Wounded Warriors
"Wounded Warriors"
A Powerpuff Girls/Samurai Jack crossover

Part I

A chilling breeze lightly ruffled Jack's kimono sleeves in the otherwise balmy air, and he shivered.
He could feel him nearby.
It was odd. This place looked completely untouched. Clean tree-lined streets bathed in sunlight, healthy looking children scampering about the luscious green lawns of well-kept houses. But this little halcyonic locale, as the shaman had told Jack before, was a far outpost of Aku's power.
And it wouldn't be long until he arrived.

Bubbles squinted hard, struggling to decipher the beautiful lines of Kanji calligraphy that lay before her.
"Ima… gawa." she recited.
Utonium ruffled her hair gently. "Very good, sweetheart!"
"Imagawa," Buttercup repeated. "That's grandma's maiden name, isn't it?"
Reaching over Bubbles' shoulder, Utonium smoothed out the slightly yellowed paper she was scanning over, revealing more passages of Japanese writing.
"That's right. Her family came over here to Townsville when she was still a teenager. Before that she lived just outside Kyoto."
"Oh…" Blossom grunted urgently, flipping through a small musty atlas on her lap. She found the page she was after and held it up to her family, indicating the aforementioned city.
"On the island of Honshu, in the Kinki region!" she stated eagerly.
Utonium beamed. The girls were certainly taking warmly to this.

They sat together in the sunlit family room. The coffee table was veiled by a sea of papers and documents: family trees, genealogy reports, history books and other such data.
Professor Utonium had always had a deep fascination with the romance and tradition of the past—and more importantly, his own family history. While he was not technically Japanese, a close identification with the country had always been strong with him. Growing up in Tokyo Townsville, his childhood had been dominated by the culture, despite the fact he was often ostracised by the full-blooded Japanese emigrants that surrounded him-- they had dubbed him with the nickname Ao. ('Blue', like his eyes.)
Still, a little bit of name-calling in the past hadn't fazed him. Having since taken many a trip to the Far East, he had managed to trace his roots back into antiquity (with the help of a few friendly historians) at one of Kyoto's universities.
Presently, he was sharing this information with the girls. While they were not considered to be Imagawa stock, Utonium wanted to make his daughters feel that his heritage was theirs, too—a solid and unique familial foundation in which they could take pride.

Buttercup had picked up one of the history books and was carelessly skimming through it.
"So…" she asked lazily, "d'you know who our ancestors were or anything?"
Utonium searched through the mess on the table and picked out a diagram of the Imagawa bloodline.
"As a matter of fact, I've managed to trace the family back as far as the late eighteenth century. Apparently our ancestors were from a family of Daimyo."
"Di-mee-oh?" Bubbles' mouth toyed with the sound of the unfamiliar word.
"Japanese feudal lords," Blossom informed, a touch of self-importance colouring her voice. "They owned land and had their own soldiers to command."
She turned to Utonium. "Does that mean we're nobility?"
The question was met with a chuckle. "Well… sort of. The ruling titles were destroyed decades ago, and the Daimyo lost influence even way before that."
Oblivious to her father's words, Bubbles sparkled with joy. "That means I'm a Japanese princess! Just like Sailor Moon!"
Buttercup groaned. "Sailor Moon isn't real, dummy. She's not even proper Japanese. The Moon Kingdom is different."
The golden-haired little girl crossed her arms in defiance. "She is so, real!"
"Alright, you two." Utonium picked up Bubbles and placed her on his lap, distancing her from Buttercup.
"How about before them?" Blossom piped up.
Utonium sighed. "There's not much information, I'm afraid. Just a few administrative things here and there, land titles and such. However, I did find a couple of folk myths about the Imagawa family. Stories about things like royalty and magic and samurai..."
Blossom's head snapped up at the sound of the final word.
"Samurai?"
"Oh, none of it's real, of course, but it was entertaining to hear about all the same. I have a copy of the stories lying around somewhere…"
The redheaded youngster leapt up from the carpet with enthusiasm. "Oh, yeah! Can you read them to us, Professor?"
Utonium held Blossom's cheek in his hand gently. "Absolutely," he replied. "They'd make great bedtime stories, don't you think?"
A unanimous cheer came up from the triplets.

Blossom was ecstatic. Samurai! Her father's passion for history had certainly never been lost on her. Often was the time she had dreamed of those exotic lands steeped in tradition, heroism and bravery. The epic stories she had been told were the ultimate escapism-- sometimes she liked to imagine that she was a princess from a long line of noble warriors… instead of the rootless test tube baby she really was.

The placid atmosphere was abruptly smashed by the familiar electronic buzz of the Powerpuff hotline. Quick as a flash, Blossom leapt over to the phone.
"Yes, Mayor?…"
A speedy conversation later, the three girls were out the door.

Even as she soared over the greenery of suburbia, Blossom could tell something was terribly amiss. There was something in the air: an eerie, muggy stillness that hinted at… she wasn't sure what, but it made every fibre in her body tense with anxiety. This latest threat to the city was no mere giant lizard attack, that was for sure. Perhaps Him had once again emerged from his lair?

As the girls approached the city centre, they noticed a thick black mass of cloud draped upon the skyline. Almost like a fog of darkness.
"What the…" Buttercup gaped.
As they descended into the inky gloom, it became near impossible to see. Clumsily, the three sisters managed to land upon the pavement. It was still pitch black.
"Put on your supervision!" Buttercup suggested.
No good. It didn't improve anything.

Blossom sighed. "There's no way we're going to figure out what to do while we're down here. Let's go back up."
She took off, expecting to hear two other ascensions succeed her.
"Girls?"
Silence.
"Girls, come on!"

