-Seventeen-
The Android was silent as his silhouette shot across the sky.
His lips were pulled into a tight frown, his eyes devoid of anything that could resemble even a spark of energy.
His gaze wandered over the land beneath him, watching the trees and grass race past him, catching glimpses of wildlife quickly scurrying away as his body tore through the air, scaring them with the sounds of rushing winds.
He watched them flee.
He watched them flee from what he was certain they thought was mortal danger—from what they thought was a predator who would devour them if they were caught.
But of course, that's what they were meant to do. They were prey—animals with the instinctual drive to flee when a predator attacked.
A rabbit doesn't have the strength to challenge a fox.
A fox doesn't have the strength to challenge a wolf.
His eyes fell shut, his flight coming to a slow stop.
"...Am I… prey?"
The question lingered in the air, the voice behind the words sounding unlike his own as he said them.
Because it was something he would never say.
He'd always been the top dog, always the strongest, always the apex predator. It'd been trained into him, an idea reinforced by years and years of it being proven correct.
He remembered back when the world's militaries had banded together in an attempt to take him and his sister down. He remembered laughing as he tore through their forces, choosing to race through their tanks and armored vehicles, using his own indestructible body to blow through the reinforced steel like it was nothing more than tissue paper, knowing in the back of his mind that all he had to do at any time was drop a single ki blast on them, and the entire army would be obliterated.
He'd felt like God back then.
Seventeen's fingers curled up into a tight fist.
Now he'd been forced to flee, forced to run for his life and forced to leave his sister behind to fend off that piece of shit, Gohan!
He snarled as Gohan's face flashed through his mind. How the actual fuck had he managed to best him? It didn't make any sense!
His mind replayed the events of the fight over and over again, picking out each moment he'd been on the back foot, each time he'd lost an exchange, and then finally...
He paused in his thoughts, his eyes pulled towards his right side.
Electricity spat out of the tattered remains of his arm.
His face scrunched up in disgust at the wound. Disgust at the pain sensor constantly reminding him of the injury, disgust at himself for letting it happen in the first place, and finally disgust in the fact that Gohan was now the top dog.
He blinked, the anger in his face bleeding away as he came to a sudden realization.
Eighteen!
He spun around, facing towards where he came as his eyes filled with worry.
His sister was still back there, presumably buying time for him to get away. Seventeen knew she was no slouch when it came to combat. Hell, she was almost as strong as he was.
But that was the problem.
Almost as strong.
Panic filled the Android's thoughts as his imagination went rampant. He pictured Eighteen struggling, just barely fending off Gohan's attacks before she too slipped up, made a mistake just like he had and then-
He shut his eyes in a grimace.
He did not want to imagine that reality.
Seventeen's ice blue eyes snapped open as the urge to save his sister flooded through his thoughts. He wanted to be there, to be a good brother and protect her like he always had. He wanted to race back there as fast as he could and pummel that idiot blonde into the ground until his face resembled nothing but a dropped lasagna.
Despite this, Seventeen's form remained floating in the air, unmoving.
He wanted to do all those things.
But something else held him in place as he continued to glare furiously back towards where he knew the battle was raging on.
Something that Seventeen hadn't experienced in a long, long time.
Fear.
As much as the man refused to admit it, as much as he wanted to convince himself that it was a lie, he knew deep in the back of his mind that it was the truth.
He'd been terrified in those final seconds against Gohan. When he'd seen that plume of golden flames racing towards him, knowing that he wouldn't be fast enough to get away or even put up a half decent defense.
He remembered seeing that ball of blue energy and seeing death for the very first time since Dr. Gero's experiments. He'd forgotten that death could even apply to him anymore, even gotten used to the idea that he and his sister were in fact, immortal. Death had been something that everyone else experienced—the people he and his sister killed, those people could die.
But not him.
Never him.
He shut his eyes, feeling a tremble begin to run down his arm and legs.
I could have died back there.
It was a disturbing realization to have. Gohan could have killed him. Gohan, the man Seventeen had grown to acknowledge as little more than a semi—durable punching bag, had managed to nearly kill him. Had Eighteen not arrived when she had… if she'd been even a minute later…
Seventeen shuddered at the thought, letting out a shaky, nervous exhale of air as he did.
He didn't want to die.
And as much as he wanted to go back and save his sister, to protect her from what Gohan could do to her… he knew he wouldn't.
He couldn't bring himself to face death again.
She told me to run,
He reminded himself, trying to justify the fact that he might have just left his little sister to perish.
She wanted me to leave! She knew that I wouldn't have made it if I'd stayed!
He knew it was likely the truth. Gohan would have kept coming after him if he stayed, and as of now, Seventeen knew his strength was far below what Gohan could dish out.
And all because of this damn arm…
It was like his arm had a pressure valve that had been permanently switched to 'on'. Everytime he pushed his energy to one of his other limbs to perform an action, some of that energy would siphon off and spill out of the severed limb, like his body was a hose with a hole in it.
Even now as his energy kept him afloat, he could feel some of it spilling out of the wound, being wasted and making the task almost twice as hard as a result.
He attempted twice more to build up the courage to return, to face down Gohan like he'd done so many times before and assure his sister's safety.
He failed both times.
The Android sagged as he felt his desperation grow, his nervousness growing as he considered his sister's fate. Would she run? He imagined she would, knowing how smart she was. He knew that she wouldn't attempt to fight Gohan if she knew that he was stronger than himself, but that begged the question: would she be able to get away?
"..."
He didn't know.
They'd never had to run before.
"...Damn it, Seventeen…" He mumbled to himself as he stared into the distance. He was already miles away from the fight, too far to see even the faintest silhouette of the city. He felt somehow responsible for this, responsible for the fact that his sister was risking her life to save him.
If I had just listened… just kept my promise this wouldn't have happened…
She'd asked him to wait for her, to wait until she could explain whatever this little crisis was of hers. Sure, she'd been keeping secrets, but she was entitled to her own secrets right? Why did he have to know everything about her life? She was her own person after all
He felt the urge to find out the fate of his sister sooner rather than later. He had no way to tell how the fight was going, so the best course of action would be to wait for her back at the house, assuming she got away safe.
