Hey :) We're almost there! Almost at the end! Anyone sad its going to end?
Garu: *Muffled laughter*
Me: What is it Garu? -_-
Garu: Nothing.. Ha- No, nothing.
Abyo: He was laughing because everyone can't wait till this crap ends.
Me: O_O Garu! None thinks its crap... Do you? :(
Pucca: Of course not! *Kicks Garu*
Me: Thanks Pucca ^_^
Garu: Pucca! *Rubs bad leg* What was that for?
Ching: He still hasn't learned has he? *Rolls eyes*
Akihiko: Enjoy this chapter! ^_^... Rashel, will I die?
Me: Who knows! XD Enjoy!
Akihiko: O_O'
"Where's Pucca?"
Ching jumped, spilling her drink, as she placed her hand on her chest and looked over Abyo's shoulder. "You startled me Ho."
"Sorry," Ho sheepishly apologised. "So where is Pucca? We're about to reveal her cake."
"Oh... Ah..." Ching awkwardly searched for words.
"Ching?"
"She's… She's…" Ching's voice dropped, "She went with Garu into the forest."
"What did you say?" Ho asked leaning in.
Ching sighed. "She went into the forest with Garu." Ching looked up at Ho's expression and winced.
"Into the forest? Is he a complete idiot?!" Ho growled.
Linguine noticed his brothers strange expression and excused himself from a customer for a moment to wander over to the corner they were sitting in. "What's going on?"
"Garu has taken Pucca into the forest for god knows why!"
Linguine copied Ho's earlier reaction, "What?!"
"It's okay. She is with Garu. She will be fine," Ching attempted to clam the hysterical pair.
"Ching!" Ching sighed as she looked around for the source of the voice while Abyo tried to calm the men down. "Ching!"
She turned to see a familiar boy swerve up to her with a little girl clutching his hand and peaking around him at her. "Fang? What's up?"
"Do you know where Pucca went?"
"She went with Garu into the forest," she replied thinking that she might as well announce it to the entire village so she wouldn't get any more questions on the subject.
"She what?" Fang looked wildly around, his face clearly displaying worry.
"It's okay! She's with Garu."
"It's not her that I'm worried about," Fang, frustrated, ran his free hand through his hair. "Akihiko went to look for her and he isn't at the party sight anymore..." he trailed off.
"We have to go find him. He could be lost or worse!" Ching hopped off her seat grabbing Abyo's arm tugging him with her as she trudged through the crowd. "We'll be right back," she called over her shoulder to the others.
Abyo pulled back slightly as he stumbled after his girlfriend. He noticed she was pulling him into the forest, "Ah... Ching, I don't think now is the right time... And I don't think you're the type of girl who would... You know, in a forest-" He stuttered, embarrassed at his unmanly reaction. This was a normal occurrence between boyfriend and girlfriend... Granted it was strange to happen in a forest...
Ching quietly scoffed at him, "That's not it you idiot. Akihiko has gone missing and I think he's followed Pucca into the forest." How could he even think she wanted to loose her virginity in a forest like that? Mortified by the idea she hid her pink face but continued to pull him into the darkness. Abyo controlled himself, buried his previous thoughts and clicked into action, taking charge. Abyo caught up to Ching, even beginning to pull her through the forests thickness. What else can go wrong today?
...
Only the ocean licking at the jagged rocks below broke the endless silence.
Pucca felt sick. So sick that even breathing caused bile to erupt up into her dry mouth. How had it come to this? How had Akihiko been dragged into her everlasting nightmare? She must be still asleep because she was sure that the gods of the heavens couldn't be this cruel and sadistic. Right? Pucca had thought she had received help through her desperate prayers back in Tobe's torture house but as she prayed now she received no answer.
"Let the boy go."
Quietly spoken but even though it wasn't directed at her, Pucca flinched away from Garu, his anger bubbling below a thin surface. The figure shifted in its place, slouching into a lazy stance as if it didn't have a child clutched in its hands threatening to commit murder. "But that would make this game too short," the figure moaned childishly. Pucca's mouth was like a desert.
"Let Akihiko go…" Pucca's voice was scratchy. "Please… Let him go."
A moment of silence. Maybe the figure hadn't expected her to speak from shock? "On one condition."
"Anything." And Pucca meant anything. She would give anything to save Akihiko and Garu knew it.
"I'll let the child go… If you come willingly with me."
Pucca closed her eyes. She had a feeling the figure wanted her as an offering.
Garu stayed quiet but he noticeably placed himself between Pucca and the dark figure. A sweet but useless gesture.
"Fine." Pucca opened her eyes to see that the moonlight was now casting a silver shimmer over the man she had now agreed to follow to her demise. She felt her blood run cold but she kept her face impassive as possible. "Okay, Fredrik." Even his name tasted like poison on her tongue. Ignoring her nausea, Pucca stepped around Garu who grasped her forearm tightly. "Let go Garu," She whispered.
"You can't do this Pucca. I'll save him. Don't move." Pucca had never heard Garu so desperate.
Her heart broke as she hissed her next words at him, "Let go of me! You're the reason this is happening! If you had just left me to die in the first place we wouldn't be in this mess." She saw the hurt in Garu's eyes, his jaw lock into place, and his hand gripping tighter not believing her words were true. Please don't hate me for this… "If you don't release me right now I will never forgive you." She stared into his eyes intensely, "I will hate you for as long as I live."
