Within a few days, Kera and Piccolo returned to the rhythm they had practised before. Kera even had the same combat suit as him again. She had specifically asked Piccolo for it. In the mornings they usually spent time each on their own, in the afternoons together. In the evenings they meditated or sat around the fire and talked about anything. The only topic they avoided was their relationship and the fight against Garlic Jr. Kera sensed that Piccolo wanted to ask her something, but he did not. She wondered why her energy had looked so strange when she had pushed the demon back into the Dead Zone, but she tried not to think about it any further. Maybe she had just been imagining it.

A year had passed since their return from Namek. They had only been in the forest together for about a month. Piccolo stayed close to her outside of training and they sat together, but he always kept a distance. She kept wondering if he didn't like her anymore or what she had done to scare him away. She brooded a lot. She wondered what was going on in Piccolo's head. She missed not being able to sense his feelings like she used to. She wished for their connection back some days. Or the time before Piccolo's death when they had trained with Gohan. That family feeling had been nice.

Every now and then Kera wondered if Vegeta was alright. She was still angry that he had left the planet without a word. They only had each other after all. She tried not to think about him too much. It always put her in a melancholic mood that was hard to get out of.

At the beginning of her training with Piccolo, it happened several times a day that she lost her energy and discharged it somewhere. Piccolo had to dodge every time. But in the meantime she could control the energy most of the time. When it did slip, she was always frustrated, but Piccolo's heartfelt words always helped her to get back on her feet.

Today they had already started training together after breakfast, because it had gone very well last night and they wanted to build on it. When the sun was at its highest, Kera stopped, exhaled deeply and let herself fall flat on the ground. Behind her, the waterfall rushed into the depths.

"I need a break," she moaned. Sweat poured down her forehead.

"You'd better lie down in the shade." The sun blazed down on the plain with all its power.

Kera grumbled something and then held out her hand for Piccolo to help her up. Instead of just helping her stand up, he pulled her up with such momentum that she was catapulted upwards only to land gently in his arms. She blushed.

Piccolo flew her over the edge of the cliff and deposited her by the river in the shade of the trees. She hesitated to break away from him and looked at him from below. He cleared his throat and then took a step back. He sat down on the edge of the river and created a cup out of thin air, which he filled with river water. He handed it to her. Slowly she sat down and drank. Silently, they stared in front of each other for a while, staring at the river that flowed lazily. Unmoved by the people sitting on its banks, whose thoughts were much more agitated than the river in stormy weather.

"Do you actually feel different since your fusion?" asked Kera quietly, following up on their conversation the previous evening when he had told her about the fusion with Nail on Namek.

"Stronger. Better somehow. And I always feel Nail's presence."

Kera hummed in agreement. Her head was full of questions she wanted to ask him. But she just didn't know how. "Does Nail feel the same as you?" Kera plucked individual blades of grass from the ground.

"I don't really know. I can't really perceive it. Since we left Namek, the only time I've consciously noticed him was when the Grand Elder left. Since then, no more. Nail is no longer a flesh and blood being." Kera only nodded and continued to look at the river. Abruptly, Piccolo changed the subject, "Is it okay with Vegeta if we train here?"

Kera's head jerked around to face him. "Why?"

"You said it was your duty to be with him."

"True." She clenched her fists and let them rest on her knees, but didn't speak further.

Piccolo bit his lower lip. He cleared his throat. "Am I to fear Vegeta's revenge now?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Not that he thinks I'm keeping you from him."

Kera snorted. "Afraid he'll come at you?"

"If he thinks that I keep his mate ..." murmured Piccolo more to himself, but Kera heard him anyway.

"What, you think I'm his mate?"

Piccolo stared very intently at the river and made an undefinable movement with his shoulders. Kera looked at him with her mouth open. Then her expression changed and she began to laugh. Resoundingly. She held her stomach.

