The Utonium's place was chaotic. Again. Since the arrival of the RowdyRuff Boys from different universes, every day was chaotic. And then, there was Brea, from a world where the RRB were girls and the PowerPuff Girls were boys. According to what she had explained, she and her sister were fighting with the PP Boys when a portal opened as a twirl. The RRB agreed that they were also annoying the girls when the portal opened, and everything around them moved so fast that they could hardly stay together in the vortex. And one of the blues said he saw "Butch" standing far from the others, so he grabbed him. Only to discover later that it was actually Brea, his brother's female version in that world.
And now, there were about twenty teens in the same house. Eighteen of them were RowdyRuffs, and only seven kept away from the chaos. The other fifteen were running and flying here and there in frantic chaos.
"Did you use my toothbrush?"
"Hurry in there! I need the bathroom!"
"Blossom! Buttercup! You were supposed to cool them down, not to fight them! Brea! You need to wear a bra!" Bubbles was trying to put some order around.
"I hate bras!"
"Gosh, it's really been only 18 hours since you guys arrived?" complained Blue Boomer while he placed his earphones on for, like, the twentieth time already.
Five days later, there was no point in even trying to put any order anymore. Not because they had started to behave, but because they were so bored and had run out of ideas about who could have brought them there, that they only wanted some fun things to do. Of course, since the girls had a pool, they had used it. But even that had become dull. So, the teens did the only thing that had become fun: annoy Red Uto, Thornton and Blue Boom, the "Ghost", as they referred to the Ruffs from this world. Not that it was hard. They only needed to stand next to them to get an exasperated sigh out of them.
"So, what do you 'Ghosts' do for fun?", asked Butch, the one with the "Chill" Ruffs, because they caused a little less problems than the others. Like one explosion less.
The trio looked away from their books. They already knew what the bunch of teens wanted. And they were not in the mood.
So, they stood up and left.
"Hey, don't you da…" started Punk Brick.
"Come if you want," Red Uto cut his complaining.
The others didn't wait for a more polite invitation.
Buttercup, who was also there, reading her comic books, asked them.
"Hey, are you going somewhere?" She asked without malice.
"The Pit," were the only words Brick Utonium said, but she immediately stood up and picked a light white jacket.
"Cool! I've always wanted to go there!"
"Wait? Where again?" asked Blossom and Bubbles from upstairs. But not to complain. They were bored too, and tired of looking for the person who had brought the boys to their world, so they picked some clothes too and followed.
"The basket stays here," was the only observation Blossom got.
"But, we may get hungry."
"We will buy something at the convenience store," said Buttercup as she snatched the picnic lunch.
"So, what is 'The Pit'?" asked Loud Brick, the one with piercing which trio had got the nickname of "Loud Ruffs", because, unfortunately for him, his brothers' main feature was the unstoppable chatting.
"The surroundings at the volcano. Remember we told you there was a big explosion? All the apartment buildings around had become unlivable. I heard many kids go there; it's some kind of neat meeting point," explained Buttercup.
"And, why are you wearing white hoodies?"
"Why? Of course, we don't want to get everyone's attention at the place," answered the three girls.
The Ghost didn't say anything. They silently agreed with each other that the PPG would get a lot of attention, but not the one the girls were thinking.
As expected, the place was a disaster. They entered through the playground, which still had a lot of debris, and weeds had grown everywhere. The other worlds' boys weren't happy about walking up there, but since they didn't know if Him would attack again, they had ended up accepting moving around as regular people.
But after the nuisance of climbing over ruins, and crouching beneath old doors, they could hear the loud music. Here and there were groups of kids, everyone minding their own business. The place was full of the noise of cans rattling and hissing from the kids' painting. Over there, someone had started a bonfire and some kids were talking while other danced. A bit further, a few practiced their new moves. Here and there, a few climbed alone to the remaining structures, looking for something.
"Cool! How did you know about this place?" Box Butch said.
"More important," interrupted Blossom, "is it OK that you come here, guys, because, you know? Uh? Where did they go?"
They looked around, but the Ghost Ruff was nowhere to be found.
"Give me a break! They were just in the middle of the group a second ago!" Blossom sighed in surprise.
"Never mind them, Blossom. You should know already they can sneak away even if you keep a camera on them," her green sister tried to cheer her up.
"Yeah, let's get around!" said the boys, and without losing another second, they mingled with the different groups.
