A Sister's Farewell
Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters. They belong to Akira Toriyama.
Android Eighteen flew off the strange landing she had woken up on, her head racing with questions and thoughts after what she had seen up there. She wasn't sure which event had been the most shocking: finding out Gohan had beat Cell, seeing Trunks come back to life after clearly being dead, or the revelation that Krillin was in love with her. The last event had certainly been unexpected and was taking up a great deal of her thought process. She shook the thoughts about from her head and focused on her destination. The blond haired android headed for the island where she had last seen her twin brother.
Eighteen didn't know if she would find him there, but she had to give it a try. If he wasn't on that island, then she wasn't sure where to look for him or if she'd ever see him again. She held back the feelings of sadness she had at that thought.
She approached the island where Seventeen and Piccolo had fought with Cell. Eighteen cringed inwardly at the memory of the monster sucking up her twin brother and ending his life. The only reason she had been able to keep it together after that incident was the fact that Cell was after her and that she had to protect the injured Sixteen. If it hadn't been for that, she knew she would have been stricken with grief about the lose of her only family.
The only hope she had left now that he was alive was what Piccolo had said up at that strange landing. He had said that they had wished back all the victims of Cell and that included her younger brother Seventeen. She wanted to find him to be sure this was the truth and thus she had flown off to the island where she had last seen him. Eighteen desperately hoped he was there as she approached the island at full speed.
She used her optic sensors to scan the area, searching for any sign of her brother. Eighteen slowed down as she examined the island, looking for that familiar black hair, orange scarf and ripped blue jeans. The android flew around the island several times, but saw no sign of her lost brother. Her heart filled with disappointment as she hovered above the island, pondering the incident.
Great, he's not here. How am I ever going to find him now? I just want to know that he's okay...She thought, biting her lip in frustration.
Before the blond haired woman could think of what to do next, her sensors picked up on something coming towards her at a fast pace. Eighteen turned towards the source of it and put her guard up as it got closer to her. All of her anxiety was replaced with a deep joy as she recognized the form of Android Seventeen coming at her with a big smile on his face. A smile lit up her face in return as she waited for her little brother to arrive.
"Eighteen! Sis!" Seventeen shouted as he got closer to her. He tackled her in the air and put her in a fierce hug as they both drifted a few feet together. Eighteen held her brother just as tightly as he was holding her and for a moment they just floated in the air, wrapped in each others arms.
"I'm glad you're okay, Seventeen." She whispered into his ear, her voice full of feeling. It was rare for her to get emotional, but in this case she made an exception. Seventeen graced her with a childish grin as he pulled away from her.
"Good to know that you miss me, even if you do get irritated with me for wanting to have a little fun." He replied teasingly.
Eighteen frowned at the flippant behavior. "That's not funny, Seventeen. It was because you decided to have a 'little fun' that Cell found us and then he..." She paused for a moment to push away the awful memory of the monster. "He sucked you up and killed you."
"I guess you have a point." Seventeen conceded with a sigh, a look of contrition of his face. "I really didn't mean for that to happen, you know. All I wanted was to have a little fun, that's all. You know if I had been aware that it would have put the three of us in mortal danger, I never would have taken it that far. "
"I know." Eighteen told him with a smile. "I didn't mean to sound like I was blaming you for what happened."
"Still, there are a few things I don't understand about the situation." Seventeen said to her with a look of seriousness on his face. "For one thing, you said I was killed, yet here I am, as alive and well as I've ever been. Also, I don't see Android Sixteen with you and I'm not sensing Cell anywhere on this planet. What in the world has been happening around here?"
Eighteen closed her eyes and sighed, still not entirely haven taken in everything that had happened to the two of them. "It's a long story." She replied simply, then pointed down to island below them. "Let's land down there and I'll explain what I know to you."
The android twins lowered themselves to the ground. They found a pair of rocks to sit down on and they made themselves comfortable before Eighteen started in on what had happened since Seventeen had died. She explained how Tien had helped her and the injured Sixteen escape, but how Cell had eventually caught up to them. Eighteen shuddered a bit as she explained how she was sucked up by Cell, but had been spit back out thanks to Gohan's powerful punch. Seventeen's eyes widened in amazement as she explained that Gohan had been the one to defeat Cell in the end and how he and his friends had wished summoned a giant dragon to wish all the victims of Cell back to life.
