Wow, Chapter 2 was pretty intense, wasn't it? And long… (it's almost twice as long as the other chapters!!). And guess what? Chapter 3 is gonna be even longer!! It took up three whole pages in my notebook, whereas Chapter 2 only took up one and a half. I'm guessing it will be about…. eight pages. Wow. Chapter 2 was five pages, Chapter 1 was two and a half pages, and the prologue was just over two pages. I'm both excited and terrified at the same time…

So, there's not much else to say now… except for that you need to read Dr. McNinja. It's the BEST WEBCOMIC EVER. Seriously. Read it.

NOW there's not much else to say. Enjoy Chapter 3, ya'll!!

NOTE: You know, one of these days I might actually come up with a name for Takeshi's father. Or maybe not.

DISCLAIMER: Aka "Oh yeah, that thing!" I own nothing except the Pucca and Garu plushies that my boyfriend gave me (awww). And Takeshi is mine. Mine, I tell you!

Chapter 3- A Terrible Truth

"I won't do it, Father!" Takeshi shouted. "I'd rather face them alone than do that!"

"Takeshi!" his father scolded. "It is the only way, you must-"

"No, there has to be some other way. There has to be."

The shogun sighed as he witnessed his son's despair. Things had been going badly with the war. For months his people had fought, and for months his people had been slaughtered. It had seemed hopeless, until one of his advisors had come up with a solution to end the fighting and create a truce instead. It was so simple, so effective-

But his son refused to cooperate.

"My son, I know how you must be feeling right now," he started. Takeshi merely glared at him.

"But if you don't do this, our people are sure to die. We ask very little of you. Only that you-"

"What, give up my whole life? I just can't, Father, it's too much. I'm not ready for that yet."

The shogun felt his anger rising again at his son's total lack of understanding.

"Takeshi, you will bring great honor to our family if you do this! Think- what can be more honorable than sacrificing yourself to save your people? Son, I implore you. As your father and your general. There is no other way to save our people."

There was a long silence. The shogun found himself praying desperately to the gods that his son would see reason. He could understand his son's reluctance; he was only just fifteen. But this was war, and war called for sacrifice. His son needed to learn this, and perhaps then he could become the great ruler he had been raised to be.

Takeshi sighed, seeing that his father really was right. But it was just too much.

"I'll think about it, Father." And he left the tent, the flap swinging closed behind him.

His father let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

There was still hope.

My eyes opened slowly. I was almost surprised to see wooden walls around me rather than the canvas of a tent.

What a weird dream…

I shook my head, trying to clear the haze from my mind. It seemed like there was something I needed to know, something that had happened. I tried to remember, but I was still groggy from sleep. I shrugged. I'd remember it later.

To my surprise, Mio still hadn't come back.

Maybe he's just in the other room…

I walked into the main room of my house, and then I saw it- the present that Pucca had given to me last night. It lay right where I had dropped it last night. Right before I had slammed the door in her face. Before I had noticed her tears.

A terrible guilt washed over me. How could I have done that to her? No true ninja would ever have taken his own problems out on someone like I had done. There was no honor in it. Less than none.

I sighed, but quelled the rising sense of despair I felt.

Well, there's an easy way to fix this, at least.

All I had to do was open the present, pretend I liked it, and go thank Pucca for it. Knowing her, she'd just bounce back to her usual self. I might even let her kiss me. That would cheer her up.

With renewed confidence, I picked up the present. That horrid paper was soon lying on the floor as I held an ordinary cardboard box in my hands.

I do admit, I felt just a little bit nervous as I opened that box. It could be something horrible, like that cursed bowtie I thought she had given me; or, it could actually be something nice. There was no telling when it came to a girl like Pucca.

Nothing, however, could have prepared me for what was hidden in that box.

It was just an ordinary glass jar, but inside it were the most beautiful conch shells I had ever seen.

I was astonished. I had been expecting something silly and pointless, and…romantic. Not this. I couldn't believe that she had remembered…. The jar nearly slipped from my grasp as I fell to my knees.

