Hey there my beloved readers!

Wow two months- that long? Sorry for the wait, I've been so stressed about work and uni, and soon I'll be back in the US again, I've been neglecting my stories sadly. But I'm back! And I made it extra long for you- hope this makes up for it! Thank you all so much for your reviews, I was happy to see that some of you were so quick on the ball to realise what a pickle Jayden is in ;)

Just a warning there are original characters that finally make their appearance :D give them a chance, because they'll stick around for a while! I hope you like 'em just as much as I love writing them. Hehe, I had fun with this chapter- hope you guys have fun reading it :D

Warning: Explicit violence, lots of blood in this one.

Also, sexual speak! (*insert immature smirk here*)

Enjoy!


...

I can't see, cause it's burning deep inside.
Like gasoline, a fire running wild.
No more fear, cause I'm getting closer now.
So unreal, but I like it anyhow

-'Faster', Within Temptation

...


Butch


...

I could feel Brick's eyes drilling into the side of my head but I didn't care. I stared straight ahead- hard- at the liquor bottle in front of me. I'd read and re-read the label of whiskey what felt like a dozen times over, the amber liquid within dwindling lower and lower as I grew less thirsty and more pleasantly light-headed. It's the only cure for a throbbing hangover headache and a raw throat from shouting yourself hoarse.

"Just go and get him." Brick snapped at me crisply, trying once again to coax me back upstairs. "You're letting him skip training, you're letting him walk all over you. Go talk to him!"

"I'm telling you." I snarled at him, feeling drowsy. "He don't wanna talk to me, I already tried!"

"He's just sulking, he probably misses you! Just go up and see him-"

"I did everything I could, he don't wanna see me."

Brick scowled. "Does everything really mean you screamed at him through a door?"

I refused to answer that. This time I ignored the glass in front of me and grabbed the whole bottle of booze, pulling it up to my lips. Brick angrily tugged it away and I sent him a fuming glare out of my lidded eyes. A fire of anger flickered and burned in my stomach fuelled by whiskey.

"You're being stupid. Both of you are. He has to get used to Brat! And he has to train. Bruiser's going to join him and he's got to show him the basics."

"He doesn't have to do anything!"

"You don't want to make him do anything." Brick talked over me easily. "But that's the whole point about being a parent!"

"He's right though. Brat's a bitch. I'm glad I ditched her."

Brick pinched his nose, something he always did when he was holding back from punching me in the face. "No, you just have to call her. We've got to get someone here to help the girls watch the kids. We have to add more security now we've got more land to watch over now!"

"I don't need a fucking girl. I don't need anybody." That whiskey bottle was again looking extremely tempting.

"We have to work on training on not only Blayze but now Bruiser! They could be attacked any day!"

"Then I'll train him! Get off my fucking back!"

He seized up ready to fire back at me but we heard the door behind us creak open. Being on the upper levels it could only be a servant, or Boomer.

Our younger brother looked troubled. He pulled out the chair and dropped beside me with a deep set frown, his fingers twitching across the table.

"He's here."

The bit of whiskey stuck sharply in my throat and felt like it bubbled in my nose. Spluttering and choking, Brick thumped me harder than needed on my back and turned to glare at Boomer. "What?"

"Thought he'd 'drop by' to see how we were…" Boomer snarled.

"You don't seriously think Him would just drop by when he's living it up on our blood. That bloodsucking crab has been milking us dry since we knocked out all the communications towers!"

I threw my bottle back onto the table, now in an even worse mood. Him. Our supposed 'guardian' after Bane left us was responsible for drumming up ideas for total domination, so I guess we do owe him somewhat to our success… but while he put in minimal effort in the beginning, the only thing that weirdo had been doing in the last five years is soaking up the rewards underground, where he only gains power and respect amongst the demonic dwellers below. He has no reason to come back up to his old manor- and we like it that way.

"Nevertheless, he needs to see us." Boomer's eyes rolled to the ceiling and I noticed they had gotten darker. It was rare for my wimpy little brother to fire up like we could. "Let's get this over with as quick as possible, okay? I hate that fucker here."

I heard Brick's chair scrape against the stone floor and I followed, wistfully looking back at my bottle. "Ugh fine. But this better be quick, if I had to look at that freak show for more than a minute…"

I hit my thumb against the scanner for the elevator and waited for it to rumble to a stop. The doors dinged open and we rode it down to the very bottom floor, down in the dungeons somewhere. I grit my teeth as the doors opened and a dank, rotted breeze engulfed us as we stepped out and followed one of the many hallways. Him always wants to meet in the deepest, darkest of places – since hanging underground he has a new air of terror about him, though to us he seems to get more ridiculously high swung.

He's more decoration, or a scapegoat these days. We- more likely I- could kill him in a heartbeat.

"Boys!" I cringed at the shriek of delight that met us in the centre of the dungeon maze. Him stood in the centre, surrounded by a few guards and in the shadows lurked a few other demons- some hideously disfigured- slimy, hairy or spiked- and hardly human. "So nice of you to join us…"

"Pleasure…" Brick drawled, sounding already bored. We approached the dim light and stared at him expectantly, standing at the ready. Even though a few guards were with us and Him practically grovelled at our feet with the amount of power we alone had gotten him on Earth, he was still a lower level demon hungry for power. To trust him completely would be suicidal. "So what exactly are you doing up here, Him? To what do we owe this…pleasure?"

Him let out a simpering laugh and a small chuckle echoed around the crowd of demons among us. He rose to his feet and seemed to glide around the room, clinking his claws with that too-smug smirk on his face as always.

"Ah it's always good to come back to Earth, my old stomping ground of course! It's even better than it used to be, now you boys have made your mark!" Murmurs of agreement echoed around the dungeon again. The bearded demon snapped his claws again and sighed almost lovingly. "Ah yes, we have come so far boys, so far…"

I felt Boomer stiffen next to me and I knew he was about ready to burst out about Him sitting on his ass down in the depths of Hell while we slug away at gaining power and risk our own asses, but he kept his mouth shut and reluctantly so did I.

"But alas, no times for pleasantries boys. Have come to see you, of course, and to give you just a tinsy warning about what seems to be spurring down below."

I jolted at this and couldn't help but turn to stare at both of my brothers before glaring back at Him, cocking my eyebrow and holding back a scoff. Warning? Seriously? Who would warn us? We were carrying out exactly what Him wanted, what Bane started, and it was going exactly to plan if I was to trust Brick on his own calculations, we were unstoppable in our takeover.

"It seems that there's a rumour…" Him cooed, turning around to face us. "Down below, you see, in the inner circles-"

"Inner circles?" Boomer sounded skeptic. "And what-"

"The other eight circles of Hell…" Brick grumbled from beside him, his own eyes narrowing. "What exactly do you mean rumours? How about you cut the shit, Him? What the fuck are you doing here?"

Instead of encouraging murmurs a tense silence seemed to have frozen the dungeon around us, the crowds' eyes on us with baited breath as Him's face dropped into a troubled, irritated frown.

"Alright then…" He tried his high pitched voice again, but it came out cold and chipped. He glared around the room with those bloodshot eyes as if he suddenly regretted bringing an audience. Maybe only then he started to realise we weren't going to bow to his feet. "It seems that while we have our nice little stronghold here on Earth… the other circles have mentioned this could lead to a…imbalance of some sorts… against the natural order as they have said-"

"What!" I hissed at him, irritation and confusion bubbling up inside me. "What balance? We're doing them a favour! The whole of Hell a favour! People are dying, being corrupted- demons are breeding-"

"And that, as such, while being a great thing…" Him clicked his claws again, avoiding our gaze. "Very proud, thriving on power, as we planned… they- ah- aren't receiving as many souls… greed, envy, betrayal…as you will…wrong ways of being corrupted-"

"You mean we cut off their intake of souls?" Boomer frowned. "But you said-"

"Boys, boys, boys!" Him had raised in volume again, gliding over to us with that slick smile in place, twinkling in the limited light. "You're going about this all wrong! You can't make everyone happy! Hell, the inner circles- can't even break through their worlds to get to Earth! We shouldn't need them anymore, we will be revolutionary, a new brand of Hell!"

