See, I'm being so nice that I'm posting two chapters at once! And yes, I know that doesn't really make up for my extended absence, but I'm working on it, I promise!
It was two thirty in the morning when Natsumi finally gave up and got out of bed. Try as she might, she hadn't been able to get to sleep, and she had no idea why. She dressed herself slowly and picked up a book, then marched downstairs so she could read it on the comfort of the couch.
In doing so, she noticed through the back door, that although Giroro's fire had long gone out, the red frog was still sitting on his cinderblock, wide awake, staring up at the moon. She put down the book and opened the door quietly.
"Couldn't sleep?" she asked. Giroro looked at her.
"Not at all. You?"
"Couldn't catch a wink," Natsumi sighed, sitting down next to him again. "Which sucks, because I do have school tomorrow."
"I have an invasion meeting, but I can make up the sleep then. The idiot'll probably just have another dumb scheme involving gundam, spas, or some other stupid thing. I don't know why I bother," Giroro replied. Natsumi giggled.
"Well, that's true. And I could probably call in sick and sleep instead, but are we actually going to do either of those things? No," Natsumi sighed. "Maybe I could take a melatonin or something. I'd like to get at least a few hours of sleep in before I have to survive history class."
"Hnn," Giroro grunted in agreement.
"Aren't you going to try to sleep?" Natsumi asked. "You won't be able to run on full energy tomorrow if you don't allow your body to rest."
"I don't know whether I'll be able to or not. I'm thinking too much," Giroro replied, looking back up at the moon.
"Would you if you could, though?" Natsumi asked.
"I suppose, why?" Giroro asked confusedly.
"Well, then, I know something that might help you sleep!" Natsumi said.
"I'm not taking any of your pathetic Pekoponian sleeping medication," Giroro scoffed. Natsumi rolled her eyes.
"It's nothing like that. See, watch," Natsumi said, and in one fluid movement, she rid Giroro of his belt. He instantly turned to mush and flopped onto his side, suddenly weakened and exhausted unlike anything he'd felt before. "It worked!" Natsumi exclaimed.
"Natsumi, give that back," Giroro instructed weakly, trying and failing to prop himself back into a sitting position.
"Nuh-uh. At least one of us should get some sleep tonight. Otherwise we'll both be too tired to deal with Kioshii tomorrow!" Natsumi said firmly. Giroro was about to argue, but a second before he could speak, he fell asleep. Grinning in satisfaction, Natsumi unzipped Giroro's tent, placed him on his sleeping pad, draped his blanket over him, and carried his belt inside with her so he wouldn't wake up and put it back on.
Deciding that she might as well try to sleep as well, she dug some melatonin out of the cupboard, swallowed one, and went back to the couch so she could wait for it to kick in. She picked up the book, but her gaze kept wandering away from the written word and back over to Giroro's belt, which she'd set down on the couch beside her. The temptation was too much to resist. She grabbed the belt and began examining it thoroughly.
It's just a normal belt, Natsumi thought disappointedly after a minute's search. She flicked at the buckle in agitation, as she'd been hoping for something dramatic, when she noticed something.
"It's hollow…" she whispered. Excited, she began looking for a way to open it. Now that she knew what to look for, it didn't take her long to find the latch. What she saw a second later effectively ensured that she wasn't sleeping no matter how much sleeping medication she shoved down her throat.
Me and Kioshii!? I thought he said it was his family… in… oh. Natsumi flushed. Did Giroro really think of her as family? It must be because we've been living together so long, I guess…
It didn't take Natsumi long to notice that there were other pictures tucked behind the one of her and Kioshii, and she moved it out of the way to see the next few pictures. There were three others total, all of her. This one's got to be years old! My hair's so much shorter! So how long has this been going on…
This goes way beyond family, Natsumi thought to herself. But there's no way that Giroro of all people… likes me!
But the proof is right here!
No, I'm misinterpreting something.
What's there to misinterpret!? He's kept a picture of me with him at all times for years!
Maybe he was gathering information to help subdue me for the invasion.
But it's just pictures… and quite a few. He must've had a crush on me for a long time.
Well, yeah, but… he's GIRORO.
… good point.
The more she thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. Yet, at the same time, she thought back to all the times that Giroro had gone out of his way, once or twice risking his life, to see her safe. All the times he'd been there for her, all the times he'd seemed embarrassed around her for the simplest of things… and she couldn't help but wonder. Just maybe…
Ooh, Natsumi found his pictures! How will this affect their relationship!? What was bothering Fuyuki? You'll just have to wait and see! (and I promise I'll try to update in no more than a week. You can PM me and bug me about it if I don't!)