(Author note: Two new chapters have been posted today, Parts 23 and 24)
Keroro Gunsou: The Azumanga Daioh Adventure!
Part 23: "Kamiya and Terere: The fated meeting! De arimasu!"
"Time has passed on slowly for Kizuzu Taisa as he relaxes in the pilot's chair of ship; waiting for the moment when he'd finally arrive at Pekopon…" The narrator explains when a light starts flashing on the dashboard of Kizuzu's ship; waking him up from his sleep.
"Oh, it's just that…" Kizuzu mutters groggily; wiping the sleep out of his eye. He sits up in his chair and looks around; seeing Pekopon not too far off in the distance.
"Alright; this's it…" Kizuzu states to himself; taking the ship in slowly, "…Ah just hope Ah can find that book by myself."
"Elsewhere in the ship…" The narrator states.
"Did you feel that?" Torara asks; speaking loudly to wake everyone up.
"What? I didn't feel anything…" Senshishi grumbles, "…I'm trying to sleep. Leave me alone!"
"No, I think we're here!" Torara states as Tobibi and Haruru start to come around. "Oh really?" Tobibi asks groggily; still half-asleep.
Torara nods at her lightly. "So, what are we going to do now? You know Kizuzu Teichou's going to kill us if he catches us on Pekopon!" Haruru states.
"Well; we got on here easily enough; I'm sure that getting off will be just as easy…" Senshishi mutters limply; waving his hand around as if to show his lack of enthusiasm.
Torara sighs. "I hope you're right…" He replies; looking down at the ground.
"Ah, don't worry about it. We'll be fine!" Haruru adds reassuring with a light laugh.
"Meanwhile…" The narrator states.
"Pekopon…" Kizuzu mutters to himself; looking out the window at the cityscape of Tokyo; "…Been a long time since Ah've been here…"
He gently directs the ship down to the ground towards a small building; setting the ship down lightly on it's roof. Despite his best efforts though; the ship rocks a little from the landing; causing Terere to jolt awake inside the ship.
"Huh…are we here…?" Terere asks; opening her eyes slowly and peering around inside the room. Suddenly; she opens her eyes completely and rises to her feet; clasping both of her hands around her mouth.
"Oh no; we are here! I've got to get off the ship now before they find me!!" Terere worries as she shakes nervously; looking cautiously around to make sure the coast is clear as she leaves the room.
"Elsewhere…" The narrator states.
"Well; Ah guess it's time to get dow' to business then…" Kizuzu grumbles as he walks away from the controls and into the small corridor leading to one of the ship's exits.
As Kizuzu opens the door into the ship's exit; he stops dead in his tracks instantly. Tobibi; Torara, Haruru, and Senshishi all stop in mid-step; and slowly turn to face Kizuzu who stands mere feet from them now; staring directly at them.
An awkward tension fills the room as they all stare at each other; waiting for the other to react first.
"Uh…" Torara starts; but is quickly cut off by Kizuzu. "Care to explain what's goin' on here, Torara?" Kizuzu asks; now crossing his arms and tapping his metal foot against the floor.
"We…uh…well; you see we were going to…uh…" Torara begins; stumbling over his words as he tries to think of a good excuse.
"Ah thought Ah told y'all to stay behind…?" Kizuzu states; holding back his anger with great composure.
Torara rubs the back of his head sheepishly as the rest look away from Kizuzu in shame. "…Yes Teichou; you did…" Torara replies finally with shame.
Kizuzu stares at them for a few moments; panning back and forth across the group slowly. "Well," He finally begins, " Ah'm really at a loss here. Ah don't know what to do with y'all! It was hard enough for mah to get here without havin' the Space Police tracking mah; and if Ah go back so soon with y'all on board; Ah'll be in more trouble than the four of y'all are right now with mah!"
"We're sorry Teichou-dono…" Tobibi mutters; trying to play upon Kizuzu's sympathy as she tries to tear up a little. Kizuzu breathes in deeply; resuming tapping his foot on the ground.
"…Well; it appears Ah have no choice now…" Kizuzu says with conviction. He raises his hand into the air; causing them to cringe a little bit.
"…but to let y'all stay here with mah." Kizuzu finishes; placing his hand on Tobibi's shoulder. She flinches a little; shocked by his reaction.
"K-Kizuzu Teichou…you're not m-mad at us?" Tobibi asks; now trying to hold back her real tears. "Well; Ah'll admit that Ah was more than a tad angry with y'all before; but y'all are my platoon… Ah guess Ah've got to learn to live with that." Kizuzu replies; patting Tobibi comfortingly on the shoulder.
"See? I told you it'd be fine!" Senshishi whispers to Torara; poking him lightly in the side. Torara sweatdrops with shame a little.
"Hmm…" Kizuzu mutter to himself; thinking out loud; "…How did y'all manage to get on this here ship anyway? Ah didn't see anythin' on the monitors…"
Haruru snickers a little to himself deviously; causing everyone to look over at him. "Well…" Haruru begins with a boastful grin; "…That would be all because of me!"
"Oh?" Kizuzu asks with intrigue. Haruru walks over to a small panel in the wall of the ship and opens it up. "You see; I simply by-passed the ship's cameras and put it in an infinite loop; the simplest trick in the book!" He boasts smugly.
"Ah must admit that Ah never suspected a thin'…" Kizuzu states; as a bit of a compliment but more as an excuse.
"Pretty good; huh Teichou-dono?" Haruru asks, still smiling. Kizuzu nods; holding back his true feelings about being duped.
