Disclaimer: I don't own Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z and any of its characters used in this fanfic.

Inspiration: marinav92

A/N: Hi, everyone! I didn't overdo it this chapter!...Sorta. It's 6 pages long, but I mean, it's only above the minimum by one page. (When you think about it, that's not much at all.)

Anyway, as you probably assumed from the ending of the previous chapter, the focus is finally back on Butch and Kaoru! I don't want to give away too much, so...enjoy!

CHAPTER 8:

Butch managed to leave underground undetected by his brothers. Granted, Brick was pretty smart, so Butch knew his brother would figure it out eventually. At the moment, though, he didn't care, especially since he was told the next step in their mission.

To put it bluntly, it was crazy as hell.

Once Brick had explained the entire plan, however, everything made sense. Still, Butch questioned whether or not everything would act according to plan, especially after finding out that Kuro was able to look into the future. Well, Brick had pointed out to his brothers that Kuro most likely could only look into one possible future. It didn't guarantee that the plan would succeed, but that meant there was a small chance of succession, and with the way things turned out, they had no choice but to proceed with this plan. After all, it was their only chance to get rid of Kuro…and the girls.

"God damn it all…" Butch muttered under his breath as he narrowed his eyes. He was currently sitting on the ledge of a tall building, his legs dangling in the air. He'd much rather float in the air and…think, but Brick had told him and Boomer to lay low if they went to the surface, just until the plan was finally executed. They needed to buy time, and according to what Kuro told him, they only had time until the next full moon.

Butch frowned at the time constraint. Normally, he wouldn't think so much about this because he was the kind of person to act first and think later. Brick had said it was possible to execute the plan before the next full moon, but Butch still thought it was crazy. As much as he trusted Brick's judgment, he still couldn't help but wonder whether or not Kuro was already onto their little plan.

Butch's eyes narrowed when he recalled what happened back at the hideout a few hours prior.

"Wait, what was Kuro's motive behind killing all of those people?" Boomer asked.

"Unfortunately, I've yet to figure that one out," Brick replied as he scowled.

Butch shrugged. "Maybe he did it for fun."

"No, he's definitely doing it for a reason."

"Maybe he did it to get our attention?" Boomer asked.

Brick shook his head. "He knew we were here, remember? He managed to track us down to Tokyo City… Then again, the fact that he came to Tokyo City might've been coincidental."

"What makes you say that?"

"The Powerpuff Girls Z were his enemies as well. He might've originally came back here for revenge on them. He hates us more than he hates them, so once he sensed our presences, he probably decided to aim for us instead."

"That doesn't explain why the hell it took him a year longer than us to suddenly show up, though," Butch retorted as he scowled. "Why now?"

Boomer pondered for a moment before he asked, "Maybe…the transformation affected him a lot more than ours did?"

Butch blinked in surprise, whereas Brick frowned as he considered what Boomer said.

Butch then raised an eyebrow. "We underwent the same God damn transformation, Boomer. He's like one of us." Butch scowled as he remembered how Kuro beat him earlier today, and he grumbled, "Except a hell of a lot stronger."

"Yeah, but wasn't he originally human?" Boomer asked.

"And?"

"Well, maybe it's because he was originally human that he underwent a different transformation."

Butch gave Boomer a deadpanned expression. "Boomer, I just said that we underwent the same transformation."

"No, Boomer might be onto something," Brick said.

Boomer blinked a few times. "Wait, I am?"

Butch gave his blond brother another deadpanned look.

Brick narrowed his eyes, signaling his brothers to listen. "Remember, the monkey had in mind for only us to transform. If what Boomer said is true, then it might explain his motive behind killing all of those people."

"So…he doesn't want the girls' attention, then?" Boomer asked in confusion.

Brick glared at him.

Boomer threw his arms in defense. "I'm only asking!"

"He beat me to a freaking pulp, Boomer," Butch deadpanned. "I think that at this point, he couldn't care less about the girls."

"We can't say that for certain," Brick retorted.

Butch groaned in aggravation. "Make up your mind already! First, it was because he came to Tokyo City for the girls! Then, it was about us! Now, it's possibly about the girls! Which is it?!"

Brick's eyes flashed completely red, and he let out an animalistic growl.

Immediately, Butch shut his mouth and said nothing further.

Butch sighed as he pushed those memories out of his head. He glanced downward to the busy streets of Tokyo City, and his eyes lingered on the convenience store across the street. It didn't take him a long time to locate Kaoru, considering that he used those instincts, but he hadn't made himself known to her yet. He was waiting for her to finally be alone, away from wandering eyes.

