Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Dexter I must insist!” Samurai Jack pleaded to a redheaded child leading their group. The wind howled, with the samurai covering his eyes for protection against the fast moving debris.
“You are making a grave mistake! Aku is not one to be negotiated with, nor trifled with!” He yelled.

Dexter snickered as he and the rest of the group hiked their way up an ominous black tower. He was well equipped for whatever dangers lurked at the top, as well as the environmental conditions plaguing them now. The rest of the group was just as well equipped. Mandy Maxwell of endsville, along with the Grim Reaper, who remained strangely silent during their hike, had the help of underworld flame magic to keep them warm and unbothered. Ben Tennyson of Bellwood simply transformed into Big Chill and was cruising along with the rest, flying incorporeal next to Blossom Utonium of the Powerpuff Girls. The cold never bothered the super heroine. The only one who seemed to be having trouble was Edd of the Cul-de-Sac.

“You guys! Can you please slow down?! Any faster and I’m gonna get blown off this death trap!!” Edd yelled, covered in multiple layers of clothing, and cleats for extra insurance. Dexter laughed in the distance.

“Nonsense! We are almost there! Keep pushing my sock adorned friend!” As the group finally reached the summit, they noticed a small opening on the side of the structure.

“Mr. Samurai! This is your area of expertise. Lead the way.” Dexter called out, removing his goggles, replacing them with his normal glasses. Taking out his scanner, he began taking samples of the surrounding rock and other materials around the entrance. Samurai Jack glared at the boy genius, and narrowed his eyes at the entrance to Aku’s domain, unsheathing his sword, keeping a firm grip on it as he turned to his travel party.

“While it is against my better judgment, we will soon enter the domain of Aku. I beg of you all, do not provoke the monster. I can fend for myself, you all cannot.” The samurai stated bluntly. In response, Big Chill and Blossom flew down to the ground, with Big Chill transforming back into Ben Tennyson.

“So he’s an evil dude from space, big whoop. I fought plenty of dudes like that, saved the universe like… 3 times? Things go south, we’ll just kick him to the curb.” Ben said confidently, smirking. He pointed to his Omnitrix.
“I got about 20 aliens who can sock this dude, not to mention like everyone else here, I mean c'mon Jack, we got the freaking Grim Reaper on our side!” Exclaimed Ben, gesturing wildly to Grim, who was inconspicuously scratching his behind while yawning. Under the notion that people were now watching him, Grim stopped his dubious acts and shrugged.

“I can make no promises. Aku be havin’ access to dem old magics. Oldah than me.” The skeleton stated, shrugging his shoulders. He was in fact, a fan of Aku’s work, which kept him busy for years. That’s not to say he wouldn't try persuading the old tree demon however. While mass death is favorable for the reaper, a world destroyed is an entirely different story. Dexter snorted behind them, his face mere inches from the ground, inspecting a curious speck he inserted into his scanner.

“Ha! Magic! Please. The might of science laughs in the face of magic!” Inspecting the scanner's results, he raised an eyebrow at its findings, his smile fading.
“However, Jack is correct. We do not know what we are dealing with. If things do take a turn for the worse, he shall inform us. We cannot afford to mess this up, for the sake of our future.” Dexter stated. He turned to Samurai jack and nodded. Jack gave a solemn smile back.

“Indeed. Follow me then companions.” Readying himself, the group did the same and followed Samurai Jack into the Pit of Hate. At first, No light dared to shine in the corridor past the entrance, but as they continued onward past the blackness and silence, a low hum began echoing in their ears, growing louder with each step they took. Until finally, a red glow shone in the distance. Eager to escape the buzzing dominating their ears, the group of heroes pressed onward faster and faster, until the red glow engulfed their vision, and letting it clear, the sight before them was terrifying.
Columns upon columns of flames encompassed the walls of the gargantuan pit. Yet these flames were as still as stone, frozen. The hum that buzzed in their ears was still there, yet quieter, luckily still granting them the ability to concentrate on their own thoughts. A single horizontal flame acted as a platform for the group to gain their bearings. Looking down into the pit below them, it seemed almost bottomless, and staring at it long enough gave them all a sense of dread. Samurai Jack simply stared ahead, unflinching.

