Talisman part 4

Bubbles staggered forward, seizing the railing that lined the skyscraper's edge and nearly toppling over it, her stomach seeming to turn inside out as she gasped and coughed. Her head spun, her grip spasmed. Her gut churned, forcing her to heave and dry reach but a violent spate of sickness never came. Sweat lined her brow and she sucked in a few desperate gasps of air. She opened her eyes as the horrible feelings subsided. It was like car-sickness, air-sickness, sea-sickness, all rolled into one. Dizziness spun through her head, making her stumble. The cool, gentle breeze flowing past was her only comfort, making her skirt and pigtails ruffle as it blew past her body. She tried to steady herself on the railing. Her eyes began to focus - she was standing on a solid surface but before her she saw a sheer drop to the streets below, prevented only by the barrier she clung to. She knew the view instantly, that structure with all the satellite dishes upon it two blocks ahead pretty much giving her location away. Central Business District. Simmonds Avenue - no, Manser Street. Block no. 187.

This was Jubilee Tower.

What was she doing here? A moment ago, she'd been with her sisters, wanting nothing more than to head home and curl up with Octi and look forward to a nice hot dinner and bath. Then the big white flash. Her world turned head-over-heels as for a moment she hadn't been able to see anything in the blinding light. Then she stumbled onto this overlook, grabbing the railing, gasping for breath. She'd jumped from one place to another - and felt sick to her stomach in doing so! She recognised the white flash that swallowed her... someone brought her here. That person was watching her...

A footstep behind her. Bubbles whirled, nearly collapsing against the metal barricade again as her legs scrounged for strength to keep her standing. The sunlight silhouetted her captor from full view, but it was unmistakable who it was. Bubbles grit her teeth, hissing the name of the person she thought was above petty kidnap. "S-Sora...!"

"Look, I didn't wanna do that but there was just no-"

Bubbles pushed away from the railing, staggering toward the girl "You'd better have a good reason why you-" her stomach turned itself inside out again, halting her and forcing her to run back to the edge, "Urk - gonna hurl... !" She grabbed the steel and teetered herself over the side, but again no violent reflux. It was a painful tease. Sora's hand found its way to Bubbles' shoulder. The first instinct was to shrug it away, angry at both her sudden, untold departure and now at this little stunt. But her touch, as it had before, felt strangely soothing. Colour began to return to Bubbles' cheeks.

Sora murmured, still dressed in the same outfit from yesterday, "I needed you here on your own for a little while."

Bubbles' voice began to lose its shakiness "Y-You could have just come to us and asked... I wouldn't have minded!"

"No." was the firm response. Sora's apple-green eyes were narrowed, "It has to be here... where it's out of the way. Just you and me, for now."

"They'll find me here, you know... what you did was a bad thing!"

"Bubbles, this is important!"

"Is it?" Bubbles spun on her, looking genuinely hurt "You ran away overnight and didn't even say goodbye to me! Was there something more important than that? Then you STEAL me away from my sisters without any warning... and again, something's more important?" she folded her arms, azure eyes glaring angrily "You got a weird way to do things, Sora..."

"There's nobody else I can go to, Bubbles!"

"You disappear for almost a day and then bring me here, nearly make me sick and then expect me to just go along with what you want? Sora, you're my friend but that's not how you're supposed to do it!"

"Look, will you let me explain!?" Sora clenched her fists, her knuckles turning as white as her silky vest "I brought you here because you're the only one I can trust right now! Is that so wrong!?"

Bubbles shook her head, "No, it's not...!"

"Then why are you so mad at me?" Sora whimpered. Yesterday had taken a lot of courage. She hated to think that she had in the space of a few minutes and few small actions ruined it all. To have come this far, only to throw it all-

Bubbles flung herself onto Sora forcefully - so hard in fact that her forehead smacked the large crystal brooch that still hung upon her chest, turning her brow red. But that didn't matter. Bubbles was too enamoured by her friend and her sudden return. The feeling of loss and guilt that had kept her natural glee away was gathered up and thrown aside like old rags; meaningless. Sora was back. It didn't matter how she left, when or for what reason. Bubbles whispered in a gentle, gentle voice as her fingers held onto the smooth, angelic shirt Sora wore "I just missed you... and worried about you... so much!"

