DB Multiverse

Part 3, Chapter 10.

Chapter 10

Translated by Virgilio212 & proofread by ZenBuu

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Reunion

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The Earthling stared at him for a moment, keeping a certain distance, suspicious of the demon's reaction. Even through the glass of her helmet, Buu could see her eyes filled with unwavering determination. Those same eyes, that made the heart of the overpowered half-Saiyan, that Buu held as a prisoner inside him, capsize.

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Yes, Buu had Son Gohan's entire existence in his possession. His memory, his feelings. And the affection he felt for the young girl was immense. Not to mention that she was the daughter of the best and also the only friend that Buu ever had. Seeing her disembark like that, hit Buu with a great internal shock.

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He couldn't say a word as the young Earthling walked resolutely towards him. Within seconds, they met face to face. Even though she was much smaller than Buu, she still retained a fierce look, with ferocious eyes, filled with willpower.

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A heavy silence fell between the two, broken by thunder and some rumbles in the distance. It was Buu, who finally broke the tense atmosphere.

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— "…Videl? Is that really you? But what are you doing here, so far away from Earth?"

— "Are you seriously asking me that question?" — Videl growled, not taken aback by Buu’s stern glare.

— "What do you think made me travel through space for months? I looked everywhere for you, so that you would release Son Gohan and the others! And now that I have finally found you, I won't leave without getting them back."

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Buu was stunned by this sudden appearance. How could this be possible? What was Satan's daughter doing in this desolate world right in front of him? And... How the hell did she find him in this vast universe? Space technology and the knowledge of space were more than limited for the people of Earth, who owed their scientific advancement only to Bulma and her father. She knew how to restart Kami's ship and program their destination to Namek. Not to mention the time machine. Yet, he absorbed her. And the Earthlings were nothing but dust in the face of the vastness of the universe. Videl could never, she should never have located him. Even if Bulma's father was a genius of the same ilk as his daughter, it was inconceivable that he could have invented such a powerful energy detection system.

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— "How...?"

— "What did you say?" — Videl asked, raising an eyebrow behind the glass of her helmet.

— "I said how? How did you find out where I was and how to get here?" Buu shouted, raising his voice.

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His voice brooked no resistance. He was furious and confused. All his deep thinking from the past few weeks had been shaken by the surging memories buried deep within his mind. And they came back with stronger emotions, to the point of shocking him.

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— "Professor Brief designed this spaceship for the sole purpose of getting to you." — Videl said in an irritated voice, far from being impressed. — "It's a technological gem, we asked every scientist on the planet to make it as sophisticated as possible. And he installed some sort of radar system, taken from a detector Bulma kept in her house."

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Buu immediately made the connection with the scouters from Frieza's army. No doubt they could have kept some, or Bulma had worked on this technology and left pre-arranged plans. He couldn't clarify by delving into his memories, because too many thoughts were pounding in his head.

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— "Why you? Why did you chase me here?" Buu asked with an irritated voice.

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Videl was growing increasingly impatient, but she was careful not to rush the Djinn too much. She knew there was nothing she could do against him, her only option was to negotiate with Buu, pressing the feelings he should always have for his father. When Buu left the Earth, his expression and demeanor were almost human. There was a chance he would comply with her request.

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But seeing him like this again, after devastating a planet that had become uninhabitable, amidst the rubble and bodies scattered throughout the ruins, filled her with intense fury, replacing her distrust and anguish with anger. She remembered Son Gohan, his smile, his trust and the time they spent together. She planned to confess her love for him, before Buu cruelly tore him away from her and inflicted an unnamed horror on the Earthlings. He even ate them! This time, he would not get away with it. This monster would give her Son Gohan and his relatives back to her.

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— "We decided that I would be the one to search you, because I was the first volunteer and I will do everything I can to recover those you took unjustly. You have no right to keep them like this. We miss our loved ones, we want to see them again!"

— "Videl..." — Buu began tiredly. "I have made it very clear to you. They are mine and I have no intention of ever releasing them. Return to where you came from or I will destroy you and this planet. This is my only warning. You trust in my compassion, but your friends are weaknesses I try to erase, look around you to see the result! This is your only chance. I will bring terror to the Universe, but I will spare Earth, to keep my promise to you. But if you stand in my way, I will show no mercy. Get out of here!"

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"Yes, go away... I beg you, go away..."

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Buu was tortured inside. He was making violent threats that he thought he could carry out, but his mind was torn apart by the anger he felt and the love for Videl, along with the Earthlings. All those positive feelings he tried to hide under a facade of cruelty took over, and he felt pain at the sight of Satan's daughter. If he didn't react quickly, he would lose control and be overcome by emotion and the memories of his absorbees.

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Videl noticed Buu's growing confusion and took the opportunity to pressure him further, using his hesitation to hopefully make him react the way she wanted.

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— "I will not leave this planet. I am sure you will not dare to destroy everything, you are much more human than you claim to be. I came because I have hope and believe in your goodness. Now, free them, Majin Buu!!"

