The walk home was a silent one. Giroro rode his saucer lows to the ground so he could be near Natsumi, but high enough so they stood at eye level. They had not spoken a word since the park after Giroro had gruffly said that the others must be worried and that they should return.

The red Corporal remained silent as he thought of the somewhat disappointed look in Natsumi's face when he had brought up their return, and Natsumi was playing through her head seeing Saburo kissing his new girlfriend, and then Giroro coming to find her; one playing right after the other.

I still can't believe that of all the people who came to look for me, it was Giroro. Natsumi thought to herself as she stole a look sideways at the cloaked frog. I mean, I guess we are kind of like friends, even if he is part of an invasion team of space frogs. But he is the most tolerable of the frogs, no question about it.

For the first time that day, her thoughts drifted from Saburo; where he was, what he was doing, who he was with, to the companion at her side. She thought of the first sweet potato that he gave her in a dark night when she was going to harass him for still refusing to even eat with the rest of them. She remembered the moment she was in the shower at school when she knew she was being watched and came to find later it was the frog doing recon. Pervert, Natsumi thought, but she could not help but smile. She remembered the battles she fought along side him, watching in awe at the skill and ruthlessness contained within such a small creature. He may be small, but he has honor, courage, and heart. Something those other frog freaks do not know anything about.

She was looking at him again, and she has the strangest little smile on her face this time. Giroro tried to force his eyes straight ahead though he could feel himself blushing with pride. She's looking at me. Giroro rolled his shoulder to hide the puff of pride that threatened to give him away. I wonder what she's thinking about.

Another corner was rounded; another street lay ahead. The walk home would not be much longer at the pace that they were going. The idea was unpleasant to both the girl and the frog, for not so different reasons. The night was cool warning of the end of the warm season they had been having, and the stars were bright even with the glare of the streetlights overhead.

"Hey, Giroro?" Natsumi said, finally braking the silence.

"Yes?" he responded with a surprised yelp. He had been thinking so hard about her, that hearing her voice made him jumpy. He cleared his throat and looked at her, trying to play it off coolly.

Natsumi only smiled and tried not to laugh. "I just wanted to ask you something."

Giroro turned his full attention to the Pekoponian girl and waited. Natsumi had dropped her gaze from him and stared at the ground. She had come to a stop and Giroro set his saucer on hover so he could look at her while she spoke. "Can you not tell the others anything?" Her soft brown eyes came up to lock in his.

A secret. A secret between just us two. The idea made he want to smile, but he only huffed and looked away. "Sure thing, babe. Not like the others will want to hear about the problems of a Pekoponian female." Giroro was pulled out of his thoughts after realizing what he had instantly blurted out. He turned to apologize, but the look on Natsumi's face stopped him.

She was smiling. At him.

He always acts so weird when we're alone. I wonder if it's because he finds me troublesome? She tilted her head as she looked at her red friend. If she really was troublesome, why would he go out looking for her? Why would he give her a hug when she needed it the most and then say nothing, letting her think.

Her smile widened as she turned back down the street towards the swift approaching Hinata residence. "The others must be starving. I didn't realize it was so late already."

"The others have already eaten." Giroro stated flatly as he moved his saucer to cruise along beside Natsumi again. "When you didn't come home and have dinner prepared, Keroro ordered out." He explained when Natsumi gave him a surprised and curious look.

With a sigh, Natsumi looked back down at the street as she walked. "I see. I shouldn't have been out so long." She trailed off, obviously distressed at letting everyone down.

He was tired of seeing his warrior princess so disappointed and sad. He had seen it too much today to stand. "I haven't eat yet. I had just started getting my fire pit going when I heard the others talking about your absence. It should be well warmed now."

Natsumi blinked and looked at him. A small sly smirk spread across her lips. "Giroro, are you inviting me to dinner?" She asked, almost managing to even sound innocent as she teased him.

Giroro, however, instantly reacted. His saucer swerved once when he blushed horribly at her question, a second time to avoid a trash can that had seemingly popped out of nowhere and directly into his path, then failed a third time as he hit a light post. Natsumi could only laugh as Giroro rubbed his head embarrassed but unharmed despite the damage to the pole and saucer.

