Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Dragon Ball/Z/GT. All rights belong to their respectful owners/writers.
What Kind of Love?
She was as distant as the ocean spread across the planet, confused and lost. It was as though no one understood her in the world, not even her own husband. In the past several weeks, she starting to part and push away every one she had to come familiar with.
Out of habit, she pushed a few strands of hair away from her face while the stars glowed upon her pale face. Gently, she leaned her shoulder against the palm tree that rested against the shoreline. Subconsciously, she rubbed her opposite arm slowly while in deep thought.
There was a slight, chilly breeze that spread across the sea today. It was the only thing you could hear besides the soft crash of the waves. Or, as though she thought.
So lost in thought, she didn't even hear the stranger approach her. When he called her name, she naturally jumped.
"What do you want?" Her tone was cold, a habit she had broken for awhile now.
"Would you like to come inside now?"
Her head whipped around to face him; she bared her teeth. "I told you to leave me alone. I will come inside when I feel like it."
His face instantaneously revealed a mixture of hurt, sadness, and betrayal. "I-I just don't want you to be cold out here. You can warm up downstairs so you don't have to deal with me." He lay down a hand on her shoulder. "Please, hun?"
Her face fell on the shoulder that was being comforted. As much as she wanted it on her, she shook it off. "I will come in when I want to. Leave, now." With only the moonlight giving any sort of illumination, she still noticed the pair of glossy eyes stare back at her. "I said leave!" she snapped as she turned her focus back towards the ocean, causing her back to turn against her husband.
She couldn't help but to look over her shoulder as he walked in depression towards the house whom they shared with the aging Turtle Master.
A silver tear rolled down her cheek. "Krillin..."
"Is she coming in?" The retired master asked as he barely peeked over his magazine. "She's been out there for hours now; can't be healthy."
Krillin sighed as he grabbed a glass of tap water and nervously drank it. In between a gulp, he responded with a "I really don't know anymore." As he finished it, he slammed it against the counter, almost shattering it. "I should have never married her. Ever since reunion, she's been growing distant from me as if she never loved me." The retired monk began to shed his own tears. "I just want her old self back...the one I married."
Roshi gave his undivided attention as soon as he heard his former student start to sob. He even threw his favorite magazine down on the table to comfort him. "Krillin, have you tried just giving her some affection? I've noticed she creates an iron barrier around her when she's hurt and distressed, but I know all she want is you." He rested a hand on his shoulder which made Krillin wince a bit. "You're the only in the world that she trusts with her very existence. Think of all the people she has been betrayed by, yet you can still come through to her."
"I think the old man is right for once," came a gnarled voice. "Something is obviously up with the babe, you need to try to get through to her."
Krillin wiped away the newly shed tears into his arm and attempted to sober up. "Alright, I will try."
"That a'boy!" As soon as Krillin left, he gave a thumbs up to Oolong. "See? This old man has some wisdom in him still."
"Ugh, please. Everyone was thinking it."
For a moment, he was mesmerized with the woman before him. She looked so sad and distant. He sighed, "here goes nothing."
Again, she didn't even notice him approaching her. He did the daring and just wrapped his muscled arms around her. She gasped, and immediately turned towards him. She didn't even mind that her tear-soaked face was exposed to him.
She hugged him back naturally and rested her head on top of his head. She tried to hide the tears, but it was no use. Though, something happened suddenly. Krillin was now unconscious on the ground. Slowly, Eighteen retrieved the hand that knocked him out.
She knelt down, and let him rest on his back. "I am sorry, Krillin" she whispered. "I have to go." She stroked his cheek ever so gently and studied his face for the last time. "Good bye, Krillin."
She took off in the night hoping to leave forever.
Leaving behind wasn't easy; she could barely fly straight with all of the thoughts running through her head. There was only one direction to where she would be accepted with non-judgmental thoughts. She sped up as soon as the ocean was out of view from her peripheral vision.
The tears still came; no matter how hard she tried to stop them, it would just worsen. She couldn't even recall the last time she cried this hard. Her head ached, her heart was torn, and her stomach rejected everything she tried to consume.
This was the way it had to be, though.
She couldn't accept the fact of rejection to her face, so she simply had to leave. No doubt about it.
