Age 772, 13th of October
18 covered her mouth with her hands and gasped in shock. He actually did it.
It was supposed to be just another date, nothing they've never done before. The only difference was that Gohan picked a fancy restaurant this time, and asked her to dress accordingly. He claimed he was going to. His bowtie did not betray his words.
18 didn't understand it, at first. Neither of them were rich enough to afford this place: "Cena Elegante" and even if they did,they weren't the type of couple to go to restaurants like this. Even when they were at their best, financially, they preferred to be humble and careful with their spendings.
The moment 18 saw the menu and the prices, she began to scold her boyfriend. This restaurant was at least four times more expensive than any other they ever went to. He also had the audacity to ask her to "get pretty". He fidgeted nervously, checking his back pocket every once in a while.
After eating their expensive dinner and paying for it, 18 left the tablet to wash her hands and fix her hair. She had no idea what Gohan had in store for her.
"Gohan-" she called out. He wasn't on the table for some reason. 18 tried to sense his ki, he was right behind the table, the angle telling her he was either on his knees or was lying on the floor. "What are you doing there?" She put her hands on her hips, glaring at the chair next to him.
"Come and see, dear." Gohan did not leave his spot, instead having her walk up to see how ridiculous he looked, probably.
"What is there to s-HA!" 18 gasped, not believing her eyes. The reason why he never left his hiding spot behind the table being all too clear, now. He was on his knees, a diamond ring in his hands, smiling widely and looking up to her, his eyes brimming with hope and compassion.
Seeing that Lazuli was yet to find her voice, Gohan spoke up. "Lazuli, the last 3 years I spent mostly with you," The entire restaurant was fixated on them, everyone holding their breaths for the young couple, " From that day of tremors, to finding your brother, to our first date. I remember it all."
Lazuli's eyes were filled with tears as Gohan kept going,"You asked me why I brought the two of us here, did you not? This was why." 18 finally uncovered her mouth, she knew the question was coming." You told that me neither of us could afford this place. But you were wrong, in a way. For we could afford no less than the perfect propose."
Gohan stood up, his left hand grasping the box of the diamond tightly as his right hand found her's, interlocking their fingers. "Lazuli, my love, I ask you to marry me. I ask you to be my wife. Would you grant me such an honor and joy?" He looked lovingly into her eyes, longing for her very existence. His soul begging hers to unite them, once and for all.
Few tears fall from her cheeks, Gohan actually proposed. The day she had grown to expect at a later and later date was finally here. Lazuli had no doubts or second thoughts, for it had been years since she decided Gohan was the perfect partner for life. But there was still a speck of doubt, in the form of the other important male in her life.
18 stammered, barely finding her voice in the middle of such an emotional moment, "B-but what a-about my b-" Gohan stopped her immediately, his grin growing wider, "Already knows. I have his blessing." 18 stood there in silence, unable to process the bombshell thrown at her. The next 30 seconds were going to impact the rest of her life.
After seconds of heavy, pregnant silence did 18 finally give her answer. By pulling him by his collar and kissing him, fiercely. Not caring about the now-clapping and excited audience. Many cheers and toasts were made, in honor of the now engaged couple.
18 broke the kiss momentarily before going on his lips again, "Yes, yes yes."
Today was a good day.
Age 772, 15th of November
As the thrill of the propose slowly began to die, 18 began to truly wonder about their future. Not just of their nights ,the very thought had her face go scarlet, day-to-day lives and even kids. Slow down, girl. She reminded herself. This was only the beginning.
Her greatest concern was financial. The farm Gohan's family had was barely sufficient for 2 saiyan hybrids. They were planning to move to Satan City, it was closer to both West City, for Bulma and her family, and Gohan's mother and brother too. So 18's old house was not an option.
What about the bills? Electricity, water, heat etc.? She cursed that humanity was yet to find the method for infinite energy, the old bastard managed to find it in a fucking bunker.