"I'm guessing that's a yes? I'm also guessing that this means you'll be walking the rest of the way?" Natsumi giggled as the saucer clinked and crackled pitifully behind the frog who hopped off the wreckage, pointedly keeping his back to the device as though it weren't there.

"I'll let Kururu know its out here and he'll do something about it." The idea of having to face the yellow demon again twice in the same day didn't sit well with him, but it was not in operating enough condition to move it by hand. "He'd be highly amused to know that it almost killed me. He may even make it faster to see if it can have a better chance next time."

They shared a smile knowing the truth of the statement, even as they joked together. Kururu was severely twisted and anything he could do and get away with to cause a little pain and a lot of misfortune was just up his ally.

Instead of going into the house, the pair circled to the back of the house where the small Keronian tent was set up. The nights were definitely starting to get cooler, but the fire fought back the cold easily. Giroro removed the unused arsenal he had strapped to his person and placed them within the tent, keeping them out to remind him to clean them of any sand or dirt before he turned in for the night.

Behind him, Natsumi was already sitting down on her cinderblock and basking in the warm wash of the fire. The glow bathed her in soft light, and Giroro was transfixed as he gazed on her. She was always beautiful to him, of course, and seeing her in the park let him see another, softer, side of his princess. The fire dancing across her face and hair made her look almost primal, exotic, something wild and untamable; nothing like the crying girl he had seen earlier. This Natsumi he knew. Bathed in the light of flying rockets, the sharp flash of gunfire, the look of determination on her features as she fought with him, and sometimes against him. How he loved her…

"I-I'll be right back. I should tell Kururu about the ship before I forget." He ducked back into the tent and brought out a few sweet potatoes and a stick for each of them check them as the flames licked the delightful treats. "I won't be long," he stated flatly as he set the potatoes beside the fire, knowing Natsumi had seen him roast potatoes enough times to know how to do it herself, if she did not already know how to.

Inside, Fuyuki and Keroro were busy testing their skills against each other in the new video game Natsumi had purchased earlier that week. A part of Giroro wanted to be furious the two were playing games while Natsumi was missing, presumably lost and alone out in the dark cold night, but another strong part of him was pleased that he could keep Natsumi to himself a little while longer.

His near silent trek around the living room, trying to not be noticed, was brought short when Fuyuki's voice broke out as the red frogs hand rested on the door knob. "Hey, Giroro, did you find Natsumi?"

"Yeah.." he answered gruffly as he turned to look at them. "She's outside at my tent if you-" Giroro stopped since neither of them had looked away from the brightly flashing screen once. The two twisted and turned as they tried to make their motions add into the game, which of course was fruitless as Keroro cried out in dismay when his character was knocked off a platform of some kind and disappear into the distance with a blink only to reappear once again and the fight began again.

Strange Pekoponian games…

Giroro left the pair as they virtually beat each other to a pulp and descended back into the depths of the base to Kururu's lab. The teeth were once again clamped shut and it was eerily quiet. Shuddering, he pressed the small communication device linked to inside the lab.

"Kururu? It's me. I found Natsumi. The Pekoponian tracking gun worked perfectly, and the saucer is crashed outside into a light pole." He ranted out his greeting and message as quickly as he could and turned to leave. Behind him, the teeth slid out of the way allowing him access into the darkened room still lit with the harsh light of numerous computer screens.

With a sigh, Giroro entered and tried not to jump when the doorway closed behind him. The chair where Kururu had been sitting was abandoned though the screens still showed the same type of information as before. The lab also reeked of curry. How much of that stuff can he eat? Giroro wondered as he made his way deeper into the lab, seeking the yellow Sgt. Maj.

"Crashed the saucer, ku ku ku?" Kururu's voice rang out from around a corner. "And after I just fixed it. What do I look like, a mechanic?" His voice sounded both delighted and irritated somehow, which made Giroro hold onto the small strand of hope still lingering that he might walk out of this meeting in the same condition he had entered it.