With that the murmurs seemed to heat up again, nods and laughter escaped the crowd as Him's followers yelled their appraisal at his words. But I still wore my frown and Brick spoke my thoughts from next to me.

"So what's the warning for, then, if they aren't a threat?"

"We are gaining more and more followers every day boys…" Him smirked gleefully. "While we do take warnings into account, I highly doubt it's any concern we need to entertain." His yellow eyes narrowed again and stared off to the side, his smirk twitching slightly. "But with success comes responsibility boys… it's time you knew who it is to trust, and who to send right back into the depths of Hell."

...


Buttercup


...

"NO!"

All I could do was rasp out a pathetic yell before my head was smashed into the tree along with my body. I could only move the tips of my fingers. They wiggled against the hold of the solid wall of a body behind me as I tried to thrash around, but I only became winded against the thick hold. My throat seized up from the pressure against my neck and my chest heaved with laboured breaths. Those thick fingers pushed at the back of my skull, pressing my cheek against the sharp bark. He had me pinned. The world went fuzzy. This is bad. Bad.

My eyes darted around where I could see a flash of black hair slump next to me by the tree- where Jayden had stumbled into view. He was breathing in strangled, panting gasps- he was practically hyperventilating. He was sure to pass out soon. We were doomed, completely screwed. I couldn't move, I couldn't hear Cass, or Tyler- I couldn't even call Emmy! I was trapped and I was stuck with Jayden of all people, and he's about as useful as-

"Baby…"

I stopped struggling, my heart thudding in my ears. For sure- I'd heard that wrong. It sounded like a sweet, calming voice but in a deep, throaty tone- almost like someone was…cooing? Jayden was still splayed out on the ground, terrified and shaking. But that wasn't- it couldn't be-

"You ran away from me..." A shuffle was heard and a hulking figure came into view. Straining my eyes, I could see out of the corner of my vision the speaker was at least seven foot tall and couple of feet wide in the shoulders. He was dressed in ripped, stained jeans and a tight grey shirt with a thick chain wrapped around his torso. His wild blonde hair stuck out, windswept, and I could just make out the red that coloured the ends. His skin looked a lot like mine, tanned and covered in dirt from the forest with a few long scars on his bulging arms. He was huge- muscled and defined. His shirt barely fit and he was built like a footballer. But he was slumped over, shoulders hunched and eyes on Jayden. The demon pouted- pouted- at Jayden, his eyes wide and a miserable look on his face. "I was so worried about you."

Jayden, still in a mindless panic, only skittered backwards in the dirt and away from the demon leering over him, but the demon clearly had other ideas. In one quick move even I couldn't track he'd leaned down and wrapped his thick arms around Jayden, pulling him into a clearly back-breaking hug that left Jayden's body bent at an unnatural, clearly painful angle. His feet dangled off the ground as well. I could see him frozen, petrified, then-

"Get off me!" Jayden had a moment of shock before he suddenly recovered, pushing against the tank-like body. The demon scarcely noticed him struggle but he gradually released him and reluctantly lowered him to the ground. Jayden swayed on his own but staggered back up to his feet, his pale face crumpling in annoyance and his chest still heaving with shock. "I-I told you- I'm not your mate!"

I froze at that, staring at the demon opposite him and waiting for what was about to happen. My heart skipped a beat at the passive look on its face. Despite looking deadly and clearly a killer (his chains had bloodstains all over them) I couldn't feel any anger off of this demon- only the telltale heat of the thing pinning me down told me it was the demon pair that had been circling us for a few weeks now.

The demon in front of Jayden stared blankly at him for a few moments before suddenly breaking into a good-natured smile. I had to blink hard to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Seriously, his eyes lit up and everything. He had wide eyes that were a brilliant, bright cyan and a round face- if it wasn't for the lazy stubble on his jaw and the malicious glint in his eyes he would've had a face no jury would convict. If he wasn't almost eight foot tall and at least four foot wide he could pass for an excited five year old.

"Heh Heh, that's funny, Babe! You're so cute, you tell the weirdest jokes, though, is that a human thing, or-?"

"I'm not joking!" Jayden yelled back at him, suddenly fierce for the jumpy mess he had been the last week. His cheeks were flushed as he looked back at me briefly, looking sheepish. "Th-This is why I left! You keep saying we're together, and it's freaking me out!"

"But…" The demon frowned with confusion. I got the feeling he wasn't too bright. "We are together. You're with me, baby. That's why you stay close to me. You can't run off like that, it's dangerous… okay?" He lowered his voice in what was probably his lecturing tone but his eyes were still wide with naivety. A rumble went through me and I realised the guy behind me, still pinning me against the trunk of the tree, was grumbling with what sounded like annoyance. Another gruff, low voice sounded from above my head.

"Cain."

The blonde demon snapped to attention, head tilted towards the guy holding me. They had similar deep, dark voices. They have to be related.

"I think you've got yourself a runaway."

"A …runaway?" Cain frowned before staring back at Jayden in shock. His face suddenly dropped and his eyes grew even wider. He looked hurt. Oh God- I never thought I'd feel sorry for a demon but he looked broken. He reminded me of a kicked puppy…or more a whimpering giant wolfhound. How was that possible? "You… wanted to run away? From…me?"

Jayden looked hesitant, but he still had that dark expression he'd mastered in middle school in place. Suddenly he'd gotten his nerve back, fighting his flustered blush to narrow his eyes at the demon in front of him. He looked more like the old Jayden than ever before. "I thought that was obvious! I- I mean…I'm not even gay!"

Cain flinched at that, but still looked confused. His face crumpled and looked like he was in deep thought- the middle of his eyebrows wrinkled and his lips slanted in a half pout. He raised a huge hand to the back of his head and rubbed it, a few stands of blonde hair dropping into his face. A long silence followed, with only the guy behind me shuffling, and then he seemed to come to a revelation, turning back to Jayden with those bright blue eyes wide again.

"Am I not giving you your space? Do you want to talk about it?"

The look of horror on Jayden's face was so much that- I just couldn't help it- I let out a little scoff of laughter. The guy behind me stiffened before I thought I heard him snort too, his hard torso jolting against my back. Jayden shot me a horrified glare before turning back, spluttering.

"Wh- I…NO! What the fuck! D-Don't treat me like a chick!"

The demon's face contorted in confusion again. He looked like he was thinking really hard. His boots shuffled awkwardly and his chin dropped so he stared at the ground..

"I'm sorry baby, I don't mean to do that. If you want to be on top next time-"

Jayden sounded like he was choking for air. "I-!"

"-'Cause if it's about the sex, we can-"

"I- I'd- I don't- NO!" Jayden blushed a deep pink and this time I couldn't hold back a snigger. Despite the clear severity of the situation, Jayden clearly looked to be in a lover's spat. This huge, hulking mass of a big scary demon was practically cooing over him! He had been hunting him, but for a totally different reason than I originally thought. For a moment there I forgot how these guys could kill me in one movement. I was in total shock and my eyes darted around in my head numbly, allowing myself to enjoy the show and vaguely aware the guy pinning me to the tree had loosened his grip to rub at his own head.

"Cain. Focus!"