"Why do you like the beach so much, Garu?" a five-year-old Pucca asked me.

I was startled by her question. Why did I like it here so much?

"Well, I remember my mother and father would always take me to the beach back home. Actually, it was at the beach that I saw my father smile for the first time."

Pucca was listening with rapt attention. It was rare that I talked about my family, and even rarer that I would mention my dead father.

I frowned in concentration as the memory became clearer.

"He had given me a shell, and told me to listen. I thought he was crazy; what kind of noise could a shell make?" I laughed. "I had never been so surprised when I heard what sounded like the ocean in that shell."

I didn't say anything else after that. It was a happy memory, but all memories of my family held a bitterness to me now.

Pucca suddenly stopped and began sifting through the sand. It was clear that she was getting more and more frustrated by the minute. I kneeled down next to her.

"What's wrong, Pucca?"

She glared up at me with tears in her eyes. "I wanted to find a shell for Garu!"

I laughed. She could be so cute sometimes. "Don't worry about it, okay? One day I bet you'll find so many shells for me that I won't be able to fit them in my house!"

She frowned for a minute, then quickly brightened again. "Yes, I will!"

I stood up and began walking back up the beach again.

"You better hurry, Pucca, or we'll be late for lunch."

She caught up to me and grabbed my hand. We walked in silence for a moment, and then she said,

"I love you, Garu."

I looked back down at her, feeling a little confused.

"I love you too, Pucca." I suddenly smiled at a thought. "You know, you're like a little sister to me."

She glanced up at me with wide eyes, then looked away again. "Yeah, I guess."

And we continued walking, hand in hand.

That had been nearly ten years ago. Did she really still remember our old friendship? To tell you the truth, I was sure she had forgotten, or… well, that it didn't matter to her anymore. If it ever did.

A weak laugh escaped my lips as I thought back to those days. It sounded more like a sob. To my mortification, I felt a lump rising in my throat.

I hastily stood back up. There's no reason to get all choked up over this, Garu. It's just a jar of shells.

Yeah.

Right.

With a great weariness in my heart, I realized what I had to do. I needed to make things up to her. After all the trouble she must have gone through… she had to have gotten up earlier than me to collect all of these shells. Yet I had treated her so horribly…

My mind made up, I placed the jar on my table. I knew what I had to do now.

I needed to apologize to Pucca.

I was just about to leave, when I heard a frantic knocking at my door.

"Garu! Come on, Garu, open up! It's urgent!" It was Ching.

I opened the door, feeling more than a little confused.

Ching looked nearly faint with relief.

"Oh, thank goodness, I was afraid you'd already left, and then who knows what-"

I stopped her rambling with a raised eyebrow, my symbol for 'Okay, what is it?'

She got the message.

"Pucca hasn't been back at all since yesterday! The chefs are worried sick- she's never been gone this long before without letting them know. Abyo's out looking for her now, but we don't have the faintest idea of where to start," she nearly sobbed. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "We really need your help, Garu. She could be hurt somewhere, all alone…"

I felt a chill run up my spine. If something had happened to her… I shoved the thought aside. Grabbing my sword and jacket, I dashed out into the woods.

Pucca needed me now more than ever, and this time, I wasn't going to let her down.

Two hours had already gone by, and there was still no sign of Pucca. Abyo had searched all over Sooga Village, while I had checked around the forests and mountains.

But there was still no sign of her.

I was really getting worried now. If no one had seen her by now, that definitely meant something was wrong.

Very, very wrong.

Worst of all, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was all my fault. If I had only been able to control my temper better-

But there was no time for that now. I could think about that once Pucca was safe.

Gasping for breath, I came to a halt beside an old oak. I needed to rethink my strategy; running around randomly was clearly not working. My breathing became less ragged as I sorted through all the places she could or couldn't be. But nothing came up.

