Buds took a deep breath as he focused himself. He was inside a large room,
perfect place to practice his new moves without any disturbances.
A metal figure was in front of him, and Buds took a second. It was almost a second before he acted.
He let his tentacles go out, used it to double whip the metal statue and them, extended one of his tentacles and hit the statue at it's base, launching it up in the air, and when it came down, Buds timed two very strong punches which made the statue fly away towards the wall, where it shattered.
Buds took a look at his arms. He was developing very lean but effectively strong muscles, although they don't usually show until he flexes them. He started training his body when he felt restless. It seems he couldn't help but move when he stayed still for long moments. He understood that the Omega powers are mutating his body. He just hoped that he wouldn't be in trouble...
-| Omega X Presents |-
-| Omega |-
-| Chapter 04: Farewell, Makai |-
Buds sighed as he walked towards the corridors of the dark castle. He missed sunlight, but with a place filled with 'Dark Stalkers' he didn't expect light at all.
It's been a week since his stay in the castle. Felicia was still following him around, giving him what he dubbed 'Amazon glomp' and Lina would always catch him in a bad time.
Buds blushed as he remembered the last time Lina talked to him and that was yesterday. Buds was trying to get to sleep when Felicia came in, pounced to bed and tried to lick him again in the face. In comes Lina, sees them, goes red with rage and clobbers him with a lamp, calling him pervert and other things.
Buds sighed. He opened another door and walked in to the bath. The servant girls still looked at him in a funny way, but he paid no attention. He was dead tired, practicing all his deathblows using his tentacles. He was able to invent at least 7 of them.
Off with his clothes and with a towel, he tried to ignore the heat of his body as he felt almost a dozen of girls stare at him. He took his towel out, jumped towards the pool almost at once, so the girls could only see a blur. When he rose out from the pool, he sighed.
Warm water had an effect on his muscles. It seemed it was the only thing which could relax his hard muscles. He could relax for almost hours without moving, as long as there was hot water.
"BUDS!" Felicia shouted and pounced again towards him, pushing him towards the pool. Caught off by surprise, Buds couldn't do anything as he was dragged towards the bottom of the pool. He tried to hold his breath but Felicia seem to hold his life in her paw, and it's like she read his thoughts and surfaced at once.
Buds gasped for breath as Felicia was still looking at him. Her friend was weird, but he was still her friend.
"Hi Felicia..." Buds greeted after gaining his breath.
"Hey Buds! How arrre you?" Felicia asked, then began talking before Buds could answer. "I saw you trrraining! You'rrre getting good!"
"Thanks..." Buds said. "Uh, could you let go of me?"
"Huh? Why? Am I hurrrting you?"
"Well, not really, but it's kind of embarrassing especially when..."
"PERVERT! I suppose you don't have enough in the bedroom that you have to do so in the BATHES as well?" Buds flinched as Lina shouted. Turning around, he saw that she was red again with rage and she had her hands crossed across her chest, wearing nothing but a towel.
"I didn't..."
"SHUT UP! YOU BOYS ARE THE SAME!" and Lina walked out.
Buds looked at the leaving figure, and noticed that Felicia was a bit over zealous in rubbing her body in him that he sent a silent prayer to Ranma (I know now how you feel brother...)
Buds sighed. He was no good at this. At least he could control his heart rate now that he and Felicia got acquainted and that her pouncing and revealing fur doesn't have that much effect on him unless she would get really... sensual, which thankfully, she never did. She treated him like friend she never had, and although she usually overdo things, he liked her a lot.
Buds sighed again. Lina was almost impossible to read. She was really cute and kind once, then when Felicia comes in, she gives him a cold shoulder and calls him a pervert. Buds wasn't really bothered by Lina's accusations, but it was hard to have a friendly talk with her when she goes red and hits you with statues, lamps, bats, Liliths... Yeah, she threw her auntie Lilith once in Buds face and Lilith was the first one to know how hard those muscles were now when they both hit each other's heads.
Buds was very surprised that even the thin muscles in his head were tougher than normal. It was beginning to scare him that what might have happened if he lost control. That's why he began to train. He needed to know the extent of his strength and try to hold it back. It took four days in training, but he was beginning to get the hang of it.
"Buds!" Felicia hissed in his ear. Buds woke up from his train of thoughts.
"W - what?" Buds said, looking around. Lina is not going to hit him again, is she?
"That young girl wants you to go with her..." Felicia said.
Buds looked up and saw a young cute girl with skin a bit of the dark side. She had her black hair tied in a braid.
"Can you get my towel Felicia?" Buds asked. The cat girl nodded and jumped out of the pool and grabbed his towel. When she held it out towards him, Buds jumped, grabbed the towel, covered himself up before he landed in front of the girl. The girl was very impressed.
"Hello," Buds greeted with a small smile. "Uh, what can I do for you..."
"My name is Yuka, Lord Buds..." Yuka responded, but Buds cut in.
"Miss Yuka, forget the Lord or Sir stuff. It made me nervous when one of them..." and he pointed the girls staring at him, "called me that. I thought I was married to someone..."
"Well, that makes me Yuka, Buds" Yuka replied, giggling a bit. "I have news from Lady Morrigan. She needs your presence in the common room..."
"Where?" Buds asked.
"Common room..."
"Where is that?" Buds asked.
Yuka looked at Buds, expecting him to laugh at his own joke. "You've been there..."
"Huh? Oh, the living room, the big place where Morrigan hangs out, right?" Buds asked. Yuka nodded and Buds smiled. "Tell her I'll be there..."
Yuka watched Buds walk away. Him being a guest, she wasn't very comfortable the way Buds addressed her mistress only by her first name, Buds it seems Lady Morrigan doesn't mind. Buds' attitude seems more laid back and relaxed, but he was very courteous. That made him liked around the palace.
Buds dressed quickly, his clothes still the same. How they wash his clothes in seconds was short of impossible, but he got used to it after three days. With clean crisp clothes, he made his way towards the 'common room' and just entered. He caught the sight of Lilith and Morrigan doing some action. Buds 'eeped' and closed the door at once and he heard a laugh.
"Buds, come in..." Morrigan said.