"Hey, Butch!" someone greeted.
"Brick, man! Haven't seen you in a while. Where were you up at?" said someone else.
Here and there, kids greeted them and shared a few words before leaving.
"Uh, do you think they are mistaking you with our boys?" asked Bubbles, incredulous.
"With the Ghost, it should be," said Flannel Brick.
"I knew those guys couldn't be that boring," exclaimed Piercing Butch, "They sure keep the cold act to get on our nerves."
Soon, they had forgotten about the Ghost Ruffs, the mystery of their transportation or Him's attack. Instead, they mixed with the teens, painted, and talked to some of the kids. They went scavenger at the apartments, danced, and even joined a jam. The Ghost only appeared whenever they were about to use their powers, and even then, they only instructed them not to use their powers. In the late days, that was the most curious thing about the Ghost: they never used their powers if unnecessary. They'd walk around the house, they barely float, and they didn't use laser vision or super strength without a reason. Yet, any Ruff that tried to pick a fight with them would end beaten in two moves.
Box, the only Butch that had stood five seconds sparring with the Ghost Ruffs thanks to his training in that sport, Loud Brick, Punkster, the blond punk, and Buttercup heard about an "arena", and of course, they started looking for it. The loud shouts and cheers guided them. As they came close, a guy met Brick and Butch.
"Guys! Good thing you're here! Your little monster is on another of her anger streaks. You'd better get her before it happens again," he said, half-worry, half-amused.
When they got to the ring, they saw a short girl, a bit chubby, fighting against a boy twice her height. He connected a couple of straight punches, but she raised her defense. He hit again, this time pointing to the sides. She protected again. When the boy took a step back to switch hands, she leaped savagely: one, two, three, four, five hits in a row. Two of them connected on his belly, and have him bending down. With his face closer, the girl set another row. She was a real monster for a human.
"Oh, I think I know that girl," said Buttercup in real surprise, "She's in my class. I think her name is Dhalila. Well, just look at her. At school, she is super shy. Even when she has to answer something, she'd speak softer than a mouse."
"Well, she is not like that here, apparently," said Box Butch.
A group of boys had to jump into the arena and stop her before things got out of hand. Even then, she tried to push them away and keep fighting.
"Hey, Dhalila, Butch and Brick are here."
As if these words were some kind of spell, the girl immediately cooled down. In exchange, she looked around, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Are they? Where? Where?" someone pointed them to her. She released herself and walked toward the boys, a wide, proud smile on her face.
"Did you see that? Eh? Eh? I've been practicing chaining my punches, as you told me, guys. How was it? Did I do it right, uh?" She then noticed Punkster and walked to greet him, giving him some pats on his belly. "Boomer! You're here, too!"
Buttercup moved behind the boys as she adjusted her hoodie. The "mouse" was now chatty and friendly, as long as she was talking with Brick and Butch. They stayed around, watching some of the fights and betting on candies, artists' pics, and other stuff. But the most valuable currency was memories. Here and there, kids were asking for family pictures, burned toys, and even pieces of plates, forks, or curtains that others had found digging in the ruins: a scorched postcard, a piece of a recognizable mug—these items, scavenged from the ruins, held the highest value, traded for hours of protection or the best spot by the bonfire.
The red Puff was there now, with Chatty Boomer, Flannel Brick, and Brea.
"Be careful there! Watch out with those beams! That doesn't seem safe!"
"Cut that out, redhead. It's just a game."
Among the ruins, kids were picking up scraps, talking among themselves, talking about the people who lived in the buildings.
"Hey, I think this is Ms. Hops' apartment, this looks like her horrible night gown".
"Yeah. You know, she used to look after me and my siblings while mom was at work."
"True. She wasn't very nice, but she would always lend you a hand when you needed it."
Blossom listened to the kids, the casual way the children discussed their dead neighbors, the memory of an unpleasant but ultimately kind woman. She had never before taught on the aftermath of the incident. Of course, she was aware of the damage, the millions of dollars invested in cleaning and rebuilding everything, but never had she heard about the people who lost their houses. Never had she heard of the people who went injured or dead, and much less of the people who survived them. And she felt a cold dread settle in her stomach as she realized the scale of the normal lives lost that night.
On the ground, in what could have been the central distributor of the buildings, was another bonfire. Bubbles and other RRBs were there, talking to a group of teens. The music was loud.
