Kera:

When she got back to the hut, she felt tired and exhausted. Had last night taken such a toll on her, or was it the pregnancy? She had only got up a few hours ago. Could she be so tired again?

Piccolo looked impatient and ran towards her. "Is everything all right?" he asked anxiously.

Kera nodded. "I just feel a little tired."

"It's before ..." put in Piccolo, then he shook his head. "It's certainly the pregnancy. You should get some rest. Dende said it may be a while before your energy is completely restored."

Kera nodded again and lay down on the bed in the hut. Quickly she fell asleep.

Every day she made plans to fly to Vegeta and tell him about her relationship with Piccolo, but every day she felt so tired the moment she was about to fly off that she lay back down. She slept much more than she was used to. Piccolo provided her with everything she needed.

Only after a month did Kera feel a little better. This was the day they flew to Dende for his announced check-up.

"How are you feeling?" was Dende's first question after greeting her.

"Today is the first day I feel better."

"I was afraid that the effects of the loss of energy might last a little longer. Come with me and I will examine you."

They entered the room that Kera and Piccolo already knew. Kera lay down on the large four-poster bed and Dende silently conducted his examination. When he smiled at her again after a while, Kera noticed a restlessness fall from her that she had not been able to place.

"Is everything all right with the babies?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yes, everything feels fine as far as I can tell. Come, let's have a cup of tea together."

They sat her down in front of the palace where Popo had set a table.

"I'm afraid I couldn't find out much about Saiyan pregnancies. I'll compare them to Earth women's pregnancies and try to deduce if everything looks normal. However, that is not a guarantee. Since Piccolo is the father, the pregnancy could be completely different. Saiyan children are born much more mature than Earth children because they are sent to other planets at an early age. That at least makes me suspect that the pregnancy will last longer," Dende said as Popo poured the tea.

"When should we come back?" asked Piccolo.

"In one month first," replied Dende.

They chatted for a while longer. Kera thought that Dende seemed to enjoy her counterpart very much, which pleased her. The little Namekian had grown on her.

After they arrived back at their hut, they started a light workout. Kera now felt so fit again that it was hard for her to just lie around. She had to move.

Several weeks passed in this way. Kera pushed away the thought of the conversation with Vegeta. Sometimes it came back to her mind, but she always found an excuse not to talk to him. Sometimes she was too tired, sometimes she was training or eating.

Kera talked to Bulma, who had given her a mobile phone, from time to time. That way she knew Vegeta was fine and even showed signs of being a family man, which made Kera very happy. She just kept asking Bulma not to tell Vegeta about her relationship with Piccolo. Kera wanted and needed to do that herself. Bulma had also kept quiet so far, it seemed, because otherwise Vegeta would almost certainly have turned up at the hut. Kera dreaded this conversation more than she wanted to admit.

She had also spoken to Chi-Chi a few times, but had not yet visited her. The fact that Gohan was concentrating on school again and thus had something to distract her seemed to do her good.

The inhabitants of Earth had returned to their daily lives. Only those who had been present at the Cell games on the day of the battle knew what sacrifice had been made to save the Earth.

Kera lay by the river, in the small open space in front of her hut, enjoying the sun's rays falling through the canopy. She felt Piccolo's presence as he settled down beside her. She kept her eyes closed and enjoyed his touch. He gently stroked her belly, which showed only the hint of a bulge. Unless one paid close attention, it was not noticeable. Especially not when she was wearing the loose combat suit she now preferred again, instead of the trousers and breastplate combination.

Piccolo and she trained in moderation, as Dende had advised. Piccolo wanted to stop training completely, but Kera reminded him of Dende's words that her body needed the training. Besides, she was a Saiyan and extremely stubborn, so Piccolo couldn't push his opinion through anyway. So they trained. And Kera rested afterwards.

Piccolo was a trophy husband. He slept next to her every night and often prepared food for her. Sometimes Kera still wondered why he was so caring. She had never doubted that he had these feelings, but that he showed them without any inhibitions was new. Kera was happy.

"Look what Gohan gave me earlier when I was with him." Piccolo interrupted her train of thought and she opened her eyes to see what he was holding out to her. It was an envelope, addressed to Kera.

"Why haven't you opened it yet?"

"Because it has your name on it."

