Disclaimer: If I owned Pucca do you honestly think I'd be parking my ass here writing a story for it? Jeez, Pucca belongs primarily to Vooz and secondly to Studio B Productions, British Columbia.
AN: Read on, if you're interested in something different. This is from Garu's POV, though there's nothing more than a stab at inferred romance. Also,This is my first time writing a Pucca fic, and I tried my best to grab at what may be going through Garu's ninja mind, so please, read with that it mind. Thanks.
-KKBS
Forlorn, But Never Alone
As I stared out across Sooga village from my perch atop the Gomsol, I found my mind beginning to wander…a dangerous thing for a ninja, as there could be any number of enemies lurking behind every leaf of the forest. I sighed and paused in my musings, giving a quick flick of my eyes to check my surroundings. Wasted effort, one could say, since I had the feeling that neither Tobe nor his cronies were nearby, at least for the moment. And while assumption is another danger for someone like me, I let it go, if only once. Even I deserved a break once in a while, and this twilight was far too beautiful to be sullied with worry.
This was the time of day I loved most; the sun was saying its final goodbyes to the Earth, making way for the moon to fulfill her nightly duties. It was at this time, when it was neither light nor dark, that I could really, truly think. I relaxed my body,-wearily at first, for my fears still hung by threads-and then slipped away. With only my thoughts to accompany me, I resumed my reminiscing.
Why had I come to this tiny village in the first place?
When I first arrived, there was no question in my mission: to regain what honor my family had lost long ago. This goal, preset before I was even born, was so ingrained into my mind that I scarcely remember the faces of those who brought me to my new home. My earliest memories are not filled with the comfort and protection of my parents, but of strict and straightforward messages, rules as to how I was to live. To this day I wonder if old, forgotten embarrassments were truly worth the sacrifice of my childhood. Leaving Japan, my place of birth, brought forth challenges from day one. I suppose I blended in with the common folk, as no one seemed to heed the small, albeit serious-looking child. I strained to recollect the face of my first guardians, the people who allowed me to share what was theirs as I settled in. But, I am left only with the strong scent of Sakura, and nothing more, for the rest is a fog.
A stray strand of hair tickled my cheek, and I absent-mindedly brushed it away, readjusted the ribbon that tied it back, and resumed my train of thought.
My vow of silence was a challenge thrust upon me as soon as I could understand the words I was never allowed to say for myself, for fear that my speech would one day dishonor our blood even further. At the present day I have still not spoken a word. Though I now see the error of my parents' obsessions, I agree with the fact that words can be one's own enemy. I mused on this for a few moments, recalling every instant where I had longed to spill my feelings and ideas, only to be stopped by the cruel reminder of my obligations. But yearning could not erase the past, and my actions were bound by kin that have long since passed away…
I sighed inwardly. I had hoped to enjoy this peaceful evening, free from worry and discontent, only to bring this sadness upon myself. Such a pity.
My thoughts shifted away from the darkening memories, back to reality, and my eyes fluttered open. I had hardly noticed that they were closed.
"Mew."
Something soft brushed against my arm, trailing back and forth as though I wasn't there. My mind still groggy, I swatted at the intruder, only to receive a sharp reprimander for my actions.
"Mew."
A quick nip to my fingers, though gloved, was enough to jerk me from my dazed state. I smiled as I realized who was by my side, and stroked his black fur apologetically. Mio's black eyes glittered for a moment, sarcastic in his response.
You're forgiven.
I cocked my eyebrow, swearing that a small smirk had formed against his black lips.
His eyes drifted away from me after a moment, and I followed his gaze towards the village. I knew he wanted to go there, as he does every evening, to see the pink cat that resides within the Go-Rhong. Sometimes I think he would follow Yanni to the ends of the Earth, if she wanted him to. Grudgingly I decided to comply to his whim, and proceeded to uncross my legs. By the time I had finished stretching my stiff limbs the little cat was already far below my, leaping down the branches of the trees with grace all my years of training could not match. He certainly was anxious to see his fancy. As I slipped through the leaves and branches behind him, my ruminations plagued me once more, and I began to wonder what my feline companion was feeling. For fifteen years of my life I had been shut off from love and other such 'useless' emotions, to the point where I simply did not understand them. My brow furrowed in thought as I tried to grasp the concept so many had attempted to explain to me, yet never succeeded in making me understand. Love. The word itself seemed to reflect what the feeling was; a fleeting, quick experience, pleasurable to the tongue, but cast aside just as easily and just as often as it was held with meaning. In taking my vow of silence I had pledged to cut myself off from such trivial, fleeting matters. I regret doing so with all my soul. There was one, I will admit to myself, whom had come very close to making me understand what unconditional love was like. But she was not present at the moment, and was quickly lost behind the wall of my current frustrations.
