Different Upbringing: Adjusting (Book 3)

by Givihe

16 years ago, Son Arata was taken from her home and thrown into a dangerous and unfamiliar world. Now, thanks to Mirai Natsuki, Son Arata is coming back home. However, 2 months after the rescue, the return becomes bittersweet from the emergence of a new enemy. Son Arata isn't exactly the strongest among the Z-Fighters and this new enemy will change just that. MUST READ BOOKS 1 & 2!

36. Chapter 35

A.N.: Here's another update of Book 3 of my Different Upbringing Series.

No reviews = No updates.

Welcome back!

My deepest apologizes for the long, long hiatus. College was taking a lot out of me and there were some family issues that ruined my motivation to continue writing. These past two months of summer have rejuvenated me and helped me get back into writing. I have plans to finish as much of this story before I start college again. And once this story is finished, I plan to do work on book 4 and 5 together.

I am going on vacation for the next week. In some free time, I'll do my best to do some writing, but if I don't get to it, I will definitely start back up when I get back.

This chapter isn't my best in my opinion, so if you have any suggestions to better this chapter or future chapters, let me know.

Something I do want to say real quick as a reminder: Remember when the bond between the twins was talked about? I had said somewhere that the bond requires training. Keep that in mind this chapter. The twins may have trained individually, but they haven't trained the bond itself to know their limitations and what they can do with it. Remember that this chapter. Don't fret, either. The bond as a whole will be showcased a heck of a lot more in the next book, I promise! I just don't see realism in having their bond go from being weak to insanely powerful in a matter of hours.

Heseltine: As much as I want Gohan and Arata to win this, it's unrealistic to have that so with so many factors with Arata alone that haven't been dealt with properly. While Gohan and Arata's bond is complete, it's not at its strongest. Also, I'm using this book as a canon version if that makes sense. Book 4 and Book 5 both have this fight in it in different ways and each will have different endings than this one. This is a starting point, and it's just as hard to write it as it is for you to read it. I hope you'll continue to read, though. Thanks for your opinion, I do agree with you, but this book is needed.

kitsunelover300: Reactions to Vegito will be next chapter, so just hang in there. It'll be even more fun to write Gotenks and Natani when they're older…hehehe. And for a spoiler, Arata and the girls will escape Earth's destruction, nothing to worry there. As for your idea against Kid Buu, I really like it. There may be tweaks done of course, but I like it. Vegeta getting the tar beat out of him had to have really damaged his ego, so I'll definitely work that in. I've scene some episodes of Super and, well, it's not horrible but it could do better. Gohan practically being nonexistent is extremely disappointing after the power-up he got from Buu. I plan to use some things from Super and incorporate it into the future books that I'll be writing. If you want more information on what I'm thinking, send me a PM. Thanks for all the positive!

Snow (Guest): My sympathies for your father. I lost my grandfather and I was extremely close to him. He's not a parent, but I can relate. I hope you and your family are doing alright. As for the stalking issue, let someone know. It may be nothing, but at the same time it could be something. Better safe than sorry, I always sorry. Thanks!

Anony (Guest): You'll see more sweet moments between Arata and her family members after this. Thanks!

James1996: There's more to Gohan and Arata's bond, it's just not trained enough to actually use those parts completely. More of that will be showcased in the next book, seeing as they will have trained their bond to an acceptable level. As for your idea…way ahead of you… Thanks!

Guest: That's a tricky question. As is stated in this chapter, if Gohan and Arata had the bond trained properly then it definitely would be stronger than Ultimate Gohan by a mile. However, as they stand in this chapter, Gohan and Arata together are around the strength of Ultimate Gohan.

Enjoy the Chapter.

Different Upbringing (Book 3): Adjusting

Summary: 16 years ago, Son Arata was taken from her home and thrown into a dangerous and unfamiliar world. Now, thanks to Mirai Natsuki, Son Arata is coming back home. However, 2 months after the rescue, the return becomes bittersweet from the emergence of a new enemy. Son Arata isn't exactly the strongest among the Z-Fighters and this new enemy will change just that.

By: Givihe

Chapter 35

-A Stronger Buu-

-Arata's POV-

"No! Goten!" Natsuki yelled as tears came to her eyes.

Acting mostly on instinct, Arata automatically grabbed Natsuki by the back of her clothing and held her back from her mindless charge against Buu. Natsuki struggled against her mother's hold, desperate and angry.

"Let me go!" Natsuki yelled.

Arata gripped tighter. "No. You'll only get yourself hurt." She stated in a stern tone.

"What's the point? At this rate, we'll all be killed anyway!" Natsuki argued.

A look of surprise at Natsuki's words snapped Arata out of her thinking. Arata, and Gohan for that matter, whipped their heads around to face the young girl. "Natsuki." Arata stated in shock, wide eyes looked at her daughter with disbelief.

Natsuki simply glared in Arata's direction as she finally shook out of her mother's grip. "At least on Frig's ship you listened when I called out to you! If you had just given me a split second, Buu wouldn't have taken Gotenks and Piccolo! They wouldn't be gone!" she voiced angrily as her mood quickly darkened. "If I knew this was what was coming our way after leaving Frig, then I would have rather died there!"

Gohan looked at Natsuki now with an equal amount of shock in his gaze. "Don't say that now, Nat." he stated before kneeling down to her level. "You're angry and so are your mother and I, but that anger doesn't do us any use right now. What's done is done. All we can do now is go from here. Once we take care of Buu, then we can get everyone back with the dragon balls."

"That's what everyone keeps saying, but it's not happening!" Natsuki cried out.

Unlike her brother's approach, Arata didn't use words to combat Natsuki's outburst. Instead, Arata knelt down to Natsuki's level and pulled her young daughter into a hug. Arata shut her eyes tightly and held Natsuki in an extremely tight grip, that would probably cause bruising later on, as a desperate attempt to keep herself in reality.

Natsuki froze both in mind and body. Her mother was never one for words. There were times where Arata would use words, but those were times when emotion weren't always called for. Natsuki learned to identify her mother's strongest and most meaningful moments through her physical actions instead of when her mother used her words. As Arata used more of her physical actions to display her emotional actions, Natsuki developed a sensitivity to feeling what her mother was feeling through Arata's muscles…like right now.

"M-Mamma." Natsuki stuttered.

Arata continued to hold Natsuki in her tight hold. "There's a lot I should have done." She voiced in a low tone. Natsuki could almost detect a sense of guilt in her mother's tone. "And there's a lot I have done wrong." Arata opened her eyes and stared at the ground behind her daughter. "Keeping you around me after you were born was probably one of them."

"Arata-"

"Mamma-"

Both Gohan and Natsuki were surprised at what Arata had just admitted. Finally, pulling back, Arata looked Natsuki right in the eye. "No. The moment you were born, I should have sent you off to Earth. At least you would have been safe…but I was selfish." Natsuki stared at her mother with wide and emotional eyes. "That's all I've ever cared about, Natsuki. I never cared of my well-being as long as you were safe by the end of the day." Arata raised a hand and laid it on Natsuki's cheek, wiping away the tear that had fallen. "You're right, I should have at least turned to you when you called out to me, but I can't change that now. All I can do is promise you that Buu will pay for what he has done…and if I die doing so, then so be it."

Tears trickled down both sides of Natsuki's cheeks. "M-Mamma, I don't want you to die."

Arata gave a small, sad smile while continuing to hold Natsuki's cheek. "Even if no one had come to our aid on Frig's ship, there was no way I would have let Frig kill you. No matter what it would take, I would have made sure you would make it off, even if I had died doing so." Arata brought Natsuki back into a tight hug. "You're scared, terrified even." Closing her eyes once again, Arata continued. "Perhaps I should have shown more emotion or let you become closer to me when you were smaller or at least let you know how much I truly cared for you…but I can't go back in time and fix my mistakes. You're experiencing all these emotions that I didn't allow you to experience on Frig's ship for the first time and that's a mistake I'll regret for the rest of my life…" Arata returned to looking directly in Natsuki's eyes. "…but I need you to do that for me one last time. Be strong and fearless for me just one more time and when this is over, we'll start anew. Can you do that for me?"

Natsuki simply stared at her mother for a moment, shocked beyond comprehension, before shoving herself into her mother's chest. "I'll do my best." She replied in a small tone.

"That's all I need to here." Arata murmured while gently petting Natsuki's head with her hand. "I don't believe I've ever told you this before…" Arata pushed Natsuki back to look her in the eyes once more. "…I love you, Natsuki."

"I-I love you, too, Mamma." Natsuki replied, albeit a bit of shock laced in her voice as well. Then a thought popped into Natsuki's mind. Pulling away, Natsuki looked at her mother with suspicion in her eyes. "You're not going to knock me out, are you?"

Arata furrowed her eyebrows at such a statement, a little take aback. "Why would I do that?"

Natsuki pursed her lips while looking at her mother with narrowed eyes "It's what Vegeta did to Trunks and Vitani before he blew himself up."

