Human Feelings
It was strange for her to feel like this. She never had the chance to know that feeling before and now, actually having it - it made her confused. It was not as if she did not understand it. Her used-to-be robotic mind gave her all the knowledge of the world, so she actually understood what was going on. What she did not understand was why it actually hit her.
No, not hit her. Hm… How to put it? Maybe, how in god's name was it possible that she actually was able to feel something like this?
She does actually understand the basics and she kind of knows how it came to all this, but…
Why!?
She thought that she might be able to get to live a new life in kind of a normal way, but then her mind had to start to play tricks on her.
She knew that all this was happening just because he was one of the few people she had contact with after Cell games and she knew that if she only were not that alone and lonely like she is, she would not think about him that much.
It could have been anybody actually; but it just so happened that he was one of those people she got to know first and that he was one of those people who were really nice and friendly and helpful and for-god's-sakes decent. Not that she was looking for someone decent (or not decent) but – she was obviously not a saint herself – being an ex-killer machine and such…
But now, having no titanium or micro-chips in her body and not needing any kind of technological means to stay 'on' – and having a human body with veins with blood and all that – she started to even behave like a human; you know, having feelings and such…
She knew that it was because she was lonely that she felt like this. She was living alone in a small house in a small town that was more a village, where she worked as a computer technician in a local company. Being the ex-android, she had the knowledge for computer science and all and with the help of these few people she got to know during the fight against Cell, she even got the fake papers that proved her actually non-existent schooling.
At first she did not believe that she would be able to work with people – she was not used to be all nice and hard-working, but her strange human-features that developed right after she became flesh and blood, made her all that. She had no problems with talking to people and she had no problems with doing someone a favour. People she worked with liked her because she was not only very smart, but also beautiful. The only problem was that she still gave away a strange feeling that made many a little scared of her. She was a perfect woman. Too perfect. That is why her social life was practically non-existent.
She got up in the morning, ate breakfast, went to work, had lunch with her co-workers, went back to work, got home at four in the afternoon, walked her dog, went jogging in the evening, ate dinner and went to bed.
That was all she did. Alone.
So no wonder that she thought about the only people she knew beside her co-workers. The old perverted man, the same perverted pig, the mother-like tortoise, the scar-face playboy, the blue-haired girl, the Saiyans and the short baldy.
She called him baldy because he simply did not have hair. Well, the last time she saw him, he started to grow some hair, but he will always remain baldy for her. He was the one who insisted to help her build a new life. She knew why he did it, but she did not know why she started to think about him so much as he seemed to think about her.
She knew about his feelings for her, although she was not sure what caused them. He was just to open and whatever he was thinking was written all over his face. Blushing, stuttering and trembling were features that he showed whenever he saw her and were pretty much the indication of him fancying her.
And at first she was annoyed by all this. She knew that she was sexy and for men who ever noticed her since she was a human, she was just that – sexy. Not cute, not pretty, not just nice or understanding; she was sexy; she was the definition of men's fantasies. And thinking that baldy, the short and nice man felt the same as any other men in the world for her, made her really annoyed.
But then, his reactions were different form others.
He did not play shy. He actually was really clumsy when it came to things like these. He never played nice – he just did all these things for her because he wanted to. And he did not even want anything in return.
Well, nothing material. She knew that what he actually wanted was not only her, as for physical needs, but also her, as for being with her. Having her whole. He did not just want sex. He wanted to hold her hand and tell her things about himself. He wanted her to talk to him and tell him what she felt, what she wanted, what she needed. She knew that he wanted more than any other man did.
And as much annoyed she had been at the beginning, she could not deny that she liked the thought now. Being with him.
Maybe he was not that good-looking and maybe he was a little too inexperienced, but why would she ask for more? She knew that she was a perfect being; her android-self made her physically strong and good-looking and her human-self made her a female. And it was the female that did not want perfection. She wanted the warmth that she was lacking her whole robotic life.
And he was willing to give it to her.
Maybe this was the reason she was thinking about him so much. Because he made sure to let her know what he was offering – in a clumsy way, but he at least he was not afraid of all these mushy things many others seemed to be.
