The last months before the arrival of the androids went by at a speed Kera never thought possible. She spent the weekends with Piccolo and Kakarrot, as Vegeta wanted to spend the rest of the time training in space until the arrival of the androids. He had asked her if she wanted to come along, but she had refused. Even though it would have been her duty, he had accepted her decision. He ignored the argument that he would then miss the birth of his child and flew away with the spaceship. Kera missed him and was grateful at the same time that she had more time with Piccolo.

Six months before the arrival of the androids, Kera flew to Bulma after receiving word from her that she had given birth to a healthy baby boy. Vegeta had made her promise before he left that she would welcome his child as his second-in-command. This she had been only too happy to promise him. Not least because she was also curious about the baby.

Bulma greeted her with the boy in her arms on the large balcony of the mansion. She seemed to be beaming. Kera hugged her friend and then looked at the sleeping boy. Bulma had wrapped him in a blanket and put on a cap with cat ears. Carefully, Kera stroked the little head.

"How are you?"

"Fine, thank you. The nights are a bit tiring." Bulma looked at her son. "I'm so glad he's here."

Kera smiled. "I'm glad you and the baby are doing well."

"I named him Trunks."

Kera smiled. "May I hold him once?"

Bulma nodded and handed him to her. Kera felt uneasy holding this little bundle. Could she hurt him?

"Watch his head," Bulma said softly. "I'll be off for a moment."

Kera murmured in agreement, but paid no further attention to Bulma. She walked to the edge of the balcony with Trunks in her arms. Kera was overwhelmed by this small creature. She was just grasping the fact that she was even related to him. A new Saiyan. Vegeta's heir. She would protect him with her life too. He was family.

Slowly, she rested her forehead against his and closed her eyes. She concentrated on his energy. She felt it very clearly. There was great power in him.

"Welcome to the family, little prince," she whispered and lifted her head.

Trunks' cap had slipped, revealing a fluff of purple hair. Kera blinked. Purple hair? Was the boy from the future supposed to be Trunks after all?

The last day before the Saiyans' arrival dawned. They wanted to use these 24 hours to regenerate. The sun was shining and it was pleasantly warm. Kera borrowed a bathing suit from Chi-Chi and swam in the river with Kakarrot and Gohan. The cold water was refreshing. They splashed each other wet, played catch and caught a few fish for dinner.

Piccolo preferred to stay sitting on the bank. Kera did not miss that he kept giving her furtive glances. Since they had entered into the second bond, she felt Piccolo's presence more clearly than ever before. As they had done years ago, they had strengthened the bond. If one of them was injured in battle, the other felt it but did not go down in defeat. They could also donate some of their energy to the other when things got dicey.

Kera had to admit to herself that she had more than missed this connection after his death. It strengthened her spirit and gave her stability. This calm green warrior had made it possible for her to find herself again. Kera, the Saiyan warrior who could also show her soft side and didn't see it as weakness.

She swam a few puffs again and let her thoughts run free. She ended up with Piccolo again. She wondered, not for the first time, if they could go one step further and become physically closer as well. Sure, they often sat very close to each other, touching, but nothing more.

Kera got out of the water next to Piccolo. Wordlessly, he handed her a towel, which she wrapped around her body and then sat down next to him. For a while she watched Kakarrot and his son frolicking carefree in the water.

"Why didn't you let me fight then?"

Piccolo knew immediately what situation she meant, but he took his time answering. "I didn't want you to see me die."

"What?"

"Don't ask why. I knew I was going to die. I just didn't want you to see it. And I didn't want you to get hurt."

"Piccolo, to fight, I trained with you all year. I was ready to fight."

"I fucking know that. I acted on impulse."

Kera sighed. "Are you going to do that again now?"

Piccolo shook his head. "No. I made a mistake then. I'm sorry." He looked at her. "I promise you," he then added.

"Thank you." She leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat like that on the bank of the river until Chi-Chi called them to eat.

They sat down around a fire on which Chi-Chi was roasting the fish they had caught. The mood was relaxed. They enjoyed the food and laughed together. Gohan sat between his father and Piccolo and was happy.

