A Proposal
Chapter 1
by TheAngryTaco

A/N: Don't you just love plot bunnies?

The idea for this came up when I was trying to write something completely different. At first, I considered just discarding it, but it wouldn't leave me be. It wanted to be written. Plus, I've been itching to write GaruPuru for a while now.

And so, here we are. I hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Keroro Gunso or any of the characters from said show.

Pururu glanced behind her as the door to the medical bay slid open. She put down the needle she was polishing, then turned and dutifully saluted as her leader walked in. "At ease," he said, nodding at her.

She relaxed and smiled at him. "What brings you here, Lieutenant?" she asked. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I am perfectly fine, Chief Medic," Garuru replied. "It's nearly lunch time, and I wanted to make sure you were joining us."

"Oh, of course," she replied. "Thank you for reminding me."

He nodded, then turned and left.

Tororo and Taruru had already scarfed down half of their food by the time Pururu arrived. Garuru shook his head at them before offering Pururu a plate. She nodded her thanks and hid a small blush before helping herself. As she ate, Garuru started talking about their newest mission assignment. At once, she turned and gave him her full attention. They had been asked to make a supply run to the Keronian base on a distant planet called Pentonia. A squad of Vipers fond of attacking supply ships was in the airspace above Pentonia, which is why the Garuru platoon had been selected to make the run. Then a scuffle between Tororo and Taruru forced Garuru to abandon his explanation and pull the two apart. Pururu caught Zoruru's eye as Tororo whined about his cookies going missing, and they exchanged an exasperated look before they resumed eating.

A beeping alerted them all to an incoming spacecraft. The platoon all gathered at their stations as Garuru tuned in to see what was going on. A pink Keronian on a hoverbike waited patiently outside, smiling cheerfully. "A mail frog?" Pururu wondered out loud.

Garuru frowned. "Odd that we would receive paper communications, especially when we're so far from Keron," he agreed. "But there's no reason to turn her away."

He opened the door, granting the pink Keronian access to the ship. She motored up to their bay and saluted. "Mail Carrier Meruru," she said in greeting.

"Welcome," Garuru replied. "I am First Lieutenant Garuru."

The mail frog reached into her bag. "I have some mail for you and your crew," she replied. "Please sign and stamp them."

The platoon gathered around Meruru as she began to distribute her deliveries. Garuru received some paperwork from Headquarters, Taruru a letter from Karara, Tororo a new copy of Hackers Monthly, and Zoruru an oddly-shaped package. Pururu looked at Meruru expectantly as the assassin walked away, but the pink Keronian closed her mail bag. "Nothing for me?" Pururu asked.

Meruru shook her head. "Nope, not this time," she said.

Pururu looked down. "Oh, ok," she said quietly. "Thank you anyway."

The mail frog frowned. "I'm so sorry," she said. "Were you expecting something?"

"Oh, no," Pururu replied. "I just...you know..." She gestured toward her platoon.

Meruru followed her gaze and understood at once. "What's your name, ma'am?"

"Chief Medic Pururu," answered the violet Keronian. "And you don't have to call me ma'am."

Meruru gave her another salute. "Understood," she replied. "I'm sorry I don't have anything for you this time. But I promise that as soon as there's mail for you, I will be here."

Pururu gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Meruru," she said. "Don't worry about it though."

Meruru gave her a long look, but then returned the smile. "Hope to see you soon!" she said, getting on her bike and riding off.

Pururu allowed her smile to drop for a moment, sighing. Then she forced a smile back to her lips and returned to her station. Garuru glanced up from his paperwork. "Nothing for you?" he asked, surprised.

The medic shook her head. She heard Taruru gasp. "Are you serious?" he asked, standing and putting his hands on his hips. "That's unacceptable!"

"No, really, it's all right..."

The blue frog ran out of the room. All four remaining platoon members exchanged bewildered glances. "What on Keron?" Pururu asked.

"Pu pu, I don't even try to understand him anymore," Tororo remarked.

A few minutes later, Taruru returned, clutching a large envelope. Panting, he ran over to Pururu and offered it to her. She hesitantly accepted it. "To the Chief Medic," she read before opening it and pulling out a folded sheet of paper. When she unfolded it, she found a crudely-drawn picture of a pink blob with a small heart on it. Written above it were the words "The coolest Medic ever" with an arrow pointing at the blob. She looked back up at Taruru, who was smiling expectantly. "Is this me?" she asked with a strained grin.

He nodded eagerly. She fought to keep her expression pleasant. "It's...lovely," she managed. "Thank you, Taruru."

