The ninja girl looked around curiously, noting the unusual emptiness of the beach that was once so crowded the day before. "D! D, where are you?"

She ran up the sandy hill and onto the street, where a few stragglers sleepily walked into the nearest coffee shops and breakfast-serving restaurants. Tiny children grasped on to their parents' hands, whining about the slight chill in the air and pleading for something to eat.

It was a little cold… she hoped she wouldn't get sick. Or Dororo. Especially not Dororo.

Koyuki looked about her, about the mass of people that swerved around her as they walked by. She bit her lower lip.

Kissing isn't a big deal, is it?

Amongst the dull colored shirts and dresses, there should suddenly saw a flash of pink hair and immediately sped up to catch it.

Dororo let out a startled gasp as he felt familiar, skinny arms wrap around from behind him.

"Gotcha!" Koyuki cried out cheerfully, victoriously. "I win!"

He sighed.

Note to self, Dororo: buy a hat.

"H-hi, Koyuki-"

"Why were you running away from me?"

"U-uh… tag?"

"Oh!" Koyuki released him and giggled. "Okay, then!" She poked him with a single finger. "You're it!"

"Actually, I don't really feel up to playing anymore…."

"Oh." Her face deepened into a concerned expression. "…Is something wrong?"

"Ah… can we talk about this somewhere else? Somewhere private, maybe?"

"Alright, but you're going to have to promise me you won't run away!"

"…Alright," Dororo consented, defeated.

"Good. Now thumb swear."

Dororo grinned despite himself and held out his thumb, in which his partner looped her own around it.

"Now that that's settled," Koyuki mused. Suddenly, almost in exact unison, their stomachs growled.

He turned pink as he clutched at his belly, and Koyuki laughed. "Let's get some breakfast donuts, okay? And maybe the hot chocolate drink."

"…Okay," Dororo said with a small nod, mouth watering just at the thought of eating the bite sized, glazed doughnuts with the warm, sweet hot cocoa. "Can I have marshmallows on mine?"

"Sure, D," Koyuki giggled. She gazed at him thoughtfully for a moment. "And then after that…Let's go… to the beach."

Dororo blinked at her.

"It's early, so there won't be as many people," She explained. "…Right?"

He ran his fingers through his pink locks and gave her a simple, halfhearted smile. "Okay. Let's go to the beach."

The little seashells dangled from his wrist. They clacked against each other gently, sweetly, thoughtfully. But they also felt cold and sharp against his skin, a different feeling from before when Natsumi had given him the seashell bracelet as Giroro. He found himself fingering it for no reason other than it gave him the excuse to think.

His life was in utter chaos.

Isn't that a surprise.

"We're lucky!" Natsumi said happily. "It feels so empty!"

There weren't many people out right now; Giroro figured it was because it was so early.

He rubbed his eyes sleepily, muttering unpleasant things about a certain light blue space frog when Natsumi suddenly jerked slightly.

"What?"

"Wanna get some candy?"

Giroro cocked a brow slightly. That was certainly random. "Uh… sure… I guess?"

"I heard this is the best place to get candy!" Natsumi said, tugging on his hand. "Come on!"

The bell twinkled as the door opened.

Giroro looked around, taking in the pleasant surroundings of this traditional store. It was small, with little tables and sofas for people to sit down and talk about their day. Book cases, too. The carpet was a little worn, and the walls were just a little bit faded, but everything together gave it a homey look.

"Doesn't that smell good?" Natsumi murmured.

"Yeah." The air was warm with the alluring, sweet, milky fragrance of coffee. He inhaled it deeply. This was a smell he could get used to.

"Want some?"

"Uh… s-sure…"

"Okay. Find us a seat, then."

Giroro nodded timidly, and left her standing in line in search for something to sit on. He strode by, fingers sliding across the old, gray wooden tables and the shelves of knickknacks and books. Finally settling on a little beige couch, he fell back with a sigh, leaning against it with his arms outstretched.

"No No No NO! The bologna goes before the cheese! Before the cheese!"

"Like this, Sarge?"

"No, no, you got it all wrong. The cheese is supposed to be placed in a diagonal position. After that, you slice the ham in the shape of equilateral then you can expertly squeeze the mayonnaise into a fine layer above the lettuce."

