Author's Notes- Hey guys, I've got another story. Now, this isn't my usual thing. If you're a K18 shipper, this story will be rough for you. I'm not trying to troll you guys. In this AU, Goku still fought Cell and everything, but he never became a Super Saiyan. Also, Goku is alive after the Cell games.
I don't own any of the characters or anything.
Bonds Not Broken
"See you in a few months, Goku!" Krillin called to his friend as the ship ascended into the sky.
"Come on, Krillin. We'll see him again when he gets back." Eighteen told him.
Krillin and Eighteen had been together for a few months now. In that time, Krillin had made sure she had a place to live in the Kame house, and he had introduced her to some of his friends. This was the first time Tien or Piccolo had seen her since the Cell games, as they weren't the most social people in the world, and hadn't made an effort to see her or Krillin. And Vegeta obviously wasn't very warm to her either. But Bulma and Chi-Chi had become very close friends with her, and Gohan, Yamcha, and Tien had sparred with her a few times and seemed to respect her.
Goku had been friendly and accepting to her as well. Right now, he was going to a nearby planet to train for five months. He had chosen that planet because the gravity on it was perfect for boosting his power. He hadn't mentioned it to Vegeta though, because Goku didn't want Vegeta to train there and get stronger than him. Krillin was surprised that Goku was just as competitive as Vegeta when it came to their power.
Krillin and Eighteen made their way back to the Kame house. They beat Master Roshi there, so they could spar a little before he got home. He sometimes made lewd comments to Eighteen when she was sweating, so the preferred to spar when he wasn't around.
"Okay, Eighteen. Let's go!" Krillin said with a smirk.
- Two weeks later -
"Krillin, how could you?!" Eighteen screamed at him.
"Eighteen, I didn't do anything!" Krillin defended.
"You were talking to that woman. Your ex-girlfriend!" The blonde woman accused.
"I was just talking! I swear I wasn't doing anything else." Krillin told her.
Eighteen quickly rushed over and punched him in the face. He went flying and eventually skidded across the ground. Shocked, he jumped up angrily.
"How could you do that to me?" The now enraged Krillin screamed.
He retaliated by rushing over and hitting her with a barrage of punches. Then he fired an energy wave at her. She recovered quickly, but she couldn't believe that he had done that.
"We're done, Krillin. Don't ever bother me again!" Eighteen shouted, flying away.
"Fine!" Krillin yelled after her. She had accused him of cheating after everything he'd done for her. She treated him like a criminal. He felt hurt and betrayed.
Eighteen couldn't think of where to go. She had never found her brother, so she couldn't go to him. She ended up flying to Capsule Corporation to speak with Bulma about what happened. She knocked on the door frantically.
Bulma answered. "Eighteen, what's wrong?"
"It's Krillin. He cheated on me!" Eighteen wailed.
"He did?" Bulma asked, shocked.
"And he attacked me when I confronted him about it!" Eighteen continued. Bulma hugged her.
"It's okay. We're still friends." Bulma said. "I'm going to give him a piece of my mind."
Bulma and Eighteen took her airplane and flew over to the Kame house. As they landed, they saw Krillin training himself very hard outside. Bulma got out of the plane and stormed up to him.
"You cheated on Eighteen?!" Bulma shouted at him incredulously.
"No I didn't. She just assumed I did!" Krillin defended.
"But you attacked her!" Bulma accused.
"She attacked me first!" Krillin argued.
"How could you attack Eighteen?" Bulma reprimanded.
"You're on her side?!" Krillin exclaimed. "She's stronger than me. I have to defend myself!"
"You're a jerk, Krillin! You had an amazing woman, and you treated her like this? You know what? You're not invited to come to Capsule Corp. ever again! Eighteen's going to be living there and I'm making sure that you can't bother her!" Bulma shouted.
Meanwhile, Eighteen was gathering all of her belongings. Bulma had given her capsules to use for her stuff and offered her a place to stay at Capsule Corp. She wasn't living here with Krillin anymore.