Kera had to wipe tears of laughter from her eyes and take a few breaths before she could speak. "What do you think? Vegeta and I ..." She faltered in mid-sentence and looked up at the sky. "Vegeta!" She jumped up and rose into the air.

His aura. It was clearly moving towards the earth. She wondered if his spaceship would land back at Bulma's? She had to fly there immediately.

"Wait!" Piccolo held her back.

"What?" Kera looked at him impatiently.

"Do you feel that strong negative energy?"

Kera concentrated. She cursed. "It can't be!"

"So I'm not mistaken."

"Fuck!" She would like to scream out loud. There had to be no more of this energy. How was that possible? "We're flying to where they're going to land," she said then firmly. Vegeta could wait. He would probably feel the aura too and fly to their landing spot.

"Let's go then." Piccolo rose and she followed him. They absolutely had to find out what this aura was all about.

Vegeta landed the spaceship in the Briefs' garden, from where he had taken off several months ago. His clothes were badly torn and dirty and he felt filthy. And hungry. The blue-haired woman came running towards him. What was her name again? Bulma?

"Vegeta, how good of you to grace us with your presence again."

"The fuel was empty."

"Your clothes are dirty and you stink. Come with me. I'll show you the bathroom." This woman puzzled him. She didn't seem afraid of him at all, standing in front of him like that with her arms on her hips. "So, will it be soon?" She turned, expecting him to follow her. What was this woman thinking?

She was only sadly right. He wanted nothing more than to stand under the hot stream of a shower and put on clean clothes. His departure had indeed been hasty.

Vegeta followed Bulma into the house. On the way there he passed the terrace where a guy with long black hair sat staring at him with wide eyes. Hadn't he seen him somewhere before? It must have been at the time he had come to Earth with Nappa. Hadn't this guy been killed by one of the Saiba Men?

Bulma directed him down a long corridor to the top floor of the house. To his surprise, he led her into the room he had already spent the night in during his stay.

"Hand me that suit and I'll wash it and mend it."

"And what shall I wear in the meantime, woman?" He looked at her fixedly as he began to undress. He dropped the breastplate to the ground. Then he pulled his one-piece over his torso. The woman stared at him and swallowed. Good, then he had now found something to upset her.

"I'll put something for you to wear," she said and left the room.

Vegeta got rid of his suit and let it slide to the ground. He entered the bathroom, turned on the shower and enjoyed the warmth of the water. He felt his muscles relax.

His thoughts wandered. He had not found Kakarrot. Where the hell was this guy? Vegeta had doubts by now that he would ever see the other Saiyan again. As soon as he had eaten something, he would look for Kera. Hopefully she wasn't too angry that he had left her alone. Part of him shied away from confronting her.

When there was no more hot water in the line, Vegeta turned off the shower, dried himself with a towel he had laid out and put it around his hips. At the door to the room stood Bulma, who had just re-entered the room to bring him the promised clothes.

Her eyes kept wandering from his face down his body as she handed him a shirt and a pair of trousers.

"Are you serious?"

"Uh, what?"

"A pink shirt? You don't think I'm going to wear something like that," Vegeta snapped at her.

The right corner of her mouth pulled up. The hint of a smirk. "The alternative is you running around naked." At that, her eyes drifted downwards again.

With an annoyed expression, he snatched the two items from her hands and waited for her to leave the room. This woman really wasn't afraid of him. That was amazing.

Quickly he dressed, walked back the same way he had come with Bulma and stepped back outside. The black-haired man looked at him with wide eyes and began to grin. Then he laughed out loud.

"Shut up, you runt!"

The other swallowed hard and avoided Vegeta's gaze. Bulma squeezed the other's hand briefly and looked to Vegeta.

"Don't you want to stay here? Goku is bound to come here sometime. I'll build you something to train too." She winked at him. Was she flirting with him? And how did she know he was looking for Kakarrot? Was he that easy to figure out?