Sora nestled against the smaller girl, her cheek finding comfort against the Powerpuff's golden crown of hair. As she cradled the child, who was to Sora like no other person had been to her in such a long time, she realised that Bubbles' continued friendship with her would make what she had to do next no less difficult. But for the next little while, she just wanted to stand there, holding the slightly dazed little girl atop, atop the skyscraper in the heart of the growing supercity as life and time slowly passed like the gentle breeze she felt around her exposed legs. She needed a longer skirt, she realised. Draughty...

Sora started slow... gradually... "I've never been up the top of this tower before... it really looks pretty when you get to see the city from up high like this..." Bubbles' voice was muffled against her chest, and she glanced down. "Pardon?"

Bubbles looked up "Can't you fly?"

"Oh, sure... but there are quicker ways to get from one place to another."

Bubbles' eyebrows scooted upward "Like that teleport thing you do?" Surely it was better to travel slower and not end up feeling sick and rotten at your destination!

But Sora nodded, making Bubbles shudder at the thought of how many times she'd have had to feel that horrible after each warp. As if reading her mind, though, Sora grinned and ruffled the smaller child's hair playfully "After you've been doing it as long as I have, you get used to it... but I'm sorry I made you feel sick, I should have warned you."

"It's ok... I feel better like this." Bubbles mumbled. The embrace they held was powerfully hypnotic... Bubbles didn't want to let go.

This wasn't her hometown. Sora had no idea if this tower was special or if they weren't allowed to be up here on this, a mere maintenance deck workers reached before scaling the communication mast that stood just off-centre on the building's roof. Its 20-foot upward reach dwarfed the two little girls, its height casting a shadow like a steely sundial. Nobody was up here. Nobody could see them. Best keep it that way... drawing attention to herself was the last thing she wanted, especially at the moment.

Bubbles seemed to detect her apprehension "If you're worried that they'll find me and be mad at you... yeah, they probably will be." Bubbles did the difficult thing and let go of Sora, only to lock her sapphire gaze with her once more "But I'll talk to 'em... so long as you tell me why you brought me here."

Sora gulped. Bubbles...so gentle yet so direct. There was no deceiving her. So she didn't even try. "I want to ask you something... something that's been troubling me."

Bubbles seemed perplexed and at the same time flattered, "Why come to me, then? Blossom was always the best at answering-"

"I told you already! I... I just don't trust them the same way I trust you." she saw Bubbles' cheeks go a deeper red. "I just want to know if... you agree with something."

A rush of breeze caught Bubbles side-on, making her instinctively grab her dress hem and one of her pigtails in fear of either suddenly flying away. Clouds were approaching from across the bay... given maybe an hour, and it'd start getting cold. Bubbles wondered why they couldn't have this chat back at home. But she could never be so impatient. With a friendly grin, one that was all but trademark of the young super, she squeaked "Sure! Go ahead!"

Sora was silent for a moment, turning slightly under the shadow of the enormour radio mast and facing almost due-south, where the structures of several tall towers - the largest being the utter monolith that was the headquarters of the Arcatan Trade and Consumer Commission (tower 3, to be precise), loomed above the otherwise low-rise skyline. She remembered the skyline of Spokane, her hometown, only barely. Aside from a couple of industrial chimneys, a few high-rise apartments and the old clocktower in Riverfront, there was barely anything to admire. But here... this sprawling metropolis made her simply stop and stare. She had almost forgotten what she was about to even ask before she let it slip, without really thinking "If you believe in something and you know it should be done... you'd take yourself to any length to get it done, right?"

