Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I'm really sorry. I suck at fight scenes bad. But I tried. I need to get better at action scenes like this.
Anyway, here's chapter 12. We're more then halfway done with the story I think? I'm pretty sure.
Natsumi's arms swung down to Dororo and Tamama's tiny frog faces, trying to keep them apart. Tamama just squeezed his own arms, as if he was rolling up his sleeves for a brawl.
Dororo merely pushed Natsumi away against the wall.
"Father?" Kohizou stilled looked in between Natsumi and Tamama, unaware who these strangers were and why his dad was fighting them.
Dororo pushed his sword forward, now that Natsumi was out of the way. "Let us fight an honorable battle, Tamama. If you happen to live, it's because my power to protect my son faltered."
"I always thought of you as a mentor, a role model, Dororo. And I wanted a battle with you that was a safe experience to learn from you. Not like this," Tamama told him, sticking his fists up. Dororo gave him a sad look. A really regretful one.
"Guys, don't be stupid!" Natsumi covered the little boy's eyes next to her, so he wouldn't see what was happening. She wanted to dart in, to get into the battle, to stop them, but she knew the innocent youth came first. Keeping him safe from what was to come.
Dororo waved his sword in the air, making a sharp hiss where the blade met wind. Like lightning, he moved forward, knowing that Tamama's flesh couldn't block his sword.
Tamama was ready though. Trying to focus on his martial arts knowledge instead of his rage, he closed his eyes, and tried to tranquilly dodge the attack.
"You have grown much since I last saw you," Dororo complimented.
"I practice everyday." Tamama knew he was more skilled in hand-to-hand combat verses weaponry. Short-distance battle would not do well for him due to Dororo's sword, but long distance would also not help him because of the assassins ninja arts.
"TAMAMA - " Tamama let out a breath to try to make his Tamama impact. Dororo was upon him in moments, though.
"Assassin magic, mouth sealing!" he chanted, gluing a paper on Tamama's mouth. Tamama let out his impact, blowing up himself and Dororo, a little bit.
Natsumi covered Kohizou as bits of the house came down behind them. Tamama and Dororo jumped back after the explosion, both brushing themselves off.
"This is idiotic. Tamama isn't going to put Kohizou in danger, stop this!" Natsumi yelled. Dororo did not listen, though. He charged again, as Tamama tried to grab Dororo's wrist before his blade cut his delicate body. He tried to do a judo flip of the older Keronian, but Dororo skillfully flipped around, flipping him instead.
It was like acrobatics.
Eventually Dororo wrestled out and cut again at Tamama, below the kneecap. "TAMAMA IMPACT!" Tamama tried again, feeling useless that all his training still couldn't measure up to the highly trained assassin.
Dororo leaped away, but due to the close proximity, his foot was a little charred in the blast. He balanced his weight on the other foot.
"I respect your skills, even if we must do battle," Dororo told him.
"Yours too. Are you sure there's no way we can part as friends?" Tamama asked, wheezing a little. Sawdust from the collapsing ceiling has entered his lungs, and he was covered in sweat from the battle he and Dororo were experiencing.
Dororo shook his head and charged again. It was tough for Tamama to realize, but he was out-matched.
"TAMAMA!" Natsumi rushed forward, leaving Kohizou's side to try to separate them again, as Dororo's sword tried to pry into Tamama's belly. Natsumi was much bigger than the two of them, and managed to separate them, but only by being nicked by Dororo's sword, as it grazed her side.
Tamama jumped away, knowing what he had to do.
"I am sorry," Dororo apologized to Natsumi.
"It's all right... Just stop this madness before somebody gets hurt - " Her sentence halted as Tamama let out a loud yell.
"Stop attacking me! Let us leave in peace, or I'll have to hurt him." His arm wrapped around Dororo's son's neck, ready to crack it if Dororo didn't let him live.
Dororo's blood went cold and his face became pale in fear as his child's life was being threatened. He silently placed his blade to Natsumi's stomach.
"I'm sorry," he apologized. "But if you don't release him now, I'm going to have to kill her." He did the same tactic, taking a hostage.
Kohizou wanted to squeak out a plea for help, but he was much too frightened. Natsumi knew Tamama was just desperate for his life, but the two were standing at a stand-still at the moment, unaware of how to proceed.
Neither of them seemed to move. Their guard was only focused on each other.
That was when the last remaining door blasted down.
"Found you,~" Angol Mois's sweet voice hummed as she held her Lucifer Spear. Tamama let go of Kohizou, who ran into his father's arms.
"THAT WOMAN!" Tamama hissed at his mortal enemy.
Mois smiled at both of them. Dororo and Tamama? She had found both! "Lucky me! You're both here. And soon enough, you'll both be back in Uncle's waiting arms."
Natsumi crawled backward on the floor, looking up at Mois's smiling face. She still spoke in her high-pitch, easy-going attitude, but something about her was off.
Perhaps it was the blood that splattered her cheek. It was like she had literally left a trail of bodies to find them.
"Is that you, Natsumi? It's been a while! The way you're looking up at me, so unsure, reminds me a bit of someone... Hmm... Who was it again? I think it was Koyuki! That's right!" Mois giggled.
Dororo looked up fearfully. "Koyuki?" Was there a chance, a slimmer of hope that Koyuki could be alive? Would Mois have spared her?
"What happened to Koyuki?" Natsumi asked.
"Her head exploded! You could say, like a volcano? She's as dead as dead," Mois told them.