"Now, if I just remove these files here and cross these paths; you'll see the real surveillance camera footage!" Haruru states as he undone his work.
"And…there we go! See; there we are!" He announces; holding his hand out below a small video screen in the wall; as if to show it off.
He smiles smugly for a few moments with his eyes closed; but opens them moments later after he hears no reaction from everyone. When he opens them; everyone stares blankly at the screen with confused looks.
"Huh? What is it? It didn't work?" Haruru asks; now a little concerned about his own skills. "No…it worked…" Torara begins as he raises his hand and points at the screen, "…But; well look!"
He looks at them with a little confusion; but slowly turns to face the screen; and sees Terere sitting in the room by herself; huddled in the corner.
Suddenly; he snaps and slams his hands on either side of the screen; staring at it intensely. "THAT WOMAN!!! It's that woman who harassed Kururu-sempai!!" He shouts; his eyes nearly bulging out of his head as he breathes rapidly.
"Hmmm…Kururu-sempai ya say…" Kizuzu mutters; thinking to himself as he stares at the screen. While he ponders to himself; Tobibi and Torara try to calm Haruru down; prying his hands off of the wall with all their strength.
"Ah yeah; Ah recall her now; they dated for a while…like a week, I reckon. Didn't last long; from what Ah recall…" Kizuzu states; punching his fist into his hand as he comes to the realization.
"It was only that short of a time?" Torara asks; a little confused. "Yeah…Garuru-kun mentioned it to mah; since his little bro is in the same platoon as Kururu-kun. He told mah that it's one of the reasons why Kururu-kun's so unwilling to directly date someone again; since she stalked him well over a year after that; followin' him everywhere 'n' trying to push herself back into his life…" Kizuzu explains; "…It wasn't pretty…"
"Oh wow…I had no idea it was that bad…" Torara states; "…I mean; I knew she stalked him and stuff; but I had no idea it went that far…"
"Yeah-" Kizuzu begins when Senshishi cuts in. "Hello?! Are you guys forgetting something…like the fact that she snack on board!" He shouts angrily.
"Oh, right…" Torara mutters; sweatdropping a little.
"Is she still on board?" Tobibi asks; looking at Haruru, who's now back under control momentarily. "Um…let's see here…" He says; scanning through the video and changing camera angles. He scans through the footage and watches her wake up as the ship lands and quickly exit the ship undetected.
"Nah, she's gone." Haruru replies; stating the obvious.
Kizuzu crosses his arms; his expression becoming serious. "This is a big problem now…" He trails off; in mid thought.
"Ah, who cares about her?!" Senshishi grumbles; rolling his eyes a little. Kizuzu instantly turns to him; staring him down and causing Senshishi to flinch a little.
"Ah care!" Kizuzu shouts; exacting his authority, "Because she's a civilian; 'n' we can't have some civilian runnin' around on the loose on Pekopon! They know nothin' of secrecy; and they will completely blow the cover that we all have tried so hard to conceal from the Pekoponjin!"
"Uh…" Senshishi mutters; a little taken back.
"Speaking that she's just a civilian; she shouldn't be that hard to track down…" Tobibi states; turning to the others, "We just find her and take her back to Keron; simple as that; right?"
Suddenly Kizuzu's jaw drops a little in shock; and he turns away slowly.
"Uh…it's not quite that simple…" Kizuzu mutters reluctantly; rubbing his foot in the ground lightly. "What?" Torara asks him.
Kizuzu's eye shrinks to a tiny dot as he turns to the group; sweatdropping a little. "What's the matter, Teichou-dono? Shouldn't you just be able to take her back to Keron with no problem? You have the authority…" Torara replies.
Kizuzu scratches his head a little bit in shame; looking down at the ground. "Well; that's just it. Ah… Ah… Ah don't have…the authority…" He stutters; ashamed to admit it.
"Huh?" The group all shouts at the same time in shock.
"You see; Ah…had to come here for somethin' and Ah…well; let's just say that Ah wasn't supposed to come here and the Space Police think Ah'm somewhere else right now…" Kizuzu mutters with shame, "…And if they found out that Ah had brought back a Keronian civilian from Pekopon who Ah carelessly let get aboard my ship in the first place…well; let's just say that Ah'd be locked up for a very long time; at the very least!"
The rest of his platoon stares at him in disbelief.
"But…didn't you just say that we can't leave her here?" Senshishi asks; cutting the tension.
"That's the dilemma…" Kizuzu states; sighing a little bit, "… Ah can't leave her here 'n' have her blow the Keron Army's cover; it's too much of a risk. We need to do something; but what… Ah'm not really sure…" Kizuzu thinks out-loud.
"I still say we just leave her alone…" Senshishi remarks, "…She's just a waste of time. She's probably just going to go running off to Kururu-sempai and he'll just ship her back off to Keron without a second thought!"
Suddenly; Haruru snaps again; grabbing Senshishi by the shoulders and shaking him furiously. "DON'T SAY THAT!! THAT DAMN WOMAN HARASSED KURURU-SEMPAI TOO MANY TIMES IN THE PAST; AND I WON'T LET HER DO IT AGAIN!!!" He shouts angrily; completely out of control.
"Get off of me!" Senshishi shouts; pushing Haruru off of him with a shove, "If you're that upset about it; why don't you just go off and find her yourself then!"
"Fine! I will!" Haruru shouts; turning towards the door. Kizuzu quickly grabs him by the shoulder and holds him back.
