Val flew fast, trying and struggling to keep up with Nail. He kept heading at a steady pace, eyes trained ahead of him, but she could tell he was going just slow enough for her to keep up. After flying a considerable distance, she noticed he was grimacing. His lips kept twitching, like he was arguing with himself internally. He stopped so suddenly that she had trouble halting that fast. "Nail, what is it?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I need to go back," he said.
"What? No," she insisted. "We were told to go. The Great Elder told us to go," she reminded. She frowned, confused since he looked so excited for the thrill of a fight when they left.
"I know," he said, shaking his head. "But he's going to be in danger. My first duty is to protect the Great Elder." He looked back the way they came. "Tell the Earthlings I'm sorry."
"Then I'll go back with you," she decided, half wishing he had not stopped.
He looked in the direction they were headed. "Go to them. They're struggling," he told her. She started to shake her head, but stopped when he said, "Vegeta's currently fighting. And his opponent is too strong for him." She paled at that, making his upper lip curled at that. "Frieza has ordered that you are not to be killed, right?" She nodded. "Go and fight then. That will protect you. That will allow you to protect them even."
"No," she whined out, hating how childish her voice just sounded. She felt herself start to get worked up. Her hands felt warm.
"You'll increase their chances of staying alive, and I'll increase the Great Elder's chances of staying alive," he insisted.
She swallowed thickly. "I don't want to split up," she whined, feeling sick to her stomach. "The last few days..." she hummed out. "I don't know which direction to fly to. I can't sense anyone- the scouter," she reached in her pocket and pulled it out. She held it, wondering if she had just left it behind that he would have no choice but to keep going after Vegeta and the others.
"That way," he pointed in the direction. "Keep your bearings and you'll make in minutes. You'll be kept alive, no matter what happens. I'll find you, where ever you end up," he promised.
She put the scouter back in her pocket. She frowned at him, hands feeling warmer. She breathed deeper, holding up her hands as they glowed. "And you will, too," she ruled. She seized his hands in hers, leaning her forehead against his. "Just survive somehow," she willed, as vaguely as she could, hoping it would set. She brought her hands up to his jaw, kissing him hard.
She let him go, floating away from him. "That way," he repeated, pointing once more in the direction of the others.
He turned around and took off after that, flying back the way they came. She stayed still, conflicted. She heard a blast echo in the distance in the direction where they were headed. She turned her head back and forth, debating which way was the best way to go. She tapped the scouter in her pocket, knowing she did not need it right now. She took off, flying in the direction of the fighting.
She landed quickly near where she saw them all. Nearest to her were Gohan and Vegeta were close together on the ground. Krillin stood behind a prone of the Ginyu Force: Reacoom. She recognized him, even if he was rather beat up at the moment. She recognized Bhutta and Jheese who were watching from a nearby rise. The dead body of Guru was on the ground a ways away. She saw no sign of Ginyu nor the dragon ball Vegeta had earlier. She felt a wave of dread go through her stomach at that. If Frieza had all seven dragon balls like she said he would...
She snapped out of her thoughts, hearing Vegeta grumble, "Get out... of my way... Did I ask for any help...?" He shoved Gohan off and stood up. "Little fool... If you had the time... to save me... why didn't you attack him instead...? Sentimentality... makes me retch..." He did not look stable on his feet, but Gohan seemed okay. "What are... you doing here...?"
She looked over at him. "The Great Elder sent me," she said in half truth.
He gave a weak laugh that turned into a cough. "Going to... throw another... tantrum and burn yourself...?"
She wrinkled her nose at him, turning away from him in time to see Reacoom round on Krillin, pissed off about his ruined teeth. He got Bhutta and Jheese to agree to let him at the two Earthlings as well. He kicked Krillin, punting him across the ground. She winced at the sight of it, knowing as she watched Gohan run after him that that landing was not going to be good.
Vegeta behind her smirked. "Now's your chance... if you want to play..." he wheezed out. "Maybe you'll last... a few minutes..." He dropped to his knees at that, panting.
