Chapter 36 Rest in Pieces
Look at me, my depth perception must be off again Cause this hurts deeper than I thought it did It has not healed with time It just shot down my spine _ You look so beautiful tonight. Remind me how you laid us down And gently smiled before you destroyed my life Would you find it in your heart To make this go away And let me rest in pieces
--
When Monday morning came around, Bulma had no desire to get out of bed. Not there was any reason for her not too, it just felt so damned warm underneath her six layers of blankets that willing herself to move was not an option. She sighed pleasantly, reaching out of her protective embrace for the remote, yanking it quickly back under the heat infested blanket and clicking the channels on her flat screen tv.
It was upon thinking about what a wonderful day it was going to be when she saw the brilliant blue eyes and hair of her own reflect on the screen. With the words 'Breast Cancer' right next to her.
She was sure her scream of curses were heard throughout her whole complex. Within seconds Vegeta busted in through the balcony, Trunks through the front door, and Bra came stumbling up behind him, hiding next to his leg peaking in. Bulma ignored their existence grabbing her phones and dialing several different numbers with two hands speaking into them simultaneously.
Trunks picked Bra up his arms, comforting her, "Mom's working, Bra. Guess we'll have to eat leftovers."
Vegeta caring less for his mate's distress ventured after his two children, wondering what the boy was going to conjure up for food. He followed with distance between them. Trunks depression was no where near getting better if by chance it was actually withering some. Though he understood less than ten percent of his son's agony, betrayal was a highly knowledgeable subject. He did not want to set off his emotionally stunted son with his carelessness. If it was one thing he learned by living here amongst humans, they cry. Crying from females was hard enough to handle, he didn't think he'd survive if Trunks started shedding tears.
The last time he could remember his son crying was the day he had come back from the dead. He had scolded the boy, telling him to toughen up but had otherwise left it alone. If Trunks started crying because of this female, kami help him he'd either die from embarrassment or die from nervousness. Neither situation he wanted to get caught in to say the least.
Even though they were downstairs now and he was sitting with Bra watching morning cartoons while Trunks was making whatever food he could find, Bulma's screeching was carrying over the nutty voices on the screen. He glared up at the ceiling trying to decide whether this was going to continue for the rest of the day or not.
"Crap." Trunks whispered and Vegeta turned his gaze back to his child. The boy was staring out the balcony windows. Vegeta flipped his gaze and saw the line of papazzi standing outside the gates of Capsule Corps. But behind them was what was seriously going to bother them. A vilgil of thousands of people illiumated by candles and signs of love and devotion. Trunks cursed to himself, "She's not the damned Pope, for Kami's sake." He typed in the code to their glass windows and automatically they became tinted, covering the inside of their home from any high tech banoculor's and cameras.
Capsule Corporation had two areas of entry. One was for the main populace, the other one was used for employees only, the one that was in front of their house, hence the reason they had a big tram running through their roof. The normal populace would never come back here because surrounding a mile wide permiter was Bulma's Secret Police, given to her by the Emperor of Japan. So needless to say, someone had not been doing their job.
Even as Vegeta was thinking this though, a swarm of black-clad agents were being disturbed from a recently settle helicopter. He could hear Trunks mumble, "Finally."
Breakfast passed in silence in front of the musical animated show that played before them. Vegeta could have sworn he had lost some IQ but he had kept his month shut. Bra hated when he spoke bad about her shows. It was bad enough Bulma was going to be in a pissy mood, provoking Bra was just too much for the two males to handle.
Eventually Bra allowed them to change the channel while she went off to play in the back room where her puppy resided, barking for attention. He was sure the issue of the puppy was going to pop up sooner or later but pleasantly it appeared to be later with this new fiasco Bulma had for herself.
Vegeta shifted uncomfortably, awkwardly darting glances to his son who sat in the lazy boy, stretched out, his hands behind his head. He wanted to speak to his son but how to go about it? He would ask (demand) to train but with their parameter's breached by ever present humans there was no where safe until Bulma removed the horde from their lawn.
Vegeta sighed softly. "Boy."
Trunks snapped his head to his father. "Yea?"
"Explain."