When she came out of the house, both Bulma and Krillin were red in the face and had angry expressions. She could tell that Bulma had had it out with him. The two women got back on the plane and headed back to Capsule Corp. Bulma assured her that she wouldn't have too many run-ins with Vegeta, so she could relax. Eighteen smiled, happy that Bulma turned out to be a true friend, even after what happened with Krillin.
- One month later -
The rest of the Z-fighters had heard about what had happened between Krillin and Eighteen. Chi-Chi and Gohan were extremely supportive of Eighteen, and had also banned Krillin from their home. Bulma had held a party that was kind of to welcome Eighteen into their circle of friends. Tien and Piccolo even came, though they didn't socialize much. This was actually the only time Eighteen saw them since Goku had left. Tien was polite to Eighteen, but Yamcha seemed reluctant. Yamcha was the only one of them who still talked to Krillin, though Piccolo didn't really talk to anyone, and neither did Vegeta.
About a week after the party, Eighteen was at Chi-Chi's house. She was showing Eighteen some cooking techniques. The two women had gotten surprisingly close in the last month. Eighteen had also spent time with Gohan, as the two frequently sparred. Gohan was a much tougher opponent than Krillin, but Eighteen was okay with that.
"So you don't season the meat until after you've cooked it a little?" Eighteen asked.
"No. Once it heats up, the pores open, and then the seasoning gets down in there." Chi-Chi explained.
"You know a lot about cooking, Chi-Chi." Eighteen complimented.
"Yeah, well, when you have a husband that eats like Goku does, you kind of have to." Chi-Chi told her.
"Those Saiyans sure do eat a lot." Eighteen said.
Chi-Chi sighed. "I miss Goku. He's always like a hero coming to save the day. I remember hearing about how he reacted when Frieza had killed Krillin. Gohan described some Kaio Ken thingy he said Goku did. He's always so protective of his friends. That's what I love about him."
"Let's not talk about Krillin." Eighteen told her.
"Oh, yeah. I'm sorry Eighteen. I still can't believe Krillin did that to you." Chi-Chi said. "Oh look, it's time to season the meat."
Chi-Chi took the meat out of the oven and put some seasoning on it. She had also cooked vegetables, but she used some pretty simple methods to cook those. Chi-Chi fixed a plate for herself, one for Gohan, and one for Eighteen. Goten was too young to consume anything other than his bottle.
Chi-Chi went outside. "Gohan, it's time to eat!"
Gohan came bounding into the house and immediately took a seat in front of a plate of food, digging in. Eighteen sat down and joined him, and after a minute, Chi-Chi did too.
- One month later -
Eighteen was going out shopping with Bulma today. Eighteen didn't really have much money, but Bulma said that the whole trip was on her. After all, Bulma was rather rich, so it wouldn't be a problem for her.
"That looks like a decent clothing store." Bulma said, pointing to the one across the street.
"I don't know, it doesn't look fancy enough." Eighteen said.
"It looks like a place that gives shoppers a good bargain." Bulma responded.
"But you're rich, Bulma. You can afford to go to any store you want." Eighteen told her.
"Shopping is tricky, Eighteen. The most expensive stores don't necessarily have the best clothes. You have to get lucky, because the best stores are kind of like those rare gems that at first seem more like bargain places." Bulma explained.
Eighteen didn't argue with her, and instead followed the blue-haired woman into the store. Immediately, there was one section that caught Eighteen's eye. She silently made her way over there, picking up a dress that she thought looked interesting. She held it up to her for a second before deciding against it.
She wasn't actually much of a dress person. She liked blouses and pants a bit more, as they were easier to train and move around in. Before she knew it, she had three outfits under her arm that she wanted to go to the fitting room and try on.
"Yeah, I thought you might like that section." Bulma said, coming over there.
"I guess you know me well." Eighteen said with a smile.
"Yeah. Well, the fitting room is just to your right if you're looking to try those on." Bulma responded.
