-Gohan-

His fist whistled as it split the air.

Gohan's expression was one of focus as he followed up the punch with a straight kick aimed towards his imaginary opponent's abdomen. Retracting the leg, he struck out with a roundhouse kick designed to connect with the target's jaw, had there been one in front of him.

He was wearing his father's signature fighting Gi. Wearing it made him feel like his dad, a hero, a powerful and strong warrior who could overcome any obstacle!

If only that were true.

Dust kicked up as he abruptly lowered his stance, performing a sweeping maneuver with one leg that served to trip up his oxygen-based adversary. Using the same momentum he'd built from his sweep he shot forward leading with his left side, driving his-

Gohan paused as he did this, his body going stiff as he realized what he'd done again. The man was floating in the sky, his left shoulder extended for a punch, a punch meant to be delivered with an arm that was no longer there.

"Damn it!" the young Saiyan cursed as he pulled back his shoulder and returned to the ground only inches below. He'd chosen a barren wasteland with little in the way of shade or water for his training grounds. Dry, dusty desert stretched on for as far as the eye could see as he raised his forearm to wipe away the sweat accumulating on his forehead. He winced as he accidentally pulled at the bandage wraped around his head.

He knew he hadn't fully healed just yet, but that didn't change the fact that he needed to reteach himself how to fight almost from the ground up. He was learning first hand that attempting to compensate for the loss of a limb was no easy task. He was fighting against years of muscle memory with each and every strike. Each of his movements felt sluggish as he was forced to plan and focus on each motion to compensate for the new style.

A sigh escaped his lips as his head fell.

"This is pointless." The man said as he raised his remaining hand to his forehead and removed the last of his bandages. The cut he'd suffered there wasn't fully healed, but he figured that a sweat soaked rag wouldn't be good for a healing cut anyway.

He felt stronger than he'd ever been. His Saiyan biology made sure of that. Vegeta had always said that a Saiyan always grows stronger after coming back from the brink of death. Looking down at where his arm had once been, it was clear to him that he'd definitely been on the brink this time.

Despite this new found power, Gohan had never felt weaker. He'd fought the Androids hundreds of times over the past decade, nearly died more times than he could count, but never had his loss been so costly before.

I don't have a chance against them now.

Gohan knew it to be true. All the power in the world wouldn't help him if he couldn't get his fighting style down. Not to mention that he'd already been fighting an uneven battle before his loss, this was just the nail in the coffin in his eyes.

The Saiyan's fingers curled into a fist as his teeth gritted. His eyes studied the place where his arm had been, his mind returning to the fight immediately before he'd been so critically wounded. Pushing himself to his absolute limits, finally getting the upper hand on Seventeen only for Eighteen to step in and swiftly tilt the odds back in their favor again. Trunks jumping into the fight only to be treated like the child he is, and being rendered so helpless that he'd been forced to intervene or sacrifice yet another life to the Androids. He'd been forced into defense yet again, a dynamic he knew all too well as he was forced to hide and hope that they didn't find him. Clutching Trunks to his chest as he awaited his fate, he could still feel the remnants of helplessness in the pit of his stomach as he sat there praying to whatever god was watching that they didn't find him.

And then the big reveal as the Androids decided to lay waste to everything in the area with so much power that it'd been all he could do to keep Trunks in one piece.

He'd not been able to extend the same courtesy to himself.

Thinking back to the moment he decided to save Trunks over his own arm, he knew if the scenario had played through a second time that he would make the same choice, but that didn't mean that he wasn't angry about it.

Finally, the Saiyan's rage reached it's breaking point as he threw his head back in a primal roar. His body wrapped itself in golden flames as his hair stood up straight, adopting the signature look of the Super Saiyan, the legend of his heritage.

Some legend.

Gohan thought dismissively as he felt himself reach the peak of his power. The ground beneath him rumbled as he reached the apex of his strength, loose stones and dust violently repelled away from him in response to his overwhelming aura.

Looking down at his hand surrounded by golden flames his lips pulled into a tight frown.

It's not enough.

His lips parted as a second furious roar exploded from his lungs. In a movement faster than the naked eye could see, his fist slammed into the ground beneath him. The Earth responded with a crater longer than the length of a city bus as the Super Saiyan stood at its center, panting from the exertion of energy.

The frustration that came with being so strong and yet so weak was overwhelming. A Super Saiyan, a legend that apparently generations of his people yearned for had been reduced to a couple of teen's periodic play thing.

Gohan knew that he was the strongest defender the Earth had to offer, the only force that could even hope to stand up to the Androids. He was the Earth's savior, many of the remaining people of Earth recognized him as such, but he was nothing in the face of such an overwhelming evil.

Gohan knew this fact to be true. He'd spent years challenging the Androids with little to show for it other than a long list of scars and a missing arm. It'd gotten to the point that when he engaged the Androids, he no longer sought to win, he merely did his best to stall for as long as possible so that the few survivors who did make it out from their initial attack had some chance to get away.

A slow sigh escaped the man's lips as he let the aura around him extinguish, his hair returning to its typical onyx complexion. He slowly positioned himself into a sitting position, his brow furrowed as he searched the recesses of his mind for any solution to this nightmare he'd been living in for so long.

He hated the reality of his situation. He was it, he was all that was left of his dad's friends, the original defenders of Earth. He was stronger than any of them had ever been, and yet still too weak to actually make a difference.

He wanted to make it end, wanted more than anything to stop the Androids. Even if it cost him his life, that was a sacrifice that Gohan was willing to make. If it meant peace for the world, the man would make that choice in an instant.

But that was the problem, he couldn't make that sacrifice, or at least, not yet.

Gohan knew that if he risked it all, if he pushed past everything and forgoed any thought of self preservation, there was no assurance that his efforts would bear fruit.

And if he failed...what then?
Then the people of Earth really are doomed.

If he lost, if his flame was finally extinguished, he knew it would mean the end for everyone. He felt the weight of the world on his shoulders, it was a weight he'd grown accustomed to over the many years of carnage and pain. Despite this fact, it didn't make the weight any less heavy.

"Gohan!"

The Saiyan's head perked up as he heard his name called. Scanning the air above him, his gaze landed on a familiar face.

Smiling, he responded, "Hey Trunks, How's it going?"

The boy was panting furiously with sweat running down the side of his face. It was clear to Gohan that the boy had exerted himself to get here.

"I felt your power boom and assumed it was the Androids! Are you okay!?" The teen's head whipped left and right furiously as his serious gaze searched for potential threats. His clothes were simple, a long sleeve T-shirt with some sweatpants and sneakers, clearly the clothes he'd been wearing just before he'd felt Gohan's energy erupt.

Chuckling, Gohan shook his head, "False alarm, kid. I was just testing my power. Did you know that Saiyans get stronger every time they come back from the brink of death?"

Trunk's serious demeanor fell as Gohan spoke, his face adopting a look of wonderment as he took in the new piece of information.

"Really?"
"Really really. I'm way stronger than I was when we faced the Androids last time. I'm even willing to bet that you got stronger too." Gohan put on a confident smile for the boy, flexing his one arm in an over the top manner.

The smile that slowly spread across the boy's face made his act all worth it.

"That's awesome!" Trunks shouted as he slowly lowered himself until he was standing next to Gohan, "Do you think that you'll be strong enough to finally stop the Androids the next time they attack?"

Gohan felt his smile falter.

"Anything's possible with enough training, kid." he said, trying to maintain his upbeat attitude. The boy deserved to have something to hope for. If that hope was him? So be it.
"Alright!" The teen's facial features tightened as he adopted a serious expression once more. "Then let's do some training! I'm ready to get strong enough to stop these monsters!"

Gohan smiled. Even if he didn't have the strength, he certainly had the heart.

Rising to his feet, Gohan brushed off the dirt from his pants, "That sounds like an excellent idea, Trunks."

