5Nightmare
A/N: Hey everyone, so this one shot is written as part of Chestnut Festival 2022, which is an annual community event dedicated to Krillin and Android Eighteen, where FanFiction authors are provided a set of prompts to write a short story for the couple.
The prompt I have chosen for this piece is Nightmare, and as such I've decided to go with Eighteen's perspective primarily, as I see her as the most likely of the two that would struggle with nightmares considering her background.
Anyway, here's the story!
A boom of thunder overhead caught her attention as she glanced up to the dark clouds looming above, the wind picking up around her and tousling blonde hair across her face.
Eighteen gave the approaching storm a wary frown before shaking her head lightly as she turned back to her surroundings, the deserted city streets and rundown buildings meeting her hard gaze as she took several steps forwards.
Walking down the road with her arms folded, Eighteen passed dozens of abandoned cars and dark empty structures, an eerie atmosphere to it all as she glanced around with sharp blue eyes.
She was unsure of where she was or what she was doing here, but the further she continued onwards, the more uneasy she felt about the situation, getting the distinct feeling that something bad had happened here.
Shaking off her discomfort, Eighteen eventually comes up to an intersection, and she pauses for a moment to decide on her next course of action, reaching a hand up to carefully tuck a few strands of hair behind her left ear as she contemplated.
Out of nowhere, a sudden sharp pain shoots through her head, her sight blurring somewhat as she places a palm to her forehead, blinking several times to clear the slight red tint that had inexplicably taken up her vision.
A loud crashing noise from behind causes her to abruptly whirl around at the sound, her arm instantly outstretched with a ball of pink energy ignited in her hand, the pain and altered vision from before fading as she scanned the area with a guarded look.
The shattered window of one of the nearby store fronts garnered her attention as she focused in on the building, the battered doors and unlit interior making it a very unappealing sight as she waited for a few more seconds, seeing no movement aside from the welcome sign swaying outside.
Eighteen narrowed her eyes as she mentally weighed up what to do from here, and after a minute or so of mental debate she let out a begrudging sigh as she resolved to investigate, her hand kept firmly aimed to the front as she took one cautious step after the other towards the building.
The entrance door swung inwards with a creaking noise as Eighteen quickly pushed her way inside, the main room almost appearing as dark as the clouds outside, the only source of light being the glow of her ki ball as it lit up the empty shelves that lined up in rows.
Eighteen strains her senses for any sound, movement or other indication that she hadn't been hearing things earlier, her eyes flitting around the room as she stood still as a statue for a good while, the only noise of any note being another boom of thunder from outside.
Eventually, once it seemed that nothing was amiss, Eighteen finally lowers her hand and dispels her energy ball, scowling as she turns to leave.
Another stab of pain strikes in that moment, causing her to grit her teeth in anguish as her vision goes a darker shade of red this time, the effects slowly fading once again before the unmistakable sound of hurried footsteps comes from the other side of the room.
Eighteen swiftly turns and runs towards where she'd heard the noise, ignoring the sound of her boots crunching on glass shards as she rushed over to what looked like the entrance to another room, and with a determined expression she dashes round the corner, wanting to get to the bottom of the strange happenings once and for all.
Her immediate reaction is a confused one as she took in the small room, seeing nothing but a few shelves and empty boxes in what was clearly a storage room, with no sign of anyone who could have made the noises from before.
Eighteen scoffs in annoyance at the dead end, however as she was about to turn away her eyes pick up on something only just visible in the dim light, a sight that made her eyes go wide as she recognized the unmistakable pattern.
The dark black stain was splattered out in all directions in the centre of the floor, the greyness of the current lighting doing well to mask what would otherwise be an easily identifiable mark, the true nature of which reveals itself as Eighteen hesitantly lights her hand up with ki again.
Blood, and a lot of it. Spread out in such a way that whoever it had once belonged to likely died a violent death, leaving little in the way of imagination as to what had happened here.
Eighteen swallowed thickly as she regarded the unsettling sight before her. She was of course no stranger to violence, yet something about this whole situation, the city, the room, the bloodstains, all of it gave her an unshakeable sense of dread.
