Holy crap, I'm so sorry for the absurdly long wait for this chapter D: All I can say is I tried to compensate by making this the longest one yet. And plus, I'm not the only one who's been slacking, right friends? xP Anyway, I think it gets much better toward the middle and end :P The beginning is suckish, so bear with me. I didn't get into my groove 'til later on. Onward!

"Oh, Garu! I love you too!"

'Yeah, I know.'

Though nothing could've been more obvious, hearing her say those words sent a wave of reassurance through Garu that instantly put him at ease. Like a natural-born Fabio, he grabbed Pucca by the waist and dropped her into a smooth dip. Supporting her back with one hand and caressing her cheek with the other, he whispered to her, "So…want to pick up from where we left off?"

He could barely hold back a smirk as he felt her shiver in excitement and anticipation. "Oh god, Garu! Yes!"

Their surroundings slowly disintegrated around them. The walls of the living room literally melted, taking the furniture along. All that was left was the beautiful couple and their lovely dessert surrounded by a sparking, soft pink backdrop. Hmm.

As he watched Pucca take off her flowing nightgown, Garu was semi-surprised to find himself rather insouciant—hell, he wasn't fazed at all. He didn't even break a sweat when he realized Pucca wore no bra under the nightgown. 'Convenient!' he thought.

He unabashedly watched as Pucca's bare skin disappeared under the brown, creamy goodness of the pudding. All he could do was grin as he watched her prepare herself for him, licking his lips in anticipation.

Before he knew it, he was holding her again by the waist, now having trouble controlling his uneven breathing. He wasn't nervous…just really eager.

"You ready?" he asked, bringing himself closer to her sloppily covered body.

"No!"

Garu tore his eyes away from the skin he was about to lick. "What…?"

"Get up!"

Confused, Garu dropped his eyes down to the prominent bulge in his boxers. "…I already am."

"No!! Get UP. Now!"

"Huh?"

"Garu! Wake up!"

Garu groaned as he opened his eyes and was greeted by what felt like a blinding light to him.

Blinking a couple of times to get his vision rolling, Garu blushed as he slowly began to make out a worried looking Pucca fanning him with a magazine. He kept his eyes shut and relaxed into the couch he'd been placed on as he thought about the dream that he'd just been having. He bit his bottom lip as he fought the urge to continue from where it had left off. The thought of seeing what was under that tiny nightie she'd changed into was so damn alluring! But he knew things couldn't be that easy. At least not yet.

'Why does she look so worried?' thought Garu, concerned. But as he gave it a minute's thought, he realized his dream hadn't taken place while he was sleeping, per say. More like after he fainted like a pussy. He almost cringed as he replayed the events of only a few hours earlier in his head—the insatiable sexual cravings, the doubts of sincerity, the heartfelt rambling, the realization—oh god, the realization!

'OH CRAP THAT'S RIGHT I LOVE PUCCA!! And she loves me…what now!?' He nearly fainted again. Nearly.

But fainting wouldn't help him now. He knew he'd have to face the situation sooner or later. Why not sooner? Still feeling slightly overwhelmed, he let out a weak, "Hey."

"Garu! You're okay!" Pucca exclaimed, startled but obviously relieved.

"Um, yeah…" he replied, a little embarrassed. It wasn't exactly the coolest thing in the world to faint after finally realizing your love for a girl. Especially not at her house. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay! I'm just glad that you're not sick or anything."

Before Abyo could make a stupid crack about how technically lovesickness still qualified as a sickness, Pucca threw herself onto Garu and held onto him in a firm embrace.

"I was worried," she murmured as she tightened her embrace. Without giving it a second thought, he returned the gesture, and for a second all that mattered to him was having her in his arms. But then Pucca abruptly got off him.

She let out a little yelp, and Garu blushed as he realized her thigh had pressed up against something it probably shouldn't have pressed up against. That dream hadn't passed without leaving its repercussions—though most of the dream's elements had bowed down to reality and vanished with Garu's unconscious mind, his bulging friend remained.

'Fantastic. For like, the third time today.'

"What was that?" Pucca blurted out.

"Oh…ah…" stuttered Garu, not sure how to answer. She obviously knew what an erection was; she just hadn't been expecting one then. Garu decided to keep things vague and hope she'd catch his drift. "I just really think you're beautiful…and my body agrees with me."

