by DoraMouse
Act 7
Three streaks of energy, flying together through an urban maze. Weaving past aircars and skyscrapers, moving too fast to be visible. And then one of the energy signatures abruptly darted off on its own.
Augh... Surprised, Goten did some mental cursing as he changed direction. He didn't understand why Yamucha had suddenly taken off but it was already clear that chasing the elder warrior was going to be a pain. True - Goten had more power and speed at his disposal but this was West Capital City, Yamuchas home town. So Yamucha knew the area. Goten, on the other hand, wasn't accustomed to cities this size. West Capital City was the type of place where Goten could have gotten lost if he'd been walking around in broad daylight. Flying around at night only multiplied the odds against him.
"Where is he going?" Uub asked.
Goten sighed in frustration. "I'm not sure. How are you holding up?"
A year ago, Uub hadn't even been capable of hovering. Now Uub appeared to be keeping pace without much effort. It was kind of disturbing, the ease with which Uub could learn just about any skill related to fighting. Goten was privately glad that Uub wasn't a more ambitious warrior. The kid was dangerous enough.
"If you don't know where he's going then we could be following him into a trap, right?" Uub persisted.
Goten blinked. "Well, I guess..." He began to say but Uubs tone had startled him a little and so he glanced sideways. Just in time to notice... "Hey! Wait! Don't - "
A burst of energy. By the time Gotens words were spoken, Uub had pulled his dagger and was gone. The energy signatures collided and changed direction and dropped. More mental cursing. Goten hurried ahead and landed, leaving skid marks across the pavement. "Don't!"
Yamucha was cornered but still standing, although not very steadily. The dagger had grazed him in two places and it had obviously taken a lot of his energy to block as much of the attack as he had. He scowled at Uub with an unreadable expression. His voice was bitter. "Great. Another super kid."
"You can't out run us." Uub said calmly.
"No kidding." Yamucha grumbled as he inspected his injuries. "Wild guess - you're not even at half power, right?"
"He's not." Goten stood between them to end the confrontation. He decided to deal with Uub first. "Put the dagger away. You're not going to earn my fathers forgiveness if you attack his friends."
It was Uubs turn to look surprised. "But..." He stepped back. "I didn't know! I mean, I didn't think that..." Uub shook his head and started over. "Goku-sensei usually talks about his friends in past tense. I didn't realize that any of them were still alive."
Yamucha raised a cynical eyebrow.
"My apologies." Uub offered a bow, "I thought you might be trying to lead us into a trap."
"Uh-huh." Yamucha straightened his baseball cap. He had lost his sunglasses sometime during the struggle. "Listen, kid. Do me a favor and don't try saving the world or anything until you get your facts straight." He lowered his voice. "Hmf. Heros like this and we won't need villains."
Goten bristled slightly at the remark. "Give him a break, he didn't know. Besides - you're the one who decided to take off on us all the sudden."
"Logic." Yamucha shrugged. "If the police are after all of us then we probably shouldn't be seen together, okay? Good. Now that we've got that sorted out..."
Yamucha hovered. But Goten reacted quickly, snatching a sleeve and tugging the elder warrior back down. "Why are you in such a hurry?" Goten muttered. "And why are the police after you, anyway? We can't help unless you tell us what's going on, you know."
Somewhere between amused and irritated, Yamucha pulled his sleeve loose and hovered again. "Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. I'll take care of this."
"Answer the question." Uub interrupted and then, as an afterthought, "Please."
"You first. Why are the police after you? Did you rob a bank or is that just how you always look?"
Uub, now mildly offended, hefted both his dagger and his spear. "There's nothing wrong with the way I look! Everyone in my tribe..."
"That's a matter of opinion." Yamucha held up a hand to ward off further protests. "I doubt that the authorities view you as harmless, that's all."
"Ahem." Goten cleared his throat. "Can we get back to the subject? We're trying to figure out - "
"Don't." Yamucha said firmly.
"But..."
The defensive edge in Yamuchas tone and stance softened. He nudged Goten. "You have school tomorrow, right?"
"Well, yea, but..."
"And your Mom is probably worried about you even as we speak, right?"
"Well... Maybe. Okay - probably. But..."
