Dreams of an Absolution

"Wear the grudge like a crown of negativity

Calculate what we will or will not tolerate

Desperate to control all and everything

Unable to forgive your scarlet lettermen"

The Grudge (Tool "Lateralus")


Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 12

Blossom woke up that morning with a strange sense of deja vu. It was not necessarily that the day felt like any other before it, or that her surroundings felt any more familiar than usual. No, it was more of a sick foreboding that somehow, the day was going to be one best slept through. Unfortunately, her period of sleeping away such days had long since run out; the little girl had far more important things to do. Sleeping just wasn't that important anymore.

She climbed out of bed, yawning as she let her long orange tresses down, shaking out her hair with a tiny smile on her lips. She caught sight of her reflection and fluffed her hair, sighing. Of all her outward features, her hair had always been her favorite. Long and silky, and shining just the perfect shade of red. Blossom beamed at her reflection, strolling to the bathroom with a hop in her step. Another thing to love about her hair was how he adored it. Every night, as she did her homework or read a new book, curled up beside him, his claws always drifted to her hair. Every delicate stroke, every gentle caress let her know.

Blossom giggled, blushing bright red as she quietly shut the door to the bathroom, taking a moment to push in the lock. While the water warmed up, she slid out of her nightie, folding it neatly and setting it aside. Blossom looked herself over, staring at the once perfect reflection in the mirror. She touched her face, trailing her mitt over the scar on her cheek. It was nearly gone. After all, it didn't take a Powerpuff girl more than a couple days to heal a simple scar, even weakened as she was.

She touched her arms; her skin was soft, far softer than her lifestyle should have allowed. It hadn't gained any callous, any leathery texture even after two years of nonstop combat. Her mitts stung, but the Professor had assured her that was natural. Blossom had her suspicions-the same stinging sensation frequently showed up in her feet and on various parts of her face-she could only hope they were right. Her eyes stopped on her chest.

Swallowing, she lightly touched the deep, clean scar running the full length of her body, from her right shoulder to her left hip. That scar hadn't healed...and never would. No one could decipher why, exactly. No, that wasn't the truth. No one wanted to accept why it wouldn't heal. Blossom's eyes narrowed. The universe had something to prove to stupid little girls. How better to punish the Perfect Little Girl than to ruin her perfection?

"Blossom? Are you in there?" the Professor called, knocking on the door. Blossom snapped out of her thoughts, coughing and looking through the thick steam filling the bathroom now. She flipped on the exhaust fan.

"Yes, Professor! I was just about to get in the shower!" She called back, stepping into the hot water. She flipped her hair back, pulling the curtain shut. The water was scalding.

"...Are you sure you wouldn't like a bath, I could always-," Blossom stifled a yawn, tilting her head under the water.

"That's okay, Professor. I think I've outgrown taking baths," There was a brief pause, followed by a muffled acceptance. Blossom sighed, and stared down at her feet. Her hand touched her chest again, tracing the edges of the scar. She and Buttercup weren't fighting...but the scar still burned like they were. The thought of climbing back into bed had never been more enticing.

XxXxX

"Hey, Buttercup...um...how did you sleep?" Blossom kept her eyes focused on her breakfast, blushing nervously as her sister took her seat opposite her. She chanced a look up, and saw a similar look on Buttercup's face. Conversation had been strained, but civil over the last few days. Bubbles was still quiet as ever, but at least Blossom could trade words with Buttercup without fear of hostility. Instead, there was a perpetual fear of embarrassment.

"Uh...fine...I guess..." She muttered back. Blossom nodded, finishing the last bite. She daintily wiped her mouth, catching a glimpse of the clock. Still time...

"That's...good, well I'm going to go bye!" Blossom jumped up from her seat, only slowing to grab her backpack before running out. Blossom rubbed her eyes as she made her way to school, weaving in between buildings, keeping her eyes peeled on the streets below. As a result of Sedusa's attack, the entire city was on red alert. The Powerpuff Girls, all of them, were on call every hour of the day. Needless to say, Uka-sensei hadn't reacted positively to the idea of his class being interrupted-Blossom liked to imagine it was more the idea of losing his girlfr-favorite student-but there was little he could do after the executive mandate straight from the Mayor's office.