As night fell, Gohan became quieter and quieter and finally sank down at Piccolo's side. He had fallen asleep. Piccolo put his cloak around him so he wouldn't freeze. Kera, sitting on Piccolo's other side, also leaned against him.

Kera's gaze wandered to Kakarrot and Chi-Chi. He kissed his wife on the cheek and then wandered down her neck. Chi-Chi closed her eyes and reached into Kakarrot's hair. Kera felt uncomfortable watching the two of them on the one hand. On the other hand, she felt herself becoming aroused. It wasn't just that she was looking at Kakarrot and Chi-Chi. It was the excitement before tomorrow's fight. Her Saiyan blood was boiling.

Piccolo cleared his throat. "Wouldn't you like to maybe go inside?"

Chi-Chi broke away from Kakarrot, startled. "I ..." she began, glancing at her son.

"It's okay, I'll put him to bed," Kera said.

Kakarrot jumped up, wished a good night without taking his eyes off Chi-Chi and they went into the house hand in hand. Kera waited a moment, then took Gohan in her arms and carried him to his room. She laid him down on his bed, tucked him in and sat next to him. She looked at him for a while and listened to his quiet breathing. He looked so peaceful, innocent. Tomorrow he would fight with them. There was so much strength in him. He would make his father and Piccolo proud. Before she left the room, she gave him a kiss on the forehead. She loved this little boy so much.

Kera went back outside the house. Piccolo was still sitting by the fire. She sat down next to him again.

"Don't you want to sleep yet?"

"No. I'm too excited. And I wonder what would happen if one of us died?"

Piccolo shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly don't know. Nail didn't know anyone who made both connections."

"When you died then, I felt it. It was like someone was tearing me apart. I could hardly breathe."

"What happened then?"

Kera realised that she and Piccolo had never talked about it. She told him what she had felt. The disappointment that he had left her behind, the struggle against paralysis, the pain at his death, the numbness when she had discovered his lifeless body. She did not look at Piccolo because she did not want to show him her tears. The thought of what had happened then almost took her breath away. Stealthily, she wiped her eyes.

"Kera." He pronounced her name so softly that it felt like a streak. She looked up at him. "I will never do anything to hurt you again. I promise you. When we get through this fight, we'll go back to the forest, to our hut, and then we'll keep to ourselves for a while, okay?"

She nodded and smiled through her tears. She was about to just fly away again because she had cried and thus shown weakness, but she reminded herself that she didn't want to be just the Saiyan anymore.

Piccolo was still looking at her. She placed her hands in his and they intertwined their fingers together. The image of the kiss just before the Saiyans arrived was suddenly in her mind's eye. She was getting hot. Piccolo seemed to notice the change in her.

"What are you thinking about?" Though she concentrated on the grass beside him, she heard his grin in his voice. "About that?" His face was very close to hers. She hesitated only a moment and then closed the gap between them, pressing her lips to his.

Only a second later she jerked back again and slapped her hand over her mouth. What was she doing? He had probably meant something completely different and she had completely misunderstood his approach. She was such an idiot.

"In my memory, it went a little differently." With those words, Piccolo moved closer again. Slowly, Kera took her hand from her mouth. He waited, looking into her eyes as if waiting for her consent. Kera bent her head slightly to indicate a nod and Piccolo's lips were only millimetres from hers. She felt his warm breath on her lips. Her heartbeat quickened. Gently and very slowly, he brushed his mouth over hers. Kera let out a soft gasp.

Piccolo moved away from her again and looked at her face.

Kera smiled. "I remember it a little differently." She leapt forward, wrapped her arms around Piccolo's neck and kissed him. The world around her faded away. All she could feel was Piccolo's body, his lips on hers, his arms wrapped around her. This was what she had been waiting for for years.

Piccolo also seemed to have longed for this moment. A pleasant growl rose from his throat. Without breaking away from her, he lifted Kera and sat her astride his lap. The kiss intensified. Kera knew they had both been pining for this moment for years. She felt so much more over their connection than just his physical touch. Like his soul was caressing hers.