The branches of the Gomsol started to thin out, 'till I began to worry that they may not be able to withstand my weight. I leaped onto the ground, scarcely making a noise, and took in my surroundings. The departure of the sun had turned the earth and fauna a peculiar colour.
'Blue', I noted, and grimaced at the irony behind it. 'Like me.'
I brushed the cruel reminder of my solidity away, and lifted my face up to the wind. I spent a moment to take in the wonderful feel of cool air rushing across me, cooling my body, which was still warm from training. There were no sounds, not even the rustling of bamboo plants to my left, which in turn drew my attention.
It was quiet. Far too quiet. It didn't take a skilled ninja to know in his gut that something was amiss.
My instincts were proven correct as a loud hiss sounded from deeper within the bamboo forest. Mio, no doubt, had discovered the intruders.
My hand flew to my youbu sash, and in one swift motion my faithful katana was enclosed within my fist. I perceived, rather than heard, the presence of my foes. I was grateful for having spent some time perfecting my 'sixth sense.' Inwardly, I sighed. In my mind's eye I could already see who was coming, and I was certain this fight would be tedious, rather than a workout.
As I predicted, Tobe and his clan of idiots burst into the clearing only moments later. By that time, I had already devised my plan, and was nowhere to be found. In his haughtiness the masked ninja mistook my disappearance for cowardice, and shouted out in a mocking tone.
"Come out, come out, Garu! Or have you decided to run away, like the craven you are? Ha!"
My face flushed in anger, but I refrained from shouting at him. Instead I dropped from the highest bamboo stalks, landing behind Tobe's cronies, who, as always, remained completely unaware of my presence. The lack of challenge was almost unnerving. One by one, the black clad ninjas dropped like rocks, falling to the blunt end of my sword. After all, there was no gain from killing such unthreatening foes. Only a few were left standing, scratching their heads before their leader finally realized that none of his minions were responding to him. Twirling around, my rival unsheathed his two swords, locking eyes with me in a furious staring duel.
"Ha! Thought you could sneak up on me, eh? Well, you weren't expecting this!"
I barely had time to react before he unveiled a third sword, hidden beneath his blue robes. At first glance I was puzzled-how could a third weapon possibly be of use to him? In my moment of hesitation, however, I learned its secret. Discarding one of his other swords, Tobe rushed at me with the new one, just managing to knick my arm as I dodged the blow. That insignificant scrape burned and tore at the flesh of my arm, having eaten right through the fabric of my sleeve. Wheeling in pain, I narrowly avoided a strike at my chest, and bounded further into the clearing. My foe saw my face of anguish and gave a lopsided grin; obviously, one of his ridiculous plans had finally worked. I looked around feverishly for Mio, to warn him of the danger of the sword, but he was nowhere to be found.
"You like my new toy, Garu?" He sneered. "That fool Shaman proved useful, at long last. He added…something…to the tip, and uhh…" He lost focus for a moment, but quickly regained his conceited poise. "I don't really know what he did to it, but it hurts, doesn't it?!"
I growled as he chuckled at his humourless joke. Had I been in a less painful situation I might have rolled my eyes, but this case was different-Tobe had not only inflicted damage, for once, but also seemed to have the potential to greatly injure me. Whatever magic he had placed on the edge of that blade worked well.
"Nyyyyhhh." I growled again, and bore my teeth at him. No matter how much pain I was in, I would never let him see it.
The edges of my lips curled upwards as I saw his smirk drop for a moment, obviously disappointed that I was not as intimidated as he had hoped. I knew, however, that my guise would not last for long. My left arm, now hanging limply by my side, was a telltale sign that even I was not invincible. And though irrational, Tobe is no fool, and saw the weakness in my eyes as I struggled to keep hold of my katana. With a sneer he leaped on me, swinging his own
weapon wildly in an attempt to make contact, forcing me to waste my energy trying to defend myself with one arm. The night air was filled with the crashing and clanging of metal on metal and the labored breathing of both parties, the group of conscious minions serving as our spectators. We sliced through leaves, branches, and any other foliage that happened to be in our way. Only a few minutes into the fight my arm had grown completely numb, and I was forced to tuck it by my side, seething that it was no longer of use to me. By some lucky break my foe had decided to stay on the ground instead of bringing the battle to the trees; I was sure that if we were to continue up above, I would not be able to keep up. Thankfully, my superior skill and perseverance were holding me out. I had, in fact, managed to gain the upper hand, despite my disadvantage, before hearing my trusted sword fall to the ground with a sickening clang. Horror painted itself across my face as I realized that the poison-tipped blade had been dissolving my sword, until it snapped in half from the weight of the other weapon. If there was ever a moment that my guard was down, that was it.
"Hyyyahh!" Tobe reacted quickly to my momentary weakness, and swung his accursed blade impulsively.
