Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z:

Suteki da ne?

That night, Momoko found that getting to sleep might have been the hardest task she'd ever undertaken. Kuriko slept, and dreamed, hard, and had rolled around talking in her sleep. Meanwhile, Momoko had lain beside her, fighting off a grin and wild fantasies flashing through her mind.

Something had changed in Tokyo City. As she led her sister down the sidewalk, she could feel it in the air. She could taste it on the tip of her tongue. There was no breeze and the sun barreled down on the town relentlessly. Beneath her feet, Momoko could faintly feel the ground rumbling every so often. Perhaps it was the cars passing by. Perhaps it was a mole person going about their day. Perhaps, and this was what she truly hoped, it was some great, terrible evil stirring, planning its escape to the world above.

Then they would hear the call. Momoko had worn her belt for the first time in over a year, and kept bringing her hand back to her compact, touching it softly and hoping to see it blink. If evil really had returned, it was only right, only proper, only fair that good return to fight it.

This had to be it. This had to be the day when Powerpuff Girls Z returned.

"Oneechan, you've been really quiet. Are you going to be okay?" Kuriko asked as they stopped by her school. Momoko snapped, briefly, out of her daydream to give her little sister a hug and a smile.

"Of course, Kuriko-chan!" She stood up straight and clenched her fists, suddenly filled with energy, "I just know today is going to be the greatest day! Trust me! You'll see it!" Momoko exclaimed, laughing to herself. Kuriko smiled and nodded, giving her one last hug before hurrying off to class. Momoko watched her go. As soon as Kuriko was inside, she made her way to her own school.

"I just know it..." she murmured to herself, "Something big is going to happen today!"

XxXxX

Halfway through the day, Momoko's bustling excitement began to dwindle. When lunch finally came around, Momoko escaped to the roof, to sit and stare blankly at her food. She'd zoned out during math, missed a handful of questions, and, in her excitement, had forgotten to do her homework the night before. History and chemistry had gone no better. She couldn't concentrate on anything except hoping, against hope, that her belt would ring and she'd be off to save the day, like before.

But nothing, nothing had happened. She couldn't feel the tremors. She couldn't feel the heat. Eventually, she even stopped feeling excited.

"This can't be a coincidence, can it? Mou...that just doesn't make sense! All of this is exactly what's supposed to happen before the next super big bad shows up, right?" she asked the empty air around her. Maybe it was all in her head? The tree could have just finally died. Maybe it got termites or a disease or something? There were endless possibilities, none of them requiring superheroines to save the city. A stray tear slipped down Momoko's cheek.

She took a joyless bite of her food, "Mmm..." she moaned in spite of her mood.

XxXxX

Far below Tokyo City, the great, newly awakened, presence laid in his throne, scarcely able to keep his eyes open. A stream of black seeds fluttered around him, chattering away, while occasionally taking on their true form. That of the demon Kare.

"Master, you seem so tired...are you well?" Kare asked, solidifying in front of his master's throne. The beast yawned, causing the cavern to shake, and rubbed his eyes.

"Though I have awakened, I've yet to return to my former glory. My power, though vast and great as the endless ocean, seems to be but a raindrop plummeting into an ever-expanding pit of emptiness and weakness. Though, I know, in time, that my might will return and once again will I rise to smite the world as I have in days long passed...presently, I must contend with weakness," he explained, waving his hand to and fro. Kare blinked and mock-cleared his throat.

"A simple yes would have been enough, your greatness," He fluttered into the air, shifting through various forms, "Perhaps I can be of assistance?" he chirped, "What is it my master desires to return his strength, hm?" The monster yawned once more, causing the cavern, and the city above, to tremble. He sniffed the air and perked up. There was a slight surge of strength, though it faded quickly and he returned to lounging.

"The human settlement above...it's the nearest source of strength for me, and yet, the strength I gather from it is pitiful at best. Why does the sun shine so brightly over this place? Why does laughter pervade where tears were once wept? Why is there no gnashing of teeth, nor suffering of man? WHY," Kare solidified and cleared his throat once more.

"Master, it would be a simple task to aid you if you would just say what you need," he explained. The monster huffed and frowned.

"Very well...perhaps you are correct. Time spent speaking is no more efficient than time spent plotting and scheming," he caught himself, prepared to launch into another ramble, and cleared his throat, "It is the suffering and darkness of this world that brought me into being, and it is this same negativity that empowers me," he explained.

Kare nodded, giggling with building joy, "Ah yes, we are so alike, Master! Petty things like love and kindness are a poison to us; a poison best remedied with destruction and terror!" Kare froze, realizing he had spread throughout the entire room, like a cloud of humming wasps. He returned to his solid form and nodded.

"Allow me a real body once more, Master, and I will unleash a beast into the city, to hurry your return," he added, with a grin. The monster cocked his head, and slowly smiled.

"Very well..."

XxXxX

"Aaaaaah!" Kare cried, stretching and spinning around, returned to his body once again. He took a deep breath and let out a great laugh, stretching his arms out, "Ah! It is simply wonderful to be reunited with myself once again!" He snickered, covering his mouth with one claw. Still, the joy in his chest was too much and the monster began to laugh once again.

He sobered, suddenly, when he felt his master's presence within him. He nodded, "Ah yes, it is time to return the master's power..." He pulled his claw back, ready to lash out at the city. An image flashed through his mind and a chill ran down his spine. Kare screamed and curled up, hugging himself close.

