SAMURAI POWERPUFFS

CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Allies

Jack knew they would still be angry at Aku having slipped away. He had experienced the same thing himself and knew the emotion well. But until it passed and he had used it to strengthen his resolve for the long-term goal, he was a dangerous person to approach. Thusly, he did not want to surprise the girls when they arrived, lest he have their anger turned on him. It would not be a good way to begin an alliance. So he decided to let them see him as they approached. He dropped the plywood back over the elevator shaft and stood in the open, watching the colored streak coming toward him. The rain was easing and the dark clouds were mostly passed to the ocean side of the city.

* * * * * * *

"Ah! The samurai reveals himself at last! And those children are approaching him! I will observe and learn the location of this time machine, and then rid myself of them. Aku's eternal reign begins this day!"

* * * * * * *

"Look, girls!" Blossom pointed ahead. "Is that a person?"

Bubbles squinted. "Oh my gosh! It's the professor!"

They put on a burst of speed, but then Buttercup cried, "Hey, that's not the professor!"

"It looks like him, but it's not him!" Blossom said, perplexed. "Where did he come from?"

"He looks like one of those samurai guys." Buttercup said. "Look at how he's dressed, and that sword!"

"Yeah, but where did he come from?" Blossom repeated. The man stood, unmoving, arms crossed, watching them. "I think he sees us."

"Look! Birds!" Bubbles cried out suddenly, pointing to their right. Indeed, a small flock of perhaps twenty boat-tailed grackles, often seen not far from the coast, flew out of the sun that had poked from behind the now-distant storm clouds. They circled over the man and the ruined observatory, looking for a place to land. He glanced up at them briefly. Several landed and drank from puddles of rainwater left behind, while the others remained in the sky, circling, looking for someplace better.

It was the first life of any kind they had seen. Blossom had a sudden thought. "Hey, maybe with HIM gone, things will start to come out, now."

That made sense to Buttercup. "Maybe. Hey, Blossom, he's not reaching for his sword. I guess he thinks we're harmless."

"Or maybe he was watching us through Mojo's telescope!" Bubbles said brightly.

"Hey, good eye, Bubbles!" Buttercup answered. "Maybe he saw us the whole time and knows he better not mess with us!"

Blossom sighed. "Don't go getting a big head, Buttercup. We ought to be careful, this could still be one of HIM's tricks."

They all had noticed that the stranger had dried blood and numerous scrapes on his legs and that his hands looked raw. Buttercup mentioned it now.

"If he does mess with us, he's gonna have a lot more than a few cuts and bruises!"

They floated to within fifty feet of him, remaining slightly above so he had to look up at them. His eyes never moved.

"Hello, Blossom."

They jumped back.

"H-how do you know my n-name?"

He slowly raised a hand in greeting. "Do not be afraid. I am a friend. My name is Jack."

Buttercup recovered first. "We'll just see about that, Jack. Answer the question! How do you know our names?"

"This one has the aggressiveness of a tiger." He smiled slightly. "I have told you mine. What is yours?"

"Back off, Buttercup, he's right." Blossom turned her head to look at the stranger. "These are my sisters Buttercup and Bubbles." She frowned. "But, if you knew that, you wouldn't have asked…" It dawned on her. "You were watching me, weren't you?" She pointed at the telescope.

"Did you see us beat HIM?" Bubbles asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes, but I prefer to use the word 'it'. The demon does not deserve to be referred to as a person."

"What else would we call him?" Buttercup frowned. "It's his name."

"Aku?"

"Gesundheit!" they all said at once.

Now Jack frowned. Aku probably went by many names, but this Gesundheit was a very odd one. "Well, it would appear that you have battled it before, as have I."

Buttercup was astonished. "You've fought HIM before?"

"Yes, I have fought many battles against the forces of Aku."

"Gesundheit!"

He held up one hand. "Please. You may call it what you-"

"We should try to get dried off before we catch cold, too." Blossom said. They were still pretty wet from the rains.