"Oh…aww…?" Pucca was flattered but still obviously puzzled. What the hell was up with her Garu this time? It was one thing to develop a case of the crazies over the course of a day, but to wake up with one?

'That's whack,' thought Pucca.

Garu blushed more deeply and couldn't help but avert his gaze as he continued, "And I think you have a hot body that I'd like to do things to."

'Ooooh!' she realized. 'He was thinking about me naked. And he's hard for me!' She giggled. 'He's so cute!'

Pucca smiled her adorable smile and kissed Garu on the cheek. "You know you can do whatever you want to me."

Garu's eyes automatically dropped down to her perky breasts, now free from the constraint of any bra and barely covered by her skimpy nightie—well, more like lingerie actually. Pucca noticed and smiled seductively. "You like it?" she asked, letting one of the thin straps of the babydoll negligee fall off her shoulder. "I got it just for the occasion."

He let his eyes blatantly scan down her body as he examined her night attire. After all, she'd changed into it especially for him! It would be rude not to look. He smiled as he stared at the small, tight triangles of fabric that did a half-assed job of covering his girlfriend's boobs. 'The bow between them is a nice touch,' he thought absently as he examined the black bow that adorned the dark pink lingerie. He took a quick second to appreciate the garment's absurdly short length before deciding tonight was the night he'd become a man. With his newfound realization of his love for Pucca, he really had nothing holding him back.

"I do like it," he replied, making the grin on Pucca's face widen. "But I think you'd look even better with it off."

Caught off guard, Pucca let her jaw drop a little as Abyo began shouting ecstatically and extremely loudly in the background.

"Good one, Garu! Hell yeah! I knew you had it in you!" he praised as though he were a proud father. "Who's da man? YOU da ma—ow!" he dropped the finger he was pointing at Garu and instead brought his hand over to rub his stinging cheek. "What'd you do that for, Ching?"

"Abyo!" she whispered angrily, "can't you see they need a little privacy?"

"Aww, but I wanna see what he does next!" whined Abyo.

"You mean you wanna see Pucca take that nightie off?" she practically growled, flames growing in her eyes.

"Huh?" asked Abyo, dumbfounded. Honestly, the thought had never occurred to him. Yes, Pucca was definitely an attractive girl, but she was his best friend's girlfriend. Totally off limits. "No, that's not it!"

"Alright, good!" Ching chirped brightly, her disposition instantly lightening a thousand shades as she grabbed Abyo's hand and began leading him up the stairs. "Let's go up to Pucca's room."

Garu stared gratefully as he watched Ching drag Abyo up the stairs. 'Thank god,' he thought as he took off his shirt. Garu was fully aware of the major step he was making in his relationship with Pucca (not to mention his transition into manhood), and he didn't need Abyo there reminding the world of it and making Pucca uncomfortable.

'Pucca. Uncomfortable…Holy crap, is that what I'm making her feel?' he thought, realizing her reaction had been less than enthusiastic. He'd been so careful all night, but he'd neglected to consider that just because he finally decided he was ready for sex, that didn't mean Pucca was too. She'd definitely been up for some sexual activity, but actual sex? He wasn't sure. 'And besid—'

Garu's thoughts were cut off as he felt himself forced onto the living room floor with a very forceful Pucca pinning him down. "Now that they're gone," she began, unbuttoning his pants and then pulling the zipper down, "we can get on with this."

Garu nodded stiffly as he watched her pull down his pants, unable to take his eyes off of her. 'God, she's hot.'

Pucca couldn't help but let a giggle escape as she stared at Garu's boxers. "Pikachu? Are you serious?"

"Oh…uh, yeah, well," Garu stuttered, mentally cursing himself. 'You dumbass! You knew in the back of your head you might be getting some tonight. And you know the blue ones were perfectly clean! Why the fuck did you go with the Pokemon?!'

"Ha, yeah. Gotta catch 'em all, right…?" he replied weakly, feeling less and less like a stud and more like a dork by the second.

However, Pucca found the boxers and his reply to be more adorable than dorky. "You're so cute when you're lame!" she exclaimed, moving up a little to leave a path of kisses down his neck. "And I don't care if they have Pikachu on them. Those boxers make your package look huge."

