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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
- 69
- 70
"Keeping up appearances, don't break now

We're buckled from the weight

Pretend to laugh, but don't laugh too loud

Do you feel the pressure building,

The anger spilling out now?

Meanwhile, the cracks have formed on the masks we've worn up 'til now,"

Far From Perfect (Rise Against "Wolves")

Dreams of an Absolution
Chapter 63

The mouthwatering smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the rest of the house brought a smile to Blossom's face as the trio exited the basement. The Professor and Bubbles were chatting at a mile a minute. Or rather, Bubbles was chattering at a mile-a-minute while the Professor followed along as well as his aching head would allow him. Every so often, Bubbles would peak passed the Professor at her sister. Most of the time, Blossom pretended to not notice, but the one time they did make eye contact, Bubbles' smile wavered and her eyes quickly darted away from her sister's.

Blossom's own expression darkened slightly, a distant ringing faintly filling the back of her mind. She knows. That was the first thing that crossed Blossom's mind, but she quickly pushed that thought away. There was no way Bubbles could have known about what happened after she left the city.

She would tell them when she was ready. They deserved to know.

Blossom was dragged out of her thoughts when the phone began to ring.

"Blossom? Honey, can you get that? It's probably your friend, Darien. He called for you earlier!" Cassandra called from the dining room.

"Sure thing, Mom!" Blossom called back, tearing her eyes away from her blonde-haired sister and turning to answer the phone.

"Oh! Tell Mr. Darien I said hi!" Bubbles called out to her sister before ducking into the dining room. Blossom giggled and mouthed "Okay, okay" as she turned back to the phone.

"Good morning! This is Blossom, how can I help you?" she answered, forcing herself to be cheery as the suspicious thoughts of her sister continued to linger in the back of her mind.

"Good morning, Mistr-I mean, Miss Blossom! How does this fascinating morning find you?" Blossom couldn't help rolling her eyes, though she couldn't resist the tiny smile tugging at her lips hearing Demongo's melodic tone. The Soul Collector seemed quite pleased by his latest acquisition.

"I'm doing well, Darien," Blossom put an emphasis on the demon's civilian name, a warning to remind him that they were speaking on an open line, "I take it you're satisfied with that lead I gave you?"

"Oh yes! Yes! I've learned so much, so quickly from this one...yes, his was a truly, truly fascinating specimen!" Demongo chirped, giggling like Bubbles getting a new doll on Christmas morning.

"Fascinating," Blossom repeated with a chuckle of her own. She glanced back toward the dining room, then returned her gaze to the phone, her eyes turning to steel, "Did you find it?" Her lips pressed into a firm line as Demongo's demeanor changed and he grew reluctant to continue.

After a moment of fumbling over his words, "Well, um...no, actually, Miss Blossom. You see, this specimen has never actually...journeyed, from this region to the one in question," Demongo responded, choosing every word carefully.

Blossom furrowed her brow. The assassin had never gone between Townsville and the Messiah's hideout? No, he said journeyed; Demongo must have chosen that word for a reason. Could that mean…

"Teleportation. He uses a machine or his own power to teleport his lackeys to Townsville to protect the location of his base...darnit," Blossom cursed. Of course Dick would know better than to just tell anyone his location. But, there was still the chance that the Ultratuff Girls, who could fly, would have been able to make the trip.

"I'll have to ask them later...not right now though. They've earned a break," She murmured, forgetting, for a moment, that Demongo was overhearing her every word.

"Ahem...if I may, Miss Blossom?" he began, pausing and waiting for her objection. When it never came, he continued, "It seemed to be some kind of ability that our...client, possesses. This one is quite sure that this...location does not exist on this planet."

"Of course he doesn't, he thinks, well, thought, Dick was a god. He probably actually believed it was Heaven," Blossom snapped, the ringing starting to fill her ears once again.

Demongo sighed, "That is correct. I will continue...studying this specimen to see what else I can find. I'll report back when I have more details," Demongo was shocked when Blossom suddenly cut him off, the edge gone from her voice.

"You're still coming over with Cicero and Baku tonight, right? Bubbles was hoping to see you today, maybe you could bring one of your pets for her and the Ultratuff Girls to play with? A puppy or a kitty, maybe? We have a cat, so make sure it's one that won't harass Valentino," Despite the casualness to her tone, it was evident that this was no suggestion.

"Y-yes, of course! Yeeeeeeees! We've been quite worried about you after all the excitement yesterday. I do believe we will stop by when it is...convenient for you."