"Trust me, the best thing you can do right now is go home." Yamucha glanced towards Uub. "You too."
In the space of less than twenty seconds, Goten acknowledged several things. He knew what his responsibilities were. Goten knew that he couldn't afford to miss school. This was his year to graduate - why risk messing that up? And he respected his mother, he didn't want to worry her. And Uub... Yea. Uub should probably go home. Sure - Uub was a dangerous warrior. But Goten didn't want to have a ten year get involved in the murder investigation. Under the circumstances, Goten wasn't even certain of his own rights. He wasn't a certified detective and he wasn't a direct relative of Dr. Briefs. The only reason that Goten had been interested in solving the mystery was to prove himself to his family but... Without Videl around to flash her badge... It probably wasn't even legal for Goten to investigate. Yamucha was basically correct, in other words. Leaving West Capital City would be the most sensible thing to do. Goten realized this. But... Leaving just felt... Wrong. Yamucha obviously wasn't telling them everything. Which bothered Goten because he'd always known - and trusted - his fathers friends to be very honest with him.
"And where will you go?" Uub took a step around Goten, so that Yamucha was left between them. "Back there?"
Uub was pointing down the street. It took Goten a moment to recognize the place. A row of police vehicles were parked neatly by the curb. And across the street, with a dim neon sign, sat the deli. The exact same place they had so recently fled. Goten was stunned. What did this mean? Why had Yamucha gone to all that effort just to try and ditch them? Was Yamucha working with the police or - ?
Yamucha blurred and took a step backwards. Goten reached out to block him and so did Uub. Yamucha ducked under both of their blocks. Uub reacted first. In one smooth, swift predatory motion Uub rotated his spear so that the point came down at an angle. Yamucha had to grab a piece of the shaft to forcefully redirect the spear point. Uub put more of his weight behind the weapon and the resulting heavy impact of the spear tip against the pavement created sparks.
"Drop it." Yamucha said, with a flare of his aura for emphasis. "I don't have time for this."
Uub frowned. "Then you'd better talk fast."
For a moment Yamucha seemed to consider telling them everything but then he shook his head. "Maybe no one has ever taught you this - but the whole reason that heros exist is so that the rest of the world doesn't have to worry about stupid stuff endangering their freedoms. Got it? You're free, kid. Be happy. Go home. Enjoy. Someone should."
"Why? It's too late for you, Yamucha-san?" Goten commented. "Eh. Nice lecture. Might have worked when I was five. Too bad I'm eighteen. How about some respect?"
"How about later?" Yamucha tried to hover.
Goten had hesitated to attack before - this time he didn't. A step forward, grab, twist and wait. Because when you were in a city, trying to make someone stubborn talk... Then ki blasts would be going overboard. So Goten just used an arm bar. Yamucha struggled to break loose but quickly realized that he couldn't hope to save his arm and avoid the spear at the same time.
"As a martial artist, I'm sure that you realize how easily this could turn into a choke hold. And if I have to choose... I'd rather knock you out than break your arm - okay?" said Goten. "Sorry but you really shouldn't have turned your back on me."
Silence. But it didn't last for long.
"Hmf. So much for a fair fight." Yamucha straightened up. He spoke through gritted teeth. Exhaustion and age - he was fifty-two, even if only looked about thirty-five - tainted his voice. "Fine. All right. You win." He refused to meet their gazes but nodded in the direction of the deli. "I'll tell you this much. If I'm not back there in about two minutes, someone will die. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Now let me go."
Uub relaxed his guard slightly. "Who will die?"
Yamucha shook his head. "I'm not telling you that."
"Then we'll go with you."
"No. They want me to show up alone."
Silence. And then something crinkled. It was a very small noise, the type of sound that could only be heard during silences. Curious, Uub leaned forward and poked at Yamuchas oversized sweatshirt. "Sounds like paper..."
Comprehension struck. "You're paying a ransom!" Goten blurted out.
Not one to waste opportunities, Yamucha spent a couple seconds reversing the arm bar and soon had Goten in a headlock. "The less you know, the better." Yamucha sighed. "Believe me, it's a mess. Nice to see you again and everything - but bad timing. I need to be going. And I can't have anyone following me. So..."