Dropping into his modified fighting stance, leading with his one good arm, he readied himself for the fight to come.

-Twenty Minutes Later-

Trunks was on his back breathing heavily as Gohan stood above him, a hand on his hip as he smiled down at the boy.

"I was right!" He chimed as Trunks wiped away the sweat on his brow. "You've definitely grown in strength since the last time we've sparred."

The boy's excitement was immediate. "Really!?" He said,hopping to his feet. "Do you think that we're ready to take on the Androids finally?"

Gohan's smile fell as he watched the boy's excitement. He could tell that Trunks wanted more than anything to stop the Androids, to be the change that the world so desperately needed. It was always hard to let him down when he got like this.

"I don't think so. Not yet at least." Gohan formed a sympathetic smile. "Soon, hopefully. Once you become a Super Saiyan, I'm sure we'll be ready."

Trunks's excitement quickly turned into uncertainty. The teen had been struggling to achieve the transformation for some time now. He'd gotten close, so close that Gohan had jumped the gun on a few attempts, but for one reason or another, he couldn't seem to break through the wall that was the legendary Super Saiyan.

He doesn't have the right drive, he needs to feel the rage of loss, of losing something more precious to him than anything else.

Gohan thought to himself as he smiled, "Let's give it another go, yeah? I want to see if maybe this power boost was enough to push you over the edge into a Super Saiyan!"
He didn't actually think that this attempt would end any different than the last dozen times. He just didn't want the boy to give up hope. From what Gohan could tell, the teen's greatest strength was his hope, and he didn't want to do anything that might dampen that.

Trunks frowned as his shoulders slumped. "Gohan...I don't think that I'm gonna get it. I've tried so many times already now and-"
"Nonsense!" Gohan exclaimed as he placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know that you can transform because I can. You and I are both half-Saiyans. We're just like each other, and that's why I know that you can do it!"

Gohan watched as his blue eyes lit up from the comment, the determination slowly flooding back into them. Gohan smiled.

Good. He needs to believe in himself. He needs to believe that he can make difference...he just needs one final push…

"Trunks." Gohan lowered himself so that he was eye level with the young man. "I believe in you. I believe that you can become a Super Saiyan if you try hard enough."

There was a twinkle in the teen's eye as his brow furrowed into a determined expression, "Right!" he announced as he spread out his stance and curled his fingers into fists. Gohan could feel the boy's power rising to its zenith as he adopted a serious expression. His face was so full of frustration and determination that Gohan could sense the briefest glimpses of what a Super Saiyan's power should be.

The older Saiyan made sure to put on a reassuring face. He made sure that he wasn't giving away that he already knew that the teen was going to fail.

"That's it, Trunks! Remember what I told you! Imagine all the lives that the Androids have taken! Imagine your mother at the mercy of the Androids! Imagine that if you don't step up right here, right now and become a Super Saiyan, then everyone you know and love is going to die!" It was a hard reality to force upon a fourteen year old boy, but it was the reality that they were facing, and one that Gohan knew he needed to hear.

Gohan watched as Trunks's hair began to spike, resembling the typical aesthetic of a Super Saiyan. There were flickers of gold beginning to appear within his otherwise white aura, threatening to ascend the boy to a state he'd never been able to achieve before.

Even with all of this, Gohan knew not to get his hopes up.

A few seconds later, the teen's legs gave out as he fell to the ground, his breathing labored as his fingers dug into the dirt.

"Damn it!" He shouted as he raised a fist and slammed it into the dirt.

Gohan squatted in front of the boy, a reassuring smile plastered onto his face. "Don't worry, Trunks. I could see that you were closer than ever with that attempt. Don't give up hope. You'll become a Super Saiyan one day soon."

An unconfident smile flashed across the boy's features before he returned to his raspy exhausted panting.

Noting the teen's fatigue, the elder Saiyan said, "How about we take a break huh? I know a spot where the wind hits just right and there's plenty of shade to get out of this hot sun."

Trunks smiled."Yeah, gasp,I think that's a good idea."

-Ten Minutes Later-

The two Demi-Saiyans laid prone as they looked up at the clouds peacefully drifting location happened to provide a stunning view of South City, but right now Gohan wasn't trying to look after a city, right now he was watching the clouds. The older Saiyan enjoyed watching the clouds, they always looked like floating bits of cotton candy swimming through the vast blueness that was the Earth's atmosphere. Even if he knew that they were nothing more than water particles condensed into mist, it didn't stop his imagination from pretending that they were made of cotton candy. It'd been an idea he had as a child that he'd never let go. He liked to pretend that they were cotton candy.

I'm such a kid sometimes.

He chuckled to himself as he let his eyes close, deciding to dedicate his attention to the feeling of the cool breeze dancing across his skin.
The two of them were laying flat on one of the many natural rock formations all around them. The irregularly shaped towers of stacked stones provided a pleasant spot of shade that the two Saiyans had been all too eager to take advantage of. The wind that blew through the numerous rock structures created a pleasant natural melody that Gohan enjoyed listening to.

"Hey, Gohan?"

One eye opened. "Yeah, Trunks?"

"Do you really think I'm like you?'

"Of course kid. You and me are both half-Saiyans. You're dad was just as much a Saiyan as mine was."

Trunks smiled. "You think so?"

Gohan let his eye close, an easy smile resting on his lips. "I know so, kid. If anything, your dad was even more of a Saiyan than mine was."

"...I'm glad. I hope I'm like you were when you were a kid."

Gohan's smile withered.

As much as it pained him to admit it, Trunks wasn't like how he'd been as a child. Gohan remembered in his youth having these short bursts of pure rage that granted him brief moments of overwhelming power. The older Saiyan reflected on the time he'd faced off against Frieza, when his rage overtook his young mind and his body just sort of moved on its own. Blinded by fury, he remembered rushing the tyrant, driving fist after fist into his sternum before driving the monster into the ground with an incredible Ki blast that rattled the planet with it's force.

No one had been able to do that to the tyrant before that moment. And yet somehow he'd been able to. The flash of power had been gone a moment later, but it had been enough to buy his friends precious seconds in their effort to stall until his father arrived.

Gohan had secretly hoped that Trunks would reflect this power. It'd been a gamble on his end, and the main reasoning for why he'd brought Trunks along at all in their previous battle against the Androids. He'd hoped that the rage he'd experienced as a kid was indicative of being a half-breed; that Trunks would suddenly grow strong enough to hold one of the Androids at bay for long enough for him to dispatch the other.

It didn't take long for Gohan to find out that he'd been wrong. His gamble had failed, and the consequences of his gamble had nearly cost both his and the boy's life as a result.

It had been difficult to face Bulma after the incident.

Gohan couldn't understand why Trunks didn't have the same flashes of power that he had, or rather, that he'd had as a kid. Ever since the Androids appeared, that rage had suddenly vanished. The last time he'd felt it, the last time it'd aided him in his fight, had been the same day all of his friends had died.

He could still remember the event as if it'd happened yesterday. He remembered watching Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Choitzu being cut down with only a simple flick of the wrist. When their bodies hit the floor, it'd been surreal. The world hadn't felt real, like a bad dream, like a nightmare. Gohan remembered his body going numb in that moment, sensations fleeing his young body as he began to truly interpret what was going on.

His friends, the people who'd grown up with him, the people who'd raised him, were all dying now.
He remembered trembling in fear, unable to move, let alone fight as Piccolo and Vegeta did their best against the vile creatures. Vegeta was the first to go down between the two of them, not because he was the weaker, but because they'd taken him the most seriously as a Super Saiyan.

Then it'd been only Piccolo and Gohan remaining. Gohan remembered getting pulled out of his stupor by a violent slap from Seventeen across his cheek. The force of the blow had been enough to send the boy hurtling to the ground below, tearing through a two story building like it was made of paper. Gohan figured that the Android had expected it to kill based on the look of surprise on his face when he slowly picked himself up and finally readied himself for a fight.