"Oh no, no, no! I shouldn't attract their attention so soon...no, no. It's been some time, surely those frustrating little brats have only managed to grow stronger...no, we leave this to another," he nodded and stroked his beard, looking around for a suitable target. Kare frowned, "If I make a monster of one of the citizens, they'll only change him back. No, that's too simple! Too boring! So...last season, no it's time to try something new..."

Kare went stiff, standing up straight and turning around. His master had appeared, as an astral projection, behind him.

"Ah, Master! I was just preparing to unleash a monster. Um...I simply needed time to think of one!" The master narrowed his eyes and held out his hand.

"Present me with some of your power, and I will unleash a beast unlike any before it," he commanded. Kare nodded meekly and opened his claw, funneling his black seeds into the master's open hand. The seeds condensed into a ball and began swirling around faster and faster. With a grunt, the master hurled the black ball at the ground. It collided with a silent, but brilliant, explosion.

"Go forth, Doudouhara," he beckoned. Kare frowned, glaring at the new monster. He turned, catching sight of his master's projection as it vanished. "Damn," he snarled, before vanishing in a cloud of black dust.

XxXxX

The last bell for the day had wrung, and the students were rushing out the door, eager to greet the day left for them. Momoko stood on the steps out front, sighing and staring at her compact. Nothing had happened all day.

"Sup, Hero Maniac," a voice behind her called. Momoko gasped and whipped around. Kaoru smirked and paused, gesturing for the rest of her friends, Momoko was sure it was the boxing team, to go on ahead. Kaoru paused, pointing at Momoko's compact. "Playing with that old thing again?" she asked.

Momoko blushed and glanced away, "I guess so...how're you doing, Kaoru-chan?" she asked nonchalantly. Maybe today she could possibly, maybe convince her to...

"It's going alright, about to head out to try this new ramen place downtown," she jabbed her thumb toward the boxing team, who were calling for her to hurry up. Momoko nodded.

"Cool, uh, I don't suppose you'd want to. I mean, if you're not busy later, of course. Maybe, go um...oh! Sorry!" Momoko cut off. She'd been shuffling her feet and nearly run into the group of students behind her.

"Be careful, Akatsutsumi-san!" one of the girls called. Momoko started to apologize, but someone cut her off.

"It's alright, Momoko-san, we didn't run into you, did we?" Miyako asked, breaking away from the rest of the crowd. Momoko shook her head and looked back at her compact, losing her nerve now that both of them were here.

"No, it's okay. I'm sorry for getting in the way," she apologized. Miyako giggled and lightly touched her shoulder. Momoko nearly jumped.

"You aren't in the way, Momoko-san," she nodded to Kaoru and smiled a bit brighter, "It's nice to see you, Kaoru-san! We don't get to talk much anymore," she exclaimed. Kaoru nodded, throwing a rude gesture back at the increasingly rowdy boxing team.

"Yeah, I guess so," She crossed her arms and the three stood awkwardly. This was the first time they'd all been together in...several months at least. None of them were sure what to say.

That is, until Momoko's compact started flashing.

"Huh?" They all gasped in unison. Momoko's eyes watered and a blush rushed to her cheeks. With a small whine she suddenly screamed with excitement and jumped in the air, dropping her books to the ground.

"YES! YES! YES! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!" she screamed, jumping and pumping her fists furiously. Kaoru and Miyako both looked away blushing, clearly embarrassed for her. Momoko flipped open her compact and was greeted to Professor Utonium's face.

"What's the problem, Utonium-hakase? Do you...do we really?" she couldn't finish, she was too excited. The Professor smiled and nodded.

"We need Powerpuff Girls Z, right away! There's a monster rampaging through the city!" The screen changed, showing the Tokyo City strip mall. Momoko grinned and nodded, closing the compact. When she looked to Miyako and Kaoru, neither one could make eye contact with her.

"You heard him, right? Right? This is great! This is amazing! This is awesome!" she squealed, "We get to be Powerpuff Girls Z again! We need to go save the city! And when we're done, we can go back to the Research Center and hang out like we used to! This is the best day ever!" Her excitement began to dwindle. Miyako was playing with the hem of her dress and Kaoru kept adjusting her cap.

Momoko's grin became a smile, "Right? Girls?"

"I...kind of have plans, Hero Maniac. We're discussing how we're going to do against Osaka in next month's match," Kaoru explained, rubbing her arm.

Miyako smiled, but kept staring at the ground, "And I've...well, we're planning a special festival over Golden Week, and it's...a really important meeting. You understand, right, Momoko-san?"

Momoko's smile faded, "What? You...you can't mean that, right?" Miyako and Kaoru nodded. Momoko stomped her foot, torn between screaming in anger and crying. They couldn't be serious, "The city needs us! If we don't stop that monster, who will?"

"Listen, Momoko," Kaoru started. She sighed and shoved her hands in her pockets, looking hopefully at Miyako. The blonde-haired girl nodded.

"We understand, it's just..." she sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. Momoko's lips quivered. She bent down and picked up her bags, snapping her compact back into her belt.

"I understand...you have more important things to do now," she murmured.

"Momoko, wait. It's just...this is a big match for us! We've never beat them! Never!" Kaoru called after her.

"Momoko-san! It's just a bad time, this festival is really important to the school!" Miyako cried out. They traded embarrassed looks and said quick goodbyes before rushing after their friends.

Momoko angrily wiped the tears from her eyes. She took out her compact and her ring appeared on her finger. The city needed someone to save it, and she was the only heroine without an excuse.