Reyak:
"Got you at last!" Triumphantly, Reyak grabbed and had the fabric of Gine's shirt in his hand. Finally. He had lost all sense of time. He was out of breath, which surprised him, because he could usually keep up with his mother for hours at a workout.
But now he was glad to finally be able to stop for a moment. Was it because they only moved as souls? Or was it the environment? Or had so much time passed that he needed a break? The light had not changed. Not at all. There was no indication of what time it was. No sun to orientate oneself by.
Gine was panting heavily too, but her eyes still flashed rebelliously, as if she would disappear again at the next available opportunity.
"What was that all about?" he snapped at her, sinking to the ground and dragging her with him. He had to rest for a moment, but under no circumstances could he let go of Gine. She might slip away again.
"I just wanted to look around," she returned rudely.
"There's nothing to see here!" Reyak's feet touched the floor. He continued to hold Gine and look around. He had hardly paid attention to the surroundings while following Gine. Everything here seemed to be nothing but cradles and fields of strange colours. "We have to find Menka or we won't get out of here."
"Why can't you?"
Reyak rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Because, well, I can't. Period. Come on now."
He dragged his half-sister in the direction they had come from. After a while, he asked a little more conciliatorily, "Can you fly again?" Gine nodded. "Will you stay with me?" Another nod, this time after a moment's thought.
Slowly, Reyak let go of Gine and floated upwards. Gine followed him. Silently they flew side by side. Significantly slower than before.
"Why did you react so strangely with Frieza?"
Gine continued to look ahead. "I know him," she said simply.
"Reyak!"
Reyak forgot what he was about to ask and searched for the voice that belonged to the call. Menka. He thanked the gods.
Staggering slightly, she floated towards them. When they reached her, she sank to the ground, out of breath.
"We have to get back as soon as possible. Hopefully no one but Dende has noticed that we are not there. There'll be trouble otherwise!"
Reyak pulled Gine with him and grabbed Menka's outstretched hand. Immediately he felt the pull that always came when he started or finished a soul journey. He closed his eyes and concentrated on Menka's touch. He hated this process. The moment the soul left the body or returned to it, everything was black, lightless, infinite. He was afraid that he would get stuck in this emptiness and never find his way back.
His concerns were unfounded. Only moments later he felt his body around him and opened his eyes. He blinked twice to let his eyes adjust to the change in brightness in the small room in Dende's palace.
"There you are again at last!"
Alarmed by Dende's urgent tone, Reyak jumped up. "How long have we been away?"
"Too long," was the reply. "Come along."
Stumbling, Menka followed Dende outside. Reyak pulled Gine with him.
"What happened?" asked Reyak, but got no answer until they stepped outside the palace and Dende pointed ahead. Reyak couldn't see what he was pointing at first because Menka was blocking his view.
Suddenly she let out a scream and ran. Then Reyak also recognised what Menka had seen seconds before him. His father was lying on the ground. Motionless. His eyes closed. His suit was marked by countless tears. Reyak searched for his father's aura and found ... nothing.
Menka threw herself over her father, listening for his heartbeat and sobbing loudly. Reyak looked at Dende, who stood beside him indecisively, as if he didn't know what to do.
"Tell us what happened!" he urged Dende again, emphatically.
Dende swallowed, then knelt beside Menka and stroked her back. Then he looked at Reyak, who was still standing at the doorway, transfixed.
"Frieza has reappeared."
Reyak inhaled sharply. "And then ...?"
"Frieza came with an army. Piccolo, Gohan and the others fought back as best they could. They were still doing okay against the soldiers, but then Frieza intervened. Gohan faced him, but didn't last long."
Because he didn't train, Reyak thought.
Dende continued. "He was on the ground and Frieza tried to kill him. Your father threw himself in between."
"What about mum?" asked Menka with sobs between words.
How had Reyak forgotten? He and Menka knew about their parents' connection. If one of them died, so did the other.
"She suddenly appeared with Vegeta and Goku. I don't know ..."
"They were on Lord Beerus' planet training," Reyak interrupted him.
"She seems okay so far. At least, from what I could see from up here."