“Do you understand now the severity of coming here?” Jack inquired to the people behind him. Mandy stepped forward, staring into the pit below her.

“The pure concentrated evil here… Delicious.” She stated, narrowing her eyebrows. Her expression remained unchanged, but a tinge of pleasure just being at Aku’s tower was noticeable enough to her companions. Blossom however, felt uneasy even flying here, as if the weight of whatever dwelled here pulled her down to the ground. Nothing felt safe, nothing felt nice. She flew closer to Mandy.

“I don’t like this M, nothing feels right…” she walked toward the blonde girl, inching closer to her arm. Mandy raised her eyebrow in response.

“Get a grip Blossom. You’re as insufferable as Grim sometimes.” To which Grim huffed in response. There was no point in arguing back at Mandy, not if he wanted to have a body next week. Blossom ignored Mandy and stuck by her side. Meanwhile, Edd and Ben looked around at their surroundings, Edd trying to find a way to book it out of there if things go south, and Ben scratching his chin with a worried expression.

“How big did you say this guy is Jack?” Ben asked, feigning confidence.

“Big.” Jack replied. Walking to the edge of the platform, Jack readied himself, and summoned all his strength.
“AKUUUU!!!” He yelled, the monster's name reverberating throughout the tower. At first, there was silence as the echo died down and everyone stood perfectly still. Then, a low rumble, which turned into a tremble, shaking the very floor they were standing on.
“GET READY!” yelled Jack, and then as if on cue, erupting from the dark abyss below, a tower of black flames shot up at breakneck speeds, almost blowing the group off the tower. As suddenly as it started however, it stopped, with the black mass that had appeared shrinking back down enough to meet them at eye level. There he was, the Master of Masters, The Deliverer of Darkness, The Shogun of Sorrow… Aku. The flames on his eyes danced wildly, but there was no warmth to them. The hum that was present before returned, seemingly following the demon no matter where he went.

“WHO DARES SUMMON THE MIGHTY AK- SAMURAI?!?” Aku gave a high pitch screech, and backed up against the wall of frozen flames behind him.
“SAMURAI WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, WE’RE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT NEXT WEEK TO THE DEATH!” Aku said, his voice as commanding as ever, yet undeniably nervous. Jack however grumbled in response.

“Unfortunately, I am not here to fight you Ak-” before Samurai Jack could finish his sentence, Dexter moved the samurai out of the way and started talking.

“Monster named Aku, I, am Dexter, boy genius, and these are my associates, Edd, Ben Tennyson, Mandy, The Grim Reaper, Blossom Utonium, and Samurai Jack. We have come here on one mission, to ask for your assistance in the fight against the intergalactic terror known as Planet Fuse.” Dexter stated, his arms behind his back.
“Jack has informed us of your power, and your status, and we feel you could turn the tide in this war in our favor. Will you help us?” Dexter asked, with confidence befitting of a leader. In response, Aku moved closer to the group, narrowing his eyes, then suddenly laughed, shaking the tower.

“THE GREAT AKU? HELP YOU? BWAH-HA-HA-HAAA! I WOULD SOONER SEE THIS WORLD RUINED, MELTED TO ITS CORE AND OBLITERATED BEFORE I HELP YOU INSIGNIFICANT INSECTS.” A malicious smile formed on Aku’s face, his flames dancing more wildly than before. Shapeshifting into a demonic serpentine form, he slithered around the group, tightly wrapping himself around them.
“LET FUSE DESTROY YOU ALL, IT WOULD BRING ME NOTHING BUT JOY. I HAVE WITNESSED HIS POWER, WHILE IT PALES IN COMPARISON TO AKU, YOU ALL HAVE NO CHANCE OF WINNING. IN FACT, I THINK IT WOULD BE A MERCY IF I DESTROY YOU ALL NOW MYSELF!” In response to Aku’s outburst, Jack sliced his sword down on Aku’s scaly form, freeing himself and the others from him. Jack angrily faced Aku’s burning body, pointing his sword at him.

