Author's Notes: My turn to take a shot at a get-together. This one will not be AU like my other story and will be true to the storyline and character description as possible. I appreciate all of the reviews I received for my other stories, I really do!

Silence is Stronger Than Words

Chapter 1 – Shattered Soul

Her heart was racing faster than any overexertion from a fight, including that of Cell. Blood felt as though it was rushing through ears and neck causing her to tremble and sweat uncontrollably. She had to get out of there right away before the other Earth's Warriors caught a glimpse of her current state.

It was all so overwhelming. The huge dragon, the people revived, her getting revived. How did she even survive that? Did her brother do the same? Did they just not bother grabbing him and just her? Where was he?

She picked up flight speed and leveled herself out when she started approach high standing trees, quickly maneuvering between the branches and trunks. "Juunanagou, you better still be alive." Her heart sank felt as though it was going to fall into her stomach at the realization that she might actually be alone.

And what of Sixteen? Did he survive? Last time she could recall, he was badly beaten up from Cell. She even felt the guilt still from leaving his side to flee to avoid the absorption process. "Oh God, what if they are all dead?" She growled at herself.

Her eyes feeling warm and fatigued suddenly overwhelmed her causing her to freeze in midair. She tried to rub them with her palms to provide some temporary relief but the symptoms only worsened. She was crying. A feeling she was definitely not used to.

-/-

"So, you going to try to follow the babe? She can't be too far from here."

Krillin couldn't help but to get a little rosy around his cheeks. "I think I need to give her space. I mean, she seemed a little flustered on the lookout. A lot has happened today, you know?"

Yamcha just replied with a cheeky grin. "I have a feeling that she will come running back to you. I mean, you can tell she totally digs you. Did you see the way she almost thanked you? For being one of the bad guys a couple of weeks ago, she seems willing to try."

Krillin sighed. "I am not going to try to think about it too much. I almost drove myself crazy when I thought she was gone. But she is back now and everything happens for a reason, right? At least I hope..."

"Don't sweat it bro. Anyways-" He stopped in midair and Krillin immediately followed suit. "Let's not be strangers, okay?"

Krillin gave a stern nod. "Agreed."

"Alright bro." He let out a fist and pounded it with Krillin's. "Later! And good luck!"

"Heh, back at you, Yamcha!" He gave a casual salute back to his old friend. "Later!"

He took a deep breath before continuing on his current flight path to the Kame House. "I wonder where she will go now? I really hope she has changed..."

-/-

She couldn't fly anymore and to land in the woods below her. She picked out a random fern and leaned down into it, collapsing into her knees. She didn't even know the first place to look or even who to ask about her two only friends.

A gentle breeze blew through her golden locks forcing her to tuck the astray strands back behind her ear. "Where do I go now?" She asked herself. She felt truly lost. Without guidance, shelter, or food, she was unsure where this particular road would take her.

Thoughts ran through her mind at a hundred miles a second with one topic immediately jumping to another. Deep in contemplation, she went over her options. There was the option of robbing like she did with her clothing. Though, the Earth's special forces would immediately go after her. How could she even get money? She is supposed to not have any type of identification; hence her name.

Damn the doctor. Perhaps if he didn't interfere with her life, she wouldn't be in this situation that she is in now. She gritted her teeth together at the thought of just his name. The torture, the experimentation as a whole, those filthy hands.

That mere thought seemed to strike a nerve. She swung around at the tree she sat up against and shattered it into thousands of pieces with a flick of her wrist. Shortly after, she powered up and flung an energy ball at another also discombobulating it. "Shit!" She yelled at herself. "What the Hell!"

"Eighteen?" came a shaken voice. "E-Eighteen? Are you okay?"

She shot a look at him that almost made him quiver. As though she was the predator and he was the prey. He swallowed hard before continuing.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked again, slowly approaching her. "I saw some disturbance from up above; I don't mean to intrude."

