Demashitaa! Powerpuff Girls Z:

Suteki da ne?

"So then, Miyako-chan wraps her arms around me and is like...'I'm sorry Buttercup!' and then she just BAM! Shoots her jets and blasts us all out of the way. I ah..." Momoko trailed off in the middle of her story, blushing and sighing, "I...blacked out after that, but Ken-kun and Utonium-hakase said that Akuma was furious!" Momoko yawned and fell back in her bed, smiling up at the ceiling. Kuriko giggled and dropped down beside her, kicking her legs.

"I know, Oneechan! I was watching you with Mama!" she giggled, "Mama nearly screamed when you went flying at the monster!" Momoko blinked, sitting up with a grunt and a wince.

"You didn't tell her did you? No one else is supposed to know, Kuriko-chan!" Momoko chastised, keeping her voice low and glancing toward her closed door. Their parents had gone to bed not too long ago, it was still likely one of them was awake. Kuriko shook her head, putting her finger on Momoko's lips, cutting off more scolding.

She puffed her cheeks out and replied, "Of course not, Oneechan, I'm not stupid. I know how the whole superheroine thing works, I'm not gonna reveal you, silly!" She beamed when her sister sighed and nodded.

"I know, Kuriko-chan, I just wanna make sure. You know how Otousan is, he's like a detective!" she exclaimed, laying back down. She sank into her pillows, moaning in content. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. She took a deep breath and yawned, closing her eyes. She felt Kuriko slip under the covers and roll around, getting comfortable.

"I know, I know. But I think you'll be okay, Oneechan. No one would ever believe you were Blossom," she teased. Momoko yawned again and stuck her tongue out.

"You're such a...brat..." she barely managed to get out, drifting off into a peaceful, exhausted sleep.

XxXxX

Momoko rushed through the streets, gasping and puffing. There was something chasing her, closing in on her just out of sight. She clenched her eyes shut. Her lungs were burning. Her feet were sore. She opened her eyes and looked down. Blood was streaming down her hands, trickling to the city street blow. With a gasp, she whipped around the corner and froze.

She was standing on top of a tall building, wind blowing through her hair while the moon shone down from above, casting a pale glow across the sleeping city. Blossom blinked, tilting her head back. In the distance, she saw the Tokyo Tower glowing like the lone light in the darkness. She shivered and wrapped her arms around her, blocking out the growing chill in the air. Something was fast approaching, just out of sight. She glanced over her shoulder and slowly turned around.

Momoko screamed, but no sound came out. She fell back, plummeting to the street miles below. As she fell, she peered off, over the horizon with wide, trembling eyes. There, just on the edge of the night, beyond the glittering lights of the Tokyo Tower, she could see it coming. Somewhere in the distance, the night grew darker, and the stars flickered out.

Blossom reached out a bloody hand, but the night wouldn't stop. Momoko opened her mouth to scream, but all that came out was silence. Even with all her power, she could only watch the tide of darkness sweep over the city.

And yet...in the dark, she could still see the tower, the lone light in the darkness.

XxXxX

Momoko yawned and rubbed her eyes, peering around the school lobby. Students were filtering in, laughing and chatting at a hundred miles an hour. Just watching the crowd made her feel a bit uneasy. She stifled another yawn and stretched, reaching as high as she could.

"Nice abs, Hero Maniac," Kaoru commented, plopping down beside her. Momoko squealed and dropped her hands, pulling her shirt down. She blushed and giggled sheepishly.

"How long were you standing there?" she asked nervously.

Kaoru winked and replied, "I just got here, don't worry...so how're you feeling?" She laughed when Momoko groaned and laid back, arms splayed, "Yeah, same here, I think I sprained my most of me or something," she laughed.

"Tell me about it...oh, hey! Check this out, Kaoru-chan," Momoko exclaimed. She reached over and, after a moment of concentration, managed to pick up Kaoru's pen and hold it in her hand. The two heard clapping and looked up, smiling.

"Very good, Momoko-san. I'm proud to see how fast you're recovering," Miyako beamed, sitting on her other side. Momoko set Kaoru's pen back down and stared at her hand, with a heavy sigh.

"I suppose so. I still can't grab much of anything, just picking up that pen was exhausting," she laughed mirthlessly. Miyako patted her leg and smiled. Momoko smiled in return.

"You'll get it in no time, Momoko-san," Miyako assured her. Momoko nodded, climbing to her feet when the first bell rang. Miyako gave a little bow and a wave, hurrying off to her homeroom. The other two waved and walked together. Their homerooms were in the same hall.