She looked back at him, tempted to kick him for that, but instead she launched herself forward, putting herself between the two Earthlings and Reacoom, all while not liking the idea of doing that at all.
"What are you doing?" Gohan asked behind her.
"Stand down, kid. I got this," she said, not feeling at all confident in her chances.
"Late entry in the games, eh?" Reacoom taunted, punching his fist in his hand. He turned his head back and called over to Bhutta and Jheese, "yo, I call the barefoot lady, too!"
"Oh, come on," Bhutta gripped, but then gave in. "You owe us two deserts then instead of one."
Jheese was staring at her, she could feel his eyes studying her. He recognized her, but had not quite realize where from. He blinked in realization. "Hold on a second! I think she's on Lord Frieza's no kill list." He was on his scouter now, calling someone. His speaking was too quiet for her to hear at that distance.
"Oh, come on! That's a really short list," Reacoom called back. He looked back over at her, starting to recognize her, too. "You got a kid sister or something?"
She stood up straighter, debating whether or not just to reveal herself to get it over with. The seconds that ticked by made her feel even more tense.
Jheese was still talking quieting into his scouter, nodding intermittently. He nodded one last time and shouted over to Reacoom. "That's the Anthromorph enchantress. From Aviary. The one that can place curses if her hands burn. She's finally grown. Captain Ginyu said Lord Frieza said you can play with her, but just don't kill her."
Her stomach sank at that. She settled herself down in a fighting stance, having no clue how she would win this fight, especially since she lacked any fighting experience at all in her grown body. Reacoom looked down at her, broken smile grinning broadly. Her nose curled in disgust at the sight of his face. "Ah, now I remember you. Daughter of some hot shot winged warrior and gorgeous priestess. Just can't kill you? That might be doable," he said, sounding half sarcastic. He struck a pose not unlike a dancer, ready to fight.
She launched herself at him, glad to have experience fighting a larger opponent. He was certainly bigger than she was. She kicked him in the stomach with both feet, bouncing off him and making him stumble back, but not fall. She kept going though. She cut in close to him, as close as she could manage. She hit him as hard as she could, but it did not seem like he was doing much more than blocking her. She jumped back, assessing the situation. She looked up him, taking time to slow her breathing and watch him.
"I let you get any hits off me you want, and that's what you can do?" he taunted. "Aren't your hands supposed to glow at least or something?" He stalked forward towards. "Maybe I just got to get you angry, enchantress."
He came at her, faster than she anticipated. She raised her hands across her face to block a punch from him, but he was quick enough to change tactics and to drive his knee into her rib cage. His free hand came to her shoulder, keeping her from flying back away from him. He shoved her down onto the ground. She landed on her knees hard, hands wrapped around her chest as she struggled to take in a breath.
"Angry yet?" he asked, pacing around down at her. She grimaced, trying to push herself to stand. He brought his elbow down on her upper back, slamming her into the ground and onto her stomach. She winced, coughed, and sputtered. "Come on, where's that temper like your daddy used to have?" he taunted. He kicked her repeatedly in the right side of her rib cage, where she heard first, felt second, something crack. She hissed out in response to the sudden, sharp pain. He nudged her with his foot. "Still alive?" he asked, using his foot to nudged her from her stomach and turn her over onto her back. She brought her hands to her right side, the pain flaring and waning with each breath. She raised her right knee up towards her chest. "Hands not burning yet?" he pressed.
She looked up at him, grimacing. She was unsure if she could get herself up, but she tried. She brought her hands down to ground at her sides, pushing herself up in a reclined position. She did not get up much farther than that. She felt his fist rain down on her lower right side, just above her hip. He pulled his fist back and punched her again and again, seven times in total. Each strike choked off the scream she loosed.
Mercifully, he stopped. She was back on her back now, right leg laying listlessly on the ground. She raised her right hand up shakily, left arm wrapped around her middle. She struggled to inhale, scared of what he might do next. He looked down at her, asking, "looking for a hand up?" He slapped her raised hand out of the air. She pulled it back against her chest.