"It's a cool place, though," Bubbles commented, trying to keep the mood light.
"Yeah, if you don't mind the ghosts," a local girl said bitterly. "We all live here now because the PPGs couldn't stop that thing in time. My brother is still in the hospital."
"They save the world, but they couldn't save us," another boy agreed, not realizing he was talking to them.
"It's a shame they don't have premonitory vision or something like that. If they did, they would have known about this disaster and told us to leave on time."
Someone turned up the music. Though it was a happy, energetic pop song, the mood had changed now. Someone turned it off. For a while, no one talked; each drowned in their own feelings.
Punk Butch and Hoodie, the blue that came with Flannel Brick, were on the other end of the ruins. After having watched some kids painting graffiti, they decided to explore further the ruins of a convenience store, even after having been told that was the limit.
"Man, I thought those kids didn't come here because there would be something interesting, but it's only a dumpster", said Punk with a trace of delusion. He has been hoping to find a fight over the goods at the store, but no one was interested in that. They were about to start the way back when they heard someone coming in a rush. As Butch turned, a little kid gripped to his leg, absolutely scared.
"Butch!" the kid called.
"Hey, what's with you, pipsqueak?" said the punk, confused.
"They are doing it again. They want me to…"
The shouts of a small gang stopped his voice.
"Hey, come back here, boy! You can't just walk into our territory without paying us."
The boys, older teens, even a few young adults, stopped at the sight of Butch.
"Give us that boy now if you don't want…"
"Finally, some fun!" said Punk Butch as a smile appeared on his face.
"Uh, uh, Butch, sorry. We didn't know it was you." The gang stopped and looked confused. With quiet steps, they started moving backward. "We don't have time for you right now, so tell that brat not to come over here again. Next time, he will pay all his debts. Let's go now."
The gang turned, mumbling and swearing, leaving the Ruffs confused, and at least one, disenchanted. The little kid was still holding onto Butch's leg.
"Hey, they're gone now. Do you owe those guys something?" the blue boy asked him.
The little kid wiped his tears before looking at the boys. He was about to say something, but stopped. As he took a long stare at the green, he let go, confused.
"You're not Butch. But you look like him."
The noise of people coming from The Pit had everyone turning to it. There were Uto and Flannel.
"Here you are!" said Flannel Brick as he pulled some bags of chips to the Ruffs. "What's with this kid?"
The little one looked at both of the reds. Then, he ran towards Uto, who stopped him before he could clench to him. Flannel looked at his other self, a trace of annoyance in it. But Red Uto ignored him, he was staring at the little boy with a cold glance. The kid seemed miserable with his silence, yet, he managed to say.
"I want to go home."
"You know there's nothing there."
Flannel couldn't bear it anymore and gave the other red a rap on the head.
"There's no fun in picking up against little kids."
For the first time, Red Uto, Brick Utonium, or Brick Jojo, looked at the three teens in front of him, not with annoyance or anger, but puzzled, unable to understand their denial of reality.
"Tobi doesn't need to go down there. Even if he could face the gangs, it is polluted with the chemicals that escaped during the explosion." He then turned to the boy and said "You should go back."
"Wait, you're not sending him alone, are you?" Blue Hoodie spoke with his usual low voice.
"No way! It's past midnight, he can't go all by himself," roared Punk Butch, pulling the kid next to him.
Red Uto shrugged.
"OK, come, Tobi. I'll walk you to the old playground."
"Course not! You're walking him until he's safe at his house," explained Flannel Brick.
"Orphanage," corrected the other red.
"That's not the point!" exclaimed the three Ruffs.
"Whatever. We'll deliver you when we leave, Tobi," concluded Red Uto.
They climbed down and headed to the meeting point.
In the meantime, Blue Boom and Chatter Butch had been around different groups. A young girl was dancing alone, and she was really good.
"Who's that?" asked Blue Boom. The green guy gave him an eye.
"I don't know. She said Amir sent her," was the answer.
"Amir?"
"Yes, the younger brother of Said, remember? The one that missed his leg? That went missing for, say, two months until they found him?"
The girl crossed eyes with Blue Boomer and Chatter Butch. She then excused herself, saying she needed some water, and left. Boomer waited a couple of minutes before chasing after her. And the green Ruff after him, mischievously as he touched his piercing, as if he was polishing them.
