by DoraMouse
Act 2
The oldest mortal creature on Earth had once been Uranai Baba, a human witch whose age was rumored to comfortably exceed five hundred years. And the eldest immortal creature on Earth had once been Korin, with an age of at least eight hundred years.
Those records had been shattered. Now the eldest creature residing on Earth was just over five million and ten years old.
Buu was neither mortal nor immortal but somewhere inbetween. And despite his immense age, he showed no actual signs of aging. This could have been due to the fact that Buu had only spent a tiny fraction of his extremely long life active.
When first created, he'd had a few years of blowing up galaxies and reeking havoc. Buu had never really understood why the wizard had ordered him to do such things. It hadn't been Buus place to ask questions. Even if it HAD been his place to ask questions - he wouldn't have. For two reasons. Or maybe just one. Fear. The fear of sounding stupid, of using the language wrong. Buu hadn't been summoned for the purpose of having a conversation. And blowing things up hadn't required much in the way of language skills. So Buu didn't have - had never really had - any confidence in his ability to choose the right words. And then... The other fear. The main one. The wizard.
Despite the fact that Buu had been given enormous amounts of strength... Despite the fact that Buu wasn't precisely a genius... He had immediately realized that the wizard was something to fear. Because if power and life could be given, then they could also be taken away.
It was a very frightening thing, to know for a fact that you existed only at the whim of some other creature.
At the final battle with the last remaining Kaioshin, Buus worst fear had been validated. The evil wizard had abruptly sealed Buu into a shell and had then hurled the shell into space. So for the better part of five million years, Buu had been trapped - helpless and alone - inside the shell. He had drifted in and out of consciousness. Lost. Floating on the tide of the universe. Gradually passing the numerous suns and stars and planets... Funny, that there were still so many planets after all the damage that he'd caused.
Even to a monster with no understanding of calendars or watches, five million years is a long wait. More than once, Buu had hoped that death would come for him. More than once, Buu had wondered if perhaps he was already dead.
And then, finally, he'd been found again. Brought to Earth. Awakened.
That had been ten years ago. Unlike most creatures on Earth, Buu remembered the events of the recent past. Vividly. The new wizard and the saiyans and the gods and... But the battles were the least interesting part. What had captured Buus attention was that this world - this world which he could so easily destroy - was full of fascinating details. But then, perhaps five million years of complete isolation would be enough to make anyone appreciate the delicate beauty of a flower, the colors of the sky at dawn, the wonder of a rainbow. The joys of being able to eat and drink and smell and feel textures again. And weather! There had never been any weather inside the shell which had imprisoned him.
Needless to say, the last ten years had been an amazing education for Buu. He had eaten a pizza, ridden a bike, played in the rain, used a telephone and done a hundred thousand other things, each for the very first time. So many milestones had come and gone and there was so much more to do. Buu had existed for more than five million years - yet before Earth, he felt that he had never really lived. The wizards had never given him anything but orders. His life had been so empty back then. Now he had a nice place to live and a fun job and good friends.
Mr. Hercule Satan was a good friend. Buu shared Hercules mansion in Satan City and occasionally worked as a security guard for the man. However, much as he valued Mr. Satans friendship, Buu privately considered Bee his best friend in the world. The dog had been at his side almost constantly for the past ten years.
They sat together on a remote grassy hilltop, a monster and his dog, watching the clouds change shape.
Buu liked the wilderness. He hadn't quite caught on to the concepts of money or clothing, so he felt more comfortable out in the wild. Out here he could wander around and not have to worry about accidentally breaking anything expensive. Out here he could wear just a cape and tennis shoes. Out here, nobody stared.
People always seemed to stare at him. Once, Buu had enjoyed the attention. But now... Deep down, it unsettled him. Buu was a giant humanoid pink blob. Having been created by magic, it was entirely possible that Buu was the only creature of his kind in existence. For the most part, people stared at Buu simply because they'd never seen - or didn't remember seeing - anything like him. Which bothered Buu. Because he didn't want to feel alone and outcast. Not again. Not ever. He'd spent five million years floating around in isolation. That was enough. More than enough. He didn't care to be reminded of the emptiness.
Above, the clouds were white and fluffy. Moving slowly across the sky on a cool breeze that smelled like rain. Buu tried to enjoy the scenery. He couldn't.