Seventeen, who had been relatively quiet except for a few questions, now gave his sister a clear look of disbelief about the last part of the story he'd been told. "Wait, did you say a dragon?" Eighteen nodded curtly, not liking to be interrupted. "You've gotta be kidding me, Eighteen! A giant dragon that comes out of little orange balls and grants wishes? That doesn't even sound remotely plausible!"
Eighteen raised an eyebrow at her disbelieving little brother. "Well, it's about as plausible as a dead person coming back to life after being swallowed up by a monster. Besides, I saw what I saw and what reason would I have to lie to you about it?"
Seventeen looked a bit chastised as he shook his head. "It's still pretty hard to believe. So, you said that Gohan and his friends are the ones that wished me back?"
Eighteen nodded. "You and everyone else who Cell killed."
"Then, where's Sixteen? You said he was in really bad shape after Cell attacked him, right? Did Cell...did Cell kill him?" Seventeen finished hesitantly.
"I don't know." Eighteen replied, feeling uneasy. "He wasn't with Gohan and the others at the landing. I'm pretty sure he would have joined up with them to fight Cell. If he wasn't with them, then I'd guess that he was destroyed."
Seventeen clenched his fists in anger at the thought of Cell destroying Android Sixteen after he'd worked so hard to save both him and his sister. "That monster..." He cursed under his breath, before looking at his sister again with a bit of hope. "Wait a minute! If those guys wished back everyone who was killed by Cell, wouldn't that include Sixteen too? Sixteen could be out there somewhere! If he is, then we should get out of here and find him!"
Eighteen's face fell a bit as she voiced what had been her fear since the topic of Sixteen was broached. "I'm not sure he's out there Seventeen. I'm not saying I know how the dragon works, but Sixteen wasn't really a living thing as we would think of it. He was artificial intelligence and I don't really know if he counts as "life" that could be revived."
"Then, how am I back? I'm an android too!" Seventeen shot back petulantly, though Eighteen understood that he was acting this way because he was upset about Sixteen. "Sixteen was just as much a living thing as we are!"
"I'm not arguing Sixteen's worth Seventeen." His sister responded to him calmly. "There's no doubt in my mind either that he deserved to live. However, you were a human being before you were an android and Sixteen was always just an android. He was never really "alive" in the typical sense of the word and that's why I'm feeling doubtful that he would have been brought back by their wish."
"But—" Seventeen tried to argue, but Eighteen cut him off.
"Seventeen, listen to me for a minute! Use your sensors and try to find Sixteen. Try to find any trace of him!" Eighteen spoke in a raised, shaky voice.
Seventeen calmed down a little and used his scanners to the height of their abilities. No matter which direction he peered or how hard he tried, there was no sign of Sixteen. After a few minutes of searching, the black haired android turned back to his sister with a solemn expression on his face.
"I can't sense him." He said flatly. "Maybe I just missed him..."
"That's unlikely." Eighteen told him with a small sad smile on her face. "I think he really is gone..."
"Sixteen..." Seventeen whispered softly as he closed his eyes for a moment. After a short period of silence, he turned to his sister with a purposeful look on his face. "We should make a grave for him. He deserves at least that much."
His sister looked surprised for a minute, then nodded in agreement. "Yes, we should." She pointed to a grassy area by some trees that still remained on the island after the battles that had taken place on it. "I think that would be a good spot. Sixteen really liked trees and animals, so I think he'd like it if we put his grave there."
Her younger brother smiled at the memory of Sixteen's love of birds. "Good idea, sis. Well, let's get started."
Seventeen and Eighteen got up and walked over to the spot with the trees, scanning the area. Seventeen found two large looking tree branches and used some pieces from his torn up shirt to tie them together. Eighteen gathered some dirt into a pile by the base of one of the trees so that they could use it to hold up the cross. The siblings stuck the cross into the mound firmly, making sure it was balanced and straight. Then, Eighteen went to pick a few flowers that she saw nearby and place them on his grave. The two stepped in front of the mound to see how it looked. It wasn't anything fancy, but then the pair of them figured that Sixteen wouldn't have wanted anything extravagant anyway.
The android twins looked at each other, then they both put their hands together and closed their eyes for a moment of silence in honor of their fallen companion. When the moment passed, Eighteen spoke a few words for the deceased.
"You told me before you went to fight Cell on your own that you were honored to travel with Seventeen and me. I just want you to know that it was an honor to travel with you to for the short time we were together. I'll never forget your courage Sixteen."
