-I am being alerted that people are dying of fluffy goodness. be sure your close friends know your code word so they can revive you after each chapter. seriously I don't want to kill off my readers lol-
-be happy, be fluffy, be safe-
After a while of happily swimming in the waters, Natsumi stepped out and twisted the water from her hair. "Come on Giroro, we should probably bring the others here so they can eat and swim too."
Giroro held his arms crossed and kept his back to her. "Sure. I'll just wait till you're dried off."
Natsumi frowned but soon turned to see Momoka walking over to her.
"Here. I have a towel you can use." Momoka held out the soft bundle.
"Oh my gosh thank you." Natsumi wrapped it around her, sighing and almost cooing happily. "It's so soft."
"Fuyuki's going to start making a big dinner for when you all come back." Momoka added.
"Ok, so how did your conversation go?" Natsumi winked.
Momoka blushed and held a hand to her cheek. "W-well... I uh... I don't think he knew what I meant. I think he still thinks I just want to be friends with him but have feelings for someone else."
"Don't worry. I'll help if I can." Natsumi held her thumb up and smiled. "You and I will be sister in laws eventually."
"You really think so?" Momoka bubbled at the idea that she and Fuyuki would be married.
"Totally." Natsumi then turned back to the pond where Giroro still floated, refusing to look at her. "Hey hardhead! I'm covered now."
Giroro looked over his shoulder and steamed. He flailed, frantically trying to cover his eyes but still tempted to see. "You're only covered in a towel!"
"So?!" Natsumi placed her fists on her hips.
Giroro choked under the water from the vision. Her hair clinging sensually to her neck and chest. Droplets of water teasing down her thighs.
"No... too much. Oh Natsumi~" Giroro mumbled as he sank lower in the water.
"Wow, I didn't know I affected him that much." Natsumi blushed as she watched Giroro nearly drown. She decided to play on his attraction and posed as innocent and defenseless as she could. She batted her eyes and puffed up her lower lip like she was going to cry. "C'mon... if you drown whose going to help me escape? I thought you were going to be my hero."
Natsumi's depending on me! Giroro choked before eagerly paddling to the pond's edge. He cleared his head before stepping out of the water. He kept his eyes to the ground. When he spoke he couldn't stop his voice from cracking. "Would you get dressed please."
"If it'll keep you from having a heart attack." Natsumi giggled. While Giroro kept his eyes averted, Natsumi put her clothes back on. "Is that better?"
Giroro slowly looked up and sighed when he could no longer see the teasing lace and exposed curves. "Thank you."
"Geez, you should understand me well enough to know I wouldn't walk around naked." Natsumi smirked.
Momoka casually bent down and handed Giroro a tissue. She whispered "I think your nose is bleeding."
After an urgent check, Giroro confirmed he was indeed bleeding and quickly wiped it away. Natsumi and Momoka stifled their laughter as best as they could but Giroro could still hear it. He promptly turned around and started back into the water. "Yep that's it. I choose to drown."
"Oh come on. You were just starting to open up to me." Natsumi held him back by grabbing his hand. "Please don't be embarrassed now. I'm sorry I teased you."
"I'm just... trying not to loose my mind in a perverted or creepy way." Giroro softly admitted as he leaned away from her still trying to run off and end his humiliation.
"Are you attracted to how I look? Even though we're different races?" Natsumi asked sincerely. Giroro silently and cautiously nodded. It was true that he didn't need to hide anything from her anymore but he was still embarrassed that he would ogle her in such a way. Natsumi pulled him back into her arms and held him tight. "I'll take that as a compliment, you sweet frog."
Giroro exploded with happiness. Natsumi carried him in her arms as they walked back to Momoka's and Fuyuki's picnic spot. Fuyuki waved when he saw them approach.
"Hey, so what killed Giroro?" Fuyuki looked to the pale red frog resting motionless in Natsumi's arms.
"He's embarrassed." Natsumi answered.
"Are you guys heading out soon?" Momoka inquired.
"We probably should." Natsumi glanced around to spot Koyuki under a couple of trees to the farthest end of the meadow. "Koyuki! You ready to head back?!"
Koyuki smiled and dashed over to the group. "Yep, and look at all these berries I found."
"Wow. Nice job Koyuki. I'm sure the others will certainly appreciate it." Natsumi grinned. "Let's get going."
"Ok." Koyuki clipped the small pouch of berried to her hip as the three headed towards the marked opening. They easily passed through and glanced back once more to see Fuyuki and Momoka.
Knowing just how long the path was, along with having eaten, gave them motivation and strength to jog right on through. Giroro managed to regain his own independence to run on his own. Upon returning to camp they found Saburo leaning against the wall as usual next to Kururu, but Tamama was struggling to hold Keroro back as he kicked and tossed insults to Kururu.
"What in the world is going on?" Natsumi was first to speak up.
"Mmmffmfjn jidfsmmn." Tamama turned to them holding a rock in his mouth.
"Tamama spit that out, it isn't food." Natsumi stated with a dead tone. She was already fed up with the shenanigans.
"Kururu made a bet that I was going to be the first to die!" Keroro screamed. "You stupid jerk! I'm totally main character material! I would outlive all of you!"
"This is real life not one of your dumb shows." Giroro reminded with a groaned sigh.
"But he is stupidly lucky, he might make top 5." Natsumi groaned along with him.
"Don't let him hear you. He'll get even more carried away." Giroro walked over to his leader and carelessly punched him in the face. "Come on. Eat the berries and follow us if you want to live."
"Berries!" Tamama perked up and dropped the rock from his mouth.
