PICCOLO
The pure air of planet Earth filled my lungs.
It was wonderful and terrifying at the same time.
Yes. I resurrected. I'm back. Thanks to the Dragon Balls from Namek, my home planet.
In fact, all my people also came to Earth with me. Our planet was destroyed by Frieza, an idiotic weirdo who thought he was the Emperor of the Galaxy, and we needed to escape in a spaceship and travel across the Universe until we got here while Goku tried to stop him.
It's a long story. But don't worry. You'll know everything that happened at the right time. The only thing you need to know at the moment is that my people and I were in some woods somewhere in the world, with our spaceship jutting through the trees at the spot it landed hours ago.
Gohan was next to me. Just his presence was enough to make my heart lighter in the midst of so much tribulation I felt.
He was a little grown up and was playing with a younger Namekian boy, both celebrating our arrival on Earth. The boy was called Dende. This fact terrified me, as I remembered very well how this Dende had been a much debated topic in the dream of my death.
"Mr. Piccolo!" Gohan turned to me with a big smile. "I bet Aunt Lettie will be super happy to see you again! She still doesn't know you resurrected, right?"
Lettie.
Upon hearing that name, my muscles tensed and butterflies flew in my stomach.
"Y-Yes..." I said, forcing a half smile. "I believe she'll be quite happy."
"Why don't you go visit her now?" he suggested. "You can go. Bulma is already settling with her parents about how they'll accommodate your people here on Earth while they still don't have a new planet to live on."
I considered his suggestion and my heart sank.
No, Piccolo. Don't do that. Don't go to Lettie.
However, against my will and reason, my mouth opened, and I replied, "Okay, Gohan. I'll go look for her. I'll come back later to check if everyone is okay. See you soon."
When I least realized it, I had already flown off and was tracking Lettie's Ki.
Damn it! Why did you do that, Piccolo??? Are you crazy?!
As much as my internal conflict screamed inside me to turn my back and hide in the most desolate mountain on Earth, there was no denying it. Being back on this planet meant I would meet her again, too. Sooner or later. Besides, it wouldn't be fair to her. Lettie had the right to know I was back.
But I didn't know if I was ready for that.
It's been about seven months since I died on that battlefield against the Saiyans; seven months since I last saw her. A lot happened during this period.
And there wasn't a day that went by that I didn't think about her.
However, more than the image of Lettie occupying my thoughts, the terrifying images of that dream also came to me, mercilessly showing the bodies of my dead wife and children, and the threat of my complete impotence and inability to save them, dragging me into the abyss with them.
In addition, of course, to the voice of my Enemy, hissing like an evil serpent, constantly massacring me with his threats and terrors. It was like a plague embedded in my brain, haunting me day and night, second after second, non-stop, giving me no break or breath of peace.
Since I was resurrected, that was my routine. Disturbance, anxiety, and fear were my companions. All the time.
I only had one option left: make the worst decision of my life.
If I insisted on staying with Lettie, the only future that awaited us was death; a terrible and cruel death, mine, hers and our children's.
I would give up on my dream. I would bury it in my heart.
Lettie would never be my wife. Our children would never be born.
That was the weight I would have to carry for the rest of my existence; the price I would pay for life, not death, to prevail.
I would have to live with Lettie, but I would never have her completely.
A pang hit my temples as I flew over a large city chasing her Ki. I grimaced in displeasure. I've been having headaches for a while now; pulsating and throbbing, appearing when I least wanted it, especially when I heard the threatening voice of my Enemy.
The fact that I wore a weight on my turban made the situation worse, but I ignored the pain and continued my search for Lettie, even though I warned myself that I was making a mistake in seeing her again.
However, a need spoke louder. I needed to know if she was okay. During the last few months I spent with Gohan on our spaceship, I asked him if he knew what happened to his aunt after the fight against the Saiyans. His response was negative. A few hours after he woke up in the hospital where he was recovering, Chi-chi returned to his room and told him that Lettie had escaped from the ICU to retrieve my dead body, which no one had bothered to retrieve.
After that, Gohan left for Namek and never knew his aunt's whereabouts. As for me, I couldn't see what happened to Lettie or my body, as I was busy traveling the Snake Way in the Other World with the other warriors who died, to meet with King Kai.
Lettie put her health at risk for my sake. She took a risk to ensure I had a dignified funeral. Where would she have placed my body? When I was resurrected, it had already been transferred to Namek.
