Frieza! He had survived her attack. Kera looked up at the white alien. Her hand clawed at Piccolo's side, who was helping her stand up. She felt Piccolo stiffen and look up as well. She had given everything, but it had not been enough.

Frieza's torso had a large hole in it, the edges of which were black. Frayed. Burnt. He must have hit the island hard in the fall, above which she had dealt him the final blow. His right side had bruises in several places and bloody scratches. His upper arm was discoloured pink by the blood.

He grinned wickedly at her. Kera understood. He would not accept this defeat. He would do anything to make her die, even if it meant killing himself. As if in slow motion, he raised his uninjured left arm and extended his index finger. Kera prepared to dodge, but she was too slow. Piccolo moved in front of her. Frieza's energy beam hit him, piercing him at about shoulder height and whizzing just past Kera's head. The force of the impact threw Piccolo backwards, slamming into Kera and crashing to the ground with her.

If at all possible, she felt pain erupt in more places. Her mind raced. What were they going to do now? She couldn't fight anymore. Piccolo's aura was also so weak that it was barely perceptible. Krillin had no chance either, Gohan had already tried his luck against Frieza and had failed. But what about Kakarot?

Kera helped Piccolo push himself into an upright position. He held his shoulder. The wound was bleeding badly. She only managed to push herself into a kneeling position. She could not persuade her body to do more.

Kakarot had placed himself protectively in front of them all. "Haven't you had enough yet, Frieza?"

"I won't have enough until you've all passed on. None of you will leave this planet alive."

Gohan stepped up beside his father. His expression just as angry as Kakarot's. "Dad, let's fight Frieza together!"

A pause arose. As Kera was beginning to wonder if Kakarot had even heard what Gohan had said, he spoke, "No. You fly with the others to my spaceship. You are leaving the planet!"

"But, Papa!"

"Touching! A quarrel between father and son just before their deaths." Frieza laughed coldly. "Which one of you is to be next?" His gaze wandered over the bystanders and lingered on Krillin.

Again he extended his arm. Kera cried out, suspecting another energy beam from Frieza, but he used a different attack this time. Krillin was lifted into the air as if grabbed by an invisible hand. He was terrified. Helplessly his arms and legs wriggled in the air. Frieza slowly raised his arm and let Krillin rise a few yards.

"Goodbye!" Frieza's open hand closed into a fist with a jerking motion. At the same time, they heard a bang. As Kera's gaze darted back to Krillin, she realised what had just happened.

Where Krillin had been floating in the air just a second before, a ball of fire was spreading out from which individual burning pieces detached themselves and floated downwards. Frieza had made Krillin explode in mid-air. Kera couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"You rotten bastard!" Kakarot roared out. Kera could almost grasp his anger. Gohan took a step back, startled. He too felt his father's unbridled rage.

Kakarot had both hands clenched into fists and stood leaning slightly forward. He was breathing heavily, as if he had to concentrate hard to control his anger. Kera blinked. Had his hair just turned blond? Kakarot cried out again, craning his neck. She saw his eyes. They were completely white. No more pupil.

Again a scream escaped his throat, sounding almost inhuman. His aura flared up and made him glow with a golden light. His pupils were back. But they were green now. And his hair stood up and was blond. He turned his attention to Frieza, who had been watching the spectacle with obvious discomfort.

"Gohan, take the others and leave the planet now!"

"Dad, we can ..."

"Now! I don't know how much longer I can think straight."

Gohan swallowed and nodded. Then he turned to Bulma and floated up, grabbing her around the waist so he could carry her.

Kera stood up with difficulty and helped Piccolo to his feet. They were both so wobbly on their feet that she doubted if they could even leave the battlefield.

She put Piccolo's arm around her shoulder and concentrated on floating. It worked. She wouldn't be able to set a speed record, but it would work. Piccolo also mobilised his last reserves of strength. Kera was reluctant to leave Kakarot alone and not fight herself, but it was his turn now.

In the air, she turned to Kakarot once more. "A Super Saiyan," Kera said in awe.

