Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or have any rights to it.
Eighteen reclined on the couch with a bored expression. There were very few TV shows worth watching. She really wanted to be with Gohan right now, especially after that little argument with her brother. A year ago, if she ever argued with Seventeen like that, she would've shopped her troubles away, but now she had rediscovered guilt. Her version of shopping would trigger her guilt, which is something she hated.
Letting out a sigh, she pressed the off button on the remote and placed it on the table next to the couch. Guess human emotions have their positives and negatives. I wonder what Seventeen's up to? He usually goes and kicks someone around after we have a fight…
The door opened and Seventeen walked in with a proud expression. Eighteen noted that someone else's blood was splattered on him. Seventeen then turned to her with a grin, which made Eighteen somewhat uneasy.
"I've solved our problem Eighteen."
Raising an eyebrow, Eighteen watched her brother leave the room and go upstairs to change his clothes and wash off the blood. She pondered what he had said. Why did Seventeen say that? I don't think he'd forgive me this early, especially after what I'd done to tick him off…wait! Did he do something to Gohan?
Her anxiety rose as Seventeen came back down. He had changed his clothes, but that proud smirk remained on his face. Looking down from the stairs, he dismissed her worried look as a temporary side effect. "What's wrong? Haven't you figured it out? I've eliminated our problem. He's gone Eighteen. He won't get in our way or play with your head anymore."
"You…You killed him? You killed Gohan?"
He shrugged and chuckled lightly. "You talk as if it's so hard. He was no match for me."
"Why? Why'd you go after him without telling me." She didn't know if she was angry or sad. She just wanted answers. There was now a blank spot occupying what her emotions normally would.
"You were under his spell and would've tried to stop me. Don't worry. You'll be back to normal soon. I'll bet those human emotions will disappear within the week and we'll be back out there doing what we do best."
Clenching her fists, she stood up and made her way to the front door. "I'm leaving."
"Don't bother searching for him," said Seventeen. "I blasted his body into oblivion."
She slammed the door, as if hoping the sound would get those last words out of her head. She needed to get away from Seventeen, and the place where he was least likely to find her was her secret hideout, where she and Gohan had shared their last night.
Flying some distance towards her hideout, she turned around to make sure her brother wasn't following. The fact that he had found out about her and Gohan sill baffled her. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she continued to fly towards the abandoned town, praying that he hadn't found out about that as well. Once she landed and entered, she found the place to be as she had left it, so her brother had not been inside, or at least not left any clue of him being there.
She made her way to the bed where they had slept together. It was true that she hadn't had sex with Gohan, but they had still spent the night together. Her artificially enhanced memory could still remember his warmth as he slept beside her.
Closing the curtains to all the rooms, she then threw herself onto the bed, burying her nose in the blankets. I can still smell him. A sad smile crossed her face. He's got such a strong smell…I love it…I wish I could smell it again, when it's fresh, but now I'll have to endure eternity without it…without him.
Tears slowly rolled down her face as she clenched her eyes shut. She would never allow her brother to see her like this. It was something only Gohan saw, and she would keep it that way. She tried hard to suppress the sobs, but failed miserably as her thoughts wandered back to him.
I…I shouldn't have asked him to come over…I should've known that my brother would go after him. I could've saved him… She began pounding the pillows with her fist as she continued to sob into the covers.
Gohan's felt drained heavy, which was good news for him. Feeling fine would mean he was dead. The only question was where he was. City streets were never this soft to lie on, and the city he had fought Seventeen in didn't have people in it. He could clearly hear voices. They sounded familiar, but he was too out of it to make out whom they were.
"Something doesn't add up here," said Master Roshi as he looked down at the seemingly unconscious Gohan.
"What's unclear?" asked Oolong in an annoyed way. "He got his butt handed to him by Android Seventeen. What's so unclear about that?"
"They were fighting in a city that had bee deserted for days. In fact, it was the same city Gohan had fought the androids in before his mysterious disappearance."
"What's your point?"
"Seventeen probably drew Gohan's attention by blasting the area, making Gohan think it was another attack and that he had to respond to it. He lured Gohan into a trap, but Eighteen wasn't there."
Oolong scratched his head as he pondered the facts the old man presented. "So…maybe the android just wanted to kill Gohan once and for all. The other one might not have been interested."
"I doubt she wouldn't be. Wouldn't she want to see him die with her own eyes? I think that Android Seventeen has some sort of vendetta against Gohan."
"What makes you think that? How do you know my explanation isn't correct? Haven't you heard of accepting the simplest answer?"
"With anything involving a saiyan, or in Gohan's case, half saiyan, it's always more complicated than it seems. I've learned that from my experiences with Goku. For example, we originally thought Goku was just a peculiar human, when in fact, he was a saiyan who was sent to Earth to eliminate all life."
"I see your point," replied Oolong in a somewhat annoyed voice. "Let's just wait until he wakes up. Then we can ask him ourselves."
Roshi nodded in agreement. "Why don't we go downstairs? I sense Bulma and Trunks approaching."
