The Moon And The Bird

The Moon and The Bird

Disclaimer: I don’t own Keroro Gunso. It’s Mine Yoshizaki’s copyrighted property.
Author’s Note: This is my first story. Personally, I don’t think I’m good in writing stories, but if you’re kind enough to review and tell me which part I could do better, please do. Well, enjoy and review.
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Encounter I: Enter Assassin Siblings
- POV: Lance Corporal Dororo -
It was a snowy day in December 1st as Pekopon slowly approaches the 21st century. I was leaping on rooftops, heading towards my house. I had an appointment with Koyuki, and I didn’t want to show up late. The landscape below me gradually changes from that of a white town into one of an equally white bamboo forest. I landed quietly on the snow covered ground and ran through the tall bamboos until I arrived in front of a frozen river. My little cabin was right across.
As soon as I was inside my house, I lighted a candle to warm up and looked around. It seemed like Koyuki wasn’t home from her walk with Natsumi yet. I assumed that she would be there a few minutes later. And my prediction was right. A fraction of the wall near me turned to reveal a familiar girl with green eyes sticking to it. She unstuck herself from the wall and walked next to me.
She gave me her usual feline smile. “You’re always the first one here, Dororo.”
“Thank you, Lady Koyuki.” I replied.
“So, today we’re planning on raking snow?” Koyuki asked. All I did was nod. Her warm eyes looked straight at me. “Well, we should gather our equipments then. Do we have everything we need ready?”
“I prepared the rakes...”
“Matchsticks?”
“Matchsticks? What for?”
“Don’t they use matchsticks to melt down the ice?”
“Well, the people her don't...”
“Oh… I guess I need to learn more about normality.”
Her eyes saddened for a moment. For some unknown reasons, I felt bad saying what I said. Maybe I should’ve just answered “Oh, right” and go to find some matchsticks when she asked about them instead of asking back. Or maybe…
“You did nothing wrong Dororo.” Koyuki suddenly said. She must’ve noticed that my expression changed, though only for a brief minute. “It’s not your fault that I didn’t know about the normal culture here.”
“But I should’ve told you.”
My companion just smiled again. She’s always so cheerful. “Look, let’s forget about it and start the mission, alright?” Yup, sometimes I wish I was like her. All I want was some attention and not being forgotten again and again.
Well, that wish will have to wait. Conserving Pekopon is my top priority.
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We arrived at a lone park. Little was there other than us. The exceptionally freezing weather must’ve been the reason of the absence.
“Time to work!” Koyuki declared optimistically. I looked up at her. She’s so cute.
The two of us started raking the thick snow and sprinkle salt over them. I could hear some passersby whispering about how diligent Koyuki was. It’s no surprise. They couldn’t see me after all. I was forgotten, again. I fought back as hard as I could against my trauma switch and went back to my work.
By the time we cleared most of the park, the place was totally empty. Everyone must’ve gone home due to the cold condition. Looks like heaters are far more interesting than watching volunteers raking snow in the winter.
Then, I felt a presence in the air. I turned a behind to look at Koyuki. The kunoichi seemed to have sensed it too. We stood closer to each other, hands raised in front defensively with weapons.
“How many auras do you feel, Dororo?” She whispered to me.
I thought before answering. “Two. One is light and free, but for some reason it’s branching unnaturally. The owner of this aura must be one associated with the air element, and currently has problems to solve.”
“What about the other one?”
“It’s quite faint,” I replied, unsure. “This one is… Dark, and yet some parts glow in the color of light. I had no idea what to say about the owner of it. It’s… Confusing.” I grumbled at my last word. Since when were things confusing for me? It felt strange.
Koyuki looked at me intensely. “You know… I felt only one aura.”
“Eh…?” Koyuki missing an aura? That’s impossible!
She frowned. “I didn’t sense the second one. This is the first time I mis-”
Right before she could finish her sentence, an object crashed on top of a huge pile of snow left on the section of the park that we haven’t cleared. It seemed to be a small sized Keronian spaceship. Far too small for more than one Keronian.
Despite the size statement, two Keronians climbed out of it.
The first one was a male tadpole with the description of the first aura I sensed. He had the color of sterling grey and a medical mask. He bore the same white skull cap I have with the same white cloth hanging loose around his face. His round eyes were deep blue. His symbol was a Pekoponian nut known as almond. He was sporting a deactivated wing pack on his back.
There was a female tadpole next to him, the second aura surrounding her. Her body had a shiny shade of silvery grey, but she had no mask. Instead, the cloth draping from her rose, kitty-eared skull cap was translucent violet, and it went all around her head as a veil and a backdrop, the frontal part covering her red, slanted eyes. Her symbol was a moon in its eclipse state.
“Who are you?” I asked cautiously as I prepared my katana.
“Not like you want to know, nosy.” The male teased. The female popped a vein and hit her friend’s head. Koyuki and I watched, sweatdropping.
“Ow… Sis, you’re always so mean to me…” The male said, revealing that they were siblings, not friends. “Why do you hate me so much…?”
“I never hated you,” The female replied gruffly. “I merely disciplined you.”
“Uh, excuse me…” Koyuki tried to get attention. “Who are you?”
The two strangers turned to look at us, then straightened themselves up as if they were facing their superiors. Although they were not…
“I am Second Corporal Toriri, a C-class assassin.” The male one saluted. “This is my sister, Sergeant Major Tsukiki, an A-class assassin, also a ninja. We’ve been sent by HQ to be the Keroro Platoon’s new members!”