"That'll do, Reacoom," Jheese called over. "You have to leave her alive."
Reacoom cracked his neck, looking over at Jheese. "Nah, she's still breathing," he excused. He looked down at her. He raised his foot up over her.
"Stop it!" Gohan's voice cut through the violence. He charged at Reacoom, only to get kicked back by his already raised foot.
Reacoom laughed at that, bringing his foot back down to the ground next to his other one. His attention left her and was now focused on Gohan. She tried to think of how she could get his attention right back on her. Gohan landed on his feet, crouched and angry. He threw an energy blast at him with a shout. Val reached her shaking hand toward Reacoom's ankle, grasping it so he could not move. Reacoom blew the blast right back at him. Then he shook her grip on his ankle off like it was nothing. She watched him take off after the boy with her unable to stop him.
Her side burned and her stomach ached, yet she managed to roll herself up to a reclined sitting position, right hand and hip and upper leg holding her up. Her bent left leg rested against her bent right leg on the ground. Her left hand wrapped around her sore middle. She watched the fighting from that position, starting to few a little lightheaded from her inability to draw a deep breath without pain. The kid was getting pummeled, worse than she had been since he was allowed to be killed.
She could hear Krillin nearby her grumbling to himself about his inability to get up and help. "We're going to die here... at least I'll die next to someone pretty..."
She ignored him, watching the fight. She tried to get up herself, but the pain drove her right back down. She watched Reacoom throw blast after blast at him, which he managed to dodge, but only to have Reacoom sneak up on him and knock him about. He would not stay down though, charging and shouting at Reacoom one last time. Only to have Reacoom kick him in the neck and send him rolling away. He landed hard, neck bent all wrong. Val tried again to get up, pain ratcheting up and driving her back down to her elbows.
Reacoom stood upright, hands on his hips. "Well, scum," he sighed out. "That was about as boring as it gets... And Frieza called us all the way out here for this...? Oh, well... Guess I should go kill all the boys- huh?" he looked up over to his left side.
Val followed his gazed as best she could. She saw a round space ship pass overhead with the words "Capsule Corp." printed over the the door as it flew away towards the horizon. She frowned, wondering at who that could be. Krillin was muttering nearby to himself, just loud enough for her to hear, "it's... it's Goku... G-Goku... has finally come...!" He sounded beyond hopeful. Val looked towards the direction of the ship, feeling mixed feelings at that news. She jumped back when she saw a man in orange come bolting over to Gohan, black hair all esque. She watched him wave over in her direction. Krillin laughed out his name, sounding overly relieved.
"Krillin! I'll bring you some senzu right away!" the younger brother of Raditz called over.
Val shifted on the ground, looking over at him kneel over his son, too far away for her to hear what he was saying. When the boy stood up as if nothing Reacoom had done had happened, she blurted out, "that's not possible." She wondered if he could be a healer as well as a fighter. She watched the exchange between the two of them, not sure what to make of it. It did give a pang of memories about her own father, how she would describe to him a fight she got in once.
"Oh, it's possible," Krillin said next to her excitedly. "Just you wait and see."
The two of them walked over to where she and Krillin were. She tried to sit up taller and even get up, but the pain in her ribs made her halt. Raditz's brother stopped at Krillin, kneeling down before him. "Sorry to make you wait, Krillin," he said. "Here's the senzu."
"Huh," Krillin huffed out, taking a small bean from Raditz's brother.
"Gohan, is that woman over there with you or with them?" Raditz's brother asked, shaking a small pouch in his hand. He was looking over at her questioningly. She stared right back at him ruefully, not wanting to trust him.
"Uh... with us," Gohan said, looking over at her. She looked away from Raditz's brother and down at Gohan, wondering how the boy was walking and talking.
Raditz's brother opened the pouch, dropping a bean out. "Two left," he said softly. "Gohan, son, go give her this. I have a feeling she'll take it from you," he instructed, handing Gohan a bean.
Gohan took it and came over to her, kneeling down on one knee next to her. She watched him approach without blinking, not quite comprehending how he was still walking and alive. He held out the small bean out towards her. "Here, take this. It'll help," he told her.