The pain returned once again, this time much worse than before, Eighteen crying out as her sight was overtaken by a deep red hue, her eyes seemingly forced open as something seemed to unfold right in front of her.
She saw two people huddling on the ground before her, their cries and begging drowned out by malicious feminine laughter coming from herself, a cold and indifferent air to her actions as she raised a hand up to the couple, energy lighting up on her index finger before firing several beams.
Eighteen gasped for air as she abruptly came back to her senses, taking in several deep breaths as she placed a hand on the wall for support, needing a moment to recover as she stared down at where the two people had been.
She didn't know what was going on, but if there was one thing she'd gathered from whatever that vision was, it was that she had to get out of here, and fast.
Without giving the bloodstains another look, Eighteen sprints out of the room, hastily moving through the store before stumbling back onto the street, the spooked woman attempting to recompose herself as she tried not to think about what she'd just seen.
Her surroundings however, seemed to have other plans, as the once quiet and undisturbed aspect of the city streets were now filled with a haunting cacophony of echoing sounds, seemingly coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
Eighteen stared around with an unnerved look as she heard all manner of distressing noises, from screams that came across like whispers, to the seemingly distant rumble of what sounded like explosions mixed with thunder, all of which becoming too much for her as she slowly backed away down the street.
A bright explosion rocked one of the nearby skyscrapers as debris fell down onto the crowds of screaming people below. Shortly afterwards, several more blasts land indiscriminately amongst the mass of humans, the source of the attacks being a lean young man with black hair, sporting an orange bandanna and black t shirt as he floated in the sky above.
Eighteen shook her head as the vision faded, and she reluctantly looked up to where the figure had been, seeing only the damaged skyscraper where he'd struck, before glancing down to the craters where the fleeing people had been murdered.
Her hand extended out towards the next group of panicking humans, her voice emitting the same deranged laughter from before as an energy attack shot from her hand, soaring towards her targets with deadly speed before exploding in a bright fireball that engulfs many dozens of people.
A chill ran down Eighteen's spine as her eyes grow wide with realization, horror evident on her features as she stared around at the evidence, knowing exactly what she was seeing even if she'd been unable to comprehend it before.
Bodies littered the streets, buildings collapsed from sustained damage, fires raging everywhere as the screams of dying people rang out, the chaos always accompanied by sickening, evil laughter of its twin perpetrators.
Eighteen looked down at the destroyed city with glee as Seventeen floated beside her, a sick sense of satisfaction coming from her as she smiled widely, the sight of such senseless destruction bringing her nothing but pure joy as she reveled in ending so many lives.
Eighteen jolted upright with a shout, her heartbeat thumping in her ears as she took in several shaky breaths, the seconds slowly ticking by as she took a moment to gather her surroundings, the adrenaline pumping through her body soon wearing off as her breathing eventually steadied.
Eighteen sighed heavily as she laid back down on her bed with a light thump, her face exhibiting signs of exhaustion as she stared up at the ceiling with a drained look.
"Another nightmare..." she murmured to herself quietly, her resigned tone indicating the unfortunate familiarity she had with them.
Whether it was being subjected to Dr. Gero's experiments or hunted down by Cell, night terrors had become an unwanted yet frequent occurrence for her ever since she had woken from Dr. Gero's lab over two years ago.
They were difficult, if not outright impossible for her to deal with, as neither her superhuman strength nor her steady control of emotions could help once she was asleep, as it was then that her deepest insecurities and emotions were free to wreak havoc on her unconscious mind, with vivid scenes of her deepest fears and troubled past coming to the forefront uninhibited.
It was hard for her to admit, but it was in such situations that she truly did feel helpless, a feeling she despised with every fiber of her being, as it only served to remind her of the worst times in her life so far.
The feeling also highlighted how despite being one of the most powerful beings on the planet, she was still susceptible to reverting back to the frightened young woman she was originally before all of this, the person who despite the sick experiments and cybernetic adjustments, was still there, an undeniably human aspect of her.
Eighteen shakes her head in irritation at the whirlwind of thoughts, and she then glances over to check the time on her bedside clock, quickly groaning at seeing the early hour of the morning, having only gotten half the sleep she would have liked before her unwelcome interruption.
