Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy

It was pretty rare for Hinata Aki to be startled. She hadn't been even a little bit surprised when she'd come home to find that it had been invaded by a frog-like extraterrestrial, for instance. And yet, now she was clearly expressing shock and amazement. "... are you sure about this?" she asked after a moment.

Natsumi nodded. "I am. It took me a long time to admit this to myself, but now that I have ... I know what I need to do."

"You're my daughter, and I love you," Aki said. "I always will. I want you to be happy. I don't know if I really believe this will make you happy, but I hope so."

With that vote of semi-confidence and a quick hug, Natsumi headed towards the doors that led to the ladder that led to the basement corridor that led to the door with a star on it. It opened on a sumptuously appointed room with many of the newest plastic Gundam models on display, along with a small fridge. Opening the fridge door produced the wormhole that took her down into the secret base hidden beneath her house, and from its other nexus, it was only a short walk to the command centrer's door.

Natsumi paused to take a steadying breath, then opened the door.

They were all there, of course. Dororo standing a little apart from the others, watching in tranquil loneliness. Tamama in a jealous panic. Kururu at a console, watching and snickering. Mois at another one, smiling cheerfully as she glanced at the door. And at the center of it all, Giroro was busily throtting Keroro as he shouted, "How? How is it that after all these years you can still disillusion me?! How?!" Behind them was a chalkboard with their latest plan to conquer the Earth outlined, to wit - 1. Kidnap Bill Watterson and brainwash him to do a Keroro web cartoon which we'll serialize; 2. ?; 3. Profit!; and, of course, 4. Spend profit on Gundam models.

Natsumi suspected this one had a pretty good chance of working, actually, so she cleared her throat to attract ther attention.

"Ah! Natsumi-dono!" Keroro croaked, somehow managing to communicate understandably while being throttled. "Back from college, I see?"

"Na-na-natsumi!" Giroro gasped, releasing his grip on the Sergeant as he whirled to look at her in obvious panic.

Similar greetings were offered by the others, but Natsumi only had eyes for one of them. "Yes," she said. "And there's something that I've got to say. Something I've finally accepted."

Slowly, she started walking towards the two Keronians at the center, speaking as she did. "I didn't want to admit it. But after all this time, I can't fight this feeling anymore. I've forgotten what I was even fighting for in the first place. So really, what else can I do?"

She saw that Giroro's jaw was droppinng as she approached, lower and lower with each thing she said.

She wondered what that was about.

Oh, well. She picked up Keroro's no-less-startled form. She sighed one last time before she said aloud what she'd finally admitted to herself. "I love you, stupid frog," she declared, and kissed him soundly on the lip - er, well, the mouth.

He tasted faintly of dumplings. In the distance, she could hear shattering noises, like glass breaking, coming from the general directions of Giroro and Tamama, but she didn't really pay them any mind. She had other things to think about.

"Gero?" Keroro stammered once she stopped kissing him. "What - what - what, sir, yes, sir?"

"You're so cute when you're bewildered," she told him.

Author's Note: If you were expecting it to be Giroro ... you probably think you're a really Nice Guy, don't you?