"Kame Island Romance" is designed as a romance anthology series centering on Krillin and Eighteen. The original story turned into a multi-part affair that remains unfinished (for now). Rather than break apart the flow of that story, I have renamed it "Kame Island Romance: The Article" and created this, a separate story entitled, "Kame Island Romance."
This story will house some of the tales I've been sitting on since Cj4Dj's original Chestnut Fest on tumblr in 2017 as well as a number of the stories I've written for CF 2018. I have stories in the works for after CF as well. Most will be Krillin / Eighteen get-together tales, but other topics will also be explored.
We'll start with my first entry for Chestnut Fest 2018, a tale of Krillin and Eighteen celebrating a special day, but only one of them realizes how special it is.
Further entries for this year's event will appear on at koinekid dot tumblr dot com first and be archived here later.
For Chestnut Fest 2018
Prompt: Sharing food / Anniversary
Rights to Dragonball and related properties are held by their respective owners. No infringement is implied or intended.
Carnival Attractions
By koinekid
A carnival was the last place Eighteen expected to spend her Saturday night, but Krillin's invitation had been so enthusiastic that she started to think it might not be so bad. If nothing else, it would get them away from Roshi and his nonstop questions about how they planned to spend their "big day." Whenever she asked what the old man meant, Krillin would change the subject.
Eighteen hated being kept in the dark. As a woman whose past was shrouded in mystery, she'd developed an aversion to secrets. But with each passing day, Krillin proved more worthy of her trust, so she would give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.
Besides, brooding over what she didn't know would spoil her fun, and she had no intention of doing that—not when they were standing in line for "the Blue Blaze, Asia's most terrifying mini-coaster." Ha! The Blaze paled in comparison to the coasters at the amusement parks she used to visit with her brother. Sporting names like the Brutalizer and the Wrecking Ball, they left her more queasy than excited. But by the end of their second ride on the mini coaster, she was laughing and shouting as much as Krillin.
More rides followed: the chair swing made her stomach flutter, but it wasn't too bad, and who cared if the carousel and bumper cars were meant for children?
She also enjoyed the food. Her stomach might rebel later, but in that moment, she considered the food carts more appealing than a table at a five-star restaurant. The corn dog tasted surprisingly good—especially with mustard—but it left barely any room to try a piece of Krillin's warm pretzel or to share what he called the quintessential carnival food, the funnel cake.
The cakes came in five flavors, and Krillin let her choose which they would share, though he did recommend the red velvet with cream cheese frosting. "Wow," was all she could say. She couldn't decide whether to hug him or slap his hand away from the paper plate and tell him to get his own. But she was nearly full, and splitting the confection with Krillin, their fingers bumping into one another as they reached in to break off pieces, wasn't entirely unpleasant.
"Have you eaten this before?"
Krillin shook his head. "I've had red velvet but not as a funnel cake."
So, they were sharing a new experience. For some reason, that warmed her heart. "Let's have this next time, too."
He grinned. "Next time. It's a—"
Date?
"—deal. You ready for more fun?"
She glanced with unease toward the midway.
Krillin patted his stomach. "Yeah, I think we're done with rides for the night. But there's still plenty to do."
He grabbed her hand to lead her to their next destination, then immediately let go. "Sorry, I got carried away."
She gave him an indulgent smile and offered her hand like a queen condescending to one of her subjects. "Just this once."
Laughing, he pulled her toward a long line of game booths. Some of the games she recognized—ring toss, horse shoes, hoop shot. Others she had never seen: games where the goal was to pop balloons with a dart, or to catapult a rubber chicken into a basket, or to earn points by tossing coins at a board. The game involved literally throwing your money away. Ha, she and her brother chose the wrong racket. Forget shoplifting—they should have started out as carnival workers.
While she examined the booths, Krillin excused himself, returning a few minutes later with two large handfuls of tickets. "Bet I win more than you do."
Eighteen smirked. "You're on."
Starting at opposite ends of the row, they proceeded from booth to booth until they won something from each. She proved particularly adept at the target-shooting game (for reasons best left in the past). Rarely did she waste more than five tickets on a game before discerning the trick or mastering the skill needed for a victory. By the time she met Krillin in the middle, each was toting an armload of prizes. She showed off her favorite, a key chain shaped like an octopus. "Looks like you," she teased.