Cursing to herself as she moves to sit up, Eighteen shifts her legs over the side of her bed as she slowly stands up, knowing that she wasn't going to get any more sleep anytime soon.
Walking over to her wardrobe, she quickly places on a set of comfy long pants and T shirt, not bothering to put on any shoes as she makes her way quietly down the stairs of Kame House, her mind set on getting something from the kitchen as she heads to the bottom floor.
The familiar sound of waves washing against the shore outside hit her ears, the darkness of the early morning encompassing the lounge as she walked in, not stopping as she headed into the kitchen.
Switching on the light, Eighteen busies herself with making a drink as she flicks on the hot water jug, the appliance soon filling the small room with the sound of boiling water as its sole occupant rummages through the cupboards nearby.
As Eighteen pulls out the hot chocolate container, a light thumping noise coming from the stairs causes her to pause as she looks over her shoulder, watching curiously as whoever it was came down the stairs.
A brief smile forms on her lips as she sees none other than Krillin stepping out into the lounge, the short man looking a little groggy as he rubbed his eyes, though his expression quickly brightens upon seeing her.
"It's a bit early in the morning to be up isn't it?" he said in a tired yet cheerful voice, Eighteen just waving him off as she grabbed a set of coffee mugs.
"I could say the same to you," she stated, offering him a cup. Krillin taking it with a grateful expression as he came to stand beside her.
"Well you got me there!" Krillin replied with a grin "I was pretty much awake when I heard you moving around, so I thought I'd come out to check up on you."
Eighteen glances down slightly at that, "Thanks... I'm fine. Just struggling to sleep is all," she said with a hint of hesitation, Krillin picking up on that as he gives her a brief look of concern.
"Oh, well I guess that makes two of us then!" he said quickly, "I can probably blame it on myself for watching the television so late! That thing really seems to get my mind going at night!" he added with a light chuckle, trying his best to keep the mood upbeat for Eighteen's sake.
His attempt doesn't seem to work however as Eighteen simply nods at that before turning back to preparing her drink, Krillin's shoulders sagging at that as he realises that something was definitely off about her.
"Damn... I didn't say something stupid did I? Maybe Eighteen's not feeling great at the moment, she's usually quite talkative when it's just us," he thought with a worried expression, having become used to Eighteen being more open with him over the time they'd spent together.
Krillin debates in his head for a few moments on how to address things, however before he has a chance to decide, a loud click from the water jug breaks the slightly awkward atmosphere, Eighteen going to make herself a drink as Krillin follows suit.
The duo are soon moving into the lounge with a steaming cup of hot chocolate each, Eighteen in the lead as she takes a seat on the couch, Krillin opting to turn on a small lamp first before sitting beside her, the two of them simply sipping their beverages as they simply remain in a relatively comfortable silence.
After a while however, Krillin couldn't help but let his inner concern bubble back up to the surface as he fidgeted a little, shooting glances over to Eighteen who seemed to be caught up in her own thoughts as she stared down at the ground blankly.
Unable to take the building tension any longer, Krillin quietly clears his throat as he places his empty cup down on the coffee table in front of them, Eighteen blinking in slight surprise as she looks over to him, appearing almost as if she'd forgotten he was sitting beside her.
"So uh... are you doing okay Eighteen?" Krillin started hesitantly, his hands clasped in front of him as he glanced over at her sideways.
"I don't mean to pry or anything, and if you don't want to talk then that's perfectly fine of course!" he said in a somewhat nervous tone, "But... what I'm trying to say is, if you need to talk about something, anything at all, then I'm here for you."
Eighteen stares at him for a long while at that as she lets his words sink in, Krillin appearing rather unsure from the lack of response as he shifts in slight discomfort, having no idea what was going through the mind of the beautiful, yet often emotionally reclusive woman.
"Um... er, never mind then, sorry for asking!" Krillin stuttered out as he shook his head, grabbing his cup before hastily standing up, wanting to leave before he made things more awkward for the both of them.
"Krillin!" Eighteen's voice came from behind, Krillin turning round in surprise as he caught the almost urgent way in which she'd said his name, his eyes going wide as he saw her now staring at him with a look of what looked like anxiousness.
