Chapter 2: What Friends Are For

Sakura waited for the intense pain, but it never came. Confused (and very much afraid), she slowly lowered her arms.

The creature was right in her face, hovering an inch or so away from her nose. It seemed to be studying her face closely, almost as if it was trying to remember her. She noticed, with some dismay, that it had not gotten rid of the fireball, but had merely put it to the side for the moment.

"Um… hello," she said at last, waving nervously and slowly, so she wouldn't scare it.

The creature tilted its head a bit, then flew closer. The skin that extended from its head to form a long, curious appendage moved slightly, then reached out to brush Sakura's nose.

Sakura held in a scream and tried to look calm (failing miserably all the while).

Finally, the creature backed off a little. "Buu," it said, frowning.

Sakura frowned as well. "Haven't you scared me enough by now?"

The creature blinked, then shook its head. "Buu! BUU!" it said again, waving its arms for emphasis.

"Look, that's just mean!" Sakura said, really starting to dislike the creature.

The creature sighed and pointed to itself. "BUU," it stated firmly.

"Oh. That's…your name?"

"Buu!" it agreed at once, smiling proudly.

"Okay." Sakura wasn't sure what to make of that, but wanting to be polite, pointed at herself. "Sakura."

Buu stared at her, clearly not understanding.

Sakura sighed. "SAA-ku-RAA," she said slowly, stretching it out.

Buu said nothing.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Buu," she said, pointing at him.

He nodded rapidly.

"Sakura," she went on, pointing at herself. "SAA-ku-RAA."

Buu scratched his head.

She groaned. "It means cherry blossom. Can you say cherry?"

"Cherries!" Buu shouted at once, licking his lips.

"No, no, I don't HAVE any; that's what my name means."

Buu deflated, looking very disappointed.

"What's your name mean?"

Buu paused, then beamed. "Buu!" He flew over to the book and shut it, then landed on the cover. "Buu!" he said again, pointing at the M. "Majin Buu!"

"Oh, I get it!" Sakura replied, brightening. She pointed at herself again. "Kinomouto Sakura!"

Buu stared. "Girl?" he said at last.

Sakura sighed in defeat. "Yes," she agreed. "Girl."

"Girl help Buu!"

"Help you with what?"

"Girl help Buu get Cards back!"

"Well…okay. It is my fault they're gone, I guess. But…um…can you get rid of THAT first, please?" Sakura asked, pointing at the huge fireball.

Without a word, Buu gestured slightly, and the fireball went flying out of the window. A second later, a pink explosion lit up the afternoon sky.

"Okay, rule number one. When I say get rid of something, that means to do it QUIETLY, in a way that HALF THE TOWN WON'T NOTICE!"

Buu laughed and hopped on her shoulder. "Girl funny!"

Suddenly, there was a voice from above them.

"Sakura, I'm home!"

Sakura's eyes widened. "Tousan! Buu, you've got to hide!"

The odd appendage on Buu's head waved, and the book he'd come out of floated over to them…and transformed into a thinner book on Tarot cards before it dropped neatly into Sakura's hands.

"H-how did you do that?" Sakura asked in awe.

Instead of answering, Buu turned into a pink bookmark and slid neatly into the pages of book.

Sakura shook her head and quickly ran upstairs. "Did you call me, tousan?" she asked as she spotted her father in the kitchen. "I was in the basement."

An odd light seemed to reflect off her father's glasses. "What's that you have there?"

"This? Oh, it's a book on Tarot cards I found. Could I borrow it for a while?"

Her father stared at the book for a moment. "I don't see why not. Let me know if there's anything you don't understand."

Sakura beamed and hugged him. "Thanks, tousan!"

He smiled and kissed her forehead affectionately. "You're welcome, aijou. Have fun with your book."

"I will!" Sakura called, hurrying off to her room.


There were many things Kero did not like about Lord Frieza.

But none of them was worth mentioning aloud in exchange for his life, so he kept his mouth shut.

So far, the Changeling lord had kept them around purely for entertainment purposes. And that worried Kero, because HE hadn't done any entertaining of any sort, and they'd been there for a whole month. All he'd done was sit on a very comfortable pillow in his very own room.

