Well... It's been a while, huh? Life has been hectic and like a whirlwind but I always kept this story in the back of my mind. I don't like leaving things unfinished, especially when it's a story others have enjoyed reading as I know how frustrating it is to not know the ending! (Currently waiting for numerous stories to be completed... Just five years and counting now! *Internal crying*)

Anyhow, I hope you enjoy! I hope to get this story done by the summer despite life's responsibilities.

Hours had passed and Shaman had refused to speak at all after the incident with Garu. Even when Pucca strode up to him making him flinch, he didn't say a word.

"Maybe we should get some sleep?" Ching suggested to the silent room. "It's not like we're going to get anywhere else tonight."

"She's right," Pucca agreed.

"Yeah, let's hit the hay." The girls looked at him funny. "It's an expression. I- never mind. We'll all stay here tonight."

Ching sat straight all of a sudden, "I've got to ring into the Academy. They have to know I won't be in tomorrow then." Garu directed her to the phone out in the hall.

"Shoot," Pucca groaned. "I've got classes tomorrow and I was supposed to be handing in a final draft of an essay. Not to mention my night shift at the Stella Bar, which, by the way, is a difficult place to get into." She glared at Abyo's raised brow at her mention of the nightclub. She flopped down on the floor defeated.

"Guess you can't skip class this once?" Garu queerest, not liking the implications.

She slowly rolled up giving him a shy endearing smile.

"No."

She pouted, shuffling closer, "oh Garu, please?"

"No."

She crawled over to him, jerking his arm to get his attention. "Pleeeeeeease! Garruuuuu!" She whined. His mind helplessly wondered back to Pucca groaning his name against his neck and he felt his stomach clench and become warm.

He had some difficulty to say the next 'no' after those thoughts had plagued his mind against his will.

"Garrrruuuu," she pouted up at him. Though she looked pretty silly doing it within Garu's body, Garu felt the warmth in his bell grow, imagining Pucca as herself pulling the exact same stunt. "Please, please, pleeeeease. Think of it this way, if we can't break this spell for sometime, we might as well start pretending to be each other and continuing on with our lives... Each others lives." Pucca was beginning to confuse herself. "Just do it?"

"So, your saying you'd rather continue with life as a man so long as your credits don't go down? Risking your credits is more frightening than being shipped off back to Japan to continue training? To take my place as an aspiring captain?" Pucca paled.

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"We can still hunt for a resolution," Abyo interjected motioning to himself and Pucca.

Ching had came in just in time to hear Abyo's solution. "Resolution? Someone's pulling out the long words today," she teased.

Annoyed, Abyo coloured. "Just because I've got a rockin' bod, doesn't mean that I'm thick in the head," he grunted offended. Ching ruffled his hair as she passed, amazed with how at ease she was again with him after only two days. It was like he'd never left all those years ago.

Garu made the mistake of meeting Pucca's gaze, and all his hard years building up his tough mental abilities fell crumbling down, her large dark brown eyes drawing him in and melting his resolve. "Okay."

Her eyes sparkled in victory.

He looked away, trying to squelch the stirring he felt looking at her, and instructed everyone to get to their own sleeping quarters. He dragged the unconscious prisoner into the other room where he and Abyo would be sleeping, the girls getting the bedroom.

Garu lay on his side facing the door leading to the girls and the magician wedged in the corner. His had just began to give to the exhaustion weighing them down when he felt a warm body snuggle and elope over his back, a heavy arm draping over his midsection. He jerked away, "Abyo."

"What, don't you want to spoon? It ain't weird since you're a chick now," he winked suggestively. He was pushed away roughly and he started laughing obnoxiously loudly. "You need to lighten up."

"Go to sleep." Garu rolled back onto his side. "Moron."

Abyo grinned into the dark but let sleep wash over him.

...

Garu woke to giggling. He cracks open an eye to observe the two shapes standing in the door way laughing uncontrollably with a hand covering their mouths.