Blossom beamed, "That's wonderful! I'll let them know! Anyway, thanks for calling and letting me know, Darien. I'll see you guys later!" Without waiting for his response, Blossom hung the phone up. She paused, hand still on the receiver, eyes staring at nothing in particular.

Of course, he'd never share any important details with his fanatics. And it wasn't likely that he'd have been any more trusting with the Ultratuff Girls. They were obviously just tools to him, minions for whom he couldn't spare an ounce of sympathy. Wherever the Messiah was hiding, it was unlikely he hadn't planned for this outcome. And, if he had planned for her to turn his minions against him, he would be ready for her to attack him directly. She'd have to…

"Oneechan! Hurry up! It's time for breakfast!" That voice, one so similar to her sister's and, yet, so distinctly "Not-Bubbles", shocked Blossom out of her brooding. Now, curious more than irritated, she headed back to the dining room, raising an eyebrow and letting her hands rest on her hips as she caught sight of the Professor standing over the stove with Bliss hovering around him, oohing and ahhing as she watched him "masterfully" manipulate the pancake batter he was cooking.

"Good morning, everyone...and...Oneechan? Was that for me?" she asked, the smile on her lips growing a bit more when her gaze drifted to Beauty, who had been the one calling for her. The little girl noticed her glance and suddenly turned away, hiding her face in her hands.

"Bubbles said it meant "big sister" and well, you're the oldest and, um, she said that you might...like it...sorry!" She stammered out. Beauty peeked up at Blossom, frowning a bit when she noticed the older girl laughing.

"No, it's fine! I was just surprised, that's all," Blossom assured her as she slid into her seat at the table.

"Oh! Then, Oneechan, look at what the Professor is making!" Bliss exclaimed, flying over to the table, holding her plate, "Look! Look! Look it's a kitty!" Sure enough, alongside the bacon and scrambled eggs was a pancake that had been molded into a vaguely cat-like shape. Blossom hadn't taken so much as a glance before Bright suddenly perked up, holding up her plate.

"Mines a flower! Look, look, Oneechan!" she insisted.

"Oh, wow! Those are really good, Dad." Blossom flashed a grin at her father, "You've been practicing, haven't you?"

The Professor laughed sheepishly, "Well, only recently, haha! What do you want, Honey? Any requests?"

Blossom paused to take a look at the others. Buttercup had a dinosaur and Bubbles had what Blossom figured was the Professor's humble try at a unicorn. Glancing at her mother's plate, Blossom saw that hers was a heart, and couldn't resist a tiny giggle.

"Surprise me! I wanna see what you've been practicing," She finally responded.

"Ooh! I know! Can I help?" Bliss exclaimed, rushing back to the Professor's side.

"Of course! Whatcha got for me?" The Professor asked, leaning in as Bliss whispered in his ear, eagerly gesturing toward the skillet. "Ah ha! That's a great idea, Bliss! Coming right up!" With that the Professor poured the batter and went to work, Bright and Beauty joining their sister in watching him work.

"So, how'd you sleep?" Cassandra asked, reaching out and rubbing Blossom's shoulder. The redhead leaned into the touch, welcoming the calm it brought.

"Alright, I guess. How is everyone?" She turned to her sisters. Bubbles was turned around in her seat, watching the Ultratuff Girls fuss over Blossom's pancake, each offering the Professor their advice to make sure it came out perfect. Buttercup glanced at Bubbles, then back at Blossom, shrugging.

"Not bad, still a bit sore, I guess." Her response vanished in big yawn. Resting her chin on her mitts, Buttercup closed her eyes, "Wish we could have slept more...but, now there's four early birds in the house…" she muttered, opening one eye to glare at Bubbles.

Blossom giggled, glancing around the room, "Where did the boys go? I thought they were still sleeping?"

"We offered to have them stay for breakfast, but, Honeydew said she needed them to come home. She made it sound official, but, if you ask me, I think she just missed them." Cassandra explained, taking a sip of her coffee to hide her knowing smile.

"Tchya...after yesterday, I don't blame her. That sucked…" Buttercup muttered, resting her eyes again. The corner of her mouth twitched, though, and eventually a smirk filled her face as she cracked her eyes open again, "But...it was kind of awesome, though, right? All of us working together to fight those monsters?"

Thoughts of the night before flashed in front of Blossom's eyes. Her whole body went stiff and she had to quickly set her drink down to avoid shattering her glass with her grip. Quickly catching her breath and shoving those thoughts to the side, she flashed Buttercup her best smile and nodded.

