is that your platoon might get disbanded and sent back to Keron, while you will be forced under lease again for an undefined amount of time, and depending on how the Admiral plans on playing the cards it'll either be destructively glorious, or end in blood and tears." she explained, her expression more grim than before. "Kuru, I'm really worried. The Admiral just isn't in her right mind anymore, I tried to talk to her but she just won't listen to me anymore." She reached out to clasp her hands on his shoulders with a desperate grip, "I know I might be asking too much but would you try to talk to her?"
"Being a block-headed bullfrog runs in the family, remember? Ku ku," was his casual reply, hands shoved into his pockets he surveyed their surroundings as he continued to speak, "Whatever or wherever this is going, I do not think it'll end up pretty regardless if I talked to her or not. I lack proper information regarding the whole situation and the overview alone does not bode well." He surmised, looking contemplative before turning to look at his companion again.
Rinono was giving him a hopeful look while she withdrew her hands to place them one atop the other over her chest, and though he did not want to disappoint her he knew she'd rather have the harsh truth shoved at her face than a sugar-coated lie, "Besides, considering reverse psychology, chances are trying to convince her otherwise will only make her more determined to prove me wrong;" he said, his tone calm and casual, his pose and demeanor too relaxed as well, "you know her better than I do, she's too headstrong with stuff like this; she and I have been at each others throats for as long as I could remember." He confessed.
No more than a second later Kururu straightened up and turned around, his sister was confused at his jolt and peered past his shoulder across the open plot where the parking area lay, and her eyes widened at the sight of the three weirdos making a mad dash right towards them! With an aggravated curse, Kururu wasted no time grabbing her hand and making a run for it, his free hand on the hat so it wont fly off, he had to get to his bike before the three stooges caught up to him.
Rinono noted that the three weird people running their way were screaming for Kururu to hold his ground and stop, whoever they were she guessed her brother did not want to deal with them so she tried to keep up the pace as they ran. Kururu led her across the parking area and they ran around the building, and though her and Shupepe's vessel was parked nearby it was pointless to tell her brother because she did not have the keys.
They continued to run, dodging confused and startled aliens and parking vehicles alike, trying to throw off the ones following them.
By the time they managed to get to Kururu's bike, the yellow frog hurried to mount it and then ushered his sister onto the free space behind him. Rinono straddled the seat and wrapped her arm around his torso, taking a moment to pick off her hat from the top of his head and tuck it between them. There was no need for that thing getting in his face or flying off. She took a second to glance at the direction of the ones chasing them, and the trio advanced towards them in an impossible speed!
"Kururu! They're gaining on us!" she called out in alarm.
It only took Kururu a moment to start the engine, shout for her to hold on tight, and then jump-starting the bike right off the ground and into the open air seconds before Kogoro and the two idiots arrived, the Major put his foot on the peddle and the engine roared, the back engines blasted with fire as the Keronian pair zoomed off, leaving a vanishing orange line across the sky in its wake, accompanied with a string of laughter from Kururu and a rather startled scream from his lady.
Keroro, never one to miss a beat, made a flashy command for the others to get to their vehicles and go after Kururu.
Back to the siblings, Rinono turned to look back at the ground and was glad to find their pursuers were nowhere in sight. "I think we lost them," she called aloud so her brother will hear her, but instead of a reply the bike's speed lessened and Kururu had turned his arm around to offer her a pair of goggles. The pale-orange Keronian took them without complaint and put them on before adjusting her grip on her younger brother. "So where are we going?"
Switching on the anti-barrier and cranking it up to maximum, the Major rendered the two of them invisible to everyone around them including their undesired followers, "Somewhere they'll never find me; or rather the last place they'll ever look, Kuu ku ku!" was his mellow answer.
And with a burst of speed and another startled cry from his sister, Kururu bolted on ahead towards his destination.