Pucca sat solemnly and stared blankly into her bowl of fresh noodles.
Sleep had managed to escape her the last three nights, and she was more exhausted than she had ever been.
She couldn't stop thinking about Garu, how wonderful he was, how she finally had him all to herself. He had left almost a week ago on another secret mission, most likely involving something with his honor and all that nonsense, and he was supposed to be arriving back to the village in the next few days or so.
Not seeing him for such a long period of time was killing her inside, but she knew that she would just have to be patient with him, and let him have his space to do what he needed to do.
At least he would be returning soon enough.
Part of her was overly ecstatic, and sleep hardly mattered at the moment, but the other part of her still felt like she had made a big mistake.
But she had known well that it was for the best, so she coped with it as best as she could.
She continued to sit in silence, her eyes surrounded by dark circles, her head slowly drooping closer and closer to the table. In seconds, her head was plopped down into her bowl of noodles, and she was sound asleep.
"Pucca!" cried Linguini, awaking her with a sudden jolt, "that food is for eating, not for resting your sleepy head upon!"
"Yes," piped in Uncle Dumpling, "We need you to give it a taste test and tell us your honest opinion about it, so it will be perfect by the time the food critic shows up."
"Ugh… Uncle Dumpling," whined Pucca, "this is the 87th bowl of noodles you've served me in the past week and a half. I think it's perfect already."
"Ah, but we cannot settle at perfect, young lady. We need to go above and beyond so that we can get an outstanding review,"
"And bring in customers," added Ho.
Pucca groaned as she slammed her face into the table, soon greeted by a hand propping her head up and gently pecking her on the lips. He grinned and said, "Perk up, sunshine. You'll get through it. I know you. You can get through almost anything."
When she saw the face looking down upon her, her expression immediately brightened up. She leaped out of her seat and glomped onto him tightly.
"GARU! God, I've missed you…"
"Uh, Pucca, it's only been—"
"I don't care. Any time away from you is torture to my being, and you know that, Garu." She stretched up to him and kissed him endlessly all over his face.
"Heh," he muttered, "I do know."
"So…" she mused, twirling her hair around her fingers, "how'd the mission go?"
"Eh, not so well. I got to where I needed to, but as soon as I showed up, I realized that the target had already gotten away. Well, better luck next time I guess."
"Next time? Exactly how many times will there be until this "honor" thing is finally complete?"
"I don't know, Pucca. But you have to be patient if I'm ever going to get through this."
"But Garu… I know it's really important to you, but… you can't just keep leaving me like this. Look at me, I'm falling to pieces."
"I know, I'm sorry," He leaned in and kissed her forehead. "But what has to be done has to be done. Even if it takes eternity…" Her eyes grew wide in anxiety, so he decided to rephrase. "But," he continued, "Even if it does, I promise, from now on, you'll be at my side the entire time. I'll never let you go."
"Oh, Garu…" The two lovers leaned in for another kiss, when suddenly, they were interrupted by the loud creak of an opening door. They paused and looked over to the doorway to see two familiar faces: Ching, who was assisting Abyo, now on crutches.
"Hey guys!" she chirped. "Glad to see everything is solid again between you two. I really missed the Garucca vibe that this town practically survives on."
"Hey Ching," Pucca said, yawning, "hey Abyo. How's your leg?"
"Better, still hurts a lot though. Damn that Tobe… he always has go and make everyone suffer, doesn't he?"
"Heh, right…"
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen the guy in weeks now. I wonder what happened to him..."
Pucca sighed uneasily, recalling the dark day back when she had totally left him in the dust. Her heart began to pound violently, remembering the look on his face when she told him she had to leave him. The look in his eyes, that sense of heart shatter slowly easing over him, she suddenly began to feel broken inside. Garu looked down at her wistful expression, and he muttered, "Pucca, are… you alright?"
She closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears, and shakily replied, "I'm fine. I just… I need to be alone for awhile."
