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Dreams of an Absolution	By : DeusExProcella Category: +M through R > PowerPuff Girls Views: 9670 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own the Powerpuff Girls or any related characters. All characters exclusive to this story do belong to me. I make no money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 61
- 62
- 63
"Slowly out of line

And drifting closer in your sights

So play it out, I'm wide-awake

It's a scene about me

There's something in your way

And now someone is gonna pay

And if you can't get what you want

Well it's all because of me"

You're Gonna Go Far Kid (The Offspring "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace")

Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 55

It was a quiet Friday night in the sleepy suburb of Pokey Oaks. Celebrating the end of another school week and the anticipation of a fun-filled weekend, the city's young defenders were enjoying a perfect pizza ordered by their new favorite aunt.

"Authorities are still unsure on the whereabouts of the teens, but most experts believe it to be related to increased gang activity within the town of Citys-" The channel quickly changed, cutting the news anchor off.

Buttercup scowled, reaching for another delicious slice, "Blah, blah, blah crime in Citysville, what else is new? Oh, I know! What if they had superheroes, then maybe...oh, nevermind, they had the best freaking superheroes ever and they kicked us out!" she ranted, taking an overly big bite.

The others laughed, the younger two thankfully missing the knowing glance their aunt cast at their oldest sister. Blossom kept quiet, but the little smirk she wore was all the answer Abigail needed.

"A little birdy told me that both Bubbles and Buttercup did very, very well on their last math test," Abby teased in a sing-song voice. She giggled when the younger two puffs looked up excitedly and the oldest sister beamed with pride.

Blossom giggled, "That's fantastic! I saw the test before you took it, oh man, question number twenty? That was a tricky one,"

"I know!" Bubbles exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air, "Why did Foolish Old Sammy Rye have to have so many shoes?! And diapers? Why does an old person need diapers? I was so confused at first, especially since the question wasn't even about his shoes or his diapers...why even put that in?"

Buttercup rolled her eyes, "C'mon, Bubbles, it was Aku. He's a big dork, it was probably some stupid joke only Blossom gets," As if on cue, the two turned to the sister in question. Blossom had her hand over her mouth and her cheeks were bright red, struggling to hold back her laughter.

Abby chuckled and shook her head, "I'm still very proud of you both, he was too! He even made a comment," she cleared her throat and changed her voice, making it a perfect mirror of Uka's, "It was a miraculous thing! Bubbles, perhaps, but to see Buttercup rise to such intellectual heights? Unspeakable!"

"Hey! I'm not stupid!" Buttercup spat, spraying her drink across the room. She blushed and quickly snatched her napkin to wipe it up, mumbling under her breath while the other three continued laughing.

Abby sighed and patted Buttercup on the back, "It's alright, Honey, I wasn't very good in school. I know how it feels when everyone just expects you to fa...do poorly," As she spoke, the happiness in her voice slowly slipped away. Abby took a long drink and sighed, resting her chin on her hand.

"Hey...um, so what were you like when you were a kid?" Buttercup asked, finally breaking the silence.

Abigail sat back and stared into her drink. After a few minutes, she glanced up, spotting the curious gaze of the pink-eyed teen. Not too surprisingly, it seemed like Blossom was just as curious as her sister. With another drink, and another sigh, she began with a shrug, "I was pretty hyper, I guess. Cassie was the smart one, the good girl. I was always getting into trouble, and I wasn't very good in school. Then...heh," Abby shook her head, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose.

Why now? Was it the alcohol? Was it the girls?

Why did she have to remember now?

"So why did you become Sedusa?" Bubbles asked in a soft voice.

Abby opened one eye and looked around. Her nieces had moved closer. Bubbles and Buttercup on her left, the former cuddled up beside her. Blossom, on her right, had scooted closer as well, her hand lying palm up, as if offering it to her. Licking her lips, Abby slid her hand into Blossom's and gave it a tight squeeze, taking another drink, "I...it was an accident at first. I just stole something from a corner store, a chocolate bar, without even thinking about it. A friend and I started shoplifting, trying to steal more and bigger things. Always trying to one-up each other,"

A smile slowly spread across Abby's face. She was starting to blush as she spoke, "I was…" she licked her lips again, "I was so good at it. I always won. It was just...intoxicating. To be so good at something, finally. We started stealing bigger and bigger things, until…" Her eyes suddenly narrowed, her brow knit and her grip on Blossom's hand became deathly, "There was an incident...and I ended up in jail. I spent three years in a small prison, slowly realizing that I had a special gift...a special power,"

Bubbles gasped, "Your hair?" She giggled when Abby tickled her cheek with a lock of her hair.

"That's right, my hair! I can control it as easily as my own arms...now at least. Back then, it was more like...throwing a punch. I secretly practiced, until I could hit people with my hair harder than I ever could with my fists. I could whip it so hard I could break concrete and eventually cut through metal. When I saw the opportunity, I used my power to escape," The smile on Abby's face softened. She took another drink and sighed.

