Have you ever had one of those moments in life where you're just so happy you fail to notice anything else going on around you? And I do mean anything.

I also mean truly, honest-to-goodness, nothing-but-pure, happiness. Like your heart is filled to the brim with joy and other gooey good feelings that it feels like it's floating in your mouth. And as it hovers there you can't do anything to express that rush of feeling that you have so all you can really do is smile. Smile until people look at you funny and start walking on the other side of the street to avoid you.

It's the kind of happiness that other people can't affect. It doesn't matter if they laugh at you or avoid you because you don't care: you can't even see them to begin with. Your heart has officially lodged itself into your head, replacing the brain and any other sensory function that it had before. It's happiness that deletes everything else but that one good feeling. You can no longer taste, smell, hear or see anything else.

Which also kind of makes it dangerous.

I want to point out that there is a big emphasis on the "not seeing anything part." Because 'happiness times a hundred' can have a fatal side effect of making you blind.

Just because I was happy didn't mean that the world was happy. Just because I was happy didn't mean that the android floating above me was all sunshine and daisies too.

And I was deeply happy, my heart was a mile away from me floating by the shoulder of the beautiful android above me. She's alive. 18 was okay. She was alive. Safe and alive. There was not a single scratch on her.

Alive.

It had never felt so good just to think one word. Alive, alive, alive.

My shattered world had been pieced back together as quickly as it had fallen apart. In fact, one happy couldn't even cover it. I was ecstatic, delighted, jubilant, overjoyed, floating on my very own personal cloud nine.

Luckily, or not so lucky depending on how you look at it, my happiness was short lived therefore cancelling out the blind side effect as I almost immediately took note of how "happy" 18 was.

And by "happy" I mean that her eyes were shooting razor sharp icy daggers at Yamcha's prone body.

What a mood killer. My heart seemed to agree with that thought as it slowly floated back down and deposited its heavy weight back into my chest.

It was time to face reality.

"Please don't kill him 18."

18 was ignoring me which I guess is understandable as she was probably busy plotting a slow and excruciating death for Yamcha.

I have to do something. I couldn't let her kill him...which was kind of ironic since his present state was my fault to begin with. I just want to note that my punches would probably feel like feathers compared to 18's...

And now is also not the time to be sidetracked when my pommeled friend's life is on the line.

"Hey Gohan," I said carefully, not wanting to take my eyes off of 18, "Why don't you help Yamcha?" I willed for Gohan to understand the double meaning behind those words. 'Help' being code for 'Get him the hell out of here.'

"Already on it Krillin." Gohan understood. He was an exceptionally bright kid after all. I heard a bit of shuffling behind me and a small groan from Yamcha as Gohan helped him up. 18 hadn't moved an inch and I was starting to get worried as she still had that icy death look on her face.

We were in deep trouble if 18 wanted to start a fight, I was injured, Yamcha was injured, and Gohan would have to fight and defend us at the same time. I didn't doubt that he could probably do just fine but 18 was unpredictable, methodical, and Gohan might go all out on her because of that. I didn't want either of them to get hurt.

"Come here for a minute Gohan," Gohan slowly brought Yamcha and himself over. He was carefully supporting one of Yamcha's arms around his shoulders and Yamcha himself seemed to be semi-conscious, if not just a bit wheezy.

I had to distract 18. If I did it once I could probably do it again, hopefully. Somehow my diversion would have to give Gohan enough time to get a head start if anything. "You've got to fly away from here as soon as I give the signal." I waited for him to acknowledge my words with a begrudging nod and continued, "Go straight to the Kame house and don't stop. No matter what."

"Are you sure Krillin?" Gohan voice was tight as he was gave me a hesitant once over, raising his brow unhappily my right hand. "I'm sorry I don't have any senzu beans."

"Don't sweat it. She's not going to hurt me." I hope. "I just want to get you two out of here as fast as possible. Do you think you can you out-fly her?"

"Hmm with Yamcha's extra weight I'm not sure." Gohan frowned and looked like he was doing some very complicated mental math. Like I said, he was smart kid. "If I go Super Saiyan I could probably out run her."

"Or provoke her," I added.

"That too."

So it would have to be a very big distraction. But what could I do? It's not like she'd fall for my 17 trick again. I doubt screaming for him to help us would work either. He would probably just ignore us, or blow us up, or attack us, or…well ignoring us just sounded peachier then the rest.