A short while afterward, Kaoru left the store with a bag in her hands.

Butch's head perked up, and his eyes lingered on her figure as she began to skateboard through the streets. He continued to follow her by jumping from one rooftop to the next, until she finally ended up at a skate park. When he saw Kaoru stop skateboarding to sit down on the stairs, his eyes opened in realization.

It was the skate park he first met her at after his return to Tokyo City.

Memories started flow in his head, and he grimaced.

It was funny, to say the least.

A few years ago, Butch was smitten with Buttercup. He just couldn't get her out of his head, but thanks to the transformation, he was able to forget about that puppy love.

When he had first met Kaoru, he was surprised to be able to occasionally read her thoughts. He managed to control his telepathy beforehand, which meant that he shouldn't be able to unintentionally read people's minds. If he hadn't learned to control it, he would've gone insane already.

After he found out that he was going to attend the same school as her, he was surprised to find out that whenever Kaoru was around him, his control over his telepathy would sometimes break. He had thought that it was just a coincidence the first few times, but as it continued, he couldn't deny it anymore: Kaoru Matsubara somehow affected his control over his telepathy. As a result, there were times when he unintentionally read her mind, and he'd have to appear as though he never knew what she was thinking, especially when she was suspecting that he was Butch of the Rowdyruff Boys Z.

It didn't stop the various questions going through his head each time. How did she find out? How did she know about his true identity? Just who was she?

As a result, he kept a close eye on her in order to try to find out why his control kept breaking and why she knew his true identity. Everything had finally made sense when Brick told the truth about Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru: they were actually the Powerpuff Girls Z.

Soon after this discovery, his old feelings resurfaced, and they grew stronger as he continued to read tidbits of her mind whenever she thought about him. When they finally started going out for real and he continued to occasionally read her mind, he sometimes felt tingles—the same tingly feeling that he would get when his adrenaline or sadism kicked in. Those tingles became stronger and soon satisfied him whenever they did anything affectionate, ranging from holding hands to even kissing.

However, that didn't change the fact that she was still a toy to him. His feelings for her didn't matter, anyway. After all, this mission was much more important to complete.

Butch let out a long sigh as he slowly floated downward in a nearby alley, making sure that no one saw. He pulled his jacket's hood over his head before he casually left the alley, heading toward the skate park. Once he had a clear view of Kaoru, he began to lurk in the shadows, taking advantage of the dark night, and he hesitated to take another step forward. He knew that he had to talk to her, but really, what could he say? She was eerily silent the entire time he had been following her. Sure, her scowl wasn't out of the ordinary, but he expected her to go on some kind of rampage.

Then again, she might've gone on a rampage already. Brick had told him and Boomer that the girls were over at the Professor's when he had broken into the laboratory to retrieve Chemical Z. Apparently, the girls had suspected that they were the Rowdyruffs, and Kaoru was the most suspicious of them, which wasn't surprising, considering how she was onto them last year, compared to her two friends.

"Screw my life," he heard Kaoru mutter.

Butch raised an eyebrow as he stared at her back. He noticed then that Kaoru was looking at the stars in the night sky. Almost immediately, his telepathic control broke.

God damn it all to hell! I knew that he was Butch last year, but no, I had to be a stupid idiot and believe that he couldn't possibly be Butch!

Butch winced as her thoughts entered his mind, and he grimaced as he glared. Just what the hell was it about this girl that made his control break every time? Seriously.

He heard Kaoru huff and begin to wolf down her snacks. If I had investigated a bit further, maybe I could've found out that out sooner! If I had done that—if I had known that he was Butch before everything between us happened—before I stupidly…

He frowned as her thoughts trailed off. Before she stupidly what? He blinked a few times before he noticed that she hung her head, almost in shame.

Her thoughts were quiet, and at that point, he realized that his control was back. He couldn't hear her thoughts anymore. But, his curiosity got the better of him as he stepped toward her. His steps were silent on the ground as he masked his presence until he was just a meter away. Finally, he asked with a raised eyebrow, "Before you stupidly what?"

Kaoru's eyes widened before she stood up immediately, not caring that she had dropped her food, and she turned around to face Butch. Within a few seconds, her face contorted into pure anger, and she began to run toward him.

Butch could've easily avoided her, but he allowed her to grab the collar of his shirt. He even allowed himself to get pulled down to her height—closer to her face, in fact—as she glared at him. However, before she could make her next action, Butch repeated, "Before you stupidly what?"

