60Long Distance Communication
Chapter 2: The First Exchange
"Krillin...I...don't write letters often...in fact...I don't write much period...," murmured a sleeping figure lying on a bed with one of his hands covering his forehead while the other one holding a piece of paper to his bare chest.
"Very...stupid of you to crush the...controller...you are hopeless you know that?" continued the person even as golden sunrays illuminated the entire room, projecting intense heat on his well chiseled body and forcing sweats to pour out from his skin.
"The wish is fine and all..."
Knock knock knock!
Soft knocking sounds rang throughout the room, interrupting the figure before he could finish slurring out his sentence. Letting out a yawn, the room occupant tried shutting his eyes harder in an attempt to fall back asleep when he suddenly felt the sheet of paper wedged between his fingers and his eyes shot wide opened. Carefully and with utmost care, he started examining the paper, which turned out to be a letter written in beautiful cursive fonts too elegant for his calluses filled hands to produce, for any signs of damage or tear on it.
So just imagine the sheer horror he felt upon realizing the letter was stained with his sweat. Bolting off the bed as if the mattress was on fire, he quickly took the sweat-drenched piece of paper to the hair dryer and began desperately trying to rid the letter of unwanted moisture. When that didn't seem to get the desired result, a clothes iron heated with his ki was used instead as he ironed the letter until not a single crease remained.
"Thank kami I was able to restore this back to its pristine condition more or less!" muttered the guy sporting a clean shaven dome of a head in relief, his hands slightly trembling as he read through the letter addressed to him.
Krillin,
I don't write letter often, in fact, I don't write much period, so pay attention and try to let what I have to say sink in to that small bald head of yours.
That was very stupid of you to squash the controller. Why would you even do that? Putting the whole world at risk for me? For what? That incident on the highway? Is that your reason? You are hopeless you know that? Had it been me I would've pressed the button without a thought. But you are you and whatever reason you have I hope it paid off at the end.
The wish is fine and all. I lost a bit of weight so I guess something good came of it. Just don't pat yourself on the back.
You've obviously put in a lot of efforts into helping me, so I hope you are also doing something for yourself. Don't go wasting your life away.
#18
He could almost hear her voice as he read the words silently in his mind for the millionth time since discovering it last night. It was like that day at the lookout all over again, with her staring at him with those irritated icy blue eyes while bombarding him using equally frosty tone. Just because her words were harsh doesn't mean there weren't any traces of emotion though, for that even without taking into account how beautifully written each individual alphabet was, the content oozes with a distinct kind of feeling, the kind someone indifferent wouldn't have bothered with.
"I must be a masochist for loving her this much!"
During the time Krillin was immersed in the letter he had received from Eighteen, the knocks on his door became increasingly louder until they turned into outright loud poundings.
"Krillin! Krillin you there? My old bones are starting to ach from knocking so much!" asked the exhausted old man's voice from the other side of the door.
"Sorry Master Roshi, just hold on a sec will you?" replied the warrior monk in a hurry, jumping off his bed least the old master decided to just barge in and saw what he had in his hands. As if dealing with a fragile piece of rare gem, the martial artist gently put the letter inside an envelope that was then stored in a desk drawer before a chair was pulled against it. It was only then he was confident enough to open the door.
"So what's the matter Master Roshi? Something urgent you need me taken care of?" asked Krillin flashing his old mentor somewhat of a forced smile.
The turtle hermit didn't seemed to be buying his façade; however, as he observed his former pupil up and down trying to decide if anything was amiss. Feeling his mentors eyes fixated on him, even if they were behind a pair of sunglasses, the short-statured warrior became more and more uncomfortable with each passing second, for that kami knew he wasn't ready for his infatuation of the cyborg woman to be public knowledge just yet.
At last, after close to a minute of scrutinizing the warrior monk who he considered his own son, Master Roshi took his glance off Krillin and his former student almost slumped against the floor from the pressure released after being under his inquisitive eyes for so long.
Never, and I mean never underestimate Master Roshi. He may not hold the title of the world's strongest anymore but the man's got several lifetimes worth of experience behind him.