“No Aku. You will help us save the earth, or I will make you.” Jack said, glaring at the demon. Aku angrily hissed in response, turning into a large dragon, almost too big for the tower he called his fortress, fully prepared to fight and destroy the entirety of the group of heroes. But before he could, Blossom summoned her courage, and flew in between Jack and Aku, holding her hands out.

“No! We won't force anyone to do anything, if we make any of these bad guys do stuff against their will, they’ll betray us the first chance they get! We had to convince HIM to help us, and there were so many chances for him to get rid of us once and for all, and he didn’t.” Blossom said forcefully. Turning to Aku, she continued.
“And as for you, I read about you ya know, and I know what you want. And world domination is no good without a planet to rule.” She stated confidently, narrowing her eyes. Aku grumbled in response, turning back to his normal gargantuan form. Relieved, Blossom flew back down, standing with the others once again. While the others were in agreement, one hero wasn’t having it.

“Why do we have to make any compromises for this guy? He's a pure villain through and through, he’s even worse than Vilgax, and he already did betray us! If this loser is as strong as you think he is Jack, instead of beating him up, let me just scan him and I’ll get his powers instead, after all, he’s an alien thing isn't he?” And to prove his point, Ben held up his wrist, the Omnitrix facing Aku, with its usual green now yellow. The watch spoke.

“Unknown DNA sample detected. Scanning now.” Aku in response covered his face with his arms

“WHAT INFERNAL CONTRAPTION IS THIS, GET IT AWAY FROM ME BEFORE I TEAR YOU TO PIECES!” He yelled.

“Error. Forbidden data. Corruption imminent, failsafe mode activated.” The Omnitrix flashed blue and white, before sending sparks flying everywhere, and sending Ben himself flying back. When he regained his composure, he groaned and rubbed his head.

“That… has never happened before. Ugh, what are you made of man?” Smiling, Aku regained his composure as well. However, it was Mandy’s turn to speak.

“You’ve built up quite the reputation, haven't you Mr. Aku? You have dreams of domination. I can respect that. And I can also recognize you won’t offer up your services for free. However, Fuse interferes with both our plans for this planet, so I just have one question for you. What do you want?” She asked coldly. Stroking his beard in thought, Aku grinned.

“I SENSE GREAT HATE IN YOU PALE ONE. A HATE THE MIGHTY AKU CANNOT IGNORE. MMMH. YES INDEED. A GENIUS UNPARALLED AS WELL IN YOU SCIENTIST BOY. AND SOMETHING… QUITE FAMILIAR IN YOU RED CHILD… BLOSSOM… YES… VERY WELL. THE GREAT AKU IS NOT SO MERCILESS TO IGNORE SUCH CRIES FOR HELP. LET IT BE KNOWN OF THE WORLD OVER OF MY KINDNESS AND MY SACRIFICE. HAHAHAHA! SO BE IT! YOU WILL HAVE THE SERVICE OF THE MIGHTY AKU’S GRAND AND UNPARALLELED POWERS! AND IN RETURN, I ONLY ASK FOR A SINGULAR FAVOR WHEN I REQUIRE IT. I WILL HELP YOU. AND YOU… WILL HELP ME.” The tree demon mightily proclaimed. His eyes had nothing but glee behind them when he spoke.

“Nonsense! To help you in any form is laughable, right Dexter?!” Turning to face Dexter, the samurai looked for confirmation, but found none, instead, a grimace on Dexter’s face.

“Aku! Let us discuss this deal in private for a moment.” Dexter asked of the demon.

