N/A Let me know if I didn't explain something enough. This is a little harsh and if you aren't familiar with DB (when Goku was a little kid The first seasons) then you may need to reserch who Tao is. Remember to review! They fule me. Peace out :3
Goku didn't know what he was remembering. What he was seeing didn't seem like himself. It was like an out-of-body-experience. It didn't look real, but if felt real. He could feel himself being touched by that vile man in his head. Tao. He remembered the man vividly. Assigned by the Red Ribbon Army to kill him. When Goku was knocked out, the flashes of Tao…. Touching him invaded his sleep. Invaded his thoughts. Goku saw it everywhere. He couldn't go into town without seeing him in a crowd. Starring at him. Violating him with his eyes.
Two months ago, Chichi had asked him to take her to town to buy groceries. Being himself, he'd listened and took her. In the middle of the store, he saw him. Tao walked forward. Passed him several times. Each time he passed Goku, he seemed to undress him with his eyes and smirk to himself. That was when it all came back to him. Every memory that his brain had deleted, came back like a stampede of antelope. Crushing him beneath their hooves and never letting up.
Then the panic attack's started.
Right in the middle of the store, in the middle of a crowd of people, he had a panic attack. He writhed on the bare tile floor, gasping for air. His hands went numb and his lips tingled. Chichi was by his side screaming her head off for help. Strangers crowded around him. A woman in scrubs felt for his pulse and asked him if she could help. Completely out of it, Chichi had to answer for him. She had lifted his feet and crossed his arms over his chest. The ambulance was called and even then, they couldn't calm him down.
In the hospital, and still not breathing properly, doctors and trauma nurses crowded around frantically trying to help. Every time they tried to approach him with a needle, he flailed angrily, screaming bloody murder. To make things worse, he saw Tao again. This time, the sick-o was dressed in a doctor's outfit, also attempting to 'touch' him. In a panic, Goku screamed louder and louder. Demanding that particular 'doctor' be stowed away for rape and highly medicated in a padded room. Even more drama happened when he was informed that this Doctor impersonator was the head attending of the Emergency ward. That said doctor needed to be present.
Even through his hyperventilating, he tried to express his hatred for Tao. Trying frantically to explain to the fellow nurses and doctors that this man had molested him as a child and he was terrified. Time and time again, they ignored his panicking and repeated that he needed to calm down. By then, they had him restrained and somehow, all of his ki, his power, and his defences were down. The restraints felt like they were made of something unbreakable. He ripped his arms and legs up as quickly and as strongly as he could muster. Even with all his might, the restraints stayed intact. Through the tears and through his aching lungs, he continued to scream bloody murder until Tao shoved a needle into his bicep and pushed the clear liquid into his blood stream. Before he could gather what was happening, he became sleepy and his vision blurred. They had sedated him and his breathing levelled out. The darkness terrified him because he was afraid that Tao would do something to him again and he wouldn't be able to fight him off.
Eventually he gave into the alluring darkness and drifted away.
The following day, he'd discharged himself and returned home.
Ever since then, the visions didn't stop. From the memories, it happened multiple times. He'd been drugged, violated, and left to die time and time again. Every time, he'd wake up and somehow find his way back to his grandfather's home. Of course in the morning, everything was forgotten. His brain's way of shielding him from the trauma. Now, his brain was betraying him and forcing him to remember everything. How it happened, how he was reminded, was beyond him. He couldn't think of anything that would've triggered it. Something he saw, made his mind do back flips.
Next was his sleep. Sleep evaded him completely. Every time he closed his eyes, the visions came back and were ten times stronger than they were while he was lucid. Every time he was touched, by anyone, his whole body felt like he was being lit on fire. The pain rushed through his veins and he'd flinch as if he was about to be hit.
Doctor after doctor. Psychologist after another and nothing could be done. Originally, he'd been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. The doctor had explained it as, widespread muscle pain and tenderness upon being touched even in the gentlest of ways. Medications were administered and Chichi being Chichi, demanded and monitored him in his taking them. After a month of non-stop medications, nothing helped. He still radiated with pain every time he was touched by someone else. Once again being in a doctor's office, they told him that the pain was all in his mind. They had diagnosed wrong. He needed therapist.
"Bullshit." Goku whispered to himself at the recollection.
Staying home was a normal thing for Goku now. He never left. Not for sparring, not for food or shopping, and certainly not for visiting friends. He was broken and wasn't about to let everyone know that. Chichi had been a gem and told everyone he had mono. Which in turn, kept everyone at a distance. Goku received calls from them. He could hardly muster the courage to talk to them that way. They had agreed that he sounded sick. At least he'd been convincing.
The wonderful friends he had, would send him soup and warming things. Those acts of curtsey almost always went in the trash. After all, he couldn't keep anything down.