Piccolo moved from her mouth down her cheek to her neck. It was as if he didn't want to miss an inch of her skin. Kera put her head back and moaned. Piccolo slipped his hand under the strap of her suit, exposing her shoulder. His mouth travelled from her neck to her shoulder and then further along her neckline. On her other shoulder, he also pushed the fabric aside and kissed her there.

Everywhere Piccolo's lips had touched her, Kera's skin seemed to be on fire. As if even her skin had longed for that touch. Kera's hands wandered up Piccolo's neck and she took off his turban. Carefully, she stroked one of his antennae with two fingers.

Piccolo, who was intently engaged with her right shoulder at the moment, gave a low growl and paused in his movement.

"Excuse me," Kera whispered and quickly withdrew her hand. Piccolo turned his head and looked her in the eye.

"I had forgotten what it felt like when you touched me there."

"And how does it feel?"

"Wonderful."

Kera smiled and kissed Piccolo on the mouth again. As she did so, she stroked his head. Piccolo ran his tongue over her lips. Kera opened her mouth and enveloped Piccolo's tongue with hers. Why had they waited so long to have this experience? Everything felt perfect.

Piccolo pushed the straps of her suit down further as they kissed. Kera briefly released her hands from his head to pull her arms through the straps and then put her hand to the back of his neck and head again.

Piccolo pushed the top of her suit down, exposing her small firm breasts. His hands stayed on her hips for a moment and then moved up the side of her body in small circular motions. His right hand caressed her back while his left moved forward.

He grasped her breast and Kera gasped, but kept her lips on his. Piccolo rose. Kera didn't notice until he moved. She wrapped her legs around his middle to be as close to him as possible. With his magic he opened the door and carried her into the house, then entered her room. Behind him he let the door fall quietly into the lock again.

Slowly, Piccolo let Kera slide down beside her bed. She looked up at him, fixed his black eyes, which seemed to grow even darker with desire. She had the feeling of disappearing into them.

She tilted her head. "Are you all right?" she asked, when he just looked at her.

"I just got lost in your eyes," he said, brushing her cheek.

She closed her eyes and concentrated on their connection. She wandered along the golden ribbon and embraced his soul, his spirit on that plane. Piccolo gasped and returned her embrace. Kera gasped too and opened her eyes again.

She smiled and wandered her fingertips over his chest. "How about you take off that heavy thing." She nodded towards his cloak.

Slowly he raised his arms, slipped his hands under his cloak and unclasped it. Carefully, he laid it on the floor so as not to make any unnecessary noise.

He turned back to Kera and bent down to place his lips on hers. A contented sigh escaped her mouth and she leaned towards him. Piccolo breathed a kiss on her neck, directly below her ear and Kera tilted her head to offer him the spot. She wanted more. Much more. Her hands moved to his belt and she began to undo it.

Piccolo put distance between them and looked at her. "Do you think that now ...?"

"Piccolo!" she interrupted him with a slightly reproachful tone. "We've been in this place before and I've waited long enough now. There won't be a better time!" With these words she closed his mouth with hers and tore his belt in two.

He smiled at her lips and opened hers with his tongue. She willingly received his tongue with hers and played around it.

Kera knew she was right. They had waited long enough. For years-long they had been close, had trained and fought together, had experienced so much together. They had already formed a bond on two levels, the connection on the physical level had still been missing. And she had longed for it. The urge for it had grown stronger almost daily. Every approach from him outside of training had increased her desire. Even a brief touch of his hand had left her with a burning sensation she couldn't explain. She wanted his closeness, wanted to touch, explore, cover every inch of his skin with kisses.

"Kera," he said in a raspy throaty voice as he stroked her back with his right hand and finally slipped under her suit to caress her bottom. His other hand gripped her breast. His fingers played with her nipple.

She moaned and grabbed the collar of his suit. With a tug, she tore the fabric. She stroked his chest. Traced the contours of his muscles with her finger. Determined, she pushed him backwards.