— "Don’t call me that!" — Buu replied furiously, causing his aura to surge.

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The ground began to shake as lightning surrounded the Djinn, the earth cracking around him, chunks of rocks rising into the air. Videl fell back, enthralled by Buu's energy. The latter had a look of madness on his face, reacting instinctively to Videl's last words.

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That name reminded him of his time under the thrall of Bibidi and his son. This time, when he was seen as a beastly horror without intelligence, an eternal threat to be eradicated. All those beautiful words from Videl seemed like a breeze now that she called him that. He was still that Majin Buu that had terrified them in her eyes, no doubt. And he was fed up with it. Fed up with these conflicting feelings. Fed up with this existence and this Universe.

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His fury was so great that one would believe the heavens were cracking, and his mind was similar inside. Buu was beginning to crumble morally.

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— "I'm not that Majin you once knew! I'm just Buu, the most powerful being in the Universe! No one tells me what to do! No larva in space can stop me, your fragile lives are dust! Your damn friends wanted to play and they lost, now they're mine! Realize that you'll never see them again, so go back to Earth and cry there, before I send you to the Other World!"

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As Buu's energy slowly dwindled, Videl struggled to her feet, her arm in front of her helmet's visor in an attempt to shield herself from the Djinn's dazzling light. Despite her anger, she still stood before him, the embodiment of the apocalypse. Buu was shaking with resentment and irritation.

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No, he didn't feel anything for her...

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"Get out of my sight, get out... get out of here..." he said to himself, his gaze sternest.

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The mere sight of this, only disturbed Buu more, who plunged into great uncertainty. He was losing control of himself. He no longer knew what to think. He wanted to kill her, but he also wanted to hug her, to give in to a need for affection, for recognition that was growing inside him... to pulverize her to end this instability, but also to collapse on her knees and cry.

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Videl held his gaze for a few moments, before saying in a voice filled with sadness:

— "If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn't have hesitated for a second, you would have done it immediately. You're not like that, Buu, you... you're not that bad. My father, he... He still talks about you as his friend..."

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Buu's aura suddenly disappeared. The Djinn was really shaken. Satan... Videl... Earth...

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All his bad thoughts disappeared, giving way once again to all of his positive memories and experiences.

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What was he doing?

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He had so much hatred for the emotions he was feeling, whose flaws he had rejected in a pitiful attempt by the ones he had absorbed, in order to transform him, that he had plunged back into pure destructive madness. He was once again that mindless creature who killed for fun, caring about nothing but the satisfaction of eradicating the rest of the universe.

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Buu cradled his head in his hands, letting out small grunts of pain as Videl watched in concern and began to wonder if she should run away while she could, knowing Buu's tantrums.

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But he had no intention of laying a hand on her. Sure, he was in pain, but not physical pain, nor was he particularly angry. It was a self-righteous anger. He had succumbed to paranoia and the ecstasy of devastation when he had sworn to himself otherwise. He had regressed mentally and morally, and was therefore little better than the uncontrollable slave he had once been.

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He choked hard, falling to one knee, as he was assaulted by a torrent of emotions, including strong regret. Not coming from those he had absorbed. It came from himself.

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He remembered what it was like to spare the Earth. To save those innocent people from the sand world. The experiments he had conducted, the people he had met. This whole fascinating universe, full of incredible and new things, both for him and for those he had absorbed. He had plunged into an introspective search to determine his taste for good and evil, and had lost himself in a vicious and endless spiral. It was neither the good nor the opposite that mattered. He liked both, but he placed too much importance on all of them. He had almost fallen into dementia, just by trying to give himself an identity, when he hadn't even cared about that all along.

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He was Buu, simply Buu. The one who visited, who explored, who fought, who ate, who was in ecstasy, and who killed or saved according to his will. Nothing more, nothing less.

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Videl hesitantly approached and placed her hand on the demon's shoulder. She said with apprehension and compassion,

— "Please, Buu... if you understand what empathy is, you know that we are suffering on our side, we want to see those we love again. You won't be worse, you can be our friend, you..."

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Buu suddenly sat up, his gaze steady again. Videl looked at him with concern. What is he going to do?

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The Djinn had only partially recovered. Everything was still a blur in his head, but one thing was certain: he was lost. And without Videl, he would have embarked on a genocidal crusade against the people of the Universe. After all, his psyche was obviously his worst enemy, and he always needed clear ideas so as not to become the terror of the past again.

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He looked at Videl, to whom he gave a tender smile, under the astonished eyes of the Earthlings.

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— "You say the right things, child." — Buu said tenderly. "But it's your loved ones who make me who I am today. Do you really want to risk turning me into a crazy, completely evil battle monster again? Besides, they're the ones who make sure I'm the strongest and who put me at the top of evolution. I can't give you what you want. But know that I have the same affection for you as they do. You Earthlings turned me into a fulfilled being. Therefore, you have a right to my friendship. As long as... you don't cross certain boundaries."

