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 hope the previous chapter didn't break your hearts too much. (It hurt mine while I wrote it, but it had to be done.)

Like the previous chapter, this one is 6 pages. Everything is picking up again with this chapter, so...enjoy!

CHAPTER 9:

It had been a week since Kaoru encountered Butch at the skate park—a week since they broke up, in fact. During this past week, the massacres happened on a daily basis. The victims were always a group of people, and the massacre would always take place at night. These were the two factors that the police department had determined. Truthfully, there was a third factor: black aura. The police had yet to find a suspect because the third factor of black light was hidden from them; only a selected number of individuals from the police department knew.

After recognizing the pattern, the mayor contacted the Professor, and it was decided that Momoko, Miyako, and Kaoru would start their nightly patrols. On the first night of their nightly patrol, black aura was detected, and the girls rushed to the scene, but they were too late.

It was a sickly sight for the three of them to see.

Kaoru wished she could banish the image from her head, but it was a reminder to her that there was a murderer on the loose. Thus, on that night, she finally decided to tell Momoko and Miyako about her confrontation with Butch. She told them everything he had told her, such as the boys' true identities and Butch's telepathy; she then added that she tried to press Butch to tell her more, but her efforts were in vain. At the end of her monologue, she added softly that she and Butch broke up.

There was a long moment of silence.

Finally, Kaoru asked, "Have they contacted you guys yet?"

Momoko and Miyako shook their heads.

Kaoru sighed.

There was another pause.

Momoko cleared her throat. "As much as I hate to admit it, everything seems to be pointing to them as…the murderers."

"Weren't you the one who kept saying that they couldn't be the murderers?" Kaoru spat, but her tone came off as heavy and burdened instead of bitter.

"I did, but…" Momoko's voice trailed off.

"They can't be the murderers," Miyako muttered, but her voice was loud enough for the other two to hear. Finally, she buried her face in her hands. "They just can't be."

The conversation quickly died afterward, and the trio refrained from bringing up the topic again unless it was necessary.

Kaoru was surprised, to say the least. She had expected that the two would put up more of a fight and defend the boys as the days passed, but as they continued to arrive at the scene of each massacre, the doubt and shock grew in each of them.

Hell, even Kaoru couldn't believe the idea that Butch had killed those people. Did he even have the guts to? This was the same guy who was just a kid years ago—the same guy who had flipped her skirt as a way to mess with her, called her an old hag, and even succumbed to using Him's dark particles in Ancient Egypt, only to be defeated by mere blown kisses.

Then again, did she even know him? After all, he lied to her about his identity.

To make things worse, the girls couldn't even confront the boys. The boys stopped going to school, which caused the school faculty, including Kuro, to ask where they were because the school couldn't contact any of the boys' relatives. In fact, it turned out that the boys' supposed house wasn't even theirs; it had belonged to some newlyweds.

Momoko tried to get some information out of them. The most they could get out of the newlyweds was that the house was rented to them through the Shirogane family. The girls had no idea how to get into contact with Himeko or her family, and even if they appeared as their alter egos, this sort of lead was much too weak to go on. They couldn't risk it, especially since they didn't want to put their alter egos' reputations at risk.

The next best thing the girls did was go to Mojo Jojo's place as their alter egos. When they arrived, Mojo surprisingly opened the door for them. However, before he could even say anything, he was suddenly slammed against the nearest wall by Buttercup.

"All right, spill it!" Buttercup yelled.

"Buttercup!" Blossom exclaimed as she tried to pry Buttercup off of Mojo.

Finally, Buttercup let go of Mojo, who slid to the floor and glared at the girls.

"What do you girls want, mojo?" Mojo asked.

"Where are your sons?" Blossom demanded.

Mojo narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why?"

"They're suspects," Bubbles said softly as she glanced away.

"For what?"

"That doesn't matter," Blossom replied as she narrowed her eyes. "We need to talk to them."

"Yeah, so where the hell are they?!" Buttercup yelled, and just as she was going to grab Mojo again, Blossom stopped her.

"I don't know, mojo!" Mojo exclaimed.

"Do you know why they came back, at least?" Blossom asked.

"No!"

"I find that very hard to believe."

"Well, you're not getting anything out of me because I truly don't know, mojo!"

"I think he's telling the truth, you two," Bubbles said as she frowned.

However, Buttercup immediately grabbed Mojo again and lifted him into the air with her.