“SO BE IT.” In agreement, Aku shrunk down to the pit, disappearing from the heroes' vision. Walking to the rest of the group, who were now huddled in a circle, Samurai Jack frowned at Dexter.

“You cannot be thinking what I think you are thinking.” Jack asked Dexter.

“Unfortunately, I can think of no other options. Blossom is right as well, we cannot force that monster to do anything, we cannot risk infighting of the powers of the earth. If even one villain joins Fuse’s forces, we have no chance. None. And I firmly believe, after witnessing this creature for myself, that I currently do not have the capabilities of harnessing its powers forcefully.” Dexter answered. Jack frowned, and lowered his head.

“What does Aku mean when he says he wants a favor? Does he get to decide anything he wants? Make us help him conquer the world? I think not!” Edd whimpered, scratching his head in worry. Blossom gave him a smile and a pat on the back.

“Agreed, we’ll have to think of something for that part of the deal. Terms and stuff, there’s things we won't do. In any case, doesn’t anyone think it was weird how after looking at me, Dexter, and Mandy, Aku suddenly just changed his mind? I mean, he was talking about killing us a second ago before that, and then suddenly all he wants is one favor? He couldn't make it more obvious he has something planned. We all know what you’re about M, but what about me and Dexter, and what was familiar about me to him? It was a total mood shift.” Blossom said. Indeed, when Aku looked at the group, he paid special attention to the 3 of them, and something about the way Aku stared at her longer than the others didn't sit right with her at all. Not to mention the strange feeling she got pulling her to the floor only got stronger when she was closer to him. Dexter nodded in agreement, with Grim chiming in.

“If I remember anything about Aku from the glory days, we won't be able to back out of da deal if we try, he’ll seal it with a demon deal.” Grim stated. However, noticing the looks of confusion before him, he continued.
“A demon deal is a binding contract mon. Once Aku’s part of the deal is up, you are spiritually bound to come through for your part. If ya don’t, I come for ya soul. Straightforward it is.” The reaper explained. Dexter nodded in understanding, and began pacing back and forth, scratching his chin.

“Unfortunately I see no other options. I doubt Aku will tell us what this favor entails, and from what Blossom has said, he will most likely ask this favor of Mandy, Blossom and I. But just as well as Aku is most likely plotting something, for whatever he wants of us, we must make sure to plot as well.” Dexter looked to Grim for confirmation.

“Dat be fine. Betrayals always end up happening with these ‘tings anyway.” Dexter gave a nod and looked at Samurai Jack, who stayed silent, deep in thought.

“Jack, you are the only one of us who is truly able to hurt Aku. If all else fails, if Aku somehow gets the upper hand in the future, and ends up doing something to Blossom, Mandy, and I, everyone will need you to still be able to lead us. So I am asking for all of us, for this so-called favor, to come with us in secret, and stay on guard for any sign of trouble.” Dexter asked the samurai out of time. Jack stood in thought for a little while longer, before finally, for the first time since he came here, he sheathed his sword.

“As long as everyone else is in favor of this arrangement, I will be as well.” He stated, looking around at the group who all nodded to each other in agreement.
“Very well. I pray you are right about this Dexter.” Jack said, sighing. He turned back to the chasm.
“AKU!!! WE HAVE REACHED AN AGREEMENT!!!” Just as before, Aku shot up from the dark abyss, grinning wildly, holding out his hand, which was now encased in blue flames.

“WE HAVE A DEAL THEN? AKU’S MIGHTY POWERS, FOR ONE TINY, INSIGNIFICANT FAVOR?” He asked, the anticipation killing him. Dexter looked at the others, and held out his hand, along with everyone else.

“Deal. As long as this favor does not involve helping you take over the world, we accept these conditions.” Aku chuckled, which quickly turned into a full blown laugh, echoing the tower once more.