The light anxiety that had been with Blossom ever since leaving home rose up and took firm hold, choking her with dread. Her sisters had disappeared.
"GIRLS!" She screamed, frantically flying about in the darkness. She had lost all sense of direction. For all Blossom knew she could have flown down one block or out of the city entirely. This wasn't just an absence of light, this was…
Blackness.
Her world had been replaced with blackness.
The little girl had never felt more lost in her life.

Disoriented and tired, she gave up her unavailing search and flopped down in the dark, burying her head in her hands.
The usually confident and clear-thinking child felt tears well up in her eyes and spill down her cheeks. What on earth was happening? In the space of a few seconds everything around her had disappeared. Replaced by nothing.
Well, sort of.
In a way, at least the blackness was something…
Something that was starting to close in around her waist very tightly.
Blossom tried to wiggle her way out of its grasp, but it didn't budge. It clutched her tighter, and began to raise her slowly up.
As she struggled, Blossom swore she could hear something. A low, guttural sound…
almost like laughter.

Droves of frightened Townsville denizens hurried down the city streets as the great mass of darkness began to pulsate with life. Deliberate and trembling, the formless clump began to rise, its height increasing rapidly. Tentacles of black spewed forth from the centre like branches of a massive tree. Eventually, the entity stopped growing, and those tentacles started to shape themselves into more refined appendages. Two long, spindly arms and a massive head, adorned with four coal black horns…

The monster turned to face the city, basking in the plague of terror he had caused. He laughed, a low and grating noise that shook the very earth he stood upon.
"And now. . ." The monster announced, "to commit the deed that should have been committed so long ago!"
He looked down at the three little girls he held in his claws.

"No way!"
Searing with anger, Buttercup used all her strength to wrench herself out of the monster's grasp. In a flash of hot green lightning, the tiny girl cast a mammoth, debilitating blow to her gargantuan rival, almost doubling him over, and freeing the other two from his clutches.

But he was not so easily subdued. Once again rising, towering over the trio, the monster narrowed his eyes at them.
"Your mindless brute force has won out for so long… but now you shall know what REAL power is!"
The girls exchanged glances.
After a short moment of uncertainty, they swooped down upon their foe, circling like little blowflies about his head. Bubbles initiated the attack with a sonic scream…
…and fell.
She tumbled out of the sky, landing on the roof of an apartment building. She was dizzy, her ears were ringing and her head was aching.
The only one her attack had done any damage to was herself!
Buttercup tried next—her red-hot laser eyebeams. She narrowed her eyes, aimed directly at the monster's face, and recoiled in pain as she felt her body being singed by the force of her own assault.

It hadn't taken Blossom long to catch on to what was happening.
"Girls, stop attacking!" She cried, zooming down to help them from where they had fallen.
"It's using our powers against us!"
"Right you are," rumbled the monster, and before Blossom could say another word, he cast a blinding white light upon the trio, paralysing them.
The monster grabbed the girls in his large nasty claws.
Constricted and weakened, Blossom could feel the blackness close in around her once again.

"Put them down!" declared a crisp, no-nonsense voice.
As one, the sisters looked up. Upon the rooftop stood a solid human figure, a silhouette obscuring the monster's dazzling light.
Like a vampire to a crucifix, the monster gaped in dread.
"You!"
The stranger charged, drawing an elegant curved sword. Even in the haze the light caused, his actions were graceful, swift and direct. With little effort he struck the monster, hacking off his claw at the wrist. The monster drew back and screeched in pain, the light disappearing with the damage of the blow.

Blossom squinted, her eyes adjusting to the gentler daylight.
"Professor?"
Oh no. Not again. Even after his previous stint as Powerprof, it seemed Utonium hadn't learned his lesson about constantly chaperoning the girls on their missions. And this time he was posing as some kind of sword-wielding samurai? Maybe all that family tree stuff was getting the better of him…

'Utonium' glared at the injured creature.
"This is the last of your rampage, Aku. Finally I can— "
Using his remaining claw, the monster named Aku cast a ball of flaming energy at the incensed 'Utonium'.
He saw it coming, but not soon enough. As he tried to dodge, the ball hit the side of his thigh, the shattering impact knocking him to the ground.
Heaving with the effort, Aku grinned, revealing terrible yellowed fangs.
"Not so easy, is it, Samurai? I assure you… this is not over."

In a massive spiralling vacuum of cold black wind, Aku disappeared, leaving an unsettling void of peace and silence in his wake.

Blossom's head was spinning. She had been tackling archvillains and the forces of evil since birth, but she had never come across a creature so… imposing.
Where on earth had he come from?
And what was Utonium doing trying to oppose him?
She turned to look at the man, sprawled out unconscious a few feet away.

"Professor?" Bubbles looked down at him worriedly.
Buttercup rolled her eyes at her golden-haired sister. "He's unconscious, he can't hear you!"
Bubbles stuck her tongue out in retaliation.
Ignoring her sisters, Blossom took 'Utonium's' face in her hands and softly slapped his cheek.
"Professor, it's me. Wake up… Professor?"
Suddenly she gasped.

Indeed, he was nearly the spitting image of Utonium, but there were a few tiny differences in his features that she had not seen until now. For instance, the whispers of ethnicity in her father's face were a lot more pronounced with this man—he was definitely of full Oriental blood. And even with his eyes closed, the little Powerpuff noticed something sterner and more rigorous in his countenance—not the soft benevolent expression of Utonium at all.

"Girls, this man is not the Professor." She announced.

