The green planet with yellow stars had entered view, an entire world familiar to the platoon but a mystery to the others. This was the famed planet Keron of the toad nebula.
"Looks like we're almost there, now seems like a good time to give you all these" Kururu stated pulling out a box full of little yellow stars "Keron issued translation devices, as funny as it would be for you to be unable to understand anyone the whole time you are on Keron, our superiors didn't find it as funny kukuku"
"Translation devices? That's so cool!" Fuyuki cheered pinning the star to his jacket. "is this the same thing as the pin on your hat?" he asked to the green frog.
"Yep, it translates everything from words to text!" he replied happily.
"So with out it we wouldn't have been able to understand you? Or you us?" Fuyuki asked confused.
"That's right, ours are also our as anti-barrier, though the battery life is kind of short" he tapped the red star on his hat and an aura surrounded him.
"So that means we can go invisible?" Natsumi asked sceptically.
"Well your here on a Diplomacy mission, no real point on giving you an anti-barrier" he explained.
"Alien diplomats, so cool!" Fuyuki swoon, "Can you believe it Nishizawa?"
"it's very exciting" She said softly, fuyuki's enthusiasm made her grin, she loved to see him happy.
As the ship was preparing to land and they all sat in their seats, something dawned on Giroro 'it translates everything from words to text' those words echoed in his head, why was this bothering him so much. He looked at Natsumi who was distracted with the window, gazing at the planet below. As his eyes trail down her body, stopping at her hand and instantly the colour drained from his face. Natsumi would be about to read the inscription. She can read it as clear as day and there wasn't going to be any misinterpretation of what it means.
This was bad, really bad, what was he going to do. "Are you alright Red?" Natsumi asked noticing his pale look.
"Y-yeah" he replied but he was far from alright.
"Cause you look a little sick" she said worried.
"I'm fine" he asserted, he couldn't just ask for the ring back that'd be too suspicious. He needed someway to get the ring away form her before she could read it. But he couldn't dwell on that now as the ship's doors opened. Slowly light from outside flooded into the space ship. And a sea of Keronian eyes stared back out them.
Slowly they poured out of the ship as the crowd was kept back by guards and the general awaited them with a hand raised in salute. "Welcome to Keron Pekoponians! And welcome back home soldiers" he greeted.
"Greeting general" Sargent Keroro greeted back as he and his men saluted.
"I hope you had a safe trip"
"We did, you supplied us with a fine ship sir"
"Sargent Keroro are you taking questions?!" a reporter shouted out "Natsumi is pink your natural hair colour?" another shouted out "Private Tamama is it true your in a secret relationship with your Sargent?" yet another report could be heard from the rumble of the crowd "Giroro what are your thoughts on your statement you made years ago from falling in love with the enemy" another one shouted out.
"No questions, they will be holding a press conference after the wedding, please return to your homes and give them a chance to rest" the General ordered.
One of the guards turned to them to reveal it was Garuru "I'm here to help you to the location you'll be staying" he explained "I offered to assist, figured you'd like to see a familiar face and I wanted to welcome you home" he said softly but if he was honest he was still a bit concerned about his brothers health after what happened during his visit. And while he wouldn't admit it to them, he was concerned for possible assassination attempts as is usual when guarding important figures.
"It's good to be back!" Keroro cheered "Wonder where we should go first?" he asked in excitement.
"Well I know you'll be going to your rooms first and resting, and then tomorrow, my platoon and I will be showing you around the usual sights to accustom the Pekoponians to our culture" Garuru asserted.
"So all the touristy places, I was hoping we could show them Keron ourselves" Keroro whined.
"Oh please we all know the places you'd show them" Giroro groaned. Keroro would probably show him things like their secret clubhouse and that alley where he got mugged once, their school, his house, pretty much everything that revolves around him. Though he had to admit that does sound more entertaining and personal then hearing a bunch of history lectures they suffered through during school.
They soon ended up at a large building with 'Keron relations Embassy' written on it. "this is where you'll be staying, they have already set up accommodations" Garuru stated as they entered the large building it was beautifully decorated with statues and water features on the inside.
While Keroro was busy looking after the Pekoponians, Giroro couldn't stop thinking about the damn ring. He couldn't let her read that inscription. He nudged his brother "I need to talk to you" he said in a whisper while they were all distracted.
"What do you need?" his brother asked concerned.
"She was given a translator, she can read the inscription" he stated in a whispered panic "I need to get that ring back before she does"
"hmm that's quite the predicament" his brother replied he thought on it "perhaps you can try taking it from her in her sleep?" he suggested.
"that seems like the smartest solution." he admitted, an idea he should have been able to think of.
"You coming Corporal?" his Sargent's question made him realised he missed a conversation.
"Yeah" he quickly replied. It turns out they were being sent to their rooms to rest after the long flight. Natsumi and him were once again expected to share a room, share a bed. But neither commented on it. Not wanting to make it awkward for the other.
"Oh how cute, does Keron leave chocolates on pillows too?" she asked as she picked it up studying it in her fingers, he felt his heart beat faster as the ring was in her view if her eyes moved just slightly up his confession would be revealed.
"I don't think we do, it must be a Pekoponian tradition they did to make you feel more at home" he stated, his voice slightly faster and sweating nervously, but his talking made her turn her attention away from the candy.
"That's sweet of them but... are you okay?, seriously Red you've looked kind of ill since we got here?" she asked making him flinch he was usually great under pressure or so he thought but Natsumi made him fumble so many times, he felt a pain in his heart every time he had to lie to those beautiful amber eyes.
"I-I'm fine, I think i'm just tired" he defended.
"That's probably it, i'll admit i'm pretty tired too" she confessed with a yawn. Lying on the bed after taking off her shoes and dropping her bag. She ate the sweet chocolate as she laid their a soft smiled spread across her face "It's funny i'm on an alien planet and the first thing I want to do is sleep. what about you what did you do when you first arrived on Earth?" she asked as he climbed into bed next to her.
"I scouted the area in search of my Sargent as I was separated from my platoon. After I found him imprisoned in your house I watched and waited for an opportunity to free him while also gathering intelligence and camped near the house out of sight." he replied.
"that just sounds like a cooler way of saying you were stalking us" she teased.
"That's war for you." he replied. She gave him a soft smile as she started to doze off. He to pretended to sleep and once her silent snores started he looked at her chest raise and fall in her sleep, her whole body relaxed despite him being next to her. Even when he lived in her back yard, training made it really hard for him to sleep not on guard, not half aware as he slept right next to his enemies base. Waiting in anticipation of an attack, but that was what war was, if you don't move at the slightest of sound, you end up dead.
Though this women made sleeping so much easier he was slightly scared at how deep of a sleep he fell into last time they sleep next to each other. He even slept in.
After several minutes he realised his time to act was now. He felt guilty as he reached out to her sleeping form and carefully picked up her hand. It was so big in his grasp, careful fingers slid around her ring finger. As he was preparing to slowly remove it. While his fingers touched that cold metal he noticed those eyes staring back at him accusingly and his blood ran cold. As those amber eyes stared at him, she either wasn't asleep yet or he had woken her up.
"What are you doing?" she asked in suspicion as the little keronian held her hand in his.