Part Six
"Hey, can we go to the candy store? Huh, huh?" Quara asked, looking bright-eyed.
"Are you sure it's opened?" Trunks asked, rolling his eyes up to the little girl who sat on his shoulders.
She nodded. "Uh-huh, pretty sure. Jim said it was."
"He's a very nice fellow, isn't he, Quara?" Eighteen asked with a smile.
Again, she nodded. "Uh-huh, and the boys aren't picking on him anymore."
Eighteen looked to Trunks, who grinned back. "I wonder why."
As days went on, Eighteen seemed to get more open than she had been. She came outside more often, went on walks with Trunks and Quara, though Shika wasn't far behind. She would usually say nothing, but they all new how hateful she got for every time Eighteen looked at Trunks. They ignored it though, carrying on as best they could without controversy. Luckily on this occasion she wasn't there, for she would've undoubtedly blown a gasket.
"Say, what exactly do you want to get there?" he asked.
"Everything!"
Trunks laughed. "Well you can't exactly eat everything, so let's just get what you can eat on the way home, okay? You know how Aunt Bulma doesn't like you eating sweets."
"I know. It rots out my teeth! But it doesn't rot out my teeth if I brush 'em."
"Yeah, I know but she was the same way when I was a kid so."
Eighteen looked to him, surprised that he'd said that. She really didn't know that people were concerned about their eating habits when they were just worried about eating. But as she saw the wink from Trunks, she saw he was just joking.
"Really? Well I guess I'm not the only one!"
"Of course you're not. Plenty of parents don't let their kids eat sugary sweets," Eighteen stated, crossing her arms.
Quara and Trunks stared over to her, surprised that she'd know that. "How do you know, Eighteen?" Trunks asked.
"I read it somewhere," she said simply, and both Trunks and Quara began to laugh. Eighteen smiled, knowing how ironic that was.
When they arrived at the candy store, Trunks put Quara on the ground, Quara darting all over the place soon enough. With a moment of surprise that she could move so quickly, Eighteen went over to another side of the shop where they had wind chimes a such. Trunks just went over to the store owner, going to ask where they got all this stuff.
Eighteen just stared for a while, trying to figure out what they were made off. Most were made of uneven scraps that were probably found off the street. But they were folded in a most elegant way, and still sounded beautiful as she flowed her hand across it. The tops were either just pieces of metal or wood that had be molded into a shape. It sort of remained her of the things she used to step on after something was destroyed...
But she turned away, trying not to bring up the memory again. Instead, after Quara had place another handful on the counter and gone back to searching, she went by Eighteen, making sure over her shoulder that Trunks wasn't listening. When she looked back she smiled.
"Eighteen, you're my big sister aren't you still?"
"Of course. Why do you ask?"
"Well I was thinking," she again looked over her shoulder to see trunks wasn't listening. "Can we all be a family?"
"What? What do you mean?" Eighteen asked, confused.
"Well...since you're practically my big sis, if you married Trunks we could all be a family."
"What?!" Eighteen exclaimed in a gasp, blushing slightly.
"It's true! You like Trunks, right? So if you marry him you could just pretend I'm your adopted kid, and we could all be a family!"
"I suppose it could work, Quara, but the only question is if he wants to."
She grinned, turning. "Okay." Putting her hands up to her mouth she said, "Hey Trunks!"
Eighteen, shocked, reached forward and put a hand over her mouth. Trunks turned enough to see her do this, Eighteen looking up in embarrassment. He smiled, shrugging.
"Yeah, what is it, Quara?" he stated, Eighteen wanting to shrink so low as she let Quara go and she ran to him.
"Do you like Eighteen?" she asked happily.
"Yeah-"
"Then if you marry her we can be a family!"
He blushed in surprise, looking up to Eighteen who only wanted to fade from the picture. "What's she talking about?" he asked.
"Uh, she thinks we could all be a family if we got married and adopted her."
Trunks hesitated for a moment, but looked to Quara and smiled. He picked her up like an eighty pound doll and put her on his shoulders again. "But we've already adopted you, Quara! You're like our little...little...little..."
"Hey, I'm not that little!" she laughed.