Trunks eyes dropped. He knew what his father was talking about. He was hoping by some miracle his mother wouldn't spill his secret but it was too obvious. "She told you huh?" He whispered.
"She did not need to tell me. You transfer many things to me, subconsciously."
"What do you mean?"
"Why did you wish it secret?"
He stared consistently at the TV. "I didn't think you'd understand."
"I do not."
"Probably think I'm pathetic huh? Too human."
Vegeta rose wondering why he had brought up the subject to begin with. He stared at the windows, glaring at the crowd before him wishing he could set off a blast somewhere to scare them far away. "I do not understand it. I was not raise to understand. It is part of my imperfection as a mate and father."
He heard the chair fold into itself as Trunks sat up. Vegeta was sure Trunks was very surprised to hear him say the word 'imperfection' considering. "However," He continued. "I do not think you are weak."
Trunks was silent for a moment before he found his words. "If you know your mistakes as a husband and father, why didn't you learn to correct it?"
What was this? Vegeta's brows knit. Never had Trunks questioned him on anything he had ever tried to explain before. Never had Trunks nearly insulted him by questioning. Usually Trunks just took what he could and that had been good enough but now, this change was so apparent. Vegeta felt he had to defend himself. Defend himself against his own son?? That felt so wrong.
But despite it, he felt Trunks deserved an answer. The boy had been so understanding most of his life, why was he so surprised that now Trunks needed to know?
"There is too much of a difference between my culture and your mother's culture. To change is impossible. I would be me, no more. Is that what you would have wished. In order to have a good father."
"I'm not saying you aren't a good father, dad." Trunks sighed. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm upset with the world. Not at you. I keep thinking that if you would have taught me better, I would have seen Nesa for what she was. I keep thinking if you would have accepted her as my girlfriend, she wouldn't have become scared of me."
Vegeta turned with widened eyes, "What are you talking about?"
"You never liked her."
"I met her all but once."
"And you didn't like her."
Oh the boy was going out of his mind. Vegeta didn't know if he could handle this teenage attitude on his own. Bulma was the one to always handle Trunks adolescent outbursts. Sure, there had only been a few moments like this throughout Trunks' life but nonetheless, Vegeta never once dealt with any of Trunks' temper.
"You scared her. And she instantly became scared of me."
Vegeta wasn't following. He lost all understanding before this conversation even started. He wondered what would happen if he just walked away but he wasn't sure that was in Trunks' best interest.
And if Trunks held hatred in his heart for him, then it needed to be dealt with.
"She said she would have told me long ago about what she was really doing, if she wasn't scared."
If Vegeta didn't like Nesa before, he sure as hell didn't like her now. Personally he hadn't known her long enough to have any impact. Trunks introduced her, she waved and smiled, and that was that. She had big breasts. That was the only thought that came to mind before Vegeta walked away.
Now as Trunks stood here saying words never spoken, he wished he had been active in his son's courting. He should have taken an interest in her. Two months or so since Trunks finally told him he was seeing this girl and he had only seen her once. Now that he thought about it, why hadn't she come over more? Why hadn't she ate dinner with them --That's a common human thing to do.
Had it been Trunks that had kept her away?
Vegeta straightened his pose, folding his arms and tightening his shoulders. "So I was right. You are ashamed."
He shook his head rapidily, "I'm not ashamed. That's not it. She's just so different from me. Mom was brought up with Goku, Dad. She learned and adapted and fought. But not all girls are like that. Her feelings get hurt so quickly, she hates violence. I have to watch myself so I don't hurt her.--"
"Then she is not for you."
"You don't know her at all."
"And I do not want to. She does not accept who you are. Will you change yourself just for a fuck? Did I raise you to be so?"
"You didn't raise me at all."
It had been a quick jab. An eye for an eye perhaps. He had insulted Trunks' woman and therefore Trunks fought back. It would have been a good surprise, to see his son become a man in a heartbeat to protect the woman he desires. Except he hadn't thought Trunks would be so good at cruelty.
Trunks ran a hand through his long lavender hair, "Oh dad, I'm sorry, I didn't-- This isn't even about you." He tried to correct his mistake but it seemed to only wound his father more.