She felt tempted to smack it away, and would have if it was Raditz's brother kneeling before her instead. "How are you walking?" she asked, eyes studying him. Only the tattered remains of his clothes proved he was ever injured.
He smiled broadly at her. "It's a senzu bean. My dad brought them all the way from Earth. They heal people," he said in explanation. "Go on, eat it," he prompted.
She reached up, taking the senzu bean from him. She intentionally touched his skin, feeling that he was both warm and corporeal. She brought it to her mouth, eating it. She drew a deep breath, surprised to feel no pain in her ribs or gut anymore. She felt renewed, like she had just woken up from a long, deep sleep. She looked up at the him, noticing how amused he looked at her reaction. "Come on then, come meet my dad," he said, hauling her up by the hand.
Val frowned, following after him until they both stood near Raditz's brother and Krillin. She watched Krillin get like he had never been hurt in the first place. "Goku... can't you see how powerful they are...?" he was explaining. "It doesn't matter how much better we get... they'll just beat us down again... Not even you can beat them, Goku. They're just beyond our imagination. Even Vegeta was helpless..."
"Why was he fighting them...?" Raditz's brother asked, looking over at him. "Weren't they in league with each other?"
Krillin hummed, "they were at first, but..." He shrugged, not sure how to finish his explanation.
Raditz's brother laid his hand on Krillin's head, saying, "you don't have to talk. Let me feel it..."
"Huh? What are you doing? I don't have a fever," Krillin said.
Val watched the exchange, not sure what to make of it. She glanced over at the others, seeing Vegeta and the others just staring at them bewildered.
Raditz's brother started talking, drawing her attention back to him. "Now I know everything, why you powers are so much higher... that Bulma's safe... The dragon balls got taken away... Frieza and those others guys... and Val and Vegeta, too..." Her eyes flicked up, watching him at the sound of her name. No one had told him her name yet.
Krillin was surprised, "no way! How could you tell?!"
Raditz's brother just shrugged. "I don't know... I just had a feeling that'd work!" He glanced over at Val. "Ran away from Frieza, huh?"
The look he gave seemed to expect a response. "Twice," she finally answered.
He nodded at her amicably. "Let's keep you away from him this time around then," he added. He turned his gaze away and over to where Vegeta was hunkered down. "It doesn't look like Vegeta's turned over a new leaf... But I guess he saved your lives this time..." He reached into the pouch he had. "Only one senzu left..."
Krillin asked, "w-wait a minute! Where'd you get this power?!"
Raditz's brother ignored him, calling out, "Vegeta!" he threw the last senzu bean he had across the landscape they were on. "Eat it!"
Val watched as Vegeta caught it, ate, and looked just as shocked as she was to make a full recovery.
"Y-you gave him the last one?!" Krillin complained next to her. "You're insane! I guess you want him fighting alongside us, but..."
"No, that's not it. I want to finish the fight we started on Earth later," Raditz's brother explained.
"Huh? Finish...?!" Krillin asked.
Raditz's brother suddenly went rigid. He looked over at Reacoom, forgotten about in his reunions. "I'll take care of them... by myself," he preempted before walking calmly towards Reacoom, not listening to both Krillin and Gohan tell him not to.
"He can't possibly think he's going to win...?" Val asked aloud.
Raditz's brother stepped up before Reacoom, moving fast, dodging Reacoom's first attack. It seemed as if he had disappeared, but then had just moved fast enough to disappear and reappear behind Jheese and Bhutta. Val frowned, having hardly seen any of the movement at all. He told the two of them to leave right before he went back over to Reacoom. Reacoom went to blast him, only to get knocked with an elbow to the gut by him. Val winced at it, knowing how it must have felt and enjoying it. Reacoom went down at that, collapsed on the ground. She watched, frowning, not understanding how easily or quickly that fight could be over. From the sounds of it, neither were Krillin nor Gohan nearby.
