The first couple things I saw that mentioned Pucca's age had her at 10-11, so I'm just going with that for this one.

No one was sure how Garu or Pucca had ended up on Sooga Island, they had just appeared at Turtle Training Hall and Goh Rong one night, and had been in the village ever since. It was accepted that Garu had taken a vow of silence early in his training with Master Chang, but nobody could remember hearing him speak even before. More strange were Pucca's incredible, inexplicable powers. She also held an intense, almost obsessive love for Garu, and his inability to do more than flee from her displays of affection had never deterred her. She also had not spoken since he had taken his vow, though she was just as bright and giggly, spreading smiles and joy wherever she went.

It was hard to believe she was already sixteen, slender as a willow and pretty as a lotus blossom, her shiny black hair done up in the same adorable odango style. She had long since learned to control her powers, bringing rain to the fields during droughts, dispersing storms when the village was in danger of flooding. She had never once questioned where she had come from, content in life with her adoptive uncles, their restaurant and all the friends she had made. Her feelings toward Garu were no less intense, though she had somewhat changed her method of assailing him with kisses, often waiting for him to come near rather than endlessly chasing him. At least until one of them returned home after a long journey, then she was right back to her old ways.

At seventeen, Garu was silent as ever, as far as speaking went, easily one of the tallest men in the village and the best fighter on the island, a title he seemed determined to keep. Pucca was about the only thing that could pull him away from his training, and it was getting harder to miss the warmth that touched his eyes whenever he gazed at her, even if he did still try to avoid most of her attempts at cuddling or a kiss. He hadn't tried to uncover his origins, either, as far as anyone knew, but he never made any attempts to tell what happened to him when he was gone, apparently reluctant to even think of life outside of the village.

Pucca set her latest crate of deliveries on the back of her scooter, holding down her loose red sweater against the wind. Summer was over, the leaves turning, the air crisp and cool, especially once the sun went down. Everyone was busy helping with the harvest, and she couldn't wait to start making jams and preserves with Ching, one of the only kinds of cooking her uncles let her do. She had just put on her helmet when she spotted Garu sitting on a wall in the sun, intently focused on sharpening his sword. He wore the same uniform as when they were kids, his hood currently down around his shoulders, his hair loose and still damp from a bath. She giggled and skipped over, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek to his. He groaned, dropping his whetstone as he stuck his sword in the dirt, then took her shoulders and pulled her away.

His cheeks were red, his brow furrowed, a bead of sweat forming on his forehead. She stared at him, noting the lean, etched lines of his face, the straight, noble line of his nose, his lips drawn in a serious frown as always. She sighed dreamily, grabbed his shirt and kissed him, feeling his heart pound beneath the one stitched into the rough fabric. Her own skipped a beat when his gloved hands brushed her arms, his breath shaking a little when she ended it. His dark eyes were hooded, staring down at her, his grip on her tightening again, as though he were fighting something. She smiled, peppering his face with kisses before going on her way, briefly wondering if he would ever get past his shyness, if that was indeed what it was.

She climbed on her scooter, waving to him as she started it up, beaming when he briefly threw up a hand, as opposed to leaving the gesture go unanswered like when they were kids. She was sure it wouldn't be much longer before he was just as open about his feelings as she was, and she couldn't wait for that day to come.

Garu finished with his sword, distracted enough to pinch himself when he slid it in the scabbard at his back. He winced, shaking his hand as he jumped off the wall, watching the road Pucca had taken. He wasn't used to being unsure or confused, but that was the only way he could think to describe how he felt toward her. There were times it almost seemed like he were at war with himself: the half that wanted nothing more than to become a legendary ninja, and the half that had cared for her since the moment they'd met. It had taken years for him to recognize those feelings for what they were, and he knew that even she would only wait for so long.

He groaned, dragging a hand down his face. Maybe a training session was what he needed right now.

"Garu, watch out!"

He jumped at the shout, flipping neatly before landing on his feet, then looked over his shoulder to see Ching running toward him. She was a little taller and curvier than Pucca, and almost as pretty, at least to him.

"Sorry about that," she slowed to a walk as she passed him. "I was messing with some of Abyo's old nunchucks and the chain came loose!"

Abyo had gone to his family's ancestral home on the mainland to finish his own training, and was set to return in just a few weeks. Ching went to pick up the other end of the weapon, the chain dangling uselessly. He was surprised they had lasted this long, with how rough Abyo had been on them.

"Looks like they're almost ready for the harvest," she commented, reaching to gently scratch the ever-present Won roosting on her head. The little chicken hadn't changed a bit. "Pucca and I were going to start picking fruit tomorrow, if you wanted to join us."

He shrugged nonchalantly, resting a fist on his hip as he looked to the sky. It was the clearest day they'd had in a while, and he'd been thinking of going fishing for the first time in years, to do even a small part toward getting the village ready for winter. He turned back to Ching, cocking a brow when he noticed her staring at him.

"This is only the second time I've seen you with your hair down, Garu," she giggled. "Though I kind of miss the blue highlights."

He groaned, rolling his eyes as he reached for the strips of cloth he'd stashed in his hood, taking a few minutes to pull his hair into its usual pigtails. He had been too distracted to worry about it earlier, a dream from the night before going on a loop through his mind. It was one he'd had plenty of times, but he didn't have the faintest idea what it could mean.

"Do you ever think about breaking your vow of silence?" she asked suddenly, surprising him. "I'm really curious what you sound like!"

He snickered, then shrugged again. She rubbed the end of a nunchuck against her cheek, looking him over thoughtfully.

"I remember when Pucca decided she was going to take the vow with you," she said. "Abyo was always telling me how he couldn't believe she had kept with it so long, you know how much she loved talking."

He nodded, cringing a bit as he recalled the last few days before they'd taken it, how Pucca had hardly stopped to breathe, almost every other word related to him or how much she liked him. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what would happen if she found out he was starting to consider breaking it, at least in a few more years. Just the thought of that vocal tidal wave terrified him.

"Hope you'll join us in the orchards, Garu," Ching continued. "It was such a great year, we'll need all the help we can get!"

She bid him goodbye and skipped off; he chuckled to himself, same old Ching.