Her long black hair is down for once, and out of the signature buns that I've grown to love. I can see it spilling over her shoulders like ink, darkly contrasting with her pure white dress. Her eyes are wide and filled with glee as the moment she's been dreaming about for years finally comes to life.
As I watch her uncles lead her toward me, I can't contain my smile. She's so beautiful, and strong, and brave, and loyal. It amazes me that in a few short moments, she'll be mine.
Of course, I didn't always feel this way. It stuns me to think about the time before we were really 'Pucca and Garu', back when love was funny and one-sided. Back when I ran from her embrace. Pucca would argue that we were together from the first moment we met. She claimed that we were always meant for each other. But then, she loved me from the very beginning. I, on the other hand, needed time to truly fall in love with her…
I moved to Sooga Village when I was nine years old. I had grown up in a training dojo a little ways from there, where my parents had left me at birth. And without the emotional attachment that came with having a family, I excelled in my ninja training. After nine long years, I felt more than ready to set off into the world, establish my independence, and make an honorable name for myself in spite of the disgraceful parents who left me behind as another man's burden. I was determined to live my life in pursuit of these goals. Love was a ridiculous notion, and entirely out of the question for someone like me. I was perfect without it, and I watched how emotions weakened everyone around me. It was a distraction that I did not plan to engage in at any point of my life.
But two days after reaching Sooga, after nestling into an old house filled with booby traps to keep my reflexes sharp and my enemies at bay, I first saw her at the Goh-Rong restaurant in the heart of town. The food smelled incredible, and it felt like the scent was physically reeling me in by my nose as a pole does a fish already hooked on a line. In a matter of seconds I was inside and sitting at one of the tables, my mouth watering in anticipation.
Dada, though I hadn't known his name yet, struggled to take my order when he realized I didn't speak. I had taken a vow of silence a year ago, one that I still hold to this day. But eventually he had the sense to hand me a menu and let me point. I watched him as he pushed his way through the back double doors, and something red and black flashed in my brief view of the kitchen. I remember staring curiously, as Pucca, around seven, shyly poked her head outside the swinging doors to stare at me. She was very small, with thick black hair pulled back in two odangas and a long red dress with black shoes and tights. I caught myself on the word cute as it briefly flashed through my mind. I quickly dropped my eyes back to the table, waiting for my order.
Suddenly, I felt the air stir, and I glanced up in surprise to see her sitting across from me. I glared at her for a long minute, trying to convey the message go away. But she only giggled as I persisted. I felt myself blush at that, staring back down at the table in frustration. She'll leave me alone soon enough, I told myself, unaware that this was to be the biggest lie I had ever swallowed.
I felt a flash of movement again, as she was inexplicably in a seat inches from mine quicker than I could blink. My eyes flashed to hers, and I tried to stare her down again, to make her leave my personal space, but she was content to just keep staring back with an intensity that made me more than a little uncomfortable. She grabbed my hand, and I flinched at the casual touch, trying to pull away. But her grip was surprisingly strong, and after a moment, I closed my eyes in red-faced frustration at my defeat. By a younger girl, no less.
When Dada finally came back with my order, I gobbled it up as quickly as I could with my one free hand before racing out the door. Thankfully, she had let go of my hand once I paid for my meal and made it clear I had to leave. We both knew the food would bring me back, and she was there waiting each time it did.
A few weeks later, she was even tracking me down on her own time, tackling me with hugs and kisses that made me cringe. Every touch, each small invasion of my privacy, tapped on the glass box locking away my heart, and I tried to reinforce it. I was a ninja, training to be a master. There was no room in my life for Pucca and her romantic nonsense. Though at the same time, a small part of me couldn't help but notice her untrained battle prowess, and feel the smallest kindling of uneasiness each time she pressed her developing frame to mine. No matter how much I tried to push her away, she was loyal and cared about me. She clearly wasn't going to let me go anytime soon.
