Resurrection

It was a peaceful day on planet Earth as the guardian peered down through the sea of blue sky below him. He had grown accustomed to the cool air from the upper atmosphere, and found otherworld a bit too stuffy. He was glad to be home.

"Hello, Kami, this is King Kai. Can you hear me?"

The elderly Namekian had been walking the grounds of the lookout, enjoying his first day back alive in quite some time. Piccolo had recently been revived by use of Namek's dragonballs, and thereafter Porunga had transported him to Namek. When that happened, Kami had been restored to life as well, finally arriving back at his palace amongst the clouds.

"Ah, King Kai. How good of you to check in. You're coming through clearly," spoke the age-worn but friendly voice of Earth's guardian.

"Very good. Let me get to the point. Kami, I was just speaking with several of the Earth's fighters here and we have decided on a wish we would like to make now that Shenron has returned. Would it be possible for you to ask Mr. Popo to begin retrieving the dragonballs?"

There was no urgency in King Kai's voice, as finally everything was at peace. He had watched in fear, worrying that the demon Frieza couldn't be defeated. But Vegeta, of all people, had been the hero to save everyone from the icy tyrant's dominion. He had turned into a Super Saiyan, the legendary warrior, and Frieza had been no match for his power.

"Of course, King Kai. I'll have him begin searching for the dragonballs immediately." Kami nodded at Mr. Popo, who vanished immediately on his flying carpet. "So, which of Earth's warriors will we be reviving first?" Kami asked.

"Actually, they have agreed on a different wish than having one of them being brought back to life. You see, Frieza slaughtered the entire Namekian race trying to achieve his wish for immortality. Yamcha suggested that we undo that damage with a wish to Shenron, and give the Nameks back their lives and their home. Personally, I think it's an excellent idea," spoke the Kai.

"Certainly, King Kai." Kami smiled at the thought. "I am very glad for the opportunity to help so many of my own people! It will be done as you request, then."

"Thank you, Kami. You've been most helpful. Contact me again when Mr. Popo is ready to make the wish." With that, King Kai turned to the others on his planet and smiled. "Well, boys, it looks like our plan just might work. Whaddaya know?"

The others cheered, except for Tien, who only grinned at the news. Everything was finally going their way.

"I suppose I should contact Piccolo with the news. After all, we'll need his help with the second part of the plan," King Kai said.

On Namek, Krillin, Piccolo, Gohan, and Bulma stood together outside the Capsule Corporation spaceship that Goku had arrived in. Together, the three fighters had sensed Vegeta's Super Galic Flash, and afterwards they could find no trace of Frieza. After a short celebration, Krillin offered to go tell Goku that they were ready to go, but Gohan volunteered instead. The young Saiyan had just flown off to retrieve his father, anxious to begin the journey home, and they were still waving bye to him. When the last sparkle of light from Gohan's aura disappeared in the distance, Bulma finally went to inspect the ship.

"Wow, It's much bigger inside than it looks," she observed as she stepped through the thresh-hold. As she proceeded towards the main terminal, Bulma briefly surveyed the interior design of the ship . "Hmmm. Well, everything seems to be in working order," she commented as she began running diagnostics on the control panel. "My dad did a great job building this model. It's almost three times as fast as the Namekian ship we came here in. We'll be home in no time!"

Piccolo had remained outside while Krillin had entered with her. "Hey Bulma, you don't suppose Goku left anything to eat in the fridge, do you?" laughed the midget. "We both know how those Saiyans eat, haha. Anyway, I'm starving. It feels like I haven't eaten in days."

"Why don't you check downstairs, Krillin? I've got to keep running checks on all the systems. But hey, don't go too far." Bulma was quite friendly with Dende, the only other Namekian she had met, but she still remembered Piccolo's past well enough to have a healthy fear. "Piccolo still gives me the creeps," she shuddered.

