~*****~

When Maten comes back, he's beat up and looking miserable. "Wow, he's alive!" Krillen exclaims.

"Did you do it, Maten! Did you beat Majin Buu?" Chi-Chi asks.

"Not exactly..." Maten murmurs as he turns around. His left eye is completely swollen and he's covered in bruises and scratches. "He's a little tougher than I thought."

"So, you're back." Piccolo mentions irritably. "Serves you right! You fool! You could've blown our only chance to win! From now on, we do things my way! Tomorrow, you are going to fight Buu as a Super Saiyan and until, we train! Understood?! Gomar?!"

"Actually, it's Maten." Mr. Popo states. Piccolo snaps at him in confusion. "His name. It's uh, Maten."

"His name is Mud as far as I'm concerned!" Piccolo shouts. Maten grimaces and sulks.

The boys finally separate, and Chi-Chi and I take to tending to their injuries. Marble is standing besides her brother with bandages in her hands, pressing them onto every cut she sees after I've disinfected them, but snickering at her brothers misfortune instead.

"Ow!" Mars complained. "I can't stand that! It's burning!"

"Well, if you don't stay still, I'll never be able to clean it." I mention as Marble continues to snicker.

"Mom!" Mars whines. Marble slaps a bandage on his arm and begins to giggle at his whining.

"What did I do?!" Goten whines as Chi-Chi smacks his butt.

"Stop it! You know exactly what you did! Ten!" She smacks his butt again. Goten grumbles and gazes up at his mother. "I'm sorry, but you're the only thing I have left in this world." Chi-Chi whimpers as she gazes at Goten with tears in her eyes. "The next time you want to go out and do something so reckless, try and remember that, okay?"

"'Kay, mom..." Goten nods.

I turned my gaze onto Mars and raised my eyebrows. He flushes and adverts his gaze before grunting. "Yes ma'am." He hums.

"You both should listen to your mothers." Piccolo mentions. "No fighter that has ever won a victory did so using his fists alone. All battles are won before they are even fought, and do you know how?"

"By planning?" Mars asks after a moment of silence.

Piccolo lifts his head. "That's right."

"So you're saying that my dad just didn't plan enough!" Mars exclaims. I can physically feel Marble flinch and start to shake. "Then I run off and do the same thing!" No one says a thing. "That's the last time, from now on, I'm doing it right. I have to be smart to win, a smarter fighter than my dad ever was!"

Marble wiped at her nose, trying to stop her tears. I just smiled and curled her into my arms. "That's my boy." I chime affectionately as I gaze at him.

Piccolo ruffles both boys hair. "You re both amazing young men. Through each of your bodies flows the blood of a warrior who brought truth to impossibility. You two... will do the same." Piccolo extends his hands over the boys and in an instant, all their wounds are healed, their clothes pristine. "None of this will happened without all of your efforts. I suggest we begin immediately."

"All right!" The boys chirp and run after them.

I hummed as I gazed at them. No matter how strong he seemed to get, I couldn't seem to get the image of my baby walking into so much danger like this. My chest heaved against my hand.

~*****~

Marble sat on one of the tables in the kitchen while I dug around, looking for something to eat. "Is it too much to ask for a slice of cake or something?" I ask irritably.

"Can we leave the Lookout and get some?" Marble asks curiously.

I hum in response. "I wish. Mr. Popo must not like sweets, cause there is nothing here for me to eat."

Marble opens her mouth before a surge of power hits the temple. "Maten is Super Saiyan now. Oh, wait, they left."

"Again?" I whine. I sigh heavily and pinch at the bridge of my nose. "That boy is asking for a butt whooping." Marble giggles. "Oh, Mr. Popo has fresh plums~" I coo as I hold up the bowl of fruits. "Wanna help me slice them up?"

Marble nods eagerly and leaps off of the table.

I've got half a plum in my mouth when we exit the temple. "So, how long they been gone?" I ask through the fruit.

Krillen hums as he gazes over. "Almost thirty minutes. But man, does he have an ego."