"It was awesome, wasn't it? It's almost like we make a good team," She and Buttercup laughed, the latter sitting up straight as the Professor finally stepped away from the stove, setting Blossom's plate in front of her while the Ultratuff Girls shot to their seats, staring expectantly at their new "Oneechan."

Two strips of bacon, two eggs, sunny-side up, and a pancake...carefully crafted into the shape of a bunny, complete with two long ears and a, mostly intact, cotton tail.

It was several minutes before Blossom realized that she'd been staring, unmoving at her plate. Distantly, she thought she could hear the Professor's voice, asking her if she was alright. When she felt her mother's grip on her shoulder, she realized she hadn't been breathing and took a sudden breath.

And, just like that, the room suddenly came back into view. Buttercup was leaning up on the table, calling out to her. The Ultratuff Girls were hovering around her, in various states of disarray. The Professor was asking her again if she was alright. And Bubbles…

Bubbles was clearly worried, but there was a certain hardness to her gaze that Blossom, unfortunately, was beginning to recognize.

Blossom tore her eyes away from them, clutching at her skirt with one hand while the other one began to snake its way toward her face, until it covered her mouth. His words, his last few words, flooded her thoughts once again.

You would kill them, just to show them that they can never replace you

Feeling tears start to prickle in the corners of her eyes, Blossom screwed her eyes shut, struggling to swallow the lump in her throat and to find her voice.

"Blossom, Honey, what's wrong?"

"Hey, what's up? Bloss?"

"Oneechan, are you okay?"

Blossom shook her head, swallowed again and digging her fingers into the fabric of her skirt. It was taking all of her effort to ignore the sirens in her head.

"About yesterday…" she stammered out breathlessly. She shook her head and tried to make her quickly drying lips move. "I just...about what happened...to all of you. I just wanted to...I want to say I'm s...I'm," Blossom opened her eyes, trembling as a sea of red was starting to overtake her vision, "I'm s...I could have...I could have stopped them sooner and I...I just wanted to...say that I'm ssss…"

The sirens were blaring; her head was pounding; her teeth were beginning to sharpen into fangs, and she could feel her eyes beginning to heat up.

She was saved from having to say any more by the buzzing of the Hotline. Standing up so suddenly that she knocked her chair over, Blossom spun on a dime and fled from the room, muttering that she had to answer the phone.

"This is Blossom" she forced some strength into her voice as she lifted the red receiver to her ear. Her lips twitched at the sound of a gruff voice in the background.

"No, Sir, I'll be taking the call. I'm sorry, good morning, Blossom. How are you girls feeling today?" Mayor Bellum asked, pausing to ask the one interrupting her if he could leave her office for now.

"The General doesn't seem too pleased," Blossom pointed out, earning a mirthless laugh from the mayor.

"That's putting it mildly. But, nevermind him, are you alright? That fight seemed to take a lot out of you kids," Mayor Bellum asked again. Her legitimate concern stirred the feelings that Blossom was struggling to hold back, forcing her to compose herself before responding.

"We're doing alright, ma'am. Everyone is back in tip-top shape already. Just having breakfast right now," she assured the mayor, only giving her a moment to sigh with relief before she continued, "I'm assuming this isn't just a personal call, if the General is there," she pointed out.

"No...no, you're right. I was intending to call this afternoon to check on you girls, but, General Adkinson showing up forced a change of plans...he wants a debriefing on what happened. I don't know if you've heard, but it wasn't just Townsville affected by yesterday's incident," she explained.

Blossom nodded, "I heard. How bad was the damage?" She could hear the conversation finally picking up in the other room and found her attention drifting back to that room, worried about what they may be saying about her behind her back.

They're worried, she reminded herself. Not suspicious...worried.

"The good news is, thanks to the Ultratuff Girls helping with the evacuation, there weren't any fatalities and injuries in Townsville were kept to a minimum." Mayor Bellum finished reporting as Blossom returned her attention to their conversation.

"That's good...what time does he want me there?"

"He's requesting all of you, including the younger girls."

"What time does he want me there?" Blossom repeated, her tone making it clear that there was no room for negotiation. She could almost hear the smile on Mayor Bellum's lips when she responded:

"In an hour. I tried to convince him to let you rest, but an hour was the best I could talk him down to. He was expecting you to be here waiting for him." That didn't surprise Blossom in the least. The General seemed to have no regard for the safety or wellbeing of the Meta-Humans he was supposed to direct.

"Give me time to shower and finish eating, I'll be there soon," Blossom assured her. As the two said their goodbyes and hung up, Blossom found herself once again staring at nothing in particular as she struggled to collect her thoughts.