Outside, the Namekian's ears pricked. He possessed a hearing capacity far beyond that of humans, and often heard bits of conversations which were intended to be private.

"Aw, don't you worry about Piccolo, Bulma. He is one of the good guys now, trust me. In fact, we would probably be dead right now if he hadn't shown up when he did." Krillin smiled as he reassured Bulma. Then, he quickly jumped down the hole in the ship's main deck in order to search for food.

"Piccolo, this is King Kai. Do you read me?" spoke the telepathic voice.

Piccolo was levitating outside, his legs and arms crossed and his eyes closed. King Kai's intrusion did little to break his focus.

"Yes," he grunted telepathically. "I read you. What do you want?" replied the annoyed Namekian.

"Hey now, Mr. 'I promise I won't fight Frieza'. Don't you get short with me!" King Kai barked. He had made Piccolo swear not to fight Frieza before he would train him, an oath which the Namekian immediately ignored upon returning to life.

"Fine. What can I do for you, King Kai?" he replied in a slightly more civil voice.

"That's much better, Piccolo," replied the Kai. "As it so happens I have been devising a plan to have the lives of all the Namekians restored. Well, me and the others here, that is. Mr. Popo is retrieving the dragonballs of Earth as we speak. Once he has them all, he is going to wish for everyone who died on Namek since Frieza arrived to be brought back to life, except Frieza's minions, of course."

"I see," Piccolo responded. "Well, that's great news. What do you need from me?"

"Well, Kami and I hope that a side effect of this wish will be that Guru will be restored to life as well, since he didn't die of entirely natural causes. That would mean Porunga will return and will be waiting to grant a third wish. We would need you to go and make that wish for us. Ask Porunga to bring Chiaotzu back to life, since he can't return with Earth's dragonballs. Then we can wish the other guys back later by asking Shenron."

Piccolo smiled ever so slightly. He had changed a great deal in the past year or so, even coming to enjoy being on the side of good. He was glad that everything would soon be restored to normal.

"All right, King Kai, you have a deal. I'll be sure to explain to the Nameks what's going on too. Contact me again whenever you're ready to make the wish."

With that, the conversation ended, each side waiting to be contacted in order to proceed to the next step. Piccolo returned to meditation, only to suddenly feel the horrendous power of Frieza return. Then, an instant later, Vegeta's massive energy vanished entirely. Piccolo began to frantically concentrate on sensing the battle, trying to ascertain what had just happened. He sensed both Goku and Gohan, still alive and well, but Vegeta was nearly gone and Frieza was suddenly back.

Krillin rushed out of the ship, terrified that he could once again feel the malevolent energy of the icy demon. "Piccolo, are you sensing what I'm sensing? What just happened?" he shouted, his fear causing him to drop the piece of chicken he was eating.

"It's not possible, but somehow Frieza survived. And now, Vegeta is down." Piccolo's deep voice relayed the facts with just as much shock as Krillin had shown. "Darn it!" he yelled. "This changes everything!"

"We have to go help them," gulped Krillin as he tried to show a bold face. "Goku and Gohan can't take on Frieza alone."

"No, I can't," Piccolo said. "I have to stay as far away from the battle as possible. My death could ruin it all. Go if you want, Krillin, but I doubt either of us would be of help anyway."

Quickly, he concentrated on King Kai again to telepathically relay the shocking turn of events.

Everything was dark as he opened his eyes. He wasn't sure if this was a dream, or just another part of the afterlife. His hands had been resting on his chest, and as they began to feel around they found his body to be completely whole. There wasn't even a scar over his heart; it was completely healed - perhaps it had never been wounded to begin with. He sat up where he was, his eyes trying to adjust to the darkness. Realizing why it was dark, he charged a small energy ball in his hand in order to illuminate his surroundings.

"I don't believe it," he murmured aloud. He was in some kind of small cavern, obviously his own tomb, yet he didn't feel dead. In fact, he felt more alive than he ever had before. Suddenly his senses quickened, detecting a great power level nearby.