Buds, nervously and slowly, but surely, opened the door and peered inside. Morrigan was back at her place in a big red chair [as usual] and Lilith was still giggling.
"Very funny..." Buds muttered.
"That will teach you how to knock..." Morrigan said, smiling. Then, in just one second, the smile vanished.
Buds tensed. What did he do? "Uh, did Lina mention something about the bath? Because, I assure you, Morrigan, I didn't do anything to Felicia... Speaking of Felicia, where is she?"
"Last time I saw her was playing with the yarn ball outside..." Lilith replied, pointing at the window. Buds walked casually towards the window and a big sweat drop was formed as he saw Felicia playing with what seems to be the largest yarn ball he has ever seen. Its circumference was 10 feet long! Felicia was on top, making it roll. She was laughing her head off.
"And why do you ask about the bathes?" Then Morrigan grew menacing. "Did you hurt my daughter?! HUH?!"
If possible, another big sweat drop formed in Buds' head as he shook his head.
"Good. Now that we settled that," Morrigan went back to her normal mode and Buds sighed in relief. "I got bad news Buds..."
Buds stiffened. "What is it?"
"It seems the council of Makai is now aware of your presence. They got a source from an unknown person, claiming that you are in my castle..." Morrigan paused. "Usually, they would forget this since the Aensland House is respected by all means, but the source also said about the Omega. Of course, they would ball their heads off and demanded that I bring you to them."
"Are they gonna kill me?" Buds asked, not feeling nervous. He was, after all, the most feared boy in the place. "Cause they have to try their hardest..."
"Yes... Lilith did tell me about her brief encounter..." Morrigan replied, remembering the way Lilith complained about her head ache. "Anyway, no I don't think they would harm you. I think they would try to discredit you and then harm you."
"Thanks..." Buds said, eyebrow twitching. "That's really helpful of you."
"I was called to bring you to them. They want to check everything about you and abilities," Morrigan began. "Remember that even with Omega power you have, they won't harm you if you don't show any of those killing edges."
Buds nodded. So far, he has yet to feel the urge to kill and he doubted that he would ever feel it. The concept of inheriting such power was scary at first, but now, it seems like it was a walk in the park. Sure, it was hard to hide his tentacles for long hours, but other than feeling stronger and tougher, he felt the same as always.
Morrigan looked at Buds carefully. She grew fond of the boy and didn't want to scare him. The council of Makai was a bunch of blabbering idiots who do nothing but blabber about the safety of Makai.
(Hypocrites!) Morrigan almost shouted her thoughts. (Who are they to judge the safety of Makai? I alone traveled towards the mortal realms and defended our realms when danger approached. No one helped, and when everything was safe and sound, they continue to talk about the safety of Makai!)
"Morrigan, you okay?" Buds asked, snapping Morrigan out of her thoughts.
"Yes... I'm okay. So, Like I said, the council wishes to see you. Be yourself and make the council cry over their mistake!" Morrigan exclaimed, smiling.
Buds shook his head. Whatever Morrigan said, he didn't understand, but just nodded.
"I'll meet you outside, Buds," Morrigan said, standing up and walking away. She waved before she closed the door.
"She likes you..." Lilith began after Morrigan left. "She likes you a lot."
Buds began to sweat. "I'm sure you are mistaken..."
Lilith sighed. "She likes you as a son. She planned to have another child soon after Lina was born, but then, Omega appeared. Careful Buds, I'm starting to like you as a niece, and getting yourself killed right now is something some of us would dread about."
Buds nodded seriously now. Walking towards the door, he gave a brief smile to Lilith. "Thanks..." he said, and exited.
A few minutes later, Buds found himself out of the castle, walking with Morrigan towards the carriage. Without a word, they both climbed towards the carriage and an old man drove them towards the heart of the city of Makai.
Buds kept his silence without thoughts. Looking forward for an exciting day, h felt something like doubt in his system.
Morrigan looked at Buds with a comforting eye. She squeezed his shoulders reassuringly when they arrived.
The Council of Makai was not that very extraordinary. Morrigan had a bigger castle and the Council was just like a City Hall building. The front was impressive though. Red carpet, armed guards, and there were riot guards around the place. People, or demons were more like it, were swarming round the lace, getting a good look at the new Omega. Buds smiled and looked at Morrigan, who was waving her hand around. Buds noticed she was really liked in this place. He too waved.
It caused a steer in the crowd. People were yelling and shouting.
Nothing else happened that much when Morrigan and Buds entered through the doors, although Buds noted that the noises stopped completely when the door was closed.
"Lady Morrigan?" a voice said in front of them.
"Yes, Julius, I arrived with my care," Morrigan said, pointing at Buds. "Care to show the way?"
"It's quite impressive to think you were able to find him and control him, Lady Morrigan," Julius replied, giving Buds an odd look.
"My daughter found him, Julius. And I didn't need to control him. You seem him as he is, no mind control, no chains of any kind towards his mind."
Julius didn't bother to reply, just nodded and opened the door. It revealed a big room, something out of the Supreme Court and the Knights of the Round Table mixed together.
"Lady Morrigan!" one of the old men from the table greeted. Buds noticed that they all stood up from their seats when Morrigan and him came to view. "How nice to see you. We are much honored to have your presence today."
Morrigan smiled. This old fools think that they could butter her up this way?
"Please, Lawrence. You flatter me too much," Morrigan said sweetly, although her thoughts were very different. "I'm here par request to your inquiry about my care. Buds, meet the members of the Council of Makai. This is Lawrence..." she pointed at the man who greeted her. He had gray hair and a handsome face.
"This is Michael," Morrigan pointed at the man with a mean look.
"This is Scyther," Morrigan pointed the man with a very deep look and a scar in his right cheek.
"And this is Tankar," Morrigan pointed a man with very muscular appearances. "They are the four pillars of the council. Think of them as the four legs in a table. On top of those tables are the other members of the council," and she pointed all around her. There were stands of different heights which people were sitting around. They were staring at them, whispering.
"Nice to meet you!" Buds replied, offering his hand. The four pillars backed away at once. "What?" Buds asked.
"Buds, they are afraid of you, you know," Morrigan replied.
"Oh, right!"
