The next chapter is posted! WARNING: Instances of Severe PTSD in this chapter. Enjoy :)
Hanna hasn't spoken much since that day. In fact, she hasn't said a word to anyone, especially Frieza. After what he did to her friend and then taking advantage of her. She awoke the next morning to him groping her from behind. She barely bothered with him as he did so and hardly did anything to stop him when he pushed himself inside her again for the second time since the night before. He still wasn't rough with her. But it still didn't change the fact that she was upset, disgusted, and traumatized.
Something he overlooked after everything that happened. It's been several weeks now since that nightmare he put her through. Hanna stopped going to the workout room. She hardly left his room period. Nowadays, she was sleeping most of the time. Everything she has done up to this point; felt mechanical in nature. Her body would be moving. But it's like no one was there, like her mind was walking through a fog.
Frieza didn't notice any of this right away. Because he was unaware of what she still did during the day onboard, while he was down below training again. Most of the concern came when she stopped talking altogether. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. Physically, she seemed fine. But her bleary, blank stare was certainly cause for alarm. When all his attempts at getting her to speak failed, he took her down to the Medical Room to be looked at.
Frieza wasn't ignorant, he had a pretty good idea of what was wrong. But he wanted a second opinion from one of the doctors for confirmation. After a thorough exam, they came out and said; she appears to be in shock due to PTSD. Most likely brought out by everything she's seen him do. Of course, the doctors would not flat out tell their Lord that he was the cause of her behavior. For fear of death. But they did tell him it had to do with what she's witnessed these last seven and a half months.
He traumatized her to the point she was an emotional wreck. He'd awaken to her whimpers during the night due to nightmares. There were hardly times he didn't walk in on Hanna crying. For the first time ever, Frieza was starting to feel really guilty for what he put her through. The doctor was quite surprised when his Lord asked him what he himself could do to help her recover.
"Time. Time, patience, and support are key to the healing process." The doctor informed him.
Frieza understood and would take those measures to help her. He started cutting his workload in half, including his training. He knew Hanna most likely didn't want him around her all that much. And he didn't blame her. But he knew he was responsible for her state of mind. And he refused to stand by and continued to watch her waste away. So he will push his pride aside, be patient, and supportive of her.
He's not sure why he's been developing a soft spot for the petite human woman. It's something that has been ongoing for the last month and a half or so. Frieza certainly was not one for jealousy either. So it came to quite a shock for him when jealousy took over him. When he heard that soldier brought her back to his quarters and spent time in there with her; he became blinded by jealousy and rage.
It's why his execution of the warrior was so brutal to begin with. And what followed, was just as worse. She fought so hard against him, but lust and betrayal clouded his mind as he forced himself on her. Frieza could still hear her cries and pleas for him to stop. All of which went ignored, because he was such an ornery and selfish bastard. That's something he will never deny.
Now here they were in his room. Frieza was currently trying to coax her to eat more. Hanna hasn't been eating much since that day. And it was really starting to show. It seemed like she was slowly dying right in front of him. He needed to figure out a more effective way to get her healthy and better again, it had to be fast, before she fades away completely.
"Please, try and eat a little more, Darling. It's unhealthy going for long periods of time without food and hardly eating much." He told her.
Hanna didn't make a move to eat though. She sat on the edge of the bed, with her legs up, and looking away from him. The bowl of food sat untouched beside her. She looked so pale, with dark circles under her eyes despite her oversleeping. Something that really started to pull at him. Frieza wanted to reach out and give her some comfort. But when he tried to touch her last time, she flinched away from his touch. Something else the doctor said, had to do with PTSD.
Frieza gave her a slightly somber look and sighed. He then tried for a different approach.
"If I had the power to go back to that day and change things; I would. But unfortunately, I can't. But I can tell you this. I swear, I won't lay a hand on you to hurt you ever again, Hanna." He said.
She would've never believed him. But the sincerity in his voice as he told her, baffled Hanna. Why? Frieza never had a problem with hurting her. He's done it ever since she was brought aboard his ship. So why the sudden change? Was his sincerity genuine? Or was it a trick? And if so, what is he trying to accomplish in doing so?
Her stomach hurt, it's been cramping a lot lately. Probably because she's been hardly eating much. She was so deep in thought, that she almost missed what he was saying.
"I'm sorry, Hanna. And I've never apologized in my entire life. Until now. But I mean it when I tell you that I never meant to scar you so deeply like I did. Perhaps, you don't believe me and that is alright. It doesn't change the fact, that I'm here to help you get better again. No matter how long that takes." He said, softly.
A couple tears rolled down Hanna's cheek when he finished. But she still didn't look at him. She did however, slowly pick up the spoon and started to eat. He sighed in relief and a faint smile appeared on his face. As she continued to eat, Frieza kept chatting with her. It was ok that she didn't talk back, he wasn't going to make her. At the moment, he didn't have a problem doing all the talking.