He frowned.
He didn't like that idea.
But it wasn't like he had another way to contact—
His eyes widened.
My phone!
He'd completely forgot about it! Usually he left it at home whenever he left to 'have fun'. He quickly reached into his pocket—
And pulled out the bent, shattered husk of what appeared to have once been a phone, but was nothing more than a metal disk, flattened and warped to comply with the shape of his thigh. He let out a soft laugh at the damaged device.
Yup, that checks out.
He usually didn't bring his phone because there was always the chance Blondie would show up. His phones typically wouldn't survive him being repeatedly blown up and tossed through the occasional building. He'd brought it this time only because he'd been under the impression that Blondie was dead, and thus his days of being tossed through buildings were over.
He frowned, a thought from earlier returning to him.
...Why was Blondie alive in the first place?
His face scrunched up with a tight frown. It didn't make any sense! There was no way Eighteen would have accidentally let him live considering the state he'd been in when he'd left her to do the deed. The guy was tough, Seventeen would admit, but it wasn't like Eighteen was an amateur when it came to murder. She knew how to decipher if a person was dead or not!
He looked down, his brows furrowed in thought. The only way that Gohan could be alive despite Eighteen's words is if there'd magically been a medical team around the corner when she blew a hole through his torso, or…
Or she's lying.
Seventeen didn't like the idea. He was sure that there was a reasonable explanation for all of this… even if he couldn't think of one.
The Android sighed as he rolled the partially burnt device in his hand before letting it slip from his fingers.
The loss of his arm… Eighteen's seeming deceit… it felt like his world was being flipped upside down.
"...Get home safe," He muttered before turning and blasting off.
-Eighteen, Twenty Minutes Later-
The woman had been floating above the mansion for five minutes now, her arms crossed, eyes staring where she knew Seventeen would likely be: in his room.
She'd been thinking about what she would do when she arrived the entire way back, what she could say to fix things between her and her brother, what she could do to make things right.
No words came to mind.
"..."
She knew he wouldn't understand if she tried to tell him something that resembled the truth. She could easily picture Seventeen exploding on her, screaming how she'd betrayed him, how she'd stabbed him in the back and how all of this was her fault.
She frowned.
Okay maybe those were her thoughts, but that didn't mean he would take anything she tried to say lightly. There was also the problem of Seventeen's temper. She knew her brother, the way he responded to defeat, the way he responded to being second to someone else. She remembered the time he'd tried for the track team back when they were in highschool. He'd shown no real interest in the sport, but noticed a bunch of cute girls seemed to be interested in the track guys, so he gave it a shot.
He'd been slower than one of the other track members.
That team member had been forced to resign shortly following a terrible mugging that had shattered one of the boy's femurs. The only description the police had been given had been that the attacker had been wearing a clown mask, and using an aluminum bat.
Eighteen had noticed a newly bought bat and mask in her brother's room shortly after hearing the news.
Eighteen knew that he would be raring to figure out a way for revenge, for a way to kill Gohan despite his obvious weakened state.
Seventeen would already be planning to challenge Gohan, devising a method for the two of them to face the man again.
Eighteen sighed, she didn't have an answer for that problem either.
This is going to be an absolute shit show.
Slowly, the woman lowered herself to the front door, pausing for a moment as her hand wrapped around the handle.
Here we go.
She thought to herself before twisting and stepping inside.
"Eighteen!?"
Much to her surprise, Seventeen hadn't been in his room, he'd been waiting in the living room, sitting on the couch seemingly waiting for her. She watched as her brother rose to his feet, genuine relief flooding his features as his eyes met hers.
"I'm glad you're safe," he said with a smile.
She smiled back, realizing just how nervous he must have been leaving her to fight Gohan. "You too."
"He didn't hurt you did he?" She watched his fingers curl into a fist.
"No, I'm alright." She figured it would be best for the situation if she didn't mention her sore shoulder.
He let out a visible exhale of relief. "That's good. I was scared for a second there."
"Me too," she admitted.
The room filled with silence. She could make out a conflicted expression on his face, as if he wanted to bring up a topic he knew would cause a fight.
She closed her eyes, knowing what it would be.
"So…" his voice grew tenser, "are you ready to tell me why Gohan wasn't, you know, dead back there?"
And there it was.
The woman fell silent as she tried to figure out what she should say.
"I… messed up." It was sort of correct.
Seventeen's expression hardened. "...How?"
Eighteen didn't respond, her gaze pulling away. How could she tell her brother that she'd spared the man responsible for tearing off his arm?
"Eighteen," She could hear the agitation in his voice now, "I just lost an arm back there. I feel like I deserve an explanation!"
He was absolutely right.
He did deserve one, but that didn't mean Eighteen was prepared to give it to him. She wasn't ready for the scrutiny that would come with revealing the truth.
Anger was beginning to seep into her brother's face now, "Are you really just going to stand there and say nothing?"
"No."
"Then tell me why Mr. Asshole-In-Orange is still alive and kicking!"
"How about you tell me why the hell you broke your promise!" She fired back, feeling her own anger beginning to boil over.
"Are you serious right now? I nearly died back there!"
"Yeah, because you broke your promise!"
"Because you are keeping secrets!"
"You don't need to know everything about my life! Why do I have to tell you all of my secrets?
"Because it sure as Hell seems that one of those secrets was that Blondie is still alive."
Their eyes narrowed to slits, each of the twins shooting the other a nasty glare.
What the hell am I doing?
Eighteen blinked, her brother and she had just barely escaped a life or death experience, he was critically wounded, and now she was yelling at him?
Get it together, Eighteen.
Getting defensive wasn't going to get her anywhere.
Her face softening, she said, "look, I know things really don't make sense right now. I know that you want answers… but I know that you won't accept them if I tell you."
"Just," He closed his eyes, clearly trying to calm himself just as she'd done. "Tell me why Blondie is alive, please."