"No, we can't have that! If you go out there like this; you'll do more damage than she ever could!" Kizuzu states; still holding Haruru back as the others watch him.
"What did you want us to do then, Teichou-dono?" Tobibi asks him; as the others look at him and wait for a response.
"Alright. Take Haruru-kun to the back and calm him down; 'n' make sure that he stays aboard the ship! Ah don't care what you do; buy him one of those Pekopon game consoles he likes so much or something; but don't let him leave 'n' don't let him stay like this in his black mode!" Kizuzu explains; gesturing for the others to help him with Haruru.
They struggle to drag Haruru into one of the cabins. As Tobibi and Torara try to calm him down; they and Senshishi continue to listen to Kizuzu.
"With him here; we should be able to safely get Terere-san 'n' take her back to Pekopon; being sure to keep her out of Haruru-kun's sight. Then; with her on board again; we'll take a small detour to make it look like we came back from the place where Ah'm supposed to be; and all should be fine." Kizuzu finishes.
"Sounds like a good plan to me…" Tobibi nods. "That's why he's the leader." Senshishi mutters sarcastically.
"Alright then; here's what we're goin' to do. Tobibi-san; here's some Pekopon cash…don't even ask why Ah have it. Just take this and go buy somethin' to keep Haruru-kun's mind occupied. Torara-kun; stay here and guard Haruru-kun until Tobibi-san returns with that game for him. Senshishi-kun; you and Ah will split up and search for Terere-san. We'll stay in radio contact; and if y'all find her; be sure to let the rest of us know." Kizuzu commands.
"Understood, sir!" They all state; saluting him with respect. "Ugh….what's going on?" Haruru asks; a little dazed as he holds his head.
"Don't worry about it; they're just going out for a bit. We're going to just sit here for a while." Torara states; sitting next to Haruru. Haruru nods slowly; still a little unsure of what's going on.
"Alright; y'all know what to do. Move out!" Kizuzu commands; now really showing off his authority as leader.
"As they finally move out to their assigned tasks; Terere-chan has been away from the ship for quite some time now…" The narrator states as Terere walks down one of the city streets in Tokyo.
"Wow…this is nothing like Keron…" Terere states; staring around in amazement at the city as she walks passed vendors and people moving about on their way.
"Hello there; Keronian!!" A voice shouts; causing Terere to jump a little. She turns to see a man staring at her in front of a booth; with a face that didn't look quite like a normal Pekoponjin.
"A-Are you a Pekoponjin?" She asks him with a question mark above her head. "Hmm? What do you mean? Of course I'm a Pekoponjin; and I have something here just for you!" He states; grabbing something off of the table.
"Oh?" Terere asks; walking up to the man. "Yes…do you see this knife here?" He asks her; holding the knife in one hand and pointing to it with his other hand. Terere nods; staring in partial confusion and partial intrigue.
"Well; this is no ordinary knife! This is a special knife; one that not only allows you to slice things; but also crave, cut, dice and chop things as well!" The man says; grabbing a small stick of celery and proceeding to chop up it up with the knife.
"Wow…" Terere mutters; staring in wonder now. "Gero! I'll take 4; de arimasu!" A voice shouts from next to Terere; and she turns to see a green Keronian holding out some money towards the man.
"What are you doing, Keroro?!" Another voice shouts; knocking down Keroro's hand. Steam starts to shoot out of Keroro's head as he turns and faces the red Keronian who knocked his hand down.
"Giroro Gochou! What are you doing?!" Keroro shouts; slamming his face into Giroro's face. The two stare and growl at each other as three other Keronians walk up to them. "Teichou-dono…how could you have fallen for such a simple ploy…" Dororo states; using his ninja magic to reveal the salesman for who he really is: An alien. "…You nearly wasted our money on this…" Dororo finishes as the salesman quickly runs off in shame.
"But…but…but…" Keroro mutters; turning to Dororo and the others; unsure of what to say next. "But why did you need only 4; Gunsou-san?" Tamama asks. "One for each member of the platoon; of course; de arimasu!" Keroro announces proudly; as tears instantly fill Dororo's eyes.
"Keroro-kun…" He mutters as his trauma switch activates; causing the others to sweatdrop; all except Kururu who simply watches and itches his butt a little.
"We have more important things to do right now…" Giroro states; taking control of the situation; "…I'm leaving." "Wait up, Giroro-kun!" Keroro shouts; running after him as the others follow; Tamama following furthest behind as he struggles to carry the traumatized Dororo in his arms.
"He's gone…" Terere mutters; still looking around for the salesman a short distance away, "…And I was going to buy one of those knives t-"
She stops in mid-sentence as she notices Kururu walking away with the rest of the Keroro Platoon. She gasps as her eyes fill with big hearts in them; staring at him as he walks away.
"Kururu-sempai!!!" She shouts as she runs as fast as she can after him. Suddenly; a large bus zooms by a few feet in front of her; knocking her on her back. "Ow!!!" She cries out; holding the back of her head; which now has a lump on the back of it.
As she sits up; she looks around; but doesn't see either Kururu or the rest of the Keroro Platoon anywhere. "Ku…ruru-sempai?" She barely mutters as she looks around; now scared as she finally starts to take real notice of all of the Pekoponjin walking around her.
She looks up at the Pekoponjin; scared by their immense height over her. They walk by her; totally oblivious to her as she covers her mouth in fear. "I had no idea there were so many of them…and that they were so big!!" Terere shouts; shaking in fear.