Simply put, they did not have enough money. They actually had the money for the aforementioned essentials, 18 made enough from her job, but absolutely not enough to enjoy themselves and enjoy marriage. 18 didn't even like her job and was planning to quit, anyways.
18 thought of everything. More jobs is legally impossible seen as Gohan, ironically old enough to get married, wasn't old enough to work full-time. He was also still studying for future. No jobs for him. She did not have the time to work more, either.
She knew, even in the worst possible scenario, they weren't hopeless. Their close friend, the blue-haired genius herself, was the single richest person on earth. But she was also just that, their friend. And no friend enjoys being in debt to each other. Even if she knew that Bulma wasn't one to ask for her money back. Fortunately for her, Bulma was not the only rich person on Earth.
After long internal -and external with her brother- discussions, 18 knew what she was going to do. She knew, without a doubt, that her fiance would not allow her to enact her plan, that was why she was going to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
Operation S, Payback of the Fraud. The name was found by Lapis, the person who created the plan. It was a risky operation, nigh impossible for a normal person, but for beings who were fast enough to be unspottable, it should not be too hard.
Enter the Satan Mansion, blackmail the fraud, have him pay 3 million zeni per month. Seen as his current wealth was estimated to be around 120 billions of zeni per year, 3 million should be nothing for him. No need to be guilty.
18 checked her internal notepad, where the entire plan was saved. Mr. Satan was known to have fans in front of his gate, cheering him and trying to date him. She planned to utilize the chaos to get in. The rest was easier, all she had to do was to memorize his ki signature and she was good to go.
18 wasn't thrilled to be robbing someone after so long, she faintly remembered being a thief before becoming a cyborg, but the fraud reaped the benefits of the Cell Games enough. It was time for some payback, it wasn't like she was revealing the truth to the public.
Age 772 20th of November
18 reached her destination, 500 meters away from the Satan mansion. She followed the fraud's schedule carefully, he should be arriving during the next hour. She did not have a second to spare.
She checked her watch, 17:58. Still had 40 minutes to spare. There was a small teashop not too far away. She only drank 5 cups today, some tea would be nice.
The moment she entered the shop, she left. The line by itself would've taken at least 20 minutes. No time to enjoy herself.
She simply sat on a bank, closing her eyes, diving into her mind. The lady from 6 years ago, the one that 16 himself knew, what would she think of her current life? She'd find it pretty ridiculous, probably. Dating and now being engaged to Goku's kid of all people, going as far as trying to blackmail the fraud for a comfortable married life with him. A fraud that the world did not even know of until after their release.
The last 6 years were a rollercoaster ride, that's for sure. The latter half being much more enjoyable. It felt like distant future, but in reality only 3 years ago did her brother and now-fiance reenter her life. Around 1 year after that she befriended Bulma and Chi-Chi too, having actual women around her. It was refreshing.
Even 17 was surprised to see his sister accepting the proposal all too readily. She always had a way of being distant, even to her closest ones. 17 admitted that when he gave his blessing to Gohan, he was worried that his sister and friend's relationship might be over through Gohan's propose. He was pleasantly surprised to see his sister accepting. Lazuli deserved the best as far as he was concerned, she should have the perfect romantic partner too.
18 reopened her eyes, thanking her lucky stars for the ring she didn't forget back at home. Normally, she had strangers asking for a drink or two every time she went outside. It was not her fault that she was built like some sort of deity! The ring discouraging them was a change for the better.
She checked her clock, 18:40. She barely had enough time, dammit. 18 checked her surroundings, no one was near her. So she began to run at high speeds, creating sonic booms and fucking over the Bernolli principal during the process.
"Satan! Satan! Satan!" The fangirls cheering told her she was there. She jumped into the air momentarily, checking if she was too late. Fortunately, not, as Mr. Satan himself left his limousine and raised his right arm to the heavens themselves, relishing in the praise.