"I…" Eighteen swallowed, "I spared him."
The words hung in the air like the sound of a broken plate hitting the floor.
"...Why?" She could detect the brimming anger behind the word.
"I… needed to ask him an important question."
"An important—" He repeated, before a dark laugh spilled from his lips, "An important question!?" He roared back at her, his face snarling. "What the actual fuck do you mean an 'important question'!?"
Her fingers curled into fists as she did her best to maintain her calm. "I had to know—"
"Yes, please elaborate!" He interrupted in a mocking, hateful tirade, "Please, tell me what your oh-so-important question is that just so happened to cost me my entire fucking arm!"
Eighteen was gritting her teeth now, struggling to maintain her cool.
Seventeen stepped forward, right in her face. "Tell me!" he spat.
Eighteen felt his words splatter against her cheek.
Her eyes narrowed
Suddenly, Seventeen's body was sent flying back, his back slamming through the wall on the other side of the room.
Seventeen was on his back, drywall and framing lying crumpled beneath him as he pushed himself back up, his eyes locking back onto where Eighteen was standing, her arm still outstretched after launching the young man back.
He was snarling with rage.
Eighteen's face was a tight scowl before her eyes snapped open, seemingly realizing in a flash what she'd just done.
"I—I didn't mean—"
Seventeen shot forward a moment later, growling as he threw out a wild haymaker meant for the woman's cheek. Eighteen responded by dropping low, avoiding the attack as it flew over her head.
"Stop!" She shouted as his knee shot out a moment later, slamming against her waiting forearm and pushed the woman back a few inches.
Her eyes widened in shock when she felt the light of a Ki blast begin to emanate from her brother's hand.
Damn it, Seventeen!
She knew her brother.
She knew his rage.
Eighteen rose abruptly, her elbow slamming into Seventeen's chin and snapping his head back in a violent jerk.
Eighteen knew her brother was a prideful man, and an angry one.
She drove her other fist into his stomach, listening as the wind escaped his lips before he was thrown back from the force of the blow.
Her lips formed a grim line as she listened to the sound of her brother crashing through multiple rooms of what had been their home.
She could hear water running somewhere now.
Did I throw him through the laundry room?
She could hear the distant sound of Seventeen picking himself back up, his feet splashing in seemingly pooling water.
"You're going to fucking pay for that one!" She listened to her brother hiss.
Eighteen sighed.
He wouldn't be done until he was either beaten, or confident that his pride had been satisfied.
Eighteen slowly brought her fists up in a ready position, waiting for Seventeen's form to come charging out of the second hole she'd made in the house.
She frowned after several seconds of seeming silence.
What is he doing back there?
It hadn't sounded like he'd moved. Eighteen absentmindedly tried to search out her twin's energy before scowling.
Oh, right. Damn, that's annoying.
Now that she could sense energy, she was beginning to see why Gohan probably thought fighting her was so troublesome.
It was a small beam of golden energy, slipping through the drywall dust and other debris in the air for the briefest second that gave the woman the warning she needed.
Fuck!
Immediately the Android pulled her limbs in, taking a defensive position as a red energy sphere wrapped around her.
Then she saw it.
A rushing stream of golden energy obliterating everything between her and her brother before completely enveloping the woman.
Eighteen focused her attention on the shield, ensuring that it would hold, but could tell that she was in no real danger.
… He's too weak…
The attack, while forcing her to focus, was doing little more than that.
The last shred of the golden light washed over her, and Eighteen let her shield fall. The girl briefly looked over her shoulder, seeing the devastation left after her brother's attack. It looked like the blast had managed to entirely obliterate the wall behind her, as well as the home across the street, and the one behind that…
Eighteen pulled her attention back to where she knew Seventeen was still standing.
She hadn't heard him move.
Cautiously, she began to make her way through the multiple holes widened by Seventeen's attack.
She expected to see her brother waiting for her, posed to strike and catch her off guard. She expected him to fire off another blast as she approached.
She was surprised when she made it to the laundry room without being attacked.
"...That was my strongest attack…" Eighteen's head turned towards her twin's voice.
She frowned.
Seventeen sat with his back against the cracked wall, his head hanging so that some of his hair drooped before his face. He held his remaining hand loosely in front of his eyes, closing his fingers into a fist.
He didn't look up when she stood beside him.
"... Seventeen?" It was impossible to hide the concern laced in her voice. She'd never seen her brother like this.
The twin ignored her. "...This is going to be how it is now, isn't it?" His gaze held on his open hand. "Weak, pathetic…" A shallow growl slipped from his lips, "Crippled."
"I'm sorry…" Eighteen reached down to place a hand on his shoulder, only to have her fingers swatted away.
"Do you think I care if you're sorry!?" He spat, his eyes finally locking onto hers.
She saw hatred in those eyes.
She took a step back, "I—I didn't—"
"He should be dead, Eighteen!" He snarled, his fingers clenched in a tight fist. "But, instead!... Instead…" His rage began to tamper, his eyes shifting back to his remaining hand.
"Fuck!" He let out a bellowing roar as he slammed his fist into the ground, causing the entire house to shake as the tiles beneath them cracked. Eighteen swallowed, her face full of worry-and uncertainty.
What was she supposed to do?
Her lips parted. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she knew she had to say something at the very least—
"Go away, Eighteen."
...What?
"W-wait, hold on—"
"You caused this, Eighteen." He hissed the words, his eyes narrowing as they settled on her.
"I didn't mean for—"
"It doesn't matter what you meant," raising his shoulder stump, he continued, "it's already done."
The two grew silent, Eighteen quietly wished she could do something to make this better, do something to make her brother feel better.
But what was there to do?
"...I'm guessing that those little trips out to 'work out'... were with him?"
Her eyes snapped open, realizing the implication. "It's not like that! I promise that we're not—"
"Go away, Eighteen."
The words felt like daggers sinking into her chest.
"Please, Seventeen, I can—"
"Just—" She could hear a hitch in his voice, could hear that this was hard for him too. "Just go away, Eighteen… I can't trust you anymore."
