Hey guys, this is my first Pucca story so I hope it's alright :) Rated M for later chapters. (Blood and the likes if you were wondering)
Bitter Sweet Goodbye.
Two days. It was two days till Pucca's eighteenth birthday. She couldn't wait, and her whole body buzzed with excitement. She stood in front of her mirror, gazing at the young woman that stared defiantly back with a warm air of confidence that was usually wrapped around her like a blanket, her midnight black hair up in it's usual style, buns on either side of her head. She had grown to be about 5"7, which was just slightly taller than her best friend Ching.
That reminded Pucca that she and Ching had plans to meet up at the doors of Goh-Rong, the most well known restaurant her guardians and herself run, to decide on what they were going to do for her special day. Checking that her mascara hadn't smudged, smiled at herself in the mirror one last time, before flinging on her signature red dress and black leggings. She had out grew tights when she was thirteen as with her continuous bad luck of getting into a fight with either Tobe or Ring-ring, an obnoxious girl who flaunts a little too much skin nowadays as it seemed to Pucca that Ring-ring had decided that the age of twenty-one was an appropriate age to reveal what is meant to be hidden by what society would call 'clothes'. A foreign concept to Ring-ring apparently, Pucca thought sadly. She hated the idea that the girl she used to argue with has taken such a drastic turn. Shrugging it off Pucca glanced at her flashing red clock that read 8:23am then dashed out of her room.
She practically flew down the stairs, called goodbye to her uncles and official guardians Linguine, Uncle Dumpling and Ho, who had decided to open the restaurant a little late today as they had needed the extra rest to recover from the late work night they had the day before, and skipped out of the door grabbing her scooters keys from the counter by the door on her way out. She danced around the side of the house to see her small scooter that she had since she came to live with her uncles, though it had needed upgrading as she had grown up. Grabbing a helmet she mounted the scooter, fixed her helmet securely before revving the small engine. It sprung alive with a graceful purr. Grinning she set off, enjoying the sight of the villagers going about their work, a few of them fondly calling to her good-morning. She caught sight of her best friend chatting to her boyfriend Abyo. Pucca was vaguely surprised that he hadn't ripped his t-shirt in half already. His familiar habit that hardly lifted a brow from Pucca anymore, but whenever he did it she casted a glance to see Ching's reaction. No matter how many times he did it she still stared at his revealed flesh as if she wanted to dig her nails in it and scream for him to take her there and then. When she caught Pucca looking at her knowingly she'd look away, a sweet blush rushing to her pale cheeks. It never failed to amuse Pucca.
Ching and Abyo had gotten together only a month ago, at Ching's own eighteenth, and they've been inseparable since. Pucca pulled up besides them, removing her helmet before she greeted them.
"Hey Pucca," Ching beamed at her best friend. Ching was wearing her purple dress, an adult version of the one she had worn when she was a child, as she had once told Pucca that Abyo had complemented her. He actually said she suited purple. Abyo, the most clueless guy, besides his own best friend, about love and well... Expressing feeling in general. Pucca smiled whole-heartedly at the two.
"You excited for your birthday?" Abyo injected. He himself was nineteen and had his birthday in the autumn gone. A sweet rose sent drifted into Pucca's nose, over running her senses. She glanced up at the roses that were growing on the trees beside the entrance to Goh-Rong. She loved the smell of roses, and the spring was her favourite time of they year. The wind still held a bitter edge to it as it blew through the village, but the promise of future flowers and soft sunny rays were welcoming.
Still gazing off at the rose buds that were growing to a healthy size, almost ready to bloom, she answered Abyo's question. "Of cause. I can't wait!" She grinned at the couple showing her enthusiasm. Ching then dove into the many ideas for the spectacular party that she was planning to throw, which Abyo took as his Queue to leave. He gave Ching a quick peck, leaving her blushing in embarrassment and delight, bid goodbye to Pucca before sprinting off towards the training grounds for the Ninja's of the village. Pucca stared off after him in thought.
"I know what you're thinking." Pucca snapped back onto reality, blinking at her friend in astonishment.
"What do you mean?" Of cause Pucca already knew what she meant. Ching was always right when it came to it.
Ching looked at Pucca with a smirk playing at her lips. "Oh, I only meant that you were daydreaming of rattle snakes and what you're going to have for lunch today-" she sighed and allowed the smile to slip into place. "You know fine well what I'm talking about. When did you last see him?"
"Actually, your first guess was correct. I think I'm going to get the fried chicken with my rice." Pucca looked at the expected expression she was receiving before sighing herself. "Yesterday. He was training and I kinda... Interrupted him."