He even got the feeling that she was listening and hanging on to each word he said. Because between bites Hanna would slightly turn her head in his direction, as if she were listening. Her eyes would flicker to the side every now and then too, which was also an indication that she wasn't ignoring him. The topics he chose to talk about were a bit random.
Frieza was so use to talking politics or about business. But he knew Hanna wouldn't want to hear about his dirty dealings. Talk of destroying worlds or selling them certainly wouldn't help with her healing process. So he'd talk about other things. He thought she'd get a kick out of hearing some funny goofs he did throughout his life. Especially, when he was younger and more reckless. Nothing that involved death, just silly blunders that has happened to him he thought shouldn't have happened.
He recalls a time in his youth, when he was practicing with death saucers. When he tried to pull them back to his hands, Frieza panicked last minute and they bypassed him. They sliced through a tree right behind him, and said tree came down and conked him right on the head. Making his older brother laugh his ass off at the young Frieza.
He thought he saw a faint smile appear on her lips. When he told her how he painted a mustache and unibrow on his older brother's face while he was past out on the sofa from drinking too much of their Father's wine. The paint he used on Cooler was very difficult to wash off and wouldn't come off in one wash. So his brother walked around for the next couple days looking like a silly cartoon character.
Frieza himself smiled when he noticed Hanna finished the whole bowl of food he'd given her. She also finished most of her water with it. Afterwards, he noticed her rubbing her arms. It did get a bit cool on this ship. So he made a mental note to get her slightly warmer clothes. He will also make a point to get her some that were not so revealing. Figuring that will help make her feel better.
Later that day, he did just that. When Hanna walked out of the bathroom after taking a bath, she was surprised to see a long sleeve, knee length dress. It would also cover her stomach. Besides the dress was a pair of leggings to go with it. Hanna wasn't sure why the tyrant was suddenly giving her more appropriate and warmer clothes.
First his out of place behavior earlier and now this. It left more unanswered questions floating around in her head. But she wasn't going to complain about the change. It certainly was better than being terrorized by him. The clothes were very soft and comfortable. When Frieza came back in the room a few minutes later, he was satisfied to see that she liked the new clothes. Even though Hanna still didn't say anything to him, he knew she was grateful for them.
It appeared that they were finally able to take the first step to her road to recovery. But even Frieza couldn't have overseen the setbacks that come with the whole recovery progress. Ones that came a few nights later as they slept.
Frieza was awoken from a deep sleep from the sound of someone's screams. Hanna's screams. He bolted upright into sitting position and turned to her. She was thrashing about in her sleep like she was fighting against someone. While at the same time, letting out gut wrenching screams. He carefully grabbed ahold of the thrashing woman. Easier said than done. It only served to make her thrash about more. And at one point during the struggle, Hanna struck out at him and nailed him in the face.
But instead of getting pissed, Frieza just continued to try and get her under control as gently as possible without accidentally hurting her.
"Hanna, stop! Your alright, your just having a nightmare!" He said, shouting over her piercing screams.
When that didn't work, he pulled her into his chest in an embrace and began to rock her. Then she started saying something between screams. Words that shook him to the core.
"No, please! I'm sorry! I swear I won't do it again!" She sobbed.
She repeated those words several more times. After a couple more minutes, she started to calm down. Soon, her eyes popped open and they darted around, like she didn't realized where she was.
"Easy, your ok now. It was a dream. It's over now." He said softly, as he continued to hold her.
That's when Hanna let out some of the most agonizing sobs he's ever heard. One's that surprisingly made his cold heart lurch in his chest.
"I'm sorry, Hanna. I'm so sorry." He told her repeatedly.
Frieza really was sorry too. And he was angry at himself, because he knew he was the cause of all of this. He caused this innocent woman so much pain. And it's something he feared he could never fix or make better. It was a long time, before her sobs died down. They turned into harsh pants before her breathing finally leveled out. Hanna's eyes started to droop in exhaustion over the exertion she just put herself through. He noticed this too.
"Hanna, let's try to lay down and rest." He said.
She weakly nodded and he eased them back down. He expected her to pull away from him. But instead, she stayed snuggled into his side. Frieza kept an arm loosely around her. It was finally calm and quiet in the darkened room again. He was about to close his eyes, when he felt wetness on the right side of his chest. It seems that even though her sobs subsided, her tears have yet to stop.
Frieza gently rubbed her back, until her breathing became steady and he knew she fell back asleep. Even then, he still kept an arm securely around her. He lied awake for a long while after that. This was the first time, her nightmares became this physical. He can only hope this isn't a first for more to come. If this happens to be the case, then he will continue to help her through them.
Looks like there is a shift going on here between our two main characters. Hanna's pain has clearly not been overlooked by Frieza. But instead of showing any indifference to her state of being, he started feeling guilty. This young human woman was starting to pull out strange feelings from the tyrant that he hasn't felt before. He's not entirely sure what the are or what they mean. It's something he will just have to figure out on his own. All while helping Hanna heal from her trauma. Until Next Time ;)