(Author's Note: Originally I skipped over episode eleven on accident, so it came after episode fifteen)
I'm going back to school tomorrow, and I'm feeling extra-jittery, so I'm writing this out to ease my nerves ^_^'' The lost 11th chapter. I'd love to give extra thanks to Rien and bluenin for the very inspiring ideas. Thank you both very, very much.
Ah, backtracking to chapter 11. Why? Well, because I never wrote it, it turns out! So I'm doing something special instead of re-numbering my chapters, and I'm instead making a "lost episode". Even worked in how and why it's lost... But that's to come yet. Enjoy!
Episode 11:
Keroro Shotai: A Lost Episode! Displaced in Time!
Part 1:
"They really do that?" Kirere asked, pale in horror, and Tamama merely nodded sagely as he sat on the floor of the spaceship across from his "sister", the little girl laid on the floor, propping up her head with her hands, and Tamama sat across from her, seated with his legs folded.
"Yup… You don't do well enough in gym classes, and you get fed to space yaks," Tamama nodded confirmingly, and she stared, wide-eyed in horror.
"That isn't true," Giroro sighed as he interjected. "And you, quit telling her stories like that! It isn't that difficult to get a court martial, especially at your rank."
Tamama gave a grumble, and Kirere smiled and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Gunso-san, how much longer until we get there?" Tamama moaned, looking over to Keroro.
"Should be another Pekoponian hour at this rate, kukuku…" Kururu answered for Keroro, then stretched back in his seat.
"Why do we all have to go to Keron, anyway? I usually don't get to go with everyone…" Kirere said as she stood and walked over to where Kururu sat, and looked out at the endless space in front of them.
"Physicals. We all need them, even you," Giroro answered. "We'll be getting military ones, yours will be with my family's doctor."
"You know some needles there have points as big as hoses?" Tamama said with a grim smile. Kirere spun around to him, and the bickering began.
"Ah, reminds me of many a school field trip…" Keroro sighed blissfully as Giroro attempted to break up the fight between the two. "What about you, Dororo?"
"I… I was never able to attend many if you remember, Keroro-kun… I was either too ill, or you never woke me up, even after you promised…." Dororo choked, and Keroro gave a nervous chuckle.
"Is… Is that so?" Keroro's voice was quiet, and he quickly turned back to the controls. "It shouldn't be too long now! And Kirere-chan will finally get a chance to meet the rest of her family!"
"Neh?" Kururu leaned forward in his seat a bit, and frowned.
"…What's that, Kururu Soucho?" Keroro asked as he, too, saw the purple and black mass in front of them. Giroro walked over to it, as did Kirere and Tamama, who stopped fighting as they saw the imposing nothingness become larger and larger.
"It's immense…" Dororo said in awe as he looked it over.
"…Looks like a wormhole," Kururu muttered, and began to press buttons on the dashboard. "I'm never seen one in person…" he admitted.
"What kind of worm made that?" asked Kirere. "…Must've been a big one!"
"Kuku, it's supposedly a meeting of two black holes… I've got to navigate this away before we get sucked into its pull…"
"What happens if we get sucked in?"
"No one's sure, although there's a couple of theories… Kuku, I'm not really interested in finding out which one's true…"
"Gero?" Keroro blinked as the lights on the screen began to flash. "Ehhh… Kururu Soucho, what does that mean?"
"Kuku, that means that we could be in for trouble…" Kururu answered, and tried harder to pull back now. The ship began to shake, and the lights flickered. Giroro took hold of Kirere with one arm, and with the other clutched to a nearby chair.
All gave a yell at the feeling that came next; the gravity began heavy, and everything seemed to slow down…
And then, it was all alright once more.
All lifted their heads up, and looked about, cautious of the sudden calm. Everything was as it once had been, and nothing was out of place on the ship.
Keroro slowly rose from beneath his seat, where he had cowered during the scary encounter, and shakily uncovered his eyes.
"It… It's Keron…" Keroro muttered to himself, confused by the sight of his home planet, as was everyone.
"It's so green…" Kirere said with a whisper.
"Kururu, how did we get here so quickly? I thought we were an hour away from Keron at best," Giroro wondered. From Kururu's silence, it was clear he was wondering this as well. He dismissed it with a shrug, and sat back, relaxed as usual.
"Must be one of the effects of the wormhole. There's a theory stating they lead to different parts of space… We just happened to luck out, kuku!"