On my sixteenth birthday, she finally cracked the glass. I'd hit the ripe age where hormones began to take precedence over reason and self-control. I felt her breasts press into me when she squeezed me into tight hugs. Her eyes grew bigger, and more communicative. Neither of us spoke, but we found other ways to converse with each other on the rare occasions that we were together and she wasn't throwing herself on top of me. More and more, I felt forced to run away from Pucca and the feelings that threatened to envelop me at her touch. It was childish, and frankly cowardly, but I couldn't see another option at the time. Opening up to anyone could break me, or else distract me from my training—my life's purpose.
But on the eve of my sixteenth birthday, after the party had ended and everyone had left but her, she sat silently on the porch with me, one of the few times she didn't try to push herself on me. The night was cold, and she could have easily warmed herself in the effortless run back to the Goh-Rong, but instead she lingered there with me. Slowly she slid herself closer, until she was leaning against me, both her arms wrapped around the one at my side. She felt so soft and warm like butter, and I couldn't deny that the touch felt nice. Gently, she laid her head against my shoulder with a soft sigh, her cheek pressing into me through my suit. A hum built up inside of me like a purr that I couldn't contain. When she heard it, she jerked back in surprise, her hand stretching up to my cheek, forcing me to face her. I stared into her eyes, trying to figure out what I was feeling as they pleaded with me for clarity. Instinctually, I leaned forward and lightly pressed my lips to hers.
She was stunned, but her lips met mine with the love she never failed to share with me. I started to pull back, but she lightly nipped my lower lip, bringing me closer. My hands hesitantly reached to hold either side of her face as the kiss heated up, until I finally had to pull back for air. The wall around my heart shattered, and I finally recognized that, despite my years of protest, I truly cared about the girl who had been chasing me for years. Her arms wrapped around me after that as she hugged herself to me, tears spilling from her cheeks. With a foreign lightness in my chest and a goofy grin on my face, I hugged her back, pressing a kiss to her neck beneath her ear.
After years of playing chase and denying my emotions, I'd finally made a move. And I didn't feel changed, or weak. I was still Garu. But now I felt true happiness, for the first time in my life. And with Pucca in my arms, I felt stronger than ever.
Regardless of my developing feelings for her, public displays of affection still weren't my forte. Though occasional hand-holding was okay, I was not interested in kissing, grabbing, or prolonged hugging of any kind in front of other people. It seemed cheapening to treat any relationship like its worth was measured in how much it showed in public. Wasn't it more romantic to kiss in private? To lie in each other's arms when no one else was there to see and speculate on what that said about the couple? Pucca didn't outwardly agree with my unspoken logic, but as time passed, I could feel her elation at the sweet moments we shared when nobody was watching.
We were a couple. We seemed almost exactly the same as before, minus the prolonged chasing. If Pucca tried to kiss me or the like in public, my face still turned beet-red as I tried to shove her off. When she squeezed me in an inappropriately tight hug, I deflated. Some people, like Ring Ring, saw no evidence of us being together. It's not as if we talked about it, and Ching and Abyo had claimed we were dating before we truly were, leaving their proclamations null and void.
But the ones closest to us knew. We communicated it to Ching and Abyo, of course; a conversation which earned me way too much teasing and terrible advice from my so-called best friend. And beyond them, the Chefs, Dada, Santa, Master Soo, and Ssosso all just seemed to know. There was a shift in the way we spent time together. Sometimes we would hold hands, so long as no one brought attention to it. I'd also let Pucca slip in an occasional small hug or light kiss on the cheek with only an exaggerated eye-roll in response. And if those weren't obvious signs, we also spent much more time together, with or without friends, where we silently communicated with endless amounts of eye contact.
Then whenever we were alone, I kept as close to her as possible. Hours would pass with her on my lap, leaning back against my chest. My arms wrapped around her deceivingly delicate body while my index fingers reached up to twirl themselves in her buns. Meanwhile, she would draw or craft my face or the two of us with any medium she could find. Sometimes she'd listen to me play the ehru, falling asleep to the soft melodies I construed. But my favorite moments were when we sparred. She defeated me nearly every time we battled, the few exceptions being ones where she'd let me win. At first I resented it. After all, it was a little emasculating when I'd been training my whole life and she was born with such raw and unexplainable power. But that was part of who she was, and one of the reasons she was so earth-shatteringly sexy. Plus, I couldn't deny that fighting a being akin to a goddess was certainly improving my skills. Tobe now felt like a breeze, on the rare occasion that he challenged me. With Pucca by my side so frequently, he rarely bothered anymore. This was probably the only downside to our relationship, come to think of it. Things were perfect. That is, until the day that they weren't.
