Dronare

It had been easy enough to get to retrieve Dende and return without drawing attention but Dronare was still on edge, he didn't relax until he saw Veltro sitting beside V and Gohan amongst the dragon balls. V smiled relieved as soon as Veltro saw him and the tension left the small Saiyan's body.

"You're back." Veltro would never admit how worried he had been and Dronare was well aware of it, so he didn't pester him about it. he just hugged him patted his head and looked around for Vegeta.

"Vegeta is napping." V answered his searching eyes. Dronare smiled "that's actually perfect." Dronare and V had the same thought at the same time. Krillin picked it up and next and Gohan and Veltro the next second.

"Now." V whispered to Gohan.

"Right." They began to gather the dragon balls as quietly and stealthily as possible.

"How are you doing Dende?" V asked her old friend.

"I'm okay." Dende smiled at her and grabbed one of the balls. The remaining Z fighters flew a good distance from the ship. They assembled the dragon balls and Dende took his place in front of the balls.

"V had never seen the dragon called forth, she had heard stories, had been sent to understand the truth of them before she ever meet Gohan so she'd be lying if she didn't say she was excited.

"It's amazing." Dronare told her standing beside her.

"I bet it is." V grabbed Gohan's hand and Veltro's tail. "we're getting Piccolo back." She hugged Gohan so tight she was sure he'd complain any moment but he never did.

"we're getting all of them back." Gohan squeezed her back and they watched as Dende rose his hands and as the small Namekian spoke the words.

The sky got dark, Dronare had only seen this once, he was only a child when they had been used, he couldn't even remember the wish that had been made but there it was. The large green dragon sprouted from the sacred orbs in a flash of brilliant light, power emanating from him. V fell to her knees at the energy radiating from the creature. Dronare had the same urge but he was able to stay on his feet. He watched Veroca stare wide eyed at the dragon, her mouth gaping open. Gohan was less phased but Veltro shared a similar expression.

"Woah." Krillin gulped "this dragon looks a bit more intimidating than Shenron."

"He's…" V couldn't even finish it. It wasn't that he was so powerful, Frieza was much stronger than this dragon, it was the type of energy that had brought V to her knees. It wasn't like anything she had ever felt this energy was…was… sacred.

The Dragon spoke but only Dende, Dronare and Veltro understood it.

"He's asking for our wishes," Veltro translated for her.

"Guys, what are we wishing for, Porunga has limited patience." Dende hurried them.

"We wish for all of our friends back to life." Krillin said confidently.

"Uhu… what?" Dende, Dronare and Veltro all looked to him like he had sprouted a second head.

"um… what's the problem?" Krillin asked.

"Porunga can only bring back one person at a time." Dende explained "He can grant three wishes but only one life per wish."

"What, for real?" Gohan stammered. How are we gonna wish all of them back then?"

"What should our first wish be?" Krillin asked unsure what else to do.

Gohan's mind felt more open suddenly, V felt the additional presence immediately. Two of them.

"For your first wish, you must wish me back to life." Piccolo commanded.

"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan cheered.

"Piccolo…" V felt tears in her eyes. It had been so long since he had felt so close.

"HEY! YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Goku's other friends piped in,

"We wish him back." V looked to Gohan for confirmation.

"He's right." Krillin surprised V by agreeing with her.

"If we wish him back then the earth dragon balls come back too." He explained.

"Exactly." Piccolo sounded smug and V just shook her head, tears still threatening to spill.

"Alright then." Krillin smiled "bring back Piccolo."

Dende relayed the messaged, V folded in on herself, Piccolo was finally going to be alive again, she had done it, they all had done what they came here for. success physically hurt as V pressed her forehead into the ground and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Don't fall apart on me, V." Piccolo smiled, she felt his smile through the telepathic link.

"What's the second wish?" Dende asked.

"Bring me to Namek." Piccolo commanded. V felt the disturbance on the other end, she felt cold tendrils of fear.

"do not do that, Dende." V looked to Dende, her fear evident.

"V, I am a warrior, I won't hide from a fight."

"I won't let you die again." She yelled back, "Please don't." she begged him." Panic filled every sense she had she ran to Dende."

"please don't wish for that." V begged him Dende looked to Dronare for an answer but he wasn't sure either. V ran to Dronare next. "would you wish Veltro here?" V demanded. She looked to Veltro.

"would you wish Dronare here to die?"

Veltro was taken aback, Veroca who was so strong and seemed to have an answer for everything, she was panicking this much, she was this desperate to keep Piccolo away even though she missed him.

"I would listen to him." Veltro answer honestly because yes, he would, because he couldn't imagine being apart from Dronare for so long and then having the opportunity to see him again.

"You don't listen to him now." V lashed out harshly. She grabbed Gohan's shirt and pressed her head to his chest. "We can't, we can't wish him here." something occurred to V then

"Do not do what you're thinking V." Piccolo yelled the second he caught the thought. V dug through Veltro's vocabulary. Her eyes were wide, tears streamed down her face. She hugged Gohan with all her strength and then spoke the wish.

"Mo ren theenet poranith mesh."

"What did you just wish for V?" Gohan had the vague notion of her plan, he felt strange and then he was not with V anymore, he was not on Namek.

"Dammit V!" Piccolo howled, "You fix this right now."

"Piccolo?" Gohan stared at the faces of all his dad's friend and of the enraged face of his mentor.

"Where are we?" Veltro was beside him but no on elese was.

"What did you do?" krillin's voice sounded far away. V felt painfully far away.

I'm sorry Gohan. V's voice was weak in his head, like there was too much distance there.

V

V stood absolute in her convictions. She looked to Dronare because she knew he would understand.

"I wished them to be with Piccolo." V smiled tears streaming down her face. She was prepared to die on this planet, she was not prepared to watch either Gohan or Veltro die.

Thank you, Dronare sighed in relief. Veltro was well out of harms way.

"Where is Gohan, V?" Krillin demanded

"I just told you, safe with Piccolo, we will handle things from here."

"Well well well." Vegeta's voice made them all halt. "if we don't have a couple of rats.

"You always did sleep on the job." V's eyes slid toward him, there were no walls anymore, Gohan did not have to watch her lose herself again, she could come right back. She could protect the ones that were still here. Krillin could think whatever he wanted. He was ready to kill Vegeta himself.

"Now what's gotten into you?" Vegeta's lips curled back over his teeth into a primal smile. V met his eyes without hesitation.

V had nothing left to fear.

Author's Note:

I didn't want to do 2 short chapters in a row and this one just needed the chapter break from the previous but i didn't want to drag it out, on top of that you all deserve to get an extra chapter for sticking this out with me.

thank you for reading XOXO

P.S. I have been reading some old comments on this story and have decided to make a TikTok on my favorite comments, so i may be messaging you to make sure your okay with it, if you are a guest i obviously can't but I'll put it in the author's note next sunday so you know if you were mentioned. i love all my comments but there are ones that make me tear up a bit and make me laugh so hard my ribs ache.