Kaoru seemed distracted, fumbling with her pockets, scratching her hair, and constantly peeking over at Momoko. Growing frustrated, the redhead finally giggled and turned to Kaoru, tilting her head.

"Is something wrong, Kaoru-chan?" she asked. Kaoru blushed, shaking her head.

"Nah, it's just...okay, so I was thinking about what happened yesterday," she began. Momoko nodded and the smile faded from her lips. She recalled the dream she had the night before and shivered, "How exactly are we supposed to fight this guy?" Kaoru finally asked, "You said he's not even at full power, and we were completely powerless against him,"

Momoko shook her head, stepping in front of Kaoru, "Not powerless! You saw, we managed to fight back enough to worry him," she pointed out. Kaoru shrugged, but Momoko persisted, "We aren't powerful enough to beat him...yet! But, I know as long as we believe and do our best, we'll find a way! We always find a way, right, Kaoru-chan?" she winked. Kaoru couldn't help smiling and laughing. She gave Momoko's shoulder a squeeze and walked to her homeroom. An image flashed in her mind; Kaoru glanced back at Momoko's hands. She turned toward her homeroom door.

"You know what?" Kaoru paused, lowering her head. She faintly felt a blush on her cheeks, and she wasn't about to let Momoko see it, "The way you say that? Almost makes me wanna believe you," Kaoru looked over her shoulder and winked, then vanished into her homeroom with a wave. Momoko grinned and spun around, rushing to her own classroom down the hall.

XxXxX

Momoko sighed and slouched against her desk. Her notes were a mess of scratches and scribbles, but she could make them out if she squinted really hard. Her fingers were starting to hurt though, but she was afraid that putting her pencil down would mean she couldn't pick it up again. She stuck her tongue out and finally decided to just set it down. Their history teacher was late, allowing her a chance to do the finger stretches the Professor had recommended. She winced. It hurt, but, at the same time, she was proud to see that she had a bit more flexibility, if only just a bit.

"Mou, I hope we don't have a lot of notes today, I just wanna get to lunch," Momoko muttered to herself, looking up at the classroom clock. The day was going too long. She was hungry, sore, and she really, really wanted to talk to Miyako and Kaoru about Akuma Daimao. After her conversation with Kaoru, she'd spent most of the day trying to come up with a way to overcome the monster. So far, she had a few bad ideas, and a couple horrible ideas, but nothing concrete.

"Ah! He's...what?" Momoko's eyes widened when the door finally opened and a tall, older man walked in. He cleared his throat and adjusted his red bow tie. He set a briefcase down on the desk and fixed his dark jacket. He looked up, walking to the front of the now silent class. Behind his dark framed glasses, his stern, red eyes scanned the room. He must have been in a hurry, Momoko reasoned. While his goatee was neatly trimmed, his red hair was a bit disheveled. Still, Momoko thought while her heart began to beat faster, somehow it suited him. When he clapped his hands, everyone jumped. A warm smile spread across his lips.

"Good afternoon, everyone! I apologize for my tardiness, I was walking the courtyard and must have become distracted!" His voice was deep and rough, but still warm. His smile grew a bit when he and Momoko made eye contact. She quickly looked down at her desk, blushing furiously. The teacher snapped his fingers and chuckled.

"Ah! I must apologize again, you must all be confused. Ono-sensei will away for some time. I believe he mentioned a family emergency out of town that will take some time, ah! Excuse me, I'm rambling. In the meantime, I will be filling in as your history instructor. You may call me Kuma-sensei," he answered the unspoken question, giving them a small, courteous bow. Just like that, the tension in the room melted away.

Kuma-sensei nodded and adjusted his bow tie once more, going over some notes from his briefcase, "Ono-sensei left behind a schedule for the year, am I correct in assuming he was especially excited to get to the Sengoku period?" the class laughed. Ono-sensei was notorious for his idolization of the Sengoku period, to the point of even wearing a kabuto, a samurai helmet, to class. Kuma-sensei smirked and nodded, pacing around the room, flipping through the notes.

"My, but there are so many great things to discuss prior to the Sengoku period!" He cleared his throat, "Very well, if this is how it is to be, so let it be. I will do what I can to preserve Ono-sensei's original plans for the year, however, I can make no promises to not alter the schedule, should there come a time I see fit, in order to provide you with the most informative learning experience possible. I would ask that you grant me but a grain of patience as I acclimate to these new accommodations and I solemnly swear to do right by you and present you a worthy education," Kuma-sensei rambled as he paced the room. He paused near Momoko's desk, blinking and tilting his head. He chuckled and turned to her with a wry grin.