"You tackled him to the ground and covered his face with kisses," Ching matter of factly corrected. Pucca glared in frustration at her friend. It wasn't the fact that Ching had corrected her; it was the fact that she was right. Old habits die hard? Understatement. All she knew about showing emotions such as love hasn't changed since she was little. Showering him in affection was what her instincts told her to do every time she caught sight of that tall lean figure. She was beginning to realise the more she pressured him with such actions the more he seemed to pull away.
She was scared.
She was afraid that if she stopped he would loose interest in her, forget who she was. She was afraid if she didn't she would drive him into someone else's arms. Loosing him forever. Even thinking it causes a cold chill to attack her body. She allowed Ching to glimpse at her pained vulnerable interior. Ching was shocked to see her friend so sad. She always thought Pucca was invincible, she was pushed away for her beloved but she had always kept her head and spirits high, closing in all the hurt it had actually caused. She had believed that Pucca was strong with a secure determination, and she never saw how much putting on such a hard exterior had cost her. Ching felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. Her best friend had been suffering in silence for god knows how long, and yet she still smiled and comforted Ching when she had a problem disregarding her own.
Ching, eyes filling to the brim, pulled Pucca into a solid hug, making a resolve to help Pucca in anyway she could. Pucca, happy for the silent comfort, clung to Ching begging for her weaknesses to disappear. She hated to burden her friend with her problems.
Forcing tears back Pucca reluctantly pulled away and smiled. "So what are your plans for my big birthday bash?" she joked. Ching gratefully took the conversation turn into her stride, naming bands and venues that she thought would be perfect, neither of them mentioning the earlier subject to Pucca's relief.
Soon after Pucca's uncles arrived to open the restaurant. Ching settled herself on one of the tables, ordering the house special. Pucca slipped into her job easily, serving customers and occasionally chatting casually to them. A happy and polite waitress gained more tips than mopey one's, and they were saving their money to buy a new sign to hang outside and a few spaces in the media for advertisement.
A surge sprung through Pucca as she noticed someone else assigning themselves to one of the empty tables. Ching had long gone, promising to get back to her when she finalised a few ideas before leaving to check up on Abyo. Many of the customers had left and it was slowing down as it was coming to the end of the day. Pucca glanced at the clock as she busted a table nearest the kitchen. It was almost seven. We shut at half eight, Pucca thought absently. He must have been training quite hard if he hadn't come in at dinner.
Taking a calming breath, Pucca walked over to the newly seated customer. She was eyed suspiciously. She never walked when she saw this particular customer. She always tackled him, or somehow steals a kiss from him. She reached his table, her face set with polite indifference. I'm going to stop this childish game, Pucca thought sternly. She was sick of this dragged out game of tug-of-war. Whenever she thought she had gained footing on the way to achieving some affection from him the next day he just seemed even more distant.
"Hello Garu. May I take your order?"
Something's wrong, Garu thought. "I'll have the daily special with extra chilly, please." He matched her indifference though his face still had a slight hint of confusion laced in it. He had spent the whole day wondering where she had been. He was surprised and edgy before he came to Goh-Rong. Pucca had never spared him a day without trying, and ultimately succeeding, to steal kisses and hugs. Over time he'd grown used to staying on guard for her random attacks of affection. The absence of such affection had unnerved him, getting him in such an edgy state that he had found himself at the entrance of Goh-Rong. He wanted to know what had kept Pucca so busy that she had forgotten about him. The thought of her forgetting him worried him more than he'd ever admit to. He sat there staring into Pucca's dark eyes, searching for the unknown, and he began to doubt that he should even be there. Something was different and he wasn't sure he liked it.
"Right away," Pucca strained a smile before she twirled on her heal to stalk into the kitchen to repeat his order to Ho who nodded but was too busy igniting the noodles in front of him. Pucca walked out, resisting the urge to glance at where the object of her desperate affection was aimed at. She refused to allow her feelings to portray as she served her other customers. The whole time eyes burned into her back urging her to turn and meet them defiantly as they once used to.
Watching Pucca smoothly check up on customers gave Garu the time to appreciate what a fine woman she had grew to become. He never truly noticed how her dress hugged her body just the right amount to draw interest from the many men seated in the area, though Pucca failed to see it, but it still left room for the imagination. Garu sneered at himself. He shouldn't be looking at Pucca like that; reminding himself of how she had ran into him forcing him to the floor only twenty-four hours ago. How her body had melted into him, fitting perfectly against his hard 6"plus figure. Her firm generous breasts sliding against his chest as she reached up to kiss his lips and-
He shook himself mentally, scolding his pathetic attempts to stop the memory from flooding back. He felt himself strain against his black bottoms, reminding him that at the age of nineteen he had to be careful to restrain his thoughts. Garu didn't understand why he had such a reaction to Pucca. She was still the annoying, irritating, determined... He sighed. Damn.