Vegeta became distracted and looked to the sky. A strong negative energy in space. It was surely coming towards Earth. It couldn't be. He looked to the other fighter, who nodded at him. So he had sensed it too.

"I have to look at that. That's Frieza's aura."

He flew off and out of the corner of his eye saw the black-haired man following him.

After a short flight, Vegeta landed in a rocky desert. Kakarrot's son and that bald Krillin were there too, and a few more people Vegeta was sure he had seen before. Probably also in the fight with Nappa. Then he sensed another aura.

Kera. And Piccolo. They landed near him. Gohan immediately ran up to greet them both. Piccolo put a hand on his head and smiled. Kera crouched down and hugged the boy. He actually seemed to mean a lot to her. So what she had told him was true.

A helicopter landed. Bulma got out. Was this woman tired of life? The black-haired man immediately ran to her. "Are you crazy, Bulma. It's far too dangerous here."

"Calm down, Yamcha. If Earth is about to be destroyed, what does it matter where I am?"

Vegeta couldn't help but give her a quick nod. This woman had courage, he had to give her that.

Then he felt Kera's gaze rest on him. The confrontation he would have liked to delay was imminent. He had to swallow involuntarily when he saw her eyes sparkling with anger. She was running towards him. Inwardly he braced himself for an attack, but just before him she stopped and knelt down.

"My prince."

Everyone stared at him and her with open mouths. It made Vegeta uncomfortable. This was between him and Kera, no one else needed to witness this.

"Please, stand up," he said quietly to Kera, who immediately complied and looked at him. He had to concentrate hard to look her straight in the eye. "I'm sorry I flew away without saying goodbye." He hoped the others wouldn't hear his words.

"I guess that's what I mean!" she shouted at him. "For years we haven't seen each other and you just take off again. Without a single word!"

Before Vegeta could reply, something flew over the group. Everyone looked up. Clearly. Inside that craft was Frieza and yet another aura that was at least as strong, if not stronger. About a mile away from them, the ship landed behind a rock formation so they couldn't see it.

"Was that really Frieza?" Kera looked at him questioningly. Vegeta nodded. She clenched her fists. He could imagine what was going forth in her mind. She had hoped to finally be free of this tyrant and now he just showed up on Earth about a year later after the battle.

"We'll take a look." Vegeta gave her a quick pat on the shoulder.

Kera nodded. "We'll have to run and climb, or they'll be able to locate us." She had not only spoken to him, but also to the other bystanders, who all nodded.

Together they started walking. Vegeta hoped that they could somehow defeat him, but he was not very confident. Kera and he had already failed to defeat Frieza a year ago. And now there was this extra aura.

Climbing a rock wall with her hands and feet was a new experience. She didn't think it was bad at all. A new training possibility. Kera was the first to stretch her head over the edge of the rock. Lying on the ground, she crawled forward to the opposite edge and watched the spaceship. It was clearly Frieza who had disembarked there. In his last form, the one she had fought on Namek. Part of his chest was covered in metal, as was his head, and his tail was extended by several metal tubes. Next to him stood a larger version of Frieza's first form. King Cold. Frieza's father.

Kera hissed between her teeth. She had only met Frieza's father at a few events. He was just as insane and cold-blooded as his son.

The others also crawled up to the edge. Piccolo placed himself on her right, Vegeta lay on her left. He was grumbling. "King Cold!" he said quietly. Kera nodded at him.

Standing with Frieza and King Cold were several warriors. She couldn't understand what was being said, but as some warriors flew off, Kera was sure Frieza had sent them off to scout the area.

She winced. There was someone else! She hadn't noticed him before. He was suddenly just there. Frieza's henchmen fell back to earth in pieces. A young man landed not far from Frieza. He had purple hair and was sheathing a sword on his back in a fluid motion.

Frieza seemed unsettled and sent more men forward. But before they even got close to him, the young man had killed all but one. Seeking help, this soldier turned to his master, but he showed no mercy and killed him.