After a brief squabble, the triplets agreed the best course of action was to take the still comatose stranger home. Their childish curiosity had won out over the obligation to take him to a hospital—they were itching to find out about this mysterious doppelganger. Besides, Utonium was experienced enough in medicine to treat any minor battle wounds competently.

Jack awoke, greeted by the intense pain that coursed the length of his right leg.
His eyes were still closed, but he could hear someone speak. A soft female voice, high pitched and delicate, but it had a familiar ring of intelligence and clarity to it that made it stand out like a beacon in a fog of disorientation.
"Mother?"
No. His eyes struggled open to find himself looking into the face of a small child with penetrating eyes the colour of cherry blossoms.
"Professor, he's awake!"
Utonium strode across the laboratory tiles to the bench the stranger lay on. He had had ample time to recover from the shock of glancing upon a face so similar to his own, so he managed to say in a calm and unwavering tone:
"Welcome back."

Jack drew back in utter shock. What he first guessed was some kind of enchanted mirror was apparently another being taking his own form. He reached for his katana and tried to leap off the table, but the man held him down.
"Woah, hold on there. You won't be able to use that leg of yours for quite some time. You've got fractures running its entire length."
Pausing, Jack glanced down at his crippled limb, which was presently swathed in bandages and secured with a stiff splint. He looked back up into the man's face, noticing his kindly eyes and sympathetic air. Understanding calmed him, and he lay back down on the bench in a reserved manner.

After he rested there in silence for a few tense moments, Buttercup piped up.
"Does he even understand what you said?"
"I am sorry," the stranger vouched, his voice soft and courteous. "I did not realise that you were trying to help me."
He looked at Blossom and her sisters and grinned. "You were the girls from before, weren't you?"
"Yup!" Bubbles chirped, leaping onto Jack's stomach. "My name's Bubbles, what's yours?"
Jack's smile evolved to soft laughter. "People call me Jack."
"That's quite a peculiar name for someone of your stature," Utonium mused, scooping Bubbles up in his arms. "If I'm not mistaken, you're a samurai. One from a very ancient era, at that."
Jack nodded. "It is the alias I have gone by since leaving my homeland. In truth I am a son of the Imagawa family."
Utonium froze. Could it be…?

"I-Imagawa?" he parroted.
Again, the samurai nodded.
"From the olden days?" Bubbles asked.
"I suppose you could call it that, I come from a time before your world of electricity and skyscrapers and firearms."
Utonium put Bubbles down and rushed over to his laptop. His hands shaking in excitement, he brought up a display of Jack's DNA from a sample of blood collected during his treatment, alongside a display of his own.
There was no mistaking it.
This man was indeed one of his forefathers.

Blossom had been surreptitiously peering over Utonium's shoulder the whole time, and she too gaped at the information on the screen.
"Wow," she remarked breathily, "Professor, does that mean—"
"Yes, Blossom."
He turned to the rest of the group.
"I believe that Jack here is a member of our family. He and I are a part of the same bloodline."
"Grandpa!" Bubbles squealed delightedly.
Blossom frowned. "Not really. He's the Professor's ancestor, but he's not exactly related to us." She said mattter-of-factly, her face falling.
Utonium placed a comforting hand on Blossom's shoulder.

"I… I had no idea that the Imagawas were once samurai. I thought that was just a myth," he said, turning to Jack again.
"We were the royal family, actually." Jack responded serenely, invoking a huge double take from Utonium.
"Royals?" The scientist squeaked.
"Wow…" Blossom's eyes sparkled.
Jack sighed. "Our land was prosperous and peaceful. My father… Emperor Imagawa Minamoto… ruled kindly and justly."
Jack hesitated briefly, a ghostly consternation paling his face.
"Until one day in my childhood, our harmonious land was besieged by an evil of incomparable power and cruelty…"

The echo of a horrendous roar bounded off the infinite walls of limbo. A few seconds later, the abyss fell into silence once again.
Perched upon a throne in the depths of his labyrinthine lair, surrounded by his unholy attendants, Aku seethed with bald-faced anger.
"They were in the palm of my hand. I finally had them. Then HE had to show up!"

"Hold still," instructed a sweet contralto voice to Aku's side. While he had managed to regenerate his claw after the battle, it still ached badly. Presently, it was being tended to with ointments and healing spells by Aku's most beautiful and favoured servant.
This sleek and graceful creature had no official name. To the other imps and demons created by Aku, he was a figure to be admired and envied for his special place in the sorcerer's affections. To Aku himself, he was a plaything and courtesan of endless enjoyment, despite his haughty and often aggravating nature. To the citizens of Townsville, he was the embodiment of evil, and was only ever referred to fearfully as 'Him'.

Aku sunk down in his seat, and held his forehead in his free claw.
"I do not understand. How did he manage to track me down at the precise moment I did not want him to interfere?" he lamented.
Him cocked his head to the side casually. "It seems to me that the samurai is the one you're really after. Why not just get him instead of bothering to kill three innocent children?"

The sorcerer tensed. His eyes burned. He lashed out fiercely, seizing Him by the collar and hurling him to the stony floor.
"How dare you ask that question!" he thundered. The other attendants shrank back from their master, gazing up at him with timid eyes.
"I gave you the power to manipulate all life-forms to obey your every whim. I gave you opportunity after opportunity to do away with those girls for good. And how do you repay my gratitude?"
Aku halted briefly, and the fear in Him's eyes grew for anticipation of his next words.
"YOU FAIL ME!!"
A stone pillar fragmented into a thousand tiny pieces as Aku slammed his claw right through it. The whole court shook violently with the impact. "Time and time again you flee from combat with those children after the first sign of defeat! You defy the very purpose I created you for!"
A traumatised Him felt tears falling down his face. "But… but what about—"
Aku narrowed his eyes and growled "Do not think you are the only one I amuse myself with. I would have destroyed you long ago…"
Aku's spite turned to licentious lust. Dragging his snake-like tongue across his slimy lips, he took Him's delicately pointed chin in his claw.
"…If you were not so lovely."
Him cast his gaze down demurely.
"But no matter," Aku mumbled, turning away. He sat back down in his throne, lacing his long fingers together above his chin.
"As you say, these warrioresses of justice are mere innocent children. They shall have to let their guard down sometime."
A scheming smirk appeared on his face. "I shall wait until they are at their most vulnerable. Then I will attack."

