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Scanned, read, and redefined as of 6/26/14.


Light Blue

The shiver of the night's cold didn't help to sooth a weeping boy who sat alone on an isolated rooftop. No tear ever fell down his impenetrable chest that guarded his heart, which now finally felt alive and weakened. There were just too many tears that fell for the first time; he stopped counting when the counting went on well after an hour. He cared too little to save himself from harboring just enough care to fall into a love so deadly. His brothers wouldn't understand the suffering that he now needed to face. They didn't care for each other the way he cared for them; they didn't even care enough for themselves. They only shared greed, hatred, might, and three enemies. Now, it felt as if they shared nothing.

It all began at the end of a brawl. The two trio of siblings destroyed Townsville without sparing their own homes. Mojo, much to the girls' surprise, demanded the boys repair Townsville. His defense was that only he was allowed to cause mayhem and destruction. As for the girls, they became overwhelmed by guilt upon the sight of their wrecked home. The Professor forgave them without hesitation, but agreed to let his girls fix what they had destroyed. For days, the siblings restored Townsville. It was during this that the two blue children met for the first time as children. She helped him put back a broken bridge when she saw him struggling, even offering her precious octopus as comfort when he smashed his finger under a lamp post.

After all the destruction was erased and restored, they began to seek out each other. First, their intentions were to run away from their duties and be real children. They played games, went to the beach, and rang doorbells only to run away before someone caught them. They used chalk to color sidewalks, and under her wish, washed away the chalk after they had nothing more to draw. In each other they found so much in common. But it would always be her that changed him. There was nothing about her that needed change. To him... she was everything just the way she came.

She rid him of his greed. She allowed him to walk through a world that gave him everything without taking, stealing, or asking for it. She took his hand in hers and lead him down a path of patience. She trusted him more than his own brothers. And he, at his most foolish state, felt mightier with her than with anyone he'd ever been with. There was a strength she transferred to him through a simple touch. Hand in hand, he believed he had everything in the light with her. His brother's darkness became foreign as the days he spent with her went by.

Alone, they shared their secrets freely. They expressed their stresses of being a hero, a villain, and a teenager. One had school troubles, the other had expectation troubles from two hard brothers. They always looked down on their weaker brother. Even as children they expected much more from him than they expected from themselves. They wanted to witness their youngest brother steal more, destroy more, and evolve into their reflections more. Upon seeing their brother, they saw a liability, a joke of a villain. They wanted to see the darkness in his eyes become pitch, the drive in his evil become stronger.

She mended all his frustration. Her hand on his shoulder cured his worries. He lived carefree beside her, almost as if he enjoyed being her friend. He denied the want. Rejected the desire. And when it came time to meet her sisters, he backed away. He kept his distance as far as he could away from her. Though the distance remained miles, it never stopped him from watching over her. He was too afraid to continue their relationship if it meant meeting her sisters. They would certainly forbid them from ever talking to each other. Then, they may go after his brothers, believing there was a trap forming in their minds. He couldn't risk having his brothers discover their secret relationship. He couldn't risk placing her in trouble.

Distance was the only answer. But how it pained him to watch her cry to herself when she stood alone under their meeting tree. How it pained him to watch her finally give up on the hope that she'd see him again. The worst pain came from watching her move on as she found another boy who wasn't her villain, who had no fear in meeting her sisters, and who soon proved he would never abandon her friendship. It infuriated him to watch her smile, laugh, and look at him.

One day, he ruffled his hair, fed up with the familiar sight of the two walking together. From above the clouds he flew in a blink of an eye down to the ground. He landed loudly, causing the city folk around him to cower in fear. Mothers reached for their children and hid in nearby buildings. His eyes set on his blonde counterpart. All the memories of becoming friends must have left her faster than he wanted to admit to. What they shared between each other must have meant nothing if she could giggle and smile with another. If she wanted to bring him pain without fighting, then she was doing her role justice. She was always his enemy.

"Boomer...," his name came out as a whisper, yet sounded as sharp as a knife.