Piccolo had to grin despite his pain. "You were one yourself just now."

Kera looked at him questioningly.

"Get the hell out of here!" Kakarot's voice was so distorted that there was nothing friendly in it. She had never seen him like this before. She didn't know if she was supporting Piccolo or if he was pulling her, but somehow they managed to fly forward. Slowly, but forward.

She looked back once more. Kakarot was now eye-to-eye with Frieza, blocking his path to them. She silently thanked him and wished him well, then focused on Gohan flying in front of her.

Their progress was slow. Again and again they had to land briefly and even walked. Through it all, Gohan supported Piccolo as best he could and Bulma helped Kera. No one knew how much time passed. Lightning flashed across the sky. The earth shook again and again and each quake left large cracks in the ground. Lava spurted upwards from some of them. Every waterhole, every lake they passed bubbled as if the water there was boiling. Dead fish swam belly up on the surface of the water. It smelled of rot. One thing was certain. This planet was dying.

Kera tried to follow the battle through Frieza's and Kakarot's aura, but it was too difficult for her to concentrate on the energies. She couldn't make any progress. She could hardly walk. The wound on her side had reopened and blood was dripping onto the floor.

"How much further is it?" directed Gohan's question to Piccolo, who had already taken the route across the spaceship on the outward flight.

"Not far," the Namekian brought out haltingly.

"Still okay?" Bulma looked at Kera anxiously. She nodded through clenched teeth. It had to work. She hadn't fought this hard now to just die.

"We should fly a bit again," Piccolo said then, straightening to his full height. Gohan nodded, ran to Bulma and wrapped his arms around her waist again. Kera limped over to Piccolo to prop him up again, but he bent down, grabbed her around the torso and legs, and flew off with her.

"Piccolo, please let me fly myself." Her protest was feeble. She lacked the strength even for that.

"It's all right. I'm less injured than you are. We can do this together."

She nodded, feeling a slight blush on her cheeks. Gratefully, she leaned her head against his uninjured shoulder and closed her eyes for a moment.

"It's up ahead!" Bulma's call made her open her eyes again. She searched the ground and saw the spaceship she and Kakarot had come to Namek in. From the outside it looked undamaged and so far it had not fallen into any of the sudden canyons. There was hope that they could leave this planet alive.

Gohan lowered Bulma onto the ramp of the spaceship and landed beside her. Bulma immediately ran inside, while Piccolo landed with Kera in his arms, staggering. He set her down carefully and then propped his hands on his knees, breathing heavily.

Kera took his arm and put it over her shoulder. Piccolo nodded briefly and they went inside together. Behind them, the boarding hatch closed. Bulma was already busy making all sorts of inputs at the control panel in the middle of the ship.

Piccolo and she dragged only two more steps, then they both sank to the floor and leaned against the outer wall of the ship. Kera's head slid to Piccolo's as if of its own accord and came to rest against his shoulder.

Bulma let out a short cry that resonated with both frustration and triumph. "We're ready to take off any minute!" Busily, she ran to another part of the controls, typed something there, and ran back to where she had been standing earlier.

"No, we have to wait for Papa!"

Before Bulma could say anything back, a tremor went through the spaceship and one side sagged. A crack must have opened up just below the spaceship.

Gohan did not move, but Bulma lost her balance slightly and had to struggle for a few seconds to regain it. When she was back on both feet, she glared at the boy. "We have to take off. Otherwise no one will make it off this planet!"

"But we can't just leave Dad here!" Anger and despair mingled in Gohan's voice.

"Your dad told us to fly off without him, didn't he?"

Gohan stamped his foot, turned and ran to the boarding hatch. With a push of a button, he opened it. Briefly, he looked again at Piccolo and Kera.

Kera had half risen, but knew she would not be able to stop him. Piccolo next to her also stretched towards the boy, but he groaned in pain, so Kera's attention was back on him. Gohan used this moment to leave the ship. The boarding hatch closed again.

