For the next few hours as she remains perfectly still on the mattress watching Gohan resting 18 can't help but feel contempt in her situation. Relaxed to watch the demi saiyan sleep. Something she oddly enough found to be enjoyable. Enjoyable to see as she would see what she thought as a ghost smile come across his face a few times. To watch the man that was such an enigma to her. A man that she could not figure out. Figure out why he was like this. After all weren't all saiyans supposed to be cold blooded killers? Wasn't it in their nature to want to rule and cause pain to others? Just like how Vegeta was?
A man that she had figured was just like the rest of the saiyan race when they first met. But was quickly proven to be very wrong. He wasn't a cold blooded killer. He wasn't determined to be the greatest warrior in history. To be the best. No he was different. From what she could tell he wasn't concerned about being the best. He wasn't concerned about going down in history as one of the elite fighters. No his concern as only about defending the planet. Defending his loved ones. To only be strong enough to beat any enemy that would do harm to the planet.
To not rule over the planet like she and 17 are doing. To not use his extraordinary gifts to bend people to his will. To force them to cower and bow down before him on sight. Instead he was the opposite. All he wanted from what she could tell was live peacefully on the planet. Something that she didn't understand at first why he would want such a thing. Why he wouldn't want to rule the planet. Up until one day when she started to understand. Understand why he wanted these things. A day she had secretly followed him out into the woods away from any civilization to watch him relax near a river with a fishing pole with a smile across his face.
That was when she started to understand. Understand why he was doing such things. How peaceful he looked as he enjoyed the scenery around him. Scenery that she had to admit when she took a closer look brought a smile to her face. A nice quiet scenery deep into the woods with no chance of any unwanted guests. A carefree zone that nobody would ever be judged in. That was when she decided to take a leap of faith. A leap of faith that she would never forget. A leap to emerge out of the shadows she was hiding in to walk towards the river. To take a seat on the ground next to Gohan that she found surprisingly no resistance or hostility coming from the demi saiyan from her presence.
To for the first time share a conversation with the demi saiyan that wasn't hostile. Didn't result in punches being thrown. Instead a sense of understanding was met between them. No conversations about the past battles they had. No conversations about the destroyed cities. Instead just conversations about everything that was around them. A conversation that slowly 18 found herself finding out some new information on the demi saiyan. Information that suddenly had not only shocked her but also made her more intrigued. Information that he didn't like to be in the city much. That instead of living in a civilization he would distance himself as far away as he could and live out in the woods or the mountains. Places just like this river to avoid the crowds the cities could bring. To avoid the never ending noise.
Information that she instantly started to admire the demi saiyan for. Things that deep inside she knew was also true about herself. How she enjoyed being in areas that were quiet. How she didn't like being in crowded places. But most shockingly of all how she enjoyed seeing places like this. A carefree zone that seemed to always relax her. Relax and allow herself to clear her mind of everything. Clear her mind of the never ending screams from destroying a city. Clear her mind of her twin brother causing destruction left and right. To clear her mind of the demi saiyan.
A peaceful conversation that had broken up when she had sensed Trunks approaching before in a flash she got out of dodge avoiding the younger saiyan before heading out of the woods. A moment that unaware to her knowledge had slowly started to change her. Change from how she saw the older demi saiyan. Of how for some reason whenever she had taken a life she had felt something. Something she couldn't explain. Maybe it was pity or remorse? What she did know was her thoughts would be plagued with Gohan the moment she was about to take a life. Thoughts of he would disapprove. Something that she started to think a lot of late. Something that slowly started to change her. Not only did she started to like killing less and less but at times she didn't want to kill anyone.
Instead she found herself enjoying the planet. Or what was left of the planet. Exploring some sceneries that she knew to be abandoned by civilian. Found herself doing things that she never thought in her wildest dreams she would ever do. Experiences she had to quickly hide from her twin brother. Experiences she knew he would disapprove of and find to be a weakness to her. A weakness he would not allow to come into her life.
Snapping out of her thoughts as she sees sweat dripping down from Gohan's head to the ground below reaching up 18 lays a hand down on his forehead when suddenly her eyes widen when she feels the intense heat radiating off Gohan's head to her hand. Removing her hand 18 slowly wiggles herself out of Gohan's embrace and makes her way out of the bedroom before just seconds later she returns back into the bedroom with a wet towel. As she leans over the bed and gently lays the towel down on Gohan's forehead a smile comes to 18's face when she sees what she deemed to be a ghost smile come across Gohan's face from the moment the cold towel laid across his forehead. A ghost smile that immediately makes her roll her eyes as she lets out a quiet chuckle.
" You're easy to please aren't you?"
As she turns to leave the room 18 can't help but glance over her shoulder at Gohan with a small smile across her face before she slowly rounds the corner and heads into the kitchen of the hut. A kitchen that was once filled with various food items to feed a numerous amount of saiyans. A room now once arriving in can be seen with various amounts of different fruits all around the counter tops. Fruits provided to them by the forest. Inside of the cabinets numerous amounts of capsules can be found. Capsules that were taken from nearby grocery stores over the years. Capsules that once open would unleash fully stocked refrigerators.
Within moments of arriving into the kitchen as she glances around the room towards the various food selections she has at her disposal slowly 18 makes her way over towards a nearby countertop with various amounts of fruit lying on top such as oranges to grapes before moments later she leans herself next to a countertop waiting for the blender to get down with the fresh oranges she had just put inside the household item. Another object among many others she had taken as her own one day from a nearby city. Just like many of the other items around the hut.
As she watches the blender coming to a stop reaching over 18 grabs a nearby glass and slowly opens up the blender when suddenly she the glass in her hand drops down to the ground shattering into pieces as she hears a scream of pain coming from down the hall before with haste 18 makes her way through the hut and back into her bedroom to see Gohan slowly shaking his head as he covers his left side with his bandaged arm.
This must be what phantom limb must be. With her eyes going wide 18 slowly makes her way over towards the bed before within seconds she kneels down next to Gohan as she gently places her hand on his face.
" Shhh. Everything is alright. The pain will pass."
As she slowly starts to stroke Gohan's cheek gentle seeing nothing but Gohan gritting his teeth from the pain he is feeling slowly a question pops into the mind of 18. The question of does he experience this pain every night? Is this another disability that he must suffer through everyday thanks to her twin brother? Another scar that would remind him of his past failures. Failure to stop her twin brother from taking the lives of more earthlings.
There must be something that i can do to help him. Maybe i can get him one of those senzu beans that he always used in the past to recover from past battles. If they are what their called anyways. But where in the hell would i get one anyways? It's not like they grow on trees. Do they grow on trees? Whatever. I could always visit his friends at Capsule Corp. They would surely know where to find one of these beans.
Taking a few moments suddenly 18 shakes her head as she looks down towards Gohan's bandaged face. As if. If i went there then that brat would want to fight me claiming that i would be spreading lies about his sensei. Although it would give me the chance to teach that brat a lesson, I should avoid going there unless absolutely necessary. I can't allow 17 to get word that Gohan is alive. Well not until he is 100%. And even then i don't know. I don't think Gohan would be able to beat him. Would i even want him to beat him?
Snapping out of her thoughts as she looks down to Gohan's face to see him drifting back off to sleep 18 breathes a sigh in relief before she slowly shakes her head at Gohan with a small smile forming on her face.
" You're a handful. You know this don't you?"
As she rises up to her feet 18 slowly makes her way out of the bedroom before she stops at the open doorway to look at Gohan.
" I won't be long. Try not to burn the hut down while i'm gone."