She went to one of the fitting rooms and put on the outfit she liked most. She looked in the mirror for a bit before deciding that maybe she should get Bulma's opinion on it. She stepped out and found Bulma not too far away. Bulma looked up and stated her opinion before Eighteen even asked for it.
"Wow, Eighteen. That looks nice." Bulma told her.
She smiled and went back into the fitting room before emerging wearing the second outfit she had picked out.
"That one's… okay. I'm not sure about that top, though." Bulma told her.
Eighteen went back into the fitting room and put on the third outfit. She then came out.
"See, now I think that shirt would go much better with the pants you had on before." Bulma said.
Bulma was so much more helpful than Krillin. He would always just say that everything looked nice on her. He was trying to be nice, but Eighteen found it annoying. Eighteen changed back into her original clothes and came out, deciding that she wanted all three of the outfits. Maybe the other stuff would go good with what she already had.
"Okay, I think I'm ready." Eighteen said.
"Well, I don't think I see anything that I like, so I guess we're done." Bulma said.
The two women then walked up to the counter, and Bulma used her credit card to pay for everything. It was nice to finally have someone else to shop with.
- Two weeks later -
Goku was almost back to Earth from his trip. He was glad he had gotten a lot of training in, but he missed his friends. As the ship entered the Earth's orbit, he began to sense all of the different energy signals of his friends. He felt relieved that no one had hurt them. Once he touched down on Earth, he got out of the ship and stretched. He was hungry, that much was for sure. He would go and see Chi-Chi to get something to eat from her, but he decided that he would see someone else first.
…
It was about an hour after that when the Z-fighters saw Goku approaching them. They were all out in a secluded area, seemingly having a picnic. The group looked up with smiles and excitement when he landed, but oddly enough, Goku didn't return the enthusiasm.
"Goku, you're back!" Yamcha exclaimed, coming up to hug his friend.
"It's good to see you too, Yamcha." Goku said, accepting the hug but only slightly returning it. For some reason, Goku had a dark look on his face which persisted even after Yamcha hugged him.
"It's unusual to see you look so serious, clown." Vegeta stated.
"Yeah, something's not right." Piccolo commented.
"Goku?" Chi-Chi asked.
"What happened with Krillin?" Goku asked seriously.
"He was horrible to a good friend of ours, so we aren't friends with him anymore." Bulma said. "She told us he cheated on her, so we let her move to Capsule Corp. and banned him from there."
"Did you get his side too?" Goku asked Bulma.
"Eighteen said he cheated on her and then tried to fight her back when she hit him. What more is there to get?" Bulma asked him.
"So it's true." Goku said in a low voice. Chi-Chi nodded nervously.
Goku moved his eyes off of Bulma and found who he was looking for, Eighteen. "You."
Eighteen took a step back, worry making its way into her mind.
"Krillin never cheated on you. He never did anything except try to make you happy. He was the one who convinced the others to give you another chance when Vegeta wanted to destroy you. He gave you friends, helped you regain your humanity… and this… is how you REPAID HIM?!" Goku shouted.
"W-what do you mean?" Eighteen stammered.
"You broke his heart and turned his friends against him. WHY?!" Goku raged.
Eighteen got indignant. "He's nothing but an ugly, bald little runt who thought that if he saved me, I had to somehow magically fall in love with him! It's not my fault Bulma and Chi-Chi saw what an asshole he was. I owe him nothing!"
"That 'ugly, bald little runt' is my best friend!" Goku continued to rage. "Eighteen… I cannot… and will not… let you GET AWAY WITH THIS!"
The ground began to shake, and Goku's power began to rise. Little rocks started to float up into the air, and the pupils in Goku's eyes temporarily disappeared. He suddenly threw his head up for just a second, an in that second, his hair stuck up and flashed blonde. A few seconds later he did the same thing again, throwing his head up for a second while his hair stuck up and flashed blonde. He did it two more times before he lifted his head up and let out a rage-filled scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
His hair stuck up, turned blonde, and stayed that way. A yellow aura also surrounded him and his pupils returned, now a teal color. He had become a Super Saiyan for the very first time.