Goku would vomit violently. Even if there was nothing in his stomach, he would cough up stomach acids. The chronic vomiting wouldn't happen if he wasn't thinking about Tao. Unfortunately for him, the whole situation was on his brain constantly. Racking him. He was certain that if this were to continue, he'd surly loose touch with reality. Possibly be admitted to a mental illness ward.
Not to mention his pissed off sparring partner. The last time the two sparred, Vegeta and he had a deep conversation about Chichi and it had been eye opening. Now he was home bound and afraid of his own shadow. Oh how disappointed Vegeta would be to see the Third-class like this. Funny how things change in such a short amount of time.
Nobody was ever home. Goku stayed home by himself. All day, all night. Chichi said that she was staying at Bulma's. Every Thursday she brought food over for him, but most of it just sat in the fridge and rotted. To think that Chichi had complained about him before all this. About him sparring all the time, then lead to Vegeta saying Bulma was on him. Perhaps he'd been showing signs beforehand. Something tipped them off. Goku always just assumed that it was because he was never around to go on family gatherings. In the past year, he'd acquired a new outlook on life. At the time he didn't understand, but now he did. This thing that happened to him changed who he was. Altered his personality. Made him think deeper and deeper about everything. Reading into things that weren't there.
Research was never a strong suit of Goku's. Sure enough, Goku found the courage to look up General Tao. Pictures and news letters popped up and invaded his screen. Seeing his face almost sent Goku into another panic attack. He sat at the desk scrolling through all the documents with his hand over his mouth and warm tears dripping from his face.
The articles were fairly old. Most of them dated back to a time before Goku. He reached a link that said The Great General Tao TraumatisesLife Itself. Although seeing just a few articles made Goku nauseous, that one looked promising. The bastard was shot by a woman named Kimmika. Her statement was that Tao had molested her five year old son. Soon after, cases popped up all over the state. All over the country. Child Molestation cases for prepubescent boys. The sick bastard molested more than fifty different boys. All from the age range of five to thirteen. Then Goku found where the bastard was. East city Hospital. In a coma from the shot, chained to the bed and supervised until his death. They couldn't prosecute him until he woke. They couldn't at all if he died.
Goku's mind was spinning. He wanted Tao dead. All those children. Himself. They deserved closure just as much as he did. They needed to know that someone was looking out for them. Someone cared. That someone was willing to risk themselves for their safety and well being.
He shut the computer off in a haste and sat back in the chair in astonishment. He couldn't believe what he was thinking. He was going to end Tao's life by his own hands and he was dead set on it. Nothing would change his mind.
Vegeta stood by the door tapping his foot impatiently. Chichi sat on the couch crying her eyes out for the tenth day in a row. Ever since she came to stay, she'd cried everyday. Goku this, Goku that. Going on and on about him being sick and nothing helped. Vegeta didn't actually think Goku would divorce her. He didn't think the idiot would listen to him. Vegeta smirked. He felt proud of himself.
"Awe, Chichi!" Bulma ran over to her and rubbed her back. "Everything's going to be okay!"
"I tried to get him help! I failed and now he's miserable!" She wailed into Bulma's shoulder.
Help him? Miserable? That didn't sound like a divorce. Normally Vegeta wasn't in the room when the harpy started to weep.
"What do you mean help him?" Vegeta demanded.
Bulma looked at him scornfully and Chichi sized him up with her sad eyes. "I took him to doctors I made sure he took his meds but he only got worse! I don't know what to do!" Her tears poured out of her like a waterfall.
What? What is she going on about? Vegeta looked at her confusingly. She continued to cry in Bulma's shoulder. Clearly she wasn't going to explain and surely Bulma knew. That was his Que. to leave. He hurried back up to his bedroom and locked the door behind him. Immediately, he rushed over to the top drawer of his dresser and fished out his baggy and pipe. Since Buu, he'd been crazy. Similar to Chichi's concern, Bulma had made him see a professional. Of course, he was diagnosed with PTSD. Which apparently is common in soldiers. Although Vegeta wasn't exactly a 'soldier' so to speak, he had gone through things similar to that of one.
Copping with that was a feat in it's own. The 'professional' had tried to get him on some sort of medicine but he declined. As the years went by, it only got worse. Every night, he'd dream about being beat by Buu. Being kicked repeatedly. The sound of his maniacal laugher. The sound of the blasts being shot. He'd relive the whole thing all over again. Every night. When he was alone, he was scared. Every noise made him jump. His anxiety was through the roof. Being alone made him feel like he was spiralling into an impending doom.
Some nights he'd wake up screaming. Shouting at Goku to help him. Trying to get Buu away from Goku. He'd wake up in a cold sweat and wouldn't know where he was.
