A/N: Well, this is it, the final chapter. I hope you've enjoyed everything in this story. Now you will find out how it will end.
Oh, and reviewers. Once again, I love you. Without your sweet messages I would never have been able to write this, thank you.
Thank you to: SuperSanne, Thomas Drovin, Krillin 285, CraZy18gurl, Deadly Beauty, evilgummibear, saiyanx, deadly beuaty2, android 17, and Toni the Mink. Thank you all so much for reviewing. If I forgot a reviewer, you can shoot me.
Well, enjoy, and till next time.
Chapter 11Eighteen stroked trough the little girls hair, twirling it around her fingers. She nearly didn't believe that she actually held the girl in her arms again. From the moment she feel unconscious in Rayo's labs she thought she'd never even see her family ever again. And now she was here, in the sun, with her daughter, her everything.
"Are you better again mommy?" Marron said.
"Yeah, I believe I am" Eighteen said softly.
Suddenly Krillin was standing next to her. "Hey baby, clean?" he said.
Eighteen nodded, letting Marron go.
"How are you feeling?" Krillin asked.
"Ok, better than a couple of hours ago at least" she said.
Krillin smiled, he looked over to the rest of his friends, who stood up and walked over towards the trio right now.
Eighteen smiled back, suddenly she fell on hands an knees, Krillin put an arm around her quickly. "Are you ok?"
Eighteen nodded "Yeah, just a little week I think."
Bulma was standing next to them right now. When she saw Eighteen fall she ran over towards her immediately. The rest of the gang was standing in the background a little confused of what to do.
"Eighteen?" Bulma whispered.
"I'm fine" she replied.
"You need to eat something Eighteen. You'll probably feel stronger afterwards." Bulma said in the tone of a mother making her child eat it's dinner.
"I'm not very hungry" Eighteen complained.
"Doesn't matter, I'll go and make sure there's some food for you inside, come and get it n a little while ok?"
Eighteen didn't reply.
"Eighteen?" Bulma said sternly.
"Ok, Ok" Eighteen replied I'll go and get some food soon."
Bulma walked inside, satisfied.
Meanwhile Eighteen managed to stand up again with a little help from Krillin. She hated that, she didn't want to look weak in front of her friends and family. Though Krillin would know that she was weak, she wanted to keep up appearances for her daughter and the people standing next to her now.
"Welcome back" Gohan said, breaking the silence that ruled at the moment.
"Thank you" Eighteen said softly.
Suddenly everyone moved over practically on top of her and either hugged her or simply gave her a friendly pat on her shoulder, welcoming her back to the group. Only Vegeta was standing a little away and didn't say anything, but most people have seen that he was relieved when Eighteen was brought back in.
Although he never forgave her for what she did to him in their first battle on the highway, and he still wanted to win back his pride by beating her in a battle, he was worried about her. Well, as worried as the Saiyan prince could become. He simply didn't want her to go trough what she's been trough.
Eighteen, meanwhile was looking down shyly, she blushed a little not knowing what to do with all the attention. Suddenly she found a excuse to leave.
"Where's Goku?" she asked. "I suppose I need to give him a major thank you."
"He's somewhere in the back garden. Said he needed to think, but you can look for him if you want" Chichi answered.
"I'll do that" Eighteen said, and she walked away a little swimming and dizzy like one who was a little tipsy.
It didn't took her long to find Goku, during some of her trainings she'd learned to detect and identify different Ki levels.
Goku was standing by a small river, throwing stones in it. He couldn't sense her coming, so he was a little surprised when she was suddenly standing next to him.
"Eighteen!" he said "How are you, feeling better?"
"Thanks to you" she said.
"Oh I just followed the radar" Goku said.
"You've been looking for me for like days, if not a week. I owe you Goku, I owe you big time. You saved my but, and I've never done anything for you. I always saw you as an enemy."
"Do you still do?" Goku asked.
"No, off coarse I don't" Eighteen said. "But until you saved me I have, I always saw you as something I should hate, and I feel guilty about it. If you ever need anything, anything at all tell me. I'm eternally grateful to you. Thank you."