As I stood there, I felt a familiar sensation. Like something was watching me…I jumped back and whirled around, almost hoping it would be her, but there was nothing there. I snorted at myself in disgust. This was certainly no time to be getting jumpy.

Suddenly, something black and furry dropped down onto my shoulder and screeched into my ear. Those ten years of training finally seemed to add up to something as I managed not to jump about ten feet in the air. Instead, I coolly turned my head to see what had attacked me, and-

Two lamp-like, yellow eyes started urgently back at me.

I sighed in relief.

Mio jumped down to the ground and began pacing restlessly around my legs.

I glared down at him. I don't see you for nearly a whole day, and now you show up?

He meowed insistently back at me, then darted away, only to stop a few yards from me. He meowed again.

Well, this was weird. I walked back over to him, but he only darted away again. After the fourth or fifth time, I finally got fed up with him. I turned to go back the way I came, but he was on me in a flash. He was screeching at me in earnest now. I hadn't heard him meow like this since the time I'd locked him up so he wouldn't try to sneak off with Yani. Again.

Every time I tried to take a step, he'd run in front of me and nearly trip me.

Then something began to click in my head…

You want me to follow you, Mio?

Again, those eyes shone up at me.

I took a hesitant step in the direction he'd been pushing me in. Mio took off running, nothing but a silent black streak in the woods. I immediately ran after him.

Please, Mio, let this be important…

It had to be important. Mio was a smart cat; he wouldn't be acting like this for nothing.

We must have run like this for at least five kilometers. Subtle changes in the atmosphere clued me in to where we were headed- the smell of salt on the breeze, the crashing of waves. Farther ahead, I could see a break in the trees; beyond that, the ocean. I had almost reached the break when I heard something crunch beneath my feet.

Weird, that didn't sound like a leaf…

I stopped to look around, and found the ground littered with pieces of broken glass. My pulse quickened. Suddenly I heard an urgent cry from Mio. I ran ahead.

What I saw would haunt my dreams for several months to come.

Mio and I stood on a cliff above a small cove. A large rock overlooked the ocean at the edge of the cliff, and smashed against the side of that rock was - what had been - that bike Pucca was always riding. Bits of metal and glass were strewn as far as three meters from the crash, and- gods, was that blood?! One whole side of the rock was nearly covered in it… I tried not to look at it too much, knowing full well where it had come from.

But something was missing.

Where's Pucca?

A shiver went up my spine. Somehow, I think I knew exactly where she would be. My faltering steps took me closer to the edge of the cliff and past that rock. Only a few more feet now…

What I saw confirmed my worst fears. There Pucca lay like a broken doll, the water beginning to lap at her feet. Around her was what looked like-

Oh, gods, no…

I jumped down what had to have been a five-meter drop - Did she really fall this far?! - and, ignoring the pain in my legs, sprinted over to her.

She was deathly pale, and blood was still oozing from her lacerated arm into the red sand.

No, no, no, no, no!

I nearly slipped on the bloodied sand in my haste to reach her. She seemed eerily still. I immediately grabbed for her wrist, trying to feel for a pulse.

Those few moments stretched into eternity….

And then I felt it.

It was very faint, but still there. My hands trembled in relief.

She was still alive. Alive…

I chanted that word over and over to myself as I gathered her up in my arms and ran the fastest I'd ever run back towards Sooga.

What happened next was a total blur to me. I ran nonstop to the Goh-Ryong, Mio racing after me. The only thing I could concentrate on was that faint pulse coming from her wrist.

She's still alive, she's still alive, she's still alive…

The chefs were nearly in hysterics when I arrived. Someone called for an ambulance, I think, and Ching ran off to find Abyo.

I held onto Pucca that whole time. And then some men came and took her from me, and strapped her onto a stretcher. My hand never left hers, though. I think I remember someone telling me to let go, and then someone was yelling…

Then I was on the ambulance, too, sitting next to Pucca as she was rushed to the hospital. My hand never left hers.