"Pardon me, I have a tendency to ramble. You'll promise to remind me should I slip into needless exposition, won't you?" he asked, eyes twinkling. Momoko's cheeks heated up more as she looked up at him. She blinked and giggled, looking away finally.

"Um...okay!" she blurted out. Kuma-sensei, along with a few of her classmates, laughed. Momoko swallowed nervously. Her eyes shot open and her heart began to blast in her chest when he gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"I appreciate it," he said with a wink. Momoko quickly looked back down at her desk, shivering. He was pacing the room again, outlining his own expectations for the class. Momoko looked up and bit her lip.

"Mou..." she whispered. As he slipped into another long-winded explanation, Momoko felt a smile creep to her face. He glanced up at her, pausing in mid sentence. Momoko giggled and nodded. He chuckled and scratched his scruffy hair apologizing to the class. The young heroine sighed and leaned on her desk again, unable to stop smiling.

XxXxX

Momoko stood awkwardly to one side of the lunch room, looking around for her friends. She spotted Kaoru, sitting with the boxing team and discussing something, primarily at at very loud volume. She gasped, nodding.

"That's right! It's Friday, so the clubs are meeting today...I wonder if," She drifted off, spotting Miyako rushing across the lunch room to meet with her. Miyako smiled brightly, holding up her lunch.

"Good afternoon, Momoko-san! How were your morning classes?" Miyako blinked in confusion, watching Momoko's face turn different shades of red. The heroine squirmed where she stood, giggling and shaking her head. Miyako's eyes widened. She recognized that look!

"Momoko-san! Did you...are you...you have a crush!" Miyako exclaimed. Momoko gasped, snapping out of her revere. She shifted her weight back and forth and fought a goofy grin on her face.

"I do not!" She insisted, refusing to make eye contact with Miyako. Her best friend giggled, leaning closer to her.

"Who is it, Momoko-san?" she whispered. Momoko bit her lip, trying to contain herself. After a brief struggle, she began to giggle again. She looked around the room, then leaned in closer to Miyako.

"Well, you see there's a new-" she started. Unfortunately, she was cut off when a member of the student council ran up to them.

"Miyako-chan! Are you going to join us? Mitsuru-senpai wanted your input on the festival," he asked.

"Actually I was going to-" Miyako started, but Momoko interjected, giving her a slight push toward the student council table.

"It's alright, Miyako-chan, they need you! You should have lunch with them," Momoko insisted. Miyako shook her head, narrowing her eyes.

"No, that's alright, Momoko-san, I can just..." Miyako sighed. Momoko was shaking her head and gesturing for her to go with them, "Are you sure? I don't want you to be alone," Momoko shook her head again and grinned.

"No, no! It's alright. Please, go, Miyako-chan!" she persisted. Miyako sighed and, with one last glance back, made her way to join the rest of the student council. Momoko took a deep breath and sighed. Though she'd been ready to tell Miyako, she was, in hindsight, glad she'd been able to dodge the question. She wasn't even sure she had a crush on Kuma-sensei. Yes, she thought he was handsome. And yes, he was very sweet and funny. And yes, he did seem to take a shine to her. And...okay, so she'd felt this way before, when it was a crush. But, there was no way of knowing it was a crush!

"Okay! Okay! Time to eat!" Momoko chastised herself, slipping out of the lunch room, "Which one did I pack...ah! Neko Majin Z!" she grinned and hurried to the library, taking a seat near the back. She fought with her lunch bag for a few minutes, doing a silent victory shuffle when she managed to get it all laid out. Her mother had been thoughtful enough to pack her favorite Mr. Octopus Wiener, complete with a light spoon to eat with. Taking a deep breath, she winced and fought with her hands to take the first bite. It was painful, but the moment she bit into it, she sighed, awash with delicious sensation.

"Mmm...so good!" Momoko fought for another bite, then flipped open her manga. She cringed, realizing she was going to have to bend the pages to turn them, but it was a small price to pay to read this volume again! She giggled wildly to herself, ignoring the growing pain in her hands as her painkillers began to wear off completely. The bottle was sitting nearby and, despite her best efforts, Momoko found herself turning to it mournfully.

"Why are you so hard to open..." she muttered, turning another page.