"Oh…right!" Cain shook his head, his hair fanning out and his eyes darkening once more as they landed on me. I was pulled roughly from the tree and held tightly by the guy behind me. I quickly noticed Tyler and Cass's lifeless bodies on the ground and stiffened with horror- only to see their chests rise and fall in perfect motion. Thank God. Before I could take another breath, however, I was whipped around and my back hit the tree again- hard. I stared up into the face of my captor and couldn't help another panicked breath hitch in my throat.

The guy with a firm grip on me was at least seven foot just like Cain was, with fierce, dark red eyes that were staring down at me with a predatory gleam. He was muscular just like the blonde was, but a little narrower, with a tanned lithe frame and auburn hair with black tips on the ends. Just like Cain's it was messy and windswept. He was wearing ripped jeans as well as a sly smirk, and I could just make out what looked like a bladed crossbow on his back. The sharp edges of metal gleamed threateningly in the limited light that reached us through the trees. I forced my glare back onto his face, my heels digging into the dirt. These guys were clearly hunters, sure, but I wasn't about to go down without a fight. I couldn't let them anywhere near the civilisation of humans back at camp, defenceless against their brutality.

"Right…" The blonde, Cain, growled, stomping over to have a look at me too. He ran his bright glare up and down my frame before settling on my face. "What do you want with my Jayden? Why are you hiding him from me?"

My tight chest released a snort of smug laughter out of nowhere. I clenched at the tree behind me, feeling numb, but still managed to look into his eyes with my face steady.

"I don't want Jayden! He came to us!"

The redhead turned to glare pointedly at Cain, which he blatantly ignored as he shuffled on the spot. He was trying his best to keep up a fierce glare but I could practically hear his brain ticking away, thinking up the next angry thing to blurt out.

"Oh…yeah? Well, what the Hell are you doing out here? Got your own army or something? We know how many humans there are here. You looking to recruit him or something?"

The redhead frowned at that, glancing back at me as if he was wondering the same thing. Cain stepped back, looking smug. Jayden piped up on the sidelines, seemingly back to normal.

"I told you, I'm not your mate! I escaped because I'm not a freaking fag!"

Cain ignored him, pointedly rolling his eyes to look at the trees above him, whereas the other offered him a pointed smirk.

"You're lucky we were on your tail. You couldn't last two minutes out here on your own, runt."

"Don't call him that!" The blonde suddenly leaned towards Jayden, as if shielding him from the other demon's taunts. "He's just small!"

"I'm not small!" Jayden riled up again.

"I know you're not baby, just ignore him-"

"But I don't wa-h- hey! Don't call me that!"

"I told you not to waste on time on this ungrateful brat, but no." The demon's crimson eyes were flickering merrily at the argument. He looked like he was enjoying himself. "You had to go get a pet. You're lucky we made that deal, human. Your so-called allies were about to skin you alive. You should have been kissing our feet, but you run off like a coward, just like all humans do. Scared for your own ass."

Jayden jumped at that, his eyes narrowed but his gaze lowering to the ground. "I…I told you, I'm not gay! That's why I left!"

The redhead snorted, rolling his eyes. He muttered something under his breath that only he and I could hear. It sounded like "…The spine of a gummy bear."

Cain looked confused again, tilting his head. "What does gay mean?"

"It means he doesn't like you." The red-eyed demon informed him, unabashed. He actually looked almost relieved. "I've been trying to tell you that for weeks now, just kill the kid and get over it."

But Cain was back to his pitiful expression and had turned his back on the rest of the other demon's statement. Instead he was looking back towards Jayden with wide eyes once again.

"You don't like me?"

Jayden flushed but, to my shock, looked over his shoulder and refused to glance at him. Cain instead rounded back onto me, and instead of that sorrowful gaze his eyes had darkened dangerously, it looked like a storm was brewing behind the swirling pupils and he leered at me, stomping closer to where I was still held captive. I stared up at him.

"You've fucking turned him against me!"

"We didn't even know about you guys!" I spat back, just as fierce. My previously churning stomach now had a fire sparking within it. "If I'd have known, you can guarantee he wouldn't be in one piece right now!"

The blonde demon's icy glare narrowed even more, like he was lining up for an attack. He launched forward and I fell back against my post, but the demon beside him threw out his arm and dragged him back. The redhead was frowning, studying me and tilting his head. From the look this guy's ruby red eyes were giving me, I'd surprised him.

"So who are you supposed to be?" He leered closer, studying me. I blanched, narrowing my eyes. These guys were big- and armed. More than I had fought against before… I knew they weren't friendly and could take me out in a second if they wanted.

I have to keep up my guard this time.

My eyes flicked from one to the other, watching both for any sudden movements, I settled my glare on that sharpened crossbow.

"I don't know what you're talking about…." I grumbled, leaning hard against the tree behind me. Seconds of silence ticked by, those ruby eyes just blinking at me slowly, studying me. I allowed myself to blink, slackening slightly against my post. Why haven't they attacked yet? I let my gaze drift back to my unconscious friends, debating on whether I could make a clean break for it. Not without them…

Calloused fingers snapped to my chin and the demon yanked my face back to his, almost snapping my neck in the process. I couldn't help it. I raised my leg, planted my foot against his stomach and kicked- hard.

"Don't touch me."

He stumbled back, his eyes widening. From the looks of it he hadn't expected that. A flash of anger crossed his dark features. He wasn't like the blonde, from what I could see they had the same wide eyes but he had darker features in his face that matched the dark tips of his hair- a round face but more stumble and a sharper jaw, darker and more narrowed eyes with just that little bit more experience, probably a bit older. Within seconds he was smirking though, leering back over me with that predatory gleam. I leaned back, readying myself.

"A spitfire…" He ran his teeth along his bottom lip. "I thought you looked a little wild." He was staring deep into my face, his head tilting again. I could feel his eyes boring into me and it sent sickening chills down my spine. His gaze switched over to the blonde then back to me, still with that sly smirk in place. "So what's a lil' demon like you doing out here with all these humans?"

My mouth dropped. I saw Jayden startle next to me, suddenly back to looking panicked. I swallowed the lump in my throat and stared back into his face, drumming up my adrenaline.

"I- I'm not-"

"Oh, you are." The redhead smirked at me all-too-proudly and seemed to be swelling to his full demonic self from the excitement that spread across his face. "I just felt it, I could smell it. It's under there somewhere. I knew there was something in the air." He was frowning now, something troubling him. "You're good, I'll give you that. Hiding like that… got some powerful blood in you to hide who you really are." He looked hungry now, wild-eyed and leering over me with that freaky predatory look in his eyes.

I was growing heated now and despite trying to keep calm, I could feel my eyes welling up, like they were turning. "I'm not a demon! I'm not some blood-sucking filth like you!"

The blonde one fired back up again, shooting me a filthy look and looking ready to pounce on me. He hissed slightly, fists flexing.

"I got her, Rome, just let me-"

The redhead snapped his glare to the blonde, narrowing his eyes.

"Cain-"

The blonde lurched forward towards me again, teeth gritted. The redhead had to throw out his arm to hold him off again but he still glowered at me, shaking over the makeshift barricade.

"He's mine! I marked him!" The blonde yelled at me, looking ferocious. He growled, his sharpened canines flashing in warning, before his arm darted out and grabbed Jayden around the back of the neck, pulling him to his side. Jayden was frozen in fear again before he started struggling, throwing me panicked, helpless glances and whimpers.

"I fuck- no- BC- geh! HELP!"

I narrowed my own eyes, heat rising in my cheeks. "I'm human! I don't want Jayden! You can have him!" I spat at the thought, shuddering. Jayden gave me a fierce, panicked look over the blonde's thick arm. "Is that all you're here for?"