Not about him, huh? Wasn't it all? It always came down to him and his Sayian genes. Vegeta had no response, speechless, taken aback by his son's blame.
Why was he so surprised?
--
Vegeta sat down in his GR, willing himself to mediate but knowing it was already too late. He had stayed too long with his family and had endured Trunks' words. It had left him without a chance to fight back when a flashback rammed into him like a sudden wave in the ocean, drowning him.
--
He didn't know how long he had laid there. Several shifts perhaps. He didn't care. Living was not something he wanted to go on doing at the moment so getting up from the floor he laid on wasn't about to happen for him. He had endured the one and only torture there was left. Violation. Total violation of who he was, his soul and body. He had been unconscious when someone had dropped him off in his room, how he had wished he had never woke. This life wasn't worth it.
Nearly ten years old now and yet he felt life was slipping from him. His will to survive was barely visible in such darkness. All he wanted was his mother's arms. All he wanted was to be home again. If that had been possible, if Vegeta-sei and his mother both weren't gone from this universe, he wouldn't allow himself to give in to death. But knowing the fact that it wasn't possible, crippled his will. Nothing was worth this. Not revenge, not hate, not freedom.
A creature was standing in front of him. Even though he knew it, he couldn't respond. He had surrounded himself mentally from all physical contact while in the South Tower. It had taken him a while, but he had finally managed to create a safe place in his mind and that's where he resided now. He allowed unconscious to take over again, too afraid to see who it was that disturbed him now.
--
His eyes slowly opened. His mind was blank, and his emotions were dull. He noticed himself naked and resting in a bathtub but why or how didn't bother him. He was too careless to anything. A hand came into view, a washcloth rubbed against his arm. The water was constantly being emptied and refilled, he could see the fosit running but he couldn't hear anything quite yet. Blood was draining, the proof of his torture being cleaned and packed to allow himself to heal properly when finally his Sayian blood returns to full power.
He moved his head trying to find the owner to the hand but even that simple movement caused pain so swiftly and suddenly he hadn't been prepared. It was the first wave of pain to wake his senses and a groan passed his lips.
"Don't move." A voice whispered.
His eyes drifted over and found a creature kneeling beside the tub constantly rubbing his wounds clean. From the sound of her voice, he knew it to be female. Her eyes were two inches wide, grey, with long thick eyelashes. Her face so narrow, her chin ended in a 'V" shape. Her nose was pushed back inside her skull. She was like all creatures on this ship-- not Sayian. Her four fingers clenched the clothe, her pure white skin clashing with his dark tan. He watched her movements unable to do anything else. He cared not for what this creature was doing. He was too far within his trance to do anything but sit there in the tub.
--
When he woke again, he was resting on furs. He flinched and hissed when a sharp pain touched his chest and he snapped his head up noticing the same woman he saw in his dream slowly applying a liquid to his deep gashes. "You're real."
She giggled, keeping her attention on her ministrations. "I believe so." Her language was in Frieza's dialect. It made him flinch upon hearing the vile words.
His eyes took in his surroundings finally, realizing that he was within his own rooms. That calmed his nerves a bit and he rested his head back against the furry cloth behind him. He stared up at the ceiling trying to recall lost memories, why was he injuryed, who was this woman, where were Radditz and Nappa. Though, a part of him knew some of those answers but he kept it locked unwilling to release those despicable memories at this second.
He flinched with pain and caught her apologetic gaze. "They will get infected if not clean. You're strength will take time, I fear." With a nod she continued on, softer it felt.
To receive such care had been a long time overdo. He trusted her enough to clean his wounds but sleeping again wasn't happening with her in the room. The fact was however if she wanted to kill him, she would have done so. But that didn't mean he didn't have any other thing to give. Creatures in this universe had unique powers and unsuspecting wails. To trust a stranger was to die young. Frieza had been a prime example.
"How long was I out?"
"Not as long as I had predicted, I fear. Only two shifts have past. You will not like what you see, I fear."
He believed her even though he could not feel most of his body so he didn't bother to look. "You're a slave?"
"We all are, I fear."
"Who ordered you to come?"
