Cast the Darkest Shadow

Deus Ex Procella

Author's Note: This is the last time I'm reposting this. I just think this and The Light that Blinds deserve to live, even when I scrap the rest.

Ah…it's that same memory again. The memory of how those pathetic brats finished me off after I was beaten. What I wouldn't give for another chance, for a shot at them with all of my power! If only I hadn't been arrogant…if I hadn't allowed myself to be caught off guard. I thought with him dead, I was unstoppable even in this weak form.

The darkness shifted uneasily and a fiery form rose up and licked his dry lips. He glanced about the unending night and growled, causing a burning light to illuminate his surroundings. Chuckling mirthlessly, he stood up and walked into the darkness, causing a cityscape to materialize around him. The demonic figure yawned and sat on the edge of the building he had appeared upon, resting his cheek on his scorpion-like claw dully. The peaceful slumber of the city was irritating, even more so when it was interrupted by the glow of lights too great for mortal eyes to comprehend.

My light! It is out there, dispersed amongst all of those…ignorant little creatures! Each of them using MY power as their own! If only I could just take it back! It's not that simple though…is it? I'm just a shadow of my former self, an empty husk that needs to be replenished. If I could take back my light, I would become the great adversary I was before! But thanks to him, thanks to him I'm almost powerless!

Powerless was a relative term, considering that the demon was the single most powerful entity on the planet. But being the single most powerful being only allowed him so much leverage. Since he had defeated his original body and left him in a shallow husk of his former self, he could only feel powerless by comparison to how great he once was. Then they had come, ChakiChaki Musume, they had defeated his weakened form! All thanks to him. It was absolutely infuriating!

I need someone to gather my light for me…to reap what is rightfully mine! But how…every monster my demon seeds create is defeated by those damned Powerpuff Girls Z! Even stealing their weapons, even using them against those brats wasn't enough! Those insolent little bitches! How can I beat them if their own weapons aren't enough to kill them?! I need something more…something even closer…something stronger…

A wicked grin danced across his lips, and a low chuckle built up in his throat. That was it! That was the secret to his ultimate victory! He would need something more than their weapons, something more than their power…he needed to completely destroy Powerpuff Girls Z! Not just embarrass or humiliate them, not just ruin them mentally but to completely and utterly destroy them beyond repair!

Kare rose from where he sat and laughed out loud, causing street lamps beneath him to shatter and stars in the night sky to dim. His laugh grew more frenzied as his demon seeds shot up around him, becoming a fierce whirlwind, like a dark storm threatening to topple the city. Kare floated into the air and vanished, along with his seeds, back into the darkness.

"Miyako! Hey wait up!" Miyako stopped and turned around , smiling when she saw Momoko running up, waving her arm frantically trying to get Miyako's attention. The red-haired hero maniac caught up with her, panting and grinning broadly. "Thanks!" Miyako smiled and continued walking to the doors of Tokyo City Jr. High School.

"It's fine Momoko, why were you in such a hurry? You aren't particularly late for school," Momoko shrugged and finally caught her breath.

"I just saw you up ahead and wanted to walk with you Miyako, that's okay right?" Miyako giggled and nodded, her pigtails bouncing slightly.

"Of course Momoko, I just don't want you to hurt yourself next time." Miyako face faulted as a bead of sweat slid down her head, "Like tripping while running that fast," Momoko stuck her tongue out and both giggled. Momoko and Miyako came to a halt as a boy walked up to them. Momoko, true to form, nearly began to drool as he approached. The boy was, to say the least, quite attractive, with shaggy brown hair and sparkling green eyes. An athletic build accompanied by a fancy outfit and you had a boy Momoko would drool over any day. He completely ignored Momoko; however, and held out a small slip of paper to Miyako.

"Hey there Miyako, I'm having a party this weekend. I'd be jacked if you'd be there," Miyako took the invitation and smiled up at the boy.

"Oh thank you! I'll have to see if I have time to go," She opened the invitation to look it over, not noticing how Momoko's lustful look faded and became one of distinct hurt when the boy had left without even looking at her. By the time Miyako looked up, Momoko had replaced her hurt look with one of cheerful disposition. Smiling back, Miyako and Momoko headed into the classroom, where Momoko was appalled to say the least to see everyone holding invitations exactly like Miyako's, chatting away vibrantly and discussing the party.

"Oh geez…uh…hey there's Kaoru!" Momoko hurried back to Kaoru's seat, stopping icily when she noticed the invitation lying on Kaoru's desk. "H-Hey Kaoru! So you were invited to that party too, huh?" Kaoru looked up at Momoko and shrugged.

"Yeah I guess, I think everyone was." Momoko didn't say anything and only laughed sheepishly, scratching her head as Miyako took her seat nearby.

"Yeah, you aren't actually going right?" Kaoru again shrugged and picked up the invitation, looking over it.

"Well maybe, it sounds like it would be pretty cool. There's supposed to be a garage band playing." Kaoru grinned, but frowned and looked around when she noticed that Momoko had gone to her seat. Thinking nothing off it, Kaoru shrugged and returned to finishing up her homework from the night before.