Bee had changed over the years. The dogs fur was thinning and losing its color in places. Bee didn't play as much anymore, didn't bark as much either. And Mr. Satan had changed too. Hercule had lost a lot of the hair on his head, some of his teeth and a few inches of his height. The mans muscles had gone lean and ropy on him. Buu frowned. Everyone that he knew was changing in this way. Buu didn't age. So he couldn't truly understand the process of aging or why the Earthings did it. All he knew was that his friends had changed and that it was kind of scary. What if his friends didn't stop changing? What might his best friends look like in another five or ten years? Buu didn't want to imagine.
He'd tried on several occasions to heal his friends, thinking that perhaps they were sick. The repeated healings had made Bee a little more energetic and had caused Mr. Satan to have a few less wrinkles but other than that, no effect. Buu didn't understand why he couldn't do more to cure his friends. There had to be a way...
A surge of concern washed over Buu. He reached over and very gently lifted Bee into his arms. The dog was lighter these days and didn't wriggle much, barely wagging its tail and licking his hand. Buu stood and tried to decide where to teleport to.
Buu wanted to go to Mr. Satan. Buu needed to hear Hercule say - for the umpteenth time - that Bee was okay, that this sort of behavior was normal for dogs. He also wanted to make sure that Hercule was okay because the man had seemed upset earlier. But Hercule was working today. And he had asked Buu to please stay away from the television station. Buu had gotten the clear impression that Mr. Satan was trying to protect him. There were people that wanted to hire Buu to play the role of an evil monster on tv shows. Already, the offer had been made and declined more than once. Buu understood that if people saw him being evil on tv shows then they might start to remember what had happened ten years ago, when he'd actually been evil. So Buu decided to respect Mr. Satans request. He wouldn't go to the tv station.
After a moments thought, Buu teleported.
A drumroll followed by a perky voice saying "and the winner is...".
This was Gotens current ringtone. The drumroll repeated a few times before, mildly irritated, Goten gave up the controls of the game he was playing and made an excuse to leave the room. The Audio Visual club was, by far, his favorite group. The club was easy to belong to, they only ever did fundraisers when they wanted to buy or rent a new game. Two or three times a year, the club would enter a science contest or do a school presentation. But for the most part it was just a bunch of kids who wanted to talk, hang out, play video games and learn the tricks of everyday technology. How to do special effects with a digital camera. How to change the ringtone of a mobile phone. Nothing too major.
One of the things that Goten had learned was how to activate caller ID in a such way that it couldn't be blocked or bypassed.
Another drumroll. Alone in the corridor, Goten studied the screen of his phone. The caller ID data puzzled him. Why would anyone be calling him from West Capital City? That was long distance. And why, of all things, was the call coming from a police department?
Possibilities flicked against his mind and Goten didn't like any of them. So instead of answering the call, he closed his phone. Waited. Eventually the phone fell silent. Goten shook off the momentary chill that had crossed his features and turned back towards the meeting room. His friends were there, playing games and having fun. The thought comforted him and restored his mood. He would go back and enjoy and forget that the mysterious call from West Capital City had ever come. It had probably just been a wrong number. Yes. That was it. Definitely a wrong number.
Goten had barely taken a step when his phone rang again. Only this time, it wasn't the drumroll. The drumroll was a generic ringtone. Goten also had about thirty specialized ringtones programmed into his phone. The one that was being used now - Goten had selected a police siren - indicated that the incoming call was from Videls phone. Which was ridiculous. Because Videl called maybe once a month, to ask that he watch Pan.
His impulse was to ignore this call as well. Goten despised babysitting his niece. Pan was all right but only in small doses.
Then logic kicked in. Videl had been at the house. His mother had also been there and so had Pan. Gohan would probably join them soon and Goku would turn up if he felt like it. And then they'd eat. So Videl shouldn't need anyone to watch Pan today and even if she did, there would be other - more willing - adults available at the Son House.
Why would Videl be calling him?
Reluctantly, Goten answered the phone. If this was some kind of trick and Videl asked him to watch Pan in the near future...
Amazing how quickly those thoughts vanished.
Gotens mind filled with questions but Videl only gave him the chance to ask one. "Wait. What do you mean, I have to tell them?"
"For heavens sake, Goten. You're their son!" Videl chided. "Your mother especially - she'll take the news better if she hears it from you."
Goten remained doubtful. "Wouldn't it be better if you called?"
"I'll call your mother as soon as I can." Videl promised. "But there are some things that I've got to do first." Without much in the way of farewells, Videl finished the conversation and was gone.