He frowned but it dawned on him that he was crushed against a warmth that shouldn't be there. He fumbled out of the bear hug to be glaring down at a confused Abyo. "Wha- what are you guys looking at? Hey, why are they laughing?"

"Just get up and get ready."

"Oh, no, no," Ching stifled her laughter enough to get out.

"Yeah," Pucca joined her, "we'll leave you be. We'd hate to be the reason the cuddle bunnies were interrupted mid snuggle." Garu have a her a tired look while Abyo stared up at them still baffled to what was going on.

"Enough."

Pucca grinned at him. "We were only coming to get you up so you could get to my morning classes on time but when we saw you two..." She shrugged, Ching clutching onto her arm for support as she laughed harder.

Garu made a point of ignoring them as he searched for his clothes before realising, he was still in Pucca's body. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed some simple black bottoms and a black shirt. "What classes, what times, need I go to the night shift at that bar?"

"Stripper bar," Abyo added.

Garu raised a surprised brow at the blushing woman. "It is not a... It's not! Just rumours made up by immature kids who aren't allowed in despite their fake ID's." She kicked Abyo's shin.

"Ow! Uncalled for. Again."

"I'll allow it."

Abyo looked back at Ching outraged. "You're meant to stick up for me!"

Ching frowned at him, "why?"

Abyo smirked at her and limped over to sling an arm around her shoulders. He leaned into her ear to whisper, "because you have a huge, uncontrollable, heated crush for me." Ching's eyes popped and her ears turned into little flames that spread to her cheeks. She shrugged him off and had him a look to say 'in your dreams' but his massive ego softened the blow.

...

Garu jotted down notes mindlessly. Admittedly, he wasn't much of a language student, he never really understood the whole concept of English and their stupid grammar rules.

The classes were quick, information being dumped on them with ridiculous speed, and when Garu finally left his second class of the day his head was sill reeling.

Maybe he was the one in the most danger if they couldn't break this curse.

He heard someone shouting for him, well shouting for Pucca, and he turned on instinct to watch the young man running to catch up to him. "Hey," he wheezed. He wasn't much of a athletic, not via his lanky muscle lacking form but also his lack of breath from running a few seconds. "You left... So... Quickly." He panted, "you... Avoiding me... Or somethin'?"

Great. "No, I just... I have somewhere I have to be, is all." He tried to smile genuinely at the boy, but he wasn't sure he pulled it off.

"Oh, then," the boy breathed in. "Can I walk you home?"

Inside, Garu was frowning, but outside he maintained his awkward smile. "Actually, I'm not going home."

"To the bar already? It's still light out."

For some reason, Garu couldn't get passed the warmth of this boys gaze on him, or his apparent knowledge of Pucca's daily schedule. "No, somewhere else." The boy went to talk again, "look, I have to go." He started to walk off yet he felt the need to call, "talk to you later?"

He was gone before he was given a response.

...

Pucca sighed into her hands. They'd been at this for hours!

"Pucca, why don't you go out and grab us something to eat? I can't say about you but I'm famished."

Pucca laughed. "Ching isn't here, Abyo. No need to bust out the impressive vocabulary."

He gave her an unimpressed look. "Grab some sugary sweets while you're there." Pucca huffed, standing to hold her hand out to him. "What?"

"Well, I don't have any money on me." Muttering, Abyo pulled out a few notes from his pockets and handed them to her reluctantly. "Be back soon."

She waved him off.

Minutes slowly passed before he noticed the magician shifting against his restraints. "If your just tell us how to undo the curse we'd happily let you free."

The man stared at him. Finally he spoke, his voice gruff from its lack of use. "I already told Garu how to undo the curse. At least, I have told him what I think will work." Abyo sneered.

"If that were the case, Garu wouldn't have reacted like he did. You told him bull-"

"I told him the truth. I can't think of another way to reverse the spell! I've never worked with those types of spells before. I never wanted to touch the soul spells."