"I ran away from Townsville after that, convinced a taxi driver to take me as far away as he could. That's when I started going by Ima Goodlady...and later, developed my identity as Sedusa to become a supervillain," she finished explaining.

Buttercup perked up, "Wait so you wanted to be a supervillain?"

"I wanted the attention," Abby admitted, staring into her drink, "I was a good thief, I wanted to be the best, better than anyone else. I wanted to be famous," She chuckled and shook her head, "That's the short story...the long story is a little more complicated than I would like to discuss," Abby finished her drink and sat up, stretching and yawning, "Enough about me! It's getting late, and you two still haven't had a bath,"

Bubbles bounced off the couch while Buttercup groaned, "Do we have to?" she complained. She grunted when Bubbles grabbed her arm and jerked her to her feet, giggling.

"Oh c'mon, Buttercup, it's not that bad!" she chirped.

Buttercup just groaned again and begrudgingly followed her out of the room. When they reached the edge of the stairs, Blossom cleared her throat.

"Hey, Buttercup?"

Buttercup gestured for Bubbles to go on without her and turned around. Whatever Blossom meant to say got caught in her throat. She hadn't been able to see it before; Buttercup was looking straight at her now, standing directly in the light. She couldn't take her eyes away from her face.

Buttercup smiled softly, "What's up, Bloss?" she asked in a low voice.

It had been over a day, but it hadn't gotten better. As far as they could tell, it likely wouldn't ever go away. Something in Dick's Chemical X...something in it was designed to kill Powerpuff Girls.

Now, every time she looked at her little sister, she'd be reminded of Ka-Boom. She'd be reminded of her arrogance, her ignorance in holding back even after swearing to never be caught off guard again.

The scar on her face, a hideous burn that stretched across her left eye, reached to her chin, and covered almost half her face, would always be a reminder of Blossom's negligence, her failure.

"I'm…" Blossom's words caught in her throat again. She smiled and quickly turned away, biting her lip, "I'm really proud of you,"

She glanced up, her nervous frown replaced with a smile seeing the blush on Buttercup's cheeks. The raven-haired girl scratched her messy hair and smirked.

"Thanks, Red," she mumbled before hurrying up the stairs.

Once the younger two were gone, Abby and Blossom quickly cleaned up the living room, Blossom joking about not using her powers to do things like a "normal little girl." Abby just blushed and shook her head. When the mess was gone, Abby started to make her way for the stairs, to run the girls' bath. She made it just one step before she felt a gentle tug on her wrist.

"Hm?"

Blossom raised an eyebrow, "Before you go, can I get that watch back?"

Abigail blinked and looked at her hands. With a gasp, she shoved her hands in her pajama pockets. Sure enough, there she found a watch that, most likely, belonged to her brother-in-law. She stared at it, gently drawing circles along the face of the watch.

"When did I get you?" she murmured.

"When you changed earlier. I don't think you meant to, it just kind of fell into your pocket...do you," Blossom pursed her lips and crossed her arms, trying to find the most polite way to ask. It wasn't the first time that week that Blossom had to call her out for snatching something that didn't belong to her. Although, every time Abby seemed thoroughly confused about where exactly the pilfered goods had come from.

Abby continued to stare at the watch, biting her lip as she tried to recall how it came to be in her pocket. She suddenly clenched her eyes shut and shoved the watch into Blossom's hands, turning away and running her hand through her hair, removing it from the various ponytails she'd let Bubbles tie it into. Her hair immediately began to writhe as if it was restless.

"Thank you, for telling me. I don't mean to," she tried explaining, turning to Blossom. She wrung her hands together and her hair became more restless, "I haven't stolen anything, intentionally, for months now. I guess I'm just...having withdrawals?" she offered with a sheepish laugh.

She gasped, a tiny moan slipping through her lips when Blossom pulled her into a warm hug, "It's alright," she shushed her. Catching her breath, Abby enthusiastically returned the embrace, buying her face in Blossom's shoulder. She sighed in relief, taking a deep breath of the young goddess's hair.

"You're right, though, it's not fair," Blossom began, hushing Abby again when she started to protest, "I may have a job for you,"

Abby perked up, holding Blossom at arm's length. Her heart was racing, her mouth was dry.

"R-Really?"

Blossom smirked, tapping Abby on the nose, "I have the world's greatest thief, don't I? Shouldn't I be taking advantage of her...talents?"

XxXxX

It was just after midnight, when a muffled moan pierced the tranquil silence of the Utonium Chateau. A deeper groan echoed it and the previously soft creaking of the box-spring grew louder.

"Shh...calm yourself, girl. You don't wish to draw, mmm...unwanted attention, do you?" Aku teased pressing his hand tighter against her mouth, while his other held tight to her bouncing bottom. In response, she ground her hips against his, leering at him, panting tufts of frigid air against his scorching hot palm. He groaned and, tightening his tendrils' hold on her wrists, thrust faster and took her sweet little tit into his mouth.