Thankfully, the morning was running slower than usual. Blossom nodded and did a quick sweep around Townsville Elementary. Nothing out of the ordinary, except a partially obscured car near the administration office. She narrowed her eyes and paused.

Blossom touched down on the front steps and hurried inside. She'd grown used to the eerie silence in the school before regular business hours. It had become almost soothing. She smiled cheerfully, spotting her classroom coming up fast ahead. She paused, noticing Principal Durry speaking with Uka-sensei. As per usual, the former's stern expression paled in comparison to the latter's irritation. Blossom quickly ducked around the corner, trying to catch the end of their conversation.

"-very well, I will accept her. But do not expect me to accommodate her late arrival," Uka-sensei growled. Blossom blushed and sighed. Principal Durry was less moved.

"You will do what you are told, Mr. Uka," Blossom narrowed her eyes, quickly coming back to reality. Clenching her fists, she peeked around the corner. Principal Durry was on her way back to the administration office, Uka-sensei was leaning against his door frame, snarling to himself. He instantly looked up, a dark smile playing at his lips spotting Blossom.

"You would do well to be more subtle in your eavesdropping, child. You were most obvious," Blossom rolled her eyes, following right on his heels as they slipped into the classroom.

"I wasn't eavesdropping! I just happened to stumble on your conversation with the principal...then I just didn't want to interrupt," Uka-sensei chuckled, leaning against his desk and crossing his arms. Blossom took her seat, taking a moment to primp her hair-and draw attention to it. The plan succeeded, Uka-sensei cocked his head and walked closer. He lightly held her chin, moving her head to get a better look.

"Mm..." Blossom swallowed. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her cheeks were burning. Her ponytail wasn't anything special...but she had put quite a bit of time and effort into getting the braid just right. Uka-sensei smiled, patting her head. Blossom beamed and giggled.

"It looks wonderful, Blossom," She leaned forward on her mitts, watching him stroll back to his desk. She blinked and stared blankly when he broke the hanging silence.

"I do wonder why you try so hard, though...you have always struck me most...appealing without all the needless what's the word..." Uka-sensei paused, rapping his claws on the white board, "rouhi..." He mumbled before walking to the door. Blossom ran her mitt through her hair, racking her brain to translate.

The day started to come alive. Students poured into the building, blabbing about the night before, complaining about homework, and dreading approaching tests and sack lunches. The threshold to A11-21 seemed to be some kind of sound absorbing barrier. The moment those students passed into the hallowed classroom, they clammed up, gazing fearfully at the teacher standing rigidly by the door. Watching his prey, eying his class like a gargoyle. Blossom chanced a small wave when her sisters entered. Buttercup rewarded her with a half-smile, but Bubbles only blushed and hurried to her seat. Blossom sighed and shook her head. At long last, the eight o'clock bell rang, and the door slammed shut. Uka-sensei, hands stuffed in his pockets, strolled to the front of the room. His previously stoic expression had deteriorated into loathing.

"Pass your homework forward...we shall be having yet another student join us today. You will, on your own time, do your part to advance her to the level you have, in the most optimistic cases, achieved," There were a few mumbled agreements and a few hushed insults, but the question that seemed most muttered breathlessly was 'Who is the new student'? Blossom nodded to the unspoken question. New students were a rare occurrence, very few people moved to Townsville. None had done so since that day. The most logical assumption was an old student returning.

Uka-sensei snatched the stacks of paper from the front rows. Blossom gave him an extra bright grin as he passed by; his only response, a subtle smirk. Throwing the papers down on his desk, Uka-sensei folded his hands behind his back and proceeded to simply glare at the white board. No one spoke, no one dared move. After a tense period of silence, nearing almost ten minutes, Uka-sensei's head sharply turned toward the door as it creaked open. Every neck craned, trying to get a good look at the new student.