"What are we going to do?" asked Menka, stroking her father's face.
"I'm flying to see Mum." Before anyone could respond, Gine jumped up and whizzed away.
"Damn it, not again! You stay here!" shouted Reyak, rushing after Gine.
- - - - - -
Menka:
"What does he mean by 'not again'? What happened in the underworld?" Dende sounded worried while still stroking Menka's back.
She took a shaky breath before answering. "We found Frieza. He was hanging in a cocoon from a tree. He couldn't move. Fairies were dancing around me. He didn't look like he could hurt us or anyone else."
"A personal hell. I see."
Questioningly, Menka raised an eyebrow.
"There are beings who do not repent of their evil deeds and whose souls are not then purified. They are banished to a personal hell." After a pause, he added with a bitter undertone, "It serves him right."
"How long were we really gone?"
"Several weeks."
"What?! That can't be. We're ... we can't possibly ..." She couldn't go on talking. She felt like the ground was swaying beneath her knees. She was in danger of losing her footing. At the edge of her awareness she registered Dende moving a little closer still, continuing to stroke her back and with his other hand clasping her arm to give her support.
"If you really were in a personal hell, it may well be that time passes more slowly there."
"But why didn't Dad ...?"
"He knew you were here. He was pissed when he found out you'd travelled to the underworld together."
"And he didn't do anything about it?" asked Menka the question, knowing that her father had certainly left no stone unturned.
"Yes, of course he did. We tried to get you back, but I couldn't find you. I tried again and again."
Menka heard bitterness in Dende's voice. Bitterness that he had failed to find her in the underworld. But there was something else. Worry? Fear?
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "Were you afraid for us?" she asked cautiously, already wanting to take the question back.
Dende stroked her cheek gently with one finger and then lifted her chin slightly so she could look him in the eye again.
"I was really afraid that I had lost all of you ... that I had lost you. I could never have forgiven myself if you hadn't found your way back."
Menka felt blush shoot into her cheeks and saw Dende's face turn slightly pink as well before he quickly looked away, cleared his throat and stood up.
"Come, let's watch the fight."
He held out a hand to Menka and helped her stand. He led her to the edge of the platform without releasing his from her hand. Together they looked down.
By now it was easy for Menka to focus on a particular situation and then look at it as if she were standing next to it. Dende continued to hold her hand. His hand was so warm. For a moment Menka closed her eyes and then concentrated on the fight that was taking place on a deserted plain near the sea.
She frowned in disbelief. "Does Uncle Kakarrot have blue hair?"
She felt Dende nod. "Apparently he's enhanced the Super Saiyan God even more. I can't sense his aura."
Dende was right. "If I concentrate really hard, I can feel it. But that's only when he's not moving either."
"Wow, you're really good."
Menka's cheeks grew hot.
"Hey, what are you guys doing?"
Goten and Trunks suddenly floated in front of them. Menka had been so focused on Kakarrot and Frieza that she hadn't noticed her two cousins arrive.
Slowly, feeling a spark of reluctance as she did so?, Dende released his hand from hers. "Where did you come from?" he asked without answering the previous question.
"Dad sent us away. He said it was too dangerous," Trunks said, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a huff.
"Even Aunt Kera told us to fly away," Goten added.
"Have you seen Reyak and Gine?", Kera wanted to know.
They both shook their heads. "I think I sensed his aura briefly and was still wondering where he was headed, but then he was gone again." Trunks eyed Menka. "Where did they go?"
"Gine flew away earlier. Reyak was trying to catch her again. I hope they don't fly to the battlefield." Menka said that, but inside she was pretty sure that was exactly what Gine was aiming for. Which brought back the question of why Gine had reacted so strangely when she had seen Frieza.
"Did you just feel that too?" Dende hadn't moved from the edge of the platform and continued to stare down.
"Can we watch too?" Goten pushed himself between Dende and Menka.
"Take my hand." Trunks and Goten grabbed Dende's hands while Menka managed to concentrate on the fight without help. Frieza had changed. He was now glowing a tone of gold. And his aura seemed to be felt all the way to Dende's palace. Menka swallowed.