About a year and a half after the night that we kissed, I made my way to the Goh-Rong for lunch and Pucca. The Chefs saw me enter the restaurant and, guessing my intentions, informed me that she was out making deliveries. I sat down and ordered food anyway, content to wait. And that's when Ring Ring noticed me from the other side of the room. Her style had changed a bit since we were younger, and her pink dress transformed into a two piece that barely concealed her full chest and curvy thighs. Her long blue hair, once held in a pristine clip, was now pulled back into two waste-length ponytails at either side of her head. Honestly, I thought they were a fire hazard, but I could see how the look could be considered cute. It was similar to Pucca's hairstyle. I kept my face carefully composed to suppress the small, misleading smile threatening to form at that thought.
"Garu," she cooed, "It's been ages…" Her face fell into a small, insincere pout. "Where has Pucca," she sneered the word, "been hiding you?"
I stared at her, face blank. I wasn't about to get into this.
"Haven't you missed me?" She whined. I shook my head with a grunt, which actually seemed to disappoint her. Before I had the chance to feel bad, she brushed it off and continued, dangerously placing one of her hands on my shoulders.
"You're seventeen Garu, and we both know you ain't interested in or gettin' zilch from her." She smiled seductively, pushing herself onto my lap and pinning me to the seat before I could move away. "Aren't you even curious what real perfection tastes like?"
Now, I had three responses to this, none of which I could voice. First of all, I hated the dramatic way Ring Ring accented at least one word in each sentence. It was unnecessary and demanded far more attention than needed. Secondly, I had a rather childish thought that can only be described as an Abyo-moment as I interpreted the double-meaning of her words. And finally there was fear, as I realized what she was about to do and how powerless I was to stop it.
Ring Ring pulled me to her by the neck of my suit, shoving her tongue into my mouth in what even I had to qualify would have been a great kiss… if only it were Pucca delivering. I squirmed, and as luck would have it, the Goh-Rong's doors flew open to reveal Pucca. Her constant wide smile froze in place as she turned to see us, and I gazed at her, still flailing, eyes begging her to come and save me. In a flash, Ring Ring was off me, flying into the wall beside us with a loud thud. I grinned smugly as she fell to the floor, turning back to silently thank Pucca. But she was already gone, the restaurant doors' returning swing the only indication of her departure.
I spent the rest of the day racing around Sooga Village, desperately trying to find her. But as the sun started to set, I realized it was time for me to head home. I briefly contemplated waiting for her at the Goh-Rong, but something told me she needed her space. I would find her soon enough, and then I'd explain everything.
And miraculously, when I reached my home, she was sitting there on the front porch. The same place we first kissed. Relief filled me, until I saw that she was crying. Her whole body shook with quiet sobs that only worsened when she looked up to see me standing there. I sprinted to her, going to wrap my arms around her, but she shoved me away. I held back, staring at her. I'm so sorry, I pleaded. Then shaking my head for emphasis: That was all her. You know that I would never.
She nodded, wiping tears from her eyes. But when they looked back up to meet mine, they were still watering. I didn't know though. Her eyes looked down in guilt, shame, and doubt.
I stared at her for a long moment. I knew what she needed me to convey. The three little words, with so much weight behind them, so much confidence and… pressure. We'd been dating for well over a year now, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to say it, to take that final step. But then I looked back up at her tear-soaked face. I could see how much it hurt her and toyed with her to be the only one with her feelings on the table. I held all the emotional power in this relationship. My heart tightened in my chest as I felt her pain, and I knew right then that this wasn't just deep concern for someone you care about. I loved her. And it was time for me to let her know it.
Hesitantly, my left hand reached up to catch her chin as I forced her, well, as much as anyone could ever force Pucca, to look me in the eyes. Then I placed my right hand over my heart before I moved it to cover hers. I love you.
Her eyes widened in shock. With a small duck, they urged me: Say it again.