Goku snorted. "I'm not sure if you should be."
"What do you mean?" Eighteen asked confused.
"You should hate me, I earned it" Goku said.
"WHAT?!" Eighteen yelled unbelieving "how can you say that. You saved my life, what did you do to me that I should hate you?"
Goku was silent, he was unsure if he should tell Eighteen about how he felt, he wanted to keep it to himself now. Thinking that his feeling of guilt would be gone now that he saved Eighteen. But as she started at him he felt the guilt gnawing him again. He had to let it out.
"Why should I hate you Goku?" Eighteen asked again.
"Because it's all my fault" he said softly. "I can't believe your not blaming me Eighteen. It's all my fault. I destroyed the Red Ribbon Army. I'm the one Gero wanted revenge on. I'm the reason you are what you are. I'm the reason your not human anymore, that you don't have a memory on your past life, that you go trough what Gero, Rayo and Cell put you trough. I caused it. So hating me would be normal."
Goku sat down on a stone. Eighteen squat down beside him.
"I did" she admitted. "When I was first activated I did hate you because of that. Why do you think I wanted to kill you? I didn't gave a shit about my programming, I was angry at you. And so was Seventeen. But afterwards, I realized that we couldn't blame you. Because you saved us from a much worse fate. If you hadn't destroyed the Red Ribbon Army, Gero would still rule right now. He would have grown his army, and do more horrible things to many, many other people. This is my fate Goku, and I can hate it, but I can also think what it has given me. A husband, whom I love dearly, and a daughter who means the world to me. You didn't do anything wrong Goku. This is Gero's fault, not yours."
Goku looked down at the water streaming in front of him.
"I just meant that" Eighteen said a little angry "And if you tell anyone about it, I shall have to kill you anyway."
Goku laughed. "Glad to see that you're your old self again."
"EIGHTEEN" a voice suddenly yelled over the gardens "COME HERE!!"
Eighteen laughed. "Bulma" she said "she's going to force me to eat."
Goku laughed in understanding. "Well, she's probably right."
"I guess I'll come then" Eighteen said and she stood up. "Thank you, for everything you've done for me" and she walked towards the house.
Goku watched her walking away. Smiling, finally rid of the guilt that has haunted him for so long now.
A couple of days passed. Eighteen, Krillin and Marron had stayed in Capsule Corp. They where forced to stay by Bulma until Eighteen had regained her complete strength again. Eighteen hated it, she didn't want to stay in a place with labs, but she understood that it was for her own good. Fortunately her husband and child could stay with her.
Marron was having a great time in Capsule Corp. She could always play with Trunks if he wasn't being trained by his father, and if that was the case she could discover the garden. Krillin was mostly around his wife, supporting her when Bulma did a check up (Eighteen was terrified, if Krillin wasn't with her she would've ran away) and just talking together.
One day everyone was sitting in the garden. Even the rest of the gang was there again, having a few spars and eating (a lot). Eighteen was happy, she enjoyed herself but she wished for the day to be over. She could get home then. Bulma said she'd recovered enough. To test it Bulma had placed her in the Gravity Chamber to spar a little with Vegeta. Clearly Vegeta was forced not to beat her up, but still, Eighteen could manage to catch up with him very well, thanks to the training she'd done.
Eighteen took another drink. She was happy, for the first time in a very, very long time she was truly happy again. She watched her daughter play with Goten and Trunks. They where teaching her some simple self-defence moves. At first Eighteen was worried she might get hurt, but then she realized she would probably teach Marron the movements herself. Marron probably inherited a lot of her mothers beauty and would grow in to a pretty looking young woman in a little while. Eighteen wanted that she would be able to defence herself against anyone who might think to harass her (although Eighteen knew she would probably kill one who tried it).
Suddenly a loud sound overruled the sounds of the party. The mixed noises of helicopters and planes came all over Capsule Corp. Everyone looked up in shock. Within a second a couple of men, dressed in black and heavily armed walked out of the building, having captured a lot of employees and forcing them to the ground.
