A Change in the Wind

Chapter 5

"Why don't we just stop this rivalry and just...I don't know, be friends?" "...Why?" Tobe asked, looking at Garu in confusion. "Well because we don't remember why we're enemies to begin with, and I-...I'm just really tired of fighting all the time, aren't you?" Tobe thought about it for a moment, he was really tired of fighting all the time. "I am." "Then why don't we make a permit truce?" Garu looked hopeful at the man in front of him who had just finished cleaning his cut. 'If we had a permit truce then maybe I can see him more! But then the ninjas would get suspicious about when we're not fighting anymore.' Tobe thought, as he carefully applied a bandage on his cheek. "I want to Garu, I do but my ninjas are going to be so upset when they find out...I can't do that to them." "Why would that matter?" "Because it's the only training they get. Also what would your friends think if they knew?" Tobe questioned, knowing full well if Garu's friends knew they'd be pissed. "I...I didn't think about that."

Garu confessed. 'There has to be a way where we can be friends without anyone knowing.' Garu thought for a moment. Tobe just shook his head while putting away the first aid kit. "There's no way for us to have an actual truce, especially when everyone else still wants to fight one another." That gave the injured ninja an idea."Why don't we pretend to continue our rivalry that way your ninjas are still training and my friends don't find out?" He asked when the purple skinned ninja came back into the room. The scarred ninja thought about it, it sounded like a good idea if not a messy one. "How would that even work?" "You still plan 'attacks' on me with your ninjas and when you come to get me, we 'fight' away from everyone else." Tobe looked almost impressed with Garu's plan...Almost.

"One problem with that plan is Pucca, she follows you everywhere and can easily take out my ninjas." Garu frowned at the realization. "I think it's best if we just continue how we are Garu, besides just because we're tired of fighting each other doesn't mean we like each other enough to be friends." 'No more how much I want us to be.' Tobe thought, as he let out a sigh. "But-" "Go home Garu, it's getting late and my ninjas will be back soon...Thank you for bringing back my sword and I'm sorry again for hurting you." The heart ninja didn't argue and got up and left. Both feeling empty and hurt, but both too proud and stubborn to admit it.The voice in Tobe's head came back again the moment Garu had left the base. What are you doing? Go after him! 'I can't.' Tobe thought, walking to the door and locking it again.You love him don't you? 'No, I don't.' If that's true, then why did you patch him up? '.....'Tobe knew the answer but he refused to admit it.

Stop lying to yourself, you're only hurting yourself and Garu more. I mean you saw the look he gave you when mentioning being friends! Just thinking about it made Tobe's heart flutter, Garu had a look of such hope when he had brought it up. 'That didn't mean anything.' Even if it didn't mean anything, you still want to be friends with him and you know it! It's the only way to be more to him! Tobe undid the high ponytail that he had and ran his fingers through his hair. 'I don't want to be more to him! I don't love him!' Yet you want to see him more? Face it, you love him! 'SO WHAT IF I DO? IT'S NOT LIKE GARU LOVES ME BACK!' There was suddenly a nice dent in the wall next to Tobe as he realized what was just thought out. Fucking finally! You admit! "I... love him..." YES SAY IT AGAIN! SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS! "I love him." Tobe said again aloud, he felt lighter saying it. The voice in his head still encouraged him to repeat it again and again, louder than the last one that was said.

Although the celebration was short-lived when he realized that he had basically thrown away any chance to get to know Garu better. "FFFFFFFFFFFFFuuuuuuuuuck! I fucked up!" I know! That's why I told you to go after him! "I need to fix this..." You do that! Tobe spent the next few hours thinking of a way to talk to Garu again and how to make a truce without anyone knowing about it. Garu's idea about sneaking off while the others fought wasn't a bad idea, it just needed a bit more thinking through and planning. Tobe just hoped that this new plan he had come up with would bring a smile and the smaller ninja's face. Hopefully by morning the heart ninja will still want to see him and be his friend. By the time Garu got back home it was dark out, and the only light source was the stars in the night sky. He was upset that Tobe had pushed him away for some reason, although he couldn't understand why.