"Don't go. I'd like... for you to stay a while. I wouldn't mind having a talk," Eighteen said, seemingly a bit hesitant in her own admission, Krillin just nodding at that in brief shock before sitting back down, giving her his undivided attention as he turned to face her.
Eighteen however was still visibly struggling as she looked away once again, an annoyed scowl on her face as she mentally grappled with opening up, the silence seemingly stretching on as Krillin waited patiently at her side.
Eighteen is caught by surprise when she feels Krillin's hand gently interlock with one of her own at her side, the warmth radiating from his touch startling her as she stared at him, seeing the look of understanding on his face as he makes an effort to help her feel at ease.
"It's okay Eighteen, take your time! I'm not going anywhere I promise!" he said in a caring voice, Eighteen feeling her heart leap a bit at the gesture before letting a small smile form, the uneasy feeling that she'd had melting away from Krillin's genuine kindness.
"Thank you," Eighteen said as she felt herself calm down considerably, her mind now clear as she went to relay her inner turmoil.
"I was having a nightmare earlier. That's the reason I was awake. It's not the first time this has happened either, I've been having them frequently for a while now," Eighteen started as she glanced back down to the ground, Krillin's eyes never looking away from her as she continued.
"The details change each time, but the themes are more or less the same. Mostly it's something drawn from my past, like Dr. Gero or Cell, though this one was about the future timeline," she said, closing her eyes at the last part as she recalled tonight's vision.
"I know I'm not responsible for the actions taken by my counterpart. But I suppose deep down, I still feel a bit guilty about how things went over there," Eighteen admitted with a troubled sigh, her eyes opening to see Krillin nodding slowly.
"I see. For what it's worth Eighteen, I don't consider Future Eighteen as you in any way. In my mind, you may as well be different people," Krillin said with quiet conviction, Eighteen giving him a somewhat surprised look as she feels a wave of relief wash over her.
"I... appreciate that. It means a lot, coming from you," Eighteen said with a small smile, feeling an emotional weight of sorts lifting from her mind.
It was then that Eighteen felt all the tension and stress which had been building up for a while now finally release, finding it a welcome surprise that the simple act of speaking to someone about her problems was enough to ease the strain placed on her by the nightmares, a concept that she'd never considered before now.
Eighteen then looked over into the eyes of the man she'd grown considerably attached to over the years she'd known him, with nothing making her feel more grateful for his presence than the look of understanding and sympathy he had in that moment, a look that gave her an unbelievable feeling of reassurance after so much time spent dealing with her personal struggles alone.
Krillin meanwhile knew that he couldn't fully understand what Eighteen was going through, nor could he realistically do much to help with something as intangible as nightmares or troubling memories from the past.
What he did know however, was that the most important thing he could do right now was simply be there for Eighteen, listening to her admission above anything else. Upon seeing the grateful look she was currently giving him, along with the subtle smile on her lips, he knew that he'd done the right thing in talking to her tonight.
What happens next, completely catches him off guard however, as Eighteen then abruptly leans over and kisses him on the cheek, his reaction immediate as the temperature in his face steadily rises, his eyes going wide in shock as the over the top response elicited a cute giggle from Eighteen who smirks as she scoots over closer to him.
"What... what was that for?" Krillin asked in a dumbfounded tone, unable to take his eyes off of the evidently amused woman who was now leaning against him.
"That was for being yourself," Eighteen replied simply as she rested her head on his shoulder, Krillin feeling his heartbeat skyrocket at the close proximity they were now to each other.
"Oh... but it's not like I did all that much," he said in confusion, though Eighteen rolling her eyes causes him to quiet as she replies.
"It's not like I need you to do anything special, you know. You being there for me is enough," she said matter of factly, Krillin rubbing the back of his head at that with an awkward laugh.
"Right, of course! I was just meaning that anyone could have been in my shoes! All I did was listen really!" he said quickly, though Eighteen frowns at that as she stares ahead thoughtfully.
"You're wrong. I don't open up to people easily, that's just how I am. But when it comes to you... let's just say no-one else is the same," she said firmly, Krillin's mouth hanging agape at that.