"Is everything all right with you my boy? Did you trained too hard last night?" the master finally asked in a grandfatherly tone breaking the silence, his voice immediately putting the much younger former pupil at ease.
"Oh yeah everything's well. Why'd you ask?"
"Ah nothing really. It's just that it's eleven in the morning already and usually you are up by six."
"Oh...oh wow...err...well...I probably shot a bit too many kamehamehas into the ocean last night. You know how draining one of those can be right master?" said Krillin scratching his head as he began laughing awkwardly.
"Alright if you say so," said Master Roshi turning his hunched back toward the warrior monk as he began to leave "by the way, we are about to have lunch soon, why don't you help us set up the table?"
Lunch came and went without much incident, although Krillin was having a hard time eating much, his mind replaying the letter over and over non-stop. It was only due to the weird looks he got from his housemates the monk finished his bowl of rice with much difficulty.
His afternoon training was carried out with the same half-heartedness. Sure, as a mature fighter, Krillin wasn't about to let some emotion stop his routine, but whether his heart was in it was a totally different story. The punches and kicks lacked the resolve they used to possess before the android incident and his form, while retaining its shape, wasn't as composed. In no time, he was panting for breath as his body quickly strained under the numerous body-taxing attacks he dished out.
And to think I was able to stay focused for so long, only to give up and crash after receiving her letter.
What's the matter Krillin? Never able to finish your plate? Always come off short during crucial moments?
Whack!
"Ouch what the hell!"
So deep was Krillin in his thoughts that he didn't noticed a staff swinging down toward his shiny bald head until it came colliding with his scalp. Holding his bruised head, the small fighter spun around in anger, ready to face his attacker only to be greeted by Master Roshi's cheeky face.
"Master, what was that for?" asked the small warrior unsure what to make of his former mentor's odd behavior.
"Ahh nothing at all my boy, just thought we could both use some friendly sparring," said the several hundred years old fighter taking up a battle stance, "care to indulge this old fool a bit?"
"But master," began Krillin in a puzzled tone wondering what was wrong with the carefree old man today.
"Surely he knows I'm at least thousands of times tougher than he is now." Thought the warrior monk but he would never say that to the person who started his martial arts journey aloud ever.
"No but young lad, I just want to shake off some rusts on my joints!" said Master Roshi suddenly launching at his opponent.
With it, the sparring between former pupil and teacher began under the scorching red sun as their limbs collided and locked against one another, causing clouds of sand to kick up all around them. Hearing the sounds of the two combatants engaged in a melee, the other island occupants, namely Oolong and Turtle, also joined the two by the beach, not wanting to miss this rare spectacle.
How long has it been since the two turtle school warriors squared off against one another? Months? Years? Or perhaps even longer? Regardless of the time passed since their last encounter, their familiarity of each other's' technique and tendency hasn't dulled one bit as they sparred like old times, dishing out and countering moves like it was their second nature. To all present on the beach, it was crystal clear the duo were travelling down memory lane as each blow traded brought them both back to an era long forgotten.
Finally after roughly thirty minutes of intense hand to hand combat, the sparring partners disengaged, their breathing rhythm steady and nothing but satisfaction plastered on their faces despite of the draining exercise they had just partake. For the first time in weeks after the Cell Game, a smile could be seem on Krillin's face and he could see through the shade Roshi's eyes the old man had been enjoying himself too.
"Well, that was fun. You have certainly improved much physically even when compared to right after whole Cell incident. I'm proud of you Krillin!" said Master Roshi picking up his staff to steady his slightly shaking legs.
To say Krillin was touched was an understatement for that he knew the old master wasn't one to give out compliments just for the sake of pleasing others. In a rare instance of feeling himself perhaps a bit too much, the warrior monk decided to press his former master for more praises, "Just physically master? What about my mental growth? Surely I have reached new levels of maturity haven't I?"
A long pause overtook them and all Krillin could hear were the sound of waves crashing against their private beach along with seagulls flying above. His former master, the strongest man on Earth before Goku and the others came along, began scratching his white beard, a sign he was struggling with phrasing his words. Just like that, the sudden boast of ego from Krillin plummeted to rock bottom and he began dreading the worst.