As long as I could still feel that pulse, know that she was alive…

But then they had to take her away from me again. The sight of her laying so helplessly on that stretcher…

I tried to follow on numb feet, but I stumbled and couldn't get up. It was then that I realized how badly I was shaking.

There was a hand on my shoulder, and then someone was yelling again. The words sounded oddly distorted to me. Like I was trying to listen to someone underwater.

I felt my body being lifted, and my vision left me then.

There were some more shouts, and then I knew no more.

My eyes opened blearily. I heard soft voices, then footsteps and a door closing.

Then it was quiet again.

I tried to open my eyes some more, but the light suddenly seemed too bright. I closed them again.

Seconds or minutes or hours passed as I lay like that. Who knows how long it really was?

Then I tried again. This time I was able to fully open them.

What… happened…?

But there was nothing I could recall.

Slowly I tried to sit up, ignoring the pain in my head, and look around the room.

"Hey, take it easy, Garu. You've been out for a while." I turned my head and saw Abyo sitting across from me. Again I tried and failed to remember what had happened.

My head was making me feel sick…

"We were all pretty worried back there. First Ching tells me that you found Pucca, then I come here to find that you've fainted." Abyo tried to laugh. "Crazy day, huh?"

I nodded uncertainly.

And then it slowly started coming back to me. The cliff, the bike, and-

I started to feel sick again. Closing my eyes, I tried to will the nausea away.

It worked.

But my eyes flew open again. Where was Pucca now? Was she even-

The nausea came back, and this time nothing I did could stave it off. Fortunately, there was a trash can right next to my bed.

I retched and retched until there was nothing to throw up anymore. It was pretty damn awful, but at least it got rid of the pounding in my head.

I could sense Abyo doing his best to look away from me. He knew full well how much I hated for people to see me like this.

Now that my head didn't hurt anymore, I was feeling a lot better. And I mean a lot better. I was just about to swing my legs off the bed when a doctor walked into the room, a cup of what smelled like tea in her hands. Ching was close behind her.

"Garu, you're awake!" she cried as she flung her arms around me, Won flapping her wings for balance.

I managed to politely push her away as the doctor came up to me.

"How are you feeling, Garu? Do you feel any pain or dizziness?" she asked as she handed me the cup of tea.

I shook my head and took a sip. The tea was deliciously warm and spicy. My energy returned almost immediately.

"Actually, he was kinda sick before you came in. But he's a lot better now," Abyo corrected. I decided not to glare at him this time. He was only trying to help, after all.

"Well, it's only to be expected. You looked worse than dead on your feet when you arrived," she said, smiling, as she stood up. "I'm glad to see you feeling better, and just push that button by your bed if you need anything."

I nodded, still absorbed in my tea, and she left.

There was silence.

I looked up after a while and realized that Ching and Abyo were both staring at me rather nervously. With a sinking feeling, I remembered what had brought me here. I set the tea on the table by my bed. I was both reluctant and impatient to hear what they were going to say.

When I was ready, I met their gaze.

Ching almost immediately averted her eyes.

"W-Well, um… it's been nearly three hours since you fainted," she began, "and they've still got Pucca in the ER. There was a lot of glass in her arm, and she's lost so much blood…"

I noticed then how red Ching's eyes looked. This didn't look good.

Her voice was almost a whisper now. "Her arm was badly broken, and two of her ribs, too, they think." There were tears running down her cheeks now. She tried to go on, but her voice sounded choked. Abyo put his arm around her shoulders with a casualness that I had never seen in him before. He continued for her.

"Anyway, we've been here ever since they started operating on her and still haven't heard anything."

I looked down when he was done talking.

This really didn't look good.

I swung my legs back off the bed and was able to stand up this time.

Well, that's one thing gone right today.

Someone had propped my sword by the door. Without a single noise or even a nod, I grabbed it, strapped it to my back, and left the room. Ching and Abyo left with me, Abyo's arm still around her. Together, the three of us walked in silence to the surgical ward.

No one said a word.

