Author
Author's Note: Contact me at theak472@aol.com.
Ha ha. Yes. Evil. Cliffhanger for this one? Maybe. And fine, call me
Twisted Rey. I don't care. Hmmph. Hey, and I noticed my story got pushed back...
like way back. -frowns, with cracking noises- Oh, and thank you for your...
um... nice reviews. ^_^;
Maybe I'm Twisted
by Rey
Chapter 12 - Forgiveness and
Victory
"You can write a thousand words, sing a pretty song, but nothing else
will move my heart as much as an 'I'm sorry'."
But it never
came.
Buttercup's
tensed muscles relaxed slightly as she opened an eye. The fist which had been
held up, threatening to crash down into her face, was now unfurled into a hand
flexed over Brick's rugged features. And were those tears in his eyes...?
"Brick?" She tried her voice; it sounded insecure, insignificant, and
was still slightly guttural. Brick lifted his head, his eyes tightly closed. A
single tear's path was a jagged mark across his cheek.
"I'm...
I'm sorry, Buttercup," Brick whispered. "I... wasn't myself..."
"It's
alright," Buttercup said hurriedly, lifting her battered body up carefully.
"Really, Brick. But you know what we have to focus on, don't you?"
Brick self-consciously wiped his eyes clear and nodded; they were safe for the
moment, for Butch was busily taunting a barely conscious Boomer. "You know
where my sisters are..."
Brick
quickly understood and was off in a flash. Him, now quite unconcerned with the
whole situation, lounged on his couch, his attentions once more focused on the
movie. Buttercup flew over to Butch, who leaned over the unconscious Boomer in
the corner, nonchalantly tapping him on the shoulder.
"Hey.
Sup, yo?" She pronounced casually. Butch froze, but otherwise didn't
respond. Discouraged by this, she tried again.
"Yo,
Butch-man. Pay a lil' attention h -" But she didn't get to finish, as
Butch's fist swung around without warning, striking her in the side of the face.
She went flying, her head ringing from the force of the blow. Butch twisted
around, cat-like, and lept after her eagerly, nothing but his thirst for blood
loitering in his mind.
Slammed into
the wall once more, Buttercup slid towards the ground dazedly. But her path
downwards was interrupted from another clout, courtesy of Butch, sending her
sideways across the wall. He began to rain punches on her, until her
already-battered body was further bruised and very sore.
She had
barely enough time to draw a rattling breath before the next stroke came. Just
as Butch drew back, as he had done over a Boomer in quite the same state, a new
presence entered the room, and stopped him dead.
"Butch..." The voice rasped slightly, but it still had the same perky
ring to it. The haggard form which slowly flew up to them was none other than
Bubbles. Her arms were scored deeply, her face battered black-and-blue. But she
was still alive.
Opening her
wide, innocent eyes, and staring towards Butch, she slowly asked, "What are
you doing, Butch?"
He uncurled
his fist, arm dropping back to his side. At the same time, the rough grip he
held on Buttercup's collar loosened slightly. "I... I... ... I
didn't..."
"..I
forgive you, Butchie," she said, her twisted face graced with a smile.
Butch, as if coming out of a trance, let go of Buttercup completely. The evil
glint in his eye was no longer there, him having been brought back to his senses
by none other than sweet Bubbles.
Out of
the corner of his eye, Butch saw Brick return, an unconscious Blossom in his
arms. He tensed himself as Brick's mouth dropped open and he almost dumped down
Blossom to drive him away from Bubbles. He quickly retreated, his hands
stretched out. Bubbles, confused at his behavior, turned about sharply to gaze
at Brick.
"It's
alright, Brick," she called quietly. "He's back to normal."
Him, who had
finally realized that the boys and girls were no longer fighting, turned about
on his couch. His eyes widened in shock, and he screamed, "What is going on
here?!"
Butch turned
towards him cool as a cucumber, eyes narrowed slightly. "Good, he's finally
with us. Well, Him, what do you make of all this? Me, Bricky-boy over there, and
the girlie," he said, gesturing towards Buttercup near the ground.
"Oh, and Bubbles. You gonna have the guts to fight us, eh?"
Blossom, in
Brick's arms, began to stir. He hushed her, looking slightly nervous, and flew
towards where Boomer lay, setting them in one spot. Then he streaked upwards to
join Butch, as Buttercup did as well. Bubbles, still rather weak, faltered in
mid-flight and settled to sitting near the two unconscious children.
"Yeah,
watcha gonna do, huh?" Buttercup snickered, rather painfully.
A slow, sick
grin spread across Him's face, unnerving the three fit heroes. He raised his
arms and laughed, and as he did so, began to grow in size.
And grew.
And grew. Until he was humongous, the top of his head brushing the roof like a
tale out of Wonderland, and ridiculous in his frilled dress and high heels. But
none dared to say so, for their mouths were all wide and hanging.
"What
am I going to do?" He echoed mockingly, a derisive grin on his evil face.
"I'm going ... to fight you!"
A red
streak, closely followed by two green streaks, sped towards Him, as he simply
laughed. Though they didn't notice it, energy gathered at Him's fingers, and
soon his hands glowed with power. Just as they reached his face, he brought his
hands up, and let loose the energy, intending to take all three of them out of
the fight easily. He knew this was a one-shot deal, as he would be drained of
power for a few minutes after the incredible blast he would unleash.