The newcomer and Frieza talked to each other. Kera was annoyed that she could not hear.

"Piccolo, can you understand what they are saying?"

"The newcomer knows Goku. And he's a Super Saiyan too."

A murmur went through those present, all peering over the edge of the cliff.

"His power seems immense. It's even greater than Frieza's!" whispered Tien Shinhan.

The conversation had apparently reached a point where words could take it no further. The purple haired man transformed into a Super Saiyan and attacked Frieza.

"We have to help him!" Krillin tried to stand up, but Vegeta held him back.

"You idiot. We don't know what to expect at all."

"Then you fight, Vegeta," Bulma snarled beside him.

"Get out of here, woman," he returned gruffly.

Frieza and the young man fought. Kera followed every step of the fight. The stranger fought well. And as a Super Saiyan, he really did have tremendous power. But where the hell did he come from?

Frieza had put distance between himself and the stranger, forming a ball of energy so large that it would destroy the planet if it hit the ground. Kera straightened up a little. They had to help him, they couldn't just stand by and watch after all. Vegeta held her back by the arm and shook his head.

Kera's worry had been unfounded. The man deflected Frieza's energy ball with ease. Frieza dodged the next attack, but his joy was short-lived as the newcomer came up behind Frieza in a split second, drew his sword and cut Frieza in half with a single stroke. Kera felt the horror on her friends' side. He had finished Frieza off with an ease that was beyond belief. What if he was not friendly to them?

The stranger didn't even seem out of breath as he landed in front of King Cold and talked to him.

"This is Frieza's father, King Cold," Piccolo informed the others. "He claims the guy only fights so well because he has a sword."

The purple-haired man handed his sword to King Cold, who immediately took advantage and swung at the young man. With dancing ease, he dodged the sword, extended his hand and let loose a beam of energy at King Cold. With deadly precision, it pierced the alien. For endless seconds he stood staring at the young man with wide eyes, then he fell forward like a felled tree and lay motionless. Kera no longer felt his aura. She was impressed. Against King Cold, he had not even turned.

The purple-haired man turned to Frieza's spaceship and destroyed it. When he had done his job to his satisfaction, he pushed himself off the ground. Kera and Vegeta cursed softly and were about to stand up, to do something, when the man was already at their height and looked at them with a smile.

"I'm going to see Goku now. Anyone want to come?" Without waiting for an answer, he flew away.

Confused, all those present exchanged glances. They were undecided what to do now. Follow him? Watch him from a distance?

Kera straightened up and wanted to fly after him, but Vegeta held her back. "Wait. You don't know what he's going to do."

"Can't you sense Kakarrot's aura? He'll be here soon too."

Vegeta paused for a moment, then nodded and followed her. The others came along as well. Yamcha took Bulma in his arms and they flew after the young man.

Kera kept close behind Vegeta, approaching him and pushing him out of the group so she could talk to him uninterrupted.

"So, why did you just run off?" Vegeta just shrugged and continued to stare stubbornly ahead. "Vegeta!" Kera growled his name, making him finally respond.

"Kakarrot!"

"Kakarrot, huh? Because he didn't come back to Earth?" Vegeta nodded. His whole body tensed. Kera knew exactly how it looked inside him. "And that was more important to you than making up for lost years with me?" The suppressed anger from a few months ago came up again.

Vegeta looked at her and stopped in mid-air. Kera hovered at his eye level. Piccolo stopped too, but she indicated with a wave of her hand that he should keep flying. Only slowly did he move away. She had to settle this with Vegeta now.

"How can you say that something else is more important than you are? You know you always come first!"

"Then you could have at least asked me to fly with you!"

Vegeta clasped his hands in front of his chest. His typical defensive posture. "Then you could have told me you could transform into a Super Saiyan," he said snottily, looking in another direction.

