I am Kera, a Saiyan Warrior Princess

Chapter 25

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?"