"So you've arrived...take your appointed seat in the front row," Blossom stared, her muscles tensing, her hackles rising. She narrowed her eyes as her mouth sudden dried up and her teeth gnashed involuntarily. She walked in front of Blossom, returning the glare with equivalent animosity. To add salt to the wound, her seat was only two away from Blossom. The Powerpuff crossed her arms tight over her chest, grinding her teeth. Her cheeks were hot. Her blood was rushing.

Her power was struggling.

"This is Princess Morebucks, she will be joining us from this day forward...now onto our first lesson for the day. Take out your math books..." For the first time, Blossom wasn't the first to have her book out. In fact, she was the only one who hadn't complied with the teacher's request. Her eyes focused on the blight seated in her row, she couldn't concentrate at all. She had the nerve...she had the nerve to show her face again. After everything she had done-everything she had done to her-she always had the nerve to keep coming back. And how else? Of course...it was obvious: money talks.

"The answer is seven, Mr. Uka," There was a simultaneous intake of air, finally breaking Blossom out of her blank glare. She blinked, staring at Princess, who was beaming smugly. Uka-sensei nodded, though seemed torn. Instead of the expected outburst, he simply glanced over his shoulder.

"That is correct; however, you will refer to me as Uka-sensei" Princess rolled her eyes; Blossom narrowed hers. She was trembling...she honestly couldn't seem to control herself. Just seeing her...hearing her whining voice...seeing that superior look on her face. It was enough to drive her insane!

"-doesn't even have to pay attention..."

"-his favorite, what did you expect?"

"-teacher's pet," Blossom shook her head, glancing behind her. The glares were gone, but the whispers still hung in the air. Blossom sighed and shook her head. She could ignore her, there was no way Princess could touch her now, right? Here she was safe...Uka-sensei-Aku-wouldn't let her try anything, especially not to Blossom.

"It would appear that you have not studied well enough...surely someone has an answer for Uka?" Blossom blinked and looked up. She beamed, her hand shooting into the air. Uka-sensei smirked, slamming his textbook shut.

"Yes, Blossom...tell us the answer," Blossom grinned smugly and opened her book to some random page. Anything to shut them up.

"It's eleven and seven-twelfths, Uka-sensei," Uka-sensei nodded, gesturing to the problem.

"Correct, it is a simple enough equation. You! Come forth, you shall instruct your peers on how to solve this seemingly difficult problem," Harry swallowed, stumbling to the front of the room awkwardly. Uka-sensei took his seat at his desk, stroking his beard. Blossom was still grinning; she managed to catch his eye.

"Kiss up," Blossom narrowed her eyes and licked her lips. Harry was struggling to figure out how to finish the problem. A few of the others were whispering answers to him, Blossom just shook her head. He was doing it wrong, of course. Uka-sensei sighed and waved Harry off, sliding to his feet and stalking the front of the room.

"Surely someone else can solve this problem?" A hand must have shot up, Uka-sensei nodded, gesturing to the board. Blossom watched her closely. Her heart was pounding furiously; she could barely think. To her disappointment...Princess was able to solve it, quite easily. To her utter horror, Uka-sensei looked impressed. He circled around her, eying the equation with a smile on his lips.

"Most impressive...and you have not been with us, have you studied on your own?" Princess smirked and met Blossom's bloodthirsty glare.

"Yeah, I had a lot of free time, I wanted to make sure I wasn't behind when I came back to school," She snorted and put her hands on her hips, eyes locked with Blossom. Uka-sensei chuckled patting her back he's touching her! and erasing the problem.

"Very good, now let us move on to something far more stimulating. Take out your history books, we have much to discuss. Be quick, now!" Blossom jerked her history book from beneath her seat, torn between glaring at Princess and glaring at Uka-sensei. She swallowed, rubbing her eyes, and viciously turned to the page they left off on. Try as she might to care about the plight of the Aztecs, there were more pressing issues at hand.

