Piccolo:

Cell let another shock wave hit them. Piccolo and the others were thrown away from Cell. Cursing, Piccolo spun in the air and tried to catch himself, but the ground came faster than he expected and he slammed down so hard that he couldn't breathe for a moment. To his right and left he heard Yamcha, Krillin and Tien Shinhan also coming down hard. Groaning in pain, they remained lying there.

Enraged, Piccolo slammed his fist on the ground. He had no strength left. He could barely turn his head and saw only Krillin in his field of vision. He seemed to feel the same way. They all had no strength left and were just waiting for the end.

Then a flash of energy lit up the horizon. Vegeta had come down from the rock. He was hovering over Cell and had hit him with a very large energy ball. Breathing heavily, he stared at the two fighting.

Gohan took advantage of Cell's brief inattention and put the last of his strength into the Kamehameha. His attack drove Cell's energy ball back to the convict.

Captivated, Piccolo watched the two wrestle. "Come on, kid! Just a little more!" he tried to shout, but all that came out was a whisper. He didn't even have enough energy left to speak. He wished he could stand beside Gohan. The boy just had to make it. He had trained so incredibly hard and still had dreams he wanted to fulfil after the fight. Piccolo had promised himself to always support him in this. Together with Kera.

Piccolo had to close his eyes. The energies of the two attacks combined. It became dazzlingly bright. He heard a loud scream that became quieter and quieter until it finally fell silent.

Only hesitantly did he open his eyes again. The light of the Kamehameha had gone out. He first looked forward to where Cell had been standing, but he was no longer there. Then his gaze slid to the right to Gohan, who looked exhausted, but smiled and looked over at him briefly. Then his hair colour changed back to black and he slumped to one side.

Piccolo searched for Cell's energy with all his senses. He no longer felt it. Cell's energy was nowhere to be found.

Cell was defeated. The Cell games were over. Gohan had done it.

With a suppressed groan, Piccolo rose from the dusty ground and walked slowly to Gohan. Yamcha and Tien Shinhan were already with him, talking at him. Yamcha had slightly straightened Gohan's upper body. Obviously the little boy was too weak to hold himself up on his own.

Then Piccolo noticed something else. He didn't see Kera anywhere. He reached out to her with all his senses. He felt nothing. He called her name loudly and mentally. It remained silent. Panic seized him. He took a few steps in one direction, turned and then went back again. As he did so, he called her name again and again. His mental calls seemed to be swallowed up by a black silence. Was that it? Cell was defeated, but he couldn't share the joy of it with Kera? His thoughts became more sombre.

"Piccolo, over here!" Krillin's voice brought him back to the present. He stood halfway between Piccolo and the others and beckoned to him. The Namekian quickened his steps and came to a skidding halt beside Krillin.

Kera was lying on her stomach, her left arm stretched forward as if she had wanted to reach for something. Her head rested on her right arm, her left cheek pointing upwards. She had her eyes closed. Dust and soil covered most of her body, so that she was only recognisable on closer inspection.

Gruffly, Piccolo pushed Krillin aside and knelt beside Kera. Gently, he stroked her cheek, wiping away some of the dirt.

"Her pulse is very faint," Krillin said beside him. Piccolo put two fingers to her carotid artery and was relieved to feel the faint pulsing. Krillin patted him encouragingly on the shoulder and went to join the others.

Piccolo pulled Kera out of the earth as carefully as possible. He examined her body as best he could, but apart from the still open wound on her upper arm and minor scratches all over her body, he found no other wounds that could explain why she had fainted.

"We're flying to Dende," Krillin called out to him. Piccolo nodded without looking at him, noticing Yamcha, Tien Shinhan and Krillin flying off with Gohan.

He picked Kera up in his arms. He would now take her to Dende as well. As quickly as possible.

"Hey, Piccolo!" Piccolo looked up. Vegeta was still hovering over the scene. He also looked very taken. Apparently he too had expended a great deal of his energy. Piccolo credited him with helping them at the very last minute. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. "Kera will come with me!"

Piccolo had a biting remark on the tip of his tongue, but he controlled himself. Kera was not helped if they argued now about which of them would help her. "I will take her to Dende." At Vegeta's questioning look, he explained, "Dende is the new God of the earth. The little Namekian who healed you on Namek."

Vegeta considered for a moment, then nodded. "Take good care of her! Tell her to report to me when she's fit again."