"KURURU-SEMPAI!!!" She shouts; running scared through the throngs of Pekoponjin on the sidewalk of the busy city. Tears start to flow down from her eyes as she runs as fast as she can blindly through the city; bumping into Pekoponjin and other aliens as she runs; but not stopping. Finally; after a few minutes of running; she slams into a wall; knocking her out cold.
"Elsewhere at this time…" The narrator states.
"Not too long from now; we're going to be second year students!" Chiyo states happily as she walks down the hall with Osaka in their school. "Yeah…I can hardly wait…ya know?" Osaka says in her typical daydreamy voice, "It's like we'll be joining the corporate elite…or somethin'…"
"Uh…" Chiyo mutters; sweatdropping, "….Sure, Osaka-san…"
As they walk along down the hall; a girl with two long hair lengths running down in front of her ears and a single ponytail in the back walks by herself; holding her school case tightly in front of her.
"If…if I could just talk to them…" She mutters; walking slowly a short distance behind them. "Yumenna-san!" A voice states from behind her; causing her to jump a little. She turns around to see a taller teacher with a similar hairstyle to hers; except for no ponytail; walk up to her.
"Yumenna-san; you're going to be late. The bell for next hour will ring in a just a minute or two." She tells her with a soft yet commanding voice. "Yes, Kurosawa-sensei…I'm sorry." She replies to the teacher with a bow. "Oh, no need to apologize Kamiya-san; it's alright." Ms. Kurosawa replies with a more familiar and reassuring voice; trying to make Kamiya more comfortable.
"Yes, Kurosawa-sensei…" Kamiya replies slowly; still a little wary and quiet, "…I-I'll be going now. Thank you!"
Ms. Kurosawa reaches out a little bit towards Kamiya; but by this time Kamiya has already raced off towards her next class; still clutching her book bag tightly in front of her chest.
"Poor girl…she seems so nice; but it's so hard to get through to her…" Ms. Kurosawa mutters to herself, "…I hope she can make some friends this year…it's kind of depressing to see such a nice young student be so afraid to do anything."
"What are you talking about, Nyamo?" A voice asks, causing Ms. Kurosawa to instantly clench her fists in anger.
"What the hell are you doing here, Yukari?" Ms. Kurosawa shouts; whipping around to face Ms. Yukari. "I work here; duh!" Ms. Yukari replies sarcastically. "…I mean why are you here and not in your class? It's on the other side of the school; remember?" Ms. Kurosawa restates; causing Ms. Yukari to stare at her blankly for a minute.
"Ah; it doesn't matter, Nyamo…I mean really; I'm late for most of my classes anyway; so why try to get there on time now?" Ms. Yukari laughs slightly with a little shrug. Ms. Kurosawa growls a little; holding back her anger as she stares at the floor for a few moments.
"…Whatever; I really don't care…I have to get back to my class now…" Ms. Kurosawa mutters as she walks away; trying not to acknowledge Ms. Yukari in the process.
"Jeesh Nyamo…always such a stick-in-the-mud…" Ms. Yukari sighs; rolling her eyes a little as she walks in the same direction as Ms. Kurosawa towards their respective classes.
"Elsewhere…" The narrator states.
"Good afternoon class…" A man states; breathing heavily with his mouth wide open as he stands at his desk, "…Today will be reading a new book…"
Suddenly; he turns and walks over to the window; causing the class to look at each other with looks of confusion.
"What's Kimura-sensei doing now?" A girl asks Kamiya; leaning over from the next desk over. "I…I don't know…" Kamiya replies nervously.
"…Do you know what this book is about? It's about a man, a man with a dream…" He states, staring out the window as he talks to the class, "…A dream like no other…a dream like I have…a dream to be able to work with that which I love!"
He turns suddenly to the class; holding his fist in the air as he strikes an odd looking pose. "I dream of working with that which I love; and I do; but it's not complete yet!!"
"Why is that, Kimura-sensei?" Tomo Takino asks; causing the entire class to instantly stare at her in shock.
"Because…" He starts; turning to the class to reveal tears filling his eyes, "…I still have boys in my class; and the girls won't wear their swim wear to class yet!!"
An air of silence fills the class as everyone stares in shock and sweatdrops; except for Mr. Kimura himself; who balls his eyes out on the desk.
"Some time later…" The narrator states.
"Another strange day in Mr. Kimura's class…" Yomi Mizuhara states; walking with Chiyo, Sakaki, Osaka and Tomo. "Yeah…I mean, what the heck was up with Kimura today? He just totally broke down; more than usual…" Tomo adds.
"That's the most intelligent thing you've said all day." Yomi mutters sarcastically. "Hey!" Tomo shouts; then stops in mid sentence. The group stops and looks at her for a moment; waiting for her to make a move.
"…Just now, was that an insult or a compliment?" Tomo asks; causing a heavy atmosphere to fall over all of them.
"Why do I even bother?" Yomi asks herself sarcastically as she walks ahead of the group; causing the others to walk a little faster to catch up to her.
"A short distance behind…" The narrator states.
"Maybe tomorrow…" Kamiya mutters; clutching her book bag tightly again, "…Yeah; I'll do it tomorrow…" She mutters with a little more authority; but quickly sinking back to her usual fearful state.
She walks on; a good distance from the group; towards the area where the students change their shoes. As she finally makes her way there; the other girls sit around and chat with each other; putting on their street shoes and putting away their school ones. Kamiya tries to listen in; but is too far away to make out what they say.