Garu, though momentarily taken aback by her crudeness, soon broke out into a loving grin as he stared at Pucca, a girl so awesome she could make him feel good about a pair old boxers adorned with electric rats. He literally had to blink a couple of times to get those cartoon-hearts out of his eyes as he felt her nibble on his ear and inhaled the sweet scent of her hair. 'This is why I love her.'

"Did I mention that I love you, Pucca?" he asked breezily as he continued enjoying her scent.

She stopped nibbling for a second and stayed completely still. "What did you say?" she asked in an unsure and almost frightened tone, as if she was sure she heard wrong or he'd take it back.

He blushed, the gravity of what he was about to confirm finally dawning on him. Though a bold statement, he was sure it was true, so he didn't hesitate to say, "I said I love you, Pucca." His gaze didn't waver as she brought her wide eyes up to meet his, "And I mean it."

Pucca face went from one of awed shock to one of palpable jubilance. "I-I love you too!!" she shrieked happily. The guy she'd been dreaming about and literally chasing after for a huge chunk of her life had finally conceded he loved her back, and that was more than good enough for her. She knew Garu wasn't very experienced with words so she'd let any further verbal explanation slide. She did want some confirmation though.

"Garu," she purred, laying on the couch and bringing him on top of her, "show me you love me."

Heart beat getting faster by the second, Garu stared at her and once again was hit by what a beauty she'd grown into. "Okay!! I mean, uh, if you're sure…"

She wrapped a leg around his waist and nodded. "I'm sure."

Satisfied, Garu immediately leaned down to kiss her when a loud voice filled his ears. "Pucca? Is everything okay? I thought I heard you scream!"

"Shit!" she blurted out, panicked. "Hide!" she whispered to Garu.

Garu, though overcome with an urge to go over to Uncle Dumpling and rip him a new one, complied and ducked behind the couch. Meanwhile, Pucca adjusted the straps on the nightie and hugged a throw pillow over her scantily clad chest while sitting a position that made the shortness of her garment less evident.

Making his way to the bottom of the steps and rushing over toward Pucca, Dumpling asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, nothing!" she responded quickly, wanting him to back upstairs a.s.a.p. "I just, uh, saw a mouse."

"What!?" he exclaimed, shocked, "A mouse?! In the Go-Rong? Unacceptable!"

'Oh crap,' though Pucca, annoyed at herself, 'maybe I should've said I had a nightmare or something.'

"We'll get the restaurant closed down for sure if we don't catch it!" Dumpling ranted, "Stay calm Pucca. I'm going to get Ho and Linguini to help me catch that menace." And with that he dashed up the stairs to inform his brothers.

Pucca groaned as Garu popped out of his hiding place. "I thought you said they were heavy sleepers."

"I thought they were! I guess that rule is notwithstanding if they hear me scream and think I'm in danger or something. I didn't know. Sorry." Pucca replied, frustrated.

"It's okay," replied Garu, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind her and kissing her on the cheek. "They're gonna be down here soon though."

Pucca listened to her Uncles wake up and express their outrage over the unwanted intruder she'd made up. "Yeah, I know. Now what? I wanted you tonight."

Upon hearing that Garu's entire body heated up. 'I wanted you tonight too. So badly,' he thought, racking his brain for a way they'd get some privacy. "Hey!" he exclaimed, an idea dawning on him. "Why don't we go back to my place?"

Pucca blushed at hearing the words, thinking about laying in Garu's bed with him, which she realized she found extremely appealing. "Okay!" she thought about it a little more, "but don't you just have a little crappy mat the floor?"

"You mean a futon?" he asked, amused. "Yeah, I used to, but I gave that to Mio and Yani after the kittens, remember?"

"Ooh, yeah," replied Pucca, recalling how cute the kitty family looked all sleeping on the mat. "So you switched to a bed?"

"Yeah. Queen sized remember? You got it for me because you didn't want me to have to sleep on the floor."

"Oh, right!" Pucca recalled showing up at his house with a big bed decorated suggestively with heart shaped pillows and rose petals.

"I didn't even know what that meant," she laughed, remembering her days as an innocent twelve-year-old. "I just thought it looked pretty."

Garu chuckled. "I didn't know what it meant either. I just thought it looked stupid. Ow!" he rubbed the spot on his head where Pucca had just playfully hit him.

"Then why did you keep it?"

"Hey, a bed's a bed."

