While he had sat with Kera at the edge of the forest, all had been quiet in the group of Namekians. Even when the Grand Elder had left. But now, suddenly, everyone was getting loud. Vegeta had to know what they were discussing. Had they somehow received a message from Kakarrot? Was Frieza dead?

He knew Kera was just behind him. He walked so fast it didn't look like running and then stopped two steps beside the group.

Gohan, the brat from Kakarrot, was standing in the middle of the cluster of Namekians, on the verge of tears. This blue-haired woman just leaned down to him and spoke softly to him. "We will find a way to revive your father, Gohan. Somehow." But there was not as much confidence in her voice as she wanted to exude.

"What's the problem?" Vegeta had taken another step forward and let his gaze roam.

"Namek is destroyed, exploded." Piccolo had spoken up. "Goku did not make it off the planet in time. If we revive him now, he would wake up in the same place Namek was before, in the middle of space, and according to King Kai, he wouldn't survive that."

Vegeta squinted briefly at Kera, who stood diagonally behind him. She nodded, barely noticeable. She knew who this King Kai was and would explain it to him later.

A snide grin formed on his face. "Accept it already, boy, your father is dead."

With a yelp, the boy leapt forward and tried to throw a punch at Vegeta, but he dodged upwards. Gohan followed him, his eyes fixed on Vegeta, his teeth bared. Almost playfully, Vegeta evaded the blow, spun in the air and hit him with his leg in such a way that Gohan was thrown to the ground and came down hard. Vegeta remained suspended in the air and formed an energy ball in his hand to finish the boy off. Piccolo, however, stood in front of the boy and Kera, to Vegeta's amazement, appeared in his field of vision.

"Leave him!" shouted Kera. Vegeta looked at her in amazement and was about to contradict her, but then he relented. He landed a few steps away from the group. Kera landed right next to him.

The group of Namekians and the others returned their attention to the question of Kakarrot's revival and paid no further attention to him and Kera.

"What was that about?" she hissed at him.

Offended, Vegeta crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked in another direction. "He attacked me. I was just defending myself."

"You were going to kill him!" She was beyond furious at this. She had clenched her hands into fists and looked at him angrily.

"So what?"

Kera groaned. "So what? Are you still crazy? He's one of the last living Saiyans next to us. Are you going to finish what Frieza couldn't?" Damn. Kera was right about that. He couldn't let the race die out completely. "And he's very important to me," Kera added more quietly.

"Important? The snotty brat?"

"We trained very hard the year before you and Nappa came to Earth. We were almost like family." She only breathed the last word, avoiding Vegeta's gaze.

Vegeta was about to ask a question when he was distracted by Gohan's frustrated shout. "Hey, you flashbulbs, why don't you wish Kakarrot's soul to Earth and then revive him?"

In the silence that followed, the bystanders looked at each other questioningly at first, until the blue-haired woman suddenly called out, "Yes, of course, that should work!"

Gohan stepped forward. "Thank you, Vegeta."

"Pah, I'm just acting out of self-interest so I can test who's the strongest." He turned his back on the group.

Kera bumped her hip against his and smiled. "Wasn't so hard, was it?"

Vegeta just snorted.

"Kera?" They both turned around. The blue-haired woman had approached them. "The Namekians and the others will stay with me and my parents for now, until we can use the Namekian Dragonballs again. I just called Chi-Chi. She's coming with a van to pick us all up. You're welcome to stay, too, of course. And, Vegeta, my dear." Questioningly, Vegeta raised an eyebrow. "You can stay, too. You can fill your belly as long as you don't get too close to me." She didn't wait for Vegeta's reaction and turned back around.

Vegeta had trouble keeping his features under control. What was this woman thinking she was talking to him like that? He looked at Kera, who was having trouble suppressing a grin.

"Her name is Bulma, by the way," she said with a wink.

They didn't have to wait long before they heard the sound of an approaching plane. The transport landed only a few yards away from them and Chi-Chi jumped out as soon as the boarding hatch opened. She ignored everyone and rushed towards her son to embrace him.

Kera had to avert her eyes. She would so much like to run to them and hug them both as well, but somehow she felt she had to stop at Vegeta.