But now it didn't matter. Other questions surrounded me. Was Lettie living on the streets, as she so feared? Had she gotten a job at a Martial Arts School as a teacher? Was she healthy and happy?
Did… Did she miss me?
Almost an hour later, I finally located her. During this time, I thought it was better to hide my Ki so she wouldn't be scared by my sudden presence here on Earth.
I flew through a mountain range and several forests until I saw a house on top of a hill, surrounded by an extensive lawn of my color.
That's odd... Why would Lettie be in that house? Did my headache affect my tracking ability?
"She has already forgotten you. Another man has already got into her life. She doesn't even think about you," said my Enemy.
A chill ran down my spine. My pulse quickened with terror.
Calm down, Piccolo. Take a deep breath…
When I landed on the lawn in front of the house, I looked at the wooden porch and the facade.
My heart almost jumped out of my chest.
It wasn't possible... It couldn't be!
That was the same house I lived in with Lettie and our children in my dream. Identical, from top to bottom.
What happened while I was away? I don't doubt Lettie's ability, but it was very unlikely that she would have raised enough money to buy a house in just seven months.
Anyway, I walked to the stairs that led to the porch. On the first step, I froze. My hands were sweaty, and I had to dry them on my pants.
Don't do this, Piccolo. Turn around and leave.
I shook my head as I filled my cheeks with air and let it out. So I went upstairs and, instantly, a wonderful sweet aroma washed over me. Whatever was roasting in there was delicious.
Without thinking much, I pressed the doorbell.
It was time.
Damn it. I looked like a nervous teenager. Trembling from head to toe. I even forgot to tell you that I acquired the ability to read feelings. It happened on Namek, when I fused with a warrior of my race at the moment of his death. Long story. What matters is that, from now on, whatever Lettie felt, I would know. And I had no idea if that would be good or not.
Now, regarding my feelings… Well, the more I suppressed them, the better it would be. I couldn't risk getting attached to her any more. That abominable future could not happen. Never.
I heard footsteps inside and the sound of a television being turned off. Seconds later, the door opened, and I saw her for the first time in seven months.
Lettie's eyes widened as she stared at me standing in the doorway. All the color in her face faded. I crossed my arms, curved my lips in a bold smile and said, "I cannot believe that, after everything I taught you, you answered the door without first checking who rang the doorbell. What a shame."
We stood there, keeping our gazes intense, until Lettie slowly fell back, passed out on the floor.
I snorted and slipped through the door. To be honest, I already suspected that type of reaction from her. However, something happened. Like magic, as soon as I stepped onto the wooden floor inside, I knew every corner of that house. My house. The memories of the good part of my dream came back to me so vividly that it was as if I had always lived there.
My heart ached so, so much...
Letting out a sigh and with no ceremony, I picked Lettie up, the same way I did when she couldn't fly, and laid her on the couch in front of the television. As I walked to the kitchen, I changed my clothes to take off my cape and turban. My headache eased a little. I filled a glass with water, opened the cupboard, took out sugar and mixed everything. Before returning to the living room, I went to the oven, analyzed what looked like a pie and turned off the heat so as not to run the risk of burning Lettie's dish, for I remember very well that, in my dream, I had this unfortunate habit.
As I knelt in front of the couch, I gently brushed a strand of her short hair out of her eyes. My chest expanded as I contemplated her so closely.
How could she be even more beautiful since the last time I saw her? A bittersweet feeling came over me when I saw that she was wearing the gray sweatpants I had made for her the day she felt sick due to her period, accompanied by a white tank top around her torso.
Man… How long ago did that happen?
But she was the same Lettie I knew. However, I noticed that something in her appearance, in her sleeping countenance, denoted more… maturity and strength.
Piccolo, go away. There's still time for you to run. Lettie will wake up and think it was just a hallucination.
For a second I hesitated, trembling. And then, losing my self-control, I reached out and touched her.
"Lettie?" I whispered. "It's me."
She shuddered and opened her eyes. Slowly, she turned her head towards me and gaped her mouth wide, but then covered it to prevent a scream of astonishment.
With a start, Lettie sat down on the couch so abruptly that she bumped into the glass of water, knocking it onto the carpet. She didn't even notice. Her eyes were fixed on me. Two large, blue orbits, shining like the stars I so much gazed across the Universe on our journey back to Earth.