The forceful
burst, for Him had not aimed quite as well as he thought, struck Butch head on.
It was clear Butch was racked with pain as he stopped in mid-flight, electricity
sizzling over his flesh hungrily, his mouth open in a silent scream. A moment or
two later he fell, dropped to the ground like a rock.
And now, the
three remaining participants in the fight paused; Brick and Buttercup staring
down at Butch fearfully, Him cursing himself. He laboriously began to gather
energy towards himself again, though not as easily as before. He wouldn't get to
finish the attack he had begun, though, as Brick slowly lifted his head, eyes
burning with fire.
"You...
son... of... a... B_TCH!" Brick screamed. The flames blazing in his eyes
appeared to spread over his entire body, and he lifted his arms, now a barely
recognizable ball of flame. Buttercup looked up towards Him, the same rage
burning down into her heart, into her core. Green fire engulfed her, and
together, as if they had practised it, done it a million times before, the
fireballs sped towards Him faster than they had ever flown before, and he was
powerless to stop them.
Synchronized
in their movements, they assailed Him brutally, somehow burning his skin with
every touch, though he spent his life in fire. This was a different fire, and
many would question what kind of fire it was, but there was no real answer. Was
it a blaze of love, of rage? The only thing anyone would ever come to a
conclusion for was that it was very, very effective. Him tried his best to
intimidate them by mustering up his powers and growing larger, but this only succeeded
in blasting the roof of his house off, and he weakened once more. Around them,
the walls fell outwards, but Buttercup and Brick fought on obliviously.
As the two
of them pummeled at him mercilessly, he turned to begging them to stop, but they
were beyond reason. Together, with one final flourish, they struck Him to the
ground, where he lay unmoving.
Slowly, the
fire on their bodies burnt out, leaving them somehow unharmed. Buttercup,
breathing heavily, descended towards ground towards the unconscious form of
Butch. Bubbles was already leaning over him, tears running down her cheeks, the
awakened Blossom and Boomer sitting dully beside her. As Brick and Buttercup
touched down, they stared at Butch sorrowfully.
His body was
scorched completely black, his clothes practically in ashes. Possibly only
through the strength given to him by the chemical X was his body able to
withstand the great heat and electrical shock, preserving him, but his mind...
"Is...
is he..." Buttercup began, her voice trembling, and she trailed off. Brick,
beside her, remained still.
"...Butch..." Bubbles closed her eyes, huddling down, her body racked
with silent sobs. Boomer, though it was against his nature, reached over and lay
a comforting hand on her shoulder. The five bowed their heads sorrowfully, in
mourning, Blossom herself shedding tears, the rest struggling to hold them back.
Bubbles' glimmering tears stained the charred flesh on Butch's face, as slowly
she bent towards him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"I
didn't know you very long," she whispered. "I guess I didn't know you
at all... I'm not like Buttercup... she's always so sure, she knew who she
loved, and... she's happy... I'm sorry, Butch, I never got to tell you... I love
you, Butch. I love you..."
"...mmmph..." The body shook, and gave a rasping, hacking cough.
"..Butch?" Blossom blinked slowly, her eyes still slightly unfocused.
The four of them jerked in sudden realization that Butch had just moved.
Bubbles'
tearstained face broke into a smile and she gave Butch a hug, as they all looked
at Brick expectantly, Buttercup alternating glances at him and Butch, with an
unasked question: What do we do?
Brick
looked down towards Butch, who sat up painfully with Bubbles' help. "I...
we ought to get him... ho - To a hospital. Bubbles, you, and..." He
stopped, frowning slightly in confusion. "Can you fly?"
"I can
carry him," Bubbles offered. Blossom, who stood up behind her, smiled
knowingly. Boomer limped towards Brick, standing nearby.
"Let's
go see the Professor first. Think he'll be a buncha help," he suggested.
Buttercup nodded, advancing to help Butch into Bubbles' arms. Blossom, unsteady
on her feet, was supported by Boomer - they supported each other. Brick, though
he dearly wanted to help, knew his role.
The red
streak slowly ascended into the sky, leading the way back towards the Utonium
house.
Her, in her
leather duds, leaned over an unconscious Him in the rubble of his home, with
some smelling salts. Needless to say, within moments Him had been awakened from
what seemed like a dead sleep.
"Nyah
nyah," Her mocked, although she really had no need to, helping him to his
feet. Once he was standing, he brushed her aside angrily, and folded his arms
across his chest.
"Shut
up. I have to get a new demon servant now, because of you, and a new house, AND
a new army. Dad'll be upset, and I'll tell him it was your
fault."
"Oh
yes, always blame it on the goody-two-shoes, huh?" She frowned, feigning a
hurt expression.
The pair
walked - and limped - onwards, away from Him's crushed home. Brother and sister
exchanged banter, though it was difficult to tell if it was good-natured or
malicious. But it wouldn't matter either way, as both of them eventually
disappeared into the distance.
Rey: Oh, lovely... Finally. But
guess what, it's not the end! I hope not, anyway. I'm planning for at least an
epilogue to this; I can't leave you with them just going off. And if you want more,
.. tell me! By e-mail or by IM, or even by MSN Messenger. Or by reviews. (Hint
hint.) Anyway, I'll leave you with that thought. Thanks for reading.