All of her defenses against the raging torrent inside of her broke apart at the touch his tongue against her breast. Blossom buried herself in his arms, her face in his shoulder to muffle her blissful cry, while the tendrils that held her on his lap tightened their hold around her. It felt like forever before the rush of ecstasy finally faded and Blossom collapsed, panting against the Shogun of Sorrow.

His own breaths coming in deep gasps, Aku wrapped his arms around her and kissed her head, "Have you managed to sate your thirst for Aku for now, Blossom? Or do you wish to gamble a fifth time against your sisters' sleep?"

"I think…" she giggled, slipping her arms around his neck and pressing a love drunk kiss against his lips, "It may be bedtime...but," she lowered her voice, speaking in his ear with a chilly whisper, "My thirst for Aku is never-ending,"

Aku chuckled and the two laid back in her bed. The Master of Masters caressed her hair and watched as she settled down against his side. How could such a creature be real? How could any being possibly go from intoxicatingly beautiful to impossibly adorable so quickly? How lucky was he, the Deliverer of Darkness, to be with this Blossom?

Her breathing began to even out, and eventually a small snore began to fill the room. Aku took a deep breath and closed his eyes with a sigh. If this was to be his fate, would it be so bad? Could he...be content?

"Hey, Aku…" she mumbled, voice thick with a sleepy slur.

"Yes, Blossom?"

She yawned and snuggled closer to him, "Why did you change question twenty?" she asked with a small giggle.

Aku chuckled and stroked his beard, "The children adore the Foolish Old Sammy Rye, he teaches them what is improper and what befalls those who seek to follow in his foolish footsteps. Did you not also enjoy the adventures of Koo and Sammy Rye?" After several minutes of silence, Aku peeked down. She was asleep once more, a perfect smile on her lips.

His heart felt light as air. Aku smiled and sighed again, wrapping his arms around her, gently kissing her head.

What was a kingdom to a queen?

XxXxX

"So what are we doing here on Saturday?" Boomer asked again, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and looking around the empty library parking lot.

Blossom gave his shoulder a pat, smirking when the little boy stood up straight and his face promptly turned red, "I just needed an excuse to meet with you this early. We won't be doing any studying unless you want to,"

Boomer shrugged and kicked a rock as the two entered the musty old building. He peeked up at Blossom and blushed again. Whenever they went to the library, as soon as they stepped inside, she always closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Boomer loved the smile that always followed. It felt like a secret between the two of them, something only he got to see. Something that, maybe even Aku didn't know about.

"So do you want to know why we're here?" Blossom asked, tearing him from his thoughts.

Boomer nodded and quickly followed her back to their usual meeting spot. Blossom took her seat in the far corner, her back to the wall, while Boomer took his normal spot beside her. They sat like that for a few minutes, Blossom leaning back with her arms crossed, going over something important in her head. He probably wouldn't understand, but he was curious.

"Um, Blossom?"

"Okay, Boomer, thank you for meeting with me today. I know you normally aren't up this early, and you don't like studying on the weekend but,"

Boomer swallowed and looked away sheepishly, "I mean I'll study if you want to…"

She continued, though couldn't resist smiling, "I have a gift for you," She climbed to her feet and walked to the other side of the table. First, she peeked around the corner, making sure they were alone, then she turned back to him, hands on her hips.

The little boy stared up at her incredulously, pointing to himself, "For me?"

Blossom nodded; Boomer jumped to his feet.

"What is it!?" He exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Slowly, she held out her hand. Behind her, a fiery tear cut its way across the air, opening the gateway into the Pit of Hate. Boomer looked down at her hand, ignoring the fire behind her. He'd seen it before; he wasn't afraid.

"Will you help me, Boomer?"

"Of course I will!"

"Will you...still be my friend, even though I'm different now?"

"Yeah, totally!"

"Do you...still love me?"

Boomer's grin softened. Smiling sincerely, he nodded and slid his mitt into her hand.

"Uh huh, and I always will!" he assured her, giving her hand a squeeze.

The Powerpuff leader smiled and returned the gesture, wrapping her fingers around his mitt. The two simply stood like that, for longer than Boomer cared to guess, before Blossom spoke again, in a low whisper, "I'm glad...thank you, Boomer,"

Boomer opened his mouth to respond, when, suddenly, a pair of dark tendrils stretched free from the Demon Gate behind Blossom. He took his eyes away from her for a moment to glance in their direction.

"This may hurt at first, but...you'll thank me,"

His eyes locked with hers. She smiled; he smiled in return.

And then, everything went black.

XxXxX

"Buttercup! Have you seen Blossom?" Bubbles called from upstairs. It was getting close to lunch time and the oldest sister still hadn't come home.

The green-eyed girl glanced up at the ceiling and shrugged, returning to her video game. Blossom left before any of them woke up, and Aunt Abby had left shortly after breakfast. She'd probably be home soon, right? Most likely, she was out with Aku doing whatever it was teenagers did together.

