Pucca POV

It was a normal day in Sooga Village, the people were going about their routines and not much really changed. Pucca was in her room looking out the window admiring the beautiful day that was unfolding before her.

It had been quiet ever since Tobe mysteriously stopped going after Garu about 5 years ago. It was something that had taken everyone by surprise the day before he was making the usual claim that he would take his vengeance on Garu, the next…no knows. Tobe never jumped out to attack or ambush Garu ever again. The only evidence to prove that he had left was a house full of the ninjas who followed him and his mask that she found in the street, which she still secretly had under her bed. Garu was then able to continue his training in relative peace.

Pucca couldn't help but admit that in her younger years after Tobe had left had been nice, she would watch Garu as he trained and the four of them: Abyo, Ching, Garu, and she would all enjoy nice relaxing days in the sun when they weren't taking care of their individual responsibilities. And at that time Garu had only needed to keep an eye out for her ambush of kisses and hugs. Looking back, she couldn't believe how foolish she'd been. All those times during her early teenage years chasing after a boy who had never shown any interest in her, the way she thought of it as him playing hard to get. She had realized that after years of chasing him never taking all the obvious hints that he was absolutely not interested in her. It had only been when she was genuinely upset that he ever gave her any wort of attention and begrudgingly at that. He had simply made her feel better out of guilt and when she was seventeen she stopped. Realizing that she felt like she was being led on in some ways, she stopped chasing after him.

But it had taken time to truly stop thinking they could be anything more than friends. It had taken time for him to understand and realize that he was no longer going to be chased by some lovesick puppy. Even now when they were hanging out with Ching and Abyo he still sometimes jumped or cringed whenever she got excited about something with Ching. There was no helping it except for time and distance.

Some good did come out of these past few years though, for one thing Ching and Abyo got together, her uncles' restaurant the Goh-Rong became a big tourist spot for amazing food during the summer months and today she woke up feeling amazing.

Pucca was getting ready to head down to the Goh-Rong to help prepare for the breakfast crowd when she noticed a tall gentleman walk up to the restaurant and go inside, she could have sworn that the man looked like an older Tobe.

Tobe POV

It had been sometime since Tobe had been in Sooga Village, he wasn't surprised when no one recognized him after all he'd been a teenager when he finally stopped his childish ways. The night he realized this…he felt empty. He relived every day no matter what he had done it had been failed plan after failed plan of him trying foolishly to destroy Garu when there was no real reason for it.

Back then he had sit in his room for hours trying to come up a plan for Garu like he had done night after night before when a profound thought hit him: Why? After sitting in his room for hours more he went to his ninjas and told them he was going on a journey and that the house was theirs to do with what they would. His ninjas looked crushed when he told them of his plans, some of them wanted to go with him. He told them this was something he had to do on his own, as a step to complete his ninja training, "I'm leaving first thing in the morning, and anyone who follows will be thrown into next week." Tobe said as he went to his room to pack supplies he would need.

After getting a full night's sleep, he left at dawn. When he reached the top of a hill overlooking Sooga Village he removed the mask he normally wore from his pocket and let it fly on the strong breeze. Tobe had needed and wanted this journey to help change him for the better. Even though it broke his heart a little to leave he knew that now it was for the best and that one day he would return. He stood on the hill until his mask had become a speck in the tranquil beauty of the dawn.

Tobe set out by going west he traversed through the different territories of China and some of Mongolia often times he just picked a direction and hoped he wasn't going in circles. Most of the time something seemed to call to him on the wind. Soon he had passed through parts of Russia, then he had made his way down to parts of India and Thailand. Again he just went in whichever direction felt right.

In his later teens he traversed the countries of the Middle East and Europe along with a few of the countries of Africa. Tobe lost count of how many villages, towns and cities he passed through that were similar to and yet so completely different from Sooga Village.

He learned from everyone he met be it a new language, politics, how some things worked in this age that seemed to not quite touch his home. It didn't take him long to travel the Americas before going on his way to the Philippines and Australia where he made his way to Japan, this was where he spent at least 9 months learning new techniques from his sensei Nakayama. Soon he sensed that his journey was about to come to an end and that he would need to go back to his home. Sensei Nakayama seemed to sense this as well and told him if he were in need of anything to call him right away.

At 21 years old he was proud to say that he had traversed the majority of the world and was indeed better for it. He had returned to Sooga Village a few days ago heading to what he thought was going to be an abandoned house located on the edge of the village. He was surprised to find it still occupied by the same ninjas he had given it to all those years ago. They were all asleep so he quietly tip toed to his old room. When he opened the door he was again surprised to find it empty save for the things he had left behind because he had not needed them when he set out. Everything in his room as clear of dust like someone, or several someone's, came in and cleaned it every day.

'They waited for me to come back?'

A ridiculous thought but it would have been just like them. Tobe let out a sigh, dropped his bags on the floor and collapsed on the bed. He did not wake until a couple of days later to a bunch of crying ninjas who nearly pushed him onto the floor.

"Alright! That's enough!" Tobe yelled at the ninjas as they finally got off of him

"Sorry Tobe, we're all just happy you're home." He heard Chief say, my how she had grown, and they all had. Not much had changed and yet at the same time everything had. Chief and the others were no longer the twelve year olds that would follow him around like little puppy dogs, or like the way Pucca would chase Garu.

But Pucca was a lot cuter, with her little oodangos, and the way she smiled at everyone, and the adorable way she hopped around everywhere. Wait. Where was this coming from? Briefly clearing his thoughts of Pucca he asked about what had changed in the years he had been gone.

Apparently almost nothing, the Goh-Rong had become more popular in the past couple of years, Garu was nearly done with his training, and for reasons no one but Pucca knew she had stopped chasing Garu. Did she lose interest in him? Why was he wondering that? It was then that he heard his stomach and several others along with his. Tobe asked if there was any food in the fridge, there wasn't.

One of the ninjas volunteered to make a food run but Tobe insisted he could do it, he quickly took orders and started toward the Goh-Rong.

"Wow Tobe, you really have changed, normally you would have made one of us go get the food." Chief said while leaning against the wall, "Maybe you and I could also-"

"No, sorry Chief but I'm not interested"

"But, why?"

"Because, I don't and haven't ever felt that way about you."

"But, we're married!"

"No we're not, I was able to remove Cupids arrow before the ceremony was complete."

Chief looked ready to cry like she always did. She hadn't changed, not really, none of them had.

"I'll be back soon with the food." He said before quickly waling out the door to the Goh-Rong, leaving an angry crying Chief in the entry way. It didn't take long for him to get to the restaurant.

It was surreal to see Sooga Village had remained the same, not many people were out at the moment but those who were, were looking at him as though he were an enigma. It wasn't like he'd been gone that long, then again the past 5 years had gone by pretty quickly. As he approached the doors of the Goh-Rong he briefly looked up to one of the windows to see black hair disappearing inside, it was probably Pucca getting ready to go take orders and serve noodles. With that he opened the door and went inside.