They both looked over to the stairs as they heard three pairs of footsteps approaching. "So you wanna get going?" he asked again, knowing the chefs would be too preoccupied to notice their niece's absence.

"Let's do it."

And with that Garu picked up a giggling Pucca bridal style and carried her over to his place at a breakneck speed.

Making it over to his place in record time, Garu burst into the house and made haste to his bedroom, wanting more than the sweet kisses Pucca had been planting on his cheek and neck the whole way over. The fact that with every quick step he'd taken her breasts had come closer and closer to popping out of the tiny pieces of fabric covering them wasn't helping him cool down either.

Almost tripping on a bo staff as he made his way over to his bedroom, Garu stopped in his tracks as Pucca abruptly jumped out of his arms and began walking in the opposite direction.

"Where are you going?!" Garu asked, shocked. What did he do to make her want to leave now?

"Bathroom," she replied simply.

"Oh." Garu almost protested, but realized her hair had gotten full of branches and other crap, so it was only fair she got to freshen up a little. Besides, he'd get some time to set the mood in his room in the meanwhile.

Grabbing some candles and a match from a drawer in the living room, Garu couldn't help but whistle to himself as he opened his bedroom door. Tonight was turning out better than he could've dreamed. He'd realized his genuine love for Pucca and was about to screw her brains out, guilt-free. Life couldn't get any better.

Closing his eyes as he tried to plan in his head what he'd do to her first, his fantasy was rudely interrupted by the voice he despised most in the world.

"Hello, Garu," said Tobe, as though his foe's name was a sickly venom, "I've been waiting for you. Tonight you die!"

Garu, ready to simply murder Tobe to get his bedroom cleared out, began counting to ten in an attempt to calm himself down.

"Listen, Tobe," he began, watching his enemy across the room gape at the fact he was actually speaking, "Not now okay? I'm busy. Wait 'til tomorrow afternoon and I'll gladly kick your ass."

"Vengeance does not wait for anyone, Garu!" replied Tobe self-righteously, deeming his speech more important than Garu's. So the guy started talking. Big deal--he would soon be speaking his last words.

"You will be destroyed TONIGHT! And furthermo--" Tobe stopped as he actually caught sight of Garu for the first time that night.

"Aha! Haha! Hahaha! Nice underwear, Garu!" said Tobe in between peels of laughter. "Pikachu? I mean really! How old are you again?"

Garu rolled his eyes. "I know Tobe, it's very amusing. I'm glad you got a laugh at my expense. Now go."

Laughter ceasing abruptly, Tobe narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere, Garu. Not until you are destroyed!"

Tobe gasped for air as Garu slammed him into the wall by the neck. "I said I'm busy! Now GO!"

"Busy doing what?" gasped Tobe, struggling to get out of Garu's firm grip. "Running away from your crazy girlfriend?"

Garu tightened his grip unmercifully as Tobe struggled harder. "She's not crazy. And I'm not running away from her. I'm busy because she's supposed to be spending the night with me and you're ruining it." He let go of Tobe and let him fall to the ground. "Happy now?"

Tobe massaged his neck and smirked at Garu as though he hadn't just been released from a death grip. "Aww, how cute! Are you two going to stay up all night doing each other's hair and playing Parcheesi?"

Just as Garu was about to answer, a refreshed-looking Pucca entered the room. Her freshly cleaned dark, thick hair was delicately cascading down her back and her cheeks were flushed a soft pink. She looked beautiful and was absolutely glowing in anticipation. "Thanks for being so patient, Garu!"

Garu stared at her in awe of her beauty. "No problem Pucca."

Meanwhile, Tobe stared at her dumbfounded and quickly took note of that slinky, barely-there negligee she was in.

"Hot damn!" he exclaimed, never having noticed how well Pucca had filled out over the years. Both Garu and Pucca turned and stared at him, annoyed.

"Do you mind?" asked Pucca irritably.

"Huh?" asked Tobe absently as he continued to drink her appearance in.

"Leave!" shouted Pucca bluntly.

"Now, now Pucca," began Tobe arrogantly. "I'm just beginning to realize how stunning you've gotten over the years. And I have a proposal for you!" he added, thrusting a finger in the air. Pucca rolled her eyes and Garu could almost feel steam coming out of his ears in his anger. He wasn't about to let anyone hit on his girl. Especially not Tobe.

