Hi everyone! I've officially decided on Keroponians, now! I haven't gotten many reviews on the subject, but I've had friends tell me that, too, so I'm going to go with it. Okay, here we go!
"Well?" Natsumi asked, looking worried. Giroro was really confused, now. Apparently he was the last to learn he was a 'father.' He still didn't really believe it, but everyone else seemed to know about Kioshii! Even Keroro and Tamama seemed to take it as old news! Was he really just having a spout of severe amnesia? Part of him wished that was what it was.
"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do to restore his memories. Kukuku… The memory loss is very specialized and concentrated, so if I tried I might end up causing more damage. You two might just have to start over again," Kululu told her, and she fought hard to hold back tears, glancing at Giroro, who was looking unnaturally helpless, trying to process what was happening.
"I'll give you two some alone time. Kukuku…" Kululu said, and disappeared downstairs. Natsumi set Kioshii down on a baby blanket on the floor, and ran to Giroro, flinging her arms around him and sobbing.
"I can't lose you, Giroro! I just can't…" she sobbed into his shoulder as she sat on her knees. Giroro stood there, stunned for a moment, before carefully wrapping his arms around her in return. She didn't seem to mind. Giroro's heart was doing flips inside of him, and he barely dared to believe it. It couldn't be a dream. He wasn't creative enough.
They stood there like that for several minutes before Fuyuki came downstairs, rubbing his eyes sleepily.
"Do I smell something burning?" he asked, not seeming to notice Giroro and Natsumi. The latter jumped suddenly to her feet.
"Breakfast!" she exclaimed, and ran to turn off the stove. Only once she was gone did Fuyuki turn to Giroro.
"What's up with her, Giroro? Something wrong?" he asked, fingering a small bump on his arm that he'd noticed that morning. It must've been a spider bite or something, he supposed, although it was really a needle mark. Kululu had realized at the last moment that if he wanted this to last more than a few minutes he'd need to have Fuyuki in on it, too. So the youngest Hinata had also been drugged.
"I, uh, apparently have some memory loss, or something. Can't remember something that everyone apparently expects me to remember," Giroro replied, sitting down on the couch and rubbing his head. All this confusion was giving him a headache.
"Oh. I guess that makes sense why she'd be upset. And you, of all people. She must be mortified," Fuyuki said, and a second later Natsumi walked back in, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve and taking a deep, shuddering breath.
"Sorry, guys. Looks like it's either toast or cereal this morning," she said, trying and failing to look cheerful. Giroro still could barely believe that Natsumi could ever have fallen for him, but he was starting to believe in this reality that Kululu had manufactured.
Kululu looked up at his screen, laughing at the look on Giroro's face. He couldn't wait to see how long he could keep Giroro believing it!