“VERY WELL! LET US SHAKE ON IT!” And as true as Grim said, Aku shook hands with the entire group, the blue flame enveloping them completely. Yet there was no burning, only a strange warmth as the ancient magic cemented the demon deal.
“WELL THEN. IT TRULY HAS BEEN FUN, BUT YOU ALL MUST BE GOING NOW. AS A SHOW OF GOOD FAITH, THE MIGHTY AKU WILL TRANSPORT YOU ALL BACK TO YOUR… TREE… HOUSE? YES, THAT'S IT! GOODBYE! AKU WILL BE IN TOUCH. HEHEHEHE…” and true to his word, with a snap of his fingers, the heroes disappeared from Aku’s lair. Grinning from horn to horn, Aku shrank back down to the pit below, with his ever faithful servant Demongo appearing from the shadows, who witnessed the entire event.

“Mastahhh… are you really going to… help??? These so called heroes had the ssssamurai on their side! Mastah pleasssse…” Demongo pleaded with Aku on the way down the Pit of Hate. Aku merely laughed in response. His voice no longer trembles the very walls surrounding them, yet still as malicious and in control as before.

“Worry not my faithful. I lied. It is true however, I will assist in getting rid of Planet Fuse, its presence here on my world is aggravating… it will be best to destroy that disgusting abomination once and for all.” Aku said calmly, smiling as he and Demongo reached the bottom of the pit. Aku began walking to his chambers.

“But mastah! You made a deallll… If you break the promise, you will be banished from this world!” Demongo said, worried, he could not imagine a world without his master. Aku however, merely grinned.

“That is why I did not make such a deal. The flames, the pageantry? All for show my minion.” To prove his point, Aku opened a viewing portal in between the walls of the tower.
“Look closely Demongo. They are not afflicted with any curse, nor bound by magic. No, no. They will think they are bound to our deal, and that is the point. Instead, Look at what I put on those three’s bodies.” Sure enough, upon closer inspection, zooming into focus, Demongo and Aku could see a tiny black mass has now worked its way into Dexter’s and Mandy’s bodies, and yet in Blossom, with the x-ray in full affect through the viewing portal, the two demons could see nothing but blackness inside of the red heroine.

“Mastah? Why did you gift the girl so much of your power?” Demongo asked, startled. Aku’s flames danced as he smiled at his ever loyal companion.

“That’s the best part. I didn't! She’s made of me!!! A long dead, long separated remnant of me, but there's no mistaking it, whatever her creator mixed her with is indeed me. So I did the same thing I did to her, as I did to the other boy and girl. Simply having my sentient power inside of the red child again has awakened that remnant of myself. Oh yes. I’ll keep it dormant for now… But once I get rid of the upstart Fuse… I will awaken my power in all three, AND THEY WILL ALL SERVE THE MIGHTY AKU!” Aku raised his hands to the sky, laughing wildly. His grand plan was coming to fruition. The heroes will have their army, that much was to be sure. But just as well, Aku will have his, and no one could suspect, nor stop, what was coming.

Chapter Text

At the dinner table, Blossom barely touched her food. It was her and her sisters off day from the war efforts, and while everyone else was chowing down on their grub, Blossom could only stare at it, poking the meat and vegetables occasionally with her fork.

“Blossom honey, you’ve barely touched your lab grown meatloaf… anything wrong?” Professor Utonium asked. Buttercup and Bubbles stared at each other nervously, pretending not to hear the conversation that was about to happen. Blossom cleared her throat, and quiet enough so no one could hear, she chuckled at herself.

“I uh… yelled… at Ms. Keane today in class…” She said, Blossom said sheepishly. She was almost giddy about the prospect, and it didn't go unnoticed by the professor, and especially not her sisters. The professor in fact, took a minute to process the information just given to him. He was quite frankly, flabbergasted. His perfect little girl, yelling at her favorite person in the world?

“W-what? Why?? Blossom!?” The professor exclaimed, his voice getting more shrill with each word he said. Looking for an explanation, the scientist looked at Buttercup and Bubbles, but both of them suddenly became very interested in the chairs they were sitting on.