A light laugh escaped Arata, turning into a short chuckle. "No, I'm not going to do that." She stated before thinking for a moment. "I really am like him, aren't I?"

"But, you're not a grumpy grouch." Natsuki replied with a smile of her own.

Gohan gave a chuckle of his own. "That's one way of describing him." He stated.

Arata brushed Natsuki's hair back. "While Gohan and I are fighting, I want you and Vitani to watch after Dende. Do what you must to protect him, fuse if you must, but under no circumstance are you to fight Buu. No matter what happens, understand?" she spoke after standing to her full height. Natsuki nodded reluctantly. "One way or another, we'll get through this, that I can promise."

"Well, isn't that sweet?" Buu spoke loudly, interrupting the mother-daughter moment with a scowl firmly on his face. "And not in the good way."

"Nat, get back to Dende and stay there." Gohan instructed, mind and body serious and solely focused on Buu.

Natsuki hovered in the air, ready to do as told. "Please…be careful." She pleaded before flying back towards Dende.

"So Gohan, what do you think of it? New clothes to match my figure and a few new abilities as well." Buu spoke up. Arata took notice of the difference of his voice as well as the use of vocabulary as Buu smashed most of the rock underneath his feet with his antenna. "I suppose the sudden loss of your friends and family has left the two of you speechless. Hurry and drain you tears so we can fight."

Gohan was glowering at Buu with anger brewing inside him. "How could you do that to them? They've been fair in this fight from the start." He demanded.

Arata furrowed her eyebrows. While Gohan was focused on the short term of what had just transpired, Arata looked beyond that. Along with Buu's change in voice and vocabulary, Buu was holding himself in a completely different way compared to how he did prior. None of what was happening was sitting right with her. Gohan…something tells me that we've missed something entirely.

Are you saying we may have underestimated him? Gohan questioned, albeit sounding a bit annoyed at the idea.

We are talking about a being that has been alive for hundreds of years. Do I really have to elaborate? Arata replied while being annoyed herself, but more at the aspect of her brother's naivety.

Buu raised his finger in Gohan's direction. "I'm not interested in fairness. I'm interested in the extinction of every living thing on this planet. A good fighter knows their mental and physical limitations, but a great fighter will find a way around them. Much like those little girls behind you…" Buu gave a smirk in Arata's direction, unsettling her stomach. "…and you of course, my dear." An involuntary shiver went down Arata's spine as Buu focused back on Gohan to continue speaking. "From the moment I felt your power, I knew I was beaten. And then I thought about something. If I could hatch a plan to absorb Piccolo, Gotenks, and little Natani and their powers, then no force on this boring, pathetic planet could ever stand against me. And then another important fact was revealed to me: time. Individually, those kids were useless to me, but together they had the strength to make me invincible. So, I decided to wait out the hour until they could do their little fusion trick again, then all I had to do was get them angry."

Gohan scoffed. "Well, you got me angry too." He stated.

"What about the girls?" Arata interrupted before Gohan could continue speaking. "You weren't able to absorb them."

Once again, Buu turned his sights to Arata. "Ah, yes. A minor miscalculation of mine. I didn't expect those girls to be so stubborn compared to the boys. The boys were easy to get angry, but even in battle, the girls displayed a fighting style and refinement that the boys lacked." He stated before shrugging in a bored-like manner. "Doesn't matter anyways. The boys' power is more an sufficient for my use."

Arata narrowed her eyes, but not in anger, as Buu turned away from her. Yes, Gotenks' power is beyond Natani's capabilities at the current moment. However, Buu hasn't quite realized the disadvantage of not absorbing Natani. Perhaps using the different qualities of Natani to our advantage could work…but how?

Gohan suddenly smirked. "You know, if you wanted the best, you should have come after my sister and I. You just absorbed the wrong Super Saiyans Buu, and if your using Piccolo's brains, then you know you have 30 minutes until you knew found strength defuses."

But he would have already thought of that. I'll give Buu credit, he is smarter than we anticipated. He played dumb all the while gathering the information he needed to take us down and put us into a false sense of security. His mindset is as sharp as mine. This is a battle of wits, not strength. Arata concluded with furrowed eyebrows. Beating an enemy by pure force is easy. The hard part is outthinking the enemy to find their weaknesses before they find your own. Crossing her arms, Arata tilted her head to the side a bit as she continued to think while biting her lip. Buu has the advantage in that. He's already fought us once along with our allies, though Gohan and I weren't taking that fight completely seriously. Not to mention he has fought Natani and I taught Natsuki everything she knows when it comes to analyzing an enemy before and during a battle, so I can't surprise him with any of that. Damn it. What are we going to do? Biding our time will simply wear us out and Buu isn't going to let us hold him off until the fusion wears off and with this new power-up of his, there isn't a strong chance we could find the time to overpower him.

Buu's laughter jolted Arata out of her thinking. "I assure you, it'll be over before then. And I didn't' absorb either of you because I needing a punching bag. What's the point of having strength if there's nothing to hit. I kept you around because I'm stronger than ever and I have to try it on someone."

Fighting 2 against 1 is an advantage in any fight, but only if those fighters are in sync with one another. Gohan and I aren't in sync and we never have been, even as children we thought differently and did things differently than each other. That year in the time chamber gave little insight to syncing our movements…heck, all we were really trying to do in the time chamber was work on my power level not on syncing our movements…that wasn't even a thought then. And in comparison to the sixteen we spent apart...we've doomed ourselves from the start. Even Vegeta stated that a bond between twins takes years to develop before being proficient in use in battle…that's why Saiyan twins were trained by the royal guard on Planet Vegeta.

"Sounds good. I'm all yours." Gohan spoke confidently while slipping into a fighting stance. "Let's do this."

Buu mirrored Gohan's movements. "Alright, but be warned. In my new Super form, I have the body of Buu, the intensity of Gotenks, and the cunning of a Namek ready to drive the nails into your coffin.

Gohan wasn't fazed by threat. "I'm stronger than Gotenks and Arata's smarter than Piccolo." He stated. "So, I guess the only thing you have to worry about is if we're stronger than you."

Buu replaced his scowl for a smirk when Gohan and Arata focused their attention and efforts on him. "You know I'm going to kill you both."

Gohan narrowed his eyes. "Well, let's hold off on the gravestone, Majin Buu." He replied before shifting his attention to his sister. I'll deal with Buu directly. Get hits in when he isn't paying attention. We'll double team him.

Arata's eyes shifted to her brother. There's such a thing as overconfidence you know. For someone who hasn't trained in a while and isn't the fighting type, I'm surprised you're this confident we can win against an enemy that even our father is nervous about. She informed.

Everything will be alright, Arata. Just have confidence in us and everything will turn out alright. Gohan encouraged, oblivious of the doubt growing within Arata's mind.

That isn't what I was trying to say, Gohan. Arata thought to herself in a dull tone.

While deep in thought, Arata didn't notice that the fighting had resumed with Gohan and Buu exchanging physical attacks in a rapid fashion. To the untrained eye, they moved faster than the eye could see, only being able to hear the results of the clashes instead of actually seeing them. Arata couldn't get herself to take a step into the fight beside her brother. All the resolve and determination in that was in her mind moments ago seemed to disappear from her muscles. Why am I feeling this way?

The silence was deafening despite the metal below their feet that brought the only source of noise as they walked. Arata kept her eyes forward, doing her best to ignore the person walking behind her. Said person, however, was not going to accept her silence any longer. "How long are you going to keep up this charade?" he questioned.

Arata didn't bat an eyelash. "What charade do you speak of, Daisuke?" she questioned herself as they another small group of missionaries passed by them. Their stares at the young girl said everything they thought without having to utter a word, but Arata ignored it.

Daisuke grimaced and stared blankly at the girl he had taken under his wing. Without any warning, Daisuke grabbed Arata's bicep and pulled her out of the hallway and into a nearby room that was unoccupied. Daisuke pushed her to the far end of the room and made sure the door was closed before facing Arata, who held an irritated look on her face.

"Was that really necessary? You could have-" Arata said angrily only to be interrupted.

"Cut the act, Arata." Daisuke said in harsh tone. Arata didn't show it in her expression, but a sense of nervousness came over her. Sighing, Daisuke moved to stand directly in front of Arata and placed his hands on her shoulders as his expression softened.

Arata, who caught the expression on his face, avoided direct eye contact as a light blush of embarrassment came over her. "I know what you're going to say and I understand what this situation means-"

"That wasn't what I was going to address, Arata..." Daisuke spoke with a firm and serious tone. Placing his first two knuckles under her chin, Daisuke raised Arata's head so that it was impossible for her to look anywhere but his eyes. "…and I think you know what I'm talking about." When he didn't get a reply from Arata besides the narrowing of her eyelids, Daisuke sighed as he released her chin and softened his expression. "Contrary to popular belief, Arata, you're not as good at hiding your emotions as you believe."

Arata's eyes snapped wide open and looked at Daisuke with a startled look on her face. Daisuke caught a glimpse of the rare event of emotions flickering across her face before she composed herself and returned to that stoic demeanor. "What are you talking about?" she demanded in monotone.