Half dazed by the shock, I remained on my knees with her face to face with me, both of us at the same height and a foot apart. My heart was about to come out of my mouth when Lettie reached out and touched her fingertips to my face.
"Piccolo..." A tear fell from her eye.
"H-Hey, Lettie..." I swallowed as I tried to contain the lump in my throat.
I read her feelings. Unbelief. Relief. Happiness. Surprise. And much more.
Her hands gently cupped my face, her teary eyes scanning every inch of it. Her touch was still soft and affectionate, as it always was.
"Y-You..." her dry lips trembled. "You died… in my arms… I-I… I placed your body in the tent…" Her voice became a thread of perplexity. "How is it possible…?!"
Oh, so that's where my body found rest. At our good old Camp.
"I resurrected. With the Dragon Balls from my home planet." I gave a little smile. "I'm back."
Lettie gasped. Her tears rolled down her cheeks. She then pulled me into a tight hug, burying her face into my neck, and cried profusely and silently.
Longing. That was her feeling.
"I-I missed you so, SO MUCH…" sobbed Lettie in her muffled voice.
My greatest desire at that moment was to hug her back, kiss her with all my strength, scream to my Enemy that he was wrong.
But I suppressed that desire. I didn't have that right. I couldn't do that to her, nor to myself.
However, when I least realized it, I had already hugged her back, with the same intensity, comforting her by stroking her head and repeating that I was there, with her.
I don't know how long we held each other, just feeling one another's presence and warmth. If I could, I would have stayed that way forever.
At last, our eyes met again, and we realized the level of closeness and intimacy we were in and we quickly pulled away, coughing and hiding it while Lettie took some tissues from a box on the coffee table and offered me some. I had also shed some tears against my will.
I sat on the couch, cringed in awkward silence as I wiped my face. So, after working up my courage, I turned to Lettie, "What are you doing here?" I looked around. "Is this house by any chance… yours?"
"Yes..." She looked at me with a shy smile, very blushing and folding the tissue. "Chi-chi gave it to me as a gift for taking care of Gohan in our Training."
I raised my eyebrows in surprise. As much as I wasn't fond of Gohan's mother, her attitude impressed me.
"So apparently, the fact that I let you spoil Gohan during Training resulted in you realizing your dream of owning your own home." I crossed my arms with a playful smile.
Fortunately, my comment made her laugh, which helped a lot to dispel the awkward atmosphere that surrounded us.
"Well, I wouldn't say it in that way. But yeah, basically." Lettie smiled, head down. "Chi-chi has been a great friend over the last few months..." Her gaze then lifted to me, inquisitive. "But before I say anything about myself, I think you owe me some explanations, don't you?" She acquired a worried expression. "Where HAVE you been? I thought… I would never see you again…"
"You're right..." I nodded, pressing my lips together. "It's a bit of a long story. Do you really want to hear it?"
"It's Saturday. I have the rest of the day off." She smiled as she got up from the couch and headed towards the kitchen. "Come. I'm making an apple pie and–OH! My pie! I forgot the oven!"
"I-I… I already turned it off for you. When I went to get the water," I said awkwardly, bending down to pick up the fallen glass and following her.
"Thanks, that was kind of you." Lettie took the pie out with the help of an oven mitt and placed it on the sink. "You did it at the right time. A bit more and it would've burned. Then there would be no Dragon Ball that could resurrect you."
She laughed, I laughed, and finally everything seemed to go back to normal.
Damn... Was this good or bad?
"Please, sit." She pulled out the chair at the end of the dining table. "I'll serve you."
"Uh..." I cleared my throat, embarrassed by all the flattery. "Y-You don't have to do that..."
"I insist." She laid out a tablecloth, smoothing its surface to unwrinkle it. "You're the first guest I have received here at home besides Chi-chi and my students."
"What do you mean 'your students'?"
"No talking about me for now, remember?" She gave me her typical disapproving look as she grabbed plates, cutlery, and glasses from the cupboards.
"Alright..." I made a shy half-smile, running my hand over the back of my head.
Lettie filled our glasses with juice, took a sip, and sat in the chair with her hands supporting her chin. "So? Tell me everything."
For a second, I looked at her sitting there, so close to me. That afternoon's sun rays streamed in through the window above the sink, with the breeze bringing the wonderful, sweet smell of the apple pie cooling on the granite.
