Disclaimer: Thank Craig Mccraken. I don't - nor will I ever - own the Powerpuff Girls.


A/N: Going to start putting these in the top now since, well, yeah. More convenient? Seriously though, you're all so supportive and you're comments make my day extra special! Well, since I'm here, I might as well (finally) reply to some comments/questions (if you're still wondering that is):

silentprotester : Yeah, Butch and Travis are two different people. Since I revealed some backstory already I might as well clear this up. Travis is just some local kid who looks surprisingly like Butch and is really good with knives. One day, the Night Owls, a kinda secret assassin/protection group for Gadrea, decided to invite him to join so now he's a member. Since Butch is just this sadistic psycho that is just really violent, Brick decided to pay Travis to let Butch take his place occasionally so he wouldn't destroy the castle for no reason. Now they have their own little agreement after Bucth pissed Travis off where Butch pays Travis double to let him (Butch) keep being "him" (Travis).

And yes, that stuff is pretty confusing.

So, that's the one question...feel free to ask if you have any!

Um, enjoy!


~ CHAPTER 16 ~

Truths


"Hi, Brody! Perfect day to help some unfortunate people, don't you think?" Bubbles bounded cheerfully up the hill, excited to finally start the day.

He continued to fiddle with something in his hands, his back turned on her.

"Hey, Thomas! I brought a little treat for you!" She bent down to scratch the dog behind his ears, before unwrapping a small chicken leg and placing it on the ground for him.

"Brody!" She sang, skipping up to him. "What are we going to do today?"

He still didn't turn to look at her. Bubbles spun in front of him, and leaned down to give him a bright smile. He ignored her, and continued to turn the thing in his hand around and around.

"Hello, Bubbles. We're not going anywhere today. At least, you're not." He replied in an eerily neutral tone. He lifted his head, cobalt blue eyes small behind the eye mask he always wore. The sun reflected off the blade of the knife he was holding.

"Whoa, Brody, why do you have that? You're not planning on hurting someone, are you?" She backed away from him, hands held up defensively.

"What is Bubbles? What are you, afraid of me? Are you afraid I'm going to—" he got to his feet, smirking. "—cut you?"

She jumped back, her heartbeat thumping in her chest. She knew she was dealing with a criminal of some sort, and had enough information to turn him in. His name, his appearance up close, even the general area of which he lived. But she didn't. She wanted to investigate more. Find deeper motives. To prove that she could solve a serious case, and then some.

Guess it was all for nothing. She was going to get murdered by a crazy teenage boy, and she never got to show her wits to the world. Bubbles was going to be forever remembered as the cute, kind, baby of the Utonium family.

He took a step closer, twirling the the handle. "C'mon, Bubs, why would you be scared? You didn't do anything wrong, did you? You didn't betray me, did you?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, Brody. Can you put that thing down? You're not acting like yourself!" She burst, placing one foot behind the other, her voice cracking.

"Oh, dear, sweet, little Bubbles. You think you know who I am?" he spat, making his way towards her, his head low. Suddenly, he stopped and stood up straight, eyes wide with an almost psychotic glint to them, and laughed maniacally. "You have no idea what you're in for, girl."

"S-stay away from me, Brody!" Bubbles fumbled with the words, leaning down to try and grab whatever rock or branch that was nearby. "If you hurt me-"

"What?" he interjected, grinning. "What's going to happen, huh? You're just a lowly kitchen maid. Nobody's going to care if one day you just," he sliced through the air, and she let out a short shriek, tripping over her own feet and tumbling to the ground. "disappeared, right?"

"No! You're wrong! my sisters will come looking for you! They'll lock you up and send you back to the prison you probably crawled out of, you monster!"

He smirked, and arched an eyebrow. "Is that so? And how will they find me? How will they know it was I, Brody Dale? Where's the proof? You didn't tell anyone about who I am, right? So how will they know?"

She stopped crawling backwards on all fours, and after thinking a bit, started giggling. "Hah! That's where you're wrong! Blossom knows exactly who you are! In fact, she asked me to capture you for her! Both her and Buttercup will come looking for you, and you'll be sitting at the corner of some dirty cell soon enough! My sisters are both intelligent people with superb connections - I mean, they are the princesses, after all -"

"What did you just say?"

She rolled her eyes and sneered. "Not so smart and cunning now, are you, Brody? I said, my sisters, the princesses of my kingdom - that's right, I'm an Utonium! - know that I'm - or was, anyway - trying to capture you, and I told them everything I know!"

His expression was a mix of pure, utter rage, and hurt. A small frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. Without warning, he lunged towards her, a snarl etched onto his face.

Bubbles screamed and screwed her eyes shut, arms wrapped around her head. After a few moments, she realized she wasn't bleeding to death, and a sense of relief washed over her.

Thank God.

She patted all over herself, making sure none of her limbs were hurt, then turned around to see what exactly had happened.

Brody was sitting cross-legged in front of her, his face buried in his hands. He sighed deeply.

"You know, I was expecting something along these lines, but I didn't think it was this extreme." He groaned.

She immediately backed away at the sight of him, and hit her head on the trunk of the tree, fright welling up inside of her again. "Get away from me!"

Another sigh. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you." He reached behind his head and untied the mask he always wore around her, wrapping it around his hand. "You know, I wasn't cut out for life like this. I'm supposed to be the 'the funny', one, the one 'that's always clueless' and 'does what he's told'. I'm not sure why, but that's what my father said."

