Thank you for reading Coming of Age, a Power Puff Girls fanfiction. I, AngelFallen96, have really appreciated the number of views and feedback given for this story. This journey had its ups and downs, but the Puffs and Ruffs made it through. There will be more to come, but before that let's go on another adventure. A different adventure with our Power Puff girls and Rowdy Ruff boys as you've never seen them before.

Now, as promised I will be giving a small sneak peek into their next adventure. Presenting AngelFallen96's first look at The Powers That Be.

Lightening lit up the night sky, revealing four figures moving as stealthily as they could in the night. They came to an old stone building—its age showing in the crumbling walls, and moss and flora creeping from the cracks. Still, as decrepit as the structure may be, the treasure it held was the most precious and jealously guarded. The abandoned appearance helped with keeping those with ill intentions away. Three of the figures felt the gravity of what they were about to do.

The eldest of the four wearing a black cloak rose her hand and whispered a low utterance that caused a pinkish mist to curl around the lock and ease it open with a soft click. She pushed the door open with a low creak and hurried her three companions inside before closing the door and locking it from the inside.

Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, she turned to see that the others were staring at the treasure within the center of the room with mixed emotions. The eldest girl pulled her hood from her head as she walked forward, revealing the most brilliant red hair.

"Come, we haven't much time." She said urgently.

The second eldest tugged her hood off her head, a beautiful mess of chopped black locks sticking in every direction, turned to the red headed leader. "I know. We should've done this long before now."

"We can't afford to argue. She'll be upon us all the quicker if we don't hurry." The first youngest said brushing her hood back freeing her golden locks. Turning to the fourth and youngest of the four, she tugged the hood lower over her face, only a few mahogany ringlets peeking out. "I want you to stay right where you are. Do you understand?"

The youngest nodded her head eagerly, wanting to please the girls looking lovingly yet worriedly at her.

"We must begin." The eldest said. "He cannot be allowed to possess this."

The three eldest girls clasped hands and formed a circle around the precious treasure. They felt the surge of power that hit them, and shuddered. "Will we be strong enough?" The golden-haired girl asked.

"We must. She's too young to be part of this." The ravenette turned to look at the young girl watching them with innocent purple eyes.

"Yet we dragged her here."

"She'd have been vulnerable without us." The eldest said. "We're the only ones that can care for her. Now, let us begin."

The girls began whispering the spell that would bring down the barrier that protected the treasure within, pink, green, and blue swirls of power flowing around them. A treasure that if placed in the wrong hands would welcome untold destruction on the world. As the barrier was coming down, the youngest turned when she heard the door behind her creak open. She glanced back at her sisters, their attention focused solely on the task at hand. Surely, they wouldn't notice if she left for a second to close the door.

As she went to close the door, she saw a glowing light around the corner from where she was standing. She glanced back at her sister before slipping out the door and following the light. The light moved further and further away the closer she appeared to get to it. Suddenly the light stopped and as she got closer she found that the light was emanating from a white flower.

"Oh, pretty." Getting closer to the flower, the young girl hoped to pick the flower and show it to her elder sisters. "Pretty."

Behind the girl, a sinister presence she was too young to perceive, slowly crept from the shadows.

"Bear!" Shouted a blond with shoulder length waves wearing a short sleeved blue shirt with brown pants and boots.

"Oh no!" Called a ravenette with shorter, but shaggier hair wearing a sleeveless green shirt and black pants and boots, when they heard the rustling of a bush behind them.

Suddenly from the bushes came a boy probably ten years of age, with curly brown hair wearing a white shirt with a purple vest and dark green pants. He sprang up with his hands over his head mimicking claws and making roaring sounds like a bear as he went after the two older boys.

The boys were running at quarter speed for the younger boy to try and catch them in the courtyard. The sun signing down on them contentedly with the trees and bushes providing shade and hiding places for them.

From his place in the castle, a boy with long red hair pulled back into a braid wearing a long sleeved red shirt and beige pants with black boots, sat at a table with books and papers laid before him. He gazed longingly out the window, wishing he could join his younger brothers in their play.

A sharp crack on the table brought his attention forward and had him straighten in his seat. "Your highness, please try to pay attention."

The young man turned his attention away from the window and back to the open book in front of him. Ever since he was old enough to read, he's been taught the ways of his kingdom's politics, the cultures of the people living in his father's land, and everything on how a noble should act in public. Some things he found interesting, whereas others he found absolutely dull.

"I've been studying for over three hours and my brother's studies ended about an hour ago." He groused.

"Your brothers are not the next in line to become king." His stern tutor told him.

The young king to be looked at his tutor with boredom. He was an older man, short in stature with arms the seemed to constantly be holding a book or text. He felt that knowledge was power, and the more the better. "So I am constantly reminded." He glanced out the window at his three brothers.

The tutor noticed that his pupil had turned away from his books and was looking out the window again at his young brothers. Seeing, that he wasn't going to teach this boy any more that could possibly be retained, he grudgingly closed the book in his hand and set it on the table in front of him.

"Your studies are finished for the day, my prince." The tutor said, immediately drawing the boy's attention. "We shall resume—."

The words had barely left the tutor's mouth when the redheaded royal jumped from his seat and left the room to go join his brothers in the courtyard. The tutor shook his head and smiled fondly.

Out in the courtyard the three boys were found in a dog pile with the youngest on top, smiling triumphantly.

"What are you three doing?" The eldest asked, folding his arms over his chest and smiling lightly at his brothers.

"I'm a bear." The youngest said while jumping off his brothers and running toward his eldest brother. Holding his arms out, he caught his brother as he jumped into his arms. The sudden weight of his brother was nothing he couldn't handle, but then there was a sudden burning in his right shoulder.

The next thing he saw was the courtyard walls moving downward and the sky filling his vision along with nonmoving curls.