But it was too late.

Over Seventeen's shoulder, Gohan could see the fight between Eighteen and Piccolo playing out. The Namekian, to his credit, had always been a smart fighter, playing his strengths and using his opponent's power against them. It'd been how he managed to keep up with Vegeta during the battle despite being vastly weaker by comparison. But there was only so much one could do against a power so overwhelming.

Gohan remembered watching as the Demon explosive wave exploded out from the palm of his master, fully bathing the female Android in it's destructive energy.

For a moment, Gohan had grown excited. He'd noticed before that the Android's power levels were undetectable, so he had to use his eyes to determine the outcome of the battle. He remembered smiling proudly up at his master as the Namekian finally got the edge on the Android.

Then Eighteen's arm shot out of the wave directly in front of Piccolo, gripping the Namekian's arm with enough force that Gohan could hear the audible crack of bones breaking. The wave of energy dispersed immediately. Raising her other hand to Piccolo's chest, Gohan watched as a wave of energy twice as large as Piccolo's engulfed the Namekian.

Gohan remembered watching the smoke clear, and seeing that the only remaining piece of his master be the forearm Eighteen had held the Namekian in place with.

That had been the snapping point for Gohan. With the death of Piccolo, it cemented the deaths of the rest of his friends as the Dragon Balls became little more than paper weights.

He remembered his world turning white as his rage overtook his senses. When he eventually came back, he was standing over a battered looking Seventeen in a massive crater with Eighteen only a few feet away looking annoyed and roughed up as well.

As far as Gohan could tell, it'd been the closest he'd ever come to actually defeating the Androids.

And the last time he ever felt that rage of his push him past his limits.

"Hey ,Gohan?"

Trunks's voice snapped the young man out of his trance as he blinked.

Turning his head, he answered. "Yeah, Trunks?"
"Why can't I transform?"

It was a question he asked often. The answer was simple really. He'd never had much to begin with being born into such a nightmare. He'd never been able to grow the attachments Gohan had been able to as a child. The only important person in his life was his mom, well that, and Gohan himself. With nothing else to lose, that rage would never become what it needed to be for him to finally go over the edge.

"You just need the right motivation is all Trunks." Gohan finally answered, "For me it's simple. I just think about Krillin or Piccolo, about how they were slaughtered by the Androids. It's like a dam swelling with water just before the dam breaks."

Just then, Gohan felt the ground beneath him rumble as a massive boom rang through his ear drums. The Demi-Saiyan shot to his feet as he saw it. South City, under attack yet again by the Androids. His teeth grit together as he watched another yellow eruption of energy overtake several city blocks.

"Not again! Do they ever stop!?" Trunks shouted in anger.

No.

Gohan thought in response.

They'll never stop unless they are stopped. They need to be stopped. This nightmare needs to end.

Gohan's fist tightened as he let his power surge forth. Bellowing a short cry of power, golden flames erupted all around him as Super Saiyan energy radiated from him once more.

"I'm going too!"

Gohan frowned as he looked over towards the younger demi-Saiyan. The kid was almost like a little brother to him. And he could see that drive, that hope of his fueling his determination to do everything he could to stop these monsters.

"No, Trunks," He finally spoke as another eruption of energy rumbled the rocks they occupied. "You're not ready. You will one day. I promise that. But until that time you'll only make me more vulnerable by coming with."
"Gohan! I can't let you fight alone with your injury! There's no way you can win with your wound!" The emotion behind the boy's words was more than apparent. Gohan could detect genuine fear from the teen's concerns.

He smiled. It felt nice to have someone looking out for him again.

Or, at the very least, trying to.

"Alright Trunks, you're right. Let's take these monsters down together!"

The look of delight that spread across hia face made it almost impossible for what he had to do next.

Almost.

When the teen turned his back to Gohan, his eyes scanning the city in preparation to take off after the Androids, Gohan raised his single hand and delivered a precise chop to the back of his head. The effect was immediate. Gohan watched as Trunks's knees began to buckle, and caught him before he could hit the ground too hard.

Gently lowering the boy to the ground by his shirt, he spoke. "I'm sorry Trunks. I nearly got you killed last time. I can't risk that again. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

Redirecting his attention back to South City, he watched as yet another explosion rocked one of the last pieces of civilization left.

He stole one last glance at Trunks, the boy resting peacefully on the rock beside him, before his aura exploded outward and his feet left the ground. The air whipped around him as he moved towards the screams below.

Gohan's resolve steeled over as he flew, his mind going over what was going to happen, what had to happen.

I can't keep doing this forever. I need to end it. One way, or another.

He'd known this for months, hell even years. He'd known why his rage, his true power had chosen to abandon him.

Or, at least, he thought he did.

It was because he couldn't fight with everything he had. He couldn't push himself to break his limits because if he messed up, if he didn't play it safe then the Earth would lose its mightiest and last defender. It was why in almost all of his fights he always reserved a quarter of his energy to escaping once he'd stalled long enough for the rest of the survivors to get away. It was why he'd stopped making friends, stopped visiting master Roshi and Bulma, why he lived in isolation in his single room apartment at the edge of West City.

It was because he knew that if he did make friends, if he did maintain those connections with Roshi, Bulma, and even his mother, that he would lose them like he lost everyone else. It was because he knew that in the end, if the Androids attacked them, he wouldn't be strong enough to stop them.

And he wasn't strong enough to lose them either.

It was that fear that motivated him to play it safe, it was that fear, that stopped him from giving it every last bit of his strength. He couldn't dedicate himself to the fight, because he felt that if he did it might just dedicate everything he knew to his demise.

But not anymore.

Trunks had been his only acception to his self-enforced rule of isolation, and the only reason he'd started talking to Bulma again. Trunks was the future, Trunks was his reassurance that, even if he did fail, there was at least someone that could take his place.

It means that I can finally cut loose.

He told himself.

It means that I can finally devote everything I have to destroying these monsters.

He knew that he needed to do this now. If he waited any longer, it would only be a matter of time before he suffered an injury that he couldn't bounce back from, or he messed up his retreat and was taken down before he could deal any substantial damage. This moment, right now was the best chance he had at beating the Androids. He could feel it, the drive, the motivation to do everything and anything he had to, to snuff out the light from their eyes that they so ruthlessly took from others.

And maybe if I finally do cut loose...finally do push everything to its maximum, that power I once had will return.

Gohan's hope of that rage he'd once exemplified reamerging swelled in his chest as he flew. To him it'd only stopped because he'd stopped trying with all his might.

Well he certainly planned to try with everything he had today. There was no amount of training that he could use to prepare, no more techniques he could hope to study, nothing left for him to do but throw himself at the problem and hope that he was enough.

One way or another… today's the day my fight ends.

He decided for himself as he saw the general outline of Seventeen standing with his back turned atop a building.

"Let's do this." He whispered under his breath as he surged forward.

-Android Eighteen, South City-

Despite her brother's clear enjoyment, Eighteen was finding it hard to relish in his activities. Her mind just wasn't in it today. She was still thinking about that man...what was his name again?
Hercule.

Hercule Satan. Eighteen couldn't help but think the name was odd to say, even odder for her to have remembered.

The blonde had decided to make a broken down car her seat as she pulled up her knees as to rest her elbows on. Her hands cupped her face as she stared down at the broken and cracked asphalt.

Her conversation with the man had already been twenty minutes ago, and it bothered her that she still couldn't get their conversation out of her head. She'd changed out of her old clothes shortly after the fact. Wearing 'comfy clothes' as she called them, some simple black tights with a comfy blue hoodie draping her torso.

Seventeen's laughter began to get on her nerves as he fired blast after blast into the already devastated city. He'd taken perch atop one of the few structures that hadn't been entirely leveled yet. His sharp eyes scanned through the rubble for any signs of life before promptly snuffing it out.

