Giroro nodded before breathing deeply and exhaling, he required focus. Straightening his posture, he pulled out the cylindrical device and set it down on the table. Natsumi looked at it confused but watched as Giroro switched it on and activated the holographic blue screen.
His fingers swiped across it, as if it actually existed in that space. Running through the programs and files he soon opened up an empty document. Natsumi finally recognized the thing to be some sort of computer. Giroro placed both hands above the alien letters and began typing.
"What are you doing?" She asked him, turning her head slightly to the side with curiosity.
"I'm writing my report to my superiors. It shouldn't take me long." He answered keeping his eyes on the screen making sure he didn't make any mistakes.
Natsumi rested her head on her arms as they crossed over each other on top of the table. She let her eyes roam around the room as she waited, but they just ended on Giroro. He was the most interesting part of her surroundings. She listened to the tap-tap-tapping of his fingers on the screen and watched as he paused every now and then to mull over which words to use. It wasn't long before her eyelids began to slowly droop lower and lower as they became much heavier.
She shifted her head slightly and fluttered her eyes trying to stay awake. She knew she wasn't tired but the calm and rhythmic sounds seemed to lull her into a comfortable and light nap, it wasn't long before the sweet song of sleep enwrapped her. Giroro saw her soft expression and chuckled quietly to himself. A soft blush crept into his cheeks as the side of her face was squished cutely on her arm. Her small coos drifted to his ears as she dreamed softly.
Giroro then turned back to the monitor determined to finish quickly. The sooner he finished his reports the sooner his commanding officers can make their decision. He worked through it and after correcting grammar and spelling, he was done.
He turned of the computer and stood up but moved too fast causing his leg to shift the table, his movements woke the peacefully sleeping girl. Natsumi blinked a few times and saw her red alien getting up to leave the room.
"Where are you going?" She asked in a tired and almost childish tone, she was even rubbing one of her eyes.
"I'm going to go give my report to the commanding officers. I'll be back as soon as I can." Giroro blushed; she just looked too cute to him.
After gathering enough courage inside he brushed aside her hair and placed a kiss atop her forehead. He then turned back to the door and left her slightly stunned and bearing the same blushing pink on her cheeks. Natsumi's heart skipped a beat as she thought about the warm kiss. It made her happy, and she hoped it wouldn't be one of the last. Shortly after he'd left she stood up and picked a book off the shelf, deciding to preoccupy herself till he returned.
Upstairs Giroro had just arrived at the higher up's office. A lump had formed in his throat, restricting his breathing, he swallowed hard forcing it back down into the pit of his stomach. Never before had he been so afraid of his superiors. Logic had already told him what would happen, but hope kept him from making a break for it then and there. He only prayed to the lady of luck that she'd smile on the love between Natsumi and himself.
Giroro held his breath as he raised his fist to knock on the door. Before he even made contact a voice called from inside.
"Enter Corporal Giroro." It was a sharp and clear command. Giroro quickly and stiffly complied to the order. Stepping inside he halted at a semi-comfortable distance from the commander's and the door.
"Corporal Giroro I assume you're here to give the report you told us would be ready today?" one of the commanders asked him, drawing Giroro's response.
"Yes sir. I have come to report my…. progress, concerning Dangerous Pekoponian Slave X814." Giroro saluted when he responded. When the higher ups gave him the ok, he launched into a repertoire on (most of) the events leading up until this point.
When Giroro finished they gave him their leave till further notice. After he left the commanders looked at one another and began to debate their further course of action. Once they had established that Dangerous Pekoponian Slave X814 was impossible to tame they began to spitball alternative solutions.
Meanwhile…
Giroro had returned to Natsumi's side and watched her as she intently read the book she held in her hands. She hadn't noticed him come in so he decided to go wash his face, he had been sweating quite a bit since leaving the higher up's office. He scrubbed for a few moments before lifting his wet face to look in the mirror. He gazed into the reflection of his own dark eyes, trying to clear his head and stay calm. He would need his quick thinking to plan a response to his superior's decision.
He dried his face with a towel and made his way back to the comfortable holding cell which had become Natsumi's room for the time being. When he returned he saw that Natsumi hadn't moved from her position, still transfixed on the book in her hands. It was when Giroro closed the door behind him that he caught her attention, she lifted her eyes from the pages and looked at him, greeting him with a smile.
"Hey, you're back." Her eyes followed him as he reclaimed his seat from earlier. "How did it go?" she placed a bookmark in the pages of the book and closed it softly with a short clump.
"As well as it could go, I guess." Giroro sighed softly; he shook his head slightly trying to keep himself from thinking the worst.
"Do you know when they'll make a decision?" Natsumi set the book flat on her lap as she continued the conversation removing the distraction for the time being.
"I don't have the slightest clue." Giroro looked at her, the thoughts of the possibility of what was to come clouding the back of his eyes.
"Maybe they'll take so long they can't make a decision." Natsumi smiled hopefully.
"I highly doubt that." Giroro gave a small smirk. "But its a nice thought." he mused at her different way of thinking.
"Giroro? Do you, enjoy being a soldier?" Natsumi put her hands in her lap, she hoped she wasn't prying.