I grumble and chew on another plum. "That's Mars' influence again." I mention. I rub at my head. "That boy-- takes after his father, that's for sure. What the heck was the point of promising to be a smarter fighter, anyway?"

Krillen chuckled. "Well, you've never been one to listen to anyone but yourself, so I think that might be your influence, too!" I grunt and glare at him. "Eh, never mind!"

Marble giggled. "Wow, even Mr. Krillen gets scared of you, mommy! I really think you should train me!" Krillen grumbles before laughing at the thought of me training anyone. A few hours pass until the boys return. And Piccolo is not happy about it.

"And where have you two been?" Piccolo growled when the two boys return to the Lookout well out of the time limit for the fusion.

Mars hummed nervously. "What do you mean?" He asks. "We went to fight Buu! Remember?"

"I told you to come back as your fusion dissolved!" Piccolo snapped.

"But we're here! We came back!" Goten stated.

"Fusion lasts for about half an hour and you two have been gone for more like half of the day! Now how do you explain that?!" Piccolo shouts. "It's time that you two realized the seriousness of this situation! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes..." Both boys chime miserably.

~*****~

"Goodness you're all sweaty, aren't you?" I mention as I wipe at Mars' face with a soft towel. "Run a marathon or something?"

Mars giggled. "Or something." He confirms before taking a swig of his water. I press kisses against his cheek, earning a whine of embarrassment.

"Mars! Goten! Playtime is over! It's time to get back to work!" Piccolo shouts from the edge of the lookout.

"Excuse me," Goten says timidly. "But we just got back! Can we please take a rest now, Piccolo?"

"You're too uptight! Just leave it to us!" Mars exclaims. "We're strong enough to beat that guy already!"

"Why you little--" Piccolo growled. "I've fought with both of your fathers in combat! Since before you were born! YOU TWO DON'T HAVE A CLUE! EVEN THE SMALLEST BIT OF POWER COULD MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WINNING AND LOSING!"

I grunt irritably and storm up to Piccolo with Chi-Chi hot on my heels. I grasp onto his cape and hold tight. "Now you listen here!" I shout up at him. "It seems you've forgotten that Goten and Mars are boys, not men!"

"But--" Piccolo tries to tug my hands free from his cape.

"No buts!" I snap quickly. "They need rest!"

"That's right!" Chi-Chi agrees, grasping onto another side of his cape. "Goku let Gohan take naps! It's only proper! They're children!"

"What good is training gonna do if they're worn out by the time the fight starts, huh?!" I shout. "THEY'RE EXHAUSTED!"

"All right!" Piccolo roars nervously, finally freeing himself from our grip. "Fine! Perhaps it would benefit! Mars, Goten! We'll resume our training after you take a nap!"

"I get the big fluffy pillow!" Mars exclaims to Goten.

"Not so fast, Goten!" Chi-Chi calls. "You need to take a bath first! You're all sweaty from the last fight you were in, aren't you?!"

"Okay, mom--" Goten chimes.

"And you better get in that bath, too, Mars, I don't want you going to sleep with all that sweat clinging to your skin, it's not healthy!" I exclaim.

"Yes, ma'am!" Mars shouts back.

Chi-Chi and I hurry after them to make sure they do as they're told. The boys are eating as if they haven't a care in the world when the lookout starts to shake wildly. "Oh, my goodness! It must be an earthquake!" Chi-Chi exclaims.

"No, we're up in the sky!" Bulma retorts while she grasps onto the table.

"In school we always took cover under our desks, right?!" Chi-Chi stated. I hum curiously as she and Bulma crowded under the desk.

"School is strange." I mention as I gaze down at them. "I think we'll be fine."

"Hey, mom, why are the under the table?" Mars asks through his mouthful of food.

I give him a stern look and he swallows quickly. "I have no clue. Some protocol from school, I think."

Mars hummed again. "We don't do this for my lessons, though."

I scrub at his hair affectionately. "Yeah, but we don't have earthquakes all that much." Mars grins and leans into my hand. "All right, you two done? You two need to take a bath before you hop in that bed, understand?"