A light chuckle left Daisuke's mouth. "You know, when Frig first informed me about you, I expected a little girl that was full of passion and pride, as is every female Saiyan. I expected you to be rebellious to the life you had been placed in." he admitted. "But what I got was an adult female in a child's body. You emotions were locked and key, better than I had seen in years. You displayed a maturity in how you carried yourself as well as in your fighting style. Instead of letting your emotions control you like I originally expected, you used your logic and common sense as your allies." Daisuke moved to stand directly in front of her, the close proximity earning Arata's curiosity to look up at him. The smile on Daisuke's face remained. "It's why Frig is scared of you. You know that, right?"

Confused, Arata furrowed her eyebrows at Daisuke's reveal. "I…don't understand." Arata said slowly as she looked away. "Why would he be scared of me? I'm not that strong."

"I beg to differ." Daisuke said, bringing her eye back to his. "You may not see it now, but you're strong. Power isn't everything. Even if a fighter has a higher power level than his opponent, it doesn't guarantee his win. Your mentality can allow you to look over your situation and scope out a way to overcome any obstacle that comes your way."

A light blush from the praise came over Arata's face. Turning her face to the side, Arata huffed. "Not that I don't appreciate the motivational speech…but why are you talking like this?" she questioned.

Daisuke dropped the smile on his face, but kept the softened look. "Because I know you're scared." His statement caused Arata's eyes widened once again. "Don't try to deny it." He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Honestly, I'd be surprised if you weren't nervous. You're only 14 years old and you're being placed in a situation that you shouldn't be experiencing until at least your twenties." Daisuke gently hugged Arata to his chest, trying not to show how awkward it felt for him. "Don't be afraid of showing your emotions. Just because you were taught to block those emotions doesn't mean that it's always good for you. In the end it's those emotions that may help you in the future."

Clenching her fists, Arata shook her head in an attempt to figuratively shake the doubt out of her mind. Doubting isn't going to help right now. She declared mentally. Think…Gohan's better at…No, no, no. I can't think like that…if I do it keeps our abilities separate, as does getting a hit in when I can. We need a better plan…Damn it…I wish we had a longer time to work this bond out more. Maybe then I'd have a better plan of attack.

Meanwhile, Gohan was dodging yet another one of Buu's attacks before sending his own. The intense uncertainty that flooded into Arata's mindscape was something Gohan had not expected from his sister. Normally, he was the one that found himself in a position where he doubted himself and Arata was the one confident in her abilities. Gohan narrowed his eyes as he tried to think and fight at once. The memory of Babidi's ship came to mind as well as the look on his father's face after the Frig incident had passed. Have I really mis-read Arata that much? Has she really been struggling a lot more than she let on?

A rush of pain hit Gohan's cheek as Buu's foot connected with Gohan's cheek while Gohan's foot did the same to Buu, snapping Gohan' away from his thoughts. In a blink of an eye, Arata appeared in front of him the moment there was space and whipped a kick that slammed into Buu's face. The intensity of Arata's kick sent Buu skidding along the rocky ground.

Gohan blinked for a moment. "Nice one." He stated in a low, but impressed tone. "I didn't even feel you coming." Turning serious, Gohan kept his focus on Buu while addressing his sister. "Are you alright?"

A sigh was the only reply he got for a moment. "I'm not sure." She stated, causing Gohan to look at her with worry. I'm not sure if it's the newly connected bond of ours that I'm not used to entirely or if it's the bond I lost with Katsu…but something about myself isn't feeling right. Normally in a fight, even if I am outmatched I don't normally doubt myself. Any emotion I do feel I lock away while I fight so it doesn't interfere.

Any opponent you've faced in the past isn't nothing like the one in front of us now. Gohan stated in a firm tone before softening up after a short pause. Arata…have you thought that the way Buu acts and his actions are…affecting you somehow?

Arata furrowed her eyebrows. What are you inferring? She demanded defensively, unconsciously knowing what Gohan was talking about though not wanting to admit it.

Before getting a reply, Buu landed in front of them with a disgruntled look on his face that is slightly covered up with a smirk in Arata's direction. "Finally decided to join? Do I detect a trace of fear?" he sneered.

"If that's what you believe, then you're dumber than I took you for." Despite the lack of confidence in her head, Arata was determined not to let it show.

"You sure?" Buu taunted, earning an emotionless look from Arata and a hard glare from Gohan. Their muscles tense in apprehension for Buu's next move.

On the sidelines, Natsuki and Vitani watched the tense confrontation from a distance as they were instructed from behind a cluster of boulders that allowed them to crouch low enough. Vitani narrowed her eyes at Buu, disgruntled about Buu's sudden change in attitude. Though, if you were to ask the actual truth, it was the fact that Buu had a plan from the start and it made Vitani feel like even more of a fool. Natsuki's attention wasn't on Buu, but on her mother. The suddenness of her mother's hesitation, although understandable, worried her. Closing her eyes, the image of her grandfather's smile and optimism came to mind. Natsuki opened her eyes just as the sound of loud and heavy footsteps coming from behind them.

"W-Where are all the army guys?" Hercules nervous voice interrupted the silent tension in the air while shifting Bee in his arms. Dende and Natsuki looked at Hercule with a confused expression while Vitani simply scoffed and rolled her eyes at the so-called hero. "I thought they were all dropping bombs."

A humorless chuckle left Vitani. "Boy are you in for a surprise."

"There's no army." Dende said in a slow and careful voice.

"Uncle Gohan and Majin Buu were fighting." Natsuki informed with pride in her uncle.

Hercule looked shocked at the statements from Dende and Natsuki while being slightly irritated from Vitani's. "All those explosions from two guys? They don't even look like they've taken a single punch."

"Don't speak of something you don't understand." Vitani spoke in a firm and slightly angered tone.

Vitani's words of warning fell on deaf ears. Hercule looked back towards the scene in front of them and had a bit of scrutiny in his eyes. "If it was those two fighting, then what as the girl doing?" he stated critically before huffing, arrogance coming off him in waves. "My Videl would be better out there than that little girl that seems to be too scared to move."

In a blink of an eye, Natsuki was kneeling in front of Hercule with a strong glare directed towards him. Trying, and failing, to not look scared, Hercule was stuck looking in the direction of an angry 4-year-old child. "Do not insult my mother." Natsuki spoke each word separately in a stern tone. "I've tried being nice when everyone around me doesn't like you. Do not give me a reason to dislike you." Leaning closer to Hercule so they were nearly nose to nose, Hercule fell backwards onto his butt. "It would be good to remember that it was my uncle Gohan, who is currently fighting, that defeated Cell and if that were released and proved, you will become nothing but a joke."

Hercule was at a loss for words and when he didn't say anything else, Natsuki turned her attention back towards the tension filled scene in front of them. Vitani smirked a bit at Natsuki's action, but didn't show it as she did her best to ignore Hercule. A short pause came before Hercule spoke once more. "D-Do you think Buu's going to come after me?"

"If you're a strong guy, then I think they might." Dende answered kindly, causing a look of panic to come over the so-called savior of Earth.

Vitani scoffed before Hercule could reply. "Please, Dende. You don't have to be nice to the fool." She spoke, emanating her father's attitude strongly.

Back on the battlefield, Gohan took a stiff stance in front of Arata, acting as a barrier between Buu and his sister. Despite Arata's attempts to sway his thinking away from Arata's current mental state, Gohan still held worry for his sister being in this situation. Her confidence was cracking and Gohan could see it in the emotions that were leaking out of her usual tough façade. Just hold on a little longer, Arata. Gohan thought to himself, not wanting Arata to focus on him when she needed to focus on the fight at hand. It was then that Gohan truly understood why Mirai Natsuki was so adamant about Katsu and her counterpart accompanying Arata to Earth.

"It seems you're weaker than you thought. Is your confidence dwindling yet?" Buu smirked at the idea. "There's no shame in quitting here. You can just walk away whenever you want."

Gohan smirked in confidence and pointed at his forehead. "You're mind games won't work on me, Buu. I've been trained much better than that." Gohan's confident smirk drops as he gets into a stance. "Now, it's time to show you why my little brother looks up to me."

Buu, serious once more himself, lowers into a stance as well. "He doesn't. In fact, he wonders why you let me take him." He taunted.

"Look at you." Onio sneered as he stood over Arata as she tried to heave herself to her feet. He grabbed her roughly by her armor and lifted her to his level to see the tears trailing down her cheeks. "So pathetic." Onio threw her to the ground, causing a pained gasp to come from Arata as he bruised and battered body as it connected with the rocky terrain.

"You'll regret this." Arata stated with false confidence. "My daddy will beat you up for hurting me."

Onio was in front of her in a millisecond. He stayed silent for a moment before a wide smirk came over his face. Laughter soon followed, causing Arata to shrink back. "Is that so?" he leaned closer until their foreheads were nearly touching. "Why should I believe the claim of a little girl that doesn't even believe her own words? And you want to know why you don't believe them?" Onio chuckled darkly some more before continueing. "Because you know that family of yours doesn't care enough about you. If that father of yours was as strong as you claim, he would have found you already? It's been 6 months since you've been here, sweetheart. Wake up. No one is coming to save you. Might as well realize it now."