"We Keronians pride ourselves on our militaristic abilities and the numerous counts of conquered races, so being a soldier is one of the greatest honors a Keronian could ever ask for. I do enjoy being a soldier, as a Keronian it fills me with pride. It's not the only thing I'd like to do but it is one of the few careers I prefer." Giroro looked away slightly as he thought about his reply. "I wouldn't be who I am now if it weren't for the training."
"Was the training challenging?" Natsumi asked, intrigued to learn something new about him.
"Essentially yes, in the end I was able to succeed and surpass my own my limits I guess. Honestly I don't understand people who completely avoid new tasks and obstacles." Giroro turned back to her and continued speaking.
"A lot of people complain about their problems but almost none of them try to get any better to create a solution for them. I think the only way to resolve one's issues in life is to get stronger either mentally or physically." Giroro gazed at her with a look of determination blazing in his eyes as he spoke.
"You know I was considered the strongest and smartest in my school." Natsumi remenissed. "I was at the top of my class in practically every subject and excelled above everyone else in gym, but only because I practiced and took the time to study; I got stronger."
"Even everyday life requires training." Giroro and Natsumi laughed lightly together. "So what kind of exercises did they put you through?"
"Usually running around the track and learning how to properly play sports. The girl's usually had tennis and other games that weren't so popular. When I was a little younger I played on every sports team I could. Sports teams like Tennis, soccer, even softball." Natsumi's eyes seemed to grow a little distant as she recalled her childhood. "I didn't consider it a good day until I worked up a sweat and went home with a couple cuts and bruises."
"You make it sound like you stopped." Giroro inquisited. He wanted to know more.
"As I grew older I stopped playing so many after school because I had to take over chores and responsibilities at home. Although I never actually stopped practicing, I always gave it my all in class." Natsumi smiled wide and winked at him. "Wait, do you even know what those are?"
"I kind of get the idea. We did some research on your planet prior to the invasion. However, I was more focused on your military training and history with battle rather than your everyday lives and activities. From what I've come to understand they keep score using similar point systems as individuals or teams run around either hitting things with sticks, and/or kicking or throwing them back and forth." Giroro made his statement by gesturing slightly with his hands. He looked up at her waiting to see if he got it right.
Natsumi looked at him and nodded her head she continued the conversation.
"That's actually correct; we just did that practically every idea was to stay healthy and fit. I guess it was to help keep us prepared for things we may encounter later on in life." Natsumi explained. She place one arm under the other, propping up the elbow and holding up her chin with her pointer finger.
"To me it almost sounds like military training. How could I have been so blind? From a young age you are trained to be physically fit to defend yourselves but disguise it merely as games; Ingenious." Gioro spoke with a hint of admiration and surprise at his own misjudgment.
Natsumi made a slight 'hmmm"-ing sound before she spoke again. "Yeah I guess you could think of it that way. In a soldier's eyes I guess it would make sense. Especially because we start doing these activities since we practically learn to walk." Giroro froze and slumped onto his knees dramatically.
"Giroro? What's wrong?" Natsumi asked him surprised by his sudden melancholy.
"Trained from such a young age, almost as if… as if you were being raised to be a child soldier." Giroro said in a sad voice. Natsumi laughed.
"No, no it wasn't like that at all. Human children are full of a lot of energy and having them exhaust themselves physically is the only way to get them to settle down. However if you can't make the activity interesting to them they just complain and carry on. Ha ha ha ha we weren't trained as child soldiers from a young age." Natsumi laughed as Giroro looked at her face now understanding the truth about his misconception.
"Wow Giroro you guys seem to over think things really easily, are all of you like that?" Natsumi asked and she continued to laugh, causing Giroro to chuckle.
"Yeah I guess so." he began to laugh loudly joining in with the sounds of Natsumi's own laughter. They had been laughing so loud neither of them heard neither the elevator ding, nor the doors sliding open, as well as the groups of footsteps coming down the hall. They were only made aware that they had company when Giroro who sat with his back facing the open door leaned over backwards in his laughter and caught the stern glares of the commanding officers looking down on him. He froze in mid laugh, silencing himself and suddenly turning a paler shade of red.
"S-sirs. I…. I didn't expect to, uhhh see you so soon." Giroro stood up in a salute.
"Yes, well we came to look at the prisoner ourselves before delivering our verdict." One of them spoke, looking from Giroro to Natsumi and back again.
"So, this is Dangerous Pekoponian Slave X814… Doesn't seem like much. However she DID take out several of our guards single handedly and unarmed." another of them commented.
"Sirs may I request what your decision is?" Giroro asked them sternly, now serious. The higher ups looked around and one of them chuckled lightly.
"Well what we have seen here only helps to affirm our decision. However before I deliver the verdict, Corporal Giroro might I ask you a question?" one of them spoke looking at Giroro.
"Yes Sir!" Giroro responded. Oddly the commanding officer smiled slightly before speaking.
"You said that Dangerous Pekoponian Slave X814 is absolutely untamable." Giroro lowed his head slightly preparing himself for what was to come next, "However, can she be trained?" Giroro's head shot up and looked at him in confusion, both he and Natsumi shouted at the same time.
"What?!"
-To Be Continued…