Chapter 5: Little Girls, Big Trouble

"Give me the Dragonballs, and I may decide to let you live."

Kero wished he were anywhere but perched on Frieza's shoulder as the Changeling delivered the ultimatum to the Nameks. From what little he'd seen, the green people were fairly peaceful, modest, but proud. More than likely, they wouldn't like being told to give up their national treasure.

One of the elder Nameks stepped forward, his skin a dull green and extra wrinkly. "You will not find what you seek here, monster. Leave our planet at once."

"Oh, dear," Frieza murmured, smiling. "I think we have a little situation. Yue, show them how we handle those."

Kero wasn't sure what he expected Yue to do. But his eyes widened in alarm as Yue stretched out his hand, forming a giant crystal.

The elderly Namek looked somewhat impressed, but did not move otherwise.

Yue stared coldly at him. "If you are not with Lord Frieza," he said quietly, "then you are not...anything at all."

The elder Namek didn't even have time to scream as hundreds of crystal shards pierced his body in an instant. He slumped lifelessly to the ground amidst the horrified cries of his people.

"Suddenly, I'm bored," Frieza sighed. "Yue, amuse me."

"Yes, Sire." Yue turned on the rest of the Nameks, who shrank back in fear. "Consider yourselves fortunate. You will die for the amusement of Lord Frieza. I encourage you to scream."

Kero shut his eyes tightly and covered his ears, but that just seemed to make the dying screams even louder...


"Why do I have to do it?" Touya had asked upon hearing the request. "Shouldn't you be the one?"

"Perhaps," his father had replied. "Your sister needs both of us, Touya. She is afraid. Now, more than ever, she needs your guidance and support. I am only her father. You are the one she looks up to."

It was pure, sappy, emotional garbage, and Touya knew it, but it sounded so convincing when his father said it (as did everything else), and he found himself agreeing (as he invariably did).

That was why, roughly an hour later, he was walking along the beach with Sakura, trying to think of what he would say and do. Usually his best thoughts came to him when he walked along the shoreline at night, but this time, his mind was blank. Perhaps he'd been looking forward to Sakura being in on the family secret for so long that he hadn't consciously made any effort to prepare either of them for it.

Sakura didn't seem to mind the silence, though. Either she was just happy to be at the beach, or she was happy to be at the beach with him, or she was just happy, period.

"You know why we're here?" he asked abruptly.

His sister paused and turned to look up at him. "No..." she admitted.

Touya sighed. "I'm supposed to tell you...things. About you. Us. Uh, the family. And-"

"Can I see your wings?" Sakura blurted out.

He blinked. "Sure...I mean, NO," he corrected himself, trying to sound firm. "Stop interrupting me, and then we'll see."

Sakura pouted cutely, but he largely ignored that.

"Now, first of all, let's see if you have any wings."

She looked stumped. "But I don't know how to-"

"Lift up your shirt."

Her face turned bright red. "Niichan!" she cried in shock.

Touya rolled his eyes. "Turn around, and THEN lift up your shirt."

"Oh...okay," Sakura said slowly, turning and exposing her back.

Shaking his head, Touya knelt behind her, yanking her shirt up a little higher so he could see properly, and earning an indignant squeal of protest. "Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

Neither of them said anything for several moments.

"Well?" Sakura asked when she thought she'd waited long enough.

"Hold on," Touya muttered, lifting his hand and tracing a path along her spine.

Sakura wiggled away from him. "Niichan, that tickles!"

"You've got room for them," Touya said, pulling her shirt back down, "but we won't know for sure unless they come in. You shouldn't wear anything you're really fond of for the next few days, unless you want two big holes in it."

"What about a tail?" Sakura asked.

"I'm not checking for that," Touya replied at once, his face practically glowing red.

"No, I mean...do you think I'll get one?"

"Maybe. I don't have one, but I take after Mom, so-"

"Do you think she'll be disappointed?" Sakura asked softly, her voice trembling.

Touya stared down at her. "Why would she be?"

"You know. That I'm not like her? And you?"

"Oh, that. Nah, she wouldn't care." He waited until her face lit up to add, "Even though you are a dingbat."

Sakura let out a frustrated shriek and flung herself at him, but Touya easily held her back with a hand on her forehead, yawning all the while.

"Now THIS would disappoint anyone," he sighed, once she gave up.

Sakura stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyway, once you manage a more complete transformation, we'll worry about teaching you to hide your true form. That part's easy."