Its fiery edge made contact with my back, and for a moment, everything seemed ablaze in red and black.
My torso screamed as the flesh burned almost instantly, red-hot spikes seeming to drill right through my body, and out the other side. Though I could feel that the wound was, in actuality, not very deep, the pain coursing through me spoke differently. I gritted my teeth, trying in vain to keep from stumbling. I'm no weakling, I can assure you, but that moment of pain had to be experienced to truly understand what I was going through. Within a few moments I lay in the dirt a few feet away from the rival clan, gasping and writhing uncontrollably. The steady flow of blood I felt pump from my gauged back only assisted in increasing the level of my anxiety. In that moment I recall a hundred different things rushing to my mind, each of which I failed to decipher.
Tobe wasted no time, and within moments of my collision he was at my side, what was left of his band staring stupidly over his shoulder.
"Just look at you, floundering like a fish out of water! It's no wonder your parents left you here so long ago. Finally, you'll see why my family's clan always came out on top. We never needed any help from anybody-we were alone from the very start, training in solitude. And now I have successfully trumped your family once again, and with such ease!.."
I tuned him out, then. His monologue bored me almost immediately. Why did villains always have to waste so much time blabbering on and on about things? Even in my agony, I found it a greater Hell to have to listen to his boasting.
"…And now, of course, you have no one to help you. You've grown up alone, unwanted and shameful, and that is how you will die!" The ninja's eyes blazed with fury as he ended his speech, raising his cursed blade high above his head.
"You've proven yourself a worthy adversary these fifteen years, Garu, but today it will all end!"
I pulled myself into a crouching position as he finished his part, forcing myself to face in his direction. Whatever hand fate dealt me, I would try to face with courage and strength, like I had been taught. I would not live out my final few seconds curled like a newborn, at the mercy of whoever passed by... But though I feigned heroism and lack of fear, on the inside, I was crying. He was right; I was about to die alone, just as I had been all throughout my life. Not even Mio would be there by my side as I took my last breaths.
The murderous glint of steel drew closer, and I shut my eyes and tensed my body for the feel of cold metal slicing through my core.
I waited what seemed like an eternity, but Death never came.
Opening my eyes, I was startled to find the world around me moving much slower than usual. It was as though everyone was moving through a pot of molasses, unable to move more than a few centimeters as I stared in wonder. Then, as suddenly as time slowed down, everything rushed back into motion.
From my position on the ground I could see why I lived, and damn, I was grateful for it. It seemed as though Mio, realizing before I did that Tobe meant trouble, had run off to get the others. I'll never forgive myself for doubting him.
What had once been a quick and simple assassination had turned into a battlefield; from the corner of my glazed eye I could see a flash of black and red, swirled together, locked in combat with my rival. Two other figures, one a bright purple outline and the other a blur of fists and feet, were keeping his minions at bay.
"HYYYAAAAHHH!!"
Sssshhhhhhhhhhhfffffffff!!
I grinned, grimacing. For some reason, that telltale rip of cloth was extremely funny. In fact, I found myself laughing, though covered in my own blood, bits of my black suit hanging from me by threads. The loss of blood had to be making me delusional, as that was the only explanation I could come up with for my sudden hysteria.
It was only as my vision had almost completely faded, after seeing Tobe and what was left of his group fleeing through the bushes, that perhaps I was finally realizing the irony behind that life-threatening experience. Even as I felt the three figures-now only shadows- rush towards me, fussing over my condition, the laughter would not cease. I had spent that beautiful starry evening sulking over my loneliness, my loss of connection with the world, and then assumed I was going to die the way I had spent my life; in complete solidity, only to have the people that meant the world to me come to my rescue. I could faintly feel myself being lifted up and hoisted over a shoulder, mentally trying to stifle a chuckle. Truly, it was hilarious to realize that maybe I wasn't alone after all. I smiled, snuggling into the comforting emotions that thought evoked….
And then everything went black.
AN: First off: No, he's not dead. Just fainted, so no 'OMG you keeled heem!' comments, please. xD. Second, yes, I know it's a bit odd. I wanted to write a first-person recount that would be interesting and different, so I picked Garu. Interesting to write for, I must say, and a helluva lotta fun. I know that he's always with his buddies in the show, but I think loneliness, for someone like him, would go much deeper. He would really need to see who's there for him to realize he's not all alone. Third and last, this story has my recurring theme that it's not always the 'good guy' who necessarily ends up being the best…the 'bad guy' just defeats himself by doing something foolish.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed!
Gomsol is a tree native to Korea. It's pretty large, and quite old.
Sakura is a type of flower traditionally grown in Japan.
Youbu means waist, i.e 'waist sash.'
Katana is a type of Japanese sword, which I'm assuming is the one Garu uses, since it bares quite a similarity to it. I suggest you Wikipedia it for more info.