If anyone saw us from outside, it would look like we were just a couple enjoying an afternoon coffee together in our house.
No, Piccolo! Stop fantasizing about impossibilities.
I lowered my head and sighed. Fortunately, Lettie must have thought I was just ordering my line of thinking, and not censoring myself for wanting something I couldn't have.
I raised my gaze to her, regained my composure and said,"When I died, I went to train with King Kai in the Other World. After a while, I discovered that Gohan, Bulma and Krillin had traveled to my home planet to get more Dragon Balls and resurrect everyone who died in the battle against the Saiyans. In the meantime, Goku also went there, as he discovered that a jerk named Frieza was also going there after the Namekian Dragon Balls and wanted to wish for what (according to you) every cliché villain wishes: eternal life to do his idiocies, world-or-galactic domination, etc etc etc. In the end, I was resurrected to help in that fight and taken to Namek. Then, I fused with a guy from my race named Nail and became much stronger. We fought against Frieza's henchmen. Krillin died. Goku became a Super Saiyan."
I caught some breath and continued, "In the end, Frieza launched a time bomb attack on my planet to blow it up, and we all fled in a spaceship, except Goku, who wanted to stay to defeat him once and for all. No one knows if he survived the Namek explosion. We traveled for months across the Universe and finally landed here on Earth. Now all my people are looking for a place to stay and not perish on a strange planet. The end. Can I have some pie now?"
I crossed my fingers on the tabletop and watched Lettie. She was open-mouthed and wide-eyed, with many question marks surrounding her.
Then, Lettie, with all the calm in the world, unmolded the pie, sliced off a piece of it, and placed it on my plate and sat down again, bringing the chair even closer to me.
"Details," she finally said, with an enigmatic look. "If you give me more details, I promise this entire pie is yours."
With a triumphant smile on my lips, I twirled the fork in my fingers and began devouring that pie. Wow! How I missed Lettie's cooking! Having to ration water on a spaceship with dozens and dozens of other Namekians for months was not easy.
When I finally finished telling Lettie everything that happened on my home planet with Frieza, there was no longer a single crumb of the pie. No joke, I would eat another whole one.
There was silence. Lettie was gazing at me.
Sadness. Disappointment. These were her feelings.
That's strange... Wasn't she supposed to be happy with my return?
"So..." she began. "Gohan was on Namek with you?"
"Yes. Like I said, he traveled there to help us." I noticed her look was downcast and I asked, "Is something wrong?"
"I'm afraid so." Lettie pressed her lips together, head down. Then she looked at me again. "Chi-chi lied to me."
"How come?"
"When I came back from your..." She cleared her throat. "From your funeral, I went to visit her, as she asked me. That's when Chi-chi gave me this house as a gift. I thought Gohan and Goku would be there, recovering from the fight. But they weren't. Chi-chi didn't want to explain to me the reason for their absence. She only said that she had sent Gohan to study at a boarding school in another country."
"What?" I frowned. "In a boarding school?"
"Yes. I thought it was quite strange at the time, but I didn't have the audacity to ask her reasons. After all, she's the mother and she had been away from her son for a whole year. She must've thought he would get behind in his studies and wanted to make up for the lost time. Over the past few months, I've tried to ask her about Gohan or get any news of him." She lowered her head. "But I got nothing..."
"What did Chi-chi say when you asked about Gohan?"
"That he was fine, that they talked on the phone once a week..." Lettie shrugged. "I even tried to convince her to at least give me the number of the boarding school, so I could also call him, but she claimed that only parents could make calls. Students couldn't even receive letters. I was completely in the dark about Gohan."
"But why would she make up something like that? It's absurd!"
"That's what I'm trying to understand now..." Lettie stared at a fixed point, probably with her mind buzzing with doubts. "I think I'm going to have a good talk with my sister-in-law."
"What a weird little woman she is." I pursed my lips.
"Oh, Piccolo, I don't know..." Lettie sighed, tired. "Chi-chi really needs help. She was the one who recommended me to go to therapy, which has done me much good."
"Huh?" I tilted my head. "You're doing therapy?"
"Yes..." She nodded, slowly. "I had some episodes of post-traumatic stress disorder and needed treatment."
I widened my eyes in complete shock and worry. "Are you serious, Lettie? But are you okay now?"