When his legs hit the bed, he let himself fall backwards. Kera stood over him and smiled. Then she sat down on his middle, propped her arms up to the right and left of his head and bent down to him agonisingly slowly. His hands clasped her hips.

She licked the tip of his ear with her tongue before bringing her lips very close to him. "I love you," she whispered, intensifying their embrace on the mental plane.

He turned his head. "And I love you."

She kissed him. This night would be just theirs. No matter what would happen tomorrow, no one would take this night away from them.

The next morning Kera awoke to the clatter of dishes from the adjoining kitchen. Piccolo's unmistakable smell hit her nose and she quickly opened her eyes to make sure she hadn't imagined it. She had rested her head on his chest, his arm held around her. Kera raised her head.

Piccolo also raised his head slightly and looked at her.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Kera breathed a kiss on his cheek and smiled. "Good morning, my green one." He turned his head slightly and kissed her on the lips. With his free arm he now embraced her and pulled her body onto his. Subconsciously, Kera realised that they were both naked. All the better, she thought, and wandered her lips down his torso. Then they could continue where they had left off exhausted sometime during the night. Piccolo moaned softly.

"Piccolo, Kera, breakfast is ready." Kakarrot was suddenly standing in the room. Startled, Kera sat up and covered her breasts with her arms while Piccolo threw the first thing he could grab at Kakarrot. Kakarrot dodged the pillow and disappeared backwards through the door. He slammed it shut.

"Sorry. I didn't see anything," he called through the door.

Kera stared at the door for another moment, then looked at Piccolo and began to giggle. Piccolo pulled her down to him and gave her a kiss.

When he broke away from her again, she sighed. "Time to get dressed." Reluctantly, she rose from him and stood up.

"May I?" Piccolo held out his hand. His palm seemed to flicker and Kera had on a battle suit as well as a cape in the next moment. The battle suit was purple, just like the one Piccolo was wearing. Around her waist she had a light blue ribbon swung. Kera looked down at herself.

"Great! I just don't know if I'll be able to handle the cloak." The weight of the cape pushed her shoulders down.

"Maybe a bit different then?" Again the air shimmered around Kera. The battle suit had remained, the cloak was now not as wide as Piccolo's, but attached to her shoulders.

She nodded. "Better."

"I think we can also show to the outside world that we belong together." Piccolo rose from the bed, placed two fingers under her chin, lifted it and kissed her gently. "Let's eat something."

Piccolo turned to the door and took a step towards it. Kera held him back by the arm once more.

"So you're okay with the others knowing?"

Piccolo turned back to her. He put his right hand on her cheek. "Of course. You know I'm not the type to let everyone know, but I would never deny you." He pressed another kiss to her lips and felt her smile.

He took a step back, placed his right hand on the inside of his left wrist. It lit up briefly under his fingers and he took his hand away again. There were now several signs on the red bands that framed his wrists.

Kera looked at the marks. "What does this mean?"

"It's your name in Namekian characters."

Kera tilted her head, looked at the signs for another moment and then looked at Piccolo. "You tattooed my name?"

Piccolo smirked. "Yes. And like this ..." He stroked his palm over the spot on his wrist again. It lit up again. When he took his hand away again, the black characters had a purple border. "... Everyone can see them too. Because like this ..." He repeated the movement. The purple border had disappeared. "... Only you and I can see them."

Kera nodded appreciatively and gratefully. His magic always fascinated her anew. He used it far too rarely. That he now had her name on her skin showed her how serious he was. She held out her left arm to him.

"Write your name."

"Are you sure?"

Instead of an answer, she took his right hand and placed it on her wrist. She looked him firmly in the eyes and nodded.

Kera felt a tingle under her skin, as if a feather was writing the characters on her skin. It glowed briefly, then Piccolo took his hand away. Immediately Kera stroked the characters with her hand and sure enough, it glowed briefly under her finger and when she took her hand away, the characters had a purple edge.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Piccolo and Kera went into the adjoining dining room. Kakarrot and Gohan were already seated at the table. Chi-Chi was standing at the cooker, stirring in a pot. She grinned at Kera and Piccolo and winked at them.