In the next instant, Gohan charged towards Buu with a kick aimed. Buu caught Gohan's ankle before it connected with his face. Gohan's other ankle suffered the same fate. Buu smirked widely at the situation Gohan had put himself into. Buu tightened his hold on Gohan's ankles, trying to make it more uncomfortable.

Narrowing her eyes, Arata appeared right beside Buu. Not giving Buu a chance to react, Arata knocked Buu's grip from one of Gohan's ankles, causing Buu's grip on the other ankle to loosen as she swung her leg over her brother's body. Arata's leg connected with Buu's face, sending him flying backwards. Gohan put his weight into his hand and pushed up quickly to upright himself just as a blast was sent their way. Arata created a blast of her own and it connected with Buu's, the force causing Gohan and Arata to fly backwards separately into the boulders near them. Arata particularly landed on a boulder with the top point hitting her directly in the back and when she landed on her side, she groaned as she reached a hand to feel where the boulder had hit her.

A short time passed as the dust cleared and neither of the twins had shown themselves. "You know, not too long ago, I was the one hiding. I needed time to stall. Is that what the two of you are doing? Are you hiding, trying to think your way out of this mess? You seem to have forgotten that your beloved Piccolo is apart of me and I can sense that the pair of you are alive down there."

Gohan, is Buu inferring that Piccolo can sense where we are regardless if he hide our ki? Arata questioned through the bond.

Piccolo and Kami fused. Kami was the previous guardian of Earth, so his abilities are now joined with Piccolo, giving him the ability to see everything on the planet. Dende can do the same thing now that he's guardian. Why? Gohan informed. Arata could hear the slight frustration that was building.

It reminds me of a race I had to face once. Arata informed as the memory came forth, not only in her mind, but Gohan's as well.

I see. So that's how you combated that. Gohan said as the memory passed.

The longer we stay in one place, the longer he has to pinpoint our location. If we can move around fast enough, he won't be able to rely on that ablity, making Piccolo's abilities redundant. Arata informed as she thought. The only problem we have now is that I have no idea what techniques Gotenks has. If Buu had absorbed Natsuki and Vitani in a fused state I'd have an inferred idea that I could combat, but I didn't train too much with Goten or Trunks.

And with how unpredictable they are, there's not telling. Gohan finished in a sigh. We'll just have to play it by ear with Gotenks' abilities. Once we make Piccolo's abilities not worth using, then he'll probably resort to that.

Before Gohan or Arata could say anything else, Buu had appeared behind Arata. "If you're going to hide, you're going to have to do better than that." He taunted.

Arata shot out her leg, knocking Buu off balance. Gathering ki into her fist, Arata punched Buu in the chest. While Buu stumbled back, Arata got to her feet and flew backwards in the air and charged a blast in her hands and released it in Buu's direction. Buu blocked the blast and when the dust cleared, Gohan took it as his chance as he aimed a series of punches at Buu.

Buu grabbed one of Gohan's wrists and pulled it behind Gohan, holding it tightly behind his back. "You're not paying attention to my moves. Piccolo taught you better than this. Didn't he?"

Gohan growled and breaks out of the hold, aiming a kick towards Buu. "Yes, he did!" he said, but Buu disappeared before Gohan's kick connected.

When Buu reappeared, Arata charged towards him and disappeared, throwing Buu off a bit. A strong hit to Buu's head caused him to fall towards the ground as Arata appeared side-by-side with him and kicking Buu hard in the gut. Growling in frustration, Buu grabbed Arata by her neck and pulled her close. "You, however, are being a nuisance."

A smirk came over Arata's face before her knee connected with Buu's chin, breaking the grip he had on her neck. "Why's that?" she taunted. "Is it because I'm actually challenging you?"

Buu lashed out towards her, but Arata was already out of range. Gohan appeared by her side, noticing how she was rubbing her neck where Buu had held tightly. "You alright?" he questioned.

"Fine." Arata stated as if it were nothing. Dropping her hand from her neck, Arata looked over at her brother as he watched Buu's movements with a critical eye. "I have to admit, this is more difficult than I originally thought it would be."

Gohan looked at her. "How so?" he questioned. "This actually reminds me of Cell in a way."

"The similarities are there, but I have a feeling the bond was overestimated. It's a fantastic method of attack if it were trained properly, but we haven't had a chance to get used to it…let alone train it properly." Arata murmured doubtfully.

Gohan smiled as a thought came to mind. "Either you can focus on the should've, would've, or could've; or we can move on from here and beat this bastard into the ground." He smiled widely at her. "You doubt yourself too easily."

Arata's eyes flickered to Buu, who was charging in their direction. Grabbing Gohan's bicep, Arata pulled him out of the way while sending a kick and a blast in Buu's direction. Buu got hit by the kick but dodged the blast. Growling in frustration, Buu lifted two fingers to his forehead and began charging a familiar attack. There wasn't much time to dodge the attack and within minutes the blast caused an explosion where the twins had landed from trying to dodge Buu.

When the dust cleared, Gohan was scratched up as he had stepped in front of Arata to block the attack. Buu chuckled at the sight. "Now that felt like a Piccolo technique." He spoke as he watched Gohan fell to his knee. "I honestly didn't think the special beam canon packed that much of a punch. But maybe it's just that much stronger now that it's coming through me."

Arata stepped in front of Buu, who was quick to try to knock her away. An exchange of punches and kicks took place inches from Gohan's position. Kneeling down, Arata aimed to knock Buu's legs from under him, but Buu stopped the move with his ankle and grabbed her ankle. Lifting her up, Buu smirked. "You're moves are too predictable." He stated before hitting her in the stomach, sending her a distance away that had her skidding along the ground.

Turning back towards Gohan, who had his eyes closed, and knelt to his level. "Are you even awake?" he questioned. "You're letting them down again. At least that sister of yours is trying to be a challenge."

Gohan's eyes snapped open and he charged at Buu with a series of punches. This time, however, he would appear in several different places in an attempt to throw Buu off. While Arata had distracted Buu, Gohan used the time to flip through a couple of his sister's memories that involved battles. He was now attempting to utilize his sister's technique after their agreement that Gohan had a better chance of landing a powerful and devastating blow.

Buu, once again, growled in frustration. Appearing behind Buu, Gohan held a blast at the base of Buu's back and set it off. A fairly decent explosion went off, causing dust to fly into the air. Using the dust as cover, Arata appeared by Buu's side and knocked his legs out from under him before slamming her elbow into Buu's face. Focusing her ki into her leg, as she had done before, Arata kicked Buu in the gut with force that sent him skidding out of the dust cloud that had been created and into a boulder.

"Nice one." Gohan called when the dust began clearing.

Instead of charging back at Buu, as the twins had expected, Buu rose into the air with a furious but confident look on his face. "I possess the greatest powers in the universe and I'll use them all to kill the both of you!" he yelled.

Gohan and Arata could only watch as Buu took in a deep breath. When that breath was released, a smaller white ghost form of Buu appeared before them with a cackling laugh. Gohan looked on at this new development in confusion while Arata simply stared at the ghost-like Buu with an uncertain and leery look to her face.

"Oh no, not that technique again!" Vitani grumbled in annoyance.

Being loud enough to catch Arata's attention, Arata flew slightly backwards to the girls. "What are you talking about?" she questioned. "You've seen this technique before?"

Vitani grumbled incoherently while Natsuki nodded quickly. "It's one of Gotenks' attacks. When we fought Buu, Gotenks had spit out a lot of them to use against Buu. It nearly worked. He had been blasted to smithereens. I mean, we blasted the bits of Buu we had found, but he still managed to regenerate."

"It's a childish technique…but you have to be careful." Vitani spoke instantly. "If you anything touches one of those ghosts, then they will explode."

Turning back towards Buu and his ghost version, Arata's eyes widened upon seeing the ghost begin to charge. "Stay here." Arata reminded before hurrying back to the scene of the fight.

Gohan dodged the ghost by flying into the air. The ghost followed Gohan's movements as he fired multiple blasts at the ghost tailing him. "Gohan! Be careful-!" Arata tried to warn, but watched in slow motion as Gohan moved out of the way as the ghost charged once more only to hit the ghost with the side of his hand. The ghost smirked as the lights signaling the beginning of an impending explosion.

Arata appeared between her brother and the ghost, startling Gohan. "What are you doing? Get out of here!" Gohan panicked, realizing his mistake and what was going to follow.

Gathering her ki, Arata pushed it around her to create a shield between them and the ghost. A heartwarming smile graced her features as she directed it to her brother over her shoulder. "Protecting you." She spoke softly. "Keep fighting Buu, Gohan. If anyone can do it, it's you."