"C'mon, sis! You're missing out over there! Have some fun! You've been such a downer ever since our last game!"

Eighteen rolled her eyes at her brother's insistence that she play along. She usually loved killing people, it took the edge off of everyday life. But right now she couldn't stop remembering the way she'd seen herself in the mirror earlier.

The first word I thought when I stepped in front of the mirror...was monster…

She frowned again. She'd never considered herself a monster before. How could she? She was just doing what came naturally to anyone in power. If you had the power, then it was your right to do with it as you pleased. It was just the way things worked on this blue and green rock.

So why did I do that just now?

Eighteen began to grumble to herself growing ever more annoyed at her own actions. She regretted sparing the man for as long as she had. If she'd just killed him right away like she would normally, she wouldn't be dealing with...whatever these strange doubts were suggesting.

She didn't like them.

She wanted them gone.

Maybe Seventeen is right. I need to take the edge off.

Eighteen's head slowly turned as she scanned her surroundings, looking for a moving target of any kind for her to let out some of her frustration on.

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a movement from a pile of rubble. Turning her head so that she was focusing on it now, she could see a man's trembling hand reaching out of a massive pile of cement and rock. It'd probably been excruciating for the man to have so much blunt pressure forced upon his fragile body. She imagined that it'd probably taken him a whole hour to climb to the top.

Perfect.

A malicious smile split the girl's face as she raised her index finger and aimed the beam towards the man's slowly rising shape. From what she could see, her estimations had been right. His body was covered in scrapes and bruises, blood coated his head from a still dripping head wound. She couldn't imagine the level of fear and anxiety racing through his mind right now.

It is not your lucky day, buddy.

Without a moment of hesitation, the golden beam split the air and drove straight through the man's back. Eighteen watched with a smile as the man screamed out in pain just before a rush of blood filled his mouth. She paused, watching the show as he began to cough violently from the punctured lung she'd just given him.

Much to her surprise however, watching the man struggle for life didn't bring the level of satisfaction she'd expected. Instead, she found her smile slowly pulling into a frown.

The man was dying. It was a prospect she was all too familiar with. But as she sat atop the hood of a broken down police car, she couldn't help but think back to the moments just before Hercule drew his last breath. The amount of agony he must have felt as he processed the hole Seventeen and forced through his body, before quickly expiring. Right now, this random, no life, weak, disgusting, cockroach...was going through the exact same pain Hercule had.

"..."

Without another word Eighteen fired a follow up beam from her palm, resulting in an explosion that fully engulfed the dying stranger.

She pulled her eyes away from where he'd just been and opted to study the asphalt once more.

"Hey, there you go!" Seventeen encouraged, taking a moment to briefly glance over his shoulder at her work before returning his attention to taking pot shots at the few remaining survivors attempting to scurry away beneath the rubble that used to be the city.

Just like cockroaches…

Eighteen told herself with the same malicious approach she always exemplified in these matters. But the words felt...empty to her for some reason.

Damn that old man.

The woman sighed as she let her head lull back, groaning as she did so.

I'm getting nowhere with this. Maybe I need an outsider's opinion.

"Hey, Seventeen!"
"Yeah, sis?" He answered absentmindedly as he fired another blast into the city.

"Do you ever have...doubts?" Eighteen struggled to find the right way to describe what she was feeling at that moment. Was it doubts that she was having?

"Doubts?" He repeated as he looked over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow at her. "Why would I have doubts? The only reason to doubt something is if something bad could happen to you for doing it. Nothing else really matters, sis."
"...But what if there are consequences? What if they just aren't consequences that we can see yet?"

Seventeen snorted, "What, you think some random dude is gonna pop up and suddenly stop us? It's been over a decade sis, no one's coming to stop us. We have free reign to do whatever we want." He laughed as he gestured out with two hands, motioning to all around them.

"This is every man's dream come true!" he continued, "Why would you have 'doubts'?"

"I…" Eighteen slowly began, choosing her words carefully, "I dunno. I read something that made me think otherwise." she lied, "It was something stupid, ignore me." She sighed with a dismissive wave.

"C'mon sis, lighten up! No one can ever bother us anymore! We're the kings of the-"

Just then, Seventeen's figure shot off to the right as a familiar navy blue boot struck the side of his face.
Eighteen raised an eyebrow as she saw Blondie floating in the sky where her brother had once been, his expression twisted into a hardened scowl.

Turning her head, she watched as Seventeen drove through what she predicted had once been a hospital. Unable to stop his momentum, she listened as he spat vulgar obscenity after vulgar obscenity as he went through each floor of the building.

Eighteen struggled to contain her laughter as she watched her brother step out from the ground floor of the building, his shirt torn to shreds and barely hanging off his torso.

Finally she couldn't help herself as she burst out laughing, pointing a finger she exclaimed, "Oh my god, he totally just slapped your shit!"

Seventeen's expression wasn't jovial however as he glared in Blondie's direction which Eighteen was only realizing now seemed to be missing something.

"Correction:" Seventeen began, his voice clearly trying to suppress the anger lying just beneath the surface. "After today, we won't have anyone that can bother us."

Eighteen smiled. She was actually glad Blondie had decided to drop by. She needed to blow off some steam.

-Gohan-

The demi-Saiyan internally chastised himself for not taking better advantage of his initial attack. He'd considered leading with a massive ki blast on the unaware Seventeen, but hadn't been sure if his attack would go unnoticed for long enough to actually land. He didn't want to waste power against Androids who never tired. Now that his foot had actually connected with the side of Seventeen's head, he realized that his blast would have as well.

Damn it.

Now the element of surprise was gone, and he had the collective gazes of both Androids on him. He felt adrenaline begin to pump through his veins, preparing him for what was about to come.

"Correction:" He heard Seventeen say as he pulled himself up from the ruins of his attack, "After today, we won't have anyone that can bother us."

"Hey, blondie!" He heard Eighteen call to him as she pushed herself off of a broken down car and slowly floated up so that she was hovering at the same level he was. "What do you do at the end of a stage play? You know, when everyone else is clapping?"

She began to mockingly attempt to clap with one hand. "Something like that?"

Seventeen's devious grin returned to his features as he too raised into the sky, staring down Gohan as he did so.

"I gotta agree with my sister here. Real brave of you to come at us after getting handicap parking. I mean, I was gonna say 'put em up' but then I realized that doesn't really work for you now does it?"

Gohan growled at their taunting, but did little else to fuel it. He knew that they were trying to get under his skin, provoke him, make him take the first attack on one of them so that the other could seize the opening and do some damage.

It was a ploy that they'd regularly attempt against him.

That and Gohan figured that they just liked being assholes.

"Your nightmare ends here." he declared bravely, "I hope you're ready to meet your maker."

Seventeen let loose a laugh before righting himself and saying coldly. "The only thing that ends here today is you, fire hair."

Gohan immediately adopted his newly designed fighting stance. Readying himself as the Androids began to slowly circle him, keeping a fair distance as they eyed him with dangerous gazes.

Growling, Gohan shouted, "You know you can't win, you can't destroy what I really am!" His hand curled into a fist. "Even if you manage to kill this body, someone even stronger would surface and take my place!"

"Well then, I sure hope you're ready to die, blondie." Eighteen said in a malicious tone, "I've been in a particularly bad mood this morning, so I'm not going to go easy on you this time!" she called out before the twins rushed towards the Saiyan on either side.

Gohan responded by flying backwards, narrowly avoiding the Androids attacks before golden energy began to fill his hand. Thrusting it forward, he let the energy erupt from him like a raging volcano.

"Not one death will go unaccounted for, not one!" He roared as the energy barreled towards the twins. Seventeen narrowly managed to dodge to the side at the last second, the edges of his torn shirt briefly burning as the tips of his torso touched the beam. Eighteen wasn't so lucky however as the blast carried her backwards. The girl cried out in pain as she could feel the massive amount of energy burning away at her skin.

