Giroro lay on the bed, facing the wall, and not the entire collection of Gundam that seemed to stare at him with derisive, humorless eyes. He grunted a little, squeezing his heavy eyelids together, pleading for sleep. It was no use; it wouldn't come.
Seconds had melted to minutes, and minutes bled into hours. The beautiful moon's gentle light shone through the window, making it, ironically, harder to sleep.
It was almost as bad as the thoughts that haunted him.
Giroro groaned miserably and tightened the blanket around his throat. He realized that this course of action made him uncomfortably warm, and he promptly threw the sheets away from him.
Now he was uncomfortably chilly.
With a sigh, Giroro swung his legs off the bed and sat up. He massaged his temples.
Okay, he decided. Time to face the music.
Two things bothered him: being stuck as "Rio" forever. Sure, this new identity was... different. And Natsumi liked Rio- possibly "more-than-a-friend" like. If they kept up the relationship, maybe.. just maybe.. Natsumi would...
But what about Giroro?
She was falling in love with Rio.
Giroro ran his hands through his soft hair and sighed heavily, like he was trying to release a painful lump at the back of his throat.
And, second, one he felt was the most troubling…
Giroro gazed up tiredly at the models.
He remembered when there was an employer at the Gundam storm, a female, who seemingly declared her feelings to the Sergeant through a letter. While Keroro was at first disturbed by the young girl's apparent romance, he eventually got to know her and the two had grown close through their mutual love of Gundam Models. Everyone had assumed they were falling in love with each other, but Natsumi seemed troubled by their relationship because of one sole fact: Keroro was using a Pekoponian Suit to meet her, so the young girl thought he was, well, a Pekoponian. Giroro could remember what Natsumi said to Keroro. "Does she know you're an alien? …Then you're lying to her."
That was all that was needed.
Although there was no evident romance between the two, and the ending to their story was a bittersweet one, the words stuck to Giroro, almost painfully, especially now.
He was lying to Natsumi. Even if it was… unintentional… and he really did love her, he was lying to her, deceiving her.
Giroro stood up and faced the rows of Gundam soldiers and ships, and began to turn them over.
He was absolutely terrified of the fact of calling him, but it was on Natsumi's request. Um. Demanded. Maybe he went up there with him for a little while, she said, after he was done with the "examination".
Unbeknownst to her, the examination never existed.
Finally, the screen clicked, and the familiar face came on as he said his own.
Keroro tried not too look like he was cowering, but the truth was, his teeth were chattering. And he was sure he could hear him, too.
"Is, um."
Natsumi stood behind Keroro, looking at the screen hopefully. "Is Giroro there with you?"
"What about Giroro?"
"So that's a no," Natsumi mumbled, troubled.
"What's wrong with Giroro? Keroro, answer me! Answer me now."
"Uh, what was that? I can't hear you sorry I'm going to have to disconnect the line sorry bye!"
And Keroro ended it.
Lieutenant Garuru leaned against his chair, his penetrating red eyes shooting heated daggers toward the black display. After a fleeting moment's hesitation, he immediately dialed another number, of which his superior appeared on the monitor.
"Yes, Lieutenant?"
"I'd like to request a few days off."
The sunbeam burned through his eyelids, jolting him awake from his maybe two hours worth of sleep. He rubbed his eyes and smiled wryly at the models that were all turned to face the wall, and not him. It was amazing how easily he slept right after that.
Giroro shuffled out of the room and into the hallway, where Kururu was tapping away in his keyboard. Giroro yawned stiffly, and Kururu glanced up at him only briefly before he went back to his laptop.
"Where's Saburo?"
"He went out."
The corporal stared out the window, where the rain streaked the glass.
"He went out? Are you still looking for me?"
"I told the Sergeant you're okay."
"So what kind of person would go out when it's raining?"
"Saburo."
After casting him a rather odd look, Giroro retreated to the kitchen, where he looked around for something to eat. The shelves were empty, and the refrigerator had a few things inside it. Maybe Saburo went grocery shopping?