"You made a reference Giroro; I knew I could respect you." Keroro smiled for a moment. "But seriously hand over the food."
Koyuki opened the pouch and held it out to the starving frog and tadpole. They eagerly ravaged all of it's content for themselves. Natsumi placed her hands on her hips and turned to Saburo. "Don't worry if they eat it all. There's a lot more where it came from."
"What did you guys find?" Saburo casually stood up and brushed off his pants.
"A nice meadow with a waterfall and food. Best of all Momoka and Fuyuki were safely hiding out there the whole time." Natsumi explained. "Now everybody off your butts and march, Momoka and Fuyuki are making a meal for everybody."
"Shouldn't we wait for Dororo?" Koyuki asked.
"You can head down the path he took and tell him to come to the meadow." Natsumi suggested. "You know the way back so it should be fine. Come get us if there is trouble though ok?"
"Sure." Koyuki nodded and dashed down the final path. The rest of the group followed Natsumi and Giroro. They smiled at the glowing crystals and gasped at the beauty of the lush field.
"It's paradise~" Keroro twirled happily through the grass and skipped his way to Fuyuki.
"Sergeant!" Fuyuki hugged Keroro close. "I'm so glad you're not dead!"
"I feel similar to you my pekoponian pal." Keroro smiled.
Momoka held Tamama after he leapt into her arms. "Oh, Tamama. You're so light now."
"I didn't get to eat a lot." Tamama whined as he gripped onto Momoka's sleeves for dear life.
"Kuku, this is a nice find. Hope we don't eat all of the food here." Kururu crudely joked.
"Momoka has a huge supply of food so I highly doubt any of us are going to be starving." Natsumi crossed her arms and looked down at the yellow frog.
"This place is awesome guys. You can even see the sun, we might be able to find a way to climb up and out." Saburo pointed to the ceiling with the clouds and sun easily seen above them.
"We already thought of that." Fuyuki stood up with Keroro hanging from his shoulder. "There's an actual roof up there, but you can't see it. I think it's made of similar properties as the entrance, where you can see through one side but not the other."
"We can walk trough this one so why not that?" Natsumi asked.
"We're not sure." Momoka added in. "We've seen birds sitting up there without falling through. Also my father's personal helicopter flies over us every now and then but they can't see us waving or fanning our huge campfire."
"This place is weird." Keroro mumbled.
"How about we think about escaping after we eat and relax?" Natsumi clapped her hands and started walking towards the campfire Fuyuki had built. She glanced to the sky once more and sighed as purples and oranges blended into the setting sun. It made her feel warm inside, a feeling she desperately missed. Giroro joined her side and took out his knife to prod the logs in the fire.
"Hey, Fuyuki? Do you have any clothes that might fit me? Mine are totally stained and smell terrible." Saburo gestured to the dirt smeared and blended into the fibers of his shirt.
"Sure thing. Let's see what will fit." Fuyuki led him to his tent where he rustled through his bags.
Tamama and Keroro jumped straight into the pond and giggled as they splashed the water. Momoka opened a large metal box and pulled out some meats and vegetables she was clearly preparing before they arrived.
Natsumi wrapped her arms around her knees and held them close to her chest. She took a deep breath and let it out into the warm evening, washing her mind with the calm sky. She didn't even notice time passing around her and soon everyone was gathered around the fire. They were passing around portions of the meal Fuyuki and Momoka cooked. Keroro and Tamama were swaying side to side and singing. Saburo was wearing Fuyuki's plainest shirt that just barely fit him and was explaining their last two weeks in the cave to Fuyuki.
Giroro handed a plate to Natsumi and began eating from his own. "How are you feeling?"
"I think I feel pretty good right now, even though it's like none of this is real." Natsumi answered as she looked to the juicy beef steak and steamed vegetables before her. "Trapped in a cave for weeks and then finding this place full of food and water. Everything you and I talked about today too. It's just that I know everything is changing and it's all different but when I can see the sky so normal and real... I feel good. I feel like a part of the world again when I see the sky."
Giroro looked at her smiling eyes and peaceful grin. "That's good."
"Can I thank you again? Although I've done it a lot today?" Natsumi glanced down to Giroro.
"I didn't do anything different..." Giroro rubbed his head and closed his eyes. "but I won't stop you from doing what you want."
"I have had you on my mind all day and I can't stop thinking about everything you do for me." Natsumi leaned closer and rested her shoulder against Giroro's.
"W-well you know why I uh, do that now so um..." Giroro drifted off unsure of what to really say.
"I know, but I still want to thank you." Natsumi hummed a soft giggle. "I feel like I owe you or something. I want to do something for you like you do for me."
"Please don't." Giroro sighed. "I don't want you to feel like you have to do anything to repay me or whatever."
"There you go again." Natsumi smiled. "You only want me to love you if it's real right?"
"Yes." Giroro looked up to her with soft sincere eyes.
"Then stop letting little feelings like gratitude be an excuse to not do things that will make you happy." Natsumi inched even closer to Giroro. "Don't be afraid, and let me discover how it would feel to really love you."
Giroro didn't know how to reply and closed his eyes as his heart fluttered and pounded in unusual patterns. He held his breath as he felt her hand pull his head to her. Her soft lips placing a kiss on his forehead.
"You're important to me Giroro and I won't do things just to repay you. There are other real feelings behind them." Natsumi whispered as she pressed her forehead to his.
Giroro took a sharp breath. "Do you... promise?"
"I promise." Natsumi giggled. She thought it was cute how Giroro was so worried about her feelings for him.