“She kept poking and prodding at me! Calling me her good little apple, expecting me to answer every single one of her dumb questions. Expecting me to know everything… There's other kids in the class too you know, I can't be expected to know everything all the time! Why doesn’t she ever call on Brick? Buttercup? No, she always has to lock her eyes on me , her good little apple! ” Blossom said loudly. She didn’t appreciate the way the professor looked at her… accusingly. Bubbles, looking up finally, turned to Blossom.

“But Bloss… you love being called on…” She whispered. Bubbles was uncomfortable. It was a new feeling, to be nervous around her own sister. She didn't know how to react, she didn't know what to do. But in response, Blossom laughed.

“No duh Bubbles! I love knowing things, I love being the only one Ms. Keane calls on, cause I’m the smartest, why wouldn't I?! If anyone deserves the praise it’s me !” She exclaimed. Her breathing was erratic, and the smile plastered on her face was what any sane person would call deranged. The leader of the Powerpuff Girls didn’t realize the hypocrisy of her two statements, she only noted the looks of worry, and confusion on the faces of her family. They just don't understand, they just don't get it. I don’t need them to understand… I don’t need them. Standing up from his chair, the professor walked over to Blossom and touched her forehead with the back of his palm.

“Hmmm… No fever… Sweetie, are you ok? Please, talk to me.” Professor Utonium asked. Blossom hesitated for a moment before swiping her fathers hand off her head.

“I’m fine. Thanks.” she said coldly. Leaving her plate at the table, the red haired heroine floated down to the floor. “Thanks for dinner.” and with that, Blossom floated back up to her room, slamming the door, shaking the house when she did. Rubbing his forehead, the professor sat back down at the dinner table and turned his head toward Buttercup.

“Buttercup, when Blossom has… calmed down a bit, would you talk to her? See if you can help with whatever she has going on.” He asked of the green hero. Buttercup groaned a little before quickly finishing her food and floating up.

“Sure Professor.” Buttercup said. The professor gave a smile and finished his own food, standing up, he picked up the rest of the plates and went to the kitchen to wash them. All of them except Bubbles, who was still sitting at the table, now also poking her science meatloaf with a fork. Buttercup wanted to say something, but she already had enough on her plate, and could only deal with one emotionally frantic sister tonight. Rubbing her temple with both her hands, she flew up the stairs, opening the door to their shared bedroom expecting to see Blossom there ripping up a stuffed animal or something, but listening closely, she could hear the shower. The Powerpuff leader must be in there. “Blossom! When you’re done we gotta talk!” Buttercup yelled loud enough to make sure Blossom heard her request through the running water, completely ignoring the professor's advice to wait. Blossom has been acting this way for a few weeks now, and there were more incidents than just this one. But Buttercup wouldn’t tattle on her sister. After all, it must've been stressful to balance the alien invasion, school, leading herself and Bubbles. She could get that. But Bubbles was on the verge of tears tonight, and that wasn’t just something that Buttercup could sweep aside.

“Ok.” Blossom said simply. She would have to agree, otherwise the others would never stop bothering her. I could always just ignore them. She thought to herself. What have they ever done for me anyway? Blossom shook her head rapidly. What was she thinking? That’s her family. They had every right to be worried about her. Blossom could even acknowledge she was acting strangely, it didn’t take the smartest Powerpuff to figure that out. If it was so obvious, why did they only now notice? It’s like they don’t care. They do, they love her. After tonight, they’ll look at me differently. She knew that. She saw Bubbles face. Emptying her thoughts, she just focused on showering for the time being. Washing her hair, she looked at her reflection in the glass. Gasping and turning her head back, she slipped and fell while backing up. She coulda sworn she saw something, or someone standing behind her, but when she looked, there was nothing there.

“You ok in there?” Buttercup yelled from outside the bathroom, it was a loud thud apparently.