Giroro looked at the window again and scoffed.
He finally settled on two slices of bread, not toasted, with a little bit of jelly on each bit.
Kururu walked in with a bowl of curry. The scent was so strong it took all of Giroro's will power not to gag his only breakfast. It was spicy; he could tell from the way the smell wafted and made his eyes water.
"So… what are the chances of changing me back?"
Kururu spooned the curry into his mouth, and just seeing him do that made Giroro's lips dry. The yellow Keronian chewed on his meal for a second, swallowed, and then responded, "Ku-ku-ku-ku~ Not likely, if you're hoping to change back on your own."
"Great."
"Oh, and I fixed your choker while you were asleep."
"Wait, wh-"
"The Word Choice Chooser Choker was broken, so I fixed it. It took hours of watching you before you finally slept like a baby! Ku-ku-ku-ku~"
Giroro immediately lost his appetite. "You… you did what?"
"But I'm trying to invent something that could turn you back." Kururu said, changing the subject, although he was delighted in Giroro's look of absolute shock. "It will take a while, what with our funds being cut in half…"
"…Hm."
"And it will probably take longer as I am also making a little something for Dororo."
At this, Giroro perked a brow. "For Dororo? Why-"
"Did you hear, Kururu?" The door closed with a shudder. The soldier wasn't even aware that it had opened. "Giroro's alright!"
"Now isn't that good news. Ku-ku-ku-ku~"
Saburo entered the kitchen. "Oh. Morning Rio!"
Giroro replied with a grunt. "I'm going to be heading off."
"Already?" Now it was Saburo's turn to look at the window. "You sure-?"
"Oh, I'm sure." I've had just enough of that curry smell. Ugh.
"Oh, hi, Sergeant!" The eager pale blue Keronian said, saluting cheerfully to his superior.
"Taruru," Keroro said urgently. "I need to talk to Garuru."
"The Lieutenant, eh? Hmmmmmm. That might be a problem."
Keroro was starting to get irritated. "Why?"
"Because he got a couple 'a days off, that's why! He said he was gonna go down to Pekopon anyway, so maybe you could tell him then!"
Keroro had turned so white Taruru almost mistook him for a pillar of salt for a minute there.
"Um, Sergeant?" When Keroro didn't respond, Taruru shrugged. "Say hi for Master for me!"
As soon as the screen turned black, Keroro screamed.
Why did Giroro have to be the younger brother to one of the most terrifying Keronians in Keron?! WHYYYYYYYYYYYYY.
Well duh. To get more ratings for the show.
"So he just left to visit his dad, huh?" Natsumi asked, nibbling on her omelet. "It's so unlike him to just leave without saying anything, though."
"Y-yeah," Keroro stammered loosely.
"Unless you're lying to me?"
"N-n-no! Of course not! I-I'm just feeling a little sick…"
Natsumi gave him a suspicious look but returned to her breakfast.
Garuru would know of all people that Giroro's not really with their dad! Keroro thought worriedly. He skittered to the sink and began to wash the dishes, hoping the chore would get rid of the frightening thought. And not to mention how hard Garuru is going to KILL ME when he realizes what I've done to him! Mother of frog!
There was a knock at the door.
Keroro cried out in surprise and dropped the slippery plate in his hands. The glass shattered upon impact, but Natsumi had already gone to see who was there. He moved quickly to collect the shards and he quickly hid them in one of the drawers, telling himself to remind himself to fix them later.
"Rio!" Natsumi's eyes shone happily. "Hi!"
"Hey," Giroro smiled. "Sorry I couldn't come over yesterday-"
"Actually, I'm kind of glad you didn't," Natsumi interrupted. She blushed when she realized what she had just said. "I-I'm sorry! What I meant was, ah-"
"You were busy," Giroro said, nodding empathetically. "It's alright."
"Rio," Keroro said, his face looking creepishly like a creep as he peered out the kitchen. "May I have a word with you?"
