Living Weapons
A DBZ One-Shot by Yung Warrior
She let out a defeated sigh, sitting down uncomfortably on the rocky crag that jut out from the island's cliffs. Her hair, normally straight and stylishly cut, was dirty and mussed, creating an appearance at odds with her fanciful clothes. A pearl necklace shone as it hung off her porcelain skin, her jeans, shirt, and vest were a bit frayed and wrinkled from high-speed flight, but were otherwise in decent condition.
Android 18 had not stopped for anything in the past three days but the bare essentials. It had been two weeks since the defeat of Cell, the vile bio-android that had terrorized the planet with his awesome power. That power was gained by absorbing her and her twin brother, Android 17, into his framework, achieving a state he referred to as his "Perfect Form".
Cell's Perfect Form was completely unparalleled- none of the Z-Fighters had any way of overcoming the monster's ingenuity, martial arts prowess, and the breadth of knowledge he had of their fighting styles. In the end, it was not knowledge or cunning that won the day, but raw, unrestrained emotion. Son Gohan stepped up and did the impossible that day, discovering a new level of Saiyan power and defeating the mighty Cell with the help of his friends and family.
Since then, she and her brother had been resurrected from the dead, thanks to the wishes made on the Earth's Dragon Balls. The only trouble was, she had absolutely no idea where Seventeen was. Since the androids had no detectable ki signature, none of the Earth's warriors could detect him, and so she was forced to search for him on her own. Eighteeen could have sworn that she had flown over every square inch of the Earth twice over, and yet she still could not find her beloved brother. She wished that she at least had Sixteen with her- the gentle giant's presence was quietly comforting during their time on the road, seeking to kill Son Goku.
Upon thinking of Goku, Eighteen rapidly clenched and unclenched her gloved fists, her breathing beginning to quicken. She didn't want to really kill Goku in the first place, but the programming instilled within her by the wicked Doctor Gero still existed- it still whispered in the back of her mind every night before she slept and every morning as she woke.
But there was no helping it. Goku was gone, having sacrificed his life to save the planet from Cell's desperate self-destruction. She assumed that he would be wished back to life with the Dragon Balls, but this did not seem to be the case. Eighteen couldn't imagine why he would choose to stay in the Other World, but then, she had never met Goku. She had no clue what he even looked like, much less what he was as a person. It seemed that he was universally loved by his friends. Gohan and Krillin seemed especially fond of him. "Could someone ever love me as Goku's friends loved him?" She wondered sadly, a lump forming in her throat.
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"I hate you, Kakarott." Vegeta grumbled inwardly as he flew through the blue sky. Another morning had passed, and with it another training session. Vegeta felt a dull ache in his muscles, but that rush of pleasure he once felt after training was gone. Oh, he still trained, but what else was there to do?
Kakarott was dead and gone, most likely never to return. He would never have the chance to regain his honor, never have the opportunity to prove his unquestionable superiority.
Who was left to challenge him, to push him to new heights? Gohan, that weak-willed scholar whose powers were derived from feelings, of all things? "Gohan's power comes from his anger. If this were true of me, I would have always been the strongest." The Saiyan prince thought wryly. Gohan could never drive Vegeta the same way that Kakarott did- the boy was too kind, too meek.
Future Trunks has returned to his time as well, to wreak vengeance on the androids that had caused him so much misery in his young life. Then, he would rebuild. Trunks' world would never be the same again, but he would rebuild anyways. Perhaps, if he had stayed…Vegeta would have enjoyed bonding more with his boy, despite their differences.
Bulma…she was reason enough to stay. She was the only woman who could possibly match his temper and his wit. He couldn't imagine a better Earthling to raise his son with. It was nothing but goodwill for her that drove his mission now.
He looked down at the device in his hands- a golden scouter, just like the ones he, Nappa, and Raditz used while they were in the service of Frieza. "That seems like a lifetime ago now." The prince thought with some satisfaction, knowing that he could easily crush Frieza at his current level of strength. He could crush nearly anyone in the universe, for the most part. But none of that would ever matter as long as Goku and Gohan still eclipsed him.
Jerking himself out of his brooding thoughts, Vegeta fastened the scouter to his ear and turned it on. This was no ordinary scouter- Vegeta would have no use for it if was. No, this was a unique model of Bulma's own design. Rather than detecting the ki waves emitted by normal fighters, this scouter was meant to recognize changes in the changes of individual electron energy levels. Although such detection required extremely fine materials, Bulma was able to include a damping mechanism that allowed it to read power levels much higher than any model created under Frieza's rule. With this, finding Android Eighteen would be a simple task.
