"I'm sorry. It was all for nothing." Frustration resonated in Piccolo's voice. Sadness, that he hadn't been able to defeat Frieza, or even hurt him. Anger. And pain. The fight had left him with more wounds than he had imagined. Panting, he knelt on one of the few remaining islands in a wide radius and watched Vegeta, who was now taking the fight to Frieza.

"Wait, I'll heal you." Dende placed his small hands on Piccolo's forearm.

Warmth flooded through Piccolo. Bones grew back together, wounds closed. Gratefully, he smiled at the young Namekian.

"Thank you, Dende."

His smile was returned. "You are fused with Nail, are you not?"

Piccolo nodded. "I found him on the way here. He was dying after the fight against Frieza."

"It's nice that he lives on in you," Dende said softly.

Krillin landed with Gohan beside them. Gohan's eye was swollen shut and he was very wobbly on his feet. Dende immediately ran to him and began to heal him.

"What happened to Vegeta?"

Krillin followed Piccolo's gaze. "He asked me to hurt him so badly that he was near death."

"What, why?"

"According to Vegeta, every time Saiyans are on the brink of death and then heal, they become significantly stronger."

"That explains a lot," Piccolo said dryly. He turned to Gohan, who was just getting back up. "You okay again?" The boy nodded and smiled briefly. Piccolo leaned down to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You fought really well, kid."

"Frieza's new transformation is pretty intense!" said Krillin, who hadn't taken his eyes off the fighters. Before Vegeta had intervened in the fight, Frieza's appearance had changed again. His head was now grotesquely elongated and he had strange shoulder plates. As his appearance had changed, so had his fighting ability.

Piccolo's hopes were sinking. How could they possibly defeat Frieza? Despite Nail's powers, he hadn't stood a chance. And Vegeta's brief superiority was now turning into the opposite. What could they do now?

"Papa!" Gohan's call snapped him out of his thoughts and Piccolo looked behind him.

Gohan jumped joyfully to Goku. The latter was clearly happy to see his son and leaned down to him. "I am proud of you for fighting so well." Then he turned to Piccolo. "I am happy to see you. I didn't want to believe it, but it's really you, Piccolo. Your aura is so different." But Piccolo paid no attention to him at all. He was staring at Sitara. She looked at him too and took a step towards him. They stood an arm's length apart.

"Piccolo. I apologise for attacking you earlier. I couldn't remember. It's all back now. Everything." She spoke haltingly, softly.

Piccolo only nodded. He felt the urge to embrace her, but he knew this was not the time. Krillin's eyes moved quickly back and forth between the two. He was about to ask a question, but Sitara was the first to do so. She broke eye contact with Piccolo and turned to Goku.

"We have something to do there." Goku nodded at her and straightened up. They turned to face Frieza. Piccolo held Sitara by the arm.

"No, Sitara. He's too strong!" Sitara looked down at Piccolo's hand holding her, then up into his face. Her eyes had lost the gentle expression they had shown just a moment ago. Piccolo backed away a few inches. It was as if another person was looking at him.

"My name is Kera," she said firmly. "Let go of me!" Her voice sparkled with anger. She let her aura flare and she snatched her arm from Piccolo's grasp.

Piccolo swallowed. Sitara, no, Kera, frightened him.

Kera finally turned her attention to Frieza. While she had landed with Kakarot next to Piccolo and the others, Vegeta had been fighting Frieza. Or rather, he had taken quite a few punches and kicks. But he was still holding his ground.

Vegeta had rained down a continuous barrage of small energy balls on Frieza, who was standing on a small island. Kera tried to make out Frieza through the swirling dust. Had he moved at all? She tried to convince herself that Vegeta might have defeated Frieza, but she couldn't believe herself.

Even before the dust cloud cleared, Kera sensed Frieza's energy, which had increased significantly. She cursed softly. He must have changed again to have even more power. Perhaps they had come too late after all.

She had to do something. Vegeta awaited Frieza's attack. Before the dust had cleared, Frieza shot out of it. He was so fast that Vegeta's reaction seemed like slow motion. Vegeta was without a chance. Frieza rammed his fist into Vegeta's stomach, so hard that a dent formed on Vegeta's back. Vegeta collapsed forward, a silent scream on his lips. His face was contorted in pain. Frieza pulled back his fist and wrapped his long white tail around Vegeta's neck and squeezed.

Frieza was smaller than in the transformation stage before. His skin was almost completely white and there was a purple plate on his head. His eyes were almond shaped. Kera had to admit that this transformation form looked the most inconspicuous, even almost beautiful. But it was clearly the most dangerous.