Raditz's brother looked down at Reacoom, guard seemingly dropped low. He told Reacoom to go home. Bhutta and Jheese took the chance and attacked him, two against one. It looked like child's play to her, not unlike how her father used to fight others in challenge when they tried to refuse to let her train. Her father told them if they could defeat him, they he would stop training her at the training grounds. He always won.
She shook her head out of her memories, looking over at the fight between Raditz's brother and Bhutta and Jheese. He shoved them far and away like it was nothing. Jheese throw a blast at him that he knocked away easily, right into Bhutta. Bhutta dodged it, but in the confusion that followed, he cut behind him. Bhutta attacked him, Jheese jumping in. He dodged them, knocking Bhutta down and out. He caught him on the ground at the last second, dropping him a bit more gently on the ground in a small act of undeserved mercy. He yelled at Jheese once more to take the other two and go home before it was too late, refusing to kill them. Instead, Jheese took off, running away like a whipped dog.
Val watched Raditz's brother disbelievingly. He should have killed the three of them instead of allowing them to live. If they were allowed to live, then they were allowed to enact revenge one day. She watched Vegeta cut in, killing Bhutta and Reacoom in spite of Raditz's brother's protests. She found she disagreed with his sentimentality. When fighting one of Frieza's men, it was kill or be killed.
She was not the only disgusted by his inability to finish what he started. Vegeta was as well, "your softness make me retch, as usual. Why did you stand there and let one get away?! You could've finished him off easily!" She nodded in agreement. He spoke as he walked up to join the four of them, stopping to stand closest to her. "You're no Super Saiyan after all..." he accused.
"Super Saiyan...?" Raditz's brother asked, sounding just as confused by the phrase as he was.
Vegeta let his temper out, raging, "I guess you're too proud to have gotten so strong... but you're still not enough to beat Frieza! Not unless you become immortal! You still don't know the terror you're up against!"
Raditz's brother did not quite understand, challenging, "Wait a minute... I'm more powerful than ever... by far! And you're saying I still don't match up against Frieza?!"
Vegeta shook his head. "Frieza's might is beyond anything you can conceive. You cannot even prepare yourself," he forewarned.
Krillin interjected, "Oh, come on, Vegeta! You saw Goku tossed those two guys around like toys! Nobody could take him!"
Vegeta clicked his teeth. "You can fight him and see..." he dismissed. "But remember that Frieza has probably been granted eternal life by the dragon balls by now. I'd say our best strategy is to pray that we'll never come across him." Val looked at him, stomach feeling cold at the thought of that.
Krillin shook his head, disagreeing, "no... I don't think he's gotten eternal life yet..."
"Huh?" Raditz's brother muttered.
"What? How do you know?" Val asked, feeling hopeful.
Krillin explained, "if these dragon balls are the same as the ones on Earth, it should get dark when Shenlong appears, right?! But it's been light all along. I d-don't think it's happened yet..."
"But he has all seven of them," Val insisted, remembering the words Frieza made her say before coming to the planet: 'I hope you will find all seven dragon balls on Planet Namek.'
"Shenlong?" Vegeta questioned. "You mean... there's some sort of being involved with these dragon balls?!"
Raditz's brother suddenly looked rather excited. He piped up, "I get it! He doesn't know the words! He thinks you get your wish just by getting all seven balls! We still have a chance to get our wish!"
"The words...?! But... what...?" Vegeta stuttered. He turned to Val, desperately rushing out. "The Namekians took you in. Surely you know the words, don't you?!"
She looked at him blankly, shaking her head. "I haven't been told anything... I didn't even know there was a dragon nor three wishes or anything like that..." she admitted, face feeling hot. Yet another thing Nail kept from her.
Vegeta scoffed, "what good is it for you to be adopted as one of them if you know nothing important?"
"It's fine, all we have to do is find someone who knows the words! Then we can still bring everybody back to life!" Raditz's brother cheered, with Gohan and Krillin echoing his excitement.
Krillin spoke next, "now we've just got to get the dragon balls back."