The woman felt warmth at the base of her eyes, staring down at her brother who was purposefully looking away.
"...Keep yourself out of trouble, Seventeen. I won't be around if Gohan catches you again." She said, before she shot straight upward, not caring about the floor above or the roof.
This wasn't her home anymore anyway.
-One Hour Later-
Eighteen sat with her legs pulled up to her chest as she stared at the loose dirt at her feet.
She was sitting in the center of an abnormally flat stretch of dirt and rock amidst an otherwise plentiful forest. Tendrils of smoke were slowly rising from bits of still-singed rock.
Eighteen idly wondered what this mountain had been called before she'd obliterated it.
She didn't really care.
She'd just needed to blow off some steam.
Eventually, she pushed herself back to her feet, her face without a hint of emotion as she slowly rose from the broken remains of her rampage and began to fly without any real destination.
She flew over two suspiciously flat stretches of dry rock and mud where she'd lost her temper a couple times more.
I have to accept this.
She thought to herself, her lips stuck in a permanent frown.
Because I caused all of this.
She knew it to be true. Had she listened to her brother when she'd had the chance, had she killed that damn Gohan when he was dying before her, none of this would have ever happened.
She scowled.
What was worse, she'd gotten what she'd wanted.
She'd needed a way to stop Seventeen from attacking cities, to prevent her brother from continuing down this road of devastation that she'd been convinced would lead to their eventual demise.
She'd thought that would involve a talk, a sit down with her brother to explain, so that he could understand like she did.
Instead, now her brother was too weak to risk going out on his own and terrorizing the survivors of what had been their world.
That was another point that Eighteen had come to accept, if begrudgingly.
Yesterday, the two of them had been gods of this world—destructive forces that no one could hope to stand up to.
But now?
Her mind flashed back to her fight with Gohan, to the moments just before her escape when she was certain she was about to see all of her robot bits spill out of her just like Seventeen had as her arm was torn from her body.
She shut her eyes tightly.
Now she knew that they were no longer the gods of this place. Even together, she doubted it would end well for them if they were to challenge Gohan like they always had. Seventeen was too weak to be anything more than a liability in a fight, and Eighteen knew from their previous encounter that she was definitely not enough to challenge Gohan on her own.
For the first time in their lives, they were the weaker side. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Eighteen had a reason to be afraid.
And it was all her fault.
"...DAMN IT!" She bellowed as she focused her power to her center, pushing it out in a violent burst that let out a deafening boom as it reached critical mass.
She growled, her fists trembling with rage as she did.
I threw it all away, didn't I? Everything we had, everything that we'd grown to know, gone!
She couldn't just go to a bank and start killing people she didn't like, because Gohan would be there. She couldn't parade around a city, watching the people grow panicked as they recognized her anymore, because Gohan would be there. Suddenly, actions had consequences again. Suddenly, this world had stopped being their playground.
"..."
Slowly, Eighteen's eyes pulled upward, blue irises taking in the dark, inky sky sprinkled with specks of shining light millions of lightyears away.
So… what now?
What is going on down there?
Eighteen frowned as she stared down questioningly at the city down below. It had taken her some time to begin to think clearly again, and once she could, she decided that she should probably pick her bag back up from where she stashed it before the fight. She doubted that anyone important would find it and assume anything amiss— change of clothes, a wig, some glasses, nothing to raise any eyebrows at.
She did miss her phone though. Half of her expected it to be gone already.
What she hadn't expected however was the seemingly endless sea of people filling the streets, their voices all loud and tangled in such a mess that she couldn't distinguish what they were trying to say even if she tried.
The Android continued to hover high in the air, using her enhanced eyesight to study the unaware citizens. It resembled a festival, like one massive party or celebration.
But what is it that they're celebrating?
As far as she could tell, it was like this all over West City. She'd stretched out her senses earlier and felt a similar, chaotic, excited energy across the city, so she knew something had to be up.
"Hmm…" Her eyes narrowed, she decided to ignore the commotion for the time being, she still had to grab her bag.
Eighteen suddenly blurred, moving so fast that she was certain no one below would be able to see her.
Slipping into the small, decrepit building where she'd stowed away her belongings earlier, she found, much to her relief, that the bag had remained untampered.
The bag unzipped, her eyes scanning its contents just to make sure before she noticed her phone and pulled it out.
Her eyebrow arched as she noticed the missed call and message waiting for her.
They were both from Gohan.
The woman frowned, pausing as she stared at the name on the screen, her mind going back to earlier today when she nearly died.
Slowly, her finger pressed down to open the text.
"Hey, Videl. Hope you're doing okay. Trunks told me that it was your idea to transfer yours and Trunks' Ki to me. Thank you, it really did help in the end."
Eighteen scoffed, she knew that her own contribution had been little more than a sliver of energy, hardly anything that would affect the outcome of a fight, let alone that fight.
"Anyway, me and the gang are all celebrating back at Bulma's place. If you'd like to come, I'm sure everyone would love to meet you. In case you forgot where it was, the address is—"
Eighteen blinked.
An invitation… celebrating what? Her own defeat!?
She paused, a sudden realization dawning on her as the cheering noises from outside continued to spill into the unstable structure.
Is that what everybody is celebrating?
That couldn't be it right? An entire city celebrating the outcome of just one fight?
The woman slowly approached a shattered window on the other side of the room, cautiously peeking over to view the chaos outside. She didn't want someone to spot her and cause a panic. She could still sense Gohan in the city and now that she knew how energy worked, knew that he would be able to sense a panic if he was paying close attention.
Spending the night running away from Gohan again was not on her to do list.
Her eyes narrowed as she observed the humans down below.
She could see people laughing, drinking, and generally having a jovial time.
Her eyes widened when one of the drunks managed to cup his hands over his mouth and roared, "We're still here!"
Immediately, everyone around the man repeated the phrase, stopping what they were doing and cupping their mouths to do the same.
"WE'RE STILL HERE!"
Eighteen took a step away from the window in surprise.
