Dragon Ball: The Universe's Finest

"What's going on here?"

I quickly turned, and there was Krillin, standing by the patio entrance with a confused and slightly alarmed expression. He was still wearing his police uniform—he had probably just gotten back from work.

"Krillin, this isn't what it looks like." 18 said as she got up, brushing the dust off her clothes quickly. Her tone was firm, but there was a faint hint of discomfort in her voice.

"It's not what it looks like?" Krillin repeated, crossing his arms as he looked at me intently.

"We were just training." I intervened, trying to diffuse the situation.

Krillin raised an eyebrow and gave me a once-over. "Training, huh?"

Marron, who had been quietly observing the whole thing, ran over to her dad with a big smile. "Yeah, Daddy! Mommy was fighting him, but I think he won because he's super fast and strong!"

Krillin sighed and scratched the back of his head, though he seemed to relax a little. "Well, as long as it's nothing weird..." he murmured. Then he turned to me with a questioning look. "And who exactly are you?"

Before I could answer, 18 interrupted. "He's a friend. I met him at the party the other day. Mira was just here for a friendly sparring match."

"A friend, huh?" Krillin repeated, though his tone was more neutral this time. Finally, he let out a nervous chuckle. "Well, looks like I missed all the action."

18 rolled her eyes. "Why don't you go inside and relax? You must be tired from work."

Krillin nodded but still shot me one last look before heading into the house, with Marron running after him. The girl seemed blissfully unaware of the brief tension in the air, her laughter echoing in the patio.

When the door closed, we were alone again. 18 stayed silent for a few moments, as if she was gathering her thoughts. Finally, she let out a sigh and looked directly at me.

"About what happened earlier..."

Her tone was firm but not aggressive. My mind quickly filled with images of the moment when we ended up face-to-face on the ground, so close, her surprised expression… I felt my face heat up as I blushed uncontrollably.

"I think I know what you're referring to..." I murmured, briefly averting my gaze, trying to maintain my composure.

"Listen," she said in a more serious tone, "I know you were just trying to help and that you didn't do it on purpose. But you need to understand something."

She crossed her arms, adopting a firm posture that made it impossible to ignore her words.

"You and I are nothing, okay? We barely know each other, and besides, I'm married, I have a daughter, and what happened today was inappropriate."

Her expression was serious, even cold, but I couldn't help noticing a faint hint of discomfort in her voice. It seemed more like a need to set clear boundaries than a personal reproach.

I didn't say anything. I just stood there, looking at her, processing what she was saying. Her logic was undeniable, but a part of me, even though I completely understood, couldn't help feeling a little bad about the situation. Finally, I nodded silently, wanting to make it clear that I accepted what she was telling me.

She observed me for a moment longer, as if evaluating me, making sure I truly understood. Then, she let out a small sigh and relaxed her posture slightly.

"Good," she said at last, her tone somewhat softer. "I think we're done for today."

Silence settled between us, though it wasn't uncomfortable. There was something in her words that made me reflect—not just on the situation, but on myself.

"18..." I began, my voice sounding more serious than I expected. She raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Thank you. For the fight. And… I'm sorry."

Her eyes softened for a moment before she looked away, as if she wasn't used to receiving that kind of gratitude. "Just… try not to misinterpret any of this. And don't let it happen again, okay?"

"Understood." I replied with a faint smile, trying to ease the tension.

She nodded again, but before turning to go back inside, she gave me one last look—this time calmer. "You're strong. If you ever need to train again, let me know."

Her offer took me by surprise, but I nodded in gratitude. "I will."

Without another word, 18 turned and walked toward the house. The door closed softly behind her, leaving me alone in the patio.

I stayed there for a moment, looking at the sky as the wind blew gently.

"I messed up, didn't I?" I thought silently while gazing at the clouds.

With one last sigh, I activated the device Whis had given me and took off to return to Capsule Corporation.

(A few seconds later…)

Once I arrived, the weight of my thoughts was still crushing me. The discomfort was overwhelming.

"What was I thinking? This isn't like the romance mangas I used to read. This is real. She's a married woman... what did I think was going to happen? I'm such an idiot."

