Dreams of an Absolution

"She wants to be just like me, and I want everything I see.

You know, one day you're Daddy's little angel,

The next day you're everything he wanted you to be.

They dress you up in white satin, and give you your very own pair of wings,

In August and everything after, I'm after everything,"

August and Everything After (Counting Crows)


Dreams of an Absolution

Chapter 5

XxXxX

The sun was rising slowly over the horizon. Across the city, children moaned and groaned, rolling out of bed and begrudgingly saying goodbye to Summer vacation. Parents sighed in relief, sipping their coffee and relishing in finally being free of their children's uninterrupted presence. This same experience held true even at the home of the Powerpuff Girls. At least...for the better part. In the corner guest room, Blossom laid curled up under the blankets, trying to fight back the morning one second at a time.

"Blossom...Honey, it's time to wake up. You've got school today!" Blossom let out the shallow breath she'd been holding. The door creaked open. Soft footsteps padded across the thin carpet. The Professor sat down next to Blossom, laying a gentle hand on her side.

"Blossom?" Blossom tightened her hold on the covers, keeping them held firmly over her head. The Professor gave her side another tender rub. He leaned over and kissed her cheek, "Your uniform is hanging on the door, come down for breakfast...what would you like?" Blossom sighed...there was no way out of it. She was going to have to face the daylight eventually.

"I don't care..." The Professor gave her another kiss and slid out of the room. Blossom remained unmoving, staring unblinking at the wall. Would he forget about her if she just went back to sleep? The smell of waffles drifted up the stairs, deviously slipping under the door and permeating her cold, cold room. Blossom groaned and pulled the covers over her head. There was no way out...she had to see the sun again.

Blossom sat up, doll in her lap. She held it so protectively, so lovingly; in times like these it almost felt like-Blossom gave the doll a tight hug and hid it beneath her pillow. Shuffling wearily across the floor, she sighed, staring at her school uniform. The old Townsville Elementary had been destroyed, but even rebuilt it had adhered to the same dress code. With another breathy sigh, she crawled out of her nightgown and fumbled her way into the uniform. Smoothing out her black skirt, she frowned and started toward the door. It fit better than she had expected...but the principle of the matter wore even worse than she had imagined.

The Professor was at the stove, throwing together a breakfast of exaggerated proportions. There was so much food piled on the table, Blossom actually lost her appetite seeing it. Bubbles and Buttercup were at the table, engulfing food as fast as they could-though even with their superhuman abilities they couldn't keep up with their father's cooking. Blossom sat down and stared at her plate. Bacon and eggs arranged into a sappy smiling face, on top of a waffle. There was a glass of milk and a glass of orange juice arranged around you plate. Blossom sighed and rubbed her stomach, her loss of appetite had become a stomachache. The Professor brought the last of the breakfast food to the table, and took a seat next to Bubbles.

"So are you all excited about first grade? Oh I know I'm excited for you! First grade is a big step up from kindergarten! Oh I can just see you graduating from high school now...oh my babies are growing up so fast!" Bubbles giggled and patted the Professor's hand.

"Professor, it's just first grade!" The Professor chuckled and wiped his eyes, giving her a tight hug.

"Oh, I know Honey, but you know how I get sometimes...so what about you girls?" Buttercup shrugged, tugging on her vest.

"It would be better if we didn't have to wear these stupid uniforms...I don't even see the point," She grumbled, draining the last of her milk.

"I like it!" Bubbles piped up. Buttercup shrugged, chewing on a mouthful of waffles. Blossom stayed quiet. Bubbles didn't usually talk so much when she was around...she didn't want to start trouble so early in the morning by causing her to clam up again. She glanced at the Professor. Though she stayed quiet, he seemed to know what she was thinking. With a small nod, he smiled at Bubbles and patted her head.

"I think you girls are going to like first grade even more than kindergarten. I know, I know," He said, cutting off Bubbles and Buttercup's near protests, "You won't have Ms. Keane as your teacher, but I think you'll enjoy the change of scenery! I've only heard good things about the teachers at Townsville Elementary...I'm guessing they're the same teachers from before..." Though she was sure it wasn't his intention, the Professor's comment caused Buttercup to glare at Blossom. Blossom pushed her eggs around on her plate.