"But-Arata!" Gohan yelled before the sound of the explosion filled their ears. I can't do this without you…

It didn't take long for the power of the ghost's explosion to rip through Arata's ki shield. Arata quickly realized that it wasn't enough ki to block the explosion entirely. Her eyes closed as she gritted her teeth with the painful feeling crawling up her arms and legs. If Arata were to be honest with herself, it was one of many painful experiences she had felt in her life.

-With Goku-

The Supreme Kai, Kibito, and Goku were all watching the crystal ball with baited breaths at what the outcome was going to be. They had all seen Arata appearing before her brother at last minute. "Arata!" Goku yelled, desperately worried for his daughter's well-being.

"Oh goodness no." Supreme Kai gaped quietly.

Old Kai grimaced. "I'd tell you, this fight is over." He spoke as the painstakingly watched the dust clear in what seemed like minutes.

"Mamma!" They heard from the crystal ball. Goku heard the sound of his granddaughter high pitched scream. It was then that the focus on where Arata had taken the shot for her brother was revealed. Arata was covered in scratches that were bleeding and her eyes were glazed over as she collapsed into her brother's arms.

"Arata!" Gohan called out her name frantically. "Please, wake-up! I need you here." The desperation in his son's voice tugged at his heartstrings.

Buu's laughter came over the crystal ball, irritating Goku to a new level. "You can thank Gotenks for that technique. It seems that girl knew what I was doing…" Buu tsked as he landed by Gohan's lowered form. "…it's pathetic really. Both of you are strong, yet you don't fight well together. It's kind of sad. I almost feel guilty. You keep on making the same mistakes while your sister is the one that truly knows how to work this situation…Maybe if you weren't holding her back, she'd provide a better challenge." More laughter left Buu before he continued. "The whole world is depending on you! You're the savior and yet you can't even protect your sister!"

"They'd have a better chance at defeating Buu if they tailored the bond to what they needed instead of just using the basics. Gohan has the physical strength while Arata's strength lies in her mental capacity. Put them together and you have the perfect fighter, but they seem to be unable to share their strengths to make each other better." Old Kai sighed sadly. "Of course that is only acquired through time and practice. Gohan's ready for this fight mentally but not physically while Arata is filled with self-doubt, but has the strength and strategies to combat Buu. They just aren't ready."

Goku gritted his teeth. "They can't keep this up." He spoke angrily as his fist connected with the ground. "There's got to be something we can do!"

"That's an interesting point you make, Goku." Old Kai spoke up. "Perhaps we can help Gohan and Arata by sending you down to fight."

Goku and the Supreme Kai looked up from the crystal ball and towards Old Kai with shock in their eyes. Goku's expression morphed into a slightly hopeful look on his face despite the fact that going back down to Earth in his current state was impossible. "But, I can't go." He said while smirking lightly.

The Supreme Kai leaned further in the direction of Old Kai, not catching on to the Old Kai's intentions. "Yes, that's correct. In his present state he is unable to return to Earth ever again." He stated the obvious.

Old Kai held an irritated look on his face. "You think I don't know that?" he demanded.

"Huh?" Supreme Kai said.

Smiling, Old Kai began to state his thought process. "I'll give you the life that is left inside of me. Then you can make your return to Earth."

Goku's eyes widened at such a prospect and his smile displayed that of hearing a dream come true. "You mean, you'd give up your life for me?" he asked in shock.

"Venerable elder! This is the most unorthodox behavior. You can't just give up your life to handle a single…situation." Kibito spoke in his usual formal tone.

Old Kai glared pointedly at Kibito. "As usual, you're missing the bigger picture." He interrupted before looking down at the ground with a solemn expression. "After Earth, Majin Buu will come here."

"If that's true then let me give up my life!" Supreme Kai exclaimed as he jumped to his feet in indignation.

Kibito gaped at the Supreme Kai's declaration. "What? No, master!"

Paying no mind to Kibito's objection, the Supreme Kai continued to argue his case. "Majin Buu has been my enemy to destroy since Bibidi thousands of years ago and repeatedly I have failed. You must allow me to pay my debt." He insisted.

Goku looked unsure at such an idea while Old Kai grimaced at the situation. "You're ambitious, but too hard on yourself. Just as that girl is. Let the old men sacrifice their lives so the young ones will live." He argued in one single statement, causing the Supreme Kai's objections to become silent.

"My dear Kai." Supreme Kai gasped in shock.

Goku smiled awkwardly at Old Kai, but gratefully. "You're too kind." He stated with his only reply being a smile from Old Kai.

With the plan established, Old Kai sat on the ground as Goku, the Supreme Kai, and Kibito gathered around him. Goku's face now held a serious expression in apprehension while worry stayed fresh in his mind at seeing his daughter's condition and Gohan's struggles to keep up with Buu's attacks. He at least knew that his daughter was out of danger as Gohan and Buu and drifted away from Arata's form enough for Dende to run forward to begin healing her…but the damage had been done.

"What are we supposed to do?" Supreme Kai questioned.

Old Kai didn't answer the question as he smiled. "I'll see you later." He said before closing his eyes then falling over with one final breath.

"Goodbye Old Kai." Goku said in a solemn tone while the Supreme Kai turned away with a painful look in his eyes. Kibito fell to his knees in sorrow by Old Kai's fallen form. Goku's halo quickly disappeared from above his head and as he looked back to Old Kai's form, gratitude filled Goku's being. "Thank you. I promise I won't let this got to waste."

In a blink of an eye the sorrow feelings that surrounded the area turned to confusion as Old Kai popped back up with a halo over his head. "Then hurry up!" he yelled. Goku, the Supreme Kai, and Kibito look at the Old Kai with dumbfounded expressions while Old Kai acted as if nothing had happened as he shook his fist at the three. "What are you doing? You're standing and looking like foold, when you should be saving the universe!"

Goku suddenly beings laughing nervously in shock as he raised two fingers to his forehead in preparation for instant transmission. "Okay, I've got to go."

However, Old Kai stopped him from doing so. "Hold on, Goku. One second." He requested.

"Huh?" Goku asked as he turned back to Old Kai.

"What you're doing is noble, but do you have a strategy for defeated Majin Buu, yet? I hate to rain on your new life parade, but Majin Buu can still defeat you, Gohan, and Arata without much effort." Old Kai said in a grim, and slightly critical, tone.

Goku turned thoughtful. "Uh, alright. Hmm…" he thought before an idea came to him. "Okay, I got it! I'll just do a fusion with Gohan and that way, were bound to win. Right?"

Old Kai continued to have an emotionless look on his face. "Ah, fusion. You mean of the type those kids have been using? You think Majin Buu will just sit on his laurels and wait for you two to practice to get into just the right stance? I don't think so." He stated evenly.

Goku looked at Old Kai in desperation. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Old Kai. Why did you give up your life if you didn't think there was a way to beat him?" he demanded.

Old Kai dropped the seriousness and smiled. "Try these one." He spoke with a slight laugh as he took off the yellow earrings and gesturing for Goku to take them. "Go ahead. Snap this onto your left ear would you?"

Kibito looked skeptical while Supreme Kai was just confused. "But, what will dressing him like a kai accomplish?" he asked.

"Strange." Supreme Kai murmured, but still very curious.

"Quiet you two!" Old Kai demanded as Goku did as Old Kai had instructed with the earring. "It's time you learned."

"Is this supposed to make me feel strong or something?" Goku asked while pointing to the earring. "Cause I don't feel much different."

Old Kai then gestured to the remaining earring in his possession. "Now, just have Gohan snap this one onto his right ear." He informed while smiling. "Immediately your bodies will be bound together and stronger. My type of fusion."

The Supreme Kai looked back at Old with wide and shocked eyes while Goku looked excited. "No kidding?"

-Arata's POV-

Natsuki's arms around her neck was the first thing she felt when her eyes opened. "Mamma." Natsuki murmured, emotion in her voice.

"Good, you're awake." Arata turned to her right to see Dende there kneeling beside her with a relieved, but still worried, expression on his face.

"Right…I forgot you can heal." Arata voiced her thoughts aloud before nodding towards him in appreciation. "Thanks for that."

"No problem." Dende replied.

Looking around, Arata couldn't seem to find her brother. Remembered what Old Kai said about putting themselves in the other's point of view, Arata focused on their bond. When she opened her eyes next, Arata was watching Buu bombarding her brother with physical blows before being hit with a strong blast. Said blast knocked her out of Gohan's mind as he was sent through a boulder, landing right in front of him.

"Gohan!" Dende yelled upon seeing that Gohan wasn't moving to get up. He ran up to Gohan, placing his hand on Gohan's shoulder to let him know it was him. "You're alright. I'll heal you."

"It's not as fun when he doesn't fight back." Buu laughed. "Perhaps it's time I finished this."

Arata narrowed her eyes at Buu's words as she removed Natsuki's grip from her and jumped in front of where Dende was healing Gohan. Buu dropped his hand a bit at the action. "Ah, Dende's healing power. You'll pay for that!"

"Thanks Dende. Now go hide. That goes for you girls as well." Gohan instructed before turning around. A sense of relief flooded him at seeing his sister upright once more. "Good, you're alright as well."

