SAMURAI POWERPUFFS

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – Armageddon

Bubbles crawled out from under one of the robot's massive legs. She was scorched but otherwise fine, just a bit dazed. She saw her sister's green dress poking out from under the fuselage of the DyNaMo fifty feet away.

"Buttercup!" She shot over to her fallen sister. "Buttercup!"

"Unnh. Get this thing offa me, Bubbles…"

She was okay, too. They were both covered with soot but didn't care. All was deathly still around them. They flew to the edge of the pit and looked down. All that remained of their home was burning, shredded lumber, scraps of cloth from furniture, shards of glass and dishes, lumps of things that had been made of metal, welded together. Smoke billowed upward from everything.

"Oh no…" Buttercup whispered. "…look…"

Caught on a metal rod sticking straight up was half of Blossom's red bow, smoldering away. Bubbles grabbed her sister's arm and pointed out a small black shoe lying on its side, on what had been the front step.

"Nooooooo!!!" Buttercup screamed at the heavens.

Bubbles collapsed to her knees, burying her face in her hands. "P-Professor…"

"He's gone."

"Wha…?"

They spun to see behind them, Blossom, floating, a charred, grimy mess. Her hair was undone and tangled, her face, arms and legs streaked with soot, her clothing was ripped and filthy and she was minus the one shoe.

"He's gone." she said, louder. "The time machine…gone…no way home…"

"Aku!" Buttercup screamed. "I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!"

"But what can we do?" Bubbles said in a tiny voice.

"Jack isn't afraid of that thing, and we're gonna go with him and find it! If it takes us forever!"

"Jack!" Bubbles cried. "Where is he?"

"Yes. Where is he?" Blossom said in a cold voice. "Don't you think it's strange that he knew exactly where to find what we were looking for and he was just standing there waiting for us?"

"What are you saying, Blossom? That Jack is Aku?" Buttercup didn't believe it.

"Do you really believe all those stories? Especially the one about Mojo?"

"Well, yeah, that one was a little far-fetched." Bubbles admitted.

"We led him straight here!" Blossom shrieked. "Aku! Show yourself!"

She flew toward the rear yard and her sisters followed. They saw the samurai just getting to his feet under the tree.

"Girls! You are unharmed!"

"Yaaahhhhh!!!" Blossom knocked him flat and peeled off, coming back around and firing her lasers at him. If it hadn't been for Buttercup landing a karate kick to his chest, the beams would have struck home. He rolled away, then leaped vertically toward the tree, grabbing a branch and slinging himself around.

Buttercup charged him. "You trait-OOF!!" She took a kick to the stomach. He let go, rolling on the ground and coming to his feet again, his sword out and ready.

"What has happened? Why have you turned against me?" He dodged a blast from Bubbles and took a glancing punch from Blossom in the shoulder.

"Don't give us that!" Bubbles shouted, firing her beams again. "We know you're Aku!" He was able to deflect them and they hit Buttercup full in the face.

"Watch it, Bubbles!"

Jack avoided another kick from her and one from Blossom. "Aku?"

Grunt. Slash. "You have been deceived!" Slash, slash. Kick.

"Liar!" Blossom shouted. "You deceived us!"

They were closing in on him, not giving him room to escape. He took a partial laser shot from Bubbles in the left leg.

"Yeeahhhh!!" "I have sworn never to attack a child, but…"

He took the offensive, slashing his blade across Buttercup's arm. It bounced off harmlessly. Blossom gave him a one-two to the side of the head and he almost dropped the sword.

"He's weakening!" she yelled. "Finish him now!"

They let loose together with one concentrated beam. The samurai lunged forward straight at them and the beam burned away the string holding his topknot, but that was all. Hair flying, he whirled around and swung the blade at their backs. It caught Blossom across the right arm as she turned, slicing her, but it didn't faze her in the least. She sent a kick to his jaw that knocked him back, but as he was falling, he swung again and the blade opened a gash across her left cheek.

Then, Buttercup and Bubbles were on him, pounding him with punches. He tried to roll away, and a few of the savage pokes dug up the ground when they missed. Blossom found an opening between her sisters and fired one more blast. It caught his right wrist on the tender part and the sword fell to the ground.

"No, please!" he gasped. "I am not your enemy!" He looked into the three faces that glowed with savage anger. " I am not Aku!"

"Let's finish it!" Blossom growled.

Buttercup lunged for the sword and lifted it high. "All that stuff you knew a kid like me would fall for. Well, Samurai Jack, I'm not as dumb as you think I am! Or, should I call you…Aku?!"

She started to bring the sword down but Bubbles' gasp stopped her. "Blossom? Blossom, you're bleeding!"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Do it, Buttercup!"

Stunned, Buttercup saw blood flowing from the cuts on her sister's face and arm. The samurai used the distraction to roll away and leap to his feet. Buttercup spun slowly, moving past Blossom toward him.

"You…cut…my…sister!"

With everything she had, she swung the weapon at the samurai's head, gave her wrists a flick…and plunged the blade into the center of Blossom's chest.

NEXT: Good vs. Evil