Tobe strutted to Pucca grandiosely and put an arm around her. Pucca was too surprised to react and Garu just stood frozen in rage. "So dollface, how about you dump the chump and get with a real man?"

Pucca's jaw dropped as she stared at him incredulously. As he wiggled his eyebrows up and down at her, she couldn't contain herself anymore and broke out into a fit of laughter. Meanwhile, Garu started to make his way over to Tobe as finished contemplating the best way to could kick his ass and impress Pucca at the same time. Tobe just stood there as his cheeks succumbed to the burning red heat that took them over.

"You look beautiful when you laugh…" he said meekly in a futile attempt to win her over. Though Pucca scarcely heard him over her laughter, Garu heard loud and clear and was further enraged.

"You wanna say that again?" he asked, towering over Tobe. Even clad in Pokemon attire, Garu was still quite intimidating.

"Umm…I said your girlfriend was beautiful…? Heh heh." Garu shifted his gaze over to Pucca, who was finally calming down but still had a highly amused smile on her face. His entire disposition softened as their eyes locked and Pucca winked and blew a kiss over to him.

"Yeah…she is." Garu agreed, realizing how lucky he was.

"She's too good for you, you know."

Garu's head snapped back over to Tobe and he narrowed his eyes. That thought had crossed his mind a couple of times, but hearing someone confirm it out loud was the last thing Garu needed, especially on the night he was about to officially claim her as his own.

And so, as if venting his frustrations on Tobe, Garu punched him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"Owww! That hurt!" whined Tobe. "I was just about to leave anyways."

"Then go!" exclaimed Garu impatiently, not wanting to waste his energy on Tobe when he knew he was already in for a strenuous night.

"In a second," said Tobe, tilting his head to get a better view of Pucca, who was bending down to pick steal a quarter she'd found on the floor.

"That's it!" exclaimed Garu, not caring about conserving his energy anymore. He lunged at Tobe, who let out a yelp and barely dodged.

"I was just kidding, Garu! I'm not attracted to Pucca! She's all yours, buddy!"

Garu gritted his teeth and glared. "Are you saying she's not pretty?"

"Huh? No! I mean, yes! I mean…I don't know!" Panicking, Tobe frantically searched around for a weapon as a seething Garu slowly made his way toward him. Not being able to find one in plain view, he hastily opened a drawer behind him and dug through its contents desperately.

"Aha!" he exclaimed victoriously. Turning over to Garu with a triumphed grin on his face, he waved his newly found defense in the ninja's face. "Now, now, Garu, I would back away if I were you."

Garu's face paled as he stared at the object in Tobe's hand. "Put those back Tobe."

"Oh, I will Garu," said Tobe as he examined the box of condoms in his hands. "After all, we both know that without these you and your lovely girlfriend would be in for a far more boring night than planned, right?"

Garu nodded, chagrined. Why hadn't he thrown Tobe out the window while he had the chance?

"And that would be a shame, wouldn't it?"

"Get to the point, Tobe."

"Very well, Garu! I'll give them back to you. But first," he began, corners of his mouth tugging upward into a grin, "you have to do something for me."

Garu groaned. If anything but his night with Pucca had been on the line, he wouldn't have complied. "Okay, Tobe. What?"

Dun Dun DUN. What on earth could Tobe possibly want? I'm not sure yet, actually :P We shall see. Suggestions?

Haha, I kinda love the idea of Tobe being attracted to Pucca. And what I like even better is Garu getting jealous. I gotta dedicate that scene to KitKatBarStory, since she got that whole idea in my head. And plus, it's her birthday sometime this week. Happy birthday friend! :D

I noticed Tobe kinda talks without contractions when he's ranting and then uses them when he's being casual. Correct?

But anyways, NOW I think this is teetering the M-rated border. Haha, I'm filthy xP Rating may go up soon buddies. I dunno. I don't think this was that graphic yet though. But maybe I'm just a ho.

Will NOT turn into plotless smut though. I repeat, will NOT turn into plotless smut. I couldn't write anything truly graphic if my life depended on it. It's true!

And why did I have them have a pointless conversation about his bed? Because I can :P No really, it was because I think it made them seem more realistic and relatable. Normal teens often digress from the matter at hand and talk about crap, right? Right. And I love imagining that cute kitty family. Kitties! :D