"Well, it looks like it's almost time to head out. Why don't you two run upstairs and brush your teeth?" Buttercup and Bubbles hurried off, leaving Blossom and the Professor alone. The Professor moved his seat closer to Blossom, laying a heavy hand on her back. Blossom flinched and looked up at him. She looked back down at her plate of untouched food.

"You should eat some breakfast, Blossom..." Blossom sighed and nodded. As she stabbed a bit of egg on her fork, she cringed and pushed her plate away. Even the sound made her stomach churn.

"I'm just not hungry Professor...I'm sorry," The Professor smiled and rubbed her back. He climbed to his feet and began cleaning off the table.

"It's alright...just try to eat lunch for me, okay?" Blossom nodded, sliding out of her seat and grabbing her lunch sack. Bubbles and Buttercup were down and at the door in the time it took her to shuffle out of the kitchen. The Professor gave them each a kiss and a hug, waving as they flew off toward school. Blossom fell back, watching her sisters fly and chatter excitedly. Maybe a change of scenery would be good for her...anything would be better than sleeping all day, right? Blossom tried to smile, but it felt so forced and fake. Blossom frowned and shook her head. Nothing would be better than going back to bed...

"Blossom hurry up! We're going to be late!" For a brief moment, Blossom considered breaking away from her sisters and going back to her room. The thought came too late though, there was Townsville Elementary looming in the distance. Blossom swallowed, nervously touching down with her sisters and entering the building. Contrary to the generally cheerful disposition the rest of Townsville gave off, Townsville Elementary was built strict and stern, looking more like a prison than an educational institution. From the green linoleum floors to the piercing fluorescent lights, the schoolhouse was foreboding and uncomfortable.

The Powerpuff Girls entered Room A11-21. The incessant chatter-bemoaning the end of vacation and joyful at the sight of familiar faces-stopped the moment the Powerpuff Girls hovered into the room. More specifically, every mouth closed as every eye fell on Blossom. She lowered her eyes, only quickly chancing a glance at the white board.

A seating chart was drawn in sharp black marker on the board. For better or worse, the Powerpuff Girls had been scattered around the room. Bubbles was seated on the left, three rows back, Buttercup in the fourth row on the right. And Blossom was seated front and center, right in front of the teacher's desk in the front row. Maybe this same time last year she'd have been excited...as it was she felt even worse as she stiffly climbed into her rigged, wooden desk.

Blossom jumped as the loud, screeching bell rang. The class turned to face the door, waiting anxiously to meet their new teacher. Blossom had noticed that there was no name on the door, no plate on the desk, nor had there been any sign of a teacher's name on their list of school supplies. Something seemed off about the whole thing...again she thought of her nice warm bed in her cold corner room. Blossom stared at her lap, sighing again. The door creaked open and someone gasped. Muttering broke out, panicked...confused. Blossom narrowed her eyes and looked up. Her mouth fell open, a small high-pitched gasp escaping her lips.

The teacher was tall, even taller than Professor Utonium. He wore a sharp black suit, neatly tailored to give it a near Gothic appearance. His hair was long, shoulder length, and dark, bloody red. His pointed beard was long, but thin coming down over the breast of his suit jacket. He set his briefcase on his desk and slowly turned-it was as if he wasn't even moving his feet-to face the class. His eyes were dark, fiery red; his skin was a sick, pale green and two black horns rose up from his head. When he spoke...Blossom swore she felt her heart stop.

"Good Morning Class...I am to be your instructor. You shall address me as Uka-sensei," Blossom was having trouble breathing...having trouble believing her eyes. Uka-sensei picked up a sheet of paper and examined it closely, stroking his beard. He cleared his throat and once again turned his unblinking eyes on the class.

"I shall now take attendance. When your name has been spoken, you shall rise and greet Uka-sensei with a respectful bow...failure to adhere to this custom shall result in a punishment most unpleasant..." A few of the students chuckled, but anyone who thought he was joking realized otherwise staring into his stern eyes. Uka-sensei nodded and turned to the paper.