Him hung his head, a weight of despair sapping his remaining energy. It was futile. He had not served his purpose, so the girls were going to die at the hands of Aku. Who knows what would happen to him after that?

In a history book opened upon his lap, Jack pointed to a photo of an ancient ink painting depicting a beautiful, towering Japanese palace.
"This was were I grew up."
As one, the wide-eyed Powerpuffs gushed.
"What was it like?"
"Did you get all the toys you wanted?"
"Were there bad guys to fight there?"
"Did your parents make you eat sushi?"

"Okay," Utonium appeared behind the girls, halting their voracious curiosity. "I think Jack's answered enough questions for now. He needs his rest."
A unified protest arose from the girls.
"Now now," the gentle patriarch clucked. "Dinner will be ready in a few minutes anyway. Why don't you go wash up? Blossom, you can help me set the table."

Jack reclined on the sofa restfully as Utonium and Blossom carried armfuls of utensils out to the dining table and began arranging them scrupulously at each place.
"Hope you like spaghetti," Blossom said to Jack perkily.
"I'm sure it is delicious. I have travelled much and become accustomed to the foods of many cultures."

He turned his attention back to the book, away from the ginger-haired child. Not because what he was reading was of any particular interest, but the thoughts dwelling in his conscious mind were too serious to allow him to focus on her amiable chitchat.

Waiting until she had returned to the alcove of the kitchen, Jack looked up at Utonium. The man caught his gaze and smiled hospitably back.
"Anything the matter?"
"I sense dark days ahead."

Utonium's smile slowly faded. He sat down, joining Jack on the sofa.
"I… at this time I can't be completely sure why Aku is making his presence known in Townsville, but it is clear to me that your girls are in danger."
The scientist grinned and shook his head. "Oh, they've taken on creatures like this Aku fellow before. With a little tuition from a warrior such as yourself, he should be no trouble."
Jack sighed, unaffected by his descendant's confidence.
"If only it were that simple. You underestimate his power and his motive. He is not merely some dumb beast relying on brute force and magic tricks to randomly destroy. He is connected to some of the darkest life forces in the universe."
A pause, and the enormity of the samurai's words sank in.
"It takes a very particular kind of strength to defeat, let alone challenge Aku. I only hope he doesn't try to prey on your children again. Powerful as they are, they wouldn't stand a chance."

Blossom stood silent by the kitchen door, stunned. A part of her was seized with trepidation and worry. All her life she had been confident in the knowledge that she could overcome any rival that stood in her path. There were times when she was so wrapped up in her powers she almost felt omnipotent. But… this new foe, was it true that he was that strong? Even more so than Him? That she wouldn't stand a chance? She recalled the terrible fear that stung her heart that morning when she had been enveloped in Aku's darkness.
Fear…

"Break out the chow, Daddy-o, I'm starving!"
Buttercup and Bubbles bounded back out into the family room, freshly scrubbed and disinfected. Blossom joined them, and assisted a limping Jack over to the table.

After assuring everyone was comfortably seated, Utonium portioned out generous bowls full of freshly steaming pasta.
Jack watched, fascinated as the girls greedily ladled piles of meat sauce and shredded cheese onto their meal. He looked down at his own bowl… such odd noodles, these were. He shrugged, and gratefully tucked into the exotic dish.

"Professor, do we have fresh parsley?"
"Pass the meatballs, please."
"Can I have some more milk?"
All of a sudden, the buzz of dinnertime chatter was drowned out by a deafening sucking sound. In silent surprise, everyone looked at Jack.
Using two butter knives as makeshift chopsticks, he was slowly downing his ungarnished spaghetti with excruciatingly loud slurps.

Feeling the family's eyes upon him, Jack looked up from his food. After an awkward moment, Buttercup stifled a snicker.
"What are you doing?" Bubbles asked innocently, her voice free of any disdain.
"Am I doing something offensive?" Jack asked civilly.
Utonium chuckled. "It's quite alright, Jack."
He turned to the girls. "In Japan, it's considered good manners to eat noisily. It shows the cook you're enjoying the meal."
Buttercup's face lit up. She instantly started wolfing down her spaghetti again, zealously sucking up each strand with an awesome discord of gastronomical relish.
"Buttercup…" Utonium berated, causing the girl to fall silent and grin sheepishly through a mouthful of half-chewed pasta.
"You call that slurping? Let me show you how it's done." he smirked.

To his children's delight, Utonium swirled an impossibly large amount of pasta onto his fork, shoved the top end in his mouth and vacuumed it up with the impetuosity of someone a fraction of his age.
Jack and the girls giggled with delight at this performance and soon followed suit, returning to what proved to be from then on a very noisy meal.

As she settled down in bed for the night, Blossom reflected that this visit from the past would not be all smiles and sunshine. Perhaps with Jack around, Aku would defer from attacking the city. But his current handicap certainly didn't help things, and even with his knowledge and experience to aid the dispelling of their rival, their efforts would probably all be in vain.
She feared for the future, she feared for Townsville, she feared for her family…
But soon, she slept.

