-1Chapter Nine

Dende saw her come out. He was trying to act like he didn't see her. He was talking to Gohan about this or that when she started walking down the stairs. She'd stuffed her other clothes in her bag and was walking, her hands in her pockets, slowly towards him. Why couldn't he swallow? What was wrong with him? He felt like his mind was full of mud and his lungs wouldn't expand and contract enough.

"You like the sweater?" And another great conversation starter by the Guardian of the Earth, a voice in his head chided. O…shut up.

"I do. Very much. Perfect fit."

"It sure is." O Kami did he just say that out loud?

"Yeah, Dende's pretty cool like that!" Gohan said, slapping his friend on the back so hard it caused him to stumble forward, closer to Hera, closer to the reason his feet felt ten sizes too big and his knees felt like jelly. He caught himself just before he crashed into her.

"Glad you like it." Dende rushed passed her, turning around only when he was half way up the stairs. He had to get away. He didn't know why, but he just had to. "Nice to meet you, Hera. Glad you survived your encounter with Piccolo. Come back when you can!" And he walked up the stairs and into the Look Out.

Hera stood there. She picked up her hand and waved, "Bye, Dende. Nice to meet you too." She said to no one.

"Well, that was bizarre!" Goku said. "Let's get going! See ya around Piccolo! Mr. Popo!"

"Goodbye, Goku, Gohan. Come back any time." The djinn smiled

Piccolo only nodded. Hera smiled at Mr. Popo, "Goodbye, Mr. Popo. It was wonderful to meet you. And please tell Dende I said goodbye." She leaned closer to the djinn and asked, "Did I offend him?"
Mr. Popo tried hard not to smile but it was a losing battle, "O, no, Miss Hera. He's just…got a lot on his mind."

"That whole guardian thing, huh?" She joked.

"Something like that." Mr. Popo looked up the stairs then back at Hera. "I hope to see you soon, Miss Hera."

"As do I." She looked over at Piccolo, "Nice to meet you. Thanks for proving to me I'm not dreaming. Next time, do you think you could just punch me or something? It would be safer."

Piccolo smirked, "If you like."

Hera had a strong feeling she was going to regret that comment one day. But for now, she just let Goku pick her up. She made sure her backpack was secure and held onto his neck tightly, but not too tight, lest he pass out and she find herself in the same predicament as she was earlier. Only this time, Dende had disappeared quite suddenly and didn't seem to be coming back any time soon.

"He's different." Hera commented as they flew down, down past they clouds and into the night air.

"Who Piccolo? O don't let him bother you. He used to be a demon after all…" Goku started.

"A demon?" Just when she thought nothing else in this world could surprise her, she was proven wrong. " Ah, no, not Piccolo, although, he's not exactly normal himself. I was referring to Dende."

"Yeah. Piece of work that one." Goku chuckled, "Geez, when he and Gohan were younger they played so many practical jokes on each other. I remember this one time…"
"Dad…Hera doesn't want to hear about that." Gohan sounded a bit embarrassed.

"Come on, son. This is great! So anyway, one time Gohan was…"

But Hera wasn't really listening. She was wondering what could have made Dende suddenly run like mad to get away from her. Maybe he just wasn't used to having visitors from other time periods. Or maybe he wasn't used to girls? Whatever it was, why did she find herself wanting to go back to the Look Out as soon as she could hitch a ride?

Dende went as fast as he could up the stairs without breaking out into a full fledged run. He had to get away from her. Once he crossed the safety of the doorway, he turned, leaned against the column and let out a sigh as noisy as the wind. His heart was racing. He closed his eyes and rested all his weight on the column, letting his staff fall to the floor. What on earth (or above it) was wrong with him? This was insane. He'd asked himself that same question over and over and over again and nothing could come to mind. She was a girl, a young woman really, probably about the same age as he. He'd been around women since the first moment he arrived on earth. Bulma. Chi-Chi. Bulma's mother. Now there was Android 18. None of them made him feel as if he was going to explode, as if his chest would cave in, his stomach would fly away, his head was made out of mush. What in the name of all the Kais was going on?

"Dende!" Piccolo's voice boomed up the stairs.

Crap! Dende picked up his staff and stepped out to meet the older Namek. "You bellowed?" He asked, trying to be his usual, smart-aleck self.

"What is wrong with you!"