"U-uhh…"

"Now look what you've done. You put the mustard over the ketchup! And the tomatoes… they're all crooked! That is a big no-no. AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE SHOELACES. Do you have ANY idea who we're dealing with here?!"

"B-but we're just making a sandwich for Garuru…"

"Exactly! Do you want to make him mad?!"

"But why do we have to make him a sandwich?"

"Well DUH. He sucks at using chopsticks! And I assure you that all the food we currently have at the moment is chopstick-worthy!"

"But… a sandwich?"

"If it's a sandwich it is, than a sandwich it must be! In absolute, flawless, outstandingly pristine condition!"

"Ku-ku-ku. You're all idiots."

"How so, Kururu? Do you want to try to perfect the art of sandwich making?"

"Ku. I wouldn't have to."

"What do you mean?"

"He seemed perfectly satisfied with the ramen we had packed for the trip, ku. He's eating it now."

"But… but how? He sucks at chopsticks-"

"Uh. Sarge-?"

"He packed a fork, moron."

"You picked a nice spot," Natsumi observed, handing Giroro his steaming, plastic mug of coffee before sitting down comfortably next to him.

"Y-yeah…" He stammered, his cheeks burning into a deep, red color. He held the coffee under his face, desperate for an excuse.

Geez, Giroro. Resolve your unresolved sexual tension already! The audience is literally drooling on their feet!

Don't you mean practically?

Giroro gazed down embarrassedly at his own two feet, gently cuffing the bottom of the sofa with the ends of his heels.

There was something of an awkward silence until Natsumi spoke up, "…What do you think of the legend, Giroro?"

Giroro jolted up straight, and turned to her, horrified. "…Wh….what did you… j-just call me?"

Natsumi looked at him, blinking in genuine surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Y-you called me… 'Giroro'?"

"Did I?!" Natsumi's face flushed into a bright red color. "I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to!"

Giroro's pounding heart immediately began to deaden with relief and disappointment. "…Really. U-uh… okay. Wh-…why did you call me that anyway?"

Natsumi held on to her cup with both her hands, slowly rolling them with the tips of her fingers. "…Well… I've been… thinking a lot about him…" She sighed, leaning back against the soft, worn cushions. "He's… he's gone. I haven't seen him in, well… days. Normally I wouldn't be too worried, but… he just left without warning, you know?" Giroro noticed her hold on the mug tighten, rippling the brown liquid inside it. "I miss him. A lot. You know… he just saved our lives and then… and then just disappears. I don't even know if he's alive, and sometimes I think the stupid frog is covering for him just because he doesn't want me to be upset." She bit her lower lip.

Giroro listened to her words patiently, touched. Sh-she misses… me? "G-go on."

Natsumi took a deep breath and gazed at him. "You know… You remind me about him, too."

"I-I do…?"

"Yeah." Natsumi blushed slightly. "I'm… I'm sorry I'm dumping you all on this but… I just… I just miss him. I… I just want him to come home."

"…I see…" Giroro swallowed hard. He fingered his loose necklace, picking carefully at the toothy shells. "I'm… I'm sorry."
"Don't be. It's not your fault."

….It is. In more ways than one. Giroro gripped his own coffee. Oh, Natsumi… I wish I could just tell you…

Without thinking, Giroro wrapped an arm around her. He meant to do so for comfort, and nothing else, but when he felt her small, warm body lean against him, his face radiated enough heat for her to even feel it.

"Rio… are you alright?"

"F-fine… m-must be the coffee…"
Natsumi smiled and closed her eyes, content in the limited space between them. Giroro scratched his nose nervously, loving the fact that she was so close to him and yet terrified of the aspect that she was so close to him.

…There was something wrong with him indeed.

Koyuki heard the phrase silence is golden plenty of times before. Doesn't it mean that silence is a good thing…?

She looked to the side, and saw Dororo walking beside her, hands in pockets, in the most absolute noiseless state ever. She shouldn't be surprised; he was a ninja, and an assassin before. They were used to silence.

But… this felt different.