I motioned once more, this time placing my hand on her heart with more confidence, and a wide smile. This was it.
In what was probably the most adorable thing I'd ever seen, she squealed, throwing herself into my lap and hugging me so tightly that I could breathe. Once I started coughing, she loosened her grip a fraction. I wretched a few more times before returning the hug with as much strength as I could muster. She sighed into me, her tears from a moment before long forgotten. So this was what it was like to be in love…
Only two years later, I got down on one knee. It wasn't magical, or expensive, or under the heavy gaze of public eyes. I walked with her into the bamboo forest, just as we did almost every day. I adorned the ground of one of our favorite spots with flower petals in the shape of a large heart. The petals were almost too much for me, but the look on her face when she saw them made each painfully frilly second worth the effort. When we stepped into the center, I got into position and pulled out the ring box, staring into the beautiful dark eyes that had spoken legions to me over the past several years. Eyes that I was hopelessly in love with. They brimmed with tears as she nodded furiously, before I even opened the box. She ripped it from my grip and pulled out the simple diamond ring, delicately admiring it as she slipped it onto her left ring finger as if it were the most fragile thing on the planet. I stood up as she threw herself into me, tackling me to the ground with a lengthy kiss. Before I could even finish enjoying it, she was pulling me up again, dragging me behind her like a kite as she sped to share the news with her uncles and our friends.
Ssosso delicately plays the ehru as Pucca strides to the altar. She doesn't hesitate or trip in her graceful march. In fact, it seems like her uncles are slowing her down. When she finally reaches me, she beams brighter than I have ever seen before. I'm glowing right with her, more so when Uncle Dumpling places her soft hand in mine.
Master Soo floats in a cloud before us, and waits for Ching and Abyo to complete their stately walk down the aisle. Their hands are firmly clasped, and they share a brief kiss before splitting so that he can stand by me, and Ching, Pucca. I spare him a brief smile. It's great to see the two of them together after years and years of him beating around the bush. But now isn't the time to focus on Abyo.
Master Soo begins his speech, but I can't focus on the words. I can only keep staring at Pucca in silent anticipation. This is it.
"Do you, Garu, take Pucca to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
I close my eyes for several silent seconds as a confirmation. I do.
"And do you, Pucca, take Garu to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Pucca mimics me with her own long, heartfelt blink. I do.
"Do you have the rings? Master Soo asks. Abyo steps forward with the two bands I'd formed with my melted katana blade. It had hurt to do it at the time, but the decision felt right. With so many years gone by, it was time for me to get a new one anyway. And this way, I'd managed to share with her the last piece of my past. Delicately, we slip on each other's rings.
"Good! Then by the power invested in me by… well, me: I now pronounce you husband and wife." We pause in momentary disbelief at the words. Pucca is my wife.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" Master Soo nearly shouts at me. "Just kiss her already!" Before I can form a coherent thought, she pulls me in for the first kiss of our new lives together. I pull her closer, one hand at her waist and the other resting on her cheek as the crowd cheers.
When we finally manage to pull apart from each other and remember the present audience, still clapping in the beauty of this long-awaited scene, we share a telling look.
You know what comes next? I think.
The rest of our lives? Her smile widens adoringly.
I nod slowly, but stare at her for another long second before understanding clicks. Her eyes widen as it registers, and her smile somehow grows even bigger.
Oh, I know, she winks.
Then we pull each other closer, leaning together as we face the guests. Suddenly, we are way too anxious to leave this wedding reception behind, and start our new lives back on the homey porch where we truly began.
Wow. So that was approximately 6 hours of my life. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it! Also, it's really late for me right now, so I haven't done the final sweeping edit yet. I will hopefully get to it soon and repost then. But for now, I'm too excited to wait! Please R&R. I love this show, and I love you readers! Usually I like to stick to canon for Pucca stories, but I really needed one that made me happy. And this did. I also felt it stayed pretty true to Garu in the form of reflection, though maybe it's a little frilly. Let me know what you think ;) Love you guys! Also, I'm sorry I haven't updated my other story yet. I have the story worked out, I honestly just need to sit down and write it ;P So yeah! Thanks again for reading! ~Sara