Piccolo swallowed his anger. "You have my word on that. Do you still need help?"

"No, you dumbass. I'll be fine." Despite the tense situation, Piccolo couldn't quite stifle a grin. Who knew if Vegeta was being nice or not?

Piccolo pushed himself off the ground and followed the others. He caught up with them. Together they flew up to the Korin tower. Krillin, Yamcha and Tien Shinhan stopped in mid-air for a moment to exchange a few words with Master Korin and Yajirobe, but Piccolo flew on.

He reached the platform where Kami's - Dende's, he corrected himself in his mind - palace stood and landed. Dende ran towards him.

"Dende, quickly, please heal Kera. I can't feel her aura anymore." He realised how fast he was talking, how his words were almost overlapping.

Dende asked him calmly, "Where is she hurt?"

"The only visible thing is the cut on her upper arm." He pointed his chin to her arm and knelt down so Dende wouldn't have to hover up. "It didn't close when she took a Senzu Bean."

"That's unusual." Dende looked at the cut more closely, then hovered his hand over it and concentrated. Piccolo watched as the wound slowly closed. Muscle and skin grew back together and only seconds later nothing was visible. Kera did not move.

"Why isn't she waking up?" Piccolo's voice was laced with fear.

"Let me see what I can do." Dende placed his right hand on Kera's forehead and his left hand on her upper body below her breast. He closed his eyes. His hands began to glow.

Piccolo watched the little Namekian silently, hoping that Kera would open her eyes any second now. Inside him, he felt the presences of Nail and Kami very clearly right now. They too were worried about Kera. And he felt Dende's healing powers touching him too through Kera. Small and big scratches disappeared as if by magic and he felt better again.

Dende sighed and released his hands from Kera, who still had her eyes closed.

"What is it?" Piccolo looked questioningly at Dende, who took a step back.

"Kera has used up almost all her energy. I can only give her back a tiny part. She needs to sleep first, then she will be better."

Piccolo concentrated on Kera. He could feel her aura again. Faintly, but it was definitely there. Mentally he called her name. He received no answer, but he felt his call no longer fading into the void, but being picked up by a brightness. She felt his call, but could not yet return it.

Piccolo allowed himself a relieved sigh. Then he looked at Dende again. "Kera is a warrior. She knows how much energy she can expend without it going critical. How could this happen?"

Dende shrugged his shoulders. "Did she give you energy?"

Piccolo thought for a moment. It came back to him that he had felt her hand on his leg when they had struck the final blow against Cell. Slowly he nodded.

"But even then she wouldn't have spent her energy to the point of self-sacrifice. I don't understand."

"I suppose ..." Dende broke off, for he was distracted by the arrival of Tien Shinhan, Yamcha and Krillin, carrying Trunks, Gohan and 18 in their arms. They landed on the platform a few yards away. "Take Kera inside. Popo will show you to a room where she can rest." With these words, Dende ran over to the others.

"Follow me, please." Popo stood in front of Piccolo. Fascinating how this man could always appear so unnoticed. Piccolo stood up and followed him into the palace.

As he followed Popo, he felt the presence of Kami pushing forward. Kami knew where Popo was leading him and wanted to take the lead himself, but Piccolo held him back. He didn't want to seem rude, so he went after the little man, who led him left into a corridor after the entrance of the palace and after a few yards opened a door on the right. Invitingly, he gestured with his hand to the room beyond.

Nodding gratefully, Piccolo entered. The room was larger than he had suspected. On the opposite side of the door were two windows facing the courtyard. This bathed the room in a bright, warm light. Between the two windows was a large four-poster bed. Popo walked towards it and flipped back the covers.

Slowly Piccolo laid the still unconscious Kera down on the mattress. He looked at her for a moment and then noticed a bowl of water on the light wood bedside cabinet next to the bed. Next to it was a white towel. He reached for the towel, moistened it and then carefully began to clean Kera's face, which was full of dust.

Piccolo kept pausing to look at her face. She looked relaxed, yet Piccolo still wondered why she had expended so much energy. It wasn't like her. She knew her limits.

Completely absorbed in the activity and his thoughts, he had completely forgotten about Popo, who was still in the room with him.

"Your friends now call the Holy Dragon." Piccolo looked at him, not knowing at first what the servant of Dende meant. "You can go to your friends. I will stay here and keep watch."