Her friends watched her with panicked looks on their faces as she slowly made her way up the stairs, her heart pounding harder and faster with each step she took.
She tried hard to forget, but she still couldn't seem to shake it off, no matter what she did.
He was still there.
Whether she wanted him there, or not.
Somewhere deep inside herself, she knew she still loved him dearly; not nearly as much as Garu, but there was still something present.
Pucca ran into her bedroom and collapsed onto her bed, clutching her pillow to her face. Downstairs, she could overhear Garu, Ching, and Abyo talking.
"What's up with her?" questioned Abyo.
"I have no idea…" replied Garu. "Maybe I shouldn't have left her for as long as I did. Poor girl is probably still suffering from boyfriend withdrawal. Man, I feel horrible…"
"Don't worry, Garu," interrupted Ching, "it's not your fault entirely. She's just obviously… heard the news."
Pucca's head immediately shot up. What "news" could they possibly be talking about?
"What news?" said Abyo.
"You know, about… Tobe."
The mentioning of his name caused Pucca to hold her breath in anxiety. What could have happened to him? And did this have something to do with what she did to him?
"What happened?"
"Well…" Ching took a deep breath, and hesitated for several moments before gravely replying, "Last week, his ninjas returned to find him lying in a puddle of his own blood. They checked his pulse, and… nothing."
Pucca gasped and shook her head in disbelief.
"Holy crap!" shouted Abyo. "What happened to him? Was he attacked?"
"I'm afraid not. It appeared to be… a suicide attempt."
Pucca froze in horror.
Suicide?
"Seriously?" exclaimed Abyo. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Abyo. He had a sword drawn through his chest, and all the doors appeared to be locked, so… it is what it is."
"Wow, that's terrible."
Garu was silent for a few moments, before finally replying, "…indeed."
The three somberly hung their heads in silence, remembering their long lost evil ninja. Meanwhile, upstairs, Pucca was lying in her bedroom, having a panic attack.
This can't be happening… He killed himself for me. This is all my fault. This is just… awful!
Pucca buried her face into her pillow and let tears escape from half closed eyes, remorse slowly sinking in.
Why did this happen? Why…
She sobbed and sobbed, until her sobbing was interrupted by Garu, who had just appeared out of nowhere, placing his hand softly on the back of her head.
"Pucca… is there something we need to talk about?"
She hesitated for three seconds before sternly replying, "…no."
Garu clenched his teeth. She was still the same stubborn Pucca he had always known. But maybe, if he could just get through to her… "Pucca," he sighed, gently stroking her hair, "it's alright." He attempted to comfort her, even though he had no idea just how effective these attempts would be.
"No…" she gasped, "it's not okay. I'm the reason he killed himself! I told him off and just… left him there! I'm such a jerk!"
"You're not a jerk, you just… have very many dilemmas going on right now, that's all."
"Got that right…" she muttered through her pillow.
"Look…" he said in a soft tone, "it's okay to feel guilty about it. I would be. In fact, I am. I'm the reason this whole mess started in the first place."
"It was a mess for you…" she lifted her head and continued, "but for him, he couldn't have been happier. Why, if it weren't for you, his adoration for me would still be left in the dark, and he would still be plotting to kill you."
"Hmm, I guess you're right. Maybe I should try and see things in more than one dimension once and awhile…"
"Yeah, you should," She paused for a moment, and said, "Hey, why did he even start to have a grudge against you anyway?"
"Don't you remember? Two and a half years ago?"
"Oh…" she remembered. "Right."
~Flashback~
A young Tobe is seen walking through the forest, accompanied by no one but himself and his sword.
Wow… he mused, this forest sure is freaky when it's all silent like this. Then again, it is quite calming…
He continued to move forward, until something stopped him dead in his tracks. A girl with red eyes, black odango hair, and pale, pale skin. To him, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.
Oh my… he thought, I've never felt like this before. This pounding in my chest, the blood flowing rapidly through my veins, this can only be one thing…
He approached the girl with a crooked smile on his face, his limbs shaking, and he tapped her on the shoulder.