"I knew you guys weren't made out of stone. So, what are you going to tell her, uh? Don't say anything stupid. Believe it or not, I'm a great ladies' man, if you need any help…"
Blue Boomer ignored him. He walked away from The Pit. The girl was leaning against one of the walls, waiting. He walked towards her.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," was the answer.
They were about to start chatting when a soft rumble came from the debris, and some wasp-like imps appeared. Butch got excited and put himself in front of the girl, nonchalantly.
"Stay here, pretty."
Blue Boom stopped him.
"Don't blow our game. We're too close to the kids, so NO POWERS." And before the green could complain, the blond and the girl jumped into the encounter without a single sound. Now, seeing Blue Boom's clean moves this close gave Chatter Butch a better idea of how the Ghost Ruffs fight: not a move was random, nor a feint was noticeable. Blue Boom walked in silence, disposing of each Imp in a clear, soundless hit.
The girl wasn't anything behind him. In fact, her movements were even cleaner and lethal. She was shifting from one foot to the other, following a rhythm only she could hear. As an imp leaped towards her, she executed a flawless rabo de arraia, which intercepted the creature mid-air and sent it flying into a remaining concrete pillar, shattering the concrete.
"Who sent you, Up Beat?" asked Blue Boom, casually.
"No one. I'm free now." She crouched in a esquiva baixa and let a queixada out, hitting with lethal precision.
"Why are you here, then?" asked the blond, using a powerful kung fu elbow strike that sent the wasp against its companion.
"I was incredulous! I wanted, no, needed to see it with my own eyes." There was real worry in her voice when she said this.
They both took a moment to look at each other.
"You look good for being dead."
"Same."
They got rid of the last two Imps, verified the area, and walked to where Chatter Butch was waiting.
"Geez, it was fun to watch, but it'd have been funnier to fight."
"You'd have made a fuss," was Boomer's cold answer.
The girl leaned toward the green boy, swore a couple of things in Brazilian, and bent up.
"Are you still active?" she asked Blue Boom.
"No, well, it's complicated. These guys appeared out of the blue, so I guess yes. Until we can fix this."
"Hum," she murmured, accepting this answer. "Well, at least you won't have to worry about The Pit, you know? The twins, well, Slight, he has established a surveillance around, in case you need something. His twin's free of worries now, though."
Boomer glanced at her, a flash of surprise and sadness in his face, erased in seconds.
"So, he's this 'Amir'?"
"Yup. He heard about what happened here, saw the chance of disappearing, and seized it. Now he has a nice family, neat, huh? Of course, he's still a little paranoid. He's always checking around in case someone comes and tries to take him back."
"So, I guess we'll have to meet him another time."
"Don't rush, he's having his hands full cleaning after you all this time. Well, I guess I'm leaving now. I just wanted to let you in."
She waved a good-bye and walked back to the music, dancing at it.
"Who was that chick? She has some great moves. Care to introduce us? Where did you know her?" was Chatter Butch's reaction.
Blue Boom looked at him, let out an exasperated sigh, and walked back to the gathering, hoping by the time they met, this loudmouth would have finished with all his questions.
It was only when the green saw the PPGs's dropped faces.
"What happened, girls? You look terrible."
"Meh, missies just found out they're not the perfect queens," was Punk Brick's answer.
"We do our best for the city and its people, and it wasn't enough," complained Blossom.
"I can't believe it's our fault this little kid has lost his family," cried Bubbles while the little Tobi comforted her.
"And I can't believe this kid is the one comforting you and not the other way around!" the same redhead scolded here.
With a "Tobi, let's go," The Ghost Ruffs started their way out. The others followed, mocking the girls. Until they heard a commotion. A couple of young girls were running toward them.
"Brick! Butch! Boomer! It's the Gangreen Gang!"
They turned on their feet. People were surrounding a few men standing.
"There they are at it again." Butch Thornton showed annoyance.
"We'll have to do something more definite with them at another time. For now, let's just send them back." The girls weren't sure what the Ruffs meant, but they couldn't ask, since the guys had left.
"Aww, so sweet! You care about these guys, after all!" someone mocked them.
"We care no grown-up come here and have this place closed", explained Thornton without any trace of emotion in his voice.
In the middle, Ace was doing what he did better: sweet-talking the children.
"Seriously, kids, it's a great business. You want to have some pocket money, don't you? And all you have to do is just a little delivery. No one would suspect you. And no one has to know about it. Aren't your parents and tutors struggling with money?"