"Well...you are a very disciplined martial artist for keeping up with your routine even during peaceful times I'll give you that," finally began Roshi after some hesitation.
"But...?"
"But you are clearly distracted by something. There were multiple instances of missed opportunities where you could've finished our match but for one reason or another you didn't grasp them, and I don't think those were due to your respect for me."
"Oh!" was all Krillin could mutter impressed by the turtle hermit's sharp eyes.
"You seemed to be in better spirit today compared to the past several weeks though, so I guess either something positive has happened or you have gotten over your issue. Whatever it is, I'm confident from today's sparring you know how to handle it my pupil!" finished Master Roshi walking towards Krillin and gave him a firm pat on his shoulder heading back towards the house.
"Oh I most forgot!" exclaimed Roshi abruptly disrupting the peaceful silence and causing the bald monk to jump up from his feet. Turning around, Krillin looked at his old mentor wondering what other profound advice he have to say but a quick glance at Roshi's lust filled face told him the wise old man was no more and standing in front of him was Roshi's other persona, the legendary pervert, "hurry Oolong! To the living room! We are about to miss the latest episode of our favorite show!"
Krillin stayed on the beach a while longer after the sparring with Master Roshi, his eyes focused on a particular spot of the sand that he was sure only he and no one else would pay attention to, the exact spot his angel had landed weeks ago when she and her two companions came here to take Goku's life.
No, it wasn't the most romantic reunion after the kiss on the highway. Far from that in fact, and the cold mechanical look she had about her that day with no other purpose other than ending the life of his best friend sent shivers down his spine to this very day. At the same time though, he couldn't stop himself but to think of her that day, the day he would discover so much about himself, his priorities, and how much deeper his feeling for her went.
"Why did you destroy the controller?" Krillin could hear her frosty and yet confused tone in his brain again, a question she had asked him when he had crushed the remote underneath his feet and then once again in her letter.
Why indeed? His infatuation for her had definitely played a part and he would have to be the biggest hypocrite ever to say otherwise. At the same time, it would be selling himself short to say his attraction for her was the only reason though.
The visit to Dr. Gero's underground lab had done him way more good than harm as it turned out, not only did he and Trunks managed to destroy Cell, it had allowed him to glimpse into her past.
She was originally just a cute human girl...
She hasn't really done anything wrong at that time...
Does saving millions justify the killing of one innocent?
While Eighteen may not be completely innocent and had Goku been on the island she would've most likely murdered him, heart disease or not, but his friend wasn't there and as fate would have it, she didn't lay a finger on his bestie. Heck, they spared Dr. Gero despite of knowing he could potentially bring about the end of human civilization simply cause he hadn't done anything wrong at that time so who was he to hold her accountable for something she had never done?
In the end, Cell absorbed her and he realized just how deep his infatuation for her ran and now, after weeks of waiting for her to "see him later" as she had said at the lookout, he was given a reply, one that gave him hope just as Master Roshi had unwittingly pointed out.
What if her visit to Kame House need not be the last?
What if they can meet again on this white stretch of sandy beach under more friendly terms?
What if there is indeed a future for them together?
"I hope you are also doing something for yourself." She said, but what if all I want is to meet her face to face again?
Well that's not about to happen anytime soon Krillin thought, so he'll have to start the old-fashioned letter-to-letter way.
Back at his room, Krillin took out the letter once again with delicacy one wouldn't expect from a seasoned warrior like him. He laid the letter on his desk and took a deep breath feeling emotions rushing through him. Last night he had read the letter so religiously he was sure he could recite each sentence even in his sleep, but having the real thing in front definitely helps.
Underneath the elegance of her letters was someone blunt and to the point and even beneath those superficial elements laid a deeply emotional being, a being so multi-layered he wasn't sure how to approach properly just yet.
Alright Krillin, it's time to get to work!