"She's probably at the mall with Aku!" Buttercup called back, throwing her controller down and jumping to her feet with a victorious cry and thrust of her mitt. Another level down! If she kept this pace, she'd be able to finish the whole game before dinner!

Bubbles floated into the room, clutching Octi and hovering next to the couch, "I know, but it's weird that she didn't tell us anything…"

"Really? She hid a lot of stuff before. She probably didn't tell us because it's a bunch of boring grown up stuff," Buttercup stuck her tongue out and picked her controller back up. Their conversation was cut short by the buzzing of the Hotline. The two traded a glance, then turned to stare at the phone.

"Uh...should you get it?" Bubbles asked, tightening her hold on Octi.

Buttercup slid off the couch and hovered to the phone, looking around, in case Blossom decided to show up. With a shrug, she picked it up, answering, "Powerpuff Girls, what is it M-"

"Powerpuff Buttercup...you weren't who I was hoping to speak to," The voice on the other end wasn't the Mayor. It was younger, softer, with a certain sharpness to its words.

"W-Who is this? Where's the Mayor?" Buttercup demanded, tightening her hold on the receiver. She heard Bubbles gasp behind her, but kept her steely gaze fixed on the Hotline's shocked face.

The voice chuckled, becoming lower, rougher, "Can you put your big sister on the phone? I have a message for her…"

Gritting her teeth, Buttercup hissed back, "Blossom isn't here! Now tell me where the Mayor is!"

The voice laughed again, quickly becoming high-pitched and raspy, "Oh how unfortunate! Well, I suppose you'll have to do, Sweetie," The voice changed one more time, returning to the first, softer tone, "I am the Herald of Discord, Right Hand of the Messiah. You may call me...Doppelganger."

"I come in his holy name, to put an end to the system that abides your wicked hold on this world." The perpetrator lowered their voice, "Be quick, little Buttercup,"

"Mr. Mayor, I wanted...Mayor!" In the background, Buttercup could hear Ms. Bellum shouting. The phone fell, making a loud thump as it hit the floor.

The Powerpuff girl threw the receiver down and turned to Bubbles, "We have to go! Now, right now!" Without further explanation, she shot through the roof, her sister hot on her heels.

XxXxX

When they arrived at town hall, the place was swarming with police officers. Even with their powers, it took the two nearly five minutes to finally fight their way into the Mayor's office. Neither was really prepared for what was waiting for them; neither was prepared for the sick sense of deja vu hearing Ms. Bellum's crying as they stepped into the room.

"No, please, no...y-you...you can't be," She sobbed, huddled over the tiny old man cradled in her arms. The police and paramedics kept their distance. One EMT had a nasty red mark across his cheek from trying to separate the two.

Bubbles swallowed nervously and spoke up, "Ms. Bellum…"

The secretary looked up, make-up streaming down her cheeks. She stared at the two, frozen in disbelief. Eventually her will faltered and she broke down into tears once more.

"I was just outside the door, I n-never...I didn't...I couldn't...how? How did he get in?" she murmured between hiccuping sobs. Bubbles started toward the two; Buttercup held her back, hand trembling, teeth grinding.

"You said...he?" she hissed through her teeth.

Ms. Bellum nodded.

"Wh-What's wrong?" Bubbles asked, her voice thick with emotion, tears already welling up. She tore her gaze away from Ms. Bellum to glance at her sister. Buttercup's eyes were wide, her lips pulled back revealing her teeth.

"It...it was a her...on the phone," she forced out. Both jumped, hearing a rush of air at the door. They turned just in time to see Blossom's eyes widen and her mouth fall open.

"What," she paused, licking her lips, marching by her sisters to kneel down next to Ms. Bellum. She was the first person to get a good look at the Mayor. Her breathing picked up, slightly, as she licked her lips. Whoever had done this was not human. Not any more.

She reached for the Mayor, only to have her hand slapped by Ms Bellum, "Don't! Please, don't take him away, please…"

Blossom pressed her hand against his cheek, "I won't...I just need to get a better look at him," she explained, turning his head. How could such a little man have so much blood? Seeping between her fingers, it felt like it would never stop. She swallowed, finally catching her breath and slid to her feet, staring at her blood-coated hand.

"Who did this?" she asked no one in particular.

Buttercup looked at Bubbles, then back to Blossom, "Someone working for Dick...they said they were uh...Doubleganger, or something like that. Ms. Bellum says it was a man, b-but I know I heard a lady on the phone!"

"Doppelganger," Blossom corrected her. Buttercup nodded and continued with her explanation. To her credit, Blossom almost felt bad about ignoring her. But...the way his blood, the Mayor's blood, trickled down her fingers was much more interesting. Someone had actually gone so far as to kill the Mayor.

Blossom clenched her fists, nose scrunching as she growled. That was going to complicate things in the near future.

"Let's roll, girls," she muttered, finally snapping out of her thoughts. She managed to take no more than a step toward the door before the Hotline began to ring again. Blossom turned to stare at it, smoke rising from her eyes. With a scowl, she crossed the room in an instant, "Who is this?" she growled.