"Yamcha, I know you had no part in this and I don't want you to get hurt. I need you to get out of here before I lose what little reason I have left." Goku told the scar faced young man.
"Okay, Goku." Yamcha agreed, flying away.
"Goku, stop!" Bulma yelled at him with her hand outstretched. Goku suddenly phased in front of her and grabbed her hand in a death grip.
"Krillin told me everything. He's been your friend since we were kids. Why would you do this to him?!" Goku demanded.
"You're hurting me…" Bulma whimpered, trying to pull her arm away.
"ANSWER ME!" Goku insisted.
"I was friends with her… and we're women… sometimes we like to look out for each other…" Bulma told him.
Not even bothering to respond to that, Goku let go of her hand and phased back to where he had been a few seconds ago. He turned to look at Eighteen with an uncharacteristic hate in his eyes. The android summoned her courage and got into a fighting stance.
"Krillin tried to help you and you betrayed him! YOU FOOL!" Goku declared, firing a powerful, angry energy wave at her. Eighteen didn't stand a chance as the energy wave disintegrated her completely.
After that, Goku allowed himself to power down, and his hair fell back down to its original style. He stood still and tried to calm himself down.
"Goku…" He heard Krillin's voice. Goku turned and flew up to his friend, embracing him in a hug. Tears flowed freely from Krillin's eyes. "I thought they all hated me, Goku. I was afraid you would hate me too."
"Krillin, I would never hate you. You're my best friend. I'm sorry I left you to this." Goku said.
"It's okay." Krillin sobbed. "I'm just glad you're still my friend."
Goku let go of Krillin and turned to leave.
"Goku, let's go home now." Chi-Chi said hesitantly. Goku turned and glared at her.
"I'm not coming home with you right now, Chi-Chi. I'm really disappointed in you." He said.
Goku then took to the skies and flew off. He wasn't sure where he would go. Maybe he would see if he could stay with Yamcha or Master Roshi, who had not shunned Krillin while he was gone. If not, he would stay in the wilderness for a bit. He just couldn't go back to his wife right now.
…
It took many months, but eventually, at Krillin's constant pleading, Goku managed to forgive the rest of his friends. Tien and Piccolo hardly visited either the women or Krillin during that time, so Goku didn't have a problem with them. Vegeta never got extremely warm with either Krillin or Eighteen, so Goku couldn't really blame him either. And Gohan was only like that to Krillin based on what his mother taught him, and he was only a child. Goku just had a small talk with his son and everything between them was fine.
It took him much longer to forgive Chi-Chi and Bulma, though. Chi-Chi was his wife and he still loved her, no matter how mad at her he was. She admitted that she was wrong to treat Krillin the way she did, and she apologized to him. Bulma also expressed that she was quick to understand Eighteen more because they were both women, but she knew that it still wasn't right. She apologized to Krillin as well. Krillin forgave the both of them and asked Goku to do the same. At first he had a hard time, but he eventually forgave them and moved back home. Krillin was so forgiving that he had even asked Goku to wish Eighteen back, but Goku couldn't see himself doing that anytime soon.
As for Krillin, he wished he could give her a second chance, though he couldn't deny that he was happy at the time when Goku killed her. But one thing was for sure.
Goku was his best friend. And now he knew that nothing in the world would ever change that.
Author's Notes- So when I said that Eighteen was surprised at how good and loyal of a friend Goku could be, I meant how good of a friend he could be to Krillin. I feel bad about writing this but this had to be done. A lot of you might now know how people feel reading those Krillin bashing stories. Normally, I like Eighteen and wouldn't write a fic like this. But many times, certain authors like to screw Krillin over in their stories, and they transform Eighteen into a monster that becomes a bigger menace to him than Frieza was. And that monster, not the normal Eighteen, is the one that Goku killed in this story. Reviews are appreciated. For this story, I will accept flames.