His hand reached downward into a compartment he hadn't touched for years and pulled out what looked like scrolls of sumi paper along with several calligraphy brushes and an ink bottle. If there were positive things he had gotten out of Orin temple, it would have to be the religion and scripture writing lessons he received. Far from being an ordinary warrior who only knew how to fight, Krillin prided himself for being more cultured than most folks. Furthermore, thanks to being trained in calligraphy at such a young age, holding the brushes was like second nature to him and after several practices, the warrior monk felt as if his hand and the brush he held have become one.
"Well I guess getting bullied all the time by senior monks wasn't the only thing I got outta the whole Orin ordeal haha..." the warrior monk chuckled somewhat pleased with himself until he realized he hadn't written a word on the letter yet.
Concentrate now Krillin, don't get too carried away before you've actually written the response.
The content itself was much harder than writing words down beautifully as it turned out, as right after jogging down "Hello 18", which came very natural to him seeing "Dear 18", "Hi 18", or even just plain "18" doesn't ring a bell to him, the warrior monk was stone-walled by what to put next. Sure, she hadn't really asked him any question but knowing Eighteen, the bald monk knew he had to give her answers in his reply, but what happens after that?
Inviting her over to Kame House seemed to be out of the question, since if she really wanted to visit him, she would've seem him last night instead of dropping the letter on a nearby island. So what then?
"Have a good life and goodbye? That would be the chivalrous thing to do. She had just started a new life after Cell, so who am I to intrude into her life?" thought Krillin putting down his brush and leaned against his chair as he let out a sigh, "but what about my feelings? And how do I know she has no feelings for me? Would she have came all the way to my neighborhood just to get some answer from me?"
Unable to contain his emotion no more, the warrior monk got up from his seat and began pacing his room anxiously; trying to let the small exercise rid him of his unneeded anxiety.
"Why couldn't she just be a bit more forthcoming with what she wanted? Why not meet me face to face instead of through a letter?" yelled Krillin before covering his mouth and silently cursing himself for getting out of control. Kami knew the last thing he wanted was a worried Master Roshi knocking on his door again.
The sound of footsteps didn't stop for another thirty minutes, and by the time Krillin got back to his desk, he was too worked up to sit properly. Grasping his brush firmly in his hand, the cultured monk finished the letter with one continuous stroke, his raw emotion pouring through his nimble arm and onto the sumi paper.
Now emotionally exhausted, Krillin slumped back onto his chair, the momentum of his fall pushing the wooden furniture back several feet before it came to a stop. Watching from a distance, he wasn't sure whether to be proud of what he had just written or to be ashamed of it. By kami it wasn't as elegant and refined as Eighteen's beautiful handwriting, but it wasn't messy by any stretch of means. No, the brush strokes and kinetic energy his words possessed served as a mirror for his feeling for her.
It was controlled chaos, the reflection of his current mental state and the adventures he has had throughout his life and in a sense, Krillin guess they have a certain appeal to them.
Just when he was about to pack up his letter and head out to mail it though, a thought came to him out of nowhere, one he wasn't sure whether it would help or hurt his case. Grabbing his most recent photo album, Krillin pulled out a recent photo of him along with Master Roshi, Oolong, and Turtle and putted it right by the letter. He also took out his personal wooden seal, one he only used for official businesses and stamped his name right on top of his written name.
Now at last everything was good to go and he could finally mail his written and seal stamped letter along with the photo to his angel.
The post office was already closed by the time the short-statured monk arrived at his destination, leaving him standing by the closed entrance with his hand holding the completely filled out envelope with the only thing missing being the stamp.
"Blast it! I was so close!" shouted Krillin on top of his lungs letting loose his frustration into the air. Thankfully, the only creatures he disturbed were nearby wild life as there wasn't a single human being for as far as his eyes could see. Slumping his head in defeat, the warrior monk was just about to take off back to Kame House when a dangerous thought hit him.
I have her address, why not simply visit her and hand this to her in person?
No, stop it Krillin! Just because the lady gave you her address doesn't mean you can just drop by unannounced!
But I have already spent so much time writing this. All I want is for her to see what I've got that's all. It's not like I'm going to peep or anything.
No but, stop immediately and behave like the gentleman you strive to be.
