Tale of Our Love // Pucca (EXTENDED)

Chapter 2

2014

He always did like the way the birds sang so early at dawn, so when their chirps were the first thing that rang through his ears when he fluttered his eyes open, he didn't mind it at all. Each of the birds outside his window sang in a harmonious tone, and it would've helped him go back to sleep in an instant. That was, if it weren't for the loud sounds one chicken made. That sound was what woke him up from his slumber. His body was still weary, longing for an extra hour of sleep, but his mind wanted to continue on with the day. Both sides were fighting to see which was stronger.

Garu slowly got up from his futon, finally gaining the strength to wake up. His body was not tired any longer, and he stretched his arms upwards to relieve them of their drowsiness. A smile made itself present on his lips. He knew that today was going to be another pleasant day. He just knew it. The way the sun lustered in the azure sky and nature's cheerful melodies were enough to tell him that. He would enjoy this happy day to the fullest, just like he always did.

At that moment, he heard a knock on his door, and in an instant, he found out who the person standing behind it was. Of course. It was the same knock he heard everytime his father needed to enter his room. There were no other people in this house besides the both of them anyway. His father opened the sliding door after a few seconds, and Garu was met with his routinely kindhearted face.

"Good morning, son," his father greeted him. "Did you get a good night's sleep?"

"Yes!" Garu responded cheerfully. "I hope the same went for you, dad!"

Daisuke laughed halfheartedly. For some reason, Garu always did feel a bit of heartache coming from his father. However, he had an adolescent mind, so he believed anything that his father told him. When he was told that it was just his usual self and that he couldn't change it, the young ninja believed him immediately.

Garu was told that his mother died by giving birth to him, and for a while, he blamed himself for his mother's death, though his father confirmed to him multiple times that he was not to blame. When he asked his father what happened to the rest of his clan members, he answered with "they moved to Japan". He was told that the both of them were the only members of the Akahato clan who moved to Chijako. Even though Garu believed him, there was still a part of him that held suspicion.

Garu may still be a kid, but he was intelligent for his age. He was only eight years old, yet he knew much more than even adults could. Daisuke was impressed with this, and was more than proud of his son. For this reason, Garu somehow knew that there was something that his father was hiding. If his relatives truly did live in Japan, wouldn't they be talking through the internet or something?

He had seen this kind of thing before. When a relative moves out, their other relatives would be speaking through them through a video call, or simply by using text. This wasn't the old days, where they had to use letters to communicate with people from far away. This was the 21st century, where speaking to others from overseas would be much faster and easier. However, due to his young age, Garu assumed that his father just didn't like communicating with others.

"I got Jae-geun-san to make your favorite today," Daisuke stated. "Your favorite Black Bean Noodles!"

"Wha—Really?!" Garu's eyes sparkled at the mention of his favorite food. "T-Thank you so much, dad!"

"No problem, son." He smiled.

As Daisuke said those words, he began to rub Garu's head gently. Perhaps in his own way of making sure his look is similar to his father's, Garu preferred to keep his hair long. This, however, was something he preferred to not let others know. He kept his hair in little pigtails so that no one would have to see how long it was.