Talking With a Monster Chapter 23: This Is The End, a dragon ball z fanfic

The night air was brisk as Eighteen made her way from the front door, more than ready to go a round or two with the mother of Gohan. It had surprised her to discover the woman was a fighter, what with how disparagingly low her ki was compared to Gohan, or even Trunks for that matter. Despite this, Eighteen had to admit that it technically was higher than the average human. She clearly maintained her training somewhat to be this way.

"Mom, please, don't do this."

"Your girlfriend seems more than willing." Chi-Chi said firmly as she stepped out past Gohan who was walking with his mother frantically trying to convince her to stop this.

"Oh, I am!" Eighteen called out, cupping her hands around her mouth as she did. She'd decided to stop after walking several paces away, leaving more than enough flat space for a spar. She wasn't particularly fond of having to fight in such a frilly sundress, but she would make do.

Gohan frowned as he turned sharply towards her. "Not helping!" He returned to his mother, who had stepped out so that she was facing Eighteen now. She slowly adjusted her stance until she'd drawn one arm back towards her hip and her other raised in a defensive posture.

It was practiced, and somewhat reminiscent to what she recalled of Gohan's stance. Was it possible some of his fighting experience he'd learned was from his mother?

Eighteen decided to hop from foot to foot, deploying a boxer's strategy as she wasn't particularly excited to reveal the underwear underneath the sundress with a poorly placed kick.

"Ladies!" Gohan announced, stepping between the two eager women. "We are absolutely not doing this right now!"

"Son, step aside."

"I'll handle this, Gohan. Don't worry."

The young man slowly turned his head, regarding each of them before letting out a sigh. "Fine. Why does everything always resort to fighting?" He took a defeated step back.

Eighteen turned her attention to the older woman as she regarded her with an equally critical stare.

Eighteen noticed that the woman was not moving from her position, leaving Eighteen to close that gap as she bounced from foot to foot, appearing cautious, even though she knew she was in no real danger.

Suddenly, there was an explosion.

Eighteen was forced to brace herself, positioning her forearm before her face as the winds around her lashed with a powerful rage, wanting to pull her away from where that explosion had landed somewhere behind Chi-Chi. The impact had been so sudden and blinding that the android's night vision had been momentarily blinded.

Blinking away the black spots in her vision and shaking off the ringing in her ears, Eighteen turned to find out what had happened.

Her eyes grew large once she saw.

The cold night air made for a sharp contrast to the blaze hot fire engulfing the crumbling remains of what had one been Chi-chi's home. The mother of Gohan had since fallen to the grass, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

Gohan was beside her a moment later, a serious expression on his face. Eighteen caught a significant glance as he leaned down next to his devastated looking mother, giving her a look that told her that whatever caused this wasn't done.

Eighteen nodded as Gohan began to quietly speak to his mother, sounding consoling, a hand on her shoulder as tears began to slowly crawl down Chi-Chi's cheeks.

The android wasted little time as she searched out into the night sky, squinting as she tried to find what had done this. Had it been a lightning strike? It didn't seem likely. The weather was only barely windy, even if the clouds above were dark and grey.

"Why, look what we have here."

Eighteen's blood ran cold as the voice came from somewhere behind her, prompting the android to spin on her heel, fists ready as she snarled.

What she saw made her pause in confusion.

"Hello, Eighteen." A foreign voice that sounded almost familiar said. The creature before her was like something out of a nightmare, only, somehow worse now. She immediately drew a connection to Cell. Its features were all too similar not to be related, but she couldn't determine if this was the same being, or if there was another like him somewhere else. Were there two possible threats? And, how had he slipped past her senses so easily? Was there some way to mask a person's energy?

"What?" Gohan suddenly asked, rising to his feet as he addressed the mysterious stranger floating in the air. "Eighteen? Android Eighteen?" He frowned, his eyes narrowed to slits.

Say what?

Wait, what had that grotesque looking bug-man just called her?

Her face went pale, a terrible tremble suddenly taking her shoulders as she understood what was about to come.

"Oh dear," the creature who Eighteen was uncertain could be Cell began. "You see, my dear Gohan, Eight-"
She snarled, lashing out as she drove an open palm forward, firing a single deadly blast that carried enough power to bring a skyscraper to the ground.

She caught his smirk just before he moved.

His arm moved faster than she could track, cracking against the side of the sphere of ki before sending it over his shoulder for a mile further and into a mountain..

Eighteen winced as the resulting explosion was powerful enough to send a shockwave that managed to reach here.

Her eyes turned to Gohan, who's gaze had turned to her, a suspicious look crossing his features. She noticed as he took a step away and back, positioning he was facing them both now, his back protectively towards his mother.

"What's going on." He said in a gravely, dangerous tone. She could see his hand had clenched into a fist.

