"V..." Gohan felt it, or rather didn't feel it. King Kai jerked his chin.

Take hold."

Gohan couldn't move, Piccolo and Veltro grabbed his hands. Veltro was too afraid to ask why Gohan looked like that. Piccolo felt the same thing Gohan felt.

We're too late...

Vegeta

V fell to the ground, that brat, how could she think for a second she was more tha a game for him. There was never a chance for her, no, she must have known that, there was no chance, she must have, she still stood against him. She had the blood of a warrior in her, no matter anything else she was still a Saiyan and she died refusing to bow... how then could he stay here on the ground, kneeling to a tyrant that killed his people. That killed his father. That tried to steal every ounce of their dignity and pride. No, no he wouldn't allow this, he would not die a coward. He would stand and win or stand and die, but he would not die doing nothing. He would not die as less than that brat.

Frieza took aim as the V's body fell from the sky, he had always learned to finish the job, he wouldn't assume she was dead although she couldn't possibly look more dead. Just to make a point Frieza pointed and the beam lit up at the end of his finger.

"Out of the way trash!" Vegeta kicked Frieza so hard and so fast even Frieza was caught off guard. He smashed into the ground. V hit the ground next and Dende broke free of Dronare's grasp and ran to her.

Frieza glared at Vegeta as he pulled himself from the crater. "all of you monkeys are the same." Frieza growled. "stupid to the point of extinction." Frieza charged and slammed his fist into Vegeta's face, Vegeta plummeted into the ground.

"I WILL NOT DIE BY YOUR HAND!" Vegeta charged again, two blasts powered up in his hands, Frieza hadn't expected him to bounce back so fast. Vegeta blasted him in the face and followed up with a punch punch kick combo, he charged again and again and Frieza was surprised, Vegeta really had gotten stronger, he might be of some real use. Frieza did need someone now that most of his elite forces were taken out, if he could just beat the proper sense into Vegeta he would take him back but this loss would have to be so painful, so damaging to his pride that the stupid monkey wouldn't so much as dare to look him in the eye without direct permission.

Vegeta through a barrage of blasts at him and followed through with another combo, sending Frieza into the ground again. He was really doing it, he was taking Frieza down, once he beat Frieza there would be no stopping him. Vegeta wouldn't hesitate to kill them all, anyone who stepped in his way, anyone who challenged him, anyone he wanted he would kill them without hesitation. He would be the tyrant everyone feared, he would be unstoppable. Vegeta could see it no, he'd take down Frieza and take up his mantle and spread fear far wider, far deeper than Frieza ever could.

Dronare caught up to Dende and dragged him away.

"We have to help her!" Dende cried.

"She scarified herself for us, will you take that from her by dying anyway? That tyrant will kill Vegeta next and then he'll kill us, we have to get as far away as possible.

Dronare was halfhearted in all his words, he did not want to leave her, he didn't want her. he was more afraid that he would confirm she was dead if he went any closer. She could still be alive; he couldn't feel anything coming from her, but she could still be alive.

"we can help her still, I can help her." Dende squirmed but he was not a fighter he was a... Dronare had forgotten, he only saw the boy on occasions.

"You're a healer." Dronare almost shook with the hope building inside him.

"Yes, I can help her." Dende looked up at Dronare with his sad eyes, he heard his internal thought if she's still alive

Gohan

"This is as close as I can get you." King Kai sighed "I have a job to do, I can't get myself killed right now."

Veltro knew what the look Gohan was wearing before was for. his heart ached. "I can't feel her." Veltro grabbed Gohan.

"tell me you can feel her, with your link." Veltro gripped Gohan's arm, panic filling him.

"We're too far away." Piccolo snapped "her energy is different, there's a hole list of reasons we might not feel her right now. She just fought with everything she had, she might just be knocked out.

There was a horrible feeling inside both Piccolo and Gohan, something coming from the link they shared with her.

