Though today, a determined expression was carved into her face. Armed with a back pack full of cooking utensils, money, and a small box carefully wrapped with white silk, she came prepared for the worst.
Garu had been gone for the night and morning by now. Having disappeared the night before, Pucca couldn't forgive herself for not noticing his absence sooner. She couldn't help but be a little ticked at Uncle Dumpling, Ho, and Linguini who had tried a failed attempt at a "all you could eat" night at the Guh-Ryong restaurant. Her Uncles noodles where famous in the village she lived in, and soon attracted every residence within the area, until the tables where filled with hungry people with insatiable appetites. She had spent her entire night smoldering over hot plates, rushing to table to table filling and replacing orders, and bathing greasy pots until her hands shriveled and her nails wore down from scraping off burned on cheese from the cooking utensils.
She was in the times square of Van Heekplein, a modern, characteristic and lively university town of Enschede. Pucca inspected the elegant, historic buildings, rich in Enchede's rich textile past. Though, she rubbed her tired eyes wearily.
Why was it taking so long to find him? Utterly lost, the girl bit her lip unhappily. This was the first time this had ever happened to her before, not being able finding Garu in under a days time. Call it silly yes, but Pucca was an amazing tracker, and an even better trapper. Having taken this long was absolutely stunning.
"Have you seen Garu?" It had been her friend, Ching, who had asked this question the morning Garu had disappeared. Pucca brushed some hair from her face as she wobbled to her feet, having just finished cleaning out the kitchen. It looked nearly spotless from the night before. She shook her head to the question.
"He was supposed to teach me his punching technique, 'Scarlet Snow', this afternoon," Ching remarked sadly, bowing her head "but I can't find him anywhere." she sighed lightly, biting her lip. "I'm beginning to wonder if he ran off and is not going to teach me at all? That'll keep his secret move safe..." she frowned and grumbled to herself. Pucca stared, then placed her hand on her friends shoulder. However, it was perhaps to steady herself rather than Ching...
Looking up Ching shook her head, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
"Anyway if you see him, tell him I'm still waiting to learn that move."
Pucca smiled reassuringly as she disappeared from the door, but as she disappeared, her smile faded into a concerned frown. She had never known the honor loving ninja to skip out on a teaching lesson, it wasn't like him to skip out, even on Ching, one of his good friends.
All that day, Pucca spent her free time looking around for him, asking random people if they saw him wandering about in the tiny village. Every man and women had sadly shook their head.
When she finally went to as far as going to Garu's house to see if he was home, she found herself in even greater shock. His small, humble home had been torn to shreds: the windows shattered, doors askew, floorboards torn up, grass burnt and flames still dying in smoldering piles of ash. Smoke rose from the destroyed home, which Pucca rushed into, to see if the ninja might still be inside, and to perhaps find out who caused such an outrage.
Inside, it was worse. Everything was gone, blackened, smashed, or splintered, strewn about. Glass cracked under Pucca's shoes as she walked delicately through the maze of strewn chairs, splattered with blood. Mio, Garu's cat, was bearly alive among the wreck, fur singed, yellow eyes wide and searching. He had been partially blinded, and couldn't find his way out of the house. Pucca carried him and reassured him with her voice, knowing that his blindness could have not been caused by fire alone. What type of cruelty was this?
When Pucca found the remains of torn clothing, and strewn ninja weapons stuck at odd angles into the walls and about the massacre scene, she knew. She recognized those poorly shaped weapons... it wasn't the first time she had seen them up close.
"Tobe."
Tears of rage came behind the young girls face. When would that stupid man learn?! She huddled Mio to her chest, glad that there was something left of the place that wasn't destroyed or plundered, silent tears of anger slipped down her face into his fur.
That evening, she had arrived at the house of Tobe. She had been there several times before, on various occasions including fighting, good natured dueling tournaments, dream catching, house arrest, and criminal arrest. This time, she brought with her, her own sword, polished and sharpened so it glistened beneath the moon beams.
Though when she busted down his door, she found there where no ninjas lying in wait to pounce on her like a pack of trained dogs. No string of insults or wisecrack from the headmaster himself, not the whistle of weapons being flung through the air towards her. There was no one there, at all.
Sheathing her sword, Pucca had to restrain herself from tearing the place apart. She had no time for it, she had to know where Tobe and his henchmen where. Hiding somewhere in fear? Most likely, they knew very well they where no match for her wrath when it came to ninja jutsu. This was completely different though, Tobe had gone too far, and now he wasn't even here to show off his plans success?
Backtracking, the last thing that Pucca did before she left the village was find the road of destruction that commenced behind Garu's house. It started with splintered trees, smashed rocks, blood tinted Earth, it was all she needed to pin point every move of the fighting ninjas. As she ran along, quick as she could under the cover of darkness, following the subtle clues of the fight. The more she ran, the more she began to realize that this battle wasn't an ordinary one. The fights Tobe usually began where petty ones, Garu could easily get himself out of and best Tobe and his henchmen. This was different, it kept on going, and going. Further down, the stench of rotting bodies was there in the air, but she didn't go as far as to see who they where. She kept to the fighting path, where she could almost see the young men as they killed each other, blow by blow, with their samurai swords.
