Chapter 07

"Race you!"

The cheerful words were shouted as the blond-haired girl skipped through the front doors of the building and the childish smile she wore was so nostalgic, that Blossom had to blink twice to make sure that she wasn't staring at her five-year old sister. For a split second, she was terrified that Bubbles would fly off on school property and nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she merely sprinted away, keeping a normal girl's pace.

"Are you going to keep standing here?" Buttercup asked her as they watched Bubbles move further and further away from them. "I'll catch up to her in no time, but with those skinny legs of yours, you'll fall behind."

A light frown appeared on the leader's face. "…She's creating distance," she realized.

"Yeah…" her sister acknowledged, her green eyes narrowing. "Let's do the same." She did not need her superpowers to fly. Her trained legs shot her forward, taking a sprint to catch up with Bubbles. Blossom glanced back once, her eyes skimming the court yard before quickly joining the race.


"Hah! Won again!"

The smirk on Buttercup's face, radiated pride in her victory. Physical exercise – and winning – were two things she loved to do and the sprint had done wonders for her mood. She had reached the mall two long seconds, before the rest caught up.

"It's not exactly fair," Blossom replied. "You have an advantage with all that training."

"Maybe you two need to go out more!" the dark-haired girl chuckled and the large smile on her face was bright when she placed a hand in her side. "You two spend all of your time with books and pencils; not exactly cardio training if you ask me!"

Blossom folded her arms together, her one eyebrow raised. "Maybe you should open a book more often, instead of training so hard you slack off at your other subjects," she retorted playfully.

Bubbles was still taking deep breaths and knew Buttercup was right. The ten-minute run made actually made her catch her breath, something she wasn't used too. "Well, it was fun," she smiled herself.

"Why did you want to go to the mall?" Blossom then asked her, looking around. They weren't the only students from their school, spotting bicycles parked at the sides. For a weekly afternoon, it was pretty crowded there, the sunny day inviting lots of young people. Now that there was less crime, the shops around Townsville seemed to do great without the weekly burglaries. After all, it wasn't just the money; there was often damage and costumers tend to avoid a robbed place for a while. The small shops now managed to earn enough money to keep running and most large stores expanded.

"We could buy a milkshake," Bubbles suggested, carefully folding her hands together. She hadn't really thought of a plan when she headed towards the mall, but the idea of getting something to drink didn't seem like a bad idea. They would be able to spend time together like this, outside, with a little less stress to keep them preoccupied.

"Hmm.. well, for the end of September, I guess it's a nice day," Buttercup replied. "I just hope it will stay that way. We have a small match coming up in just three weeks. It's not a competition like the one this summer, but we do need to be at the top of our game to beat those guys."

"Oh, that's right," Blossom said. "Do you mind if we come? If you need us there for some good old moral support, I'm sure Bubbles will be your personal cheerleader…"

She snorted, straightening her back and leaning towards her sister. "Oh, ha ha, no thanks. I'd probably be better off if you would sit behind a garbage can so I don't have to see your face."

The redheaded girl's lips spread into a subtle smirk. "Oh yeah? Because it's so pretty I would just distract you?" she responded. "Oh, I do apologize for that in advance…"

Bubbles giggled. It was nice that they could take this moment of opportunity to relax. For the last few years it's been a relief that those two could finally get along without the usual irritation or clashing personalities. When the city didn't need them anymore and they were allowed to be normal girls instead of superheroes, the position of leader faded. That had done well for both of them. Blossom started to get less bossy and Buttercup, who never embraced the idea to begin with, was silently glad with the fact they were now officially equals.

"Look at that," Blossom suddenly exclaimed when they passed a show window. Her eyes were set on a small red ribbon that was being displayed. "I really like that one."

"What, you're finally ready to throw that big butterfly away that was sitting on your head for the last ten years?" Buttercup teased.

"What, no!" she immediately protested. "But a small one could be.. you know, cute."

Blue eyes sparkled in warm amusement, savoring the moment. "It is cute," Bubbles agreed with her. "You have such pretty long hair, Blossom, if you wear it loose and tie this ribbon in it.."

Her sister nodded at that, placing her hand thoughtfully in her chin. "I can tie it into a knot as well and place it as a detail in the middle… It would look both classy and mature."

Buttercup rolled her eyes and audibly sighed. "I'll be in the magazine store right around the corner. You continue your girl talk inside of the shop."

Bubbles turned her head towards her in surprise. "You don't have to go away…"

"Oh, don't get me wrong," she replied, already stepping back. "It doesn't bother me, but I kind of want to see if the latest issue is out." Green even met pink ones for a moment. "You want to buy that ribbon right? Go ahead. I'll be just around the corner."

Blossom hesitated for a moment. "You really don't mind?" she tried to reconfirm.

"We'll meet you there in a few minutes then," Bubbles spoke up.

Buttercup smiled. "Sure. Have fun."

Before Blossom could even protest, she was enthusiastically dragged inside the shop. The store bell rang loudly when the door was opened. "Let's see how much it costs!"

Walls painted in the sweetest color of light pink greeted them. It was one of the smaller shops in town, selling handmade jewelry and accessories mostly targeted at young women. Despite of the store's small size, the décor eyed warm and friendly… much like its owner. A lady in her thirties greeted them cheerfully, her curly brown hair tied into a side ponytail with a lavender colored string of lace.

Bubbles stepped forward, returning a polite smile. "We were looking at the ribbon in the display." It was astounding how this timid girl could handle strangers well. As long as a conversation wouldn't make her vulnerable to others, she was an easy girl to talk to. "We would like to know how much it costs."