Kamiya closes her eyes and sighs deeply; finally putting down her book bag and reaching down for her shoes. She slowly unties them one at a time when something brushes her back slightly; causing her into instantly drop her shoelaces and grab her book bag.
"Oh, excuse me. Sorry for bumping into you." Kaorin states with a very slight bow as Kamiya clutches her book bag tightly to her chest again. "You…you…" Kamiya begins; but by this time Kaorin has already walked away. "…You scared me…it's alright…I'm sorry for being in your way…" Kamiya finishes with sadness; looking down at the ground slowly.
A few minutes pass by as she finishes taking off her shoes and putting on her street shoes. "Maybe…maybe I'm just not meant to have friends…" Kamiya mutters to herself; picking up her book bag again.
As she walks out of the school; the late day sun shines slightly over the trees as the sky begins to turn from blue to slightly reddish.
"At least it's a nice day today…" Kamiya mutters to herself as she walks down the street; still clutching her book bag tightly to her body.
Unknown to her; a small Keronian with light purple skin and a pair of orange goggles and a scarf flies by her on her wing pack. "Hmm…I didn't think it'd be this hard to find a game store that takes Pekoponjin cash and knows and does business with aliens as well…" She mutters; looking in every direction for any shop that will do.
"Any luck yet, Tobibi-chan?" A voice asks over her small wrist radio. "Not yet, Torara-kun; but still looking. I'll let you know when I find something." Tobibi replies. "O.K. Haruru-kun's calmed down a lot; but I think he still needs something to keep him in check." Torara replies.
"Alright. I'll let you know as soon as I find something. Tobibi-out!" Tobibi replies; pulling down her goggles and turns up the throttle on her wing pack.
"Meanwhile…" The narrator states.
"Ohhh…." Terere groans; rubbing a large lump on the front of her head. She sits up a little; trying to shake the pain out of her head.
"W-where am I…?" She mutters; squinting a little as she looks around at her surroundings. She looks around and notices that the Sun has almost completely set now. She turns to her left slightly and sees a small cat sitting on the sidewalk; looking up at her.
"Who are you?" Terere asks; standing up fully and looking at the cat. The cat tilts it's head a little; but doesn't make a sound. "You don't look like any alien I know of…" Terere mutters to herself, "…Do you have a name?"
The cat meows slightly and begins licking one of it's paws as it cleans itself. "Hmm…can you hear me? Do you understand me?" Terere asks again with a little confusion. She starts walking towards the cat; startling it and causing it to run away suddenly.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Terere shouts; then stops suddenly in her tracks. "Wait…if that wasn't an alien…then that means…" She mutters in horror; reaching up and realizing that her anti-barrier was smashed from the impact with the wall.
"Oh no! I've got to hide; now!!" She screams; running through an open gate and racing towards a small building as fast as she can.
"Not too far away…" The narrator states.
"It's such a long walk from school…man, I wish we lived closer…" Kamiya mutters to herself; walking down the sidewalk. She turns a corner and walks up to a gate in the fence.
"That's odd…" Kamiya mutters to herself, "…The gate's normally closed." She examines the gate for a few moments; but shrugs it off a few moments later as she walks up to her front door and rings the doorbell.
"Ah, Kamiya! You're home!" A voice says through the door as it's unlocked. As it opens; a shorter thin woman stands inside the house; smiling at Kamiya.
"Hi Mom!" Kamiya states; giving her mom a hug. "How was school today?" She asks her as she embraces her daughter. "Fine…the usual; you know…" Kamiya replies with a slight smile.
"Did you do anything exciting today?" Her mom asks her. "Not really…" Kamiya replies, taking off her shoes at the entrance as her mom closes the door, "…Just got a new book assignment from Kimura-sensei; that's about all."
"A book assignment? Why so late in the semester?" Her mom asks her. "I don't know…Kimura-sensei's not your average teacher; so I'm not really surprised…" Kamiya replies; sweatdropping a little.
Chiwa laughs a little as she walks with Kamiya into the kitchen. "You are home! I thought I heard you in the other room!" A slightly overweight man states; sitting at the kitchen table with a newspaper lying in front of him.
"Yeah; I am Dad…I'm surprised you're still here though…" Kamiya replies with slight confusion. "Actually; I was going to be leaving in about ten minutes or so…" He begins, standing from the table with a slight grunt, "…but I wanted to wait around for you to get back. It's not too often my business allows me to come back to Japan and see my little princess!"
"DAD!!" Kamiya shouts as she turns bright red with embarrassment. "Oh yeah…I keep forgetting…" Jouji replies; laughing nervously, "…Being away for so long makes me forget things, ya know?"
"It…it's O.K., Dad…I'm sorry…" Kamiya replies; bowing towards him. He laughs a little, "Looks like I'm not the only one who forgets things."
Kamiya suddenly stops bowing; standing up fully slowly. "Oh yeah…sorry Dad." She replies sheepishly. "Hehe, you don't have to apologize to me; Kamiya…if anything; I should be apologizing to you for not being around as much as I should be." Jouji replies; laughing happily a little as he puts his hand gently on Kamiya's shoulder. She flinches slightly; but only out of the shock of being touched.
"Did you want me to finish packing your bags, dear?" Chiwa asks him; standing near the kitchen entrance. "No, that's alright. You do enough for me as it is," He states, kissing her lightly on the cheek, "I'll finish packing myself."