"Can I see your wings now?" Sakura pleaded.

"Yeah, okay. Stand back, unless you want to get hit. On second thought, stay where you are."

Sakura glared at him and backed up a few feet.

Touya took a deep, cleansing breath, closed his eyes, and summoned his most powerful experience, as his mother had taught him to. He could still see it so clearly: only taking his eyes off of his baby sister for a few minutes, the horror at finding she had somehow climbed the tallest tree in the yard, the way his heart skipped a beat as she slipped from the branch. Though he clearly remembered the pair of sharp pains in his back and the sound of his flesh ripping itself apart, there was no pain now. Even so, he could feel his eyes dampening as he saw himself cradling Sakura close, promising that he would never let her fall again. As if she'd understood, she'd patted his cheeks with her chubby hands and given him a very wet kiss on the nose.

He heard Sakura gasp, and opened his eyes to find her staring at him, her mouth wide open even as a cyclone of silky, white feathers danced around them. Touya reached over and gently shut her mouth before any feathers could find their way in.

"Niichan," Sakura breathed, clasping her hands together, "you really are an angel!"

Suddenly self-conscious, Touya folded his six wings neatly behind his back. "Let's go, it's getting late."

Sakura carefully caught a feather from the air, holding it before her face. "Can I keep it?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah, whatever," Touya muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "But don't think I'm going to want any of your...whatever you have."

She caught his arm as he started to walk away. "I told Tomoyo about us."

"Huh," Touya said, not really excited or upset about it. "How'd she take it?"

"Pretty good. She's designing a whole new line for my tail alone. If I get one, I mean."

"Great." He glanced down at her curiously as they walked. "You into boys yet?"

Sakura blushed and avoided his piercing gaze. "Why?"

"Just asking," he said calmly. "They're all pigs, you know."

"Even you?"

Touya snorted. "Especially me."

"So, what? I should be into girls?" Sakura asked jokingly.

He almost started to answer. Then he thought of what Tomoyo would do to him if she ever found out that he'd been the one that turned Sakura off of the idea of being with another girl.

"Eh, just keep an open mind," Touya muttered at last.

Sakura gave him an odd look. "What's that mean, niichan?"

"Exactly what I said, dingbat," he replied, chuckling as she smacked his arm.


"Mother, I need to talk to you."

Daidouji Sonomi looked up from her work as her daughter stepped into her office. Without hesitation, she slid her papers to the side, since Tomoyo knew better than to interrupt unless she had a real problem. "What is it?"

"It's about Sakura," Tomoyo sighed, sitting in a chair in front of her mother's desk.

"She finally told you?" Sonomi asked.

Tomoyo blinked. "Told me?"

"That she was a half-demon?"

Tomoyo nearly fell out of her chair. "How did you...?"

"Oh, come now, dear," Sonomi laughed. "As close as Nadeshiko and I were, did you really think I wouldn't know what she was? I was not without my own secrets, after all. We had that in common, and I suppose it's why we got along so well."

"But...wait, what secret?" Tomoyo asked.

"It's easier to show you, not to mention more fun." Sonomi tapped the intercom on her desk. "Clifford, could you come in here, please?"

"What does the new butler have to do with this?"

"You'll see."

Clifford, a tall, thin, balding man hurried in a moment later. "What can I do for you, ladies?"

Sonomi smiled pleasantly at him. "Drop your pants and dance for us, Clifford."

The man stared at her in complete disbelief. "Ah...excuse me?"

"Mother, you can't possibly expect-" Tomoyo began, but Sonomi waved her into silence.

"Clifford," Sonomi said softly, her eyes taking on a red glow, "wouldn't it be nice if you were to drop your pants and dance for me?"

Tomoyo gasped as Clifford practically ripped off his belt, his pants falling around his ankles. She had to cover her eyes when he began to shuffle back and forth to a beat only he could hear, though.

Sonomi watched for a few moments before speaking again. "That was very nice of you, Clifford. Now, I suspect it would be a very good idea if you pulled up your pants, went to the nearest bathroom, and straightened up a bit."

At once, Clifford yanked up his pants and stumbled out of the room.

"Mother...what was that?" Tomoyo whispered.

"Words can be powerful, dear," Sonomi answered. "Especially when you've got a bit of succubus blood in the family. Not enough to always get results, mind you. But enough that asking nicely is often all you need to get a bit of fun now and then."

