So here's the next chapter. Hopefully the pace will pick up soon. Sorry for my lateness with updates.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"This is where we can work." As requested, Future Kululu grudgingly brought his younger self to a non-secluded laboratory.
"Ku, ku, ku. Nice to see you finally helping out." Kululu looked for a computer, or anything to start doing the work necessary to build a time machine.
"Jerk till the end, isn't that our motto?" Future Kululu reminded him. "Ku, ku, ku. I don't want to help you, I don't even think my help will be that helpful."
"The theory as of present is that I can't build a time machine alone. However, with two of me, I might have the power to finally crack the mysterious of time and find a way to bring us home. Ku, ku, ku."
"I know that's your theory and why you need me. It's just that even with two of us - heck, even with one hundred of us - I know that time travel isn't possible," said Future Kululu. He sat down, but made no moves in trying to assemble something together.
"Where's your ego-induced optimism?" Kululu asked nonchalantly. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but don't I conquer the universe? Why would time travel be something I can't do?"
"Because it's never worked before," said Future Kululu. "You might try to attempt to make this machine. I'll make an attempt to help you, but it won't work. You'll be stuck here forever. And the idea of having two of me running around isn't that appealing, if you get what I mean. Ku, ku, ku, ku!" Future Kululu uttered a sinister threat, still not getting along much with himself.
"Oh? And why are you so certain that we'll be set up for failure? I know that time travel is only a theory, but it is possible. My team is proof of that. We just need to find a way to control it." Kululu picked up some materials and started putting things together.
"I'm certain that nobody can make a time machine on demand. Consider it pity that I'm telling you now before you get your hopes up." Future Kululu sat back against the wall, watching Kululu work. "You screwed that in wrong. Ku, ku, ku. Who knew my younger self was so messy with his inventions? You aren't doing a thorough job," he quipped.
Kululu didn't respond, instead choosing to ignore his future self. "Do you have any experience on time machines beyond my age that you'd like to share? The methods that went wrong, or anything like that?" he finally asked, deciding to just get to work.
"Yeah," he responded. "I tried every method I could possibly think of. And that means every method that you could possibly think of, too. They were all failures. Time travel just isn't something that one can control. It's just a wishful dream."
"Maybe you didn't have the proper motive back then to build one. Maybe you'll be more productive because we need this time machine," Kululu spoke, trying to prod his older self into helping.
"I had the proper motive," Future Kululu spoke softly. "And I tried every method in the book. Nothing would bring me back to that day. It just wasn't possible."
Kululu went back to working. "What day? And don't say it's not possible. I have a job to do and I'm not about to let all of my teammates believe I'm only a mediocre genius instead of a super one."
After a bit of silence, Future Kululu finally answered the question.
"The day she died." He swallowed. "I tried to research about time travel, but it wasn't possible. So take my pity and understand that it's not going to happen."
Kululu was silent for a moment, processing what his older self said. So that's why he knows so much about this. He... I... tried to go back in time when Mois died... But there was no re-set button for him.
"I'm not looking for a re-set button," said Kululu. "I'm looking for a way home. Perhaps this time stream will begin to understand there's something here that doesn't belong, and try to send us back home," he guessed. "Anyway, suppose we better try to think up a different method. One that either of us hasn't thought of."
Future Kululu nodded. His refusal wouldn't be taken, anyway.
They went to work.
"I don't trust him," Kululu admitted over a brief coffee break with the rest of his group and Future Keroro. "He doesn't seem up to anything at the moment, but if I know me... Well, I'm sure he's going to do something."
"Yeah, it's especially weird how much he looks at Lady Mois. I mean, that's suspicious. You don't look at her that much..." Keroro paused. "...to my knowledge, I mean, but it'd be totally weird if you did."
"I have no knowledge at all about him... and her. And I haven't noticed him looking at her that much," Kululu lied. "Must be in your imagination"
"Look," Future Keroro spoke up, "I've worked with this guy for a long time and I agree with you about the distrust thing. I think he's up to something. I mean, he was trying to kill you and my younger self... and he just suddenly stops? Seems suspicious. I don't think he'd give up on our pain that easily. I'm especially worried about Tamama too... If he tries to harm him..." He gritted his teeth.