"Yes, yes. Don't worry." She squeezed my hands resting on the tabletop. "I'm fine now. I haven't had nightmares in a long time."
Damn it! Lettie must've been very emotionally helpless with mine and Gohan's absence. I wished, from the bottom of my heart, to protect her with all my strength and cast away all the evil and fear that surrounded her.
"If you do this, she will die, painfully. I'll make sure that happens. And it will be all your fault," said my Enemy.
I trembled due to the threat, and I had to contain myself as much as possible so as not to show my discomfort to Lettie. She didn't notice and assumed a more relaxed posture, narrowing her eyes with a little smile.
"But tell me, Piccolo. So does that mean that while I was here mourning your death, you were training with a little blue man? Don't you pity me, huh?"
I felt much lighter with her playful tone. Lettie, as always, made everything easier, no matter how terrible it was.
"In my defense," I crossed my arms, "I thought about you every day."
Awkward silence.
What was that, Piccolo??? Why did you say that out loud?!?!
Lettie blushed and, to hide it, got up and began to collect the dirty dishes from the table. I wanted to fly out the door and hide in a cave forever. Gee! How could I be so reckless?!
"Uh..." Lettie glanced at me from the sink. "T-Tell me more about this thing about you fusing with a Namekian." She then raised an eyebrow in a suspicious frown. "Don't tell me that there's a person living inside you now."
"No, no..." I chuckled, relieved to change the subject. "I just absorbed Nail's abilities to become stronger. He was dying, and I needed more strength to fight Frieza. It was a win-win situation."
"Nail?" Lettie repeated, gazing at the landscape through the window. "Hmm... Pretty name..."
I almost freaked out when I saw her approving what would be the name of one of our twins. Did we give him this name in honor of the Namekian warrior who helped me at a time when I needed it? Well, dunno.
"Tell me more about my brother's transformation into a Super Saiyan," she asked. "How does it work? It must be something impressive."
"Yes, it is impressive." Ignoring my embarrassment, I got up to help her and dry the dishes, after all, I wouldn't watch her clean everything by herself, even though she refused by claiming that I was a guest. "Goku transformed after Krillin was killed. I believe that this transformation needs a strong trigger to be activated. Just like the hidden power you and Gohan demonstrated in our Training, remember?"
"Yeah... I do..." She became thoughtful while washing the dishes.
As I looked at Lettie there next to me and remembered what Goku looked like in his transformation, a memory hit me like a bolt of lightning. During my dream, when Lettie and I were training alone at night, she had transformed into something that, at the time, I didn't understand.
But now, after seeing Goku in Super Saiyan form, everything made sense.
Lettie had also transformed into a Super Saiyan in my dream!
Would… this happen in the future? If so, what would be her trigger?
"Listen..." she interrupted my thoughts. "Do you think… that my brother died again?"
"Hard to know his whereabouts." I took a glass to dry. "We haven't heard from him since we fled from Namek. The journey is usually quick between the planets. But due to our spaceship being overcrowded, we needed to go very slowly so as not to overload it and it ended up taking us seven months. But the advantage of the new Dragon Balls is that, in 130 days, they start working again and grant not one, but three wishes. We're just waiting for the other Namekians to settle here on Earth, and then, we'll finally gather everyone together to make the wishes."
"Oh, only 130 days? That's great!" Lettie opened her mouth in surprise. "This way we can resurrect the other warriors much faster."
"Indeed, and then we'll see what actually happened to Goku."
She nodded and turned to me with her hands on her hips. "Listen, did Vegeta really come with you?" Her voice denoted disgust.
"Oh, Lettie!" I clicked my tongue in irritation. "Don't tell me about it!"
"He became our ally, is that so?!" Her tone was as indignant as mine.
"I have no idea!" I waved my hand dismissively. "I think he's the type of person who joins a group as long as he can take advantage of it. The only thing I know is that I want distance from this guy. And, to be honest, I think it's wise for you not to get involved with him either."
"HA! Rest assured, my dear." Lettie chuckled. "I still remember pretty well the disgusting words he said to me in our battle. Just the thought of him gives me shivers." She pretended to shudder. "Brrr!"
"As for me, just the thought of him gives me anger." I made a grumpy pout. "Especially what he wanted to do to you and all that hateful 'pure-blood heirs' talk." I shook my head as if swatting away an annoying fly. "But enough about that idiot! I want to know about you. What's this thing about 'my students' you said earlier?"