He wasted no time in greeting her more than appearing before her. In a blue flash, he dashed toward the boy who replaced him. By the neck he secured his hand, enclosing each finger around his neck with incredible force. She shouted in objection, yelling out his name. She protested louder when the color of his skin lost its complexion. He ignored her pleas, letting an evil he pushed to the back of him every time he saw her release its hunger on the boy. The boy's eyes began to roll back as his breaths became faint.

She had no choice. She couldn't watch as Boomer choked her boyfriend without mercy. It all happened so fast, all she could remember was the drive of saving her boyfriend that made her punch Boomer with all her might. She sent the blue ruff flying into the ground several feet away. He impacted the ground by burying himself under the cement and soil. He recovered quickly, his blue eyes staring with a hatred she only recalled as a young girl. Her eyes stung with hurt, betrayal, and a feeling she never thought she'd feel again as she left that sorrowful tree.

"Why couldn't you just stop?" she bit her lip, suppressing a gasp that was sure to let her tears fall, "You were capable of stopping before, and I didn't even have to ask,"

If she had never talked to him, if she had never made him feel safe, if she had never taken his trust and make him feel any different than a villain, then he would have had the will power to fight her. He would have had the want to hurt her. He would have had the guts to pull her by her pigtails, and destroy Townsville all over again, but he had none of that. He had none of what he had before; and she was to blame. She was the reason he cheated on his life of evil. He always stood below his brothers and now he understood why he never wanted to be above them. She fooled him into cheating on his true self and as enjoyable as the affair was, he would never lay hand in hand with her ever again. She was going to see him return to evil, and this time, it would much more deadly than an affair.

His bedroom door slammed open. He took one look into the mirror, staring intently at his reflection. How could she have fooled him into believing anything? How could one touch make him suffer greatly? Out of his anger and his confusion he stormed his room, throwing anything and everything he could grab out the window, against his walls, and all around him. His strength made so much of a difference that a large hole ripped through his wall. He attempted to make sense of everything. She was the good girl, the heroine. This must have been her intention the entire time. She must have been the one plotting against him.

It was villains like him who gave a bad reputation to evil. His naïve self made him trust the light of good's smile and touch. The light made him blind to see its true intentions. She took his hand in hers to gain evil's trust before she dealt out the greatest blow. And to once believe he was willing to save her from his brothers, from anyone. Up against good, evil may truly never win, but there was something evil could do better than good ever could ever attempt to. With a smirk darker than those ever expressed on the faces of his brothers', he stared into his broken mirror. Evil was going to protect him this time and he didn't need to trust anyone to know he'd win.

Revenge.

"Bubbles! What time will he get here?"

Bubbles jolted up to see herself dressed in a small blue dress. She held tissues in both hands which were stained with black. She looked down, upset at the fact that she would need to re-due her mascara for the fifth time. She was lucky she didn't stain her dress. Darek insisted they celebrate her victory tonight and he wanted to treat her for saving him. Yet something stung at her insides each time she thought about being rewarded for earlier. Had she tried to pry him off Darek without hurting him, she would have. But the look in his eyes told her it would be no use. She had no other choice.

Then she felt her insides boil at the sight of him. For a whole year he was nowhere to be found. He left her without a trace of why. And she believed he would never abandon her. She felt betrayed, foolish, and hurt for letting the best of evil lure her in. If he always harbored a killing intent, she began to wonder if he planned to kill her if she continued on with their friendship. She wiped one more spec of a tear off her face, her brows narrowing at the vision of her reflection. There would be no more tears to shed over evil. Good needed to stand up for the better, for the safety of Townsville, and without a doubt, the safety of the man she loved.

Her stiff eyebrows relaxed. Her pressed lips released themselves. She picked up her fallen tissues and headed to throw them out in the trash. Something about saving Darek left a sour taste. She wouldn't have hesitated in saving him, but that was as far special treatment could get. Love... Love was pressing the definition of special too far. As she thought about the bitterness of love, her mind wandered off back to the stored, dusty memories of a tree she forced herself to forget. She opened her eyes quickly, wanting nothing more than to leave her room, leave her tears, and leave him behind.