It was still dark when she awoke. Blossom looked over to the clock, expecting it to be almost sunrise… the digital readout said 11.59 PM.
Just one minute before the Witching Hours began.
Suddenly she felt very cold, like a sharp iciness was seeping into the air. Shivering, she lay back down again and pulled the blankets tightly over herself, listening to the silence of the darkened house.
It was no good, she couldn't sleep.
Without warning, a small, fleeting shadow appeared in the corner of her eye and hovered in the centre of the room. Blossom was not the kind of child who was affected by bumps in the night—she casually shrugged it off and once again snuggled up under the blankets.

Gradually, the quiet of the house dissipated as a familiar wind began whispering in her ear, getting increasingly louder by the second.
She bolted upright. The unassuming shadow was now slowly spiralling on itself, growing larger and larger.
"Girls…" Blossom whimpered, stupefied.
The black mass imploded, raining sparks of white and red witchcraft around the room. Bubbles and Buttercup woke, gaping with panic upon seeing this display of dark energy.
Suddenly an enormous disembodied claw grew from out of the spiralling shadow. The three little girls screamed, overcome with fright.

The claw lunged forward at Bubbles, picking her up in its talons. Buttercup didn't hesitate in a delivering a counterattack—she sought to simply hack the demonic hand right off its arm, but it was unaffected by the girl's usually debilitating blows.
"Aku." Blossom realised.

"Girls!" Utonium hollered from the doorway, he and Jack having been awoken by their shrieks. They paled in horror as they watched Buttercup continue to struggle with the ghastly claw. The crippled samurai regrettably could do nothing to help. It knocked Buttercup to the ground, and a tentacle reached out from the shadow's epicentre, managing to snare her as well.
Blossom, swift on her feet, succeeded to dodge all attempts on the spectre's part to capture her. But she spent so much time evading it that she was clueless on how to overcome it, much less free her sisters.
"Strike the centre!" Jack cried.
Blossom nodded, and quickly focused her eye lasers on the middle of the spiralling shadow.
She struck, and the whole mass writhed in pain, dropping both girls to the floor. The two extremities fell to the ground, limp and weakened.

"Oh, girls…" a relieved Utonium dashed into the room and took Bubbles and Buttercup in a tight embrace. Jack remained in the doorway, his face sullen. Blossom now noticed that he was propped up on a walking cane.
He shook his head. "Now I see exactly what he is after."
The Utoniums turned to him.
"Aku is an acquisitive and power hungry creature. He has realised that you girls are the only obstacle in the way of him taking control of this land. He will stop at nothing to destroy you."
Bubbles whimpered and clutched her father's pyjama top tight. Seeing this, Jack's dour expression turned to a slightly more vigilant and optimistic smile.
"But don't worry. I promise to do all that I can to protect you."
The others exchanged glances.
"But…" Utonium began.
"…Your leg." Buttercup finished.

Behind Blossom, the inactive claw began to tremble slightly.
"Yeah." She agreed, lost in a moment of triumphant pride. "Besides, didn't you see how I managed to beat him off just then? Maybe he's not as strong as we thought…" Before anyone realised what was happening, the claw rose into the air with renewed life. In an instant it snatched up the unsuspecting Blossom, evaporated back into the spiralling shadow and dissolved into nothingness.
"BLOSSOM!" Bubbles exclaimed.
But it was too late.

Soulless.
This place was soulless.
A dank pit brimming with vile, unfeeling creatures, all single-mindedly dedicated to causing the mass human suffering that Aku so loved.
Him hated it.

He reclined upon a recess in the walls of Aku's lair, watching the other demons prepare an ornate stone altar for their master. Whenever the opportunity arose, Aku would take as much pleasure in killing as possible. All his court would watch him perform the gory, callous deed, then would whip themselves into a fanatic worship of bloodlust that could sometimes last for days. Him always sat out of this, claiming that he needed to conserve his energy for his attempts to defeat the girls.

He closed his eyes, slumping himself over his knees. So now the girls were to suffer this agony too. The overwhelming sense of uselessness and helplessness he had been feeling washed over him again.
He had failed in his duty.

Aku emerged, and the demons clamoured and cheered. In his claw, he held not the three girls, but only Blossom.
"This one is the leader," he announced. "I believe she will do for now."
He placed the quivering child upon the altar. Him could not help but notice the look of sheer terror in her eyes—the same haunting look held by all who had been sacrificed before her.
Usually anyone who opposed Aku was a steely and battle-hardened warrior who was fully aware of the magnitude of his wrath. This was the first time that such an innocent, untainted creature had had to bear the full force of his terrible brunt. She was already bawling and screaming like a traumatised toddler, her fear only further exciting the minions. Her little doll-like features were contorted into those of one thoroughly damned.

Him turned away, unable to look anymore. He now wished he had killed the girls earlier—a quick and painless demise of his own doing was sheer mercy compared to what Blossom was about to go through.
She didn't deserve it.

Aku grinned maliciously at the girl.
"You have caused me anguish for the last time!" he rumbled.
The sorcerer lifted his claw, and the unholy audience fell silent in anticipation…

A streak of pink smoke swooped down to the altar, stealing Blossom away from Aku's assault.
Astonishment. "What is this?"
The crowd of demons looked up. Floating above, Him clutched the young child in his arms protectively, the very model of defiance.
"You're not touching her!" he cried.

"Treachery!…" Aku gasped.
It was so obvious now. Why hadn't he seen this coming before?
"I should have known." he scowled.