"P - please sit down!" one of the pillars said very nervously.
Morrigan nodded and motioned Buds to follow her. When the two figures sat, there where whispers among the council.
"She controls him?" "Is he really You-Know-Who?" "He looks friendly enough..." "What if he starts killing?"
"SILENCE!" Lawrence shouted, making the room dead silent. "Thank you. Now, order of the Council of Makai, we are here to discuss the inquiries that relates to You-Know-Who. I've called Lady Morrigan to the Council because of the boy in front of you. According to our sources, the boy is the reincarnation of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Lady Morrigan, I ask you to speak in behalf of the Council..."
Morrigan stood up impressively and Buds watched with fascination as Morrigan addressed the crowd.
"Citizens of Makai, I have been called forward to speak in behalf of the boy. Yes, he has the power of Omega..." and she looked at Buds. "Show your tentacles..."
Buds nodded and let his tentacles out. The crowd yelped like they were hit by one of them.
"I assure you, the boy is perfectly safe, and I don't control him or his mind. He travels with me and I feel no worries that he would turn against me. He is safe."
"That may be so, Lady Morrigan, but we are very concerned with actions from before," Michael replied. "May I remind the council of our loss when those tentacles reached out for our families? Must I remind you how many of ours died?"
The day went like this. The people would argue, insult each other. Morrigan would calmly try and persuaded the council and recalled that there were no heavy actions done in her castle.
"Morrigan, can I move around?" Buds asked finally after an hour. "I feel weak..."
Morrigan nodded and Buds just stood up, waked around his chair and ignored the shouts from Michael.
"It's him! Can't you see that he is dangerous?! He should be disposed! You can see how dangerous he is! He can't even contribute anything about him in this council!"
Morrigan looked at Buds, who was starting to feel better. "Buds, care to put up anything about this?"
Buds nodded. "This is pointless," he said simply. There was a hush in the crowd.
"What do you mean this is pointless?!" Michael demanded, raising his voice.
"This is pointless because up 'till now, nothing resulted. You keep on going about how the Omega killed many people, when you are all talking about me. I killed no one so far. I didn't know that I had powers a week ago, and you are boring me with pointless accusations on what I 'supposedly' did in the past," Buds replied calmly, now feeling much better, taken his seat again.
"HOW DARE YOU! WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT OUR PEOPLE WHEN THE TIME COMES YOU MIGHT LOSE CONTROL!" Michael shouted.
"The only one who lost control here is you," Buds replied menacingly. He didn't like the way Michael was treating him now. "You sound like a chicken who lost his head."
Michael lost control by this time, and his clothes changed to what looked like armor, and he got his sword out. He jumped out of the table and tried to slash Buds.
"Michael, stop this!" Lawrence shouted at the angry man.
Michael wouldn't hear it. It was now his chance to get and kill the boy.
Buds didn't like the way he was attacked. Dodging the first strike with amazing speed, Buds took his tentacle out, wrapped Michael with it.
"Stop it. I came here not to fight!" Buds said. Michael made a battle cry and with a skillful twist, he scratched the tentacle hard. "Ow!" Buds said as the pain registered, and his tentacles let go in reflex. Michael dashed towards Buds again, but this time, Buds was more than ready as he took his other hand, used the other tentacle, wrapped Michael, but only this time, Buds executed one of his Deathblows.
Focusing his mind, he felt the flow of energy of his opponent, and then, like sucking a straw, he was filled with energy of his opponent. Ever since Morrigan told him that the Omega could absorb energy, he tried it the first day he trained.
Michael felt weaker, but nonetheless, tried to escape. He called in his special move.
"SWORD DANCE!" and he was surrounded by energy swords which made a work in cutting his surroundings, especially Buds' tentacles.
Buds' tentacles didn't get cut, but he got hurt enough to let go and Michael jumped at him again. Buds focused the energy he absorbed in his tentacles and let out his own attack. "ASTRAL!"
Using his whips to form a circular arc, the air particles dispersed around the whips and a red energy circle was formed during the movement of the tentacles. The red circles came fast and strong and pushed forward and Michael get his ass handed to him as he got hit in the chest and flew towards the wall, landing unconscious.
The Council was in chaos and the guards around the place surrounded him. Buds took the liberty of taking his tentacles out. If they wanted him, they would have him.
"STOP!" Morrigan shouted. Everyone fell quiet. "I will not have my care being attacked so carelessly and honorlessly."
"He attacked a pillar!" one of the council members shouted.
"He defended himself, and he will do so again if any of the guards will provoke him. Stand down!" Morrigan ordered.
Lawrence ordered the guards to lower their weapons, and they did, although nervously. Buds followed suit as he hid his tentacles as well.
"There is much to discuss, but I'm afraid that your care has got to leave the room for a while..." Lawrence said to Morrigan. Morrigan nodded and motioned Buds to approach her.
"Buds, walk out and wait for me outside the room. Don't wander off!" and Buds nodded. Walking silently, Buds opened the door and waited for Morrigan.
=Later=
After waiting for what seemed to be like hours, Morrigan came out with a very serious face. Without any word, Morrigan motioned Buds to come with her and they both walked back towards the carriage, totally oblivious to the crowds.
Without a word, the two figures rode the carriage back to the castle, where Morrigan went towards the common room almost at once. Perplexed, Buds followed.
Inside, he saw Morrigan staring out of the window. Buds was about to talk when the room burst open to reveal Lina, Felicia and Lilith.
"So, how did it go?" Lilith asked.
Morrigan sighed and turned around to sit back to her chair. "The council decided, and I couldn't stop them that Buds be exiled..."
Buds perked up. "Exile? You mean they want to kick me out?"
"They say that even if you are still stable, they questioned how long. They don't want to repeat the tragedy of the onslaught of the Omega like before. They have decided that Buds be transported out of here. They would wait for us in the gates of Makai tomorrow," Morrigan said, then sighed. "I'm sorry Buds."
Buds shook his head. "It's okay, Morrigan. Thanks anyway for your hospitality. So I guess I'm going home, huh?"
Morrigan shook his head. "I'm afraid that you cant return home..."
That got Buds' attention. "What do you mean?"