Without further comment, Kera and Piccolo sat down at the table. They didn't talk much. They tried to avoid the subject of Kera and Piccolo altogether and neither really wanted to talk about the upcoming event, so they were silent most of the time.

"Kera, you're wearing a different suit," Chi-Chi noted towards the end of breakfast.

"Yes, I wanted to try something new," she said with a sideways glance at Piccolo.

"Partner look," he then said dryly. Chi-Chi's mouth dropped open. "Don't pretend, you already knew." Chi-Chi looked even more surprised. Kera had to suppress a grin.

Then Chi-Chi shook her head and smiled. "I'm happy for you."

After breakfast, everyone warmed up and stretched. Piccolo looked at his watch. "We have to go."

Chi-Chi stood by the front door to see them off.

"So you four, please be careful and watch yourselves. Are you sure you don't want to take anything to eat?"

Goku turned to her once more and gave her a kiss. "No, thank you, sweetheart."

Waving, they flew off towards the southern capital.

After a few miles of flight, Piccolo turned to Goku. "Do you think we stand a chance against these androids?"

"I think so."

"I have a bad feeling." Piccolo crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Something like a premonition?" asked Goku thoughtfully.

Kera turned on her back in flight and flew under Piccolo so that they were facing each other.

"If things get dicey, pull back. Because of the Dragonballs," she asked Piccolo. He looked at her for a moment, then hugged her and pulled her close. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You know I can't promise you that," he whispered. She knew it, but it had been important to her to at least say those words.

Gohan snapped her out of her thoughts. "Krillin!" A few feet in front of them, the little man flew. He greeted them with a smile and flew on beside them. His head turned to Piccolo and Kera and in surprise he widened his eyes to see them in a tight embrace.

"Do you want to say something?" asked Piccolo of the little man.

The latter quickly looked away. "No, nothing at all," he assured him and looked ahead again.

Shortly before 9 o'clock they reached the island. It was large. A mountain was in the middle of the island, and a town was clustered around it. Indecisive, the group remained hovering in the air, wondering where they should wait for the androids.

"Over there, I sense two energies," Gohan said, pointing at the mountain. Goku, Gohan and Krillin sped up their flight, but Piccolo remained hovering where they had stopped. Kera looked at him questioningly.

"You're not playing hero here either, understand?"

"You know I can't promise you that," she repeated his words. His lips twisted into his brief smile. He leaned down to her, breathed a kiss on her lips and then rested his forehead against hers. He sent her a picture of their hut in the forest. A promise.

"Everywhere with you ..."

"... nowhere without you," she completed the sentence.

"Let's have a look at those androids then." Slowly they flew close together to the rock platform where the others had gathered.

They landed just a few steps away from the group. Kera looked around and smiled briefly at everyone. Tien Shinhan and Yamcha stood a little apart, Krillin, Gohan and Kakarrot had grouped around another person, who Kera only recognised when she stepped closer.

"Bulma, what are you doing here?" She was dumbfounded that her friend had also travelled to the scene, with the baby of about six months at that.

"I didn't want to miss the spectacle," Bulma replied.

Kera sighed inwardly. Once her friend got her mind set on something, there was no dissuading her. She stepped closer and tickled the little boy's belly, eliciting a delighted chuckle.

"Hey, Yamcha, how does it feel to be a father?" asked Krillin. Yamcha crossed his arms in front of his chest and made an unnerved sound.

"Bulma and I have split up. You won't believe who the father is." He moved a few steps away and sat down on a rock. Kakarrot stepped up beside Kera.

"Well, little Trunks. Your father is Vegeta, isn't he?"

Bulma's eyes darted to Kera, glaring wickedly at her. "I told you not to tell!"

"I swear I didn't say anything," Kera defended herself.

Kakarott, who really just wanted to get over the tense mood, laughed nervously. "Well, I think, uh, that he looks a lot like Vegeta."

"And how do you know his name is Trunks?"

"Well, that was, uh, a guess. That's right. Just guessed." Kakarrot raised his hands defensively and squirmed under Bulma's gaze.