"Then what did you tell him?"

He went quiet.

"Well?"

"You think I'm stupid enough to repeat it? I'm no sucker for punishment." The magician observed the room he'd been trapped in for some time now. His gaze came back to rest on his guard leaning against the wall opposite him. "What time is it?"

Abyo shrugged watching him.

"Can you find out?"

"No."

Shaman paused. "You shouldn't mess around with a girls feelings."

Surprised to say the least Abyo spluttered out a confused, "huh?"

"That girl with the twin plaits. She likes you, but you don't seem to be as genuine in your responses."

"What? Who said I wasn't genuine?" Abyo barked.

Shaman seemed to relax into his bindings. "There's no need for words. It's pretty obvious."

"Nothing is obvious. And I am not messing with her feelings. It's simply harmless flirting between two old friends." He didn't like the way Shaman was looking at him, like he knew better.

"I've seen this many times before. If you don't quit while you're ahead, one of you is certainly going to get hurt."

Abyo's fists flexed, trying to return the blood to his hands that'd turned white from the pressure he'd been applying. Before he reacted in a way that'd get him in trouble with the girls, he stormed out.

Shaman smiled at how easily he could manipulate Garu's group. And how fortunate that he'd been left with the hotheaded one, he thought as he reached with all his might to his right pocket of his bottoms. Slipping the small vile he had hidden within the fibres of his clothing with multiple uses, and prayed that this time his concoction would work how he intended. He carefully applied the liquid to the bindings near his arm and closed his eyes waiting for the burning sensation as the potion ate into his skin. The sizzling as the bindings were dissolved brought a erratic smile to his face that, making him realise how bruised and dirty his face was from his earlier ritual make-up and beating.

Hissing, he jerked his arm away from the dangerous liquid still soaking into the ropes. He twisted with his new found freedom to drip the remainder of the potion into the knot that held the rest of his body to the chair.

Shaman stood, his body protesting at the movement, and he assessed his wounds while he creeped towards the small window that he'd spotted earlier. Giving it a gentle nudge, his hope soared as it gave way to the pressure. He winced as he pulled himself up to the ledge, annoyed by how little the window actually extended. He had to duck and shimmy his injured body through the narrow space and tolerate the scrapes he was receiving from the window latch on his stomach.

Shaman tumbled to the ground, his arms unable to save his body from slamming into the ground hard enough to knock the air from his lungs. Scrambling to his feet, he just caught the sound of footsteps and a door opening. Not staying to see if his escape had become apparent, he took off in the vague direction of his groups old camp.

It seemed like he had been running for hours, and if the darkening sky had any say, he had been. Relief washed over him when he finally caught sight of the well hidden base, the small tufts of moss catching his eye as he ran by. Shaman heaved the camouflaged door open, turning to quietly lower the wood, and gratefully slumped on a ratted old mattress with a heavy sigh.

Once his gang had heard of his escape they'd check their previous camps, so he decided to sit tight and focus on healing his wounds. Shaman rolled on his side and frowned at himself. He had planned to somehow get his captor to leave the room, hopefully without angering him enough to attack him, but he hadn't expected what to come out of his mouth.

He closed his eyes and an involuntary image of a particular woman manifested in his mind. He hasn't been lying. He'd seen others who had been hurt by so called innocent flirting... It had been instinct to try and save another woman from having her heart broken over a clueless moron.

Shaman eventually gave in to sleep, allowing the beautiful image of Chief to lull him into a peaceful slumber.

...

When Garu and Ching, whom could not get off work that day because of lack of substitutes to take her place, returned to the house they were met with yelling and panicked anger.

"What is going on here?" Ching called, shoving the door open to see Pucca and Abyo almost at each others throats, food long forgotten still wrapped in their papers.

Pucca rounded on her, pointing an accusing finger in Abyo's flushed face. "This complete moron-"

"Who are you calling a m-"

"Let our only way of reversing this whole damn mess get away!" She finished. Abyo knocked her arm away, glaring up at her ever so slightly due to their height differences.