"Buttercup!" Blossom yelled. "Put him down!"

"Not until he tells us everything!" Buttercup snarled.

"I don't know anything!" Mojo exclaimed in fear as his eyes widened.

"Liar!"

"Buttercup!" Bubbles cried. "Please, put him down! Scaring him will do no good!"

Buttercup growled before she dropped him onto the floor.

Mojo groaned in pain. Finally, he muttered in a soft, sad tone, "I don't know anything because my sons don't tell me anything."

At this, the girls froze.

"My sons… When they first came back, I was beyond ecstatic, mojo. I…I thought that perhaps, they had forgiven me, but…I don't think they have. I have tried multiple times to make conversation with them, but…that never worked out." He paused. "I…remember vaguely when I caught them leaving one night, but they never gave me a decent reason as to why. Since then, we rarely talked whenever we were in the house together. They…only make conversation with me when it is necessary."

"Such as?" Blossom asked.

"Such as a note for school to excuse them for their absence. Stuff like that, mojo." Mojo paused again. "Since then, I haven't been home that often."

"Why?" Buttercup demanded as she narrowed her eyes.

"I have been distracting myself, mojo. Staying out of the house and such. I…only wish to live the rest of my days in peace."

There was a long moment of silence as Mojo hung his head and the girls stared at him.

Finally, Bubbles asked, "Mojo, what did you mean by…your sons forgiving you?"

Mojo flinched.

Buttercup narrowed his eyes. "You better spill it, or—"

"Buttercup," Blossom warned as she glared at her.

Buttercup scoffed.

Mojo didn't say a word, however. He stayed silent, still staring at the floor.

"Mojo, please tell us," Bubbles implored softly.

"I…I cannot," Mojo replied as he closed his eyes and grit his teeth.

"But—"

"I want to forget it ever happened, so please…just leave."

There was a moment of silence as the girls stared at Mojo's anguished face.

Finally, Blossom sighed. "I understand. Come on, girls. Let's go."

Buttercup's eyes widened. "But—"

"Let's go."

Although Buttercup turned around to follow Blossom, Bubbles didn't move an inch. Immediately, Blossom turned back around as she and Buttercup stopped walking.

"Bubbles," Blossom called out.

"I'm not leaving," Bubbles replied.

Blossom and Buttercup both blinked in surprise.

Bubbles stared at Mojo, who finally opened his eyes to look at her. Although she knew that his eyes pleaded with her to leave, she stood firm and frowned. "Mojo, I understand that you want to forget the incident. However, your sons…are murder suspects."

At this, Mojo's eyes widened. "What?"

"Bubbles!" Blossom scolded as she narrowed her eyes.

"They're murder suspects for the recent massacres," Bubbles said, ignoring Blossom. She heard Blossom and Buttercup fly up behind her, but said nothing. "That's why it's imperative that you tell us everything."

Mojo hesitated.

"Please," Bubbles pleaded softly.

After yet another moment of silence, Mojo sighed in defeat. "Fine." He paused. "Years ago, before the boys left, I…was wondering why my experiment with them failed."

"Failed?" Blossom asked as she and Buttercup floated downward.

Mojo nodded. "I had wanted to create something that could fight against you girls. Instead, I had gotten the boys. They weren't destructive as I wanted them to be. So…one day, I brought up the idea to my sons." He bit his lip, hesitating to continue.

"And?" Bubbles pressed gently.

Mojo sighed. "The boys…didn't like that idea." He paused. "They refused. We got into arguments many times, and each time, it escalated even more. As a result, the boys began to…rebel." He paused again, taking a deep, shaky breath before exhaling softly. "Nonetheless, I continued to work on a potion that would make the boys older—maybe even stronger… However, this failed horribly."

"Why?" Buttercup asked.

"On the day after I finished the potion, the boys…disappeared."

Blossom narrowed her eyes. "Disappeared?"

"Yes. They suddenly disappeared, along with the potion. There was no note whatsoever left behind to inform me where they went. So, I…assumed that they ran away." At this, Mojo's voice broke, but he cleared his throat. There was another pause as he took a deep breath and exhaled. "When the boys came back, however, they were older—much older than I had expected them to be, so I can only assume that they drank the potion. I'm happy they did, but…as I've said, they refuse to talk to me unless it's necessary." He paused before he lowered his voice and added, "That is why I assume they haven't forgiven me."

Blossom frowned. "I see… Thank you for telling us."