"Mr. Satan is here, folks! HAHAHAHA!" The champ spoke through the loud crowd, his words giving them even more fervor, "SATAN! SATAN!" There were a lot of ladies and a few burly guys there, trying to get autographs or begging him to marry them.
18 rolled her eyes, humanity could be incredibly dumb. She thanked her lucky stars for the fact that she personally knew every single important person on Earth. The rest were insignificant weaklings, save for the king of earth himself, she supposed.
Satan's guards left their cars after a few seconds, positioning themselves around the champ. 18 chuckled at that. When you are all bark but no bite, you get guards to protect your bark.
18 waited until the gate to the mansion was open. She knew very well there was no way anyone could see her if she was careful with her speed and movements. Gero's supercomputer calculating all the optimal hiding spots helped too.
Blonde blend in with the crowd, slowly making her way to the front. She was at the far right, where she could see him but no one would bat an eye on her. Cheers began to die, Satan enjoying the final tidbits of his worship fix. The champ waved his hands widely, acting like an actual human being rather than a comic book character, "Thank you Thank you!" He bowed slightly, "You're so much!" 18 saw the grin all the way from her hiding place.
And with that, Satan finally turned back and began to walk towards the door. 18 knew this was her chance. She was millions of times faster than these people, if the door is left open for 1 more second it would suffice. The robber narrowed her blue eyes, focusing on the guards and the keys in their hands. They opened the massive golden door, based on the color 16 karat, 2 maidens greeting their master. They bowed deeply to their employer, who seemed to be surprisingly kind towards them.
18 respected his attitude towards his employees, she herself was a janitor back in the day. But no need to get attached to her victim. She already felt bad about what her future husband would think about this. She had a need, she knew what needed to be done to solve it.
And it happened. The moment everyone turned their backs on the crowd she immediately rushed, sudden change in pressure knocking everyone to the ground. She was unseen, the chaos hiding her already undetectable movements.
18 was inside, behind a random column that had no business being in the middle of the hallway, one of many. Guards and Mr. Satan checked their surroundings, it was as if something incredibly fast just passed by them. Like a car going 350km/h.
"What the hell was that?" Satan questioned, his eyes narrowing to a frown and getting serious, "What the actual fuck was that?" He did not understand it. He could've sworn a feminine chuckle reached to his ears.
18 held her breath, barely avoiding detection. If she was to change her hiding spot, it'd only serve at making the inhabitants of the house even more concerned. She had to be as calm as a leaf, as hasty as lightning.
The champion of earth sighed, shaking his head. Whatever it was, it didn't matter now. His precious daughter wasn't even here right now, she was staying at her friend's place. If someone is here to harm his baby girl, they were sorely mistaken.
18 focused on his ki signature, trying to memorize it perfectly. This was how she was planning to follow him, after all. It was a good thing he was stronger than the average person, his ki was easier to detect and study.
She followed the trio silently, never once did anyone notice her. They went through many halls, a room of statues and pictures of a girl, presumably his daughter, there were a lot of workers around so she had to be extra careful. 18 honestly had no idea how was she not detected, it was as though there were 3 people per square meter.
They went through a massive yard; a fountain, flowers of varied colors, trees and many more decorated the place. There was even an artifical waterfall; fueling 18's annoyance, for the fraud was basically living heaven on earth.
The guards bid their farewell to their master as he entered a different building. It wasn't really big, but not small either. It seemed as if it was a glorified hut, raspberry bushes and lines of gold decorating the surrounding area.
18 hid behind the wall, waiting until Mr. Satan was alone. She should thank Gohan for the art of ki-sensing, she had no idea how she lived without it. It wasn't like she was ever a goody-two-shoes person.
"Thank ya, boys! I have some urgent business to attent to. So we go our separate ways, here." His way of treating his employees definitely improved 18's view of him, he may not be the absolute baffoon of a man 18 thought he was, but still wronged her husband. And even though not even Gohan himself knows, 18 believed he also wronged her, in a way.