"She's not dead." Gohan clenched his fists. "she is not dead." He had no idea if it was the truth, but V would never give up on him so soon, never stop fighting for him tooth and nail.

"You're sure?" Veltro asked, he never once imagined he'd be looking to Veroca's brother for assurance.

"She's too strong... too smart... too...too." Gohan bit back anything else "we have to get to her now we can't let her get hurt anymore..." he whispered the last part so quietly only Piccolo picked it up "we can't let her be alone again."

"Old man." Piccolo grabbed his shoulder. "you'll be teaching me that little instant transmission trick another time. For now... thank you."

"Hopefully I won't be seeing you too soon." King Kai offered a nod and wished them luck.

"Let's go!" Gohan led the charge, following that tyrant's horrible energy. We're coming V, please just hold on, please don't leave me. I don't know what I' ever do without you.

Veltro tried to believe Gohan's assurance, V is not dead. He tried to focus on Piccolo's words, her energy was different after all. She could be hiding it on purpose.

Piccolo flew beside Gohan, he didn't feel anything from V, as if she were absent from the world. He didn't like that feeling at all, but that did not mean she was dead. He meant what he said to Veltro. Her energy signal is strange, she could just be knocked out. It doesn't have to mean she's dead.

Dronare

Dronare released Dende and they ran to V's body, he couldn't see movement at all, he listened but if there was a heartbeat it was too faint to hear. Please be alive He stared at her, waiting for movement.

"It's okay V... It's gonna be okay." Dende held his hands over her and golden light emanated from his hands showering over her but not go into her.

"It's... she..." Dende had never encountered this before, he never had to do anything to make the energy go into people, he simply needed to offer it. She was alive, he was sure of it, she had to be alive. It had never occurred to him before, v dying, how out of the realm of possibility that was because when he saw her it wasn't that she was particularly strong. She was kind of weak actually, Veltro had been much stronger than her then, but it was the energy she put, wild and untamable, she was a force of her own kind. She took up so much space and demanded attention. That kind of flame couldn't just be out, she couldn't just die...

"You know what this means..." Dronare felt sheer dread. He would have to tell Veltro that he failed, would have to watch his son hurt again.

"no." Dende shook his head "no, no no no, she's not, she can't be, its wrong." Dende pushed harder.

Dronare sighed and reached for the young Namekian, a child should not have to suffer so much loss. He watched the kid press harder and harder trying to force the energy into V, trying to revive the young saiyan by sheer force of will.

"Dende." Dronare rested a hand on Dende's shoulder. "that's enough Dende, you'll wear yourself out."

"No!" he yelled "no, she's not dead."

"What good is any of this if her one goal isn't accomplished?" Dronare demanded ignoring the tears threatening his own eyes. Veltro will be crushed.

"What makes my life any more valuable than hers?" Dende whispered "why is it okay for her to sacrifice herself for me and you and Gohan and Veltro but not for me to do everything I can to save her?"

Dronare knelt beside him "she is a warrior; you are a healer. You need to live to heal the wounded, she gives her life to save those who cannot save themselves. The greatest honor she can have is meeting her end in place of another. "

"Not yet." Dende pressed harder, dug deeper, willed his energy to encompass her.

"V, you have to get up, what is Gohan going to do when he sees you like this?"

Dronare watched Dende push himself harder than he ever had before.

"What's Gohan gonna say, are you gonna leave him." Dende demanded "are you going to leave Veltro again, are you mean enough to hurt him again?" Dende pressed his hands into her sternum "You hurt him so much the first time you left him, are you going to do that again?"

"Dende..." Dronare tried again "we have to go."

"You're gonna leave us all again, V?" Dende demanded, tear flowing freely from his eyes.

Gohan

Emptiness, that's all he could feel as he reached out for V, we can wish her back if we need to. There's got to be a way to make another wish, there has to be, we already found one way to save the others. If I have to go to another planet years away, I'll do that, I don't care what Krillin says, I don't care what mom says, Piccolo will help me. I'll do it on my own if I have to

"Hey!" Veltro dove down.