Eventually the whole PTSD thing got on his nerves. Vegeta looked to his son for help. Thus getting him into smoking marijuana. Bulma had told him over and over that it'd only make it worse, but it didn't. When he smoked, he felt free again. The anxiety went away. The dreams and feelings of doom. It was almost like he was himself again.
Vegeta carefully pulled pieces of the bud apart and pushed them down into his glass pipe. He lifted the little pipe to his lips and lit the bud with his ki. The smoke went into his lungs and back out. That process continued until his bag was empty. Vegeta was as high as a kite. The price he paid for feeling that way was now he had to go buy more. He stood and put his pipe back in his drawer. Just as he turned around, Bulma came into his room waving her hand in front of her nose.
"Jesus Vegeta!" Bulma closed the door behind her quickly.
"You knew I was coming up here to do that so you brought this on yourself." He sat on his bed and crossed his arms.
Bulma sighed and sat down next to him. "Do you remember when I asked you to see what was wrong with Goku and you said that he just liked to spar a lot?" Her features were soft and concerned.
"Yeah?" Vegeta looked at her but she kept her eyes on her hands.
"Well you were wrong. some thing's definitely wrong with him. He's not eating or sleeping. He never leaves the house and he's scared of everything. He can't be touched or he freaks out and has panic attacks." Bulma locked eyes with Vegeta and made a puppy dog face.
"Maybe he has PTSD."
"I thought that too... It's worse than that.." Her eyes became filled with tears. "Please, go stay with him... Help him. No one else can." She fell into his lap and began to cry.
It all actuality, the last thing he wanted to do was go live with the half whit. However he just couldn't let the last of his race become mentally ill. His pride just wouldn't allow it. "Fine."
The next hour was filled with packing. Vegeta silently gathered his things and put them into a bag. Chichi came in the door way of his room and knocked on his door. Vegeta turned on his heel and met her gaze.
"Vegeta.." Her voice was low and solemn. "Thank you." She walked closer to him.
"Hn." He turned back to his clothing.
"I know that we got off on the wrong foot.." She began, "I'm thankful that you are willing to help Goku. I know you don't like him, or me, but thank you." She approached him and took his hand. In it, she placed a key. "This is the key to our home. He locks everything. All the windows are boarded up and so is the front door. After I left the last time, he boarded up the front door. Said there was a chance Tao could get in through there. I don't know who that is but.." She paused and wiped her face. "this key is universal so it works on the hidden door behind our house. You'll see two large bushes and between them is a door. The bushes cover it. It opens right up to the laundry room." She closed Vegeta's hand around the key. "I'm putting everything I have in you Vegeta." She wrapped herself around Vegeta's waist and kissed him on the cheek before she turned and walked out of his room.
He was stunned. Chichi had always hated him. Envied him. Knowing that used to make him feel pride. That he, The Prince, had such control over the harpy's thoughts. Now he just felt bad for her. That woman's pride was almost as big as his and she set that aside to help her husband. If that wasn't love then he didn't know what love was.
Vegeta was surprised that he only had two bags of belongings. He could fit everything in one garbage bag and it would still only be half full. He placed both bags in front of the door and turned around. Bulma, Chichi, Goten, and Trunks stood before him. First, Bulma hugged him then Trunks did. Goten wished him luck and thanked him. Then, he flipped both bags over his shoulder and walked out the front door.
The flight was long and arduous. It was a horrible night to travel. A storm the size of a planet loomed over head. It was pouring and the worst was yet to come. Luckily his bags were water proof so at least his clothes wouldn't be wet. He really needed to invest in Instant Transmission. Vegeta could only imagine what was wrong with Goku. The Third Class never had issues with anything. He was so mellow all the time. If he did have a problem, he voiced it. Never had he pushed away anyone. Now Vegeta was going to live with him until he showed signs of improvement. The only reason Vegeta agreed to do this was because he knew that Goku was easy to fix. He would only be held up there for a few days at most.
Vegeta arrived at the Son home two hours later. The storm had in fact worsened. Lightning and thunder shook the Earth. Chichi was right, all the windows were boarded up. The front door was replaced with an iron one, which was also boarded up. Vegeta made sure to lower his ki. Can't have Kakarott coming out here and throwing a fit. The element of surprise was all Vegeta had. He snuck his way around the back of the house and found the two bushes smashed against the house. He made a V shape with his hands and preyed the shrubs apart. Between them, was a skinny wooden door with a pad lock on it. Vegeta pulled the key out of his pocket and jammed it into the keyhole. The door opened easily and to his liking, quietly. He took shelter from the storm in the warm home. Just as Chichi had explained, he was in the laundry room.