"Yes, even though it pained you, thank you," Bubbles added softly with a small smile.

Buttercup, however, stayed silent, not daring to make eye contact with Mojo.

"You've gotten your answer," Mojo stated as he looked at the floor. "Now, please leave."

The girls complied without saying a word, making sure to close the door on their way out. They flew upward, each having a grim look on their faces, until they were high above the city.

"Now, what?" Buttercup grumbled before she scowled.

Blossom sighed. "I…don't know. If even Mojo Jojo doesn't know where the boys are, then I don't think there's a way we can find them at all."

Buttercup growled. "What about Himeko?"

"We can't just barge into her house and demand for her cooperation for something like this. We're not the police."

"We're the freaking Powerpuff Girls Z, Blossom," Buttercup retorted. "I think that gives us enough power, don't you think?"

"Yes, but we're not involved with the massacre cases, remember?" Bubbles said as she frowned.

"We should be!" Buttercup exclaimed angrily. "For crying out loud, it's obvious by now that the murderer is someone with black light! That narrows it down to every God damn supervillain in Tokyo City! Him's gone, and the majority of the villains aren't even active anymore! You saw Mojo, didn't you?!" Buttercup panted heavily, catching her breath before she added angrily, "We're the ones who had the most experience with dealing supervillains, so why shouldn't we be involved, huh?!"

"I don't know, okay, Buttercup?" Blossom retorted. "Now, calm down—"

"No, I will not calm down—"

"Buttercup—"

"No, listen to me! Who's the enemy that's been active lately, huh?!"

"Buttercup—"

"Everything is pointing to them, and there's nothing we can do about it—"

Slap!

Buttercup's eyes were wide as the sting on her cheek sunk in. When the shock finally passed, she slowly turned her head to the culprit.

Bubbles's eyes glistened with tears that looked like they could flow any second as she glared at Buttercup.

"Bubbles…" Buttercup muttered.

"I don't want to believe it!" Bubbles yelled as the tears finally flowed down her cheeks. "Boomer can't have killed them!"

"Bubbles—"

"No!" Bubbles yelled as she shut her eyes, shaking her head. "He can't have!"

Before Buttercup could say anything else, Bubbles flew away from the trio, leaving behind a light blue trail in the sky.

Blossom sighed as she gave a small glare to Buttercup.

"What?" Buttercup asked bitterly, turning away from Blossom.

"You know that she's taking this the hardest out of the three of us, right?" Blossom replied, raising an eyebrow.

Buttercup stayed silent.

Blossom sighed. "I'm going to check on her." She paused. "You want to come with?"

Buttercup scoffed bitterly. "She just slapped me, Blossom. I doubt she wants to see me."

"She snapped, and she didn't mean it. This is Bubbles we're talking about here—"

"That's exactly what I mean," Buttercup snapped, finally facing Blossom. "Gentle Bubbles, who doesn't dare raise her hand and willingly hurt someone—"

"She snapped, Buttercup—"

"That doesn't matter!"

Blossom sighed in aggravation before she repeated, "She didn't mean it." She paused before she flew to Buttercup, grabbing a hold of Buttercup's shoulders and forcing Buttercup to face her. "You know that."

Buttercup looked away and stayed silent, not wanting to reply.

"Buttercup… She needs the both of us right now. More importantly, we need to stay together, especially since there's a murderer out there with black light."

Buttercup gulped inaudibly, and she clenched her fists.

Blossom sighed before she grabbed Buttercup's wrist, forcefully pulling her toward the direction Bubbles flew off in.

Buttercup reluctantly complied without saying a word. After all, the stinging sensation she felt on her cheek reminded her that she was out of line—that maybe she should believe the possibility that the boys weren't the murderers.

But then again, why should she?

Butch lied to her from the very beginning. He did everything he could to make it so she would never find out his true identity. Along the way, he ensnared her little heart, and in the end, he broke it to pieces.

A part of her wondered if he even felt anything from their last exchange. His last words to her… And that grin of his… He just looked so…different—different from the typical Butch that she dealt with for the past year.

Hell, did she mean anything to him? At all?

Finally, Buttercup shook those thoughts from her mind. She hesitated, wondering if she should even say anything. She took a deep breath before she muttered just low enough for Blossom to hear, "You think she'll forgive me?"

Blossom gave her a small smile. "This is Bubbles we're talking about here. Of course she would."

Buttercup stayed silent.