"Are you saying that I could...?"

"Oh, yes. Only, remember to form your desires as polite suggestions. And if you're thinking of trying this out on Sakura, I'd have to advise against it. She's probably resistant to your charms, and if she found out what you were up to, she might take it the wrong way."

Tomoyo pouted. "But what's the point if I can't use it on her?" she whined.

"I know, dear," Sonomi said sympathetically. "That's the worst thing about true love. You have to play by its rules."


Syaoran was a quiet person by nature. He did not normally speak unless he had something important to say. Today, though, he was a bit too quiet. Something was bothering him, and there was only one way to find out what.

"What is it, Syaoran?" Meiling asked, touching his shoulder. "I know you're upset."

Syaoran blinked and looked at her. "Oh?"

Meiling smiled and slid closer to him on the bench, patting his knee. "I know you, Syaoran. Tell me."

"I'm thinking...I am a fool."

"And why is that?"

He scowled and looked at the ground. "That...boy. He treated us like children. We, the descendants of the great and powerful Clow Reed, imprisoned and humiliated like common filth!"

"Is that all?" she asked patiently.

"No. I have the strangest feeling...that he tricked us."

"Tricked us how?"

"I was certain that I sensed the magic of the Majin Book in Tomoeda."

"But we looked. You didn't sense it anymore, right?" Meiling asked. "So maybe it's only near Tomoeda, and not actually in it. Or maybe it was moved."

"Perhaps the Book was no longer being used. It might be that the current owner sensed our approach."

"Well, we won't know where to go until you sense it again. I mean, it's the Majin Book, after all. Once it's been used, what are the chances it won't be used again soon? It attracts magical beings."

"Our efforts were blocked by a magical being, Meiling. One who happens to live in the same place where I first sensed the Book. Don't you think that's a bit too convenient?"

"Yes, but what can we do? He's not stronger than us, but he is clever. He'd just outsmart us again if we went back."

"Maybe I should go back alone. That way, he couldn't use you against me, and he said he wouldn't possess me because of my magic."

"No," Meiling said firmly. "We're a team, Syaoran. You promised. We do these things together, no matter what."

"And if this is our only chance to ever obtain the Book?"

"We'll just stay here until you sense the Book again. It shouldn't be long now."

Syaoran sighed. "Fine."

"Of course, maybe we could speed things along..." Meiling added, grinning at him.

He smiled darkly in approval. "It has been a while since you've done that, hasn't it?"

Meiling raised her left hand high into the air and formed a fist. Her lips twisting into a snarl, she plunged her fist into the ground, shouting, "Divine Fist Ouka!"

The earth practically split in half around the center of impact; a huge, jagged fissure opened up before the cousins, racing straight for Tomoeda.

"Well done, Meiling," Syaoran remarked.

Meiling beamed at her cousin as she brushed the dirt from her knuckles. "Thank you, Syaoran."


"What do you think, Buu? Can you fix it?"

Buu stared critically at the mess that had once been the ice cream parlor where Touya worked. Construction wasn't really his thing, but he could get by if he had to, and this was apparently one of those times.

"Buu fix," he decided at last, stretching his arms to get ready.

Sakura delightedly clapped her hands. "Really? That's great! Which cards do you need?" She began to open the Majin Book.

"No Card," Buu interrupted. "This one all Buu!"

"Oh? If you say so," Sakura said, closing the Book.

Buu narrowed his eyes and aimed his forelock at the debris. Pink lightning flew from his head and surrounded the mess, swirling it up into a pink tornado.

"Buu, you do remember that we're creating, not destroying?" Sakura shouted over the roar of the powerful winds.

Buu didn't answer as the tornado lifted from the ground, neatly turned upside down in mid-air, and settled gently back on the ground. At once, the winds died down, and Buu laughed to celebrate his latest creation.

Sakura stared at the newly constructed ice cream parlor. Looking at the building certainly made her think about ice cream, at least. But then, no one else would make the connection that the enormous, pink, pudgy, smiling face was actually Buu's head. They'd probably just think it was the top of a giant, swirled strawberry ice cream cone.

"Um...good work, Buu," Sakura said at last, forcing a smile. "I'm sure everyone will love it. Now Touya can get his job back!"

"And Buu get ice cream!" Buu cheered.

"I know I promised that, Buu, but you have to wait until the people come back to..." Sakura trailed off, frowning. "Do you hear something?"