"You're welcome!" he replied happily, walking back to his seat.

Pururu quickly folded the drawing back up and shoved it into a little pocket in her station. She caught Garuru's eye as she did so and could almost swear he was smirking. But it went away as quickly as it had come as he programmed the coordinates for Keron into the ship. "This is going to be a long one," he advised them. "We're a full three days out from Keron, and then it will take at least a week to get to Pentonia, and that's only if all conditions are favorable. I need all of you at your best to carry out this mission as efficiently as possible."

The platoon saluted. "Yes, sir!" they chorused.

Another beeping sound made them all jump. Turning the monitor back on, they saw that Meruru had returned. "Sorry to bother you again!" she said. "But I found more mail for you in my bag. My mistake!"

Garuru sighed, clearly impatient to get going. But he allowed her on the ship once more. "I promise, this is it," Meruru assured him. "I'll be out of your hair after this."

She handed him a thick envelope as she said this. Then she walked over to Pururu, smiling. "Looks like I have something for you after all!" Meruru said happily. "Sign and stamp?"

Pururu blinked, then found herself grinning as she accepted her own envelope. Meruru gave the platoon a final salute, then zipped out the door and vanished into space. She put her hand on one end of the envelope, but then decided to wait until she was alone to see what it was. She looked up at Garuru. "I'm returning to the medical bay," she told him.

He nodded at her, busy with his own mail. She stood and skipped out of the room, humming merrily to herself. When she got to the medical bay, she pulled up a stool and sat down before eagerly tearing open her mail. Inside was a brown folder, one that she recognized immediately as being an arranged marriage profile. "Not again," she sighed. "Maybe one of these days they'll realize this system doesn't work." She peered at the folder. "I hope this one is at least normal."

She flipped it open, not really caring about who was inside. Then she let out a gasp, her eyes growing to the size of moons. The folder slipped from her grasp and fell to the floor. The picture of Garuru stared up at her, his eyes sullen and aggressive, almost as if he knew she had dropped it. Her mouth moved wordlessly as her mind tried to comprehend what had just happened. Behind her, she heard the door open. She whirled around to find herself face to face with the frog in the photograph. They stared at each other for a long moment. Then his gaze dropped to the folder on the floor. "I see you received the message from Headquarters," he remarked.

Pururu's face turned scarlet as she picked it up. "Yes, yes I did," she answered shakily.

Garuru gave her an odd look. He walked over to her and put a hand on her head. "You're rather hot, Chief Medic," he commented. "Are you unwell?"

She shook her head frantically. "No, I'm fine," she said quickly.

He removed his hand and frowned. "Are you certain?" he asked.

"Absolutely."

"Very well then. May I sit?"

She blinked. "Oh, of course," she replied, pulling up a second stool for him.

The two sat down, staring at each other. Pururu clutched the folder tightly, trying to figure out what to say. Garuru coughed slightly. "I know you didn't have much time to read this, but did you see the letter that came with it?"

Pururu shook her head, turning her gaze back to the object in her hand. She flipped it back open and pulled out the letter in question.

To Chief Medic Pururu of the Garuru Platoon-

Enclosed is the profile of First Lieutenant Garuru of the Garuru Platoon for your consideration.

As you know, it is normally not allowed for members of the same platoon to be matched for marriage, but as you were deemed to be an exceptionally good match, this rule has been waived. We are aware of your current mission, so we are extending the deadline to accept or decline this offer to after your departure from Pentonia, though you may always submit your answer before then.

We look forward to your response.

Pururu reread the letter three times before it truly sunk in. She slowly looked back up at her leader. He looked at her curiously. "Chief Medic, you really look unwell," he commented. "Would you like me to find you some medicine?"

She shook her head firmly. "No, it's ok," she insisted, putting the folder down and clasping her hands tightly together.

For a moment, Garuru's expression turned exasperated. Then he reverted to his normal look. "What are your thoughts on this?" he asked.

She bit her lip. "I...I really don't know," she said softly. "I just...my brain hasn't had time to process this yet..."

He nodded. "I understand," he replied. "Would you prefer to discuss this later?"

"If that's okay."

"Of course," he said, standing. "If it is amicable to you, I'll come speak to you this evening after dinner."

Pururu nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She watched him leave, listening carefully to make sure he was really gone. Then walked over to one of the cots and picked up a pillow. Burying her face in it, she let out a high-pitched squeal as she slid to the floor. Wrapping her arms around it, she squeezed it tightly and looked off into the distance.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why?"

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