"I'm going to get in this van, then," Vegeta said, turning to face the plane. They had talked during their wait about whether they would go with them or go somewhere else and had agreed that they would regenerate at Bulma's place first. In addition, Vegeta wanted to wait for Kakarrot to be able to fight him. Kera was sure that Vegeta wanted to get to know Bulma better.

"I'll be right there."

Piccolo stood next to her and watched the Namekians climb into the van one by one. "Are you coming to Bulma's house too? I will go with them. Then I can learn something about my people before they leave again." After a pause, he added more quietly, "Vegeta's coming too." A statement, not a question.

Piccolo waited patiently beside her. She sensed he wished her answer was yes. She knew she wasn't herself again yet. She had to keep thinking whether it was Sitara or Kera speaking from her actions and thoughts. She was first and foremost glad to have found Vegeta again and to be able to remember, but there was also the other part of her that was eager to get back to the hut in the forest. Would it help if Vegeta and Piccolo were in the same place or would it confuse her even more?

"I'll go." She thought she perceived a smile, but when she turned around there was none of it on his face. He nodded at her and together they were the last to board the plane.

Bulma took off and brought them all to the Briefs' large estate. She assigned rooms to all the visitors. Kera and Vegeta were given two small rooms right next to each other and shared a bathroom in between. She had to admit that the luxury of the accommodation was very pleasant, but what she was missing was peace and quiet. Because she did not find that here. Everywhere and at all times of the day one met people, Namekians or other Earthlings. There was always something going on. Bulma's parents sacrificially took care of the stranded Namekians and taught them mini-golf, how to operate the coffee machine or other things. You could tell the alien people were enjoying themselves.

Every two days or so, Gohan and Chi-Chi came by. Chi-Chi had insisted that they were at home so that Gohan could study. After all, she had understood that her son also needed social contact. He spent a lot of time with Dende. Kera watched the two of them sometimes. Two boys from different planets who had found each other and were now bound by a deep friendship. Every time she saw them together, she smiled and felt lonely at the same time. The two children made her realise that she was missing something. A friendship. Someone she could talk to about everything.

She wasn't sure what she could and couldn't talk about with Piccolo. And what could she and couldn't she talk about with Vegeta? She had a feeling he wouldn't like some of the things she'd done over the last few years and she wasn't ready for her to have to explain herself for that time. She hadn't exchanged a word with Piccolo in the last few days. He spent a lot of time with the other Namekians and had waved at her every now and then when she had crossed his path with Vegeta. She thought she read a questioning expression in his eyes each time. Did he expect her to come back into the forest with him? She just didn't know if she wanted to. She didn't even know if she was allowed to. She hadn't broached this subject with Vegeta yet.

She hadn't exchanged a word with Vegeta about the future in the past few days. Only about the past. She had told him her story, how she had been stranded on Earth, how she had met Piccolo and so on.

Vegeta had told her what had happened since her absence. He had sent her away when he had learned that Kakarrot must be on a planet called Earth, as he had been sent there just before planet Vegeta was destroyed. Kera was supposed to be looking for him to join the remaining Saiyans to defeat Frieza. "Frieza freaked out when he found out you were gone. His showpiece trophy had just disappeared." Vegeta's lips curled into a smile. "He was really desperate. He then took his anger out on me in particular, but didn't dare to finish it. He probably didn't want to lose his last victim of humiliation." Vegeta clenched his fists.

Gently, Kera placed a hand on Vegeta's fist to make him relax again. "This is over now."

"It was a good decision to send you away. I didn't want you near him anymore. I was hoping you'd manage somehow. Even after not hearing from you for years, I didn't give up hope. So when Nappa and I saw your picture over Raditz's scouter, I couldn't believe it."

"I was not involved in the fight against Raditz. I felt that I was not suited for it. Then Piccolo and I trained together with Gohan." She stared up at the night sky above her, lost in memories. The air was pleasantly warm and the stars twinkled at them. She loved these hours. The estate was finally quiet and she could talk to Vegeta. They preferred to sit on the roof of the estate to do so.

Kera cleared her throat. "I heard you killed Nappa."