There had been no fatalities caused by the disaster. No fatalities...but one murder.

"Oneechan, who was that?" Blossom was snapped out of her brooding one more time by the sound of Beauty's voice, now calling her sister instead of Devil.

"That was the mayor," Blossom explained turning to the little girl with a smile, "She uses this phone to let us know if something bad is happening, so we can go out and stop it."

Beauty nodded, mouthing an "oh" as she inspected the phone. She turned to Blossom, "Does that mean something bad happened? Do we get to go save people?" she asked, her excitement growing with every word. She pouted when Blossom shook her head.

"No, sorry, Sweetie. She was just calling to tell me about a meeting at city hall that I'll need to attend. The General wants to hear about our fight yesterday." Blossom continued, heading toward the stairs to go shower. Beauty followed after her, hanging on her every word.

"What's a General? Is he your boss? I thought you were the leader?"

"He...thinks he's my boss. He works for the President and is supposed to make sure we're being good heroes," Blossom rolled her eyes and frowned, adding "He doesn't know the first thing about being a hero, though."

"So why does he get to boss you around?" Beauty asked, looking around in wonder when she realized she'd followed Blossom to her room.

"I'm pretending to let him boss me around. As long as I pretend to follow along, he won't get to bully the others," Blossom paused at her bathroom door, patting Beauty's head, "I need to get ready for my meeting. We can talk more when I get back, okay?"

Beauty nodded, quickly hiding the big smile on her face, "Oh..okay! I mean, only if you want to, Oneechan...I'll, um, bye!" With that, she shot out of Blossom's room, returning briefly to say goodbye again before closing Blossom's door for her.

XxXxX

"Blossom! There you are, thank you so much for coming! I am so sorry for such short notice…" Mayor Bellum sighed with relief, giving Blossom a small hug, one the redhead hadn't expected. She offered the mayor a smile and returned the embrace.

"It's alright, Mayor Bellum, I needed to get out of the house anyway," Blossom assured her as the pair walked to the stateswoman's office. "So is he in a good mood or a bad mood?"

The Mayor groaned and rubbed her temples, "Is there a difference? Here we are," The General turned to face them as they entered the office. His brow furrowed and his lips pulled into a firm line as he and Blossom made eye contact. Nearby, Dexter was seated with a portable computer, keeping his eyes down as he waited for the meeting to begin.

"Good morning, Major Dexter, how're you doing today?" Blossom asked, her friendly smile becoming a smirk as she caught sight of the General's frown before turning to Dexter. The boy-genius cleared his throat and sat up straight.

"Quite alright, Blossom, thank you...I hope you slept well after that...display yesterday," He crossed his arms, tapping his finger on his arm and doing everything he could to avoid making eye contact with the heroine.

"I did, thank you! How about you, General? How did you sleep last night?" Blossom asked, slipping into the seat across from the mayor's desk. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands on her knee, her bemused gaze piercing through the General.

"I haven't had a peaceful night's sleep since I met you, Miss Utonium," the General retorted. He moved to take a seat behind the desk, only pausing when he noticed that the Mayor had already claimed her chair. Sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose, the General nodded and simply turned to face the window again.

"Though, I suppose I should thank you. If it weren't for you, my job wouldn't exist. I suppose I should thank you, however, I don't think I can. My life was much easier before you turned it to a living hell," he ended with a scowl, fists clenched tightly.

Blossom beamed, "Oh, I understand, sir," She opened her eyes, glaring as she spoke in a venomous tone, "I sincerely, do," she hissed, putting a heavy emphasis on "sincerely."

Forgoing any further pleasantries, the General asked, "What did you do, Blossom?"

"I saved the world, sir," Blossom spat back, "Which, if I am not mistaken, is my job. What is yours, sir? Is it just harassing your saviors?" The General bristled as the word "Saviors" escaped Blossom's lips.

"Saviors? You are the reason this world is in constant need of saving! Yesterday wasn't just a monster attack, and you know it! And I know it has something to do with you, everything always comes back to you." The General finally turned to face her, storming across the room, "Now answer me! What. Did. You. Do?"

Blossom rose up from her seat, her eyes unblinking as she matched his glare.

"I stopped the end of the world. So you can start by saying "Thank you", sir." Her voice was a deadly whisper, with the faintest hint of a growl in the back of her throat, "The King of Monsters summoned a group of five godlike beings called the Great Old Ones to end humanity. If it weren't for me, those monsters would have killed every last person in this city, maybe even this country, and those storms would have sent the rest of the planet back to the stone age."

