It Was Good to Have Him Back
Rating:T for suggestiveness.
There was definitely something magical about Mount. Paozu.
The landscape was just as beautiful in the winter as it was in the summer. The once gushing waterfalls were frozen treacherous and jagged in a stark contrast to their usual, cascading beauty, shrubbery wilted and withered under the weight of the weather, and trees stood stiff, stark and naked. Fresh, virgin layers of snow drenched the open glades and carpeted forest the floor, burying the footprints of any animal that dared to venture beyond the safety of shelter.
Krillin inhaled a deep lungful of the brisk, mountain air as he flew high over the peaks, before letting the hot breath swirl from his mouth like smoke from a cigarette. He couldn't help but notice that the exquisite scenery of Paozu was like the perfect, colourful winters painted in Maron's picture books, where reindeers galloped gracefully through the stars and icicles bloomed like climbing ivy trails on silhouetted, picturesque cottages.
…And that would make him the magical Christmas elf, Krillin supposed, a bittersweet smile tugging on the corners of his mouth as he bought his hand up to the centre of his face, scratching the smooth area of skin where his nose ought to have been.
However, despite his missing appendage, it didn't stop the familiar, smoky scent of decimated earth from snaking up his metaphorical nostrils. Concerned, the ex-monk swooped down from his place in the sky and skimmed the snow-capped tree-tops, increasing his speed so the world around him blurred into a swift motion of colour, the bright whites and the dull browns of the slumbering forest smearing together to create rapid backdrop. Krillin was thankful for the soft, choppy curtain of hair that draped protectively over the shells of his red-raw ears, shielding them from the full brutality of the wind as it whipped by.
Swerving his body, he craned his neck to survey the damage. It was just a training ground, an area of woodland turned withered and ugly like an autumn leaf. The ground was burnt, blackened and charred, and a cluster of trees hung limp and lifeless on the earth that once lay so far beneath them.
There was no doubt to who was responsible for this little patch of destruction, and luckily the person behind it meant the mountains no harm. It was only a matter of time before the greedy humans of Capital City rolled in the bulldozers to make room for their ever expanding concrete settlements, Krillin thought ominously. He'd overheard Chi-Chi talking about it once; threatening in her ever present, over exuberant fashion that it would be the only time she would ever take up martial arts again, to use brute force against the steely tanks and business fat-cats out to destroy the forest and mash it into a papery pulp.
Sometimes, it really bothered Krillin to be human.
As if in sympathetic response, the warmth of a subdued, yet still surprisingly strong Ki washed over the atmosphere. Ah, now there was something that made him feel better about the state of the planet. Krillin had missed that Ki, so warm and strong he could sometimes pick up on it, even all the way out on their little island in the middle of the ocean. It always bought a silent smile to the ex-fighter's face, assuring him that the world was just that little bit safer, just that little bit better, because of that distant tingling of energy hidden in the seclusion of the woods. Like the Earth's secret weapon.
Predictably, a goofy grin grew on Krillin's face as he eagerly took flight again, following the energy's trail until a humble house approached over the stretching dome of horizon. It was a black dot situated in a sea of white, leisurely blowing rings from its chimney to keep its occupants toasty and dry. The beloved base camp of just about the finest people the planet had to offer.
The forthcoming family inside weren't parading around streets laced in confetti snow and charging haggard parents for autographs this holiday season, they were huddling together for warmth among forgotten forests, just thankful for the opportunity to spend Christmas together for the first time in seven years. Krillin was pretty sure that Videl must really appreciate spending the holidays with the true champions of the Cell Games.
…Hang on; did Son Goku even celebrate Christmas?
Mentally shrugging, Krillin floated down to the door of the basic capsule house, excited to see his best friend for what would probably be the first and final time over the long winter. Nervously, he smoothed back his raven hair and prayed to God Chi-Chi wouldn't fly into a mood with him for turning up without an invite. Why did he always get so uncomfortable in social situations… he was just visiting Goku, right?
Feigning confidence, the ex-monk pulled back his fist to knock at the door…
Only for it to be wrenched wide open, and Krillin to be greeted with the sight of a half asleep, very dishevelled, and very naked Son Goku.
