Oh! There's someone here! Hi!
My name is Millennium Star diamond, big name, I know... I'm new to this site and I really wanted to write something too, I deeply admire all those talented writers that take their time and energy to make the stories we love so much, independent of fandom, ship, if you're here for fluff, angst or some sin, we all have a story or two we like and I want to thank all writers around the world that make this site worth to look at.
Anyway I hope that, one day I'll be able to bring someone a smile too, so if you are PuccaXGaru shipper, get comfortable, get that delicious hot cocoa or anything your sophisticated tastes are hungry for, roll yourself on a blanket burrito and enjoy!
It's my first story, but that isn't an excuse. Warn me of anything you think it's out of place or out of character, and I'll keep it in mind while writing the next stories so I won't make the same mistake. Tell the things you liked too! I don't bite~
Also, there's some blood and violence at the beginning, so skip that part if you're not comfortable with it.
I genuinely hope you enjoy!
…
Disclaimer: I do Not own any of the characters in this artwork and I'm in no way associated with their owners, this is a fan made story and may not be part of the official storyline.
Summary: After a blood curling nightmare, Pucca is left trembling with fear for Garu's life. She decides to check to see if he's really alright, but when she gets there she is welcomed by a chilling silence safe for the sound of swords clashing in the distance.
Alternative summary: Pucca has a nightmare and upon reaching Garu's house, proceeds to kick butts. Garu is confused.
Also Pucca kinda forgets to chase Garu in the end.
Cold...why is everything…so cold..?
Pucca groaned as she covered her eyes from the unnatural light, her drowsiness pleading for her to get back to sleep.
Wait... Light..? Is it morning already?
Now, fully sitting up, Pucca rubbed her eyes in an attempt to chase away some of her tiredness, was it possible for the sun to rise this fast? She just went to sleep.
Drowsy, she looked around, a wave of confusion hit the girl as soon as she took notice that she wasn't in her room, she had no idea where she was actually, only that it was outside. Standing up with some difficulty, Pucca called for her uncles, or at least the closest she could get to that, sighing sadly when she received no response.
Pucca stood up, looking around, she noticed the state her favoritered dress was, if she could even call it a dress anymore, the fabric was completely worn out, teared and dirty, her hands were cut, her hair was loose and all messed up. As much as she wanted to see a familiar face, Pucca kinda wished Ring ring would be as far away as possible, she was lost and injured, the last thing she needed was someone making fun of her current appearance.
CLASH!
"C'mon Kid! Is that all you've got?"
Pucca nearly jumped three feet in the air as the sound of metal clashing echoed through the unfamiliar forest. It sent a cold shiver down the girl's spine, but she held on all her courage and followed it reagardless, the dead trees and the blood marks definitely weren't inviting, nor was the sounds and screams she was hearing, but it seemed like someone needed help and she couldn't just ignore all of this. Who knows, she might even find a clue of where she was and how to get back home.
Or at least, that's what she though.
And immediately froze when she laid her eyes on the fight going on right in front of her.
There was a person who she didn't recognise, he looked about sixteen years old, was dressed in dark grey clothes, some sort of scarf hiding most of his face, making his reddish eyes his only visible facial features. Pucca almost gasped when she realized who this boy was fighting. Garu stood not very far away from there, looking exauted, he wiped some blood from his mouth and forced himself to stand up, a determined look in his eyes, like the ones of a guardian protecting the innocent souls they cared for, the ones of someone that would fight until the end, but wouldn't give up.
Unfortunately, the heroic position he was in did not faze his opponent, the older teen dashed at him with incredible speed, not wasting a second to attack the younger, much smaller boy in front of him, Garu dodged his vicious attacks with difficulty, it was clear that he was injured, there was no point for the other ninja to keep fighting, but it was like he wanted Garu dead right there and right now.
With ease, the older ninja knocked the sword out his hands, and landed a kick on his opponent's chest, making him land a few meters away from where he previously stood. The grey ninja approached Garu, sword on his hands, his eyes burned with such an amount of hate and vengeance that it almost burned holes through him.
"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID"
Those words were dripping with pure hatred, and were the last thing Pucca heard before the teen slashed his sword in her crush's direction. Unfortunately, injured, exhausted and disarmed, the boy didn't had a chance to dodge or block the attack, he wore a terrified look before receiving the fatal blow.
No no no no no no no!
She stood up as fast as she could, running at full speed and hit the ninja with all her strength. She watched as he rolled in the ground, dazed and confused, he had let go of his bloody sword.
Bloody?!