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With those last words, he sent a blast of energy from his eyes towards Videl's ship, which was instantly destroyed. The daughter of Satan shuddered in horror. She was trapped on this planet.

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— "B… Buu!?" She cried. "Why??"

— "It was a beautiful ship, which was built by Bulma's father." — Buu said with a sad smile. — "But I don't want you to chase me all over the Universe. It must have taken a while to build it, I think you'll leave me alone from now on. I won't leave you here. We're going back to Earth."

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He grabbed Videl's shoulder and, before she could react in any way, he teleported her to the small blue planet.

Buu reappeared with the young girl in the middle of a large city, and more precisely in a green garden, exposed to the rays of a warm, yellow sun that projected its benevolence and brightness on this hemisphere of the globe. Buu closed his eyes for a moment, savoring this reunion with the Earth's atmosphere, then he felt Videl escaping his control. He opened his eyelids and saw the daughter of Satan take off her helmet and stare at him lost in thought. Just a second ago, she was in a toxic atmosphere, paired with a hellish landscape, but in an instant, she was suddenly in the friendly garden of the Capsule Corporation.

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— "Ho... How..."

— "Kibitoshin's teleportation. — Buu scoffed, looking around. "It's more practical than Son Goku's, I must admit that."

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She didn't have time to formulate a response, as a loud noise was heard nearby. They turned to see Bulma's parents walking towards them, accompanied by Krillin, #18, Yamcha, Chi-Chi, and the Ox-King.

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— "Videl!" Chichi exclaimed excitedly. "You're back already?"

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She stopped abruptly when she saw the Djinn next to Videl, giving her a wide smile.

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— "Hello everyone! He said to the suddenly paralyzed Earthlings. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Krillin, you have even more hair than last time!"

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The Earthlings didn't know how to react to this unexpected and highly terrifying sight. Buu seemed friendly and jovial to them, but they had no idea that Buu was just pretending. In his mind, it was still a big mess and he was trying to put himself at ease. He was genuinely happy to be back, but he felt like he could explode at any moment and blow up everything around him.

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— "You... you!" Son Goku's wife said, pointing her finger at him. "What are you doing here? And with Videl? Are you planning to finish the job?"

— "Or... did you accept Videl's request?" Krillin said hopefully. "Did you come to return Goku and the others to us?"

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Buu was surprisingly amused by the various reactions to his return. He caught Videl's suspicious look out of the corner of his eye. The young girl had seen with her own eyes Buu's madness, a victim of his doubts and anger. The Djinn was unstable, and despite his friendly demeanor, he could kill them all instantly at the slightest misstep. Just as he could surprise them and return Gohan and the others. Buu was genuinely unpredictable.

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Buu suspected she was thinking so. He had shown the same dark and cruel side he had already displayed in his murderous campaign the year before. He hadn't necessarily changed for the better. But Buu had still no violent intentions towards the Earthlings. Videl had summarily put him back on the path of reason and pacifism, but the desire to destroy everything was still very much present.

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— "...none of those." — he said at last. — "I’ve just decided to return this delicate young lady to you, that all of you sent to me as your emissary. I did not think you could accomplish such a feat, even if it was in vain. You’ve all earned my respect."

— "So the ship worked well?" — Dr. Brief wondered, a sudden surge of curiosity mixed with his anxiety. — "Did she manage to locate you?"

— "Even I have to admit, that it worked pretty well." — Buu laughed. — "But don't count on it anymore..." — "I destroyed it. I hate being persecuted, you've all done enough of it in our fight to the death."

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Dr. Brief felt a shiver run down his spine. His wife put her hands on his shoulders, but she was not calm either. She said in a worried voice:

— "Tell me, Majin Buu, can you return Bulma to us? We miss her terribly."

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She immediately fell silent when she saw Buu's gaze harden. Once again, he was furious at being called like that. But he managed to control himself a little bit for now. He took a deep breath and said in a dry voice:

— "Let's be clear. I'm not going to give you your friends or your children back. They are mine, I took them loyally. You fought with me, you lost. But you won peace and my gratitude. Don't wait for anything else."

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Buu turned his back on them and took a few steps, before silently looking up at the blue sky that was crossed by white clouds and the flight of birds. Around him, he could hear the wind caressing the surface of the grass and the roar of the city's cars. Behind him, Chi-Chi and the others didn't know what to say or what they should do.

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Buu was skeptical. On one hand, the Earthlings were starting to irritate him with their incessant pleas. But on the other hand, he understood their pain. His empathy was starting to gain some importance again. And he loved that blue sky, that deep sunny nature... Memories he had of Son Gohan, perhaps that's what Android #16 bequeathed to the young Saiyan. A wonderful world. And the Universe was similar.

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Suddenly he turned around, making his “friends” tremble, and then he said cheerfully:

— "How about we all eat something together? I have a lot to tell you!"