"Mike Believe," Mike nearly knocked his desk over jumping to his feet. He further embarrassed himself by tripping as he quickly bowed toward Uka-sensei. The teacher smirked and nodded, making a note on his roll sheet. And so attendance went, each student just as terrified as to avoid upsetting their new teacher. That is, until Uka-sensei reached the bottom of the list. He peered over the paper, staring deep into Blossom's rosy-pink eyes. Uka-sensei chuckled and tapped the paper.

"Blossom...that would you, would it not, child?" Blossom nodded, stiffly getting to her feet. She started to bow, but stopped. Uka-sensei was already calling on her sisters. Feeling foolish, Blossom sat down again, trying to stare at her desk...trying to do anything to avoid staring at him. Uka-sensei finished up the attendance and promptly crumpled and threw the paper on the floor. He took a seat at his desk and laced his fingers, resting his chin on them.

"Very good...all who belong to Uka are present. You shall be in this room promptly at eight a.m. Tardiness shall not be tolerated; should that accursed bell ring before you have taken your seat, I will be most displeased..." Blossom nodded slightly, still staring at her desk. The room was eerily quiet...no one dared trying Uka-sensei's patience.

"Your homework shall be turned in at the time designated by Uka, not a moment later. All who wish to advance to the next grade of their education would be wise to remember this," Blossom looked up, biting her lip. Uka-sensei climbed to his feet and paced the front of the room, arms crossed behind his back. Every so often his gaze fell on Blossom-she swore that when he looked at her...he stared just a little longer.

"There shall be no horseplay in Uka's class. There will be no speaking while I am speaking. I am your sensei! My word is law! The words spoken by Uka are true wisdom, and they shall not be spoken twice! Take careful notes...those who do not wish to learn from Uka shall find that there are fates far, far worse than failure in their future," Blossom couldn't resist smiling when Uka-sensei met her eyes. He smiled as well and turned around, facing the white board. He stroked his beard and glanced at the sheet of paper in his hand. With a low hum, he threw the paper down on the desk.

"Very good, it is time that we began. Take out the materials for your math lesson...now let me see..." Uka-sensei snatched the math text from his desk and thumbed through it, eyes flashing back and forth. With a resolute nod, he casually hurled it across the room-Blossom had to stifle a giggle when it nearly hit Molly Beware in the face.

"Ah yes, I am most familiar with this lesson! Now, behold!" Uka-sensei turned to the board and wrote...and wrote...and wrote until the problem he had devised stretched over half the surface. He then turned to the class wearing an expectant smirk.

"Now, who will solve this problem for the class? Come! If there are no volunteers, it shall fall upon me to choose," A hand must have gone up, as Uka-sensei pointed off into the corner. Blossom bit her lip, hearing a small voice speak up.

"M-Mr...I...I mean Uka-sensei um...we-we haven't l-learned how t-to do that..." Uka-sensei narrowed his eyes and turned to the problem, tapping his chin. He snorted and turned back to the class.

"Surely you are no so poorly taught you cannot solve such a simple equation? Yes..." Uka-sensei's face lit up. He grinned as he looked at Blossom, who had her hand held up, "Blossom...you have an answer for Uka?" Blossom could hear murmurs behind her, she could feel eyes burning into her back. Clearing her throat she nodded.

"The answer is twenty-seven...Uka-sensei," The teacher laugh heartily, and nodded, turning to the problem.

"Very good, child! That is the correct answer...yes, I was not mistaken. This work is most suitable for this level," There were several startled gasps, followed by angry whispers. Blossom could hear names being thrown her way; accusations and insults flew at her, but somehow she managed to drown them out. She leaned forward, excited as Uka-sensei wrote the next problem on the board. This one was even more complex than the last.

"Now, this shall be your next problem! Does anyone have an answer for Uka-sensei?" At once, Blossom's hand shot into the air, "Yes...Red Child..." Blossom's heart skipped a beat and her face turned bright red. She trembled, for a moment forgetting what she was doing. Uka-sensei stood right in front of her desk, looking down at her with one eyebrow raised. Blossom's mouth opened and closed uselessly.

"You have an answer, Blossom?" Blossom nodded, swallowing and quickly averting her eyes. She stared at her desk. She was sweating, her heart was pounding like a hammer in her chest.

