"Keroro!" Tamama called out, opening the door. He wore a large yellow raincoat. "Someone insulted the narrator! He isn't talking anymore! I was hoping it was you!" He slammed the door shut.

"Shh!" Natsumi hissed. "Giroro's asleep!"

"Oh." Tamama blushed. "I'm sorry, Natsumi."

"What are you here for?" She asked softly.

"Kururu asked me to give you this medicine," Tamama said, taking out a syringe with orange liquid inside it. "I didn't know it was for Giroro."

"Yeah, well, he's really sick," Natsumi said. "Thanks." She took it from him and gazed at it. "Are there any instructions?"

"Oh, that's… probably what this was…." Tamama pulled out a piece of paper, utterly soaked. "I didn't think it was important…"

Natsumi snatched it and opened it up desperately. It ripped.

"Oh, no…!"

"Uh… I'll fix it!" Tamama laughed nervously. He quickly stopped and ran off to find Keroro when it was obvious that Natsumi didn't find it funny at all.

He was dreaming of nightmares, of dreams, of things he wanted to happen, of things that he didn't want to happen, of love and of loss.

Sometimes they were memories; memories of Garuru, of Keroro, of Zeroro. Some of them were even of Kururu, not that he'd ever admit it.
Most of them, however, were about him and Natsumi. They were reruns of the same dreams, but with a little twist; she discovered who he was, at a different place, at a different time, each with a different reaction.

Sometimes they were at the beach. She would cry happy tears, hugging him tightly.

Sometimes they were looking up at the stars. She would shout at him for lying to her, shun him from her life.

Once they were getting married- she said "I do" anyway.

Another time Natsumi was giving birth to their child. She sobbed her disappointment.

But each and every time he woke up, no matter how different or surreal or realistic the nonexistent experience was, the real Natsumi was nurturing him to health.

That he would look forward to in each and every dream and nightmare.

"Kururu? Tamama ruined the instructions."

"Ku-ku-ku-ku~ Is that so." There was a still silence, and the gentle sound of paper rustling.

Keroro shifted his feet restlessly as he clutched on the phone, waiting. "Kururu?"

"I'll tell you how to use it. I was just looking for my copy. It's simple, really-"

Suddenly, there was a tremendous roar of thunder.

The lights flashed on and off before the room finally settled on darkness, and Kururu's voice was gone.

The living room was strewn with long, thick candles. A little one could barely send off enough heat let alone light, but with so many together, it at least gave the physical objects some form and shadows to determine where is where and what is what.

"So?" Natsumi asked, looking at the two frogs expectantly.

"We have a problem."

"Now doesn't that sound like good news," Natsumi sighed. "You couldn't get the instructions?"

"Kururu said that the medicine… needs to be used in a certain way. And when he asked him… well, he was going to tell us, but-"

"The power."

"…Yeah."

"How's Giroro?" Keroro inquired, gazing at his friend anxiously.

"His temperature is rising…" Fuyuki answered.

"Can't you give him some of your medicine?"

"We did, a few hours ago. It didn't work."

"Give some more to him, then, meanwhile." Keroro paused, biting his lower lip. "He just might get better."

"Is it possible to go over to Saburo's to get it?" Natsumi asked. The rain seemed to fall heavier, and another viciously loud clap of thunder reverberated in the sky. Mother Nature had given her a sober answer, even though it was not the one they wanted to hear.

"I'll go anyway," Natsumi said, firmly.

"Natsumi-"

"No. Giroro needs that medicine. His fever is getting worse. Besides, he would have done the same for me."

At this, Keroro and Tamama stayed quiet. That was true, after all.

Just as she was pulling on a rain coat, the closet door next to her knocked. She jumped back slightly, appalled. "What the-?"

"Just open it, sis," Fuyuki said, curious.

Natsumi cautiously did so, stepping back carefully.

Saburo stood inside, pushing a few other jackets away, rubbing his red face, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"S-Saburo?" Natsumi stammered. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Kururu said you guys needed something?" Saburo asked, handing her a slip of paper. She took it, opened it.

"The instructions-!"