Vegeta nodded. "He was weak. And stupid!"

"But he was one of the last Saiyans!" she exclaimed.

Vegeta shrugged his shoulders. "And he always got closer to you than I would have liked."

Kera sighed. That was true. Nappa had always been very pushy. She found it very difficult to reprimand him without disturbing their working relationship.

They sat next to each other in silence for a while, then Vegeta rose. "I am going to sleep. Good night, Kera."

She rose quickly, put her fist to her shoulder and lowered her head. "Good night, my prince."

Vegeta smiled, nodded to her, and then flew down from the roof.

Kera sat back down and let her mind wander. She noticed a strange emptiness. She didn't know who she was. Was she Kera or Sitara? As soon as she came to rest, images swirled around in her head that she couldn't always place.

It gave her a headache to think of the things she had done as Kera. She had murdered, wiped out entire populations. Would Piccolo even want her then? What if the Saiyan side of her grew stronger again? Would she be dangerous to the others? She didn't trust herself anymore. Would this state ever pass? Silent tears streamed down her face. As a Saiyan, she had never been allowed to cry because she had seen it as weakness. Because everyone had seen it as weakness. Feelings at all were only allowed in the darkest corners where no one could observe. But her experiences as Sitara had shown her so much more. Had her actions as a Saiyan really always been the right thing to do?

For about four weeks now, they had been staying with the Briefs. With Piccolo she hadn't exchanged a word except for a hello. With Vegeta she had talked on and on about the past. She was not feeling well. During the day her thoughts whirred as soon as there was silence around her and at night her head could not find peace either. Nightmares plagued her. Acts she had committed at that time she saw again and again. She questioned them. In the morning she always felt as if she had not slept at all.

"Fancy a training session?" Vegeta's question snapped her out of the thoughts that had been with her throughout the day.

She nodded and they walked together to the large meadow that lay behind the main house on the Briefs' estate. They lined up facing each other.

"Let's see what you've learned with this greenling, then," Vegeta called out to her, and in the next moment leapt towards her. Kera bent her head back and thus dodged his blow. Vegeta reacted in a flash, however, and changed tactics while still in flight, landing and extending his leg, knocking the ground out from under her.

She landed hard on the ground, uttered a curse and jumped back to her feet. Vegeta regarded her from two paces away, ready to fight. "You obviously didn't learn that much from the Namekian, did you? You're even worse than you were before your accident."

Kera snarled and ran towards Vegeta. Blind with rage, she brought her fist down on him, but she quickly realised that if she just followed her anger, she wouldn't stand a chance. The realisation, however, made her even angrier. She slowed down abruptly and wanted to throw an energy ball at Vegeta, who had already put distance between them again.

Confused, she stared at her outstretched hand. No energy formed there, only a few smaller flashes materialised and disappeared again. Incredulous, she tried the other hand. The result was the same.

She roared with anger and frustration. What was wrong with her? She sank to her knees and pressed her hands to her head. She felt like there were all kinds of images rushing at her right now that she couldn't place.

"You're a Super Saiyan!?" Vegeta had landed next to her without her noticing. Slowly, she raised her head to look at him. His face was contorted with anger.

"What?"

"What do you mean what? Your hair was blonde, your eyes green. Like Kakarrot's when he was on Namek. You're a Super Saiyan. Why didn't you tell me?" Kera thought she heard not only anger from Vegeta's voice, but frustration and abuse of trust.

"But I knew ..."

"You didn't know you could turn into a Super Saiyan?" He made a snide noise. "You can tell that to someone else."

"Vegeta, please."

Vegeta gave her a long disappointed look and then flew off.

Kera watched him go. She wrapped her upper arms around her body. She felt empty, left alone. She felt she couldn't talk to Piccolo and Vegeta wouldn't talk to her now. Once he was offended, it took him a long time to talk again.

Only when it got dark did she get up and drag herself to bed. She didn't want to see anyone or talk to anyone.

Vegeta avoided Kera for the next few months. His pride was too hurt. It really had never been this bad before, Kera thought. She had known Ve-geta long enough and knew that he would eventually calm down and that it was pointless to approach him before that time was up.