"Do you mind if I join you?" A deep voice asked. Momoko nearly threw her manga across the room, looking up sheepishly at the new teacher. Kuma-sensei smiled, tilting his head to the side. Momoko giggled frantically and sat up straight, responding with a stiff nod. Kuma-sensei sat down; her face heated up and her heart began to pound once more.

"H-Hi K-Kuma-sensei...h-how is your um...first day going?" she managed to stutter out. He smiled, that warm, somehow knowing smile.

"Quite well, thank you so very much, Akatsutsumi-san..." he frowned, reaching across the table. Momoko shivered when his fingers lightly brushed across her hand. Her fingers tensed up and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. He noticed, "Akatsutsumi-san, what happened? I noticed you seemed to not take notes in class,"

"I um...I was in an accident recently. I c-can't really grip much, and what I can isn't easy," she admitted, looking over at the painkiller bottle. Kuma-sensei noticed, perking up and reaching for it.

"Ah, so that is it! I can't imagine that, in your injured state, you've much luck in opening this?" Kuma-sensei popped open the bottle, handing it back to her. Momoko smiled gratefully, quickly taking two pills and, fumbling and trying to avoid embarrassing herself, drained a long drink of water.

"Ah! That's so much better, th-thank you, Kuma-sensei," she chirped. Kuma-sensei smiled in return. He perked up again, noticing her book. He leaned forward against the table, eyes wide.

"That book!" he whispered, staring at it intensely. It was another one of the tomes! Momoko blushed, suddenly self conscious. She closed the manga and pushed it away. Kuma-sensei's gaze followed it.

"It's...my Imoutochan's!" Momoko insisted shifting her feet under the table.

"It is? I've seen similar t...books, though I can't say I've read this one. What is this one called?" Kuma-sensei asked, crossing his arms and looking away. He crossed his legs under the table, kicking it. He quickly apologized and adjusted his legs, swallowing nervously, staring at the book. Momoko blinked, casting a sideways glance at it.

"This one? Um...Neko Majin Z, volume three," she explained. Kuma-sensei's eyes widened, his glasses slipping down his nose.

'Neko Majin Z?!' He thought, grinding his teeth, 'Perhaps an ancient tome containing wisdom from a precursor to Powerpuff Z? A demon cat of some kind? I must...but I can't simply ask. But, if I can peruse this tome, then I have a chance to learn of Powerpuff Z's secrets!' He cleared his throat and adjusted his bow tie, looking away, whistling. After a moment, Momoko spoke up, bashfully.

"Did you want to read it, Kuma-sensei? I've already read it before...it's really good! I mean," Momoko blushed and looked down, "I mean, if you want...it may be too childish for you," she trailed off, her voice getting softer with each word.

"Yes, actually! It looks quite interesting!" Kuma-sensei said, snatching it quickly. He took a deep breath, slowing himself and chuckled sheepishly, "Childish? Nonsense, even at my age, I still enjoy reading such stories," he assured her. Momoko perked up, jumping to her feet.

"You...like...manga?" she asked, wide-eyed. Kuma-sensei glanced nervously to the side. After hesitating a moment, he turned back to her and smiled.

"Of course I do!" he exclaimed. If possible, Momoko turned brighter red. Her heart nearly jumped out of her chest and she could swear she heard someone, somewhere singing, "I promise to return it to you tomorrow," he rose from his chair and gave her a polite bow, "I apologize for leaving so suddenly, but I do have some settling in to attend to. You understand, yes?" Momoko nodded silently, unable to find her voice. Kuma-sensei gave her one last warm smile, then took his leave.

Momoko sank into her seat, staring after him. Her hands were pulled to her chest, her mouth hung open, her eyes were wide. Slowly, a blissful smile spread across her face and she sighed, leaning against the table.

That answered her question...it really was a crush.

XxXxX

On the roof top, Kuma-sensei sat, perched precariously on the edge of the building, flipping through the pages of the manga. Every so often, he chuckled, and a smile was constantly spread across his face. He blinked, when he reached the end of a chapter, and turned his gaze skyward.

"What is this?" he asked the empty air, "Perhaps I simply...can't understand the code, but, it seems as if this is nothing more than entertainment. There must be something hidden here, some secret to her power..." he paused, taking off his glasses. His eyes lit up in flames. He rose and began pacing the rooftop, reading the next chapter.

"This is but one of the blueprints to her heart..." he said, repeating what Kare had told him when he read the last tome, "The secrets to understanding Hyper Blossom must be within these pages," he told himself, before cracking a grin and chuckling. Whatever secret was hidden here, it was hidden well beneath the comedy.