Keroro and Tamama fell back, relieved.

"Yeah. Um, I was going to give it to you when you shut the door on my face." He laughed.

Natsumi blushed heavily. "I-I'm so sorry!" She bowed her head several times to express her regret. Saburo just laughed and waved it off.

"It's okay, it's okay!" He reassured her. "It's all good. I just hope it helps your friend there." He nodded toward the couch, walking toward him. "Speaking of, how's he holding up?"

"He'll be better when we give him the medicine," Natsumi said, calmed. She gave Saburo a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Saburo. You have no idea."

"I'm only happy to help."

"Geez, this writer is horrible," Keroro muttered, disgusted. "Something dramatic happens- twice- and it turns out to be nothing in the end. Is he trying to give us frogging heart attacks? I mean, if he's going to do something dramatic, it should stay dramatic. Like, tear-jerking dramatic!"

"I don't know," Tamama added grimly. "I think I would have preferred Giroro making it then not."

"Yeah, but still…!"

Giroro released a calming breath when Natsumi had inserted the medicine into him, like he knew everything was going to be alright. He opened his eyes to look at her. She gave him a reassuring look, and with this, he fell back asleep.

"Saburo, thank you so much for your help," Natsumi was telling him again, obviously still embarrassed about her slamming the closet door in his face. "Do you want to, um, stay and have some tea or something?"

"Sorry, but I have a prearrangement," Saburo's own face contained a quiet look of apology. "Maybe some other time, okay?"
"A-alright."

Saburo took out his sketchbook and drew a rectangular figure, with a small circle inside, nearing the light. He ripped out the page and the sketch came to life- a large door. He opened it, winked his goodbye, and closed it. With that, the door disappeared.

"Well, this was a weird day," Natsumi said, looking at the window, where it still rained heavy. She then looked down at Giroro, who was sighing contentedly while he rested.

By habit, Natsumi drew out her cell phone and flipped it, examining the screen viciously. Her face lit up with excitement when she saw she had one text message- but it immediately dimmed when she realized it was from one of her friends.

"Geez…!" Natsumi grumbled, texting her friend back out of politeness. "When is he going to send me something?"

'Maybe he doesn't like you anymore," Keroro said, over the horrible experience from Giroro's condition. "Whoever this guy is, anyway."

Natsumi made a face like she didn't believe him, but inside, her heart raced. That was possible. That was certainly possible, wasn't it?

As if Keroro sensed her panic, he patted her knee sympathetically. "It's alright. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

She didn't reply, just closed her phone and slid it back to her pocket.

"You gave us quite a scare earlier today, Corporal!" Keroro grinned.

Giroro grunted, leaning against the couch. When he decided that he had enough energy to move around and walk, he had pushed the blankets away from him, feeling that all this smothering comfort made him look weak and pathetic. He had folded them just out of courtesy and stacked them on the side, making the area clean and open. Natsumi was surprised and delighted to see him up, but she still had him on the couch. She knew that colds didn't go away that quickly, and she didn't want another illness to attack him while his body was still fighting the current one.

"Are you hungry, Giroro?" Natsumi asked. "I still have some soup left."

"Sure." He looked away uncertainly.

Natsumi smiled and walked off to the kitchen to warm his lunch.

"Here," Keroro whispered, sliding him a small, sleek black object. Giroro took it without taking his eyes off the wall, determined not to look suspicious. After clarifying with Keroro that no one, especially Natsumi, was around the area, Giroro glanced at it. It was a brand new cell phone, an extra item Keroro had requested from Kururu along with the medicine.

"Here number. Inside." Keroro said robotically, somewhat in code that he figured Giroro would understand. "Natsumi. Waiting. Rio. Text. When. Not looking." He gestured behind him, toward the kitchen, and made a movement with his hands indicating the texting bit. "Phone. Silent. She won't hear."

Giroro gazed down at it, unsure of what to do.

"Now."

Realizing his superior's insistence, Giroro sighed, flipped it open, and stared at the screen. What on Keron should I send?