Sure enough, Vegeta was able to see a bright outline of Eighteen's body from the scouter's lens. He saw that she was sitting on the very same island where he and Trunks battled Cell. "The same island where I let Cell absorb her." He thought dourly.
He landed directly behind her, his arms tightly crossed. "So, I've found you at last." He announced loudly, having no wish to surprise her.
That voice…Eighteen whipped around, leaping to her feet. Her eyes narrowed in rage as soon as she recognized that blue armor, that flame-like hair, and that damnable smirk most of all. "What do you want, Vegeta?!" She nearly shouted. She knew that most of Goku's companions were good people, loyal and true. She also knew that Vegeta was not like the others at all. Looking upon the man who let Cell absorb her, she felt nothing but anger.
Vegeta, on the other hand, was fairly apathetic. Part of him wished to exact revenge upon this child, spoiled with enough power to defeat a Super Saiyan in battle. A large part of him wanted to break her arm, so that she may feel the pain that she so coolly inflicted upon him. And yet still, he knew there would be no point in such a fight. He was much stronger than her now, and it was because he worked hard, not because some mad scientist instilled gears and circuits into his body.
She leapt into the air, backing up slowly. "S-stay away from me!" Vegeta had seen a lot during his travels across the universe, but there was a certain kind of ferocity in her pale blue eyes that caused even him pause. Soon enough, however, the smirk returned.
"Haha! Look at you, shrinking back from me like a scared dog! Oh, how the tables turn." He advanced slowly, inching his boots across the gravelly ground. "What's the matter, android?"
"If you come any closer…I'll break your other arm!" She roared, coiling into a fighting stance.
"Oh, really? I would love to see you try. You should know that we Saiyans never let the same opponent beat us twice! You saw my new form when I fought Cell. I'm strong enough now to beat you without it!" Vegeta boasted and bragged as he always did, but he felt a sense of emptiness this time. It just wasn't the same as before.
"Yeah, I saw it. Right before you let Cell absorb me, I saw it. From what I heard, he gave you just the challenge you deserved." She said, more than a little vindictive.
"Yes." Vegeta said solemnly. "That…was a mistake. I was a fool to do what I did that day."
"Yeah, you were. So now what? Are you really here to take revenge on me? If so, you might as well get on with it. Just don't think I'm going down without a fight, Saiyan!" Eighteen snarled at him.
To her surprise, Vegeta made no aggressive movement towards her, instead staying right where he was. "I have no interest in that. Why would I? Your power is the result of clever engineering, gears and circuits and nothing more, certainly not training. It's not something you ever wanted or strove for in the first place. Why would I be interested in fighting someone who isn't a fighter?"
Eighteen wanted to be offended at that statement, but found that she couldn't. Vegeta reveled in her stunned silence for a moment before detaching the golden scouter from his head. "No, I am here to deliver this to you." He casually tossed the device to her in the same way a father might throw a baseball to his six-year old son. She caught it, numbly.
"Your data banks will no doubt have information on the scouters Raditz, Nappa and I used during our invasion of Earth to sense the power levels of the Earthlings. Of course, I no longer have need of such a device, because I can sense ki on my own. However, you'll also recall that we cannot sense the power levels of you androids, since your power comes from electric energy and not ki. This new scouter detects the shifts in electron energy levels you androids emit regularly, essentially functioning like a normal scouter would." He explained impatiently.
Eighteen nodded, understanding dawning in her expression. "Wait…so you're saying I can find my brother with this!?" A bright smile began to form, but she hastily suppressed it. "But why…why are you helping me?"
"It is Bulma who you should thank, I am merely delivering this for her. Why she has any inclination to help you, I cannot fathom…but she does. Now fasten that device to your right ear and press the red button on top to activate it. From there, you should be able to find your brother soon enough. Now, I'll take my leave, if that is all." Vegeta swiftly turned around and prepared to take off.
"Wait!" Eighteen shouted after him, extending her arm. Vegeta looked back slowly. "You might as well come with. That way, you can take this scouter back to Bulma when I'm done. Besides…Seventeen would like to know about everything that's happened since he got absorbed, I'm sure."
Vegeta shrugged. "So be it." And so they took off in silence.
Eighteen managed to operate the scouter with little difficulty, and she determined the distance to Seventeen's location in short order, which was unfortunately on the other side of the planet. "How much longer would I have searched if not for this device?" She felt a sudden surge of gratitude for Bulma, another friend she had never met.