Bubbles narrowed her eyes at him, and brought her knees to her chest, trying to be as far from him as possible. "What are you even talking about?"

"I wasn't made for doing things like this, okay? Brick warned me, and I still didn't listen. I'm such an idiot. You're supposed to listen to Brick. it's a rule. He was always right, and he still is. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have tried playing the hero. Or the villain. Whichever."

"I…don't get it."

He lifted his eyes to meet her gaze, fully showing his face to her for the first time. My name isn't Brody. It isn't Dale, either. I'm-" he sighed through his nose. "I'm Boomer, the son of King Him, Prince of Gadrea.

"Wait, you mean like the one of the three princes? You're royalty, yet you still steal from you're own people?" She shook her head, incredulous.

"Only so I can help the less fortunate! All I wanted was to be the hero for once, just like in those books, you know? To help others. To not be the bad guy that my father encourages my brothers and I to be." He protested, leaning forward.

"I thought Kings and Queens and Princesses and Princes were supposed to help people. I thought we were supposed to be the good guy!" Bubbles furrowed her eyebrows.

"I don't know, okay? I never know what they're planning!" He lashed out, his voice rising. "Brick never tells me anything, Butch treats me like some sort of - I don't know -punching bag? And my own father thinks I'm useless! Everyone says I'm the weakest. The joke. So I don't know, alright?"

"I-I'm sorry." She said, in a way more like it was a question than a statement.

"No, no. You shouldn't be. You were just doing your job. You were just trying to help people." He barked out a laugh. "Isn't funny how I want to be the good guy, but end up being the criminal? Has sort of a sad irony to it."

"But I guess it's too late now. I've been telling Brick the "Blue Shadow" was just some other random person, trying to what I did after he told me to stop. Nothing more than a copycat. He probably knows it's still me, he's just much more occupied with other…matters. Now that it's something involving the entire royal family of the Utoniums, with confirmation from an actual witness, he'll probably punish me somehow. But hey, it was fun while it lasted. See you at the royal ball. No hard feelings, alright?" He waved his hand, and began to stand up.

Bubbles blinked. Boomer wasn't a bad guy. He was just trying to live up to the standards all the princes in stories set for him as a child. In a way, he was a lot like her. Minus the actual bad stuff. Like the lying for her own benefit, and tricking others, and just being a horrible person overall.

"W-wait, no, I…I won't tell. If this really means that much to you, I won't tell." She blurt, and he turned around, eyes lighting up. "Just, don't, you know, steal form Selodia. That's off limits. Actually, so are Cador and Aleton-"

"But then I can only help the people in crummy, old Gadrea!"

"No, no, Boomer. Don't get greedy. Save your own kingdom first, then think about the rest of us. It's your responsibility to put your people before anyone else, even your own interests!"

He stared blankly at her. "Wow, you're starting to sound like-"

"-My sister, Blossom. Yes, I know. Depressing, isn't it?" She sighed.

"Still, probably not as depressing as Brick. Mr. I'm-So-Broody is the worst. Anyway, thank you, Bubbles. Really, thanks. I owe you one." He chuckled, holding his out hand out to her.

"It's fine. As long as you…let me help you. I'm always glad to lend a hand to a fellow prince or princess that's in need of a friend." She smiled, shaking it cheerfully. Despite thinking she was going to die, and that it would be a gruesome, bloody, death, today was a good day.


Buttercup stared at the dress. She was in her room, for once, and was alone. Bubbles was out, and Blossom was at King Him's.

Today didn't really feel like a good day to her. She wasn't in the mood for going outside, and all her friends were busy.

She kept on staring at it. The green fabric, the black straps, all of it just felt really…strange. While her sisters loved seeing the new dresses brought in each year, she'd always asked for the same design. Loose, flowing, and easy to move around in. Green and black - her signature colors - preferred.

Something just felt…off this year. Her eyes flitted to the two other gowns in the closet, their bright material, elaborate stitching, fancy masks with feathers and sequins compared to her bland black one…Something just felt very uncomfortable about it all.

Buttercup reached a hand out to it, fingers outstretched, but then pulled back again. She'd never been self-conscious about her role as "the rebellious, boyish one", but it was just very weird all of a sudden.

Maybe it was Blossom getting engaged, or Bubbles spending less of her time with the family. Everyone else just seemed to be…moving on so fast. Within a year "Bossy-Blossy" would be the future queen of Gadrea, seeing as Brick would probably never give up his grasp on his kingdom, and she'd be left as the next heir in line.

And Bubbles. Her baby sister. With her good looks and charming smile, she too would be shipped off to some faraway land to get hitched to some fancy schmancy prince. She would have a classic fairy tale ending, with birds singing and roses and all.

That'd leave her all alone in Selodia. And after her father passes… it'll be even worse. She never thought about marrying, despite it being the custom for "young, impressionable women". If she didn't she'd be left with the ginormous weight of looking after a kingdom. and if she did, then… What would become of her?

Just another trophy to be shown off by some stuck up royal? Just an object? Would no one remember what kind of person she was before the marriage?

She wouldn't say she was afraid. She couldn't. Not after Mitch. She couldn't be afraid again. No, she wasn't scared. She was determined. She was determined to not let herself become nothing more that a lovesick girl that life was already down the drain. No. She'd manage to crawl out of that disgusting place once already, and she wasn't planning on going back.

Not after Mitch.