As he slowly makes his way up the stairs towards the bedrooms; Chiwa and Kamiya watch him from the hall.
"Is he going to be late for his flight?" Kamiya asks Chiwa. "No…he should have enough time…but it's going to be close." Chiwa replies; looking over at a clock on the wall.
"Say, can I come with you and see Dad off at the airport?" Kamiya asks happily. "Actually; Dad came by taxi today; and he's insisting on going back by himself. He always thinks that he's inconveniencing me somehow by having me drive him to and from the airport; and you know how stubborn he can be about those things…" Chiwa replies, laughing slightly.
"Oh…" Kamiya mutters with a tone of sadness. "Well; you did get to spend a few days with him; and he did make sure to stay here until you got home from school so he could say goodbye to you properly." Chiwa states reassuringly.
"Yeah…you're right, Mom." Kamiya replies; perking up a little.
"O.K.; I'm all set here!" Jouji states; carrying four suitcases; two in each hand; as he walks cautiously down the stairs. "You didn't have to carry them all down at once, you know…" Chiwa states, crossing her arms a little, "…or at least you could've asked one of us to help you."
"Nah, it's alright…I've got it. Besides; I have to carry these around the airport like this; so this is good training." Jouji replies; grunting a little as he finally makes it down the stairs and sets the suitcases down momentarily.
"Alright; I'm off then. I saw the cab outside when I was upstairs." Jouji replies; walking over to them. "I'll miss you Dad!" Kamiya shouts; hugging him tightly. Jouji flinches a little from the sudden hug; but quickly smiles and gives her a hug back. "Don't worry; I'll call you when I get back to America. I'll be fine; honey. Just take care of yourself and keep on practicing your English. That way; one day; you can come visit me in America and I can treat you to all the fun things in Los Angeles!" Jouji announces happily.
"I will, Dad! I look forward to that so much!" Kamiya shouts happily. Chiwa walks over to him, her hands held gently behind her back.
"And don't you worry either. I've still got all the money set up in that account; so you two should be just fine. And if anything arises; you've got my emergency cell phone number." Jouji tells her. "Yes, I know…but…" Chiwa begins with a slight tone of sadness as Kamiya slowly stops hugging Jouji.
"What's the matter?" He asks her gently. "It's just…well…it's nothing." She replies quickly. "No…something's troubling you…what is it? Is it about me?" Jouji asks her.
"No…well, no…" Chiwa replies nervously. "I know what it is…" Jouji sighs a little, "…You know I wish I could stay longer; but I have to run the business over there now. I don't have much of a choice…"
"But…when will we see you again?" Chiwa asks him, trying to hold back her tears. "I'll try to come over as soon as I can…I know it'll be a few months at least before I can visit again; but I'll try to come back as soon as possible. Believe me; you'll be the first to know!" He states; hugging her as she cries on his shoulder.
"And believe me; there's nothing that pains me more than having to leave you two…" He tells her; holding her tightly; "…But; unfortunately; I can't stay. I'll keep in touch by e-mail and phone always."
She looks up at him, tears trickling slightly down her cheeks. He wipes them away gently with his finger, "I love you, Chiwa Yumenna, and I always will; remember that." "I love you too; Jouji Yumenna!" She replies as she holds him tighter. They kiss each other on the lips as Kamiya looks away slightly; embarrassed now.
All of a sudden; a horn blares and Jouji quickly jerks a little. Chiwa lets him go as he races over to his suitcases. "I'm sorry…I forgot all about the taxi! I have to go now before he leaves me here!" He shouts as he picks up his suitcases and rushes over to the door.
He sets the suitcases down momentarily to open the door then picks them up again. "Goodbye! I love you!" He shouts as he turns to them for a moment as he walks down the sidewalk towards the gate. "Goodbye!! I love you too!" Chiwa shouts to him. "Goodbye, Dad!" Kamiya shouts to him as he rushes towards the open gate and to the waiting taxi.
They watch at the doorway as he puts his suitcases away and gets into the taxi. As the taxi drives away and out of sight; they wave and then slowly go back inside the house.
"Well…he's gone again…" Chiwa replies slowly; holding back her tears. Kamiya looks up at her; trying to hold back her own tears. "Say, don't you have a book assignment to do?" Chiwa asks her; trying hard not to cry. "Yeah…I'll go work on it now…" Kamiya replies; walking away and up the stairs.
As soon as Kamiya's up the stairs; she listens closely to hear her mom crying in the kitchen. "I…I just couldn't let her see me like this…" Chiwa mutters through her tears quietly; barely audible to Kamiya.
Kamiya starts walking back towards the stairs when a noise catches her attention; coming from her room a short distance away.
Cautiously; she walks towards her room; being careful not to make the floor creak as she walks. She walks up to her room and stands at the doorway. "S-should I get Mom f-f-first?" She stutters, shaking lightly with fear as she stands outside her door.
She looks back at the stairwell; then back at the door. "Mom's not feeling well right now…I don't think I should bother her with something like this…" She rationalizes to herself; trying to get the courage to do it on her own.
Slowly; she reaches for the door handle; but then yanks back moments later. "No…I can't do it…I can't do it…" She repeats to herself; holding her arms close to her chest.
She breathes deeply; trying to calm herself down. "Calm down, Kamiya…it's nothing…it's just probably a poster falling down or a book falling off a shelf or something like that…nothing to be scared of…" She mutters to herself; breathing slower and slower as she calms down a little.
