Author's note: Hi guys~! Yet another chapter of The Kanichiomiya Site. I wanted to let you know I'm going to try to finish all of my current stories before posting new ones so that I'm not so overwhelmed. After that I'm probably going to work on one or two stories at a time- with the exception of any collaborations with GoddessOfOlympus. (By the way, she says hi!) Also, in this chapter the GiroNatsu starts pouring in… X3 Anyway, enjoy!

4

The Sun to a Small, Insignificant Planet

It was 6:45 by the time we finally got to the dining hall- due to quite a few stumbles and minor injuries as we got used to our new Keronian bodies- and almost everyone had left. No, scratch that. Everyone had left with the exception of the Keroro Platoon. I poked my head in nervously, suddenly very self-conscious. What if I wasn't stronger than the stupid frog in this form? What if I tripped and made myself look stupid? What if…? What if…? What if…?

"Come on, Nee-chan," Fuyuki said, patting my arm reassuringly. "We'll be fine."

"Y-you guys go first," I said.

"We'll go together," my mom emphasized.

"Okay," I responded. "One, two…" I took another deep breath (I was getting good at those).

"…Three!"

We all stepped into the room with tension heavy in the air. The stupid frogs were still deep in conversation: Keroro was leading the whole show (as usual), Tamama was doting over Keroro (again, as usual), Giroro was pissed at Keroro for who-knows-what (yet again, as usual), and Kururu was too absorbed in his curry to notice anything (yes, you know what I'm going to say: as usual). Only Dororo was aware our entrance. He gently laid a hand on Giroro's arm. "Giroro-kun."

Everyone turned around, and twenty agonizing seconds passed before their reactions began to show. And let me tell you, they had the widest variety of reactions I had ever seen for a single event.

Kururu simply shrugged as he surveyed Saburo. "You didn't turn out too bad, kid."

Saburo grinned in response.

"You make an awesome alien, Fuyuki-dono!" Keroro exclaimed. "You would be a great addition to the platoon."

"Not a chance, Gunso," Fuyuki replied with a smile.

"Why?!" Tamama wailed. "Why does Momocchi have to be cuter than me?"

"You're plenty cute, Tama-chan," Momoka assured.

"Koyuki-dono, you look wonderful," Dororo commented.

"Thank you," she replied.

And Giroro… Giroro's reaction surprised me the most.

I thought he would just be cool with it. Shrug it off, say it wasn't a big deal. But no. That wasn't what he did at all. He stared.

More specifically, he stared at me.

The way he was looking at me… it was like he was about to start worshipping the ground I walked on. It was like he was a small, insignificant planet in a solar system and I was the sun. If I didn't know any better…

If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in love with me.

I shook that thought off immediately. He wasn't the type to fall in love. I knew him well enough to know that. But it might be nice if he did. He really was a good guy, once you got to know him. Not to mention that he was brave, protected me at all costs, occasionally put my needs over an invasion plan, and had saved my life several times over, and if you wanted to go further he could also make a mean sweet potato. I would never have said this as a human, but if you really thought about it he was also kind of handsome… even the scar added a bit of an endearing quality…

Augh, I thought. What the heck are you thinking, Natsumi! Appearances aside, you're a human. Besides, he'd never fall for you.

But I couldn't deny one thing: I liked the way he was looking at me.

And don't get me wrong: I don't usually crave that kind of attention. In fact, I get a bit annoyed when guys gawk at me- I would even get uncomfortable if Saburo started staring. But with Giroro… with Giroro it felt just the tiniest bit different.

I shook that off too, and walked over to the table, sitting down like turning Keronian was the most normal thing in the world. "Sooo… where to first, once we get to Keron?" I asked casually.

Kururu turned to me. "Kukukuku… I'm surprised that you, of all people, adjusted this fast."

"Shut up, creep," I snapped. "It's none of your business."

He snickered. "In case you haven't noticed, I like knowing about things that are none of my business."

Throughout this conversation, I could still feel Giroro's eyes on me, but I did a fairly good job of ignoring it. He was just a bit in shock. Nothing more. "Nobody answered my question," I responded.

"Well, the ship's in hyperdrive right now, so it'll take us about three days to get to Keron. After that, the first thing you're doing is getting settled into your partners' houses. We'll decide where we're going from there," Pururu said, coming into the room. "So, Natsumi, feeling a bit less queasy?"

I nodded. "I am, thanks."

"Well, Lieutenant Garuru and I have been assigned to show you to your bedrooms for the night, so please meet us in front of Bunk 286- Keroro Platoon, I assume you know where that is and can show your partners there."

Everyone nodded- including Giroro, who had finally snapped out of his 'trance'. "Our old sleeping quarters," he explained to me. I nodded again.

"Until then, Pekoponians-" she laughed. "Well, I suppose you're not Pekoponians anymore. Besides, calling the group of you that sounds so impersonal. I'll have to come up with a new term with the rest of the Garuru Platoon. Anyway, please have dinner and meet us at 19:15- 7:15. Your meals are in that fridge over there. You can warm them up by putting them under the re-heater- it works somewhat like your microwaves." She nodded to a silver machine pressed up against the wall next to a pass-through bar. It had a small, plate-sized slot that I assumed took the plate that had your meal. "Enjoy."

"Thank you," Koyuki said. With a smile, Pururu exited.

I gave a grin and made my way over to the refrigerator. I was actually getting pumped up about this trip.