Greetings! For those of you who have come to read this because you enjoyed my Harry Potter Fan Fiction, I welcome you (and hope you aren't too sad I've deviated from the kingdom of Hogwarts!). This is my first attempt at a DBZ Fan Fiction and I've taken a few liberties with it (it is MY Fan Fiction after all). I would call it AU; it's after the Buu saga, but all the good guys are still around (yes, yes, even Vegeta!). I just love the characters too much, so I let them all live. Besides, what's a DBZ story without Goku? I've also changed the characteristics of Nameks in general, but I think that will be explained in the story. Some of the characters may be considered a bit OOC, but I hope, for the most part, I've captured them as they are seen in the series. Also, the Look Out may seem a bit different than you remember from the series. I think I've taken a few liberties there as well :) Hopefully (as with the characters) not too much to take away from the story.

Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Sincerely,

The Gypsy Scribe

PS: if I've mispelled any character names, please let me know! I've spelled them to the best of my ability and what I was able to find.

As always: the characters all belong to the creators of DBZ (and that would NOT be me). Hera Solomon, however, is my character and my creation GS

Chapter One

Past, Present, Future

By: The Gypsy Scribe

Dende walked to the edge of the Look Out. He wasn't necessarily bored (as Piccolo would say) nor was he actually looking out at anything in particular. He was restless, which wasn't exactly what one would want as a chief characteristic of the Guardian of their planet. He sighed, stretched his back and looked out at the vast sea of clouds that stretched out endlessly before him. Chewing on his bottom lip, he contemplated his actions of late. He'd been walking out to the edge of the Look Out every morning now for the past month. He would wake up, put on his robes and stroll out side to gaze into white, frothy nothingness. Mr. Popo was aware of this change in habit but said nothing. He kept a watchful eye out on the young guardian from a corner of one of his beloved gardens. He felt a strong bond to Dende, though not as strong as he felt to Kami. With Kami it was a bond of brotherhood; with Dende it was more of a protectiveness. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt like Dende needed watching over. Since he was the only other permanent resident of the Look Out, he figured he was just the guy to do the watching.

If he was honest with himself, Dende knew what was wrong. It was just odd that he should feel this way. He was, after all, Namek and they had very different ideas of the way life was played out. Different that is compared to his human and Saiyan friends. Gohan was all grown up and engaged to his long-time sweetheart, Videl. The best friends still saw each other, still played pranks on each other, but not as much as they used too. And Dende understood. He wasn't selfish. It was just that, well, he was lonely. Not just for someone to come around a corner and chunk a water balloon at him or someone to set the hem of his robes on fire. What Dende wanted was companionship. Of course, this was rather odd considering that Nameks weren't the type of species to get married and start families. And Dende by no means was thinking that far down the road. He just wondered what it would be like to have someone he could talk to, someone who would care for him and, dare he even think it, love him.

Without meaning to, the young Guardian laughed. Mr. Popo looked up from weeding the rose bed, half startled, half relieved to hear his young charge laughing. It was the first time in days. But in spite of his relief, he could still tell there was something not quite right with the Namek. Dende shook his head, clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing up and down in front of the drop off which led to the earth below. Who would love him? Seriously. There were no female Nameks. Every woman he knew was married or engaged to someone. And, let's face it, he wasn't exactly normal looking. Dende had grown up over the years he'd become the earth's new Guardian. He was several inches over 6 feet tall, no where near Piccolo's imposing height; but he didn't think he'd grow that tall in a million years. He didn't get out much (read: never) and he was, well, green, had pointed ears, no hair, and a nice set of fangs that were visible whenever he spoke. The few times he'd been on the earth and came in contact with anyone of the human species (except those he knew), they ran away or screamed. Especially the females. They saw him as a freak, a fluke, a weirdo. Piccolo was used to it. He didn't care. He would just scowl at them and they'd run away in fear. Piccolo liked scaring the natives; he was odd that way. Dende actually tried to be friends with people. Small children didn't have a problem with him. But their parents did and they would scream and drag them away, admonishing them to be more careful at the company they keep and never, ever talk to green, pointy eared strangers again!

So there he was, the Guardian of the Earth, wandering around the Look Out aimlessly, wondering what it would be like if someone loved him just the way he was. Someone who would rather spend their time on the Look Out than in the great wide world that was below. Someone who wouldn't mind waking up every morning and looking out over the great, endless expanse of clouds, someone who…

"Wake up Dende. You're dreaming again." He whispered and shook his head. He was confused. Why was he feeling this way? Nameks weren't supposed to care about things like that. They didn't fall in love. They didn't marry. Heck, they didn't even go on dates. But there he was, pacing back and forth, back and forth, wondering what it would be like to have someone to call him 'dear'.

"Dende, would you like me to get you something? A glass of water perhaps?" Mr. Popo had stopped weeding his roses and wandered over to where the young guardian now stood.