"It's the square root of two hundred sixty-seven point one five three..." Uka-sensei laid a hand on her desk. His fingers lightly brushed her arm and it was like a surge of electricity ran through her body. Blossom sat up straight, taking in a sharp breath.

"Correct...it is apparent that the rest of this class is not at the level Uka expects of you...we shall go over more simple calculations," Begrudgingly, Uka-sensei picked up his text and cleared his throat. After a moment looking at the chapter one introduction, he glowered and closed his book.

"You, read the introduction to the class," A shaky voice to Blossom's right started reading...she didn't know who it was, and didn't really care what she was saying. She merely stared at her arm, at the spot where Uka-sensei had touched her. His fingers were warm...abnormally warm. Minutes dragged by, every second feeling like an eternity. Blossom glanced up and noticed that Uka-sensei wasn't even paying attention. The other student finished reading, snapping Uka-sensei out of his daze.

"Uh...um...yes! Yes very good, do you understand the goal of this lesson?" Several hands went up. Uka-sensei narrowed his eyes, but began taking questions. Once again, Blossom tuned the lesson out. She stared at the monster, watched his elegant, calligraphic scrawl once again fill the white board. At times, he goofed and made annotations in kanji, other times he simply wrote the answer without explaining the work process. Blossom leaned on her mitt and sighed. The room was warm, but oh so very comfortable. Though he had a tendency to overemphasize words, or to yell at simple questions, she was mystified by his deep baritone voice, dipped in a thick Oriental accent.

"Do you understand now, child?" Uka-sensei was glaring across the room. He turned away and approached his desk, "Very good...ah yes! Now it is time for Uka's favorite les-" A shrill ring interrupted Uka-sensei, who screamed and dropped his notes. He glared at the bell-for a brief moment Blossom swore his eyebrows caught on fire.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Though Uka-sensei was confused, the students practically fought to get out of the classroom, to escape to the relative safety of the cafeteria. Uka-sensei snarled and took a seat at his desk. Though the others were pushing and shoving to get out the door, Blossom remained where she sat. Once the room was empty, the door slid shut of its own volition. Though she didn't raise her eyes from her desk, Blossom jumped hearing the soft click of the lock.

"You have remained behind, child...you heard my request?" Blossom bit her lip and screwed her eyes shut. Tears leaked down her cheeks and she silently sobbed, trying to hold them back. She looked up and saw him standing there in front of her...alive as he had ever been. Inky black skin absorbing the light coming in through the barred windows, his eyebrows crackling and burning. Without a second thought, she tore out of her desk, knocking it over in the process, and threw herself at him. Aku caught her in his arms and held her close, lightly stroking her hair.

All defenses thrown away, Blossom began to cry-harder than she had ever cried in her life. She hugged him with every ounce of her strength, begging and praying that he wouldn't disappear again. Aku gave her a tight squeeze, his breath tickled her cheek.

"Do not cry, Blossom...I have returned...you are with Aku once more," Blossom shook her head and pulled back, staring at his face. Aku swallowed and took that moment to rub his chest. Blossom touched his face, sobbing again.

"Why...why did...why did you leave...why d-did you l-leave me?!" She screamed...she didn't mean to, but she wanted to. She wanted to just scream and cry, kick and punch him, make him hurt as badly as he had hurt her. Aku swallowed again and knelt down to her eye level. He cupped her cheek, delicately wiping away her tears with one sharp claw.

"I...it is a most...confusing dilemma, Blossom..."

"Tell me!! Just...just answer me!!" Her voice cracked and she hiccuped. But she wouldn't look away, she couldn't look away, not until she knew the truth. She had thought...thought for three long months that Buttercup had...that her sister had killed him. That she had taken him away from her forever.

"It was...a very confusing time for Aku. When I saw you...saw you torn apart, dying in a most gruesome manner...it frightened me," Aku cleared his throat and looked away, clutching his chest. Blossom looked down and gasped, seeing bright red light coming from his chest. She looked back up at him.