I blinked, twice. “You’ve been sent by HQ to what?”
The female introduced as Tsukiki handed me a letter. “You’re Lance Corporal Dororo, correct? See for yourself then. Together with your comrades, of course.”
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“Alright then!” Keroro declared. The whole platoon, plus Toriri and Tsukiki were sitting in the meeting room of the secret base. “Today, I accept the both of you as the Keroro Platoon’s newest recruits!”
Mois smiled. “You could say, additional members?”
“We’re not just recruits, Sergeant Keroro.” Tsukiki scowled. “We already have ranks. Toriri is only one place lower than your mobile infantry, Corporal Giroro. And I’m already of the same rank as your highest ranking officer, Sergeant Major Kururu.”
Everyone, including me, sweatdropped. “Looks like you really studied us.”
Suddenly, a yell scared the life out of a particular person, eh… Frog.
“STUPID FROG!!! YOU HAVEN’T SCRUBBED THE TOILET FLOOR YET!!!”
Keroro immediately sweated like crazy. “I-I’m coming, Lady Natsumi!” And with that, he ran out of the door, therefore ending the meeting as the leader was absent.
“Who the hell screamed just now…?” Toriri complained in a childish tone.
“The monstrous queen of the house.” Kururu blankly replied.
Tsukiki rolled her eyes. “Give me a break. That’s clearly the yelling of a young Pekoponian girl, for goodness sake. Your leader seems afraid of her, though…”
“That’s because the Sergeant had been cruelly beaten several times by her.” Tamama explained, completely clueless to what his sentence might be responded with.
“Hah! It must’ve been funny!” Toriri laughed.
“Tch. What kind of a leader is afraid of a single girl?” Tsukiki flinched. “I’d rather have a snail as one. In any case, the meeting’s over right? I’m leaving. Come on, Toriri, we’re going to find a place to stay.” She did a few hand symbols and raised purple mist with it. When it disappeared, she was gone.
“If I were right,” Tamama added silently. “Isn’t Natcchi afraid of snails?”
Toriri faced the rest of us with a broken smile. “Sorry about that. She’s mean, I can’t deny that. Most of her strange ninja techniques are harsh and could be quite brutal. But deep down, she has a gentler inner self that she rarely showed. Her dark side just developed better than her light side, thus taking control of her mind. She needs some time to associate with other people, so please give her a chance to get used to everyone. Please?”
The rest of us looked at each other, and then looked back at him. Ironically, I was the only one who nodded. Giroro and Tamama emitted a slightly dark aura. Kururu didn’t need an explanation. He was chuckling away, as evil as always.
Toriri looked sadly at the ground. “Well, I’ll go catch up with her. If I don’t, I’ll probably get scolded again. See you then.” He did a high jump to the air vent on the ceiling and vanished from our view.
Right then, the intense atmosphere of the room broke. I looked at Giroro, Tamama and Kururu with slight annoyance while Mois watched from a distance.
“Why didn’t you guys nod?” I complained.
“I don’t like the girl.” Giroro confessed. “The boy is okay, but not the girl.”
Tamama merely looked at the ground, not daring to look up.
“I’m confused…” Mois mumbled. “You could say, uncertain?”
Kururu disappeared into a hole on the floor, still chuckling.
The uncomfortable atmosphere came back as I teleport out of the now silent room. I hated it when people can’t relent to make others happy. So selfish.
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“Tsukiki? Toriri?” I shouted into a dark cave. I managed to track them down with my assassin magic and found them in a solitary coniferous forest. It took fairly long though. By the time I found them, it was night. I waited for a while, then a series of small steps came. A grey tadpole emerged from the shadows.
“Lance Corporal Dororo.” Tsukiki blankly said. “What do you want?”
“Well, I was just wondering. In a coniferous forest like this, only gymnosperm plants grow. From what I know, their cones are inedible. What will you eat?”
Her eyes remained calm as she looked at me. They reminded me of Saburo’s eyes; Only the silver haired boy’s eyes were bright blue instead of blood red. “I am an adept ninja assassin, unlike my brother who is a mere novice compared to me. I stuffed our ship with canned food. As for the water, we can melt ice. It’s winter after all. And if we ever run out of food, that would be in the next 2 months when winter turns into spring. We can easily hunt for food after that happens.”
I bobbed my head. “You’re really well prepared, I see. Well then, I have nothing to worry about the both of you.” I concluded as I turned away.
“Wait.”
I stopped abruptly. I had a rough estimation of what was coming.
“Toriri told me of your comrades’ opinion of me.” She said in an emotionless tone.
“Ah… About that…” I quickly searched through my mind for the right words.
“It’s alright.” Tsukiki continued. “Tell them I came here on my own free will. If I didn’t want to come I won’t anyway, even if HQ orders me to.”
“Even if that means you’re disobeying orders from your superior?”
She scoffed. “I don’t care.”
I shrugged. “If you insist. By the way, where’s Toriri?”
“He went on a walk. He said he wanted to study the terrains of this area.”
“I guess there really is nothing to worry about you.” I turned around to leave. The beautiful moonlight shone on us. “I’ll be going now. Take care, Tsukiki, Toriri.” And with that, I leaped to the nearest branch.
After jumping from tree to tree for a few minutes, I heard a faint whisper.
“Thank you, Lance Corporal; Although it’s a bit late to say that.”
I smiled. “You’re welcome, Tsuki-” Wait. I was 600 meters away from the cave.
“......Who said that......?”

~ End of Encounter
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What lies behind the shadowed side of the moon?
The answer had been longed to be known.
Sacred secret will be revealed soon,
but only to those who has the right to own.

-- 963