Lina came forth and explained. "After our last battle, we left a few things which made the authorities think you died... Blood, all over the place, and the fact that you were missing for almost a month there..."
Buds remembered well about his first fight with Lina, but then, something caught him. "A month?"
"Yeah. Time goes slower in Makai, so you've been missing for almost a month. You're parents made a funeral for you already..." Lina replied. "Sorry."
"How do you know?" Buds asked.
"You think I stay here all day?" Lina asked.
Buds shook his head. "No... but now that you mention it, what the hell do I do now?"
Morrigan spoke, "Buds, we will transport you back to earth, but it will be a different one this time."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know the theory of the Multi-verse?" Morrigan asked.
"Yes... Do you mean it's real?"
"Real? Dear boy, it exists!" Lilith replied.
"So," Buds began, "are you saying that I go to one of those other earths?"
Morrigan nodded. "Yes. Anyway, Buds, I hope you are ready, because tomorrow is farewell..."
=Next Day=
Buds looked at his surroundings. They were in the outskirts of the town now, and that everyone was looking at him. Morrigan was beside him, showing the gate of Makai.
"It's ready," Lawrence began. "With this, you can return to the mortal realm. I wish you good luck."
Buds nodded. He didn't know which world Morrigan put him to, but he trusted her very much. He began walking towards the gate when he heard something to make his heart stop.
"WAIT!" Shouted Lina, running towards them, on top of her shoulder was a cat, which Buds recognized as Felicia. "I'm going with you; Felicia too."
Buds just looked at them blankly. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. We are coming with you as well," Lina replied. Buds was about to protest when Lina cut him. "It's useless. Even if you're going beat me or *spank* me, I'm going. Mother agreed already so shut up."
She stood defiantly in front of him, stamping her feet, making those luscious breasts bounce. Buds tore his eyes from Lina to Morrigan with an odd look. Morrigan looked a bit embarrassed.
"She wants to Buds," Morrigan replied. "I can't stop her. It's like stopping sexual ideas from hot-blooded males."
"But..."
"Stuff it Buds," Lina replied. "It's my fault you cant go back home, so I'm going to help you settle in. There are also some dangers in the new world you're going to, so you might need all the help you need."
"What kind of dangers?" Buds asked.
"We are ready now. Please tell your care, Lady Morrigan, to go towards the gate..." Lawrence said.
Buds didn't need an order from Morrigan. He began walking towards the gate, with Lina and Felicia behind him. Once they entered the gate, they vanished without a trace.
Lawrence looked with a trace of apprehension towards Morrigan. "Are you sure it is wise to send your daughter and Felicia along with him, Lady Morrigan?"
"What can I say?" Morrigan began. "Lina likes him very much, and even had her best friend Felicia as a rival. They'll get along and settle in quite easily. I called a friend of mines and asked for some assistance. She readily gave it."
"Who is your friend, Lady Morrigan?" Lawrence asked.
"Hild, or Boss as she is known in Neilfalhm," Morrigan replied.
=Earth=
Buds felt a bit weary after the travel. Sure, it took one second, but the mystic energy that surrounded him made him very tired. Behind him was Lina and Felicia [still in cat-mode] who didn't look very dazed.
"So does this mean that you guys are already used to travel like that, huh?" Buds asked as he took a deep breath.
Lina nodded. "Yeah. I traveled like that when I first met you."
Buds nodded. "Great... So, now what?"
"Well, if it isn't Lina..." a voice said around them. Buds tensed up as he felt another surge of powerful energy.
Lina instantly recognized the voice. "Mara... Show yourself..."
An attractive girl with curly blonde hair appeared in view. She had a few dark marks in her forehead and Buds' eyes bugged out. No fucking way, he would've thought that another world meant another world, but not a world like this!
"Uh, you wouldn't know someone named Urd around, would you?" Buds asked.
Mara looked at him with contempt and hatred in his eyes. "How would you know Urd?"
Buds sighed. He thought so. "I follow Norse Mythology..." he didn't feel lying that much, but he didn't want any more trouble.
"So, you are the Omega which Boss was talking about. Nice to meet you!" Mara said, offering her hand. Buds took it and shook it firmly.
"Anyway, I also learned that you are not from this universe, so I'm going to warn you. There are some people here that don't like supposedly evil beings like me, you, Felicia, and Lina. The legend of Omega, although almost lost in this world, is still here to be taken an account. Don't overdo yourself in showing everything you got," Mara warned. "You can use you're tentacles, but keep yourself out of publicity. I've prepared some papers for you're school, identification and I even found you a good house."
Buds looked at Mara in a confused manner. (Mara, doing all those things for nothing?) he thought. "What school did you put me to?"
"Well, it wasn't hard. I found a school with weirdness that you can easily blend in, and it's not in Nerima," Mara added at once. "Don't worry yourself, boy, I took care of it."
Mara smiled and took a look at the boy. She almost drooled.
Buds changed a lot from the one week he stayed with Morrigan. His muscles were lean and his fat was almost non-existent. His face became smoother and his skin was lighter than before. He already had a perfect nose and eyes to begin with, and now, he was as much as Ranma now. A hunk.
Lina saw Mara's face and frowned. "THANK you for getting us this. So, Mara, how's you're job going along?"
Mara shook his head. "Well, it's a long story. Wanna walk with me? You're apartment is quite far, but we will reach it before sundown."
So then, a demoness, a vampiress, a cat and a boy walked towards the streets of Japan, going towards their apartment.
Buds' entrance was not unnoticeable. Even without using his powers, some other people were able to detect his presence. One of them was the greatest scientific genius in the universe, and another was the Senshi of Time.
=Time Gate=
Setsuna saw the Time streams. Nothing changed, but there was a sign now in all the time lines.
"What is the meaning of this sign?" Setsuna wondered out loud. The sign she saw was the sign of the Omega.
=Washu's Lab=
(Interesting... a power surge in the outskirts of Juuban! Hmmm, this is worth investigating!) Washu thought as she typed a few more things in the computer terminal.
Buds' life would never be the same.
To Be Continued...
/--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------\
NEXT: School is in the air, and we learn more about Omega's other simpler powers. Buds goes to Taiyo High School and meets the Sailor Senshi!