Keroro sighed, comprehending his partner's inability to casually send messages, rolled his eyes in an almost haughty manner, and snatched it from him, sending a "hey- this is rio". He showed it to Giroro, expecting him to learn, and placed it back in his hand.

Giroro and Keroro nearly jumped a mile high in the air when they heard a pan drop noisily from the kitchen.

Keroro grinned with triumph as Giroro closed the phone and hid it behind him.

Natsumi, 3:01 pm
hey! y didnt u txt me soonr?

Rio, 3:09 pm
Oldr bro sick.

Natsumi, 3:11 pm
aw I hope he feels bettr. ):

Rio, 3:17 pm
he is.

Natsumi, 3:19 pm
close frend was sick 2. Had 2 take care of him.

At this, Giroro smiled slightly. He looked around to make sure Natsumi wasn't watching him. She came a few times to check on him briefly, and at that time he obviously couldn't pull out the phone. When he was absolutely certain she was somewhere else, he sent another one:

Rio, 3:27 pm
cool. u sound lyk a gud friend (:

"Giroro!"

Giroro quickly snapped it shut and hid it again when Natsumi came by, her arms full of a basket with clothes.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Natsumi asked, for probably the fifth time the hour that he was awake.

"I'm doing fine," Giroro said, folding his arms. "I don't understand what's to worry about- I'm a fast healer."
Natsumi planted her hand on his forehead- in which his face reacted by turning a deep, dark red.

"You still have your fever," She frowned.

"I'm fine," Giroro repeated, gently pushing her hand away. It must've seemed like a rude gesture to him, because he then looked down at his hands, folded them together, and said, "But thank you for, uh.. You know.. Helping me."

"Hey. You would've done the same for me," Natsumi said. She took out her phone, smiled brightly, and texted something back. Giroro knew that by the way he felt his own cell heat up behind him, it was his message that she had received and replied to.

When Natsumi was out of sight, he read it. He closed it, hid it once again, and covered his face with both his hands without bothering to respond.

Natsumi, 3:35 pm
u 2

The clouds parted within hours, but the rain had stopped long before. Giroro had retreated to his tent before Natsumi could rebuke him for leaving. He was just worried that she would discover that she was text messaging, not Rio, but Giroro. Besides, his cat wouldn't stop squirming in that house. She was more out-doorsy. That, or she had a problem with being near Natsumi, but it couldn't possibly be that.

Oh, the irony…

Giroro kept the phone near him as he polished a gun that he had left outside. The dry drops on it would not do. It only gave him something to do rather than anxiously gawk at his phone, waiting for her to reply.

Just as he was about to answer another message, the door slipped open. Giroro scrambled to his feet, shooting the phone inside one of the many boxes that surrounded the inside. Not that he had to worry.

"Dororo?" Giroro asked, warily. "What do you want?"

Dororo looked behind him and quickly closed the flap.

"Well?"

"I brought coffee," Dororo said sweetly, holding up a bag.

"Uh… huh."

"Do you have a pot? And water?"

"I have a kettle."

"Even better."

Giroro glanced at him suspiciously as he searched for the said instrument- a rusty, old kettle normally used for boiling rain or lake water. Or in this case, coffee. Dororo helped himself and sat down, in his peaceful ninja way.

"I'll… go get the fire up. Do you want to go outsi-?"

"No, it's okay, I'll wait here," Dororo said, unusually stoic and pertinacious.

Giroro cast him another curious look before he stepped outside and got the fire going and the water boiling. He came back inside for the coffee. Dororo was squeezing his hands.

"Dororo?"

He jumped upon hearing his name. "Oh, the coffee? Sorry, here it-"

"What's this about?"

Dororo held out the bag silently. "Here. Um, I'll let you know when you come inside."

Giroro took it from him, confused, but he made the coffee like Dororo requested. Knowing that it would take a while for the coffee to be done, he stepped back inside and faced him.

"Okay. I want to know now."

"But, the coffee-"

"Now."

Dororo squeezed his hands together again, unsure of how to start.

"Dororo-"

"I think Koyuki likes me."

Giroro stared at him, at the blue frog who also stared, embarrassed, toward the ground.