"Powerpuff Blossom...the Devil, herself. I would be honored were I not so disgusted," the voice on the other end was definitely a man, though more effeminate than she expected. He laughed, and as he laughed, his voice changed. Blossom's eyes widened. Now it was a woman, "Did you like what I did with your puppet leader? Is his whore still crying? I can almost hear her now…"

"What's your game, Doppelganger?" Blossom hissed.

The culprit snickered, now in a voice that sounded more like a beast, "To watch your filthy city crumble, Devil! With the Mayor who supported your wicked ways finally gone, how long can you survive? When everything starts to crumble around you, Devil, what will you have left?"

"Do you really think you can hide from me?"

The Doppelganger giggled, in a feminine voice again, "I guess we'll have to find out, won't we?"

The line went dead and the city shook as an explosion went off in the distance. Blossom set the receiver back on its cradle and stalked passed her sisters. They followed in silence, until the three made it into the air.

"What do we do? We don't even know what they look like!" Bubbles asked, crossing her arms and hugging herself.

Buttercup stared up at Blossom expectantly, "Yeah, what's the plan, Leader Girl?"

"Spread out and search, if you find her, scream so we can find you. Don't try to fight her alone. She may be as dangerous as her partner was," The two nodded and in a flash they were gone. Once they had disappeared over the horizon, Blossom dropped to the ground and stalked to the bus stop, taking a seat. After a few minutes, a scrawny man sat down beside her, scratching at his messy head of hair.

"Find Doppelganger. If you see them, kill them on sight. Let Abby know to stay on guard," Blossom spoke out loud. Next to her, the scrawny man nodded and continued scratching his head. When he finally looked up, his eyes were blank pools of blue. He pursed his lips and nodded again, climbing to his feet and stalking off around the corner.

XxXxX

Blossom surveyed the scene of yet another explosion. Like clockwork, bombs rigged across the city seemed to be going off every twenty minutes. Judging by the time when she arrived, she likely only had ten more minutes before another went off. Just how many had the Doppelganger managed to plant?

She narrowed her eyes. How many citizens sympathized with Dick? How many were willing to give up their own homes and businesses to send a message to her?

The Powerpuff leader crossed her arms and turned away from the wreckage. She hadn't heard back from her minions yet. Between Demongo's wraiths and Chamberlain's soldiers, surely they could track down a single superhuman. Then again, Abby had managed to disguise her appearance from Blossom herself for several months.

Blossom tapped her chin. If Doppelganger had a similar power, it was likely they could disguise their Chemical X radiation, which would make it a tad more difficult to pin down their location. That said, she had hundreds of minions across the city. It would only take one of them seeing them transform, then they would all know.

If that happened, Blossom could only hope for Doppelganger's sake that the minions were able to kill them before she arrived.

"Oh, you're still here...did you find anything?" Blossom looked up and forced a smile. She shook her head, petting Bubbles' hair.

She sighed and said, "Unfortunately, no. They're a slippery creep. Don't worry, I'll find them, and when I do-"

"You'll kill them," Bubbles finished for her, pulling away from Blossom's touch.

Blossom frowned and crossed her arms, "Yes, I'll kill them. Can you blame me? After what they did…" She shook her head and looked away. She flinched when Bubbles spoke up again.

"How many people are you gonna kill to get to him?"

The Powerpuff leader turned to her little sister, narrowing her eyes. Her lip twitched, but, grasping her arms a little tighter, she held back the sneer tugging at her lips. She cleared her throat and asked, "What do you mean?"

Bubbles shuddered and brought her mitt to her mouth. She hesitated at first, then peeked back up at Blossom, "What happens after you kill Doubleganger? If someone else shows up-"

"Then I'll kill them too," Blossom cut her off, lowering her arms, fists clenched, "Anyone who gets between me and Dick, anyone who tries to hurt my family. I will kill every single one of them. Why? Is that wrong?" Blossom snorted and shook her head, sneering, "He killed-"

It was Bubbles' turn to cut her off, "No he didn't, Bunny died protecting us. Don't…don't keep using her as an excuse! It's not Bunny's fault you're so angry!" she pleaded, taking a brave step toward her sister.

Blossom bristled and took a step toward Bubbles, "He brought her back! He filled her full of nanobots! It's his fault she died! And I will kill him, before he hurts anyone else I love!"

"Then who gets to stop you!?" Bubbles shouted, a little louder than she meant to. She gasped and swallowed nervously, taking a step away from Blossom.

The red heat pulsing in the back of Blossom's mind faded. She blinked and looked down at Bubbles, mouth agape. Her sister couldn't bear to look at her, "Wh-what? Wh, what do you m...what do you mean?"

Bubbles shook her head, throat sore and eyes misted over with tears.

"Bubbles...what do you mean? St-stop me? From what? You don't think...you don't think I'll hurt you, do you?" The pain in her chest intensified when her sister refused to answer. For the first time in forever, tears slid down Blossom's cheeks. "Bubbles what do you mean!?" she demanded, taking another step toward Bubbles. She froze when her sister flinched away, backing up several steps and raising her hands in front of her.