"Still, you're our friend! So it's like we've adopted you."
Trunks was about to pay the own but said no charge. As they walked on down the street, there was a long silence to follow as Quara munched on her snack on top of Trunks's head. But the silence didn't last for very long, including Eighteen's hope that the conversation had ended.
"But still, we should be a family."
"Well, first off why do you think that?" Trunks asked.
"'Cause I think we would make a great family. A perfect family! The family...I've always wanted..." She straightened, swallowing the food left in her mouth. "Why? Don't you think we would be?"
"Of course! The only thing is," he looked over his shoulder, seeing Eighteen trying not to listen to the conversation, "she doesn't seem to happy about the matter."
"Nah! I just talked to her a minute ago! She's not unhappy, are you Eighteen?"
"What? I'm sorry, I wasn't quite paying attention."
Trunks looked up with a skeptical gaze, and Quara had a grin on her face. "She is. Believe me."
"Either way..." Trunks trailed off.
"What? What is it?"
"It's nothing."
"Is it because she's an Android?"
"No, of course not! It's only..."
"What?"
"Like I said, it's nothing."
"But it can't be nothing if you say it's nothing!"
"Quara...!" he began irritably.
"Shutting up," she said quickly. She looked back to Eighteen, but her eyes widened in horror as she saw what had happened. "Trunks! Eighteen's hurt!"
He spun around like a jackrabbit to run from a snake. "What?!"
Then he saw it too. Eighteen had fallen on the ground, holding her stomach in pain. He put Quara down and ran to her, kneeling down as he tried to ask what was wrong. Quara's eyes began to get teary in worry, standing by. But all of the sudden, she got better, her tight eyes opening again and Eighteen standing up slowly. They did the same with her, Trunks again asking her what that was all about.
"I don't know. It just came all the sudden when I spoke to you."
"Hmm...we should be getting back. Have Mother check up on you."
"But don't you feel that?" she asked. They paused a moment, when Quara shrugged.
"Feel what?"
"No, wait...I do feel it."
"Doesn't it reminded you...."
Trunks nodded slowly. "Yeah, strangely enough. But I thought he was dead..."
"He is..."
Trunks stared at Eighteen in shock, Eighteen looking back in the same surprise. Trunks quickly picked up Quara, running along with her to where they predicted that strange presence was coming from. And, as they had thought, it was coming from Capsule Corp.
When they had arrived, Bulma came around the corner, screaming her head off. She ran into Trunks, Trunks taking a few minutes to calm her down and having her explain what was going on. But, that didn't turn out so well.
"S-she...Hwait...sh...."
"Mother, don't worry, we'll take care of it, right now you go somewhere safe. The park maybe, and take Quara with you," he said, handing Quara over to Bulma.
"Hey, wait, I wanna come!"
"No, it's too dangerous!"
Quara mumbled something under her breath, beginning to walk away. As Eighteen and Trunks made there way to the seen, Quara quickly cut loose, running after them.
As they ran into the area, they were greeted by the back of one. Cold, heartless, with a dark aura flowing around her, making the surroundings the same way. A dark pool sat beneath her feet, and as soon as she spoke they found that her voice pierced into their very hearts.
"I've been excepting you two," she said, her voice intertwined with several now.
"Shika! What's going on here?!" Trunks shouted.
"...Unfortunately for you, you seem to be missing the big picture."
"What are you talking about?" Eighteen exclaimed.
She turned to face them, two wooden dolls in her hands. Her eyes glowed an evil red, a wide smirk on her face. At that moment, Quara came around the corner, and seeing her, slid to a halt. They noticed, and quickly looked back to see if she was okay.
"Quara, we told you to get back!" Eighteen said, but she ignored the statement, only looking up to the person who now stood in the place of her sister.
"Sister?!" Quara gasped, and the woman laughed.
"I'm sorry, I don't know who you're talking about," she laughed, and all three of their eyes widened. Suddenly, she put a hand on her face, ripping her face off to reveal a new one; like a face of a straight face doll, lines cracked on the sides of the face. Without lips moving any longer, she continued to speak. "For I am not you're sister, and never have been."
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To be continued....