Kera rolled her eyes. "What's mine is yours." She took the envelope from him, opened it carefully with her finger and pulled out a card. In Bulma's scrawly handwriting, there were the following words:

Dear Kera,

It has been four months since we last saw each other. I would be happy if we could meet. I have also written to everyone else (Yamcha, Krillin, Chi-Chi, Gohan etc.) and they will all come. Please come too!

Kindest regards

Bulma

P.S.: Piccolo can come too.

Kera had to laugh out loud when she read the last sentence. She could see Bulma in her mind's eye, annoyed, putting that sentence underneath. Piccolo, who had been reading along, had to grin too.

Kera turned the card over. There was the date and time of the meeting.

"Are we flying there?" Piccolo just shrugged his shoulders. His enthusiasm was very limited. "Please?" She batted her eyelashes. "I have to finally tell Vegeta and then we can share our happiness." She placed her hand on his hand, which still rested on her stomach.

Piccolo leaned over her and kissed her on the forehead. Then on her nose, on her left cheek and on her right cheek. He wandered down her neck. "You're distracting," she grinned, but didn't stop him from continuing either.

A week later, on the day Bulma had set, Kera and Piccolo flew to the Capsule Corp estate. The huge domed building could be seen from a distance. The compound took up most of the street. They ended up in the back garden, where a few tables and chairs were set up, as well as a long table with a buffet. Bulma rose from one of the tables and came towards them.

The blue-haired woman hugged Kera and nodded to Piccolo. "I'm glad you're here. Come join the others."

Seated at the tables lined with umbrellas were Chi-Chi, Gohan, Krillin and Yamcha. Tien Shinhan stood in the shade of a palm tree. Chiaotzu hovered beside him. Both nodded to Kera and Piccolo. Piccolo and Kera saluted back as they walked towards the tables. Vegeta also stood away from the tables at the edge of the garden. Kera could only guess at his greeting because his head was hidden so deep in the shadows that she could barely see him.

Beaming with joy, Kera greeted everyone. She had almost forgotten how it felt to be in a group of people who liked her and with whom she felt comfortable. She made up her mind that she had to meet up with the others more often. She had rested long enough now and had gathered strength.

Chi-Chi rose from her chair to hug Kera. Kera broke away from the embrace and faltered. She stared at Chi-Chi's stomach. "Wait a minute, did Kakarrot give you ..."

Chi-Chi rubbed over her bulging belly. "Yes. When he died, I didn't know I was pregnant. It hurts me so much that I can't tell him." Tears came to her eyes and Kera hugged her to comfort her. Gohan also stood up and stroked his mother's back.

"I'm sure Papa will see us, Mama. And he'll see the baby too."

Chi-Chi let out a sob, then looked at her son gratefully. Gohan smiled encouragingly. Kera marvelled at how grown-up Gohan was acting.

Chi-Chi wiped away her tears and smiled bravely. "It's going to be alright."

Kera didn't know how to respond. She had spoken to Chi-Chi several times on the phone over the past few months, but she had said nothing about the pregnancy. Piccolo had visited Gohan several times to train with him. Had Gohan not mentioned anything either? She didn't want to blame Chi-Chi, although she felt a little left out. After all, weren't they friends?

She swallowed the disappointment. "Are you and the baby all right then?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Chi-Chi smiled. Then she turned serious. "I'm sorry I haven't told you yet. It took me a long time to accept it myself."

Kera hugged Chi-Chi again, grateful for her explanation. Then she turned to Piccolo, knowing he understood exactly what she was thinking. She was just imagining what it would be like if she had to raise the babies alone.

Bulma came out of the house carrying a tray of champagne glasses in front of her. Her mother followed her. Trunks walked by her hand. Delighted at the sight of the little boy, Kera ran past Bulma, who offered her a glass of champagne to no avail. Kera greeted Mrs. Briefs and squatted in front of Trunks.

"Hello, little man. You're doing a great job of walking." Mrs Briefs released her hand from Trunks who took the last few steps towards Kera. She picked him up, twirled him around once and then hugged him to her. His gurgling sounds were like music to her and the scent he emitted triggered feelings of happiness in her. Kera thought about how she too would soon be holding such a little creature in her arms, two little creatures to be exact. At that moment, she could hardly wait until her children would be born.

Then her eyes wandered to Chi-Chi, who had placed a hand on her belly and was looking up at Bulma and talking to her. All of a sudden, Kera had that uneasy feeling again of what it would be like to have to raise her children alone. Her throat tightened and her breathing quickened.