Pucca silently delivered Garu's meal, snapping him back to the present. Pucca noticed the light pink shade that was rising to his cheekbones. She disregarded it thinking it was nothing. By the time she had busted her other tables Garu was gone, his money settled neatly besides his empty plates. Pucca snatched up the money, noticing that there was a generous tip before pocketing it in the small apron she had wrapped around her waist, and then collected the dishes to help out Dada who was a little behind on his work.
That night Pucca went to sleep exhausted. She dreamed of nothing, the way she was beginning to like it. Her dreams, since she first met Garu, had been absorbed in her hopes of him returning her feelings. They were beautiful and made her heart ache in longing. That was the reason she hated them now. They brought fantasies and false hopes into her life and every time they left her feeling alone and lost of what to do.
...
Garu's, on the other hand, was a mess. He dreamed of pain, distress and death. He writhed in his sheets dreaming that they were suffocating him but it was slow and painful. He wanted it to end. He stood there helplessly as the village that he had sworn to protect was burning down along with its people. His promise was disintegrating, just like his vow of silence he thought bitterly. He refused to regret breaking it. If he hadn't his parents would have died a lot slower. He focused back on the havoc before him. He saw his best friend burning, flames engulfing his arms as he tries to desperately pull away fallen logs of wood from his girlfriend. But Ching was already dead, crushed. Garu tried to shout to his comrade to hurry and leave before he joined her but his voice was stolen by the ropes that were snaking themselves around his neck restricting his airflow. He saw Ring-ring sprawled along the floor, her life's blood seeping for the deep gash in her stomach, he face forever frozen in a picture of horror. He saw his beloved cat Mio staked upon a roof not too far away, his black fur striped on one side to reveal the stake that spiked through his petite body.
Garu cried out for this torture to end, for him to join his friends in the after life. Anything to stop the sight of his dead comrades from swirling in front of his eyes. His vision blurred. He blinked rapidly to clear it but soon regretted it.
Before him was a dark haired girl, her hair haven fallen from her original style to hang around her shoulders but it didn't cover her distorted features. Her eyes were closed, streaks of pink ran down her cheeks as if she had been crying but had no more to produce, blood making hair stick to the side of her face where a long cut from her forehead to her neck lay. She was tied to a thick wooden pole; her clothes shredded so much so it wasn't even clothes but rags that had glues itself to her flesh by the steadily flowing blood. You could barely see the shreds as its colour matched her bright blood too closely. One of her legs was bent in an inhumanly position, clearly broken and unusable, her other was torn to the bone. She was muttering silently, almost praying, as she died.
The ropes that held Garu dragged him closer, his refusal almost none-existent. He begged for this to stop. He didn't want to recognise her; he didn't want to hear her last dying words; he didn't want any of this. Despite his struggles he was eventually dragged close enough to hear her whispers. He couldn't deny it now. He was too close to deceive himself any longer. He recognised this girl all too well, even in her battered state. The ropes made him lean forward so his face was looking right into her now opened eyes. She stared unseeingly as she murmured her plea once more.
"G-G... Garu... Why Garu...?" Garu's head was spinning. Why Garu? He caused this? His dismay and guilt made him chock. She spoke again, "be... Saf- safe... Garu... Goodbye..." Her eyes began to close but not before Garu caught a glimpse of a glazed over look her eyes were beginning to gain. He screamed. He screamed in rage; he screamed in pain; he screamed in guilt. Tears dripped down his face but he didn't care. He was past caring. He had killed them, he had killed Her... The girl he... The girl he...
Screams woke Garu up, causing him to jump up. It took a moment for it to register that it was his own screams that had woken him. His legs gave under him. He collapsed on his mattress, entangled in his bedding that was no longer trying to suffocate him, turning his burning gaze to the window noting the darkness that still covers his home. Rage still coursed through him from his dream but it was subsiding to his alarm. It left behind guilt and grief. He'd much rather the blinding rage than this emptiness that was entering his numb body. That dream had disturbed him to his core.
He resisted the urge to take off and check up on his friends as he knew that they would be sleeping as he should be, but he refused to try and sleep again in fear that his dream would return but worse than before. He doubted it could have been though. He stared out of the window once more letting his mind wonder to his main worry and confusion.
Softly he spoke to the eerie silence that had lapsed over the area since he woke up, "Pucca..."
A/N: Hope you liked this chapter ^_^ It gets better don't worry. Please R&R :)