18 believed those who made fun of Cell, claiming he was but a trickster, making fun of everyone who put their lives against the biologically-created artifical human; 18 believed those people also made fun of her and her brother's trauma.
Cell wasn't just any bad memory, it was the worst of her nightmares. She even had PTSD during the first year after Cell's demise and no one knew of it. Those days were long gone, thankfully. But 18 never once tolerated someone who underestimated what she went through. This man basically built an empire over that very action, therefore this robbery was also quite personal. To put it bluntly, 18 wanted some payback.
She knew, behind all his bravado, he was terrified of them. The energy users and the participants of the Cell Games. His claims became bolder and bolder as no one responded to them. Although Yamcha appeared to want to put him in his place a year after the Cell Games, being a baseball star meant that he wouldn't have changed much in terms of attention, Gohan forbid him from doing so. They respected his decision. It was his opinion that mattered the most.
18 rushed in right at the moment when he was closing the door, knocking him down once more. She locked the door instantly, now they were alone. She also released an energy wave to disturb and deactivate the cameras if there were any.
18 waited until he rose, grunting in pain but silent because of ,no doubt, fear. Champ finally got up, turned around and looked at her, his face pale. 18 was 99% sure he understood who, or at least what, she was. "And so, finally, we meet."She looked him up and down, as if she was interrogating his very soul,"Oh great champ. I'm sure you understand who I am to some extent. But if not, allow me to refresh your memory."
The engaged woman created an energy ball on her right hand, pushing her energy downwards and cutting all contact with the ground during the process. Mr. Satan's face grew even more pale. Seeing these weird lights once again after 6 years was not easy.
He gulped, "S-so you've f-found me?" He stammered, barely able to get the words out as 18's beautiful eyes narrowed into a frown, "W-what do you want from me? You're here for what happened 6 years ago, are you not?" To his surprise and shock, the unnamed super-powered lady before him shook her head, denying his assumptions.
"Not exactly. Rather I'm here to make a deal with you." 18 crossed her arms, he was actually taller than her but her presence was so dominating she managed to look him down, making him whimper. "You have something, something I desire."
The World's Saviour's eyes grew as wide as the energy ball floating over 18's hand, his thoughts turning to something, or rather someone, instantaneously. "What do you want? I'll give you whatever you want, just don't harm her, please." He begged, he would do anything this woman, and her fellows, wanted. As long as they do not harm his darling angel of a daughter, she was all he had.
18's frown lessened slightly, though she still clearly led the conversation. "Ah, your daughter, am I correct?" She stopped as Mr. Satan nodded very nervously, "I have no intention of harming an innocent girl. She's but another victim of that lie of yours, is she not?" Mr. Satan nodded once again, this time more bravely. He was relieved that this woman had no intention of harming Videl.
18 became very angry. The truth of the Cell Games was the single most important lie about their planet, tied with many aliens inhabiting it, and he did not even tell his own daughter?
18 vaporized the ball of energy, dropped to the ground and gripped him at the collar, bringing him close and putting on the most malicious glare possible, a subtle scent of urine reaching her nose, "You are low, did you know that? You tell the world the greatest lie, but that's not enough. You go ahead and don't shy away from telling your very own the very same lie." She threw him back to the table, careful to not have him hit his head. "You deserve much worse than what I want from you, but be happy that my fiancee would not approve of it."
Mr. Satan could not even get up this time, both from fear and pain. Her words were most concerning, and he had a good guess who this mysterious man could be. "Is he one of you? Your fiance, I mean." He stammered again, barely able to get these few words out.
"The very man you wronged 6 years ago, the one who lost his father that day." 18 was glad the little hut was so secluded in the area, no one could question what was happening. "The delivery boy himself, as you once put it."
The fraud began to shake, out of all the people it had to be him. The person who was in his nightmares for many months, a boy, who even his daughter had a crush on once upon a time. The one person who absolutely had every right to hate him. He did not even know he spat on Son Goku's grave. He wasn't sure of the blond man's identity before, but now there was little to no doubt.