Kera took the child from Bulma's arms and stroked his face. Trunks smiled at her.

"You've grown again since I last saw you, little man."

"Yes, he is, isn't he?" Bulma's attention was now fully on Kera. Kakarrot breathed a sigh of relief and moved away. Kera watched as he stood next to Piccolo on the edge of the plateau and let his gaze wander over the city below them.

Kera's mind wandered. Kakarrot had known the name of Bulma's son. This confirmed her suspicions that the boy from the future was Trunks. That was the only way Kakarrot could know the name. The boy from the future must have told him his name three years ago. Piccolo must have known that too, but had said nothing.

She briefly wondered if she should be angry with Piccolo for that. As she did so, her gaze wandered to the Namekian who was standing with his back to her. But instead of anger, the images of last night came up in her mind and hot blushes rose in her cheeks. Part of her would like to fly to the hut in the forest right now and pick up where they had left off that night. Another part couldn't wait for the androids to arrive. Her whole body seemed to vibrate with anticipation of the battle.

"Someone is coming," Kakarrot suddenly called out. All eyes turned to a small approaching dot in the sky. Kera quickly pressed the baby back onto her friend's arm and stood in front of them.

The tension in the group was almost palpable. The flying dot grew larger and Kera recognised it as a glider. Shortly afterwards she thought she already knew the energy that was sitting in it and she relaxed a little again.

After the glider landed, a short, chubby man climbed out.

"Yajirobe!" exclaimed Kakarrot in amazement. "Do you want to fight with us?"

"I'm not tired of living after all." He tossed Kakarrot a small pouch. "Here are Senzu Beans from Master Korrin. Good luck!" Without another word, he turned, got back into his flying vehicle and flew away.

Kakarrot shrugged his shoulders. "Senzu beans. That's good, isn't it?"

Suddenly there was a bang. All heads wheeled around and just saw Yajirobe's flying vehicle burst into flames. A curse escaped Kakarrot's lips. "Gohan!"

The boy understood. He took off and made his way to Yajirobe as fast as he could, looking for him.

"Shit!" exclaimed Kera, drawing everyone's attention. "What if these androids don't have an aura we can locate?"

"Damn it! We'll have to split up. Tien Shinhan comes with me, Krillin and Yamcha stay together, and Piccolo and Kera form the third team." He pointed to the densely populated city below them. "If anyone finds anything, you'll let the others know by flashing your energy once for a moment." They all nodded. "Bulma, watch out for the Senzu Beans." Kakarrot tossed the bag of Senzu Beans to Bulma, nodded to Tien Shinhan and flew with him towards the city.

Close together, Piccolo and Kera also glided down the mountain. Slowly they approached a large intersection and landed on the roof of a skyscraper.

"How are we supposed to find two figures in this huge city?" The situation seemed hopeless to Kera. Piccolo grumblingly agreed with her. She sighed and began to circle the roof. The people below were going about their daily activities. No one seemed to have noticed the explosion a few minutes ago.

"Kera!" She turned to Piccolo. "Do you feel that?" It took her a moment to realise what he meant. An energy faded. "Go, there."

They raced to the aura, which was growing fainter. Kakarrot and Tien Shinhan had also noticed the change and arrived at the spot at the same time.

Within a radius of a few yards, lampposts had been knocked down. Cars had caught fire and some people were running away from the scene screaming in panic. Now Kera also saw whose energy was dwindling. It was Yamcha, who had been grabbed around the neck by an older man with a tall cap and held in mid-air. Yamcha hung limply in the embrace. Kera could barely feel his energy. Where was Krillin? They were supposed to stay together. She let her eyes wander. Then Krillin came running towards them from a narrow alley and stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes and cursed.

The older man in the baggy trousers lowered his eyes and only now seemed to notice the group of fighters. With a growl he lowered his arm, took momentum and threw Yamcha away from him with an ease that belied his age. Krilliin, who was closest, panted forward and caught the limp body before it hit the ground hard.