"Hey, Krillin" Goku yawned, opening his mouth wide and revealing pearly teeth looked much sharper than they ought to be.
Krillin's mouth worked soundlessly for a few moments, before he finally managed to squawk out a greeting and avert his eyes to the floor. He should have been used to Goku's public displays nudity by now, really, he'd had to put up with it enough in the past, way back when they were children. …But it still seemed to catch him by surprise every time. It was just… so… pink.
"Do… do you usually answer the door naked?" Krillin finally mumbled, rolling his eyes and fixing them skyward.
"Naw, I knew it was you."
"Oh, sensed my Ki approaching huh?"
"Oh? What, no. I just looked out the window." Offering his short friend a grin as luminous and sparkling as the snow piled outside of his house, Goku left the door gaping open and padded barefoot into the kitchen, motioning for Krillin to follow. Wistfully, the monk took one longing look to the skies over his shoulder before stepping through the threshold, safely shutting the cold out behind him.
…Perhaps he shouldn't have come here without an invite after all.
Look anywhere but his backside, thought Krillin uncomfortably, swivelling his eyes about the slim hallway. Trying to look more outwardly interested than he actually was, he glanced at all the framed photographs adorning the shabby wooden walls. They were crammed into every possible corner, and appeared to follow some sort of family timeline. Starting at the far end of the hall, next to the battered door of the sitting room, the images displayed the much younger, lithe looking forms of Goku and Chi-Chi nursing a very sturdy looking newborn baby. The most recent edition to the collection was a snapshot of Gohan with his arms placed nervously around Videl, a shimmer of uneasy sweat gleaming across his forehead. Krillin couldn't help but smile knowingly at this.
As the ex-monk trailed into the kitchen, he came face to face with a large, bushy pine tree with its limbs haphazardly whittled down or snapped from its spine. It loomed in the corner of the cramped kitchen. Half of its branches were shoved unkemptly outside of the window to make room for its expansive form, looking as if it were caught in the act of escaping from the household. Its top bent 90 degrees as it reached the shallow ceiling. The tree's only decoration, a homemade Christmas star, covered with gloopy dollops of glitter-glue, was crookedly tied halfway up the top of the tree, SON GOTEN written in wobbly handwriting across its scribbly yellow middle. …It was a strange place to put a Christmas tree, but the kitchen was probably where the small family congregated the most.
Leaning awkwardly against a broken cabinet, its handle twisted under the pressure of fingerprints, Krillin looked on in interest as Goku regarded the toaster like some sort of black magic. He struggled to hold in a chuckle as the Saiyan grabbed the bread from the counter and carefully, very carefully, inserted it into the thin metallic slots. Then, the fighter pushed down the button with excruciating slowness, expelling a breath of relief when the flimsy plastic didn't smash under the unfathomable power of his fingertips.
"You want some?" Goku asked, turning to face Krillin again and looking a little too proud for someone who had just managed to operate the most basic of machinery.
Chi-Chi was deluded if she thought that her husband would ever make it as something more than a wood cutter, speculated Krillin, as the image of Goku at a computer desk drifted into his mind's eye. He could just imagine the comical look of rage on a boss' face as Goku's fingertips mashed the brittle keys of the keyboard one, painfully slow, tap at a time…
Besides, he must have been excellent at current his job anyway. Goku could chop down in minutes what most men struggled to chop down in hours. … And Saviour of the Universe probably wasn't a bad hobby to keep on the side, either.
After politely refusing the offer of breakfast, or lunch, as Krillin noted the clock striking 1:45, a silence settled over the pair. Goku yawned widely and began untangling the knots his tousled mane with practised patience, whilst Krillin peered at the floor and counted the expertly shining kitchen tiles. After what seemed a small eternity, the abrupt DING! of the toaster resonated through the noiselessness, and Goku eagerly scooped the golden bread from the metal casing, letting light crumbs sprinkle carelessly to the floor. Even Krillin had to wince at that; poor Chi-Chi, after becoming a father himself he was honestly starting to appreciate more and more her constant mopping up after everybody.