She had faltered slightly by his question but went out without replying. It had been a stupid question by him, perhaps. Slaves did not call their owners by any other name other than master. His eyes strayed down to her. He caught the many scars that decorated her white skin reflecting in pale shades. She had lost a finger on her left hand. He had never seen her on the ship but then again, if he had he would have taken no notice of her to begin with. Upper class 'slaves' had no room in their memory for lower class 'slaves.' They came and went like virgins.
"I've only heard of you." She spoke softly, unsure. "The Savior."
"Tsk. Don't call me that." She flinched and shut her mouth quickly. But it seemed she had something more to say. And he was slightly interested in what she had heard. "Speak if you must, but don't call me that."
"On my planet. You were mentioned in books. 'A slave that will rise up to become a god, to prevail all that is evil and reign the universe with a gentle fist."
"And you believe that to be me, do you?"
Her hand stalled and she shot his eyes to him with confusion in her gaze, "Believe? Not at all, I fear. Know? Of course."
Vegeta scoffed at her idiocy. He had wished she hadn't spoken to begin with. "You put your faith in something that does not exist."
To argue was to provoke a beating. She was well-breed to the fact and so she said nothing in response. He watched her with curiosity though. He rarely ever heard of the prophecy, especially since Frieza destroyed as much of that possibility as he could without actually killing Vegeta himself. He had six years of hearing how he was the chosen one but he knew nothing of what that meant. His father never explained and his mother was never given the chance.
It took over an hour or maybe longer, he had drifted to sleep but woke when her touchings fell away. He watched her still, not willing to try and move, he wasn't stupid despite how young he was. Her body was strange to say the least. Skinny, nearly malnourished, her ribs were widely stretched out ranging from the top of her chest to the bottom of her stomach. She stood in the bath quarters, starring at the bloody water for what seemed like hours. Then she turned to him and quickly walked to his bedside. He watched her confusedly, heightening his drained ki incase she suddenly wanted to cause him harm.
"I must speak, I fear."
"Fine."
"Most, if not all, on this ship look to you. They pretend to hate, they pretend to wish you harm I fear. But they only wish for you to save them. Hope is strong when you defy Lord Frieza. We wait for you to conquer, I fear. But until that day, we wish you to be safe." Finally her lime gaze lifted from the floor to catch his. "A child will not defeat Frieza, I fear. So until you become a man, please, obey. "
Obey. It was sickening and grotsque word and to hear it made him quiver with disgust. "Obey?" He bit.
"You will die, I fear." Worry now reflected in her eyes and as if she were begging she got to her knees and reached for his hand. He did not move it for other reasons. "swallow pride, and live to conquer. Obey. To live."
It was an answer to a question he hadn't been able to ask. A moment during Frieza's torture in the South Tower had him begging the gods just what he should do. It had him begging to die to be with his mother and father. To be with his unborn sibling and his race. Throughout the whole ordeal however, the gods had not spoken. They had given him no comfort and no escape.
As he looked to her, to this stranger without a name, he couldn't help but believe this was their answer. Two years of fighting every word the lizard had spoken until this very moment. Frieza had finally won out. Now, he was officially branded a slave.
-- end
Trunks stared at the blank TV unsure what had just occurred. He couldn't believe he had just disrespected his father. He couldn't believe he saw hurt reflect in the pure Sayian's black eyes. And he couldn't believe he was hating himself at this very moment. He wasn't stupid. He knew this was called the adolascent phase, where everything is against him and he is against everything. He knew his thoughts were rash and unfiltered, not to mention completely childish, but that still didn't stop him from the experience. He thought he was better than this, thought that he would never have to go through this stage in his life but apparently even for the brilliant, being a teenager is just part of life. Perhaps it would be better to just stay away from his father and his mother. His hate for them was something he didn't want to feel and definitely something he didn't want them to know about.
A buzz at the elevator turned away his attention and he allowed the door to be open.
A gasp hit him finding Nesa's green eyes gazing back at him. A Asian officer in a black uniform held her arm. "Excuse me, sir. But the lady was carrying this." He held up her card which allowed her access to the house property. He had given that to her the first night they slept together.