Hesitantly, Piccolo placed the towel on the small cupboard, then nodded and, with one last look at Kera, left the room.

Back outside the palace, Piccolo was pleased to note that Dende had healed Gohan in the meantime. Smiling, he walked up to the boy.

"You saved us all, Gohan." He stroked Gohan's hair, who also smiled at him.

"With your help and my dad's."

"What do you mean?"

"I was talking to Papa. He was with me the whole time, giving me strength for my Kamehameha."

Piccolo could only marvel at this connection. Even from beyond the grave, Goku managed to be with his son. A very close bond had developed between the two. Briefly, Piccolo thought about what it would be like to have a son, but then he was distracted.

"Where is 18?" he asked to the group.

Krillin scratched his head in embarrassment. "I asked Dende to heal her and then ..."

"... and then she flew away without a word of thanks," Yamcha interrupted him. Krillin nodded sadly.

"I think Krillin is in love with 18," Gohan said quietly to Piccolo, who shook his head uncomprehendingly.

"Let's rather use the Dragon Balls to revive Trunks and the others who were killed by Cell. That's more important now than any android bitches."

Dende, meanwhile, had taken the seven Dragon Balls from the palace and placed them in front of him. Using the magic formula, he summoned the dragon Shenron. The sky darkened. The balls began to glow. A broad beam of light shot out of them, pulsated, deformed and the dragon Shenron floated in front of them.

"You have called me. Tell me your first wish." The dragon's voice boomed across the platform. Yamcha stepped forward.

"Please revive all who have died at Cell's hand."

The dragon's eyes lit up. There was silence for a moment, then he said, "Your wish is granted. Now tell me the second wish."

Trunks, who had been lying on the platform a little apart from the group, slowly straightened up and scanned his body in wonder. Apparently he could not yet believe that he was back among the living. Gohan smiled at him.

Piccolo bowed his head. "Goku has not been revived. I guess we'll just have to get used to the idea that we won't see him again."

"Wait a minute. Why don't we wish our way to Namek and revive him with the Dragon Balls there?" exclaimed Krillin.

"Good idea!" Yamcha stepped forward and was about to make the wish, when he suddenly stopped. Everyone else looked around in confusion as well.

"Hello, friends!" They heard Goku's voice in their heads. It was as if he was speaking to each of them personally. "You guys can relax. I'm doing really well here. I even have a bonus here. Because I saved Earth, I get to keep my body and not just float around here as a soul. By the way, I think Bulma was right when she once said that I would attract bad guys just because. It's probably better for Earth if I stay here in the afterlife."

"How could Bulma say such a thing." Yamcha was furious.

"I really don't think she was that wrong in her guess," Goku continued. "I'm really fine. I'm just very sorry that I won't be able to see Gohan and Chi-Chi again."

Tears glistened in Gohan's eyes and he lowered his gaze. Piccolo put a hand on the boy's shoulder comfortingly.

"Take care, friends. I will never forget you." With that, Goku's presence was gone from their minds.

"Bye, Papa!" called Gohan to the sky.

Quietly, Piccolo said to Son-Gohan, "Your father gave me a Senzu Bean just after I tried to kill him. I never thanked him for that."

Gohan smirked. Silently, Piccolo made Goku a promise: He would take care of Gohan as best he could.

"Now what is your second wish?"

Vegeta:

Vegeta waited until Piccolo was out of sight. Only then did he allow himself to sink to the ground and take a breath. He was not allowed to show weakness in front of anyone, except Kera. But didn't that really matter now? Kakarrot was dead. He would never be able to exercise his revenge. He didn't even want to kill Kakarrot like he had in the beginning. He just wanted to defeat him.

He wasn't even sure if he should fight anymore. He would have to talk to Kera about it. Hopefully she was all right. He didn't like leaving her in the Namekian's hands, but he couldn't have cared for her in his condition. He hadn't been able to sense her aura, but Piccolo hadn't said anything else, so maybe he knew more than he did and Vegeta had decided to trust him this once.

Slowly he began to walk across the rocky desert until he felt confident enough to fly again. He would fly home for now.

He stopped. Home? Had he really just thought that? He would fly to Bulma and his son. Part of him tried to fight the thought, but another part just smiled happily. Maybe this planet wasn't so bad after all. He had a family.