Uka-sensei he touched her! was droning on as usual, only showing some kind of emotion when coming to a more violent piece of the text. He grumbled, becoming bored with reading out loud. Uka-sensei leaned against the wall at the other end of the room. Blossom trembled, baring her teeth. He was standing right next to her.

"So as you can see, these Aztecs quite the violent people...you, Princess, what do you think of their fascination with human hearts?" He knows her name! Princess scrunched her nose and sniffed.

"I think it was stupid. I mean, what's so special about a heart? They should have spent more time, I dunno, doing something useful. Like making better weapons or finding more gold or something," Blossom was practically foaming at the mouth. The sound of her pencil snapping in her grip broke the silence in the room. She wasn't breathing, she couldn't bear to breath anymore. She instead kept her murderous glare fixed on her textbook. Uka-sensei chuckled and slammed his book shut.

"It does seem foolish, does it not? The heart is but another organ, it is as easily destroyed as the rest of the inner workings of the human body," Blossom's eyes widened. She swallowed and looked up, staring hard at Uka-sensei. He didn't meet her gaze; the smirk he wore wasn't for her. He wasn't smiling for her...he was smiling for someone else. She got a good look at Princess, through a hazy red fog. That smarmy grin, her nose in the air. Her teeth clenched, her body burned. Her wrist was on fire; her chest was screaming.

"Hm...it would appear our time runs short," Right on schedule, the bell for lunch rang and a stampede ensued, "I request that you remain behind," Blossom's heart fluttered, the fiery glaze disappeared from her eyes. She looked up with a smile, "Princess. We have much to discuss, I would like to ensure you are caught up with the rest of the class," The two made eye contact. Uka-sensei's eyebrow was raised. There was an unreadable expression on his face. Blossom's eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open.

"You will be late for lunch, child. Go on," He wants to be with someone else, "You do not have all day," Blossom closed her mouth and numbly got up from her seat. She heard a muffled snicker and glanced over her shoulder at Princess. Uka-sensei was already at her side, leaning over her shoulder explaining something-what? What did it matter what he was explaining, he only wanted to be around her! Blossom narrowed her eyes and stomped out the door, unintentionally slamming it. The glass trembled, but thankfully didn't break. Blossom kept her eyes low, her breaths coming in quick, sharp gasps. Her jaw hurt, she couldn't possibly grind her teeth harder. Her fists hurt, she couldn't remember when she'd been this tense before.

"Hey...are you okay?" Blossom froze in the hallway and looked up. Buttercup crossed her arms and stared back at her. Blossom swallowed and shook her head, brushing her hair away from her face. She must have been shaking her head...her hair had come loose from her braid.

"I'm fine..." Blossom started to walk by, but Buttercup fell into step next to her. Her heart skipped a beat when her sister touched her shoulder.

"I uh...I know you aren't happy to see her...I'm not either," Blossom laughed-it was a shallow, weak laugh-and nodded. Buttercup wasn't stupid.

"It's not that..." Buttercup shook her head and squeezed her shoulder, starting toward her usual table as they entered the cafeteria. She paused and looked back at Blossom.

"I know...do you...do you want to sit with...with me?" Blossom blinked and swallowed. She shook her head, taking a step toward the table where Boomer-and only Boomer-was waiting.

"No that's...it's okay, I'm going to go...I'll just be with Boomer, okay?" Buttercup blushed and looked away.

"I know! Just...yeah, well...okay, I'll see you um...after recess," She mumbled, rubbing her arm sheepishly.

"Yeah uh...tell Bubbles I said 'Hi'," Buttercup nodded and the two parted ways. Her sister gone, Blossom's fury resurfaced.

XxXxX

"Blossom, you're going to get in trouble again!" Blossom stomped toward the side of the building, staring up at the window to A11-21. Trouble be damned, she had a mission. She had to know what they were doing; she had to keep Princess away from her teacher. Blossom growled and glared back at Boomer. The blond Rowdyruff boy swallowed hard and took a step back.

"I just...I don't want...you to uh..." Blossom shook her head and started hovering into the air. She thrust her mitt out, on the verge of throttling her best friend.