She almost feared looking to the side, her eyes looked at the ninja boy beside her, her fears were correct, she was a second too late. She ran to Garu's side, helping him sit up, he clutched the wound on his chest, tears running down his cheeks as he had his mouth agape in a silent scream. She called for him, screamed his name over and over, her throat hurting from the sudden forced use of her voice, but he did not respond, Pucca held him close as she felt her crush going limp, his reddish brown eyes giving her a terrified glance, before they slowly started to close.
Pucca shivered as she sobbed, hugging her friend's body as tight as she could, like if she just hugged him strong enough the ninja who had become one of her dearest friends and stole her heart would come back to life.
"How cute... But do you know what happens to thieves that get caught?"
Before she could react, that very same bloody sword that killed her dearest friend pierced trough her chest.
She woke up in a jolt, mouth agape, but no sound came out. Her breathing was hysterical, a mix of cold sweat and tears ran through her pale cheeks.
Pucca instantly brought a trembling hand to her chest, giving a relieved sigh as she felt no pain, any wound or discomfort whatsoever. Her hands trembled, but were thankfully one hundred percent blood free. Her hair was loose and she wore a cute white and pink pajamas she gained from her eleventh birthday. Nothing out of ordinary, everything was like she left before going to bed.
It was just a nightmare.
Sighing in relief despite her tiredness, Pucca managed to give a small, genuine smile before sinking into her comfortable bed once again, enjoying the familiar smell of her clean sheets. The black haired girl tossed and turned in her bed, still shaken from her previous dream, Pucca took a deep breath in a attempt to calm her nerves. She rarely had nightmares; most of her dreams were either about Garu or some well spent time with her friends and family. The last thing she needed right now was to stay the rest of the night up because of some gruesome nightmare, they had a picnic planned for tomorrow, and Pucca really didn't want to miss it for the world. She would be pretty upset if she overslept or was too tired to enjoy it the next day, she needed to rest and make it compensate tonight's nightmare, it couldn't be bad, Garu would be there after all.
Garu...
Pucca's heart skipped a beat, memories of the terrified look on his eyes when he was killed in her nightmare started to flood her mind, she couldn't help but let a single tear scroll down her face. Garu was a ninja, he trained and sparred on a daily basis, Pucca knew he was strong and more than capable of taking care of himself. But at the same time, something deep inside her wasn't entirely convinced, Garu was strong, but not invincible, what if something did happen? What if he got hurt and wouldn't be able to save himself alone? What if he was dying by the woods right now and no one was there to help?
No.
Garu is fine, it was just a dream. He is probably on his bed with his cat, sleeping.
And much better than me, I suppose...
...
I hope...
The worry that seemed to grow at each passing second soon spoke louder, Pucca stood up for her bed and rushed out of her room, not even bothering to change her pajamas, careful not to wake her uncles, she started making her way out of the restaurant and towards a certain ninja's house.
The trip didn't took long despite that she had to slow down slightly while running through the village so to not wake anyone up, she walked quietly when a lonely house in the bamboo forest came to view.
Taking careful steps, she approached the window, but when she was about to look, a nervous feeling crawled through her skin, wasn't this considered an invasion of privacy…? Not that she hadn't done it before, but… she stopped and took a deep breath. Why worry so much? Pucca loved Garu and would go through hell and back for him, no argument on that, but she should have some more faith in his abilities, he is a skilled ninja and can take care of himself right? Then why act like he was made of thin glass?.. More and more thoughts like that started to flood her tired mind, but she pushed them aside. He was strong, skilled and knew what to do in emergencies, Pucca knew it, but she cared about the ninja and just a little peek wouldn't hurt…
Reaching Garu's window, Pucca carefully peeked inside, scanning her crush's bedroom for him, hoping to ease the worry and fear that grew and filled the sweet girl's mind with horrifing scenes involving a lost fight and a blood thisth enemy.
She swore her heart skipped a beat
His bedroom was empty
She could vaguely hear the sound of swords clashing in the distance.
It was the first time in a while that she felt fear in such an extent, her heart was pounding even faster than when she first woke up from her nightmare, as the girl ran towards the sound at inhuman speeds, she felt like nothing else existed at that moment, just herself, her dearest friend… and a murderer.
In a moment's notice, she jumped in the battle and blew a powerful kick to the silhouette of the attacker, sending them flying away from Garu, who tumbled backwards in surprise.
"W-What?! Stay away from this! Unless you want to be defeated just like your little boyfriend!"
...Tobe...?
Pucca tilted her head in confusion. She was prepared to come face to face with the Devil if it was needed, but the last person she expected to see was Tobe. He was the one making all of this noise?