Bulma stood up in anger that someone dared to take her company hostage. One of the helicopters land, and surrounded by armed bodyguards stepped dr. Rayo.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt your party and hostage your employees miss Briefs, but I have some unfinished business here." Rayo said in his cruel, mocking voice.
"Your crazy, my friends will destroy you!" Bulma yelled.
"Oh, I think not. Would they risk the lives off innocents?"
"What do you want?" Bulma hissed.
"What do you think?" he asked sarcastic "Give me the android back, I wasn't finished with her."
Eighteen was sitting at the ground. Her eyes opened and filled with absolute horror and fear of the man in front of her. The man that once again made her life a living hell. She didn't speak, she didn't move. She just looked.
"We won't let you have her Rayo" Goku said firmly "Get out, and take these toys with you!"
"Well, let me say it this way" Rayo started "if I don't get the android, I shall be forced to have these poor innocent people killed."
"You can't do that" Goku said.
"Oh yes I can. These people are worth nothing to the world of science, they are small, pathetic, nothing special. They can be missed easily. However, the android. She's one of a kind, she's a miracle."
"Why?" Eighteen suddenly asked. "Why am I such a miracle to you, because I can't see that. I'm nothing special, I'm a freak of nature, not a miracle."
"Oh, but you are" Rayo answered. "You may be not aware to it, but in the eyes of science, you are one of the most miraculous beings that has veer walked this earth. You are the perfect combination of biology and science, a biomechanical creature. You are perfect my dear. You are beautiful, dangerous, powerful, immortal. The perfect weapon. You have no idea what your creator was truly like. He was a genius, one of the smartest, if not the smartest, men alive. He was a miracle and he created miracles, like you."
Everyone was silent. They listened to Rayo's speech in amaze and disgust. Krillin needed to control all of his anger to make sure he didn't flew towards Rayo to wipe that arrogant smirk of his face. Suddenly he felt someone beside him, Marron was standing next to him, terrified. Krillin hugged his daughter, keeping her face away from the scene.
Eighteen stood up completely now. She looked at Rayo in a combination of fear and anger. "You know Rayo, since you have all of these people hostage, I suppose you leave me no choice."
"Glad that you are so wise.." Rayo started but he was cut off by Eighteen.
"Why don't you go to hell. Then you can meet your idol" she hissed. When she said the last word she formed an orb in her hands and shot it right at Rayo. It happened too fast and too sudden for anyone to react.
The moment the orb penetrated Rayo's body, right where his heart was, Eighteen stooped the beam, leaving Rayo in pain.
Rayo screamed in pain and fear, suddenly Eighteen pushed her hand forward, sending the orb right trough Rayo's body. He was dead before he hit the ground. Eighteen shot another beam at him, making sure his body was now nothing but dust.
She looked at his man who looked amazed. "You can share his fate, or leave, NOW!" she said.
No one needed to repeat that, every men Rayo brought left their hostages and arms and ran away. Some flew away with the planes and helicopters. Within two minutes the whole crowd was gone.
Everyone looked at Eighteen amazed. She fell on the ground again, tired, and still not believing what she just did.
"Do you want anything?" Chichi asked friendly.
But Eighteen shook her head firmly. "I want nothing, I just want to go home."
That night Eighteen sat on the couch in Kame house. Not even five minutes after the whole thing happened Eighteen and Krillin had flew home, leaving their friends behind. Eighteen held a cup of tea closed in her hands, trying to warm herself with it, but she failed. She was still cold.
Krillin walked down from the stairs, he just put his daughter in bed. Marron hadn't witnessed what her mother had done, she knew it off coarse, but Eighteen was happy she hadn't seen it.
Krillin saw his wife sitting on the couch, hugging the cup of tea, her legs curled of before her. She looked like a frightened child.
"Honey?" Krillin asked "are you ok?"
Eighteen didn't answer, she kept looking to the cup of tea like there was something really special in it.