Garu walked passed them all and investigated the room he'd last saw Shaman confined to. He inspected the bindings and noted the strange burn marks and the frayed ends that wasn't from a cut. "I was only gone a few minutes!" He heard Abyo yell in defence to whatever Ching had said. Garu stood and felt the breeze on his neck. Sighing, he turned to look dismally at the window, where his only hope of returning back to reality had escaped.

"What are we going to do now?" Ching questioned.

Garu noticed Abyo giving him a pointed look.

"We've only got a couple of days left (3). We have to break this thing real soon," Pucca flopped down holding her temples.

"Okay," Abyo drummed his fingers on his chin. "Pucca and Ching should go to the Elder. See if he has any idea how to reverse this while me and Garu search for the Shaman." The girls nodded, heading out without another word, leaving a reluctant Garu with Abyo who'd deliberately separated them to be alone with his best friend. Garu went to follow the girls out when a heavy palm grasped his shoulder and spun him to face his friend.

Abyo crossed his arms waiting. "What?"

"You know exactly what. Tell me."

"Abyo, it was nothing-" Garu went to walk out again but he was stopped short.

Abyo gripped Garu's arms staring intensely into his guarded face. "Garu, if there's any possibility that it could work-"

"I can't, Abyo," he shouted all of a sudden. Abyo dropped his arms at Garu's outburst. "I can't."

"Can't what?"

Garu's gaze was heavy and stricken, "I can't... Get intimate with Pucca on the off chance it may return us back to normal." Abyo's eyes widened. He'd never seen Garu so uncomfortable, even as kids when Pucca slavered him in kisses he didn't seem that uneasy.

"Do you really think she'd say no to the idea?"

Garu wasn't so sure anymore. "That's not... I couldn't do it with a clear conscious."

"You're only having se-"

"I'm not doing it." Garu started to walk out but stopped at the door to look over his shoulder. "Don't mention this to Pucca."

...

Pucca stretched. The meeting with the Elder had been a bust and the guys had lost Shaman's tracks a few miles out and it had became too dark to continue their search. "We should get back to our respective homes." They looked at her in surprise. "We can't all stay here another night. Ching, your dad would go insane if he found out you spent two nights over at a guys place, even if it is Garu's home, and Garu you have to go back to mine. You need clean female clothes, and my uncles have probably already started to plan your funeral for keeping me out overnight."

Ching nodded in agreement. She had moved out of her fathers house as soon as she was eighteen but he still kept constant tabs on her. She smiled at Abyo, saying her goodbyes and felt slightly wounded when he didn't return it. She covered her hurt by giving Pucca a quick hug. Garu left with her and Pucca ushered Abyo out as well.

"Why do I have to leave?" He pouted.

"Because I'm sick of your voice already. I need to be eased back into your bragging from having such a long break from it." She smiled sweetly as she shut the door.

"You're meaner than I remember," he called after her.

"You just haven't met a woman that doesn't swoon at your biceps," he faintly heard her reply.

He grinned to himself. That was true. His eyes were drawn to the figure of Ching walking down the path with Garu. Okay, maybe he had met one other woman who didn't swoon for him. Not that he'd really want her to swoon. Like he told Shaman, it was simple flirting for fun. No one had to get hurt.

...

It had been mere hours after she'd shoved everyone out her door that the phone rang with a quiet shrill. "Hello?" She murmured into the receptor. She could scarcely keep her eyes open and it had been a miracle when she found the offending noisemaker before she threw her mattress at it.

"Pucca!"

"Hmm... Garu? Garu, why on earth are you calling me? It's not even light out."

The long pause that followed made her question whether he was still there. "I have a problem," he finally replied accompanied with a soft pain filled groan.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

Another pause.

"Garu?" She urged impatiently.

"I... I seem to be... Uh." She heard a quiet unamused laugh, "it's happened. History had been made."