Buu did indeed hear a certain rumbling, and looked down at his stomach suspiciously.

Sakura was still trying to figure out where the sound was coming from when the ground suddenly split apart under her feet. She gasped in shock as she started to fall into the gaping fissure that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Fortunately, Buu reacted faster, and grabbed the back of Sakura's shirt before she could disappear into the fissure. Though she was easily still at least twice his size, he had no trouble holding her weight.

"What is that?" Sakura asked, her voice trembling as Buu hovered a few feet above the ground.

"Bad magic," Buu replied, scowling.

"One of your cards?"

"No Card. Bad magic," Buu insisted.

"Okay, but...what do we do about it?"

"Buu fix. But Buu need more power first. Buu need more Cards for more power."

"How many more cards?" Sakura questioned, dreading the answer already.

"Two," Buu answered. "But Buu only sense one Card nearby. Card fight like two, though."

"Wonderful," Sakura sighed. "Lead the way, I guess." She pulled out her cell phone and quickly dialed home. "Niichan? I need your help with…what? Oh, you are NOT busy! You don't even have a job anymore! I'm trying to save the town here, and I can't do it by myself!"


Armed with the knowledge that she possessed some magic, Tomoyo was all too eager to test out her power of persuasion. Rather than set out with a target in mind, however, she decided to challenge herself with the first person that passed by her house.

This turned out to actually be two people: a boy and girl that looked remarkably alike, skipping along hand in hand.

Certain that she could at least get the boy's attention, Tomoyo quickly threw herself to the ground, as if she'd fallen and landed wrong on her ankle. Within moments, the twins came upon her.

"Oh, dear! I seem to fallen and twisted my ankle!" Tomoyo moaned. She turned her most distressing gaze on the two. "Won't you please help me?"

At once, the boy and girl rushed to her aid, picking her up and gently brushing off her clothes. Their hands seemed to wander and linger quite a bit, and Tomoyo knew she'd had her first success with her powers. She was so pleased, and enjoying the attention so much, that it didn't occur to her to stop them for some time.

Tomoyo was just wondering what she should do with them when she spotted Sakura heading straight for her, a panicked look on her face and Buu flying just over her left shoulder.

"Be careful, Tomoyo!" Sakura cried. "They're not people, they're more of Buu's cards!"

Tomoyo took another look at the pair. Since she hadn't made another suggestion yet, they were just standing there, eagerly awaiting her next order. "Could you maybe play dead for me?" she asked, batting her eyelashes for good measure.

Instantly, the twins dropped lifelessly to the ground.

"This is kinda fun," Tomoyo murmured just before Sakura ran up.

"Are you okay, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked, hugging her best friend tightly.

"Just fine," Tomoyo replied, patting Sakura's cheek absently. "I don't think they wanted to hurt me."

"Oh? That's a relief." Sakura stared uncertainly at the pair. "How come they're just lying there?"

"Maybe they're tired?"

Buu eyed Tomoyo suspiciously, but said nothing.

"I guess you can just grab them, Buu," Sakura said.

Buu was just about to do so when a huge hand came out of nowhere and snatched up the twins.

Tomoyo gasped as a giant shadow fell over them, and looked up to find an enormous woman staring down at them.

"More Cards!" Buu shouted excitedly. "Three now!"

"Three? I only see two! You said those two were only one!" Sakura protested.

"Shouldn't we be running or fighting?" Tomoyo suggested, tugging hard on Sakura's arm.

"Oh, right. Buu, do you think you could do what you did before to me? But this time, make sure Tomoyo's safe, okay?"

Buu nodded. "Buu help! Buu keep girl safe!" He grabbed the back of Tomoyo's shirt and dragged her off, aiming his forelock as he went.

Sakura seemed ready for the pink bolt of lightning, and it didn't seem to hurt nearly as much as it had last time. Tomoyo was starting to hope that this time around might be easier on her friend overall.

At least, until she noticed that Sakura's feet, which had always been perfectly normal, were rapidly swelling, to the point where they tore her shoes to bits. Sakura didn't seem to mind all that much, as she was clearly preoccupied by the alarming amount of dark red fur that had covered her legs in the space of a few seconds.

Unfortunately, she was a little too preoccupied, because when the giant woman took another swipe at her, Sakura was still looking down.