"The red one?" the shop owner asked, meeting them. She took off the keychain around her neck and with the small key, opened the display cabinet. She pulled out the red hair ornament for them to look closer. The color was a vibrant red velvet and the ribbon itself was the perfect size. Seeing the ribbon up close, made Blossom want it even more.

"That is really pretty…" Bubbles seemed to agree.

The shop lady frowned her eyebrows thoughtfully. She raised her arm, holding it against a blonde pigtail. "Such a shame though. I only have one."

The girl's cheeks instantly flushed. "Ah… it's not for me, madam."

"Oh!" the lady exclaimed in surprise, her eyes focusing on her other costumer. "Oh, I see… " she trailed, before smiling upon the red-haired girl. "You already have the loveliest ribbon in your hair. Red really suits you."

"Thank you… How much did you say it costs?" When the Professor started to give them more allowance, they were expected to buy their own clothes as well. Most of her spare money were spend on school supplies and books. Aside from a pair of earrings here and there, she has little accessories lying around. Maybe she could make a purchase like this… just once.

"This one is twelve dollars." Oh. That was a little on the expensive side.

"Blossom, you've been saving up." Bubbles must have noticed her fallen expression.

That didn't mean that she was willing to spend a lot of money at once… she had to be responsible about her expenses. She missed the grey-colored eyes shift towards the store's window when Bubbles grabbed hold of her arm. "Come on… you would look very pretty wearing it," she tried to convince.

"I will give you a ten percent discount for your next purchase," the lady prompted.

Blossom hesitated, looking down at the red ribbon. She really did like it a lot.

Blue eyes watched her expectantly, giving her arm another encouraging squeeze.

"Alright," she finally agreed. "I'll take it."

The older lady smiled warmly at her as she handed her the small bag. "Here is your package. Come back anytime. My newest work will be in display."

"I will definitely come back," Bubbles stated. "When I have a little more allowance."

The lady suddenly leaned over the cabinet and gently reached for one of her pigtails. "Yes, do come by next time, I have a lot of ribbons I think would look nice with your hairstyle" she told her. "When you pass a certain age, you won't be able to pull it off anymore. Keep it like that for as long as you can."

The bell of the store then loudly rang. "Oh, look at me, keeping you longer than I should," she then pulled back, smiling apologetic to them. "Get going, you two. They have been patient enough, waiting for you for all this time."

A long second passed. "…What?" she stated. Blossom was the first one to tense, her head snapping towards the direction of the door. Her breath hitched in her throat when her pink eyes fell upon the people that stood into the doorway. His arm stretched to open the door completely, the blond-haired youth was only one step inside. His gaze was cold as he gazed upon the store owner.

Appearing just behind him, his back against the outside wall, was someone that made her heart beat severely in her chest. Gazing upon her, his lips now spread into a the most familiar, self-confident smile. Pink eyes quickly shifted to the store's large window, spotting the figure of the third brother as well.

Darn it. They were followed.

She blindly reached for her sister's hand and clutched it. She felt her flinch beneath her grip, but Blossom did not dare to avert her gaze from the three people that could blow this entire store up within the second.

"…Let's go, Bubbles," she spoke quietly, pulling her sister along. They couldn't stay in the small store like this. But she could not deny that her heart leaped in her throat when she was forced to walk right up to her enemies. They were supposed to meet Buttercup… She could only hope that she would start searching for them instead. They were in the most unfortunate disadvantage with only the restrictions of the law holding them back from fighting.

When they passed Boomer, she sharply turned to the left, but found her way blocked. It seemed that her move had already been predicted. And with a glance around, she realized that they were cornered from each side.

"…What do you want?" she addressed the leader of the Rowdyruff Boys.

Brick took a step towards her, making her back up into the shrinking circle. The fact that they were all outside, made her incredibly tense. While it was not exactly legal to use her superpowers if there was no direct threat… it was still a possibility she could consider. "Do I need a reason?" he asked her instead. "I just really wanted to see you."

Her grip on Bubbles' hand tightened, but it wasn't for protection this time. "Quit it," she sharply responded. "We're not at school. Don't pretend you care."

Red eyes glinted in cruel malice and the smile he gave her was too sharp to be considered friendly. "Oh, no, that is where you make a mistake…" he quietly told her. "I really did want to talk to you. Today for example, it seems that you have been acting rather… evadingly."

She flinched when he reached out, but instead of hitting her, fingertips ghosted over the side of her cheek. She felt every hair of her body stand up at the contact that wasn't even officially a touch. His voice softly reached her when he leaned in, closer than she felt comfortable with. "If I don't get a chance to even share a conversation with you all day… I am tempted to get a hold of you at other places."

She held her breath, eyelashes fluttering as she felt his threat sink to the pit of her stomach. "And while you have chosen a rather safe environment today… " he smoothly continued. "…I will have you alone one day."

The strong, unbendable leader of the Powerpuff Girls tensed at those words. The promise in them, were too clear to ignore. This was a warning from the ruthless leader himself and she did not doubt the truth behind them.

"…Blossom," Bubbles quietly spoke behind her. She had not even noticed how both the girl's hands had wrapped around her quavering fingers. The emotions that flowed inside her; anger, hatred, fear… betrayed her fragile state.

"We're leaving," she announced, louder and steadier than she felt inside.

"See you tomorrow then," Brick told her, allowing her.

She gave him a hesitant glance, but quickly made up her mind. Squeezing Bubbles' hand tightly, they vanished from their spot within a split second, leaving only a trail of color behind.