"Your wife is very kind to make something like this. It must have been hard to build." She ventured, trying to be polite. For some reason, the gratitude she felt towards Bulma was partially extended to Vegeta as well, if only by association. Vegeta sniffed- he and Bulma weren't actually married, but he felt no need to correct the cyborg.
"Actually, it only took her a few days. During the ten days before the Cell Games, she had the opportunity to study your friend, number Sixteen, so that she could take the bomb out of his body. With that android's schematics, she was able to determine the exact source of your power, and from there, designing something that could recognize and isolate that source wasn't difficult." Vegeta explained.
"She must be very smart." Eighteen commented.
"Incredibly so. Her family's capsule technology is unrivaled throughout the universe, but Bulma has always had a knack for engineering and robotics." Eighteen could've sworn she heard a note of admiration in the prince's tone.
"Do you love her?" Eighteen could not longer contain herself- she had to find out what the hell those two saw in each other.
Vegeta gave her a strange look. They were flying through clouds now, and she momentarily lost sight of him through the mist. "We have a son together."
"Yes, I know Trunks. But do you love her?" Eighteen pressed, intent on an answer.
After a long while, Vegeta sighed and said, "As much as I could be said to love anything. She…she's more tolerable than most of these annoying Earthlings, at any rate."
Eighteen smiled- she could tell by Vegeta's sheer awkwardness that he really did hold feelings for Bulma. She could also tell that Bulma loved him. That was the only explanation she could think of to explain why she tolerated having Vegeta around. "If she can love Vegeta, then certainly someone can love me!" The thought was highly comforting to her, oddly enough.
"Besides, I would never leave my only son to be reared by earthlings. The boy would be heir to Planet Vegeta, in another life. Now he is the last dying ember of a once-proud people, and it is my responsibility that he understands this. He will learn the ways of the Saiyans, this much is certain. He will be strong, strong enough to surpass even myself." Vegeta continued, his voice simultaneously deadpan and thick with emotion.
Eighteen tilted her head, listening with marked interest. "This is a time of peace. Wouldn't you rather Trunks have an easy childhood? There'll be plenty of time for training and fighting when he's older."
"No." Vegeta said sharply. "Nothing is more important in this world than strength. One day, I'll be gone for good. Gohan, Piccolo, all of us dead. Kakarott's already passed on. Nothing in this life lasts forever, least of all peacetime. The next generation must be powerful enough to defend this planet from threats, since it seems to attract so many. I will see that happen. Most of all, I will see my heritage honored in my children and their children to come."
Eighteen could understand what he was saying, but only in an academic, detached way. She had no past- she didn't even know her original name. The idea of honoring the past- of living in reverence of it- was completely foreign to her. "Everything you do is to honor your past, isn't it?" She asked.
"Everything." Vegeta responded.
"If that's true, I still don't understand why you let Cell absorb me, if you didn't do it for revenge." She quickly changed the subject, as they were closing in on Seventeen's location.
"It was, partially." Vegeta admitted- if nothing else, he was honest. "Partially, it was because I let my newfound powers control me. Power is a dangerous tool in the best of times, but Cell knew how to push my buttons, how to manipulate me…I was a fool. I…apologize." Such an admission from Vegeta was rare. In fact, he had only apologized once before this, after Gohan had his arm broken defending him against Cell.
She remained silent after that, not sure of how to respond to that. Luckily, the scouter beeped, and she saw that Seventeen was directly below them. "Stop flying." She said, halting suddenly. They descended into the middle of a city park, taking care to weave through trees so that the park patrons could not see them.
Then, they saw him. Android Seventeen was wearing a loose grey tee shirt and his usual jeans, his shoulder-length black hair kept in its usual curtain style. To Vegeta's great surprise, the android was tending to a blossoming flower bed, pouring water from a can over its green buds. It was the last thing Vegeta would've expected to find him doing.
However, Seventeen's job was interrupted due to a flying hug from his twin sister that nearly knocked him off his feet. "Seventeen!" The blonde cyborg cried very human tears into her brother's shoulder, holding him tightly so that she would never lose him again.
"Eighteen!" Although he was normally a cool and cynical person, Seventeen couldn't contain the joy he felt upon seeing his sister alive and well. He hugged her back, a smile bursting across his smooth, unblemished features. Identical blue eyes looked at each other in affection and relief.
"I can't believe I finally found you, Seventeen! What are you doing here?" She asked with hitched breath and watery eyes.