The General appeared unmoved by her explanation, but the way he clutched his wrist behind his back, the way his blood began to race and his face grew a bit pale, Blossom was certain he was starting to understand.

"Why would he do that? The monster king, why would he do that?"

With everything on the line...what would you do?

A whistle was starting to blow in the back of Blossom's mind. The General's pale expression became covered in a haze of red. Feeling her teeth turning to fangs, Blossom grit them tight and narrowed her eyes to see through the fog.

"You know why," She lied through her teeth, "He was working with The Messiah to punish Townsville for not turning on my sisters. To punish them for not turning on me."

The General finally broke away from Blossom's gaze, running his hand through his hair as he returned to looking out the window overseeing the city.

"All of this keeps coming back to him...hm?"

"He's the one behind all of this. And, I am going to put a stop to him."

The room fell into a heavy silence. Finally, the General turned.

"Major Dexter? Keep working on that report. We need to know how many were affected by the storms and what the property damage looks like for Townsville. We'll discuss that after the press conference."

Blossom blinked, snapped out of her anger by confusion, "Press conference?" The General nodded and paused beside her, gesturing for her to follow him to the door. Blossom glanced back at Mayor Bellum, who was falling into step behind them.

"I'm sorry, Honey. I meant to tell you." She apologized with another heavy sigh. Obviously another battle lost with the General.

"You're going to address what happened yesterday. Stick to the facts. There were no fatalities locally, and globally it's looking like casualties are at a minimum. You've determined the cause, and you're going to take care of it. Got it?" The General finished, pausing at the door to city hall. Blossom could hear the press outside murmuring with growing fervor.

Blossom threw a glance Mayor Bellum's way, before fixing the General with a glare.

"Understood, sir," Just like every time before, Blossom put a heavy, sarcastic emphasis on "sir." Shaking her head to clear out the rest of the fog, Blossom closed her eyes, counted to ten, and opened them again with a confident smile.

XxXxX

"-after defeating the Great Old One, Ammet, I traveled to Monster Island to ensure there would be no more attacks on the city, before returning home, successful. There will be no further monster attacks on Townsville," Blossom finished, sighing and forcing a smile back to her face as everyone began to call out for her attention at once.

"Blossom, do we know how many people were hurt in the attack? What about the storms reported around the world?" The first reporter, chosen at the General's discretion, asked.

She could practically feel the General's stare burning her back as she placed her hands on her hips and gave the cameras her most confident smile, "I'm happy to report that, so far, there have been no confirmed fatalities in Townsville, and, as of this morning, it seems that across the world, there have been very few casualties," As she finished reciting the General's prepared statement, her mouth grew dry as the image of a friendly face flashed in her mind.

No fatalities, but one murder.

"No," Blossom murmured, cutting off the next reporter's question, "That's not true...what I said about the fatalities. There was one last night...but, it didn't happen here in Townsville," The murmur of the crowd was a faint whisper compared to the shrieking sirens blaring in Blossom's ears. The sea of inquisitive faces had melted into a searing red haze. Still, even as the words caught in her throat, she forced herself to keep speaking.

"When I traveled to Monster Island...I found the one responsible for summoning the Great Old Ones: the King of Monsters. He was the last survivor on the island, after the Great Old Ones destroyed the rest of the monsters. He was the one causing the storms and disasters around the world. But...they had stopped because someone had already confronted him,"

As the lie wove together in her head, Blossom's lips moved without thinking, even as the grip on her heart grew tighter and every breath became harder to take.

"My...my teacher, Mr. Barthandelus Green, he'd...he was from Monster Island, originally, so he knew what had caused this. He went to stop the Monster King...to try to save the world, but…" Blossom's lips quivered and screwed shut. Her hand flew to her mouth as tears began to flow uncontrollably down her cheeks.

The cameras grew dim and the crowd grew still as an uncomfortable silence fell over the meeting. As she hiccuped and struggled to hold back a sob, Blossom forced herself to keep going.

"Mr. Green did everything he could to try to stop him, but, he just wasn't strong enough...as soon as I got there, I immediately got between them. It...it wasn't easy, but I managed to defeat the Monster King...stopping the disasters, but…" Blossom gave a strangled cry as she hunched over, wracked with sobs.

Mayor Bellum rushed to her side, wrapping a protective arm around Blossom's shoulders and cradling her in her arms as the heroine continued to weep.

"I held him in my arms...I did everything I could but...but, I couldn't save him. And...and even as...as he began to...to fade...the only thing he was worried about...was telling me I would be okay. That everything...everything would be alright," Blossom's voice cracked as she collapsed in Mayor Bellum's arms.

