Dragon Ball Ships Week Day 1: School (K18)
Short story of one of Krillin's (and Eighteen's) most powerful moments in Dragon Ball Super.
And yes, I know it's the wrong day lol
“Momma, where are we going?” Marron, clutched in her mother’s arms, had to yell up into Eighteen’s face to be heard as they hurtled through the sky above the ocean.
“We’re gonna visit Daddy while’s he training with Uncle Goku and Grandpa Roshi.”
“Yay! We’re going to the island, we’re going to the island!”
Eighteen smiled briefly down at her daughter before sighing and looking ahead. She’d felt something off since she’d awoken that morning. At first, she’d dismissed it as needless anxiety at the temporary change in their routine with Krillin gone, but the feeling, a pressure in her chest, had worsened through the afternoon. She remembered vividly just how much damage Goku did to Krillin with a single muffled punch.
And now Krillin is training with that idiot, supervised by another idiot, the lecherous so-called Master.
“Momma, there! There it is!” Marron wriggled one chubby arm free and pointed, and Eighteen swore internally as she hastily adjusted her hold so Marron didn’t plummet into the sea.
“Good eye, Marron! Hold on!”
With an extra burst of speed, Eighteen zipped them above the all too familiar island with it’s egregiously pink little house and pair of palm trees and-
She expected the bald head and turtle shell of Roshi, but was aghast at the presence of a tiny shriveled witch in black next to the old man and the opaque crystal ball they seemed to be entranced by. Scanning the rest of the island and the waters immediately around it, there was no sign of Krillin or Goku.
Something is definitely off here.
Landing silently behind Roshi and the women, she shifted Marron to her side and stepped across the beach. Even as she opened her mouth to speak, the witch turned and looked at her curiously.
“Ah, you must be the wife.”
“Oh! Why hello there Eighteen, wasn’t expecting your lovely-”
Without even adjusting Marron, she grabbed Roshi by the collar and shook him slightly, trying very hard not to cause a scene in front of her daughter.
“Shut up Roshi and tell me where Krillin is!”
“...I’m scared, Goku…” Roshi’s garbled reply was cut off by Krillin’s disembodied voice, shrill with terror, ringing out from the crystal ball.
“Momma...where’s Daddy?” Eighteen’s heart skipped at the sudden fear in her daughter’s voice, and her grip tightened on Roshi.
“Miss, let’s not be hasty. Your husband is alive and in no real danger.” The witch hovered over to her and Roshi, then gestured at the ball. “We were just monitoring the boys’ training.”
What the hell is going on?
“Yeah, l-listen to my s-sister, I did nothing-”
“Did nothing? Aren’t you supposed to be training them, oh master of the Turtle Hermit School of Martial Arts?” The blonde android snarled. Reluctantly and with great effort she released the old man, who promptly scampered around to the other side of the crystal ball. A slight tug on her chest disrupted the growing rage at Roshi within her.
“Momma! Look, I can see Daddy in the crystal ball!” Eighteen’s eyes followed as Marron pointed at the ball floating only a few feet away from them, and sure enough, the short profile of her husband clad in his orange gi stood out in an otherwise gloomy background, blurry shapes moving about.
“Tell me what’s going on, witch.” Eighteen trained her sky blue eyes on the diminutive floating woman next to her.
“Krillin and Goku are currently trapped in the Forest of Terror, a special dimension I created and control with my magic.”
“Yes. They must overcome their own fears and inner turmoil to escape. Take a look!”
Eighteen, still holding Marron, stepped up to the orb and immediately the resolution of the scene improved, revealing Krillin defending himself from attacks by several figures, all too familiar.
Tambourine…
His worst nightmares, his deepest traumas. She’d held him countless times through terrible panic attacks and after waking from vivid dreams where he’d relive again and again those horrifying moments of his life, those moments at the hands of his murderers.
“Daddy, why aren’t you fighting back against those monsters? Daddy?” Marron’s voice had reached a level of shrillness on the verge of tears, and out of maternal instinct Eighteen snapped back out of her own head.
“Marron, Daddy’s going to be ok, this is just part of his training, he’s just planning out his next-”
“Krillin, c’mon man, snap out of it! What’s wrong with you? They’re not real-” The voice of Goku emanated out of the crystal ball right before he appeared next to the paralyzed Krillin in Super Saiyan form and swiftly dispatched the wraiths of Frieza, Buu, and Tambourine. After a moment, Krillin turned away from Goku, and for the first time Eighteen could see her husband’s face.
Her heart almost stopped in her artificially enhanced body at the sheer terror and suffering reflected in his face. No trace of the lighthearted, caring, upbeat, goofy, courageous man remained, just a pale face with beady, blank eyes and creases across his forehead, cheeks, and chin that she’d never seen before.
