My innocence

Part I : I just want to sit and stare at you

Dende tried to hear the birds sing to the bright morning, but it was no use. He was too high above to hear such sounds. He couldn't enjoy them, but the thing he would enjoy as the bright, yet distant glitter of the sun itself. The light made him raise his hand to cover his eyes with a fragile little shadow.

Though there was nothing to see.

Just clouds to the eternity - maybe even more.

So he just dropped his sight towards his knees - covered with cheap, white robe that tickled his greenish skin lightly. The very same kind that he used to wear when he had been a child. At least in the standards of this little world that he was supposed to guard with his might - and he felt that there was nothing in him to be called with such a name. There was no strenght in him, like there was in his tribe brother Piccolo.

And that made him wonder whatever was it that made him so special.

Then all the sudden the stream of his thoughts was cut.

A little sound made him raise his head all the sudden.

Maybe he even dropped a little gasp from his lips.

He turned his sight around, meeting the little coffee table next to him, and an elegant, thin line of shadow, that had been layed on it. Ana was standing next to him, holding a teapot in her hands- and a gentle smile on her lips, that carefully bended her voice to a silent couple of words.

"Morning mr. Dende."

The words just echoed in Dende's head for a while. They were the very first ones for him to hear that very day. And he felt like they were the first ones for him to hear for an eternity.

And he blushed a little bit, as he realized he hadn't answered.

At least not just yet.

"M-morning Ana," he answered then, with a weak voice that he was embarrased to show as he felt so insecure back then - there was simply nothing in him, that he would've been proud of.

But still, Ana, the purple skinned wonder just smiled at him with the finest and fairest of gestures that there had ever been in Dende's namekian life so far.

"Would you care for some tea?" she asked with a simple tone.

And in her voice, Dende could hear the calm itself. The very tone, that told every flaw in him was forgiven, and he shyly smiled back, trying to cover his face with a final gaze to the edge of blue in the sky. Then he slowly turned his sight back and said with smiling eyes:

"Why -- ofcourse."

In the next moment he just let his little sight follow the greenish tea down to the white cup that was shaped like half of a moon. And the tea - it smelled rather nice: like the warmth during the gray winter time of the skies. The very same warmth that was glowing trough Ana's perky, tender expression as she carefully put down the teapot, and did a little bow towards her master.

But there wasn't a moment in the time of existence that Dende would've considered her as his servant. Not because of the fact that she had once been superior to him - a kai, let us say. But because of the fact that no matter what was the situation, there was always warmth to be found on her face. Warmth for him - warmth for Dende. Insecure little thing that people of earth addressed as their God from time to time.

And as Ana slowly turned to leave the garden, Dende cleared his throat to the pressing silence with a little blush on his cheeks and said silently:

"Would you perhaps -- like to join me?" he asked.

And Ana stopped, turned her smile towards him again and nodded with a gentle little movement of her head. A gesture that made her white moonhawk bend to the little whisper of the wind, that blew trhough the garden of Dende's lookout.

She sat down, stroking the wrinkles on her purple tunic and crossed her legs, grabbing a cup for herself. And she kept the silence around her, as she kept Dende's sight that was discovering new features within the short and fragile body - covered with the finest of kai fabrics ever known. Something that Dende couldn't even imagine touching. And yet he was to be the master in this lookout.

So there was no conversation in a while. Dende was too insecure to start one, yet it seemed like Ana was most likely waiting for him to say something. She just sat still, holding her tea cup on her cold finger tips, purple eyes gazing to the eternity of the skies. But she didn't seem like she was bothered since her smile just didn't seem to wear all.

Dende drank his tea slowly, so he could avoid the possible words coming from him.

But Ana was the one to start talking at that time.

"So, is there anything specific you would like me to take care of today, mr. Dende?"

she asked him, turning her eyes slowly towards the young namekian face on her left.

Dende took the very last drink of tea from his cup and slowly let the empty cup within his hand drop towards his knees. Then he shily moved his sight to meet with Ana's again and he said - with a little doubt in his voice:

"Well, umh, I guess not, since mr. Popo will take care of the garden as usual."

He felt a little bit dumb after saying such a thing. Ofcourse Ana knew it - after all, she had already stayed in the lookout for a couple of weeks. But for Dende's surprise, there was no words - just a gentle little nod, as Ana raised her teacup to her lips. She drank her tea, enjoining the sweet taste and put the empty cup on the little table between her and his young master, who just followed her movements carefully, with a little curiously look in his eyes.

"Would you like me to fill that for you?" he could hear his servant ask all the sudden.

And as Dende rose his sight again, he could see her eyes reaching for his teacup with her almond eyes. And with a little uncontrolled trace of startle, Dende nodded hastily and raised his cup a bit, as Ana got up from her chair and tenderly grabbed the teapot from the table. At that very moment Dende caught a look from her eye, meeting it with his own. Yet he just couldn't smile back - not even with his eyes, that lowened their sight right away, like there would've been something to be afraid of.

"You know, you don't really have to do this all," he whispered then, trying to hide his face to the fragile shadow of his puffy collar.

And within the next moment Ana's sight rose like a flash. Her expression cut the sleepy moment to half like a knife - and to Dende's horror-struck eye she seemed like something would've broken inside of her. Did he just say something offensive?

The tea from the pot spilled harshly on Dende's knees and made him bounce up from his chair.

And the horror-struck moment was gone - as Ana hastily grabbed the edge of her tunic and tried to wipe the tea out of the white cloth.

"Oh my ... I-I'm so sorry, mr. Dende I didn't mean to..!" she stuttered hastily with a startled little voice as she got to her knees trying desparetly to apologize at the same time as she was trying to get the tea out of her master's white robe.

But on Dende's face there was only traces of surprise as he tried to back away, but he couldn't.

Not because of Ana's grab from his robe, but because of his bothered little feeling, that made him grab hold of Ana's fragile little hand.

And Ana's startled sight slowly rose. Swept it's way to Dende's eyes, that were full of hidden warmth, insecurity - yet smile.

"It's OK, Ana, don't worry about it," he said with a calm tone of voice, holding her hand with the lightest of touches.

Hiding his insecurity, he helped Ana to stand up again, following her eyes as they rose to his level with a surprised look deep within them.

"I'm so sorry if I offended you somehow," he continued right away, loosing his expression to the shadow of his collar that hid his mouth, his smile.

But Ana just smiled back, closing her deep, almond eyes to a perky, tender expression that reflected the strings of the sun, the light that was facing her. And for a short while, she let her hands rest on Dende's warm palms, getting him to blush a little as he realized his touch. And then - the moment was gone. Dende just followed how she collected the cups on the table and said with a smiling little voice:

"So that you know, mr. Dende, I like to do this. It's no problem for me."

Dende slowly nodded to her, thinking about was it the right thing for him to do or not. He collected his wooden staff from the reflecting garden floor and took a little smile on his lips again. His atennas stirred lightly as he moved his head and said with the warmest of all voices:

"You don't have to call me mr. Dende. I'm just -- Dende."

And for the first time - their smiles met each other.