She remembered how he found her, not long after defeating Cell. She was wandering through cities, stealing food that she started to need and tried to figure out how to continue her human life. She was sitting on a bench in a park one day, when she felt his presence.
''How in the world did you find me?'' she had asked him, when he came flying down and stood in front of her.
''You still give off enough energy for me to feel it.'' He had answered and she thought that he was about to sit down next to her, but all he did was stand in front of her, suddenly blushing and trembling like a child.
''What do you want from me?'' she asked him annoyed, wishing he would leave her alone. Her blonde hair grew a little longer and her clothes were far from clean, now that she had nothing technological in her body that would automatically refine her. Her jeans were cut here and there and her white T-Shirt was mostly black.
''I- I just want to help you…'' Krillin stuttered, suddenly not knowing how to behave in front of her.
She rolled her eyes, stood up and was about to fly off, when he stopped her.
''Eighteen.'' He had called. ''I really want to help you. When you'll be standing on your own two feet, I will leave you be – in case you will want me to.''
It was not what he said that left her speechless, but the way he said it. All those feelings he put into his words.
When he brought her to Master Roshi, she was informed, not that subtly, by the pervert and the playboy that baldy had been looking for her for quite some time now and that all he was talking about had been her-little-self. This made her a little more trusting towards him and it all paid off. He found her a home, far away from crowds of people she so much detested and his blue-haired friend created her human identity that enabled her to get a job.
Since then; it had been less than a year; she lived a normal life and baldy came often to pay her a visit. Not a normal visit like normal people would do – when he came by, the first thing they did was having a fight to test their physical strength. It was like – he came over and instead of saying hello, they just started to throw punches and kicks and so on, until they got hungry.
She was not really sure when this ritual began. The first time he visited her after she found a job, he was all shy and scared that she was going to kick him out of her life now that she got what she needed. He was stuttering and all she was able to do was laugh. When he noticed that she seemed happy with him being there, he laughed with her. It got awkward after that so he bid her goodbye.
The second visit was strange because she was pissed off for not being able to have a good fight from time to time – fearing to lose her strength she so much loved. She was throwing things around her backyard and letting her anger out when he came around. He wanted to know what was going on and she just threw a punch at him – which he obviously dodged, but somehow this was the beginning of their little ritual.
After that, the visit always started with a few punches.
He was such a compliant person. Maybe adaptable would be a better word.
He did all this just for her. Just to make her life a little easier for her.
She knew she liked him in a way from the beginning. But she did not know that her feelings became so much stronger since then.
And now, sitting in front of one of the company's computers, working on some new program, her mind was not able to kick baldy out of her head. She sighed in frustration, making a few of her co-workers glance at her in confusion. They did not know what was going through her mind. They never knew what she was thinking. She was not much of a talker. She was nice and she smiled at them, but that was all she gave them. So no one really knew anything about her confusion.
The company's phone rung at Eighteen's desk and she picked it up automatically, not really paying attention to anything around her.
''Capsule Corporation Aiko District. Eighteen on the phone. How can I help you?'' she immediately greeted into the phone, still staring at the computer screen and trying to concentrate.
''Hey, Eighteen! It's Bulma! How are you?'' Eighteen blinked in confusion when she realized who was calling her.
''Hey boss… I'm quite alright, thank you. How can I help you?'' Eighteen replied politely and sighed, realizing why the older woman was calling her.
''Not so formally girl.'' Bulma laughed into the phone and made Eighteen smile. ''You know why I'm calling, do you?'' the blue-haired asked the ex-android and made her flinch.
''Do we really have to go through this again?'' the blonde-haired woman asked, ignoring her android-self that was a second before mind-explosion.
''I'm sorry, but… I really don't want to anger you. And I know that no one can make you do things you don't want, but I know that you're not indifferent anymore. Why do-''
''I decided to do it.''
''…Wh- you- really?!'' Bulma screamed into her ear and made Eighteen pull the phone a little further away. A few of her co-workers tried to stifle their giggles.
''Yeah… I think I kind of can do it now…'' Eighteen told Bulma and blushed slightly.
''Fucking finally! I thought that there's no hope for you!''