"Where are they?" she growled. "Where is my brother and Sixteen?" She helped close the gap as well by aggressively walking towards him.

"Calm down, Eighteen. We wished every one of Cell's victim's back to life. There is no need to worry. Your brother is out here som-"

"What about Sixteen?" she snapped.

"I-uhm...Sixteen sacrificed himself in order to try to save us from Cell." He let his head drop before continuing. "He's gone."

Her brows buried themselves deep into her eyes. "You just told me that your people wished all of Cell's victims back to life. So, where does he stand in this?" She took a knee to prevent from falling because of her shaking legs.

"No, he's not organic. There would be no way we could wish him back. You and your brother are flesh and blood, though. That is why Dende was able to heal you after Cell regurgitated you. I am sorry, but there was nothing we could do," he admitted.

Eighteen's face fell quickly as she pounded a fist into her palm. "Sixteen...this is my fault. I shouldn't have left him," she mumbled. Her eyes aligned themselves up with him. "You should have never brought me back." Slowly, Eighteen sat up and brushed some dirt off her jeans.

"Wait, where are you going?"

She cocked an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "I don't know, you tell me. I have no money, no place to stay, nothing. I need to find my brother." She turned her back to him. "I will see you around, Krillin."

As she was about to kick off the ground, a firm grasp caught her bicep. Krillin had never felt so brave in his life. He was sure that he was going to be beaten to a bloody pulp for his actions. "Please, don't go. I can help!"

"I don't need your help," she growled as she tried to pull away.

"Hear me out, Eighteen!"

She lowered her arm and slowly turned around. "What do you want...?"

He let go to rub the back of his head nervously. "Instead of staying out here while you look for your brother, why don't you stay at my place. We can get you a clean pair of clothes, food, and search for him tomorrow."

She thought about it for a split second but soon buried her brows into her eyes once again. "I don't even know you, let alone live at your place. If I recall, my brother and I were trying to kill your best friend not too long ago and now you want me to trust you enough not to pull anything while I sleep. No thanks."

"You are more powerful than most and my friends and I put together. We wouldn't try anything! I promise!"

"That's what I thought about the old man. Look, little old man threatening me. What could he possibly do? Hit me with a cane? Ha! Haha!" She grabbed a hold of his gi and pulled his face right up to hers. "You know how the story ends. I turn into one of his slaves while my humanity is robbed from me. I don't underestimate situations anymore." She dropped him so he could recompose himself.

"Alright, well... sorry to hear that. At least a shower or new clothes. You were inside Cell and all..."

"Why would I go with you you? I can take care of myself!" She growled out of frustration. "I don't need to rely on anything or anyone including you."

"You just told me that you have nothing. Please, just give me a chance! I would put my life in danger for you." He quickly realized what he said and winced. "I mean, I will-I mean did for you today. W ell, you know..." He sighed and stared at the dirt below him. "If you want nothing to do with me, just tell me."

She even felt some guilt within her at his last statement so she took in a deep breath and thought about the situation. "If it will get you from whining and you leave me alone, then... fine." She closed her eyes for a second. "If my information is correct, you take residence at the Kame House with this Roshi fellow?" She asked while slowly opening them again.

His head immediately shot up and a smile that could touch both of his ears swept across his face. "Yeah, it's this way," he informed while pointing the southern direction. "It's a bit of a distance. If we want to make it before dark, we better head out now."

She followed him as he kicked off the ground with her arms folded. "What? Are you afraid of the dark or something? No wonder why a simple kiss frightened you," she chuckled.

He bit his lip as they took off. "It's not like that. I am not afraid of the dark or anything. And you know what? That kiss just caught me off guard. You did just beat the daylights out of all my friends..."

"Please," she grumbled.

"No, really. How would you feel if all your friends were just beaten up and possibly killed?" He quickly realized what he said and was calling himself stupid in his head. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Just drop it."

"Just out of curiosity, why did you kiss me?"