Giroro stopped dead in his tracks when Kururu came into sight, his retort forgotten on his lips. Sgt. Maj. Kururu was submerged up to his chin in a bathtub of steaming, creamy, curry while his head rested on a "backrest" and "pillow" of pure, clean, white rice. In one hand was a stew ladle where he was absently scooping up generous portions of curry and pouring it back into the bath. Feeling all the color drain from his body, Giroro could only stare at the yellow stewing frog.

"Ku ku ku… Want to scrub my back, Gi-ro-ro?" Kururu teased holding out the emptied stew ladle.

The comment broke through to Giroro's mind and he turned his back on the frog. "No. And I flew into the light pole outside near top speeds. The crash almost snapped my neck."

"Ku ku ku… You must have been having a midnight stroll with Natsumi to make you lose control of the ship so easily." Giroro's face burned at Kururu's statement. How is it that everyone knows except her? "I'll bring it in for repairs when I'm done soaking. It gives me an excuse to lounge in luxurie twice in one evening. Ku ku ku…"

Back still to the bathing frog, Giroro blinked in shock. That almost sounds like a dismissal, but without any more teasing? No witty banter? He must have really liked the thought of severely injuring myself very amusing. "Right… Thanks, Sgt. Maj." Giroro muttered as he made his way back to the lab entrance, still shocked that he was leaving alive and in once piece. I get to hug Natsumi. I walked home alone with Natsumi. I leave Kururu's presence without injury. I get to have a meal with Natsumi. Maybe I did die…

Back upstairs, the video gaming duo had finally realized that Natsumi had returned. She was still outside, poking absently at the fire, and Fuyuki was sitting leafing through a new paranormal magazine. That Keroro was laying flat on the floor beside the door with a huge welt on the back of his head and a crater the size of the Keronian's head decorated the wall above him was the confirmation. Giroro grinned as he watched his commanding officer twitch in pain a few times before walking towards the sliding glass door. "I wouldn't go out there right now. Natsumi seems pretty mad and she said she wanted to be left alone."

Giroro looked up, and again found that the young Pekoponian male still had not bothered to look up once from what he was doing to address the corporal. The red frog glanced out the window to see Natsumi had turned her head to meet his gaze and offered a small welcoming smile.

A wave of pleasure flowed through the frog as he puffed out his chest in pride. He sighed out and made his way to the door, eyes on Natsumi as her eyes were on his. "We'll just see about that." He all but growled challengingly in a low tone as he slid the door open.

Finally, Fuyuki tore his eyes from the pages of the magazine to look at Giroro as the door slid shut behind the frog. He blinked curiously as Natsumi smiled at the corporal while Giroro himself took his seat beside her on his own cinderblock, take up a stick and prod at the fire. I guess Natsumi just wanted some time alone with Giroro. He smiled to himself as he looked back at the pages knowingly.

"These seem about done." Giroro stated as he turned over a potato in the fire, it's skin already blackened in the night air filled with the sweet aroma. He skewered one potato then, without asking, held out his hand to Natsumi who placed her stick in his hand. He traded sticks with her, giving her the first sweet potato of the night as he pushed the few remaining potatoes to the outer ring, keeping them hot without cooking them further before picking one for himself.

"Thanks, Giroro. I'm starving!" Natsumi said as she took a large bite. Her eyes watered from the heat, but her lips were smiling. She forced down the bite and sighed out happily. "So good! I don't know what it is about these things, but I just can't seem to get enough of them."

Giroro chuckled at the girl as she blew on the potato this time, cooling it first, before taking a more reasonable bite. They shared their meal quietly, abandoning the sticks when the skins became tolerable to hold in their hands.

Once Natsumi had finished her potato she smiled and sighed contently. "You know, I was almost dreading having to come home and cook everyone's dinner tonight. I'm really glad that it turned out like this." She smiled at Giroro, which in turn made him blush and look away with closed eyes as he finished off his own potato. "Hey, Giroro, why do you always eat out here all alone? I can make enough food for all of us you know."

It was the closest he had heard to her inviting him, not demanding him, into her home that he had ever heard. He looked back up at Natsumi almost in awe as he tried to think beyond the mushy thoughts clouding his mind. After a moment, he looked down and retrieved a stick to poke at the fire, hoping the color of the fmales would hide the burning in his face. "It's part of the soldiers training never to live under the roof of an enemy." He answered gruffly. He saw Natsumi slouch out of the corner of his eye, and he stole a quick glance to see her eyes settle on the flames with an almost tired smile. Quickly, he cleared his throat and added, "but, if you accidently make more food then you need some night, and Keroro can't fill his bottomless pit, I'll see about helping."