"That's what you're mad about? You didn't even listen to me. I didn't know I could do that. I still can't bring that state back." She felt tears of anger welling up in her eyes and tried desperately to blink them away.

Vegeta's head turned back in her direction. "What do you mean you didn't know?" His tone sounded softer now.

"On Namek, I was so angry about your death, and about the out-spoken threat to Piccolo, Gohan and the others, that I couldn't think straight. I was so infinitely angry and wanted to protect everyone at the same time that I transformed, but I didn't perceive it as a transformation. I just felt a strong force inside me." After a short pause, she continued more quietly, "It still didn't do any good. I didn't defeat Frieza." Shivering, she wrapped her arms around her torso and flinched when Vegeta touched her on the shoulder.

"Please, excuse me. My temper got the better of me again. I should have listened to you."

"Yes, you should have." She sighed. "What do we do now?"

Vegeta moved a little closer to her and put his other hand on her shoulder as well. "I have a feeling this new guy is trying to tell us something. And I need to know why he can transform into a Super Saiyan. There are no Saiyans left but us."

"I meant more like, what are we going to do with us."

Vegeta moved a little closer and rested his forehead against hers, "Will you be by my side?"

"My prince, I will stand by your side every breath of my life and fight for you, avert every threat from you and be your shield," she repeated her vow, the one she had sworn at the age of four in the presence of Vegeta's parents, the King and Queen.

"So be it," Vegeta completed the vow and gave her a kiss on the forehead before breaking away from her. He grasped her hand. "Then let us hear what this beau has to tell us." Together they flew to the place where the young man and the others had landed.

The plain on which they were now standing was no different from the landing site where Frieza's spaceship had come to Earth. It was a flat, dust-dry, rocky plain. There was not a tuft of grass to be seen and the wind kept whirling up small fountains of dust. Probably not even any animals got lost here. So how did this guy know that this was exactly where Kakarrot would land?

As Kera and Vegeta landed next to the group, the young man just took a case out of his pocket, removed a hoipoi capsule from it and threw it from him. A small refrigerator appeared.

"Please, help yourselves. Goku will arrive here in about three hours."

Hesitantly, Bulma and Gohan stepped forward and took a can of drink from the fridge, then Krillin stepped too and Kera followed. She was too curious than to stand on the sidelines waiting.

"Who are you?" asked Kera of him. She looked at him more closely. He was wearing a blue short jacket. On one sleeve was the Capsule Corporation's logo. She wondered if he was one of Bulma's employees. But she would know that.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." He was visibly uncomfortable.

"And how old are you?" asked Bulma.

"I'm seventeen."

"How come you have Saiyan powers?" Vegeta asked the question with an unpleasant undertone.

"Because I'm a Saiyan," the questioned replied in a chest tone of conviction.

"You don't have black hair. All Saiyans have black hair." With that, it seemed clear to Vegeta.

Vegeta was right. But Kera's gaze wandered to Gohan. He was half human and half Saiyan. Chi-Chi also had black hair, so it was only natural that her and Kakarrot's son had black hair too, but what if the other parent had a different hair colour? What would dominate then?

Bulma stepped close to her. "Hey, Kera, don't you think that guy and Vegeta look alike?"

Kera eyed the two and swayed her head back and forth. Then she shrugged. Maybe there was a resemblance. Was Bulma suggesting that Vegeta might be the father? That would mean Vegeta had fathered a child without her knowledge. She calculated. A little over 17 years ago, she had barely left Vegeta's side for a second. They had even spent most nights together. Time-wise, that made no sense whatsoever either.

"Don't stare so stupidly!" barked Vegeta at the young man, who quickly looked in another direction. Kera cleared her throat and Vegeta raised an eyebrow questioningly. She gave him a punishing look. Did he have to be so unfriendly all the time?

She turned to Piccolo, who was talking to Gohan.

"Why didn't you go to Namek?" Gohan wanted to know. Kera had asked herself the same question, but hadn't dared to ask yet.