Arata nodded but kept a serious gaze on Majin Buu. "Yeah." She stated. "Be careful next time. It seems that Gotenks has a good arsenal of attacks…no matter how immature the girls claim they are." She grimaced. "We can't ignore Gotenks' abilities any longer than we have already."

"I guess you were right about the bond needed to be worked on better." Gohan admitted reluctantly.

"No one said that bond was easy. Heck, I can't even fight well with the bond I have with Katsu when we faced Frig. It was hard enough with all the thoughts he was having and trying to sort my own…it was quite distracting. The memories we're seeing of each other's lives is a huge distraction that we didn't count for." Arata voiced quickly, sighing herself at admitting these faults. "It's a fool who believes they'll be a savior if the source of that win is newly introduced." Arata looked at her brother with a sympathetic look. "We shouldn't have been so confident in the midst of a new ability we share."

Buu sent a pink blast was sent in the twins' direction, but was blocked by Gohan. "Now, for the Namek." He stated, causing the twins as well as Dende to gap. Buu sent a yellow blast in Dende's direction. Hercule began shooting his gun, but that was useless. Vitani was quick to act and pulled Hercule back and jumped in front of Dende to defend him. Before Vitani could do anything to divert the attack, however, the blast was knocked away by another.

"What the?" Gohan questioned as he looked to where the other blast had come from. It all became clear when Gohan's gaze fell upon a man with a bald head and three eyes. Gohan smiled widely at the newcomer. "Tien! Is that you?" he yelled.

Tien looked at Gohan and smiled warmly. "I hardly recognize you, Gohan. You've changed a lot. Inside and out…good for you." He complimented before his gaze turned to Arata, who had turned to face the newcomer as well. "And you must be Arata. I've heard quite a bit about you and I must say, I'm not disappointed. You live up to the expectations." A light blush covered Arata's face involuntarily at such a compliment. Gohan smiled widely, but was short lived as Tien turned serious upon looking at Buu. "But I see Majin Buu did some changing too."

Buu glared at the newcomer. "Where's the whole these pests are crawling out from?" he demanded before smiling and laughing as he raise two fingers in Tien's direction. "Oh well, it's just more fun for me."

Tien was quick to dodge a pink blast that was sent his way, jumping out of the way and behind a rock until the dust cleared. He jumped into the air to face Buu, putting his hands together as he prepared his own blast. "Tri-beam, ha!"

When the dust cleared, Buu was still standing without a scratch, laughing. "You're even weaker than the others." He stated bluntly.

"How can that be? He didn't even flinch." Arata heard Tien mutter. "This is worse than I thought."

"Let me show you how its done." Buu informed as he raised his hands into the air, chuckling lowly. "This one blast is capable of destroying you all. Can I get a volunteer to stop me?" Gohan, Arata, and Tien looked on at Buu tensely and frustrated while Dende was huddling behind a boulder. Vitani and Natsuki stood, despite the fear that was running through them. "So, not one of you is able to stop me? The end of Earth is on your heads."

Buu's laughter filled their ears as the scenery turned red with the hue of the blast he was holding. Just as he was beginning to throw it downward, Arata noticed a figure appearing out of nowhere and cutting Buu in half. The blast flew backwards, redundant.

"What on Earth?" Gohan questioned as he looked up.

Arata's eyes widened as she followed her brother's gaze. "Dad?" Arata called uncertainly.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" Gohan called out, equally as confused as his sister.

"Buu's body has been split in two. Did I do that?" Hercule cried, falling to his knees in despair. "I didn't mean two."

Hercules cries were cut short when Vitani hit him over the head in her irritation and anger. "Oh shut it will you." She stated angrily. "You didn't do anything. It was Kakarot up there that saved our butts. Stop thinking you're the hero when you're far from it!"

"You're Goku." Buu's upper half that was still in the air stated. "Where did you come from?"

Arata jumped forward, landing by Tien, eager to hear her father's response. Tien briefly looked at her upon her landing beside him, but quickly turned back to the scene himself. "His halo is gone." She murmured to herself.

"You're smarter than the others to try a sneak attack. Too bad. That won't save you." Buu informed with a confident, sure look on his face that he had this fight in the bag. "Not from me. I've absorbed your friends and taken their powers and soon I will do the same thing to you."

Goku chuckled confidently as he stood straighter and placed his fists on his hips. "You're wrong Buu." He said as he pointed at Buu. "For your information, I have something that will finally make you answer for every crime you've committed."

"What?" Buu asked, not believing a word. He laughed at the prospect. "Do I have to prove myself once again?"

"Hm?" Goku was confused while Buu turned away from Goku.

Arata's eyes narrowed, but she didn't have time to figure out what Buu was planning when his lower half kicked Tien a distance, knocking him out. Buu's lower half then turned towards her and aimed a kick at her, but Arata dodged it by flying into the air. She subsequently ended up slightly behind her father.

"He was off guard!" Goku accused angrily.

Buu's lower half then flew up and connected to the lower half. "You see what just one hit did to your friend?" Buu asked rhetorically. "Imagine what I'll do to you." Buu looked at Arata, who had dodged his attempted attack. "That girl just happens to be quick. If you had been here 5 minutes ago, she wasn't even conscious. It was because of that Namek that she's up and moving. Same for her brother." Goku was gritting his teeth in anger as he looked on at Tien's passed out form. "I'm sorry. I interrupted you. You were giving me a speech. Something about making me answer for my crimes. Honestly, I was finding it a bit cliqued."

Goku calmed his anger and looked at his daughter. "Arata, get Tien out of the way." He instructed. Arata nodded and flew down to do as she was told. Goku then looked back at Buu and smirked. "But you were quick to pull yourself back together, weren't you? I think you're beginning to get a little nervous."

Arata, upon hearing her father's words, looked up at Buu from a different angle. Placing Tien's arm around her shoulders and drifting away from where Buu and Goku were, Arata narrowed her eyes at Buu's form. Something was off, she noted. The cautiousness in her mind didn't waiver as she landed behind the girls, gently putting Tien down on the ground. Dende immediately came to Tien's side, examining him.

"He's just knocked out. He'll be alright." Dende informed.

But, Arata kept her focus on Buu and her father. "You wish." Buu was saying. "Now, let me see what you can do."

"Mamma?" Natsuki questioned wearily, noticing her mother's attitude, but having something on her mind.

"Hmm?" Arata questioned before looking at her daughter briefly. "What is it?"

Before Natsuki could say anything, they watched at Goku threw something in Gohan's direction. "Here, catch!" Goku called, but luck wasn't on their side as Gohan didn't catch what was thrown to him.

"Hurry, Gohan! Get that earring!" Goku yelled.

Arata smacked her forehead. "Of all times to not have hand-eye coordination." She murmured while Natsuki was still puzzled on the earring part of her grandfather's statement. Arata looked at her daughter and patted her head. "You can tell me later."

"Uh, okay." Gohan called.

Her mother's words reminded her of what she was going to say. "Mamma, wait." She called and, to her surprise, Arata turned back. "It's Buu. Something's missing from his body."

"What?" Arata narrowed her eyes before looking immediately at Buu himself.

"Behind him, his antenna. A piece of it is missing." Natsuki informed.

Arata's eyes widened. "Good catch." She praised in a soft tone. "Thanks, but this means you need to keep your eyes open. Stay here."

"Pick it up and put it in your right ear." Goku instructed urgently. "Then we'll join bodies and defeat Majin Buu."

Gohan, who was on his hands and knees, was looking around intently for the earring his father threw. "What is he talking about?" he questioned.

Arata landed by her brother's side, helping him look. "Who knows, but it means father has a plan." She stated.

"That's what you're up to? More fusion? Don't make me laugh." Buu criticized. Goku looked shocked at Buu upon the statement. "You obviously do not understand the power I have recently acquired. I could crush both of you."

Goku panicked. "Um, hold on! Can you just give us just a minute please?" he begged.

Looking further ahead than her brother, Arata shook her head at her father's words. "Geez." She muttered. "I'll just be glad when this is over."

"Time's up!" Buu yelled and started charging.

Goku immediately powered up to Super Saiyan 3 and, just as Buu was going to hit him, Goku dodged the attack by lifting himelf in the air. "Gohan, put that earring on!" he yelled.

"I'm trying, Dad!" Gohan yelled back.

Just as Gohan was getting to where the earring was, Buu sent a blast, that caused the rocks and the earring to be disoriented. Goku pushed Buu away with a blast to the gut and multiple blasts before the two exchanged physical attacks. Buu's sudden yelling, as if he were in pain, causing Arata to look on at what was happening.

"No, not now!" Buu yelled in frustration before the current attire he had changed from the vest that Gotenks wore to the white cape that Piccolo wore.

Gohan continued to look for the earring, but was curious himself as to what was going on.What happened?

Gotenks' fusion wore off. Arata informed.