It would have been simplicity itself to call her back and demand more answers. But it was almost time for the evening news to be broadcast. If his mother learned of the recent family events from the tv... She'd never completely forgive any of them. So Goten leaned against a wall, took a deep breath and dialed the numbers for home.
"I think he's sick." Pan said, poking gingerly at her furry patient. "What have you let him eat?"
The list was extensive. Pan had only meant for Buu to make a list of what Bee had eaten recently. Buu, however, had a slightly different perception of time and so was listing everything that he'd ever allowed the dog to consume.
Pans attention drifted. She glanced in the direction of the kitchen, where her grandmother was putting the finishing touches on a dozen recipes. Her stomach grumbled and she frowned. Where had everyone gone? The snacks had been great but Pan was still hungry. She knew that the family wouldn't eat dinner until at least her mother and father joined them. That was the tradition, had been for as long as Pan could remember. Once a week, the family - or at least her parents, herself and her grandmother - gathered to eat dinner at grandmothers house. The food was excellent. Pan was convinced that her grandmother was the best cook on Earth. The bread, the noodles, the rice pudding... The delicious smells nearly made Pan faint from hunger. At this rate... Horror of horrors, even the eggplant stew was starting to look good.
Being five years old, Pan had no concept of how the world had been prior to her birth. She didn't know what had happened ten years ago and thus she didn't think of Buu as being a monster. In fact the very first time Pan had met Buu - the first time she could remember, anyway - she'd been delighted. And then disappointed, when she'd been made aware of the fact that everyone else could see Buu as well. Because her first impulse had been to classify Buu as a wonderful, secret imaginary friend.
He was, after all, the perfect candidate. Buu was playful and silly and humanoid without being any sort of identifiable species. Plus he had all kinds of super powers. Buu could get away with things that not even her grandfather - neither of her grandfathers, actually - would risk. And yet despite all these talents, Buu wasn't scary at all.
It was impossible to be frightened of someone who cared so openly about a dog.
A phone rang - it was an old, outdated phone - inside the house. Pan watched the shadow of her grandmother leave the kitchen. Maybe her father was calling to say he'd be late for dinner. Maybe her mother was calling to say where she'd gone. Pan grimaced. She didn't want to wait anymore. She was half tempted to run into the house and demand a chance to speak with whoever was on the phone.
Then Pan heard a television being turned on. And that was odd. Her grandmother disliked having the television on - even moreso when the family gathered. What could this mean? Was something wrong? What if this meant that her parents weren't coming?
Pan reached two conclusions. The first was that she had been very patient and well-behaved this afternoon and that she shouldn't have to wait anymore, it wasn't fair. The second was that she didn't like being worried and she wasn't going to stand for this. There had to be a way to get everyone here, right now, so that she could see that they were all okay. Also so that the family could sit down and eat.
"Buu!" Even though he wasn't imaginary, Pan considered Buu more of a friend than a relative. Thus she didn't bother to add any formal titles to Buus name. "I can cure your dog!" Pan announced. "First though, you have to do something for me."
Ridiculous. Impossible. The sort of situation that might have been funny, if only it hadn't been so serious.
Gohan had been through a lot in his twenty-eight years of life. But he'd honestly never expected this. Arrested! What a nightmare! How was this even possible?
He was still in costume, still the Great Saiyaman. So Gohans biggest concern at the moment was protecting his own identity. He hadn't removed his helmet. Hadn't let the police take his picture. Or his fingerprints. He'd refused to sign paperwork. Refused to answer questions. Refused to even let any of the officers stand anywhere near him. But... Dammit. How long could he keep this up? How long before the police figured out his name? What would happen if...
It was going to be bad, Gohan knew that much. He hadn't cooperated. Hadn't earned any brownie points. The police were now convinced of his guilt.
Getting out of jail shouldn't have been this hard. Gohan spent a frustrated moment glaring at the ceiling. The police had allowed him to make a phone call. Gohan had two reasons for not calling home. His mother was the first reason. Gohan loved his mother but wasn't sure how she'd react to the news of his arrest. Would she be ashamed of him? He couldn't bear that. The police were the second reason. Gohan hadn't wanted to dial a number that the police could trace and match with an address. Didn't want to have an emotional conversation when the police might be listening in.
So he'd dialed the number for Gotens mobile phone instead. But Goten hadn't answered.