"Nor will I." Seventeen added with feeling. "I'll never forget how you strode forward to fight Cell. I'll never forget how you tried to save me and..." The android's face settled into a pained expression as he continued. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. I gave into my pride and thought that I could help you beat Cell. If I hadn't gotten cocky, you might still be here. I really am sorry Sixteen..."
Her little brother closed his eyes again and Eighteen placed a comforting arm around him. She knew Seventeen didn't like to apologize about his behavior and acted like a child sometimes, but she understood him well enough to know that he had a good heart inside him. The black haired android placed his hand over his sister's for a brief moment before he pushed it off of him. His normal smile was back on his face and he looked back up at the sky.
"I guess we should head out now. I wonder where we could go?"
Eighteen didn't give him any suggestions and looked down at the ground, pondering how she should explain what she wanted to tell him.
"What is it, Eighteen?" Her brother asked her as she continued to remain silent.
"Gohan and his friends made one more wish." Eighteen turned her blue eyes to him with a serious expression on her face. "A wish about us."
Now, Eighteen had Seventeen's full attention. "What was it about?" He asked quickly, out of curiosity and worry.
"You remember the short, bald guy that tried to convince us not to find Goku?" Eighteen inquired of her younger brother, who nodded. "At first, he tried to wish that the two of us would be turned back into human beings."
"What?" Seventeen exclaimed in shock. "Why would he wish for such a thing?"
"I don't know, but the dragon told him that it was beyond his power to alter our beings so drastically. So, when that didn't work, he asked to remove the bombs from our bodies. The dragon granted that wish and then left."
Seventeen tilted his head in surprise at this new information. "So, we don't have bombs inside of us anymore?" Eighteen nodded and Seventeen shook his head. "I don't get it. Why would baldy go to so much trouble to help us?"
"I think him and his friends are just really nice people." Eighteen replied slowly, not sure if she wanted to reveal the real reason for Krillin's interest in helping them. Seventeen, being her twin brother,knew she wasn't telling the whole truth and raised his eyebrows at her to tell her to continue. His sister sighed at him and continued. "Okay, Okay, so it turns out that Krillin has a crush on me. He thought you and I were dating and, since he wanted me to be happy, he wanted to help you out as well."
Seventeen blinked at this, then began to laugh to himself about it. "How could he possibly think that? We have the exact same face! Oh man, that's funny. I can't believe he likes you!"
"Hey, he's not that bad!" Eighteen snapped at her giggling brother. "He's also been really nice to us, even though he didn't have to be."
Seventeen put his hands up in front of him to ward off anymore attacks. "Easy there, sis. I'm not saying he's not a nice guy and if we ever see him again, I'll be sure to thank him for what he did for us." He smiled warmly at his sister before speaking again. "Now, we really should get going. There's a whole world out there for us to explore."
Android Seventeen leaped into the air and started to fly off when he noticed that Eighteen wasn't following him. Puzzled, he landed back on the ground and walked back to his sister.
"What's wrong, Eighteen? Why aren't you coming with me?"
Eighteen hesitated before she finally answered her brother. "Is that all you're planning to do? Fly around and see the world?"
"Well, yeah, I mean," Seventeen trailed off momentarily as he looked out at the sky and the setting sun, "after Cell absorbed me, I thought that was it for me. That was where my game of life was going to end. Now that I have it back, I want to take in the sights and see everything this world has to offer." He turned back to a sister with an enthusiastic expression on his face. "Come on, it'll be fun! What are you waiting for?"
"Seventeen," Eighteen replied slowly, "I'm sorry, but I'm not going with you. I don't want to just go wandering around the world without any purpose or goals."
Her twin brother looked at her with a mixture of shock and hurt. "Eighteen, are you serious?" His sister nodded her assent at him and he responded with a bit of anger in his voice. "Well, if you don't want to go with me, then what do you want to do?"
Eighteen hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her brother the truth. It was better that he knew. "I want to settle down somewhere and try having a normal life. Maybe find a husband and start a family..."
"You mean with Krillin." Seventeen guessed, sounding less angry and more understanding. "Do you love him?"
"Who? Chrome dome?" Eighteen said, trying to sound skeptical. Her voice couldn't cover up the hints of red that started to appear on her cheeks. "Don't get me wrong. He's a nice guy and all, but that's not enough to win my heart."
Seventeen raised an eyebrow at her, thoroughly unconvinced. She shot him an aggravated look for the gesture and he couldn't help but laugh about it. "Well, even if you don't love him now, it looks like he's certainly made a lasting impression on you. You should give him a chance." Her little brother told her in all seriousness. "He really does seem like a good guy. I think he'll treat you right."