Raditz's brother looked back and forth between her and Vegeta, asking, "you two know these guys. Any good ideas?"
She shook her head, wracking her brain, more interested in how they were going to get the words they needed.
Vegeta scowled, saying, "I thought you were going to fight Frieza?"
Raditz's brother hummed, "well... I want to! But... to tell the truth, the Lord of the Worlds told me not to fight him too... I think first I'd better brings the guys you killed on Earth back to life."
Vegeta huffed, "that's your wish?! Idiot! What good will it be when Frieza blows up that whole planet someday? Give me eternal life instead."
"No way!" Krillin refused, Val watched him trying to back out on the deal they had originally made. "If we do that, you'd be no different than Frieza!"
Val reminded him, "that's the deal you made though. That he gets his wish as well as you do." She thought but did not mention her wondering at what the third wish would end up being in this case. She debated internally how she could claim it and use it if need be.
Vegeta grinned at her, but then suddenly cocked his head to the left. "Two energies heading this way... Of course, Jheese, the one you let get away... is bringing Captain Ginyu. I wonder if even you can handle him?"
"H-he's right, Goku! This is trouble...!" Krillin grumbled.
"Wait..." Vegeta cut in. "Where's Frieza?!" Val looked at him, eyes wide and heart in her throat. "He was at the spaceship where Ginyu took the dragon balls."
Raditz's brother pointed off in the distance. Val recalled it was the direction from whence she came. "I feel a powerful energy far off that way... that must be Frieza..."
Gohan panicked, "b-but that's the direction..."
"Oh no!" Krillin cut in. "That's where the Great Elder is! I get it now! Frieza couldn't get his wish, so he's going to make a Namekian tell him what to do!"
"Is that who made the dragon balls here?!" Raditz's brother questioned.
"Nail," Val breathed. She reached her hand down to her pocket to feel for her scouter, half ready to just take off in that direction.
Vegeta rounded on her before she could think to move, asking, "Were there more Namekians in that house?!"
"The last three," she answered, thinking also on Dende and the Great Elder.
Krillin meanwhile was exclaiming, "yeah! Oh, man! This is bad!"
Gohan panicked, "h-he'll kill the Great Elder after he finds out how to get his wish! He doesn't know that the dragon balls will disappear if the Great Elder dies!"
She looked back in the direction they went, taking a few steps in that direction. " What?! That can't be allowed-"
"Stay close," Vegeta ordered her. "There's nothing you can do now. Even if you can make it there in time."
She grimaced at that, looking over at him. One more wish was left... If she made sure Vegeta got his, perhaps he would make sure she got the one forming in her own mind. She met his eyes, trying to communicate that with him. He gave her a conspiratorial look.
All of them snapped out of their panic, looking up at the sky. Jheese had returned, with Ginyu in tow. Both stood there, ready to fight. Val half listened to the banter and challenge to fight happening between Raditz's brother and Ginyu. She felt worried, turning her thoughts in her mind over and over again. The Great Elder could not be allowed to die... Yet there was nothing she could do so far away... Nail would fight first, she knew he would. Fight and die to protect the Great Elder. She closed her eyes at the wretched thought. She looked down at her hands, cold and shaking, wondering if they would finally fail her this time around. Yet the dragon balls could bring the dead back to life...
Vegeta snapped his fingers at her, drawing her attention back to him and the others. He looked up in the sky in the direction not where the Great Elder was, but where Ginyu and Jheese had come from. She nodded barely once. She watched Raditz's brother send Krillin and Gohan after a dragon ball radar that could locate the dragon balls and then told them to go to Frieza's ship.
After the two of them took off, Vegeta eyed her once more behind Raditz's brother's back. Raditz's brother squared himself up to fight, under the assumption Vegeta was going to fight along side of him. "Keep up," Vegeta preempted.
"Huh?" Raditz's brother hummed, turning back to look at them.
"So long, Kakarot!" Vegeta shouted, taking off in a rush.
Val watched him go, pausing only for a second to throw Raditz's brother a conflicted look. She took off after Vegeta, hearing he shout after them in shock.