"Please, don't hurt us. I'll give you whatever you want. Do whatever you want to me, my only fear is if something happens to my baby girl Videl." He begged once more, his eyes stinging with tears and his throat burning, his heart also incredibly heavy. All the guilt of 6 years coming out at once, in the form of both the guilt coming from spitting on a hero's grave and the fear of what may happen to his daughter. He did not care about what happened to him.
18 closed her eyes. She was still furious with the man, their conversation making her even more angry. But they had business to do, and she had to calm down. "Videl, huh? That's a nice name. Indeed, you'll do as I say, and we're cool." She nodded confidently, "I'll ensure no harm will come to you or your daughter." She phased out and stood right in front of him, making him shiver in fright, "If you do as I say."
Mr. Satan nodded rapidly. He hoped her demands would be legally possible. That was his only concern. "What do you want?" He found his voice out of nowhere, suddenly more confident than before.
18 smirked, "3 million zeni per month." She frowned once more, pointing at his forehead with her fingers. "Not a single zeni less."
He began to shake once more, "That's a l-ludicrious amount!" He immediately regretted raising his voice, the woman in front of him was not someone he could speak to freely. "I need incredibly special circumstances for the bank to allow that! You know I can't tell the world the truth."
18 was ready for this explanation, he was not lying. It wasn't possible to transfer such great amounts of money without a special reason. "Tell the bank you made a deal with the delivery boy and you want to thank him for his efforts. Or-" She sent a weak blast to his wooden table, shattering it instantly. "Unpleasing events might occur." She did not enjoy acting like an asshole, but fear served her cause very well.
Mr. Satan finally rose from the ground, a few wooden shards piercing through his skin and making him bleed. "Yes yes that would work!" He nodded, "Just don't harm us and I can pull that off, I'm confident." No he wasn't! What the hell was he supposed to do? He can't afford not doing what this woman wanted.
18 raised her finger, "Also I want you to apologise for humiliating everyone publicly in the past." She put her hands on her hips, throwing her head back and rubbing her hair, "You owe them that much."
To her surprise, Mr. Satan accepted her demand instantly. Fear did wonders, did it not? "Yes, of course! Then the bank might actually believe it." He spoke the last part quietly, not expecting the woman to hear him. But she did.
18 snorted and gave him her card, with her number and IBAN written on it. "Maybe you ain't so bad, huh?" She glared at him once more, "I expect the payment to start in a month. Our wedding is only 3 months away." She still needed money for her honeymoon, even if Bulma was organizing the wedding itself and giving them her private island.
He nodded nervously, "Yes ma'am! Uhh, I wish you and your fiance a good life ahead!" Oh, to have him cave in to her every command. Such a wonderful feeling. A feeling of upmost power.
Age 772, 22nd of November
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but YOU DID WHAT?!" Gohan bellowed, unable to comprehend what the love of his life was saying. He was making tea when she approached him, apparently having something urgent to discuss.
His guess was about his technique of making tea. 18 mentioned a few times that his tea was the best she had ever tasted. He could not have been more wrong.
No, she did not ask him something pure or wholesome like that, but wanted him to know that she blackmailed and practically robbed the single richest male on planet Earth! What. The. Actual. Fuck?!
"Gohan, stop, allow me to explain!" She demanded, her commanding tone usually worked with Gohan. But not this time, she went too far.
"What are you planning to explain, exactly?" He snapped as he prepared the cups and sugar. 18 preferred with 1 spoon of sugar and him sugar-free. "You did an illegal thing. You are going completely against the laws and our morality," He stopped his irate ranting, mockingly counting his fingers, "Oh also let's not forget the magnitude of your crime is enough to put us on the government's top-wanted list!"