"Krillin, take Yamcha to Bulma," Kakarrot called to the smaller man. He nodded and flew away.

Another figure appeared behind the man, one that Kera had not noticed before. He had a roundish all-white face with almond-shaped piercing eyes fixed firmly on the group. These had to be the androids indeed. The bearded man eyed them in turn. "Goku, I'm surprised you knew we were going to be here today," he said in a raspy voice.

Police sirens sounded. Kakarrot looked briefly in the direction from which the alarm came. "That doesn't matter now. We'll take this somewhere else."

The man nodded. "Fine by me," he replied dismissively. He and the fat man rose into the air. Kera and the others followed. They flew over the sea until they came to a deserted island. Or more a collection of rocks. Kera disliked the choice of location. Since they couldn't locate the androids' auras, they had a good opportunity to hide here. A sideways glance at Piccolo told her he thought the same.

They all landed. The two androids a little further away, the others stayed together in a group. Kera's gaze darted to Kakarrot, who stood slightly displaced in front of her. He was breathing heavily. Had this short flight exerted him so much?

Kakarrot eyed the two androids and then suddenly uttered a sound of surprise. "The Red Ribbon Army!"

"Exactly. You destroyed most of our army that time." Again, the older of the two spoke. She wondered if he was the leader. Did that also mean he was the stronger? Kera looked questioningly at Piccolo. But he shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know any more than she did.

"Since that day, I have been watching you. Little robots in the shape of insects were always near you. That's how we know everything about you and your friends. We have analysed you, piece by piece."

"Have you been to Namek?"

"No. But we didn't need to. We've analysed you enough."

"So you don't know the Super Saiyan!" With those words, Kakarrot transformed. His hair turned blonde and a golden aura surrounded him. But this did not impress the two androids in the least.

"We have enough data so that 19 here," he pointed his thumb at the other, "can defeat you with ease."

"We'll see about that," Kakarott growled, launching himself at the android referred to as 19.

Kera's body vibrated with tension. Why had Kakarrot thrust himself to the fore again? Luckily Vegeta wasn't here. He'd probably make another scene now about why he wasn't allowed to fight first.

"Goku's power might be enough," Piccolo said, but Kera heard the quiet doubt in his voice.

"A Super Saiyan is really something else. We're baby boys compared to that," Tien said, his eyes wide as he watched the fight between Kakarrot and 19.

"I see it a little differently." Piccolo did not want to count himself among the baby boys.

Three approaching energies briefly distracted Kera from the fighting. They were Yamcha, Krillin and Gohan. Yamcha was fine again thanks to a Senzu Bean and Gohan gave them a curt nod to indicate that Yajirobe was also unharmed before he too turned his full attention to watching the fight.

"Something's wrong with Papa!"

Kera focused on Kakarrot. Gohan had been right. She had assumed that Kakarrot had wanted to test his opponent's strength first and had therefore held back, but now she noticed that he was obviously finding it difficult to raise his arms or even to deliver a kick. His breathing was strained. What was wrong with him?

"The virus!" Confused, everyone looked to Piccolo, who immediately launched into an explanation, "The boy from the future told us that Goku won't fight the andrids at all, because a virus will affect him and he will die from it. Gohan!" he turned to the boy. "Didn't your father take the medicine that the guy from the future gave him?"

Gohan shook his head. Fear for his father was clear to read in his eyes. "Dad wouldn't take it until it was serious."

Kera and Piccolo cursed and looked at each other. They desperately needed to intervene. Saiyan pride or not. Kakarrot couldn't win this fight. To Kera, he gave the impression that he was already at the end of his tether. 19 pushed him to the ground and Kera felt his energy dwindle. Not even the Super Saiyan could he keep up. The second android just stood there, smiling contentedly to himself, as if he had already known how it would end.

Piccolo tapped her on the shoulder and pointed briefly at the other android, then at himself, and then at Kakarrot and 19. Kera nodded and jumped forward at the same time as Piccolo.