He turned to his demons, who were also gawking at Him.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" he roared, pointing to the lithe, dark skinned imp. "Seize him!"
Him blinked, and even before the minions could launch their attack, they changed trajectories and turned on their own master.

As Aku was swamped by his cronies, Him grinned impertinently back. "Remember? You gave me the power to manipulate all life-forms to obey my every whim." He mimicked.
From amongst the fray Aku howled with rage. He narrowed his eyes, and shot a piercing shard of light from them just before Him conjured up a portal to escape. It grazed the demon's arm, producing a painful bloody gash.
As Him's excruciated scream reached his ears, Aku smirked.

The family room was drowned in silence, save for the clock ticking softly away on the wall. The first rays of sunlight were starting to slowly chase away the gloom of night, but this went completely unnoticed by Utonium.
He sat on the edge of the sofa, his face buried in his hands. He had been unerringly quiet since Blossom disappeared. His tears of grief and worry had not been racked with loud, soul-shaking sobs as they had been with his other two daughters. In their presence he felt it was his duty to be a figure of strength and solace.
Jack's explanation of Aku's methods of punishment hadn't helped any— there was only a very slight chance that Blossom was still alive, and if so, she would most definitely be undergoing intense physical and spiritual torture.

A scuffling, stumbling noise awoke Utonium from his mournful lull. He looked up, and his heart jumped when he saw what was standing in front of him.
"She needs you right now," Him said in a strained voice, handing a sobbing but unharmed Blossom to Utonium.
He stared at the demon.
"How—"
"It's a long story." Him answered simply, turning away.

Hearing Blossom's crying, Jack and the girls came out to the family room. When Buttercup's eyes fell on Him, she flared up with animosity.
She roared and socked him square in the nose. He fell to the floor, too weary to even squirm.
She hovered over him, fists planted firmly on hips.
"I should have known you were teamed up with a guy like Aku!" she spat. "How did—"
"Wait!" Jack commanded. "While this creature indeed looks like a servant of Aku, we do not even know what part he plays in this yet. It would be wise to hear him out."
The samurai hobbled over to the two. He addressed Him.
"What are you doing here?"
"He rescued me," Blossom said in a small voice, still bundled up in Utonium's arms.
A collective "What?" rose up from the others.
"Aku was going to kill me and Him rescued me." Blossom reiterated.
All eyes fell on the demon.

"What's going on here?" Buttercup demanded.
Him sighed.
"I… perhaps it would be better if I just left." he proposed, his gaze cast down at the floor.
"Answer me!" Buttercup insisted.
An ambivalent look passed over Him's face before he resigned to her integrity.
"Alright. I guess it was foolish of me to think that I could keep the truth from you forever."

Jack and the Utoniums crowded in, standing around the dark creature in a semicircle, expectant. Him kneeled on the floor reservedly, his eyes still avoiding meeting theirs as he told his story.

He breathed deeply, and searched for the right words to begin with.

"It didn't take long for word of you girls to reach the lair of Aku. He's a puppet of evil, and is ruled by the impulse to do away with any defence humanity has against it. He decided to create a new demon to destroy the three of you. Having a minion get his grunt work out of the way, Townsville would be ripe for the picking.
"Usually, Aku would create his servants by plucking evil energies from the universe and weaving them together with his magic, creating foul, horrid disciples who could barely think for themselves. But Aku now desired more than just a worker. He wished to have a plaything, a courtesan to appease his lustful side. He had grown tired of his harem full of demonic and hideous concubines. He wished for a creature of pure beauty to amuse him.
"But creating two new minions of such particular natures would drain too much of his power. He decided to meld them into one. He searched the Earth for spiritual energy that epitomised human beauty, both male and female. Once he had acquired enough of this… he created me."
Glances flitted about the circle.
"He set me loose on Townsville, instructing me pointedly to do away with you girls."
The tone in Him's voice suddenly changed to something the girls had never heard from him before.
"But because of what my life force is made up of, I have a human soul."
He paused, strong emotions starting to trickle into his words.

"I… I just couldn't find it in my heart to slaughter three innocent children. So instead I managed to avoid killing you by merely testing your mental and physical capacities. This way I could give the pretence of trying to exterminate you while not doing you any real harm. I spent all my time watching over you, making sure you were protected from Aku's forces."

Him had finished his explanation, but for a long while not a word was uttered by anyone.

Finally, Blossom spoke.
"You… so this is all true?" she asked warily.
Him nodded slowly.
"Liar!" Buttercup protested. As Him had guessed, she was trying to shake off the enormity of what he had told her by clinging to distrust. "It's probably just a trick to get us kidnapped by Aku!"
"Buttercup," Utonium warned, and her mouth snapped shut.
"So what now?" Jack asked.
"He grew impatient with me and is now trying to kill you himself. I couldn't let that happen… even if it meant betraying my own creator. So I brought Blossom back here."

Jack reflected on all that Him had said. If it was true, then he would be a powerful ally in the samurai's quest against Aku, especially with his injury preventing him from simply striking Aku down the next time he appeared…
"I think you should let Him stay here with us."
"What!?" Buttercup shouted. "Are you crazy?"
Another look from Utonium, and she fell silent.
"Agreed," the scientist said. "The more force we have against this brute, the better. Don't you think?"
Blossom cringed, trying to find an appropriate answer. "I guess," she wavered, still not completely convinced of Him's story.
A slight dolefulness tinted Him's expression at her noncommittal reply. "I promise I won't go back on my word." he contended softly.

"Alright, fine." Buttercup groaned. "But don't expect me to come running to anyone's rescue when he betrays us all." She turned and floated towards the kitchen. "I'm getting breakfast."
The others decided that that was a good idea and went to join her.

