She awoke to the sight of trees hanging off of a dark green sky, reaching towards a pitch black ground. Her head lolled to the side and knocked into the solid wall of someone's chest. She looked up. Brick was carrying her, and he didn't look happy. She tried to struggle out of his arms but one movement sent a piercing pain shooting through her head and she groaned in agony.

"Keep being difficult and see what happens." Brick barked out, causing her to flinch away and consequently receive another painful ache. She decided it was best to obey so she awkwardly folded her hands together over her stomach and rested her head partly against his chest and arm.

It wasn't surprising that he was angry, not after what she had done. After her order for him to stop, he oddly obeyed and left her alone for a few hours and she found herself drifting to sleep. But then he was on her again and she was jolted out of a nightmare which caused her to scream and slap him across the face. It wasn't on purpose, he knew that, but it was also Brick and he didn't accept excuses. So when she tried to stammer out an apology, he cracked her over the head with the table and knocked her unconscious.

She sighed silently and glanced up at the night sky. Stars stippled the darkness, some flashing in reds or blues, others shooting by like mini rockets, and then the moon shown in the center. The entire forest was illuminated in it's glow, shimmering and casting a surreal aura to the atmosphere. Everything moved. The trees rustled in the light breeze. The grass bristled. The sky was alive with beauty. And she could hear animals dashing in and out of the light, searching for their late dinner. She allowed her eyes to flutter shut, breathing in the scent of nature and letting her mind drift. But soon, the only sound she could focus on was the soft breaths of her counterpart. She looked up at him again. His glare was anything but soft, his face still set in a glower. Deep thoughts entered her mind then. She continued to stare at him, wondering how someone so beyond the laws of science and nature, who was dripping with incredulity, every essence of his being magnificent and unique, could be so hateful. He could singlehandedly claim world dominance in an instant if it weren't for her. Wasn't that what he wanted? Being a villain? But here she was, no longer in his way, and he hadn't made a single move to take over. Now that she thought about it, Mojo was the one who always wanted world domination, the ruffs simply wanted to defeat the puffs. Was that all he wanted? Her demise? Then why hadn't he killed her?

"Oh my god would you STOP thinking so goddamn much?" Brick hissed, glaring down at her before releasing her from his arms. She would have dropped to the ground if she didn't have super powers.

"I can't help it." She stated simply, hovering beside him.

He scoffed. "Can't help it? Why...because you're the 'smart' one?"

She shrugged, not meeting his glare. "Maybe."

His eyes narrowed. "You need a reality check, babe. Cuz you're anything but smart. I mean look at the fucking mess you got yourself into. How'd that brilliant plan go again? Get your sisters killed so you can become your arch nemesis' slave? Right," He nodded. "Mind blowing intelligence." The anger and frustration slipped through his words and for a moment she felt bad. Brick was only ever angry, maybe that's why he wore red so much. Not only did it match his eyes, it matched his personality. Could he help it? Or was he created this way? Created to be nothing but a blood thirsty, malicious, rage-filled boy who's only wish was to kill his counterpart. The thought saddened her.

"I'm sorry." She muttered softly and held her head down. She didn't want to upset him, she didn't want to be hit again, she just wanted him to relax, to show some emotion besides anger. She wanted to know that he was human. "I would hope you'd know and try to understand how difficult it is for me to give up. Being a hero means fighting for a cause until your last breath, and that's how I was raised. Just as you were taught to be a villain-"

"I wasn't taught." He snapped, cutting her off momentarily.

She paused to glance at him and realized her words were only serving to further anger him. She sucked in a breath. "I only want to keep my sisters safe. Thats it. If you want to kill me then get it over with. As long as they're alive, nothing else matters."

He stared back at her and crossed his arms. "I want you to admit it."

She blinked. "Admit what?"

"Admit that you were too prideful. That you refused to step off your high horse in order to protect your sisters until I gave you no other choice because you're selfish. Vain. And just as much of a villain as I am." He walked closer to her. "Tell me that you're no hero."

She opened her mouth.

"And don't even try to argue with me, pinky. You may think my ego is as big as yours but no one could ever match your pathetic, stubborn demeanor." He snatched her wrist and sneered into her face. "Admit it."

Her heart had begun to beat faster, now pounding against her chest as though it wanted to tear through her body. She couldn't look away from Brick's intense glare, even as it struck fear into every fiber of her being. He wanted an answer, now, and she had to give him one.

"I am stubborn and vain, and selfish, and pathetic. I'm whatever you say I am, because whatever I am you are too. So who would know me better than you?" Her words weren't blatantly insulting, but if he caught the edge to her voice then he would surely see her intentions.