Bubbles' lips quivered as she spoke, "Wh-what happens wh-when you get mad at us again? Who's g-going to st-stop you if you go too far?! How many pe-people have you killed already? H-How many are you going to kill?! When is it going to stop!?" she screamed, bringing her hands to her mouth to hold back her sobs.

Blossom's throat clenched. Her nose scrunched and she sniffed, swallowing the heavy lump in her throat, "I'll n-never hurt you, Bubbles...I love you,"

"Th-that didn't stop you before!" Bubbles shouted, throwing her hands to her sides and taking a dangerous step toward Blossom. "Or have you...have you forgotten? Have you...don't you remember April?!"

Blossom's eyes widened. Her lips pulled back, revealing her fangs.

Bubbles continued, refusing to back down, "You say Aku was tricking you, but he wasn't! He just nudged you, you wanted to do all of that! You wanted to hurt us! You were angry at us, and I still don't even know why! You were angry, and you wanted to make us hurt as much as we hurt you. You nearly killed us because of that!" she screamed, raising her hands in defense again when Blossom started to lift her hand toward her.

"I...are you really s-so af-fraid of me?"

Bubbles lowered her fists and shook her head, hiccuping, "I'm not afraid of you, Blossom...I'm af-afraid of your temper...you've always had a temper, even worse than Buttercup. Worse than...worse than anything. Buttercup can't see it because she loves you too much. I love you too, b-but...but...y-you're so scary when you're mad…"

Blossom's mouth moved wordlessly; the red haze was filling up her head once more.

"When I thought I was Mojo...when I hit you...Buttercup said the first thing you did was fly in to fight me! And we both know you're stronger than me! If you wanted to, I wouldn't have stood a chance against you! How bad would you have hurt me if Buttercup didn't stop you!? Wh-What about April? What...what about now? What happens now? Back then...it took all of us...Buttercup, Brick, Butch...it took all of us just to stop you, but we c-can't anymore,"

Blossom clenched her fists until her fingernails dug into her palms. Smoke began to rise up from her eyes; her teeth gnashed and the red haze began to cloud her vision.

Bubbles finally looked up at her and gasped. Her lips trembled and she began to cry harder, "What happens now!? If you...if you can't stop yourself, who can!? Aku couldn't stop you, we can't stop you, Dick can't stop you, no one can stop you! You're the person who decides when this ends! So when is it over!? When is enough enough Blossom!?"

A shrill whistle was starting to drown out Bubbles' pleas. Her eyes were getting hotter; her heart was pounding in her chest. Her blood raced like ice through her veins. She felt…

"He's...a m-monster…"

Bubbles bit back another sob and threw an accusatory mitt at Blossom, "This isn't about him, Blossom! This is about you! You're a liar, you're evil and...and maybe you really are the Dev-!"

She felt alive!

In a flash, the street split open and the air snapped. Bubbles didn't have time to scream before she hit the ground, hands raised in front of her. Blossom stood over her, eyes on fire, arm pulled back and fingers clenched. Her hand, up her forearm, had turned black. Two snapping tentacles stretched from fresh holes in her blouse, sharp edges aimed at the little Powerpuff girl.

"Don't you EVER talk to me like that again!"

Blossom snarled, flames spouting from her nostrils. As quickly as it overwhelmed her, the red in her vision faded and she finally saw her sister, sobbing and cowering in front of her.

Across the street, Octi sat in a shop window, watching with a vapid little smirk.

Blossom dropped to her knees, the color draining from her hand and her tentacles retracting back into her. Her eye flames flickered and faded and the sharpness left her teeth. Trembling, she stared at her sister, mouth agape. Her hands slowly came to her mouth, pressing together with all their might to hold back the horror-stricken scream that poured from her. Blossom collapsed on the ground, screaming as tears flooded her cheeks.

She'd come so close to striking Bubbles.

She'd been ready to kill Bubbles.

Bubbles stared at her big sister, eyes wide and shaking. Behind her, she could feel his gaze on her, but even knowing he'd been right, she couldn't look away from Blossom. She couldn't turn away from her again. With her own strangled sob, Bubbles threw herself at her, hugging Blossom's head as tight as she could, blubbering, "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!"

Blossom lifted her head, her entire body shaking. She started to lift her hands, but they wouldn't stop trembling. She froze until Bubbles pushed herself into Blossom's arms. Blossom wrapped her arms around her; her tentacles slid from her blouse and wrapped around her, hugging her as tight as she dared.

"I can't Bubbles...I can't…" she cried, burying her face in her hair.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry!" Bubbles continued to wail, clutching Blossom's blouse in her mitts, pressing her face hard against her chest.

"I can't lose you...I can't...I can't stop, I can't lose you," Blossom continued sobbing. Bubbles' words rang in her head, over and over again. And every time, she found the same answer: she had no answer.