"Well, you might say that…"The redhead continued glaring at me hard, head tilted with that sick, excited smirk on his face. "But- If you say you're not a demon, we can't exactly have you roaming around- now can we?" A sharp chill went through my body, freezing me to the ground. "And all those pitiful little humans you're looking after…I can smell them from here… they would just taste so good…"

I knew exactly what he wanted- and I met his eyes for the challenge. Red into green. I saw him twitch and I ducked just in time before his fist went flying into the tree behind me, splitting timber and shards of bark flying. An unnatural spark of heat burst within me and I threw myself forward, shoving him into the clearing. He stumbled back but caught himself, his eyes flashing to a deep onyx before switching back to red. His smirk grew wider.

"Bring it."

...


Bubbles


...

"You don't look well, Bloss."

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them and as soon as they were out I regretted them straight away. My sister's eyes widened as though I'd hit her and her white cheeks paled even further, her skin turning to an almost pale green shade. Her hair was limp around her and her eyes had dark shadows beneath them. It was clear she'd been sick and looked drained as a result. I'd only seen her like this once before…

"I think I'm everything but well right now, Bubbles…" She moaned thickly, her voice weak and raspy. She put a hand to her sweaty brow and pushed the hair out of her face. Her faded eyes seemed dazed and kept avoiding my own.

I pushed my drawing pad aside and instead fumbled with my fingers. "Do you…want to talk about it?"

"What's there to talk about?" She sounded snappy, but still gave a faint sigh. Her eyes darted from mine again and I saw her cheek twitch as she added dully, "I'm pregnant."

A gasp rose in my throat before I could stop it and I pushed my cheeks into a smile.

"Blossom! Congratulations-!"

But she'd stood up, hands on hips and her pale face stuck in a threatening glare.

"What exactly is there to be happy about? Did you think I wanted this?"

My sister, usually so quiet and determinedly optimistic, was suddenly stormy and fierce and crossing the room to leer at me, firing up as she went.

"It's not like I had any say in it, of course, Brick has decided something so of course I have to do it- like the slave I am! And my baby will be no better, no, probably ignored by his father just like I am, just like Bruiser is! Until he can fight of course, and be taught how to rip out someone else's throat so he can ignore me too, oh what a life! Yes, congratulations to being just another experiment for this despicable cult, just another follower!"

She stopped and glared at me, chest heaving. My fingers twitched again, looking up at her with what I prayed was hopefulness.

"Well…maybe you'll get a girl this time!"

"I don't want a girl, Bubbles!" Blossom hollered at me, breaking completely. I'd never seen her let go like this. "I don't want anything! I don't want a baby! I don't want to help these fucking demons and their evil plans, using our children as bait and soldiers! It's sick! It's twisted! And… And we're supposed to stop them! They're killing us, Bubbles, and slowly! They just want to see us suffer!"

"But…Bloss!" I felt a stab of guilt then. This was killing my sister and I had it so easy, just accepted it. Did that make me a fighter, or just a doormat? Had I failed in my mission to do good? "You have to take it easy, there's no point in working yourself into a state! Stay strong for me, for Bruiser!"

"The day I lay down and let them turn me into a loyal slave is the day I die, Bubbles!" She screamed at me now, tears in her eyes. "And I'm starting to think I'm close to it!"

"Don't say that!" I begged her, tears bubbling in my eyes too. I felt myself unravelling. "Don't think of leaving me, Bloss! Buttercup would have wanted us to stay together!"

Blossom shook her head, her long auburn hair dancing around her.

"Buttercup would have wanted us to fight, and look where that got her! We're losing ourselves and everything we stand for, Bubbles! We're better off dead!"

She pushed me out of the way and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind her and leaving me with nothing but a painful stab of guilt in my chest and tears rolling down my face.

...


...

Blayze sat alone in his room, frowning deeply at the picture in his hands. His fingers curled around the frayed edges. The picture itself looked like it had been held a fair few times- but none by him. Why had he only found this just now? What the Hell was going on?

He blinked- hard. This was a whole other life going on before he could remember, where his aunts actually laughed and smiled without looking so scared and being so quiet all the time. He couldn't remember them like that. Her smile he could. He remembered the flash of green and the touch of her face and hair- he held to that and refused to forget. But not his aunts. They didn't even look related. But they knew her. They knew his Mom and didn't even tell him!

A chilling wave of betrayal set over him and he sat icily on the side of his bed, stewing over this new piece of information. Nobody told him about his Mom- whenever he asked his Dad he got mad, or sad, and clammed up for days not talking to anyone. Nobody else said anything about her. It was like she never existed. He had nowhere to go and nobody to run to. How come they held out on him? Didn't they love him like they said they did?

A thump on his door made him jump and quickly shove the photo under his pillow before looking around, eyes wide. His shoulders sagged again and he gave a scowl as his younger cousin stomped into his room, looking sulky.

"What do you want?"

Bruiser pouted at his cousin's snarl. "We have training tonight! You're training with me! Finally! Right! It's gonna be so fun!"

Blayze only rolled his eyes carelessly, but his stomach dropped at the words. Seeing his dad… after spending so much time trying to ignore him. And he was going to boss him around too! He didn't think he could stomach it. Maybe he should feign being sick- it had worked before. But Bruiser was suddenly pacing around him, pouting and batting his eyes at Blayze for attention.

"It's my birthday tomorrow and nobody cares! I wanted a party tonight!"

"A party?" Blayze rolled his eyes and scoffed at that. "What do you want a party for? There's nobody that'll come! You haven't got any friends!"

"But- we…Neither do you!" Bruiser huffed. "I want balloons and music and stuff, like on TV! You know they can make animals out of balloons? Why can't I have that?"

Blayze shrugged moodily, glancing back to his pillow. He'd rather be looking at his mother than listening to his bratty cousin whine any day.

"You've been outside, have you seen any?"

"Any what?"

"Balloons!"

"Oh…" Blayze frowned at that, thinking hard. Being inside all the time, encased by the same walls every day since he was born- he thought it would be a big deal finally being allowed outside with his dad, to explore and finally feel a bit of freedom after his father and uncles lecturing him constantly about how 'dangerous' it all was. But it was all the same, just another training ground. He shrugged, indifferent. He found his eyes trailing back to the pillow. "No, there're no balloons out there."

"Aw." Bruiser pouted, but grew flushed at Blayze's bored stare. His own eyes followed his. "What are you looking at?"

Blayze flushed, eyes narrowing on him to ward him off the subject. "Nothing!"

But Bruiser wasn't deterred and threw out his hand. "But I can see-"

"No-"

He snatched it back before Bruiser had more than a second's glance, but his cousin's blood red eyes grew bright at the guilty expression Blayze was trying to hide. "What's that? What've you got? Who is it?"

"Shutup!" Blayze hissed. His stomach tightened as he saw the eager look on his cousin's face and with dread he knew he was caught and indebted to his little cousin of all people. "You'll get me caught. You don't tell anyone about this, or I'll-"

"I won't tell! I swear!" Bruiser squeaked, eyes widening with excitement. He couldn't resist the grin curling up his cheeks, his dimples showing. Blayze scowled at the overall cuteness of it all, pulling the picture back into his chest as his cousin scrambled to sit beside him. "What is it? You can tell me, promise I won't tell-"

"It's…it's a secret."

"I can keep a secret!" Bruiser chirped. "Please Blayze? Pretty please?"

Blayze huffed, his long black hair fluttering on his forehead. "Fine…but don't tell anyone. Not even your mom and dad! Got it?"

Bruiser nodded frantically, twitching with excitement. Blayze still didn't move the picture, he couldn't. It was something for just him and he didn't want to break that bond.

"It's…I'm looking for my mom."

Bruiser's forehead immediately crinkled with confusion. He seemed to forget about the photo. "Your…your mom?"