Normally, Buu would've yanked Sakura out of the way…except, she'd asked him to keep Tomoyo safe, and in his mind, that was an order from his Master. Not that Buu was a stickler for the old rules, but in this particular case, he saw no reason to bite the hand that fed him. Anyway, Sakura had promised him ice cream, and Buu didn't want to do anything that might make her go back on her word. She didn't seem to be the deceitful type, but Buu had been fooled out of treats before.

So all the warning Sakura got was Tomoyo screaming, "MOVE!"

Even if Sakura's ears didn't hear Tomoyo in time, her new legs and feet did, apparently. Completely of their own volition, they tensed and propelled Sakura up into the air like a rocket, easily avoiding the giant's hand. Tomoyo had not been specific, however, and so Sakura didn't actually stop traveling upward until she'd cleared the giant woman's head.

Sakura was not as happy about this as one might've suspected. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the idea that she now had more hair on her legs than Touya probably did on his entire body. For the moment, she was pointedly ignoring the fact that her feet had tripled in size. She had to draw the line somewhere, after all. But it was around this time that she also became aware that she was really high up, with nothing beneath her, save for some monstrous additions to her body and way too much space.

There was really only one word that could sum up her current mood.

"AAAAAHHHGETMEDOWNGETMEDOWNPLEEEEEASE!"

Again, the feet were listening, because seconds later, Sakura was back on the ground, her hands clamped tightly over her eyes.

The giant woman, not quite sure what to make of all this, merely stared at Sakura for several long moments. Growing bored, she shrugged and raised her hand to take another swing. This time she connected, and Sakura went tumbling ungracefully down the street, her legs and feet returning to their normal state as she came to a stop.

"Ow…" Sakura moaned, slowly getting up. "Doing the right thing never used to hurt this much…"

A hand came down on her head. "You get in a magic fight, and the only thing you can think to do is take off your socks and shoes? You're going to make a lousy Majin Book holder, dingbat."

Sakura scowled and kicked Touya in the shin. "Where were you!"

"Hey, don't get mad at me. I'm doing you a favor. One day, you'll have to start taking care of things like this by yourself."

"Well, that day isn't today, so help me!" Sakura demanded. "Buu said there were three cards, and I haven't even learned all their names yet!"

Touya stared up at the giant woman. "This is just a guess, but I'd say one of them is definitely The Big. And it looks like she's holding The Twin. But that's only two…so where's the third?"

"I don't know! I'm having enough trouble fighting the one! I can't get my power to do what I want!"

"Oh, really? You're still not in control, then." Without warning, Touya aimed a kick at Sakura's bottom. Inches away from his target, something curled around his leg and yanked him off of his feet.

Sakura wasn't sure what surprised her more: that Touya was suddenly upside down, or that the reason for that was the long, thin, almost neon pink tail extending from her rear.

"Just like I thought," Touya sighed. "Your powers are reaction-based for now, so you can't consciously control them. Whenever your body decides you're in danger, it chooses whatever power it finds the most helpful at the moment. In other words, you might not be able to do anything until you get hurt."

"No problem there," Sakura muttered. "I can get hurt just fine. But what am I supposed to do with a tail?"

"Try thinking about what you want it to do. You can't choose your powers, but once they're activated, you should have some degree of control."

Sakura would've liked some time to test that theory, but she noticed that the giant woman was preparing for another attack. She conveniently forgot that her tail was still wrapped around Touya's leg, and the next thing she knew, her brother was flying through the air, where he landed neatly in the giant woman's free hand. "Oops…"

"Nice one, dingbat!" Touya shouted angrily.

"At least she can't hit me anymore," Sakura reasoned. She was almost pleased…until the giant woman raised a colossal foot high into the air. "Oh no…um…uh…BUU! I need you!"

Buu instantly appeared at her side. "Girl want Buu?"

"If you have any ideas about how to stop her, I'd really appreciate them right now!"

Sakura's attention was entirely on The Big, so she didn't see Buu's stomach expanding until it was nearly as big as she was. She did, however, feel something bump her from behind, but before Sakura got a chance to turn around, she had vanished into Buu's belly.


Syaoran's head jerked up, his eyes taking on a red glow. "Meiling! I sense a huge amount of Majin Magic!"

"You've found the Book?" Meiling asked at once.

He slowly shook his head, smiling darkly. "Even better. I've found Majin Buu!"


Next Chapter: Rebirth of Buu

With new powers, Buu tries to capture the three Cards, but Syaoran and Meiling are out to catch him…