It was beginning to look like that was the reason for the celebration.
She frowned, slowly bringing up the phone to stare down at the message once more.
She glared down at the invitation, snarling at the fact that he'd just invited her to her own social depreciation party. A event specifcally tailored to celebrate what already felt like her biggest fuck up ever, just the icing on the cake in her opinion.
Fuck this…
She pocketed the phone before shouldering her bag and preparing to leave, her body posed to shoot into the sky.
But then she paused.
Slowly, her gaze shifted back towards the broken window.
-Gohan-
Hope she's okay…
The young man frowned as he stole a glance at his phone for what he felt like had to be the 5th time in the last fifteen minutes. He was sitting on the coach in the living room. Music and conversation filled the room around him.
He heard an annoyed sounding clearing of the throat a moment after.
Closing his eyes he let out a soft breath, waiting for it.
"You know you really shouldn't be on your phone so much when you're with company."
And there it is.
"Of course," He managed to muster a smile as his mom frowned at him disapprovingly, "I'll put it away." She had her arms crossed, wearing one of her traditional purple dresses as so often did, with her hair up in a bun, albeit with a few loose hairs sticking out here and there.
"Oh, give the kid ah break!" Gohan felt an arm wrap around his neck, Master Roshi hanging off of his side loosely. The man looked like he'd come straight over as soon as he got the word, wearing flip flops, board shorts and a tank top.
The smell of liquor hit Gohan like a freight train.
"He already beat tha Androids! Lay off of him, old lady!" The old master ordered with an intoxicated gesture of his hand.
Gohan felt his lips shift into a grin. Despite the smell, he still appreciated the old man sticking up for him.
It especially felt good to hear the man say those words.
Chichi's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, her jaw tightening to a hardened edge. "What did you just call me?"
Roshi let out a hearty laugh, his head reeling back before snapping back to face down his mother.
"What? Is dat news ta you?" He sucked in a deep breath of air, "You're old!" His old man voice boomed.
Gohan had always regarded Master Roshi as a brave man.
Never had he seen that trait exemplified more than here.
The young Saiyan turned to his mom, his eyes filled with worry at what his mom planned to do to the old hermit.
Although his mother had never learned enough about combat to ever gain a mastery of her Ki, Gohan was certain he could see a faint blood red aura radiating from his mom in that moment.
"Run, Roshi—" He started, before realizing that the old Hermit had already taken off.
The saiyan turned his head, amused as he heard the old man laughing down the hallway, his mother shortly behind him.
"Get back here, you insufferable geezer! I'll show you who's old!"
"Haha, you can't catch these old bones!"
Gohan let out a laugh as the rest of the room did the same, the tension bleeding away as soon as it had arrived.
Although the comment had been annoying, his mom did have a point, he had to admit. He was enjoying himself, and he liked finally having a reason to get the gang back together.
Well… those who were left, that is.
Gohan felt his smile fall ever so slightly. The thought was a sobering one.
"Hey, Gohan! Long time no see!"
The young man's smile recovered as he heard the familiar high pitched voice beside him.
"Puar!" He grinned as he accepted an awkward hug from the dark blue… cat? Gohan had always thought Puar was a cat, but always thought it rude to ask.
Floating on the air as he always did, the feline smiled. "I've missed you! You should swing by Kame House more often!"
"Yeah, I'm realizing that you're definitely right, it feels like it's been forever since the last time we all met up." Gohan studied the old cat as they spoke, his eyes narrowing on the rough patches of unkempt fur and the signs of age pushing through her otherwise happy demeanor. Puar had taken the loss of the rest of the gang just as hard as everyone had, but she'd definitely been affected by the loss of Yamcha the most.
Gohan could still picture the two of them together way back when he had been a kid. She'd always been at his side, the two of them joking and chatting pleasantly amongst themselves. Outside of combat, the two had been inseparable.
Afterwards, she'd decided to stay at Kami's place with Roshi and Oolong, neither of which seemed to mind her company considering how friendly and sweet she was.
He remembered those months afterward, seeing Puar wandering, her head looking around desperately, almost confused, before stopping all at once, remembered that who she was looking for wasn't around anymore.
Gohan had never known how the two met, but it was undeniably just how close they'd been. The only friendship he'd seen that even came close had been his father and Krillin.
He smiled at the rush of memories.
Good times.
"—and then Oolong says, 'who needs the Androids when you have friends like these?' can you believe it? Hah!" Gohan watched with a smile as the small cat held its stomach with high-pitched laughter.
The young man released a polite chuckle, figuring that it would have been funnier had he been there. "That sounds like it was crazy, haha! I bet he'll remember to lock the door next time, huh?"
"I'm sure! And he—"
"Puar?" Gohan heard Trunks's excited voice on the other side of the room.
The cat spun around, a bright smile on his face. "Trunks!?"
Gohan watched as the two locked eyes, excited expressions on their faces. He let out a soft laugh. For whatever reason, Puar seemed to really like Trunks, and Trunks seemed to believe that Puar was the cutest cat in the world, despite his age.
Puar didn't seem to mind the attention.
The cat looked over her shoulder back at Gohan. "Do you mind if we talk again later?"
Shaking his head, Gohan motioned for the feline to go enjoy herself.
Puar took off a moment later, slamming into the smiling teen's awaiting arms.
Gohan felt his lips pulling up into a smile as he watched the teen squeeze the fuzzy cat to his chest.
No, Puar definitely didn't mind the attention.
"Hey Gohan, how ya doin kid?" He felt the cushion beside him sink down.
"I've been doing alright," He turned to face Oolong who appeared to be casually nursing a can of beer. He wore his classic suspenders. "How have you been, Oolong?"
"Eh, been keeping it pretty symmetrical." The pig grinned, poking Gohan's arm.
Gohan grinned back, appreciating the pig's rude brand of humor. With everyone else, his wound had been a very sensitive subject, but with Oolong? Out the gate he'd been poking fun at the young man—making arm jokes, offering to play a game of golf with him some time, asking if he thought he could get a discount on gloves since he only needed one...