When is enough enough? If you can't stop you, who can?

Blossom forced her eyes shut and grit her teeth until her jaw hurt. Her tentacles wrapped tighter around Bubbles, like a cocoon, shielding her from Blossom's answer.

Maybe you are the Devil.

XxXxX

Townsville Museum had seen its share of heists and capers. However, in the aftermath of the city's more serious catastrophes, the museum had seen an unprecedented period of peace and tranquility. No supervillains hunting for treasure, no bandits looking to make a hard buck, no rampaging super-children trouncing through the beautiful museum.

All thanks to the hard work of the Townsville Museum security detail! Yes, the most decently trained, most modestly paid, and mostly dedicated group of defenders since the Powerpuff Girls themselves!

It was a slow day, and the museum had closed early in response to the terrorist attacks rocking the city. As a result, the museum found itself under the watchful eye of its noble security force. One such guard found their way into the Ancient Egyptian section of rare art and artifacts. He hummed softly to himself, hands shoved in his pockets as he strolled toward the section's prize possession the-

"Well, now...isn't this awkward," A gruff voice jeered.

The guard turned, raising an eyebrow. Another guard, a bit smaller, but with a rougher disposition strolled into the light. The newcomer tapped his flashlight against his palm, pursing his lips and looking around the room.

"Got a problem, pal?" The first guard asked, squinting his eyes to look for a name badge. The other guard just laughed, continuing toward the first. He gestured toward the first guard's prominently displayed name badge.

"Just a small problem...there's no Joe Hernandez working here," he explained, still rapping his flashlight against his palm. The first guard slowly smiled, an expression that grew until it stretched from one ear to the other. He giggled in a completely new voice, like a kind of raspy creature.

The guard giggled, "Oh, you noticed? My, this is disappointing...I was hoping this would be easy. Oh, well!" he threw his hands up, still grinning. "You got me," he conceded, his eyes gleaming in the dark.

The second guard reached for his belt, only to just narrowly avoid a powerful kick thrown at his head. The blow cleaved through a stone bust, toppling it to the ground. He stood up straight, giving "Joe" a small chuckle.

Joe narrowed his eyes, "I don't think you work here either, do you?"

The second guard chuckled in a husky, feminine voice, "Whoops," his form shifted and changed. His bald head became full of hair, snapping and cracking at the air. His eyes became bright green, his skin pale, and his uniform replaced by a skin tight, red cat suit, "You got me," Sedusa repeated with a grin.

The two stalked around each other. Joe made sure to stay away from Sedusa's snapping hair, while the villainess kept an eye open for another devastating kick.

Joe narrowed his eyes, "So...you must be Abigail Keane, the Devil's little on-call whore," he spat, his voice lowered once again.

Sedusa just smiled, "Please, while I'm on the clock, you can call me Sedusa," Sedusa stopped, crossing her arms and tapping her chin, a coy smirk on her lips, "And you...must be the one they're calling Doppelganger. My mistress warned me about you…"

Joe snickered, his form already in flux, shifting between various different forms, "Doppelganger, that's the name the Messiah blessed me with. He was proud of the work he did on you, Abby," they spat her name, "But he knew he could do better. So, he made me. The Herald of Discord. I have all of your powers, but I'm just...so much better," they giggled wildly, avoiding a slash from Sedusa's hair.

Their form still in flux, Doppelganger dropped to their knees, a big, wild Cheshire grin on their face, "Isn't this fun? The Messiah will be so pleased when I drag your head back to him! Who knows? We may even be able to use it! Like," they began to giggled frantically, "Like that movie!" They threw their head back laughing.

Sedusa smirked, uncrossing her arms. Her fingers sharpened, becoming claws, "Funny you should mention that...my queen asked for your head," She grinned, her eyes glowing green, "This will be fun, that's for sure,"

Doppelganger cackled and covered their face with their hand, "A fight! A fight she wants! Well then," Doppelganger brought their head down and, in an instant, their form solidified. They were covered in a white catsuit, with a blue mask pulled across their eyes. Their hair grew out long and brightened, becoming a rich shade of blonde.

They began to cackle when Sedusa's grin faded, becoming a snarl.

"Isn't this form so much better? Didn't you once swear to kill Annie Durry? Well, here it is! Your chance! Your chance!" Doppelganger lashed out, tearing through the ground with their bare hands, grin still spread wide across their face. Sedusa swung around, throwing a powerful kick at their back. Doppelganger avoided the blow and lunged forward, throwing another wild claw at Sedusa's face.

Sedusa's feet hit the ground and, still balancing on her toes, she slipped around the blow and her hand shot out, throwing a long slash across Doppelganger's cheek and throwing them across the room. They crashed into a pedestal, so hard it cracked in two. Still giggling Doppelganger climbed to their feet and threw their head back with another wild laugh.