"You don't have to go," Natsumi gave Keroro a mean glare, but to their surprise, Keroro didn't seem to be affected at all by it.
"It's fine; I'll go see what he wants."
"…Alright. But if anything weird happens, you can ditch him. It's fine."
Giroro wasn't two seconds inside the kitchen when Keroro snagged him from the shirt and dragged him down to face level.
"YOUR BROTHER IS COMING HERE." Keroro whispered, his eyes dilated and positively crazed with fear.
"What? Garuru?" Giroro's voice lowered. His face suddenly turned pale. "Garuru? Why-"
"Natsumi wanted to see if he knew where you were," Keroro said, his lips quivering. "So we called him, and since we didn't know where you were, I…"
"What?"
"I, um…"
"What- what did you do?"
"I hung up on him."
There was a slow silence between them.
"YOU DID WHAT?!"
"What's going on?" Natsumi asked, popping her head inside the kitchen. She caught Giroro reaching out to strangle the sergeant, his fingers curled and twitching and his powerful hands ready to wring his scrawny nonexistent neck like a plump and juicy chicken. "Um… was I…?"
"Nothing," Giroro said forcefully, a fake smile forming on his lips. He tried to make his voice as pleasant as possible. "Um, can I talk to him for a couple more minutes?"
"…Alright," Natsumi said reluctantly. She gave Keroro another warning glare before she slipped back to the living room.
"WHAT DO WE DO." Keroro said quickly and quietly.
"Did you try to call him back-?"
"Well, yeah, but Taruru told me he was already on his way over here."
"…Oh my frog."
"I KNOW right?!" Keroro was obviously panic-stricken, pacing back and forth in the kitchen.
Giroro was about to say, tell him I'm okay, but it was obvious that if that's what they told Garuru, his older brother would want to know where he was.
Oh my frog.
Exactly!
"Rio?" Natsumi reappeared at the kitchen, her head tilted slightly to the right. "Just what are you guys talking about?"
"Guy things," Keroro laughed, patting Giroro's shoulder. "Um. You know what, Rio? I'll, uh, figure it out myself. Go hang out with your girlfriend."
Natsumi's and Giroro's face understandably turned a shade pinker. "She's not my-" "He's not my-"
"Sure, sure," Keroro gave them another nervous laugh. "Just go… hang out. Or whatever you kids do these days."
Giroro glanced at him for a still moment before Natsumi gently pulled his hand to the couches in the living room.
I got this. I got this! I am Sgt. Keroro! If I managed to become the leader of this platoon and actually accomplish conquering a little bit of Pekopon (totally a lie), I can take care of one Lieutenant! Sure, he's well-known for being one of the most feared Keronians in Keron, it's no big. Sure, he has red eyes that burn through your soul, and maybe he does have the ability to kill with a single touch of a finger, and maybe he is purple….
I got this!
After gaining the courage he needed, he headed toward his room, confidence simply beaming from him like the light from a lighthouse.
He marched like a frog in action, a soldier at war, a schoolgirl at lunch-
Keroro collapsed in his bed and buried his face against his plush pillows. And then he hid himself under the blanket. "…..Mommy."
Their lips touched, and it was… delicious.
Mmm.
When he opened his eyes, and gazed steadily into her own, it was like two worlds burst open and revealed the complexity and utter beauty between them.
He was in love.
They tore away from each other, but because they wanted to breathe, not because they wanted to stop. Almost immediately they began to kiss again, soft, tender lips caressing each other, their sweet breaths against each other's face, their arms entangled around each other's neck and waist… another exhilarating moment…
Dororo yelped as he woke up, dripping in sweat.
Hey, why'd you stop? That was entertaining.
"You okay, D?" Koyuki asked. She felt his forehead, concerned, but he simply backed away from her touch, blushing uncontrollably. "Are you worried about Giroro?"
"…Yeah, I am…" Dororo said slowly. His heart was pounding harder than it was accustomed to. He looked at her, embarrassed, and looked back down.
"Natsumi told me that he's alright now," Koyuki said sweetly. "Isn't that great?"