Something was not right. And he hadn't seen Yukito in a while, either.

Suddenly, the door slid open.

"Let's go, Kero," Zarbon said. "Frieza-sama has summoned you."

Kero flew over and landed on Zarbon's shoulder. "Tell me something. You've worked for him for a while now, right?"

"I have," Zarbon replied, heading to Frieza's chambers.

"So…what exactly does he do to entertain himself?"

"Hmm. There's torture, random destruction, murder. Oh, almost forgot about the sex."

"Oh, the…the SEX!"

Zarbon smirked. "Well, yes. Have you LOOKED at him?"

"What…kind of sex…is he into?" Kero asked, a feeling of dread beginning in his gut.

Zarbon shot him a blank look. "You haven't noticed the way he's always licking his lips when Yukito walks by?"

"I…thought he was just hungry?" Kero asked weakly.

"Well, he was…" Zarbon replied. "But not for food."

Kero sweatdropped. "Geez, this is bad."

"Not really. As long as Yukito entertains him, you stay alive. I'd say it's good for you…and even better for Yukito."

"What!"

"Nothing. Here we are." Zarbon knocked on the door, even as it slid open. "Frieza-sama, I've brought…" Zarbon's cultured tongue froze in his mouth at the sight before him. Kero nearly fell off his shoulder.

Frieza sat on the floor, working on a painting. He was quite nude, but it was nothing (unfortunately) both Zarbon and Kero hadn't seen before.

Perched on the bed, obviously the subject of Frieza's painting, was a tall, slender angel with his wings outstretched.

"Yue…!" Kero breathed in shock.

Yue glanced at him. "Be silent, Keroberos. The Master…is painting."

"The…Master! Yue…you…this isn't…"

"Something the matter, Kero-chan?" Frieza asked, sounding amused.

"I…I…no, Frieza-sama…"

"Good." He put down his paintbrush. "Tell me what you think of my work. Have I captured the true essence of masculinity that is the breathtaking Yue?"

Kero flew to Frieza's shoulder…and instantly wished he hadn't.

Frieza was indeed a talented artist. He seemed mainly interested in a certain part of Yue's anatomy. Because it took up the entire painting. And, much to Kero's horror, it had WINGS.

"Well, Kero-chan?"

Kero shuddered. "Magnificent, Frieza-sama."

"You think so, too?" Frieza chuckled. "Seriously, though, I meant the painting, not him."

Kero closed his eyes. "May I be excused, Frieza-sama? I'm not sure my stomach can handle all this…greatness…"

"I hope you're feeling better tomorrow, Kero," Frieza said, patting his head. "You see, Yue's told me all about his transformation…and yours. And I would very much like to paint your true form as well."

"Yes, Frieza-sama," Kero replied, glaring at the other Guardian. "That sounds…lovely…"

"Doesn't it?" Frieza smiled and admired Yue again. "I'm SO glad I kept you two around."


"And that's the whole story," Sakura sighed. "What do you think I should do, Tomoyo-chan?"

In desperation, Sakura had turned to her best friend for answers. Daidouji Tomoyo was very observant, and as a result, she was almost always the best person to get advice from, as far as Sakura was concerned. Of course, up until now, all of Sakura's problems had been relatively normal, and therefore were within Tomoyo's ability to advise upon. This latest one, however, was something totally different.

Tomoyo didn't answer for a long time, instead feeding Buu another piece of chocolate and watching him gobble it down. Finally, she turned to her friend.

"I have no idea."

Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan, that doesn't really help at all…"

"I'm sorry, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo apologized, patting her hand gently. "But you'll have to forgive me for being stumped when you tell me that you have an alien for a pet."

"I didn't ask for this!" Sakura whined. "He just…I don't know…came at me. Sort of."

"I guess you'll have to keep him in your room. I can understand why he'd want his cards back, but honestly, it sounds a little dangerous for you. On the other hand, you probably can't tell too many people about this, either."

