Chapter 3: Promise

"Giroro?" a red-haired teenage girl called out. She knelt down and lifted up the flap of Giroro's tent.

"Na-Natsumi!" the startled red frog yelped in surprise, his face instantly burned bright red. His back was facing the entrance of the tent and he was secretly caressing the picture in his belt. He complained, "Don't poke your head in randomly without telling me first!"

The girl furrowed her brows in annoyance and replied, "I did, but you didn't answer me." Then she squeezed herself into the tent.

"Na-Natsumi!" the corporal was embarrased because his love was a bit too close to him. He retreated into the corner of his tent in order to put some distance between them, but then he noticed a strange air around her.

"Giroro," she whispered, turning her head to the side. "Am I," she drew in a sharp breath, then her voice changed, "Am I ever going to see you again?" She turned her head around, facing Giroro. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

Giroro froze and watched her in shock. Thoughts were racing through his mind like a turbulent wave that was rushing onto a peaceful beach. He mentally slapped his forehead and reminded himself that Natsumi was sad, of course, because he would be leaving soon. He was conflicted, for he knew that he could not guarantee that he would make out the war alive. So he replied gently, after much thought, "Natsumi, I can't guarantee that I will make it out alive."

"Why do you have to go back? What stupid war anyway?" Natsumi sobbed.

"Natsumi, a war broke out on Keron. It's Keronians fighting against Keronians. I am not exactly sure what happened, but it's my duty as a soldier to go back and defend Keron," Giroro explained calmly. He sighed, then in an attempt to console Natsumi, he made a promise, "Natsumi, if I make it out alive, I promise that I will come visit you." Then he stuck out his little pinky to her.

She lifted her head up and forced a smile. She curled her pinky around Giroro's, and they pressed their thumbs together.

Giroro had fallen asleep as he was waiting for his train in the Galaxy Express station. He was woken up by the train's wailing as it entered the station.

He hopped off his seat and rushed onto the train, the heavy suitcase in his hand bouncing on his side as he ran. The train to Pekopon was quite empty, as it always had been. The next train to go to Pekopon, the train that he would take to come back to Keron, was two Pekoponian weeks away.

He sat down on a seat next to the window. There was no one else in this train compartment. He shifted around, trying to make himself comfortable on the seat. Gazing out of the window, he took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. He was nervous, for this journey was sudden and he was unprepared. If he had been his younger self, he would not have cared. Now, with experience, he had become more cautious. He, again for the first time in many years, started to doubt himself and wondered if his cautiousness was a help or a hindrance. This was not just a journey for the promise but also for self-reflection.

The engine roared to life and the train began to vibrate violently. The train was off the ground in a few seconds and soon Giroro found himself looking down at Keron's busy night city. The bright little lights became smaller and smaller and as the train entered the atmosphere, the little lights hid behind the clouds and disappeared. Then the train shot out from Keron and meet the darkness of the space. The bright stars illuminated the black velvet of the space.

Giroro wondered what awaited him on Pekopon.

Thanks to those who have reviewed. 300 years have passed when Keroro was on Earth for 12 years. This means that 25 keronian years is equal to 1 earth year, or 12 earth months. 12 earth months per 25 keron years is equal to 0.48 earth month per 1 keron year. 0.48 earth month is about half of a month, or two weeks, so about two weeks equal to 1 keron year.