An internal struggle waged inside Krillin's clean shaven head as his facial expression got more serious with each passing second until finally, with a loud thump against the pavement right by the closed post office, he made up his decision and took off into the air, back towards the Kame House.
The dinner was even harder to swallow than lunch but Krillin still managed to put up a friendly front as he shoved the food into his mouth as if nothing was wrong. Later, after doing the dishes, he went out onto the beach and powered up a huge Kamehameha before letting it loose, sending the blue beam of energy high up into the heavens.
Then he waited, and waited some more, hoping that somehow Eighteen was nearby again and would give him the signal just like yesterday.
However, nothing happened, no pink pillar of energy, no flying woman dropping from the sky, absolutely nothing except for the sound of ocean wave crashing against the shore and cries of some nocturnal insects residing on the island.
First thing tomorrow, first thing tomorrow he promised himself, he will mail out the letter using the highest priority mail.
At first, Eighteen felt relieved and better than ever right after dropping the letter on the desolated island for Krillin to pick up. It was like her body was lighter by a few thousand pounds, so weightless and free the blonde woman almost danced to her room after she sneaked back inside her brother's log cabin. As a cyborg she rarely slept, but that night, she dreamed not of Cell absorbing her and her brother nor that pesky monk who couldn't just mind his own business, but of her living in a large mansion filled with latest fashions from all around the world.
By the next morning, all her excitement was gone and instead replaced by the unmistakable feeling of dread. It was like waking up from an all-night party to the biggest hangover she could have, except as a cyborg she couldn't possibly have any hangover and had no memory of ever drinking thanks to Dr. Gero whipping her memory, wondering just what the hell had she done last night.
"Very cute Eighteen, firing off that blast into the sky declaring your presence to that bald noseless geezer midget, real cute!" muttered the cyborg girl to herself in disgust while shaking her head still not believing how naïve she behaved last night, "since when did a proud android like you start having these pathetic human-like emotions? You are not your stupid brother for crying out loud!"
So in an effort to prove her superiority over humans and her brother alike, Eighteen did the only thing she knew befitting her of her status, go shopping, or should we say go shoplifting?
Her target was the grandest and most fashionable mall in the nearby area, one every teenager and young adult visits frequently with glee, squandering their hard-earned money or their parents' money on the biggest brand names.
Usually in a place so full of hormone-driven youngsters, Eighteen would get cat-called on dozens of times with each step she took. Not today though, for that the flawlessly angelic woman was in such a foul mood it didn't take getting stared at by her directly to lose one's courage completely. Everywhere she went, the other shoppers gave her more space than needed and scrambled out of her way long before she set her eyes on them. The clothing stores she visited emptied themselves until only the checkout clerks were present.
Not even having entire stores to herself could calm the angry cyborg much, and in her displeased state, Eighteen found flaws in pretty much all the clothes. After several hours of raiding dozens of stores, the blonde-haired woman only managed to gather eight articles of garment and even then she wasn't completely happy with those.
"Ex...excuse me ma'am..." came a timid man's voice from behind her just as Eighteen was about to exit the mall with her "purchases". Turning around, she could make out an extremely muscular but scared mall guard standing a good distance behind her and following the guard were several shop employees.
"What do you want?" asked the blonde cyborg with her signature biting cold tone as her body began powering up without her knowing it, sending strong currents of air all over different directions.
"We...well ma'am...it's...it's just that you haven't paid for your clothes yet," stammered the guard trying his hardest not to shake in his shoes too much but the sound of his leather shoes clicking against the hard pavement rhythmically still resonated through the shopping center.
Eighteen bit down against her lips in embarrassment upon hearing that she had just been caught red-handedly by some stupid human. Normally, she would've moved so fast out of whatever shop she had just raided that no one saw that she had walked away with unpurchased goods. Today in her emotional driven state; however, the blonde woman merely walked in and out of the shops in normal speed. Heck, it's a wonder no one had stopped her earlier.
"Oh these clothes," began the cyborg woman as she slowly approached the mall security who by now was dripping so much cold sweat his entire uniform was completely drenched despite of the whole place being air-conditioned. "Here take them, I don't need them anymore!" said Eighteen putting the cloth onto the guard's hand just when the man thought he was about to get murdered for sure.