"Just hurry up and get us there… And try not to kill us anymore between now and then…" Giroro muttered darkly, walking back over to his seat cross-legged.
As they got closer to the planet, a more ominous feeling set in. The cities weren't nearly as bright as they'd remembered them being…
"Dororo-san, wasn't there a spaceport there last time?" Tamama asked as they flew past an empty sky.
"…I believe so, Tamama-dono," Dororo answered with confusion.
"Neh, no one's answering…" Kururu muttered as he pressed down on the intercom button again. "They must all be on break, kuku!"
"It certainly does look like they've started taking energy conservation seriously…" Keroro muttered.
They made it into the atmosphere, and all looked about at the clear blue skies, with little else flying in the skies. The worry was growing as they floated along the beautiful scenery.
The platoon was wrestled from their silent worry as there was a loud explosion, and the ship rocked. There was another explosion, and again the ship gave a jolt.
"What the—" Giroro looked out the side window, and could see pink beams of light shooting past them. "They—They're shooting at us! Kururu, give me the wheel!"
"I'll go see what's going on with the engine… You two, come with me," Kururu said with his usual calmness as he walked towards the exit door, Kirere and Tamama following behind him.
"I'll investigate from above!" Dororo called out, rushing through another exit.
"G… Go, team…" Keroro said quietly, raising a fist in support.
"Neh!" Giroro made a hard turn to the right, and he was able to see one of the attackers now—He stopped for a moment, stunned, as he saw the design of the ship.
"That… That's from the museums, isn't it? Gero, I didn't think they'd be able to fly anymore…"
"They shouldn't be able to," Giroro answered, tilting his head down and gripping onto the wheel. They were shot on again, and Giroro tried to pull up, but without much success. Keroro clung onto him as they awaited the inevitable, and both shut their eyes as they impacted with the earth.
Keroro came to as he felt another splash against his face, and he sat up slowly, then shook the water off of his face, "Gero?... Did I pass into the great beyond? Why does the angel look like Mahihi-dono?"
"He's a friend of Mahihi, too?" the Keronian blinked, his red eyes looking over Keroro.
Indeed he did look like Mahihi, save for the eyes. The family crest was the same, as was the dark green color. He was a tall man, with a white cap that looked more like a bandanna than a helmet. Around his waist he wore a white apron, with designs around its hem.
"Do you need more water?" came a voice from inside, and he turned around.
"No, he finally came to," he looked over his shoulder, then back to Keroro. Keroro, for the first time, looked about at the group—Kirere, Tamama, and Giroro all sat on the stone floor. Keroro looked around a bit more, and saw it was some sort of bakery… But it was like none he'd ever seen in person before.
"It's like something out of an old drama…" Keroro whispered to himself. "Where's Kururu Soucho? Or Dororo, for that matter?"
"We're still looking for Dororo… Kururu went to go see what he could do with the ship," Giroro answered.
"Gunso-san, this is Mahihi-san's Papa!" Tamama exclaimed, and Keroro blinked, stunned.
"It's true," he answered. "Your friends were just telling me all about how you all knew my sons. My name's Gohaha—They've probably both been too busy to mention me to you. What, with their careers and all… You raise them from tadpoles, and that's how you get thanked!"
"Stop pretending you're not happy for them, Papa!" Mahihi's mother was also towering compared to the Keroro platoon, and she walked in with a tray full of fresh baked goods. "I figured you children would be hungry…"
She wore a wig of red hair, tied back in a pink bandanna, and she had blue eyes, and dark blue skin. She wore a yellow apron with a the family's turtle-style crest. She was older, having lost her tail and the mainly white face, and she smiled warmly as Tamama took two of the desserts, followed by Kirere, who took one begrudgingly. She nearly gagged at the sweetness.
"I got the recipe from Fijiji—She says we can use it!" she chirped happily.
"My wife," he nodded to her, and stood. "So what brings you strangers here? And… If you don't mind my asking… Why are you dressed so strangely?"
"I don't think it's that strange…" Keroro muttered. "A little behind the times, maybe, but…"
"Come on, I think my sons have some things in my room… Oriri and Fijiji ought to have something the little girl can put on. You'll get nothing but stares looking like that."
"Oh, we don't need that—We have some of Roki's old things around still!" the woman smiled, waving off her husband politely.