"You're right, he is a cute little fella."
She chuckled and clipped the key chain onto one of her belt loops. "Touché."
Performing a quick count, they discovered they were tied for number of prizes. Victory, then, came down to the final game: the over-under ball roll.
The game board consisted of a rolling surface with slots at the end, each assigned a point value. Eighteen confidently exchanged her last ticket for three golf balls and rolled them effortlessly into the three middle slots. Not bothering to total her score, she reached for the prize of her choice.
"Loser," the carny declared. "Care to try again?"
"But I hit the middle slots!"
"For a combined total of nine points. The goal is to get over eleven or under seven. That's what it's called over-under."
"How am I supposed to know that?"
The carny pointed toward a sign displaying the rules.
Eighteen stalked away, grumbling curses under her breath. She turned back to yell at Krillin to let's go, only to find him handing the carny a ticket. That he still had several when she had used all hers irked her.
"Do you want to try again?" He offered her the golf balls, but she shook her head.
Returning to the booth, Krillin took his turn. The balls bounced a bit the first time, causing him to score a ten, but he soon discerned the rhythm of the board and ended up winning three of his next four attempts. For his prize, he chose a small chocolate brown teddy bear with a red bow tied around its neck.
It was the exact prize she'd been reaching for. The bear stirred something in her, perhaps the echoes of a forgotten childhood toy.
Krillin grinned, holding up the bear. "What do you think?"
She rolled her eyes. "Not very masculine."
He shrugged. "I like it. Want to play some more?"
"No. You ready to go home?"
"Sure, if you are."
She grunted an affirmative. He retrieved a pair of capsules from his pocket and offered her one, but she waved him off.
"Just combine mine with yours." She deposited her prizes in a heap on the ground, even unclipping the key chain and tossing it onto the pile.
Neither spoke during the flight back to Kame House. The magic of the evening had faded, and once inside, she marched to her room, declining his offer for a cup of tea, and preparing for bed. A few minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. Exasperated, she flung it open. "I said I don't want any…"
Finding herself face-to-face with the teddy bear, Eighteen just managed to suppress a silly grin at the pleasant feelings the toy elicited. She didn't manage to stop her rebellious hand from reaching out and stroking its soft fur.
With a deep breath, she forced herself to lower her hand. The bear hadn't come alone. "What are you doing, Krillin?"
The little man holding the bear above his head grinned. "Giving you this bear."
Her heart skipped a beat. "Wh-why would I want it?"
"You were staring at it pretty hard at the carnival."
"It's a child's toy."
"So? What's the point of growing up if you can't act childish sometimes?" He waved the toy in front of her face. "Hmm?"
She wanted it—bad—but she couldn't admit to that in front of him. To do so would be a sign of weakness. Rolling her eyes, she released an overly dramatic sigh. "Fine, since you went to soooo much trouble."
With her thumb and forefinger, she grasped the bear by the ear and held it at a distance as if it might be diseased.
He looked at her expectantly.
"Is there anything else?"
His smile faltered. "No, I guess not. Just…I had a good time tonight, Eighteen, and I hope you did too."
"I suppose it beat sitting around doing nothing."
"Yeah, I guess it did. If you ever want to do it again…" He thrust his hands into his pockets and averted his gaze. "Anyway, good night. Sweet dreams."
Krillin headed for the stairs. As soon as he disappeared from view, Eighteen brought the bear to her face. Despite herself, she cuddled it and let out a contented sigh.
The carnival food caught up with her an hour later. Salt from the pretzel had chapped her lips and left her thirsty, and she decided to risk going to the kitchen for a glass of water. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem, but tonight, she wouldn't make the trip alone.
She had tossed the bear onto her bed as soon as she finished talking to Krillin. Less than a minute later, it was back in her arms, where it remained. Holding the toy gave her a sense of security, and for the moment, she was unwilling to let it go.