"So, then, are you okay with this?" Eighteen asked him, feeling uneasy.
Seventeen shrugged at her, trying to keep a smile on his face. "I'll be honest, Eighteen. It's weird to think about life without you. I mean, for so long, the only other person we had was each other. You're my only family and I love you." He came closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That's why I'm okay with you going. I'm not going to consign you to a life of wandering if it makes you unhappy. You're my sister and I want the best for you. So, if settling down is really what you want, then I'm alright with that."
Eighteen bit her lip, feeling tears coming to her eyes. It was true. For so long, the only other person that they could trust was each other. Still, her mind was made up. She embraced her twin brother warmly, holding him close for a long time. He held her as tightly as she held him, wondering if this was the last time they'd ever see each other. Eighteen reluctantly let go of Seventeen, kissing him on the forehead before completely releasing him from her grasp.
"Goodbye, Seventeen." She whispered to him as they broke apart. "I will miss you. Take care of yourself."
"You too, sis." Seventeen replied warmly. "I hope you have a good life, wherever you end up and who knows? Maybe we'll see each other again."
"I hope so." Eighteen told him with equal warmth. Both of them flew into the air and faced each other, taking in the sight of the other for the last time. Finally, Seventeen turned his back on his sister and started flying off.
"Goodbye, Eighteen!" He shouted back at her, waving over his shoulder at her. "Good luck to you, sis!"
"Bye, Seventeen." She whispered to him as he disappeared from her sight. She watched the place where he had sped off for a moment longer before she turned and flew in the opposite direction. She hoped she was heading in the right direction as she continued toward her destination.
She didn't know where to find Krillin, but she thought that the pink house in the middle of the ocean might be a good place to start. It took the android another twenty minutes, but she managed to find the house she was looking for. She dropped down on the sand and admired the view from the island. It wasn't a bad little place, if she did say so herself.
Eighteen walked up the step and came up to the door. She hesitated a little, the gave a few good knocks on the front door. She heard some muttering inside, someone wondering who it could be and then the door swung open. Standing there, with his mouth ajar, was Krillin himself. The pair of them just stared at each other for the longest time before Krillin finally spoke.
"E-Eighteen!" He managed to stammer out in shock.
"Hi." She replied, trying to put as little emotion into her voice as possible. She wasn't sure yet how she felt about him, just that she liked him enough to give him a chance. He almost seemed too good to be true. Maybe he hadn't even meant what he had said about her. Still, she found herself wanting to believe in him.
Krillin's face suddenly morphed into an expression of pure joy. "I-I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
"Is it a bad time?" Eighteen asked him, trying to see how he'd react. "I can always come back later if it is."
"No, no no!" Krillin practically shouted, looking very scared that she might take off. "It's a great time! Really!" He got out of the doorway and gestured for her to come inside. "Would you like to come in? If you're tired, you can stay the night. You could even stay a couple of days or weeks, if you wanted. Heck, forever would be fine with me!" He kept babbling nervously, then backtracked quickly as he realized how desperate he was sounding. "Of course, it's all totally up to you! I would never force you to stay or anything like that."
Krillin was about to say more when Eighteen walked past him and stopped in the doorway. "Then, I'll be going inside. It'll be nice to lie down for a bit."
"Sure! Go right ahead." Krillin told her enthusiastically.
Eighteen stood in the doorway, still not looking at him. Finally, she closed her eyes and said, "I might you know."
"What?" He asked, confused.
She turned to look at him with a warm smile on her face. "Stay forever."
The look on his face when she said those words erased all her doubts that he hadn't meant the nice things he'd said about her. He was looking at her like she was the most wonderful and beautiful thing he had ever seen. She had never been looked at that way before and decided that she liked it very much. Still smiling, Eighteen headed inside the small house, feeling like she had made the right choice for herself.
Author's Note: Well, I hope you enjoyed this little short story. It's been in my head for quite a while and I decided to write it down. I really like the android characters, but I was kind of disappointed that there was never much closure given about what happened to Android 17. I know that you see that he's alive in the Buu saga, but I find it kind of hard to believe that 18 wouldn't have tried to look for him. That's basically why I wrote this, to give some more background into what happened between 17 and 18 before she started her life with Krillin.
This is my first DBZ fanfic, so I'd appreciate any feedback that you can give me. Also, I know that in GT Android 17 doesn't know about the bombs being removed. I'm not really counting GT into the time line of this story though. I'm just using what was in DBZ. Anyway, thanks for reading!