"This is too important, Boomer! Don't you dare let me get caught again!" Boomer swallowed and nodded, just as Blossom whipped around and flew to the window. She cautiously peaked over, her cheeks fiery red. Uka-sensei was pacing the room, gesturing wildly. Princess was laughing he's making her laugh! and responding in that same snarky, holier-than-thou tone. Blossom narrowed her eyes and floated away from the window. It felt like her body was on fire...her chest was burning.

"Blossom! Get down! Get down!" Blossom glared, but quickly followed Boomer's frantic advice. The two scurried away from the window, narrowly avoiding detection by the teacher prowling the playground. Still...when they were a safe distance away, Blossom stared at the window...watching the occupants from a distance. She held her chest. She held her breath.

Her bracelet held the rest of her.

XxXxX

"Very good, Princess! You have yet to fail in impressing Uka," Blossom had long since given up glaring. She had given up snarling. She had given up thinking or reacting at all. Instead she focused on a budding fire behind her ribs. It was spreading, swelling up in every inch of her body. Her wrist had gone completely numb. She had gone completely numb.

The day was over before it even began. The last bell rang, her peers rushed for the door. Blossom remained in her seat. She didn't dare take her eyes away from her desk. She didn't dare unclench her fists.

"Have a nice day, Mr. Uka!" Uka-sensei chuckled as Princess bumped Blossom's desk roughly. Blossom's eyes narrowed. Princess was the last person out the door. It slowly, very slowly, slid shut of its own accord. Blossom still didn't dare look up.

"Why have you remained behind, child?" Blossom swallowed, and ground her teeth. The fire was spreading. Her bracelet was sparkling on her wrist. Her scar was tearing itself open again. Still...she kept her head down. She kept herself under control.

"Is something troubling you, Red Child?" That did it. Blossom leaped from her seat, snapping the desk in two, hurling both parts across the room. Aku jerked away from her, narrowly avoiding her swung arms.

"Don't. You. DARE. You know EXACTLY what you did!" Aku bared his fangs, rearing up to his full height. Blossom advanced, unmoved. Even making himself larger did little to quell the small child's fury. Aku swallowed and, once again, barely dodged a frustrated blow. Instead, the backhand aimed at him, hit his desk and shattered the side, sending the rest crashing through the window. Aku blinked and realized he was backed up against the wall.

"What. Did you. Think you were doing! TELL ME! NOW!" Her voice cracked, but her scream was piercing, quite literally. The force smashed the white board and drove Aku to clasp his hands over his ears. He snarled, trying desperately to take control of the situation.

"It was merely a lesson, Blossom, to show you the pain I feel seeing you with that Blue Boy!" Aku transformed into a snake, just barely dodging her fist. Blossom was seething, sucking in hot gasps of air. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her wrist was sizzling, sparks were flying. She pulled her fist from the wall and advanced on him.

"I didn't need a lesson! I didn't need you to teach me anything! I have NEVER done ANYTHING to hurt you! I would rather DIE then see ANYONE hurt you!" Searing red cracks broke out over Aku's body, but by sheer force of will, he managed to force his bleeding heart into submission. The two stood toe-to-toe. Aku swallowed and shouted in surprise when her mitts grabbed hold of his shoulders and knocked him against the wall. She stared into his eyes, clutching his shoulders with all of her strength.

"Don't. You. EVER. Do. That. To ME. AGAIN!" Aku stared back at her, amazed and wide-eyed. He tenderly touched her face, as if in utter disbelief. Just like that, as his claws slid through her hair, Blossom's fury dissipated. She threw herself at him, sobbing and holding him tightly.

"Please don't leave me, please, please let me be your favorite. Please don't let her take you away from me!" Aku wrapped his arms around her. His heart was pounding. The fire alarm was blaring. He swallowed again, stroking her hair.

"No one could ever replace you, Blossom...don't be foolish..." He whispered. Blossom shook her head and only cried harder. Aku held her tighter. The sprinklers rained down on them.