"What are you doing?" Gohan snapped much harsher than he meant.

"There's someone down there." Piccolo followed Veltro down.

"Nail!" Veltro knelt beside the Namekian, Gohan hated how much he was itching to go, this guy was hurt too but all he could think of was V, who fought alone, who always did everything she could to protect him. V who could be...

"Nail, you're hurt bad." Veltro didn't know what to do.

"Hey there, you're okay." Nail smiled, wincing at the pain.

"I am... Veroca... she saved me." Veltro closed his eyes wanting to hide his shame, how he still needed to be saved, he was still a child, he wasn't ready... Dronare had been right the whole time.

"She's good at that, huh?" Nail smiled "but... it might be your turn to save her." He clasped Veltro's hand in his own.

"it is our turn to save her." Gohan said, he hated to do this, he hated himself for thinking it, but v needed him. He needed to go. "I'm sorry, I have to go." Gohan bolted. Flying at top speed to his sister.

"Gohan!" Piccolo readied to take off

"Wait." Nail stopped him.

"I'm sorry for this but I can't help you." Piccolo readied to take off again.

"No, but I think I can help you." Nail smirked.

"oh really, how's that?" Piccolo looked him over "you can barely move."

Veltro's eyes grew wide "you can't!"

"Sorry, Veltro but I'm not going to make it anyway." Nail squeezed his hand "we're warriors, this is what we live for. My only regret is not taking that tyrant with me."

"You... it's gonna be okay. I... we-we can help you" Veltro looked to Piccolo.

"Sorry kid, his injuries are to severe, I can't heal, and I don't have any senzu beans." Piccolo sighed "I can only promise to kill this guy for you."

"You're not strong enough and-" Nail winces. "and you know it. you'll get yourselves killed without a boost."

"A boost." Piccolo cocked his brow at him "you can offer that?"

"please Nail, I'll never see you again." Veltro squeezed his friend's hand.

"What are you talking about." Piccolo demanded feeling Gohan get farther and farther away.

Nail looked him in the eye "if we fuse our bodies, my power will become yours, we can take Frieza down and fight for the others."

"Fuse huh?" Piccolo looked to Veltro "if that's all it is, why are you so concerned."

"I don't know if fusion is different where you live but this kind of fusion is permanent. You'll pick a body for the power to go but you will be altered from the fusion forever."

"Not sure this is my cup of tea." Piccolo pulled back.

"It's the only way you'll have a chance against frieza... the only way you'll have a chance to save your friends." Nail smirked "and you know it."

Piccolo considered Nail for a moment, he wasn't wrong, the feeling of that energy where V was and where Gohan was headed, it was intense. It was pure evil.

Veltro hung his head as he watched Piccolo consider and Nail with his mind already made up. This was it. He would never see Nail again and it was all Frieza's fault. How much could one being take from a planet, from it's people. How could he do these evil things, didn't he care at all, didn't he ever worry about anyone else. Did he not hear the cries of his victims?

Veltro supposed these were all stupid thoughts because of course the answer was no. evil guys, they don't care for anything but what they want and Frieza wants to rule over everything.

"We have to save Veroca." Veltro whispered still staring at the ground. Tear fell from his eyes, he threw his arms around Nail and hugged him "I'm sorry I'm not strong enough, I should have trained more."

"This is not on you, Veltro." Nail patted him on the back "we all should have been strong. We should have fought together. We let emotions get in the way and now we have to fix that, we can still save our people but we're going to have to make sacrifices to do it."

Veltro bite back his tears, he was a warrior, he had his people to save, he had Veroca to save and Dronare to save and Dende too, he had to save them, he had to be strong enough he had to be the warrior Dronare spent all this time training him to be. He had to be ready now.