"Well, the last thing I remember was Cell absorbing me, but one day I just suddenly appeared here. I had no idea how it turned out, but I'm just glad to be alive and well. And I'm glad to see you as well. I take it Cell was defeated, but I don't know how. And where's Sixteen?" The black-haired boy asked rapid-fire questions.
"I can help with that…" Vegeta emerged from a group of bushes, brushing dirt off of his shoulder. Unlike his sister, Seventeen was not wary or hostile towards the Saiyan prince, most likely because he was stronger than him the last time they met.
"Sup, Vegeta? You must want to fight. I can't think of any other reason why Eighteen would lead you here." Seventeen said smugly.
"No. I was helping your sister find you, android. I have no interest in fighting either of you anymore. I am merely carrying out a favor from Bulma- she created the scouter which allowed Eighteen to find you." Vegeta explained.
Seventeen's eyebrows rose. "Wow. Never would've expected that." He chuckled a little bit. "I also never thought you would help out Eighteen after that beating she gave you." Eighteen hastily shook her head at him, not wanting to meet her end at the hand of an enraged Vegeta.
Seventeen intended the remark to agitate the already short-tempered Saiyan, but to his surprise, Vegeta only smirked. "As I said, I have no interest in battling either of you. It wouldn't be much of a workout, besides. I no longer take pleasure in such wanton slaughter, luckily for you. Of course, if you ever cross me or my family ever again, my feelings on the subject might change…"
Seventeen was chilled by Vegeta's words- he understood immediately that the prince was different than he was before, that fighting him now was folly, plain and simple. He gulped in silence.
Eighteen, on the other hand, was not scared of Vegeta, nor could she after his display of vulnerability earlier. She gazed at him, and for a moment his dark eyes met her icy blue ones.
"Vegeta…" She said uncertainly. "You're not a monster." The words flew past her lips before she even considered them.
He regarded her, waiting for her to follow up. "You don't have to say those things, Vegeta. I know you understand the value of mercy. And I know you understand honor. There's more to strength than ki blasts and punches." She sputtered.
Vegeta uncrossed his arms, and for a second, his expression softened. "Indeed, there are many forms of strength. Kakarott was strong, and he forgave his enemies." He forgave me, he thought.
Looking at them both, Vegeta considered his next words heavily. He thought of Doctor Gero, the madman that had made these two normal humans strong enough to defeat a Super Saiyan in battle. How he had utterly controlled these two people and made them his tools. He thought of Frieza, and how that tyrant made him into a tool of destruction as well. "Living weapons, the three of us. Created and molded for the singular purpose of killing. Small wonder freedom is such a challenging concept for us to understand." The prince thought soberly.
"Serve no one but yourselves. Live justly and honorably. Seventeen, you seem to be living as a park ranger now. Protect this planet to the best of your abilities. Be free. That is all."
Vegeta turned to Eighteen as well. "Farewell, Eighteen." With that, he flew off, embarrassed by how soft this damned planet was making him.
Seventeen turned quizzically to his sister as they watched his receding form. "Was that really Vegeta? I could barely recognize him."
"I could barely recognize you, brother. Really, a park ranger? Never would've thought you had a soft spot for nature. Then again, I guess we all have hidden depths, don't we?" Eighteen laughed wistfully. She thought of Vegeta as nothing more than a brute before, but now she knew that he was just as lost in this crazy world as she was.
"Farewell, Vegeta. Perhaps someday, we can meet as friends."
A/N
Hey what's good everyone, hope you all enjoyed the exploration of these two characters.
Vegeta and Eighteen are two of my favorite characters from DBZ, and since they practically have no relationship in canon, I was interested in exploring it here. I always found it strange how Vegeta is obsessed with revenge upon Goku and Frieza but not Eighteen, even though she was the first fighter to legitimately defeat a Super Saiyan on screen. (Goku's loss against Nineteen obviously doesn't count due to extenuating factors- without the heart virus, Goku would have had that fight well in hand)
Furthermore, the two characters are operating from opposite perspectives, essentially. Vegeta's actions hinge on his past, and everything he does is in honor of the long dead Saiyans. All of his power was gained through training and the Saiyan Zenkai ability- Vegeta lives and breathes fighting.
Eighteen, on the other hand, owes her power to futuristic technology that was implanted in her body against her will. She never wanted to be a fighter in the first place, and yet she is a fantastic fighter nonetheless. It's an interesting dichotomy to explore.
Anyways, tell me what you thought of this story. I welcome all feedback, especially flames. Merry Christmas!