"Because I didn't feel like living a boring life. Here, there was more chance of something happening too." With that, he looked at Kera. She smiled. "You okay?" He gestured with his chin to Vegeta.

"Yeah, everything's fine. We've talked it out."

The conversation rippled along until suddenly the young newcomer said, "Goku is landing now."

Almost at the same moment, something hissed from the sky and crashed to earth with a deafening bang. After the dust cleared, they saw a deep crater in the middle of which was a capsule. It looked like the capsule in which the Saiyans travelled through space one by one.

The hatch opened and Kakarrot stuck his head out. He looked up and was visibly surprised to see them all. "Hi guys!" Gohan flew up to him and hugged him fiercely.

Together, Kakarrot and his son left the crater and landed next to the group. Kakarrot was wearing interesting clothes. Blue loose trousers, a blue shirt that blended into a white, wide, rolled collar. He looked at everyone briefly, smiled, and lingered on the newcomer who stepped forward.

"Goku, can I speak with you alone for a moment, please?"

Piccolo listened up. Why did the young man want to speak to Goku alone? The two looked at each other for a moment and Goku seemed to read something in the other's gaze, for he nodded.

They flew to the other side of the crater so that everyone could still see the two, but could no longer understand what they were saying. Except himself.

"Can you please transform into a Super Saiyan?"

"Why?" asked Goku.

"I want to try out if you're the one I'm looking for."

Goku eyed his counterpart, then transformed. The young man transformed as well. They fought hands and feet for a few moments until the newcomer drew his sword. Piccolo sucked in a sharp breath and felt some of the others want to rush forward to intervene, but he held them back.

As quickly as it had started, it was over. They both turned back.

"Thank you. Now I know I can trust you."

"What do you want to talk to me about?"

The young man sat down on a rock. "My name is Trunks. I come from the future twenty years from now."

"Future?" inquired Goku, irritated. Piccolo's ears grew even bigger. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"The Red Ribbon army has hired a scientist to develop the ultimate weapon. Dr Gero built cyborgs so strong that no one could defeat them. They eventually seized control of themselves and began destroying cities and killing people on a whim. Of the warriors, none could stand against them, only I am left." Sadly, he lowered his eyes.

"You mean that everyone dies fighting the cyborgs? But what about the Dragonballs?"

"Piccolo dies relatively at the beginning of the war. And you won't fight at all because you'll die from a virus that affects your heart."

Piccolo had to swallow. His gaze wandered to Kera. What would become of her?

Involuntarily, Goku clutched his chest, "When will that be?"

"In three years, the cyborgs will be awakened."

"And you've fought them all?" Goku gestured with his head towards the group.

The young man nodded. "Yes. I know them all. It hurts to see them. My parents ..." He broke off.

"Your parents are here too?" Goku's jaw dropped.

"Yeah, over there. Vegeta and Bulma."

Piccolo lost his balance for a moment. Bulma had shown a good eye after all.

Goku asked a few more questions and Trunks told him when and where the cyborgs would appear. He asked Goku not to tell the others. Then he said goodbye and flew away. In the distance, Piccolo heard the starting of an engine, then silence returned.

Everyone else ran to Goku.

"Why did he just fly away now?" asked Bulma.

"What did he want, Dad?"

"That, uh, I'm afraid I can't tell you ..."

"Tell them, Goku. They have a right to know," Piccolo interrupted him. Questioningly, Goku looked at him. "I was able to eavesdrop on you at a distance."

"All right, then. The boy came from the future." The others wanted to interrupt him, but Goku placated them to listen to him. "He told me that in three years, two cyborgs will appear, and they will begin to destroy Earth."

"If he came from the future to help us, does it mean ...?" Bulma didn't finish the question.

Goku nodded. "Exactly. In the future, everyone tries to fight the cyborgs. Only he is left in the end."

Silence settled over the group. No one knew what to say in response.