She heard nothing but the whispers of the wind for a moment or so. Perhaps she'd spoken too softly... she hated it when she mumbled by accident. Opening her mouth to speak again, she was cut off by Bubbles' soft-spoken reply "Well... that'd depend on what it was that you wanted to do... and how many things would try and stop you, right?"

Sora sighed. There was no easy answer to anything, these days... "You're a superhero, Bubbles... you've dedicated yourself to fighting for the people of this city, protecting them from crime and harm, and it's good that you've set yourself a goal in life. But... someone like me, with powers but no real mission or alleigances... when I find something out there that I want to accomplish, I'm not bound by the same rules as you."

"I guess not."

"The thing is, Bubbles..." she turned to her, determination burning in her harlequin eyes, "I know about someone else like me - a super with powers that could change lives and maybe even history. Someone like you, Bubbles. The problem is... he's trapped. He's a prisoner and I have to try and save him."

Bubbles blinked, taken aback suddenly, "When did you-"

"I want nothing more than to set him free, because... he's someone who was very important to me when I was younger. It's... it's hard to explain, but... I wanted to know that if you were faced with the option to save someone you truly cared about, Bubbles... would you go to any length at all to make that happen, regardless of your dedication?"

Bubbles was silent. Her heart pounded in her ears. This was not the kind of question she had been expecting. There was no way she could answer without first knowing one very, very crucial thing "D-Do you think it'd involve... killing people?" Something deep inside her began to open, like a pit that left her teetering on the edge. Sora... Sora was no killer! She couldn't possibly become one...

Sora brought her hands together in front of her heart, fingers interlaced. She glanced down for a moment. Then, in a tentative voice, she murmured "It migh-"

"No."

Sora looked up. Bubbles was staring at her with an irrefusable expression, one that made it clear her mind was set. But the suddenness of her reply made her mutter "What?"

"No. I wouldn't go through with it."

"I said it MIGHT! These people... the people who took him away are not nice people, Bubbles... they only want to use him for their own gain... he has no life anymore!"

"Who are these people, then?" Bubbles was incredulous, "What do you know about them?"

She knew them so well... so why was that such a hard question to answer? She narrowed her eyes and tried the best she could. "They're people who don't care about people like us... We're children so they think they can control and change us because we have not grown up yet. You wouldn't know about this because it's all secret! Nobody knows; that's how they get away with it! But I know! And I want you to know too so we can put a stop to it!"

"But by killing them?" Bubbles wasn't angry. Just... conflicted, now.

Sora approached her friend again, a scowl upon her beautiful young features "If you knew what I knew, Bubbles... you'd have no doubt that these people are the worst form of criminals. Far worse than any burglar or vandal. They take lives - young lives - and they try their very hardest to corrupt them, all for their own gain! They'd say they work for a good cause," her fists, clenched tight, were trembling "but since when was taking away a person's freedom to live and make their own choices a good cause!?"

Bubbles didn't think to ask how Sora knew all of this or why it was suddenly troubling her so much. Sora only wanted to know if her views were right. She would not start an argument; that wouldn't help things at all. "But what makes you want to kill them, Sora? What did they do to him, apart from lock him away? You hafta show that you're a better person than they are." She found herself sounding like those philosophical types from the books Blossom liked to read, glad that her own books (secure in the backpack she still wore) were not as heavy, nor as complicated.

Sora's gaze lowered, her straw-coloured fringe obscuring her face momentarily  as the baubles tied at the sides of her head shone in the sunlight, the same shade as her ruffling miniskirt. Her fists were still clenched and, when she spoke at last, so were her teeth "How can I be better... when they're the ones who made me what I am right now?"

It didn't click. "I don't get what you..."

Sora turned away, just as another cool gust caught her head-on, her golden hair billowing behind her as her skirt fluttered daintily. She'd never opened up to anybody like this before. Not even the person who was trying to make her dream a reality. Somehow, she felt Bubbles might accomplish even more than that, alone. She just had to listen and understand. "You dedicated yourself to protecting the people of this city. That's your life goal. It's something to seek and pursue. But for me... who never had a goal but who has powers probably even greater than yours... I'm not bound by the same rules that you are." She turned her head, casting a side-on glance "So when somebody hurts a person I deeply care about and has no regret for it... I know it's in my ability to do something about that. These powers I have... these powers that THEY gave me...! I can use them... I can use them against them and there'd be nothing they could do."