"Angry! You're so angry! She hurt you so bad, didn't she? She cut your heart out of your chest and crushed it! She stole your life from you! She…" Doppelganger dodged a wild series of blows, her knee shooting out and catching Sedusa in the stomach. As the villainess doubled over, Doppelganger leaned in close, brushing her hair back and whispering in her ear, "She...she killed little Abby Keane, didn't she? Sent her to max and the only thing that came back was a filthy, pathetic, slut called-"

Doppelganger screamed when Sedusa's hair suddenly wrapped around her wrist. With a grunt, she slammed them into the ground. With another, she smashed them through a glass case. When Doppelganger got to their feet, they took a devastating blow from Sedusa's hair, catching them in the chin and throwing them off their feet. Sedusa caught them by their throat and slammed their head against the glass case.

"What, did that hurt!? Does it make you angry? Hehehe! I hope it does! It'll warm your filthy ass up for the fires of Paradise! And even those are just a precursor to the flames of H-" Doppelganger screamed when Sedusa slashed them across the face with a long shard of glass. She threw the fanatic to the ground and dropped the bloody glass shard.

"There," Sedusa sneered, "I think that look suits you better," she taunted.

Doppelganger pushed themselves up on their knees, pressing their hand against their bloody face. They screamed when another lock of hair shot out and hit them in the side, hard as a shotgun blast, throwing them into the Ancient Egyptian exhibit's lobby. They sat up, still holding their face, snarling at Sedusa as she sauntered toward them.

"You...you damned...you rotten, no good…" Doppelganger became encased in a fierce, unstable red light. Their eyes became solid white as they rose up from the ground, their form already changing. They threw their head back and roared, "YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

With another roar, their form changed, growing larger and larger. Soon, their human form had become a strange, shadowy beast. Nine feet tall, mouth agape and filled with countless sharp teeth. Its mouth stretched across its massive face, so wide it could easily engulf Sedusa in a single bite. Its arms had grown into massive fur-covered claws and its back legs become thick and powerful, with massive paws.

Sedusa grinned, her teeth turned to fangs. Her body was beginning to glow with harsher green light, "So this is your true form? So...ugly,"

Doppelganger roared and took a mighty swing at her. In a flash of green light, Sedusa avoided the attack, revealing her own true form. Her lower body grew into that of a massive snake, her skin covered in rough green scales and her canines grown into powerful, venom filled fangs. Her hands became deadly claws and her hair grew even longer, the locks untangling until she looked every bit like a hydra.

Sedusa hissed and snickered, "So angry, bad DOG!" she lunged at Doppelganger. The beast avoided her first slash, a blow so powerful it cleaved the ground open, and made to bite the snake in half. Sedusa whipped around screamed, her eyes lighting up and blasting the beast back, turning its entire face into stone.

With a roar, the Doppelganger shifted the stone parts of its skin back to normal, snarling. Blazing hot saliva dripped from its massive jaws, leaving searing patches in the floor. They made a lunge for Sedusa, only to get clubbed in the side of the head by a lock of her hair. Doppelganger roared and rose up, only to be beat back down by another lock of hair.

"Just give up and die, pathetic little puppy," Sedusa sneered, drawing her hand back, nails glowing with sick, venomous light, preparing to deliver the final blow.

The Doppelganger shot to their feet, faster than she expected, and slammed her against the wall. With a scream, it hit her again, and again, and again, ramming her deeper and deeper into the wall, then into the floor. Each blow shook the museum, each scream was so loud, so booming it kept Sedusa disoriented.

"DIE YOU FUCKING WHORE!" The Doppelganger roared, bringing its massive jaws down at Sedusa. It screamed as a wave of white light completely engulfed it. When the light faded, the Doppelganger had become a growling little dog, its teeth latched onto Sedusa's large, powerful tail. It yelped, backing away from her and looking down at itself.

"Aw...what's wrong?" Sedusa cooed, shifting back into her human form. In her hand, she held the Anubis Dog head, with the Anubial Jewels attached to its eye sockets. The Doppelganger closed its eyes and grunted, struggling to change forms. It began to whimper and pace around in circles, slamming its head against the ground. Whatever it tried, it couldn't make its form change.

It heard a chuckle and looked up. Sedusa knelt down and scratched its ears. The Doppelganger continued to whimper, glaring at Sedusa, then at the Anubis Dog Head.

"Poor baby...you don't know what this is, do you? The Anubis Head, combined with these wonderful jewels, has the ability to inflict a very, very powerful curse on whomever the wielder desires. A curse so powerful…" Sedusa's eyes narrowed and her smirk became poisonous, "Even a shapeshifter can't resist it," The Doppelganger made a dive for the Anubis Head, only to have its neck grabbed and its head slammed to the ground.

"No, no, no, bad puppy!" Sedusa reached out with her hair, snatching the satchel she'd hid the Anubis Head in. Carefully she put the statue back in its resting place, then set the satchel down once more. She turned to the whimpering dog and frowned.

The Doppelganger stared up at her with pleading eyes.

"You know…" Sedusa kissed its head and breathed in its ear, "I've always been more of a cat person," A hideous snap rang out through the empty museum.
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Dreams of an Absolution