Lazuli did not like the dripping venom in his voice. They rarely had arguments, Gohan mostly caving in to her wants and needs. But not this time, she fucked up. "See it from my side, alright? He gains money from your success. We want a happy marriage." 18 began to pour tea into the cups, the shrieking cupboard being even more unpleasent in the tense atmosphere. "Even he was happy with it. He no longer needs to feel any guilt." 18 explained, hoping he'd buy it.
Not a chance. "Yeah, it's not like he can't refuse the offer of the delivery boy's fiance or anything!" His rage is unabated, putting too much pressure on the marble and cracking it; "Why would he be afraid of you, right? Hun?" Great sarcasm and destain in his tone, his fiance's actions going completely against his morality. "I thought you wouldn't do something so low, Lazuli! I thought better of you." He was playing plain rude now. He was not planning to be kind with his wife-to-be.
This was too much for 18. Blaming her was understandable, outright insulting her was not. "Do not talk to me like that, mister! I'm not a golden girl silmilar to you if you did not realize." She shot back, sipping her tea but still shooting daggers at Gohan.
"Robbery is not a matter of being "golden" and you know it!" he bellowed again, 18 preferred being cold in her tone and calm in her words, unlike Gohan's loud voice. Another contrast to their personalities. "You know we had enough money, and you still-"
"We do NOT!." At last, 18 lost all patience and screamed in anger. He had no idea about economics and was still not letting her talk. "You do not know my plans for the future, you do not know how much we may need in the future and you sure as hell don't know a thing about managing a damn house!" This argument of theirs was the worst it's ever been, this topic must be solved today. For the greater good.
Gohan glowered, "How dare you, Lazuli? How dare you?!" The cracked marble all but broken in his rage, his eyes flashing teal momentarily, "Do you have any idea what it is like to be the man of the house? Do you have any idea how to raise a child? Do you have any fucking idea how hard it is to replace a father?" In his opinion, Lazuli was being an ungrateful, disrespectful little bitch. How dare she?
"Oh trust me, Gohan. I know how to deal with the absence of family, since I barely had one!" She shot back. She poured her soul into him a long time ago, and this was his true opinion?!
"It does not justify robbery in the slightest! If I don't know those things you mentioned, maybe you should've just told me!" Gohan did not back down from his morality one bit, 18 was being asinine in his opinion.
"I don't have to tell you anything, love." If he uses the pet name sarcastically, so will she. Between you and me, his tea was really bad today. "I simply took care of a problem. Everyone's happy."
Gohan rose up from his seat, done with her. "Problem? Don't have to tell you anything? We're no longer just two friends, Lazuli. If you did not realise." Gohan stated firmly, raising his eyebrows in the mock-revelation, trying to wake his bride from her unacceptable mindset.
"The fact that we are going to get married does not mean you get to hear about everything." 18 used a neutral tone, no longer using the icy cold tone reserved only for arguments and enemies, "It's not like you would have agreed with me if I told you."
"Not agreeing to robbery does not make me a fool, Lazuli." Gohan said, his eyes narrowed to slits. He crossed his arms, his tea long abandoned, "It makes me a decent human being."
"Why are you even disagreeing with me, exactly?" She pointed at the window, as if pointing at the Satan Mansion. "The fraud did not do anything positive to you, ever. Including humiliating 'the blonde boy' publicly." She had to get through his morals, somehow. At this rate her dream wedding was not even going to happen. Her insides went a little cold at the thought.
Gohan frowned, "Do not ask questions to which you already know the answer." His voice was calm, a stark contrast to the yelling a few minutes ago. Though his voice was still fervent, it was the fervor of a man who does what is right, not what is more convenient. "That's conversation 101. And what exactly are your actual reasons?"
18 sighed heavily, her facial features not hiding one bit of fury, "My reason, you want to know? Simple." She pointed at herself and the walls surrounding them, "I do not want to live my life at a dead end job, barely affording a roof above me." She clenched her fists. The truth had a habit of revealing itself. Sooner or later.