Before Gohan could let loose another attack, Seventeen was upon him throwing out a fist aimed for his nose. Slipping the strike, the fist sailed over his shoulder before he drove his own punch towards the android's face. The strike connected, sending the Android back several feet as Gohan surged forward, intent on pressing his advantage.

Striking out with a leg meant for the Androids sternum, Gohan was discouraged to find Seventeen's forearm placed appropriately to block. Spinning with his other leg, the Saiyan aimed to slam his foot into the android's face for the second time today. Much to his dismay, Seventeen ducked beneath the attack before rushing forward and driving a knee into the Saiyan's gut.

Gohan gagged as he felt his insides register the pain. Clutching his stomach with one hand, he didn't have time to react as Seventeen raised both arms above his head, lacing his fingers together before spiking the Demi-Saiyan into the ground below.

Gohan's head connected with a hard piece of cement as he landed. Dizzy, the son of Goku rose to his feet just as he noticed Eighteen rushing towards him with a leg coiled back and ready to strike.

Her expression was absolutely livid.

Gohan smirked as he dove to the side at the last minute before grabbing the girl's leg and swinging her back around. Using her own momentum against her, Gohan slammed the woman directly into the broken asphalt at his feet. Standing above Eighteen, Gohan extended an open palm filled with violent golden energy as he prepared to fire into the woman at point blank range.

Before he could let the energy loose however, he felt the side of his face explode with pain as a foot buried itself into his cheek. The Saiyan grunted as he was sent flying to the side, only coming to a stop when a particularly sturdy building obstructed his path. He slumped to the ground after indenting his form into the side of the building.

Groaning, the Saiyan forced himself to his feet as he looked across the carnage that was their doing. Seventeen stood beside Eighteen as she slowly rose to her feet, her tights torn and ripped.

I need to focus! Don't get carried away with one or the other will get me!

He told himself as his teeth clenched and he dropped into his one-armed fighting style once more.

Almost as if on cue, the Androids rushed forward. Moving faster than the average man could see. Gohan was forced onto the defensive as he leapt into the air, narrowly avoiding both attacks. Seventeen launched after him clearly growing agitated as he sent a ki blast towards the Saiyan's chest. The blast was batted away with one hand before Eighteen closed the distance. Gohan realized his mistake immediately as he saw that his one arm had been forced to the side, leaving him totally defenseless.

Before he could respond he felt a fist drive into his cheek snapping his head to the side. Next a knee connected with his chin sending the Saiyan flipping backwards. When he'd finally steadied himself, he saw Seventeen floating just above him, both hands extended with a sinister grin pulling at his lips.

"Sayonara, asshole!"

Gohan's eyes grew large as he saw the glowing energy explode from Seventeen's hands, colliding with his frame a moment later. Gohan cried out in pain as he felt his skin begin to burn from the immensity of the attack. His body struck the ground a few seconds later, slamming into it with such a force that the impact echoed for several blocks.

The demi-Saiyan grit his teeth as he did his best to push the pain to the back of his mind, attempting to refocus his attention on the fight at hand. Before he could react Eighteen appeared, standing over his prone form with her palms aimed at him.

"How about a little taste of your own medicine?" She commented coily as she fired the blast at point blank range.

-Eighteen-

Eighteen smiled in satisfaction as she let the energy loose onto the man. He'd royally pissed her off with that first blast of his, and she fully intended to pay him back for it.

Smoke bellowed out from where she'd fired, the massive explosion producing dust and dark clouds that obscured her vision. She frowned as she stood there, waiting to see the results of her efforts.

There's no way he could have dodged in time.

She told herself as her eyes narrowed trying to pierce the smoke all around her. Her eyes widened as she caught the faintest glow of an energy shield right in front of her.

Shit.

Before she could raise her arms to block, a punch connected with her nose that sent a splitting headache directly to her brain. Her eyes clasped shut as she stumbled back holding her face.

Son of a-

Before she could even finish the thought she felt her legs swept out from beneath her before the heel of a boot connected with her midsection, driving her into to ground with an unexpected amount of force.

Eighteen growled as she saw blondie standing above her, appearing completely unharmed from her attack.

I swear I'm gonna tear out his throat and make him eat-

Once again the thought was disrupted as a foot caught the side of her hip, and sent her hurtling into the sky.

Did he just punt me!?

She thought with roaring hatred as she quickly righted herself.

Her brother was right next to her appearing equally annoyed.

"Something's seriously got him peeved today." He commented.

"Yeah, I've noticed." Eighteen snapped back.

Their gazes fell on Gohan who was merely looking up at them, defiance written clearly on his features.

"I told you," As he spoke, he fell into his stance. "the Nightmare ends here."

-Gohan-

The young man did his best to put on a strong face as he stood glaring defiantly at his two assailants.

Internally, Gohan was doing a mental assessment of his own current state. He'd not taken too much damage just yet. The ki blast had certainly hurt, and his head was still ringing from when he'd slammed into the ground, but otherwise he figured he was more or less in good condition.

His Ki reserve was the real concern.

He'd not spent much, not yet, but it'd taken somewhere around a quarter of his total energy reserves to do what little damage he had managed to deal while also protecting himself from the Androids rampage.

I need to figure out a way to end this, and fast.

The demi-Saiyan knew that the longer the battle raged on, the likelihood of his defeat grew larger. He never fully understood where the Androids drew their power from. He couldn't sense it, and somehow, someway, it never seemed to drain. They remained at the same pinnacle of their strength at all times. It made a battle that lasted any substantial amount of time with them impossible.

...all of our battles have been impossible…

He thought to himself for a moment before pushing the idea away. He knew that he didn't have time to doubt himself right now. This moment, in the heat of battle needed to be spent strategizing.

...I'm not gonna get anywhere if I keep trying to play it safe. Right now, they're controlling the pace of the fight, which was always fine for when I was just trying to stall them out.

Gohan realized that this stand off they were having was out of a force of habit. This was how their battles always went. There would be an exchange, and if Gohan got the better of them, there would be a pause as the Androids recollected themselves. It benefited Gohan because it gave him a second to breathe while also giving the people he was protecting even more time to run away.

Being on defence the entire time isn't going to get me anywhere. I have to risk it if I want to make any progress. I need to go on the attack.

Without another thought, Gohan shot forward, cocking his arm back as he prepared a fist.

He noticed the looks of surprise across their faces as he rushed them. It was clear to him that they'd grown used to their routine as well.

Both Seventeen and Eighteen dodged to either side of the man, avoiding the strike as Gohan made his true intentions clear. Opening his palm at the last second, he aimed an energy blast straight into the dusty, ruined ground.

Let's hope this works…

The resulting explosion kicked a tiny mushroom cloud of dirt into the air, completely obscuring his and the Androids vision.

He knew that he couldn't sense their energy which made tracking them nearly impossible, but he'd also taken note of the fact that they couldn't track his energy either.

Let's see if we can't use that to my advantage…

He thought as he shot to the right towards where he'd last seen Seventeen.

Seventeen first. He's the more dangerous of the two. If I can somehow manage to put him down, Eighteen should be easier.

Gohan told himself this as he blindly struck, hoping that his initial tactic had been surprising enough for Seventeen to remain frozen in his position.

Gohan felt his fist make contact with what he could tell was a shoulder.

...Not optimal, but it's a start!

He told himself as he swung with a roundhouse kick towards the Androids head having gained an approximation of where it should be from where he'd felt his shoulder.

He felt the attack connect and Seventeen curse as his head snapped to the side from the force of the blow.

Gohan felt two punches shoot out of the smoke randomly in his direction. The first caught him in the collar bone but the second missed entirely. Upon seeing the second fist begin to retract, an idea popped into the Demi-Saiyan's head.

Let's see if we can't put an end to this.