“Yeah, yeah! I’m fine, I just slipped!” Blossom replied to her sister, regaining her composure. Tuning out any other distractions, she continued showering, the sound of running water hitting the shower floor finally calming her down. After 30 min, she stepped out, and noticed Buttercup asleep on the floor, and Bubbles already asleep in the bed. Blossom picked up her black haired sister and laid her on their shared bed. She would have gone to sleep too under normal circumstances, but she didn't feel the need to sleep, not for a while. Picking up her normal attire, she put it on and flew downstairs, making sure to be as quiet as possible. Slowly opening the creaking door of the basement, she entered, closing the door behind her. Turning on the training room systems, she stretched a little before entering the battle simulator. The hologram projected a Townsville on fire, with HIM standing at the center.

“Blossom…” The hologram moaned, picking up a piece of rubble, and crushed it with its claws. Blossom gritted her teeth, and lunged toward the fake HIM. Blow after blow, punch after punch she struck the fake. Attempting to regain a foothold in the fight, the HIM hologram attempted to grow in size, but before it could, Blossom used her heat vision, incinerating its legs. The Powerpuff leader flew at the HIM imposter, stopping inches before its face. End it , the red haired heroine thought to herself. Grinning, she yelled as she used her heat vision, blasting it straight through the now kneeling HIM.

“Simulation terminated. New high score!” The computer echoed throughout the room, dissipating the projections. “ Would you like to begin a ne-”

“Computer, end simulation.” Buttercup interrupted, she watched Blossoms simulation the entire time. Obliging, the Powerpuff siblings were now just standing in a white void. Blossom cocked her head back, looking at Buttercup.

“I was in the middle of something you know.” The Powerpuff leader said, turning around to meet Buttercup’s vision, with an annoyed look on her face.

“So what, you kill our villains now? You finally go off the deep end or something? This is the new you? ” Buttercup asked, stepping closer with each question, almost interrogating the red child. In reality, Buttercup was pleading with her sister. She wanted to help, she wanted to know what was wrong, cause sometimes, it didn’t feel like she was talking to Blossom.

“I’m fine Buttercup. I don’t know why everyone is worrying all the time. I’m just stressed. This whole Fuse thing? Dexter’s demands ? It’s a lot. Besides, it was only a simulation, I just had to blow off some steam.” Blossom said, crossing her arms.

“Red, you scared Bubbles. You’ve been… different for the past few weeks, but I never saw it be that bad. Let me help…” Buttercup reached forward with her hand, trying to gently touch Blossom’s shoulder. Before she could, Blossom smacked her hand away.

“Ha! That’s rich! The dumbest Powerpuff making such an astute observation like that. I never thought I’d see the day.” The leader of the Powerpuff’s snarked, cocking her head to the side, a smile plastered on her face. Buttercup clenched her fist and slowly floated up from the ground.
“Don’t say anything you’ll regret Red.” Buttercup growled. Blossom stood her ground, still smiling.

“You know Buttercup… I don’t know what's happening to me… But I do know one thing. I want this.” and before Buttercup could react, in a split second, Blossom tackled Buttercup to the ground. The impact, while contained in the basement facility, nonetheless shook the house. “I’m tired of holding back! I’m tired of the pressure, the expectations!” Blossom yelled, punching Buttercup into the floor. Normally made for the extent of the girls' powers, it started to crack under the hits. All Buttercup could do for now was defend herself while she was continually wailed on by Blossom. As the hits slowed, Blossom muttered to herself. “I-I just want... I don't know what I want anymore” Coughing, and with her face now swollen, the green Powerpuff grasped Blossom’s arm.

“W-What a joke… I don't have a sister.” Buttercup mumbled, mustering her strength. Clenching her teeth, Blossom floated off Buttercup. With tears in her eyes, Blossom looking down at the beaten Powerpuff.