Natsumi grinned down at the frog. He invited me to dinner, it's only fair that I invite him to dinner as well. No sooner had the thought slipped through her mind that a strong breeze tore through the city, bringing the cold chill of a fast approaching winter. Embers from the fire jumped and bit at Natsumi playfully making her shriek in surprise. The Keronian Corporal jumped into motion, banking the fire and putting it out with swift stamps of his feet. Eyes darting up, Giroro assessed the sudden temperature drop and frowned knowing that this would be the first of many long cold nights.

He was pulled from his thoughts as Natsumi grabbed his hand and pulled him, literally, out of his thoughts and towards the house. Throwing open the sliding door, Natsumi dragged the weakly resisting frog inside, kicked off her shoes and closed the door again with a clack! Outside, the trees swayed and groaned restlessly, whipping violently. The smoldering leaves from the fire were picked up and danced like dark fairies on the wind before being whisked away and out of sight.

Giroro looked around surprised to see that Keroro and Fuyuki were already gone, probably back to their respective rooms for the evening, leaving he and Natsumi alone in the room. He marveled inwardly at how more and less intimate being alone in a room together with Natsumi felt compared to a comfortable fireside meal only minuts before.

"Stupid frog!" Natsumi exclaimed in outrage. "Only he could order out and still get this many dishes dirty!" Giroro blinked out his musings and looked on as Natsumi fumed from the kitchen. He had not noticed her move away from him, his thoughts had been so deep. Already, Natsumi was rolling up the sleeves of her school uniform and the water was flowing into the sink.

Impulse again gripped him. I feel like this is going to turn into a habit around this woman, Giroro thought as he joined Natsumi in the kitchen at the sink. He watched her work away at scrubbing the dishes, her face contorted in rage as she silently cleaned up his Sgt.'s mess. Wordlessly, he retrieved the stool that he had seen Keroro use often when he did his chores, retrieved a clean dry cloth, and set the stool up beside Natsumi before climbing onto it.

Natsumi stared at Giroro when he silently held out one hand for the clean plate she held, while the cloth was gripped in his other hand. Slowly, Natsumi handed the plate to Giroro who took it, dried it carefully then set it on the counter. Wordlessly, he held his hand out for the next. A warm smile, his smile, he mused, touched her lips as she washed a spoon and handed it to him. The continued until there was a small stack of sparkling clean dishes on the counter top. Natsumi placed the dishes away as Giroro wiped down the counter, sink, faucet, and knobs before looking over his handy work with a satisfied nod. Just like cleaning an assault rifle. When you do it just right you cannot help but be filled with pride. Maybe this is why the Sgt. cleaned so much, even when he does complain about it.

Natsumi huffed from behind him, and he turned to see her doing the same as he was, admiring a job well done. She caught his gaze and winked at him, making his face burn and almost fall off the stool he stood on. She walked back to the sliding door, pretending she had not noticed the way he reacted, like she usually did, and stared out at her school bag, a frown again touching at her lips. "I still have a homework assignment to finish before school tomorrow…" Her voice was soft and distant as she thought back about her day.

Giroro grunted as he hopped down off the stool and pushed it back into place out of the way. He did not know what he could say to make her stop thinking about that Saburo idiot. What kind of Pekoponian would turn down his Natsumi? Not that he was not pleased, but he could see the sadness in her face when she pondered a version of the same question. Grunting again, he walked past her to return outside. Natsumi's hand instantly went to the door to stop him, eyes wide as she look down at him. "Giroro, it's crazy windy outside, can't you see? And it's going to get really cold tonight."

He shrugged and stared at her until her hand moved away from the door. "You still need your bag, and I need my guns." He paused amoment. "And I think you should do your homework down here tonight-" He slid the door open, the wind drowning out his words as he quietly finished "…where I can keep an eye on you."