"I've never told anyone about my nightmares before. Even my brother doesn't fully know, since he has his own share of troubles that keeps him up at night," Eighteen continued, her eyes glazing over slightly as she recalled times where she'd heard screaming coming from Seventeen's room on some nights that she'd spent at his cabin.
Krillin's eyes grow downcast at that, and he maneuvers himself so that he has one arm wrapped around Eighteen's shoulders, the other gripping her hand comfortingly as he tries to make sure she was as comfortable as possible.
Eighteen glances up at him with raised eyebrows but doesn't protest at the move, instead opting to settle into the new position as she rested in the comforting embrace.
"You're feeling better though right?" Krillin asked carefully, Eighteen snorting in response as she closed her eyes.
"I'm fine now, you can stop worrying," she said with a smirk, the slight movement from Krillin chuckling shifting her body a little.
"Sorry, can't help that! Care about you too much!" came his reply, Eighteen just shaking her head faintly as she didn't bother to give any other reaction, the lack of sleep seemingly catching up to her as she felt her mind begin to drift subconsciously.
Before she even realized what was going on, slumber took her completely, the warmth and comfort she was currently feeling too tempting for her tired mind as almost against her will, she fell into the deep recess of sleep.
The sun shining on her face along with the cries of seagulls stirred her awake as she slowly opened her eyes, Eighteen blinking several times to rid herself of her drowsiness as she let out a caged yawn.
Her vision soon adjusted to her surroundings as she took a moment to recognize where she was, the steady rise and fall of someone's breathing shifting her seated position as she found herself completely wrapped up in another person's embrace.
Eighteen glanced up slightly to see Krillin's sleeping expression, his eyelids shut in a cute U shape each, his mouth forming an oval as he systematically let air in and out.
Memories from their early morning conversation came back to Eighteen as she kept her gaze on Krillin, a smile forming on her lips at that before her eyes went wide with realization.
"I didn't have another nightmare!" Eighteen thought to herself in bewilderment, a confused frown on her face as she almost didn't believe it possible.
Usually on the nights where she'd been struck by a night terror, sleep was often impossible to attain again before the morning arrived.
And in the unlikely instances where she'd been so exhausted that even against her wishes she'd gone back under, the remainder of her time was spent fitfully waking every few hours, the after-effects of the nightmares leaving her with little chance of catching up on sleep.
She had never woken up feeling completely at ease either, let alone after such a difficult experience, yet here she was feeling more rested than even the nights in which her sleep wasn't interrupted, a concept that both baffled and intrigued her as she wondered how it was possible.
"No dark cities, no Cell, or Dr. Gero, just a peaceful sleep," Eighteen thought incredulously as she settled back down, her eyes once again taking in Krillin beside her, this time with an almost mystified look.
"It couldn't have something to do with him could it?" Eighteen thought to herself as she leaned back into Krillin's arms, the warmth radiating from his body comforting her in a way that was hard to describe.
Somehow she felt safe with him next to her, as if the nightmares wouldn't dare bother her as long as he was nearby, a completely ludicrous notion she admitted, yet one she very much relished in all the same, the feeling of security which Krillin represented a welcome thought in her troubled mind.
"Hmm, guess I have him to thank for this. I'll have to make it up to him somehow," Eighteen thought with a lazy grin, her eyes closing once again as she buried her head into his chest, her arms wrapped firmly around him as she found herself almost wishing she could stay like this forever.
The last thought she had before dozing off again, was that next time she went to sleep, she would be asking for the company of a certain bald warrior, to keep the nightmares at bay amongst other reasons.
A/N: There we go, that is my contribution for this year's Chestnut Festival, hope you guys enjoyed it!
With the nightmare itself, I wanted to try something different with what Eighteen went through in this one, as the obvious options would have been to involve something like Cell or Dr. Gero, however I thought that something just as difficult to deal with for her would be the knowledge of the future timeline, so I decided to go with that option whilst also adding a unique spin to it.
Also for any readers who are familiar with my other story Facing the Future, this one shot can be considered a spiritual successor to that one, taking place shortly after the main events in that story.
Anyway, thank you so much for reading, much appreciated, Literal!