''I told you last time that I needed to think about it.''
''Yeah well, your thinking continued for some time now and I started to feel sorry for Krillin.''
''I won't survive this…'' Eighteen groaned, rolling her eyes.
''Of course you will. Just let him know already.''
Eighteen sighed. ''I really don't understand you humans. And I don't understand all this; it makes my mind go all fuzzy and strange. It's really strange.''
''I know how you feel.'' Bulma told her. She would tell her daughter the same if she had one. She did not know yet that that was about to happen in the future. ''But this will all go away in a good way once you tell him. It's as simple as that.''
The blonde went through her hair with her hand and sighed again. ''As simple as that. I hope you're right cuz' if not I'm gonna blow this program.'' She playfully threatened her and both women laughed.
''Yeah yeah, he's coming by today, you know?'' Bulma casually commented.
That made Eighteen's heart jump into the sky. ''What!? Today? I'm not ready today! I can't do that today!'' she exclaimed into the phone, not realizing that her co-workers became quite amused at her phone-talk.
''Don't be such a baby. You're an ex-android. You were a killer machine not so long ago and now you're trying to tell me that a confe-''
''But this is different!''
''Of course it's different. Nobody gets killed and in your case, nobody gets hurt. I know him since we were teenagers and believe me, no girl has ever made him as crazy as you. Just go for it.''
''Gaah… I hate you…''
''Yeah yeah, I love you too. Now, finish that program of mine, go home, dress up and wait for him. He's all hyper whenever he visits you – Roshi is going crazy with you two.''
''Bulma…''
''Shush. I'm counting on you. Kissy.'' And that is how Bulma ended the phone call.
Eighteen stared at the phone for a few more seconds, threw it on her desk and let out something that resembled a wolf's growl. ''I'm gonna kill her someday…''
When she looked up from the computer, she noticed the amused and well-knowing glances of her co-workers and blushed more than ever in her life. Her old-self would destroy the place when one of the women winked at her, knowing what bothered her – but now, she just laughed in embarrassment and finally let them see her casual self.
When she walked home after her work that stopped right after Bulma's call and continued with female chitchat for another few hours, her heart was beating wildly against her chest. She was a grown-up woman but being an ex-android, she did not have much experience regarding love or any kind of relationship for that matter.
Her female co-workers sensing her problem gave her a looooong talk about this and that and told her things that happened to them. She was glad that finally she opened up to them – well at least as much as she was allowed to (letting out the part that she had been a human-being for less than a year and such…). She had fun to talk about such things with people with experience and who were nice enough not to make fun of her or talk bad about her. It made her feel good. It made her feel better.
But it made her also feel more nervous.
Getting home, she did not dress up, nor did she put on make-up. She walked her dog as usual and cleaned her place a bit.
Then she felt his presence.
He was near.
And her mind almost went blank.
She stepped out into her backyard and smiled when she saw him land on his feet after flying down.
''Hey, Eighteen! He greeted her, when she did not start their ritual fight. He was slightly confused of her smile too, but he tried to hide his blush that exploded on his face every time he saw her smile.
''Yo…'' she greeted him and had to take a deep breath for she thought she was unable to breath any longer. He approached her and scratched the back of his head that had more hair than last time she saw him. As always, his nervousness was written all over his face and she could not help but giggle at his cute appear.
He watched her with wide eyes and a trembling heart when she made a few steps towards him. She was calm now. She knew what to do.
She reached for his hand and slowly took it into hers. His breathing almost stopped, she noticed. That made her even happier.
''I think we can stop dancing around this.'' She started, her voice a little weak. He stared at her eyes, a bright shine in his.
''I-'' she cleared her throat. ''I'd like you to stay… With me…If you want of course…'' she told him, still smiling, knowing that she made him as happy as she felt. He slowly put his other hand over hers and carefully pulled her closer. She did not retract, nor did she look away. She even speed up things when the tension got the best of her and kissed him so hard that it made her feel like she was flying through heaven.
He immediately responded, putting his hands around her hips and kissing her back as lovingly as she did.
''I love you so much.'' He whispered while giving her kisses and all she could do was letting him know that she felt the same.