"You look beautiful tonight," he reached out his hand for her to take, "I'm the luckiest man in Townsville if I get to treat you to dinner,"

"I'm sure you enjoy this prize more than I do," she spit out, as she followed an oblivious Darek. Tonight already started out bad and what he had just said, although unintentional, made it worse. She was no longer hungry.

In the same skies, three boys flew in front of their dark streaks. The sinister dimness of their streaks almost darkened the night. One of them held onto his beloved red baseball cap as he lead them through the skies. The other brother almost had a spasm from the rush he sensed throughout his body while the last stayed in a perfect form as he followed his eldest brother. For him, his eyes gleamed with thirst for revenge.

"I didn't think you had it in you to plan out an attack on the Powderpuffs," his brother joked, spinning his baseball cap on the tip of his finger.

"Yeah, you're always hesitant on them plans we make!"

"I just wanted to impress you guys when the right time came," he chuckled.

His brothers took a glance toward him, pleased with the results they were expecting to get from being patient. The plan was for them to go after their desired puff, and as always, Brick chose Blossom, and Butch growled about Buttercup. They each needed to keep Blossom and Buttercup stationed in their home as he went after the weakest puff. Once he defeated her, which he assured would happen, then he would assist them one at a time in double teaming against Blossom and Buttercup. He was certain he'd defeat Bubbles with the plan he had in motion. All he needed was to find her boyfriend, kill him, and use him as her ultimate weakness. Besides, she certainly would do anything to save him. Without a doubt she had feelings for him, and that was the farthest he'd admit to acknowledging.

"Here we are," Brick landed first, strolling up to the door bell. He rang it once, knowing all too well who would answer it. As soon as the door opened, he gave out a knock out punch to the Professor. He smiled to himself, "It's already too easy. Take the old man how ever far away you want, just make sure he stays away and asleep. We don't want anyone calling out for help,"

Boomer took the Professor over his shoulder, flying out to the skies in an instant. Butch entered the home first, checking both sides to make sure the girls weren't around. He motioned for Brick to follow, who took lead once inside the house. He climbed up the stairs, cautious to any sounds. He pointed to a door that he heard playing the TV inside. With blood infused eyes, he opened the door.

Boomer flew carefully over the skies, scanning the ground below him for any signs of the pair. He could have flown faster, but he distinctly remembered how weak the Professor's condition was from Bubbles. He was issued pills for his condition, easing the pains he began having in his joints. He wondered for a second if he took his pills before Brick dealt him damage. He snapped himself out of his worries, flying faster through the skies.

He almost lost concentration from being startled by the sudden awareness of the Professor, "W-Where am I...?"

"Put a sock in it," he snapped, focusing back on the ground.

"B-blue shirt... f-flying...," he rubbed his head, searching through all the identities he could revive, "Boomer?"

He growled lowly, "I said put a sock in it or I will,"

"Buh... But I don't understand," he still felt hazy, but he could remember well, "I thought you became good?"

The sound of the word made Boomer fly so rapidly through the skies that the Professor instantly became fully aware of how high they were. He flew up against the closest building until he reached the top. With force, he dropped the Professor upon the rooftop once he hovered a few inches above. He protected his head from the impact but his joints ached upon impact, and he could feel his age taking a toll on him. He coughed loudly and Boomer could feel the pressure of his gritted teeth lessen.

"Speak old man,"

"S-" he broke out into a fit of coughs, "S-son! I don't understand!"

"You understand, old man! Who told you I was good?" when the Professor showed no relief in coughing, he flew down to pull him by the collar of his lab coat, "Speak,"

He swallowed a cough, talking rapidly, "I didn't believe her when she told me, not my little girl,"

"You aren't answering the question!" he let go of his collar to stomp his foot on the rooftop, causing the building to shake.

The Professor massaged his throat, finally letting the fear of being interrogated by a boy he knew to be secretly more powerful than his counterpart get the best of him, "Which one of my little girls is innocent enough to let an evil boy like you tear her a part?"