Why couldn't she had been there?
"Nyah!"
Pucca squinted upward at the building she had almost run into. She sign read "Hotel Amadeus." Pucca understood more or less of English, she recognized the characters Hotel. Even more so, there was a painting of a bed and a fluffy dog peacefully tucked in its blankets. For a minute Pucca weighed her options of either persueing Garu in the darkness, or get a good nights rest and look for him in the morning.
She walked inside, feeling a sweep of warm air and smell of food inside. Marbled floor, bright tapestries walls and velvet curtains greeted her, along with a few people chatting in the eating area. It seemed nice, but only a bed and shower came to mind as Pucca walked up to the service counter wearily. Pulling off her backpack from her aching back, she opened it up. After inspecting the price on the sign, she pulled some yaun, counted it carefully, and handed it to the cashier. The man eyed it suspiciously, then gave her a questioning look over the brim of his thin rimmed glasses.
"Ich kann dieses nicht nehmen."
Pucca suddenly felt her face turning red. She realized she had forgotten to exchange currency when she had entered Germany. The thought had slipped her mind when she had weaved in and out of other countries, hot on the fighting trail he'd left behind, her only whim was her intent on finding him. Now she was stuck, and had no idea where a visitors center might be, where she could exchange money.
"Es oben beeilen?" A gruff voice behind her snarled. A large man towered over the young Asian girl. With him, two large suitcases that looked as though they had been run over with a six wheeled truck a few times where clenched in his large hands. He gave her a pugnacious look.
Glancing apologetically to the cashier, Pucca meekly took back the bills and folded them back into her pack, though not moving from her spot. She wanted to ask where she could get some German money, but didn't know how to communicate. After all, she knew very little English, (though she diligently attempted to teach herself several times).
Suddenly, a epiphany struck. She gestured to one of the computers behind the cashiers desk. She'd be able to find a translator there, and ask him that way. The man behind her groaned and rubbed his head and a few others that had gathered behind him muttered in agreement. The cashier didn't gather her gist either, and only looked around his shoulder, hoping to fins someone else to ascot this young woman instead of him.
Pucca stroked her chin thoughtfully, she liked a challenge. Maybe she could whip up some lotus buns to intice him into a more agreeable mood. It usually worked back home (embarrassingly).
Though, just as she had thought of this, her nose started to tingle. A pungent smell had suddenly appeared in the air out of no where. It smelled like dead fish, old, sweaty men, and rotten carrion mixed with something that utterly horrid she couldn't tell what it was. She clamped a hand to her face and coughed. Obviously, she wasn't the only one who smelled it. The cashier wrinkled his nose and gagged, waving his hands wildly. The man behind him grunted and dropped his suitcases.
"Ah, I zink I can help you miss." came a lusty voice thickly buttered with a French accent. Pucca (still pinching her nose) looked down to see a small, furry creature staring back with bright, yet relaxing black eyes.
She'd never seen an animal quite like it. With a large fluffy tail, he stood on two legs, reaching to about her knees. Black, with a a pair of white stripes riding his spine. He seemed quite oblivious to the horrible smell, and as she stared, she realized that the deadly perfume was actually coming from him himself. She could almost see stench rolling of in tendrils of smog.
"Ere you go zhen." the skunk seemed oblivious to the cashiers twitching and squeaking the man made. Conjuring a few paper bills seemingly from nowhere, he slapped them down on the counter.
"Two rooms." he said casually, lifting to fingers to indicate that's what he wanted. Though the cashier wasn't listening. His jerks and violent spasms from the smell made him look as though he where having an episode. After a few moments, he teetered and fell to the floor in a fit of coughs and gasps. Both Pucca and the skunk peered over the counter at him writhing on the floor.
"Vell, look at zhis!" the skunk exclaimed as he slipped over the counter to the other side.
"Ere we are, I see zhat you picked out two top class suites for us, How gracious of you!" he reappeared a moment later holding a pair of plastic cards between his fingers. He smiled gently and placed one in Pucca's hand.
"No need to zhank me, just helping out in 'ittle ways zhat I can." Pucca was still too stunned to move, forgetting to thank the creature for his kindness (not that she could anyway). The skunk had turned and walked with a bounce in his step to the hallway, turned the corner and disappeared. His scent trail could be seen snaking behind him, but air-condition seemed to swoop in again, much to Pucca's relief.
Shrugging her backpack to a more comfortable position, she examined the card key he had given her. A good nights rest, some food and a shower and she'd be up and running again in the morning. She'd find Garu, if it was the last thing she did.