He told him it was just because it meant he'd still have to fight someone he was sick of fighting all the time, although it felt like that wasn't the main reason. The navy blue ninja was right though, even if they had gone along with the idea Garu suggested, it didn't mean that they were friends. It didn't mean that they liked each other enough to be friends but something about that being said hurt. 'Why did him saying that hurt so much?' Garu thought, getting ready for bed, not really wanting to think of an answer to the question. When he finished getting dressed for bed, he walked into the bathroom to quickly brush his teeth and his hair. His eyes got sight of his bandaged cheek, carefully he touched it remembering just how gentle and careful the taller ninja was when patching him up. Just remembering that made his heart flutter and turn his cheeks a light pink, and the thought of Tobe possibly doing that again made his knees feel weak.

The heart ninja quickly threw that thought out of his head as soon as it entered. 'Why am I blushing? Am...Am I blushing because...because of Tobe?' The pigtail ninja looked at himself in the mirror, the pink in cheeks still very apparent. 'No, of course not. That would be ridiculous.' Shaking his head, quickly brushing his teeth and hair and finally heading to dreamland. By morning Garu had almost forgotten about what had happened at Tobe's base, almost. If it wasn't for the sight of the bandage when he looked at himself in the mirror that morning and there he was again. Trying to force himself to forget something so sweet that happened to him because of his enemy, like he had with the kiss. There was a knock on his door when he finished his hair back up into those signature pigtails that he also has. 'I wonder who that could be.' He thought.

The heart ninja goes through the list of people it might be in his head, knowing very well that the only ones who actually knock on his door are the townsfolk and Ching. Abyo would've just walked into the house announcing his presents as he walked through the door, while Pucca would've knocked while entering the house. Though he didn't hear the door open while there was a knock meaning it wasn't Pucca. The knocking continued while he made his way to the door, Abyo would sometimes do this when he was with Ching. So it probably was Abyo and ching. Although when he opened the door, it was the last person he'd expect to be pounding on his door. "We need to have a talk." It was Tobe, he looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep the previous night, heavy bags sat under his eyes. Garu stood there in shock. He honestly didn't know what to do, he didn't want to talk to Tobe after yesterday but at the same time he wanted to know what Tobe had to say. "Are you going to let me in and talk or not?" Tobe asked.

Garu gulped before stepping aside to let Tobe into his house. He closed the door once Tobe was inside and led him to the living room to talk. "Do you want some water or something?" Garu asked, trying to make things less awkward. "No, I just need to talk to you." Tobe said, sitting on the floor in front of the small table Garu had in room. "About what?" Garu asked, sitting on the floor in front of him the table in between the two of them. There was a pause for a moment, before the taller boy spoke again. "In all honesty, I haven't been able to stop thinking about what you said yesterday." Tobe admitted, a look of shock took place on Garu's face as the boy in front of him continued. "Your idea was good, but it needed a little more planning, so I did just that. I planned it out more, if we did what we did yesterday every once in a while it would insure that they don't find out about it." Garu nodded to show that he understood, feeling strangely happy that the other boy had actually thought about this. About how they could actually be friends.

"Also if we move when we do what you suggested yesterday during normal encounters it shouldn't make any difference seeing as we sometimes already do that." Tobe continued, seeing the smaller boy in front of him give a small smile. Until that smile turned to a frown upon some sort of realization. "What about Pucca?" The heart asked. "As long as these 'attacks' happen when she's on her shift at Goh Rong or out delivering food, she won't be too much of a problem." Garu was shocked that Tobe had actually thought about what to do about the girl that wouldn't take no for an answer. It made him feel warm and heard because finally someone had realized that he was so uncomfortable around the space bun girl. "Well that's all I wanted to tell you, so I should be going now." Tobe said, getting up to walk out of the house. Garu stood up as well and followed him to the front door, before Tobe had the chance to actually walk out the door Garu grabbed his arm. "Wait... does... does this mean we're friends?"

Hey guys! So I posted a question in my other book titled 'Beta chapters'. So if you could go over there and answer it I would really apperciate. That's all, I'll see you guys in the next chapter! Love you guys! Bye!