005 | Video | May 30th

[dragneel]

[ There's a bright, grinning face on the network -- cheerful and shounen as ever. ]

Yo! How's everyone holdin' up? I tried to eat as much of the fire as I could around the city, but those guys were workin' pretty quick. Still, seems like BREW timed it out just right this time and even welcomed me with a good feast.

[ He shifts so he's sitting near his broken window, the wind just wafting right in his room. ]

I don't know how many people're still around from when I was, but I didn't forget. I wouldn't forget.

[ Natsu's expression becomes grim. ]

Sorry. So much time has passed, both here and back home -- and I wasn't around to help out with any of it. I can't even promise I'll be around this time since BREW can't seem to make up its goddamn mind. But what I can promise, what I will promise is that while I'm here -- I'll do everything I can to help Shibusen. That's a guarantee from Fairy Tail's Salamander.

[ This is all very touching. It's just a shame the moment is ruined as a bird just flies right into his room and smacks right into his head. ]

OI. What's the big idea?! [ It scatters in a flourish of feathers, and Natsu growls. ] Anyone know how to fix a window?

Comments

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

Heheh~ We try our best, de arimasu!

[video]

[dragneel]

How's the war been goin' since I left? We any closer to beatin' those witches and gettin' everyone back home?

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

Well...there's been a bit of a problem lately with vandals in Death City...and Guests are really unpopular right now, de arimasu....

[video]

[dragneel]

So I saw from the welcome party. What happened with the guests, though?

[ Was it Winters? Natsu bets it was Winters who pissed someone off somewhere. ]

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

I don't know, de arimasu. Back when it first started it was kind of weird, de arimasu.

[Because Keroro was fairly certain that they hadn't done anything.]

There were muggers that attacked guests a while back too, de arimasu.

[video]

[dragneel]

Maybe they're jealous we can go to the diner whenever we want and get free food?

[ Because food is obviously the reason a riot would start. ]

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

We can't do that in some places anymore, de arimasu.

[video]

[dragneel]

Hah?? Why not!

[ Holy shit. WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO?! ]

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

Because some businesses don't take communicators as payment anymore, de arimasu.

[Which is kind of dumb in Keroro's mind. Money is money, you guys.]

Ah, but my cafe is still accepting communicators, de arimasu!

[video]

[dragneel]

That's why your place is the best. You still got those little stick things that're covered in chocolate?

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

Thank you, de arimasu! [For that, Natsu gets a free* soda!]

And of course we do, de arimasu. Pocky, right? It's one of our best-sellers, de arimasu.

[*They'll charge it to Shibusen.]

[video]

[dragneel]

[ YESSS. Free, weird fizzy drink!! ]

Yeah, that's it! I can come move stuff around or something if you give me a box of it.

[ He's cheap labor. Just pay him in food. ]

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

[You mean free labor. Since Keroro can write that off as Natsu having bought the pocky.]

Really, de arimasu?

[video]

[dragneel]

[ It's a win-win situation! ]

You bet!

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

[More like a win-win-lose situation. But Shibusen has money to burn anyways, right?]

Great, de arimasu!

[video]

[dragneel]

[ Of course they do! They are the ones who kidnapped everyone, so they gotta have plenty of cash to take care of their 'guests' ]

I'll be over in a bit!

[video]

[starfruitfrog]

Okay! I'll see you then, de arimasu!

[action]

[dragneel]

[ Natsu doesn't take long to get over there -- surprised that he even remembers how. But then again, this place isn't entirely big. ]

Yo, Keroro! I'm here!

[action]

[starfruitfrog]

[Keroro looks happy when he sees him. He always likes seeing old friends. The shop still looks very much the same as the last time Natsu was around. The floors and shelves still gleam, and the selection is varied.

The only thing that's changed is that there are more pictures on the bulletin board behind the cash register of all the people that have come and gone since the store opened.]

Natsu-dono!

[action]

[dragneel]

[ It's a welcome relief to see things as they were. Sure beat when he went back home and things had changed entirely. He takes a moment to look around before zeroing in on the pictures. ]

Hah? What's this?

[action]

[starfruitfrog]

This is our bulletin board, de arimasu! It used to be for announcements, but lately we've just been putting pictures up, de arimasu.

[And Keroro turns to the bulletin board, which has kind of been swallowed up by pictures. There are lots of pictures of their current and former staff: Hughes and Itou (the latter looking very uncomfortable with Hughes' arm slung over his shoulder), Luna, Mitsuba, Junpei...There are also photos of Roy (taken without consent), crudely drawn photos of people that had been banned from the store as well as pictures of friends. But Keroro doesn't look sad as he thinks about them. As far as he's concerned, there's no such thing as goodbye forever.]

A lot of them have left, de arimasu.

[action]

[dragneel]

[ Natsu takes a step forward, looking over the pictures before he reaches out and plucks off the one of Luna -- who really had been the reason he came to the store and met Keroro in the first place. A fond smile crosses his face. ]

It's a good way to remember. Everyone frozen in time.

[ Just like Natsu and his friends had been for seven years -- just like how Reedus had drawn pictures of the way things used to be to keep the morale high and the memories alive in his guild. ]

They're all out there somewhere, at least. [ ...except the ones that are dead. ] Was just lucky for us we got to meet 'em.

[action]

[starfruitfrog]

[Keroro gives Natsu a smile and a nod.]

Exactly, de arimasu. And I'm sure wherever they are...that we'll all meet again, de arimasu.

[Maybe in a huge cross-over movie.]

[action]

[dragneel]

[ Natsu doesn't get fourth wall humor. BUT he nods in agreement. ]

Yeah! 'm sure you're right! We didn't all meet for nothin', after all!

[action]

[starfruitfrog]

That's what I think too, de arimasu. Meeting here couldn't have been a coincidence, de arimasu.

[He smiles at the bulletin board.]

That's why, until we do meet again, I have to keep going so that I'll have lots of stories to tell them when I see them again, de arimasu.