Confused Emotions
by ButtercupSaiyinjin
Author's note: My first real (posted) story, and I'm a little nervous about introducing a new character, and hoping that most fans won't resent that. I was sick of having seeing every PpG fic resurrect the RowdyRuff boys as a love interest, (although I have read several good ones!) and wanted to try something new. Romance is not going to be the sole thing this fic revolves around later on.
Chapter One
Bubbles floated out of her bedroom, humming to herself happily, with Octi
tucked snugly under one arm. She was dressed only in a pale blue nightgown,
and continues going down the hall. "I'm going to get ready for bed!" she
cried toward the bedroom.
"Okay!" came Blossom's response.
She pushed open the bathroom door slightly, and reached over to get her toothbrush. She paused, confused, by a noise almost like a sob. Bubbles turned around to look toward the bathtub.
Buttercup was sitting in the middle of a mass of bubbles around her, her head tossed back so that her wet hair hung down limply. She had her eyes closed, seeming to be thinking. "I thought you hated baths, Buttercup," Bubbles said.
Buttercup jumped, her eyes fluttering open, and her arms snatching back out of the water in surprise. She stared at her sister in silence, then visibly relaxed. "I ... changed my mind. Hygiene is good, right? Never can be too clean!"
Buttercup smiled weakly, and grabbed the soup, making a show of scrubbing herself clean. Bubbles blinked several times then smiled. She was happy that her sister had changed her mind about baths.
Bubbles started brushing her teeth cheerily, and Buttercup hovered out of the tub to get her green towel. She shook the froth and bubbles off her, and wrapped herself almost conscientiously, darting looks at Bubbles. Bubbles finished brushing, spat, and smiled at her dark-haired sister in the mirror.
Buttercup laughed and smiled back then let the water out of the tub. She drifted out of the bathroom. Bubbles paused, and then shook her head. She followed the other girl. "I'm so happy that you like baths now! Now we can all take bubble baths together, and have lots of fun!"
" ... maybe some other time ... " Buttercup said, declining the offer. She dried herself off, and changed into her green pyjamas, tossing the towel onto the floor. She got into bed, and turned away from Blossom and Bubbles. Buttercup seemed to go to sleep within seconds.
The Professor poked his head into the bedroom, and smiled at his little angels all tucked warmly in the bed. "Goodnight, girls!"
"Goodnight, Professor!" Bubbles and Blossom chimed in together.
He stooped over to pick up the fallen towel automatically, and went over to the bed, kissing each of the girls on the forehead in turn. All of them smiled except Buttercup who just scowled a little more. He tucked each of them in, and left.
Bubbles closed her eyes, and Blossom rolled over to sleep on her side. Only
Buttercup stared with wide eyes at the ceiling, waiting ...
The alarm clock on the dresser flashed 2:00 A.M. The black-haired girl checked
carefully to see if her sisters were asleep, and moved that annoying stuffed
octopus away from her. She got out of bed, her eyes large in the darkness.
The moon's light poured in through the windows so she could see pretty well.
Buttercup went over to the closet, and looked through her clothes, moving some aside. She went into the closet, and changed into a black dress that went down to her feet. She didn't like dresses, but this one she almost made an exception for. It made her look mysterious, and maybe even -- pretty? She banished that thought with a frown.
She went over to Blossom's vanity, getting a hairbrush and brushing out her hair. Buttercup's heart started to beat faster as she thought of what she was going to do, alive with that feeling of evading discovery. She brushed out her hair until the curve went down, and pulled it back with barettes.
Buttercup then put on some dark stockings, and her regular black shoes. She was doing this to look nice, but she still felt ridiculous. "The things I'll do ... " she muttered to herself.
But she started to smile again, imagining something. She looked around nervously as she opened the window and flew outside. The night air was cold against her skin. She flew through the town slowly, reveling in the feel of the night, of seeing the quietly serene town. There wasn't even any crime for a change. Her excitement slowly built up for another reason.
Buttercup alighted near a hotel in the middle of Townsville, walking in through the doors and keeping her head down. There was a slim chance no one would notice her. She went into the cafe near the poolside, her heart starting to beat faster. She got a de ja vu of this already happening before, but no ... this wasn't going to be like last time.