"Excuse me?" she was too tired for riddles.

"I'm... I'm bleeding."

Now she was awake. She stared into the darkness biting her lip to stop from laughing. "Okay," she couldn't help the small giggle that came out with it. "So why are you calling me?"

She could hear the frustration in his voice, "because what am I supposed to... do?"

She sniggered into the dark. Men. "If you look on my right hand table, bottom draw you'll find some small packages. Open one and you'll see a long piece of man-made fabric. That, my fine gent, is a pad. You place it in your underwear, wrapping the wings around the crotch of your underwear, and it absorbs the blood. Change every few hours." She listened to the shuffling as Garu attempted to do what no man had ever had to do before. She laughed as she heard him swear in frustration. Even a guy like Garu, so well mannered and strict, could be broken by a feminine product.

"Okay," he spoke up so she could hear him, "what if the thing tears in half?"

"You what? How'd you manage that?"

"Pucca!"

She laughed. "Try again."

There seemed to be even more shuffling. She heard a faint moan of pain. "Damn," she heard Garu whisper to himself.

"You okay?"

Pucca jerked her ear away from the phone in surprise when Garu's voice was back to normal volume. "How do you deal with the pain? Do all girls feel this ripping in the stomach?"

She smirked. "Pretty much. Strange, feeling your own insides tear itself up, huh?" He huffed a reply. "Oh, make sure to lie on your side. Saves you from waking up with a mess down there and on your sheets."

Pucca was amazed how at ease she was with this whole situation. It was like talking to another girl, a new teen girl who was freaking out during her first period, but she knew better than to tell Garu that. He was already mortified. "Anything else?"

She thought for a moment. "Don't wear my good underwear and take a nice hot shower tomorrow. The pains will really be kickin' in then and the heat will help." The normality of her tone didn't help the blush on his cheeks too much but he thanked her for her help. "Night, Garu."

"You mean good morning, Pucca."

She shook her head. "Bye."

He smiled and hung up.

...

When the gang finally met up the next day the sky was beginning to darken. Pucca, Abyo and Garu, whom had called in sick to university despite Pucca's prominent request, had made no headway in their problem. They were able to track the magician to a small hideout in the ground be he was long gone.

"So..." Ching began. "What now?"

The two victims of the potion were slumped on either side of the room seemingly defeated. "We wait for death," Pucca morbidly joked from her crumpled position on the floor.

Ching winced at her.

"There's something we haven't tried..." Abyo pointedly looked at Garu who simply glowered at him, rendering him silent.

"Don't stop there, Abyo. What else is there?" Ching pressed on.

"Never mind. It's nothing."

Pucca sat up, "Abyo! For heavens sake, tell us."

"I just-"

"Meditation." Garu broke in. "You were going to suggest meditating with insecents to try and manually switch our souls back." Abyo rushed to agree.

Pucca shrugged. Might as well give it a try.

So that's how the next two days played out. The gang met up, placing Pucca and Garu in the centre of the room surrounded by scented candles in the hopes of revering the curse themselves through sheer will. Frankly, by the end of the second day even Garu's patience was waning thin.

Huffing unnecessarily loudly, Pucca dramatically fell back onto the floor arms out as if she was going to make a snow angel. "This is never going to work."

"We have to keep trying." Garu simply replied.

"One day! We've only got one more day, Garu!"

Garu opened his eyes to peer into his friends defeated face. Ching and Abyo had left not long ago, darkness already threatening to disappear behind the treetops completely and the pair fearing they'd go insane from boredom if they stayed any longer. Garu's mind wondered to Shamans predictions only nights prior. No, he could never do it. If it didn't work... Even if it did, he simply couldn't! But his resolve wavered at Pucca's hooded eyes in the darkness, soft almost romantic candle light filling the room accompanying the pleasant scent lavender and other various herbs aiming to assist in spirit walking.