Gohan smiled then for two reasons: he finally found the earring that had been thrown to him and Buu was now mostly Piccolo, finally good news. "Found you!" Gohan stood up and held the earring up in the air. "I'm ready Dad! I'm still not sure what it does, but I'm putting it on! Right ear, right?"

"No." Goku stated gruffly.

Gohan became confused while Arata simply stood a distance behind Gohan with a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes. "Uh, left?" Gohan questioned.

"Forget about it., Gohan." Goku informed as he dropped out of his Super Saiyan 3 form. "There's no reason for us to join bodies any more. Majin Buu has lost over a third of his power."

Buu, who was growling, suddenly smirked. "For your sake, I hope you brought some insurance to back up your claims. But knowing you, Goku, you probably don't even know what insurance means." Buu then pulled his antenna forward, confirming Arata's thoughts as well as Natsuki's observations. "It's not finished yet. Or didn't you noticed a certain piece of me was missing?"

"Mamma! Look out!" Natsuki's frightened yell caused all heads to turn towards Arata.

Gohan's eyes widened as he saw the missing piece of Buu hovering over his sister. Acting without thinking, Gohan flung himself forward and grabbed Arata's wrist before throwing her away from their current position.

Gohan, what the hell did you just do? Arata demanded angrily once she had landed, albeit roughly, on the ground.

I protected you, just as I always should have. Gohan informed.

Arata stared on in fright with wide eyes, unable to comprehend the situation at the current moment. But by taking my place, Buu will be stronger than if he absorbed me. Gohan-

I watched you be taken from me once, Arata, I'm not letting it happen again. Dad will find a way, I promise. He always does. And stop doubting yourself so much. Who cares how strong you are. Wasn't it you and Vegeta that always said that it wasn't strength that won a fight? Vegeta and Buu are right. You may not be as strong as I am, but you're smarter and quicker than I am. Between you and Dad, I'm sure the two of you will find a way. Gohan spoke, trying to motivate his sister in the only way he knew how.

Arata watched in horror as the remaining portion of Buu's antenna covered Gohan completely before flying up and rejoining with Buu's body. "Gohan." She murmured quietly in a distraught tone.

Buu's appearance changed once more. The white cape disappeared and the gi top that Gohan was wearing appeared on Buu's upper half. "Awesome. I have way more power than I did before." Buu spoke satisfied as he analyzed his body and power alike. Goku growled in frustration, more angry at himself than anything for being overconfident and not acting sooner. It was Buu's laughter that caused his attention to divert. Buu held an extremely amused expression that was directed at Arata's horrified expression. "Is the saying 'like mother, like daughter'?"

Looking behind him, Goku got a good look at his daughter. Arata was as pale as a sheet of paper and her body was frozen in place while her eyes never left where Gohan had disappeared from. When he looked closer, Goku could see his daughter's hand shaking lightly at first before it began to get worse.

"Arata! Snap out of it!" Goku yelled frantically. He looked at the earring he was going to throw at Gohan with a grimace. "I can't fuse with Arata. Old Kai stated how abnormalities would occur if that were to happen…damn it."

Memories and statements filled Arata's mind to the point that she wanted to scream in despair and desperation. All the moments she had spent with her brother in the past couple months that she held dear were becoming a constant reminder to her of how she has failed once again. To make matter's worse, Gohan's memory and feelings of when she had been kidnapped resurfaced with a vengeance. Is this what Gohan felt?

Buu's laughter barely fazed her. "Are you going to explode with power like your daughter did?" he taunted, suddenly appearing in front of her.

"Arata!" Goku yelled frantically, but still she didn't respond. Before Goku could make a move, a smaller figure appeared between Buu and Arata. Goku's eyes widened as he witnessed as his granddaughter caused Buu to skid back with a kick before Vitani charged forward with a fairly large blast at his gut.

When the dust cleared, Vitani and Natsuki were standing between Buu and Arata. "You leave her alone!" Natsuki yelled angrily. Buu smirked at the young girls, but didn't see the point in fighting opponents that didn't pose a challenge. He turned his attention to a strange occurrence that he was trying to figure out.

The sound of her daughter's voice seemed to snap Arata out of her stupor. "Natsuki." She whispered lowly, causing Natsuki to turn towards her mother with a relieved yet scared look in her eyes. Goku watched with sympathy in his eyes as his daughter shook off her pain and immediately pushed the girls behind her, almost instinctively.

"You know, there's this strange thing with Gohan's abilities. I wonder…" Buu spoke with a smirk. Goku was confused, but one look at Arata told him that she knew what was going on. Laughter broke out once again as Buu finally realized what it was. "So this is how you and that brother of yours managed to fight me for as long as you did. Not half bad, I'll admit." Goku's eyes widened with worry. The bond. How could he have forgotten? "It's probably best if you didn't fight me. I can read exactly what you're going to do." There was a pause as Buu became thoughtful. "Hmm…what is this in your head?"

Arata wasn't able to figure out what Buu was trying to do when a searing pain erupted in her skull. Her eyes clamped shut as her hands lifted to hold her head in a tight hold while a scream left Arata's throat. "Arata!" Goku's voice was drowned out from her scream as the wall that Old Kai had placed on her broken bond with Katsu was broken down. It was then that Arata understood Old Kai's reservations and worry about the broken bond, despite it being incomplete.

The emptiness that was once what Katsu had filled was like a black hole in the sense that once you got sucked into it, there was no getting out. The emptiness would surround you until that is all you felt and you became just a shell of yourself. The only thing stopping that from happening was the incomplete state of their bond.

Arata could feel herself hyperventilating at the feeling, something she never expected to feel. It wasn't entirely the broken bond that was causing this, but the broken bond caused all the blocks Arata had set in her mind to break along with Buu messing with the bond with her brother that was making it difficult to cope. This made Arata's mindscape a complete mess as feelings and memories began to run rampant and the processes it took to concentrate, in general, was impossible to do.

There was not one thing Arata could focus on and she could feel tears leaking out of her eyes at the pain and emptiness. A series of memories that showed moments where she experienced pain in any form from as early as her childhood became a slideshow in her mind. All the emotions, self-doubt, and self-pity followed.

I'm so tired of all this pain.

From Goku's point of view, Goku had his eyes wide, but for a different reason entirely. Arata's power level was skyrocketing at a rate he could only compare to that of Gohan's during the Cell games. The fast incline of power immediately told him what was going to happen. Appearing behind the girls, Goku grabbed Vitani and Natsuki and pulled them back as Arata's scream evolved from that of pain to that of anger.

"She's ascending." Vitani spoke in shock.

Natsuki looked upset at herself at seeing her mother in such a state. She looked up to her grandfather in confusion. "What did Buu do to Mamma, grandpa?" she asked.

Goku glared at Buu as he spoke. "I'm not quite sure, Natsuki." He stated angrily, knowing there was nothing he could do to help Arata. Patting both girls on the shoulder, Goku moved forward. "Stay here, both of you."

Arata had already turned Super Saiyan and the characteristic lighting around Arata's body was forming. Her screaming had turned into low growling while the tears that had been on her cheeks had evaporated from the friction of the air the power up was creating. The ground beneath her was cracking and splitting apart at the pressure while her clothes and hair whipped behind her.

Before Arata could charge at Buu, Goku had appeared and wrapped his arms around his daughter in a tight grip. "Don't charge in there as you are." Goku spoke quickly while Buu's laughter at Arata's situation escalated quickly. "You and I both know that it won't end well."

The state of her mind made it hard for Arata to think properly. Clenching her eyes closed tighter, if that was possible, Arata was feeling emotions from wanting to cry to anger to hatred to guilt and they were flickering by so quickly it was hard to get a handle on one of them let alone all of them.

"He broke the block Old Kai placed." Arata informed through her gritted teeth, her voice sounding strained with all sorts of emotions and pain. A flinch of pain overcame her face, adding the showing of emotion on her face; more emotion Goku had ever seen on her face. "And he has access to the bond somehow. I thought Gohan closed it…he's broken down nearly every wall in my head…I…"

Goku kind of understood where she was going, but didn't need to hear everything to know what needed to happen. "Even more reason for you not to charge after Buu." He spoke sternly. "Could you still close the bond?"

"Not with Buu concentrating so intently on it." Arata spoke as Goku released his hold on her. "He's picking through my brain…it's hard enough to fight him off."

Goku nodded, more to himself. "I'll deal with Buu. The first moment you have to close the bond, do it." He instructed, getting a nod in reply. Goku moved closer to Buu while Arata knelt down by the rocks that were Natsuki and Vitani huddle by and tried to concentrate on keeping Buu out of her parts of her head. Natsuki inched closer to her mother and, although nervous, held her mother's arm in an attempt to comfort her. Although Natsuki was nervous that her mother would pull away, Arata drew strength from her daughter. Even though it should have been the last thing on her mind, Arata mentally promised to make it up to her daughter for everything that she was being put through.

"What are you going to do now?" Buu called out in a taunting voice. "Think Goku! Both of your sons are a part of me now and your daughter is out of commission. Maybe we should seek family counselling." Buu chuckled at his own joke before continuing his taunting. "You know they all resent you for leaving, Goku. They're telling me. Even your daughter is thinking it."