The wood-line approached. It was so dark, she could only use the stream's reflection of the moon for light. Her stomach felt like it was in knots; she was close. He would love her unconditionally, so there was no worry there.
She dived down through the brisk air as she spotted her destination.
A knock on the door which was answered by someone in complete shock. "What? What are you doing here?"
"Juunanagou...I need a place to stay."
An absurd alien-like silence came between them. "Come in," he finally spoke.
His chest felt like it was getting... poked? He squeezed his eyes tighter only to feel that poking sensation. "What is that?" he asked himself.
Finally, after getting that sensation again, his eyes open. "What is that?" He was suddenly blinded by the sun's harsh rays causing him to shut again. "Where am I? What happened?"
"M'boy, you have been sleeping out here since last night. I am concerned for you," came a familiar voice.
He slowly opened his eyes to get them used to the sun. His master was hovered over him, ready to poke him again with his cane. "How did I get out here?" he asked shading his eyes. "Was I drinking or something?"
Roshi moved his sunglasses a bit down so he could witness his face a little better. "No, you weren't drinking, at least I don't think so, but you did decide to sleep out here last night and wake up around noon."
"Noon?" He jumped up immediately looking around for his wife. The only signs of life was the talking turtle, Master Roshi, and himself. "Where? Where is she?" He jumped up on his feet to get a clear look around the island. "Where is she?"
"I thought you would know. You were out here with her last night..."
He started to breathe heavily and panic. "She's gone, isn't she? She finally left?" He fell to
his knees and started to cry. "This is all my fault! I should have never married her..." He gripped his hair in frustration. He just wanted to rip it out from his scalp.
He didn't have a response to his former student's statement. "Come inside."
She just laid there, sprawled upon her brother's bed. He stared at her curiously wondering what was eating at her so much for the past week. "Sis, do you want to talk yet?"
"Leave me alone," she mumbled into the comforter.
Juunanagou sighed. "Maybe a hot bath would calm your nerves?"
"I said leave me alone."
"At least a shower?"
"Fine!" she snapped. "If it will get you to shut up." She shot up from the bed and headed towards the door that her brother currently occupied. He stretched out an arm to deny her access.
"Hold up. What's gotten into you? Why are you yelling at me when I just offered you a bed to sleep on and a place to stay? A thank you would be nice," he stated. She tried to advance through the door, but his arm quickly denied her access. "I asked you a question."
"It's complicated," she growled. She tried pushing past him, but was overwhelmed by his strength.
He gave her a smirk. "Did you cheat on baldy?"
"No!" she gave a final push and managed to pass him. He didn't go after her or anything, just just simply stood with his arms crossed upon his chest. "What's her problem?" he asked himself. He only shrugged it off and retreated back to the couch.
She stayed in her bed for the rest of the day, once again, lost in thought. Finally, she slowly rose from the bed to look at the the full body mirror. She stared at herself for a good five minutes without moving.
She took a good look and noticed how cold and unconcerned it was. It reminded her off the old days where she didn't care for a single person but herself.
"What have I become?" she asked herself slowly. "I have a become a monster."
She placed her hands on her abdomen as her eyes started to water again. Ever so gently, she lifted up her baggy black shirt to reveal its true contents. A slight, very noticeable bulge was evident. Her eyes immediately softened as she stared back at her own reflection.
Without much thought, she began to softly massage it. A smile crept up on her face.
She looked down at it once more and sighed. "What should I do?"
"You haven't told him yet, have you?"
She immediately jumped and pulled her shirt down. "What the fuck, Juunanagou? Can't I have my own fucking privacy?" She whipped around to see him leaning up against the door frame with a grin on his face.
His grin became deeper as he approached her. "You're scared, aren't you?"
She looked down at her feet. "No."
"I think you are a liar."
She growled, "What makes you think I am so scared?" Her fists balled up to her sides.
Looking up, Juunanagou thought about something. "Well, you know, that explains a lot about you lately." His eyes shot back on to her face. Where you a bitch to Krillin, as well?" Without much reaction time, he barely dodged a blow to the cheek by her. She attempted again, but he merely grabbed her fist, pulled her down, and locked her arm behind her.