Brick laughed in Blossom's face as he pinned her to the ground. Butch laughed with him, almost making a duet with Brick out of the scene that played out. Buttercup thrashed about underneath his hold. His arm lay marked with bite marks from her protest against being pinned down. He duct tapped her mouth, securing anymore attempts at biting him. Blossom lay still as she watched Brick laugh at her. He seemed to enjoy himself, and Blossom wasn't going to interrupt him. She was sure she'd have the last laugh when it came to the Rowdyruff Boys.

"Look, Babe is actin' tough," Butch joked.

Blossom looked to Butch, "I am not your Babe," making Butch suck in a deep breath before letting it out in a fit of laughter.

"Oh, Babe," Brick cooed, joining in the laughter once more.

"And I am not yours, either," Blossom relaxed, almost mocking Brick. She moved in an instant when she saw his expression twist. He fist dented her floor and she only looked sternly toward him, "You'll never win this way, Brick,"

"Oh, yeah? You're right, our two brains are too equal to win against the other," Brick's eyes glinted with the darkness he embraced, "So I'll let nature give me the win,"

Buttercup shouted through duct tape when she witnessed Brick hoist up Blossom by her ponytail, her vision blocked by Butch's hand covering her eyes. She shook her head from side to side, hearing Blossom's attempts at prying Brick off her. She didn't know if he was hurting her or acting out something far worse.

Butch came close to her ear when he felt his hand become slightly wet, "One o'us has to win, right?"

Blossom stared into Brick's eyes as he bruised every inch of her visible skin. She cried out when he put more force into his strength, using the most of her strength to grab his fists when she could, doing her best to save herself from anymore bruising. He only ripped her hands off of him, continuing on with the punishment. He tore away at her clothes, bruising all he could see. She fought relentlessly, fighting no more when all she had left was her undergarments. She could feel the sting all around her. Every part of her ached, and she questioned why he hadn't bruised her face.

"You'll fool every guy out there," he hissed in her ear, "But once they see all this, and this is permanent, you'll never be anyone's babe, now,"

It made sense of the pain. He had used Chemical X's greatest potential in his punches that it now left permanent marks on her skin. It also left him severely weak as he began slouching forward, still above her. He fell on his elbows that lay beside her face. Blossom turned to look at him, her lips grazing the skin on his ear.

"Evil will never win," she whispered, as his red eyes met her pained pink ones. It was his weak eyes that made him refuse to look at her. Even if he knew, and he couldn't deny the truth (it was less of him to) that evil may never win, he could settle with ruining her body if he couldn't ruin her mind. He blocked out Butch's praise, his weak state making him collapse. The last thing he heard was Blossom's breath.

Boomer couldn't remember where he left the Professor. He had fled at the sound of her name escaping his lips as he realized the innocence she was made entirely of. He needed to stay focused on his revenge and not let anything get in between it. He needed to sacrifice all he had ever know with her in order to turn back the way he came before he had met her. The night's cold didn't help him to feel any better as he cried on an isolated rooftop. He wanted to no one to see him as he broke under the confusion of emotions. The emotions brought on by care gave forth the greatest damage any light of good could deal out to him. He had not only failed his plan, but he failed his brothers. There was no use to focusing on revenge if he could never truly want to hurt her. He cursed out through his endless tears to the dark sky before him. Yes, he couldn't deal with the similarities his brothers shared. He didn't want to go back to being greedy, hateful, or mighty through darkness. He especially didn't want her to be his enemy.

Now, they shared nothing at all.

He needed to do the one thing the light lead him to do, now that he had stepped into it without fear. He eagerly dried off his wet cheeks, diving into the sky above as he headed to retrieve the Professor and change his plans.

"Bubbles, what is wrong? You've hardly touched your steak," Darek took a mouthful of his steak, washing it down with his wine.

"I guess I've lost my appetite," Bubbles ran her finger along the rim of her wine glass. Everyone around her dined with smiles and happiness, while she felt gloomy. The setting just wasn't right for her. Darek just wasn't suiting her visions of sitting at a restaurant with any man. He didn't fit the picture. She was too guilty to ruin that for Darek tonight, but unknowingly to her, she was hinting at her discomfort.

"Bubbles, you told me you always dreamed of eating at this restaurant!" Darek leaned on his elbows across the table, "What more can I do for you?"