Slowly; she reaches out again and grabs the door handle. As soon as she does; she pushes it open; her eyes closed the whole time.
She opens them slowly a few moments; only to see her room still as she left it when she left in the morning for school.
"There's…nothing here…" She states to herself in disbelief; almost as if she was expecting something to be out of place.
A light breeze blows through the window; gently blowing her curtains. "Oh…I must have left the window open last night…" She laughs slightly; trying to ease her tension. She walks over to the window and closes it; but as soon as it closes; a crashing noise comes from her closet; causing her to jump in fear and trip backwards over her bed.
Kamiya bounces slightly on her bed; then quickly rolls off of it and grabs a small toy baseball bat from on top of a small chest in the corner of the room. "Who's there?!" Kamiya shouts; holding the bat tightly as she stares at the closet door.
She walks cautiously towards the door; a little more brave now as she holds the bat tightly; ready to swing it as hard as she can. "If you're in there; say something! I have a weapon; and I'm not afraid to use it!" She shouts threateningly. Even though she holds the bat tightly; she still trembles with fear and makes her way slowly to the closet door.
She grabs the handle; causing it to shake a little from her own shaking. She holds the bat above her with other hand and she turns the handle and swings open the door.
"No! Don't hurt me!!" A tiny voice cries out as Kamiya swings the bat; hitting only air as she swings at head-level and hits the door frame on the other side; causing her to drop the bat and recoil a little with pain.
"Ouch!!" Kamiya shouts; holding her hand as she tries to recover from the pain of hitting the doorframe with the bat. Some clothes lie on the floor; and something starts moving underneath them; causing Kamiya to look down in fear.
"Please don't hurt me!!" The tiny voice cries out again as the clothes continue to move. Finally; the clothes move completely and reveal a tiny purple Keronian; huddling in fear as she pulls her hat down in front of her face.
An air of silence hangs over the two as Kamiya stares down at Terere; still scared.
"Um…" Kamiya begins after a few moments, "…what…I mean…who…I mean…uh…" She stutters over her words as Terere slowly starts to let go of her hat; looking up at Kamiya.
"Are-are you a…Pekoponjin?" Terere asks with fear in her voice. "You…speak Japanese?" Kamiya asks; equally scared and confused.
They look at each other; waiting for the other to answer their question. "No-" They both reply at the same time as each other; causing them both to instantly stop in mid-sentence.
"No…I-I'm not a Pekoponjin…at least I don't think I am…" Kamiya begins, still feeling a little fear, "…I'm a human." "No…I don't speak…what you called it, Japan-ese…I'm speaking the language that is used in this region of Pekopon; as I heard the other Pekoponjin on this planet speaking." Terere replies; still a little afraid as well.
"This planet?" Kamiya begins; kneeling down to Terere's height, "…Are you, some sort of alien or something?" She asks her.
"Oh no; you know!" Terere shouts in fear; clasping her hands in front of her face. "You…you must be all alone and scared…" Kamiya states; reaching out slowly towards Terere. Terere backs up a little; but doesn't have much room to move as Kamiya stops reaching out.
"I…I know what it's like to be all alone and scared…" Kamiya mutters with sadness. Terere looks up at her; unsure of what to do. "…You do?" Terere asks her cautiously.
"Yes…I'm all alone too…I have no friends; and my dad just left again to go back to work in America…I only have my mother…and I get so lonely…" Kamiya mutters as she starts to cry.
"I-I don't have anyone either! I'm all alone here…my boyfriend left me to come here and he never contacted me after that! I miss him so much too!" Terere cries out as she too starts crying.
They both cry as Kamiya kneels just outside the closet and Terere sits near the back of the closet. "I…I don't know who you are…but…you're the first friendly face I've seen on this planet…" Terere begins.
"My name…is Kamiya Yumenna…" Kamiya replies to her; trying hard to stop crying. "My name…is Terere." Terere replies; still crying.
"If…if you'd like…" Kamiya begins; reaching out towards Terere again, "…You-you can stay here…until you find your boyfriend…"
Terere stares in disbelief at Kamiya; staring at her outstretched hand. "You-you'd let me stay here; even after I scared you and came in here without your permission?" Terere asks; still a little scared.
"You didn't scare me…too much…" Kamiya replies; laughing a little through her tears; "…I'm just very shy and it takes a while for my courage to kick in; and if I were in your place; I'd be scared too and run to the first place I could find and hide."
"Kamiya…" Terere mutters in wonder at Kamiya's kindness. She reaches out slowly and cautiously grabs Kamiya's hand.
"Don't worry…you'll be safe here…I won't tell anyone you're here…not anyone!" Kamiya shouts; pulling Terere in close to her and hugging her, "…Just promise me you won't hurt me…I've never had a friend before and I really need someone…please; don't leave me…"
Kamiya starts crying profusely as Terere looks up at her; still being held tightly by her. "Kamiya…" Terere mutters, starting to cry again.
"Please promise me you won't leave me! I'm all alone…I have no one…please; stay with me…Terere…" Kamiya asks; holding her tightly as she continues to cry.
"I…I promise; Kamiya…I will stay with you and be your friend…" Terere replies; looking at the floor.
I can't tell her…I can't tell her that I'm on the run… Terere thinks to herself as Kamiya holds her tightly, …She's so alone; I just can't hurt her by telling her the truth about how I got here…
Suddenly; Terere jerks a little bit; causing Kamiya to release her and attempt to stop crying. "What's the matter?" Kamiya asks her.