"I warned you! Stay away!" Those were the last words he spoke before the girl's expression went from utter confusion to anger and all he saw was Pucca dashing towards him at speeds he could never hope to reach himself before her first collided with his face; sending Tobe literally flying away while promising revenge.
Yeah, yeah… you always say that. Gezz…
She glared at the direction he flew into, hoping he would at least take a while to come back. Tobe always had a bad habit of interfering into their life's in almost impressive ways. From driving someone crazy with bells to promising revenge to an innocent passerby, he always found a way to come up with the most creative forms to get his so pursued revenge on Garu… and just end up being the butt of the joke.
And giving people heart attacks is on his list too. Great.
However her glaring soon came to an end when she realized that in the middle of all of that, she forgot to check on Garu. Pucca groaned in frustration when she looked behind her, only to find Mio where Garu had once been, meowing innocently at her.
He ran fast. Really fast. Even an adult ninja would struggle to catch up with the thirteen years old at that moment, but that amazing display of speed and agility were nothing compared to Pucca's superhuman abilities. Seriously what kind of training did she go through to get like that? And in a matter of seconds, the teenage girl dashed in front if Garu and forced him to quickly turn in the opposite direction. They repeated that process for quite a few minutes, Pucca desperately attempting to grasp the young ninja while Garu ran as fast as his legs could carry him.
The last thing he needed at the moment was to be kissed to near dearth once again.
He tried, heavens knows it. But once again Garu found himself being tackled to the ground and pulled into an almost suffocating grip.
Pucca felt the young ninja stiffen, holding his head as far away from her as possible, but she couldn't care less about that. It was a nightmare, that's what she told herself from the very beginning, and hoped by repeating that mantra, she'd scape the growing fear and worry that took deep roots into her heart. But that was nothing compared to holding her crush tightly against her, feeling his heartbeat and fast breathing because of their chase earlier, constantly proving her he was alive and well, running away from her affections as always, everything was normal, no assassin, no blood… everyone was alive, happy. Her friends and family were safe.
And that held so much importance to her.
Garu only snapped out of his fearful stance when instead of a full barricade of kisses, he was met with soft and barely audible sobs coming from her. That fear was quickly replaced by confusion, he turned his head, not sure what he expected to see. Regardless, the usually cheerful and bright girl shedding tears after tears was… strange? No… that was not it.
He had seen Pucca cry before, but never had she shown so much fear.
His eyes soon met Pucca's, but instead of kisses and usually failed attempts to escape, there was a moment of silent communication between them. Garu gazed at the girl he'd normally run away from in a blink, obvious concern in his eyes.
What happened?
Pucca gazed back at him for a moment before lowering and shaking her head, she seemed exhausted.
It was nothing.
His surprise was evident for a second, before he quickly averted his eyes, he honestly didn't expect her to understand. Not only that, but also answer him back. A very small group of people understood a thing he tried to say, why would Pucca, of all people... Oh, right. She also refused to speak. Was it because she didn't speak? A shaky sigh turned his attention back at her, she was using her sleeves to dry off her wet cheeks. He could think about that later, there was definetely something wrong. He reached his hand towards her, only for not so found memories of the girl hunting him down made him hesitate. The young ninja shook his head and reached once again, this time, sucessfully tapping her sholder and making her look up. Garu tilted his head slightly, this time he wore an unbelieving expression. Garu looked at her for a second before turning his head towards his house, where their encounter with Tobe took place and then back at her with a questioning look.
Nothing? Then what was that all about?
The surprise he felt a moment before was mutual. Pucca's previous melancholic expression became surprise, she honestly wasn't expecting an answer to that. But she quickly recovered and shook her head again, but more fiercely before averting her gaze, looking sadly at the ground.
I don't want to talk about it.
A moment passed with both parties 'silent', but to the young girl's surprise, it was the ninja who restarted their conversation. He brought himself up from the ground and dusted his clothes off before returning his gaze to the slightly confused girl and gestured her to do the same. She froze for a moment before she scrubbled to her feet. He gave her a quick, but bright smile and gestured for her to follow before walking towards his house and the village.
Their walk back home was surprisingly calm and peaceful. The only sounds being their footsteps and Pucca's soft giggling as she ran around the place, playing with many nocturnal animals she rarely had a chance to see. Garu kept leading the way, part of him knew he should be worried, but for some reason, he felt completely safe. Soon, they had passed a lake that they hadn't noticed before during the run from earlier. Pucca gazed curiously at it, not recognizing it. They must've gone further than she thought. Garu, of course just passed by it without a second glance. Pucca tilted her head at him, but shrugged it off, he probably knew that whole forest by the palm of his hand.