"Roki?!" the Keroro platoon exclaimed at once, and both parents turned around, surprised.
"We like to call him our son, even if he isn't blood," Mahihi's mother explained as she stood in the living room of the house—It was attached to the bakery, which Mahihi's father had gone back to running.
Already Tamama had his outfit—A skirt-like ensemble that was like the one Rokiki and Mahihi had worn, with black, gold, and brown patterns on it. He fidgeted with the helmet she'd given him, which looked much like Rokiki's.
Keroro wore an outfit similar to Tamama's, except the coloring was red, black, and gold, and there was a small bronze chestpiece inbetween the two arm coverings.
Kirere was dressed in a full bell-like dress, this one purple and light pink, which Mahihi's mother had quickly fashioned out of some curtains she'd had laying about. On the back of the girl's hat now there was a bun, and tied around it a yellow ribbon. Her long brown gloves had been exchanged for a pair from Mahihi's childhood, which were brown and fingerless.
Giroro now stood, being fit for an outfit, this one alternating between black and dark red, and with his belt going up the side and connecting to the black belt he wore.
"His father was part of a clan that lived here before the war broke out," she continued, working on sewing the hem. "They were travelers who no one wanted to settle around here… They were banned everywhere they possibly could be banned. Then my husband and our next-door neighbor allowed them to stay on the land we owned out back… Mahihi was so happy, his friend—The neighbors' son—Had just been taken away… Mahihi was so young when it happened, he doesn't even remember the boy… He instantly made friends with Rokiki… So when the Great Tragedy occurred, we took him in without any hesitation."
"The Great Tragedy?" Keroro repeated, and the woman gave a sad nod.
"It was an awful war… No one wanted to be in it, really, but they just kept going… By the end of it, no one was sure why it'd even been fought so long! It was so terrible, so many lives were lost… People are still reeling from it, that's probably why your ship was shot down so quickly. People are very paranoid about anything different these days…"
"Why are you helping us, then, if everyone's so afraid?" Giroro asked.
"Because we're not everyone. Plus you remind me a little of my son! You know, it's very odd to see a Keronian with your looks who isn't a traveler!" she said with a smile. "You don't have the tattoos for it, though, so you couldn't possibly be."
"Why not? Our son has them, and he's not one," Gohaha grumbled as he walked in, a bag of flour slung over his shoulder. "Oriri's over. If anyone would know how to fix the ship, it'd be him."
He stepped sideways, and another sea of shock went sailing over them.
"Fu… Fujuju Soucho?" Keroro choked beneath his breath.
"Eh?" Dororo raised his head, and it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He was in an apartment, that much he could tell… He sat up, and rubbed his sore head, and looked about. He was stunned with horror as the first thing he saw was a figure in the shadows. "He… Hello?"
A pair of green eyes greeted him from the shadows, one he recognized after only a moment, "Lu… Lupapa-dono?!"
She looked at him, and stepped out of the shadows, surprised at having been called by this name, "…Have we met?"
"Yes, well… Is this… Some sort of joke?"
"I don't joke," she answered in a snap. "If you hadn't landed on my roof, you wouldn't even be here! Now answer me, because I have more than a few questions for you!"
"What… What is all of this?" he stood, and Lupapa tensed up, reaching for a sharpened pole on the side, beside a dresser. There were paintings lining the walls, paintings too fine for just an apartment. The more he paid attention to the details, the more priceless items he could spot, including some he remembered seeing in museums as a child. One painting in particular was in his family's home; he'd remembered his mother referring to it as being priceless.
"Don't touch anything. Don't call anyone, and just be happy I spared your life!" she said in a warning snarl.
He turned around, and looked at her face, which was twisted in a threatening manner. Both of her eyes… She could see out of both of them…
"I… My name isn't that important. Lupapa-dono, this is what you were like before…"
"Before what?" she snapped. She heard a knocking on the door, and stiffened, tightening her hold on the spear and sneaking out of the opened bedroom over to the door, Dororo following silently behind. She waited tensely in front of it, while Dororo watched this all unfold, puzzled. As the steps became quieter, she eased up taking a few steps back and then easing her grip on the spear. She turned to him and glared.
"If I find out you're an informant, they'll never find your body."