"Blossom...Honey, I can call this off, let's get you home," Mayor Bellum shushed her, but, Blossom shook her head, rising to her feet and rubbing her eyes. Still choking back sobs she took a deep breath and slowly let it out, turning to face the reporters with a steely gaze.

"He told me...the one responsible for all this. The one the Monster King was working for...and I swore to the stars that no matter what happened, no matter what it cost me, I would see that man brought to justice," Blossom hissed, voice rising, building with righteous fury. Somewhere in the audience, a voice cried out,"

"Who is it?!"

Blossom took a long deep breath to settle her nerves, "Dick Hardly, the "Messiah." He's the one who sent the "Archangels" to murder and terrorize our citizens. He's the one who created the monster that wiped out the Townsville Police. He's the one who robbed our citizens of their reason and sanity, generating false outrage and inciting riots across our peaceful city. He calls me the Devil, but with every breath he reveals who he really is. He will see the city of Townsville burned to the ground for nothing other than choosing to not serve him. I cannot let his wickedness go unpunished and unchallenged. I...We, the Powerpuff Girls...the Rowdyruff Boys...and the Ultratuff Girls, will stop him."

The press conference ended shortly after, but it was another hour before Blossom returned home. The moment she landed on the doorstep, however, the adrenaline from before finally ran out. When the door opened and her mother met her, tears in her eyes and a look of disbelief on her face, Blossom couldn't do anything accept lower her head and nod. She returned the embrace as Cassandra held her tight, stricken with grief over the loss of her close friend.

"I can't believe it...Barthandelus...why wouldn't he just…" Cassandra trailed off, holding Blossom even tighter, clutching her like a life preserver in the ocean. Blossom could only shake her head and hold her close, letting some of the tears from earlier fall again.

It wasn't long before the pair finally decided to retreat back into the house, where they were greeted by a fresh set of sad faces as Bubbles and Buttercup threw themselves into Blossom's arms.

"He can't be gone! It's not true, right? Right?"

"You...you managed to save him...didn't you...Blossom?" Bubbles choked out between wails of anguish. Still robbed of her voice, Blossom could only shake her head and hold Bubbles closer as she buried her face in her shoulder.

The Professor was doing all he could to console the Ultratuffs, who were shaken seeing the rest of the family in tears. Blossom's gaze met Beauty's and lingered for a moment, before the former couldn't bear it anymore.

XxXxX

The rest of the day crawled by at a snail's pace. Though the tears eventually dried up, and the family struggled to return to some kind of normalcy, there was an air of dread hovering at the edge of Blossom's mind. No matter how hard she tried to ignore it, or to will it away, it merely grew with every passing moment.

You lied. You fooled them all

A voice reverberated around the red fog filling her head, echoing in the lingering whistles and sirens that threatened to deafen her at any moment. Thankfully, whenever that voice threatened to swallow her whole, a sweet, curious voice would speak up.

"Oneechan?" Beauty's voice once again saved the Powerpuff leader from her own thoughts. The redhead sat up, leaning closer to her sister's little lookalike. While Buttercup and Bright were roughhousing with Cicero and Baku, Bubbles and Bliss were distracted by the tiny pot bellied pig that Darien had brought for them. Beauty, in the meantime, was reading one of Bubbles' comic books and was now staring up at Blossom expectantly.

Blossom had quickly discovered that Beauty was insatiably curious. While she knew that the three girls were all clones of Bubbles, Blossom couldn't help but feel a swell of pride imagining that she'd somehow inherited that from her "Oneechan."

"What is it, Sweetie? Sorry, I was dozing off," She apologized, smiling sheepishly. Beauty flashed her another bashful smile and held the book up to her.

"What's this word? I tried to figure it out, but I'm not good at other languages like Bubbles and Bliss," she explained, pointing to one of the characters in Bubbles' Bunny Bunny comic. Blossom leaned closer, pursing her lips as she gave the passage a read. She wouldn't admit it, but she still hadn't completely mastered translating every language in an instant the way that Bubbles and Aku could.

"Let's see that looks like...karai, which means spicy," she explained. Beauty's eyes lit up with understanding as she reread the passage.

"Oh! That makes sense! I thought it was shiawase but that makes a lot more sense."

"Yeah, they do look pretty similar, don't they?" Blossom smiled and nodded sincerely as Beauty agreed and then began to recite for her the entire comic up to that point. It was one that Blossom had read before, but Beauty's retelling was somehow more enthralling than she ever remembered the story being.

