Tusoki

9; The Jar.

Inspired by a discussion on my blog, Chestnut Island, pertaining to the fact that Eighteen cusses in front of Marron in Episode 3 of Dragonball Super. They're all in the car and she says "kuso" which translates to damn or something worse.


Krillin was smiling as he observed his seven-year-old daughter run towards the house. He was standing in front of the large living room window through which he had a perfect view of the moderate grassy field in front of their house. It was equipped with a playground. Marron only had to cross the street to get home. They had really hit the jackpot with the house they lived in now. It was a neighborhood in one of the nicer suburbs of Satan city with the school close by and plenty of space for kids to play and explore. The house itself was an open concept with plenty of space down, and upstairs. He made his way to the front door to open it for her.

"Papa!" Marron greeted him with a hug before she wiped her face. She was red and sweaty.

"Hey firefly, are you having fun outside?"

"Yep! But I'm thirsty now, can I have a lemonade?" The small girl asked eagerly.

"Sure thing!" Krillin followed her into the kitchen, listening to her chatter with a grin on his face as he prepared her drink. Marron drank it all in one gulp.

"More please!"

Krillin shook his head but gave her another cup full, This time, she sipped slower, leaving half of the drink on the table. Krillin glanced at the clock, it was getting pretty late in the afternoon. He took an apron from a hook next to the fridge. He might as well start supper.

Marron had retrieved a colouring book and some markers and was colouring at the kitchen table. Krillin lifted his brow at that.

"You're not going back outside?"

Marron shook her head.

"Not yet, in a little bit. I want to cool off because it's so hot!"

Krillin couldn't argue with that. Summer was dwindling down but that didn't mean it was getting any cooler just yet. In fact, the temperatures had soared within a span of a few days. He started cutting up potatoes when his pocket vibrated. He quickly grabbed his phone, smiling at the message.

"Your mommy will be home soon." He said over his shoulder.

"Good, I hope I can finish my picture for her!"

It was quiet after that, safe for Marron's soft humming. Krillin glanced back at her. She was getting so big. He was almost saddened by the fact that she grew up so fast. She would already have to go back to school in two weeks. But even now, he could clearly recall the moment he'd held her for the first time.

He smiled to himself, rinsing the potatoes off before starting on the vegetables. He had a few days off and enjoyed them immensely, just spending time with his little family.

Marron stopped her colouring to admire her work for a moment. She reached for her drink but overstretched, knocking it clear off the table. It landed on the floor with a bang, sending lemonade everywhere.

"Oh fuck!"

Krillin's eyes widened.

"MARRON!" He exclaimed shocked.

The little girl jumped at his loud voice. He had never raised his voice at her that way. Her face flushed pink.

"Sorry for spilling lemonade, I accidentally dropped it, really!" She said hastily, almost stumbling over her words.

"I don't care about the drink right now, what I care about is your potty mouth. We don't speak like that in this house! Where did you even learn such a bad word?" Krillin said, no longer speaking in loud tones. He knelt in front of her, there was a frown on his face.

"Well?"

Marron bit her lip. She was nervously playing with the hem of her summer dress.

"Answer me, please." Krillin said in a stern voice.

"I don't...I mean...I...I didn't know that was a bad word, honest! B..because Mama says it all the time." Marron said quickly, her face had become even redder and Krillin could see she was struggling to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry, Daddy. Please don't yell again, I won't say it again, I promise.."

Krillin sighed as the tears finally escaped. He wiped them away gently.

"Don't cry, I'm sorry for yelling like that, I was just a little shocked, okay?"

Marron nodded.

"What did you mean with Mommy says it all the time?" Krillin asked cautiously.

"Well, when she is angry at the store if they don't have something, or when she hurts herself or drops something," Marron said. She listed a few more instances and Krillin almost sighed in relief but that was short lived when Marron made her next statement.

"Aaand I heard her yell it really loudly one night, it woke me up. And I think she got hurt really bad because the next day she walked a little funny."

Krillin fought the blush that threatened to come out. Their house was supposed to be pretty well insulated, but maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to invest in some extra soundproofing, his wife could, after all, be a little...loud as poor Marron had obviously experienced. He was so relieved that she was too small to really understand exactly what she had heard, that he gave her a hug.

"Let's clean this mess up, alright?"

Marron nodded, already grabbing a handful of paper towels. After they'd cleaned up, she sat back at the table.

"Papa?"

"Hm?" Krillin was stirring the contents of one of the pans carefully before he turned the gas off. Supper was done.

"Are the other words Mama says bad words too?"

He lifted a brow at that.

"What other words?" He sat across from her at the table.

Marron bit her lip again.

"If I say it, will I be in trouble?"

Krillin shook his head.

"No."

Marron let out a relieved sigh then starting listing off a few other words she'd heard Eighteen use.

"I think that's all, are they bad?"

Krillin could only nod, mind reeling with what had been revealed to him.

He cleared his throat.

"Marron, don't repeat anything your mother says." He said solemnly.

"Okay."

They both turned their heads when they heard the sound of keys being stuck in a lock.