"Yeah, that is…" Dororo was really relieved that his friend was okay, but… that was the least of his problems…
I think I'm in love with Koyuki.
Giroro's head throbbed with the fact that his brother was coming down to Pekopon to look for, not sweet potato monsters, not sea apes, not giant leprechauns, but him. And he was just fine.
Stupid Keroro. He should have told Garuru I was fine! But noooo. What does the idiot do? Hangs up on him.
YOU DO NOT HANG UP ON GARURU.
Lesson for you, kids. Or else you'll make the purple frog very sad.
If only it was that frogging simple!
"You okay, Rio?"
"Wh-what?" Giroro stammered.
"I said are you okay?" Natsumi frowned a little bit. "You're about as jumpy as you were yesterday. What's wrong?"
The choker took over. "I was thinking about marrying the Fish Queen."
Natsumi smiled at this. "That was so weird! What was up with that?"
"I dunno. It was weird, though," Giroro sighed with relief. At least he got out of that one. He just had to pretend to be cheerful, pretend he had a plan. Smile to the end.
"Tell me more about your brother," Natsumi said finally, gazing at him expectantly.
Giroro rolled his eyes to the ceiling. Why must this stupid show be so ironic?
Because it's funny. We get enjoyment out of your misery.
Spoken like a true narrator, Giroro thought grimly. He sucked in a breath, and decided to tell a story that he remembered when he was little. After examining Natsumi's face, pleading that she didn't recognize the story if he ever told it as Giroro, he relaxed and finished telling the rest of it.
"What is your brother's name?" Natsumi insisted once he had finished.
Giroro jumped, a little startled. "Uhh. Who's shoe is that?"
"What?" Natsumi glanced down at the tiny green slipper on the floor. She shook her head angrily. "Oh, it's just that stupid frog's. I told him to put these stupid things away-"
"Would you like me to-"
"No, I got it." Natsumi mumbled something under her breath, something along the lines of very painful threats that both amused him and terrified him. He turned his attention toward the window, the fat drops of rain splattering against the glass and running down the rims.
He remembered Saburo with his umbrella. Regrettably, he was nice.
But he was still a jerk for taking up Natsumi's romantic attention.
Giroro fell back against the sofas. He had considered several times during their conversation, that maybe, he should just finally confess- everything. His love, his plot, his identity.
But just as he could feel those very words hop out of from the tip of his tongue, he lost his nerve.
"Tell me one more," Natsumi said. She was sitting down on the edge of the sofa, her large eyes eager.
Giroro jumped. "Oh. Um. Okay." He thought about one for a moment, and then smiled before he continued, "You know, once we- uh, two friends and I- asked bro about girls."
Natsumi gave him this cute, funny look, and Giroro knew he had won her over this one.
"Yeah, it was just awkward," Giroro remembered. "He was a teenager back then, and he was all red and stuff. 'Course, I never I understood why till I was older. You know, he also had a girlfriend…"
"He did?" Natsumi asked, surprised.
"Yeah." Giroro suddenly grew quiet, like he didn't want to say the rest.
"…What happened?"
"You know, stuff happens," Giroro shrugged dismissively. "He ended up breaking up with her."
And he threw everything in a fire. Giroro grimaced at this, staring hard at the pale color of the rug. The yearbook, the pictures of her… everything. He still remembered that cold night…
Don't think about that.
Giroro turned to face Natsumi. "Uh. I talk too much. Tell me about your family."
"Okay. Fuyuki's a nerd, and mom makes manga."
Giroro laughed. "That's a start. What is your brother into?"
Of course he knew the answer, but at least it got her talking. Her very voice was enough to make him redden, watching her lips move in fluid, quick movements…
It was that moment when the shoes hit the fan.
Commercial Break~
Author's Note: ...Okay, another weird direction. I promise the next chapter will be better (not to mention longer), and that this "Garuru Arc" won't last more than maybe one or two more chapters. Everything will just go downhill from there. Can't wait to finally finish this story XD