Bubbles said, "No wonder he got a cold with that dress he's wearing."

"It is not a dress!"

"Yeah, dummy!" Buttercup looked at her sister. "It's hitatare."

Jack was astonished at the use of the term for the specific style of kimono he wore.

Buttercup looked at him and giggled, putting her hands to her mouth. "I bet even your fundoshi got wet. No wonder you got a cold!"

Jack blushed at the mention of his undergarments, especially coming from a young female child. But he needed to clear up this confusion. "I do not have a cold! Where are you getting that idea from?"

"You keep sneezing!" Bubbles said.

"I have not sneezed."

Blossom took over. "Yes you did, twice, and we said 'Gesundheit' 'cause it's the polite thing to do when somebody sneezes. We were trying to tell you about HIM and you were about to tell us what you call him when you sneezed!"

"I see." he said, not seeing at all. He scratched his head, thinking.

"Ah! I have misunderstood. Gesundheit is not the name of the demon that you have been calling 'him', but is known to me as…"

"Aku!" they shouted, also getting it.

Grinning, he said, 'Gesundheit.'

* * * * * * *

Their brief laughter seemed to break the ice.

"Uh, we don't wanna seem rude, but could you give us a second? We need to talk to each other." Blossom said this rather shyly, not wanting to offend him.

"It is all right." He told her. "You do not trust me yet. That is very wise."

"Thanks."

They huddled together, whispering quietly. Blossom knew they were being watched closely.

"Okay, guys, he seems to be real, but he could be one of HIM's tricks."

"I don't think so, Blossom," Buttercup said. "HIM isn't sharp enough to remember all the details to keep his story straight."

"What do you mean, Buttercup?" Bubbles asked. She already liked the stranger and saw no problem.

"Those warajii he's wearing."

Blossom narrowed her eyes. "In English, please. And since when do you know so much about Japanese culture?"

"Hey, Miss Know-it-all, you're not the only one that knows how to open a book! If I'm interested in somethin', I know how to study, too!"

"Please, girls, don't fight!" Bubbles pleaded. "He's watching!"

"I'm sorry, Buttercup. But please, make it so we all know what you're talking about."

"Okay. His sandals. I think they're what made those marks on the floor in the mayor's office!"

"Really?" Blossom swatted Bubbles' arm; her sister had turned her head toward Jack. She hissed, "Bubbles, don't look!"

"Yeah." Buttercup said. "HIM acted like we were supposed to have seen Ms. Bellum and Ms. Keane. Remember?"

"Yes!" Bubbles whispered excitedly. "Ms. Bellum was 'sposed to be mad at us for not coming to save the day!"

"Yeah, Bubbles, and she thought Jack was the professor! Or, HIM's illusion did. He got to them before we did and that's why we didn't see them!"

"Great detective work, Buttercup." Blossom said approvingly. "That's that mystery solved. But it doesn't explain who this guy is and why he went there in the first place. Or to our school."

"Oh no!" Bubbles gasped. "What if he saw the professor, too!"

"Only one way to know, guys. Let's get some answers from him. If he's a part of HIM's game, he'll lie."

"And if he is, samurai or no samurai, he's going down!" Buttercup promised.

They turned and floated to within a few feet of the stranger, to watch his eyes when he gave his answers. They weren't too worried for their safety.

"We apologize again if we seem rude, sir, but you were right. We were taught not to talk to strangers, let alone trust them."

"You have a wise parent. All children should be taught that lesson. Sadly, many are not."

"Well, we're gonna talk to you now." Buttercup glowered. "We want some answers, and we better get 'em!"

"You may ask anything you wish." he replied calmly, holding up his palms in a gesture of openness.

"He looks so much like the professor!" Blossom thought. "Even though he's clearly Japanese. It's weird."

"Okay," she began. "Does the name Sara Bellum mean anything to you?"

He knitted his brows in thought.

"Not before today." he replied. "But just a short time ago, I encountered an old woman who may have been she."