"I-I mean it's so weird! A-and I know it's hard to imagine, but-"

Giroro grabbed at his own mouth and struggled not to laugh. Dororo shot his head up, his face completely sprayed with a certain pinkness. "Giroro!" He closed his eyes tightly and shook his hands up and down urgently. "If I wanted to be laughed at I would have gone to Keroro!"

"S-sorry," Giroro bumbled, but he immediately began laughing again.

"Do I have no friends in this world?" Dororo asked dramatically. He curled up in a ball, his first stage in his Trauma Switch, but Giroro managed to calm himself down enough to hold a straight face. He tried not to picture it, lest he'd laugh all over again.

"Why do you think Koyuki likes-" The red frog bit his lips together, struggling not to start, "-you?"

"You say it like it isn't possible."

Giroro decided not to answer that.

"It's just…" Dororo continued. "It's, um.."

"You know, it could be your imagination," Giroro interrupted. "You always did have this active imagination as a kid."

"I did not."

"The unicorns under your bed? You remember that?"

"Those were real," Dororo stated matter-of-factly, folding his arms together. "I saw them with my own eyes."

"Yeah, sure. Back to the question."

"She's just being… err," Dororo thought briefly. "..odd. In lack for a better word."

Giroro stared at him.

….Isn't that a bit… I don't know… a bit obvious?

"What he said." Giroro gestured at the screen.

"No I mean odder than usual," Dororo seemed humiliated to be calling his friend that, but he felt it was needed to better explain his situation. "She's… I don't know…"

"Well, I think you're being ridiculous," Giroro chuckled, patting his friend in the back. "I think it's all on your head."

"Maybe you're right…" Dororo looked down. He sniffed at the air. "…Is something burning?"

Giroro stood up and ran out of the tent so quickly he tripped on the door. He quickly crawled toward the fire pit and took out the kettle, its bottom blackened slightly.

"It's a little burned, but it'll still taste alright." Giroro opened the top and looked inside. "…Probably." He came back inside, careful not to trip again. "The closest thing I have to milk is powdered, and I have a little bit of sugar."

"It's fine."

Giroro prepared the coffee as he normally would when he did have coffee, which wasn't very often, so he let Dororo put it whatever he want to fit his taste.

"All in my head?" Dororo repeated, looking at his coffee closely. "Yeah. I think that may be it." His eyes slanted slightly, as if he was smiling behind his mask. "Thank you."

"It's all a matter of psyche," Giroro said, even though he didn't believe in that psychobabble at all. Anything to calm this little overreacting lance corporal.

"Okay," Dororo agreed. "I'll believe you."

"Dororo!" Koyuki seemed relieved when her friend came back. "I'm so glad you're back! You just disappeared out of nowhere, you know!"

"The ways of the ninja," Dororo reminded her cheerfully. He repeated the mental note, It's all in my head, all in my head…

"Do you want me to make you some tea?" She asked happily.

"Sure." Dororo hated coffee. Didn't know why he even drank it. It's all in my head, all in my head…

"Here." Koyuki poured him a cup and gave it to him. "How was your day out?"

"Good," He said. "I just visited Giroro."

"Oh! You were with your friends!" Koyuki said, absolutely pleased. "Did you have fun?"

"Sort of." Dororo sipped his tea, savoring the familiar, soothing taste. "How was your day?"

"Not that good," Koyuki looked behind her. "There were leaks everywhere. I had to mop it all."

"Aww, I'm sorry. I should have been here to help you."

"No, it's fine! I'm just worried about you." She looked at him concerned. "You know your bed, Dororo? There was a leak above it. It got really wet."

"….Really?" All in my head, all in my head…

"Yeah. You won't be able to sleep in it tonight."

"…Really." All in my head, all in my head, all in my head….

"We don't have another one, either," She said, looking really sorry. But her face lit up sweetly as she suggested, rather innocently, "We can share a bed, though! I don't mind! We have enough room in mine."

Giroro was texting again, and again,his tent flap flopped open. He turned around quickly, hiding the phone behind him. Dororo came inside, his face pale, his body shaken, his voice whiney,

"Can I please spend the night here?"

Commercial Break~!