She blasted back towards the log cabin at top speed, fuming that she had just wasted a precious day doing absolutely nothing.
"Damn you Krillin, damn you and your stupid human emotion. Curse you for making me feel human!" cursed Eighteen non-stop on her way back home.
The next day followed the same routine more or less, except this time without any sleep; Eighteen was even more cranky than usual and radiated an aura that scared everyone shitless. Once again, she left whatever mall she visited without acquiring anything while leaving masses of shoppers cowering on the floor.
"If I don't get this emotion of mine under control, I'll really blow a wire or two!" muttered a very distressed cyborg woman on her way home before stopping abruptly when she saw what appeared to be a weird person dressed in all blue and carrying a large bag standing in front of Seventeen's isolated mountain house.
"Excuse me! Is Eighteen here?" screamed the uniformed man knocking on the cabin door and behind him parked a hover bike with more bags full of envelopes.
"The postman! No way, is Krillin this fast?" asked the blonde cyborg hiding behind a tree, unsure whether to show herself or not.
Minutes passed and finally when it seemed like the postman was about to leave, Eighteen finally mustered up her courage and left her hiding place, "I'm Eighteen, what do you have for me?" she asked with a nicer tone than the one used back at the mall despite of already knowing the answer.
"Oh hi there, sorry I didn't notice you before Ms. Eighteen!" said the postman turning to face her, revealing himself to be an elderly man, "here, please sign your name right here, I have a priority mail for you!"
The blonde cyborg took the pen from the postman and quickly put down "18" on the signature bracket, her hand trembling ever so slightly which fortunately didn't get picked up by the elder man.
"There you go ma'am, enjoy your package!" and with it, the postman was gone, leaving Eighteen standing by the log cabin with an envelope in her hand.
Inside her locked room, the cyborg girl sat on her chair, staring at the envelope apprehensively debating whether to open it or not. Part of her told her to just rip it to shreds, knowing nothing good will come about from opening it.
"Just pretend this is nothing but a stupid mistake and move on girl, it's not like that shrimp of a man has anything new to say you don't already know." She thought as she put her delicate fingers on the envelope and gently tore a small opening on the flat paper package all the while cursing herself for being so soft and humanlike.
The contents were gradually revealed as she pulled them from their containment with utmost care until they were laying on her wooden desk and she gasped at what she saw.
One of the items was a photo of Krillin along with an old man, a pig, and a turtle standing by the Kame House flashing peace signs at the camera. The still bald and noseless man looked somewhat gloomy although he was trying to cover it up with a smile.
"So I guess you haven't really been taking care of yourself huh? Too worried about others you idiot!" sighed Eighteen trying to ignore the tiny tint of guilt she momentarily felt looking at the warrior monk.
Next to the photograph was a strangely textured paper unlike the one she had used to write her letter. Whatever this paper was made of, it was much more lightweight than the one she had used and its surface possessed an almost feathery like quality to it.
Holding the delicate paper in her slightly shaking hands, Eighteen counted till three in her head before unfolding the paper, her icy blue eyes shot wide opened at what she saw.
Hello 18,
Thank you for your letter. It was very kind of you to write to me. I also hope this letter finds you well.
I'm not going to lie, you got me, but I assure you that kiss by the highway wasn't the only reason why I squashed the remote. It's just that you haven't really done anything wrong and I can't just murder you to save millions now can I? What would that make me? Another monster killing innocent for fun just like Cell?
Wherever you are, I hope you are taking good care of yourself. The world is much bigger than you think and now with the bomb removed I hope you are free to explore it as you please. Who knows, I might hear you making a good name for yourself. That ought to show the mad doctor you are far more than just his creation.
Just in case you want to visit me, and I mean only if you want to, I'm always at Kame House. You and your brother Seventeen are always welcome here.
Krillin
A/N: Thanks for the review and for reading this chapter as well as the first chapter. As always feel free to leave your opinion and feedback, it is always a joy reading inputs from readers telling me the parts that stood out in each chapter as well as where to improve.