Reluctantly and against his better judgment, he allowed her in. Seeing her again despite hating her was like the light of heaven. He cursed himself for still loving her. Trunks glanced at the clock, noticing that class was suppose to start in less than an hour. He hadn't planned on going for the obvious reason of not wanting to see her. Perhaps she knew he'd skip. She knew him well.
The silence ate at both of them. She made it no further than the exit of the elevator, twisting her fingers in nervousness. He didn't dare himself to look at her anymore, keeping eyes out the windows. He forced himself to speak first, "You shouldn't be here."
"Please don't hate me."
"I. I don't. You just. Shouldn't be here."
Her footsteps sounded on the tiled floor but they stopped shortly after. Her anxiousness reflected in her ki, pulsing just as fast as his heart. "I've missed you." She whispered.
Trunks shut his eyes, "Don't tell me that.
"It's true," She pleaded. "I wanted you to know. I needed you to know. I feel the same way. I lov-"
"Don't." He begged. "It's a lie. All of it."
"It wasn't a lie." Her whispered pain was obvious and he felt his heart learch. "I'll admit, that I pursued you in order to make friends. To be part of the group you were in. But anything else that came from that wasn't part of the plan. I didn't plan to date you, didn't plan to sleep with you and I swear to kami, I didn't plan to fall in lov-"
"Nesa. You need to go."
"You don't want me to go." And again her footsteps sounded and he knew before he felt it that she was behind him, and her hands touched his back, unsure, afraid, at first and then confident when she didn't pull away.
He felt himself already willing to give up whatever anger he held and turn in her arms to hold her again and forgive her. Only one thing stopped him. His Sayian pride. "I can't be with someone that's afraid of me."
Her hands pulled away, "Afraid of you?"
He turned to her and caught her gaze, "When I asked why you didn't tell me. You said you were afraid. Afraid to tell me the truth because you were afraid of the Sayian in me."
Nesa shook her head. "I'm not the one afraid, Trunks. I was worried what your mother would do to me. You're the one afraid of who you are."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are. You thought I was scared? Of what? You hurting me? I trust you. Besides you've held back every single bit of anger, every single bit of who you are from me."
"No I haven't."
"Oh yea? Yell at me, Trunks."
"I don't want to yell, Nesa. It won't make it better."
"You don't know that. Opening up a little might help. Yell at me. Tell me you hate me for what I did."
"I don't hate you."
"Damn it, Trunks. Get angry. Stop holding back. Stop turning away. You know while we were going out, you never once got mad at me. No matter what I did, you never yelled at me or told me you didn't like what I did, or who I hung around with. I was starting to think you didn't care."
"I can't control you, Nesa. And I won't."
"It's not about control. It's about showing that you care. People get mad, Trunks. It's okay to be angry. Show me your angry. Let go of your anger. I can take it. I may be human but I'm not weak."
"You couldn't handle my anger."
"You think I'm pathetic don't you?"
Trunks sighed aggregately, running his hands through his thick hair, "What do you want from me."
"I want you to get angry."
"Why?"
"Because it's fucking human!"
"I'm not human, Nesa. You don't get what I am inside. You don't know what I could do to you. And yes, that fact scares me. I don't want to hurt you. You want me to tell you it bothers me when you talk other guys, fine. You want me to tell you it effects me when you pull away, fine. Now what?"
"I'm actually beginning to know you." He rolled his eyes in aggravation. She was defiantly trying this time to get through to his deeply hidden temper. It probably wouldn't have been so easy if he wasn't upset with her to begin with.
Trunks sighed, "I think you should go." He went over to the elevator and pushed the button for her. She stared at him, searching probably for any secret desire for her to stay but she sadly saw nothing.
"That's it? You can't forgive me?" Tears were welling up.
The hurt and pain that was so obvious in her gaze was hard to ignore. He dropped his eyes to the ground. It was an answer he wasn't ready to give. "Not yet." He whispered before going into the elevator himself and pushing it shut.
So a different intake on what it was like for Trunks to grow up Sayian on a human planet. Looks like Vegeta hasn't been the only one suffering. But will Bulma and Vegeta realize this before Trunks takes matters into his own hands?
Thank you for reading. I'm still here, working and working some more :)