Bubbles' Second Bodyguard

Chapter Three

The Mark of Shadows

The girls make it back home right after school, with Crystal included. She was getting suspicious about why Him was after Bubbles and why he wanted kill her in the first place. She made sure to come along in case this incident at the school happens again. Bubbles makes it up to her room, opened the door and walked in. She switched out of her school uniform and replaced it with a pair of blue jeans with a light blue bubble on each of the pockets, a light blue sweater vest with a bubble at the chest pocket, and a pair of black loafers. She quickly got onto the bed and stared at the ceiling for a little bit before picking up her long-time companion, Octi the octopus. She heard Crystal say, "I'm headin' home. See ya!" as she walked out the front door and speeds off. She gets up and walks over to the window to see her friend speed for home. She then walks back to her bed and lays down to stare at the ceiling, wondering why Him was after her and what he wants with her. She has a flashback of when she was only five.

Flashback

Bubbles was crying on the floor, thinking that what her friend said was a horrible idea. She turns to her octopus doll and says, "Oh, Octi. Now they're fighting more than ever." She covered her eyes. "I'm so confused. Octi, tell me what to do." Just when she said so, there was no answer.

"Octi?" asked Bubbles, in confusion. "Why don't you say something?" There was no answer until a voice said, "Stupid, little girl!" Bubbles gasped and her doll suddenly came to life, turning red with its tentacles and body growing and crowding the room.

"They're fighting because of you," the voice said again, "because you believed your toys can really talk and you actually do what they tell you to do."

"I know that voice," said Bubbles. "You're Him!"

"Very good, I'm flattered," said the Him possessed doll. "But thank you Bubbles. Thank you for helping me break up the Powerpuff Girls once and for all. Now if you excuse me, I must go and destroy the world!" The doll moves, breaks through the wall and heads for Townsville, leaving Bubbles to stare as it disappears into the night.

Flashback Ended

Bubbles wondered why Him was after her while lying on the bed and holding her Octi doll. Was it because she fears him the most? Or was it because he loves her and he wants her to be his queen? She stared in thought for at least two minutes. She, looked over her left shoulder and noticed something on her left arm, like she got a tattoo from somewhere, but never realized it. She got up right on the bed and examined it. This is weird, she thought, since when did I get a temporary tattoo on my arm?

She then got a wet towel from the bathroom and went to her room to wash it off. She scrubbed at it for a few seconds and to her surprise, it wasn't damaged nor was it scratched off. It was left there with no scratches, no marks and no nothing. Bubbles was confused. Why won't it rub off, she thought. Just then, the room became as red as blood and she felt a chill run down her spine.

"You saw the mark, did you?" an echoed voice came from behind. Bubbles' head snapped in its direction, and there was Him, standing near the door with his usual smile on his face and his claw tapping on knob. He floated over to her, his red mist following behind. Bubbles backed up in fear, thinking he's trying to kill her again. Unfortunately for her, he caught to her nonetheless, with his body close to hers as if he's holding her manually.

"W-what are you talking about?" she asked, her voice cracking in fear. Him walked behind her, his arms still holding her still. He whispered in her ear, "The Mark of Shadows." He then hugged her tightly as though to prevent any means of escape.

"It's a powerful mark that cannot be washed away," he said. Bubbles then stabs him in the stomach with her elbow, runs out of his reach and zaps the mark with her laser vision. This did not work, however, for it remained untouched even after the blast. Him laughs at her, evilly.

"You see?" he said, grinning, "The mark is legal and completely unbreakable, even for you." He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her to trap her in his grasp, making her even more scared. The Grim Reaper appears again and was grumbling to himself until he turns around and shouts in shock, "Him!" As Him was about to strike his prey, Grim shouts, "Hold it, Him!" and zaps him with his scythe, causing him to let go of her and she lands on her butt. Him shakes his head, hisses and turns it towards the Reaper, with anger on his face.

"You've just made a serious mistake," he said, angrily. He snapped his claws at the ready and was about to make his first move on his opponent, until Crystal teleports into the room and shouts, "Whoa ho! What's goin' on here?"

"Him told me about the tattoo," said Bubbles, her voice cracking with fear. Crystal looked at her all confused and asked, "What tattoo?" Bubbles lifted her arm towards her, hoping that she'll be able to get rid of the strange tattoo. Crystal teleported next to her and looked at the tattoo in shock. Him grinned at her expression when she saw it.

"Holy smokes, it's a Shadow Mark!" she exclaimed. Him walked up to the two and said, "Right you are, fool!" He teleports behind Bubbles and said, "And right you are about her…" He paused and chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "…misfortune." He then kissed right on the cheek.

"Claws off of her, Him!" said Crystal, angrily. She aimed an energy orb at the ready. Him teleported right next to Bubbles' closet and snapped his claws, ready to strike. He lashed his right claw at her, but Crystal whacks it back to him, causing it to strike the villain.

"Thank you, Crystal," said Grim, as he witnessed this. As he says this, Him grins and teleports to Bubble's side. She backs off from him and gets out the cross necklace that Crystal had given her.

"Stay back!" she said, as she held the cross necklace in front of him. He grinned and his eyes glow a bright green, causing the cross to heat up and explode. This made Bubbles drop it to the ground, as it seemed to have melted in the explosion. Rats, Crystal thought to herself. He melted it. Him advanced towards her and wrapped his arms around her, preventing any means of escape. Crystal thought fast and kicked him on the side, causing him to fly across the room. Grim then zaps him with his scythe, and Him disappears into a cloud of red mist.

"Well, it seems our work here is finished, man," said Grim.

"This isn't over!" shouted Him's disembodied voice. "I'll be back for you, Bubbles! Just you wait!" As he said so, the room returns to normal, going back to the original color that it once was. Crystal gave a sigh of relief after that. Bubbles ran up to her and hugged her, as a way of saying thank you.

"You can go now Grim," said Crystal. "You got some work to do."

"Don't let that devil get to her, though," said Grim. He disappears. Bubbles, who was a little frightened about what happened, kept hold of Crystal. She then pats Bubbles on the head, and said, "Don't worry kiddo, I'll keep Him away from you." She hugs her to give her some comfort. Bubbles held onto her tight, knowing that she is a great friend to her and that she would never let anyone evil near her.

Later, during dinnertime, Bubbles kept thinking about what Him said about the mysterious tattoo.

Flashback

"The mark is legal and completely unbreakable," said Him. "even for you."

Flashback ended

Bubbles kept chewing her food, as she stood deep in thought.

"Bubbles," said Blossom, with a concerned look on her face. "Are you okay?" Bubbles turned her head towards her sister, and said, "It's nothing." She continued eating, but she kept thinking about what would happen when Crystal is not around to save her. After dinner, she immediately took a shower and got into her room, just after she got dressed in her nightgown. She locked the closet door and her window, got into bed, and drifted to sleep, hoping that she would forget about what happened today.

To be continued…