Reaching out, Gohan caught the hand before it could return to Seventeen's guard. Normally, Gohan knew that this tactic would be to his disadvantage as it occupied his hand while leaving the opponent with a free fist. But in this specific scenario…

Gohan pulled his legs to his chest as he turned his body horizontally. Still clutching the hand tightly, the Demi-Saiyan drove both feet about a foot below the arm.

Directly into where he knew a kidney should be.

It'd been a surprise to Gohan to find out that for one reason or another, the Androids had human-like anatomy, or at least, for the most part they did. He'd been surprised the first time he'd kicked Seventeen in the balls only to see the Android back off holding his crotch.

Gohan felt his feet drive into Seventeen's side before he heard the Android cry out in pain. The struggling hand went limp as he could feel Seventeen keel over coughing from the angle of the wrist he still clutched.

Letting go, the Demi-Saiyan immediately raised his hand to his forehead.

"Masenko…"

Abruptly a ki blast the size of his head sailed past just over his shoulder, followed by another that went off towards his left, and another that flew straight over his golden hair..

She's firing randomly at me!
Before one of the blasts could connect, Gohan threw out his hand where he'd heard Seventeen's figure crumple to the ground in pain.

"Ha!"

The world around him was bathed in golden light as an enormous energy wave fled from his palm, colliding with the Android in front of him before immediately carrying Seventeen backward. The twin roared with anger as the golden energy burned at his skin, it's size so large that it engulfed his entire frame as he was forced back into a building across the road. Upon making contact, the ki blast exploded, decimating the first floor of the structure and collapsing the entire building on Seventeen.

Gohan's breaths were labored, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly from the exertion. He'd put nearly everything he had into that attack, into that one opportunity.

And it worked!

He felt a small pang of hope rising in his chest. Maybe he really could do this!
The smoke had blown away from the intensity of his attack, giving Gohan the opportunity to see if his blast had actually managed to do Seventeen in.

He held his breath as he waited to see if the rubble he knew Seventeen to be lying under would shift.

And then he felt something warm on his lower back.

His eyes widened.

Shit.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw the face of Eighteen seething with rage holding two massive orbs of blood red energy to his lower back.

"Die already!"

His world went crimsom as the energy overtook him. It felt likel his entire body on fire as the twin balls of death expanded and engulfed him. The power behind them was crippling. He could feel parts of his lower back burning away immediately as the blast carried him forward. Forced to obey the whims of the destructive force burying itself into his spine, Gohan cried out in pain before being slammed face first into a broken down cop car.

Then, it detonated.

Gohan felt like his entire body was having it's skin rapidly eaten away. He could feel ribs cracking and breaking from the force of the explosion, the heat of the energy burning away his strength and remaining reserves of power.

It'd only lasted an instant, but that instant had felt like an eternity of punishment before the dust cleared.

Gohan was on stomach, his body limp, his thoughts scattered as he laid face first in a daze.

The Demi-Saiyan slowly began to push himself up, his arm trembling from the effort. He managed to rise to a knee before it began to feel too difficult to stand. It was only when he held out his hand in front of him that he noticed his Super Saiyan aura had disappeared.

...Damn it…

He'd messed up. He'd taken a massive gamble and just like before he'd been punished for it.

He could feel that his entire backside was burned providing a constant stinging making it difficult to focus on anything but the pain. The back of his fighting gi was gone in its entirety, the front half of the shirt hanging below his waist revealing a torso lined with scars and wounds. He was bleeding in other areas from the force of the explosion tearing at his skin, the crimson liquid provided a slight relief as it rolled down the burn marks now covering his back.

Just more scars to add to the list…

He heard feet touch down just behind him.

"Ouch, I think that's going to leave a mark."

Gohan's eyes shut tight as he heard the voice.

Seventeen…

The Demi-Saiyan's fingers curled up into a fist as he felt his frustration overwhelm him. He knew the fight was over. He knew that he'd lost, his power was well below a quarter of what it usually was, not enough to fight the Androids no less. He'd simply been hoping that just maybe his attack had done something to stop the Androids, something to make a difference in this hellscape that was his home.

It was over. He knew it. They knew it.

He'd lost, and he hadn't even made a difference. It was as he'd always feared. Throwing caution to the wind in an all or nothing attempt to stop the Androids, and he'd failed.

Again.

A slow growl originated from the Saiyan's throat before he threw his head back in a violent roar of anger. Immediately, he forced his Super Saiyan aura to ignite before rising to his feet, forcing his body to comply despite its protests.

Turning around, he was met with Eighteen and Seventeen standing mere feet away from him. Seventeen's clothes were in complete ruin, his body looking scuffed and burning in several places, but otherwise, Gohan could tell that he was fine.

Facing these two Androids, Gohan knew that he could no longer win. It wasn't in the cards. His body was too wounded, just standing was taking up a majority of his strength, his power too taped to achieve anything significant in the fight.

But that didn't mean he was going to roll over and die for them. There wasn't a chance in Hell that he was gonna make this easy for them.

Raising his hand above his head he formed a weak energy blast that he threw to the ground before moving as fast as his damaged body could manage into the sky.

"Oh come on, Blondie! We've seen this one already!" Eighteen complained as she immediately followed with him, predicting his movement.

Gohan snarled before a fist planted itself squarely in his face, sending him flying back. His burned back scraped against the ground as he landed sending waves of excruciating pain throughout his torso.

Gohan felt his Super Saiyan aura begin to waver, but through pure determination, he forced the power to remain.

NO! I'm not done yet!
Rolling onto his stomach, the wounded man pushed himself back up with one arm. He watched as Eighteen landed next to her twin before the two began to calmly walk towards him menacingly. Their faces read 'smug', their body demeanors radiating confidence.

They know they've won.

The demi-Saiyan told himself as he watched them approach. It was clear that they no longer saw him as a threat.

"Let's finish this, shall we?" Seventeen said in a cold tone. His hands filling with golden energy

This is it.

Gohan told himself as he widened his stance before pulling his hand to his hip as he'd seen his father do so many times before.

Let's at least make it count.

"Kame…"

Eighteen's palms filled with energy as well before the twins raised their hands in unison, standing side by side with confident smiles marking their faces.

"Hame…"

Yellow energy exploded from the two Androids, warping and molding together to form one massive beam of death.

"HAh!"

Gohan threw his hand forward as he prepared to deliver the last of his energy in the form of his father's signature attack. If he was really going to die as the last of the defenders of Earth, he was going to go out using the attack that their strongest defender had always been known for.

I hope I made you proud, dad. I'll see you soon.

Blue energy exploded from Gohan's palm with a deafening boom just before the two beams collided with so much force the ground just below their meeting point began to rapidly break away.

Immediately, Gohan felt his beam begin to be pushed back. His feet scraped against the damaged asphalt as he was forced back as well, his teeth gritted as his arm flexed from the strain. It was hard to funnel so much energy into one limb. There was definitely a reason the technique typically required the usage of two arms.

Despite the raging battle of powers going on before him, Gohan's mind could help but think back to the young man currently sleeping atop the rock they'd been relaxing on only twenty minutes ago.

I'm sorry, Trunks. I promise I gave it my all. It's up to you now. I wish I could have done more to help you before you were left on your own, but this is the way it has to be now. I hope you can forgive me one day.

Gohan's eyes closed as he felt his beam be beaten back even further. He didn't want to die, but he knew when he was beat. He knew that he only had a matter of seconds before the last of his strength would be sapped away and the golden energy would overtake him.

Then he felt it.

It was strange, foreign and yet familiar, like an old friend he'd forgotten about.

He felt rage, and he felt strength.

A guttural roar escaped his lips, one full of frustration and hate, one filled with years of torment and pain. A new pool of energy suddenly revealed itself to him as the new found power exploded from his hand. The force of his wave was enough to drive back the golden beam that had been mere inches away from overtaking him moments earlier. Suddenly, It was Seventeen and Eighteen who were being driven back, their expressions of smugness suddenly shifting to snarls as they were forced to actually try.