A boy about a foot taller than her waved to her, breaking into a grin. His eyes seemed to have a reddish tint to them -- but it must have been a trick of the light. He looked to be about 9 or 10 years old, and also was dressed in dark clothes.
She floated up, taking a seat at the table, a little shyly. Buttercup looked at him, wondering what he thought of her. "You're ... beautiful!" he exclaimed in a deep voice, his eyes lingering on her.
The boy pushed a plate of nachos toward her. Buttercup took one, looking back at him. Her stomach was fluttering like she had stage fright. I'm not nervous, she told herself, this isn't really anything.
"So?" he prompted, "You up for maybe a walk in the park?"
She nodded slowly. His voice made her voice; it didn't sound like other males, but it sent a shiver through her. It was deep for his age, and somewhat sibilant. Buttercup remembered meeting him on the side of the street about a week back ...
She had just got finished beating up some other moron who wanted to steal from the bank again. "When will they ever learn!?" she grumbled to herself.
"Hey!" a voice cried, something knocking her away. Buttercup looked up in time to see a knife soar over her, and watched with big eyes. A split second longer ... A young boy pulled her up.
"Buttercup! Are you ok?" Blossom demanded, worried. She looked at the boy.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah ... I'm fine ... " she said, dusting some dirt off of her. Bubbles was punching the fire out of the criminal dumb enough to attack her behind them. Buttercup looked away, embarassed that she had to be saved.
"That was very brave. You should be rewarded," Blossom said to the boy. The boy shook his head, appearing nervous. "No, no, no!"
"Alright," she conceded, and flew away to finish up business with the other crooks. Buttercup looked at the boy, feeling a little put-out still. "Um ... thanks."
"No problem," he said back, looking away again. He glanced back and their eyes met for a long time. "H -- hey, you're pretty tough back there, you know that? I've heard a lot about you."
"Really?" she asked, somewhat flattered. Buttercup tried to be tough like the boys, but not a one of them had ever complimented her on it.
"Yeah ... hey, maybe you can come over to my house sometime?" he asked, hopefully.
"Maybe ..." she replied.
"GIRLS! It's time for dinner!" the Professor called from down the street. She looked away regretfully. "I've got to go eat dinner."
"Yeah. Bye," he said, waving to her as she flew away ...
She had gotten to know him a little better since then. He was somewhat dark and moody, not liking to hang around with other kids, but never doing anyone wrong. Not like that jerk, Ace, using me, she thought bitterly.
He stood up, and pulled her chair out for her. The nachos were left, forgotten, on the table. "Well, let's go."
"Okay," Buttercup agreed. Without warning, she took his arm and floated into the air. The boy yelped, looking down. "I ... I thought we were walking ... " he said weakly.
Buttercup laughed. She wondered why what she saw in him; he wasn't as tough as her, and something of a wimp at times. "Don't worry, I'm not going to drop you!"
"Ok ... " he said, trying to keep his eyes on her. He kept on looking down at the city, many many feet below him though. A few minutes later, she landed in the park. He looked relieved. "Well, I'm not going to forget that anytime soon!"
Buttercup smiled, almost maliciously. "We could fly more often."
"No ... " he answered, and sat down on the bench, patting it as if to ask her to join him. She did, but kept her eye on him. He laughed a little. "I'm sorry, I'm horrible at this. You must think I'm a geek or something."
"Sometimes," she answered truthfuly, and turned toward him, arranging her legs comfortably, "Why don't you tell me about yourself?"
He looked nervous again. "Well, my dad works nights ... nights ... at a store here, and my mom works too, at a restaurant. They don't have much time for me. Me, I guess I just try to get through the day. To see you again, of course," he said, flashing her a smile. She smiled back and giggled.
Buttercup winced internally. I did NOT do that. I'm becoming girly ... yuck ... somehow that thought didn't seem as bad as it once did.
The boy crossed his legs, resting one foot on his knee and looking around him at the park. A pidgeon fluttered down sleepily, checked them out, and moved on when it saw they had no food. They sat in awkward silence for a while.
"I was created in a laboratory and I fight crime with my sisters. One is a little baby, and the other is way too bossy. But fighting crime has to be the best part of my bad; school is sooo boring. Especially fighting a real villain who can give me a challenge. Wham! Pow!" she said, mimicing punching movements in the air.