He released her arm and raised an eyebrow. "That's the first smart thing you've said since your sister's accident. Congratulations, pinky, you aren't brain dead yet." He pinched her cheek, pushed her aside, and flew off, all while holding a neutral expression. She watched him go, confusion swarming her. Then she grabbed her head as the aching returned and let his words sink in.

"Yet."

The mansion was alive with lights and music and the obnoxious voices of Butch and Boomer when they returned. The place held a golden glow from the chandeliers and not a single room was dark, nor clean. Butch had trashed the living room in various video game boxes, discs, and cords. He continued to scavenge throughout, searching for something that he seemed to be fairly worked up about. Boomer was in the kitchen scrambling to cook 2 things at once, flying from one end to the other in an attempt to stir a pan of some form of sauce and shake a basket full of an unfamiliar food submerged in crackling oil. Dishes and ingredients were everywhere, all over the counters and some on the floor, Boomer was even drenched in flour. When Brick walked in and observed the mess, he gave Boomer a look of disapproval and his brother simply shrugged in response before returning to his work.

"You better not leave the place like this." Brick spoke casually.

Boomer shot him a glare. "Don't give me orders, you have a slave for that now." And then he directed his glare at Blossom, who flinched.

She didn't know why, but almost immediately after becoming Brick's 'slave' Boomer hated her. The first day that she was allowed out of Brick's room, she had run into Boomer and he threw an absolute fit. He had punched her in the face and attempted to hit her with an electric baseball bat, but Brick intervened and explained everything. Boomer was NOT happy about it. He argued with Brick for almost an hour and then Butch jumped in and told Boomer to stop being a pussy, which finally shut him up. It wasn't like she was going to harm him or bother him in any way, she wasn't a nuisance and she wasn't his enemy, so what was his problem? She figured it was just a ruff thing. No puffs allowed. But Butch had been perfectly fine with it all. Not that she had run into him much, seeing as she was allowed in only three rooms, but every time she saw him he greeted her happily as though he had never tried to kill her and her sisters before. It was strange, but so was Butch.

Brick took a seat at the counter in the middle of the kitchen and Blossom was hesitant to join him, until he gave her a very subtle nod. She sat beside him and instantly felt terrified. Here she was, sitting in the ruffs' kitchen, beside her counterpart, whilst Boomer cooked dinner, and none of them were trying to kill each other. Although, Boomer might have been thinking of killing her. She began to chew her lip as a long silence passed over them.

Then, as she adjusted to the awkwardness, she began to admire her surroundings. The kitchen wasn't overly big, it was pretty similar to her kitchen at home except it had stunning, marble counters, spotless tiled floors, a high-tech looking stove and fridge, and a magnificent chandelier hanging above from the steep ceiling. She slowly turned her head and looked to the nearest room which was the dining room. It was bigger than the kitchen, with windows replacing a wall. It resembled a hallway, it was a rectangular shape, long in length but short in width. The table placed inside it was just as long with enough chairs to seat twenty people. There were bright, golden lights in there, too, but they weren't chandeliers. She then spun around fully in her chair to look at the place where she and Brick had just walked in from. It was pretty much the main entrance since there were no rooms in between the front and back entrances and it was glorious. In the center of the room was a huge staircase with gold railings and crystal steps, shimmering above it was an object that resembled a disco ball but was clear and had long strings of diamonds hanging from it. Everything in the mansion was bright, beautiful, yet simple. Nothing had intricate designs or radiant colors, only whites and grays and glittering gemstones.

"Blossom."

She whipped around so fast that she nearly toppled out of her chair. Brick frowned at her.

She was surprised to find Boomer standing opposite from her across the counter. He folded his arms. "Do you like calamari?"

Her eyebrows knit together. The word sounded familiar, like something she had seen on the menu at a fancy restaurant, but she couldn't think of what it was exactly. She was hesitant to answer.

"I'm gonna guess she's never had it." Brick stated. "Doesn't matter if she likes it or not."

She glanced at him then back at Boomer. The blonde was biting his lip and seemed slightly saddened.

"Okay." He said simply before turning back to the stove.

"I can talk." She muttered.

Brick didn't look at her. "Does it matter?"