Piccolo and she cursed and sank back down, exhausted. Piccolo was still bleeding profusely from his shoulder wound. She looked down at her battle suit. The white breastplate was already all purple from Piccolo's blood. "Why don't you heal yourself?"

"Somehow I can't. My powers are exhausted." She barely understood his words, had to guess at them more than hear them. Then she realised why he couldn't heal himself. He had given almost all of his energy to her.

Piccolo's head slumped forward. He was unconscious. Kera knelt down and carefully placed his head in her lap. Mechanically she stroked his head and chest. His breathing was so shallow that she hardly dared to breathe herself.

Bulma cried out. "We have to fly."

"But Gohan and Kakarot ..."

Kera stumbled. There was an aura again that she had been convinced she would never feel again.

Vegeta tried to open his eyes, but something seemed to be on his lids. Not just there. There was something all over his body. It smelled musty and was slightly damp. Earth? Had he been buried? He felt a sense of panic rising inside him and fought it down with might. He would not lose his head now. Not him, the prince of the Saiyans.

He concentrated on raising his arm. It was laborious. Gradually his arm moved higher and broke the surface with a jerk. The second arm followed and he managed to raise his upper body. Finally he was able to open his eyes.

He blinked the dust from his eyelids and coughed. What had happened? Where was he? Still on Namek? Vegeta pondered as he slowly stood up and patted the dirt off his suit. That was when he remembered. Frieza had shot him. Vegeta felt his breastplate. There was the hole where Frieza had hit him. The skin underneath was intact. That could only mean one thing. He had died and now he had been revived. Then he remembered something else. Kera had been with him. Kera, who he thought he would never see again, had appeared so suddenly, only to watch him die.

Vegeta spun around once and saw the small Namekian Dende standing behind him. In front of him lay the seven Dragonballs, glowing. Dende spoke words in Namekian to the great dragon hovering above them, paying no attention to Vegeta. What did he wish?

He felt with his senses for other auras nearby. Frieza! He was still alive! He searched the sky with his eyes. There floated the son of a bitch. Across from him, with his back to Vegeta, floated Kakarot. His hair was no longer black, but blond.

Vegeta had to swallow. This had to be him, the Super Saiyan the legends told of.

If Kakarot really was a Super Saiyan and Frieza was still alive, Vegeta would now forget his pride for a moment and join forces with Kakarot against Frieza. This being was not allowed to live a breath longer.

Determined, Vegeta leapt into the air and stopped beside Kakarot, who looked over at him only briefly and then fixed his gaze on Frieza again. "Kakarot, you are still alive. Only a true Saiyan can last this long against him."

Kakarot did not respond to Vegeta. In general, he made a completely changed impression. He seemed cold, merciless. Like a true Saiyan and not like these effeminate earthlings.

Grinning slightly, Vegeta now turned to Frieza as well. "Now you're finished!" He lunged for a punch, but before he could fire, the surroundings suddenly changed. For a moment he had the feeling of being in nothingness. He heard and saw nothing. As if something was lying on his eyes and ears, suppressing his senses. The next moment, bright light blinded him.

Slowly, contours peeled out of the surroundings. Trees, bushes, rolling hills in the distance. He stood at the edge of a forest. He was not alone. Namekians stood a few yards away. Many of them.

He looked around and spotted Kera. She had been leaning against a tree. She did not look well. On her lap was the head of the Namekian who had also fought Frieza.

Beside her, she heard Bulma typing wildly on the keyboard at the start desk and swearing under her breath. Again and again her fist hit the keys. Suddenly the spaceship vibrated. Bulma gave a cry of joy. "It's working, we're taking off."

Kera turned to her. "Undo this immediately. We have to wait for Gohan. And for Kakarot." And for Vegeta, she added in thought. Her voice cut through the room. Bulma's eyes grew wide with fear as she looked into Kera's face. The colour of her eyes flickered between green and black, her teeth bared. Bulma backed away a few steps, trembling.