Mars and Goten nod tiredly before trotting off to the bathroom. By the time their finished, Marble is already sleeping on Mars' bed, curled up against the fluffy pillow. Mars plops onto the other side of the bed and dozes off regardless. I smile affectionately before leaving the room to let them rest.

~*****~

As soon as I exit the temple, I hear Piccolo exclaim in shock. "What is it?!" Krillen asked.

"He's coming! Majin Buu! He's here!" Piccolo shouts at us.

My body turns cold. "Wh-What?!" I yelp.

"He's here!" Piccolo snaps again. "Look! Don't attack unless he attacks one of us first! Got it?" Just as he says it, a pink, slim being appears in the air above us. It's no wonder Majin Buu's energy had been pulling every which way to Sunday. Something big happened, and I had a good idea of what.

He set down on the Lookout, cackling happily as he stared at all of us. "I liked the first one better! What happened?!" Krillen asked.

"His-- His energy had been pulled apart and put back together," I stammer. "I thought-- Thought he was just getting stronger!"

"I found you, finally." Majin Buu comments in a deep voice, nothing like the old one. A scowl covers his face as his energy swirls around him, sending a ripple of terror up my body.

"Incredible!" Krillen stammered.

"Dude, don't encourage him!" Yamcha hissed. "Please!"

Majin Buu pops his neck a few times. "Produce." He simply orders. When we don't move, he shouts. "PRODUCE!"

"What's he talking about? Produce? Produce what?" Yamcha asks.

"I don't know! Ask him!" Krillen snapped back.

"Are you crazy?! You ask him!"

"You're the one that wants to know!"

I hiss at them both. "Shut up!"

"What?" Piccolo growled at Majin Buu. "What is it? What is it you want us to produce? Tell us!"

Majin Buu pops his neck again. "I was promised a good fight! Produce the challenger! Which one of you is it? Don't be shy! Come forward! The time has arrived!" He pops his neck again. "Are you the one?" Majin Buu asks Krillen. "Me? No way! I would have remembered a promise like that! Yamcha? Was it you?"

"Me? Are you nuts?!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"What's going on?!" Bulma exclaimed.

"Where are they?" I hear Chi-Chi shout. "And what's all the commotion about!?" I don't dare turn my back on the pink monster.

"Oh, no! He's here! He found us!" Videl whimpered.

Majin Buu pops his neck once again. "The one who made the promise. He isn't here right now. Where is he? The liar!" My heart is pounding. The boys were sleeping soundly inside. "Produce!"

"He's not here!" Piccolo says quickly, but it only seems to enrage the monster further. "All right, he's here, but he can't fight right now! Please! He's taking a nap!"

"Oh, well, wake him up!" Majin Buu retorted.

"But he just went to sleep!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Let him rest a little more! I beg you!" Majin Buu growls again. "Look! Buu! He could fight you, but wouldn't you rather fight him when he's at his maximum power? You want a real challenge, don't you?"

Majin Buu growls irritably and begins to stretch and pop his neck. "Waiting's no fun! I hate to wait!"

"But the promise was made for two days!" Piccolo argued. "We still have one!"

Majin Buu grumbled. "Well, that's true! But I'm here now! Produce!" There's a commotion behind us, but I'm frozen while I stare at him. "Do it now! Produce!" Piccolo doesn't answer him. "Last time! Produce!"

"Please!" Piccolo gripes. "Just one more day! He'll be at his best tomorrow! I promise! Think about it! This might be the only chance you have to test your true strength! There's still plenty of people on Earth that you could kill for your amusement while you're waiting for this fight!"

"P-Piccolo!" I admonish loudly.

"Be quiet, Mara!" Piccolo shouts at me. I clench my teeth tight together and lower my gaze onto the ground.

Majin Buu just grins and turns his gaze onto the edge of the Lookout, peering over the edge before he begins to walk along the side. "N-Now what?" Krillen asks. But Majin Buu just walks around, gazing down from the edge. My gaze flickers to the open tower to see Marble peering over the edge. "Just taking a stroll! He's got some nerve! Jerk!" Krillen growls.