"I guess there has got to be a few that aren't so much of a challenge," he said, glancing at the not-so-secret lair in the middle of the park on a volcano. Buttercup frowned, and then laughed when she saw where he was looking.
"Well, there were a few close calls. Like the time of the RowdyRuff boys, and Mojo Jojo sometimes comes up with schemes, and then there was the time Him took over Towns -- " she broke up, but he had already leaned forward attentively.
"Oh? When? I know the first two, but I don't remember Townville being taken over by Lucifer," he said offhandedly. She shivered, goosebumps running up her skin. A feeling of dread came over her. "What did you just say?"
"I said, I don't recall Townsville being taken over by Him. Why?" he replied. The boy gave her a funny look.
"Oh," she said weakly and laughed, "Just hearin' things. Well, there was this time me and my sisters were racing, but we went to the future. And we found that we had left Townsville for fifty years and it was horrible! Everyone blamed us, and Townsville was all rotted and junk, and there weren't any plants or animals ..."
"Really," he whispered with interest, his voice dropping deeper again. "Did you ever tell anyone?"
"No, no one ... until now. I -- guess it was my fault 'cause I wanted to race," Buttercup said, hanging her head, "Sometimes I have nightmares ..."
"Everyone does," he said, his eyes glittering in the moonlight, "Maybe it was wrong of you to race. But we can't see what happens in the future, can we?"
"No," she answered, and looked at him. He smiled and she smiled back, her spirits lifting. "You don't seem like every other boy I've met. You understand me."
"Of course I do. I know exactly how you feel," the boy said, still smiling. Buttercup felt warm inside. She looked up at the moon. An hour had passed. She needed to get home before anyone noticed her absence, even accidentally. "I need to go."
"I understand," he said. "I'll meet you this weekend back here, if you're not busy. Midnight sound good?"
"It's fine," she said happily. Buttercup hesitated, and then gave him a really quick hug around his neck for being nice to her. He patted her back. "Goodnight, Buttercup."
"Goodnight," she said, and flew off. She didn't believe in prolonging goodbyes. That fluttering feeling didn't leave her though. He's so nice, she thought to herself, but I'm scared ... I don't want to get hurt again ...
Buttercup was still thrilled with that sense of danger, of being alive, of having a new confidant. Someone she could tell everything to. She went back in through the window, changed back into her pyjamas, and crawled into bed.
The bell at Pokey Oaks Kindergarten rung to show it was time for recess. Schoolchildren cheered and rushed out the door toward the playground, including the three Powerpuff Girls. Ms. Keane called back Blossom though, a concerned expression on her face.
"Blossom, your sister Buttercup's grades have been falling dangerously. I'm worried about you girls because what I teach now will mean a lot when you go to grade school, and she is doing badly on her homework and tests. She also seems to be distracted," the teacher said softly.
Blossom nodded and looked at Buttercup sitting off by herself in the grass, gazing at the clouds with Bubbles. "I know what you mean ... but at home, she seems to have changed for the better. I'll try to get her to focus more on her homework."
"Thank you, Blossom," Ms. Keane said, and went back to writing something at her desk. Blossom floated out the door and toward her sisters.
"I think that one looks like a flower," Bubbles said, pointing at an oddly-shaped cloud.
"Nah, it looks more like a mace," Buttercup corrected her. Bubbles gestured toward another one. "That one looks like a heart!"
"Definitely," Buttercup agreed, smiling. Blossom tapped her on the shoulder. "Buttercup, we need to talk. Your grades have been getting worse."
"So what?" she replied, nonplussed. "School doesn't matter. I learn on my own time."
Blossom sighed. "Really? Like what?"
Buttercup shrugged. "History, mostly, and learning some German."
"I didn't think you had any interests other than fighting," Blossom said. Buttercup glowered at her, and she hastily corrected, "but I see now that you do. Why don't I help you with your homework tonight?"
"Why don't you not, and let me do it?" Buttercup snapped, still stung slightly by the earlier remark. She turned away, ignoring Blossom. Blossom sighed, and floated away. When her sister was stubborn, there was nothing she could do to change it. She just wished she understood her other sister more.
Whenever I think I'm getting somewhere, she just pushes me away, Blossom thought to herself. Oh, well, it doesn't matter. She can take her own consequences.