"So, ur… where are the kids?" It was a question posed both out of curiosity and a ditch attempt to make conversation. Usually, when Krillin knocked on the door of the Son household, Goten rushed from the staircase bowled towards him at a superhuman speed.
"Oh, well, Goten is spending some time in West City over the holidays with Trunks and Bulma, which is good for him, because he hasn't seen all that much of anyone outside the family recently." Krillin didn't even know how Goku got Chi-Chi to agree to that one. "And Gohan is out over the weekend because of some dinner-dance thing at school… something about Videl and… I don't really get it."
Outwardly shrugging, Goku took an all encompassing chomp of his toast, chewing it thoughtfully. Contemplatively, he started off into the distance, with a look that with very foreign to his usually plain, open facial expressions.
Something was definitely up around here, today. Krillin had never known the house to be so quiet.
… Where was the shouting? Where was the clattering and breaking of furniture, emitting its final death-throws as it splintered to the floor? Where was the scampering and scuffling of Goten's feat as he ran riot through Chi-Chi's spotless sitting-room?
Apprehensive, Krillin craned his stubby neck and followed his friend's eye line until he realised what the much taller of the two was staring at.
It was another framed photograph of the family, well, three quarters of it. Chi-Chi and a very gangly, awkward looking teenage Gohan sat together on a ragged picnic blanket, surrounded by luscious pelts of the quivering, blonde grass of summer. Smiles beamed like rays of sunshine through their rosy, flushed faces, and a bulging picnic basket was placed by their sides, filled to the brim with Chi-Chi's expert cooking, the dishes inside fried and diced and boiled and wrapped with love. An unmistakable, sleeping baby lay curled into his mother's lap, tufts of jet-black hair poking from the blankets he was swathed in, and a peachy cloud of thumb lurked in the corner of the photograph, no doubt the Ox-Kings.
"… Gohan is here less and less recently, so it's just me and Chi in the house for a while." Goku finally continued, in a tone barely above a whimper. "I guess it's nice in a way, we have a lot of catching up to do."
A pang of heavy, misplaced guilt lurched painfully in the pit of Krillin's stomach. Goku's misty eyes held a look of remorse, a rare paternal instinct dissipating the cobwebs of morning and clouding over their usual, lively twinkle.
"Oh, Goku…" Krillin murmured, beginning to panic. Fretfully, he turned over in his mind the most tactful thing to say next.
This situation was odd. Odd and uncomfortable.
… You did what you had to do Goku, you know that. … At least Chi-Chi's mellowed out since then, right? … They've missed you too, you know, so much. … You're here now, aren't you? Isn't that what you said matters most, here and now? … Goten idolised you, even though you were just a story to him.
Biting back the words of all the above, Krillin finally managed to do what he infamously did best when faced with tension laden situations, unsure of how to cope with the heavy atmosphere. "They should really invest in cameras for giants, huh?" He nodded knowingly to the obvious block of thumb lurking in the corner of the photograph like a cloud of doom.
It was an odd joke, quite misplaced, but it was Krillin's awkward way of way of letting his best friend know that he was there for him, should he ever need him to be. Perhaps Goku needed other people to rely on after all.
Suddenly perking up and giving his trademark cheerful, good-natured chuckle in agreement, Goku met Krillin's eyes and quirked his lips up in understanding. An expression that spelled out plainly: "I love you too, man."
Geeze, it was almost like a cheesy romantic moment, or something.
"GOKU! WHO WAS THAT? COME BACK TO BED ALREADY!" an irritated and sleepy voice rang from upstairs. Now there was a familiar tone universally recognised at the Son residence. If Krillin had any inkling of doubt he that shouldn't have come out here uninvited before, now he really wished he'd stayed on relative the safety of Roshi's beaches.
… Wait... wait a second. Back to bed. BACK TO BED?
Oh, sweet Kamicolo. Dende above!
"Ur, look, Goku. I'm sorry if I –ahem- woke you, I'll just-" Krillin garbled out hurriedly, whirling his eyes about the room and seriously considering joining the tree in trying to duck out the window in humiliation.