"Yeah." Blayze scowled at the unbelievable tone evident in his cousin's voice. This was his own mother who could be dead and his brat of a cousin didn't even know what it was like. "My mom."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Blayze snarled at him, growing angrier by the second. "Cause she's my mom! How would you like it if-"

"But she's coming back!"

"And she's…what?"

"She's coming back." Blayze looked for any sign of joking on his cousin's face but couldn't see any- he was swinging his legs with his eyes wide and questioning. "Isn't she? That's what Mommy said-"

"Wh-what?" Before he realised it he had practically leapt across the bed with a new force lifting within him, his heart humming with new energy. Bruiser jumped back and cowered as a natural reflex. Blayze grabbed at his shirt and pulled him closer, apple green eyes gleaming brighter than Bruiser had ever seen them. "What do you mean? What did she say about my Mom?"

His cousin so close had caused his tongue to be tied into knots. "I- Mm- Mom-"

"Come on, Bruiser!" He gave him a rough shake. "What'd she say? C'mon!"

"I- I dunno! Sh-She said she was away, but she'll come b-back…one day…soon! I dunno, Blayze you're scaring me-"

But Blayze's eyes were far way, his stomach swirling like a roller coaster. He felt light-headed all of a sudden, his fluttering heart humming away in his chest, vibrating against his ribs.

She's alive.

Bruiser cautiously peeled off his cousin's fingers, loosening his hold. Blayze eventually slunk back into the pillows on his bed, his fingers slipping underneath the sheets to brush against the picture underneath. His head was buzzing so loudly with muffled, excited thoughts he barely noticed when Bruiser spoke again until he jabbed him hard in the chest.

"Ow!" He growled, shoving him back. "What?"

Blayze yelped at the blow, gripping his shoulder and wincing. "Hey! That one hurt! Dad said you have to come down for dinner today,or you're in big trouble."

Blayze flinched at his cousin's high-pitched whines but still his head was spinning as he stood up to follow his cousin. For the past few days all he could think about was his mother, his father and why they weren't together like his aunts and uncles were. They could be a family, his dad clearly cared about her, she was happy with him and loved him- as he could see in the picture. But one thing stood out in his mind and a horrible, nagging feeling twitched in the back of his mind, refusing to go away.

What made her leave if she wasn't dead?

...


Bloss


...

Sitting at the dining room table picking at my dinner was my own personal version of Hell…more than usual anyway. My stomach was still churning, my skin still prickling uncomfortably and my head was still swimming with the thoughts running through it. Again. It happened again. I'd slept with Brick and I was furious about it, enough to take it out on my own sister. I can't pass it off as a mistake anymore. It was voluntary, he didn't force me, I pulled him closer. I still felt the heat of his skin on mine, like a blanket of passion mixed with shame. I couldn't look up, I felt like they're all looking at me, knowing and sniggering in triumph- like they'd finally broken me. Is this is the way my life was supposed to be now? The ring on my finger glinted obnoxiously as I clenched my fork. Staring down at my plate, I felt another wave of nausea crash down upon me and I pushed around my peas a bit more. As usual, dinner conversation carried on around me.

"So what did Talon say?"

"Basically the same, the clubs are running a pretty standard enterprise but there's still the matter of so many pills that are screwing up the younger ones. They go a bit crazy on it."

"Basically junkies right?"

"Easily disposable…"

"I checked them out with Knox the other night, some of them could do fine with some hardcore training-"

"You could recruit them, they're pretty bloodthirsty."

"Willing to do anything for a hit? Is that wise?"

"Gotta be on the front lines though."

"Pfft! No doubt."

"You're not eating."

I jumped in my chair, feeling all eyes on me. Brick had stopped suddenly in the middle of his regular political babble and was now staring at me, his bright blood red eyes narrowing in on my plate and rising up to me. I avoided his glare, feeling terrible enough already.

"I'm not hungry…"

"You should eat." It wasn't a suggestion, it was a command- the tiniest hint of a threat hidden in there somewhere. I quickly re-gripped my fork and it was enough to make him turn back to the intense discussion at hand and forget about me- thank goodness.

Bruiser looked to be sulking just as much as me, his wide eyes kept rolling over to look at me pointedly, making more of a mess on the table than eating. Blayze was unusually silent too, avoiding eye contact with everyone at the table and instead staring hard at his plate. I tried to catch his eye but he seemed to be focusing hard on his pasta, a troubled look crinkling his face. My stomach clenched and churned in a brutal reminder and I looked down at my plate again.

"It's good to finally see you out of your room, Blayze."

I snuck a glance at Boomer, who I could see was trying to be the neutral one out of the brothers. While Brick only gave him a stern glare, Butch looked determined to avoid looking at his son altogether. Boomer tried again, casting his own glare at Butch before coaxing his nephew into the conversation.

"We missed you down here!"

Blayze's lips twisted dangerously and he gripped his fork a bit tighter.

"…I was busy."

"Busy?" Butch cocked a suspicious eyebrow and added in a growl, "Doing what?"

Blayze shrugged, surprisingly sheepish under Butch's glare. Usually he glared right back at him. "Stuff."

Butch looked away, his face caught in a half-snarl and half-wince. Blayze was definitely detached. I felt a warmth in my stomach and the urge to reach out and touch his hand sprang into my mind, but one glance at Brick extinguished that faster than it could flounder in my head. All contact with my nephew was monitored closely. I couldn't ruin his fighting spirit with damaging things such as love.

I stabbed at my salad, trying to block out the entire conversation. The tension was definitely growing between those two, and I only could dream of knowing what's going on…

"You should be focusing more on your fighting, Blayze." Brick told him. "Bruiser's gonna be joining you tonight for training you know."

Bruiser suddenly perked up, smiling up at his dad proudly. "Oh yeah! I forgot about that!"

Instead of rising to the bait, Blayze only frowned and turned back to the table. He looked irritated and troubled, but I could see his eyebrows knitting together and his lips slanting and crinkling, what he does when he's confused. Something was troubling the poor kid, except none of these guys would have enough sense to ask him, or comfort him. My fingers actually twitched at the surge of emotion that went through me and the urge to touch my nephew again overtook me. I wanted so badly to communicate with him, let him know I was here, he wasn't alone…

"I'm done." Blayze pushed away his plate and slid off his chair without another glance. I noticed Butch's knuckles whiten against his fork and his own chair scraped against the stone floor.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Blayze stiffened, face hardening. He still didn't look Butch's way.

"To my room."

Butch growled, his voice a low, forbidding snarl. He pointed to Blayze's chair.

"You're not going anywhere. You're gonna sit back down and eat your food."

Everyone's eyes were on Blayze. He had stopped halfway between the door and the table and was now glancing over his shoulder, giving his dad a long, hard look. He grimaced, mouth twisting slightly, before grunting a very blunt and deliberate "make me."

The look on Butch's face was enough to make my heart sink. I wanted to shout a warning to Blayze but he'd already zoomed out of the door, all that was left was a flash of bright green light. Butch's right eye twitched and he stood up fully, shaking from head to toe. Boomer spoke up.

"Butch, he's probably tired or something, just don't-"

Butch appeared to not have heard him.

"Oh, I'll make you-"

And he zoomed off too, leaving a similar trail of bright green light.

...


Butch


...

I sped off after Blayze all through the house, never missing his telltale trial of bright green light. He was fast, but not fast enough. The second he skidded into the fifth floor's main hallway I had him covered. There was only one way to get out and I spun around to head him off. Within a few moments he'd rounded the bend, looking frantically behind him, and I darted out and grabbed the back of his shirt, lifting him up and holding him up to my face so we were nose to nose.

"Dad!" He rasped in horror, out of breath. His face was pale and his eyes were wide, but he still tried his best to give me a growl and try to worm free. "Let me go!"

"Not so cocky now, are ya?" I scowled at him, hot fury bubbling in my stomach. I dragged him behind me as I charged down the hallway, Blayze struggling all the way.

"Dad! Look, I'm-I'm sorry, okay? Just don't-"

"Can it, Blayze! I'm sick of your attitude!"

I threw open a random door to what looked like a library and threw him in, following behind and slamming the door behind me. He picked himself up to glare at me, bright eyes hardening to a steely jade. I folded my arms and could feel my muscles twitching at the fury still pumping through me. We stood off against each other, silent and still. I gritted my teeth and tightened my fists.

"Now you're going to tell me what you're freaking problem is Blayze, I'm sick of your act! You've been ignoring me for days, I'm not having it!"

"I'm allowed to be mad at you!" Blayze shouted back, just as fierce.

That hit me hard but I kept up my front, my chest constricting. "No you're not!"

"Yeah I am!"

"If you're mad about something you face me as a man, Blayze!"

Blayze's face scrunched at me, hands balled into fists. His left eye twitched and I ran a hand through my stiff hair, my heart thumping in my throat. I hate fighting with Blayze, he's all I got and we just keep pushing each other's buttons. Something was pissing him off, but I wasn't making it any better.

"Blayze." I growled, trying hard to take a deep breath. "You gotta talk to me, okay? I don't know how to make it better if you don't tell me."

He looked away, glaring off at the far wall instead of me. I dropped to my knees so I was on his level. I hated seeing him so mad, he looked too much like me.

"Blayze, look at me."

A few long seconds passed where he still avoided my face, but when I pulled him closer he couldn't avoid me anymore. He looked up into my face and I was finally rewarded with his softening apple green eyes, wide and open again.

"I don't wanna fight with you."

"I don't wanna fight with you, either…" He mumbled thickly.

I hooked my finger under his chin. "I told ya we're all each other has, Blayze. Why do you wanna push me away for? You want me to be alone? Why are you mad at me?"

He looked down again, suddenly looking ashamed…guilty, even? I tried hard to study the expression on his face, work out what was ticking away in that head of his, but I came up with a blank. My kid, such a fighter and a feisty warrior, had to be mad at me because I wasn't spending enough time with me, or because he hadn't forgiven me about the Brat thing. Guilt squirmed in my stomach then, I knew I had been thinking about our fighting too much, or Him's regime. I couldn't forget about my boy- from now on I had to keep him closer to me.

"Look, we'll train tonight and I promise I'll spend some more time with you, okay? I'm sorry if you're feeling neglected, but there's bigger things to worry about."

He frowned at that, looking up suddenly. His lips curled and he looked ready to snap at me.

"Don't look at me like that, you know you have a duty. This is no time to be sulking, you've got a job to do!"

"But Dad-"

"Come on, Blayze. I'm counting on you!"

His eyes widened then and he heaved a reluctant sigh. I caught a flash of anger in his eyes but his shoulders sagged with defeat.

"…I'm sorry."

I threw an arm around his shoulders and hugged him. He slammed into my side and leaned his face against my neck.

"That's better. Now come on and get your cousin, we have training to do."

...


Buttercup


...

My breath stung like razors in my throat as my boots thumped hard against the solid forest ground, my mind racing and my heart humming hard in my ears. A cramp stung in my ribcage but I pushed on. Every step I took my entire body trembled, as if echoing in a final drumbeat. With a demon that size after me, there's no time to contemplate. I took a hard left towards the lake, leading him as far away from the others as I could- a million thoughts throbbing painfully through my head.

Die with dignity. You've got to fight til the end. Give it your all. This is the end, Buttercup. The final act of the Powerpuff Girl saga…

I sprinted to the other side of the clearing , throwing myself through trees, shrubs and prickly branches. My chest seized for release but I refused to let out the breath I was holding. He feel me, I can feel him. My heart quickened with panic in my throat and I tried to keep a level head, dashing to get to a level ground. My legs were already trembling and I stumbled down a loose mound of dirt, hearing his boots scattering rocks right behind me. He was closing it fast. I spun around just in time to throw my fist his way but he dodged it. I punched the air instead. He slammed into me, knowing the wind out of me. I choked for air but was thrown through the air, landing hard into a tree and flashes of light exploding behind my closed lids.

I opened them fast to see his looming figure slowly walking towards me, his black eyes darkening with every step.

Fuck. He's strong. I coughed, the pain soaring through my body as I staggered to my shaky feet. The blow had hit harder than I thought and I struggled for breath. The metallic tang of blood was rich in my mouth. It had been a while since I'd been hit like that. That really did hurt.

He ran at me suddenly for another blow but I jumped, throwing my tight fist out and connecting with his cheek that time. I felt his bone smack my knuckles and he jolted back at the contact, eyes widening. For a split second our gazes met, hot and intense. I couldn't resist a smirk. He really looked shocked at that one. I saw his tongue lick the inside of his cheek, clearly tasting blood too.

"Bitch."

He twitched and I jumped just in time as the dirt behind me exploded, dust flying. He lunged at me again but this time I bent down, jumping up towards the sky and catching myself in the air. He stared, frowning in confusion, as I stared down at him, smirking. No demon is prepared for Chemical X genetics. He looked more like his blonde partner now than ever- completely dumbstruck.

I dropped, soaring back to the ground, bracing my legs and slamming into the forest floor, sending a burst of energy through the Earth just like I taught Emmy to do. He was thrown into the air, caught off guard, and slammed back into the ground in a heap. As soon as I regained footing from the blow he'd scrambled back up, eyes narrowed. He looked pissed. He clearly was used to having the upper hand.

"What the fuck are you?" He sounded annoyed, but then his face twitched and his black eyes flashed to reveal the crimson they were before. His sly smirk was back. "If you tell me, I'll go easy on you."

I forced a scoff, heart still slamming like a thick rubber band against my chest. This time when I spoke, there was no tremble in my voice.

"Keep talking, blood-sucker. I'll send you back to where you came from."

One of his eyebrows lifted lazily and he charged at me again. This time I dodged but he changed direction and slammed a hand to my chest faster than a bullet, throwing me to the ground. I stared, dazed, up at the clear blue sky that had appeared so suddenly, before the sound of scraping metal sounded above me. Cold metal jabbed at my neck. I looked up to find that bladed crossbow poised against my throat, his glowing eyes and a smirk hovering above it cockily. The sharpened blade licked at the delicate skin just above my jugular, the edge just teasing the skin, threatening to tear. My blood pumped thick and fast beneath it.

His head tilted, black and red hair fluttering in the forest breeze.

"Pity. Thought you had some fight in you. It was good while it lasted, though."

I breathed steadily, my lungs seizing as my mind slowed. I turned my hands, my palms facing up to the sky. I did my best to raise my eyebrows at him.

"Really?" I breathed, my chest heaving. I swallowed, my neck scraping gently against the blade. "I better not disappoint, then."

I curled my fingers and felt the warm energy throb in my palm. I waited only seconds before throwing my fingers back out against the dirt. A burst of light blinded us both, the bright green energy sending him flying back into the brush and me further into the dirt. I scrambled to my feet, my hands tingling from the force of the blow. It drained a lot and I felt woozy, shaking my head and blinking away the haze that gripped my vision. I focused on him charging out of the brush, clenching his heavy-looking weapon in his fist and his face twisting with that same mischievous smirk in place.

"Alright." His head tilted, eyes narrowing. "So that's how it is."

I didn't argue. I reached down and pulled out my own blade, aimed and ready. His eyes glazed over it briefly before settling back on my face. Eventually he slowly stepped forward, his muscular arm bulging as he reached behind his shoulder, pulling out a few black, jagged sticks. He threaded them through the wires of the bow and before I'd even comprehended to run, he was aiming at me.

"Ah!" I had to let out a little scream as one whizzed by my ear, only jumping out of the way just in time. My shaking legs were in a tangle before I could sprint out of his way another whizzed by, grazing the air by my face, then another straight after. A surge of stinging in my arm told me I'd been hit. I jumped into the air, in the trees- before another flew right under me.

I can't fly. He's too quick! I thought, suddenly panicking. Another blackened arrow struck the tree right next to me. But before I could move it ripped itself out of the bark and flew backwards, soaring through the air at lightning speed right back to its owner.

Oh.

Crap!

I jumped back down to the Earth and zig-zagged through the trees, jumping and darting all over the uneven ground, not even stopping to breath, sprinting sideways then backtracking up a nearby hill. I could hear him chase after me, feel him come closer. I clenched my teeth, my entire body shaking.

But I couldn't run forever.

Blood was soaring down both arms now, my chest strained for breath and my stomach was rolling painfully. Warm blood oozed down my neck and my head pounded knowingly. My thoughts raced and came to Emmy- the image of her sitting alone in camp, waiting for me to come back, she doesn't even know- will Cass be okay? Will she tell her? I repressed a shudder and had to stop, hiding behind a tree as I clutched at my chest, panting. My breath stung in my throat and the blood cascaded down to the ground. I was feeling lightheaded and I felt more arrows whiz by me. There was only one way.

I pulled out my blade again and gripped the harsh bark of the tree behind me, flying up to the top I heard his footsteps, his own muffled thoughts racing, mixing with my own panic. He was close, too close now- his heat growing so close it almost burned. Without even thinking, without even stopping to hesitate, I jumped down and at him, swinging my blade and hoping to whatever power out there that the blade hit past skin and tore through muscle. Warm, rewarding blood soaked my hand and his scream sliced through my throbbing head.

"You. Goddamn. Mother FUCKER!"

I stumbled back at the force, catching myself in the dirt as fear crawled all over my skin like a rash. I stared at my hand, black with blood and dirt, and looked around, breathless. My tormentor was looking down at his arm, gashed open and trickling cascades of dark blood. It wasn't as bad as mine, but he was hissing and gritting his teeth in pain. He turned to me, his free hand still gripping his own weapon, and I raised mine, pain seizing me but still ready to go.

We stared at each other- feet apart- weapons raised, ready to charge.

My head spun and my chest throbbed and I swayed on the spot- but I have to fight, I'm the only one that can… for Cass, for Emmy, I could take this guy-

"Mommy!"

It was like I had swallowed a block of ice. My heart sank with my stomach in a cold pit of despair and a choked breath caught in my throat. My own daughter was sprinting through the trees to get to me, her face scraped up and her own legs stumbling. Her stomps echoed hard through my head as she came closer, almost in slow motion. His own eyes followed my stare. She came running towards me- her porcelain face stained pink with tears and her long black hair flying behind her, twigs and leaves clinging to it. Her wet eyes were wide and she ran straight towards me, picking up speed. I panicked, gripping my blade hard. I forced a scream.

"Em! Go BACK! NO!-"

But she'd already crashed beside me, crying hard, and immediately held out her hands to my attacker. She sniffed, her bottom lip trembling as I tried to pull her back behind me, but she yanked on my grip, standing strong.

"No! I'll fight for you!"

My heart raced, one look into those determined, solid emerald eyes told me she was already willing to put her powers to the test, and I yanked hard on the back of her shirt. She didn't stumble, but remained as strong and still as a statue.

"EM!"

But the demon's eyes widened with interest, and before I could yank on her hard enough he'd locked eyes with her, tilting his head and lowering his gaze. To my relief, that predatory gleam had gone, and instead a steady, studying look settled into his face- his eyes warming to a deep, dark maroon. I looked down at my daughter, grasping hard onto her shirt, but she was meeting his stare- in fact she was steady too. Her eyes were blank but dark. She was frowning but her face slackened. Her hands even lowered. I stared in horror at both of them, my glare switching. The forest grew deathly silent and those seconds dragged on for what felt like hours. I jumped in front of my girl, brandishing my weapon again and glaring at him hard.

"The Hell do you think you're doing?"

His eyes snapped back to mine, balking as if he'd just realised where he was. That steady gleam still shone in his eyes and I stepped back again, my arm firmly around Emerald's shoulders. He frowned and I saw him almost deflate, his shoulders sagging and his fingers became limp against his weapon. The silence dragged on and my heart pounded in those steady, threatening thumps. His eyes slowly locked on mine and all of a sudden it was as if the tension had lifted. There was no heat, no panic, no blood thirst. I was getting nothing from him…like he was almost-

Human.

"We don't hurt children, or mothers." He suddenly murmured to me, so quiet I almost missed it. Before I could blink he'd tucked his bladed crossbow back behind his shoulders, tilting his head at me and then to Emerald. "Come on, we should head back."

My sword still hung in the air. My heart froze and my lip drooped.

What?

"You…You're giving up?" Demons don't forfeit. They don't give up. They don't surrender.

"Not exactly…" And then he smirked at me, the familiar demon slipped back into his mischievous grin, his red eyes sparking with simmering heat. "I think we both took chunks out of each other, don't you?"

I refused to drop my arm, narrowing my eyes. No. This isn't right. No demon is this agreeable.

"I don't trust you. You came after me for a reason."

"I came after you to find out who you are…" He mumbled silkily, a suspicious frown appearing once more. "And now I think I have an idea. But now we should get back before my brother rapes your friend."

I flinched at that, my frown deepening and my grip tightening on Emmy. I wanted to challenge him again, ask him what the Hell he's playing at, but he'd already turned around and was calmly walking back from where we came from. My head was spinning and my heart hammering, but I could think of nothing else but to follow- Emerald gripping my hand the whole way. Thankfully her familiar expression of cautious interest was back on her face, instead of that eerie blank one. She held on tightly to my hand, sticking close and gripping me tight.

"Who was that?" She whispered to me, eyes wide on the back of our too-friendly demon..

"I don't know, baby…" I held onto her hand tightly, pulling her close behind me. "But I'm going to find out."

...


...

Blayze slowly stomped up the stairs with dread, Bruiser gliding behind him practically buzzing with excitement. He kept giggling giddily, and every excited remark seemed to cut straight into Blayze. He knew that happiness was going to be torn down, and he had to ignore the pull to protect his little cousin from that. There were bigger stakes here.

He pushed open the door to his father waiting for him in his usual spot, but with his uncle beside him. Bruiser rushed forward, his eyes wide with excitement. Blayze shut the door behind him, clearly sluggish and grouchy.

Butch narrowed his eyes in slight suspicion of Blayze's obvious resentment. Training was getting harder- there had been more outbursts, tantrums and tears- it was getting more brutal to work through his son's fear and build his trust back up. Especially with his attitude at dinner, he couldn't afford any slacking off. He gave him a warning growl when Blayze's eyes met his. Blayze stared back, remembering the conversation he'd had with his father. He grit his teeth as his familiar determination returned. He had to stay strong and forget the rest. A warrior, like his dad.

"You guys ready to train?" Brick asked them both, giving them a sly smirk. Bruiser bounced excitedly, a wide grin in place. Blayze stood in his regular spot, a ready stance. Seeing this, Bruiser fought against his childish excitement and stood beside him, trying to copy him while still buzzing happily. Brick gave him a reassuring grin before exchanging glances with Butch, who cleared his throat.

"Blayze."

Blayze looked up.

Butch's eyes were hard. His voice was flat as he nodded an order to him. "Attack Bruiser."

Blayze froze.

"Wh..." He blinked, not sure he heard correctly. "What?"

Butch narrowed his eyes. "Don't question me, Blayze."

"Bu-" The lump in Blayze's throat formed again as he struggled to speak, staring into his father's face knowing this must be a joke. He turned to stare at his little cousin, who looked just as confused as he did- tilting his head at his father and frowning.

"You heard me." Butch snarled. "Don't make me repeat myself. Do it!"

Blayze looked at his uncle instead- who looked just as emotionless as Butch. His blood red eyes were staring at him expectantly, and Blayze felt his chest tighten as both adults watched him, waiting. He grit his teeth, his eyes snapping shut.

"Daddy..." Bruiser mumbled uncertainly. "Why-"

A large green light flashed before he could finish, and Bruiser was suddenly flying across the room- slamming into the wall before he had a chance to catch himself mid-air. So surprised he was at the sudden force and speed, he barely noticed the pain that suddenly coursed through his body. He only stared, wide-eyed and shocked- at Blayze, who still had his hands outstretched. His eyes were darkened, narrowed mercilessly. Bruiser baulked, beginning to shake at the shock of the sudden blow.

"O...Ow!" He yelped in surprise, shaking as he tried to peel himself off of the wall. "Th-that h-hurt!" His eyes widened in realisation. Nobody had really hurt him that badly before, not that directly, anyway. His red eyes turned to his cousin, questioning and horrified. "Y-you hurt me!"

Blayze felt their glares on him, and he bit through his doubt to zoom closer to his pathetic, defenceless cousin for another manoeuvre. He grabbed at his shirt and threw him the opposite way, downward into the ground, with lightning speed. Bruiser crashed into the floor before he could regain control- bouncing on the hard ground and skidding a fair distance before he came to a stop. By now tears were in his eyes and he felt scrapes and bruises all over his body. He'd never known this pain before, and it gripped at his body with no mercy- stinging and smarting. Blayze followed him, his fists at the ready.

"Bla-a-ayze!" Bruiser began to bawl out of fear, looking up at his cousin with horror as he scrambled to get to his feet. "S-Stop! N-no!" he clawed at the ground, trying to get away as Blayze stalked closer. A tiny squeak escaped the little redhead, like a mouse being trodden on as he yelped desperately,"D-Daddy-!"

"You've never been in a proper fight before, Bruiser!" Brick yelled out to him, watching every move. "You gotta fight back! Defend!"

But with a frantic mind all Bruiser could do was cry, stumbling to his feet and attempting to fly away before Blayze could reach him. Blayze matched his speed easily and slammed him into another wall, Bruiser crashing to the ground harshly, his body rolling like a ragdoll against the ground. He only cried harder, tears and snot coating his face. Blayze had never seen Bruiser look this pathetic. He had to flinch as he took him in, his heart heavy as he lined up another attack with a move his father taught him only last week. As Bruiser again tried to stumble to his feet, Blayze slammed his foot into the ground at Bruiser's feet, sending shock waves that shook the ground so much Bruiser only fell over again, face-planting into the hard floor.

"Fight BACK, Bruiser! Get angry! Use your strength!" Brick snarled at him. "You gotta learn how to FIGHT!"

Blayze watched as Bruiser made another attempt to get up, and this time he let him. He was still crying and wailing- his body shaking so much he wavered where he stood. Cuts and bruises littered his arms and face- and his cheeks were shining with tears and snot. He shakily flew into the air, creating a red force of energy around him- a defence shield. Blayze gritted his teeth and he easily used his own force to blast though it. It had taken hours and hours of pain and determination to build up his own force fields, his little cousin's had no strength against his.

Bruiser was thrown backwards with the force of both shields on him- and he crashed into the same solid wall, leaving a deep indent. He cried louder, his body now throbbing with so much pain he didn't know where it came from. Blood dripped down his lips, his nose now bleeding from the blow. He couldn't do it- he felt so shaky and weak he let himself slam back to the floor, curling into a ball as he sobbed.

Brick watched his son with slight anger. Bruiser was stronger than this- he knew that. He just didn't have the fighting instincts and sharp reflexes of an attacker- and that's what he needed. He had to learn how to be a leader. There was no better way to teach him, and it killed him to see his own son acting so pathetic when he knew he could do better.

"Bruiser." He snarled from the sidelines. "Get. Up."

Bruiser only cried louder, his throat aching and his chest heaving as he sobbed into the ground, body twitching with pain.

"Blayze." Butch snapped. "Why are you hesitating?"

Blayze shook himself once again, advancing towards Bruiser with determination. He had to do this. He remembered his own first training session- he didn't even have anyone his own age to battle against, so Butch gave him a few attacks. No words could describe how horrible it was for his own Daddy to hurt him so much, but Butch had held him close later on, murmuring in his ear that it was for his own good. He had to toughen him up, and now Blayze had to do the same. He had to. It was for Bruiser's own good.

He opened his hand, concentrating hard as he built up his own energy for an almighty charged punch- his biggest weapon. He stared at his target.

Bruiser opened his eyes to see his cousin standing over him. It wasn't even Blayze anymore- his eyes had darkened to an almost black and his face showed no mercy- just like his uncles did when they were angry, when they fought. When they were scary. Bruiser howled, feeling so much pain all he could do was shake. He didn't want this anymore- whatever this was it turned his best friend into something scary. Something that took over his own Daddy too. He shook and cried, and in total horror and desperation he made one last plea before completely breaking down.

"M-MOMMY!" He screamed as loud as he could, curling into that defensive ball once again. Blayze suddenly stopped- the green ball of energy disappearing as his entire body froze, those dark eyes becoming vacant as he stared at the shaking redhead. He took it all in- the broken, twitching body, curled into a ball, the painful shakes, the snot and blood coating his face, the tears, the sobbing. It wasn't going to stop. This is how it was going to be from now on. It was all over again.

"Blayze!" He heard his father yell at him again. He sounded very far away. "Finish him!"

He stood so still for so long Butch actually stopped too- taking steady steps towards him. Brick followed, looking stern. Bruiser's sobbing even grew a little quieter as he opened his eyes at the silence- seeing through a mess of tears that Blayze was still staring at him, looking blank.

"Blayze." Butch snarled at him angrily, quickly approaching. "I said- finish him!"

"No."

Butch halted, his eyes darkening as his son remained still, facing away. Bruiser's eyes widened fearfully, and Blayze turned to face the two adults around him. His face was the same blank expression- eerily still. He repeated himself firmly.

"No."

Butch stared. Blayze had been resistant in the past- it had always been 'I can't' or 'I don't want to'...it was never a downright refusal.

Never.

"What?" He could only snarl, hardly daring to believe it. The room was a tense silence, only broken by Bruiser's harsh crying. He was still curled up in fear and shaking in pain. Blayze stood in front of him, his stance strong and determined. Butch took a step closer to him, his emerald eyes darkening dangerously. "What did you say Blayze?"

Blayze froze, and for a moment he simply stood with that steady, blank expression in place. But something in his face suddenly flickered- and Butch watched as those dark eyes lightened to a too-familiar apple green, and they began to ripple and mist as Blayze began to cry.

"N-No..." Blayze's chest tightened with the words, his stomach churned and his head spun. His nose was running and even though he didn't blink, the tears flooded from his eyes anyway. His lips shook. "I WON'T DO IT!"

Before anybody could react, in a flash of neon green light he was gone- a thin train of light flashing to the window and out into the open air. Bruiser let out another feeble sob as he too suddenly took off- a brilliant red light flashing in the opposite direction towards the doorway.

...


I can feel that you've mezmerized my heart.
I feel so free.
I'm alive, I'm breaking out.
I won't give in, cause I'm proud of all my scars.
And I can see I've been wasting too much time.

...


Yee! :D Make sure you tell me what you think before you go!

Have a great Halloween everyone!

Dino xo