"Kera?" Kakarot had been waiting beside her, his gaze fixed on Frieza. She could see that his fingers were itching to attack.

"You stay here," Kera growled at him and jumped up.

"Frieza!" She called his name and simultaneously fired a charge of energy at the attacker. Frieza dodged, letting go of Vegeta in the process. Dazed, Vegeta sank to the ground.

Kera sped up her flight, caught Vegeta and landed with him on the small island where Piccolo and the others were waiting. Carefully she laid Vegeta down on the ground.

Vegeta's eyes fluttered. He was badly injured and his breathing was coming in short gasps. He looked up at her. "Kera? Is it really you?"

Kera just nodded and stroked his face with one hand. Tears came to her eyes. "I am so sorry. I didn't complete my mission to find Kakarot. I had an accident and couldn't remember anything. It was only here that my memory came back. I ..."

She wanted to keep talking, but Vegeta interrupted her quietly. He gave a pained smile. "It's all right. I was so hoping you would be all right." His hand slowly reached out to her. She nuzzled her cheek into his palm.

"We're finally going to beat this bastard. We'll get back at him for everything he's done to us for years," she whispered softly.

"Come on, Dende."

Kera looked up. Piccolo pointed at Vegeta and the little Namekian came towards them. Piccolo didn't look at her, but stared strained in the opposite direction.

Dende approached Vegeta. "May I?"

Vegeta nodded weakly. The young Namekian reached out to place his hands on Vegeta's chest. Something whizzed past Kera's right ear, so close she thought she felt the heat.

The beam of energy bored into Dende, penetrating his upper body and scorching a piece of the earth behind him. Dende let out a sound of surprise. He was thrown backwards by the force of the energy beam and hit the earth with a thud. Gohan ran towards him and dropped to the ground beside him. He shook the Namekian's shoulder and called his name. Dende did not respond. His eyes stared upwards, sightless.

Kera's head wheeled around. Frieza was hovering behind her. He had recovered from her attack and used the distraction of the group to approach unnoticed from behind. Triumphantly, he laughed.

"Let's see how far you get without your little healer!" Frieza hovered around the group and landed three yards away from them. "Who do we have here? The deserter."

All eyes moved to Kera. Later she would explain everything. She pushed back the years she had been Sitara. Now she was just Kera, the Saiyan warrior. All her attention was on Frieza. "I obey only my prince and not you, you disgusting lizard."

Frieza clicked his tongue impatiently. "Now, now, who's going to jump to insults. You were such a promising warrior. By my side you could have done great things."

Against her will, Kera shook herself slightly. Nausea rose in her. But her voice was firm as she spoke, "And that is exactly why Vegeta asked me to flee. To get away from you. To find Kakarot, so we can be strong enough to take you down."

"Kakarot?" Frieza's eyes fixed on the third Saiyan. "Of course. You remind me of the warrior who resisted until the very end when I destroyed your planet.

"Bardock," Vegeta whispered.

Kera, still kneeling beside Vegeta, looked at him. "Bardock? Kakarot's father?"

Kakarot looked to Kera and Vegeta. "My father?"

She nodded. "Apparently he defended our planet. Right to the end."

Vegeta tried to sit down, but he stopped in pain in the middle of the attempt. Kera supported him so that he could at least straighten his upper body. He laughed out loud. It sounded weak, but when he spoke, his voice sounded firm. "Give up, Frieza. You destroyed our planet, but you left the strongest warriors alive. Kera and Kakarot will destroy you. Even if I were to die now, I would be the luckiest Saiyan warrior, for I will live to see your end. Through Kera and Kakarot, I will get my revenge."

"You talk too much for me." Frieza looked annoyed. He raised a finger and pointed it at Vegeta. Kakarot leapt forward, but he wasn't fast enough. From Frieza's fingertip, a narrow red beam of energy raced and took the direct path towards Vegeta. It pierced Vegeta's chest. Vegeta cried out in pain and slumped.

Kera was still sitting behind Vegeta with his upper body resting on her knees. The energy beam narrowly missed her leg. As Vegeta reared back, she cried out in surprise and anger.

The wound in the left side of his chest was not large. She could have stuck her index finger into it. It wasn't bleeding because the heat of the energy had obliterated the blood vessels, but the beam had gone straight through Vegeta's heart. Rattling, Vegeta caught his breath. He coughed, spitting blood.

"No, no, no..." Kera sobbed. Shook her head in disbelief. How had this happened?