Momoko picked at her lunch, throwing miserable glances at Miyako and Kaoru every few minutes. Her two best friends didn't notice as they continued digging into their food and discussing various topics that Momoko hadn't paid a bit of attention to. Momoko honestly wanted to be mad at Miyako and Kaoru, but couldn't find it in her heart to stay angry at them for something that wasn't their fault. Regardless, Kaoru had almost been correct. Most everyone had been invited to the party, but even half the day later, Momoko hadn't.

"Hey girls, do you think," Momoko was cut off as her belt compact began flashing. Sighing and shaking her head to let Miyako and Kaoru know that she wasn't going to continue, the three packed their things up and snuck out of the lunchroom, charging for the roof. Upon exiting onto the roof, the three cried out.

"Hyper Blossom!"

"Rolling Bubbles!"

"Powered Buttercup!" A flash of pink and hearts, a burst of blue and bubbles, and an explosion of green and stars melted away the three thirteen year old girls and replaced them with the super heroines Hyper Blossom, Rolling Bubbles, and Powered Buttercup. Blossom pulled out her compact and flipped it open, revealing the image of a strange monster attacking the city.

"What in the world is this thing?" Blossom questioned, trying to identify the unnatural abomination. Buttercup shrugged and pulling out her hammer, floated into the air and gestured for Blossom and Bubbles to join her.

"Let's find it and we can ask it ourselves!" The other two nodded and the three flew off toward Tokyo City Space Center, where the monster had apparently appeared out of nowhere. The monster looked was only vaguely humanoid, with blood red skin and a very streamlined physique with almost no visible muscle. It had few facial features, only six black slits in its otherwise bare visage, with three on each side. Its forearms bulged and hand two holes at the ends where hands should be. Its legs differed greatly from its upper body, being basically twin horse legs completely red and smooth. It had a very long, thin mouse-like tail coming from its behind. On its head it had no ears but two protrusions that looked like dishes on either temple.

"Hold it right there, monster!" The creature looked up, seeing the three heroines landed across from him, striking dramatic poses and facing it confidently.

"Magical Science Fighting Legend! Powerpuff Girls Z!" The monster was unimpressed and didn't waste time in raising its arms, gathering sickly green energy spheres into the ends of its arms. Powerpuff Girls Z cringed back, very worried about what kind of destructive power the blasts might have. Making no sound, the monster fired out twin spheres of green light. Powerpuff Girls Z dodged the orbs rather easily, ducking when they exploded, but made no sound. A large amount of light was released, blinding Powerpuff Girls Z and leaving them unable to track the whereabouts of the monster.

As if on cue, the monster crossed the distance to Buttercup and kneed her fiercely in the stomach. Buttercup doubled over and dropped her hammer, gasping for air. With a senseless gesture, the monster lifted its arm and fired a green orb at Buttercup. The silent explosion sent her flying across the space center and crashing into a model spaceship, tearing it apart quite easily.

"Yeow! That really hurt!" Buttercup yelled, picking herself up and looking around trying to locate the creature.

"Look out Buttercup! Bubble Champagne!" Bubbles flew forward and swung her wand, releasing dozens of bubbles, which surrounded Buttercup. The monster suddenly appeared when it crashed into the bubbles and was knocked to the ground. Buttercup grinned at the monster and swung her hammer at it.

"Megaton Dunk!" The monster raised its arms and blocked her swing, shocking all three of them. Knowing that Buttercup was in trouble, Blossom acted quickly and charged at the monster.

"Shooting Yo-yo!" Releasing the yo-yo with a hard throw, it slammed into the back of the monster's head and knocked it off balance so that Buttercup was able to hit it with a follow-up, Megaton Dunk attack. Upon landing a few feet away, the creature leapt to its feet and steadied itself, firing out a barrage of green orbs at the three.

"Dodge them!" Blossom shouted, as Bubbles and Buttercup eagerly obeyed the needless command. The three dodged relentlessly, at the very fast monster continued blasting at them. Looking around for some kind of out, Blossom spotted a model UFO hanging from the ceiling a few yards behind the monster.

"Bubbles! Buttercup! I know how we can beat it!" This caught the green and blue heroines' attention readily and the three quickly regrouped a few feet away and above the monster, which stopped firing and just stared in their direction, warily. Bubbles and Buttercup turned to Blossom questioningly and then followed her line of vision to the UFO hanging from the ceiling.

"Buttercup, knock one of those orbs back at the monster and knock it back underneath that thing, then we can drop it onto the monster and I bet it'll stop it!" Buttercup and Bubbles nodded, but the moment they turned back to the monster, they noticed a flurry of green orbs heading their way.

"Look out!" Powerpuff Girls Z scattered and dodged the orbs, just to find that the monster had vanished. "Where is it?" Blossom looked around wearily, but while backing up felt an obstruction in her path. Turning she saw the monster now standing behind her. Unfortunately, before Blossom could react the monster rammed its knee into her stomach, forcing Blossom to double over with all of the air forced from her lungs. The monster raised both arms, charging up larger than normal green orbs and firing them off in Blossom's face.