A normal person would have been stranded. Gohan wasn't normal. When the phone call had failed to do him any good, he'd reached out telepathically. Dendes request had sent Gohan to West Capital City. So it stood to reason that Dende should be aware of recent events. While Dende didn't often interfere directly with human matters... Dende was the guardian of Earth. That had to count for something. Gohan had tried to locate his friend, had tried to ask for help. But Dende wasn't responding. Dende wasn't even detectable.
If it had been anyone else whose ki had vanished, Gohan might have worried. However Dende was a special case. Being a minor god, Dende could wander off into the afterlife and other dimensions. Hence the complete absence of Dendes energy signature on Earth wasn't a guaranteed sign of disaster.
With Goten not answering his phone and Dende not answering telepathic questions, Gohan was stuck. He had resorted to the option of summoning a tiny fraction of his own ki. The veil of energy that enveloped him wasn't even visible. But it was enough, Gohan hoped, for certain people on Earth to take notice. Maybe someone would come. Someone that could get him out of here.
True. Gohan was insanely strong. He was painfully aware of how easy it would be to escape. How simple, to punch a massive hole in the wall and just walk off. How effortless, to power up and just vaporize the entire police station.
But he didn't.
Gohan allowed his eyes to slide from the ceiling to the opposite wall. He tried not to feel instantly repulsed by the cluster of people there.
West Capital City was not a small place. Every day, crimes were committed and people were arrested. The jails saw a lot of traffic. The accused were separated by gender and age. Gohan hadn't told the police anything - certainly not his age. So the police had debated the issue. At first, Gohan had been placed with the juveniles. But apparently, he was going to be tried as an adult in court. So now... Gohan shared a jail with around thirty men. And he didn't know any of these people. What had they been arrested for? Were they innocent or guilty?
What if they were guilty? If he punched a hole in the wall and walked off then all these other criminals would also be able to escape. And what if they were innocent? If he vaporized the entire police station... No. It just wasn't going to do any good. Gohan was stuck. He didn't want to cause the residents of West Capital City any grief. Besides, escape from a police station was a crime on its own. One more strike for the law to hold against him. Which he couldn't afford right now. He was already accused of so much.
It was stupid. Just stupid. Didn't make any sense at all. How in the world could the police accuse the Great Saiyaman of...
Gohan forced the thoughts away. Later. He'd think about it later. Alone. He didn't want to dwell on things that made him angry, not here. No. He had better things to focus on. A plan, that's what he needed now. How was he going to get out of here? There had to be a way. A nice legal way. Something that wouldn't cause anymore trouble. Because his family was going to worry if he didn't make it to dinner. And Pan - he'd promised to read her favorite bedtime story to her tonight. And Videl... Jeez, he didn't even want to go there. And what would happen to his grades if he couldn't get to his classes tomorrow morning? And what about his job, his students? If he missed a day of teaching without calling in... The university wouldn't like that.
Restless was an understatement.
Gohan had been beaten up before. He'd been captured and intimidated and even killed. But he'd never actually been arrested. Never shoved behind bars. The room was cramped, badly lit and foul smelling. And it was getting to him. Not so much the room as the fact that Gohan knew he shouldn't be here. Didn't deserve to be here. There were so many other places that he needed - wanted - to be. So much to do.
The restlessness began to fade. Boredom and agitation crawled across his mind. Gohan had never been very good at just standing around. But what else was there to do in jail? Conversation was out. The other inmates didn't appear to be interested in saying much - they probably didn't want the police to overhear them. The only thing to read in the room was the graffiti. And sleep? No. Gohan did not want to fall asleep in this place.
There is, for some people, a certain amount of reverse psychology to the concept of sleep. Gohan had the misfortune of being in this category. The more he tried to concentrate on staying awake, the more tired he became. The room was just so dull. And it didn't help that he'd had a long day. He'd gotten up extra early this morning so that he could take his daughter to her school before heading off to do some labwork for his own classes.
Gohan winced. He hadn't finished all the experiments yet. His notes still needed to be typed up. And he needed to finish grading the assignments that...
A burst of energy. A chubby pink hand. The jail blurred away.
Happiness was an instant reaction but after that had worn off, Gohan wasn't sure what to feel. Teleporting out of jail... Well. His departure hadn't hurt anyone. Hadn't let any of the other arrested people escape. And with luck, the police of West Capital City might not realize that he was missing right away. But... They would notice eventually. And then what? Would everyone assume that he was guilty? Would he be classified as a fugitive?
As the familiar sight of his parents house filled his vision, Gohan sighed and pressed the button on his watch. Changed back to regular clothes. Back to Son Gohan. The police would be looking for the Great Saiyaman.