Pucca waited a beat and as she expected Garu dropped his hand slowly from her arm. Pucca grabbed his hand before he withdrew it and placed his heart back into his hand. She didn't expect to be coming back so she thought he might as well use it with the girl he truly wants to marry. Pucca stepped back and turned to Fredrik who was smirking thought out the whole ordeal. "Release him." She took a step towards Fredrik. "You got what you wanted… Let Akihiko go."
"I will. Come over here."
Pucca's hairs rose on her arm but she didn't stop walking towards Fredrik. She was a few inches away when she stopped. She held out her hand towards Akihiko, "Let him go. Let him come to me…"
...
"Do you have any idea where Akihiko could be?" Abyo asked as he peered around from the top of a large oak tree.
"He should be around here. He went after Pucca but I doubt he found them."
"And we can't exactly rush in on those two only to make them worry when Akihiko isn't with them…" Abyo agreed as he leapt to a near by tree to get a clearer look around. "Hey, Ching?"
"Yeah?"
"What ninja village does the four slanted lines belong to?"
"They were destroyed years ago. They were planning to overthrow their allied villages. Why?"
Abyo balanced the engraved headband in his hand, "You may want to take a look at this…" Ching looked up at him worried.
...
Where had Garu gone? That guy had promised that if she told him where the party was then he would ensure her a meeting alone with Garu. That bastard going back on his word, she whined.
Ring-ring stopped. She looped a strand of blue hair behind her ear as she listened more closely. She could hear voices. She sneaked towards the voices and finally recognised one of them. Garu!
She ran only to skid to a halt as she saw what she never thought she would. She screamed, high and loud.
...
Ching and Abyo's heads snapped to the side where the scream was still echoing from, the object between them falling the floor discarded. They gave each other a glance before taking off towards the havoc they knew was going on.
...
Pucca gasped. She looked down between her arms to see Akihiko unconscious. Pucca then noticed the strange hands that were grounded just besides either of hers; protect her as well as Akihiko. She stared at them confused.
Something warm dripped onto Pucca's back.
Pucca peered behind her to see Garu's face a breath away from hers. He looked into her wide eyes and smiled softly. He tried to speak but instead all he did was splatter the same warm liquid that had fell on Pucca's back in her face. Pucca's sluggish mind began to pick up speed, rerunning the events that had happened moments ago as if she were watching a movie.
"Let him come to me…" Pucca reached her hand out for Akihiko who stretched out his own trembling hand. Fredrik watched with amusement.
"Pitiful. If a child of this boys age had cried in my village he would have been shown no mercy from the elder ranks." Fredrik looked down upon the boy he held, "I see no reason not to end this useless life now." He glanced up at Pucca, eyes blazing. "Our deals off."
Pucca lunged, forgetting her pain filled body, her previous relations between herself and Fredrik, even her dreams she had just refused to marry. She was willing to sacrifice it all if she was just able to save Akihiko. Fredrik, surprised at Pucca's sudden attack, didn't brace for impact to when Pucca's body slammed into his side he lost grip of Akihiko and stumbled backwards, the knife flying out of his hand into the muddy woodland floor. He cursed as he glared at the girl trying to pull the shivering boy to his feet where he had collapsed. Fredrik growled and kicked out catching Pucca on her head and chipping Akihiko's ribs, enough to wind him and make him slump into Pucca's arms unconscious. "Akihiko?" Pucca cried.
Fredrik scrambled for the knife. Pucca had barely pulled Akihiko's lifeless body into her arms, Fredrik had lunged again with the knife glistening in his hands. Pucca quickly turned her body towards Fredrik, shielding Akihiko, ready to take the blow. Before Fredrik reached her, Pucca choked on a cry as she was crushed into the floor by a heavy weight. At the same moment Pucca heard a deafening scream of absolute horror somewhere behind her.
Garu grunted as he slumped onto Pucca's back. "Garu? Garu? Come on get up. Garu…"
"Sorry Pucca. I wanted to make you happy but all I've done is cause you more pain." He gave her a defeated smile. "Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight?" Garu coughed, blood seeping between his lips, dribbling down his chin. His eyes dropped closed as he slumped onto his side off of Pucca.
"Garu!"
So... Yeah... Rejection, someone being stabbed, another slashed, someone making a innuwindow, flash backs to seconds ago and the amazing cake that still hasn't been revealed! V_V
Ching: You shoved a lot into this chapter.
Me: I know! But I have to finish this! It's been going on for soooooo llllooooonnnnnnggggg...
Garu: That's a little overdramatic.
Ring-ring: No, she's not being dramatic enough! I haven finally just reappeared. How many chapters has it been? Two? Three? More? How are people still enjoying this without me in it?!
Abyo: Chill.
Ring-ring: Shut the heck up pervert.
Ching: You can't call him that. Only I have the right to call him that!
Pucca: Please review? :3
Garu: Is anyone still enjoying this? :/
Me: Ga- Wait... Yeah, is anyone still enjoying this? Review! :P If you do you can have a hug from Akihiko!
Akihiko: Huh? O.o