"You coward! Attacking the defenceless, you can do that, eh?" Kakarot had stood protectively in front of Kera and Vegeta and fixed Frieza, who had a sardonic grin on his face.

"Kakarot," Vegeta said. The physical pain was clear in his voice. He seemed to struggle to wring out each syllable. "Frieza killed your father and mine and destroyed our home planet. Please, in the name of our people, kill this bastard!"

Kakarot listened intently to Vegeta's words, all the while keeping a close eye on Frieza. Then he bent down to the dying man, squeezed his hand briefly and looked him firmly in the eye. "I promise you, Vegeta." He straightened up again and took a step towards Frieza.

Vegeta's lips curled into a brief smile. Then he turned his gaze to Kera, whose eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm glad we met again," he said softly. "I haven't stopped hoping that you're still alive." A single tear rolled down Vegeta's cheek.

Kera heaved a sob. "You can't leave now. We've only just found each other again." She looked to Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan. "Please, do something!" she cried. She saw tears welling up in Gohan's eyes as well. "Something." Her voice was just a whisper as she looked back down at Vegeta.

"Please don't cry." Vegeta's voice was now just a breathless huff. Trembling, he raised his hand. Kera reached for it and intertwined her fingers with his. "My ... Kera," he said so softly she barely heard. His eyelids grew heavy.

"No, Vegeta, please, stay with me," she brought out haltingly.

The corners of Vegeta's mouth lifted ever so slightly, as if he were smiling, then his eyes were closed. Kera put her forehead to his and held him close. She felt for his energy, for his heartbeat. But there was no longer anything. She held only a lifeless shell in her arms. Two tears escaped from her eyes and fell on Vegeta's face. They ran down his cheeks and left a trail on his dust-covered face.

Why hadn't she come sooner? She could have prevented it. For years she had not known who she was. Today she had finally gotten her memory back and then on top of that she had met the person who had been by her side for a lifetime and a few minutes later Vegeta had left her again.

She felt a knot forming in her stomach. It grew bigger, rising up inside her. Pure rage gripped her. Slowly, she broke away from Vegeta, laid him on the ground and stroked his cheek once more. Her hatred for Frieza grew stronger. She knew she had to give in to this hatred, this rage, or it would destroy her body from the inside. A yellow glow surrounded her body.

"I will avenge you, Vegeta," she whispered. Slowly, as if she had to force every muscle to control itself, she straightened. Her head lowered to her chest, she looked at Vegeta. Only when she was standing firmly on both feet did she raise her head and look at the others.

Piccolo drew in his breath sharply when she looked at him. He looked frightened, almost deterred. Krillin and Gohan also looked at her with wide eyes and took a step back. Good, then surely Frieza would shy away from her too.

As if in slow motion, she turned to face her enemy. "Frieza!" Her voice was more of a growl than clear words. "You will suffer for this!"

Frieza swallowed, but he tried to mask his uncertainty. "You could never do anything against me, little girl. Why should you be able to now? I'm going to kill you first and then the rest of you standing around." He laughed spitefully.

"You have no right to call me that!" Kera roared. Those words had given her the last straw. The ground beneath her feet began to crack. The earth around her began to shake as she concentrated her strength.

Her look of desperation as she had asked for help had made Piccolo painfully aware that there had been a life before her crash in which he had played no part. He would have liked to help Vegeta. Not out of sympathy for him, but just so Kera wouldn't be so down.

He focused again on Kera, who had put her forehead against Vegeta's and was crying. He would so much like to take her in his arms. But in front of the others, and with Frieza's threat right in front of them, it was the worst possible time.

Kera slowly laid Vegeta on the ground and swore to him in a whisper that she would get revenge.

Was she suddenly glowing? Piccolo blinked. It seemed as if her body was bathed in a bright light. A light that came from within herself. How was that possible? The brightness around her increased. At the same time, her energy level rose. What was happening to Kera right now?

Piccolo had to swallow. Her power had increased so much in the last few seconds that he had respectfully taken a step back. She raised her head and looked at him. At least she was looking in his direction. He had the feeling that she was looking right through him. Her eyes! Something was wrong with her eyes! They were no longer dark as he was used to. They shimmered a light green. And they seemed cold. Otherwise they had always radiated warmth and something good. All feeling had disappeared from them. He drew in a sharp breath.

Kera turned to Frieza. His words were condescending and insulting. Kera was getting angrier and angrier. Her energy kept rising. The earth shook, the ground cracked beneath her feet. Her light grew brighter.