I mentally scolded myself over and over again. I felt a mixture of guilt, shame, and frustration. I had crossed a line, even if by accident, and the heaviness in my chest refused to go away.

I was so lost in my own torment that I didn't notice when I walked past Beerus, Whis, and Bulma, who were enjoying dessert in Capsule Corporation's garden.

"Oh, Mira, you're back already?" Whis said, noticing my presence. He wore his usual calm expression while taking a spoonful of pudding. Beerus, as always, was devouring his without any elegance. Bulma, seated with them, seemed more interested in listening than participating.

"Uh… yes, Master." I replied flatly, my tone immediately catching their attention.

"Things didn't go well with the human, did they?" Beerus said bluntly, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

"Lord Beerus, don't you think that's a bit insensitive?" Whis commented lightly, though there was a hint of reprimand in his tone.

"Nah, let it be a lesson. If he wants to be a God of Destruction, he can't be distracted by females," Beerus said, waving his spoon as if to emphasize his point.

My jaw clenched at his comment. While I knew there was no malice in his words, his carefree attitude only made the situation more irritating.

Bulma, who had been listening attentively, furrowed her brow, clearly confused by the conversation. "Wait, what are you guys talking about?" she asked, leaning in slightly.

"Oh, right, I didn't tell you," Whis said as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "My dear apprentice is in love."

My eyes widened, and my face shifted from surprise to irritation in seconds. "Master!" I exclaimed, but it was too late.

"You can't keep secrets from these people, can you?" I thought with a frustrated sigh.

"What? Seriously?" Bulma said, now even more intrigued. She looked me up and down, as if evaluating me like a science project. "Sorry, but… you don't seem like the type to be interested in dating anyone."

Before I could respond, Beerus jumped in, as tactless as ever. "What are you talking about? Mira got himself into this mess. And as if wanting to be with someone wasn't enough, he went after someone who's already taken!"

My fists clenched involuntarily as I felt the blood rush to my face. I was torn between wanting to hide under a rock and punching Beerus, though I knew the latter was futile.

"Huh? What?" Bulma exclaimed, completely shocked. "Who?"

Before they could say anything else and reveal anything about 18, I raised my hands to intervene. "It's not what it looks like!" I said quickly, my tone almost desperate.

Whis gave me his enigmatic smile, clearly amused by the situation. "Oh, come on, Mira. There's no need to get so worked up. Nobody's judging you… too much."

Bulma raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. "Well, now I'm even more curious. If it's not what it looks like, then what is it? Who's this person? Someone I know?"

"It doesn't matter who it is!" I replied, my voice louder than I intended, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks again. "It was... a misunderstanding. That's all."

Beerus let out a huff and kept eating his dessert. "Misunderstanding or not, I hope you've learned your lesson. If you have time for these kinds of distractions, you should be training harder. A God of Destruction can't afford these kinds of... emotional failures."

My teeth clenched, but I didn't respond. I knew any attempt to argue with him would be pointless.

Bulma, on the other hand, sighed, clearly disappointed at not getting more information. "Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I'm not going to force you. But be careful, okay? The last thing we need is drama on Earth."

I nodded, grateful that at least she dropped the topic for now. Whis just smiled and gestured toward the table. "Have a seat, Mira. Relax. This pudding might help you clear your mind."

"Thanks, but… I think I need some air." I replied before turning and walking away a bit.

As I distanced myself from the group, I kept replaying Beerus' words in my head. As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I couldn't afford distractions like this, even more knowing what was to come. I though while images of Golden Freezer and Black Goku came to my mind.

'I need to prepare for what is to come. But how could I just ignore what I had felt?'I though while looking up at the sky once more, letting the wind clear my thoughts a bit.

'I need to be stronger, not just physically but mentally too.' I thought, clenching my fist.

The only question was… how?

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Hello again!! 2 chapters in a row and now this one, I surprised you didn't I hehe. Well, I wanna let everyone know, that I read your comments and don't worry about Krillin, I have plans to make him happy too, I'm not a monster. Returning to the chapter, I started this saga with some drama to make it more interesting, mostly because I consider the Golden Frieza saga to be the worst Super saga. So you can expect some substantial changes to the story in the future, remember this is an au after all. Well that's all for today so goodbye till next update.