Gohan had found it refreshing.
It had made him feel normal again after the incident, since to everyone else, he'd been this poor victim of such a horrible injury.
But to Oolong?
He was just another one of the guys open for all the ridicule and jokes.
Gohan loved that about the old pig.
No one was safe from his insensitive humor.
"You know," Oolong continued, a slowly building grin on his face, warning Gohan that a joke in absolutely terrible taste was coming. "You keep dodging my requests to play a game of Foosball sometime!" The pig was sporting the most dubious shit-eating grin as he held Gohan's gaze. "What? Is the great 'Golden Warrior' too scared to go toe to toe against this little pig?"
Laughing Gohan pushed Oolong over, prompting a squawk from the pig as he tried desperately not to spill his drink.
"Yeah, I deserved that one." He laughed, pushing himself back up before taking a sip.
Just then, Chichi came storming back into the room before returning to her seat on the couch next to Oolong. She plopped down with a 'humph' and crossed her arms, still steaming.
Both Gohan's and Oolong's gazes fell on her.
"Uh…" Gohan spoke first. "Where's Master Roshi?"
"He's reflecting on how rude he was." Chichi spoke sternly.
Oolong and he traded nervous looks.
"Um… well, I think it's best I go check up on the old fella." Oolong pushed himself off the couch, waving a hand to Gohan before disappearing down the hall.
The young man waved back before letting his hand fall to his side, his mouth feeling dry as he tried to think of a question to ask his mom.
"..."
"...Uh, so…" He began slowly, trying to by time to think of a good question to ask. "Been trying any… new… hobbies as of late?" The question came out choppy and awkward, but he did mean it.
He wanted to know about his mother's life.
It was just hard to talk to her, sometimes.
He watched her pause a moment, considering her answer. "I've taken up knitting baby clothes, recently."
Gohan frowned. "Baby clothes? Why? You're not… uh," he didn't want to say the word pregnant to his mom. He didn't want to picture her with anyone but his dad.
"No. No, I am not," she confirmed without turning her head.
The saiyan let out a soft sigh, understanding the implication almost immediately.
She wanted grandchildren.
Meanwhile, he wasn't even in a relationship.
"How about you?" She continued, trying to manage a half smile as she asked, "how's been...training?"
He could detect a hint of distaste at the word, even if she'd been trying her best to hide it. He knew her opinion on 'training' as an activity in itself was less than stellar, even if she fully understood the necessity of the enormous strains he put on his body regularly.
It'd been very clear that she'd wanted him to grow up and become an educated and well rounded member of society, someone with a degree and a nice house and a family of his very own.
She'd wanted a good life for him.
He couldn't blame her for it.
If he'd been able to choose from that reality over this one? He'd have picked that in a heartbeat.
But then the Androids had attacked and left him as the only remaining fighter strong enough to even try and stop them.
Of course, she'd been against it at first, exclaiming that a seven-year-old boy should not be responsible for saving the world!
Admittedly, when he replayed it back in his mind, Gohan realized she might have had a point back then.
She'd use this point to convince him to stay sometimes back then when the Androids attacked, remind him that he was still very much a child, and that he should not feel like he needed to do something about it at his age.
Who would actually expect a boy no older than ten to face down two monsters, each capable of destroying the planet on a whim?
He still thought back to those times, thought about how many times his mom saved his life by convincing him to stay when he was clearly not ready.
He also thought about all the lives that were lost due to that decision, and how many more would have been lost in the long run had he perished so young.
"Well, I've finally gotten strong enough to beat the Androids." He smiled.
The words still felt so unreal to say.
But damn did they feel good.
Chichi smiled a genuine, happy smile. Not like the one she'd had when she'd asked about training. "I'm happy for you, sweetie really, I am." Reaching out, she took hold of her son's hand. "I'm sure your father is looking down on you right now, beaming with pride."
Gohan felt a swell in his chest.
That was his mom alright. One way or another, she always knew the words to make the young man feel emotional.
"Thanks, mom," he said, forcing his voice to remain composed.
Her arms parted, reaching out for a hug Gohan didn't hesitate to accept.
It felt good to hug his mom.
Especially after so long…
"So…" The middle aged woman began as they parted, he could already hear the agenda in her voice.
Well, it was nice while it lasted.
"Have you given any thought to what you might do when the Androids are finally… gone?"
Gohan blinked, taken aback by the question.
"I…" The young man fell silent, the revelation slowly dawning on him that he had absolutely no plan for what he wanted to do after all this fighting was done.
He'd never even considered it.
He'd been fighting for so long.
"Might I make a suggestion?" She asked kindly, noting his silence.
"Sure, go ahead."
"What if you considered going back to school again? I'm sure you'd enjoy it."
There weren't too many colleges still around due to the sheer drop in cities and towns these days. Only the main ones, the ones that survived in the bigger cities still existed anymore.
Still, Gohan didn't hate the idea. His mind flashed back to all the books still sitting at his bedside. He definitely still had a mind hungry for learning.
"That's actually not a terrible idea, mom."
Her eyes visibly lit up at the comment. "Really?"
He smiled, enjoying seeing his mom excited for once. "Really."
He could see that she wanted to push more, ask that he find a girl and start a relationship, get started on making her some grandbabies, get a nice house, a car, a family for her to visit frequently and cook for like back when Goku was around.
But it seemed she was content leaving the conversation alone with this minor victory.
"Well, that's good to hear, son. Remember that if you ever need any help, I'm just a phone call away." She sat up straighter, her hands in her lap as her smile refused to waver.
"Woo! The par-tay animal has returned!" Roshi's intoxicated voice filled the room as he came stumbling in, heavily leaning on an uncomfortable looking Oolong.
There was a bright red bump on the top of his head.
Gohan watched as his mother's eyes grew big with worry, almost as if she was realizing just then that she may have been a bit excessive.
"You might want to go over and say you're sorry…"
"Yeah... you're probably right." Chichi let out a soft sigh before rising to her feet. Turning back to her son, she added, "Don't let me forget to give you the casserole I made for you. I put it in Bulma's fridge. You can just warm it up later."