"You... You monster," Dororo hissed. Tears covered his face as he desperately clung to Kohizou.
Natsumi couldn't help but feel like vomiting. She had heard Tamama's stories of Mois's villainous nature, but for her to brag like this about such a cruel disgusting act... She was truthfully what Tamama had described.
She had changed.
She swung her spear to her side, baring Natsumi little attention. She had a job to do. To retrieve Tamama and Dororo.
"TAMAMA IMPACT!" Tamama screamed angrily. One of his energy blasts went toward Mois's head.
She dodged.
"I'm disappointed in you, Tamama. Why are you attacking me? All I want is to bring Uncle back. Weren't you his friend, too? I guess you're just not as devoted to him as I am." She sadly shook her head, pressing all the right buttons on Tamama.
"AUGH! I cared about him more than you ever did! He's dead! Using his body like that is disrespectful to his memory!" Tamama yelled. He tried to hit her with a jealousy ball. She hit it away with her Spear, and it blew up a different part of the forest.
She looked at Tamama like he was a flea and he just didn't understand his place in the world. She stepped forward, about to pick him up.
"Tamama!" Natsumi jumped through the air and tackled him, rolling out of the house with him out of Angol Mois's way.
Dororo looked desperate. "Assassin's magic, hidden away!" He tried to hide Natsumi's and Tamama's bodies so that Mois couldn't see them. He tried to hide them all so they could all escape her, but his magic would only reach Tamama and Natsumi.
Mois looked around. She knew what Dororo did, but she just shrugged. She had a device that would let her find Tamama again, anyway. The problem was Dororo.
This was a prime opportunity to get him.
Pity, though, that I couldn't deal with Natsumi. She frowned to herself. Natsumi would be a problem if Fuyuki ran into her. She might be able to sway her brother out of his evil ways and to stop their entire plan.
But she focused her attention on Dororo. "Cute kid,"sShe remarked. "He looks almost a little bit like Koyuki, huh?"
Dororo's heart was racing. Kohizou was yet again in danger. He charged at Mois with his sword, but her Spear was much larger, and easily overpowered his arm, pushing on it lightly and putting him against the ground.
"Don't make me speak any Armageddons. Your arm would explode," she threatened. "We were having a conversation about the kid."
Kohizou shivered. "Wh-what are you doing to my father?"
"Father?" Mois looked in between them. "So... this is Koyuki's and your kid..."
"Don't hurt him," Dororo begged. "I know there's no longer any way to reason with you, but please... Is there any part of you in your heart that will spare my son from your evil Harvest?"
Mois answered quickly, "Yes." Dororo felt relief wash over him. "If you come with me. Uncle requested that you join him for the next Harvest. He wants his platoon again."
"That monster is not the Keroro I know, he is not Keroro. He does not want me unless it's for some sinister purpose," Dororo hissed at her.
Mois didn't answer, she only thought. "You know, Dororo... You certainly are pure. You're soul is so untainted. And you used to do anything for Uncle, everything he requested of you. Maybe he needs you for one last thing... One last act."
Dororo shivered. He had heard enough from Koyuki of what happened in the Harvest and what Mois probably wanted of him.
"If I come with you..." Dororo took a deep breath. "Will you promise that Kohizou won't be harmed? That his name will never be Harvested?" He knew Koyuki had made a similar desperate sacrifice.
His time had come up now. He needed to do the same.
"NO!" Natsumi wanted to scream, but Tamama covered her mouth. Mois couldn't see them. They had sneaked under the house.
"I promise," Mois vowed. Dororo nodded and smiled. "I'm glad you agreed, because it wasn't like I gave you much of a choice!" she giggled.
Dororo frowned. "May... I say good-bye?"
Mois nodded. "I'm... I'm not heartless. Everybody deserves to say good-bye to their loved ones, and... It's unfortunate that Koyuki couldn't."
Dororo nodded as his son cried. He let his son run up to him in a hug. "Learn to be a good ninja, and follow our ancient code. If I die, I'll always be proud of you, and will watch you from above," he told him.
"F-father... Don't leave..." Kohizou sniffled.
"Tell Natsumi to take care of you," he whispered, "like your mother took care of her. And I'm sorry I couldn't live for you. I love you."
"I love you too," Kohizou wailed.
Tears streamed down Dororo's face as he hugged his son. He turned away from him, it being the hardest thing he had ever done. "Let's go," he told Mois.
Mois looked around the house. She could no longer spot Tamama. But she supposed that was for the best. Tamama might be able to get Kohizou to safety, and then she could track him later.
"All right." She picked up Dororo and flew away, leaving Kohizou to just be a wailing mess.
Natsumi and Tamama creeped out of their hiding place, and Natsumi picked up Kohizou in her arms to comfort the poor kid. "There, there..."
"H-he... He said you should take care of me... You're Natsumi, right?" Kohizou cried. "He's... He's going to die, isn't he? Just like Mommy?"
Natsumi didn't want to answer him. Dororo was as good as dead. "I'll take care of you," she promised. Kohizou cried into her shirt.
"Well, this turned into a failure," Tamama sighed, sitting onto the ground. "How about we bring him back to the revolution base to keep him safe while we try to figure out where Giroro is?"
Giroro was their last hope. The last missing member of the Keroro platoon.
Natsumi nodded, rocking Kohizou back and forth. Their first priority was his safety.
They were back to square one.
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