"And they'd be dead by the end of the month, right, Ace?" Brick and his brothers, the Ghost Ruffs, made their way to the front of the crowd. "Of course, that's not important to you. You only need to find some other kids to replace these. Not here. This is our territory, and we want it clean."
"I care about them. As long as they don't make questions about the package, they'll be fine. And, think about the perks! You can earn more than your parents in one job. That'd pay the Hospital bills. In just one job."
Red Uto walked calmly to Ace. There was no menace in his movement, but authority.
"Oh, now you care about their problems?" He walked backward, his authority not less. "Let's talk about their problems. I'm sure Gustave has something to say about last week."
The red walked around, pointing to the kids. "Or Hal."
He stopped at a strange feeling. A girl was surrounded by her friends. She wasn't able to lift her head, totally scared. Brick didn't need to ask. In their previous life, he had seen that attitude on women before. She felt Brick's eyes, so she glanced at one of the guys from Gang Green.
"You and your people stay away of our territory, Ace, I won't repeat it again. These guys are not live bait for your business, Ace. Or are you, eh?" This question was addressed to the kids in The Pit, who immediately started booing and yelling at Gangreen Gang.
"They stole our thing last week!"
"They started a fire at the entrance!"
"Last time, they tried to kidnap my little sister!"
"They offered children some drugs!"
Ace tried to do some damage control.
"Ok, Ok, we get it. We'll take our leave now. No need to alarm everyone. They know were to find us. Keep your little… monsters."
The Gangreen Gang retreated, under the angry chants of the kids. None of the Ghost Ruffs stopped the others until the Gangreen Gand was away of sight.
And just as if nothing had happened, the Ruffs started the way home, taking Tobi with them.
Tobi was happy. The Butches and Boomers would walk him, pulling him up playfully. When they got bored, one of them sat the kid on his shoulders.
"I've never thought walking could be this fun," one of the Ruffs said. He suddenly remember: no one knew this world Ruffs had power. In fact, no one knew they existed, except the PPGs, and now them. And, apparently, Him.
"You guys are funnier than Brick and Butch. Can you stay around for a while?" Tobi asked.
"Sorry, pipsquek, I don't think that's gonna be possible."
"Aww, I'd miss you. They are just as cranky as Mother Ruth."
"Well, better become old and cranky than nothing," was Red Uto's only answer.
Tobi went silent for a moment. He spoke low and seriously.
"Mother Ruth has died. I didn't see her, but her room is now empty."
Neither Red Uto or Thornton flinched at the news. The green only said:
"Well, she outlived some ninety something. Not bad. We're here."
Butch Thornton picked up Tobi and climbed to a window. He knocked at it and, after a while, someone opened it. A boy appeared at it.
"Tobi! Get in, now, before you get in big troubles," said this guy as he pulled the kid inside. The older let out a "thanks" and closed again. Once Butch was sure Tobi was safe and no one was watching, he floated down. There was no need to keep walking now, since everyone was sleeping. So, they flew back home.
On the way back, the three girls were silent. The heavy accusations they heard from the kids in The Pit weighed them down more than any punch. The Ghost Ruffs flew beside them, their silence indifferent. The multiverse Ruffs, energized by the low-stakes action, chattered excitedly about the arena and the easily defeated Gangreen Gang.
"I didn't know people blamed us for this disaster," complained Bubbles, her voice small.
"How can you three go there and be so comfortable? It's sad," Blossom was direct, addressing the Ghost Ruffs.
They shrugged, as always.
"You're the one choosing to think it's sad," answered Red Uto.
Blossom stopped mid-air, looking at him incredulously. "What?"
"It's not sad. It's a fact," he continued, without emotion. "The volcano exploded. People lost things. And some others died. Just like that."
Blue Boom looked at everyone and then to his brothers. He wasn't interested in the fact they were being judged, but if it was safe to share the information he had.
"I met Up Beat. Said Slight's around. He won't be a problem. He's busy cleaning up. Wizz's gone."
Chatter Butch remembered that talk, and looked at Blue Boom, puzzled.
"I thought that chick said a twin hasn't any more worries."
For the first time, the three Ghost Ruffs showed a mix of emotions as they looked forward again, and explained:
"She's dead, that's why she doesn't need to worry about anything anymore." Brick's explanation was a bit less cold than usual.