A strange sensation filled her chest when she realized it wasn't only the bear that made her feel this way; it was the man who gave it to her. Was she falling for Krillin? No, that was impossible. She was merely grateful for the gift—this silly, childish, sweet gift that no one else in the world would have thought to give her.
Placing her empty water glass in the kitchen sink, she was preparing to go upstairs when she spotted the calendar pinned to the wall. She froze.
Today's date was circled with a number of suggestions penciled in and crossed out:
Movie?
Shopping?
Narisawa?
The last entry she recognized as the name of a very expensive French restaurant that had been reviewed in one of her magazines. Suddenly, she remembered Roshi teasing them about their "big day." Something about today in particular made it important. What was she missing?
It wasn't his birthday. That occurred last month when his friends invaded the island, and she'd been forced to sit through tedious conversations with the blue-haired scientist and the fat man with the sword.
She had decided to return to bed and mull it over when she noticed the sounds coming from the living room. Concealing the bear behind her back, she peered in cautiously and spotted the subject of her rumination flipping through the TV channels, looking thoroughly dejected.
Because of me, she realized. Because I couldn't set aside my pride long enough to say a simple thank you.
She had to make this right.
Padding over in her socks, she sank down next to him on the couch. Krillin jerked upright, startled at the sight of Eighteen. The tank top and pajama bottoms she slept in made her look like a girl at a sleepover. The bear she held in a loose grip only added to that illusion.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey." He nodded toward the bear. "You don't have to keep that for my sake, you know?"
He reached for it, probably thinking she meant to return in, but she maneuvered it out of his reach. He blinked in confusion.
"Why did you invite me to the carnival tonight?"
He shrugged. "I thought it would be nice to spend some time together."
"But why tonight?"
He mumbled something she didn't catch.
"What?"
"I said, does it matter?"
"Please, Krillin. I want to know."
He let out a sigh. "Fine, but don't blame me if you don't like the answer. I-I'm more sentimental than most people, and I like to celebrate significant days."
He was really trying to draw this out. Any other day, she'd be annoyed. "And today is significant because?"
"Because one year ago today—" He checked his watch. "—make that yesterday, is the day we met."
Had it really been a year? Memories from the day flooded her mind: waking from suspended animation, watching her brother take revenge on the bastard that stole their humanity, the exhilaration of being free, reveling in her powers, and then…
"You wanted to celebrate the day I beat up your friends?"
That coaxed a smile out of him. "Granted, it was an inauspicious start, but it's the day I met you. That makes it special."
"Why didn't you say anything?
"I was afraid you'd laugh."
She wished she could deny it. Disappointed in herself, she rubbed her chin into the bear's soft fur. Unconsciously, she had begun cradling it against her chest. Hmm.She wondered, "Does that make this bear my anniversary present?"
Heat pooled in Krillin's cheeks. "I know it isn't much. I wanted to buy you an actual gift, but I didn't know how you'd react."
Her eyes traveled between the bear and the man who gave it to her, and she came to a decision. No longer concerned with how foolish or childlike she appeared, she hugged the bear tight, leaned over, and brushed her lips against Krillin's cheek. She had kissed him once before in mockery. This time, she meant it.
Before he could ask questions, she rose from the couch and hurried to the doorway.
Krillin turned and stared at her with awe, his hand rising to reverently touch the spot she had kissed.
She paused at the door. "Thank you for my bear, Krillin. I love it."
"Thank you for my kiss," he replied in a shaky voice.
"I know it isn't much," she teased.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that."
She smiled at him before finally exiting the room, still clutching her bear and full of giddy, confused feelings that would need to be sorted out another day.
Years later, they still celebrated this anniversary in private, while their wedding anniversary became a public affair. Only Roshi knew the significance of this day, and he always guaranteed that they had it to themselves, whether that meant babysitting their daughter Marron or the twin boys that arrived the year after the Universal Survival Tournament. And though they showered all three of their children with more toys than they could really afford, this bear alone was denied to them. It was Mama's bear, and it symbolized the seed of friendship that would one day blossom into the greatest joy she would ever know.
The End
Thanks for reading; reviews are appreciated.
Suggestions for further stories are also welcome. Message me here or visit koinekid dot tumblr dot com.