"I said drop it! Let's just keep going. I am done with this conversation. And stop looking at me!" Krillin immediately turned his head toward the direction they were flying into.

"Geeze, sorry."

"..." All she could do was snort at the last comment. Though a serious veil covered her face thinking about it. It was something she was had been thinking about in the back of her head. The incident seemed to replay quite frequently.

She merely just shook her head and blew off the thought. She decided to go with 'out of pity' in her head, though, it didn't seem right. Or as well as she thought it would go. "Why am I still thinking about that?"

-/-

It was more dark than usual at the particular hour when they landed. Storm clouds gathered over the usually normal sunset. "Come on, let's get this over with so I can beat the storm."

"Sure. Now, just a little warning. Nobody knows what happened on the lookout, so they might be a little intimidated with you at first. Just play it cool for now, okay?"

"Not my problem they are weaklings and are afraid of me, is it?"

"Well, no... but-"

"Then let's go."

Krillin entered first to try to cut out the surprise of a once killer Android possibly evading their home. The last time she was here, she was after Goku to kill him. "Master! Master are you home?" He realized that was a stupid question. For most of his life, he has seen his former master leave the house a very limited amount of time. This was no exception.

He popped his head in the screen door while Eighteen waited impatiently behind him. "Master?"

"Boy! Did you hear that Cell was defeated! Wahoo!" He immediately jumped off the couch to meet Krillin at the door. "I think this deserves a bottle for the occasion!" He tried grabbing his former pupil's arm to bring home inside, but Krillin resisted. "Master, I need to ask you something."

"Well, speak up boy."

"I have a friend here and was wondering if we could get her some food and clothes real quick. She was one of Cell's victims and all."

Master Roshi tried to peak through the screen as soon as he heard the word 'her'. "Where is she? Is she beautiful?"

"Well, yes. Ow! That hurt!"

"Let's go!" Eighteen demanded from outside.

"Bring her in boy!"

"But-"

He opened the screen and froze in his place. Oolong was the first to choke up some words. "Holy shit! That's the android!" Even Roshi was taken back a few steps, quivering at his legs.

"Guys, calm down. She's fine." He shot a look back to her; she was merely standing against the door frame with her arms across her chest. He gazed back to his two, more than frightened room mates. "Guys, I just want to get her a change of clothes and some food real quick. She's not doing this against my will or to hurt us."

She snorted at his comment.

"Krillin, are you sure this is wise?" Growled Oolong. "If I recall correctly, she was just after Goku not too long ago. Hence why we were hiding him here."

"So, he was here? Hmm, Seventeen was right," she replied.

"See?" The two yelled in unison.

"Calm down, pig. I have no interest in wreaking havoc. That was just some childish game my brother was playing. I have no interest in following the programming that Gero implanted into me. He couldn't control us for a reason." Her attitude was cool and collected as she remained up against the door. "If you don't want me here, I am fine. I have other priorities to attend to, anyways."

"No, Eighteen! Hold up, you're fine. Right guys...?"

The two swallowed hard. Roshi was the first to speak. "Well, she is quite the hottie."

Eighteen shot a deadly look at him causing him to quiver further.

"So, it is settled," Krillin stated. "Come with me, Eighteen. I will show you were you can get showered and changed." The two ascended up the stairs, leaving everyone else in the room in utter shock.

"He's not going to sleep with her, is he?" Oolong asked.

"I have seen stranger around here," replied Roshi deep in thought, picking up his magazine. "Bulma managed to get Vegeta under her control. I'd never thought Trunks would be in the picture."

Author's Notes: Whelp, there you have it. The opening to what is going to be a very long, multi-chapter story. I am still working on the other story, but I am sort of unsure the direction I want to put it in. I have been contemplating between the various chapters I wrote for it. This one, however, is going to be quite easy to write since I know the exact direction I want to put it through.

Please review! I want to know how I did! :)