"Well, Gohan, first and foremost, my name is Cell." Her eyes narrowed, scowling as she regarded the creature she'd been so certain she'd killed. How had he transformed so radically? His face no longer protruded with something that resembled a beak, and now had lips so that he could speak with greater ease. His overall bulk had increased since the last time she'd seen him as well as his confidence.

I also get the sense that he's incredibly strong…

He wouldn't have presented himself like this to the both of them unless he was already more than confident that he would be victorious. She kept searching for what his energy level was, but no matter how hard her senses strained, she couldn't find anything more than a weak, barely alive source that was clearly wrong.

"And that," Cell pointed over to her. Eighteen wan't to attack him as she stood there, growling, but she knew that if he had been strong enough to swat away such a powerful attack so casually, that he wasn't going to be beaten so easily. "Is no other than android Eighteen, who I've come to collect."

Eighteen's eyes grew wide, her pupils snapping to Gohan whose face was growing a pale white. He turned to her with wide, distrustful eyes, his mouth falling open in disbelief as he took a step back.

"Gohan." She said, trying to make her voice soft and considerate. "P-please, let me explain." She reached a hand out towards him, wanting to take a step closer, but knowing that he would only step back. She could feel warmth beginning to build up behind her eyes as she watched Gohan's lost expression regard her.

"It...it isn't true." He whispered, taking another step back and placing a hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder, prompting her to rise and fall in place behind him. She was shooting nervous and terrified looks over Gohan's shoulder as she slowly retreated.

"Oh, it very much is." Cell voiced as suddenly, the creature appeared next to Eighteen, moving so fast that she was barely able to track him before his hand shot out and snatched the top of her head away. She let out a sharp cry of pain as she felt his fingers grip some of her actual hair and tear it away with the wig.

She clutched the sides of her head, wincing before she watched the dark mass of hair be dropped just next to her.

"No…" Gohan's voice came out in barely a whisper.

Eighteen's eyes met his, tears began to trickle down her cheeks as she called out. "Please, Gohan! I promise I've changed! I can explain everything to you."

"But do you even want to hear it?" Cell said casually beside her, his hands behind his back as if they were merely having a friendly conversation and nothing more. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the same individual who has terrorized the world for the past decade and a half, is she not? Why does it matter that she's changed, after all this time?"

Eighteen growled, snapping her attention to the bug-man. "Go to hell!"

Cell smiled down at her. "Don't worry. You'll be there soon."

A cold chill ran down her spine.

Gohan's shocked expression fell away as he suddenly took on a more concervative, recluse look. His face looked conflicted, like his mind was thinking, recalling, and not liking what he remembered.

Eighteen felt the need to beg for his forgiveness, to tell him how she truly felt about him and how she felt about all of this. She took a step towards him, reaching out a desperate hand.

Suddenly, the night was illuminated by a second golden flame to accompany the burning first. Gohan's hair rose towards the sky, appearing sharper in design from the new length as his body radiated a powerful golden glow.

"Get back!" he roared. Eighteen found herself stumbling back to where she'd been. His face looked to her, a thousand questions in his eyes, and also so much understanding there. How much had he connected in just those initial moments of understanding? The fight where he'd been given the opportunity to take her brother's arm when she'd been mysteriously unavailable, he now knew why. The reason she no longer wanted to fight him? He had his answer.

His gaze finally pulled away from her wearing a look of both hurt and rage. He addressed Cell. "And why are you here?"

"As I said before." Cell began, a confident smile resting on his face. "I am here for Eighteen. You see, you and I have a common goal, or rather, a common enemy."

Gohan's teal pupils flickered to her for a second, before finding Cell again.

Oh no.

"I would like to do nothing more than to destroy android Eighteen, as I imagine you would like as well."

Her eyes pleaded out to him, wanting him to turn towards her, to face her and acknowledge her. "P-please, Gohan. I've changed! I promise I h-have." she sniffled. Why was she crying this much? It made no sense. She wiped her cheek with her arm.

Gohan, the young man who's life she'd personally tormented for sixteen long years, slow lowered his gaze until he was staring at the ground. She thought she saw something there. A look in his eyes, a considering look, a conflicted, uncertain look. Finally, his face rose, and he regarded her.

He stared at her for several moments, each of which feeling like an eternity as Eighteen forced herself to meet his gaze, forced herself to finally look at the man she'd wronged and deceived on so many levels in the eyes, and face his judgement.

He looked away, frowning.

She closed her eyes, feeling she knew already what his decision would be. All of this, all of her training, all of her efforts to change herself and the world she and her brother had shaped hadn't been enough.

"Why do you want to destroy Eighteen?" he asked.

"Simply to absorb her. You see, she is a failed project by a man named Dr. Gero, a very talented scientist, but flawed in many ways. Seventeen and Eighteen's rampage was a result of his oversight. I am here to correct that oversight many years later."