Bubbles and Buttercup went back to their offbeat meteorological studies.
The hotline rang in the girl's bedroom. Bubbles looked up from drawing, and
Buttercup from a math book she had been glaring at. Both Blossom and Buttercup
zipped to answer it. They stared each other down as the hotline continued
buzzing.
Buttercup picked up the phone first. "Hello? What's yer problem?"
"No, this is Buttercup. A giant bird is attacking Townsville? Fire? We're right on it, Mayor. We'll teach that monster a lesson!" Buttercup slammed the phone down, and shot off through the ceiling. Blossom followed, a frown replacing her usual confident smile. Bubbles came in behind.
Blossom went to the lead again despite Buttercup's dark look. They came in sight of the monster, and all stopped, taken aback.
A giant bird made out of fire was flapping above the town, its wings dripping flame. It screamed a challenge, and swooped in. Burnt buildings and burning people ran about. It was pure chaos. "We need water! Now!" Blossom said, pointing toward the ocean. Bubbles nodded and raced off. After a second, so did Buttercup.
Blossom flew over until she was face-to-face with the phoenix. Its baleful gaze finally landed on her, and it screeched a challenge. She inhaled deeply, and used her ice breath. The ice started to hit it, but only disappeared in gouts of steam around the bird. She ducked to avoid its dangerously hot wings as it slammed them together.
She spun and kicked it directly in the eye. The bird screamed with rage, and smacked her withs its wing hard. Blossom was thrown into the side of a building, charred badly. She lifted her eyes to see Buttercup flying down with a broken waterhose toward a fire hydrant. Bubbles was carrying a huge vat of water.
Blossom knew it wasn't going to be enough, but they might as well try. She shook the ash off of herself, and flew over to assist Buttercup in setting up the fire hydrant. The phoenix had already turned its attention away from them, focusing on burning buildings down to nothing.
The fire hose roared to life, water spewing from it. Blossom took it from Buttercup without asking, and aimed it at the gigantic fire bird. Bubbles heaved the water tower at it all at the same time. The phoenix looked around belatedly.
The water caught it dead center as it tried to defend itself with upraised wings. The phoenix screamed, and smoldered, its flames dying down some. "Attack while it's weak!" Blossom commanded.
The three girls rushed at the bird through the air. Kicks and punches rained from all three sides, but the monster was still far from helpless. It clapped its wings together, stunning Bubbles senseless, and a raking claw dragged Buttercup out of the air.
Blossom hung back, knowing when she was outclassed. She waited for her sisters to recover. Bubbles stirred after several minutes. "Okay, let's try hitting it all at once! 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... NOW!"
They all charged at the phoenix in a triple-team punch. The phoenix was launched through the air, and disappeared in a twinkle of light. They each congratulated themselves on a job well done. Blossom and Bubbles flew on ahead, as usual, while Buttercup tagged behind, disgruntled. Did Blossom always have to take charge? Why couldn't she let someone else lead for a change instead of being so selfish?
"Oh, Buttercup ... " a hauntingly familiar effeminate voice called from behind her. She whirled around, prepared to fight.
The street was utterly empty. The streetlights illuminated no sign of life. Buttercup rubbed at her arms, trying to make the goosebumps go away. She knew that voice from somewhere, but she couldn't remember, where ...
She shook her head, and continued on toward the Utonium house, trying to put the incident out of her mind. Another day, another enemy defeated, a few more days, and it would be the weekend. She sucked in air through her teeth at the thought then sighed pleasantly.
Buttercup went back to her math homework, as much as she hated it. Dare she admit it? Blossom had been partly right, she needed to bring her grades up. She wanted to be smart and intelligent like he was, pleasantly surprise him with a real conversation ...
Buttercup smiled at the thought, and suddenly adding 9 and 5 didn't seem so hard anymore. Just like ten and 5, she told herself, count one done. Fifteen down to fourteen. She continued on through the problems, whispering to herself. Bubbles drew, and Blossom found herself looking at her fiery sister, wondering where these changes had come from.
She would find out sooner or later; her curiosity was piqued, and she wouldn't let go until she found out the solution to this odd mystery. Blossom went back to reading up on conversational Chinese.
To be continued ...