"Hey, don't be silly!" Goku beamed warmly at his friend, "It's KRILLIN!" he boomed confidently, saying his name like it was a welcome ray of sunshine on a blustery day.
There was a pause that stretched for infinity. Chi-Chi was clearly deciding to either accept the fact that her private morning in bed with her husband had been sabotaged, or to scamper down the stairs and physically remove Krillin from the premises herself.
"…I'LL BE DOWN IN A SECOND!"
… At least she was taking the time to put some clothes on.
Trapped, and dying a little on the inside, Krillin voiced timidly "Aren't you two usually up at some insane time in the morning?"
"I had a long night." Goku smiled around a bite of toast, a smug look plastered all over his face and wearing a thin lipped, sweet sort of smile.
Krillin wilted in embarrassment, a cold bead of sweat slowly snaking down the back of his head. Now he didn't know whether to be mortified that Chi-Chi was descending, or relieved.
Creak, Creak, Creak…
The old, swollen wood of the floorboards protested as the she slowly descended the stairs, no doubt wielding her signature frying pan. Emerging from the hallway, her slippered feet shuffled into the kitchen. She offered Krillin a small, sincere smile as her silent greeting, and Krillin let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Luckily, she wasn't about to fly into a rage. Her frazzled hair was woven quickly in a fat, loose plait that trailed down the length of her back, instead of her usual professional bun, and her cheeks were flushed with healthy, rosy glow.
… Gosh, those two were like newlyweds, or something.
"Toast?" she offered Krillin, her face buried in the fridge and sorting through the rich abundance of food for a slab of butter.
It was only a matter of time before she turned around and noticed the pink spectacle Krillin had been facing (or trying not to face) all afternoon. He took sight of the signs he had learnt so well over the years: slightly clenched jaw, raised eyebrows, balled fists…
Krillin braced himself for the oncoming onslaught.
"GOKU! PUT YOUR DAMN CLOTHES ON!"
Horrified, she whirled around and snatched at what was left of Goku's half-eaten toast, slamming it down on the counter in a motion that was almost too fast to follow. Despite being groggy with sleep, her motions were fluid and slick as she easily plucked the snack from her husband's fingers. Krillin had always suspected that if Chi-Chi hadn't given up her training in favour of rocking the cradle, she would be one hell of a martial artist.
A throbbing, purple vein protruded prominently from her forehead as she vigorously buttered the toast, face flushing bright burgundy with embarrassment.
"Honey," she said sweetly, plastering a sickly grimace on her face and sugar-coating her words to sound as fake and syrupy as she could muster. "We have a guest. Go and get dressed."
Her tone sort of made Krillin want to wet himself.
"Aw, but, Chi, what's the poi-"
"Now." She slammed the razor sharp knife down on the counter, causing the ex-monk to flinch and back away in what could only be called an absentminded reflex.
"But you promised tha-"
"NOW!" She shouted, before lowering her voice to a chill that matched the ice of the wind outside. "Son Goku," she hissed "We. Have. Guests."
Goku slumped his broad shoulders and hung his head, sloping out of the kitchen in defeat. Cheekily, he plucked the toast from his wife's slender fingers and popped it into his mouth as he passed her, sprinkling yet more fat crumbs over the once spotless floor.
Keeping a low profile, Krillin watched as the glowering spiders legs arching above Chi-Chi's eyes softened in what could only be called an expression of affection. Trying to mask her smile, her eyes greedily slipped down to husband's behind as he ascended the stairs. Satisfied, she grabbed the left over-pieces of arid toast and bit into them, her hand carefully cupped beneath her chin and a healthy glow of adoration tinting her cheeks.
Krillin didn't blame her for looking, to be honest. In all truthfulness, he had missed the sight of Goku's ass too.
… It was good to have him back.
Well, there you go. Just a short, silly one-shot, not to be taken too seriously and set in the winter after Buu's defeat. It's not usually my style, but I had a lot of fun writing about Krillin, who has to be one of my favourite characters. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.
(I couldn't be trusted with the responsibility of owning Dragon Ball.)
Unbeta'd
- Diplodoco