It wasn't a question. She sighed and decided to survey Boomer as he cooked. He was quite thin compared to his brothers, his lanky body much more swift and gentle in his movements. His hair was shoulder length and straight, and he had pulled it into a bun. Bubbles loved men with longer hair because she always wished she could run her fingers through it. Blossom rubbed her temple. It was so painful to think of her sisters, even though she did it all the time. She would get to see them again, hopefully, maybe once she got on Brick's good side. But even if she didn't, she was just glad they were alive. She imagined how they must have reacted to seeing the note she'd left them. Brick and his brothers had brought her sisters to their secret hideout, which was an underground cellar with piles of drugs, alcohol, and Chemical X. There, they dosed both girls with enough Chemical X to save them before they began the surgeries. Bubbles had a gash on the back of her head that needed stitches and Buttercup's leg was broken. Blossom had been forced to wait above ground, unable to witness what was going on inside. Once they finished, Bubbles and Buttercup were returned to their house. Blossom left them a note, knowing she needed to at least provide them with an explanation so that they wouldn't live out their lives searching for their lost sister. It had been simple:

Girls, when you wake up don't be surprised to find me gone. The injuries we all sustained from the battle were enough to kill us, they would have killed us, but obviously you're not dead. I found a stash of Chemical X in the basement, it must have been leftover from the Professor. There was only enough for two people and you were both out cold, so I made the decision for you. I injected you both with it and that's why you're alive right now, reading this. I had just enough energy left in me to save you two and there's no other way I would have wanted to spend the last few minutes of my life than protecting my sisters. Don't be sad. Don't cry over me. I love you both so much, please don't blame yourselves, I did it so you could have good lives. Don't waste your lives thinking about me. Be happy, be heroes. Your leader will still be by your side. Forever and always.

Blossom knew how badly it would hurt them and she knew they would still blame themselves even after reading the note. But they would get over it and create new, better lives. The Powerpuff girls might not be the same without their leader, but they'd still stay strong and protect the world. She knew they would.

"Here." A plate was put in front of her and she looked down at it in awe. A stack of small, fried food that slightly resembled onion rings sat beside a bed of lettuce that was tossed with tomatoes and peppers. In a little cup there was an orange colored sauce with flecks of parsley. She tilted her head at the dish.

"Is this calamari?" She questioned.

Boomer nodded and she realized he had been watching her and still was. She picked up a fork and hooked one of the rings on it, the crunch of the breading sounding wonderful to her ears. She dipped it in the sauce, glanced at Boomer to see if she was doing something wrong, then put the calamari in her mouth. The taste that overwhelmed her taste-buds was incredible. She went to take another one when a hand shot out and stopped her, snatching away the fork. Brick turned her face to his and he growled.

"You're having an allergic reaction."

She frowned then felt the sudden swelling of her tongue which quickly spread down her throat. She got to her feet, grabbing onto her throat as it began to close shut. Brick swept her up into his arms and rushed her upstairs, into the bathroom. He placed her on the toilet and dug through the cabinets, throwing objects all over as he blindly searched for something. Her eyelids were just beginning to flutter shut when a needle was jabbed into her thigh. She felt the thick liquid push into her muscle and spread throughout her body, instantly loosening her throat. She sucked in a breath of air and took a moment to simply breathe, then she looked up at Brick, who looked pissed as hell.

"That fucking son of a bitch." He clenched his fists and spun on his heel, storming back downstairs.

Blossom ran after him. "Brick what are you-"

"He knew you were allergic. He tried to fucking kill you." His face was growing more and more red with every step. They jogged down the steps.

"But that's not possible. Brick, how could he know?" She was shocked that he was allowing her to ask questions but he was also focused on taking his anger out on his brother at the moment, so it was understandable that he didn't care.

They entered the kitchen and Boomer turned around only to be met with a hard strike to the jaw. Brick grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him across the room. Boomer flew through the dining room and broke through the windows, rolling to a stop outside. Brick followed after him and stood over his brother, furious.

"How the fuck did you know?" Brick growled.

Boomer sat up and rubbed his head. "Her sister. While we were fighting I suggested I take Blossom on a date to Red Lobster-" Brick's eyes glowed. "-As a joke. And then she said I couldn't because she's allergic to seafood."

Blossom mentally groaned, she had discussed revealing information like that with Bubbles before.

Brick's temper didn't change. "What did I say about messing with things that are mine?"

Boomer glared up at him. "She's a puff, isn't that why you took her? So you could kill her? Without her we'd be able to do whatever we wanted, we could-!"

"Thats not why I took her." Brick's voice was dangerously low and threatening, it instantly shut Boomer up. "And we can do whatever we want already. She isn't going to stop us, neither are her sisters."

Boomer was about to respond.

"But we aren't going to do anything. We aren't like the monkey and the gay lobster, we don't want world domination. Got that?" Boomer nodded. Brick lit his hand on fire. "Now remember this; don't ever touch her again. Don't even THINK about killing her. She's not yours to fuck with, so back off." He leaned into his brother's face. "You hear me?!"

Boomer backed away, nodding quickly, face pale with fear. Blossom almost found it amusing...almost.

Brick then turned to her and took her arm, leading her back into the house and up to his room, leaving Boomer behind, to cower in the dirt.