We knew we were in the right spot when we saw Uncle Dumpling, Linguini, and Ho sitting by the door. Even Dada was there, wringing what looked like a washcloth in his hands.

Uncle Dumpling stood up when he saw us.

"Garu, how can we ever thank you for saving our Pucca again-"

I cut him off with a raised hand. 'Saving her' is the last thing I would call what I did. What would they think, I wondered, if they knew that she was like this because of me?

I looked up at them, then Abyo and Ching behind me. How could I tell them how sorry I was? That it was all my fault?

A great weariness filled me. It was my fault that she was like this. It was because of me that she's so hurt.

"Garu, don't you dare try to blame yourself for this!" Everyone looked at Ching in surprise. "Even if something did happen between the two of you, what happened to her was an accident. An accident. Right?"

I nodded my head, but my heart didn't agree. They didn't know how horrible I had been to her. They hadn't seen the tears in her eyes as I hurt her in the worst way possible.

We stood like that for a while. Ching had stopped crying, but Abyo's arm was still around her. Uncle Dumpling eventually sat back down with his brothers. Everyone was quiet.

And then the door opened. A doctor stepped out, looking rather nervous. We stared at him like a starving man stares at bread. Our lives were in his hands; one word from him could make or break us.

"I have good news and bad news," he started, somewhat awkwardly. "The good news is that she made it through the surgery. The bad, however…" The man sighed and self-consciously ran a hand through his hair. He hated to be the bearer of bad news. "Well, it doesn't look good. We're afraid she might not make it through the night. Now, I assure you we'll do everything we can to…"

He continued talking to the distraught chefs. I heard something about an infection and a bad fever, but none of the details mattered to me. 'She's still alive' had suddenly turned into 'She's alive- for now.'

I felt a hand on my arm.

"Come on, Garu, we don't need to be here anymore," Ching whispered.

My mind completely blank, I let Ching and Abyo lead me out of the hospital.

The sun glared harshly down on us. With some surprise, I realized that it was nearly three in the afternoon. What had felt like days had only been eight hours.

"Garu, are you listening?"

I blinked. I hadn't even realized that Ching was talking.

Feeling rather dazed, I shook my head.

Ching gave me a sympathetic look.

"Abyo and I were wondering if there was anything you wanted to do."

I looked back at her with confusion. Wasn't it obvious what I wanted to do? I needed to see Pucca. Besides, if she really was going to-

No.

I would not - could not - let myself think that. All I needed was to apologize to her. And thank her. And make sure she's okay…

"C'mon, Garu, let's go see a movie. Sound good to you?" Abyo's voice penetrated my thoughts.

I thought about it, then shrugged my shoulders. Nothing really mattered to me right now.

Before they could say anything else, I was already heading to the theater.

Abyo glanced over at Ching, then started after me.

"Abyo, wait-"

I could hear them whispering about something. Even though I tried my best not to listen, I heard snippets like, "He needs to talk about it, can't you see?" and "Yeah, but what would he say? If he even wants to tell us, that is."

I kept on walking. Eventually they caught up with me, and we bought tickets for a movie I'd never heard of.

Does it even matter?

The theater was nice and dark inside, a definite improvement from the unbearable sunny day outside. We sat in the very back row, Abyo and Ching on either side of me. No one else was in there.

I should have realized right then that it was a trap. That they were going to get me to talk. But I was still too dazed, too unprepared to face reality just yet.

The movie started.

I tried to watch it, but after only a few minutes I couldn't even pretend anymore. So I sat there, trying my best to keep those forbidden thoughts at bay. But I was only so strong.

It was so obvious to me that Pucca's accident was my fault, in spite of what Ching had said. If I had only controlled my temper, if I hadn't made her so upset- she would be with us now, not strapped to a bed in the critical care ward. I had to be the worst ninja on the planet. The worst person. I had failed.

I had failed myself. I had failed my family- but the thought of them was quickly shoved aside. It was still too painful to remember them.

But most of all-

I had failed Pucca.