"Awww... You're worried about me?" Tamama smiled, looking up at the Future Keroro. "That makes me so happy!" They all looked at Tamama for his vote on the matter. "I don't exactly trust him, per se, but I understand him. He's probably thinking 'Why'd they have to bring that woman along with them to the future?' He has no idea this whole thing is all her frickin' fault! He's probably just confused and mad that she's back again, just like I would be in this situation. He was free, for a while... and now he's not."
"Wh-what?" Mois didn't seem to like what Tamama was saying. "I trust the Future Kululu. He seems like a nice guy. I think he's helping us."
"No offense, Mois, but you also trust the Captain, which isn't the smartest move, seeing he has the maturity of a child. So I don't think we're going to accept your trust of my older self," said Kululu, successfully insulting Mois and the two Keroros. It was like he was trying to stack up "insult my captain" points.
"But..." Mois tried to counter, but had nothing to defend Keroro's maturity.
"We should watch for any suspicious behavior," Future Keroro decided. "He probably knows we don't trust him, but he probably doesn't suspect me of not trusting him. Hopefully, he'll slip up about his plan, and then he'll tell me about it."
"And will you tell us? I don't exactly trust you either," Keroro admitted, "not after you randomly kissed the Private."
"What? What's wrong with that?" Future Keroro didn't understand what was Keroro's problem. He had never been in Keroro's situation so he couldn't picture what he was feeling.
"I trust cool Mr. Sergeant." Tamama grabbed onto Future Keroro's hands.
"I won't do anything that puts my friends, or Tamama, in danger. I just want the best for Tamama, after all." Future Keroro didn't directly answer if he'd tell them all of Future Kululu's plans.
It wasn't clear where his loyalty still lay. He was upfront about what he was doing, but did he still feel loyal to Kululu?
"I forgot to ask." Future Kululu confronted them after their coffee break. "How many of you time traveled, exactly? How many are with you?"
"Why do you want to know?" Future Keroro asked, his eyes suddenly narrowing in suspicion. He didn't want any of his possible friends destroyed by Kululu.
"It would be better for them to stay here. That way, if we finish the time machine, they can leave at a moment's notice," he explained.
"Don't say anything. He might... kill them again," Future Keroro whispered to his younger self.
"I can hear what you're saying," Future Kululu pointed out. "And I won't kill them. They're not from my time. Their lives don't matter to me.
"None of it matters anymore, after all," he added, rather cryptically.
Keroro, even after that line, decided that Kululu was trustworthy enough. "I'll go get them. I mean, if you won't hurt them, there's no harm, is there?"
Future Kululu didn't answer.
"Well, then, if there's no harm, why don't the Private and me, and by me I mean just this version of me, go back and retrieve them while Kululu works?" Keroro suggested.
Future Keroro frowned at that plan and tried to grab his younger self's arm to whisper to him again.
"Fine. As long as you don't bother us," Future Kululu agreed.
"C-can I come, Uncle?" Mois requested. "I mean, I'm not doing much around here anyway - "
"No!" both Kululus insisted. Everybody looked at the younger Kululu first, surprised.
"You really want to go on a trip with Tamama?" he asked.
"Yes... I mean, what's wrong with Tamama?" she asked, confused.
"Well, I guess you see nothing wrong with him..." Kululu observed. "It'd just be best if you stayed here." My older self's robots are still roaming the city streets. I doubt Tamama would try to stay if she got in harm's way. Not saying that I'm trying to help protect her, it's just...
"Don't go. It would be safer for you here." Future Kululu also seemed to want to Keep Mois close. His glasses flickered with almost momentary fear, as if something might go wrong if she left his sight.
Kululu didn't want to admit that after hearing that she was dead in this world, the fear was there for him, too.
He remembered what he had said to his older self about how this time stream might try to make things right by granting them a chance to time travel.
But... if it tries to make things right by just deleting us... then Mois would probably die, since she's dead in this world, he thought to himself, pushing his worry down into a box where any emotion of his was supposed to be.
"All right. Then just Tamama and Uncle," she decided.
"Woo-hoo! Trip with just Mr. Sergeant! This new world is just giving me a whole bunch of luck!" Tamama waved his arms in the air triumphantly.
Keroro didn't notice.
"You guys better get to work, then," he suggested. Both Kululus nodded and walked away to continue their very important task.
"Don't bring anyone back. He could still kill them..." Future Keroro begged Keroro.
"I don't think he's going to kill anyone. Didn't you hear what he said? And anyway, bringing them back so they can go home whenever the time machine is built makes sense," Keroro reassured him...self? "If he wanted to kill anyone from the past, he already would have. And although he tried, he didn't."