The spear tip came to rest on Yamuchas shoulder. Yamucha flinched. Uubs aura didn't have to be visible - his strength could be felt. And even without powering up... Uub had enough strength to drive a spear through a person. "Tell us who will die." Uub repeated. "Maybe we can rescue them."
"Good luck." Yamucha muttered in a sarcastic gosh-why-didn't-I-think-of-that tone. "The hostage could be anywhere in the world by now." He explained. "If you can find them in, oh, thirty seconds - great. More power to you. But since that's not very likely..."
A bright flash. A split second of turbulence. The clatter and scrape of objects impacting concrete. Goten wasn't quite sure what had happened but by the time he regained his bearings, Yamucha was gone. And so were the police vehicles that had been parked down the street.
Half-awake, Videl stretched and studied her surroundings. It took her a few moments to recognize the guest room of her fathers house. She was mildly relieved to be in a familiar place and even more relieved not to be waking up in a hospital. But... How did I get here? Videl leaned on her elbows and rubbed her eyes. How long have I been out?
There wasn't a clock in this room but there was a small window nearby. Without getting up from the sofa, Videl reached out and lifted an edge of the curtain. She stared at the view. It was dark and quiet outside. Night. And then Videl, still sleepy, remembered that the Earth didn't have a moon anymore. So she couldn't try to guess the time by looking at the moons position in the sky.
She let the curtain drop back into place. It wasn't fair, Videl decided. The world had changed so much, just in her own lifetime. Once, when she was younger, Videl had wanted to become an astronaut. But then someone had blown up the moon. Pan would grow up thinking that no moon was normal. Pan would grow up thinking that being able to fly without an airplane was normal too. And fighting with energy blasts. And having relatives that could teleport. And... Sometimes, it made Videl wonder just what in the world she had in common with her daughter.
Videl yawned. Closed her eyes. Curled up and pulled the blankets around her. She was tired. The sofa was warm and comfortable. Her mind was still foggy. Nothing that she could remember of recent events made much sense at the moment.
And then... Voices. Distant but clear.
"What's a dragonball?" Someone asked, bewildered. The voice seemed familiar but Videl couldn't place it.
Videl squinted over the edge of the blankets. Was this a dream? She still felt half-awake...
"Uhm. I'm not at liberty to discuss those." Mr. Satan was saying.
Videl reluctantly sat up and pushed the blankets back. She had heard of the dragonballs before - Gohan had mentioned them once or twice - but Videl didn't really know much about the artifacts. So what made her get up was her fathers voice, which she had recognized immediately. Because dream or not, if her father was around then he might know how she had gotten here.
She stood and the weight of her aching body convinced her that she was not dreaming. There was a small circular mirror in the room. Videl chose to ignore her reflection. She was a mess - but a hot shower, a hairbrush and a change of clothes would easily fix that. Later, though. First... With a disappointed yawn and a blanket wrapped around her, Videl shuffled towards the next room and made a mental list of things to do. In a typical motherly fashion, all of Videls main concerns were for other people. It was night... She would have to go home and make sure that Pan had gotten to bed. And Gohan would likely need to be asleep by now as well, he had some early classes in the morning. And...
A little more awake now, Videl swore. She'd left Goten in West Capital City! True - he could fly home on his own and everything but jeez... Videl was eight years older than her brother-in-law. She was supposed to be the responsible adult. She'd have to call him, make sure that he'd gotten home safely. And ChiChi. She'd have to call ChiChi as well, to apologize. Because ChiChi had worked so hard to make dinner for all of them and then... Videls stomach grumbled, interrupting her train of thought. When had she last eaten?
"V-chan!" A pink blur engulfed her in a hug that would have crushed a regular person. "Can I have the dragonballs? Please?"
"Buu..." Videl managed to squeak. "Put me down..."
"Please, please, please?"
Buu was mimicking the sugar-coated tone of voice that Pan always used when she was trying to get her way. Despite the fact that Buu was insanely strong, the monster seemed to take advice from Pan on a regular basis. So if something worked for Pan... Then Buu expected it to work for him as well.
"Please, please, please, please, please?"