But the longer it took, the more sombre Kera's thoughts became. The headache she had on Namek when her memory of life as a Saiyan had returned so suddenly now accompanied her almost daily. She spent a lot of time in her darkened room brooding away. She usually only left the room to get something to eat. And she only did that at night when she knew she wouldn't run into anyone.

Chi-Chi and Bulma tried to talk to her several times, but she ignored them. She wouldn't even open the door for Gohan. She simply didn't know what to talk about. That she didn't know who she was? That she couldn't control her powers? That she hadn't fulfilled her duty as a Saiyan warrior?

Kera didn't know how long she had been on the Briefs' estate. One day, she looked outside in wonder, as it had suddenly become dark and gloomy. She only peeked cautiously through the curtains.

On the meadow behind the estate, the group of Namekians had gathered. The Eternal Dragon hovered over them. So the Namekian Dragonballs were active again. Had she really been here for 130 days? She had lost all sense of time.

She could not understand the wishes that were being made. She saw Chi-Chi standing in the crowd. She had put her hands in front of her face and seemed to be crying. Was there a problem with Kakarrot's revival? Then she saw Krillin and also Yamcha. The Dragon disappeared and it became light again.

Vegeta, who had been standing at the edge of the group, turned away. Where was he going? He ran towards the space capsule that stood in the garden. Surely he wouldn't ...?

Vegeta disappeared inside the ship, the hatch closed and a few seconds later the spaceship rose into the air.

Kera clasped her hands around the curtain. Vegeta had left her. Her headache intensified, clouding her vision. She could not stay any longer. She had to leave. Somewhere to be alone.

She opened the window and flew out. She didn't care if others were worried about her. She didn't want to see anyone. Maybe never again.

Piccolo let his gaze wander over the mountains. Not a living creature in sight. A few rodents perhaps, but otherwise there was a wonderful silence. The ideal place for his training. He breathed in and out deeply and prepared himself mentally for a difficult session. Since the fight against Frieza over a year ago, he had sworn to himself to become even stronger. He always wanted to be able to protect those he cared about.

As he was about to exhale slowly one more time, he paused. He felt someone standing behind him. Someone he knew well and had not seen for months. Slowly he turned around so that he could confirm with his eyes what his mind was feeling.

Kera was standing about two yards away from him. She had disappeared without a word after they had used the Namekian Dragonballs to revive Krillin. Briefly he had thought that she had left the planet with Vegeta, but every now and then he had felt the flare of her aura some distance away. But it was always too brief to look for her.

He had wondered for months why she had simply left. She hadn't spoken to him even during her stay with the Briefs, in fact she had downright avoided him. He had assumed that she simply needed time to sort out her memories.

She smiled uncertainly, raised her arm in a wave and said softly, "Hello."

Piccolo, who now realised he had stopped mid-turn, now turned completely to face her and nodded. Kera put her hands behind her back and kicked at an invisible pebble on the ground.

"So, how are you doing?" Her nervousness was not only evident in her palms, but resonated clearly in her voice.

Piccolo crossed his arms in front of his chest and shrugged. "I'm okay. How about you?"

Kera also shrugged now. "I've been thinking a lot." Piccolo waited. The wind swept around them. Kera's hair was blown in all directions and Piccolo's cloak puffed out. She sighed and then continued talking. "I just don't know where I belong. I was going to start training again because I thought it would help me, but then this happened." She held out her hand. She held her forearm at a 90-degree angle to her upper arm. Her palm formed the extension of her arm. She stared at her palm. Piccolo was about to say something when he finally saw what she meant.

Small bluish, yellow and red flashes formed on her palm. They stretched from her thumb to her little finger and from her middle finger to the outer edge of her hand. The flashes appeared briefly, disappeared again and then were visible again for a fraction of a second. All the while Kera stared doggedly at her palm. Sweat began to run down her temple. Her whole body began to shake with exertion.

Piccolo stepped up to her and placed his hand on hers. Instantly he felt her body relax. "You can't focus energy anymore?" Her eyes darted to his face. Then she looked sadly at the ground and nodded. Her hand sank towards the ground and with it she released the physical contact between them.