"How do I know you are not lying?" Gohan asked firmly.

"Because I have already taken care of android Seventeen." Cell smiled.

Eighteen's mouth fell open, the tears running down her face growing larger. What had he just said?

Seventeen is...dead?

Her mind felt like it had fallen into a daze, unwilling to accept the reality of what had just been said. Seventeen couldn't really be gone, could he? He'd been with her literally all of her life! Cell had to be lying...right?

"And what happens after you…'absorb' her?"

Cell laughed cheerfully. "I leave. I am a being made by Dr. Gero to clean up the mistakes that are android Seventeen and Eighteen. Afterwards, I have no further need for the people of this planet. I will leave to the cosmos to discover worlds anew and never return."

Gohan's eyes had narrowed to suspicious slits. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

Cell let out a bemused laugh. "Because this." Suddenly, the grass surrounding Cell flattened, Eighteen was nearly knocked off her feet as a pulse of energy rippled out from Cell in all directions.

Eighteen's mouth gaped as she took in the incredible power. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before, it even made Gohan's power seem almost tame by comparison.

"I could have quite easily come here and killed both you and your mother, Gohan. I thought I made that abundantly clear when I melted your mother's home."

Gohan snarled, taking a dangerous step forward. "That was you?!"

"Careful, Son Gohan." Cell raised a single open palm, facing it out towards her former master's golden figure. He bore a sinister scowl as he apple."What I did was a threat to let you know I am serious. If I had wanted to, I could have blown you all away before you knew what hit you." He smiled, appearing casual again as he dropped his arm to his side. "But, I did not. Yes, you precious mother's home is up in flames but that is a small price to pay considering she is still currently alive right next to you." He hummed a curious tune before adding, "Of course, that can change."

Gohan growled, regarding Cell with a look of deep contempt. Then, he stole a glance at Eighteen.

"All you want is her?"

No...

Cell's grin widened. "Indeed. And, for your cooperation, I will then leave this planet. You and your people will be safe, finally."

"Gohan," she pleaded. "Please."

The man who she knew had her enemy, her teacher, and her friend, turned to her with a solemn expression that she could not read. It held no hint of anger or contempt, no resentment or even disgust. His teal-colored eyes seemed to be staring through her, into her soul, evaluating everything there was to consider, before making a decision.

Finally, he did.

"She's yours."

Eighteen let out a sharp breath of air. Two words. He'd had all of two words before he turned away from them, walking a few steps with his still clearly shaken mother. Eighteen could really see her age in those, frightened, tender moments. He positioned himself so that he could carry Chi-Chi, before the pair took to the sky.

Eighteen watched the golden shape as it flew into the night. Tears continued to raise down her cheeks as she watched him go, feeling rejected, empty, and most of all, alone.

Although, she wasn't alone, was she?

Somewhere behind her, she was vaguely aware of Cell shifting. She didn't care. She wanted to watch the last moments she would ever see Gohan. He was no more than a speck of golden light now, like a firefly flickering in the night sky. She watched with tired, red eyes as that light grew even more distant, and then finally, it flickered out.

Eighteen let her eyes fall shut as she felt something envelop her. She could have fought. She could have tried to stay alive, but why? What was the point of it anymore? Seventeen was gone. Gohan had rejected her. What reason did she have to fight back anymore?

She felt herself beginning to fade away, a reaction she could not understand fully as she was pulled into Cell's body.

She supposed that the man back at the mall had been right. In the end, it had been Seventeen and her own squabbling that had led to their eventual destruction. She felt at peace when it happened, or rather, she felt numb, when she fell into the nothingness, that is. She couldn't say she didn't deserve this fate. Hell, she probably deserved a lot worse.

She fell back into the empty void, knowing its walls would be the only company she had for all of eternity.

She supposed she should get comfy.

-Author's Note-

And there you have it! The exciting conclusion to this awesome series! I've never really finished a complete story before, so to finally bring it all together into a neat and conclusive end really feels good. I hope all of you liked it, although I know some of you will feel it was sorta a downer ending. I get that, but please understand that Eighteen was truly a terrible person, and that even if she had changed, in the end, she really had done so many terrible things that I think it doesn't really-okay can I stop pretending that this is the actual end of the story now?

Lol, yes, as many of you might have gleamed, it is April fools and I wanted to deliver a little bit of fun to you all. No, this is not the canon end for the series, nor is it even a canon scene at all. This was literally all cooked up in the time span of an hour and a half, so please forgive any spelling or grammar mistakes as I wanted to get this out quickly. I'll be sure to take it down once the real chapter is scheduled to come out. Until then, enjoy this little joke end, lol.

Please be sure to tell me if I managed to fool you in the reviews! And, if not, when you knew it was an april fools joke!

Until next time!

This is just here to fill the space and convince you all that this chapter is real. This is just here to fill the space and convince you all that this chapter is real.