What connection did Sora have with this boy who was missing? An old friend, Bubbles wondered... or maybe her boyfriend or sweetheart? As much as she understood her reasons for wanting to liberate him from whatever perils he may or may not be in... there was no reason to reduce herself to a heartless killer. "Sora... I want to tell you something that I was taught a while ago."

Sora stared toward the distance, but took in none of it. This place would mean little to her, soon enough "Alright..." she murmured, her voice seeming distant even to herself. Within her perception she felt Bubbles drawing closer to her, joining her at the precipice of this tall tower to stare at the city from above.

"No matter our powers..." Bubbles sounded so serene, it gave Sora chills just to listen to a voice so pure "No matter the changes we could make to what's around us... we always have a choice with how to use them." the two blondes gazed upon the infant supercity and all the lives its steel walls, streets and structures supported and hid from their view. "Our abilities are strong but our hearts are stronger, Sora. We can't let the power we have take us over from inside. That's an even bigger responsibility than protecting all these people."

"I know!" Sora murmured, "B-But...!"

"Sora, there are no 'but's. Not here..." she prodded Sora's budding chest gently "Not here, either." Sora blushed slightly, trying to keep herself from squirming from the sensitive touch. "We have things within us that other people don't have. Only the heart truly knows how those things are best used, Sora... and it's how you use them that makes you a hero or not."

Sora closed her eyes, turning her head away. Those words made her feel ashamed. What lay dormant within her was something she doubted even the young Puff could comprehend... but all her life, when she had used those powers, the decision was never her heart's to make. What kind of person did that make her, now? Certainly not a hero... not in her own eyes anyway. "I want to use them to make people happy." she replied, her soft voice softer still against the steady breeze. Bubbles watched her all the while, unable to see the turmoil Sora felt inside herself. "There's no evil in that, right?"

"At the end of the day... it's how the normal public see you as much as what you know is the right thing to do that makes you who you are, Sora. Sometimes, me and my sisters, we gotta do stuff we hate to do - even let bad guys get away with it if there's a bigger problem that we can only deal with as a team. It's difficult but we sometimes have no choice. People, in the end, love you and bless you for it and are safer because we did it. That's why we're heroes. That's the burden we carry and I'd never change that."

"Even if there was something you knew you HAD to do, no matter how many bad things you were forced to do to make that happen?"

Bubbles' eyes became suddenly piercing "This is what I was told, Sora: It's better to die as a hero than live as a monster."

Sora stared. Philosophy was lost on her. But it seemed to make sense... she supposed. "O...k... who told you that?"

Bubbles' chirpiness reconstituted at the drop of a hat, and she bounced on the soles of her shoes as she grinned ear to ear "The Professor! He says all sorts of meaningful things."

Sora hissed and turned away, her blonde curtain of hair snapping around like a liontamer's whip "Glad YOU can take advice from people like him..." Professors... Doctors... Specialists... they were the ones pulling the strings. She'd cut those strings. She was a hero to herself, already, for doing that.

Bubbles had already given up trying to decipher Sora's hostility toward the Professor. She'd put it down to almost simple jealousy because Sora herself was an orphan, but no... Sora was above that. It had to run deeper than that... she certainly felt the bitterness bristling from her.

"I know I can do this. I know I can save this person and make things right for the both of us..." Sora's breath was shaky, emotion rising from within "B-But... there isn't another way... not after what I..."

"Sora, just stop for a moment, ok? Think about all this." As Sora stared blankly ahead, fighting back tears from feelings Bubbles couldn't decipher, the sky-blue superhero lanced her with a glare from beside her, hand once again firmly on her shoulder. This wasn't a matter of duty. Bubbles had seen this before... this type of personal conviction. Whoever Sora wanted to save must have meant more than the world to her. But nothing comes easily, especially if other lives were involved "Ask yourself if you really want this. Just do that, alright?"