Eighteen raised a brow when she walked in the door and found two identical pairs of black eyes focused on her from the kitchen table.

"Hey." She greeted. Her daughter gave have a small wave and a "hi" back but her husband was frowning heavily at her.

"What?" She asked, confused as to why he wouldn't speak to her.

Krillin turned to his daughter with a small smile.

"Marron, why don't you go back outside now and play with your friends a little longer? Mama and I need to have a little talk, okay? I'll come get you in a little bit."

The small girl nodded eagerly. "Okay!" She gave both her parents a quick hug before dashing out of the door. Krillin watched her cross the street and reunite with her friends.

"What's going on?" Eighteen asked. She had dumped her bags on the couch. It had been a tiring day shopping for school supplies for Marron, among other things.

Krillin turned on her.

"You're corrupting our daughter!" He said, pointing a finger at her.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Eighteen asked with raised brows. She was now thoroughly confused.

"Corrupting...?"

"That's right!." Krillin relayed what had happened just moments ago.

"You really need to watch what you say around her, kids pick up a lot more than you think." Krillin said crossing his arms.

Eighteen rubbed her temples.

"I'm sure it was just a one time thing, honestly it's not the end of the world."

"Are you kidding me?" Krillin said with a grimace. "How can you even say that? What if she repeats it in front of her friends or even worse, at school in front of the teachers? And I'm not just talking about the f-word either, the other words are just as bad."

Eighteen shrugged out of her jacket. "Which ones?" She asked slightly alarmed.

"I'm not repeating them, you know what I am talking about," Krillin said with a pointed stare. He was still scowling up at her. Eighteen bit her lip. She could understand where her husband was coming from but in a way, the whole situation was so absurd to her that she wanted to laugh. She knew better to do that though, she didn't want to upset Krillin more.

"I'll try and watch myself around her, okay?" She said with a sigh.

But Krillin didn't reply, instead, he adopted a thoughtful expression. Eighteen cocked her head slightly, not really knowing what to think of it. She watched him as he pushed past her without a word and ran up the stairs.

"Hey, what are you doing?" She called after him. He didn't answer her. Eighteen grabbed a few of the bags and followed him up. She found him in their room, rummaging through the closet.

"Ah, perfect!" He exclaimed.

Eighteen raised her brows at the object in his hands. It was an old glass jar that had served as storage for Sensu beans back at Kame House. Krillin was smirking at her as he tossed it from one hand to the other.

"I know you say you're gonna try and keep it pg, but somehow I don't really believe you." He started. Eighteen huffed at that but didn't say anything, she was too curious as to what he had come up with now. She followed him downstairs, into the kitchen where he grabbed one of Marron's markers and a piece of paper. He also got some tape and taped the paper to the jar.

Eighteen actually chuckled when he finished and turned the jar so she could see it.

"A swear jar?"

"Yup." Krillin said with a grin. He put it on one of the side tables in the living room.

"And its purpose is?"

"Remember that one episode of Nanny in Charge? Where they had different jars for those unruly kids with balls in it and where they would take away one when they behaved badly?"

Eighteen thought back. She remembered it, they loved watching that show after all. Seeing all those misbehaving kids reminded them just how lucky they were with a well-behaved child like Marron, though she could definitely have her moments.

"So you're gonna put balls in there too? Seriously?" Eighteen said with a shake of her head.

"I'm not sure what that would accomplish."

"Oh I'm not the one filling this up, you are. With money." Krillin said. "Let's say...50 zennie for every swear word, 100 if you use it in front of our daughter."

Now Eighteen couldn't stop her laughter.

"You can't be serious!"

"Oh but I am, I'll personally see to it you'll do too! Eighteen, this is not funny okay! This is serious, you really need to learn to keep it down. I don't want Marron growing up, cussing like a sailor."

"I don't even have money." She started but Krillin gave her a dismissive a wave with his hand at that.

"You and I both know that's a lie. You've got more than enough from those 'secret' street tournaments you and your brother like to participate in."

Eighteen pinched the bridge of her nose with an annoyed sigh.

"Fine! I'll play along with your little game."

"Good, though it's not a game." Krillin retorted.

"No, it's bullshit, that's what it is." Eighteen muttered. Krillin frowned at her.

"Well there goes your first 50, fork it over." He said scowling, holding up his hand.

"What? No way, that didn't count!"

Eighteen locked her eyes on his in an intense staring match, something that usually deterred the small man from the situation at hand. But it seemed he really was serious this time.

"Give it up babe, I'm not standing down on this one."

She sighed in defeat and dug in her wallet.

"Here." She sneered, almost throwing it at him. Krillin caught it and dumped it in the jar.

He shook his head.

"Why do I have a feeling this jar will be more than full by the time you learned to control yourself?" He muttered. Eighteen just walked away.


Eighteen scowled heavily as she dropped another few crisps bills into the swear jar. Her tournament winnings were depleting fast, a fact she'd brought up to Krillin who had only shrugged at her.

"It's your own fault, stop swearing and you won't lose any more money." Is what he had said before leaving for his evening shift at the police station.