"That's Frieza I'm sensing. But, how?" He stared down at his hands, curling his fingers back and forth. He closed his eyes and felt deep within himself, searching out his power. It was still there, stronger than ever, and it beckoned him to release it. "Hahahaha," he laughed. "Well, this certainly is surprising."

The Prince smiled to himself, considering how best to make his grand re-entrance. Should he be stealthy as Frieza had been? No, he would never do something so cowardly. He was a warrior, even stronger now than before, and eager to show it to everyone.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face," Vegeta thought. He began to focus his rage, letting the catalyst for transformation flow through his veins. It was answering his call, willingly, and began to bubble to the surface.

"I'm back!" Vegeta exclaimed proudly to himself, gathering his energy and concentrating it within. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa," the cave around him flashed brightly with yellow light. It flickered once for a couple of seconds, the rock structure around him illuminating and beginning to tremble.

"Rrrrrraaaaaaaaaaa!" yelled the Super Saiyan as golden energy exploded out from his body, bursting out of the tomb like lava erupting from a volcano. The structure around him was completely vaporized and the cool fresh air of Namek brushed across his face. In an instant, he was in the air, zipping at unprecedented new speeds towards the demon's location.

Frieza was just about to launch his killing attack towards the unconscious Gohan, when suddenly the ground began to shake beneath him.

"Thuuuuuum," sounded a large explosion, as the skies of Namek became suddenly dark and menacing, white lightning crackling across the black canopy above. Frieza jerked his head up nervously and began to scan his surroundings, ignoring Gohan for the moment but maintaining his stranglehold on Goku. His eyes dashed frantically around, a sense inside him warning of some imminent threat.

Goku was barely conscious, but he still found the strength to smile and force a somewhat muted chuckle. "Haha, Vegeta," he muttered.

"What?" Frieza frantically cried as he turned swiftly back towards Goku.

"Look behind you, Frieza." Goku grunted through the chokehold.

Frieza's eyes suddenly expanded, his pupils decreasing in size drastically and beginning to shake. He dared not turn around, not if it was actually true. But it couldn't be true. "How could he possibly..." Frieza slowly began to turn his head.

"Hello, Frieza," came a cold voice from behind the tyrant. This was a voice Frieza knew all too well. The sound of those two words did more to frighten him than anything in his whole life. The tyrant gulped as Vegeta spoke again.

"I'M BACK!" Vegeta flared his aura wildly, releasing massive amounts of excess energy in a destructive maelstrom around him.

Frieza braced himself, his eyes ridden with terror as the figure before him smiled. Vegeta's shining golden hair rippled in the wake of energy he released, and, combined with his aura, gave the distinct impression that the Saiyan was literally on fire.

"You?" Frieza shuddered as he spoke. "This is impossible! I killed you!" yelled the demon with all his might.

Frieza hoped he was only in a nightmare. Before his very eyes stood the being he feared most in all the universe. Somehow, some way, he had come back. "It can't be real," he said to himself. Frieza noticed that the Saiyan's armor still had the hole caused by his death beam, the killing blast that had pierced Vegeta's heart. But the prince's pale skin was clearly healed. "It has to be some kind of hallucination." Frieza dug his fingernails into his palms, drawing a stream of purple blood and hoping to awaken his mind. Instead, he only felt the pain of all his injuries. He was wide awake, no doubt about it.

"Release Kakarott at once!" demanded Vegeta. Frieza, for fear of what Vegeta might do next, willingly complied by relaxing his tail and allowing Goku's body to slip to the ground. Goku gasped for air, coughing pitifully and trying to get oxygen back into his brain. He had felt his body going numb and his surroundings had almost faded completely out, then suddenly the tyrant had dropped him. The blur was coming back into focus, and Goku was now cognizant of his life being saved by Vegeta. His next thought was of Gohan, but he was quickly interrupted.