"That…won't work on me. You're the monster that devoured everyone we cared about." Goku accused. "And you're the one that put my daughter in such a state. Stay out of her head."

Buu laughed upon hearing Goku's statement. "Yes, I suppose I did, but you were supposed to stop me." Buu said while crossing his arms. "Oh don't take it too personally, Goku. Everybody fails. Your failure just means the end of the world. Tell you what I'm going to do. I'll give you the chance to join bodies with someone." Goku gaped that Buu would give such an opportunity. "You have till the count of 5 to find a suitable partner. So get moving!"

Goku looked around at his options. Arata was out of the question for her current mental state alone. Obviously Natsuki and Vitani were out of the question for the age. That left Dende, which wouldn't go over well, and Hercule, who Goku gaped at the mere thought of joining bodies with him permanently. Goku repeated looked over at Hercule while hearing Buu counting down when there was a familiar ki caught his attention.

It wasn't just Goku that felt the familiar ki as Vitani jumped up with a wide and victorious grin on her face. "I can't believe it!" she cried in as quiet of a voice as she could manage in her excitement.

In that next instance, Goku had disappeared through his instant transmission and effectively distracted Buu. Buu being as distracted as he was managed to give Arata enough of a foothold to place a block between her and Gohan. However, even with that block in place, the damage to the block between her and Katsu had already been done.

Natsuki felt the small surge of familiar ki and her eyes widened. "It's really him…but how?" Natsuki voiced her confusion out loud.

To Arata, what Buu had done by breaking the seal on her bond with Katsu, it was as if he had set some sort of reset button for her mind. There was nothing inhibiting her emotions, where were running rampant in her brain; emotions that she locked up long ago and now didn't remember much of how to deal with those said emotions. She didn't feel any restrictions on her feelings or emotions. It was as if she was freed from the restrictive chains and emotionless mask that she had given herself; that she had been required to put on while under the Planet Trade Organization.

With Buu trying to pick through her mind, Arata was trying to place blocks up left and right. However, the blocks she placed were taken down as quickly as she put them up. It was worse than fighting a physical fight. A fight in the mind was a lot more difficult, especially in the current state she was in. Her father's disappearance caused a disruption to Buu himself that gave Arata the higher ground. In that instant, Arata slammed the bond shut with as much figurative strength as she could.

The amount of emptiness that Katsu left was extremely distracting, but being back in control of her mind, Arata had a better ability to control it. A block wouldn't do much to stop the feeling of emptiness, but it was all she could do. Since Gohan was technically not dead, just absorbed, so that helped the situation immensely and her bond with Katsu wasn't complete, so it wouldn't affect her as much. However, fighting would be a bit more difficult than before, but she'd have to work around it.

Turning her attention back to the situation, Arata immediately sensed Vegeta's ki. Although it was a confusion situation, Arata didn't bother to try to understand. She took the situation for what it was, a blessing in disguise that she would figure out later. Standing up to her full height, Arata focused harder on where Vegeta had disappeared to in order to find out where her father had disappeared to. Once she locked on to the ki signature, Arata focused back at her location and looked at the young girls in front of her.

"Dende, will you be alright here?" Arata voiced, alerting Vitani and Natsuki of her presence.

Dende looked at the female Saiyan and nodded slowly. "Buu seems to be focused on Goku, so as long as Goku doesn't come near me, Buu should leave me alone." He stated before looked at her worried. "Are you sure it's a good idea to follow?"

"Dad's disappearing act provided enough of a distraction to grab hold of the bonds I have. He shouldn't be able to get back into my head with his focus on Dad, and now with Vegeta as well, Buu will have his hands full." Arata explained before giving a brief smile at Dende. "Thanks for the concern."

"No problem." Dende said with a nod.

Arata turned towards the girls. "You two up to come with me?" she asked.

Vitani smirked and raised a fist in the air. "You know it. With another chance at that pink blob, my father wouldn't dare lose twice!" she exclaimed. "And I'm going to have a front row seat!"

Natsuki nodded. "I'm ready!" she said eagerly.

Arata placed a hand on Natsuki head. "You have no need to act strong. If you're scared, you're scared. There's nothing wrong with that." She stated. "I won't let him hurt you." Natsuki's eyes widened at being read so easily. Gulping, Natsuki nodded. "Then let's go." Arata rose into the air with Vitani and Natsuki right behind her. "Stay safe, Dende!"

Taking off in the direction of Goku and Vegeta, Arata took the lead with Vitani and Natsuki on either side. Natsuki was, of course, closer to her mother than Vitani was. "Mamma," Natsuki called in an uncertain voice.

"What is it?" Arata questioned, keeping her eyes in front of her.

Natsuki bit her lip before answering. "What…What did Buu do to you?" she asked.

Arata looked at her daughter briefly with a serious expression before turning back to face in front of her. "It's difficult to explain." She said slowly. "When this is over, I'll explain it to you."

"Promise?" Natsuki asked in a low voice.

"Promise." Arata said, shooting her daughter a comforting smile. "Despite what has been done to me, I won't let it stand in the way of this fight. And when it's over…I'll make this up to you." Natsuki looked at her mother with wide and startled eyes. Arata turned serious once more. "Listen up, both of you. From this point on, you are not to interfere in any way. If the fight comes out way, you two will bolt."

"But what if they need help?" Vitani demanded.

"Then I'll help." Arata said in a strict tone. "The last thing anyone wants is for either of you two get injured." Vitani looked like she wanted to argue, so Arata continued. "Vitani…despite the fact that he doesn't show it, Vegeta cares deeply for you, Trunks, and Bulma. When he find out what Buu has done to them, the last thing he'll allow is to let his daughter fight. He'll fight Buu if it means you're safe." Vitani's eyes widened at what Arata said. "Whether he admits it or not, Vitani, your father does love you. His hard work to better your skills is his way of showing he cares by giving you the skills to defend yourself." Arata looked at Natsuki. "The same goes for you as well, Natsuki." There was a pause. "Are we in agreement?"

"Yes." Natsuki said immediately.

Vitani was slower to answer. "Yeah."

It was silent the rest of the short way. When they did arrive, they were seconds behind Buu. Arata stopped a short distance behind a cluster of boulders. Vitani and Natsuki kept their heads low and out of sight while Arata was a touch more bold.

"It's you." Buu was saying in Vegeta's direction. "I remember fighting you from before." Vegeta and Goku were standing tense while Buu stood feet from where they stood. "You're not the one I'm after, but I'll be happy to destroy you both." Buu's voice increased in volume as he powered up. "Come on. Why don't you attack me? It's two against one."

Vegeta powered up himself with a wide smirk on his face. Goku grew frustrated at Vegeta. "Cool it, Vegeta! You've got to understand that Buu's powers have increased a lot since you last fought. There's no way you can win!" Goku pleaded.

Buu continued smirking as Goku talked with his arms crossed and an amused chuckle leaving him. Vegeta, on the other hand, grew more and more irritated at Goku. "You think he's the most powerful being in the universe and maybe he is, but just like you he does not have true pride. I don't expect you to understand. Not you, Kakarot. I sent myself into a cold oblivion and I did it on a lie!" Vegeta yelled, his voice raising in volume at the end. "The Saiyan Prince will not fall again!"

Vitani, while in agreement of her father, looked between Buu and her father. She hated to doubt her father, but really questioned if this would turn out well. Then, another thought occurred to her as she looked over at Arata, who was holding a serious and tense expression. "What happened to them putting their differences aside and working together? Pipsqueak and I were given a lecture for doing the same that father and Kakarot are doing now. We were told that father and Goku should be an example, but they're acting as bad as us." She accused.

Arata was left with a blank stare at Vitani's words. Sighing, Arata shrugged. "Don't look at me. I can't answer that for you. I can barely keep a handle on my head right now…I don't want to try and understand the minds of those two. It's enough dealing with my brother's mind on top of mine…not to mention Katsu's as well." Arata looked down at both girls. "Think of it this way. By working together as you've had, you're able to do something father and Vegeta cannot. Take pride in that."

A.N.: Let me know what you think of this chapter.

Likes? Dislikes? General Opinions?

Not my best chapter…but…tell me what you enjoyed most!

A lot of feels this chapter…There were some plans that I did have for this chapter that I feel would have made it better, but it would have taken me longer and I wanted to give you all a long awaited chapter before I went on vacation.

R.Q.: There may be poll up on my profile at some point so no random question this time. As I reminder I will be going on vacation and during the flight so, I'm going to be doing some planning for books 4 and 5. So, if any questions pop up there, I will resort to you guys answering it for me.

Let me know what you wish to see in book 4 (Fragile Peace – We return to the Mirai timeline) and book 5 (Not Set In Stone – Arata is rescued on Planet Namek).

Next Chapter: Vegeta has arrived on the scene. After some pride issues, Vegito makes their appearance. But, Buu has plans to combat…

Stay tuned!