It was like a desert in the house. The air was so dry, Vegeta got a nose bleed just from breathing. The hot air assaulted him while he walked through the hall way. It was dark. Especially with the storm and all the windows covered. There were faint sounds of sobbing coming from the living area. Vegeta peaked around the corner and found Goku sitting at the desk with his mouth covered and tears running down his face. Goku was hunched over and wrapped in a blanket. His face was glued to the computer screen. From Vegeta's distance, he couldn't see what the dolt was looking at. Very gently, he placed one foot in front of the other until he was mere inches away from Goku's head. The screen read:
Favoured General Tao was placed in the East City ICU on Friday May 2nd in critical condition. A woman, Kimmika, shot the great general and put him in a coma. Her statement shockedhalf the country side. Her words? "I knew there was something wrong. The General would come over every Saturday and talk to my son, Malo. Malo started to become more and more different as time went on. When I finally got it out of him, I was shocked and driven by anger. I grabbed my husbands hand gun and did what any sensible mother would do if she found out her child was molested. I shot him." The story went viral on Channel 6 news that night, and soon there after, cases popped up all over the country. Authorities were alerted and more children spoke out. There were more than fifty cases by then end of the month. Children ranging from 5-13 all spoke out saying that Tao did the unthinkable to them too. As of today, Tao resides in East City Hospital in a coma...
Vegeta froze. Why was Goku looking at this sick bastard? Vegeta had seen the whole thing on the news. Tao was a monster. He watched as Goku stared in awe and sat back in his chair. He looked utterly terrified. Now was Vegeta's chance to speak.
"Kakarott?" He asked.
Goku jumped in fright and turned around quickly. "Vegeta?!" He shouted. "How did you get in here?!" He stood and backed away as if Vegeta was going to kill him.
"Calm down you idiot! Congratulations by the way, you managed to scare away your whole family and make everyone worry. No I'm here and I'm supposed to help you." Vegeta crossed his arms and regarded Goku from the corner of his eye.
"Look, I don't know what you're talking about or how you got in here, but you need to leave." He stood and motioned to the door.
Vegeta laughed and sat in the desk chair. "I'm not leaving until you're yourself again. Am I clear?" Goku gave him a dirty look. "Why were you looking up that sick-o tao?"
Goku's face burnt bright red and his eyes started to well up. "You know he's a monster?" He stammered over the words.
"Yeah, duh, it was all over the news for weeks." Vegeta picked at his fingertips.
Goku shifted his weight nervously. Then lifted his fingers to his mouth and chewed his nails. "We don't watch the news. Chichi always said that it was bad for the kids."
"So you never saw it on the news?" Vegeta stepped closer and Goku stepped back.
"N-no." He wrapped his arms around himself and dug his nails into his skin.
"What's going on with you? Why do you care about Tao? If you ask me, the bastard got what he deserved. Rotting in a hospital like a vegetable. Priceless." Vegeta crossed his arms and smirked.
"I think he should die."
Vegeta paused. Did that come from Kakarott? He was sure it did. Even though it was low and hardly audible, it came from Goku. "What did you just say?"
Goku rolled his eyes and backed up more. "I think he should die."
He repeated it again and still Vegeta couldn't wrap his mind around it. So he did what felt right. He laughed loudly and hard. To the point his stomach hurt. When he finished, he wiped a tear from his eye. Goku stood still with a serious face. The sort of face he wore when he was going to fight a dangerous opponent.
"Look, I don't know why you're here, but I'm still sick and not feeling well enough to have any guests or spar."
"I'm not here to spar and I'm not a 'guest'. I live here now." Vegeta paused. "Sick how?"
"Ummm no. You really just need to le-"
"SICK how?" Vegeta crossed his arms.
"Vegeta," he sighed, "I'm just having some mental problems and I'm going to take care of it. Then everything can go back to normal."Goku sat at the kitchen table and bounced his leg.
"Nothing will be normal again. You don't go from nauseating happiness to chronic depression. Some thing's wrong, Kakarott."
Vegeta stepped closer yet again and Goku backed away. It continued until Goku's back was against the wall. Vegeta's face was inches from Goku's. Goku was scared. The blood ran out of his face and turned blue from fright. Vegeta had never seen him so petrified.
"What is going on with you?" Vegeta whispered.
"Please just back away, please.." He put his hands above his head.
Vegeta raised his brow. What happened to you? Vegeta lifted his hand to Goku's arm. Goku flinched and whined slightly.
"Please don't touch me... please... it hurts." Goku's voice was weak.
Vegeta didn't listen and he placed his hand on Goku's shoulder. He flinched and whined slightly. He looked like he was preparing for pain. His face was twisted. They held their position for a minuet. Goku opened his eyes wide. The colour returned to his face and his mouth dropped. He grabbed Vegeta's hand and placed it on other parts of his body. Finally ending with Vegeta's hands on his face.
"No pain." Goku whispered. "No pain!" He grabbed Vegeta and hugged him
From what he heard, this is the most emotion Goku had expressed in months. Vegeta had a hard time deciphering whether that was a good thing or just the beginning of a bad thing.