It was the color of his eyes that made Bubbles let her eyes drown. His brown eyes looked at her with a look she could never compare to the one she would see under the tree. She couldn't compare it to the blue eyes that spilled out secrets, showed her happiness, showed her friendship. Although she couldn't see the expression on her face, she could feel how incomparable it was to the one she'd show Boomer.

"There's no more that you can do,"

"Then let's—"

"Because you can't do anymore than this," Bubbles suddenly pushed out her chair, reaching into her purse to pull out her share of the check as she slammed it on the table, looking to Darek as she spoke to herself, "I knew he wasn't evil,"

Boomer threw Brick over his shoulder, making Butch scowl as he put down his fists. He had intended to let out his fury on Boomer but he couldn't risk the state Brick was in as his loyalties now only lay with his eldest brother. His younger brother betrayed him as he came to the girls' rescue. Butch snatched Brick from Boomer the moment they stepped out of the room.

His scowl deepened, "Don't come 'round home no more," leaving to the skies.

Boomer returned to the room, gathering Blossom in his arms. He held her gently to place her on her bed. Buttercup ripped her duct tape off, pinning Boomer against the wall in a flash. She growled, her teeth showing. His heroics were questionable, but as Buttercup turned to see her beaten sister, she slowly let Boomer out of her grip. Her head hung low, and for once, she let herself retreat into a non-aggressive state in front of an enemy.

"I'm not your enemy," his blue streak beamed for a split second, returning to the room with the Professor in his arms. He placed him on the bed, his eyes struggling to stay open, "He needs his pills,"

Buttercup, at the sight of the Professor, rushed out to his aid before Boomer could finish. He took a last glance at the sight he still needed to fix before flying out the window. First, he needed to fix a friendship with Bubbles.

Bubbles lifted her dress to allow her to run through the night. She laughed to herself as she struggled to run in heels. She could have flown, but she wasn't set on ruining her hair. She walked a familiar path and turned a familiar corner. The surroundings no longer pained her. She welcomed her past as it made her heart flutter. She tripped over the hill, pulling herself up as she climbed over it. She balanced herself on her feet once more and looked off with a smile at the illuminated tree, then she fell onto her knees. It all felt straight out of a book. A tree so significant, a boy so significant, and a feeling so significant all came together once she realized why his disappearance made her suffer all along. She inhaled the sweet scent around her, closing her eyes as her nose stung with a sensation of pain. She could believe he wasn't evil all she wanted, but she knew it was impossible to believe he loved her the way she did.

Friendship was all he needed. Friendship was all she could give.

"Bubbles,"

She froze, her eyes snapping open at the familiar voice calling out her name. There he stood before her, his face darkened from the night. The light had cast an outline around his figure. He walked toward her as he fell onto his knees. He was so close, their knees touching. Her fingers twitched with hesitation. Her eyes stared deeply into his, discovering all the signs hidden within that comforted her with possibility.

He leaned closer, suddenly wrapping his arms around her, pulling her close. She returned the hug without hesitation, while a tug at her heart pulled tightly on both ends. She was afraid the more his hug lasted, the more her heart was at the verge of tearing a part. Friendship hurt more than she had ever imagined.

He pulled away with his forehead leaning against hers. The touch made her close her eyes. The proximity taunted him with a force that felt as if her lips were his magnet, but he wasn't going to give in without giving her a reason to stop crying. He cuddles her face in his hands, wiping away the tears that mixed with her running mascara. His black painted thumbs didn't bother him.

"I don't know what you did to me," he began, "But with one touch, I went from hating you with all fury," he dropped his hands, "To loving you with all passion,"

Her heart fluttered the way it always had being with him in this scenery. This time, all he said didn't evaporate into one her dreams. It was solid, his reciprocated feelings were solid. There was no more need to imagine. And for once, she smiled through her tears, never once wanting to frown again.

Good touched evil with a hand. Evil touched good with a kiss.


Thank-you for noticing this story! This story is inspired by, "Secrets" by One Republic.

As always, have a wonderful, wonderful day!