"You need to stop this," he demanded. "Your emotions are way out of proportion."
"And what do you know about emotions?" she sneered while staring at the floor. She tried to break the arm lock, but failed.
"Enough to know that you are being a psychotic maniac, right now." He let go of her arm. Instead of her twisting around to hit him again, she just fell to the floor and wept. "It doesn't feel good to have others treat you the way you have been treating him, is it?"
When it was a very audible sob, he sighed and knelt down to massage her back. "I...I don't want to lose him," she whimpered.
Juunanagou sighed, and helped her up onto the bed. He let her stay crying into her palms for a good minute before finally speaking. "You know, I really didn't like him at first. Actually, I wished death upon him."
Juuhachigou let an eye peek out to give him a deadly glare.
"Hey I said I used to. That was before I realized how happy he made you. I mean, I was sort of jealous over the relationship you guys had. Let's see..." He scratched his chin trying to come up with the right words. "I wished I had you like he does. It just slapped me in the face because you left without much notice."
"I am sorry," she mumbled.
"No need to be. I quickly learned we needed to live our own lives. You wanted to become one of them and I'd rather have the single life away from anyone. There was no need to drag you into that." He grinned to himself. "I leave you for just a bit, and now I am becoming an uncle. Would you look at that?"
Juuhachigou looked up from her palms to see a grinning brother. She couldn't help but grin herself.
Without warning, he poked her stomach. "How far along are you?"
She shrugged. "I don't know...maybe four months."
He quickly cocked an eyebrow. "Seriously? You've been keeping the secret from him that long?"
She just stared down at the wooden flooring instead of replying; a veil of shame came across her face.
"Enough of this," he said and gave her a slight hug. "C'mon sis, let's go for a walk and figure this out, okay? I won't judge you or cue ball, I promise.
She shot him a glare.
"Krillin...Krillin, alright? Sor-rey."
"Do you have any idea where she has gone?"
He looked down on the floor in shame. "Yes. I think she went back with her brother."
She balanced her toddler on her lap as she adjusted herself on the couch. "What did you do to her to make her want to just go?"
"I didn't do anything!" he snapped causing Goten to whimper. "Sorry. It's just that she started to distance herself from me after the wedding. She seemed so happy before hand, but now..."
"So ditch the bitch," came a harsh reply.
"Vegeta!" everyone said in unison.
"Can I we go now, woman?" he asked out of boredom. "I am sick of sitting around bickering around about baldy's sex life."
Bulma stomped up towards him. "Actually, I was hoping you would go with Gohan to find her. Maybe you two can find what is up and convince her to come back for Krillin, he worried."
"Hmph."
A tiny tug pulled on Bulma's pants. "Mom, Juuhachigou isn't here, is she?"
She stared down at her almost five son who was looking up anxiously at her. "No, why?"
"Phew, I thought she was going to chase me again. Last time I made her really mad." Bulma cocked an eyebrow. "Why did she chase you down?"
Trunks instantly put his hands behind his back and dug the tip of his boot into the wooden floor. "Well, I sort of broke into her room and stole her bra and put it on and make girly noises to make Goten laugh. She caught me and chased me down ready to kill me."
Vegeta threw his hands up in the air and left the room. Everyone else fell into a ball of laughter, including Krillin. In the middle of the laughter, Gohan spoke up. "Guys, I know where Juunanagou lives!"
Everyone paused and focused their attention on Gohan. Chi Chi was the first to speak up. "Honey, what are you talking about?" The room fell silent waiting for a reply.
"Well, I was training awhile back in the woods by our house and saw him outside. He lives not too far away from us. I even trained with him one day!"
Chi Chi looked confused at her son's reply. "And you waited to tell me until today?"
He chuckled a bit while nervously scratching his head. "Well, I didn't want you to get mad at me for training instead of studying like you wanted me to." He scratched his head a bit more. "If you want, I can talk to him!"
"Alright!" Krillin cheered. "I should come with-"
"That's not a good idea," replied Bulma. "She obviously wants her space for now. Gohan can talk to her if she's there. You need to stay back, though. Something is bugging her for her to distance herself from you. No need to invade her space."
His head fell. "Well, alright."