"Give Dende a message for me." Nail new he'd still see him, but it would be in a different way, with new eyes. "I know he's going to do great things..." Veltro saw the tears in his eyes and nodded. "I'll tell him."

"Alright." Piccolo knelt beside Nail. "how do we do this?"

"Place your hand on my chest." Nail directed "yeah, just like that."

"We're using my body." Piccolo wanted to make that clear.

"Sure thing," Nail chuckled "Your body is in better condition anyway.

"Now what?" Piccolo felt a strange pulse.

"Now... we defeat this monster." Nail yelled as he forced his and Piccolo's energy to merge, their bodies to fuse, their minds to become one. A perfect combination of their strength, speed and intelligence.

I hope its enough Nail thought.

Piccolo felt the energy immediately, his power had to be more than doubled.

"YES!" he couldn't contain himself "YES YES YES, I CAN DO THIS, I AM STRONG. I CAN WIN. YES, I'M AWAKE, I'M FINALLY WIDE AWAKE!

Veltro expected Nail's energy to completely disappear but it didn't he still had a sense of him, it was different, but it was like his spirit was still there.

I'll defeat Frieza, Nail, I'll save our people.

Goku:

What's going on out there Goku hated this part, the helplessness, the inability to do anything, he could come out of this thing now but he's not done healing, what good would it do if he got out just to get beaten again because he was too hasty, he needed to heal completely or he wouldn't be any help.

Please hold on guys plea- Goku didn't want to think what he just felt was right. V's energy had been wild, all over the place like usual but now... now there was nothing, it's like she disappeared.

V, where are you?

First Gohan's energy and her friend, Veltro disappeared, then V's energy went crazy, he might've been hurt, or someone knocked him out, he didn't feel dead though. V's energy felt absent.

V, can you hear me, please answer me. What's going on? He wasn't sure if he really felt her there or if he just wanted to feel her,

I can't do anything yet Goku growled in frustration. Please hold on, I just got you all back, you guys just have to hold on.

Goku felt around for anyone else, he felt Dronare and Krillin, Vegeta was still okay but why was no one helping her, why was she the only one that was fighting. Where did she go, where is everyone?

Vegeta, I know you don't care about them, but you can't possibly be okay with losing Goku couldn't stand this, he had to get better now, he had to be finished healing.

Darn it... I can't rush this. They'll have to hold on. Goku tried to focus, tried to track them all down- There's Gohan and Veltro! and... Piccolo? How in the world did Piccolo get here?

He'll help V and so will Gohan, and Veltro. I don't know where everyone went but she's got help now. They can hold this guy off until I'm ready to fight.

Goku sat in his healing tank

Gohan charged full speed toward his sister

Veltro wiped his tears and readied to fight, or die

Piccolo, high on the boost in power took off to help his two kids and stop this tyrant from hurting anymore people.

Vegeta held nothing back as he pummeled Frieza.

Dende forced his energy into V but she had yet to respond, nothing came from her.

Frieza readied to make his move, Vegeta had built up his confidence, so sure that he would win this, that he even had the thought of a chance. He would die just as pathetically as the rest.

Bye bye little prince

Author's Note:

So as promised some V art will be posted below this message, please don't expect too much I'm mediocre at best but I sometimes forget in depth character descriptions especially when writing fanfic so I'd like to share how I envision V and Veltro and Dronare, although Dronare's more so the different in outfit.

I came up with V when I was about six years old and her design was overall the same but her hair was different. originally she had very long hair down to the ground but I ended up changing it because it was too similar to Raditz and I couldn't see her wanting to purposefully look like him or any of the others in any way. So the image below is her final design and similarly to Goku doesn't change really, except aging up.

Thank you so much for the comments and encouragement, they mean so much to me. They always make my day when I get to read how people are enjoying my story.

Now that you've seen V, is this how you imagined her? If not how is she different?

Also... who thinks she's dead?