The Super Saiyan Princess

EP. 21 - The Prince and the Low-Class Warrior

"Goku?!" Nikka questioned incredulously. "I can't be him. He's de...!" She stopped short as Goku floated in the air above them, a halo nowhere to be seen. "This doesn't make any sense..."

"I'm not sure what to make of this either," Gohan admitted.

But they had to set their questions aside when Goku spoke to them. "Gohan!" he called, grabbing their attention. "Catch!!"

"Huh?" Gohan questioned as a small object zoomed past him. "Oh!" he reacted too slowly, and the object stumbled somewhere on the ground.

"Ahh!" Goku cried out. "Gohan, HURRY!"

"Right!" he hurried to the ground to search. "Wh-Where'd it go?!" he scrambled.

Nikka landed to help him. "What are we looking for?!" she dug through rocks.

"An earring!" Goku answered. "Gohan needs to put it on his right ear so I can fuse with him!!"

"Fuse? How interesting," Buu returned without a noise. "Futile, but I won't take the chance. I'll just get rid of you!"

Goku gasped and clasped his hands together. "Um, t-time out!! Give us a second please!"

Buu grinned. "Firstly, I don't need this. Princess–or whatever you are–take this back," he held up the tiara and threw it down.

Nikka looked up at his call and managed to catch the tiara against her chest. The Red Jewel was intact. "Why did you give it back? Didn't you want this?"

"I have my reasons," Buu replied. "Now, time to kill you!" he turned back to Goku with a grin.

"I found it!" Gohan exclaimed, holding up the potara earring. "Wh-What was I supposed to do with it again?"

Buu aimed an attack at Goku before he could repeat the instructions again, but he flinched. "AGh!" he groaned in pain. "No... N-No!!"

The saiyans watched in shock as Buu reverted to a weaker form, outwardly showing the same white cape from Piccolo.

"Oh!" Goku realized. "The boys' fusion wore off!"

Nikka studied the Majin. "He's weaker now..."

Goku smirked confidently. "Looks like Gohan can take you on by himself now. Kinda disappointing."

Buu glared as if he had been got, but his glare grew into a mischievous grin. "It's fortunate I planned ahead."

Before anyone could realize what he meant, Buu showed the tip of his tentacle was cut and had not regrown.

Nikka's eyes widened, and before she could think, she was engulfed in glowing crimson. Then she sank into pitch blackness. She gasped and squirmed as everything felt suffocating and squishy, like sinking in quicksand.

She cried out when she was spit out and landed on a firm surface. She groaned as she pulled her hands out of the pink, gooey floor. Around her, she could dimly see a stringy pink and purple maze. The heat condensed on her skin from the humidity.

"This is... disgusting," Nikka made a face, treading around. On the floor, she spotted the Red Jewel with the golden tiara. She saw it was lightly glowing and hurried over to it. "Lady Ayata?" she held it in her hands.

No response.

"She saved us. She must be exhausted...," she donned the tiara back on. They had to figure out their next move without her. Her eyes scanned the area.

Is this what being absorbed by Majin Buu was like? Did he just trap the others in the cave-like maze?

Nikka gasped. The others! They had to be somewhere inside of Buu. "Um... hello?" she hesitantly called.