Chapter 3: Me... Buu

Thus it came to pass that all members in hell were aware of a new intruder. This multitude was not inherently uniform, though. Only those of power, of intellect could even begin to grasp what was happening in the reaches of their stronghold. Frieza, Cell, Gero, all these were among those chosen elite.

In the blanketed wastes of their den, gases and smoke billowing, naught but these could make out the faint outline of a creature beyond. With it was the Majin, Buu. It had been long since that fateful event, wherein the demon Majin had lost its power; a saving grace for all others. In the period since, a swift retribution had been placed upon it, Frieza chief among the torturers.

Sharply, they arrived at this esoteric meeting, to the disdain of none but Babidi himself. For he was already nestled, with a bird's eye view of the below goings on and he wanted to remain unnoticed.

Below, in the darkness of the wastes, Buu and the witch were standing, facing one another.

"Hey! I'm not standing here all day! Are you coming with me?" asked the witch, growing increasingly impatient.

The voice was distinct upon the still air, cutting through it like a knife. She stood, facing Buu in confidence. It was a strange scene. Her crystal ball which was the device used to arrive on, remained in air, hovering. Buu moved forward, now hiding his tears of old. He reached a hand out to the ball to touch.

A spectacle was released from within it. Bright lights, soundless shone through the dark around. A collective gasp was let out from the onlookers, save for Babidi who expected as much.

The witch jumped forward to push Buu away from her long prided possession, "Hey! Don't touch my ball with your filthy little hands, you birdbrain!"

Buu did not move as the witch continued her tirade. For within the ball itself, something else stirred. Something to see, perhaps, but not to touch. For beholden within was a single image of a baby child. Dark skinned he was and peaceful too; but also familiar. Buu stared in at this now fully removed from the reality of his surroundings. It was only him and the baby.

Babidi watched with curiosity anew, for these reactions by his Buu were not expected nor even possible. Buu was only a device, created by Babidi's late father Bibidi. A singular entity with a singular goal. To destroy the universe. The childish personality was an unseen side effect, but it was not so damaging at first. For a child's only purpose in creation is to obey his parents.

But in the end, that had been Babidi's undoing. For when Buu became aware, even in his limited intelligence that he would be better off without Babidi's command, Buu had killed his master. Even then, Babidi had not believed that Buu was 'alive'. Alive in the sense that he had feelings or could expand upon emotions. After all his father's notes had said no such thing was possible. That Buu could feel nothing but the joy of destruction. Well, Bibidi had been wrong.

Even in his disbelief at Buu's sincere tantrum, even at his unwillingness to accept rapid change in character, Babidi had expected something to occur when Buu touched the ball.

He was no fool, Babidi. He knew what went on in the places around him. The rules of reality were substantively consistent. Those who went to hell, went there with all power, with all strength; with all fear. Buu had been made exception to this, late in the game for the nature of his insanity. Without such a restriction, all of the universe would still be brought to ruin. For Buu's strength was enough that no other being could stand to him.

The power had not been wasted or let out like smoke in the wind. Instead, the overlord of hell had given the vast reserves of Buu's power to a human, letting the creature be reborn in another. The echoes of his power still to be alive even in Majin's death. All this Babidi knew.

Henceforth, it made perfect sense that such a event would occur. The ball shone within it, Babidi was sure, the human whom had been given the gift of Buu's power. Evidently by the way Buu was acting, this he knew as well.

The witch had by now turned to face Buu, for naught but patience would yield his person. She came upon his finding within the ball of crystal and grew wild because of it. The picture inside was the single item which had been forbidden by the King Yemma to show the demon. Buu was not to see where his power went, lest he pursue that being to the ruin of all.

Control was slipping out of Baba's fingers now. Buu had her ball, and others of genuine strength who could kill her were creeping into the fragile sanctuary. It was time to leave, with Buu or without.

She jumped back onto the ball, obscuring Buu's vision of his other self. Buu, in his quiet rage threw her back, into the rocks below.

While he was without the vast powers he was first gifted with, Buu was still enough to wield his will over Baba. He turned to face her, bobbing and puffing in the dust.

He pointed to the ball, "Who?"

The witch Baba's eyes widened. Now this early in the game, Majin had been given an unforeseen and unexpected advantage. Hope and sorrow were becoming one, far too soon.

"You think I'd tell you that?"

Swiftly Buu reached to her with his long arms, stretching in a show of strength. He grabbed her by the throat, that glint of malice back in his eyes. The witch was brought up, to be pushed into her own ball.

"Look." Buu said quietly.

All hints that he was still the same being as before were quickly disappearing. Even Babidi could not predict Buu's next movements… what he was trying to accomplish.

Buu spoke up again, repeating himself, "Who?"

Baba, now scrunched up against her ball replied, if muffled, "He's you!"

Buu took a step back, dropping Baba to the ground. His eyes grew large, comprehending what had just occurred. Babidi seeing his opportunity revealed himself once again, jumping down into Buu's den.

"So, Buu… you finally found it all out. Bravo. I didn't think you had it in you." said Babidi, cracking a sarcastic smile.

Buu ignored his old master, and once again picked up Baba.

"Take me…" he whispered again to her.

"You kidding me? I don't know where he is! And besides, he's grown u-"

Buu tightened his strangle hold on her, squeezing the air and life from her. There was no choice now. It was a demand, insanity induced.

"Alright, alright! I'll take ya! Let me go!" Baba wheezed.

Buu dropped her, and she sputtered back onto her ball, in familiar jest. After but a moment of silence, she turned again to Buu, coldly, "Get on, then."

He reached out his arm, and grappled on. Baba took off in haste to get out of the wretched and pitiable cesspool that was hell.

Babidi moved forward, to grab Buu. He wanted his creature to fail more than anyone. After all, it was Buu who had put him here…

He reached out and grabbed Buu's foot, causing an almost comical expansion as Buu was stretched to his limit. Buu's head returned back down to the ground, at Babidi. Double-edged sword though it may be, Buu still had his power of regeneration, of elasticity.

Without recourse, he sucked his foot back up into his being, giving off the sight of a pink glob of unknown horrible things. Babidi was brought up with him, into the vast ball of pink goo.

Buu's head re-emerged from the glob, looking down upon the quickly diminishing ground below him. In a stark move, he opened his mouth and spit; sending Babidi flying back to the bottom. Back where he belonged.

The silence fell upon the members of Hell, who remained quiet and awestruck of the dealings that took place in their presence. Majin Buu was once again gone though in this sense, not as before. Now his threat to the existence of the world was perhaps more than in his original life. He had a malice almost in maturity, about him that could not possibly betray him now. In Buu's understanding at least, it was a certain moment of clarity. Perhaps Babidi was right; perhaps Majin Buu was finally growing up.