Gohan's eyes snapped open, his irises white with rage as he stared down his opponents. His mind fueled by an emotion he was all too familiar with.

Anger.

No! This will not be where I fall! This will not be the end for-

His eyes met with the intense glares from the two Androids, and something in Gohan's mind snapped.

This wasn't Raditz fighting his dad and Mr. Piccolo. This wasn't Vegeta or Nappa when they'd come to Earth for the first time. This wasn't even Frieza when he was threatening to kill all of his friends.

These were the Androids.

Gohan's face fell as the realization hit him. The power that had abruptly swelled within him immediately vanished. His hair flickered from gold to black a moment later, his energy all but spent.

This wasn't an enemy his power could overcome, how could it?

This was an enemy that wiped out all of his friends one by one before him.

It was a power that he'd been fighting for over ten years and he had nothing to show for his efforts except failure.

...I'm not enough…

He told himself.

I've never been enough...I've never thought that I could be enough to stop this. I'll never be enough...

The realization hit him just as the wave of golden energy did. He could see the snarls on their faces shift to sinister grins as it struck him.

I can't beat the Androids.

It was like practice for a play. It was the reason that they'd been surprised when he'd gone in for the attack. They'd all grown accustomed to this little routine of theirs. Gohan had only known the taste of defeat for over ten years of his life to the point that he no longer expected anything else, how could he? It was the reason up until today, he'd no longer fought to win, just to preserve what he could. It was the reason that he'd secluded himself from the world around him, from his mom, from Bulma, from making any true friends.

It was the reason why he'd started to train Trunks in the first place. It was the expectation, it was the only reality he could even see anymore.

Gohan only knew defeat. It was ingrained into his very being, into his very person. Being defeated was his motivation for everything he'd done over the past several years, it was the reason he got up in the morning to train, it was the reason he ate enough to maintain his strength, why he forced himself to try to get better despite the odds. All of it was so that he could confront the Androids and be defeated again.

It was why after that first confrontation, his rage had forever abandoned him.

He didn't need power to be defeated.

He could do that all on his own.

Gohan's eyes closed as he let the energy overtake him, not even attempting to use the very last remnants of Ki within his person to try and resist the attack.

This will be the last time.

He told himself.

The last time I'm defeated.

-Eighteen-

A confident smile pulled at the woman's lips as she watched Gohan's limp body be blown away from their efforts. She watched as his unresisting form was carried away with their blast, tearing through rubble and debris as it carried him back. His lifeless, battered and burned corpse hitting the ground with a dull thud.

"Ugh, finally." Seventeen said sounding exhausted, "Seriously was that guy annoying."

"I know, right?" Eighteen exclaimed with pure elation. Never had a kill felt more satisfying to her.

"Go make sure he's not still breathing." Seventeen said with an annoyance to his voice, "Bastard has an annoying habit of surviving whatever we throw at him by the skin of his teeth."

Without another word the Android began to lift off the ground and fly the other direction.

Eighteen raised an eyebrow, "And where are you going?"

Seventeen grumbled as he paused and looked back at her. He motioned to the shirt dangling off his torso and then to his severely shredded jeans which were struggling to cover up the heart shapes boxers that hung underneath.

"Gotta get a new set of clothes. These are so totally trashed." he grumbled.

Eighteen could tell he was annoyed. She knew that had been his favorite shirt out of all of their clothes.

But that didn't mean that she wasn't going to tease him.

"Oh? Going shopping instead of enjoying a kill? How very out of the ordinary for you." she snidely remarked.

Snarling, he snapped back. "I don't want to hear it! This is nothing like when you disappear for hours when we're supposed to be spending quality time with each other killing people."

Eighteen's eyes were playful as a devious grin pulled at her features. "I dunno," Pointing with one finger towards Gohan's still form, she continued. "I feel like wasting blondie over there is a pretty good way to spend quality time for a brother and sister."

"Uggghhh!" Seventeen groaned as his head fell back.

"Sigh," Eighteen began, a shit eating grin plastered to her face. "I guess I'll just have to finish him off all alone, now wont I?"

Seventeen stammered, "I-Look I- I just need to-" Growling the boy turned his back on his sister and shot off into the sky, "Just finish him off already, okay!"

As the boy flew away, Eighteen noticed that both of his hands were covered a spot on his butt where it seemed both his jeans and boxers had been torn away.

Laughing, Eighteen called out, "Are you feeling a breeze down there?"

"Shut up!"

After a few more seconds of laughing, Eighteen finally started her walk over towards where not-so-blondie was lying still on the ground.

She was actually really glad Blondie had decided to show up. She'd been feeling super down beforehand, but now she was feeling better than ever and like her old, normal self again.

She stood above the broken and battered man. He was lying face first on the ground, his entire form unmoving.

"Hmmm, how to check, how to check." she said coyly as she tapped the side of her cheek with a finger. "Should I check for a pulse?...hmmm oh! I have an idea!"

With a violent kick Gohan's limp form was sent rolling several feet away until eventually he was on his back.

Eighteen listened intently as she planted the soccer kick straight into his ribcage, feeling several breaks from her efforts.

She'd heard the quietest of grunts when she'd done so.

And this day just keeps getting better and better!

She thought as her smile grew wider. Blondie was still alive, if only just barely. Like Seventeen said, the man had a habit of surviving by the skin of his teeth, and now she was going to get the chance to kill him.

She'd never gotten the chance to properly toy with Blondie like she so regularly did with the majority of her prey. It was something she relished in doing, and the idea that she was about to enjoy the same treat with someone who she'd despised for so long was like a gift from Kami.

Briskly walking back over to where she'd just kicked the man, she lowered herself to a crouch, pulling her knees up to her chest just beside the man's head.

"Hey, wake up!" she said patting his face forcefully, each swat bordering on slapping the wounded man. "I need you to be awake for this. Otherwise, it's no fun."

Gohan's eyes slowly fluttered open. There was no more fight left in them, no more will to struggle as he looked up at the sky, and then at Eighteen.

The woman smiled as she saw Gohan's Onyx gaze meet her cold blue one.

"Wonderful." She said with a sinister smile. "We're going to have so much fun me and-"

The girl suddenly froze as she continued to stare into the Saiyan's eyes. There was no fear, no tears or even a look of regret. There was no sadness, nothing that suggested that he was even remotely uncomfortable by her presence.

It was a look that the girl was unused to, it was foreign and unfamiliar from the years of watching people flee terrified from her very presence. That was the look that she was wanting from the man in that moment. Unfortunately, that wasn't the look she was receiving. It was a look that discredited the years of carnage and mayhem she and her brother had been responsible for. It spat in the face of all of her deeds, the reputation she'd built through years of murder by delivering the simple message of 'I'm not afraid of you".

Worst yet?

It was a look she recognized.

Her mind raced back to her time at the sports shop, to the man reading the book in the chair. She recalled how he'd looked up at her after holding up a single finger for her to pause. He hadn't been afraid, intimidated, or nervous.

He'd looked at her, the exact same way Blondie was staring at her now.

Eighteen snarled as she acknowledged that fact.

I should have killed that damn old man! I should have blown a hole through his chest the moment I laid eyes on him. I should have slaughtered him the moment he raised that finger for me to wait!

But she hadn't. She hadn't killed him, in fact, she hadn't wanted to. He'd spoken to her, and she'd slowly started to learn more about the man. She'd wanted to hear his story, more than she'd wanted to kill him.

In that moment, who he was, had mattered to her more than killing him had.

Eighteen hated acknowledging this fact as she grit her teeth, her breathing quickened as her hands curled into fists.

He'd been interesting, he'd been someone to talk to that wasn't afraid of her. He'd been a person that could relate to her, who could understand her, even if only on a base level. He'd asked about her interests, and he'd even warned her, like he'd actually cared about her.