When Frieza threatened to kill everyone present, she let out an angry scream. Piccolo had to blink again. Her hair was no longer black, but blonde, almost golden. But he couldn't look closer, because at that moment she leapt forward and attacked Frieza.

His gaze wandered to Goku, who was still standing in the same spot. Kera had flashed past him without paying him any further attention. Goku also looked confused as he glanced after Kera. He watched the first blows Kera threw at Frieza and nodded in acknowledgement. When she had disappeared from his sight, he turned to Piccolo.

"Will you help me?" Goku pointed at Vegeta's lifeless body.

Piccolo understood. He aimed his hand at the area next to the corpse and concentrated. A moment later, part of the earth lifted, floated upwards and lowered again in another place. What remained was an oblong, shallow hole. A grave.

Goku lifted the other Saiyan up and carefully lowered him into the grave. Together with Goku, Krillin and Gohan, Piccolo dug the grave back up with his hands.

Goku tapped the earth firmly while the others were already rising. "If Kera lets me, I will avenge you and our families, our people." With those words, he too rose and searched the sky for Kera.

Piccolo did the same and Krillin and Gohan also tried to follow the action as best they could. Kera and Frieza moved so fast during the fight that they would always appear for a blink of an eye, disappear and reappear seconds later in a completely different place.

"Goku, what happened on your flight?" Piccolo spoke without looking at him.

The man addressed shrugged his shoulders. "You know that. We were training. At some point we got into this magnetic field. She must have fallen. I didn't see it. I then prepared the juice for her, as King Kai said, and gave it to her regularly."

"She didn't wake up again before you left the ship?"

Goku shook his head. "No."

Piccolo growled. "She didn't recognise me earlier."

"When earlier?"

"Shortly after I arrived on Namek. Gohan and Krillin had summoned the Eternal Dragon and first revived me and then wished me to Namek. But I was standing somewhere in a desolate area. And the aura closest to me was Sitara's." He took a short breath. "Kera's."

"I'll have to get used to that, too." Goku smiled. "Then what happened? Did you find her?"

Piccolo waited to answer, following Kera with his gaze. He wondered if with her memory had also come back a strength that she had not been able to call upon before? "Kera was lying in the bed in the spaceship. I approached her several times, and all of a sudden she opened her eyes and immediately knocked me down." Goku laughed briefly, but immediately fell silent again as Piccolo gave him a withering look. "She aimed at me and then disappeared. I've never seen her so ... cold." Piccolo sighed briefly. "Then I flew here and fought Frieza. Why did you come together?"

In short words, Goku told the Namekian what he had experienced since arriving on the planet. "Then Vegeta put me in a meditank ..."

"A what?"

"Some little chamber that was filled with healing fluid. After the fight against that Ginyu, I was pretty beat up. He had a really nasty trick up his sleeve ..." Piccolo cleared his throat. "Anyway. When the healing was complete, I left the spaceship and found Kera. She was lying in the square in front of the ship. She wasn't well and she didn't recognise me. She called me Kakarot and thought I was going to attack her. But she was in no condition to fight. As if she had lost the courage to live. I talked to her. I told her what had happened since we met and what she had done on earth before that. When I mentioned her name, the name you gave her, her memory suddenly came back. She could remember you and Gohan. Then she immediately wanted to fly here."

Again Piccolo growled. "And she said nothing else?"

"Nothing. She didn't speak again until we got here." He looked over at Vegeta's grave. "The fact that she's so close with Vegeta did surprise me just now."

Against his will, Piccolo tensed. His fingers dug into his forearms crossed in front of his chest. It had surprised him, too. More than that. An ache had spread inside him that had no external cause. Had she and Vegeta been a couple? Had she kissed him? His stomach tightened stingingly at that thought. Piccolo did not dwell on Goku's remark. "So she was right in guessing that she was a Saiyan. That explains why she knew Vegeta so well."

Again Goku turned his head to Piccolo, who was doggedly following Kera's every move. "You sound disappointed."

Piccolo didn't deign to comment, but continued to stare at the sky. Goku shrugged and turned back to the fight as well.

"Do you know why she has blonde hair and green eyes?"

"I don't know. But with the change, her power has also increased tremendously. Vegeta once mentioned a Super Saiyan, but he didn't explain to me what it was."

"Maybe Kera can explain it to us later." If we get off this planet alive, Piccolo added in thought.

Dear Reader,

wow, that was just chapter 20. When I had the idea to write a fanfiction many years ago, I never thought I would actually do it, let alone publish 20 chapters and have even more ideas.

If you like the story up to this point too, I'd love to hear from you in a comment or message.

Stay safe!

Yours, Jessica