One More Wish
I'm BACK, people!! Bet you thought I was gone, eh? Well, now that the block is gone, I'm returning to the writing world. I've decided to re-write this one and post it as proof that I'm still alive. So, let's get started.
Please note that this story is based on the episode of the same title. The inspiration for it remains my secret… unless you wanna know, then you can just bug me for it. Sound good? O.K., let's get going.
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He was surrounded by friends, yet he was alone.
At least, that's how it felt to Krillin. He had been through what was undoubtedly tied for the most traumatic day of his life. He had witnessed a battle the likes of which the planet had never seen, seen a boy that was far too young forced to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders… he had even witnessed the death of his best friend and, much to his confusion, Goku had chosen to remain gone, to not be wished back.
All of this seemed to be inconsequential at the moment, as his troubled mind was processing what had just happened not long before. He had hoped things might've gone well for him when he brought the beautiful Android to the Lookout, that perhaps… perhaps he might have a chance. When she awoke, however, she had mistakenly believed he had expected her to stay out of gratitude, to be his little trophy for having saved her, and practically threw it back in his face, uttering words that still rang in his mind.
"I was wrong about you."
That was what she had said before she promptly ran off and took flight, leaving the little man to wallow in his broken heart at the realization. He DID have a chance… but he'd blown it. He'd screwed everything up… again. He'd put everything on the line, placed the whole world in danger for that woman, all for the chance that maybe… just maybe… he'd have a chance with her. And then he went and messed it up, and to top it all off… he had, in effect, killed the one he called 'brother'.
It was after this that they had proceeded to use the Dragon Balls to undo the damage caused by Cell, and immediately afterwards, had been informed by Goku of his choice to remain gone. This came as a shock to everyone, but at the moment, they were still too euphoric from their victory to really realize what this entailed. Or, in the case of one of their number, heartbroken.
But this had left them with a new predicament: there was one final wish to be made. Everyone was determined to make it a good one; after all, summoning Shenron and getting a wish wasn't something they took lightly… anymore. And so, they proceeded to discuss how to use their final wish, while someone else had an internal battle waging within.
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'You know what you want to do,' came the voice from inside his mind.
Krillin's attention was piqued by the sounds coming from inside his own mind. He began to wonder who exactly it was that was speaking. "Who are you?" he asked.
The voice gave a low, mirthful chuckle. 'Who I am is of no consequence. What IS, however, is the fact that there is one last wish to be made.' The voice chuckled again. 'And I think we both know what you want to use it for.'
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Krillin replied. "I don't know who you think you are, or why you think you can just come into my mind, but you better think TWICE before you claim to know what I think."
'Oh, but I DO know, my boy,' the voice rumbled, as it began to take on a more sinister sound. 'We both know how you feel about that blonde girl. A very fine specimen indeed.' The voice gave off another devious chuckle. 'And she could be yours to do with as you please. All of those women could; the Bulma girl you liked so much, the widow of Goku… ANY of them could be yours. Isn't that what you wanted, little one?'
"No. That's what I thought I wanted once. It what I said I wanted when I was just some punk kid. That's not what I want; it never was."
'Fine, fine, but the one girl I KNOW you want. I could feel it stronger than anything else. You've never wanted anything else quite so badly… to MY recollection. And she can be yours! All you need to do is make one… simple… wish.'
Krillin's eyes grew wide at the realization of what had just been said. "W-what?! No, I can't wish for that! Besides, I can't just take that wish for myse-"
'Oh, come off it!' Krillin cringed slightly as he was cut off by the voice in his mind. 'You know perfectly well if you asked for it they'd give it to you. It's not as if you've ever asked for anything for yourself in the past. So just make your wish and be done with it.'
Krillin took some time and pondered this information for a moment. It was true enough that he had never asked for anything like this before, and that the others would most likely let him have the wish. All he needed to do was make one simple wish, and everything he ever wanted would be his. He would have someone waiting for him when he came home, someone to smile that special smile just for him, someone to share his burdens with… someone to love him.
Someone to love him.
As those words played again in his mind, he came to a realization. He could make that wish, and yes, she would be forced to fall for him, but… But it would be forced. She wouldn't really love him, she'd just be reacting to a loss of free will, an action she'd been forced to face already. Was he really so self-centered that he had actually even CONSIDERED putting her through that again? Had she been accurate in her accusation? He soon realized there was only one action left for him to take.
"No."
The voice was silent for a moment before responding. 'I'm sorry; I must've heard that wrong. What did you just say?'
"I said no. I'm not going to force her to love me, no matter how bad I want her to. Because… that's not love at all."
A loud roar echoed through his mind, and Krillin found himself cringing in the face of this outburst. 'You're a fool, little man. I thought you loved her, yet you let her go?'
"That's WHY I'm letting her go!" Krillin screamed at the voice.
His mindscape suddenly became very dark, and a deep foreboding laughter rang through his head. The voice began to speak again, its tone becoming deeper and more twisted and distorted as it spoke. 'Stupid, stupid man! I offered you an option. I gave you a chance, the ONLY chance an ugly little screw-up like you can ever hope to have with her! And what do you do with it?! You THROW IT AWAY!! Stupid little fool! You really should've done the world a favor and stayed dead the first time, yet you continue to curse the others with your presence so they can hear you whine on and on about something you have NO chance of having! Yet I offer you a chance to not be a burden, and you choose to remain one. You self-centered-'
Krillin then realized exactly what this voice was, and began to tremble. He had honestly thought that he had gotten rid of… IT a while ago. Apparently it'd been hiding. "I don't care what YOU think!" he managed to cry out, still shaking slightly. His voice then lowered to a whisper. "I know what I need to do. I need to make sure she's happy..."
"Even if it's not with me."
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Krillin managed to raise his head a bit, a sad smile on his face as he fought off the tears that threatened to form in his eyes. H knew what it was that he needed to do now. That would be his new mission; he would make certain she was happy, then… then he would walk out of her life forever. If that's what it took… so be it. Anything for her.
"Hey, guys… I have one."
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And there it is. I hope you enjoyed it. As for any questions this may bring to your minds… Well, suffice it to say that many of my stories are going to have the same continuity, so it'll all be answered soon enough. Please R7R, and don't be afraid to PM me if you have questions or comments you want left out of the review forum. I'll try to answer as best I can. See Ya!