Whenever Pan really wanted something, she went to her mother. Because Videl was around the most. Gohan went to school and work and fought crime. Thus Pan didn't see her father as much. Videl hated the idea of having to be the parent who made rules and said no. So instead, on most occasions, Videl tried to make compromises. The end result... Pan was probably a bit spoiled. She got away with quite a lot. Because it was hard for Videl to enforce the rules when the kid was so strong.
Buu was several hundred times stronger than Pan. At least. Videl didn't really understand why the monster ever asked for anyones permission to do anything. There wasn't much that could prevent Buu from basically doing whatever he wanted. Kind of a frightening concept.
Not wanting to upset the monster, Videl didn't even bother to compromise. "Yea. Sure. Whatever. Go for it."
"YAY!" Buu released Videl and danced around inside the mansion.
Videl staggered to the nearest wall, mentally debating whether she should call a chiropractor before or after ordering some fried rice from a local 24 hour take-out.
"Are you all right?" Fujiko came to stand beside Videl for extra support. "What have you done? What is a dragonball?"
"It's... A toy." Mr. Satan improvised. He'd had a lot of practice, working with the media, so he managed to make the lie sound convincing.
"A toy?" Fujiko repeated, nervously watching Buu. "A toy can make him that happy? Heck, maybe I should get one. What does this dragonball toy do? I've never heard of..."
"Please don't tell anyone." Mr. Satan whispered. "We're still in the design stages, you know?"
Videl might have laughed or clapped at her fathers performance if she hadn't felt so woozy. Then she noticed the televisions. Videl pushed away from Fujiko and the wall and managed to walk halfway normally on her own. She went up to the largest television screen and frowned at the image there, leaning forward until her nose touched the glass.
"Two places at once." Videl muttered, looking from one screen to the other. Both displayed the recorded images of Bulma in Lotus Medical Center. "Or maybe..." Videl tapped the top left corner of the large screen. "... this clock's been edited."
Fujiko went rigid. "I should have thought of that." The Satan City Police Chief stepped forward, pressed some buttons and took the recordings out of the televisions. "I'll take these to our tech lab for analysis. If any of these images has been altered..."
With a thud, Buu bounced back into the room and landed beside Videl. "Where are they?"
"Huh?"
"The dragonballs." Buu pouted. "You said I could have them. Where are they?"
Videl radiated mild distress. She didn't want to provoke a temper tantrum. "I have no idea..."
Fujiko chuckled. "Buu-san! You have to wait a while. The toy hasn't even been made yet."
"Right." Mr. Satan remembered - sort of - the events from ten years ago. But he didn't want to have to explain what the actual dragonballs were to anyone. Too risky. The world was a strange enough place without everyone on Earth hunting for magical wish-granting artifacts. "We're still designing it, remember?" He said encouragingly, hoping that Buu would take the hint and go along with this. "The toy?"
Because his eyes were perpetually scrunched closed, Buu couldn't really stare at anyone. Still. He was very good at giving the impression that he was staring at people. So Buu stared blankly at Mr. Satan for a few moments. "No."
"Ah. Well, we have been very busy lately." Mr. Satan smiled at Fujiko to hide his nervousness. "Haven't had much time to work on..."
"Not a toy." Buu stated flatly. "That's not what Pan said."
"Aha-ha... Kids these days." Mr. Satan mumbled.
"You want dragonballs?" The voice was soft but had a desperate, sinister edge to it. Bulma was awake and had quietly - somehow - managed to dismantle one set of handcuffs. "I know where the dragonballs are."
"Blue." Marron announced, circling with padded steps. She paused to survey Gokus hands from every possible angle then nodded and stepped back. "Blue. Definitely."
"Ah... You really don't have to..." Goku couldn't have backed away any further without going through a wall.
Marron didn't seem to hear him. She plucked a bottle of something light blue from a large plastic cosmetic case. She held the bottle up and inspected it critically then glanced in Gokus direction and shook her head. Marron spent the next minute repeating this process, with at least fifteen different shades of blue.
"We'll be out in a few." said Android 18 as she walked down the corridor of the Kame House, gently tugging the curlers out of her hair.
"Uhm. Why don't I leave now?" Goku was edging towards the door. "And both of you can catch up to me?"
