It was here that Pucca's nightmares seemed to exist. She grimaces at the sight before her -at the sight of bandages that engulfed him, at the too pale, too white skin, at the oxygen mask he now needed to breathe, at the calming yet ominous beat on the heart monitor- and grips the hem of her dress a tad too tightly.

Never had Garu been in such a critical condition before, and no one knew what happened to him. Last the town had seen him, well, they had been on normal routine that day. She chased him past the bamboo forest, past the never-ending sea of green, chased him to the ends of the earth up until the sun went down in that beautiful orange-red.

It was fine, they had been just fine, so...why?

And the hunt for answers? It only resulted with:

Nothing.

No one had a clue as to who or what could have possibly hurt their beloved hero like this, and it's just so, so frustrating to not have any leads towards Garu's horrible, horrible condition. When asked, not even Tobe claimed to have hurt him this badly.

Her emotions were swirling into a tornado of wildfire, her grip on the red fabric weakening. She's about to leave his bedside, finding herself unable to look at his calm and serene face any longer.

As Pucca turned to leave, she feels someone tug at her hand and her eyes widened. Garu was awake, but barely. His gaze unfocused and tired. He stares at her, grasping at calloused skin loosely, eyes barely open and dazed.

(And was that...? Fear...?)

She's always been able to understand his silent actions the most, and this time, the message was crystal clear.

"Don't leave." A silent plea.