"Stop the spaceship!" She emphasised each word and began to stand up long-simply. She had just managed to get one leg up to brace herself against it when Bulma shone with a bright light and was gone in the next moment. Kera stared for a moment at the spot where she had just seen Bulma and then turned her gaze to Piccolo. He too was surrounded by a bright light. Her hand, still touching him, also lit up. It felt warm. Panically she wondered what would happen now and closed her eyes.

As quickly as the light and the warmth had come, they had disappeared. There was nothing around her for a moment, then she fell and came down hard on her knees. She didn't dare open her eyes and tried to fathom where she was. The air smelled different, the light was brighter, which she noticed even through her closed eyelids, and the ground beneath her knees did not feel hard and cold, but soft.

With one hand she still felt Piccolo's closeness, with the other she carefully felt the ground. Grass. There was grass underneath her. Hesitantly she opened her eyes and had to blink several times.

The sun was shining. She was sitting in a meadow surrounded by trees. The sky was blue, broken only by a few small clouds. She looked down again and recognised Bulma a few metres away. Where had she landed so suddenly and why?

Piccolo! Abruptly, she turned to face him. She certainly had time to worry about everything later. Her hand had not moved away from Piccolo. His skin felt cold. She bent closer to him and put her ear over his mouth. His breathing was shallow, barely perceptible. Awkwardly, she turned and sat beside him, ignoring the pain in her bones and muscles, and felt at his throat for his pulse. His pulse was so weak she could barely feel it. She tried to fight down the panic that took hold of her and felt deeper, for his energy. Softly, she murmured his name.

"Hello." Kera looked up, startled. She hadn't realised that someone had approached. Standing before her was a small Namekian in a white and purple robe. "I am Dende. Can I heal Nail... I mean Piccolo, please?"

Taken completely by surprise by this question, Kera only nodded, but kept her hands on Piccolo's neck and chest so that she could continue to check his pulse. A brief memory of a small body lying on the ground stirred in her mind. Was he the same little Namekian that had been killed by Frieza? How could it be that he was alive?

Dende stretched out his hands over Piccolo and concentrated. Orange pulsating waves of light emanated from his hands and enveloped Piccolo. Where Piccolo's body touched hers, her skin tingled. It was a pleasant warm feeling. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth. She felt her cuts and scrapes healing too.

After about a minute, Dende lowered his hands again and exhaled audibly. Kera opened her eyes. "Thank you, Dende," she said, smiling. The little Namekian smiled back and rose. Piccolo raised his head and looked at Kera. His hand came to rest on her cheek and she tilted her head. "Hi," she whispered.

"Piccolo!" At the sound of his name, Piccolo straightened into a sitting position. Realising that Gohan had called him, he smiled. "My little one!" Gohan nearly knocked Piccolo over as he hugged him fiercely. He gave the green warrior a brief but fierce hug, then wrapped his small arms around Kera. His joy was contagious. Kera had to smile.

Piccolo was talking to Gohan. Kera could not follow the conversation. An aura caught her attention. She looked across the meadow along the edge of the forest. There, in the shade of the trees, he stood. Vegeta.

She stood up. At Piccolo's questioning look she only mumbled something unintelligible and walked towards Vegeta, slowly at first, then getting faster and faster. She was almost running. Just before she reached him, she became aware of who he was and how she related to him. Grass kicked up as she slowed down. He turned at that moment. She sank to one knee. Out of breath, she bowed her head and brought her right fist to her left shoulder. "My prince."

"Kera." He spoke her name slowly, as if he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him. She lifted her gaze. His hand had reached out to her. She released her hand from her shoulder and grabbed his arm just below the elbow. He grabbed and pulled her up.

He smiled at her. "It's good to see you." With his free hand, he grabbed her shoulder.

She smiled back. "I was afraid we'd never see each other again. You're ..." Her breath caught as she thought back to the situation on Namek when Vegeta had died in her arms.

"It's all right. We'll figure out what exactly happened there."

She nodded. It felt strange to be so close to him. For years they hadn't seen each other. For years she hadn't even been able to remember him. In a matter of hours, she had regained her memory, had found Vegeta again, Vegeta had died and been revived. She took one deep breath. "We have a lot to talk about."