It was my fault that Pucca was hurt.

It was my fault if she never wakes up.

It was my fault if she-

Dies.

I clutched my head in my hands, trying to fight the despair that was growing in me. I could feel my chest heaving as I gasped for air; my hands were trembling as I fought for control. And then there were arms around me, and I heard Ching sob, "She's going to make it, Garu. She's going to be all right."

The dam broke.

Wretched sobs shook through my body. I cried for the first time in ten years, the first time since I had left my family. I could feel Ching's arms around me, and Abyo's hand on my shoulder, but never had I felt so desolate before.

Pucca had always been there when I had awoken in tears from dreams about my family.

She had been the one to hold me and comfort me when I had no one else.

She had been the one to never give up, to face every challenge with me.

And I had failed her.

It was with heavy hearts that we returned to the hospital. And what we saw didn't bode well.

Uncle Dumpling and Ho were sitting on the bench by Pucca's room, looking worried. Without even looking up, Uncle Dumpling told us that Linguini was visiting Pucca now. She had just woken up about twenty minutes ago, but she still looked awful. Ching squeezed my arm and Abyo softly thumped my shoulder.

I took a deep breath, trying to control the rising hysteria. Surprisingly, it was much easier to manage now after letting it out at the theater.

Giving them both a look that told them I was okay, I moved to sit on the bench with the two chefs. Ching and Abyo sat down next to me, but this time they were next to each other. Abyo had his arm around her again.

We sat like that for another twenty or so minutes, until Linguini quietly opened then closed the door.

"She's sleeping again," he said in a tired voice. He then stumbled over to the bench and sat down with his head in his hands. I immediately looked away when I saw his shoulders start shaking.

After a few minutes, a nurse came and went from the room. She spoke gently.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to leave now. We'll call you if anything happens."

I ground my teeth at her words.

Leave.

There's no way I'm going to leave her this time.

So I did the bravest thing I had ever done in my life- I stood up, looked that nurse square in the eye, and walked into Pucca's room. The door closed behind me.

For a minute, though, I wished I had never walked in there.

Her face was still deathly pale, with a slight sheen of sweat. Her arm was wrapped heavily in bandages. The only sounds came from her heart monitor and her shallow, uneven breathing. An IV in her arm connected to a bag of blood hanging on a rack.

I swallowed.

I had to do this.

She needed me to be with her, and this time I would not fail her.

Summoning all of my courage, I walked over and sat in a chair by her bed.

I silently vowed to stay with her until she took her last breath. Even if she lived, I would never leave her again.

The nurse came in after a while. "The chefs seem to think that it's okay for you to stay with her, and I can't find any reason why not." She smiled at me. "Let me know if you need anything, 'kay?"

I nodded my head, my eyes never leaving Pucca's prone form.

She left as silently as she had entered.

And so began the longest night of my life.

For hours I sat there, just watching her. I didn't even think all that much. The only thing I could think about was how helpless she looked right then.

She would move or twitch every now and then, but nothing more. Her breathing was still fast and shallow.

Everything was going pretty well.

But then she began shivering. At first, her hands were just quivering slightly; but after a few minutes, her whole body was shaking uncontrollably. Sweat was gathering on her brow and beginning to run down her feverish face.

Very carefully, I reached out my hand to touch her face. I jerked it back in surprise- it was burning hot. Feeling a little odd, I then felt her hands. They were like ice. She began to thrash around in her sleep.

Pucca was fighting for her life.

I felt a little confused. She needed to be warmed up, but what could I do about that? There were no blankets in the room, and I didn't want to bother the nurse.

Feeling even more confused, I realized what I had to do. My own body began to shake as I thought about it. My mind, however, was oddly blank.

Trying hard not to think about what I was doing, I eased under the covers next to her.

The thrashing almost instantly began to cease. I breathed a sigh of relief. My presence and body heat seemed to be working. Yet still she shook with fever.

Great, what the hell am I supposed to do now?

And then it came to me.