"18 don't kill Yamcha…uh…pretty please?"

Finally after a few panicky heartbeats 18 glanced over at me. I was overjoyed for a moment to know that maybe she was going to listen to me until she opened her mouth.

"I'm not going to let a creature like him breathe for a minute longer." I could visibly see her right eyebrow twitch in annoyance. "His stupidity is a danger to himself and everyone around him. Putting him down is the least I could do."

Well that didn't sound pleasant.

To further emphasize her point 18 had lifted her hand and began charging a ki blast in the center of it. My heartbeat skyrocketed with the growing level of power that radiated in the center of her hand. She was serious.

I had to think fast.

"Gohan get out of here. Now!"

As soon as the word left my mouth I wasted no time to see if he listened as I dived towards 18 with my good hand outstretched towards her.

Everything seemed to slow down as my brain began to work into overdrive. From the corner of my eye I noticed Gohan and Yamcha pushing off the ground and flying directly past 17's house.

I also noticed 18's eyes were tight and focused as both they and her hand followed Gohan and Yamcha's movement.

All I felt as I reached for her arm with the ki blast aimed at my friends was sheer and utter panic. Because no matter how badly I wanted or needed to, I wouldn't make it in time to save them. For the second time, I thought bitterly, my friends would die on my account because I was too slow, too weak, too…nothing. I was very well on my way to becoming the absence of anything remotely affecting. I couldn't do anything to help anyone.

What good am I when I am absolutely powerless when it comes down to the punch? Err, shot?

And just as quickly as time stood still suddenly it jumped back into proper motion as 18 released her shot...just as my left hand accidently bumped into it rather than grabbing it and turning it towards me.

I watched in both relief and horror as the ki blast sailed past Gohan and Yamcha by a good couple inches. They had escaped successfully and kept going...very similar to how the ki blast continued its unaltered path straight into the side of 17's mansion.

KA-BOOM!

There was a spectacular explosion as the roof blew clean off in a fiery mass of, well fire. All the windows busted outwards with glass shards streaming through the air and reflecting the high noon-sun almost beautifully as they sparkled and covered the lawn around the house.

I couldn't help but suddenly recall a dream I had had of 18 and me. In it we had been watching fireworks and I had daringly taken a chance and grabbed her hand while she was watching the colourful explosions in the sky.

Yes, it was sad that I had had the dream at all, but surprisingly as 18 and I watched 17's house go up in an almost comical mushroom cloud explosion I realized that my hand that had bumped into her arm was now holding it. It probably had more to do with surprise, what with the house blowing up and all, but hey, I'll take what little victories I can get.

After an alarming amount of smoke began to settle and dissipate the image that fell before me, however, was definitely not in any dream of mine.

Sitting on a blackened, but still intact couch, holding a soda in hand and staring at half of a giant plasma screen television was 17. There were sparks everywhere that were mostly coming from the mangled television and…is that a sports car on the dining room table?

It was as if a storm was suddenly let loose as ominous dark clouds started to cover the sky.

17 slowly blinked and set his drink down on what possibly used to be a coffee table but now resembled a lot more like a burnt piece of toast with legs. The extra little weight of the can was enough for one of the table's legs to give out and collapse into a poof of charcoaled rubble and the can to roll out onto the ground. I would have said floor but all I saw was miscellaneous debris scattered everywhere, no floor in sight.

Everything but the can was quiet, as 18, 17 and I watched it miraculously continue to roll across the ground until it deposited itself onto a mess of scorched, wooden beams that use to be the entryway…I think.

17 looked at the can, then at the television and then all around the room, or cliff-side, as the walls were missing.

Well technically everything was missing from what I could see. 17 didn't even have a hair out of place as ash fell around him and after today's events I wasn't surprised. Although…how that couch had survived will probably just have to be one of life's great mysteries I guess.

He finally looked up at us just floating there in the sky and the weight of his gaze had somehow managed to turn into physical ball of mass as I had a terrible sinking feeling growing in my gut.

"Who did this?" His tone was flat and more menacing then any of Vegeta's threats on a bad day.

An awkward moment passed afterward where neither 18 nor I said anything. I had no idea why 18 remained silent and I didn't say anything because half of my mind still couldn't process what had just happened. But the other half, largely consisting of self-preservation, was telling me that if I did say anything, I'll get to see what the inside of my head looked like as it would likely be forcibly introduced by way of 17's fist.