"Why, hello there!" the girl greeted vivaciously.
Her cheerful expression caught him off guard, and he stood in dead silence, his pulse speeding up by the second.
"Hello?" she repeated.
"Umm…" his entire body trembled, his face a bright shade of red, as he merely replied, "…hi."
He tried to say more, but it was as if those crimson eyes were bringing him into some sort of trance, one he would not escape from any time soon.
She had him trapped.
They continued to stare each other down for a few minutes, until Pucca began to feel irritated. Her smile faded, and she snapped, "Look, if you're just going to go and give me the silent treatment, then don't even bother." She started in the other direction, until he stopped her by saying, "Wait,"
She turned around, grimacing. "Yes?"
"I, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. And, um… I'd really like to get your name."
"Oh," she replied, slightly less irritated, "Well, I'm Pucca."
Pucca… Her name ran through his head like words on a typewriter. He couldn't get her name out of his train of thought. Before he knew it, he was caught in a trance again, and she had to snap him out of it.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Hey… are you okay?"
He finally stumbled back into reality, trying hard not to get lost in those crimson eyes again. So he decided to look down at the ground. "Me? Why… I'm fine, thanks for asking," He tried to reassure himself of the fact, but he knew it was no use. He knew it was inevitable now.
He was, for the first time in his dark life…
…in love.
"So," she said abruptly, causing his head to snap up at her, "your name is?"
"…Tobe."
"Ah, I see. Well, very nice to meet you, Tobe."
"Indeed, it is. Why, who knew that on this very day, our paths would suddenly cross and blur together, into something far unknown to anybody at this first glance. Why, I'd call it a coincidence. Or a miracle."
"Wow… interesting… do you write poetry?"
"I… not really. Anyhow, I knew I would find you someday, I just had this gut feeling. And now that we're finally face to face, at long last, we can fill each other's empty whole, make each other… complete."
"You mean…?"
"Indeed. Pucca—wait, that is your name, right?"
"Yep."
"'K, just making sure. So, um, Pucca, I don't really know how to explain this, but, I think I lo- love…"
"Pucca!"
Someone in the distance called out her name. He was a young boy, about the age of twelve, two pigtails bouncing atop his head as he ran to the scene, continuously calling her name.
"Pucca, your uncles need you, right now."
"Garu? What's going on?"
"It's an emergency. Remember, last week, when the…" He paused, as he carefully examined the other boy standing next to Pucca. "Who's this guy?"
Tobe flinched. He always hated being referred to as "this guy", or "that boy", and worst of all, "it". From the looks of him, he already began to despise this pigtailed boy.
"Him? Oh, this is Tobe. He's a really nice guy, very poetic, I may add."
Tobe turned a light shade of red, and slightly grinned.
Garu cocked his head to the side, and said, "He's not… a boyfriend, is he?"
Garu was enlightened with sudden hope, hope that Pucca had finally moved onto someone else, and she might finally start to leave him alone. Then again, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing that he had given up on the girl that meant everything to him, even though he clearly had just met her, there was just something about her, something special, that stood out to him. He decided to ask just to make sure if it was official or not, not exactly sure which answer he was anticipating.
"Oh, of course not," she replied, gawking, "We just met. Besides, you know I'll never love anyone as much as I love you, Garu!"
And with that, she glomped onto his back, squeezing him tightly, kissing the sides of his face. Tobe watched the sight in angst, his hope slowly falling to pieces.
I didn't know she already had a boyfriend…
Garu struggled to push her off of him, becoming slightly paranoid as he watched the boy stare at him with a deadly glare.
"Hey," Garu snapped, "What are you looking at?"
"Me?" he replied feebly. "Why, nothing, nothing at all. Nothing but the air…" He began to slowly walk away, when suddenly, he remembered the beautiful smile on her face when she greeted him, her kind words about him. Suddenly, he was overcome by a sudden surge of strength, and he knew he wasn't going to be giving up so easily.