I felt my face flush. There was no way I would ever have done what I was about to do if her life hadn't depended on it.

But her life did depend on it.

On me.

So I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her and held her small body against mine. Nothing changed for a while, but then the shivering became more and more subdued. Her pulse slowed and even her breathing evened out. Eventually, she gave a great sigh and snuggled her head under my chin. She was asleep now.

It was very hard not to panic from holding a girl - and not just any girl - so intimately. She felt so soft and warm against me, and for the second time that day I was immensely grateful for the control I had over my body.

I was surprised at how calming it actually was to hold her like this. The tension slowly began slipping from my body, and it became harder and harder to keep my eyes open.

But soon I, too, was asleep.

I awoke the next morning feeling strangely at peace. Pucca was sleeping serenely in my arms. Her hair, once stiff and lank with sweat, was now draped softly around her face. I smiled as her nose twitched. Ever so gently, I brushed the offending strand of hair away.

She looked so much like that five-year-old girl who would fall asleep in my lap on the beach, the girl I had thought I would never see again. I pulled her even closer and sighed in contentment.

Everything was okay again.

I pulled away to look at her face again, just to prove to myself that she was really here. But something was different-

Her eyes were open.

My eyes widened, and I had to fight the urge to jump away as I looked into those eyes. These were not the eyes of that girl of five years, but rather the eyes of the fifteen-year-old one. I steeled myself for the inevitable kiss. Just take it, Garu, you owe her that much at least.

But it never came.

I opened my eyes - I hadn't even realized that I'd closed them - and studied her face. What I saw were her tear-filled brown eyes staring into mine.

Now the panic that I'd been staving off all night came back full force. What had I done this time?!

She must have seen the panic in my face, for she merely laughed and buried her face into my shoulder. When she looked back up at me again, she was smiling radiantly.

I sighed in relief. At least she didn't hate me.

Then I did what I had intended to do ever since yesterday morning. Looking at her imploringly, I tried as hard as I could to show her all of my regret and my guilt for what I had done to her.

She saw it.

And she forgave me.

I could see it in her eyes, the love and hope and happiness. Her face came closer and closer to mine, and I was shocked to realize what this was one kiss I didn't dread.

But then her lips were against mine, and nothing else mattered. She gave me a kiss so chaste, so full of forgiveness…

I would never, ever forget that kiss.

Then there were suddenly voices outside the room, and Abyo, Ching, and three very anxious chefs burst into the room. They were struck dumb at the sight of Pucca in my arms.

Once they saw that she was awake, however, their shock turned to exuberance. Ching, of course, began crying and threw her arms around Abyo. I stared at them in shock and then quickly looked away as I saw Abyo kiss her full on the lips. That was certainly nothing I needed to get wrapped up in.

I untangled myself from Pucca and sat up to give the chefs some space. One look told me that I should let them have their time with her.

Slowly getting up, I smiled reassuringly at her and squeezed her hand.

I'll be back soon, I promised her in my heart.

A nurse walked in as I was leaving the room, and I heard her start talking to the chefs about how much longer it would be before she came home, the food she needs, and all of that medical stuff. Abyo slipped out after me, looking smug.

I knew very well what was coming next.

He smirked. "So, Garu, how'd you like sleeping with Pucca?"

I rolled my eyes and playfully thumped him in the arm. Hard.

"You know you liked it."

I scoffed and grumbled, but on the inside I smiled.

And as we walked out of the hospital, there was a lightness in my heart that I had not felt in years.

Okay, you peeps had better BLOODY like this! It took me nearly twelve hours to write. And it's eleven pages, and - HOLY FREAKING CRAP - six thousand words. But it was definitely worth it. Tell me what ya'll think!!

Chapter 4 will be up next week.

By the way, does anyone else think that the title makes no sense? It just sounded right.

Oh, I'm allowing anonymous reviews now, so there is NO reason why I shouldn't have another twenty-plus reviews when I come back, right? Right. Rawk!

-CPL