I swallowed hard. Saying nothing seemed wise.

Unfortunately 17 could easily put two and two together and figure out the answer, much to my disappointment. "18 was this your doing?" To be fair her hand was still outstretched towards the house. To be even more brutally fair, my hand was also still holding her arm towards the house too. We were both caught stupidly in the act of destroying his house. This was hardly romantic.

My dream was definitely better than this, I decided.

18 was not one for tip-toeing around the problem either as she narrowed her eyes at 17 then directed her scrutiny at me and my hand on her arm. Frowning slightly she said, "Hardly. It was unintentional for the most part though you'd have to ask him to know for certain." 18 lowered her arm abruptly afterwards, which caused mine to fall uselessly to my own side.

Darn, 18 had ratted me out.

"Is. That. So?" I gulped at 17's clipped words. He was a viper getting ready to bite my head off. I had tried to stop one android from killing Yamcha, now I had to stop another from killing me. Super.

Taking a deep breath I blurted out, "I swear it was an accident 17. I didn't plan on destroying your house!"

"I should hope so or else you would have been joining it in shambles momentarily."

"It was an accident, I swear." Please, please, please, believe me.

"Funny thing about accidents," 17 said as he slowly rose from his smoking couch and began to stretch his neck by tilting his head to the side. Everything was quiet for a moment until there was a sickening crack of vertebrae snapping in place. He looked up at me with an additionally sickening grin on his face. With his head still tilted to the side he continued, "You can always find someone to blame."

Every bone in my body screamed, "Run!" But I couldn't move, in fact I was paralyzed as 17 maintained eye contact with me. I had a dreadful feeling that if I did move at that moment, even as much as twitch a finger, 17 would no doubt have more than a reason to end me.

However, as dire as this situation was, at the back of my mind where I was trying to keep any sort of hysteretic panicking bottled down I didn't fail to realize that for once utter fear was saving my life.

Of course things like this only happen to me. At least Gohan and Yamcha gotten away safely as I vaguely remembered them not sticking around when the blast hit the house. For once I was glad my friends had left me. One, it meant that Gohan had trusted me, and two, it meant that they wouldn't be around to see how quickly 17 could behead me.

"It was my blast that destroyed your house brother."

I couldn't believe my ears as I allowed for a tiny bit of eye movement to look at the voice beside me that had just interrupted my attention. 18 looked downright confrontational as her shoulders were pulled back, a gesture that just dared 17 to challenge her.

Was she defending me? Me?

"Honestly, 18? Do you really want me to believe that this thoughtless little man didn't have anything to do with the present circumstance of my home?" At least 17's eyes were no longer on me as he turned his attention on his sister. Though I had no doubt he was still clearly trying to maintain his rage just barely under the surface of his cool façade.

"Yes, I do." Apparently, 18 doesn't crumble under pressure. "I knew how strong my blast was and I knew your house would likely be a caught in the cross-fire. It was an afterthought really and of no concern to me." She kept an even gaze on 17 and, as if to emphasize her next words she gestured with her hand haphazardly towards the ground where the house once stood "This poor excuse for an edifice had many structural weak points, which I'm sure by now you have noticed no doubt." With a final cross of her arms 18 shrugged, "Frankly, I still don't see why you chose it in the first place."

17 raised his eyebrow at that. "What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself brother. The state of the mansion was due to poor location and practicality on your part. That is all."

Did 18 just tell 17 that he made a bad real-estate investment?

17 glanced around the smoking ruin of his home and then looked back at 18. "If you didn't like the place there was an easier way to inform me." He ran a hand through his hair and successfully wiped off any ash that had come to rest on it. Looking only frustrated now instead of completely furious, 17 walked over to a unidentifiable pile of remains and tapped his foot against it roughly, "Just so you know, you owe me fourteen new sports cars." Then he paused for a moment as his television began to catch fire behind him and added, "As well as a new plasma screen."

18 merely shrugged like it was no big deal and gave a curt response, "Fine."

Well that was…well I really don't know what to think of this change of events. I was pretty sure a healthy relationship between the two siblings was now probably based solely on material possessions and smart investments. I'm glad I'm on only child.

With further disaster avoided I quickly floated back down to the ground feeling comfortable enough to know 17 wouldn't attack me. It occurred to me when I landed though that I had completely overlooked something else entirely in all the excitement. My health.