It was this weird hormonal body that was causing these dishonourable thoughts to enter his mind. He had researched the female body and its afflictions at the university library during his breaks between classes, which concluded that during that particular time of the new moon a woman's emotional responses were much more erratic and it was common for the female to feel more provocative around this time. He had finished bleeding that morning, which was expected by Pucca's reassurances. Her times had became shorter because of her lack of nutrition and insufficient sleeping patterns. This somewhat worried Garu. When/if he left on time to go back to Japan, would Pucca's health fair any better? They'd argued in the tea shop about her rather careless approach to her health which she had reacted to offended. She had claimed to have been keeping herself as healthy as possibly and it was only two more years before she finished her studies and could return to her fittest form again.

"Maybe we could explain to your superiors...?" Pucca trailed off, knowing that that was an impossible suggestion. "Or ask for an extension for family reasons...?" Even that was far fetched. Now that she thought about it, she knew very little about Garu's family but she could guess that something had happened to have caused him to move in search of regaining g his honour.

Garu pondered the option. It was very unethical, it may even tarnish his record postponing his raise in the ranks, but the other option to have Pucca sent back in his place would never sit right with him. "That may work, but it will only buy us another week maximum. After that, I'd be ordered to return and if I didn't..." Pucca nodded in understanding. Neither of the. Wanted it to come to that. "I'll construct a script of what to say in order to request for an extension. You'll have to contact the offices in Japan in the early morning to get a immediate response from my supervisors." Garu gave her a comforting smile. "You can stay over tonight and have the bedroom again."

Pucca yawned and gratefully went to curl up on Garu's mattress. Garu, on the other hand, was up for some time later finishing up his precise multitude of scripts that covered whatever route the request could possibly take.

Finally, he allowed himself to drift off.

...

"Ughh... Garu? Don't you think this is a little excessive? I'm not completely incompetent on the phone, y'know." Pucca gingerly leafed through the stack of documents she had been handed moments ago. Truthfully, she was kind of impressed by the amount of detail he put into it despite the short time period he had to craft it. There was even a few diagrams to illustrate certain points which may have not been clear.

"We need to be prepared if we're requesting an extension." Garu felt he the script still needed retouched but time was waning and they had to ring early enough to actually speak to his superiors before they were too busy to get a hold of. Garu brought over the phone to where Pucca was sitting crossed legged scrutinising over the script.

"Sergeant SA4? Yikes, someone was a bit of a hardcore James Bond fan."

Garu gave her a dubious look. "Those types of comments highlight the necessity of a script." Pucca rolled her eyes.

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the floor."

"Pucca."

"Alright, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. I get the importance of this, it's pretty hard not to." They sat for a moment in silence. "Okay, here we go." Pucca dialled and nibbled at her lower lip. Garu sat besides her and listened intently for the click on the other end.

"Hello, you are connected to the Imperial Army Squadrent 3 home office. You are speaking with Anio, how may I direct your call?"

"Good evening, Miss. I am looking for Sargent SA4, may I speak with him?"

"Give me a moment."

Pucca glanced at Garu.

"My apologies, Sargent SA4 is otherwise occupied at the moment. Can you give me your security code so I may pass along the urgency of the call?"

Pucca scans the papers in front of her, flipping pages. "I... Ermmm..." She gestures wildly at the script and the on at Garu whom whispers the answer. "That'd be SAO63 J."

"Thank you, Sir. One moment."

Pucca smacked Garu's arm. She mouthed- "Totally prepared". Liar.

"Thank you for holding. I shall patch you through now."

"Okay, thank you."

Pucca put her hand over the speaker, "seriously. What is up with the code names?" Garu gives her a distressed look as a voice on the other end of the receiver comes to life.

"Hello, Garu? Are you there?"

Pucca quickly put the phone to her ear. "Yes, Sir. Sorry." She grimace at Garu who placed his head into his hands.

"What is this about, soldier?"