"I ah- I mean- I-"

"You acted inappropriately for a guardian out there! Kami would never have run up the stairs. I don't care how uncomfortable you are around strangers, you shouldn't be so weak as to run away from them."

Thank Kami! Piccolo thought it was just his annoying habit of being too shy around people he didn't know.

"I know. It's just that-I don't know. You wouldn't understand."

"No I wouldn't. Humans are nothing to be intimidated by." Piccolo turned to leave. Probably to go meditate or something, Dende thought.

"And pick up your trash!" He bellowed again as he went down the stairs.

"My what?" He looked around the room and saw a small piece of paper on the chair. "I didn't leave that there!" He argued. Why was Piccolo always treating him like a child? He stomped over to the chair, tossed his staff onto the floor and snatched the paper up. Gohan must have put it there while he was out saving Hera from falling. Gohan was always trying to get Dende in trouble with Piccolo and he knew Piccolo hated when things weren't in their proper order. He was about to crumple it up and just make it disappear but he decided to look at it anyway. The writing wasn't Gohan's.

He sat down in the chair and unfolded the paper. It was written carefully, with a flowing script he was not familiar with. Not that many people wrote him notes. In fact, only Gohan was the only person to every write anything to him. He read it, blinked, read it again, then burst out laughing.

Not royalty, huh? Nice throne, Your Guardianship! Hera

Hera had left him a note. Sure, it was a jab at the throne. A throne that was really just a stone chair that was terribly uncomfortable. He'd love to throw it out but he thought it may make Kami mad and if Piccolo had to put up with an angry Kami he would kill Dende and have to go find the earth a new guardian.

He smiled, folded up the piece of paper, and put it in his pocket. He still couldn't figure out why that name sounded so familiar to him. O well, what did it matter? She was here at least until Bulma fixed the time machine or she got homesick and they found the Dragonballs. She said she didn't want to go back. Maybe she was right, however, and that would change come morning. Surely there was someone she cared about back home? Surely there was someone who cared about here? How could some one like that be all alone? How could she think she was nobody?

She'd be at Goku's tonight. That was good. They would take care of her there. Maybe she'd stay there. Maybe she'd move in and take Gohan's place. Maybe she would take him up on his blurted out offer and stay at the Look Out. What would he do if she did? Would he hide the entire time? Maybe being with her, without Gohan and Piccolo glaring at him the whole time, maybe he could just relax, be himself, and talk to her without saying something stupid. She did laugh at his cheesy statements. She'd even come back with a few herself. And now she'd left him a note. Dende found himself absently wondering if she'd left Trunks a note?

Why was he suddenly so antagonistic towards Trunks? Trunks was his friend, right? He's asked Hera to stay at Capsule Corp just as Dende had asked her to stay at the Look Out. He was sure Trunks only meant to help. So did he. He didn't want her to feel as if she had no one in this strange new world she'd suddenly found herself in.

As he sat there and racked his brains on why he would possibly be angry at Trunks, Dende was unaware that Mr. Popo was watching him from the doorway to the kitchen. The little djinn smiled slightly as he watched his young charge ponder and wrestle with the thoughts that were going through his head. He felt only slightly bad when he'd lied earlier. Kami had actually talked about marriage once. But that was long, long ago and it had not ended well. Mr. Popo knew Dende was lonely. He also knew that a certain young guardian was smitten by a certain young woman from the past. Yes, Dende was taking on the traits of his planet. There was nothing wrong with that. Not at all. In fact, it was meant to happen.

There was only one small problem. Mr. Popo frowned and went back into the kitchen. What if she didn't return his affections? What if she, after staying at the Look Out, found that she, like Kami's love, couldn't stand to be there. That she too needed the great wide world and not the confines of the Look Out? Mr. Popo decided right then and there, if it ever came down to that, he would have to let Dende in on a little secret. A secret he should have told Kami. If he had, the old Guardian may have found love everlasting. But because he didn't speak up, because he was, dare he say it, afraid to lose his best friend, he never told him the one thing that could have saved his love. And he'd regretted it ever since. The day Piccolo and Kami fused, the djinn swore that should the next Guardian ever fall in love, he would not keep this secret to himself. No, he would tell him, he would tell him at the first chance he got! And while Mr. Popo whipped up some dinner for himself and a bowl of macaroni and cheese for Dende (his newest addiction), he decided that should Hera come to stay, even for a night, at the Look Out, he would run to Dende and tell him what he should have told Kami, a little over one hundred and twenty years ago…