Krillin walked over next to her and touched her arm. "Eighteen? What is wrong?"
"I feel horrible" Eighteen whispered.
"Why?" Krillin asked. "You should feel great, your back home, your with Marron and me again, and Rayo is gone. No one will ever harm you, you are free, you're finally free."
"That's the problem" Eighteen said "I'm free because I killed Rayo."
"That's no problem Eighteen, he deserved to die. Everyone thinks so" Krillin said wondering what his wife meant.
"I know that. But still, I killed someone. And it's the first human being I've killed since…"
"Since you where evil" Krillin added.
Eighteen nodded.
"Look Eighteen, you are not evil. Rayo deserved to die. And if you worry about afterlife then.."
"I DON'T WORRY ABOUT AFTERLIFE!" Eighteen suddenly yelled.
"I don't" she added a little softer. "I'm not the person that goes and confess her sins after every wrong thought. I don't worry bout the afterlife, I worry about this life."
"I don't get it" Krillin said.
"You can't get it" Eighteen said. "When you look within your soul, there is only good there. You're a pure hearted person, you don't need to worry about falling under evil's spell. You have no idea, how good it is to be evil. Why do you think evil is always there, and good always has to fight to survive?"
"I don't know" Krillin said confused.
"That's because evil is tempting. Once you've felt what it's like to be evil you know what I mean. You can do anything without worrying about what might happen, or without feeling guilty. When your good, you have all kinds of rules blocking you."
Krillin looked at his wife, still not knowing what she meant.
"Krillin, I'm good now" Eighteen said. "or at least I think I am. But when I killed Rayo, I felt evil growing inside of me again. And I don't care if I am to go to hell in the afterlife, but I care about what I might do in this life. I've got so much right now. I've got you, Marron, the rest of the gang, and I don't want to loose that by giving in to evil's temptation again. What would Marron say if she heard her mother was evil?"
Krillin was silent for a while, then he spoke. "Eighteen listen. First thing. Marron KNOWS what you've done. She knows about your past now, and she knows about what you did to Rayo. But most of all she knows that you're her mother. A beautiful, good and loving person. And Marron hasn't seen you killing Rayo, but she knows you've done it. And I spoke to her about it, and she thinks the bastard deserved it. She told me."
"She said that?" Eighteen asked.
"Well, she didn't say bastard. She said bad man, but the idea is the same."
Eighteen smiled a little.
"Eighteen, listen to me. I love you, and not because of the good person you've become. But because of everything you are. I also love you because of the darkness inside you. But that darkness, will never rule you again. You're good now, and nothing will ever change that. But darkness is a part of you, and that's nothing bad. It's normal."
Eighteen smiled a little.
Krillin took her face in his hands and mad it look up. "You're not evil Eighteen. You are what you are. Never forget that."
Eighteen nodded.
"Do you want to go upstairs?" Krillin asked. "Get some sleep?"
Eighteen shook her head. "I've slept a lot lately, I'm not tired."
"Bulma said you needed a lot of sleep to keep recovering." Krillin said.
"I don't care what Bulma said" Eighteen answered.
"Good, none of us do. Do you want me to sit next to you?" Krillin asked.
Eighteen curled up a little in the corner of the couch, making room for him. Krillin sat down and Eighteen lay down against him. Krillin stroke her hair and face.
"Krillin?" she asked.
Krillin hmm?'d to say he understood her.
"Will you just hold me, I haven't felt that for so long. I just want to be with you" she said very softly.
Krillin wrapped his arms around her. Eighteen closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. This way, the couple spent the entire night. Not letting each other go until the first sunlight. Not falling asleep, but simply lying next to each other, and enjoying the moment of safety, love and peace. Simply being with each other. Although it sounds boring, but it's one of the best things, you can get from each other. Just knowing that the other one loves you, and that nothing can break you up.
A/N: So this was it The final chapter. How was it? Please let me know what you thought of the story.
Hope you enjoyed it and see you next time!
Blessed Be