"I was hoping to discuss our scheduled leave later today and-"

"Ah, yes. You caught us early, we were about to send out an important blast about that very subject. There appears to have been a security breech as of late and we are ordering Squadrent 3 to remain absent for a further seven days," Pucca's mouth opened but Garu placed a finger to his lips, "so that we may investigate the nature of this infiltration. It should be noted that we are to search all quadrants including soldiers' chambers. Stay vigilant for any changes hereafter concerning this extension of leave; we shall be in contact again shortly."

Garu gestured for her to reply, "Y-Yes, Sir. Will do..." Pucca paused, not sure how to say goodbye to a superior in the army. Garu looked pained as he motioned for her to do... Something.

"Was there something else, soldier?"

"Ah- No, Sir. Goodbye, Sir." Pucca ended the call. She turned to Garu with a growing look of relief and joy. She pumped the air while Garu ran a hand trough his long dark locks and sighed.

"That was beyond Lady Luck." He relaxed onto the floor besides Pucca who had thrown the script in the air and had flopped back in celebration. "You realise you're going to have to pick those up again, right?"

Pucca rolled her eyes. She laughed. They had more time... Maybe Lady Luck was on their side this time.

...

The night was long and irritating. Sleep evaded him despite his numerous efforts - working out till his muscles trembled, taking a hot shower, counting sheep, even reading a book - but he seemed to be fated to lie there with that infuriating voice swirling in his head.

One of you is certainly going to get hurt.

Abyo sneered into the darkness. What did that freak know? Hurt how? It was meaningless. Just a bit of fun, that's all. Besides, he'd be shipping off soon and that'd be it...

A dull throb began at the base of his skull. It seemed to berate his ignorance and demanded his attention. There was just one question - a question so quietly spoken that had he been doing anything at all in that moment it would have fluttered away in the night - which could completely eradicate his careless demeanour.

What if Ching didn't see it this way?

The pounding if his head increased and his chest began to tighten at the thought. Her delicate face formed in his mind, her charming smile and soft hair which often fell out of her braids to sweep across her rosy cheek- no! No...

They were friends and they were way too smart to let "feelings" get in the way. It's totally harmless. Completely harmless.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Flickering his eyes to the right, he glared fiercely at the accusing face of the clock. 3:26am.

Tick. Tick. Tic- crash!

A final withered click rang out in the darkness, almost whispering a final curse in the ears of its owner.

One will get hurt.

...

Abyo didn't recall getting ready that morning. He didn't recall walking along the bustling streets nor the strange glances he received from many of the townsfolk. His mind was restless and he had to do something.

Abyo's steps only began to slow upon hearing the youthful cries of children wishing their parents goodbye before rushing into the building he now found himself in front of. In his need to resolve his issue, he hadn't taken into account that it was 7:30am on a school day let alone the fact that Ching wouldn't be able to talk to him until after the school day ended at 4:30 pm. He hesitated. He turned around and quickly walked around the block. He'd wait. It wouldn't be that difficult, surely!

...

Ching had just waved off the last of her students when she felt eyes watching her intently. Scanning the yard she noticed the black spikes peeking over the wall besides the gate. Frowning, she quietly walked over. Whilst it wasn't a common occurrence, occasionally one of her students would become too enthusiastic about their training and would run off to go and practise their new moves without informing their parents about their intentions. She figured this would just be another example of this. What Chung hadn't expected to see was Abyo, slightly sweaty, leaning against the outer wall.

"Abyo, what are you doing here?"

Despite seeing her head pop around the corner, Abyo still jerked upright as if he were electrocuted. "I- I came to walk you to Garu's place." He must have realised his posture and made a show of leaning even further from the wall so he was practically at a 40' angle.

"Oh. One second then, I'll just grab my purse."

He nodded at her receding back. Once Ching had retrieved her things, the pair began walking towards Garu's home. With the sun gently lighting their way, Ching felt very light and hopeful. They'd figure out how to break this spell and everything could go back to normal. Speaking of normal...