Piccolo watched as Kera ran to Vegeta. How they looked into each other's eyes for a long time. There was a deep connection between them, Piccolo could feel it even at the great distance. It stung him.

"Are you okay, Piccolo?" Gohan looked at him questioningly.

Piccolo shook off the thought of Kera and Vegeta. "Yeah, sure. Everything's all right, kid." Half-heartedly, he stroked Gohan's head and turned his gaze to the group of Namekians gathered not far from him.

He was startled. The Grand Elder was alive. But he had died after all. Nehl had felt it clearly. Piccolo walked towards the group and mingled with them. The Grand Elder noticed him.

"Nail."

Piccolo bowed curtly. The other Namekians looked questioningly, but none spoke. Namekians did not speak unless it was necessary. The information they needed and that was important, they would get. Dende now also entered the circle and greeted the Grand Elder.

"Dende, thank you for your help. You have done great things in a bad situation."

"What happened anyway? Where are we?"

The Grand Elder spoke slowly, "I spoke with King Kai and Kami of Earth. With the Dragonballs of Earth, the servant of Kami revived all those killed by Frieza and his minions on Namek. This also brought me back to life. With the last remaining wish of Porunga, Dende wished all those who remained on Namek, except Goku and Frieza, to Earth."

"So we are indeed back on Earth," Piccolo muttered to himself.

"Why not Dad?" Gohan had joined the group as well.

"He said he was going to defeat Freezer."

Gohan sucked in the air sharply and looked up at the sky. Then he remembered something else. "Where is Krillin?"

"You know the Dragonballs can only revive each person once," Piccolo reminded him.

Gohan's shoulders slumped.

"But the Dragonballs of Namek can revive persons several times," the Grand Elder said.

"Your father will be fine, little one." Encouragingly, Piccolo put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know he's strong."

"Kakarot is a Saiyan. His desire for revenge is understandable." Vegeta and Kera had joined the group. She stood slightly displaced behind Vegeta. Something struck Piccolo as odd about the way she stood, but Piccolo couldn't put his finger on what exactly was bothering him.

"You have no idea!" Gohan had taken a step forward towards Vegeta. "My papa ..."

Vegeta interrupted him. "In your father's veins runs the blood of the proud Saiyans. We never give up a fight." Gohan growled. "And more practically for me, if Kakarot dies on Namek, I am the strongest in the universe." A short laugh escaped his lips.

Gohan was about to lunge at Vegeta, but Piccolo held him by the collar at the last moment. Kera had placed herself in front of Vegeta as if to protect him. Piccolo raised an eyebrow in surprise. Kera gave him a quick glance in which he thought he could read something, but then her eyes were back on Gohan. She looked at the boy as if he were a danger to Vegeta.

"Let it go, Kera." Vegeta put a hand on her shoulder and pulled her along. Kera looked once more at Piccolo, as if hesitating to go with Vegeta. As if she was thinking about how she would look to the others if she went with him. They left the group of Namekians. Piccolo looked after her.

"Grand Elder!" A Namekian ran towards the group. He walked past the waiting people and knelt in front of the Grand Elder. "We have searched the area. We cannot find the inhabitants of the village from the Great Heights."

The Grand Elder growled in agreement.

"Is it the village where the Dragonball with the four stars was?" asked Gohan. Some of the Namekians nodded. "The inhabitants were killed by Vegeta."

"Then the dragon didn't count Vegeta as one of Frieza's people," Piccolo stated. He still wasn't sure what to make of the Saiyan, but this proved he wasn't working Freezer anymore. How good or bad his own intentions were, however, said nothing about that.

"Moori, step forward please." The Grand Elder barely had any strength left in his voice. A Namekian wearing a red waistcoat broke away from the group and approached the Grand Elder. "Please extend your arm forward."

Moori did as he was told. The Grand Elder touched him and a light arose where he touched Moori. When it faded again, the Grand Elder gasped, exhausted.

"You are now the new Grand Elder, Moori. My time has come. I wish you eternal peace, my children." His figure faded until it had disappeared altogether.