As the afternoon rolled into evening, the boys turned down the Professor's offer for them to stay for dinner. Cicero reminded Baku and Darien that they had a prior engagement, and, in the end, both of the teenagers had been forced to drag Baku to the door. He clutched to the edge of the door frame, proclaiming his everlasting love for Blossom as he was plucked away, leaving the redhead laughing and blushing in the hallway, wishing them a good night.

Before she could close the door, Baku also called out his everlasting love for the Utoniums' cooking. Blossom paused and pursed her lips. After a moment she called out, "Love you too, Bay," as she shut the door a bit harder than she meant to at first. She sighed, hand cradling her head.

"Oneechan?" This time, it wasn't Beauty's voice bringing her back to reality, it was a much more familiar voice. Blossom turned, forcing a smile to her lips.

"Not you too, Bubbles," She teased.

Bubbles smiled, but Blossom could tell that something was bothering her.

"You seem to like it, Beauty's been followin' you around all day," That brought a sincere smile to Bubbles' face as she giggled, "It's really cute how much she looks up to you already."

Blossom's expression softened as she looked toward the dining room, where the rest of the family was settling in for dinner. The smile faltered when she felt Bubbles take her hand. The smile had vanished from her sister's face as well, replaced by concern and confusion.

"Blossom what's wrong?"

I killed Mr Green.

The words flew to the tip of her tongue, but Blossom managed to cut them off, biting her lip. Taking a long, shaky breath, she let it go and promised, "Bring Buttercup and meet me in the garden after the Ultratuffs go to bed, okay?"

Not wanting to draw any more suspicion their way, Bubbles nodded and flashed her sister a perfect smile. It took a moment, but soon Blossom returned the expression, neither smile reaching their eyes, and the pair made their way to the dining room.

XxXxX

It was a little after eight when Blossom heard the sound of the back door open and close and the sound of pitter-pattering footsteps approaching where she was sitting on the swingset. Clutching the chains of the swing tight and biting her lip to hold back the countless confessions threatening to spill out, she took a shaky breath and called out.

"Bubbles, Buttercup?"

The pair joined her, slipping into the swings on either side of her. Blossom refused to lift her gaze from her feet. Already she could hear the sirens screeching. Already she could see the world sinking into a sea of red. Her eyes were burning, and the air was getting colder.

"Blossom...what happened?" Bubbles asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the trio.

Buttercup nodded, holding her hand out to Blossom, "Yeah, you can tell us, Red...is it...is it about Mr. Green?" Blossom's throat grew dry and her heart began to pound in her chest. Another surge of confessions rose up in her chest, stealing her breath. Nothing escaped her lips, though, as she screwed them shut and nodded her head.

"Is...is he really gone?" Bubbles asked.

Blossom nodded.

"What...really happened to him?" Buttercup asked.

"I…" The word tumbled out before Blossom could stop it. The dam broken, tears trailed down her cheeks and shame washed over her. It would have been unbearable, were it not for the searing red fog of hatred and anger filling up her soul.

"I killed him…" she whispered. She expected a gasp, or some sign of shock. She expected anything, anything at all...except for the quiet acceptance from her sisters. Now, the truth out in the open, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"He was the Monster King...he was the one who released those monsters to destroy the world…"

"Why…" Bubbles paused to swallowed and sniffle, "Why would he do that?"

"It was...a test...Mr. Green has been helping me all this time and...and he wanted to test me..to see if I had what it takes to really save the world," Blossom explained. A sob caught in her throat, one she quickly smothered in her hand to avoid waking the rest of the family, "And I failed."

The three sat in silence as Blossom doubled over, face buried in her hands as she sobbed uncontrollably. The sirens were louder than ever. There were needles drilling into the backs of her eyes, setting them on fire. Her teeth were sharpening and she could feel a tingle in the tips of her fingers. Her claws were hungry for blood.

As the first growl worked itself free from her sobs, it ceased the moment she felt Bubbles embrace her. And, when she felt Buttercup move to her other side and rest her head on her shoulder, the fog disappeared and the night fell silent at last.

"I'm sorry," at first, none of them was certain the words had even been spoken. But, as the silence drew on, Blossom shook her head and sat up, sniffling, "I...I really am sorry, for everything. For letting you get hurt...for letting the boys get hurt, and the girls too...I…" Blossom rested her chin on her fists, biting her lip to keep her voice under control.

"I could have stopped them in an instant...and I didn't...and you all got hurt, and that is...that is completely my fault. And I'm so...so sorry. I can't take it back...and I don't know if I can stop it from happening again. Not on my own…" she trailed off and closed her eyes.

