Re: Caught in the Crossfire

Re: Caught in the Crossfire

By Kevin Ivy

Author's Note: This will be the first of several new chapters that were completely absent in the original writing. Any chapter marked with an asterisk is completely new. This chapter introduces a subplot that was very rushed in the original writing. I feel this will make it both believable and more dynamic.

V: Every Breath You Take*

Belial appeared in the deserted Townsville streets, grinning and nearly bursting with excitement. The sky was pitch black, no hint of the impending dawn, and the air was a fresh and warm with all the grace of the late Summer. The leaves weren't quite ready to turn yet, but one could almost smell Autumn in the distance. For Belial, the night was near electric.

"I still can't believe how...absolutely perfect she was. Oh, I'll have to get back at Buttercup for interrupting us, and just when it was getting good!" Belial muttered to herself, cheery grin tugging at her lips. Though she was frustrated having her time cut short, it had got her adrenaline rushing. There was no way she was going to be sleeping any time soon; going home now would be pointless.

"Could always play with the twins..." She thought out loud, strolling the streets at a leisurely pace. They had already been discovered, there was no need for subtly anymore. And hadn't her dad told her to have fun?

Belial whistled and stuffed her hands in her pockets, looking around thoughtfully. Playing with the twins was always a fun pass-time-few things in life were more enjoyable than making the little brats suffer-but after her time with Blossom, she feared it would almost be...disappointing. Blossom had been everything she'd ever imagined. And she'd imagined a lot in the last five years, watching and waiting for her chance to finally play with the Powerpuff leader.

She was quite easily the prettiest girl the Malebol had ever seen. She was powerful and she was a genius. Belial grinned and closed her eyes. Both traits, which paled in comparison to herself, she thought with a shrug. But those things, as meager as they were in the light of Belial herself, absolutely attracted her to the puff. Watching her pretty face twist in agony, tears streaking her bright red cheeks...Belial shivered and almost went back for more.

"We'll have to do it again..." She trailed off, mind working at a devious rate. The Malebol stroked her chin and turned back in the direction of the Utonium Chateaus. How would the other two stack up to their auburn-haired sister? If they were anything like the twins...they'd be every bit as exciting and fulfilling as the leader had been. Belial's thoughtful look melted into a predatory, hungry grin. She'd tickled the twins at the same time before, why not the Powerpuff Girls?

"Three at the same time..." She whispered, giggling with spastic glee. The very concept gave her chills. Now there was no way she could rest easily until she got a taste of that forbidden fruit. Belial licked her lips and started back toward the girls' home. She stopped and spun on a dime, tensing and glaring at the dark night around her. Her ears perked up and her ultra-super senses trained in on the intruder to her midnight stroll.

"Come out already...I know you're there," Belial crossed her arms and glared, watching the shady figure step out of the shadows, moving like a frightened dear. Her eyes were wide, trembling behind the veil of her gray hair. Her hands were clasped in front of her chest, possibly the only method of defense she could think up. Belial narrowed her eyes; in theory, the Levia in front of her was no threat. Past experience proved that hypothesis wasn't always correct.

"So...you're the spy?" Blaze stared back in horror, but slowly nodded, eyes falling to the ground. Belial dropped her arms and shrugged, stalking toward her enemy. She kept her ears ready, her power high. The Leviat Twins could be lurking in the shadows, waiting to ambush her. Belial paused and put her hand to her chin, considering that very thought. Blaze jumped when the Malebol bust out laughing and shaking her head.

'I'm giving them far too much credit...they're way too stupid to actually plan something,' She thought with a wry grin. Her nerves soothed, Belial turned to Blaze with a malicious leer. This one could possibly be the distraction she'd been looking for. Blaze watched, anxiety etched on her partially hidden face. As Belial approached, Blaze wrung her hands and rubbed her fingers together. Belial stopped just inches from the smaller girl; the Malebol unconsciously rubbed her back, noticing the Levia's fidgeting hands.

"How long have you been following me?" The question seemed to jump from Belial's lips and startled Blaze. The smaller girl gasped and took a step back, swallowing and averting her eyes. Belial put her hands on her hips and sneered, "What's wrong? Don't you know how to talk?" Blaze flushed and kept her eyes on the sidewalk.

"Um..." Belial grinned and chuckled softly. It seemed that Blaze hadn't changed at all in the three years since they had last seen one another. Belial's lower back tingled uncomfortably. Belial leaned forward, titling her head to get a look of Blaze's face. The timid Levia was chewing on her lip.