No! No! Stop this, stop this, stop torturing him-
“I can’t do it Goku. I’m leaving.”
“Leaving? But the fun is just-”
“Fun? FUN? You think this is fun? Well, I’m not like you Goku. You have no idea. Tambourine. Frieza. Majin Buu. They all KILLED ME!” Krillin’s voice broke, and with a raw sob he abruptly flew away.
“Daddy!” Marron screamed and started crying into Eighteen’s shoulder, and the blonde android numbly shifted her once more into a full hug, rubbing her back slowly.
“Honey, it’s ok, Daddy’s going to be ok. He’s going to be ok.”
He’s going to be ok? How is he going to be ok after this? How is this even remotely considered training?
“Stop this! Stop it right now! Don’t you know about all the trauma Krillin has been through?” She tried to control the emotion in her voice as she glared at the floating witch woman. “This is cruel.”
“So you don’t think he can take it?” Roshi said in a low, unusually stern voice from across the circle. Eighteen recognized the tone of his Master persona, saw the setness of his wrinkly jaw, and knew despite all her desire to rage that the old man was dead serious. He wasn’t going to be intimidated with force anymore.
“Don’t patronize me, old man. Why does Krillin need to be tortured like this?”
Slamming sounds and screaming emanated out from the orb, and the blonde glanced back in time to see Krillin thrown against a cliff, then fall semi-conscious into an abyss in the earth.
“Krillin!” She blurted out before seeing Roshi’s smug face and reflexively blanking her face into a scowl.
“Keep watching, Eighteen.”
The orb now showed Krillin’s body washed up alongside what must have been an underground river. Slowly, the short man dragged himself forward, then struggled to his feet. Eighteen’s chest tightened and she subconsciously squeezed Marron a little harder.
“O-o-o-o-ok, Momma.” The blonde child whimpered and sniffled, her pale face blotchy red.
“Ok...now I’m all alone. At least-”
Dark shapes materialized around Krillin and rapidly morphed into more old enemies. The Ginyu Force. Cell. Nappa. Tambourine and Frieza again.
“Damnit, leave me alone!” Eighteen saw her husband clench his fists and adapt a fighting stance, but absolute terror still enveloped his features, the arch of his brows, the rigidity of his jaw, the emptiness of his eyes. It was all she could do herself to not tremble in fear and anger, to not grab the orb and smash it on the ground in the hopes Krillin would just drop from the sky and land awkwardly in the waves just off the beach like when they used to spare here all those years ago.
Why does he have to overcome this? Hasn’t he shown enough times that he’s not a coward?
“Ka-me-ha-meh-a!” Bright light erupted from Krillin (and the orb) and the blast streaked through three Nappas, two Friezas, and aMajin Buu. The shadows dissipated, only to be replaced by more.
“Destructo Disc!” Dozens of glowing discs appeared above him and shot away in all directions, and dozens and dozens of the figures around him disappeared. The walls of the cave shuddered with all the energy impacts, dust and debris enveloping Krillin temporarily in dust. Eighteen leaned forward even more, as if it would help her discern some finer detail of the scene.
Without warning, Krillin’s body flew out of the dust cloud and hit a cave wall, leaving a small crack before ricocheting down into the ground.
Slowly, his orange gi now in tatters and his mouth and eyes bloodied and bruised, Krillin rose unsteadily. Eighteen was about to sigh in relief but stopped herself when she saw his face. Brows narrowed, a smirk that had no right to be that cheeky, eyes that danced with a dangerous determination.
“I think I’ve got it now, Master Roshi. I’m gonna be so pissed if Goku figured this out before me-”. With that Krillin closed his eyes and dropped his guard, hands falling to his sides and unclenching. Eighteen watched him inhale, even as a horde of Friezas rushed him from three directions.
What are you doing, get out of the way! Is he giving up?
Bright light erupted from the orb, then dissipated. Blinking her eyes, Eighteen expected the worst, despite his confidence, despite his words.
“Daddy! Daddy did it! He beat those scary monsters, Mommy! Look!” Marron vibrated in her mother’s arms, hands waving at the orb. The blond android couldn’t help but sigh in relief, a soft smile belatedly and fleetingly crossing her face as she looked through the sphere and saw Krillin standing upright, untouched, and alone in the cavern.
“You did it, Krillin-” She said softly to herself.
“So what were you saying, doubting my training methods young missy?” Roshi’s voice, back to it’s annoying, whiny, and lecherous form, broke her revelry of pride and love for her husband.
“I’m warning you, Roshi. One more word and I’m going to put you out to sea, Master of the Turtle Hermit School or not.”
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