Roshi and Oolong went downstairs where Puar was watching television. Oolong told Puar that Bulma and Trunks were on the way, and they both went into the kitchen to get food and tea ready. Roshi turned off the TV and sat on the couch, deep in thought.
Trunks and Bulma were approaching the island in a small aircraft. They still weren't sure if the androids could detect power levels and decided not to take any chances. They were both looking forward to visiting Kame house since it had been a long time since their last visit.
Trunks, however, was more anxious about Gohan being there. He didn't tell his mother anything, but he could sense Gohan, and knew about the state he was in. When we get there, I'll have to ask Master Roshi some questions.
When they landed, Roshi's turtle was waiting outside to greet them. "Hello Bulma, it's nice to see you and Trunks."
"Likewise Turtle," replied Bulma.
Trunks acknowledged Turtle as well. The three of them then went inside where they were greeted by Roshi, Oolong, and Puar. The talking cat and pig had already prepared tea and snacks. As they sat at the table, Bulma seemed lost in conversation with Oolong and Puar about the old days.
Trunks noticed that Master Roshi wasn't joining in like he usually would. I wonder why he's been so quiet. He hasn't even tried to touch my mom yet. Does it have something to do with Gohan?
Roshi was shaken from his thoughts by Trunks. "Huh? Is something wrong Trunks?"
"Yeah, can I talk with you…away from mom?"
Roshi nodded seriously and led Trunks back into the living room. They sat on the couch facing the TV, and Roshi turned to Trunks, ready for his question.
"I sensed Gohan on the way here. I know he's upstairs, but I didn't tell mom."
"That's good. We don't need her knowing just yet. She and Chichi both have enough to worry about."
"So do you know what happened? I'm sure the androids did this, but how did Gohan end up here?"
"Oolong and I went to the abandoned city where Gohan had nearly been killed by the androids, to find out exactly what went on. Turns out that there weren't any living people around for miles so Gohan's story of the locals saving him doesn't make any sense…although, they could've migrated from that region."
Trunks nodded. "So what was Gohan doing there again?"
"Android Seventeen had set a trap for him there. We were lucky enough to hide the ship and ourselves until the battle ended. We don't know why Seventeen would lure Gohan to a fight there, but I suspect that he has some sort of grudge against him."
"Wait, so Eighteen wasn't there helping him? That's odd. The androids usually attack together."
"I was thinking the same thing. It might not mean much though. Maybe she just wasn't interested. However, Seventeen was the one who wanted to get the job dine. That's why he was there to do it, with or without Eighteen's help."
"I guess we'll have to wait until Gohan wakes up. Chichi called my mom earlier today and said she was worried about Gohan. I also sensed Gohan back at the place where he had been before he returned home. This is all so strange."
"We're definitely missing something," said Roshi, "but only Gohan can fill in the details."
Eighteen wiped the tears away from her eyes as she sat back up. Okay. It's time to go back. I've cried enough.
She entered the bathroom and washed her face clean of all evidence that she had been crying. The only thing she would show anyone was her blank facial mask. Tucking the loose hair behind her ear, she exited her hideout and flew back towards the home she shared with her brother.
She doubted that Seventeen would worry about her absence. He thought he already knew everything that had gone on during her previous disappearances, and probably figured that everything would be okay once he had killed Gohan.
She clenched her at the thought of what her brother had done. That idiot! Why couldn't he use the brain of his? He could've at least been more curious instead just killing Gohan.
When the house came into view, she could see her brother standing outside, as if he had been ready to leave. He noticed her approach and turned to her with a smile.
"Good to see you're all right Eighteen," said Seventeen as she landed in front of him.
"I was fine," replied Eighteen.
"Don't tell me you're still stuck over me eliminating him."
"Just shut up and tell me what we're going to do."
He raised his hands to calm her down. "Alright, fine. Let's go terrorize a city."
"Let's get going then." Eighteen took up, followed by Seventeen. Even though she seemed to be returning to her former self, Eighteen felt as if there was an empty void. She had washed away all the pain and sadness after crying her eyes out. Now she felt nothing at all. She wasn't upset or sad, but she could never be happy either.
Killing people didn't have quite the excitement that it used to. There was no more joy in killing, in fact, killing people felt just as dull as standing around. It might've been different if a worthy opponent had shown up, but her brother had apparently killed Gohan and nobody else would ever be foolish enough to come and challenge them.
Her brother never took notice since he was too busy enjoying himself and the fact that Eighteen was killing people again. He would've seen through her mask if the blood and gore hadn't drowned it all out.
However, as the population thinned and the yelling died down, Seventeen noticed a change in her. She used to laugh as much as he would. In fact, the blood and gore always made her smile, but now, she was stoic and neutral to the situation.
"You're still not yourself."
Eighteen turned to her brother with fake annoyed expression. "Why would you say that?"
"You're not enjoying this as much as you're supposed to."
"Aren't I allowed to have an off day?"
He shrugged it off. "Yeah, I suppose so, but I still don't like it."
"Then that's your problem." Eighteen's comment sounded rude, which made her brother smile.
"Look's like someone's getting her attitude back," replied Seventeen.
"Let's just go home," replied Eighteen. She then took off without waiting for Seventeen to follow.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter.