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Chapter Ten

[Kaoru POV]

I left the bathroom and the conversation with Butch behind. I'd talk to him in person.

"Kaoru!" said Momoko. "We have to transform! There's trouble downtown!"

I nodded. We all transformed at the same time.

"Hyper Blossom!"

"Rolling Bubbles!"

"Powered Buttercup!"

We flew to the "crime scene". Those three guys we heard about were said to be vandalizing the park. When we arrived, that's what it looked like.

I slammed into the raven-haired one, who was spray painting bad words on the ramp in green. I saw his face, and I almost died.

"Butch?!" I cried.

I wasn't sure if he really was Butch, or if he was a look-alike. He didn't answer. He just tackled me and pushed me to the ground. He had this really creepy evil smile and sharp teeth…

I almost shuddered.

"Butch? Is that you??" I cried out. He didn't answer. "Answer me!" I was angry now. Angry and hurt.

He was still holding me down and the gravel under me began to hurt--a lot. It pierced into my arms and was bleeding a little. The boy--I didn't want to think of him as Butch--yelled in pain and let me go. I flew up and saw that Blossom had spun her yoyo straight at his back. He had a burn mark there. I nodded to her as a "thanks".

I saw that she was tearing up a little. I turned around and saw why. The other two boys looked like--again, I didn't want to think "were"--Brick and Boomer! Bubbles had the Boomer-look-alike trapped in a bubble and Blossom had shot her yoyo at the Brick-look-alike now. He was stunned by the unexpected pain, but quickly recovered.

I got out my hammer and located the Butch-look-alike. I quickly hit him on his side and then proceeded to do the same to his other side. I also hit him on the back with the hammer. He shot to the ground rapidly.

Before he could get up, I put my hammer on top of him so he wouldn't be able to easily. "Now," I said. "You better answer me this time, mongrel. Are you Butch?"

He didn't get to answer. Either that, or I didn't get to hear it. I felt a sharp pain in my back, hurter more and more each moment, and then I blacked out.

I tried to open my eyes. I groaned. There was too much light in here…

Wait. Where am I? I thought I was fighting the RowdyRuff Boy-look-alikes…

"Kaoru? Are you awake?" I turned my head and saw Ken coming from a room. I was in the lab?

I nodded. "What am I doing here? I thought I was fighting some enemies…"

He frowned. "I think you should ask Momoko or Miyako what happened. I wasn't really there, so I don't know." He left the room.

I looked around again, and I noticed I was on one of those hospital beds.

Momoko and Miyako came in the room, both walking slowly and delicately.

"Are you okay?" asked Momoko.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit sore," I said. "What happened to you guys?"

"Well, Miyako has some bruises on her arms and legs, but nothing too serious," said Momoko.

"And Momoko has a cut on her leg, along with bruises on her back and arms," said Miyako.

"What happened to me?" I asked.

"Well, while you were holding Butch down, Brick slammed into you, stabbing your back with a sharp rock he found, and you went unconscious," Momoko said flatly.

"No," I said. "Not Butch, and not Brick. They were Butch- and Brick-look-alikes!"

Miyako replied. "Kaoru, I know you might not want to believe this, but--"

"NO!" I screamed. "Those aren't them. They can't be. I need some ironclad proof before I find that out. I don't think Butch would hurt me, mostly because he worked so hard just to get me to like him! And Brick? No way!"

Miyako and Momoko frowned. "Look, Kaoru… I don't want to believe it, but just because I don't want to doesn't mean I don't. I wish it weren't true, but it is. We were beat today, and if we see them again, we have to show them no mercy. I know we were all holding back today, and we can't afford to do that. As the leader of the PowerPuff Girls Z, I mean it. We show them no mercy next time."

She sounded so strict, so assertive.

This wasn't the Momoko I knew. She was changed a bit throughout this battle.

"Look, Momoko," I started. "You don't--"

"Save it," she said. "Save your energy. You need to heal. You were the most badly bruised. Your arms are all cut up and you have a gash on your back, not to mention a few bruises on your legs. We're not going to school tomorrow. We're all 'sick', okay? If your parents ask, you're sleeping over at Miyako's."

Momoko left the room. Miyako was just as speechless as I was. She walked forward. "Kaoru, I think Momoko's very sensitive lately. Please don't say anything to set her off. We'll try not to set you off, okay? And, you know what? I actually don't think those guys are the RowdyRuff Boys. But I don't have any proof--just a gut feeling," she told me.

"That wasn't Butch, though. Did you see their eyes? The were darker than any of the RowdyRuff's!"

She sighed. "I guess that's a tiny bit of evidence," she said with a smile. "I'll let you rest." She left the room with a little wave.

I leaned back on the bed and tried to see if I felt any pain. They'd probably given me anesthetics.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

I almost screamed.

I could only see Butch when I closed my eyes. I saw two of him; one was the sweet, kind Butch I'd come to like and the one who tried so hard to get me to like him. The other was the evil Butch-look-alike I fought today.

No. They weren't the same. I had to prove that, but I didn't know how.

[Miyako POV]

I was following Momoko, who just stormed out of the Professor's lab.

"Momoko!" I called. "What's your problem?!"

She stopped and turned around. "What do you mean?" she asked with a glare.

"I know you're upset about Brick and everything, but you don't have to be so mean," I said, my voice getting softer with every word.

"Brick? Who's he? That stupid jerk who I thought was actually good? No, I'm not upset about him. Kaoru's just in denial. You can see it, can't you? Those guys were the RowdyRuff Boys!"

Actually, I didn't see it. "Momoko. You are upset. You're the one in denial. Kaoru… Kaoru just has intuition. We can't prove her wrong until we know for sure!"

"But you can prove that I'm wrong and those aren't the boys without evidence?"

I frowned. "Well, no… But if there's a better alternative, we should take it!"

She sighed angrily. "Fine… We'll investigate once we're all healed. I-I really don't want to believe this, either," she said, sounding more like herself.

I smiled. "Now please don't be so angry. It's not healthy, especially not for Kaoru. She needs to rest more than we do." She nodded. "Okay, let's go get some sweets to make you feel better," I said.

[Kaoru POV | Dream]

Where am I? It's weird… Everything's white, like there's a deep mist or fog… There's water… I'm wading in it. It reaches my knees, and it's white, too. I can see myself clearly, as if it was a mirror…

I smile and wave.

Then I notice that I didn't do that, but my reflection did. When I realized this, my reflection smiled evilly. She began to change. She had sharp teeth and her eyes were grayer and duller than mine. She was also paler.

She leapt out of the water to me, trying to aim for my throat. I could tell she was trying to choke me, so I blocked her.

It must have looked so strange, fighting against myself. Not only that, but neither of us had a reflection in the water under us. She blocked all my moves, and she didn't get tired, while I was starting to.

But I couldn't lose, not even to myself. There were two reasons why I couldn't lose to it. The first one was that she was evil, and that seriously bad things could happen if I lost. The second reason was that Butch was the only one person who was a tiny bit stronger than I was, and I wasn't going to let someone else be stronger.

I used all my force to push her to the ground and hold her there. She almost did fall, that is… Until someone grabbed me from behind and bound me tight. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak.

Whoever tied me came to speak to my evil half, and unfortunately, he wasn't an unfamiliar face. He looked like Butch.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I was going to cry. My evil half left and Butch came forward, taunting me right in front of my face.

I almost cried. I almost screamed.

I didn't want to look weak, because then he'd want to toy with me some more. I looked him in the eye with a determined glare. He met my glare and looked angry. I noticed something was off about him. I tried and tried to pay more attention, to see what was different.

And then it hit me. That wasn't Butch! Butch's eyes were never that dark! That thing in front of me wasn't Butch at all! It had dark eyes, almost onyx, and they were two cold stones that pierced through you. His hair was jet black instead of raven, and he was pale. His teeth were sharper, too.

This realization should have made me more afraid, but it didn't. It made me stronger, and it made me angry that I'd ever mistaken that thing for Butch! It made me angry that I'd let myself almost cry for that thing!!

I was still tied with ropes, though, so I couldn't get out without giving myself a burn. I decided not to risk it now, because it'd be too obvious. If I see that rotten little thing that looks a tiny bit like Butch…he's mincemeat.

[Momoko POV]

"Kaoru?" I called. "Kaoru! Wake up!" I was shaking her and trying to get her to wake up, but she wouldn't. We knew she was alive, though, because she was clenching and unclenching her fists and grinding her teeth. For a moment, she looked as if she was about to cry, too.

"Kaoru!" I yelled, trying to wake her up. She finally woke up this time, shaking her head.

"W-what?!" she exclaimed.

"What happened, Kaoru?" I asked. "You didn't wake up, even when we were shaking you and screaming your name!"

She blinked twice, as if confused by the question. "W-what? It was all a dream?"

"What happened, Kaoru?" I asked, seriously worried now.

She sighed. She told us about the dream and what happened, and she even described everything. She described the water, the fog, the evil reflection, the strange Butch-look-alike, and even the ropes.

"Wow…" Miyako said.

"Can this mean something?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it definitely doesn't mean nothing!" Kaoru said.

[Kaoru POV]

What if that dream showed more than I thought? Maybe it could be useful… It might show who these new enemies are. They sure aren't the RowdyRuff Boys. I'm ruling that one out.

Maybe if I continue the dream… I might understand it. But that dream felt so real… It actually hurt and I was exhausted when I woke up. Momoko said that it might have prevented me from healing for a little bit. But I was tough, and I could handle it. She told me not to push my limits.

Well, I could still think about it. It felt like we were dealing with unfamiliar and familiar enemies. They were unfamiliar because we hadn't met them or fought them before, but they were familiar because they took on the appearances and personalities of the people we knew, like the RowdyRuff Boys.

"Momoko!" I said. "Have you heard from Brick since the Brick-look-alike trashed you?"

"No," she said, annoyed.

"Hand me my cell phone, and leave, please." She was annoyed by that request, but she did it anyways.

Once she was out of the room, I dialed Butch's number. "Hello?" he asked.

"Butch!" I said.

"Kaoru! I haven't heard from you today. I was starting to get worried. Brick and Boomer just said that maybe Momoko and Miyako dragged you off to the mall or something, but still…"

"Aww… You were worried?" Wait, no. Not the point! "No, wait, never mind. Butch, where were you today??"

"Well, it's Saturday, and since you didn't answer your cell--"

"Yeah, I know, you were worried. Where were you?"

"Wow, somebody's in a rush…"

"Just answer the question! I don't have much time!"

"Time? Time for what?"

"Stop ignoring my question and answer it!"

"Sorry… It's just that I got worried. Anyways, Brick and Boomer suggested that we go to the arcade since you girls were probably busy. That's where we've been all day. Then we called each of you but no one picked up, so we just came back home. Did something happen?"

"Um… I'll show you what happened. Meet me at the arcade, okay?"

"Okay… See you there, Kaoru-chan," he said. I could tell he was getting worried.

"See you," I said, and snapped the phone shut. Then I remembered something. I opened my phone and checked to see any missed calls. I sighed in relief when I saw that there were two missed calls from Butch.

I got up from my bed, ignoring any pain. I had to sneak out of here without Momoko and Miyako seeing. They were all for investigating, but they were frantic about my health.

They were in the living room watching television. Luckily, the couch facing the TV was facing away from me. I crept slowly and silently, knowing that if Momoko or Miyako even just moved their heads to the side, they'd see me. I passed slowly and froze at the edge, crouched behind the couch. Momoko had gotten up. Miyako had gotten up, too. Thankfully, they headed through the kitchen and I was able to sneak out without being seen.

I shouldn't have snuck out, and I know that I'll probably be in worth condition when I return, but I just had to see Butch. I needed to find out if he was still sane.

I transformed in a nearby alley and flew towards the arcade. I transformed back into my usual self. I probably used up more energy transforming just to get here, but I got here faster and in less pain than I would have otherwise.

I entered the arcade. I looked around and located Butch, playing on one of the games. "Butch," I called. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Hey," he said, leaving his game to stand by me. Then he looked worried. "What did you want to talk about?"

The arcade was slightly dim lit, so he couldn't really see me that well. "Come on," I said, practically dragging him out of the arcade. Once we were out in the sunlight, he gasped.

"What happened, Kaoru?!" he exclaimed. It wasn't an exaggerated reaction. I had bruises all over and the back of my arms were sliced, the blood already crust around the open wounds. I knew I had a purple mark on my cheekbone and, although he couldn't see my back, I had a large wound.

Butch looked so angry right now, that I almost felt scared. "Butch, Butch, calm down," I said.

"Who did this to you?!" he exclaimed.

"You're not listening to me," I said playfully. "Calm down and I'll tell you."

He breathed out. "Okay. Who did this to you?" he asked, making a huge effort to be calm.

I grimaced. "Well…You did…" I said quietly.

"What?!?"

"Not you… I know it wasn't. It can't have been. You wouldn't have--" I stopped because I was choking up. This never happens to me, but today was a strange day.

"Kaoru? You-you never choke up like that…" he said quietly. "What-what do you mean, I did this to you?"

I breathed in and out slowly. "Well… I didn't think that it was you at all… But Momoko seems to think that Brick and Boomer were the others, too…"

"What? Start over," he suggested.

"We got a call about some boys vandalizing the skate park. The boys I told you about, remember?"

He nodded slowly. "A-are you saying that you think we did that?"

"No!" I said. "But… They looked exactly like you guys…" I shook my head and stared at the ground. "The one that looked like you hurt me the most. The one that looked like Brick hurt Blossom, but she wasn't too bad. The Boomer-look-alike didn't hurt Bubbles that much, but she still had bruises in the most places… I was the one who was hurt the most… I'm already in pain just standing here."

He blinked in shock. "I swear that wasn't us! I would never do that!" he said. "They were too strong for you?"

I nodded, sadly. "There's one thing I have to check to make sure you're not lying," I said cautiously.

I looked up at him, into his eyes. I gasped.

They weren't the same kind of green that Butch's eyes were.

WOO! That was quite a cliffy, at least for me! I didn't plan on ending this chapter like that...

The only thing I'm saying about any future chapters is:

1) I had 3 ways for this to go. two of them were SO similar, and I'm still deciding on how it'll progress. Your reviews will tell me which way to go, depending on what ppl write and what they believe.

2) Based on how this will progress, there might be a surprise appearance in the story. ;)

REVIEW! Because if not, it'll take longer to do this. How people review, even if it just says "AWESOME JOB", gives me an idea or lets me know how the next pages will work out. It just does, lol. THANKS for reading! :D