Ching caught Abyo looking at her but as soon as she turned to face him he'd already looked away. She let it slide. Then it happened again. He had a strange expression scrunching up his features and his mouth opened like he had something to say. He closed it and quickly looked away again. His forehead had become particularly shiny since they had left the school grounds.

"Abyo, are you okay?"

"Wha-" his voice sounded strained. He coughed and tried again, "what do you mean? Why wouldn't I be? I'm fit, healthy, and I've got a beautiful lady on my arm. I'm terrific!" Abyo slipped his arm around her shoulders and flashed her a big grin. His eyes shone wide for a moment before he coughed again, lowered his arm and looked down at the ground.

Ching felt slightly flustered by the sudden contact. "I see... It's just that-" before Ching could finish there was a loud noise from the shops they were passing through.

"Ah! Young man- handsome boy! Wait there."

The pair paused and watched as a heavy set lady, most likely in her late 40s, came shuffling after them.

"Young man, you ran off so quickly," she huffed heavily, "I- I couldn't thank you properly!"

"Ah, that's really alright mada-"

She cut him off, "nonsense! For such a kind hearted fellow to not be compensated I fear the ancestors wouldn't forgive me!" She rifled around in her pockets.

"Really, madam, there's no need. I only helped carry-"

"Hush, hush, hush. You helped me a great deal today and I must give something in return." She continued her investigations into her pockets.

Abyo shifted on his feet, scratching at his neck. "Lady, please. I don't want anythin-"

"Young man!" Another voice called out. Abyo flinched at the sound and Ching watched as another older lady came forth in a hurry. "Young man, I too wanted to thank you for your help this morning. Without you, my whole store would have been demolished!" More voices began to chime in, stating how he'd helped them fix a wall, a cart's wheel, caught an expensive vase before it broke or how he'd chased down one of their chickens when it got loose. Ching couldn't help but look at Abyo with surprise. It certainly explained why he was so sweaty when he turned up at the school. And yet, something wasn't right.

Suddenly, Abyo's voice penetrated the din of admiration. "Alright!" Everyone fell silent. "I appreciate your gratitude but I really don't wish for compensation. Please, just let me and my... friend pass through." Some muttered about how rude he was for shutting down everyone's platitudes in this manner, however, the crowd finally began to part like the Red Sea. The first lady which had stopped them had finally retrieve her trinket from her pocket and had quickly slipped it into Abyo's hand before backing off as well. Abyo, not caring to fight over returning the item, simply bowed his head in gratitude and pocketed it. "Thank you," he mumbled as he grabbed Ching by the wrist and walked through and out of the market place. Only upon being free of those looking stares did he release his hold.

While Abyo sighed in relief, Ching stood there wide eyed. Now it dawned on her what was so wrong. Abyo wasn't activate like the boisterous lighthearted fellow he was... No, as Ching stared at him it was almost like she was looking at... Garu! Her head erupted with alarm bells.

"Right, what's going on?"

Abyo looked at her. "What?"

"Something's wrong and you're not tell me. What is it? Why are you acting so... Weird?" She couldn't help but wrinkle her nose as she again recapped the bizarre events which had just transpired.

"I'm not acting weird!"

"Come on, Abyo, the old you would never turn down an opportunity like that!"

Abyo bristled. "There is no "old" me! I'm just as youthful and brilliant as I've always been." Even to his ears this statement sounded forced. Rather than continue this futile conversation, Abyo stalked towards the forest determined to get to Garu's place.

"Abyo, what's wrong? Just tell me!"

He snapped. "Nothing's wrong! You're just reading too much into things. In me."

She couldn't help but react to his tone and bite back, "and what is that supposed to mean?"

"Just drop it already!" He growled and continued to stop away from her. This wasn't difficult as Chung had slowed her pace in an attempt to calm her fury and not attack the back of the idiot in from of her.

Whaddya think? Was this entertaining enough for you to consider sticking with me until the end? Please let me know!