"You see, Blossom...the return of Aku had greater implications than even he had imagined. It...I thought that it would be better if I left you...but the pain was too great. I had to return to you, child. I...am most sorry, it was not Aku's intention to hurt you further," Blossom whined and threw herself at him again, snuggling close to his big, fluffy beard. She breathed in his hot scent, like fire. She relished the feel of his smoldering hot body...she had missed being so near to him.

"I...I don't care...I thought you...I thought you were...you can't leave again! I won't let you, you can't ever leave again!" Blossom pulled back and grabbed his shoulders, glaring at him with fire in her eyes. Aku's chest began to burn brighter.

"I could not leave you again if I tried, Blossom...this...this forever connects you to Aku," He lightly too her hand and pressed it against his chest. Blossom stared at her own hand. She could feel it beating...she could feel his heart.

"Your...your heart..."

"A blessing and a curse...bestowed upon Aku by the very blood that gave him life once more..." Blossom's eyes widened. She remembered the saw blade from Mojo's robot cutting her arm...she remembered Aku's tongue lightly trailing across her cheek, licking away the blood drawn by his own claws.

"M-My blood..." Aku smiled and nodded, patting her head.

"You are brilliant, Blossom...you never cease to amaze even Aku," Blossom smiled and giggled softly. All the hurt, the betrayal, the longing...it was gone, just like that. She hugged him again; he hugged her in return. Their peaceful moment was interrupted by the shrill scream of the bell overhead. Aku pulled away to glare up at it.

"This device is most unpleasant..." Blossom giggled and rubbed her eyes. Aku looked down and narrowed his eyes, grabbing her arm suddenly. Blossom winced and looked down at the offending appendage. They both stared at the silvery-blue band tightly secured around her wrist.

"This is..." Blossom took her arm back and rubbed her wrist. She hadn't been able to take it off in three months now...it had long since become uncomfortable.

"My power restricting bracelet...after I...after I recovered from that sickness, everyone wanted me..." Blossom licked her lips and looked up at Aku, "Some people wanted my powers removed...others wanted me to be...to be ex...to be destroyed," She held up her wrist and sighed, "The Professor managed to reason with them and the compromise was I had to wear this until I proved I could be trusted...it's set to keep me at around o-one percent of my power..." Blossom lowered her head, hoping he wouldn't notice. But, Aku did notice and wiped away the few tears that slid down her cheeks. He was rough, but she could tell he was trying to be gentle.

"So...they have rendered you an invalid?" Blossom nodded. Aku glared and reached to snap the bracelet. Blossom pulled her wrist away, shaking her head.

"No! Don't...don't...not right now...please, if Buttercup finds out that I took it off..." Aku crossed his arms and glared out the window. Blossom followed his gaze; her fellow students were running around and playing outside. She'd missed lunch...and recess was almost half over. Suddenly hungry, she held her rumbling stomach. Aku looked down at her.

"You hunger, child?" Blossom blushed and giggled.

"It's okay...I have food," She grabbed up her sack lunch and sat down at her desk, greedily biting into the ripe red apple the Professor had packed her. Aku sat down at his desk and folded his arms, watching her with a distant smile. Blossom noticed and smiled back, swallowing and wiping the juice off her face.

"Sorry...I haven't eaten a lot the last few days," Aku waved his hand dismissively and Blossom continued her greedy display. Every so often she looked up at Aku and couldn't help giggling and blushing. She noticed with cheerful satisfaction, that Aku couldn't help chuckling every time she looked at him.

XxXxX

The rest of the day seemed to fly by, and too soon the final bell rang and class was dismissed. Blossom hung back, grinning at Uka-sensei and wishing him a good day. She was the only student who didn't shoot him dirty looks. She wished she could stay behind, but to protect Aku's identity, she flew outside and started toward home slowly. A blue blur shot through the air and in front of her. Blossom smiled brightly at Boomer, who was beaming.

"Hey! You're smiling! Wow! What happened?" Blossom giggled as they flew into the sky, taking the long route home. She blushed and looked back at Townsville Elementary...suddenly it didn't resemble a prison at all.

"I just...had a really good first day," Blossom giggled and Boomer laughed in response. With a childish grin, Blossom suddenly shoved Boomer, "Tag! You're it!" Boomer was stunned for a moment, then narrowed his eyes and shot after her with a huge grin.