The Darkness Within

This is the story of the past of Android 17 and 18 and how love saved them from the darkness within. K18, NSFW, TRIGGER WARNING

Disclaimer: I do not own DB/DBZ/DBS or any of its characters. Please take the trigger warning seriously!

Chapter 3

She watched him everyday for nearly a month. He'd come every night like clock-work at midnight and stayed for at least 3 hours. She watched him from a distance meditating then doing light training. 18 recognized the style as Tai Chi. It was a meditative style of martial arts, Android 16 taught it to them. 17 used to hate it but 18 always enjoyed it. She found herself joining him from afar in the Tai Chi movements, but most of the time she stayed far away and watched him float and sweat when he started to train. He always wore his orange gi pants and no shirt.

One day though, he didn't show up. 18 sat there in her favorite tree and waiting for two hours but he never came.

She felt anger bubbling up inside her and decided that next time she saw him she would beat him to a pulp. She stood up ready to zoom off and search for 17 like she did every day when Krillin showed up suddenly. He was dressed differently. He was in a very nice black suit with a white shirt and turquoise tie.

She froze and watched him as he loosened his tie and started unbuttoning his shirt. "It was Vegeta and Bulma's wedding today," he said turning his face slightly.

18 held her breath. Was he talking to her?

"Then Chichi's water broke," Krillin continued. "Goku's wife. She had a boy. Named him Goten."

18 said nothing she just continued watching as he took off the tie and shirt and threw it aside. He turned around in her general direction and said, "sorry for being late."

18 jumped down from her tree and stepped into the clearing. "How long have you been aware of me?"

"A couple of weeks," Krillin said with a small shrug. "I figured when you wanted to reveal yourself you would."

Up close 18 could see a certain darkness about him. There was something somber and sad about his face.

"Spar with me?" He said.

18 cocked an eyebrow. "You cannot defeat me."

"I know," he said crouching into a fighting stance.

She couldn't understand why he would want to fight someone with obviously superior strength, but she insulted him and crouched into a fighting stance.

He attacked first aiming his fist right at her face. She dodged easily and returned a punch of her own. He dodged it with a quick duck and threw an upper cut. They went back and forth for a long while throwing punches and dodging without actually landing any punches.

18 was going easy on him like she used to do with Lamel when she sparred with him. Then Krillin powered up and shot off the ground landing a punch right on her jaw. She stumbled backwards in shock. It didn't actually hurt her because he wasn't strong enough to actually inflict any damage, but he was definitely more agile and persistent then he was before.

18 huffed and went at him with more force but not enough to kill him. She used her superior speed to land an array of punches and kicks. He could do nothing but block vital areas until he found an opening.

When she paused for a moment he had a Ki blast prepared and slammed against her chest at close range. She flew out and landed against a tree. He flew at her without hesitation.

He landed four punches in before she swiped his feet and kicked him in the stomach before he even hit the ground. He flew up into the air and she zoomed after him.

She appeared above him and slammed his back with two hands interlocked. He crashed down to the ground creating a crater.

He stood back up almost instantly. He was bleeding from the mouth and temple and there were several bruises on his arms and torso. That's when 18 noticed several light scars all over his back and chest.

"Don't drop your guard!" Krillin slammed 18 with all the strength he could muster and pinned her to the ground underneath him. The ground cracked and caved in from the enormous impact.

18 groaned in pain and felt the anger surge. He actually hurt her! She punched Krillin straight on the chin sending him flying back then immediately shot continuous Ki blasts at him.

When the smoke cleared a battered Krillin fell to the floor unconscious. "Dammit," 18 sighed flying over to him and shaking him gently. "Hey! Wake up!"

He didn't react. 18 searched her database for a solution. There's sensu beans and that little namekian who can heal people but if anyone found out she had hurt Krillin this way she'd have two very angry saiyans ready to kill her.

Think. Think. What else could she do?

XXXXXX

9 years ago

"Why do we have to learn this android 16?" Lapis said rolling his eyes and waving his bandaged up arm.

"Knowing basic first aid is part of being a fighter," Android 16 responded. "If you get injured in battle you should know how to heal yourself or at least pull yourself together to continue fighting or escape."