"Blossom!" Bubbles and Buttercup shouted, watching their self-appointed leader fly through the air and crash through a large moon rock, lying unmoving on the ground afterward. Buttercup knocked Bubbles out of the way as the monster appeared near them and dropping her hammer allowed her years of martial arts to come into play, matching the speedy monster blow for blow and leading him back. Bubbles noted how Buttercup was leading the monster and grinned in appreciation for the green heroine's abilities. Buttercup called up her hammer again and pulled back after dodging a blast from the creature.

"Eat this ugly! Megaton Dunk!" Buttercup rammed the hammer into the side of the monster's head, knocking it through the air painfully. Bubbles drew her wand back and swung it.

"Bubble Popper!" Explosive bubbles shot out of the wand and repeatedly slammed into the creature and knocking it onto the ground near where they needed it to be. The monster rose and held up its arms firing green orbs at Bubbles.

"Leave this to me Bubbles! Smash Block!" Buttercup dove in front of Bubbles and swung her hammer like a baseball bat, clubbing the orbs and knocking them back at it. The monster seemed to be shocked and didn't react as the spheres slammed into it and knocked it onto its back.

"Now it's my turn! Bubble Champagne II!" Bubbles swung her wand and a flurry of bubbles shot out and rammed the cable attaching the UFO to the ceiling. There was a resounding snap as the chord broke and the UFO fell onto the monster, crushing it beneath its assuredly great weight. Nearby, Blossom began to regain consciousness, starting when she felt someone grab her wrist and pull her out of the rubble.

"Hey Blossom! Glad you could join us, your plan worked!" Blossom stared at Buttercup dizzily trying to comprehend what her comrade was talking about. She then saw the smashed UFO and beamed, proud that her idea had stopped the monster.

"That's g," Blossom was cut off when an ocean of cheering people appeared and a rift came to be between Blossom and her two comrades.

"Buttercup! That was amazing! Where did you come up with that idea?" Blossom's eyes widened and a very visibly hurt look spread across her face.

"H-hey! It was," Blossom was cut off when another person clapped Bubbles on the shoulders and congratulated her for her remarkable quick thinking. Bubbles blushed and held her hands up defensively.

"No wait you don't understand it was," Bubbles' voice was drowned out in a sea of applause and praise. Blossom put her hand down and gave up trying clear up the mistake. She smiled at Bubbles and Buttercup, who were throwing her very apologetic looks. Blossom waved her hand dismissively and made her way through the crowd to head home, while Bubbles and Buttercup were trapped in the congratulatory crowd.

Momoko entered her house, leaving the door open to allow her little sister, Kuriko, to hurry in after her. Kuriko was aware of Momoko's clearly displaced mood and had been interrogating her sister trying to figure out some way to make her happy.

"Sis! Hey do you wanna watch Miracle Fighting S with me? Mommy and Daddy won't be home till late tonight, so we can stay up and have a marathon before they get home tonight!" Momoko smiled appreciatively and plopped down on the sofa. Kuriko, thinking she had officially solved Momoko's problem dove onto the couch, making Momoko jump and laugh.

"Kuriko don't do that! You'll get hurt you little brat!" Kuriko grinned up at Momoko and snatched the remote, still lying across Momoko's lap as she turned on the TV and the DVD player.

"Yeah, yeah, you keep saying that Momoko but it still hasn't happened yet!" Momoko rolled her eyes and tried to smile, but it wavered when the same nagging question from before plagued her mind.

"Hey Kuriko, you think Blossom is a good leader for Powerpuff Girls Z, right?" Kuriko threw an incredulous glance at Momoko, before shaking her head and turning back to the anime now splashed across the TV screen.

"Maybe, but she's so lame! Buttercup would be a better leader I bet!" Kuriko didn't catch the hitch in Momoko's breathing, nor did she notice the cringe in Momoko's eyes. Momoko recovered quickly enough, but though her outward appearance was that of enjoyment, inside she was a storm of melancholy.

Kakiko and Mr. Akatsutsumi had come home earlier than expected, cutting the Akatsutsumi Sisters' anime marathon short. Now Momoko had changed into her pajamas and was lying on her bed in the dark, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes were watering and her breathing was hitched and strained. The lump in her throat was enormous, and the more she tried to swallow it the sicker she felt at her stomach.

"Am I really that lame? Even Kuriko doesn't like Blossom? But…" Momoko rolled over onto her side, burying herself underneath the covers. The lump that was Momoko began trembling shortly afterward and the sound of Momoko's rather pathetic sobbing shattered the silence of the room—which was previously only broken by the sound of the wind slipping in through the window. Momoko shortly slipped into a fitful sleep, thrashing about uneasily, throwing the blanket away from her head. A wicked chuckle slipped in the window, riding on the wind and leading a very small cloud of dust across the room and to Momoko.

No one really appreciates you, do they? Hehehe, why don't we show them what you are really capable of, would you like that Momoko? They'll all recognize you, whether they want to or not!

Momoko's chest heaved as the cloud of dust slipped into her mouth, ears and even up her nose. She thrashed once again for a few minutes, before settling down into a dreamless sleep. In the darkness, Momoko's white aura appeared. And in Momoko's white aura, strains of black appeared and began to choke it.