Slowly, Lettie turned to me with a mischievous little smile. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
Confused but curious, I followed her through a door next to the kitchen. When crossing it, I found myself in a round and spacious annex, with a tatami mat floor and many physical exercise equipment around. Wow! Nice room! I don't remember seeing it in my dream...
"Piccolo..." She opened her arms and her smile. "Welcome to my Martial Arts School!"
I gaped my mouth wide as I stared at her in disbelief. "What?! Your Martial Arts School?!"
"I know." Lettie chuckled. "It may seem crazy, opening a school in the middle of this NOWHERE, especially when we agreed that I would look for a job as a beginning teacher in the city." She sighed. "However, there was a... need for a School like mine in this place."
"What do you mean?" I replied, analyzing the room around me, still a bit open-mouthed.
"Although it may not seem like it, due to the dense nature here, there are many villages and farms in this region. Many families with young people and children. Neither Chi-chi nor Gohan knew about it, that's why he had no one to play with, remember? The problem is that these people here are quite... uh... how can I say it? They're quite modest and, unfortunately, they suffer at the hands of many thieves and bad people who take advantage of the residents' lack of security and inability to defend themselves." Lettie smiled. "Then the perfect opportunity arose. I created a special program to teach these low-income people how to defend themselves with my classes. My prices are fair and, as you said, it's a win-win situation. Most of my classes are for children from about three years old to teenagers, but even parents also take some classes. It has been wonderful! I never lost any more night's sleep worrying about paying my bills! I finally managed to support myself with something I love doing and…" She looked away in shame. "Without it being clandestine."
I was speechless. Pride filled my chest. What a woman…
"So," I smiled as I crossed my arms, "you found a need and created the solution for it."
Lettie hid a shy smile and tucked her bangs behind her ear. "I believe so... My Master taught me well, you know? And it was one of the best things that happened to me in the past few months."
My heart doubled in size with her words.
"You know, Piccolo…" Lettie approached with a downcast expression. "When you died, I swore to myself that I would not allow your memory to die too. I swore that I would pass on all your teachings." She contemplated her School with a gleam of satisfaction in her eyes. "When I got this house from Chi-chi and found this room, I knew this would be where I would fulfill my promise. At first, I didn't know how, but then everything fell into place." She turned to me with teary eyes. "And I am strong steady in my purpose to this day. Thanks to you."
My pulse quickened at her statement. Lettie had opened a Martial Arts School, made such a big decision in her life, in honor of… me?
"You're not worthy of any of this. You don't deserve it. Have you forgotten what you made Lettie suffer in the past?", threatened my Enemy.
A sharp, throbbing pain hit my temples, but I didn't even have time to notice it properly, as Lettie levitated until she was at my height, the same way she did on our last day of Training.
She gazed deeply at me and confessed, "I thought about you too, Piccolo. Every single day."
Love. That was the feeling that overflowed from her.
My heart screamed in my chest, screamed to confess my feelings for her.
But I couldn't do that. I couldn't do that to Lettie! She, the one whose biggest dream was to get married and have children, should achieve it only to lose everything in the end… because of me???
I approached her, aiming for what I wanted most: her lips. I could smell her sweet, warm, inviting breath.
What was happening to me?! Why couldn't I contain myself?!
"Lettie..." I whispered.
No, Piccolo! Don't do that!!!
"Yes?" she asked, softly.
STOP!!!
"I-I... I..."
A high-pitched, shrill cry reached us in that room.
We froze.
Lettie suddenly turned her head toward the door. Then, just like that, she dashed back into the house.
What happened??? What was that crying???
Without even thinking, I ran to the kitchen, but I didn't find her there.
"Lettie?!" I called her, distressed, in the hallway between the dining table and the couch. When I put one foot forward to look for her, she came back from one of the rooms, carrying something in her arms.
A small baby was nestled against her chest, now crying softly. In contrast to her pink romper, thick black hair stood out from her head.
Lettie stopped in front of me. Her eyes revealed great concern.
Fear. That was her feeling.
"W-Who is she?" I asked, trying to keep my tone as calm as possible compared to my racing heart.
"Piccolo, another important thing happened during the time you were dead." Lettie swallowed hard, without breaking our eye contact, and finally declared, "This is my daughter. I adopted her a month ago. Her name is Naíma."