\--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------/
A metal figure was in front of him, and Buds took a second. It was almost a second before he acted.
He let his tentacles go out, used it to double whip the metal statue and them, extended one of his tentacles and hit the statue at it's base, launching it up in the air, and when it came down, Buds timed two very strong punches which made the statue fly away towards the wall, where it shattered.
Buds took a look at his arms. He was developing very lean but effectively strong muscles, although they don't usually show until he flexes them. He started training his body when he felt restless. It seems he couldn't help but move when he stayed still for long moments. He understood that the Omega powers are mutating his body. He just hoped that he wouldn't be in trouble...
-| Omega X Presents |-
-| Omega |-
-| Chapter 04: Farewell, Makai |-
Buds sighed as he walked towards the corridors of the dark castle. He missed sunlight, but with a place filled with 'Dark Stalkers' he didn't expect light at all.
It's been a week since his stay in the castle. Felicia was still following him around, giving him what he dubbed 'Amazon glomp' and Lina would always catch him in a bad time.
Buds blushed as he remembered the last time Lina talked to him and that was yesterday. Buds was trying to get to sleep when Felicia came in, pounced to bed and tried to lick him again in the face. In comes Lina, sees them, goes red with rage and clobbers him with a lamp, calling him pervert and other things.
Buds sighed. He opened another door and walked in to the bath. The servant girls still looked at him in a funny way, but he paid no attention. He was dead tired, practicing all his deathblows using his tentacles. He was able to invent at least 7 of them.
Off with his clothes and with a towel, he tried to ignore the heat of his body as he felt almost a dozen of girls stare at him. He took his towel out, jumped towards the pool almost at once, so the girls could only see a blur. When he rose out from the pool, he sighed.
Warm water had an effect on his muscles. It seemed it was the only thing which could relax his hard muscles. He could relax for almost hours without moving, as long as there was hot water.
"BUDS!" Felicia shouted and pounced again towards him, pushing him towards the pool. Caught off by surprise, Buds couldn't do anything as he was dragged towards the bottom of the pool. He tried to hold his breath but Felicia seem to hold his life in her paw, and it's like she read his thoughts and surfaced at once.
Buds gasped for breath as Felicia was still looking at him. Her friend was weird, but he was still her friend.
"Hi Felicia..." Buds greeted after gaining his breath.
"Hey Buds! How arrre you?" Felicia asked, then began talking before Buds could answer. "I saw you trrraining! You'rrre getting good!"
"Thanks..." Buds said. "Uh, could you let go of me?"
"Huh? Why? Am I hurrrting you?"
"Well, not really, but it's kind of embarrassing especially when..."
"PERVERT! I suppose you don't have enough in the bedroom that you have to do so in the BATHES as well?" Buds flinched as Lina shouted. Turning around, he saw that she was red again with rage and she had her hands crossed across her chest, wearing nothing but a towel.
"I didn't..."
"SHUT UP! YOU BOYS ARE THE SAME!" and Lina walked out.
Buds looked at the leaving figure, and noticed that Felicia was a bit over zealous in rubbing her body in him that he sent a silent prayer to Ranma (I know now how you feel brother...)
Buds sighed. He was no good at this. At least he could control his heart rate now that he and Felicia got acquainted and that her pouncing and revealing fur doesn't have that much effect on him unless she would get really... sensual, which thankfully, she never did. She treated him like friend she never had, and although she usually overdo things, he liked her a lot.
Buds sighed again. Lina was almost impossible to read. She was really cute and kind once, then when Felicia comes in, she gives him a cold shoulder and calls him a pervert. Buds wasn't really bothered by Lina's accusations, but it was hard to have a friendly talk with her when she goes red and hits you with statues, lamps, bats, Liliths... Yeah, she threw her auntie Lilith once in Buds face and Lilith was the first one to know how hard those muscles were now when they both hit each other's heads.
Buds was very surprised that even the thin muscles in his head were tougher than normal. It was beginning to scare him that what might have happened if he lost control. That's why he began to train. He needed to know the extent of his strength and try to hold it back. It took four days in training, but he was beginning to get the hang of it.
"Buds!" Felicia hissed in his ear. Buds woke up from his train of thoughts.
"W - what?" Buds said, looking around. Lina is not going to hit him again, is she?
"That young girl wants you to go with her..." Felicia said.
Buds looked up and saw a young cute girl with skin a bit of the dark side. She had her black hair tied in a braid.
"Can you get my towel Felicia?" Buds asked. The cat girl nodded and jumped out of the pool and grabbed his towel. When she held it out towards him, Buds jumped, grabbed the towel, covered himself up before he landed in front of the girl. The girl was very impressed.
"Hello," Buds greeted with a small smile. "Uh, what can I do for you..."
"My name is Yuka, Lord Buds..." Yuka responded, but Buds cut in.
"Miss Yuka, forget the Lord or Sir stuff. It made me nervous when one of them..." and he pointed the girls staring at him, "called me that. I thought I was married to someone..."
"Well, that makes me Yuka, Buds" Yuka replied, giggling a bit. "I have news from Lady Morrigan. She needs your presence in the common room..."
"Where?" Buds asked.
"Common room..."
"Where is that?" Buds asked.
Yuka looked at Buds, expecting him to laugh at his own joke. "You've been there..."
"Huh? Oh, the living room, the big place where Morrigan hangs out, right?" Buds asked. Yuka nodded and Buds smiled. "Tell her I'll be there..."
Yuka watched Buds walk away. Him being a guest, she wasn't very comfortable the way Buds addressed her mistress only by her first name, Buds it seems Lady Morrigan doesn't mind. Buds' attitude seems more laid back and relaxed, but he was very courteous. That made him liked around the palace.
Buds dressed quickly, his clothes still the same. How they wash his clothes in seconds was short of impossible, but he got used to it after three days. With clean crisp clothes, he made his way towards the 'common room' and just entered. He caught the sight of Lilith and Morrigan doing some action. Buds 'eeped' and closed the door at once and he heard a laugh.
"Buds, come in..." Morrigan said.