"Krillen, Mara-- Listen carefully!" Piccolo hisses to us quietly. We turn our gazes up on him, eyes wide. "I want you to go wake up Mars and Goten! Keep them quiet! Take them into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! To train!"

"Why don't they just fight him now?" Krillen asks.

I hushed him irritably. "They're not ready," I hiss. "The Hyperbolic Time Chamber is just what they need for training! Come on!" I grab at his hand and tug him after me as we slink into the temple.

The boys are dead asleep when we get to the top chamber. Marble is already bolting across the room and clutching at my shirt. "Come on! Snap out of it! It's time to get up!" Krillen whined as he shook at Goten.

I growled as Goten began murmuring about fried chicken. "Mars-- Goten-- get up this instant! Or I swear, training with Piccolo will be the least of your worries!" I hiss as softly as I can. Neither of them wake up and I growl.

"Well, it was worth a try." Krillen chuckled. We both flinch as a bright light explodes from outside. "Whoa-- that's crazy!" Krillen stammers as we brace against the walls.

Suddenly I can feel millions of life forces die out. My stomach turns violently. "He's-- He's killing them all!" I murmur.

When the lights die down, we go back to trying to wake up the boys. Marble tugs at my sleeve and points to Goten's face, where his eyes are starting to move around, as if he's opening them. "Boys!" I hiss. "Come on! We have to get to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to train!" Both boys are yawning and not moving.

"Now!" Krillen snaps at them. That gets their attention. I grasp onto Mars hand and haul him with us as Krillen grasps Goten's hand.

"Be quiet, understand? Majin Buu is here and he wants a fight, but you need more training!" I hiss at the two. "Be sure to use this time wisely, do you understand me?" Mars and Goten are still sleepy, but nod sluggishly.

Piccolo, Dende, and Mr. Popo meet up before we take the boys to the chamber. "Man, is that really Majin Buu?" Mars asks.

"If it is, he must be on a big diet!" Goten comments.

"Make no mistake," Piccolo says. "That is Majin Buu, and his strength has increased substantially. You boys need to understand. We're in a very grave situation, things have changed. For every minute out here, you can train six hours in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Maybe that's enough." Piccolo grunts as he leads us out.

"Mom, where are you going?!" Goten shouts, and I whirl around. Marble gives a protest when I hand her to Krillen, and grasp onto Goten's shoulders, trying to pry him away from the window.

"Whatever it if you're doing, Chi-Chi, stop it!" Piccolo pleaded.

I gape in horror as she slaps the side of Majin Buu's head. "You savage, do you even care that you killed my oldest son?! You look at me when I'm talking to you!"

"Do you like eggs?" Majin Buu questions so lowly, that it reverberates across the temple. Chi-Chi flinches and backs up a few steps before Majin Buu uses his powers, and turns her into a small, white egg. Which he in turn, crushes.

Goten screams in horror. "M-My mother--" Goten stammers. "I'll get you, you stupid beast!"

I clutch my arms around his torso immediately and tug him backwards, hauling him against me as he squirms and complains. "No, Goten!" I snap at him. "You go down, and we're all dead!"

"But Mom was all I had left!" Goten whined at me, his fists smacking against my arms.

"And I understand, Goten, but your mother can be revived with the Dragon Balls! Provided that you listen to us! You and Mars need to stay alive long enough to wipe out Majin Buu!"

Goten continues to whimper against me before sagging in defeat.

"I know, Goten... I know." I curl him against me. "But we've got less than an hour left, so the two of you must train quickly. Can you do it?" Goten nods against me.

"Yeah, sure you can, Goten!" Mars states. "We've all lost someone by now-- but that just means we have to beat Buu harder! Right?!"

Goten nods and I slowly release him from my grasp. He wipes at his gaze and turns his determined gaze upwards. "That's right!"

"Good boy." I hum and press a kiss to his forehead.

With the boys safely tucked into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, the rest of us went outside to wait.