Frantically, Piccolo wondered what could have caused this.

"You need to find yourself again." Kera and Piccolo wheeled around. Kami had appeared out of nowhere and was now looking at them both. How long had he been standing there?

"For a while now. At least as long as I've been aware that Kera can't focus energy anymore."

Confused, Kera looked back and forth between Piccolo and Kami.

"Piccolo, who is that?"

"That's Kami. And he knows not to interfere."

"Sorry. I've come to ask you a favour, Piccolo." Kami came closer and stopped an arm's length in front of them. Piccolo looked him up and down.

"What is it about?"

"I am old and feel it is time for me to retire. I ask you to take my post."

Piccolo's eyes widened in astonishment. Kera looked at the two Namekians in turn. The question mark was clearly written on her face. Finally, Piccolo took the floor again.

"I thank you for your trust, but I cannot do that. I have been feeling a strong negative energy for days. I have to take care of that first."

Disappointed, Kami looked at Piccolo. But then he nodded. He accepted Piccolo's decision. He turned to leave, but Kera held him back by his cloak.

"What did you mean about me needing to find myself again?"

Kami turned back to her and smiled briefly.

"It is as if two souls reside in your body. Kera's and Sitara's. Both souls want to be on the surface and are fighting over it. Who are you really? Can you reconcile both souls?" Kami nodded at her once more and disappeared the next moment.

Kera lowered her arm, which reached into the void where Kami had been before. She was supposed to find herself again? How was she supposed to do that? Her hands clenched into fists. She felt anger boiling up inside her and her gaze clouded over. She couldn't do anything with this ... advice. It didn't help her one bit. For months she had been thinking about who she was and she had achieved nothing. Except that she was no longer able to focus her energy.

Piccolo sensed the change in Kera's energy. When he looked at her more closely, he saw thin red flashes all around her body. Her hair was moving, but clearly not from the wind. It was as if she was summoning a wind from within. Surrounding smaller stones began to float. Cracks formed in the rock beneath her. Piccolo feared she would lose control.

He cautiously stepped closer and reached out to touch her on the shoulder. Just before her shoulder, it was as if he had to fight an invisible wall. She didn't seem to be aware of anything around her at all. Even when Piccolo was finally able to touch her shoulders through the resistance, nothing changed. She still stood there with her fists tightened, staring into space in front of her, her teeth clenched. The little red flashes twitched out of her body everywhere. Some hit Piccolo and left a sharp pain.

Despite the pain, he took another step closer and now put his other hand up. He kept saying her name, but it was only when he touched her cheek that she reacted. Her eyes slowly moved to Piccolo's face, her arms sank down, the flashes disappeared. Gradually all tension seemed to leave her body and her legs gave way beneath her. She dropped to her knees, covered her face with her hands and let her upper body sink forward.

Piccolo knelt beside her and wrapped her in his arms. She heaved a sob and leaned against him. Tears ran down her cheeks while he just held her.

After a few minutes, she broke away from Piccolo. She wiped her face. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologise." Hesitantly, he wiped a trail of tears from her cheek. "I'll help you find yourself again." She smiled gratefully. "We could start with what I can call you."

She considered, swaying her head back and forth. "Kera," she then said. "That's my birth name. The name my mother gave me."

Piccolo rose and held out his hand to help her up. "All right, Kera of the Saiyans. Would you like to join me in tracking down this negative energy?" She pointed in the direction of the sea. "Do you sense energies near us?"

Kera closed her eyes and turned her attention in the direction he had pointed. A moment later she shook her head. "Only very small energies."

"Try again," he encouraged her.

She concentrated once more. "Yes, there. They are evil energies. Strong energies."

Piccolo held out his hand to her and invited her to come along. She hesitated. "What if I lose control again?"

Piccolo looked at her, then floated a little lower again, bringing his eyes level with hers. "You won't. I trust you." Two simple sentences spoken with a confidence that spilled over to her. Kera nodded and followed him.

Dear reader,

This is the conclusion of the Frieza saga with the beginning of a short interlude. I hope you enjoy it.

As always, stay well!

Yours, Jessica