"But that aside, there's still the possibility that the boys aren't the murderers," Blossom said gravely. "I mean…they're only murder suspects…"

Buttercup frowned. "But, they're the only suspects right now."

"Yeah, but I've been thinking about this for a while now, and it just occurred to me that maybe we have another suspect." Blossom paused as she hesitated. "Remember when Butch was beaten by someone a week ago?"

Buttercup flinched.

Blossom noticed this, but decided not to comment on it. "He even refused to tell you the culprit."

"Your point?"

"Well…maybe the murderer is the same person that beat Butch up."

Buttercup stopped flying immediately, which caused Blossom to stop her tracks as well, and she gave Blossom an incredulous look. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

Blossom gave her a sheepish grin. "It's only a theory, and I mean, it's not that absurd, since Butch is a Rowdyruff."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that no one human could've beaten him to that degree."

Buttercup blinked before her eyes grew wide.

"I mean, think about it. That pretty much narrows it down to every supervillain in town."

"But…none of the supervillains could be the murderer," Buttercup said, furrowing her eyebrows as she frowned. The image of Butch's beaten body occurred in her mind again, and she did her best to shake off her uneasiness.

Blossom sighed in disappointment. "I know. That's why this theory is a total bust."

Buttercup frowned. "Have…you told Bubbles this?"

"No, not yet. I was going to tell her when we catch up to her."

Before Buttercup could reply, Blossom flew off.

Buttercup continued to frown. Her thoughts lingered on all of the puzzle pieces, and she tried to put it together, but none of it made sense. Finally, she sighed in defeat before she flew off as well.

Butch stood at the doorway with Boomer; both of them stared Brick, who had his back turned to them. There was a long moment of silence between them, each refusing to say a word. Whereas Brick was completely focused on his work, Butch and Boomer were obediently waiting for their red-haired brother to finish.

Finally, Brick let out a long exhale.

Butch grinned. "You finished?"

"Yeah," Brick grumbled before he sighed and turned around, holding up a small tube that had black liquid instead. "It took me a couple of days, but yeah, I managed to finish it."

"Cool!" Boomer exclaimed. "So, does that mean we're done with the current step?"

"No, not yet. I need to test it first."

Butch raised an eyebrow. "How are you going to do that?"

Boomer's eyes widened. "Wait, you're not going to test it on one of us, are you?!"

"No, I'm not," Brick replied as he glared at Boomer.

Boomer grinned sheepishly in response.

"I was thinking of testing it on the girls."

At this, Boomer's grin dropped.

Brick narrowed his eyes when he saw that, but he made no comment.

"If you're going to test it on them, won't you need a lot more of that stuff?" Butch asked, narrowing his eyes at the small tube.

"Well, we're pretty limited with supplies and ingredients down here, so the best I can do is probably make just one more."

"How much more?"

Brick held up the small tube again. "This much, basically."

Butch sighed. "Well, Boomer and I can try to grab you some more stuff you need."

Boomer flinched, realizing that he had been silent this entire time. "Uh, yeah."

"No, it's fine," Brick replied as he turned around and placed the small tube into a tube rack. "We only need to test it on one of the girls, anyway. We don't need to test it on all three of them."

There was a long moment of silence as Brick began to put the multiple amount of beakers, chemicals, and even Chemical Z away, whether it's into the cabinets or just off of the table in general.

Boomer frowned. "So…who are we going to test it on?"

Brick paused in his actions before he turned around to face his brothers, and he frowned as he glared at Boomer.

"I'm only asking!"

"You sure it's not because you don't want it tested on Bubbles?"

Boomer flinched as he stood his ground.

Brick narrowed his eyes. "You do realize that she's the easiest one to get close to, right?"

Boomer's eyes widened. "What?"

Brick sighed in irritation.

"Why not have it tested on Blossom, then?!"

Brick glared at Boomer again. "Blossom is too smart, and having it tested on Buttercup is too risky. Bubbles is the best chance we have."

"But—"

Brick growled, narrowing his eyes.

Butch rolled his eyes as he groaned, not wanting another argument to ensue between his brothers. Finally, he sighed and said, "I'll do the testing."

Boomer blinked in surprise, whereas Brick raised an eyebrow.

A few seconds later, Brick realized who Butch was going to test it on, and he narrowed his eyes at Butch. "We only have one shot at this, you know."

"I know," Butch replied before he sneered. "Don't worry, man. I'll get her to take it. Trust me."