After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Blossom rose up from her seat and let out the breath she'd been holding. Finally, she turned to face them, not shying away when she saw the mixture of confusion, hurt, and worry on their faces.

"I can't do this on my own...I know that now." There was no weight lifted from her shoulders, no relief washing over her as she said the words. No, instead she felt a pang of guilt in her heart and a sharp pain in her chest. The fog was drifting back in and the sirens were returning. Without even realizing why she was doing it, Blossom held her hand out, what little calm she'd managed to gather vanishing from her face.

She dropped to her knees, still reaching out to them.

"I can't do it alone anymore...I need you, I need you to help me...to keep me under control. I need...I need you, please...please help me," Her voice grew weaker with every word, until at last it cracked and broke, washed away in a fresh flood of tears.

Collapsing as she felt the anger overtaking her, she began to lower her hand. Something she hadn't truly felt in so long flooded through her like a cool rush of water when she felt a tiny mitt pressed in her hand. She looked up when she felt a second mitt grab her hand.

They were kneeling in the dirt with her, clutching her hand as tight as they could.

"You don't have to do it alone, you never had to," Buttercup pointed out. She laughed, trying to wipe the wetness from her eyes without being too obvious, "C'mon Red..."

Blossom turned from Buttercup to Bubbles. Her heart froze in her chest when she saw the uncertain look on Bubbles' face. Then, as quickly as it came, it passed and she began to wail, throwing herself at the older Powerpuff girl.

"You. Big. Dummy! Y-you were...you w-were never alone!" Bubbles began to sob, and in turn, Blossom found herself crying again, wrapping her arms around her and squeezing tight, holding on for dear life. Desperate to chase away the hatred filling her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Blossom murmured, kissing Bubbles' head over and over again. She whimpered when Buttercup joined their embrace. The three sat like that until minutes disappeared and time lost all meaning. Eventually though, Buttercup finally pulled away, sniffling and rubbing her eyes.

"What do we do now? I mean...what's the plan?"

Before Blossom could answer, Bubbles spoke up, with a harshness in her voice that neither had ever heard before.

"We have to stop him." Bubbles finally pulled away from Blossom's embrace, rubbing the tears away from her eyes. "We...we can't let the Messiah get away with what he's done. They told me...they told me about the things he's done to them to try to...to try to control them. To make them afraid of him. And...and they told me what he's going to do to Townsville, and then to the rest of the world," An characteristic shiver of unbridled anger raced through the Powerpuff girl's body. Her gaze was harder than steel as she looked up ather sisters.

"Yeah...it's his fault the mayor...that so many people are," Buttercup paused to swallow the lump in her throat, as her own sorrow was quickly becoming engulfed in the flames of anger, "It's his fault so many people are gone. We have to put an end to this, before...before we lose anyone else."

"You're right. You're both so very right. Dick has to be brought to justice," Blossom growled, this time letting herself feel the hatred and anger as it began to fill her. She recalled his mocking smile as he glared down at her at the wedding. She recalled his arrogant laughter as he left them to die in the underwater base.

"What are you going to do when you find him?" Buttercup asked, her question surprising both of her sisters. "Are you gonna...are you gonna kill him?"

Her question hung heavy in the air as the pair waited for their sister's response. Bubbles covered her mouth in disbelief, and Buttercup's lips curved into a relieved smile as Blossom began to shake her head.

"No...no, I'm not going to kill him. If I do...I don't know if I'll have the strength to stop myself from killing again, and again, and again until there's nothing left. No...no, I'll find a different way. We'll bring him back here, we'll take away his powers, and we'll make sure he's punished for his crimes, by a judge and jury…" Blossom looked down at her hand, which had become coated in black, her fingers sharpening into claws. Thoughtlessly, her arm turned into a blade. Then, just as quickly, she let it turn back and stared at her open palm, "Not an executioner."

She looked up as, once again, she found a mitt in her upturned hand. She slowly wrapped her fingers around Buttercup's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"Sounds like a plan, Leader Girl...I've got your back," Buttercup turned to Bubbles, who had fallen silent. Her lip quivered for a moment, before her fear was replaced with determination. She reached out and placed her hand on Blossom's as well.

"Me too," Blossom's heart fluttered in her chest, the last bits of red haze fading away from her vision; the ringing in her ears falling silent. With a smile, she turned to look up at the starry sky, and, together, they swore that they'd bring this chapter of their lives to an end at long last.
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Dreams of an Absolution