Gohan nodded, though his face and body language did not carry the slightest bit of agreement. "So you are robbing someone for a comfortable life, I am correct?" His voice indicated this was not just another question but an interrogation. 18 nodded.
"I want to live the old bastard denied me, you by my side. Is that too much to ask for?" Her voice cracked slightly at the end, her anger at the world finally revealing itself. "I would need to work around 90 hours for the next few years for us to do that by ourselves. Let the celebrity help us with that." Her commanding tone was back, though more reserved this time. She was still a bit uncomfortable with this argument going as far as it did.
Gohan snapped once more, "Why such a ludicrious amount then?" The interrogation continues, unlike the marble stand, which is barely standing, "You do know one third of this amount is still many times more than you currently make." He was actually curious about this. 18 wasn't one to go all-out on anything she does. Maybe her view of robbery was different?
18 was worried this question might come. She barely had any explanation for it. Beyond the fact that- "If he's gonna give us money, then he should give us good money. Inflation sucks nowadays." What the hell was that, 18? Worst logic ever.
Gohan glowered again, "Not only don't refrain from robbery, but you also go ahead and do it in tons. Well done." He turned his back on her, facing the horizon. The concrete jungle was not helping his nerves. His house at Mt. Paozu was much better.
18 tried, again. "Wouldn't you want a better life? I was also planning to give your mother a good chunk of the money." She did not want to give her future mother-in-law the money, but having most of the money is better than losing her fiance.
Gohan raised his eyebrows, and then frowned into slits. His mother getting more money was one of his oldest desires. He knew how stressed she could be because of their financial issues. "You want to help my mother?" 18 nodded, smiling sadly. Her eyes were sorrowful.
"Yes, she's both your mother and my friend, remember?" 18 could not believe her created-on-the-spot lie was doing the trick! "I was planning to give around one fifth of it. She mentioned her struggles as a single mother a while back. That should easily suffice for Goten and her." 18 saw a glimmer of hope, Gohan was notoriously soft on his brother. Goten's comfort might be the straw that will be breaking the camel's back.
Gohan went silent, contemplating. She was right, 600.000 zeni per month would definitely be enough for his mother and Goten. Finally, after so long, his precious mother would find peace. He still did not like the way she would be getting the money, but relented nonetheless.
The couple spent many minutes in silence. 18 wanted to give him his space to think, Gohan was glad for it. He finally gave her his reply. "Alright, you win. As long as mom gets her cut, you're good to go. But-" He began his warning, very serious. "The moment she does not get her cut, the deal with Satan is over. This is all you are getting." Gohan was not happy robbing someone, but his mother finding peace , brother content and wife happy meant he had to tolerate her. He only hoped she was not lying about Mr. Satan's wealth. He did not want to be the reason why he went bankrupt. The guy probably had a wife and kids himself.
18 nodded, "The payment starts in a few weeks at most. I'll arrange everything with your mother. No need to worry." 18 went back to the stove, getting another cup of tea. "Thanks for hearing me out, dear." Most of the time, Gohan would be delighted with 18 using a pet name. But it did nothing to please him this time.
"Don't thank me, I'm not doing this for us." He snapped at her again, leaving the room and ending the conversation. This might have drifted them apart a bit before the wedding, but he was sure that they were going to bond much greatly than before. Until and after the big day.
He also had another reason for ending the argument so curtly. Frankly, Gohan wanted his lady to feel guilty, as horrible as that sounded. He did not ask her to act- no BE a criminal. Serves her right.
Dear Reader, thank you for taking the time to read this chapter! I had an absolute blast writing this one. I was excited for this chapter even before I started writing this story more than a month ago. I wanted to write this chapter ever since I've started reading fanfiction in the first place. 18 characterization was a little bit different than what you might expect from this story but I believe the cold, stoic 18 of canon fit the plot better. I also hope you enjoyed the argument, it was the most difficult, and enjoyable, part to write! Don't forget to review, please. Your reviews are the primary force that keeps me going!