Sora quivered. This was not just for that special boy's sake... there was no telling how angry Blood would be if Sora bailed on her now. Her fists clenched tighter. She'd dug herself into this hole... there was no ladder to escape by anymore. "It's... it's not about me..."

"Sora, that's wrong!"

"This is about the people I love and care about!"

"And if you had any kind of care for YOURSELF, you wouldn't put yourself in a situation where you'd throw away the things that make you pure and honest! Killing people, no matter what they may have done, can be avoided!" Bubbles couldn't believe she wasn't getting through to her. "There must be something you're not telling me, Sora, 'cause you're holding onto this as though you don't want to. You're talking about throwing away everything that makes you human; everything that's important in a person, all for this one thing you want to do. You'll only become everyone's enemy by going through with it!" Bubbles seized Sora's shoulders, turning the unresponsive girl toward her, "Sora, believe me, you don't want to do thi-" her voice caught in her throat as, in the back of her mind, she felt something she hadn't before. Another person... their feelings radiant as the light from the sun above.

And they were furious.

"Who are you to tell her what she wants!?" came the livid voice of an unknown girl.

Tiny goosebumps appeared on Sora's skin but not because it was cold "Oh, no..." she whispered, and closed her eyes in despair.

She had not been there a moment ago, standing atop the railing that encircled the tower's edge. Arms folded and auburn-chestnut hair fluttering around her shoulders and face, the young girl looked quite cross and impatient. The sunlight lit her smooth features, making her clear to the eye with no aspect hidden. Bubbles felt every glimmer of annoyance the girl emanated, frustration directed almost solely at her for the comment she had just made. Something clicked in her mind as she made note of the girl's commonplace appearance; short-cut overalls barely extending from her upper thighs with a deep orange T-shirt beneath them lined with red. That smooth face, the hair... even the dark blue headband with which she kept her hair behind her ears... Bubbles had seen her somewhere before! Not in person and certainly not at school... but somewhere. It took a moment, but when Bubbles made eye contact, only then did she flinch. No amount of anger or ill toward her buckled her stance, but the instant she gazed into those eyes the colour of rubies did she fight the urge to take a backwards step. Something in those eyes... something that no normal human possessed...

Bubbles spoke shakily, put off by the irked newcomer's glare "Um... h-hello, my name's-"

"Bubbles." the girl muttered. Her voice would have been soft and welcoming by nature if not for its angered sting "Bubbles Utonium, of Megaville's acclaimed Powerpuff Girls." Bubbles blinked, not only surprised by this girl's knowledge, but by her choice of words. Acclaimed! That was a new one. She stepped off the railing and landed upon the deck in one smooth motion, arms still crossed. "Quite the celebrity... so I hear." she began to approach them. Bubbles resisted the temptation to rub her temple as, for some inexplicable reason, the feelings she got from this girl only grew stronger, stronger than any other person she'd read.

"Uh, so... you've seen what we do, then?" Bubbles asked, nervously. She had no idea who the girl was, what the cause of this strong emotional output could be, or how she'd suddenly just appeared on the side railing of a part of this building strictly offlimits to civilians. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen this girl's face somewhere before... and that somehow didn't make her feel any better.

"Not really..." the girl brushed off. She began walking toward Sora, and the connection became obvious before she spoke any further, "I hear mostly from Sora about what you get up to. Protecting humans... sounds like a blast..." there was derision in her voice, particularly when she muttered the word 'humans'. Once she - the one Bubbles reasoned to be the person Sora had been looking for, yesterday - took her eyes off Bubbles to focus on her friend, she felt slightly at ease. But her words as much as her eyes bothered her, still.

"Um... are you" Bubbles' voice stalled, asking herself the same question even as she spoke aloud. "a-are you the one who Sora's been trying to find? The one she was gonna meet?"