"Actually," he began, "I was staring at your hair. Pigtails? Really? You did question your gender before you let her start kissing you, am I right?"
Garu was filled with rage. "Don't mock the pigtails. They're cute, okay? Heh, I wouldn't even be the one to talk. Look at you, you cover your face with that mask. You must be ugly, wanting to hide yourself from the world."
Tobe growled, clenching his teeth in vexation. "Look… I've been put down all my life, so I'm pretty used to it. But for you, not even knowing me at all, to come out of nowhere and just call me ugly—without even seeing my true face? I don't know who you think you are, but let me tell you, you're best to stay away from me if you want to avoid getting hurt, badly."
"Who I think I am? I'm Garu, nice to meet you—no, not really, actually. But let me tell you one thing: stay away from Pucca if you know what's good for you. She doesn't want you and your ugly face."
"My face is not ugly! And since when can you make my decisions for me? Pucca, look into my eyes, tell me honestly: what do you believe the situation is here?"
She stood there, motionless, responseless, still taking it all in. She had no clue what was going on.
"Well, what do you say, Pucca?"
"I—"
"Didn't you hear me?" screamed Garu. "I said, stay away from her!" He swiftly pulled out his sword and swung it at Tobe's chest, missing.
"Whoa," Tobe said, trembling, "dude. I didn't ask you to kill me."
"Well, if you decide not to listen to me, maybe that's just what I'll have to do,"
"Garu…" Pucca muttered.
Garu paused for a minute, and slightly released his grip on his sword. "You know what?"he said, "I guess you're—" before he could finish his sentence, he stumbled over the ground, causing him to fall forward, his sword still in the air, slashing Tobe across his forehead.
"GAH!" cried Tobe. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
"I, I'm sorry," Garu stuttered, "I-it was an accident, I swear."
"Yeah, okay then. You won. I'm out of here." He turned around to leave, immediately followed by Garu.
"Wait," he said sympathetically, but he didn't wait. He continued to walk forward, completely tuning him out. Garu continued to walk quickly after him, until suddenly, they both came to a halt when Garu's foot went out a little too far, causing Tobe to trip and fall face first onto a sharp, jagged rock, cutting another deep slash into his forehead.
"Crap…" muttered Garu, immediately trying to help him up off the ground, "I'm sorry—"
"Oh, you will be…" Tobe growled under his breath. "You will be. Look. Look at this. LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME!" He angrily pointed to the two deep incisions across his forehead, crossing over each other in almost-perfect symmetry, forming the shape of an X. "This will never leave my face. This will remain a permanent scar, forever! It will never go away! It will serve as a reminder of this day, a reminder of you, and what I need to do to put an end to you once and for all. Do you hear me? I won't rest until you are no more!"
"But—"
"NO MORE!"
Tobe dashed off from the scene, still shouting "NO MORE!" behind him for the majority of the way.
"Man," Garu sighed heavily, "what have I just started?"
~End of flashback~
"Wow, so this is all my fault," Pucca buried her face into her pillow.
"No, it's not entirely your fault. I was the one that has to screw everything up with my total klutzness."
Pucca giggled. "You are a klutz, Garu." She leaned in and smooched him. "But I still love you."
"Yeah…" he sighed, "but it's the reason this whole fight started. It's the reason we became enemies. And, if you really want to think that far ahead, it's the reason he's dead right now."
Pucca's head sunk, and her eyes began to well up with tears again, though she tried to fight them as best as she could.
"Pucca…" Garu muttered, wrapping his arms around her to comfort her, "don't worry. He was troubled, he knew what he needed to do. Everything happens for a reason, you know."
"I guess your right," she leaned up against his chest, hugging him firmly. "I just wish I knew what the reason be…"
"As I do. But sadly, we may never know. Sometimes, that's just how the world works."
Pucca closed her eyes and whispered, "…cruel world."