Eighteen snarled as she held the sides of her face with her two hands.

SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!

She screamed in her head as she tried to quiet the racing thoughts tearing through her mind like cars on a highway. It was coming back, the doubt. The doubt that that asshole at the sports shop had put there!

...Hercule Satan… that was his name…!

Her eyes widened. Her though

Why do I still remember his name!? He's nobody! He's garbage! He was a cockroach under my boot and nothing more!

Looking down at Blondies eyes now, she saw the look of a man who could see past her aura of intimidation and fear. He could look past everything she could do to try and scare him into begging for his life, look past all the pain she'd done to him, and still not care. He would not fear her, no matter what she did.

Just like the man in the sports shop.

Just like Hercule.

Her hand filled with golden energy before she hovered it inches away from the man's face. She'd planned to torture him, to pluck his fingers from him and deliver the agony he deserved for annoying she and her brother for so long, but now she just wanted it over and done with.

She watched as the man continued his gaze for a long time, blinking once, before he turned his eyes to look at the sky one last time, before closing them.

If I kill him. This doubt will stop. This doubt of everything we've done, this doubt of who I am and who I will become. This infernal doubt. I want it gone more than anything else, and I know that this will do it!

She knew it to be true. This one kill would be her decision. There would be no one else, could be no one else that could have this look about them. There was no one in the world that didn't fear her. Once she did this, it would all be over.

But…

Eighteen felt her hand waver as her eyes widened.

What if she was wrong? What if what Hercule had said had been right? What if at the end of this long road...she was left with nothing? What if Seventeen really did turn on her once all the fun had been had? They hadn't aged a day since their transformation. They'd already figured that they were basically immortal. That would give them literally all the time in the world for that outcome to happen. What if it was an inevitability? What if, if she decided to continue down this road, the end of her life would be at the hands of the one person she thought she could trust? The one person in her life that she did love, that did matter to her? She knew that he would never understand if she explained this to him, he would just tell her that he would never turn on her, and that would be that. But that didn't make it the truth. What if she eventually felt the urge to turn on him? What if she was destined to kill her brother one day?

What if...what if I'm wrong, and when we're done doing what we're doing...I'm left with nothing?

Her mind flashed back to the moment she'd learned of the man's name.

Hercule.

But this time, she didn't wish that she'd killed him before he'd had a chance to talk. Infact, she wished that he was still alive at that moment. She wished that she could find him, and ask him, and talk to him, and maybe just maybe find a way to resolve this inner turmoil in her mind.

But he wasn't alive.

He was dead.

Seventeen had made sure of that.

Eighteen frowned.

There was no one else, no one else she could talk to about this. She couldn't just go and find a shrink because they wouldn't be telling her the truth. They'd be too afraid of her to be honest with her. They'd just tell her whatever they needed to say to ensure that she didn't blast them and the rest of their puny race to smithereens. She couldn't talk to Seventeen. He'd just do the same, tell her exactly what she needed to hear so that they would continue their carnage until the potential day came that they killed each other.

She felt trapped in that moment, trapped in a wave of doubt and fear that she couldn't escape on her own. There was no one that could help her, no one like the man at the sports shop-

Her body froze, the energy in her hand vanishing a moment later.

Looking down, she saw Blondie. His eyes had reopened, and he was staring at her, with the same look that Hercule had.

The same...exact… look...

Eighteen felt a rage boil up from the pit of her stomach like no other. Throwing her head back, she roared with frustration before shooting up into the air and disappearing off into the distance.

-Gohan-

The demi-Saiyan stared up at the sky, the majority of his nerve endings so damaged that his entire body was almost numb. He'd failed, he'd lost, and yet somehow, someway, he was still alive.

He couldn't understand why.

She'd been right there, kneeling next to him with enough energy to blow the rest of his body away if she'd wanted to. It would have been easy.

So, why didn't she?

He'd closed his eyes to await the inevitable, only to reopen them half a minute later wondering what was taking the Android so long.

When he'd seen her face, the malicious grin, the narrowed gaze, they were gone. Instead all he could see was...fear?

She'd looked terrified staring down at him, her hand trembling before the power in her palm had faded away. Then she'd screamed and flew away so fast he'd barely blinked before she was gone.

There were so many thoughts racing through his mind at that moment. But the one that was the most dominant repeated in his mind over and over again with no answers.

What just happened?

.

.

.

Author's Note:

Yep, I've decided to continue the story regardless of the initial reception being relatively low. But man was that a doozy. A LOT of things were established here, and while I do feel I explained them pretty well within the chapter, I think it wouldn't hurt to explain it a little here too.

The first big thing was Future Gohan's motivation being 'defeat' as I call it. I always questioned why future Gohan had been so weak in the anime. Through Zenkai boosts alone the Saiyan should have grown strong enough to defeat the Androids, it wasn't until I watched the history of Trunks movie a second time that I realized something. A single line that wrapped it all up for me. It's a line that he says in canon, and one that I made sure to include in my version of the fight because it basically sums up Future Gohan's character to a T.

"You know you can't win, you can't destroy what I really am! Even if you manage to kill this body someone even stronger would surface and take my place!"

That single line, that single dialog of text made me realize that Gohan never expected to win. He fought believing that he would lose. Gohan has never been a dumb character, he understands more than he lets on, with one arm, fighting two assaliants who proved too strong for him even with two arms...there's not a doubt in my mind that he knew going into the fight that he was going to lose. He never thought he could win against the androids. He fought to protect, but little else. He fought to preserve, but never fought to do more than that.

This is the way I've decided to look at it. Have you ever been playing a game or a sport with an older sibling? A parent, or just someone that was clearly better than you, repeatedly? You get used to the routine after so many defeats. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and you stop believing that you can actually win, that you can actually succeed at this game you're playing. I've seen it when I'm playing tekken with my friend, after a little while he just starts picking random characters because he doesn't believe he can actually win against me anymore, so he doesn't really try. He goes through the motions, picks a character, and presses some buttons, but his will to win is no longer there.

That happens over the time span of a few hours of losses. Humans are creatures of habit, we recognize patterns naturally, and come to expect an outcome if it's the only outcome that has ever come.

Now, imagine that repetition, over a time span of ten years.

It's no wonder Gohan never defeated the Androids, after awhile he stopped believing he could all together.

I dunno, maybe I'm onto something, maybe I'm full of nonsense and am making no sense lol. Either way, tell me in the reviews.

Wait a minute, I still have Eighteen to talk about, crap.

Eighteen I feel I may have explained better in the chapter, but long story short, her dilemma lies in that she feels that she can trust no one. No one will give her an honest answer, and she can't come to a decision on her own. She needs someone who is unbiased (or as unbiased as one can hope to get) who wont be absolutely terrified of the girl, or her brother who will just egg her on.

She wants clarity from the man who instilled this doubt in her in the first place, but that man is gone, and as far as she can tell, Gohan is the closest second she'll be able to find.

Again, an interesting concept I hope I did well :) If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider dropping a review. That stuff is what fuels me to go on and write the next chapter ya know? I also respond to all reviews via PM if the review was made by account so, note that your review will be heard!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading. It took a long time to write haha.

Also! If this sort of introspective look of DBZ Is something you enjoy and want a little bit more of, please consider checking out The Catalyst by Drakthul. It's a story I feel doesn't get the attention it deserves due to an unassuming story summary. (And if you do check it out, say that I sent ya that way lol!)

The amazing cover art of this story was designed and completed by the wonderful:Upstart Psycho! If you'd like to check out their instagram where you can see all their other amazing work, please look them up saintswakeart. They appreciated the story enough that they wanted to add their touch to the tale, and I absolutely love it! Their commissions are currently open, so hit them up using the previously mentioned tags if you want more incredible artwork!

Until next time!