Gohan and Buki stopped in front of the group of three. "Buki, keep them safe." He ordered. "Yes, sir." She walked to the kids, then kneeled. "I'm so glad you're okay." She sighed with relief. "We were worried." "We missed you, Buki." Goten hugged her. Trunks joined. "We thought Boo killed you after Gohan. Your ki were both missing." He said. Buki nodded. "Sorry about that, but don't worry." She stood up, both boys in her arms, and looked towards Gohan. "It was worth it." Gohan walked up to Boo as Buki set the kids down. "Quick! We gotta fuse and fight with him!" Goten exclaimed. "But we can't do it yet!" Trunks objected. "I know, but we hafta' try." "No need." Buki said.
The other three's jaws dropped as Gohan single-handedly beat Boo back. "I knew it…" Boo said as they stopped for a moment. "It was you." Buki frowned for a moment, worried Boo would tell Gohan she was dying. 'I shouldn't have told him that, but I needed to tell him something to slow him down.' She thought. 'As I'm dying, I'm slowing down. There's no way I'd outrun him. Gohan and the boys are faster than me now, and I'm only getting slower.' She thought. Suddenly, Boo blew himself up. Gohan jumped back and grabbed them, pulling them up, above the explosion. He paused. He held Piccolo over his shoulder, the back of Goten and Trunks' shirt with the other hand, and Buki had her arms around his neck. "Master Gohan, I'm going ahead." She said.
Gohan watched Buki fly off, though she was slower than she usually went. 'Must want to save her ki, in case Boo finds Dende.' Gohan thought, then flew down and talked a bit, checking in with them. Buki panted after flying for a while. 'I'm going as fast as I can so Master Gohan doesn't suspect I'm hurt, but it's really taking a lot out of me.' She thought, landing in front of Dende. "Buki, you're okay." He smiled. "That must mean Gohan is okay as well." "Yes." Buki nodded. "As well as Piccolo, Goten, and Trunks. Hercule and two other humans are alive as well." "That's great!" Dende grinned. "They're on their way." Buki smiled a little. "I believe they have Hercule now."
Only a few minutes later, they appeared. Buki sat in the corner, feeling around for Boo's ki. She ignored their talk and closed her eyes. Almost an hour had passed and she finally felt his ki. "Master Gohan, Boo is coming back." She said standing up. "What?" Gohan exclaimed, then frowned. "You're right. I can feel him now." The other's stood up and got on guard. "Buki, I need you to protect Dende. Everything will fail if he dies." "I know, Master." Buki nodded. "If he dies the Dragon Balls don't work. Everyone will stay dead." She walked to Dende and stood next to him. "You focus on beating Boo." Gohan nodded as Boo landed in front of them.
"Buki, is Gohan really stronger than Boo?" Dende asked. "Yes. He was beating him easily. He blew himself up and ran away." Buki explained. "I don't understand why he's back or what's changed." She said, then her eyes widened as Piccolo and Gotenks were absorbed into Boo. "No!" She exclaimed. She ran forward, but froze, then stepped back. "What's wrong, Buki? You can help them." Dende said. "I'd like to, but Master Gohan ordered me to protect you. Plus, there's not much I can do." Buki sighed. "If Master can't beat Boo now, there's nothing else I can do." Boo changed again and his speech got better. "This isn't good. Boo's stronger now." Buki muttered. "Master…"
As they fought, Gohan quickly lost the advantage he once had. Buki trembled as Gohan was badly beaten, cursing her weakness. 'If I wasn't weak, I would fight as well. I-I want to help. I don't want to see him hurt anymore, but…" She looked down in shame. 'I'm too weak.' "Buki, get me over there." Dende said. "I can heal him." Buki nodded, pulling out her sword. They ran over. Buki stood in front of them, her sword out as she glared at Boo. "You." Boo looked at her with recognition. "You fought Bobbidi in when I first came out. And saw you again-" "It doesn't matter what happened in the past." Buki said. "You've changed. You're not one I felt sympathy for." "Buki, I'm done." Dende said. Buki nodded and they ran back, letting Gohan fight again, healed.
Boo blasted Gohan, then sent an attack toward Dende. Buki had her sword ready to deflect it, when it disappeared. "I see. You were the other ki I felt." Buki muttered. Boo charged up an attack, but as he was throwing it, he was cut in half by Goku. "He's alive?" Buki muttered. "How?" He kicked Tenshinhan out before going back together. Goku threw something at Gohan, but he missed and had to look for it. Gohan found it and Buki sighed in relief as the boys unfused, leaving Boo in Piccolo's clothes. "No!" Buki yelled as she noticed Boo surrounding Gohan, but it was too late, and he was covered. "M-M-Master… Goh-han…" Buki froze in fear. She noticed he dropped the earring and grabbed it, then went back to Dende as Gohan was absorbed.
Boo changed again, this time in an orange gi like Goku's. 'Goku can't fuse with me. If he does, the body of the fusion will be weaker than Goku. It'll also be in the pain. I've become numb to because of the chemicals. We need someone else.' She thought. 'Or Master Gohan is lost forever.' She paused and felt Vegeta's ki. She looked at Goku, who nodded to her. "Dende, Hercule, stay here, where it's safe. I don't know if I'll be able to protect you anymore." She ordered as Goku flew to her, then they used instant transmission and appeared next to Vegeta. Buki handed the potara to Vegeta. "Please, King Vegeta, put this on your right ear." She said. Vegeta stared at Goku.