"They…well; it's nothing…" Terere mutters as she wipes her eyes; "…Just promise me that you'll tell no one that I'm here; O.K.?"
"O.K…." Kamiya replies, "…I don't really know anyone I could tell anyway; and I've never seen an alien before; so I can't really help you there…but if I ever see one of your kind; I will be sure to tell you right away!"
Kururu-sempai… Terere thinks to herself for a moment; then looks up at Kamiya. "O.K.! And I swear; I will never leave you; Kamiya-dono! Thank you so much!!" Terere shouts happily; smiling up at her.
"Thank you too; Terere-chan…" Kamiya replies with a smile; and they hug each other again.
"And as Kamiya-chan and Terere-chan's friendship starts; elsewhere…" The narrator states.
"Hmm…no sign of her anywhere…" Kizuzu Taisa states as he walks through the special alien market underground.
"You looking for someone?" An older woman-like alien asks from behind a counter. "Yes. Ah'm looking for a small purple Keronian; female; with a light purple hat with a flower on her belly and hat. Have you seen her?" He asks her.
"No…I haven't…" The old lady states; and Kizuzu starts walking away. "…But I know someone who has…" She continues; and he stops in his tracks.
"Oh?" He asks her; crossing his arms. "Yes…go talk to that gentleman over there…he mentioned seeing some Keronians today." She states; pointing to the salesman from on the city sidewalk earlier in the day.
As Kizuzu makes his way over to him; the salesman looks at him. "Another Keronian?" He mutters; sitting by a couple of suitcases.
"The lady over there tells me you've seen some Keronians today…" Kizuzu begins. "Yes. There were 6 of them. 5 of them seemed to know each other; but one didn't…it was strange." He tells him.
"What do ya mean?" Kizuzu asks him. "Well; there were 5 of them; a black one, a green one, a red one, a blue one, and a yellow one; and they were going to buy some knives from me; but then the blue one showed me for who I really am; an alien; right there on the street!" The salesman tells him.
"Hmm…the Keroro Platoon; Ah assume…" Kizuzu mutters quietly to himself; "…And what of the 6th one?"
"Well; that one was purple…and it was a girl; from what I recall…" He tells Kizuzu; and Kizuzu's head perks up a little upon hearing this.
"Do you recall where y'all last saw the purple Keronian?" Kizuzu asks him quickly. "Yeah. It was only a couple of blocks from Nishizawa Tower." The salesman replies.
"Can ya be a little more specific?" Kizuzu asks him. "Well; this was several hours ago; I'm sure she's no where near there now." The salesman replies.
Kizuzu grumbles a little; then activates his wing pack. "Alright. Thank ya kindly for your help." Kizuzu replies as he starts to fly away.
"Say, want to buy a knife?" The salesman asks him as he flies away. "No…" Kizuzu replies, more to himself than the salesman, "… Ah already have all the weapons Ah need on my ship…"
"Elsewhere…" The narrator states.
"Attention Kizuzu Platoon! Come in, Kizuzu Platoon!" A voice comes over the intercom on Tobibi's; Torara's; and Senshishi's wrists.
"Tobibi here. What's going on, Teichou-dono?" She asks him. "Torara here too; sir!" Torara replies; standing inside the ship with Haruru and Tobibi. "Senshishi here as well." Senshishi replies; standing in front of a bookstore; reading a magazine.
"We have a confirmed sighting of Terere-san." Kizuzu announces into his intercom as he flies through the underground market.
"Oh really?" Torara asks; a little surprised. "Who saw her?" Tobibi asks, a little confused.
"That's not important; it was just some alien here on Pekopon," Kizuzu states, "What matters is that she was spotted near this place called Nishizawa Tower a few hours ago. She couldn't have gone too far from there."
"What makes you so sure?" Tobibi asks him over the intercom.
"It's simple; really," Kizuzu begins, "It was a few hours ago; 'n' the battery on my anti-barrier ran out a few hours ago."
"Mine did too!" Torara adds in; totally shocked by the coincidence.
"The anti-barriers don't seem to last that long; they need to be charged more frequently here…" Kizuzu explains, "…And Terere-san would need to hide quickly to avoid being spotted by Pekoponjin. Remember; civilians haven't seen Pekoponjin up close; so they're probably likely to be afraid of them right away."
"He's right…" Tobibi says to Torara; as Haruru plays a game a short distance away.
"Also; the Keroro Platoon was spotted with her; but from what Ah gather; they didn't notice her. So; if Ah had to guess; Ah'd say that she is searchin' for them; and so she might either be with them or still searchin' for them." Kizuzu adds.
"I didn't even see the Keroro Platoon…" Senshishi replies lazily; flipping the page of the magazine. "If Ah know you; you probably haven't even looked for them. Y'all's probably sitting outside some bookstore; reading a magazine or somethin'." Kizuzu remarks sarcastically; causing Senshishi to quickly fold up the magazine and put it away.
"Man…how did he know?" Senshishi asks himself with the intercom closed.
"Anyway; the important thing now is we have a perimeter to search," Kizuzu states, "…We know where Terere-san is; and it's only a matter of time now before we find the anti-barrier signal comin' from her hat; or the remnants of it; and from that; find her!"
"With the Kizuzu Platoon hot on Terere's trail; will they find her; or will Terere be able to hide from them? And if they do find her; what will happen to her? And what will happen to Kamiya Yumenna if they do find Terere?" The narrator asks, "Keep watching and find in the exciting conclusion!"