Kaoru blinked in confusion.

Butch took advantage of the situation to grab her hands and forcefully pulled them away from the collar of his shirt. He even ignored the fact that Kaoru had winced from his strength. Once more, he repeated, "Before you stupidly what?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kaoru asked as she narrowed her eyes in skepticism. It took a few moments before those words fully sunk in, and her eyes widened in confusion.

Butch frowned. Perhaps trying to reveal his telepathy to her this way wasn't the best way to start things off. He took a pause in his own thoughts before he sneered at her. "Did you mean something like before you stupidly fell for me?"

Kaoru flinched, and she glared at him. When she tried to reach for her compact, however, Butch grabbed both of her wrists. She began to struggle, but she winced when she felt his grip tighten.

"I just want to talk," Butch stated as he narrowed his eyes.

"That's a load of crap!" Kaoru retorted as she tried to pull away from his grip. It wasn't until a thought finally crossed her mind that she stopped completely.

At that moment, Butch's control broke once more.

Wait, what the hell happened to his wounds? Wasn't…

Kaoru's face paled as the scene of Butch on a stretcher appeared in her mind. It was etched into her brain, even though during that moment, she was a large distance away from him.

Butch scowled before he answered, "My wounds obviously healed."

"I can see that!" Kaoru retorted before her face contorted into confusion once more. Wait, what? How did he know?

"I'll tell you how."

Kaoru flinched as her eyes widened.

"But only if you'll listen to what I have to say," Butch added as he narrowed his eyes. He paused. "Just…listen to me as Takeshi, your boyfriend—"

Kaoru scoffed. "You're no boyfriend of mine."

For some reason, Butch felt an ache in his chest. He didn't know why, so he ignored it as he narrowed his eyes. Immediately, he tightened his grip on her wrists, releasing more of his superhuman strength.

Kaoru bit her lip, not wanting to cry out in pain.

"Look, I came to talk, not to fight," Butch stated. "Just listen to what I have to say, and I'll leave peacefully. Otherwise…" He tightened his grip again.

At this point, Kaoru cried out in pain, and she cursed. "Fine! Just let go already!"

Butch obeyed before he took a couple of steps back. He watched Kaoru stare at the red marks on her wrists, and he sneered when she glared at him because once again, his control broke.

Asshole, Kaoru thought.

"I had to be rough on you," Butch said as he raised an eyebrow. "I can't have you transform on me, you know."

He knew that the girls' outfits were indestructible, after all. They were vulnerable as humans, but once they transformed, they were untouchable. He didn't know if Kuro knew that since this little fact might've not been obvious to him back then, but he and his brothers definitely knew. It'd be tough to hurt them, which was why the next step in the plan was necessary.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. "You knew."

"Yeah, I did."

"For how long?"

Butch paused, pretending to ponder to add further to her growing irritation. "Since last year."

Kaoru growled under her breath.

"Look, I'm not here to talk about that—"

"You're Butch, right?" Kaoru interrupted.

Butch frowned.

"Right?"

There was a long moment of silence as Kaoru stared angrily at Butch while Butch gave a blank look in response.

Finally, Butch let out a long sigh. "Yeah, I am."

Kaoru clenched her fists.

"Kaoru, I'm not here to fight you. As much as I'd like to fight you, I can't." Butch paused as he frowned. "Besides, I already had my ass whooped today, anyway."

"By whom?"

Butch blinked in surprise as he saw how fierce Kaoru's gaze looked. However, he frowned once more. "I can't tell you that."

Kaoru growled before she took a step toward him. "Why the hell not?!"

"I just can't."

Kaoru glared at him.

"This is our problem, not yours," Butch retorted as he glared back at her.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes. "The forest fire is related, isn't it?"

Butch sighed in irritation. This wasn't how he planned things would go. The last thing he needed was having the girls involved, and that wasn't part of Brick's plan.

"Well?!"

"I'm not here to talk about any of that," Butch replied.

"Then, why the hell are you here?!"

"To talk about us."

Kaoru flinched.

"Although, since you don't see me as a boyfriend anymore…" Butch's voice trailed off as he frowned.

"Yeah, because you're the enemy!" Kaoru retorted.

Butch decided to ignore her comment as he narrowed his eyes. He sighed in frustration before he turned around and took a step forward, already preparing himself to use his superhuman speed to run away.