"Why?" He asked, taking it from her. "So we can combine." Goku said. Buki looked out, watching for Boo and feeling for his ki. It wasn't long before she felt it. "Please, King Vegeta, we don't have time for this." She added as Goku and Vegeta argued. "I hate you for it…" Vegeta said. "Huh?" "When you fought me, you hid your true strength!" He yelled. Buki sighed and shook her head. "Once, I would've beat King Vegeta with ease." She muttered. "A week ago, I could evenly match him. Now, I would lose. He wouldn't have to try very hard." She saw Boo. "V-Vegeta!" Goku yelled. "If you guess don't fight, I will." Buki said, glaring at them. "And I won't survive!"
"Fine!" Vegeta yelled, cursing under his breath. "Right ear, was it…" "I should warn you." Goku said. "Once we mix, we can never split apart." "What?" Vegeta yelled. "Oh, fine. Now you tell me. There. Happy!" "Thanks, Vegeta!" Goku smiled as they were pulled together, right as Boo arrived. "Hello… Boo!" Their fusion greeted. "Vegeta and Kakkarot combined… I guess that makes us… Vegerot?" Buki sighed in relief, floating down and relaxing on the ground. 'It's hard to just fly now? I never thought I'd get this weak, and in the middle of a battle. I won't last much longer. I only hope I don't die before I see Master Gohan again.' She thought. 'Wait a minute…'
She looked at Boo as an idea formed in her head. 'Vegerot seems to be winning now, but I have a bad feeling. And if something goes wrong, this will be better. I've always had a good sense, one of the reasons I was valuable to Freeza.' She thought as Boo used Gotenks' Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack. 'Good, he's desperate. He'll jump at the thought. But first…' She threw her sword on the ground as Vegerot got rid of all the ghosts. Buki started running to her sword, making it obvious. Boo noticed her and flew toward the sword, grabbing the hilt. Buki stopped and watched him. He tried to pull it up, but couldn't. 'Great.' She thought. "I'm the only one who can wield Deria." She said.
Boo looked at her as Vegerot kicked Boo away. "Buki, you're in the way." He said. "Right. Sorry." She said. "I should go. Master Gohan gave me a mission to protect Dende so the Dragon Balls work. Plus, if I got absorbed, he would get faster and be able to use Deria." She said, turning around as Boo got up. She watched his eyes widened, then he grinned. His finger came off and moved toward her. She smirked. 'You fell for it.' She thought as she was surrounded. "No!" Vegerot yelled, about to attack the part of Boo grabbing her, but before she was fully covered, she threw Deria at him. He dodged, cutting his cheek as Buki was fully absorbed. Everything went black.
~O~O~O~
Buki woke up, hearing Vegeta and Goku. "Gohan… Trunks… Goten…" Goku listed. "They're all here." "Not quite." Vegeta said. "Where's Buki?" Buki finally paid attention to herself. Her face was warm, she could tell she was flushed, and she was panting. Her arms and legs, unlike the others, were in the wall, instead of a pod. 'I'm a parasite.' She thought. Her throat felt dry. "I suppose… it's fitting…" She muttered. Her voice was a hoarse whisper. The two male Saiyans began to cut the others free, when Vegeta noticed her. "Buki, why are you there? Are you alright?" He asked. "I… I'm fine… It all went… according to plan…" Buki muttered.
"I figured you were up to something." Vegeta said. "You're way too fast to be caught, and you told Boo exactly what absorbing you could do." "Not only that." Goku said, holding the pod holding Gohan as he cut him free. "Boo didn't change when he absorbed you. He didn't get stronger at all. He got weaker." "And he couldn't hold my sword." Buki nodded, being able to talk better, though she was still quiet. "I lied before. The only other person who can hold Deria is Goten. Goten is in here, and Boo still couldn't hold Deria. I knew what would happen when I was absorbed." She explained.
"Hold on. I'll get you out." Vegeta said. "No! Don't!" Buki gasped, feeling her energy drain again. "If you do that… I won't be able to…" She took a deep breath. "As long as I'm here, Boo will be weakened." "How're you doing that?" Goku asked. "Let's just say it's something I got from Freeza." Buki said. "Hurry. Get the others out of here." She said. "I'm playing the part of the parasite, so I can feel every nerve in his body. Boo's coming this way. So, hurry. Leave me here." "Alright." Goku nodded and freed the others. They paused when they found the first Boo. Buki watched as Boo appeared behind them, then closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
She watched things happen through Boo's eyes. Goku tried to blast a whole to escape, but it didn't work, then Vegeta ripped the first Boo off the stems, and Boo sunk back down. "Buki, we need to get you out of here, now!" Goku said. "No. Take the others." Buki said. "Get out of here. I'll be fine. I'll just keep weakening him." 'I can't tell them I'm putting the chemicals that are killing me into his body.' She thought. "Hurry. This may be your only chance." She said. The Saiyans nodded, then flew off, holding all the pods, but the first Boo's. "You're the Boo I felt pity for." She smiled at the sleeping Djinn. "I hope… you get out… of here…" She muttered, blacking out again.
Almost done!