Out of the corner of her eye she perceived Piccolo reaching 19 and Kakarrot, but then it was as if a kick in the stomach abruptly stopped her. With a groaning sound, she stopped in mid-motion and looked at Piccolo, who was lying on the ground next to Kakarrot with a pained expression on his face. 19 was lying in the dust a few yards away and seemed to have been as taken aback by the attack as Piccolo.

Grinning, with one leg still in the air, Vegeta stood between Kakarrot and Piccolo. The latter was just beginning to sit up again, while Vegeta slowly lowered his leg and nodded to her in greeting.

'It's okay,' Piccolo assured her in thought as he noticed her questioning look.

Good, then she could turn her attention to Vegeta. "Vegeta!" yelled Kera, walking up to him. "Why are you attacking Piccolo? Also: you're late," she growled at him.

"It's my turn now and I wanted to see how you guys were doing first."

"You've been watching us for a while?" Angrily, she took another step towards Vegeta, who raised his hands appeasingly.

"I wasn't going to leave you alone already." Then he turned to Kakarrot lying on the ground. "You idiot, Kakarrot. You knew you were hatching something and you turned into a Super Saiyan anyway. Now the virus has spread through your body all the more."

Kera had to silently agree with Im. That had been careless of the other Saiyan. She sighed. "Piccolo, someone needs to take Kakarrot home so he can take the medicine."

Piccolo nodded, picked up the now unconscious Kakarrot, put him over his shoulder and looked at Kera. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, glancing at Vegeta.

"Yes, we are."

"Don't you think we'd better back off? I thought that guy from the future said we were all going to die," Krillin called out to them from behind.

"A little more confidence, Krillin. Goku was already here. The virus started much later. That alone has changed the course of time," Piccolo answered him and went to join the others. He handed Kakarrot to Yamcha, who flew off with him.

Good, now that was settled. Next problem, Kera thought to himself.

"Can I finally take care of this android now?" asked Vegeta impatiently.

"It's my turn now!" replied Kera, trying to push past Vegeta to go towards the fat android.

He held her by the arm. "Rock, paper, scissors?"

Against her will, she had to grin briefly and held out her fist. Vegeta held his fist out to her. "Rock, paper, scissors!"

They moved their fists up and down, extending them at the same time. Vegeta held his fist forward, Kera had her flat hand outstretched. "Won." She grinned and walked past him. Vegeta crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Leave some for me!" he called after her. She casually waved her hand back and turned to 19. "When we're done here, by the way, I'm going to take Kakarrot."

Kera turned to him again briefly and twisted her eyes. That was just typical of him. Then she focused on the rotund android. She fired a beam of energy at 19 without another word. He reached out to absorb the energy, but Kera redirected the beam so that it passed through 19 from behind. Stunned, the android stood there. With a hole in his chest. Then he caught himself again and sped towards her.

Kera cried out and gathered her strength. A golden glow surrounded her, her hair turned blonde, her eyes turned green. She dropped backwards and rammed her feet into the onrushing 19, who was catapulted upwards. In one fluid motion she leapt up, overtaking 19 in mid-air, and brought her fists crashing down on the attacker. He hurtled to the ground and came down with a thud in a cloud of dust.

She put her fingertips together. A ball of energy gathered between her palms and, opening her fingers, she sent it hurtling down on the android. All that remained was his head.

Kera landed next to Vegeta, who nodded at her appreciatively. "You have mastered the Super Saiyan."

She nodded. "I will never be inferior to you and Kakarrot in anything." She exhaled slowly and resumed her normal state.

"Only now, unfortunately, that other guy has escaped." Kera looked around and cursed. The bearded android was nowhere to be seen. "I'm going after that other guy."

"I'm coming with you," Kera called after Vegeta, who had already risen into the air.

Dear Reader,

Chapter 30! Wow. I'm overwhelmed myself that I've been able to keep up with this story for so long. It was always my dream to write the Dragon Ball story as if Kera had been part of it from the beginning. I hope I've succeeded in that a little. And I've finally written the scene I've been working towards ? .

I welcome comments and feedback of any kind. I hope you enjoy the story.

Stay well and see you soon!

Yours, Jessica