Buds, nervously and slowly, but surely, opened the door and peered inside. Morrigan was back at her place in a big red chair [as usual] and Lilith was still giggling.
"Very funny..." Buds muttered.
"That will teach you how to knock..." Morrigan said, smiling. Then, in just one second, the smile vanished.
Buds tensed. What did he do? "Uh, did Lina mention something about the bath? Because, I assure you, Morrigan, I didn't do anything to Felicia... Speaking of Felicia, where is she?"
"Last time I saw her was playing with the yarn ball outside..." Lilith replied, pointing at the window. Buds walked casually towards the window and a big sweat drop was formed as he saw Felicia playing with what seems to be the largest yarn ball he has ever seen. Its circumference was 10 feet long! Felicia was on top, making it roll. She was laughing her head off.
"And why do you ask about the bathes?" Then Morrigan grew menacing. "Did you hurt my daughter?! HUH?!"
If possible, another big sweat drop formed in Buds' head as he shook his head.
"Good. Now that we settled that," Morrigan went back to her normal mode and Buds sighed in relief. "I got bad news Buds..."
Buds stiffened. "What is it?"
"It seems the council of Makai is now aware of your presence. They got a source from an unknown person, claiming that you are in my castle..." Morrigan paused. "Usually, they would forget this since the Aensland House is respected by all means, but the source also said about the Omega. Of course, they would ball their heads off and demanded that I bring you to them."
"Are they gonna kill me?" Buds asked, not feeling nervous. He was, after all, the most feared boy in the place. "Cause they have to try their hardest..."
"Yes... Lilith did tell me about her brief encounter..." Morrigan replied, remembering the way Lilith complained about her head ache. "Anyway, no I don't think they would harm you. I think they would try to discredit you and then harm you."
"Thanks..." Buds said, eyebrow twitching. "That's really helpful of you."
"I was called to bring you to them. They want to check everything about you and abilities," Morrigan began. "Remember that even with Omega power you have, they won't harm you if you don't show any of those killing edges."
Buds nodded. So far, he has yet to feel the urge to kill and he doubted that he would ever feel it. The concept of inheriting such power was scary at first, but now, it seems like it was a walk in the park. Sure, it was hard to hide his tentacles for long hours, but other than feeling stronger and tougher, he felt the same as always.
Morrigan looked at Buds carefully. She grew fond of the boy and didn't want to scare him. The council of Makai was a bunch of blabbering idiots who do nothing but blabber about the safety of Makai.
(Hypocrites!) Morrigan almost shouted her thoughts. (Who are they to judge the safety of Makai? I alone traveled towards the mortal realms and defended our realms when danger approached. No one helped, and when everything was safe and sound, they continue to talk about the safety of Makai!)
"Morrigan, you okay?" Buds asked, snapping Morrigan out of her thoughts.
"Yes... I'm okay. So, Like I said, the council wishes to see you. Be yourself and make the council cry over their mistake!" Morrigan exclaimed, smiling.
Buds shook his head. Whatever Morrigan said, he didn't understand, but just nodded.
"I'll meet you outside, Buds," Morrigan said, standing up and walking away. She waved before she closed the door.
"She likes you..." Lilith began after Morrigan left. "She likes you a lot."
Buds began to sweat. "I'm sure you are mistaken..."
Lilith sighed. "She likes you as a son. She planned to have another child soon after Lina was born, but then, Omega appeared. Careful Buds, I'm starting to like you as a niece, and getting yourself killed right now is something some of us would dread about."
Buds nodded seriously now. Walking towards the door, he gave a brief smile to Lilith. "Thanks..." he said, and exited.
A few minutes later, Buds found himself out of the castle, walking with Morrigan towards the carriage. Without a word, they both climbed towards the carriage and an old man drove them towards the heart of the city of Makai.
Buds kept his silence without thoughts. Looking forward for an exciting day, h felt something like doubt in his system.
Morrigan looked at Buds with a comforting eye. She squeezed his shoulders reassuringly when they arrived.
The Council of Makai was not that very extraordinary. Morrigan had a bigger castle and the Council was just like a City Hall building. The front was impressive though. Red carpet, armed guards, and there were riot guards around the place. People, or demons were more like it, were swarming round the lace, getting a good look at the new Omega. Buds smiled and looked at Morrigan, who was waving her hand around. Buds noticed she was really liked in this place. He too waved.
It caused a steer in the crowd. People were yelling and shouting.
Nothing else happened that much when Morrigan and Buds entered through the doors, although Buds noted that the noises stopped completely when the door was closed.
"Lady Morrigan?" a voice said in front of them.
"Yes, Julius, I arrived with my care," Morrigan said, pointing at Buds. "Care to show the way?"
"It's quite impressive to think you were able to find him and control him, Lady Morrigan," Julius replied, giving Buds an odd look.
"My daughter found him, Julius. And I didn't need to control him. You seem him as he is, no mind control, no chains of any kind towards his mind."
Julius didn't bother to reply, just nodded and opened the door. It revealed a big room, something out of the Supreme Court and the Knights of the Round Table mixed together.
"Lady Morrigan!" one of the old men from the table greeted. Buds noticed that they all stood up from their seats when Morrigan and him came to view. "How nice to see you. We are much honored to have your presence today."
Morrigan smiled. This old fools think that they could butter her up this way?
"Please, Lawrence. You flatter me too much," Morrigan said sweetly, although her thoughts were very different. "I'm here par request to your inquiry about my care. Buds, meet the members of the Council of Makai. This is Lawrence..." she pointed at the man who greeted her. He had gray hair and a handsome face.
"This is Michael," Morrigan pointed at the man with a mean look.
"This is Scyther," Morrigan pointed the man with a very deep look and a scar in his right cheek.
"And this is Tankar," Morrigan pointed a man with very muscular appearances. "They are the four pillars of the council. Think of them as the four legs in a table. On top of those tables are the other members of the council," and she pointed all around her. There were stands of different heights which people were sitting around. They were staring at them, whispering.
"Nice to meet you!" Buds replied, offering his hand. The four pillars backed away at once. "What?" Buds asked.
"Buds, they are afraid of you, you know," Morrigan replied.
"Oh, right!"
"P - please sit down!" one of the pillars said very nervously.