"Then it's settled." Bulma slammed her fist into her palm with a grin.
"We've never spoken about children," she finally spoke. "Not only that, I have never considered it. Honestly, the idea scares the Hell out of me."
"Hmm."
"Strange, isn't it? In the other time-line we were considered cold-hearted killers and in this one... well, you know."
"Making babies and becoming housewives?" He chuckled only to get a fist slammed into his arm. "Ouch, that didn't tickle you know," he stated as he rubbed his arm up and down.
She glared at him. "Can you at least refrain from making retarded comments like that for a moment."
"Alright, in all seriousness then, why don't you just tell him? What's the worst that can happen, he leaves you? You already left him."
He did have a point. Although she was afraid of rejection, she was nothing but a hypocrite for rejecting him. A simple point she never contemplated. "I..." She was lost for words. Shame once again shot pain in her chest.
"You know you are not going to be able to handle your 'situation' on your own. Talk to baldy, you may be surprised."
"GUYS!"
The both stopped dead in their tracks to look up to see a grinning teenager.
"I found you!"
"This is not the time..." Juuhachigou mumbled to herself.
Gohan lowered himself to the ground with a grin ear to ear. "I thought it was you guys. I went to the house but you weren't there... then I thought I felt Krillin, but it was only you. Kind of strange..."
"Oh, that's because she's knocked up with his kid."
Instantly, the color in Juuhachigou's face drained and her mouth remained open. Quickly, anger came over her and she punched her brother again in the same arm. "I told you to stop that!" he growled at her.
She focused her attention on the young boy. "What are you doing here? Why are you following me?"
Of course, he was speechless. "Th-th-the others are worried about you and wanted me to look for you. Oh wow, a baby? Krillin never told me about that! Oh wow, that's awesome! Can I come over and play with him? Or maybe it is a her?"
"Silence!" She bared her teeth and made fist. "Krillin doesn't know!" she yelled. Everyone fell silent to let the estranged cyborg calm down. Her eyes fell between both Gohan and her brother. "Now, if you don't mind, I need to get back with my husband. I swear to God, if anyone follows me-"
"Don't worry sis." Juunanagou grinned. Gohan merely nodded.
"You've been a lot of help, brother, but I must be going now. Thank you." She pushed off the ground, leaving the others by themselves.
The sun started to retreat into the darkness, leaving the sky a dark orange. One lone figure sat on the beach with little hope. What was normally his wife's spot, he now occupied feeling a sense of comfort. Only a week has passed but he felt a piece of him was now missing.
He brought his legs up to his chin and let his head rest upon them. He cried too much this week to continue. So dehydrated from crying, his lips were more than chapped and his eyes were reddened. Someone could easily mistaken him as an alcoholic.
Spontaneously, a pair of hands encompassed his cheeks and brought his face towards her. Juuhachigou locked him into a deep kiss, forcing him to drop to the sand below them. She finished and pulled away to allow herself to lay on top of him. "I am sorry," she whispered.
He stroked her hair ever so carefully. "I was worried about you. I thought you left," he chocked. "I didn't know if was ever going to see you again."
"I will never leave again," she stated nuzzling her head into his chest further. "I love you," she whispered into his ear. He brought upon a tight embrace around her. It felt like he held on to her to make sure she never left again.
They laid like that in silence before she finally spoke up. "I have something...something to tell you, Krillin." He could feel the tears gathering on his shirt. As he feared, something was definitely wrong. His heart felt as though it sank into his stomach.
"Just say it."
She took in a deep breath before revealing the news. "I'm pregnant, Krillin. I have been pregnant for awhile, but I was too afraid that you would leave me. I'm sorry."
He instantly shot up while holding her still. "What? What did you say?"
She looked down into the sand in shame. Her body felt as though it was going to give out before her.
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
Again, disappointment flooded her veins. She knew she should probably leave at that moment before she heard the words...
"I love you so much, Juuhachigou!" Squeezing her tighter and placing a kiss on her cheek. She just looked back at in awe. "You're not mad?" she asked.
"Mad! Why would I be mad?" he asked as he brought her up onto her feet to spin her around in a circle. She smiled down at him and embraced him further.
They remained like that until the sun finally went down.