The strange child pierced her with another stare. Those chilling eyes didn't seem to blink much. "I've known Sora for quite a while... but yes, she's been looking for me."

Bubbles tilted her head. They'd known each other... but somehow never met? "Um... howzat work if you never met in pers-"

The girl's voice replied, but to Bubbles' shock, she heard it echo in her head from all around, all the while her lips did not even twitch 'You ask a lot of questions, Bubbles.'

"A-Aahh!" Bubbles brought a hand to the side of her head, wincing. A telepath... and maybe not just that.

The girl turned to Sora whilst murmuring to herself something along the lines of 'at least THAT will work'. She stood roughly halfway between the two girls in height, not quite as tall as Sora and just a little taller than Bubbles. The Powerpuff presumed that made her about ten... maybe ten and a half. Unlike Sora, whose beautiful body was slimming and developing into that of a gorgeous woman (albeit she'd just barely begun), this girl still held the overall outline of a child - babyfat in some areas, less curvy and with the flawless face of a pixie. Even her voice maintained a childlike ring as she spoke to Sora, despite her withdrawn tone "You seem to be taking a little while, here..."

Sora looked nervous and had appeared so ever since the girl arrived. She fidgeted, her already pale skin losing even more of its colour. Stammering, she responded "B-Blood, I... I, I... I was just-"

"She tried to tell you what to think, didn't she..." she turned her head slowly to Bubbles, who continued to regard her with an overwhelming sense of curiousity "You explained the situation, yeah? Didn't get very far... Guess you don't have the power of motivational speaking."

A tiny smile creased Sora's doll-like face "N-No, guess not..."

"Did you get anything?"

Sora shook her head "Nothing you couldn't..." Sora said nothing further. She wouldn't be probed for anything else if she didn't invite it. She didn't want to reveal her doubts. Her insecurities.

Bubbles couldn't contain it any longer. Blood, was it? Another B-name... a strange B-name indeed... rich, deep-hued eyes... could she be...? "Um, B-Blood? Uh... this might sound stupid, but..." the crimson eyes met hers again. Standing there... she was just STANDING there looking at her and it was enough to give Bubbles the shakes, "Sorry if this sounds stupid, but have... have we met before?"

Blood didn't move. Didn't blink. She just stared as Sora threw uncomfortable glances between the two, in a state of total unnerve that she was doing her best to hide. Even the wind seemed to die down for Blood, who continued to gaze. What was she doing, taking so long to tal- 'No, we have not.' The desired reaction happened right away. Bubbles winced, bringing her hand again to the side of her head. Blood did something she had not yet done in front of Bubbles - she smiled. And the smile remained. "But it's nice to meet you!" she beamed, speaking from the mouth this time, suddenly chipper and gleeful as though a switch had been flicked from reclusive to resplendant. Even Sora looked surprised.

Bubbles grinned, washed over with relief at last. Something in the back of her mind kept nagging her though. She saw something so recognisable in this girl.

"Uh... ahem, er..." Sora fidgeted again, feeling a bit out of place. Bubbles could probably read her feelings like front page news and that didn't help things "Bubbles, this is my friend, Blood. I had to go last night because she called me to meet her."

"Why so late?" Bubbles envied them both, suddenly. Big kids got to stay up much later. "Did you have fun?"

Blood giggled; a sweet, childlike giggle "Did we ever!" 'Can't see why you're having trouble with her, Sora...' she sent, ensuring that only Sora would hear. "So what were you two talking about just now?" She heard Sora swiftly inhale. Something was up, alright.

"Sora and I were talking about how we use powers to make ourselves the best we can be," Bubbles' face, just as smooth and radiant as the little girl Blood's, shone with youthful joy that only came from the pleasant memories of being with a friend like Sora "weren't we?"

Inwardly, Sora relaxed. No mention of her doubts over what she wanted to do... what she still HAD to do. "Yes, yes we were... about how powers can make the world better for everybody."

