beautiful, surprised by himself, he shook his head as if to throw his thoughts out.


She was obviously asleep, but suddenly her breathing became irregular.She screwed up her eyes tightly and mumbled something. Since Piccolo had good ears he could understand what she was saying: "No, don't say it! Don't look at me like that, it hurts. Why do you hate me like that?" some tears ran down her cheeks now. "Why only, Piccolo?"


He opened his eyes. 'She thinks I hate her? ', he was utterly shaken. He would never have thought it possible that it would bother her like that. "I don't hate you!" He whispered.


As if she had noticed, she calmed down again. The tears were already dry when she woke up.


"Hey, I'm hot! I better go swimming." She got up, stretched and ran into the water. When the water covered her knees, she made a dive and only reappeared 8 m further. Immediately afterwards she began to cross the lake with strong pulls and finally swam back on her back. Piccolo watched them. Swimming wasn't really anything special, but she made it a real pleasure to watch.

When she came out of the water she looked like an angel. With the sun on her back and soaking wet she ran towards her blanket. The drops of water on her skin shone like tiny crystals. She ran straight in his direction and then he looked her in the eye again ... so sad and serious. And even though she wasn't looking at him, they still had the same effect on him. He resisted the impulse to go to her, even though it was exactly what he was up to.


He just didn't want to destroy this picture. At that moment he realized that he was really doing anything but hating her. And he was afraid she would turn him away.


'I'll do it when she sleeps again, she won't notice me, but if this monster lands here, she will be there and can help ...'


But she did not fall asleep again. Piccolo sat motionless on his branch all afternoon, watching her. Arms crossed over his chest and his usually angry look, he almost looked as if he were her bodyguard, inconspicuous and careful.

When she flew home in the evening, he followed her out of sight.


-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------


'What a beautiful day!' she was happy, at least happier than the days before. She was even hungry. When she had showered, she stood in the kitchen and conjured up a feast for herself.


On the balcony she wiped the table and put the cutlery ready.


The next time Piccolo saw her come outside, she had a glass and a bottle of wine in her hand. Next time she brought her plate and a magazine.


During dinner she thought about the afternoon. She had that dream again. But something was different. When she woke up, she had felt something like peace. For the first time in days she smiled. An honest smile.


'Well, I made it through! ', but she couldn't quite believe it.because the thought of Piccolo still gave her the same pang as before.


When she started to eat Piccolo had enough time to look at her. She wore black hot pants and a red tank top. Her hair was still damp and clung to her tanned shoulders.


When the sun was already disappearing on the horizon, Dune cleared the table and retired to the couch with the wine. She watched a comedy and then decided to go to bed.


It was one of those hot nights again. She had opened the window wide and switched on the insect screen. It had been one of the inexpensive ones, one that locked out all kinds of insects but wouldn't keep other living things from entering. What else should want in her bedroom, besides the insects? Her apartment was on the 5th floor and no animal was able to climb the smooth facade of the house.


Piccolo was still sitting on the roof opposite. He had a perfect view of her apartment and had observed that she had gone to sleep about 3 hours ago.He had waited so long to be absolutely sure that she was sleeping too.


Now he flew over to the open window and slid silently through into her bedroom. It was relatively big. There were several wardrobes against one wall with a dressing table in the middle. On the opposite wall was a large double bed. the fluffy carpet rustled softly as he walked towards the bed. The first thing he saw of her was one of her feet peeking out from under the sheet that served as a blanket. A silver anklet glistened in the moonlight on the ankle. The next thing he saw was a small tuft of hair that peeked out from under the sheet at the head end. There was nothing more to be seen. Only the slender features of her body were visible under the sheet.


'I can't get hold of that.' he noted and carefully pulled the covers away from her. She was lying on her stomach, her face turned towards him. The tuft of hair from earlier turned out to be the end of her braid.She was breathing very calmly and he noticed that she looked like a child. Innocent and silent.


'Damn it, I can't open it like that! ', slowly and very carefully he put his hand on her shoulder. A tingling sensation ran through him, which he couldn't explain. He tried to turn her onto her back as carefully as possible and at first she didn't seem to wake up, but then her arm brushed his and the gentle tickling on her skin woke her up.


She was already on her back when she opened her eyes and peered into the darkness. It took a while before she recognized the person who was sitting next to her on the bed and who still had his hand on her shoulder. Startled, she jumped up from the bed and pressed herself against the nearest wall, staring at the intruder.


Piccolo watched her breathe quickly from the adrenaline rush. He could literally feel her fear and confusion.

"What ... what do you want here? Get out of here, I don't want to see you! Go away, please!", But he ignored her words. He had got up and was now walking towards her. It was his only chance. If he didn't do it now, he would never make it. She would be careful.


He kept getting closer and Dune's heart was beating faster and faster. On the one hand because of the shock, on the other hand also because he didn't seem to hear her words. Part of her was happy to see him again, but another part of her screamed in pain.


'What is he up to? Hasn't he done enough already? '


After all, he was so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. She looked into his eyes and there it was, the desire she had felt the last time he had knocked her down. The fear of him was gone. There was only uncertainty and tons of questions.


He looked into her eyes and almost forgot his plan. Finally he put his hand to her neck.The chain shone again. 'A good sign.' he smiled.


How wrong he was. The stone pulsed reddish and the silver heated up more and more. It seemed as if the seal knew exactly what Piccolo was about. When Dune realized what he was up to, she tried to grab his wrist and push away. But he was too strong. She knew exactly what was going to happen and when she said a loud "Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" exclaimed it was already too late. Piccolo had touched the stone and the earth began to shake. A black hole suddenly appeared directly below Piccolo and although he strongly resisted it, he was pulled into it. When he turned his face to her, his expression suddenly softened. "I am sorry!" he whispered before disappearing entirely.


Dune screamed again and with presence of mind raised a hand on the chain and tugged. A jolt went through her body and before the chain landed on the ground, she jumped into the hole and flew after Piccolo.