Gohan laughed, she always liked to cook for him. He figured it was her 'mom instincts' kicking in. "Thanks, mom. I'll be sure to remind you."
The two shared another hug before the middle-aged woman left to find Roshi, who appeared to be flirting poorly with one of Bulma's old associates back when she'd been the head of Capsule Corp.. A young blonde unfortunate enough to be pretty and in the Hermit's line of sights.
He watched his mother walk with the elegance of a princess and the fortitude of a mom who was not to be trifled with.
Well, that wasn't so bad.
In fact, that interaction had been… dare he say it… nice.
Their last several encounters however… had been less than favorable.
Towards the final years of their living together, before Gohan had been legally able to move out, he remembered their fights growing more and more frequent as Gohan began taking off to challenge the Androids more and more often.
She never approved. Even if she understood his reasons and he understood hers, the two could never seem to find a middle ground.
She always wanted him to think of himself, to think of his future and live for himself.
He felt a responsibility to humanity—the same one that the gang had felt. The same one they'd all perished to protect.
Eventually, the fights were the only interactions they had with each other. Even after he moved out, whenever he would come over for dinner, their conversations would eventually steer back towards the topic of the Androids and what he was doing with his life.
After a while, Gohan stopped accepting her invites.
A while after that, she stopped sending them.
Realizing that his thoughts were beginning to put a damper on what should be a happy occasion, Gohan decided he would try to find something else to keep his mind off things.
His eyes scanned over the party, over the massive sea of unknown faces while catching glimpses of his friends within, chatting, socializing, and generally having a good time.
Bulma had invited some of her old associates over to fill out the party and make it feel like a proper celebration. People who she'd worked well with back when she'd been the head of Capsule were people who respected her for sacrificing as much as she did in order to do the right thing and help the victims of the Androids' constant rampages.
Gohan's eyes landed on the blue haired woman dressed in some casual business wear. She was laughing with a group of people Gohan didn't recognize, likely fellow scientists, he assumed. She'd run Capsule Corp. straight into the ground, using every cent she could to replace what had been destroyed over and over again, eventually getting to the point that she'd had to sell the very patent to the capsule technology itself in order to ensure her and her son's own well being.
That being said, she'd never seemed to mind the change. He'd always wondered if she regretted giving it all up, the money, the fame, the life she could have had.
One day he'd asked her if she did have any regrets over the sacrifices to her life she'd had to make.
She'd smiled at him, and simply asked, "Do you?"
He grinned, remembering the interaction, and knew that the woman had no regrets for the sacrifices she'd made. Thinking about it, he figured that out of all the people in the room, she was the one person who likely had fought just as hard as he had to help humanity survive this catastrophe, if albeit in her own, businessy sort of way.
She'd handed her entire life away, just like he had.
And he respected her all the more for it.
"Hey, Gohan!" Trunks plopped down next to the man, appearing significantly happier, if also lightly covered in dark blue cat hair.
"Hey, kiddo. Enjoying yourself?"
"Haha, yeah!" The teen leaned back, resting his arms on the back of the couch, "What about you? Why aren't you walking around, talking to people? You are the man of the hour, after all, right?"
It hadn't been outright said, since there were people here outside of their inner circle, so technically this party wasn't for him. However, the people who really mattered to the older saiyan knew, and that's all that mattered to Gohan.
He shrugged in response. "Eh, I guess parties just aren't really my thing."
-Eighteen-
Parties are definitely not my thing anymore
Eighteen thought to herself as she pushed her way through the crowded streets. After some self-contained discourse, she'd eventually decided to don her disguise and check out what this 'party' was like.
Why?
Because what else is there to do, now?
Her home had quite literally been blown up.
Her brother wanted nothing to do with her.
She could no longer go on a rampage with her power for a number of reasons.
Standing in that broken, dilapidated home, Eighteen had come to the slow realization that she no longer had any place to go, or anything to do.
She had no plans to speak of, no goals to work towards, no interests to pursue.
When you've lived a life where you can do anything you want, whenever you want… what do you do when, suddenly, you can't?
Wander down some streets, I guess…
The woman thought absentmindedly to herself as she turned a corner and slipped into an alleyway, finally finding breathing room amongst the sea of sweaty, stinky human filth surrounding her.
This was a horrible idea.
Now she was stuck down here until she found a reasonable area to slip away, lest she raised any suspicions.
Her feet slapped against the wet ground as she exited out the other end of the alleyway only to see yet another sea of people awaiting her.
The girl let out an audible groan of despair.
"Hey now, what's got a cutie like you moaning like that?"
She turned her head, catching sight of a young man with straight blonde hair neatly combed back and draping over his shoulders slightly.
"Definitely not you," She responded coldly, crossing her arms and looking away with a scowl.
He was attractive, if in a traditional sense she supposed. He was wearing a very form fitting T-shirt that revealed that he was quite built, likely someone who visited the gym regularly. His face was handsome—a strong jawline, good complexion, but that smug smirk that pulled at the corner of his mouth was what truly irked her. It bled a confidence that was undeserved, a conceited reflection of himself that emanated from the way he looked at her like he already had her.
Kami, I hate guys like that. Complete tools who think that women should just bow to them because they're hot. See, at least with Gohan, he—
Her thought stopped midway as her brow furrowed.
Gohan?
She frowned. why'd she just bring up Gohan when talking about attractive guys…
Nope. Not gonna explore that thought.
It was a head glitch, a mental stumble.
Yeah, that's what it was.
He let out a laugh that she could tell was practiced to try and sound attractive. She decided to focus on it to clear her thoughts.
"Ah, come on sweetheart! No need to be rude. I'm just trying to play nice."
Ugh, I hate that look. Staring at me like I'm a slab of meat.
The way his eyes took her in was so predatorial, and not in the sexy way.
"Not interested." She spoke with a threatening edge, shooting the man a glare in the process. She turned her head, her gaze fell on the ocean of people in front of her, blocking her way out of the small space where she could see several had taken refuge.