Blood gave her a sidelong 'aahh' look, keeping the smile on her face. Sora caught it and glanced away. So cute.... so SCARY! "She didn't mention any... future plans or stuff, yeah?"

Bubbles cocked her head "Well, uh... she said she wanted to rescue someone and that it might involve killing people who don't deserve it." Her tone softened "But I don't think that-"

Blood leered at her suddenly, but the pixie-ish look didn't waver. Bubbles felt her knees lock and her feet root themselves to the deck of the tower. Her spine tingled and she couldn't look away. Blood's words were carefully formed and uttered, her long curly fringe of reddish-brown hair shadowing her eyes. What was WITH this girl? "Bubbles, I don't think it's a good idea to convince yourself that people don't deserve something until you've seen exactly what they've done." She lifted her head, the shadows over her eyes disappearing as the sun now lit her face, "You fight crime, yeah?" she began walking forward, idly.

"It's what the Powerpuff Girls live for!" Bubbles declared. Did Blood not know that?

Blood pressed on, casually "What kind of crime?"

Even for today's class presentation, it wasn't necessary to go into detail on what the girls actually defined as crime. So, when asked, the question took her aback for a moment. Indeed - what was it they fought, in the end? "Uhh... I guess it's anything or anyone who wants to do bad things to other people."

"And in a city like this, it's all the same, yeah?"

Bubbles shrugs "You get different stuff day to day. Why? Do you wanna join-"

"Do people love you for it?"

"Of course!"

"Respect you?"

"...think so!"

"Are you making a lasting difference, not just at that moment but for the future as well?"

Bubbles pursed her lips. Tough questions! She tried to control her frustration as Blood strolled aimlessly around in circles. "Blood, the point is that we do it for the good of the city and all its people. We care about them, so it's our job."

Blood laced her hands behind her head, stretching and puffing out her flat chest as she closed her eyes, "That's good, Bubbles. In the end, do they care about you, too?"

"They..." Bubbles stopped, "....huh?"

Blood opened one eye, crimson staring into sky-blue "What I mean is: you show so much care for them but do they care about your lives, as well? Do they care that you give all this time and devotion to them?" her eye closed again and she declared loudly "I don't think they doooooo..."

She had a point. A very good point. The people they helped wouldn't know of the struggles they'd been through, the stress they'd been under and what it meant to be a young girl of only 8-and-a-bit trying to go to school, look after one of the world's most important cities AND get to bed on time. And yet... why should they? They were just people. Normal people.

"They're normal people, yeah?" Blood chirped. Bubbles' breath caught in her throat. "They have their own lives and no time to care if you hurt, if you cry... right?"

Bubbles whispered "Did you just... read my-"

'I wish...' Blood thought. "No... but you were thinking that, weren't you. And it's true what I said, isn't it? They're gonna go on with their lives with or without you, always thinking that so long as you're around, that's pretty much all they have to know to feel safe. Without you, they're nothing." she approached the railing and peered over, the sweetness in her voice somehow still intact "They're lazy..."

"N-No they're not!"

"They are... they probably don't care you're up here, talking to some girl you've never met before and wondering what her deal is..." she threw Bubbles a wink. "In the end, Bubbles, it doesn't mean as much as you think it does to save those people from each other. If one of those monsters from offshore attacks, then yeah, bit of a bigger deal, but still, nothing life-changing." Blood folded her arms and resumed her casual stroll in circles as Bubbles watched "But there's something I know you can do which will mean more than anything you've ever done in your life, Bubbles... something a hero owes it to themself to do."

Bubbles' lips moved barely at all, her voice a fraction above a whisper. Her words were so strong... the more she thought them over, the more truthful they became. So... if this girl, with powers of her own and no doubt a Super of some sort, knew what it took to make the ultimate difference - something the Powerpuff Girls had wanted from the very first day of their lives - then she wanted in on that secret. "...What would that be?"