"You've not changed at all..." She said out loud. Blaze gasped and looked up, cheeks turning bright red. Belial smirked and crossed her arms, taking a step closer. At the nearly non-existent distance the height difference was intimidating; Blaze barely came up to Belial's nose. Blaze swallowed nervously, unable to look away from Belial's condescending leer.

"Is...that...bad?" She managed to stutter, her voice barely the ghost of a whisper. Belial looked away and put her hands in her pockets. As long as she stayed like this, it couldn't be a better thing.

"How long have you been following me?" She repeated, a bit more menace in her voice. Blaze looked down and bit her lip.

"Since you came to Earth," Belial mulled over the answer, tilting her head from side to side. Everything clicked into place and she venomously glared at Blaze.

"You're the one who saw me...you're the one who figured out we were here in Townsville," Blaze wilted under the accusatory tone, but slowly nodded. She'd gone pale as a sheet and refused to even look at Belial. The older girl noticed the shiver run through her body. Belial furrowed her brow in confusion. Blaze was able to follow her, on more than one occasion, and go completely undetected. Why she would follow Belial was easy to figure out; why she didn't call her sisters was another story.

"So...why are you still alone? Did you watch me the whole time I was with the Powerpuff girl?" Blaze's lips twitched and a different shade of blush crossed her cheeks. She nodded, a bit too eagerly, Belial noted.

"Yeah..." Blaze whispered, the smile evident in her voice. The conversation just seemed to get more confusing as more questions were asked and answered. The city was chillingly still, almost impossibly quiet. The pale full moon made its slow trek across the sky, through a sea of twinkling stars. The moonlight complimented the pale streetlights cast on the scene. A gentle breeze blew by; Belial watched Blaze's dress flutter around her legs.

"Now that I know you're there, you won't be able to follow me anymore," Belial stated, her stern tone getting lost in the mystery shrouding their interaction. At the edge of her memory, Belial could smell burning fabric. She rubbed her back again. Blaze looked up with an almost disappointed gleam in her dull eyes.

"I...have to," She finally said. The Malebol snickered and shook her head, leaning closer to the Levia's face. Their noses touched, and the latter stopped breathing. The former took a deep breath, a smirk tugging at her lips.

"That almost sounds...like a challenge," Blaze's eyes trembled; it was the only way she could react. Belial's stare had her paralyzed...quite literally. Blaze was completely immobilized, unable to so much as flinch when her enemy gently ran a finger across her cheek, down from her ear and across her neck. She was allowed only the shiver that ran through her body and the breathless sigh that slipped through her lips. Belial narrowed her eyes and smirked, patting Blaze's cheek mockingly.

"And frankly, Sweetheart, you don't have what it takes to beat me," Blaze gasped, mobility returning when Belial turned away and walked into the glow of the street lamp. She turned back, with a curious frown. Blaze's eyes followed her devoutly. Something in the Levia's glance stirred Belial; a strange sensation with which she wasn't familiar.

"You never told me...why didn't you call your sisters to come and defeat me? That's your job...right?" Belial asked, trying to pierce the unreadable air of fragility keeping her from reading Blaze. The smaller girl frowned and looked down, the strange blush from before returning.

"...I didn't want to," Belial clenched her fists and glared, her lips pulling back in a snarl. Blaze looked up and found herself frozen again, her dim red eyes locked with Belial's icy blue ones.

"Why? That's your job! Why else would you follow me around?" Belial spat angrily. She hated feeling so confused...hated not knowing the answer. She narrowed her eyes and Blaze flinched with notable discomfort. The silence between them was palpable. Belial growled and turned away. Blaze slouched and rubbed her arm nervously. She noticed Belial walking away and mumbled a response. Belial stopped and looked back at her.

"What was that?" She asked, an incredulous look on her face. Blaze looked at her again and bit her lip.

"I guess...I just like being...being around you," Belial stared and flinched uncomfortably. Her back tingled, and a faint memory flashed in her mind; a pained look, a gasp of horror, neither of which belonged to her. She wanted to ask more, wanted to know more. There was no reason anyone would want to be around her, least of all one of her arch-nemeses. She heard tires coming around the corner and looked away. Blaze watched Belial disappear in a veil of darkness and stared at the spot where she once stood, frowning. Just as the car came over the hill, she was gone in a flash of darkness.

The car rolled by quietly, giving the silent night an urban charm. The stars twinkled, bidding goodbye to the setting moon. In the far east, the sun began to peak over the horizon. A calm wind rolled over the hills and through the skyscrapers. Dew kissed leaves still waited, not quite ready to turn. Autumn was on the horizon, but Summer wasn't done just yet.