Dende looked down at Mr. Popo and smiled. The little caretaker was the closest he had to a family and he loved him. "No, thanks. I'm not thirsty." Dende paused and blinked a few times at his comment. Not thirsty. Hmmm…Nameks lived mostly on water. But he wasn't thirsty. No, in fact, if he was honest with himself and Mr. Popo he was actually hungry.

"Mr. Popo," he asked, "Did Kami ever, I don't know, eat food while he was Guardian?"

Mr. Popo thought for a moment, "Well, come to think of it, yes, yes he did. He was a little shocked, but came to realize (after researching it in the Guardian Files) that it wasn't unheard of for Guardians to begin to take on the habits and characteristics of the planet they watched over. Why?"

"Just wondering. Did he do anything else earth-like besides eat? You know, like, want to get married or something?"

Mr. Popo's eyes widened and he almost dropped his watering can. After he steadied himself, he asked, "Get….married?"

Dende shrugged, "It was just a question."

"Um. No. Not that I know of." He answered hastily. He regarded his charge with more than curiosity. Mr. Popo was almost certain all the isolation had succeeded in driving Dende mad.

Dende shrugged. Then he got an idea, "Hey, where are those Guardian Files. I know I've heard you talk about them but you never actually showed me where they are."

Mr. Popo put down his spade and watering can. "Come with me, Dende, I will show you."

They went back into the cool of the Look Out. Around the main hall were many doors. Behind each door was different rooms, different places, different universes. It was quite odd, especially if you weren't expecting it and walked through one into outer space! Dende loved to mix Gohan up and send him through that one every time he came to visit. One door in particular was where Mr. Popo guided the guardian. It was just like the other doors, red and wooden, but Dende was quite certain he had never been through this one (and he thought he'd exhausted his curiosity and been through them all!). When the door was opened, Dende found himself in an enormous library. The room seemed to be the size of the entire lookout and twice as tall. For as long as he had been there, he never got used to the mysteries the Look Out threw at him. He was surrounded by books. Shelf upon shelf rose high above him and straight ahead was an iron spiral staircase that would it's way up, up, up to a platform at the base of a large, round stained glass window. He wondered why the window was not visible from the outside. He made a mental note to ask Mr. Popo about this later.

"Where did this room come from?" he asked, wandering over to the nearest shelf and running his long, green fingers across the leather spines.

"Kami put it in long ago. He loved to read and collected books from many cultures, time periods and planets." Mr. Popo was scanning the shelves for the mysterious Guardian Files. Dende left him to his work and began wandering around the large room, stopping here and there to look at the title of a book or the statue of an author. Many of the books he couldn't read, others were in English, and some even in Namek. He took one of the books written in Namek down and began to absently thumb through it.

"Ah ha!"

Dende turned and saw Mr. Popo taking down a large, blue bound volume. It was almost as big as he was so Dende put down the book he was holding and went over to help Mr. Popo. He took the large volume from his care taker and put it on a wooden podium at the front of the room. Opening the book he found that it was written by many different hands, in many different languages. In fact, the book seemed to be as old as the earth itself!

"Mr. Popo. How old is this book?"

"I am not sure, Dende. Kami said it is older than the first Guardian who brought it with him from Namek."

"Wow…" Dende was astonished. A book older than the earth. He looked at Mr. Popo. "And did all the Guardians write in it?"

Popo nodded, "I believe so. Yes. Kami said that it has served as a journal of sorts for all Guardians. I didn't trouble you with it because, well, you see so young, Mr. Dende and I didn't want to trouble you with such things."

Dende smiled. Compared to the other Guardians he was unbelievably young. In years he was roughly the same as Gohan, around 21. But Nameks age differently than humans or Saiyans. Inside, he felt much older and yet, much younger. Was that even possible, he often wondered?

"Can I…read it?"

"Of course. You are the Guardian after all. Take it with you. This room is always here." Mr. Popo started to walk away.

"Wait. Why haven't I seen it before, then?"

Mr. Popo chuckled. "I suppose it's because you've never been interested in finding it." With than the little djiin walked back outside to continue his daily rounds of the gardens.

Dende blinked several times before he turned back to the book. It didn't make much sense, what Mr. Popo said, but if there was anything Dende did know about the Look Out it was that it didn't make much sense. He closed the large book, tucked it under is arm and went to leave. He reached the door and paused. Looking over his shoulder at the vast library, he was stunned. Why had he never thought to ask about such a room? Surely he must have wondered, at least in passing, if there were books in the Look Out. But now that he knew it was here, perhaps he would spend some time perusing the old volumes and learning about the wonderful and weird world of which he was guardian. He closed the door gently, trying to remember where it was in the long line of doors. If Mr. Popo was right, all Dende needed to find the room again was to need it. Surely that wouldn't be so hard now that he had the book in hand and all the time in the world in which to read. Smiling and humming to himself, he took the large book outside and sat, sprawled out on the steps, in the sunshine and began slowly flipping through it's pages.