The tiny café was nothing more than a quick breakfast. They grabbed the doughnuts, left the shop, and headed straight for the beach. Koyuki was hoping that Dororo would reveal what exactly was going through that mind… she wanted to help him…

It was more like an… unpleasant silence. One that she was desperate to break, but unsure how.

They used to talk for hours about anything, about what good fortunes bestowed about them, about the bad ones, about what they ate for lunch.

But now as they walked along the dull, cold sand, feeling the salty mist hit their face, overlooking the gray, foggy sky, there was a pregnant, unstoppable silence that was determined on withstanding till one of them broke. The gulls screamed above them tauntingly, almost like they understood what was going on and wanted to boast of their not-so-awkward situation.

Koyuki sighed and smiled at him.

"D?"

Dororo winced. "Y-yes…?"

His pale blue eyes that looked at her so kindly before seemed so… Awkward. Uncomfortable.

What's wrong with him?

"Wanna hear a joke I heard?"

Dororo brightened considerably. "Sure."

"Okay, so… a man walks into a bar…" She paused. "Wait. I was supposed to ask you that… if a man walks into a bar, what does he say?"

Dororo looked up thoughtfully. Finally, he gazed at her, the shine in his eyes back. "'Ouch'?"

"You got it!" Koyuki giggled, pleased.

He smiled widely. "Took me a while to get it."

Koyuki always knew how to help him loosen up… It was a pleasure to do so, as well.

"So…" She finally said, deciding to get to the point. "…What's been going on, D?"

The exhilarating happiness that emanated from him before vanished just as quickly as it did before.

"O-oh…" Dororo bumbled, licking his lips worriedly. "N-nothing's wrong."

Koyuki frowned slightly. "…There's… nothing you want to talk to me about? Nothing that's bothering you?"

Bulls-eye.

He smashed his fists into his pockets even deeper, and his shoulders became visibly tenser.

"N-nothing's wrong." He said softly, looking away.

"Okay, then," Koyuki said, determined on beating this undesirable silence. "Let's talk about the fourth wall, then."

At this, the silence was finally broken.

And of course the fourth wall. But hey, who's counting?

Natsumi inhaled deeply as she opened the door, a small bag of chocolate, heart-shaped candies in her hand. "Smell that, Rio! It's so… nice and fresh!"

It smells like the beach. Surprise, surprise. Giroro looked around him. It was still too early; an occasional bystander would walk by with a camera hanging from his neck, the device thudding his chest as his sandals flopped against the sidewalk. Giroro blushed heavily when he felt Natsumi's hand curl into his.

"Where to next?" Natsumi asked.

"A-anywhere…" Giroro mumbled. "A-anywhere's fine with me…"

"Okay!" She said cheerfully. "How about-"

"Hi." A tall, slender man strode up to them, clad in a professional dark blue suit and too-shiny black shoes. He held out his hand with an erect poise, emanating a sense of experience that made Natsumi and Giroro wonder.

What the heck?

"I'm Kai," He said with a smile, revealing his obnoxiously large white teeth. "Nice to meet you. And you are?"

"I'm Natsumi," She replied cautiously. "And this is my friend Rio-"

"Rio!" The man interrupted, grabbing the blonde's hand and shaking it roughly. "Hi! I'm Kai."

"Uh… you mentioned that-"

"I just wanted to let you know if you would be interested in a job."

Giroro perked a brow, almost irritated. "…A job? Doing what?"

"I'm a manager for a modeling agency, and-"

"Wait, what?" Natsumi asked, her eyes wide.

"A modeling agency?" Giroro snorted. "I'm out of here."

"We pay very expensively," The man assured.

Giroro covered his choker, desperately trying to block out what the man was saying. Expensively? Keroro would have another field day. Goodbye Operation: Dating the Enemy. Hello Operation: Modeling for Money.

Giroro shuddered.

"And I don't care," he snapped. "C-c'mon, Natsumi."

Natsumi nodded, bewildered by this extremely random event.

The man looked surprised as well, and not to mention annoyed. It was clear that he had never been refused so deliberately. So he tried again.

"If you don't believe my credibility, I have a card, and numerous photos that I can show you-"

"It's okay," Giroro said, stressing the last word. "I… believe it." Sort of. "But it's not like I'm going to accept the job even if you are or aren't. The point is I don't want to do this."