Morrigan nodded and motioned Buds to follow her. When the two figures sat, there where whispers among the council.
"She controls him?" "Is he really You-Know-Who?" "He looks friendly enough..." "What if he starts killing?"
"SILENCE!" Lawrence shouted, making the room dead silent. "Thank you. Now, order of the Council of Makai, we are here to discuss the inquiries that relates to You-Know-Who. I've called Lady Morrigan to the Council because of the boy in front of you. According to our sources, the boy is the reincarnation of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Lady Morrigan, I ask you to speak in behalf of the Council..."
Morrigan stood up impressively and Buds watched with fascination as Morrigan addressed the crowd.
"Citizens of Makai, I have been called forward to speak in behalf of the boy. Yes, he has the power of Omega..." and she looked at Buds. "Show your tentacles..."
Buds nodded and let his tentacles out. The crowd yelped like they were hit by one of them.
"I assure you, the boy is perfectly safe, and I don't control him or his mind. He travels with me and I feel no worries that he would turn against me. He is safe."
"That may be so, Lady Morrigan, but we are very concerned with actions from before," Michael replied. "May I remind the council of our loss when those tentacles reached out for our families? Must I remind you how many of ours died?"
The day went like this. The people would argue, insult each other. Morrigan would calmly try and persuaded the council and recalled that there were no heavy actions done in her castle.
"Morrigan, can I move around?" Buds asked finally after an hour. "I feel weak..."
Morrigan nodded and Buds just stood up, waked around his chair and ignored the shouts from Michael.
"It's him! Can't you see that he is dangerous?! He should be disposed! You can see how dangerous he is! He can't even contribute anything about him in this council!"
Morrigan looked at Buds, who was starting to feel better. "Buds, care to put up anything about this?"
Buds nodded. "This is pointless," he said simply. There was a hush in the crowd.
"What do you mean this is pointless?!" Michael demanded, raising his voice.
"This is pointless because up 'till now, nothing resulted. You keep on going about how the Omega killed many people, when you are all talking about me. I killed no one so far. I didn't know that I had powers a week ago, and you are boring me with pointless accusations on what I 'supposedly' did in the past," Buds replied calmly, now feeling much better, taken his seat again.
"HOW DARE YOU! WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT OUR PEOPLE WHEN THE TIME COMES YOU MIGHT LOSE CONTROL!" Michael shouted.
"The only one who lost control here is you," Buds replied menacingly. He didn't like the way Michael was treating him now. "You sound like a chicken who lost his head."
Michael lost control by this time, and his clothes changed to what looked like armor, and he got his sword out. He jumped out of the table and tried to slash Buds.
"Michael, stop this!" Lawrence shouted at the angry man.
Michael wouldn't hear it. It was now his chance to get and kill the boy.
Buds didn't like the way he was attacked. Dodging the first strike with amazing speed, Buds took his tentacle out, wrapped Michael with it.
"Stop it. I came here not to fight!" Buds said. Michael made a battle cry and with a skillful twist, he scratched the tentacle hard. "Ow!" Buds said as the pain registered, and his tentacles let go in reflex. Michael dashed towards Buds again, but this time, Buds was more than ready as he took his other hand, used the other tentacle, wrapped Michael, but only this time, Buds executed one of his Deathblows.
Focusing his mind, he felt the flow of energy of his opponent, and then, like sucking a straw, he was filled with energy of his opponent. Ever since Morrigan told him that the Omega could absorb energy, he tried it the first day he trained.
Michael felt weaker, but nonetheless, tried to escape. He called in his special move.
"SWORD DANCE!" and he was surrounded by energy swords which made a work in cutting his surroundings, especially Buds' tentacles.
Buds' tentacles didn't get cut, but he got hurt enough to let go and Michael jumped at him again. Buds focused the energy he absorbed in his tentacles and let out his own attack. "ASTRAL!"
Using his whips to form a circular arc, the air particles dispersed around the whips and a red energy circle was formed during the movement of the tentacles. The red circles came fast and strong and pushed forward and Michael get his ass handed to him as he got hit in the chest and flew towards the wall, landing unconscious.
The Council was in chaos and the guards around the place surrounded him. Buds took the liberty of taking his tentacles out. If they wanted him, they would have him.
"STOP!" Morrigan shouted. Everyone fell quiet. "I will not have my care being attacked so carelessly and honorlessly."
"He attacked a pillar!" one of the council members shouted.
"He defended himself, and he will do so again if any of the guards will provoke him. Stand down!" Morrigan ordered.
Lawrence ordered the guards to lower their weapons, and they did, although nervously. Buds followed suit as he hid his tentacles as well.
"There is much to discuss, but I'm afraid that your care has got to leave the room for a while..." Lawrence said to Morrigan. Morrigan nodded and motioned Buds to approach her.
"Buds, walk out and wait for me outside the room. Don't wander off!" and Buds nodded. Walking silently, Buds opened the door and waited for Morrigan.
=Later=
After waiting for what seemed to be like hours, Morrigan came out with a very serious face. Without any word, Morrigan motioned Buds to come with her and they both walked back towards the carriage, totally oblivious to the crowds.
Without a word, the two figures rode the carriage back to the castle, where Morrigan went towards the common room almost at once. Perplexed, Buds followed.
Inside, he saw Morrigan staring out of the window. Buds was about to talk when the room burst open to reveal Lina, Felicia and Lilith.
"So, how did it go?" Lilith asked.
Morrigan sighed and turned around to sit back to her chair. "The council decided, and I couldn't stop them that Buds be exiled..."
Buds perked up. "Exile? You mean they want to kick me out?"
"They say that even if you are still stable, they questioned how long. They don't want to repeat the tragedy of the onslaught of the Omega like before. They have decided that Buds be transported out of here. They would wait for us in the gates of Makai tomorrow," Morrigan said, then sighed. "I'm sorry Buds."
Buds shook his head. "It's okay, Morrigan. Thanks anyway for your hospitality. So I guess I'm going home, huh?"
Morrigan shook his head. "I'm afraid that you cant return home..."
That got Buds' attention. "What do you mean?"