Eighteen grimaced. It was not as easy as she had thought at first. It really didn't help that Krillin watched her like a hawk whenever he was around and he had somehow gotten Marron to do the same.

The small girl was currently sitting on her knees on the floor in front of the side table that held the jar, drawing circles on its surface while humming a soft tune. Eighteen had figured she could have gotten away with some of it whenever Krillin was at work but Marron made sure he got the run down when he got home. She was almost happy her daughter started school in a few days. She shook her head, immediately feeling guilty for thinking like that.

Marron turned around to look at her with a smile.

"Your jar is almost full, mommy!"

"I see that."

"Daddy said I could get something from the toy store if you fill it up to the top."

"I know." Eighteen let out a sigh as she sat down on the couch. Marron joined her, snuggling into her side.

"It's about bedtime for you." Eighteen said. They had started Marron back on her regular routine since school was about to start in a few days. It was silent for a few moments.

"Mama?"

"Hm?"

"I don't think I want a new toy..." Marron trailed off.

"And why is that?" Eighteen asked surprised.

"Dunno." The girl replied with a shrug. "I just don't."

"I think I like it better if you don't have to fill the jar the top." She said after a moment of silence. Eighteen didn't miss the meaning behind those words. And it wasn't as if she enjoyed cussing in front of her daughter, she just lacked a filter at times. She pulled her into her lap.

"Well, I guess I'll have to try even harder, don't I?"

Marron nodded eagerly.

"Yes!"

"Any tips for me?" Eighteen asked in a playful tone.

Marron crossed her arms as she thought long and hard on a way to help her mother save her money. She clapped her hands together when an idea came to mind.

"Instead of saying those bad words, you can make new un-bad words!" She said with a triumphant smile, clearly pleased she had come up with such a brilliant idea.

"Like what?" Eighteen spurred her on.

"I dunno...what do you think?" Marron said with a shrug.

"Hmm, how about we make some tea and think about it, together?"

"I thought I had to go to bed soon?" Marron said with a grin.

"I'll make an exception, but only if you help me, okay?" Eighteen said tugging gently at one of her daughter's pigtails.

"Deal! I want strawberry tea, please!"

A few days later, the routine had returned to the Chestnut household as Marron went back to school. Eighteen glanced at the jar. She and Marron had worked out a solution and she gradually got used to using less abrasive words whenever the need called for it. Even Krillin was impressed with her.

Eighteen picked the jar up with a smile. She would never admit it to Krillin, but in a way she was glad he had forced her to this. She had clearly learned a lesson from it plus she did have to agree with him. It would be really bad if Marron grew up taking after her with her way of words.

A glance at the clock told her Krillin was late, it was already past midnight.

She began to worry a little, wondering if she should call him but as if on cue, her husband pulled up in the driveway.

Eighteen turned around when the door opened.

Krillin walked in, taking off his helmet with a tired sigh. His uniform was tattered and dirty. Eighteen raised a brow.

"What happened to you?"

"Long story," Krillin replied. He eyed the jar in his wife's hands. He raised a brow.

"Don't tell me..." He trailed off.

"Have some faith in me, geesh!" Eighteen said with a chuckle. She put the jar back in its spot.

"I didn't have to put anything in it, you can ask Marron tomorrow if you wish." She said with a slight frown.

"I believe you, babe."

"You should. And I didn't even fill it up completely like you expected." She said referring back to the day he had dug the jar from the closet.

"Yup, I take that back," Krillin said with a grin. He took a step towards her and levitated up to plant a chaste kiss on her mouth.

"You did well."

Krillin stretched and yawned.

"I'm going to take a quick shower and go to bed." He said. Eighteen shut off all the lights and followed him up the stairs. She watched him disappear into the bathroom before making her way to her daughter's bedroom. She softly opened the door, peeking in on the sleeping girl. Eighteen shook her head as she walked in. Marron had kicked all the blankets to the floor and was spread out over the bed, snoring.

"You're just like your daddy." Eighteen muttered, amused. There was a certain softness to her features when she carefully covered her back up, planting a kiss to the girl's forehead.

She quietly closed the door and made her way to her bedroom at the end of the hall.

When Krillin walked in minutes later, Eighteen was already in bed, propped up against the headboard. She was reading a magazine and looked up when he crawled into bed with her, laying it aside.

Krillin's eyes widened when she crawled into his lap, straddling him as soon as he'd made himself comfortable. He swallowed thickly at the look she gave him before giving in and kissing her, already knowing sleep was not going to happen anytime soon. Not that he was complaining. He eagerly let his hands wander all over her while laying down and rolling them over.

He chuckled softly when he heard his wife mutter something under her breath.

"Keep it up and that jar is going to be more than full by the time I'm done with you." Krillin teased. Eighteen let out a shaky sigh, arching her body into him when he hit the sensitive spots.

"Hnh...I don't give a …." Krillin chuckled against her mouth, drowning out the remainder of that sentence with a soft kiss.


Thanks for reading! Remember, a review is appreciated and prompts are always welcome for this series! Just leave a suggestion in your review or send me an IM.

Till next time!