"Wait!" Kaoru yelled.

Butch paused, and he turned his head to look back at her.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Kaoru growled.

Butch pondered on how to respond before he finally said, "Away from you."

"Not until you answer all of my questions!"

All of a sudden, her thoughts entered his mind again.

Why are the Rowdyruffs in Tokyo City? Why are they older? Was everything…a lie?

He could sense the hurt behind that last sentence, but he made no comment. Finally, he said, "I don't need to answer to you. After all, you've made it perfectly clear that we're not in a relationship anymore."

Kaoru stiffened as her gaze fell to the ground.

Butch stared at her figure, waiting for her to say something else. He came to explain everything to her: why he and his brothers were back in Tokyo City, why they were older, his transformation, his telepathy, and even his feelings. Most importantly, he wanted to warn her about Kuro, but since she made it clear that he was no longer her boyfriend…

He brushed the ache he felt away, and he readied himself to leave until his superhuman hearing caught Kaoru's soft words.

"Wait, please."

Butch paused before he turned around to face her. In that moment, her thoughts entered his mind.

Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave.

Her thoughts were playing in repeat, and it took everything in him to not wince as he felt her thoughts grow louder and louder in his head. He tried to gain back his control, but it was in vain.

Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't leave. Wait, please. Please wait. Don't go. Don't—

"Shut up already!" Butch yelled as he closed his eyes, grabbing fistfuls of his hair.

Kaoru flinched before she took a step back, completely taken aback.

Butch began to breathe heavily as he slowly gained control. He resisted the urge to let out an animalistic growl, and he knew that his eyes were completely green. He couldn't show that side to her—not now, not yet. Finally, he let out a long sigh as he calmed down before he opened his eyes and glared at Kaoru. "What now?"

Kaoru opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, she thought, Why are you here?

The fact that he heard her thoughts just now made Butch frown. It meant that he must've still been weak from her overwhelming thoughts, even though he just regained control. Nonetheless, he replied, "I told you already that I'm here to talk to you about us."

Kaoru blinked in confusion. How did he—

"I have the power of telepathy," Butch interrupted, ignoring the fact that Kaoru's eyes widened. "I can only read minds, though. I don't have the ability to communicate telepathically with someone."

No way.

"Yes way."

Kaoru's mouth dropped.

Butch, however, made no response. Was there a point to staying here? He shouldn't be here, especially after she said that they weren't together anymore. She made it clear that she hated his guts, or at least, he assumed that she hated him. He expected this, but still…

Her thoughts were quiet, and Butch took this as a sign that he managed to gain full control over his telepathy again, which he was thankful for.

"What…did you mean by us?" Kaoru asked softly.

Butch frowned before he said softly, "I wanted to know how you felt about me. Us. The past year." He paused, refraining from adding the fact that he wanted to explain his side of the story. "But, you made it pretty clear that you hate me."

"I don't hate you," Kaoru retorted as she narrowed her eyes.

"You dumped me just now because I'm your enemy."

"Of course I would!"

Butch sighed in frustration, wanting to move on from this subject already.

"At least explain why you and your brothers are back in Tokyo City! And explain why the three of you are older! You shouldn't be about our age right now!"

Butch frowned as he suddenly thought about wanting to explain his side of the story again. Should he explain it to her? She'd relay it to the others, wouldn't she? He frowned as he realized that Brick wouldn't be pleased by that, and he scowled even more when he realized that he really hadn't thought this out. Damn it.

Then again, he was the kind of person to act first, think later.

"Well?!" Kaoru demanded.

Butch made no response as he continued to think about whether or not he should tell her.

Kaoru growled in irritation before she stomped up to him. She was directly in front of him as she glared at him.

At that point, he decided that it was best he didn't tell her. If he told her, that would mean that he'd have to talk about Kuro as well, which would definitely involve the girls. Hell, he couldn't even tell her to be cautious about Kuro because she'd get suspicious about him, and eventually, the girls would figure everything out.

"I can't tell you," Butch replied.

"Why not?!"

"I just can't."

Kaoru growled.

Butch had to get away from this place—away from her, in fact. If he stayed any longer, he would eventually let something slip, and it would ruin everything. He had already talked to her about his telepathy. That was good enough, wasn't it?

"I need to go," Butch muttered.

Kaoru's face dropped, but Butch chose to ignore it.

"I'd give you a good-bye kiss, but…" Butch gave her a rueful grin.

"Wait—"

As soon as Kaoru blinked, Butch was gone.