“You don't… Ugh! You don’t get it!” Blossom yelled, clutching her head. You’ve gone too far now. Leave her. I can fix you. Blossom thought to herself. At least, she thought it was her voice in her head. I can help you, I know how, come back to me. “Ok…ok ok…” she muttered to herself, looking down at Buttercup. “I don’t know what's happening but.. I’ll figure it out. Don’t follow me, please.” and using her freeze breath, she froze Buttercup. The final nail in the coffin. Her freeze breath was a last resort against normal enemies, and she just used it against her own sister. Hearing the basement door open with other footsteps, Blossom flew through the basement ceiling out to the open sky. Follow the sound of my voice . Accelerating, and breaking the sound barrier, Blossom flew through the sky hearing a familiar hum in her head. She recognized it. Flying north for a while longer, she found a familiar site.
“Aku…” She said under her breath. All her instincts were telling her this was a trap, this was a bad idea, and yet uncharacteristically, the smartest Powerpuff ignored her feelings, and just listened to the voice in her head as she entered the tower again. Standing there with all his glory and stature, was Aku. He was expecting her.

“ AH RED CHILD… DEAR GIRL, YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH MUCH.” Aku said, smiling wickedly. He opened the palm of his hand, allowing the red Powerpuff to stand on it.

“Aku, what is happening to me? Why can I only hear your voice? Why do I… Why do I want to hurt people? Why do I like it?” Blossom asked of the great tree demon, looking down at her own hands, still stained with blood. Aku stayed silent for a moment before moving his head closer to the girl.

“FOOLISH GIRL. THAT IS YOUR TRUE NATURE. I MERELY LET IT FREE. YOU, POWERPUFF LEADER, ARE PART OF AKU.” The demon proclaimed, stretching his body upward towards the evening sky. “AKU CAN OFFER SALVATION. PEACE OF MIND, ALLOW YOU TO BE YOUR TRUE SELF, WITH NO CONSEQUENCE.” Aku said, with the wind now blowing on both of them, with Blossom's hair flowing with it as they both looked over the city. The lights of the cars, and the buildings. The sirens of the police and ambulance, the commotion of all the people, all of it, all the sounds being carried by the wind to the top of the tower. “I RECALL YOU MENTIONING YOU READ OF AKU, YES? HOW I DESIRED ‘WORLD DOMINATION?’ MHM? IT IS TRUE. I DESIRE TO CONTROL THIS PLANET. TO RID IT OF THE PROBLEMS THAT PLAGUE IT. INTRODUCE IT TO MORTALS FROM ACROSS THE COSMOS. LET IT GROW, LET IT BECOME ONE WITH AKU.” The great demon explained to Blossom, who only stayed silent, contemplating.

“I-I think I can understand that. You just want what’s best for everyone, the only way you know how… your way. I think.” Blossom said, looking up at Aku’s face, with his smile disappeared, replaced with only deep contemplation. “Can you… fix me? Just let me feel normal again? Let me be my ‘true self’?” Blossom asked of the tree demon. She felt she had no other options, she’s made so many mistakes, and now, it seems Aku was the only one who really understood her. With a grin, Aku stroked his beard.

“PERHAPS. WILL YOU HELP AKU ACHIEVE HIS GOAL? WILL YOU SERVE AKU?” He asked of Blossom. “WILL YOU LIVE FOR AKU? WILL YOU EXECUTE AKU’S WILL? WILL YOU HELP AKU SAVE THIS WRETCHED WORLD, OF WHICH WE WERE BOTH BORN INTO?” The demon continued. Blossom floated up to his eye level.

“I will.” and with that confirmation, Aku grinned wildly, his eyes glowing white as black tendrils began to encase Blossom, growing out of her body, enveloping her.

“AH RED CHILD. YOU HAVE SEALED THIS PLANET’S FATE. BUT DO NOT WORRY, YOUR FAMILY MAY HAVE SHUNNED YOU, BUT YOU WILL ALWAYS HAVE AKU.” The demon said. His plan was nearing its completion. Once all the pieces were in play, there would be no hope, no salvation, and no mercy.