This originally was intended to be the opening scene of my "The Summoning" chapter, but after writing this and realizing it's almost 1,500 words in itself, and considering how I haven't updated in a week, I decided to post this now, as a sort of precursor to my next chapter.
While I still have your attention, I'd also like to make a slight disclaimer. I don't own Dr. Seuss. Although I don't mean for the rhymes to happen, there are just some words that rhyme with "Buu" that I really can't help writing too. X) Yes, that rhyme is intended. All the others are not, lol.
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CHAPTER 45:
The Race to Find the Saiyan
He growled and frowned slightly, "Just look at 'em, Buu! Just like lambs to a slaughter!" Feeling a trembling sensation return to his limbs, he ducked back behind the car and glanced back and forth to make sure nobody could see him.
Hercule wrapped his thick arms around himself and shivered more from fear than the coming chill. "Ah jus' can't believe it! They're bringin' on another load for the people movin' to the new planet." He slammed his fists against the car tire, "Ah can't believe only the strongest on the planet can go!" He turned to Buu, "What does he wanna do? Play a game of Darw'n with these people!"
Hercule stood up angrily and raised his fists, "Well, Ah'm not gonna let 'im control the fate of mankind anymore! Ah'm gonna teach him what's it's like to mess with the Champion of the W–ahh!"
A loud BONK to Hercule's head caused him to crash down into the street cement. "No!" Buu shook his head, and continued in a happy carefree voice, "Mr. Satan not fight! Not yet!"
"Well what are we gonna do, Buu! These people don' realize that the world is gonna explode in three months!"
The pink Majin smiled and chimed, "Buu and Mr. Satan wait for Green Man!"
"But Ah dunno where Piccolo is!" Hercule shook his head, "Ah dunno if he's dead, or alive, or what happn'd ta Panny er what!" The balding man sighed heavily, "It's terrible, Buu! Ah dunno what ta do or how ta fin' her or where to begin lookin' fer h–"
"–Shhhhhh" A gloved hand silenced Hercule as Buu leaned down more, "Someone here!"
Several footsteps made their way to the car and stopped.
There was a long pause, the only sounds being the crowd down the street and Hercule's muffled breathing.
The silence was thick and lasted another moment. Hercule began to wonder if he had been imagining the footsteps in the first place. A cold deep voice spoke out which stopped his thoughts in their tracks.
"I could have sworn I felt his ki, too."
The bone-chilling emotionless voice scared the wits out of Hercule. He felt his stomach clench up and his eyes go wide with panic. Not even the comfort of being pressed against his bodyguard, Buu's, body, made him feel any more comfort. Just hearing the voices of Baby's companions drained all life from him.
A lighter, somewhat more musical voice responded just as coldly, "He could not have gone far."
"He should not have been here at all!" The word reverberated against the buildings several times in its heated anger. "We should have killed him first-thing when we discovered he was still untouched."
"It was not Lord Baby's orders."
There was a pause as Hercule felt himself gulp and tried to breathe deeply and silently to slow down his racing heartbeat. The voices were too close for comfort. They were barely even two meters away.
The lighter voice continued on, after the pause, in a somewhat inflected tone, "Speaking of orders," there was a pause, "Whatever happened to the order he gave you?"
"It's in progress."
"Gohan," the voice lowered, "I heard Lord Baby is not pleased with you."
"What makes you say that?"
An airplane passed overhead, shaking the ground with its rumble as it passed on. Hercule could feel beads of sweat forming on his face. He could not help but feel a tinge of curiosity as to the order. He leaned his head a bit to hear the conversation more clearly, making sure to keep his curls out of sight.
"He gave you those orders half a year ago. That Saiyan should have been dead by now."
The deeper voice growled, "She's been masking her ki!"
"That is no excuse." The lighter voice became sharp and angry, "You know that you can find someone even if they mask their ki. She's most likely been training with the Namek." The lighter voice scoffed, "Why haven't you been looking for the evidence?"
There was another pause.
The light voice continued in a low tone, somewhat scratchy as if displaying a great deal of menace, "Or is it that you are… holding back?" There was a pause, "You don't still feel for the brat, do you? Lord Baby might not be pleased."
"Shut up!" The deeper voice raised in pitch as if its speaker were engulfed in fury, "You know I only live to serve Lord Baby! There is no other thought in my mind," pause, "Save, perhaps, how I would love to kill you right now for believing I'd deceive my master!"
"Heheheheh…" The cackle was cold and heartless, "Spoken like a true Tuffle."
There was a brief pause. "But you are right. I've spent too much time waiting for the rat to come out of the hole." An angry hiss followed, "And I have a hunch I know where Piccolo may have taken her."
A slight cackle emerged from the lighter voice, "Why don't you use tomorrow's launching date to seek her out? When she hears that we're all heading to Tuffle for the weekend, she might… forget… to shield her power, since she'll believe no one will be able to sense her."
"That will not work. She has neither a radio nor a T.V. where Piccolo has taken her."
Hercule's eyebrows knotted down as he adjusted himself against the tire wheel. His mind was spinning, wondering how his son-in-law would have any idea where Pan could be.
The lower voice became darker as it continued in a monotone, devoid of all emotion, "But come tomorrow night, she will be terminated." The voice suddenly became slightly more colorful, as if the Tuffle possessing Gohan were smiling for the first time in months, "Lord Baby will enjoy hearing the news as a welcome-home present, don't you think?"
The lighter voice laughed darkly, and suddenly footsteps began again, walking away from the car. Heavier footsteps began to follow them with a once again monotonous tone, "It's just a shame you lost track of Mr. Satan's ki. Next time, Goten, try not to be so careless."
When the footsteps were gone and Hercule found the ability to breathe again, he clutched Majin Buu's arm as if it were the last real solid thing in the world. His mind was spinning, his heart was racing, and his entire body felt faint.
"Buu… Buu! We gotta warn Pan!" Hercule shook his head as if trying to deny the horrible fate that was going to happen to his granddaughter. "They seem serious this time aroun'! Buu! Buu, what are we gonna do!"
"Buu help Mr. Satan find Pan! Buu find Pan and mean Green Man too!" Buu stood up and patted Hercule on the shoulder, "Don't worry, Mr. Satan, Buu can sense power levels if there is a battle, but Buu will try to find Pan before the battle." He smiled happily with his eyes squeezed tight and his voice high and cheerful, "Mr. Satan can warn Pan! Buu help Mr. Satan!"
"Awww, thanks Buu," Hercule hugged him tightly, sniffling loudly, "Ah dun' know what Ah'd do without ye…"
For the most uncountable time, Buu turned Hercule into chocolate and stored the World Champion safely away in his body as he shape-shifted his body to look like an ordinary, yet pink, man. There never seemed to be a problem for Buu morphing into different shapes. Nobody ever recognized him in either case.
Buu wandered out of the city and then took to the side roads leading toward the forests. Although Buu could not fly, he could at least get a head start looking for training evidence on rural terrain. There was one thing both Hercule and Buu knew for certain: Pan was keeping herself as far away from West City as possible. Perhaps it would be best to start searching on the other side of the world.
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-2/6/05-