Future Keroro, however, wasn't too won over by his younger self's logic.
His common sense didn't make it into Keroro's head. Instead, Keroro waved, and left to retrieve his comrades. And Future Keroro was worried.
It took a bit of time for Keroro and Tamama to find their way back to Future Giroro and Natsumi's home.
They were let in as soon as the group recognized Tamama.
"How did it go?" Giroro asked as soon as they entered.
"Well. Both Kululus are working on a time machine as we speak," Keroro smiled, leaving out a few details about how hard it had been to get Future Kululu to help them.
"That's great!" Fuyuki smiled.
"Did you use Mois?" Future Giroro asked.
"Yeah," Keroro bashfully admitted. Future Giroro nodded, understanding.
"You met that evil leader Kululu?" The little boy named Teri looked at Keroro in shock from behind his mother's legs. "What was he like? Did you ask him straight to his face why he thinks he has the right to torture so many people? To make our lives a bad thing?" he asked, his eyes wide with hatred.
"No... I mean, why would I? We're trying to get the guy to help us!" Keroro pointed out.
"I would have asked him," Teri told them. "I would have been brave and punched him in the face for all he's done to my family. And I would protect Mommy and Daddy."
"No, you wouldn't, Teri. You're never meeting that man. He's a horrible person and you'll remain safe. No matter what," Natsumi promised him.
Teri frowned. "But, Mom!"
"No buts. Go to bed now," she told him. "The stupid frog and Tamama must be here for a reason."
Teri frowned and left the room.
"Why are you back here if he agreed to help?" Natsumi asked.
"To retrieve my platoon... and Fuyuki. It would be for the best if we get back, just in case they have luck with the machine and we have to leave in only a few minutes," Keroro explained.
"All right. So we'd better leave," Dororo realized. Almost nobody remembered he was there or listened to him.
"It was nice... nice meeting you both... and Teri." Giroro said his good-byes to Future Natsumi and his own future self. "So... if I, in my time, have a kid with Natsumi, will he look like that and be the same?" Giroro asked, wanting to picture his future kid.
"I don't know. I don't know anything about the time stream," Future Giroro admitted. Giroro frowned in disappointment.
"Stay safe, Fuyuki. And stay sweet." Future Natsumi gave her younger brother a good-bye hug.
"You, too. You stay safe. Don't want you dying again." Future Giroro said his good-byes to Dororo, patting him on the back.
"Thanks," Dororo smiled.
"I have a truck out in the back if you want to use that to transport you all safely to Kululu's base," Future Natsumi offered.
"Thanks, Lady Natsumi." Keroro waved to her. "Bye!"
And the four frogs and Fuyuki were off, already on their way outside and getting the car ready.
What they didn't know was that Teri hadn't gone to bed at all and had been listening.
The truck? I know how to hide in there! I know how to hide really well in the truck, Teri realized as his mom was talking. So he left as she spoke and hid himself away. I'll punch him. I'll ask him my questions to his face. For Mommy and Daddy, he vowed.
As the car started and left to the base, they took one extra along that they didn't know about.
That one extra might prove to be a fatal mistake.
"So... you really brought them all..." Future Keroro said as Keroro unloaded his companions. Nobody noticed Teri sneaking out.
"Hello, older Keroro," Dororo cheerfully waved.
"D-Dororo?" Future Keroro was surprised and happy to see him. Tears begin to fall down his face. He was so happy to see his old friend who had been killed. "Dororo!" It was the reunion that he had always dreamed of.
He ran toward Dororo, ready to hug one of his oldest friends. Dororo smiled and outstretched his arms, ready to hug back.
They ran to each other as if in slow motion.
"Ow!" Tamama yelped as he fell out of the truck, minorly injuring himself.
"Tamama!" Future Keroro accidentally hit Dororo away, forgetting him in the face of Tamama. He ran to the younger frog and bent down. "You okay?"
Dororo cried, being forgotten again, this time by the Future Keroro. Some things never changed.
"I'm fine. But thank you for rescuing me, my princely cooler Mr. Sergeant." Tamama let Future Keroro pick him up and carry him, anyway, making a happy face, to the surprise of the younger Keroro.
Keroro didn't look away, still distrustful of his older self and glaring at him. He wondered what he was up to with Tamama.
Nobody noticed Teri sneak into the building.
Now... where is he? the boy wondered. His quest had begun.