The man pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. "You're making a big mistake, young man."

Giroro shrugged. "Everyone makes them all the time. I'm sure I'll get over it."

He took Natsumi's hand and pulled her away a bit too aggressively, startling her slightly.

"Rio…? Are… are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Natsumi glanced over her shoulder. "Why didn't you accept the job?" She smiled shyly and looked down, blushing. "U-um… I-I mean, I know it's you decision and all, but… I think…"

"Because if I became a model, I would have to spend less time with you." His whole face exploded into an embarrassing shade of red, and Natsumi saw this. She found herself flushing just as hard. …FROG. Keroro was hearing everything! It was a miracle he didn't take this opportunity to get filthy rich, but still…

"Y-you're… you're just saying that…" Natsumi murmured.

"I-I'm not-" This is so embarrassing….! "I… I assure you…"

With one swift, gentle motion, Natsumi looped both her arms around one of his. "Th-thank… thank you, then…"

Giroro licked his dry lips and used his free hand to rub the back of his neck."…N-no… no problem…"

"Momoka?" Fuyuki asked, gazing over at his light-blue-haired friend.

"Y-yes?" She responded, her eyes wide and twinkling.

"…Do you think the author forgot that we were on this trip?"

"No! Of course not!" Momoka said sweetly. "He was probably just trying to focus on Natsumi and Rio!"

"But… what about Koyuki and Atticus? And even Saburo was mentioned, right?"

Momoka's smile was plastered on to her face, almost as if it was extremely forced and bleak. "…No. It couldn't possibly be that. RIGHT."

Right! Right! I, uh, of course. There's a perfectly reasonable explanation for why I didn't add you sooner… I was just… Narrator.

Sheesh. Fine. Scene change. Who wants to see a bit of Koyuki and Dororo?

"HEY GET BACK HERE YOU SON OF A-!"

"Beach ball!" Koyuki cried out cheerfully. She ran to pick up the colorful, plastic ball.

The writer would like to let everyone know that that was purely unintentional. For the most part.

"Koyuki, put that down," Dororo said softly. "That might be someone else's."
The ninja girl looked around curiously, noting the unusual emptiness of the beach that was once so crowded the day before. She then glanced down at the ball. "Even if we played with it a little?

Dororo considered this a moment, and gazed about. Finally, he consented, scratching the back of his neck. "We'll hold on it, I guess… I suppose it is littering if we just leave it here…" The ball smacked him on the head. He jumped back, startled.

Koyuki gasped. "Are you alright, D?"

"I'm… fine…" Dororo stared wide-eyed at the ball. I… should've been able to catch that… or even dodge it… He stared at his pale hands, and felt himself grow paler. I'm… I'm not turning into a Pekoponian, am I…?

"D? D, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing," Dororo stuttered, arms shaking as he reached down to pick up the toy. "N-nothing at all."

Koyuki's lips tightened to a frown. "…D. I don't… like how you're keeping all these secrets from me."
Dororo was silent.

"Dororo… please talk to me. I understand that it's okay to keep things to yourself, but… you're acting so different now. And I think it's my fault… because I made you turn into a Pekoponian… and I'm sorry. But please talk to me? Tell me what's wrong."

Dororo closed his eyes.

"D…"

"It's nothing," Dororo repeated, forcing the words out. He opened his eyes and stared into her forest green ones. "I-I promise you, Ms. Koyuki… it's nothing."

He flinched, seeing the look of devastating pain in her expression. He could see that she was trying her hardest to blink back the tears, and it ruptured his heart to imagine her crying.

"Koyuki… I'm fine."

"Okay…" Koyuki said softly. "But anytime you… you want to tell me…"

"I will," Dororo said with a sad smile that could only be seen through his eyes. "I… just need…"

"I could help, you know." Koyuki gently took the ball from him. "I may act like a ditz sometimes… but I can listen. Maybe you just need to let everything out?" She looked up at him, cocking her head slightly. He was gazing so deeply into her eyes... she didn't notice the trace of emotion emitting from them. "Maybe that'll help? 'Cuz… I heard that keeping things inside, is bad for you… if you would just tell me-"

"Koyuki, I love you."

Commercial Break~