Quickly she pushed Trunks Mrs Briefs into her arms, mumbled an apology and walked towards the house. In the shade of a large tree, she leaned against the wall of the house and put a hand to her throat. She tried to breathe calmly. What was happening? She did not know this feeling. She had been so happy just a moment ago and in a split second her mood had changed completely.

Kera had the feeling that the shadow she was standing in was getting darker. A roar settled on her ears and all she could hear was static. Every breath seemed infinitely heavy, as if a tight band had wrapped itself around her chest. She wanted to lift her eyes to see if the others were also experiencing such phenomena, but lifting her head was just as difficult.

A blackness crept in from the edges of her field of vision and blurred her vision. Was the wall of the house still behind her? She groped for it, felt nothing and panicked even more.

Piccolo:

Piccolo was talking to Gohan, but he wasn't all there. He had seen Kera greet Mrs Briefs, then he had lost sight of her. He wondered if she had gone into the house.

He didn't know why he was doing it, but he was looking for Kera's aura. There, behind the tree, she was. He couldn't see her, but her aura felt changed. Piccolo interrupted Gohan's flow of speech, turned and moved away from the group. As quickly as he could, he walked towards the house and saw Kera a moment later.

She was standing close to the wall of the house, had one hand to her throat and seemed to be having trouble breathing. A thin black mist surrounded her. Piccolo could not see where this black mass was coming from.

Kera did not seem to notice him. She had fixed her gaze on a spot on the floor in front of her.

He stretched out his arm and hesitated. He wondered if this mist was harmful. He spoke her name, but Kera did not react. Deciding briefly, he touched her shoulder. Where Piccolo touched the mist, it swerved and closed again when Piccolo's hand had passed through. Kera still showed no reaction.

Piccolo stepped even closer and now touched her cheek. It felt ice cold. Once more Piccolo said her name. When she did not respond again, he tried to contact her mentally. Even in her mind there seemed to be this fog and Piccolo felt he had to fight his way through it. Again and again he said her name.

Very slowly, Kera showed a reaction. Her breathing calmed down. The mist disappeared. Then she looked up at Piccolo. She blinked a few times, took a deep breath and let the air escape slowly.

"What was that?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me."

Kera shook her head slightly. "I don't know. I had Trunks in my arms. Then I looked to Chi-Chi and ..." Her eyes widened. "Oh," was all she said.

"What?" asked Piccolo.

"I was thinking about what it would be like if I had to raise the babies on my own." Tears welled up in her eyes and she suppressed a sob.

"Kera." Ever so gently, Piccolo spoke her name. He placed a finger under her chin and lifted it slightly so she could look him in the eye. "I'm here and I won't leave," he assured her.

Kera nodded slowly. Without another word, Piccolo leaned down to her and breathed a kiss on her cheek. Kera's blush immediately rose to her face, which made him smile. Some of those present knew of his relationship with Kera, but not all. He was surprised at himself for being so open about it. But he had never intended to hide it, he didn't want to just walk around holding hands either.

Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Bulma, who was about to walk past them and stopped in mid-motion. She turned her head and her eyes were wide with astonishment.

"Did I just see that right?"

Piccolo replied, "You did. Any more questions?"

Bulma eyes widened even more, if that was even possible. Then she relaxed. "Knowing it and seeing it are two different things." She took a step closer and leaned towards them. "Does Vegeta know yet?"

Piccolo straightened to his full height, folded his arms in his typical stance and looked at her grimly. Kera placatingly placed her hand on his arm as she spoke up.

"No. I really need to tell Vegeta now."

"What do you need to tell me?"

Vegeta was suddenly standing just a few steps away from them on the path that led from the house to the small square with the tables.

Kera swallowed. Seeking help, she looked up at Piccolo, who squeezed her hand, still on his arm. Kera tightened her grip.

"Please don't do anything," she said quietly to him, then walked towards Vegeta.

She went down on her left knee in one fluid motion, placed her right fist over her heart and bowed her head. "My king," she said in a firm voice. Piccolo drew in an audible breath. Vegeta had been the prince of the Saiyans. But if the planet had been destroyed and all the inhabitants with it, he was bound to be the king. A king of only a few.

He stepped out of the shadows of the house to get a better view of the scene. All the others had stopped talking and eating and were now watching what was going on between Kera and Vegeta. No one dared to say anything. As if they sensed that something very important was happening.

Vegeta looked down at Kera without expression.

"I, Kera the Saiyan, request to be released from your service as a bodyguard."