I realize just how poor my condition was as my feet hit the solid, hard earth squarely, sending a bolt of sharp pain from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. The rush of pain was also followed by a wave of dizziness that had me seeing black spots swim across my vision.

I bent over to steady myself and take in the full extent of my injuries, the worst being my hand. It was a throbbing, swollen purple mess, and when I tried to move my fingers more pain shot into my knuckle and up my arm almost immediately. On top of that, I noticed how tired I was too. All the adrenaline and heart-pounding action of today had finally caught up with me.

Delicately holding my hand to my side to prevent unnecessarily jostling, I took a few more steadying breathes to make sure I wasn't going to keel over on a pointy glass covered lawn. After about the third breath my head was clear enough for my to think about what I should be doing first. I would have to check up on Gohan and Yamcha before I could make any sort of trip to Korin's for a senzu bean. They were the priority.

Releasing a tired sigh I began to gather up enough strength for me to make it back to the Kame house when I heard another pair of lighter feet land next to me.

"Here, eat this."

For a minute I could only stare at 18 dumbfounded as she held out a small, pale bean in the center of her equally small, pale palm.

"It that a senzu bean?"

"Yes."

"18, where did you get that?"

"From the round hairy feline holding the oversized walking stick, where else?

"From Korin?"

"If that is it's name, then yes."

"But when did you get this?" I was beginning to think I must have blacked out for a while after I landed. How else could 18 have a senzu bean on her?

"If you must know," she said angrily, "I got it before our fight today."

Okay, that made some sense, I guess. Maybe she had gotten a senzu bean in case she had gotten hurt badly from our fight. I tried not to laugh thinking about that as I thought of the likelihood of me beating her that badly.

I had this nagging feeling like I was missing something as she looked at me with menacing impatience and that's when I realized something else.

"Wait, didn't you see Yajirobe?"

"Who?"

"Yajirobe. He's short with long black hair."

"Ah yes, the other dumpy furry one. I believe he jumped over the side of the tower when he saw me."

That would most definitely be Yajirobe. "Is he okay?"

18's response was uninterested to say the least as she merely shrugged and said, "I neither know nor care. Now eat this."

Sending a small pitying prayer for Yajirobe I gratefully took the senzu bean from 18 and placed it in my mouth, biting down on it hard and swallowing it quickly. Almost immediately I felt my energy return to me and a warm, tingling sensation in my damaged hand as the tissue and bone miraculously knitted itself back together.

I flexed my hand and turned it side to side noting how it appeared to have no evidence of its previous damaged state. I'll never get used to how unbelievable and unreal the senzu beans were. In this case I was definitely glad they were, in fact, very real.

Feeling the rest of my aches and bruises had dissipated as well I smiled up at 18 and said the only thing I could. "Thanks."

Looking uncomfortable, 18 turned her head away from me and crossed her arms, "You are also of no concern to me. I merely didn't want to have to fly you back to that abominable pink shack myself."

I blinked twice at that. "Well thank you nonetheless."

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye, "You are welcome." She kept looking at me for a moment as if she had something further to say and my guess was proven correct as she seemed to make up her mind by taking a small breath for her next words. "I—"

"As much as I'd hate to ruin this precious moment between you two, I would like to speak with my sister." 17 had appeared beside us, hands on his hips and dripping in sarcasm from seemingly out of nowhere. While his mouth still had a playful, albeit malicious grin, his eyes were directed only at his sister and they spoke volumes of his unhappy mood.

18 immediately lashed back, "I'm done here." And I watched 17 and her walk towards the smoking rubble that use to be a mansion not even ten minutes ago and decided I didn't want to be around for whatever sibling argument that was about to unfold. Both deserved some kind of privacy since they didn't really have any home to be private in anymore.

Trying, and failing, to ignore the little flip my heart gave when I realized 18 had helped me today (and I'll just ignore the fact that it was more out of annoyance than worry) I leapt off the ground and headed towards the Kame house.

It was time to check up on Gohan and Yamcha.

That, and heal some damage that no senzu bean could ever fix.

A/N Congrats to all those who survived their exams! University tried very hard to kill me this year but I survived somehow. Hopefully now that there's no more school to worry about my updating can be existant and consistant this summer. This chapter ended up being so long that I regretfully had to cut it in half but that also means you can expect an update soon! I also just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed, or fav'd so far. You all give me 'happiness times a hundred' when you do. Every time ;)