When they finally reached Garu's house, they exchanged a brief glance before turning to go their separate ways, Pucca was very hesitant to just let him go, she loved him so much, but it wouldn't be true love if she didn't trust him enough to something so simple as taking care of himself, maybe she would have to let him go. With a deep and dramatic breath, she started marching towards the village, not looking back.
If she had glanced back she would have noticed that Garu had stopped in his tracks, a confused and slightly worried expression on his face. He sighed and shifted his gaze towards his door, but for some reason he couldn't bring himself to enter just yet.
"Meow."
Mio looked up at his owner, god knows where he was this whole time. He put a paw on his leg and looked up at him once again with a firm glare, there was something in his eyes, no one could really explain it, but it was a sort of communication that only a pet and it's owner could have.
Welp, you know what you got to do.
The boy just let out a sigh.
The walk back home was taking at least ten times longer than it took earlier. She felt tears wanting to leak from her eyes, but fought against it and held them in, he proved to her that he could protect himself perfectly well, there was no reason for her to worry anymore, she could continue her life normally now, but a part of her refused to believe it so easily. What to do to forget her worries? Maybe thinking about tomorrow's picnic or singing a song.
She started humming faintly, a few years ago she'd have to be careful not to raise her voice too much as to avoid breaking the personal promise she made, but after so long her voice naturally became much easer to keep down. She could still talk and raise her voice without problems, but it did hurt her throat a little.
The song was calm and fit for a lullaby, it's lyrics long lost. She wasn't sure where she heard it, but it was doing a fine job helping her forget the fear that refused to let her go.
Suddenly a little piece of paper perfectly folded to hover in the air, slowly glided to her feet.
Pucca looked down at it for a second before quickly looking around, she saw the police station; the restaurant she lived in a bit further away; but no signal of anyone nearby.
Her gaze fell back to the small paper origami on her feet, she picked it up hesitantly.
It was still dark, but she could see something within it, it looked like…letters. Someone's handwriting. Upon realizing that, Pucca carefully unfolded it, and when she was finally finished, what previously looked like an origami turned out to be a letter of sorts, her heart almost skipped a beat when she saw the sender's name: Garu.
Thank you for caring about me.
While I can assure you I am capable of fending for myself, it still means a lot to me. I haven't had anyone actually worried for my wellbeing like this for a long time.
To tell the truth I feel bad for making you worry so much like that, I mean, I gess you always worry, but… seeing you cry like that was…awful. I hate it.
After all you went through to make sure I'm okay, I think expressing gratitude is the most honorable thing a ninja could do at the moment.
Thank you, Pucca. It means a lot to me.
–Garu–
Warm tears now ran freely down her cheeks, with a smile she hugged the letter tightly to her chest. She looked up the sky, then towards Garu's home. She smiled even brighter when she spotted a dark figure quickly running in the shadows. Pucca folded the letter and continued towards her so loved home.
Morning arrived way earlier than it should have.
Garu looked blankly at the ceiling, absentmindedly petting Mio' sleeping form while at it. He just couldn't forget about the previous night, he always knew Pucca liked him, anyone with eyes could see that, but when she appeared ready to face hell's biggest demon and almost made a full body check to make sure he was safe…
He wasn't sure what to feel.
He just hoped he'd made the right thing.
Without warning a soft knock on his door snapped him out of his trance like state. Garu gently lifted Mio out of his lap and placed the little black cat on the floor beside them, Mio meowed lazily as he was disturbed from his slumber, watching his owner quickly made his way towards the door, stumbling on his feet uncharacteristically. After what felt like an eternity for the young ninja, he reached for the doorknob and carefully opened the door, suddenly finding himself face to face with the little black haired girl, she had a strained and tired smile on her face and dark shadows under her eyes, which she had tried to conceal with light makeup, but the warmth on her gaze had never faded. The little red dress was adorned with a black ribbon on her side, she had put so much effort into her outfit, all for the picnic with their friends, but the indications of the less than two hours of actual sleep she got last night were still apparent.
He realized he probably looked like a disaster.
Pucca didn't seem to notice anything wrong, she smiled warmly and waved hi, Garu found himself smiling back and bowing his head slightly. He couldn't help the slight shiver that ran down his spine, he being so close to Pucca and not having to run was strange, but he managed to send a worried gaze in her direction, the instinct to run wasn't nearly as strong as the will to make sure she was alright.