"What, you can't sit still for five minutes?" Android 18 shook her head, a tangle of short blond curls taking shape around her face. "Why even bother to come out here if you're in such a hurry? You could have just phoned."
"It won't take us long to get changed." Kuririn agreed, holding the bedroom door open for his wife. "You might as well wait for us."
"Then... I'll wait outside... Okay?"
Goku turned, intending to tear out of the house but Marron was standing there, right in his way. She held up a dark blue bottle and smiled. "Perfect." Marron seized one of his wrists and moved towards the living room. Towards a low table covered in small metal tools. Marron picked up what appeared to be a miniature saw. "Don't worry Mr. Son." She said cheerfully, "Even your fingernails can be saved."
Something on that low table resembled a needle. It might not even be a needle but from here... Inwardly, Goku cringed. Still - he'd always be taught to be polite. And to run screaming from a friends house probably wouldn't be polite. So Goku took a deep breath and did his absolute best to pretend like he hadn't noticed the possible-needle-thing at all. Instead, with a gesture of mild embarrassment, he retreated a bit and offered the most credible excuse he could think of. "Erm. Thanks. That's very kind but... My wife would never believe..."
Marron tilted her head to one side, her blond ponytails swaying slightly with the motion. "Why not? I do her nails all the time."
A stunned pause. Then Marron exhaled a dramatic sigh - through her mouth since, like her father, she lacked a visible nose. "With all due respect, Mr. Son, it wouldn't kill you to notice these things once in a while." Marron remarked. Content to leave the subject at that, Marron lifted her saw-like tool and frowned intensely at Gokus hands. "Ouch." She muttered with disapproval. "You still do a lot of training, huh? Are most of your ki blasts focused through your fingertips or do you just spend a lot of time punching brick walls?"
"You paint my wifes fingernails?" Goku hadn't been home enough during the past year to notice. And he couldn't quite imagine. ChiChi... Didn't usually wear any sort of makeup. Not as far as Goku knew, anyway. Makeup was impractical and expensive and gaudy, that's what ChiChi had said once. But... That had been at least twenty years ago. Perhaps ChiChis opinion had changed.
"Yea." Marron shrugged, dropping her mini-saw into a pocket and reaching for some other colors. "Like this."
Marron had obviously inherited some aspects of her parents energy. She had her fathers knack for speed and her mothers gift for precision. It was a combination that left Goku with one fingernail painted before he could react. And when he did react, he had to suppress the urge to scream.
"Cute design, huh?" Marron wasn't phased by Gokus less than joyful reaction. "Of course, usually the paint is the last thing. Gotta get the nail clean first - that's the hard part. But the finished design looks a lot better that way."
"... This stuff does come off, right?"
Marron rolled her eyes. "No. Sorry. You're stuck with it forever."
Eight minutes later, Kuririn ventured out of the Kame House and stood on the beach beside his friend. "She was kidding, okay? Teenagers do that sometimes."
Goku scowled in response.
"Would you stop trying to remove the stuff with ki?" Oolong appeared, carrying a first aid kit. "You'll end up taking your own fingers off at this rate."
Goku stared glumly at his single painted fingernail. "It doesn't wash off."
"No - but it'll wear off, if you give it a few days." Kuririn finished buttoning up his dark leather jacket. Then he focused on the phone that Oolong had tucked under one arm. "Was that Roshi?"
The humanoid pig grinned and nodded. "Yup. He's havin' a blast. Details later if you care to hear 'em."
Kuririn shoved his hands into his pockets. "As long as he doesn't provoke anymore lawsuits."
Oolong laughed. "That'll be the day."
"Uhm..." Goku hadn't detected his former sensei at the Kame House, so the news that Master Roshi was elsewhere was no surprise. "What is Roshi up to these days?"
"Don't worry. It's nothing perverted - for once. Master Roshi has a new hobby." Kuririn explained. "He likes to visit history museums now."
"When you're closing on four hundred years old, you're automatically a history expert." Oolong smiled. "Which gives you the right to raise hell if the museums don't present things accurately."