As Utonium ushered Blossom and Bubbles along with him into the kitchen, he heard a distressed groan emanate from behind him.
He turned to see Him, sinking lower in his kneeling position on the floor. He was clutching his arm and looked to be in considerable pain.
Then he noticed a deep cut on Him's forearm—fresh from combating Aku, Utonium guessed. The poor creature. The most poignant part about it was that he had been hiding the injury from everyone, like it wasn't worth fussing over at all.

"Hey…"
Him looked up, only to find himself staring into a pair of soft, sky blue eyes.
Utonium knelt over Him, holding out his hand, a sweet considerate smile adorning his features.
"Come here," he said gently.
Him allowed himself to be hauled up off the floor. Utonium steadied him by putting an arm around his shoulder.
"We'd better take care of those injuries, huh?" he proffered, and started to escort the wounded demon in the direction of his lab.

Compassion. For the first time in his life.
A small but grateful smile came to Him's lips.

The school bell rang, and a stampede of little feet scurried towards the front door of Pokey Oaks kindergarten. After packing up their stationery and wishing Ms. Keane a good afternoon, the Powerpuff Girls joined in the excited scramble.
The entire day had been one long hardship. With the recent events, none of the trio could keep focused on their schoolwork. Bubbles was anxious to get home to the two exciting house guests waiting there to stimulate and entertain her (even if it was just for novelty's sake), Buttercup was anxious to devise a way to combat Aku with the others, and Blossom… was simply anxious.

"Hey…" Buttercup said as they made their way home, "you okay? After last night, I mean?"
The little tomboy had a look of unabashed concern on her face, something that was not seen very often. Blossom smiled at her sister, but her gaze was distant.
"It was scary…" she replied airily. She was quiet for a few seconds, her pensive eyes still wafting on the horizon. Then promptly, she snapped out of it.
"I'll be fine."
Buttercup could see that she was still troubled. Instead of opting to spout out some mushy sympathetic drivel about 'watching her back' (or other such nonsense), she silently placed a gentle hand on her own.
Blossom's smile grew larger.

The remainder of the afternoon was a welcome change to the harrowing events of the previous day. The family had ample time to relax and acclimatise themselves to the new situation. They listened intently to further tales of Jack's heroic exploits, and in turn the samurai watched the girls re-enact some of their own battles against Townsville's criminal populace.

Him, however, had distanced himself from the group. The majority of the day he had spent brooding in the family room, avoiding both Utonium and Jack and feeling seriously out of place.
As the girls put on their dramatic portrayals of past combat, he was perched upon a bureau in a dark corner of the room. When Utonium turned to look at Him, however, he saw the demon delighting in the Puffs' clumsy, boastful exhibition. A claw supporting his cheek, an absent smile upon his lips… and a soft look in his eyes that could easily have passed as endearment for the three children.
He caught Utonium's gaze and reacted. His happy expression was quickly wiped away by one of apparent guilt, like a pet dog caught too close to a nest of chicks. He turned away, trying to look nonchalant.

In the end it was Buttercup who brought up the topic of Aku again. The six were seated around the television after a lively, messy smorgasbord dinner (Him, of course, still sitting in his dark corner on the bureau).
The moment she saw the commercials begin, Buttercup grabbed the remote from Utonium and muted the sound.
"When are you going to go beat Aku?" She blurted out, looking expectantly at Jack.
He sighed. "I'm afraid there is nothing we can do for the moment."
All eyes turned to him.
"We have reached a stalemate. Given the current situation, it is unlikely that Aku will attack again. But in this condition I cannot possibly fight him."
"Why is he so scared of you, anyway?" Buttercup inquired.

Jack got up on his cane and made his way over to a cabinet by the wall. He opened it, and produced his sheathed katana from within. He drew it out of the scabbard and held it up to show the others. Sharp and smooth, it reflected the dim lamplight in a shimmer of white and silver, almost looking as if it were glowing with some inner luminescence.
"This sword was forged by an enchanted order of Bhuddist monks for the sole purpose of defeating Aku. As long it is wielded by one of Imagawa blood, it is the one single weapon with the ability to slay Aku. It is why he has run from me ever since our first meeting."
"Imagawa blood?" Buttercup repeated. "Then the Professor could beat Aku!"
Utonium shook his head. "It's a nice idea, sweetie, but I'm afraid I wouldn't know the first thing about swordplay."
"Oh…"
He put the sword away and shut the cabinet. "Aku's demise is a task only I can perform."

Utonium responded to this in a cogitative manner.
"And what if he tries to attack before that?" He asked thoughtfully, looking over at the girls.
"That's where Him comes in," Jack replied.
The demon looked up at the others.
"He is a hardy and clever creature who knows Aku's tactics. Though he doesn't have the capability to actually kill the sorcerer, I am sure he can ward off any assault he may deal to the girls. He would make a far better guardian for them than myself."

Buttercup moved to object, but Blossom held her back.
"Do you think you could take on the responsibility?" Jack asked.
Him grimaced. "I've been protecting the girls from Aku my whole life. Why d'you think I would stop now?"
"Perfect." Jack grinned, satisfied.

"So that's it?" Buttercup barked. "We're all just going to sit around on our butts and hope that Aku doesn't try to kill us?"
"It's all we can do." Utonium informed her in a soothing voice. "Until Jack recovers, anyway."
The brunette huffed, making an effort to accept the circumstances.
"In the meantime," he continued, "we should all rest up and conserve our energy."
He tapped on his wristwatch. "It's way past bedtime."