As predicted, the young girl noticed her friend's gaze. With averting eyes, she pretty much shoved a little piece of light pink paper on his face, cheeks blushing like crazy. Garu glared at the little folded paper for a second before carefully taking it from her hands, upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a letter. A very pink and girly letter, complete with a dozen hearts and some glitter.
Garu's sweat dropped and he had to fight an eyeroll, but he opened the little letter.
You're welcome!
But of course I worry about you. I know you can defend yourself, I know it. You're like the strongest ninja I know, but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you.
You're special not only for me, but for everyone else here too; Abyo, Ching, me, everyone cares about your wellbeing, silly. Even if sometimes we say and do stupid things, we still care and would fight against the world for one another, right?
Never forget how important you are to us, alright?
With love:
3~Pucca~3
His eyes remained on the letter, reviewing every word and every phrase, wondering if he'd read it right. Garu sighed and a small, but genuine smile formed on his lips. He raised his gaze from the letter and his eyes met hers, upon seeing his expression, all of the nervousness and stiffness seemed to vanish from her, she smiled brightly and bounced a little in delight.
He couldn't help but chuckle at her, pulling a playful eye roll, was she really that nervous just to deliver that? Pucca responded with her characteristic smile.
Pucca giggled softly, but suddenly let out a gasp; the smile on her face quickly vanished, giving place to a worried frown and hurried gestures. Garu tilted his head questioningly and she pointed towards the village, where Abyo and Ching were surely still waiting for them by the time. His eyes widened in realization and he hurried to grab Mio and some food before leaving, Pucca rushing ahead of him. They managed to catch up with their friends very quickly, but from the perspective of someone who was already waiting for nearly half an hour, the five minutes that they took to reach them wasn't anything especial.
"Where the heck have you two been?!" Abyo shouted at them, gathering some not so wanted attention from some people passing by; Ching elbowed him with a disapproving frown.
"OW! Hey!?"
"Hi Pucca! Hi Garu!"
Pucca hummed in excitement and waved happily at her, Garu bowed his head with a smile.
"Still, you're late. I thought that arriving late was a girl's thing Garu.' Abyo smirked tauntingly and Garu responded with an exasperated glare, huffing in annoyance. Abyo just laughed.
"It's fine, man."
"Are you both done?" Ching sighed before pulling a small smile. "Can we go to the picnic area now?"
Pucca nooded as fast as she could, her smile shining as brightly as the sun; Garu just nodded positive once and Abyo shouted in delight, his energy contrasting with his best friend's calm demeanor.
"But wait, wait, wait!" He looked pensively at Pucca and Garu for a few seconds, earning confused stares from the group. "Aren't you gonna run?" He asked specifically at Garu, the latter tilting his head in confusion and letting out a questioning hum.
Abyo just stared wide eyed. "Wait, you're telling me that you and Pucca apent more than five minutes together without a chase?! Who are you and what did you do to my friend?" He laughed and elbowed Garu's arm playfully, oblivious to the horrified expression that had overtaken his features. He slowly turned his head, not unlike the movement a person did in a horror movie, turning at least two shades paler when Pucca gasped in realization, sending him a sly grin and a look that could only mean one thing;
"The chase is on."
Garu didn't waste a second to drop everything he was carrying and run down the street as fast as his legs could carry him, being quickly followed by Pucca, crimson hearts floating in the air as she giggled and ran after the boy. The peace between the two shattered in an instant, resuming to the frantic chase everyone was way more familiar with, but while they ran, Garu was able to slow down just for a fraction of second to send Abyo a murderous glare that made the blood drain from his face.
"Nice job, Abyo…" Ching muttered as she rolled her eyes, her little chicken clucking in agreement.
"What? How was I supposed to know?! Oh god, he's gonna kill me…"
Ching just giggled, shaking her head with a small smile on her face. These two had no cure.
In the distance, Pucca laughed triumphantly as Garu groaned, struggling in vain against the kisses Pucca planted on his cheeks.
…But that's okay, Abyo reminds her.
Alrighty folks, hope you guys enjoyed your read! :D If there's anything you want to tell me then make yourself at home. Besides being my first story I post on the internet, this one was one of my favorites to work on, so it really means a lot for me. Besides Pucca being one of my favorite cartoons to watch as a kid and I believe it doesn't receive the love it deserves, plus it's really difficult for me to find a literature work about Pucca that doesn't involves heavier themes like an actual character death or sensuality, so I made one myself :).
I tried my best to make everyone in character, just took more liberty on Pucca and Garu's interactions since we don't know for sure how do they speak or their thoughts most of the time. You know, other than Garu obsession on the word 'honor' and Pucca's love for him.
Hope you have a nice day :)