"I don't think I have a choice, Tomoyo-chan. Buu says these cards of his can be really destructive if they're not handled right. I'm sure he would help me; after all, he can't really expect a normal girl like me to fight aliens by myself, can he?"

"You never know. Maybe they do it all the time where he's from. I'd feel better if you had some sort of professional helping, but I guess that's out of the question. I'll just have to go with you, then."

Sakura's eyes widened. "What? Tomoyo-chan, I can't let you do that! What if you get hurt?"

"What if YOU get hurt?" Tomoyo countered.

"Um…well…I…don't know," Sakura admitted slowly.

"Safety in numbers, Sakura-chan. And since we can't tell anyone, three is about the best we can hope for."

"Oh…but…" Sakura was at a complete loss. She didn't like the thought of Tomoyo being in danger, too, but at the same time, she didn't think she was up to the task herself, with or without Buu's help.

"We'll both just have to be careful," Tomoyo said. "Anyway, it's in Buu's best interest to protect us. No one else would believe him, would they?" She said this last part quite loudly, and sure enough, Buu stopped eating and looked up at them.

"Girls help Buu get Cards, Buu guard girls," Buu agreed, nodding his head rapidly.

"There, you see?" Tomoyo asked. "This'll all work out fine, Sakura-chan."

"I hope so," Sakura murmured, wringing her hands nervously.

"Great!" Tomoyo stood up and vanished into her walk-in closet. "Now, the first thing we'll need is some proper attire…"

"Oh! You mean like protective, camouflaged gear?" Sakura asked excitedly. Her face instantly fell as Tomoyo emerged with a black catsuit, complete with kitty ears and a tail. It would probably provide some cover at night, but didn't look very durable at all. "Tomoyo-chan, don't you have anything else?"

"You don't like it?" Tomoyo asked, pouting a bit. "I made it JUST for YOU, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura laughed nervously. "But, um, I'm going to be fighting aliens, Tomoyo-chan. Don't you think there's a good chance it'll at least get dirty, or even worse, ripped to shreds?"

There were times when Tomoyo acted just a bit odd, and this was apparently one of them, because for an instant, Sakura actually thought she saw her best friend drooling a bit, for some unknown reason.

"Oh, I highly doubt it," Tomoyo replied quickly. "We've got Buu, remember? But if you're really worried…"

"Yes! I knew you had more!" Sakura said eagerly.

"You could always wear this French maid outfit over it."

Sakura sweatdropped. "Tomoyo-chan, you can't be serious!"

"I never joke about fashion, Sakura-chan. Now are you going to put these on, or do you need some help?"

Sakura wanted to protest some more, but she realized a few things. There was no talking Tomoyo out of something once she'd set her mind to it. There was no time to delay, since Buu's cards could be up to no good already. And there was NO way Sakura was going to be able to figure out how to put on even one of these costumes, much less both. For some reason, many of Tomoyo's outfits consisted of buckles and flaps, seemingly designed so that you couldn't get them on without help.

Fortunately, Tomoyo was ALWAYS glad to help.

"I need some help," Sakura sighed, resigning herself to her fate as she accepted the costumes.

Tomoyo's eyes seemed to shine. "I'll be with you in a minute. You remember where the full-length mirror is?" she asked, gesturing to the closet.

"Which one?" Sakura asked absently as she vanished inside. "You've got six of them…"

"Oh, the better to see you with from all angles, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo laughed merrily.

Buu had watched the proceedings with a critical eye, and now came to a rather final decision.

"Girl evil."

Tomoyo glared at him for a moment, before her face lit up with a delighted, innocent smile as she went into the closet. "Oh, no, no, Sakura-chan! You'll have to take ALL that off before you put anything else on!"

"What, AGAIN? How come your clothes are never made with underwear in mind!"

Buu nodded to himself. "Girl evil," he said again, a hint of approval in his tone.


Next Chapter: Buu's Beautiful Tattoo

Two inhuman engines of destruction roam the land in search of the Majin Book. Meanwhile, in her first attempt at capturing a Card, Sakura begins to wonder if she's fighting for the right side.