"Oh." Goku wasn't really paying attention. He was eyeing the first aid kit and trying to decide whether or not to cover his hands with bandages. A bandage could hide the painted fingernail. But having just one bandage would seem odd - for Goku - and he knew it. Because Goku generally lived between extremes. He was sort of an all-or-nothing type. So if he was going to convince anyone that he'd actually been hurt enough to warrant any bandages at all, it was going to take more than one bandage. But some of these bandages had patterns on them and... Why couldn't the things be plain? Goku didn't understand it. A bandage was supposed to stop bleeding - not make a fashion statement.
Android 18 stepped out of the Kame House. She was wearing an outfit that matched Kuririns - sleeveless black shirt, blue denim jeans and a dark jacket. For some reason, though, while Kuririn looked casual... 18 looked deadly.
"Ready." 18 muttered, her attitude grim. She had refused to stay at home. The android blueprints being kept at Capsule Corp had never settled well with 18 and so the idea that some unknown person with unknown motives might have taken the blueprints... Had put a rather evil glint into Android 18s eyes. It was going to be messy if she caught up to the criminal before anyone else did. "What else are we looking for?"
"Anything we can find." Goku stood and brushed the sand off his clothes, trying not to draw too much attention to the now half-empty first aid kit at his feet. In the darkness... Perhaps no one saw all the bandages on his hands. Or perhaps everyone simply chose not to make comments to Goku about them. "The gravity chamber is missing, I know that much."
"Great." Kuririn grumbled. "How the heck did that happen?"
"I don't know yet." Goku hovered, preparing to fly west. "Lets get going."
"Try to come back alive." Oolong said with an informal salute. He picked up the remains of the first aid kit and went back indoors.
Android 18 grimaced at Goku. "You're kidding, right? Aren't we going to teleport?"
"She's got a point." said Kuririn. "Time is everything right now - and it takes time to fly to West Capital City from here. It'd probably be morning there before we arrived."
Goku studied his shoes as if he'd find an answer written on them. "Problem is..." He finally admitted. "That I kind of... misplaced... Vegeta in the afterlife. Sooo... I can't exactly latch onto his ki and teleport there. I could try to latch onto the collective energy of every person in the city but... That kind of stuff tends to give me a headache and I'd hate to have all of us reduced to sludge."
A moment of mildly horrified silence to let that mental image sink in.
Android 18 hovered. "Perhaps I'll fly after all."
"You misplaced Vegeta in the afterlife?" Kuririns voice was a blend of wonder and disbelief. "Should I even ask?"
"Don't worry. Vegeta's still alive. Erm. Well. He was when I last saw him, anyway." Goku said hurriedly, "I'm sure that he'll find a way back, if he wants to."
Kuririn glanced up at the constellations of the night as if he half expected the sky to collapse on him. "Guess we'll burn that bridge when we get to it. In the meantime... What about Yamucha? He's still living over in West Capital City - can't you detect him? And what about Trunks? Doesn't Trunks still live in that area?"
"Ah... Hangon." Goku reluctantly turned his attention to the world of energy. Well. His conscious attention. On the subconscious level, his attention never truly left the world of energy. Not anymore. Because Goku had to be constantly aware of his own aura in order to keep it at safe levels. There were days when he still left footprints in asphalt by accident - but he tried to keep such incidents to a minimum.
Once he got past his own ki - not a simple feat, no matter how much practice he'd had - Goku was better able to detect other people. He could detect Kuririn easily right now but only because Kuririn was standing less than two feet away. Android 18 didn't have a detectable ki. Oolong was just a speck of lifeforce inside the Kame House. There was a ki that Goku didn't recognize. It wasn't hostile or monumentally powerful but... Something about this particular energy gave Goku the creeps. He frowned at the Kame House, mildly disturbed - the unfamiliar aura must belong to Marron - and then focused on pushing his awareness outward. Towards West Capital City.
Since Vegeta spent a ridiculous amount of time training, Vegeta was almost constantly powered up. Which had made Vegeta one of the most detectable creatures on the planet. Easy to locate, easy to teleport to. Meanwhile Yamucha had retired from fighting years ago and besides, Yamucha knew how to completely conceal his ki. And Trunks... Hadn't powered up to a detectable level since the day he'd moved out of the family mansion. So Goku honestly didn't expect to get a clear impression for either of their energy signatures.