Complying, Blossom and Bubbles zipped out of the room as Utonium helped Jack up the staircase.
Before she joined her sisters, a resentful Buttercup turned to Him.
"Jack might trust you, but I know better than that."
He stared back at her, and she pursed her lips. "You better keep away from my sisters. The last thing we need now is another one of your tricks ruining everything."
She turned to leave. Before heading off, she looked back at him once more.
"You're nothing but a bad guy to me."

The undisguised spite in her words cut through Him like a finely sharpened blade. Plaintive pangs of sadness tugged at him as he watched her go. Even after all this, he still couldn't earn the trust of his little charges.

Utonium planted a loving, child-sized kiss upon each of his daughters' foreheads before tucking in their blankets and switching off the light.
"Goodnight, my angels."
Just before he slipped back out into the hall, Bubbles' tiny voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Daddy?"
He turned, and could instantly see she was distressed. She was sitting straight up in the dark, clutching her Octi doll desperately tight.
"Bubbles, what's the matter?" he whispered, now back at her bedside.
"I'm scared," she whimpered. "I don't want Aku to come back."

"Oh… oh, honey."
Utonium's heart surged with tender affection. This strange new opposition had so unnerved his girls that they felt completely defenceless. While he could understand that Aku was a considerable threat, it was curious to see the same heroine who had tackled and triumphed over some of the city's worst felons quivering like a little bird who had forgotten her ability to fly. Still Utonium was used to these irrational bouts of dismay, especially from Bubbles. Regardless of their Herculean abilites, they were still just children: naive and unheeding.
He took her up in his arms, cradling her maternally.
"Don't you worry." He responded in a clear, marked tone. "We'll defeat that nasty old Aku eventually. And even if worst comes to worst, you and your sisters have Him to watch your back."
"Him…" Bubbles repeated, and cringed. "Buttercup said that he was lying about wanting to help us."
"Oh, your sister's just very suspicious. She just wants to be completely sure that the three of you are safe."
Bubbles looked up at him in anticipation.
"Are we?"
"Of course." Utonium said with a smile. "Now back into bed."
He tucked Bubbles in once again, gave her another kiss goodnight and tiptoed out of the room.

In a matter of minutes, the busy house had settled into a soundless slumber. Utonium carried out his solo ritual of locking each window and turning off each lamp, basking in the tranquil solitude.
He came back out to the family room, noticing that he was not alone. Him remained, slouched on the sofa, absorbed in his own brand of solitude. But this one, unlike Utonium's, was a melancholy. His face was obscured by a tired claw, but from body language alone Utonium could read a poetry of loneliness.
Him's awkwardness since arriving had not gone unnoticed by the scientist. Jack regarded him with an efficient, detached air, and the girls had been avoiding him altogether (save for Buttercup's venomous scorning). Yet this was the creature whom Utonium was entrusting his children's very lives to. He owed Him a great deal.

"You'll need a place to sleep," he stated, catching the demon's attention.
Him shrugged. "The couch is fine."
Utonium shook his head. "Nonsense. You're our guest. Besides, you look exhausted—you'll need a good night's rest."
Him looked back at Utonium inquisitively.
"I'll take the couch. I insist you sleep in my bed."
A pause. His gaze remained on Utonium, a contrast of hesitation and eagerness in his eyes.
"You mean it?"
The man smiled benignly in response, motioning for Him to get up.

"Are you sure I don't look ridiculous in this?"
Him stood in the doorway of the bathroom, donned in one of Utonium's old T-shirts to sleep in. On his slender frame, it looked more like a baggy dress. Still, it was an interesting contrast to the impractically fancy attire he usually wore.
Utonium set his toothbrush down and chuckled. "You look fine," he reassured, surmising that as a creature created for sensuality's sake, Him was probably fixated on his own appearance.

Utonium ushered him down the hall.
"One thing I wanted to ask…" he murmured. "Those claws you have…" he nodded to the large lobster-like appendages upon Him's wrists where two hands would have otherwise been.
"Yeah?" Him beseeched.
The two stopped by the doorway to Utonium's bedroom.
"Well, they seem a little out of place. They look so monstrous. And the rest of you is so…"
He gestured to Him, indicating his lovely, elegant form.
"So…"
Utonium trailed off, his eyes still absently fixed on Him's features.
"Oh." The demon responded, a shy smile on his face.
"These are thanks to Aku." He held up the claws. "My own personal chastity belt. I do have hands under here, but I only ever got to use them when he was 'favouring' me." Him scowled at the memory.
"How horrible," Utonium remarked.
Him shook his head. "That's not the least of it. If I ever try to touch anyone with these things out of affection, the scar they receive becomes blue. That way Aku would always know if there were any competitors for my attention to bump off."

Him's narrative was interrupted as he was ensnared by the look in Utonium's eyes. Intent, moved, and even upset, a vivid sheen of concentrated emotion enhanced their already bright blue colour. This endearing expression of outright concern made Utonium look achingly beautiful. Him almost felt bad for affecting him so.

"It's okay," he added quietly, "I've gotten quite used to them."
Utonium nodded accordingly.
He then opened the door to the bedroom, gesturing for Him to enter. "Make yourself at home," he told him.
Him padded over to the awaiting bed, but turned back to Utonium before climbing in.
"Thank you."
Utonium beamed. "It's the least I could do."
The two shared a silent moment of appreciation for one another.
"Goodnight, Professor."

He surreptitiously lingered in the doorway as Him drifted off to sleep. It was so hard to recall the antipathy he had felt for this enthralling being of beauty not two days ago. While the faith he had in his girls had seldom wavered, it was reassuring to know that they had always been blessed with such a loyal and tireless protector.
Even if they didn't trust him.

With a sad, resigning sigh, Utonium slowly closed the door and headed back down the hall.