"Mom always took care of that stuff for us," Lazuli said with a small smile. "I always wanted to learn."

Android 16 smiled. "I'm only teaching basics. How to heal cuts and wounds and wrap up injuries, nothing too specific like fixing broken or dislocated bones, or CPR."

"I wanna study that when I start college next year," Lazuli said with a bright smile.

"I'm sure you'll be great," Android 16 responded a bit grimly. "Here are the three rules of healing: stop the bleeding first, wrap it up tightly to avoid infection, and always check for signs or fever or broken bones. Stay conscious if possible."

XXXXXX

18 shook herself out of the memory and picked up Krillin gently. She took him to a nearby river in front of a cave and laid him down before searching for soft leaves to use for cleaning and wrapping.

She returned moments later when Krillin was starting to wake up groaning.

"Stay down," she said placing a gentle hand on his chest to stop him for getting up.

"18?" He said. "You...stayed?"

"I don't need Goku's son coming to kill me for hurting you," she said dunking one of the leaves in the water and wiping off the blood on his temple very slowly.

He hissed at the stinging pain then said, "he wouldn't do that."

"But Vegeta would," she said.

"Yes he would," Krillin said, "if he even cared about me enough to avenge me."

18 just huffed and continued cleaning his face.

"Why did you ask me to spar knowing that you would lose?" 18 said.

Krillin stared up at the starry sky and winced slightly as she cleaned off the cut on his arms. "Goku has another son. And he wasn't here to see him."

18 paused for a moment then continued cleaning the wounds.

"It's my fault," Krillin said. "I decided not to press that button but I still couldn't stop you from getting absorbed."

18 started wrapping the clean cuts with longer leaves as she said, "Why didn't you?"

Krillin sighed. "Cause I wasn't strong enough to fight off Cell."

"No," 18 said shaking her head. "Why didn't you press that button?"

Krillin remained silent for long while until 18 finished wrapping the wounds then sat there and stared at him waiting for an answer.

"Because android 16 was wounded and you wouldn't leave him even though you were mortal danger," Krillin said. "And in that moment I didn't see a killer android, I saw a scared human girl. And...well you heard Gohan say it."

"That you have a crush on me?" 18 said.

Krillin nodded. "Since the kiss on the highway. Why did you do that?"

18 huffed and stood up crossing her arms. "I don't have to tell you that."

"Okay," Krillin said.

The remained in silence for a long while with 18 standing cross armed leaning against a tree and Krillin laying on the ground staring up at the skies. It was a comfortable silence and neither of them were inclined to break it.

"It's not your fault."

"Hmm?" Krillin responded.

"What happened to Goku," 18 said. "It's not your fault. It's Cell's for being an evil monster. And his own for refusing to be wished back."

"But if I had stopped you from getting absorbed..."

"He could have self-destructed the same out of desperation," 18 said. "And maybe killed way more people because Goku couldn't transport him elsewhere."

Krillin looked at her now a bit surprised. She wasn't expecting her to comfort him or much less make a very valid point. Cell wasn't in his perfect form anymore when he decided to self destruct. It was after he spit out 18 and got desperate that he decided to self destruct.

When she noticed him looking at her she looked away. After a long while Krillin sat up and said, "did you find your brother?"

18 scowled. "No. I looked everywhere I could remember from our past..."

"You remember your past?" Krillin said. "You remember when you were human?"

18 nodded. "Some of it. Many parts are fuzzy or incomplete. Gero wiped our memories."

Krillin frowned then slowly stood up. "Bulma found your brother's blueprints that's how she was able to make a control and tracking device to be able to find you. I can ask her to make a tracking device for your brother."

18's face darkened. "You have our blueprints?"

Krillin panicked. "No no! We went to the lab to find some way to stop Cell and found 17's blueprints not yours. Listen I'll ask Bulma to make the device and then I'll have her burn the blueprints."

18 sighed. "No she can keep them. She's a scientist right?"

Krillin nodded.

"And she doesn't want to hurt us?"

Krillin nodded again.

"Then those blue prints could come in handy one day," 18 said. "Like now, for the tracking device."

Krillin's face brightened up. "You'll let me help you?"

18 didn't even crack a smile but nodded.