Val felt her sore self be jarred awake. She blinked up, body twitching as she landed on something soft and flat. She raised her hand up, seeing Nail loom over her. The room she was in was dark, dimly lit. She felt lightheaded, eyes burning in the her skull.
Dende's voice, never sounding so loud, asked, "what's happened to her? That didn't happen to Krillin when he had his strength drawn out."
Nail answered, pressing gently on her forehead to bend down her down flat on the futon beneath her. "Rest, just rest," he told her, sounding slightly uncertain. She felt his hand hold a slight tremble to match the pitch of his voice. He took his hand from her forehead and brought it with his other down around her neck. His hands danced along to the back of her neck, which should not have twinged the way it did, undoing and removing the corded necklace from her.
"No," she grunted, seizing the end of it, the vial, that contained the medicine she would need one day when she grew. Her fingers felt long, stiff, and clumsy. She clung to it nevertheless, hands aching much more than she thought possible. She worried at that, worried somehow the Great Elder might have inadvertently harmed her.
He stopped pulling the necklace away, but did not let go either. "You're growing now," he explained before the realization dawned on her first. "According to your memories, now is the time to use the medicine within the vial." She let go, allowing him to pull the necklace away. "Dende, fetch some hot water so we can make this tea."
She laid her head back, feeling weaker and dizzy. She heard Dende rush out of the room, sound pounding in her skull. "I can't, not now..." she thought out loud, having trouble grasping the full reality of this was happening now. Frieza was still on this planet, trapped now that Vegeta had badly damaged the ship. He could still radio for help, to get another ship, to get someone to bring more scouters. He would be after her if and when he was finished with the dragon balls. "I..." She clenched her teeth, feeling pain flare up her upper back and chest. She arched her back upwards. She resisted the urge to cry out determinedly. "Yeah, I need to the tea now," she admitted. She recalled what her mother told her time and again, and then what Asa had echoed time and again. In six to twelve hours minimum, it would all be over, the pain would be over, one way or another. If she was unlucky or had no medicine, it could be hours or even days longer. It would start in one or two spots at first, and then rachet up until her whole self felt pain. She hoped Dende would be back soon, the ache in her chest dulling before it could overwhelm her. "How do you know...?" she asked, confused.
He went quiet, a stoic, yet nervous quiet. "The Great Elder passed your important ones on to me, as mine were passed onto you," he answered.
She recalled one of his, where the Great Elder had used the dragon balls he had created to restore Nail to his youth so he could keep in prime fighting condition. "Why...?" she asked, not quite understanding. Before he could answer though, sharp pain shoot up from her feet, this time making her shout. She kicked them out, feeling his hand down gently on her shins. She looked down, seeing her ankles poke out from the billowy pants she wore for the first time. She slipped her feet against each other in a desperate attempt to get the tight and constricting shoes off. Each foot sent a wave of deep ache when she did that. "Get them off," she begged.
He reached down, pulling both off as gingerly as he could manage, but it annoyed her that his movements hurt nevertheless. He also noticed the end of the chain still clamped around her ankle, but she missed since it was not hurting her yet. With a growl, he dug his nails into the lock, forcing it open and off. "Dende needs to get back here," he said, looking back over at the door. "According to your memories, the pain will only grow worse."
She looked up at him and around the room. "Where are we?" she asked, looking around before any pain could take her. Her knees were starting to ache.
"My room," he answered. "Subterranean, quieter, shielded better from the light of the three suns," he explained.
Dende came back into the room before either of them could say anything else. Nail sat up straighter, reaching for it. He took it in hand and sat it down before him. He broke open the top of the vial, and carefully poured the dry contents into the hot water. After a second's hesitation, he used the now empty vial to stir the contents. She pushed herself up, watching him on bated breath, still half understanding how knew exactly what to do. One of her wrists buckled. She looked down to see it poking out of her shirt sleeve.
"Drink carefully," he said, handing her the cup.
She took it, fingers feeling stiff. He did not quite let go of the cup himself as she drank, hand hovering over hers to catch it should she drop it. She drank it down, feeling a numbing sensation sink down her throat as she drank. When she finished, he took the cup away from her, setting it down beside himself. She felt a relaxed, calming sensation come over her mind. She laid herself back down sleepily, yet slightly unsure how much she should trust him yet. It still seemed quite odd he had some of her memories, and she some of his. She liked that they did though.
"Leave us, if you would. I will watch over her," Nail said, his voice sounding odd. She looked up at him, seeing him look back at Dende.
"Are you sure?" he responded. Val closed her eyes, head feeling like it was swimming. "If there's anything I can do to help the sister, please let me know." She heard the door close behind him.
"Rest," she heard Nail's voice tell her, sounding far away.
"Do you know what you're doing?" she slurred.
"No, but from your memories, you do," he answered, sounding uncertain yet determined.
She closed her eyes at that, drawing a deep breath. She allowed herself to fall asleep, trusting him amidst the confusion swirling around her head. Her jaw felt slack and her face felt flushed. She allowed herself to fall asleep, only slightly noticing a twinge in her shoulder.