She wanted to walk away and end the conversation there, but that would involve pushing her way back into the crowds flooding the streets.
"Alright, alright." His hands rose in a surrender. "I can take a hint. I'll leave you be." His gaze softened, looking out to watch the people dancing, singing, and staggering before them.
Out of the corner of her eye she watched as he suddenly raised his hands to cup his mouth before calling out, "We're still here!"
Immediately, Eighteen knew what was to come. She braced herself as suddenly all the voices around them repeated the phrase and announcing it in one mighty—
"WE'RE STILL HERE!"
Eighteen growled slightly as the noise settled down.
"Why do you even do that?" She asked sharply.
"Huh?" He responded with his brows furrowing, "You know… I don't really know. It's just sorta something I caught onto after joining the party"
Figures.
She'd suspected that it was simply a chant to revel in the fact that they hadn't had to leave their homes to be destroyed this time around. She supposed that was as good a reason as any for people as weak as them to get excited.
She was about to turn to leave, bored of the man and this conversation.
"I think it's our way of fighting back," he said in a tone that told her that he'd only just thought of it.
She paused.
Turning back to him, her brows furrowed. "What?".
That didn't make any sense, chanting three words was not 'fighting back' by any stretch of the imagination.
"You know, it's like this whole little celebration is our way of telling the Androids that we aren't gonna roll over and die. We chant it cause we want them to hear it, to know that they failed, and that we're still alive." He smiled slightly, his gaze looking over the multitude of faces before them. "Even if the only one of us that can do any real harm to those monsters is the Golden Warrior, that doesn't mean we haven't been fighting to survive ourselves. I mean, how many times have you had to drop everything, abandon everything you own and run for your life, hoping you weren't the unlucky guy who happened to fall in their sights."
"...Too many times…" She responded how she pictured someone who would have had to run for their lives every time she and her brother came out to cut loose and enjoy themselves.
"Exactly my point. And I mean, fuck is it hard to rebuild afterwards, I'm sure you don't want to hear it, but like, no one even talks about it." He let out a sigh. "I guess it's just because everyone is going through it, not like it's something new to complain about."
She watched him reach down and dig through a cooler she hadn't noticed was at his feet. He produced two cans before offering one to her.
"Drink?" He said plainly.
She stared down at the beer, her mind reflecting on what he'd said. She'd always known that the devastation left behind her and her brother's 'play times' was just that, devastation. It'd always been humorous to Seventeen and her, watching them rebuild their cities so rapidly only to be obliterated again the next time. It was like they were at a bowling alley, resetting the pins so that she and Seventeen could have fun knocking them back down. To her, it had been like watching little ants scramble about after you kick over their hill. Just frivolous little ants that were so insignificant, so weak that they couldn't even hope to fight back.
Fighting back…
The concept had seemed strange at first. That this could be considered fighting back.
Then she remembered just how pissed she'd been when she first realized that the entire celebration was to spite her and her brother's failure.
… Well played, humanity.
They couldn't hope to physically hurt her in a million years, so they'd decided to collectively do the next best thing.
It was almost... if only just barely, impressive.
She tried to recall just how many times she and her brother had come down to ruin this particular city in just the past five years.
She couldn't remember.
Too many times to count.
The man's arm began to lower, shrugging as he looked away. "Your loss,"
Just before the can was gone, Eighteen reached out and plucked it from his fingers.
He raised an eyebrow towards her before smirking in that same way he'd done before.
"None of that." She threatened.
He appeared confused.
"You start with that flirty bullshit again and I'm out of here. You're not gonna get any from me. You're definitely not my type."
She watched the man pause, seemingly reflecting on her words before laughing. "You know, you remind me of someone I used to know."
"..." Eighteen decided to glare daggers into him, showing to him that she was serious.
"Fine, fine, whatever. Sheesh." He looked away with a frown. "Didn't really feel like it, anyway…" He shrugged before taking a sip from his drink.
"..."
"..."
She didn't know why she'd decided to accept the drink. She hadn't known why she'd decided to come down here in the first place. They were mere ants to her right? Insects that deserved little more attention than a passing glance and nothing more.
"..."
...Though she supposed it couldn't hurt to learn more about them.
It wasn't like she had anything better to do.
"...Videl."
His head snapped towards her so quickly that it almost startled the android. "What did you just say?"
It was Eighteen's turn to be confused. Why was he looking at her like she'd just grown a second head? "My name… it's Videl."
She watched as his eyes, already wide as saucers, stared at her unblinkingly. His face was stiff like she'd just revealed her secret identity to him.
She began to worry.
Was that what she just did?
Finally, pushing his hand through his hair he let out a soft, incredulous laugh, like someone who couldn't believe their eyes. "Man! That's such a strange coincidence!"
"...What is?" She asked, confused.
He shook his hand waving away the confusion, "Nothing, nothing. just-the friend you reminded me of and your name just-" He let out a short chuckle, shaking his head. "It's nothing, just an odd coincidence, is all."
A coincidence? What does that mean?
Before she could question further, his free hand stretched out towards her, offering her a handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Videl. Name's Sharpener."
Author's Note: Hello all and welcome back! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did writing it. I genuinely don't know the reason, but this story is just so interesting to explore!
Also, if you noticed that this chapter in particular was cleaner than my normal chapters, then you have Ben Thryss to thank as he's very recently taken on the difficult job of beta reading for yours truly (he even went back and cleaned up chapter 11, what a guy!). My grammar isn't always the best, so his help has been quite a learning experience haha.
In all seriousness, please give him a shout out in the reviews, he worked hard on this chapter and deserves some praise for it :).
Also, in case there are those of you with this concern, no, Sharpener is not going to become a main character of the series. I simply chose to include his character as a little head nod to his character back in the main series. I like to pay homage to the original canon at times you may have noticed :).
Anyhow, please tell me what you thought of the chapter as a whole! Review's push my desire to complete this story . I promise to respond to each and every review via pm!
Until next time!