The wind over the ruins had died hours ago. Only the rustle of shattered leaves and the hum of distant energy remained.
Mai sat on a fallen column, one knee pulled to her chest, staring at the horizon that refused to change color. The light there was wrong — pale, still trembling with the echo of the temporal storm.
Bulma paced near the campfire she'd hastily built, her expression torn between frustration and worry.
"He said he'd come back," she muttered for the fifth time. "He always comes back."
Mai didn't look up. "You really believe that?"
Bulma stopped pacing, shooting her a glance. "You don't?"
"I've seen what people look like when they vanish into nothing," Mai replied quietly. "They don't come back."
Bulma exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "He's not people, Mai. He's… Buu. I don't even think death knows what to do with him."
For a while, neither spoke. The silence felt thick, like the air itself was listening.
Then — a flicker.
The fire dimmed, shadows bending backward. Mai's head snapped up, hand on her pistol. "Did you feel that?"
Bulma froze. "Yeah. Like the ground… blinked."
The air rippled, and from it, a voice — smooth, amused, too familiar.
"Well, well. Looks like I picked the wrong trail."
Fu stepped out of a distortion, the faint purple light of his portal dying behind him. His coat fluttered in the wind, and his smile was far too calm for the situation.
Bulma instantly backed away. "You again?!"
Fu grinned wider. "Ah, the genius herself. And the quiet soldier. You two are quite the anomaly."
His gaze swept over them, sharp and analytical. "You were near him when the storm closed, weren't you?"
Mai raised her gun. "If you're here for Buu—"
"Oh, I'm not," Fu interrupted lightly. "I'm here for you."
Bulma's eyes narrowed. "For us? Why?"
Fu adjusted his glasses, tone almost casual. "Because I can't find his signature anymore. It's gone. Which means…" He stepped closer, smile fading into fascination. "…whatever he did, a fragment of him remains here. Somewhere."
He tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting. "Maybe inside you."
Mai pulled the trigger. The bullet passed through a distortion in space, vanishing before it could touch him.
Fu sighed. "Rude."
Bulma grabbed Mai's wrist. "Don't. That kind of energy—"
But she didn't finish.
Because the air around them shifted again.
Something pulsed beneath their skin — faint, warm, familiar. Both women gasped, clutching their chests as a strange pink light bled from their veins, swirling between them.
Fu's smile returned, hungry this time. "Oh, this is interesting."
He raised a hand, gathering energy into his palm. "Let's see what he left behind."
The world snapped — and the pulse within them answered.
The piece of Buu that he had thrown before vanishing — the tiny piece they'd kept without realizing it — burst open, forming a pink cocoon that enveloped them both.
Energy erupted outward like a heartbeat unleashed, slamming against Fu's attack and swallowing it whole.
Then a sound, like glass cracking — the cocoons started to disintegrate, and from within, two new auras flared to life like a tsunami.
Bulma staggered back, eyes glowing faintly pink. "What—what is this?!"
Mai dropped to one knee, the aura flickering around her, her pupils narrowing like a predator's. She looked at her hands — trails of shimmering pink energy crawling up her arms.
Fu blinked, intrigued. "Oh… he really left a failsafe. Clever boy."
Bulma's voice trembled. "Failsafe?"
Fu chuckled. "A piece of himself. A contingency. It seems a fragment bonded with whoever carried it. Interesting… a normal Majin couldn't do this."
Mai rose slowly, her hair moving in the static-filled air. "You mean… we're not human anymore?"
"In a way," Fu said. "Though not completely."
He lifted his hand again — a violet circle expanding behind him. "Let's test the compatibility."
"Like hell," Bulma hissed.
Fu fired.
The beam sliced through the air — only to stop an inch from her face. It didn't explode. It didn't vanish. It was absorbed.
Fu's smile faltered. "…Oh."
Mai moved first — vanishing in a blur of pink light. She reappeared behind him, striking hard. The impact tore through his barrier, sending a ripple through the distortion field.
Bulma followed instinctively, the aura around her stabilizing — like a second heartbeat guiding her movements.
She raised her hand, and a surge of raw power burst forth, blasting Fu backward through his own portal.
The rift flickered, sparking with unstable energy.
Fu's voice echoed as he steadied himself midair, eyes blazing with fascination rather than anger. "Fascinating! You're resonating perfectly — a dual sync between Majin energy and human will. Buu must've known..."
"Stay away from us!" Bulma shouted.
Fu only smiled, his body fading into distortion. "Oh, I will. For now. But tell your friend — I'll finish this experiment someday."
And with that, he was gone.
Silence crashed down. The wind returned. The pink aura slowly faded, retreating into their skin until nothing remained but a faint warmth.
Mai collapsed onto a rock, breathing hard. "Did you know about this? You already knew him before encountering me…"
Bulma sat beside her, still trembling slightly. "No… I met him a little before you."
Mai gave a short, incredulous laugh. "Typical."
For a long while, they just sat there — two silhouettes against the dim, fractured dawn. Then Bulma looked at her hands again, flexing her fingers.
The faintest spark of pink danced at her fingertips before vanishing.
Mai's gaze drifted toward the sky — where, for just a heartbeat, a faint crimson glow pulsed behind the clouds.
Authore here: What do you think?