Blood's eery, cutesy-eyed gaze fixed firmly on the little superchild as her mouth spread into a huge grin. She had her now... "Oh Bubbles... it's not enough that I simply tell you. So," as she approached Bubbles, who stood firm on the spot, moreso curious than intimidated, she dropped her voice to a whisper "why don't I just show you?"

"Show me?" Bubbles parrotted.

Blood nodded, hiding the frustration she felt at Bubbles simple-mindedness. No wonder Sora could make friends with her so easily - it would not have been a hard task even for herself. They stood almost eye to eye, Blood just a little taller with thanks to her age. She was due for a growth spurt, too. She could probably induce it on her own. She just had to work out how. Bubbles remained rooted to the spot; she was co-operating - good. Despite Sora's stalled efforts, Bubbles would make a good ally yet. She raised her hand behind Bubbles slowly and spoke with words only loud enough for the little blonde to hear "I won't explain my powers, it'd take too long and I don't know if I have the right words to describe them. But what I want to do is..." her fingers brushed Bubbles' nape. Even at this close range, everything Blood could detect from Bubbles was a blank. Not for long, "I wanna tap into your brain stem-"

Bubbles flinched "W-Wha..!?"

"Ssh, ssh... it won't hurt. It happened to Sora..." Blood giggled in recollection and threw a glance over her shoulder at her silent friend. She raised her voice for Sora to hear "When I did this, she enjoyed it." to Bubbles, she added "A lot!"

Bubbles saw Sora's cheeks turn a brilliant red. What else had they done last night, wherever they both went? "And... this will show me what a hero like me can do?"

Blood narrowed her eyes, maintaining her smile. Her look was by no means malicious, but there was cunning in her expression "More than that, Bubbles... We can learn a lot about each other this way." Her fingers settled on the base of Bubbles' neck, making her wince and resist a gasp. Blood's smile widened and she felt her heart beat faster. No more hiding... the secrets of the Powerpuffs open to her, with just a touch!

Bubbles' eyes lanced her suddenly "You seem awfully excited all of a sudden."

Blood blinked, eyes re-widening. 'What...? She... she can read ME!?'

Bubbles tilted her head "Why are you suddenly so-"

"Don't talk." Blood commanded, pinching firmly on Bubbles' neck "This will make things clear." She closed her eyes, finding the neural system and tapping in. Once she knew what caused her power from afar to be blocked, they wouldn't be able to escape her. Total control assured.

Or it would have been if a voice hadn't ripped through her concentration with an indignant "HEY!"

A firm yet gentle embrace seized Blood around the midriff and pull her up and away. Her sneaker-bearing feet left the ground and in her surprise she let her grip on Bubbles' neck slip away and with it any chance of seeing the inner depths of that mysterious little girl. Again, staring at the blonde as she was carried away from her, she felt next to nothing. No life signature, no brain pattern, no hint that she was standing there in front of her. She saw her, but her mind was telling her that she simply was not there. Nor, it seemed, was whatever was dragging her away. "Oi, oi...!" Blood yelped, squirming against the rescuer's grip. She looked down. There was an arm, bent at the elbow around her midsection, holding her firmly against a body that pressed into her back. It was so light and delicate, the hold, but it carried her as though she weighed barely an ounce. Something flickered overhead: a green flash, rocketing downward toward Bubbles. It made a high-pitched whizzing noise. She heard Sora yelling a pair of names and Blood mouthed words that never formed but she knew were rude.

Green... and Bubbles was blue... so that meant-

Setting Blood down and stepping around in front of her, she was met with the curious yet defensive glare of a pair of deep pink eyes. Blood blinked, again feeling nothing. She'd taken too long... and now she was sprung.

"I don't know what you were doing but I don't want you putting your hands on Bubbles, you got that?" the girl insisted, hands on her hips and a carrypack identical to Bubbles' slung by straps around her shoulders.

It took a moment for Blood to register; the mix of disappointment fuelled by a renewed sense of confusion at just what these kids were causing her to hesitate. She then smiled at last, pixie-ish looks restored "Hello, Blossom."