Natsumi watched as Giroro gathered the guns he took with him to "rescue" her, a box from inside the tent, and her school bag which had been knocked over in the angry winds first assault. Once back inside, he set her bag on the table for her and proceeded to set down a mat. Settling himself comfortably, Giroro disassemble the rocket launcher first without looking at her. Not once did he meet her gaze.

Retrieving her bag, Natsumi looked at the door leading to the hallway and the stairs beyond, then back at the red frog as he deftly disassembled the weapon without looking, probably timing himself, she presumed, grinning at the idea. Hesitating, she sat down on one couch, opened her bag and began the task of finishing her assignments.

The Keronian was pleased that she had listened to him, even in so small a matter as staying when he suggested it. Giroro cleaned and polished his rocket launcher lovingly, eventually moving on to the smaller assault rifle as Natsumi toiled over her work. A slow comfortable hour passed between the two before Natsumi set down her pencil and closed her booklet with a satisfied sigh. "English really can be the worst sometimes," she said absently.

A click made her turn her attention to Giroro as he snapped the last piece of the launcher into place, the gun, already reassembled, at his side. He brought it up to his shoulder and looked through the scope, testing as he maneuvered it around the room as though chasing a nimble target before he landed the scope on Natsumi who stared at him with an amused grin. He almost dropped the weapon in his hast to stop pointing it at her head. "I-it's not loaded!" He stuttered immediately, not wanting her to get mad at him for even pointing it in the house.

She laughed and waved her hand dismissing the outburst. "I know. You wouldn't clean a loaded gun after all. I trust you." I trust you, Giroro played through his mind, like a repeating track. I trust you… I trust you… I trust you…

"Giroro?" Natsumi asked. Giroro blinked a few times and shook his head snapping his attention back to the Pekoponian girl who had been trying to get his attention. She was standing at the door leading to the hallway, the door already partly open as she looked at him. "I said it's too cold to stay outside. I'll be right back with a blanket."

Giroro had barely opened his mouth to protest before she had disappeared and was digging around the downstairs closet. "My tent has proved its use, you know!" He called out after her. "I spent all last winter in it, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." She said as she came back in with a thick, bright pink blanket in her arms. It was patterend with large alternating white flowers with yellow centers and yellow flowers with white centers and simple lush green leaves. "I don't think you should be out there in winter, either." She dropped the blanket, and looked from the staring frog to the blanket whish was the object of his attention. "Sorry… I know, it's really girly, but it's the only one that's clean. The rest need a good wash before they'll be of any use." Her hand gently traced a yellow flower petal as she smiled. "This was mine, when I was very little. I don't know why I've never let mom throw it out or give it away."

Slowly, Giroro pushed himself to his feet and walked to the blanket. Natsumi blushed lightly when he mirrored her motions and caressed a small red hand over a white petal, eyes still locked on the item in thought. "Just for tonight." Giroro finally said. "Don't want you to start thinking I've gone soft." He turned hard eyes to her making her show her surprise. "A soldier doesn't sleep under the same roof as his enemies."

She smirked at the old, familiar line. "Then, for tonight, why don't we call a truce? We'll just be friends, and then tomorrow we can take it from there. Deal?" She held out her hand as she smirked at the frog, her determination blazing in her eyes.

A grin crossed the Keronians lip as he took her hand and shook on it. "Truce. Just for tonight." He confirmed. His eyes darted behind her to the door she had not yet closed letting him look out into the hallway. "And just between us," he added looking back up at a confused Natsumi. "If the Sgt. tries anything, feel free to put his face into the wall again."

Natsumi grinned at the thought and tightened her grip, sending shivers down Giroro's spine. He loved the look of delight she got when she thought about hurting his commander or anything violent. That probably should not be a good thing, but there had been plenty of times where he himself had inflicted bodily harm on Keroro, and in return, received injuries from the frog as well. Either way, good or bad, it pleased him to see the fire back in the eyes of his warrior princess.


Took me a long time to get this where I wanted it to be! I got stuck about a page in and couldn't figure out why, but then I changed a response and BAM! I'm back on track! Since I got so many request (thank you all for the reviews!) I am going to be expanding this from a one-shot into an actual story. I'm still not sure where it will end, but the journey promises to be a fun one, at least for me!