Lina came forth and explained. "After our last battle, we left a few things which made the authorities think you died... Blood, all over the place, and the fact that you were missing for almost a month there..."
Buds remembered well about his first fight with Lina, but then, something caught him. "A month?"
"Yeah. Time goes slower in Makai, so you've been missing for almost a month. You're parents made a funeral for you already..." Lina replied. "Sorry."
"How do you know?" Buds asked.
"You think I stay here all day?" Lina asked.
Buds shook his head. "No... but now that you mention it, what the hell do I do now?"
Morrigan spoke, "Buds, we will transport you back to earth, but it will be a different one this time."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you know the theory of the Multi-verse?" Morrigan asked.
"Yes... Do you mean it's real?"
"Real? Dear boy, it exists!" Lilith replied.
"So," Buds began, "are you saying that I go to one of those other earths?"
Morrigan nodded. "Yes. Anyway, Buds, I hope you are ready, because tomorrow is farewell..."
=Next Day=
Buds looked at his surroundings. They were in the outskirts of the town now, and that everyone was looking at him. Morrigan was beside him, showing the gate of Makai.
"It's ready," Lawrence began. "With this, you can return to the mortal realm. I wish you good luck."
Buds nodded. He didn't know which world Morrigan put him to, but he trusted her very much. He began walking towards the gate when he heard something to make his heart stop.
"WAIT!" Shouted Lina, running towards them, on top of her shoulder was a cat, which Buds recognized as Felicia. "I'm going with you; Felicia too."
Buds just looked at them blankly. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. We are coming with you as well," Lina replied. Buds was about to protest when Lina cut him. "It's useless. Even if you're going beat me or *spank* me, I'm going. Mother agreed already so shut up."
She stood defiantly in front of him, stamping her feet, making those luscious breasts bounce. Buds tore his eyes from Lina to Morrigan with an odd look. Morrigan looked a bit embarrassed.
"She wants to Buds," Morrigan replied. "I can't stop her. It's like stopping sexual ideas from hot-blooded males."
"But..."
"Stuff it Buds," Lina replied. "It's my fault you cant go back home, so I'm going to help you settle in. There are also some dangers in the new world you're going to, so you might need all the help you need."
"What kind of dangers?" Buds asked.
"We are ready now. Please tell your care, Lady Morrigan, to go towards the gate..." Lawrence said.
Buds didn't need an order from Morrigan. He began walking towards the gate, with Lina and Felicia behind him. Once they entered the gate, they vanished without a trace.
Lawrence looked with a trace of apprehension towards Morrigan. "Are you sure it is wise to send your daughter and Felicia along with him, Lady Morrigan?"
"What can I say?" Morrigan began. "Lina likes him very much, and even had her best friend Felicia as a rival. They'll get along and settle in quite easily. I called a friend of mines and asked for some assistance. She readily gave it."
"Who is your friend, Lady Morrigan?" Lawrence asked.
"Hild, or Boss as she is known in Neilfalhm," Morrigan replied.
=Earth=
Buds felt a bit weary after the travel. Sure, it took one second, but the mystic energy that surrounded him made him very tired. Behind him was Lina and Felicia [still in cat-mode] who didn't look very dazed.
"So does this mean that you guys are already used to travel like that, huh?" Buds asked as he took a deep breath.
Lina nodded. "Yeah. I traveled like that when I first met you."
Buds nodded. "Great... So, now what?"
"Well, if it isn't Lina..." a voice said around them. Buds tensed up as he felt another surge of powerful energy.
Lina instantly recognized the voice. "Mara... Show yourself..."
An attractive girl with curly blonde hair appeared in view. She had a few dark marks in her forehead and Buds' eyes bugged out. No fucking way, he would've thought that another world meant another world, but not a world like this!
"Uh, you wouldn't know someone named Urd around, would you?" Buds asked.
Mara looked at him with contempt and hatred in his eyes. "How would you know Urd?"
Buds sighed. He thought so. "I follow Norse Mythology..." he didn't feel lying that much, but he didn't want any more trouble.
"So, you are the Omega which Boss was talking about. Nice to meet you!" Mara said, offering her hand. Buds took it and shook it firmly.
"Anyway, I also learned that you are not from this universe, so I'm going to warn you. There are some people here that don't like supposedly evil beings like me, you, Felicia, and Lina. The legend of Omega, although almost lost in this world, is still here to be taken an account. Don't overdo yourself in showing everything you got," Mara warned. "You can use you're tentacles, but keep yourself out of publicity. I've prepared some papers for you're school, identification and I even found you a good house."
Buds looked at Mara in a confused manner. (Mara, doing all those things for nothing?) he thought. "What school did you put me to?"
"Well, it wasn't hard. I found a school with weirdness that you can easily blend in, and it's not in Nerima," Mara added at once. "Don't worry yourself, boy, I took care of it."
Mara smiled and took a look at the boy. She almost drooled.
Buds changed a lot from the one week he stayed with Morrigan. His muscles were lean and his fat was almost non-existent. His face became smoother and his skin was lighter than before. He already had a perfect nose and eyes to begin with, and now, he was as much as Ranma now. A hunk.
Lina saw Mara's face and frowned. "THANK you for getting us this. So, Mara, how's you're job going along?"
Mara shook his head. "Well, it's a long story. Wanna walk with me? You're apartment is quite far, but we will reach it before sundown."
So then, a demoness, a vampiress, a cat and a boy walked towards the streets of Japan, going towards their apartment.
Buds' entrance was not unnoticeable. Even without using his powers, some other people were able to detect his presence. One of them was the greatest scientific genius in the universe, and another was the Senshi of Time.
=Time Gate=
Setsuna saw the Time streams. Nothing changed, but there was a sign now in all the time lines.
"What is the meaning of this sign?" Setsuna wondered out loud. The sign she saw was the sign of the Omega.
=Washu's Lab=
(Interesting... a power surge in the outskirts of Juuban! Hmmm, this is worth investigating!) Washu thought as she typed a few more things in the computer terminal.
Buds' life would never be the same.
To Be Continued...
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NEXT: School is in the air, and we learn more about Omega's other simpler powers. Buds goes to Taiyo High School and meets the Sailor Senshi!
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