"Goku, can you hear me? This is King Kai." echoed the friendly voice of his teacher.

Although he was unable to physically speak, Goku was still capable of sending his thoughts. "Yes, I'm here. Barely."

"Goku, first of all I must apologize for ignoring you earlier when you were trying to contact me. As you no doubt have surmised, we used the Earth's dragonballs to resurrect everyone on Namek. I was preoccupied, sorry about that, but it was well worth it."

"Yes, I guessed as much. That's how Vegeta has been able to return to life," Goku responded. "No apology necessary. So what's the plan now?"

"Well, I don't have too much time to talk, but I'm sending you help. It should be there soon. Just don't get yourself killed, Goku." With that, Goku felt the mental link cut off as he wondered what help might be coming his way. He had also finally felt his body stabilize, as he was now breathing normally and could sit up. He turned, anticipating the imminent conflict before him.

Vegeta had been standing, silently, eying Frieza. The Super Saiyan no longer cared about humiliating the demon. Vegeta had come back to life a much more serious person. Death had given him a perspective he had previously lacked. "Every second that monster continues to breathe is an insult to my honor," he thought to himself. "This has to end, right now." Vegeta continued pondering. "No more laughing and no more games. There will be no celebration until Frieza is a heap of bloodied ashes."

Frieza stood opposite the prince, growing more and more anxious with each passing second of silence. He had never seen Vegeta like this. The Prince had always taken every last second of his battles to belittle and insult his opponents, laughing through their deaths. Frieza understood this behavior well, and even enjoyed practicing it himself. What Vegeta was doing now, though, completely terrified him.

"Well!" the ice demon finally mustered his voice. "Say something!"

Vegeta was unresponsive to the tyrant, remaining completely stationary. His eyes were fiercely locked in a death stare that had Frieza genuinely trembling. He looked at the pitiful state the demon was now in. His body was scarred and bloody and his spirit had been thoroughly broken. Vegeta did not smile. The prince simply drank in the moment. Then, he decided, it was time.

Vegeta bent his knees into a fighting stance, lifting his left fist just in front of his forehead. His right hand he cocked back, filling it with an unbelievable amount of glowing yellow energy. His Super Saiyan aura blazed around him as he narrowed his brow. Instantly, he kicked off the ground with his right foot, his left knee dashing forward. He swung his right fist, cleanly and precisely, ripping through Frieza's stomach until it had torn entirely through his torso. There had been no words of warning. There had been neither indulgence nor mockery. Frieza had not even seen the speed of the attack coming. All he saw were the eyes; those horrible jade gems. They showed the tyrant no fear and no respect, and they revealed neither anger nor revenge.

Frieza choked in agony, knowing this was it. The true end to his reign of terror was now at hand. Vegeta twisted his fist, yanking it harshly from the demon and wiping the bloody innards upon the dying body. Frieza collapsed, catching on the shoulder of the Super Saiyan as gravity began dragging him down.

"Goodbye, Frieza," Vegeta said in a sober and mellow tone. "Never again will you plague the Saiyans. Now, we are avenged. At last, we stand united."

Upon hearing those words, Frieza chuckled one last time, even as he choked and spewed a wad of spit and blood from his throat. "Ha...ha...united? If only...you knew...the truth...Vegeta."

The Prince made no response, but Frieza used his remaining strength to lift his mouth close to Vegeta's right ear. As he whispered his dying thoughts, Vegeta's eyes popped open wide.

"Always...remember...my last words…when...you look on those...you thought...were your frie...nds," Frieza barely mumbled.

Suddenly, in a display of uncontrolled rage, the Super Saiyan grabbed Frieza's head and yanked it backwards, snapping the neck, severing his head, and destroying his life-force completely. As Frieza's lifeless body began to collapse on the ground, Vegeta caught it by the tail, hurled it into the air, and blasted the remains into atoms.