"Where, and what happened?"

"Perhaps I should tell you my history. I believe we may have something in common."

"Just answer the question!" Buttercup barked.

"Well, may I at least describe the events of today, when I arrived in this place?"

They exchanged quick glances and nodded for him to go ahead. He related his experiences up to the present, including how he had observed them. He told Blossom how impressed he was by her turning the tables on Aku, and their amazing abilities, but he left out certain information. He wasn't completely convinced about them, either. They could be a part of Aku's treachery. It was a feeling-out process on both sides.

Bubbles leaned in toward her sisters and whispered faintly. "He didn't say nothin' 'bout the professor."

"Neither did HIM." Buttercup reminded her. "It don't mean nothing."

Blossom leveled her gaze directly at him. The eyes, if they shifted in the slightest, would tell her something. "It makes sense that you could have just walked by the school and heard Ms. Keane. But what made you go to Townsville Hall?"

"And how did you manage to not get shot?" Buttercup asked with a fierce scowl. "Even a real samurai can't stop bullets like we can."

"They can withstand weapons fire? Incredible!"

"When I left the teacher, it was clear that she was under a spell and I suspected the work of Aku. It seemed that whatever happened to this city took place many years ago and nothing survived. So I sought out the place where the leaders had ruled from, hoping to find records and information about the people who lived here. That's where I met the possessed woman."

He smiled at Buttercup. "You are correct, young warrior. Even the most skilled samurai cannot defend against that sort of weapon without…this!"

He savagely whipped out his sword, making them flinch, then grinned and slid it back into his belt.

Recovering, Buttercup cried, "No way! What, is it magic or something?"

He slowly pulled it back out, took it by the blade and held the handle out to her. "Indeed, it is. Go ahead, you may hold it."

Buttercup took it and a thrill shot through her. "Oh my gosh! I felt something! I don't know what, but I felt it, just for a second!"

She stared at it in wide-eyed wonder, then handed it over. Bubbles gingerly reached out to touch it, then pulled her hand back. "I think I felt it."

Blossom took it by the handle and looked the blade up and down. She saw tiny nicks where bullets could have possibly hit it, including a very small piece out of the edge.

"I don't feel anything." She started to hand it back.

"That is because you are distrusting and do not believe in magic. Your sisters apparently do." He took it back from her. "I assure you the magic is real. The sword belonged to my father and my father's father and was in the possession of many a shogun before that. In my hand, it nearly destroyed the evil that is Aku before it escaped by opening a passage in time and casting me into the future."

"Just like us!" Bubbles exclaimed.

"Yes. And without you in your time, and this sword in my past, look what has become of the present. That is why we must return to our own times."

"When are you from?" Blossom wanted to know. "We're fifty years in our future."

"Only fifty years? I do not know when that is, but my past was much longer ago than that. The means of transportation that lie ruined below us, and many other things that I have seen, were not even far-fetched dreams in my time. Although what I see here appears to be outdated. There are some cities that are still quite civilized, though Aku's evil has taken root in them."

"Other cities? With people?" Bubbles asked. "Really?"

"Yes. Many people, from all over the world."

"Maybe everybody in Townsville escaped!" Bubbles felt a little better.

"That is possible." Jack admitted. "Many have taken refuge in these places because of what was done to their homes."

"Then we have to help you go back." Blossom said. "If you beat HIM, I mean Aku, then what happened to us won't happen!"

"No, Blossom, that may not be true. I may not be successful in defeating Aku. We must both return to our respective times. I believe I may have discovered something that will allow it. But I must know something from you first."

"Hey, can I see that sword again?" Buttercup asked.

He held it back out. "You may, but be very careful. It is not a toy."

"I just want to see how strong this thing really is." She turned it and pointed it directly at her stomach.

"No!" He lunged for it.

"Hey, is that hara-kari stuff for real?" She rammed it into herself, as the samurai screamed in shock.

NEXT: A Way Home