Of course, Goku also didn't expect to abruptly detect Uub - but poof, there it was. Clear as anything. Uubs energy signature. There could be no mistaking that ki. Goku blinked. What in the world was his student doing in West Capital City? One way to find out... Goku lifted a fist towards his forehead, two fingers extended. The gesture alone signaled that he had found a strong enough ki to attempt teleporting to, so he didn't have to tell Kuririn and Android 18 to stay close. They took the hint. The three of them blurred and vanished soon afterwards.
And then something rather strange happened.
The room felt very crowded all the sudden. Buu could feel the energy go bad. It made him nervous. The blue haired lady was standing there, smirking and talking. She said that she knew where the dragonballs were. But the way she said it... Buu didn't like the way she said it. The blue haired lady thought he was just a stupid pink blob that would take orders from anyone. That's how she talked to him. That's what she was thinking.
Hercule and Videl didn't trust the blue haired lady. Fujiko was tempted to shoot the blue haired lady. Even without all the verbal warnings and hostile body language, Buu could have sensed that much. However the clincher, in this case, was Bee. The dog had always been an excellent judge of character. And right now Bee was crouched, head down and body tense, growling softly from a favorite napping place.
"I don't believe you." Buu finally spoke. "You don't know where the dragonballs are."
Hercule and Videl mentally cheered. Fujiko stood back, willing to let Buu deal with this for now.
Bulma tried to hide her disgust but she couldn't. Even though her voice remained calm, her thoughts were loud. And she thought of herself as such a great genius that even a stupid pink blob should just accept her orders. Because she didn't like to compromise. "I might not know where the dragonballs are right at this precise moment." Bulma explained, her patience wearing thin. "But I can find them very easily. And if you help me..."
"You want the dragonballs too?" Buu inquired.
"If I wanted the dragonballs," Bulma said defensively, "I'd have them."
"Oh." Buu had a flexible skeleton to support his mass. Thus when he cared to, Buu was capable of being a foot taller than anyone. He drew himself up and squinted heavily at the blue haired lady. She was a meanie and he didn't understand why. It was all very confusing. And if this lady didn't want the dragonballs... And if she really was a genius... "Why you need my help then?"
"She doesn't. All the help this lady needs is right here." Mr. Hercule Satan cut in, he was cracking his knuckles. "Buu... If Pan told you about these dragonballs then you should go ask Pan where they are. Maybe she knows."
Videl began to protest. Fujiko nodded approval. And the blue haired lady actually looked vulnerable for a moment. She was far away from home and didn't have any control of the situation and... Some very sad thoughts hung in her mind, behind all the defenses. Buu got the vague feeling that the blue haired woman was extremely worried about something. Maybe that's why she was acting so mean?
Buu leaned close and poked her shoulder. "What?"
The poke was enough to knock Bulma back into the chair that she had formerly been handcuffed to. She clutched her shoulder and hissed. "Hey! What's the big idea? Watch what you're doing - "
"What you so sad about?" Buu interrupted, curious. "What make you so mean?"
Bulmas eyes went wide and her heart skipped a couple beats. She hadn't realized that Buu could detect thoughts as well as auras so she was momentarily stunned. And then her anger returned at full force. "How dare you! That's none of your business, you obese moronic - "
Hercule stepped forward and slapped her. The shock of which caused another short moment of silence. "My friend is neither overweight nor stupid." Mr. Satan eventually stated, outrage lacing his voice. "You owe him an apology."
"And an explanation." Fujiko added, one hand resting the hilt of a standard issue gun. "Buu-san asked you two questions. We would appreciate hearing the answers. Without your immature dramatics this time."
"It's NONE of your business." Bulma repeated quietly.
"Actually, it is." Fujiko countered. "Because you're under arrest. If you don't want to talk here - that's fine. We'll have plenty of time to chat down at the station."
Buu noticed the way that the blue haired womans thoughts changed. She was still angry and mean but... Not as visibly, now. Something inside her was crumbling.
"No." said Bulma "We won't have time to chat. I don't have time at all. Someone is trying to kill me."