"Lu… Lupapa-dono was much different in a previous life, apparently…. " Dororo said to himself nervously. He lifted a hand to his head as he felt the floor move, but it reality the floor hadn't moved at all. He went to collapse on the ground, but Lupapa caught him before he managed to hit the floor.
"I don't know where you came from, but you're injured…" she muttered, laying him down gently on the floor. She sighed and brought over a basin of water, wringing out a towel that laid inside it and laying it across his forehead. He opened his eyes, and slowly sat up, seeing for the first time one of her own arms was bandaged. She pulled it away as she saw him looking at it, and spoke quickly.
"It happens in my line of work," she muttered. "…I don't know why I saved you, but… I felt like if I left you it'd be a mistake."
She only realized how this sounded once it'd been said, and Dororo watched curiously as she flushed. She stood up quickly, and tossed him a bag, "I found you some things. Take those and leave. Don't think about leading the police to me, either. I'll be gone from here by tomorrow."
"…Thank you, Lupapa-dono."
She only gave a grunt in return, and returned to her bedroom.
"Do you think you can fix it?" Gohaha asked as he looked over the engine, and Oriri sat back, and pushed up his glasses. The chartreuse Keronian looked unsurely at the engine, then his yellow eyes traveled back to Gohaha.
"This is more advanced than anything I've dealt with, and I've been around a long, long time at this point," he admitted, and looked past Gohaha to the travelers. "I… I don't know where they said they came from, but it certainly wasn't here… It doesn't look like anything's broken, but it looks like there' something missing… I just can't tell what it is! It's baffling, really!"
"That's what that little pink one said… Went on about not being able to fix something if she didn't know what part she needed… First they promote that kid to Major, now they have mechanics that are little more than kids… I wonder what's going on with this place sometimes…"
"There's no luxury allowing children to be children anymore," Oriri answered gravely, wiping his forehead and taking a seat on the wing of the ship.
"I can't find him anywhere!" Kirere rushed back to Giroro, and tugged on Giroro's arm worriedly.
"Ah, Kire-chan! Kururu probably went to go look for the part himself!" Keroro reassured her. "He's such a loner, whether or not the situation's dire or not."
"I'll see if Fijiji can make any sense out of this," Oriri pushed up his glasses and looked at the foreign engine once more. "…It'd probably be best not to have that little one around… Fijiji's… So sensitive around this time of the year… And then that sets off so many other problems, and she's been doing so well with controlling herself…"
"I understand," Gohaha nodded, and hopped down from the wing of the ship, and walked over to the group. "This might take a little longer than we thought, you guys walk around town while Oriri-sensei's wife has a look at it, all right? Maybe look for your other friends while they look at this…"
"Come on, Kirere," Giroro patted her on the shoulder, and led her out from the back, to the front of the shop; the four began to walk, looking around at the passing people and shops.
"An entire planet, and no Gunpla…. Gunpla isn't even a word to them… What a terrifying place this is…" Keroro muttered gravely.
"Are we ever going to get to go home, you think, Gunso-san?" Tamama asked worriedly. "What if our ship can't get fixed and Time Bender-san can't find us?"
"I… Of course we will, Tamama! And if we don't, Time Bender-dono will be sure to find us! Why, we must be changing all sorts of things, even by breathing this air!" Keroro nodded cheerfully. "We… We'll just have to make the best of things for now, is all! Why, Kururu Soucho probably has this entire mystery solved already! We'll be back to conquering Pekopon before we know it! Until then, we'll enjoy some of the finer things that you can enjoy on ancient Keron!"
"Huh? Hey! They have good music at least!" Kirere said happily as she was drawn to music coming from behind a wooden fence; she looked through a crack in the fence curiously, then wandered over to the ajar gate. Tamama, too, looked into the opening in the gate.
"It's moments like that I remember why you're the one who made captain," Giroro said to Keroro as he passed his superior, leaving Keroro stunned for a few moments. Giroro walked over to Kirere, and gave a nod, therefore giving her permission to enter the gated area, which led to a café and a stage.
"Ah, and it's moments like these that are worth all of the trouble," Keroro sighed happily, and went to enter himself, bumping into two younger Keronians along the way. "Ah, pardon me."
"N… Nee-chan?!" one of the voices squeaked, and Keroro shot his head over to the Keronians. Kodada and Romama looked at Keroro with the exact same surprised expression he wore.
"Gero… Oh, dear…" was Keroro's answer, followed by a nervous gulp.