Many of the Namekians wept. Dende in particular. Piccolo too felt a deep sadness over Nail. Looking to the side, he noticed tears in Gohan's and Bulma's eyes as well. Odd how a near stranger could touch the hearts of so many so deeply.

Halfway to the forest, Kera stopped once more and looked to the group of Namekians. The figure of the Grand Elder was transparent, then he was gone.

"The Grand Elder has died," she said quietly.

Vegeta, who had stopped with her, shrugged. "He was old." He continued walking. She followed him at a step's distance.

"Do you think Kakarot will defeat Frieza?"

"Possibly. Just before I left the planet I saw him and felt his aura. It was different from before. And he had blond hair."

Kera nodded. "I had seen it too. His hair turned blond when Frieza had killed Krillin. And with the transformation, his energy increased tremendously."

"The legendary Super Saiyan," Vegeta said almost reverently. At the same time, he clenched his fists.

Kera bit her lip. She knew it made Vegeta furious that he wasn't the Super Saiyan their sagas said he was. Something had happened to her on Namek that she couldn't yet explain to herself. What had Piccolo said to her? That she had been a Super Saiyan herself? But the legends only told of one Super Saiyan, and she had seen Kakarot with her own eyes. She wouldn't tell Vegeta anything for now. First she had to talk to Piccolo about what he had seen. If he was right and she had become a Super Saiyan after all, she had no idea how she had done it.

Vegeta sat down on the ground and leaned against a tree. Here, at the edge of the forest, they could get a good look at the group of Namekians without seeming too interested. He tapped the ground beside him as an invitation for her to sit down as well.

She sat down and crossed her legs. Her hands she placed on her knees.

"If Kakarot kills Frieza, we'll finally be free." Kera watched Vegeta from the side. She was eager to see his reaction.

"To be free. I wonder what that feels like."

"We can finally do what we want. No more orders from that disgusting guy." Kera's voice faltered. The memories were painful. Frieza had often called her to him to stand by his side as a figurehead with other planetary leaders. Just ordering her away from Vegeta had been an insult beyond compare. As Vegeta's first bodyguard, it was her duty to always be at his side. But by doing so, Frieza had demonstrated his power. After the events, Frieza had taken her to his cabin. Humiliated her with words and deeds. She could not defend herself. She knew it would have been the death of her. To stand up to him would have brought her a quick death, but it would also have left Vegeta alone. She had sworn an oath to always stay with him.

Vegeta squeezed her hand briefly. "I would so love to kill Frieza. Just because of what he did to you." His voice quivered with suppressed anger.

The first few times, Kera had been able to hide Frieza's abuse from Vegeta. She had been ashamed. She had to be strong in front of him, for him. It had been the fourth time she had had to accompany Frieza. When he had finally released her, she had only managed to put back on the dress Frieza had forced on her with the greatest pain. That alone had been humiliating. It had shown more than it had concealed. The lustful looks of those present had followed her throughout the evening. When the evening was finally over, he had taken her away. She had to undress. He had tied her up, beaten her. He had always spared her face because she had such a pretty face. That evening he had been particularly angry.

She had staggered across the corridor, hoping that she wouldn't run into any familiar faces. But Vegeta had come towards her. She had tried to turn into a side corridor, but had stumbled.

Vegeta had been kneeling next to her. He had asked questions that she did not want to answer, could not answer. He had taken her in his arms and brought her to her room. When he had seen her wounds, he had to take a sharp breath. He had tended her and bandaged her. When he had finished, he had covered her up and sat down on a chair next to the bed. She had patted the blanket and he had laid down beside her to keep her warm.

From that day on, Vegeta always expected her after the events, took care of her and stayed with her through the night. He always left her room before dawn. No one noticed anything. They did not talk about what had happened. But the relationship between them had shifted. Now it was he who protected her.

"What do we do now?"

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't thought about it yet. I have to train ..."

"What's going on up ahead?" she interrupted him. There had been noise in the Namekian group.

Vegeta had already started running. Kera followed him.