The next chapter is up! Enjoy :)
Frieza felt like his mind was continually drifting in and out of consciousness for a while now. Every now and then he'd flinch when something was being touched. He was unsure of who or what was touching him, but it seemed like they were rat least trying to be gentle. Though it really didn't matter, all he felt right now was pain, and he felt it all over. It can only be compared to having the biggest pummeling of a lifetime.
When they finished with his body, he felt something warm, soft and heavy being draped over him. Hopefully it will be enough to warm him up, he still felt really cold. Which was something that was very odd to him because his kind didn't necessarily get very cold or hot. Frost Demons could adapt to any of their surroundings without a problem.
Eve let out a sigh. She thought it was exhausting hauling his ass off of the street and into the house. But patching him up was a bitch too. The car having did a number on him. He had quite a few deep gashes on him from where he hit the vehicle. A couple of which needed stitches. And just when she thought she'd finish patching him up, she'd fine another scratch or gash that needed to be covered.
Then she had to wipe off the couch because blood had dripped onto it from some of his open wounds. 'Good thing it was a leather couch and not canvas. Otherwise, the whole damn thing would've been stained and ruined beyond repair. As in I doubt even a good shampooing would get all of it out.' The whole time she tended to him he'd flinch and let out an occasional groan of pain.
He also shook on and off like a leaf and his teeth chattered here and there signifying he was still cold. Which was confirmed when she felt his skin and it felt cool to the touch. So, after she finished patching him up, she then took the heavy duvet off the back of the couch and carefully draped it over him. Eve made sure to cover every inch of him. She may even start up the fireplace to help heat the place up a bit.
But first, she wanted to get to the very last of his wounds which was on his head. A fairly deep gash ran across his temples. Eve really hopes it can be closed with butterfly bandages, because trying to stitch that will be pretty tricky. Her eyes drifted down to the scratch that ran from the corner of his eye to the top of his cheek. She recalls that's where she scratched him earlier while trapped on his ship. The scratch didn't look all the deep though, so she may just leave that one alone and start working on the gash on his temples.
She took some wet paper towels and started to lightly dab at the gash to clean it. Frieza hissed and that's when he finally opened his eyes and seemed fully conscious again. The tyrant looked around briefly trying to gage the new strange surroundings.
"Easy, try to hold still. There is just one more gash that I need to cover." Eve told him.
His crimson orbs finally landed on her when she spoke.
"Where...where are we?" He croaked.
"We're at my house." She replied, as she used a clean, dry paper towel to wipe up the last bit of blood.
Frieza squinted his eyes and appeared to be quite baffled.
"I think there is something wrong with my vision. Why does everything look so..." He trailed off trying to find the right term.
"Sharp, contrast, and very three-dimensional you mean?" Eve finishes for him.
He gave her a slight nod.
"So, my vision isn't off? This is...real?" Frieza inquires.
She nods, "Yeah, this is how everything looks in my reality."
Frieza continues to look around.
"Interesting." He says.
Then his gaze goes back to the young woman tending him.
"You look...different. And yet you look the same. A little hard to explain." He told her.
Features here from his P.O.V. must seem alien to him. Probably because in his reality, peoples' features were a bit different with some more slightly exaggerated and bigger features. Like the bigger eyes yet two-dimensional tone to a person's anatomy.
It was definitely something Eve had a bit of a hard time adjusting to while in his reality. She thought she looked rather odd with bigger eyes and her full lips seemed...a little more compact than usual. She felt like she hardly recognized herself when she looked in a mirror for the first time there. Eve didn't really like the new look. She just looked so...cartoonish and fake looking in a way. Yet at the same time, had a cute and innocent look about her.
"I'm assuming, I appear different here in this reality as well then." Frieza hinted.
There was a brief moment of silence, before she said something.
"Hold a sec, I'll be right back." She said.
Eve got up and headed for the bathroom again. She fished what she was looking for out from cabinet underneath the sink where she kept extra toilet paper, extra shampoo, conditioner, etc... Then went back to the living room.
He saw her come back with something very flat in her hand down at her side. She looked at it for a moment, before bringing it up and flipping the flat object over and held it in front of his face. The Galactic Emperor gasped, and his eyes widened a bit at what he was seeing. It was...it was an image of him. Eve continued to hold up the small handheld mirror as he gazed at the image.
He too looked different, yet similar. Like her, his features appeared more proportional to his face. His eyes were no longer the overly large almond shape they originally were. They still had their almond shape but were smaller. His nose looked relatively the same, average size for his face, and still the same shape. His mouth was equal in size to the rest of his facial features, still dark in color, just like the black rims around his eyes. And of course, his eyes were still that deep crimson color, but his pupils were a bit more prominent.
All set-in a somewhat soft diamond shaped face. His cranium also in proportion to the rest of his head and face. His skin was still the same off-white complexion and the black lines that went from his eyes and connect between his chin were still relatively the same. His ear nodules also proportional to the rest of his head. The biogem on his head hadn't changed all that much.
"So very strange." He says, more to himself.
"I know, it's an adjustment. I felt the same way when I found myself in your reality and looked in the mirror for the very first time." Eve said.
Frieza's gaze shifted from his own image to her. Eve still had the same soft long brown hair. Her face had a softer oval shape to it than in his reality. Her eyes, still bright blue and somewhat round in shape, but smaller to fit more proportionally to her face. Her nose had a softer edge to it as well with a slight protrusion to the bridge of her nose. Her lips also appeared softer and fuller but fit with the rest of her features.
He thought she was rather beautiful in his reality. But here, it seems like her beauty is a bit more prominent in her features and shows more.
"I take it, this is how you really look then." Frieza said.
Eve nods, "Yeah this is me. The 'real' me."
He quirks a brow at that statement.
"What makes you think you were any less real in my reality?" He asks.
She sighs and ruffles her hair.
"Hard to explain. I just...can't help but feel like...I don't know, like how I viewed myself there wasn't really me. I mean, I was there I know that. But how I was viewed there it just didn't seem like it was my body in a way. And...I'm not really making any sense right now, am I?" Eve inquires.
"You're saying how you saw yourself in my reality didn't seem like how you're really portrayed. You viewed yourself so differently that you felt as if you were someone else. In which, it does make sense. Especially, if how you look now is all you ever seen your entire life. So of course, it will seem alien to you seeing yourself as you were in my reality." Frieza stated, understanding what she meant.
"Exactly, like it was a cheap knock-off version of me." She replied.
Something else came to mind. A topic he wanted to address and gain answers to.
"How exactly did we get here? I couldn't help but feel there were divine undertones to our mysterious transportation. But...none of this still makes much sense." Frieza says.
"I don't know. Whis and Lord Beerus did tell me that the details describing how I came to be in your reality certainly had some divine qualities to it. I believe they may have gone as far as to chalk it up as fate intervening. Still, they both agree that what happened with me was a one and done thing and that there was no way back to my reality. So, this sudden shift is just as confusing to me as it is for you." Eve informed him.
A frown decorated his features.
"I don't believe this was a mere coincidence or even an accident. I do believe someone deliberately brought you to my reality and then for whatever reason, brought you back here. What I don't understand is why I've been dragged here too. Not only that, but I clearly don't feel like myself." He quipped.
Eve kind of had an idea of what he meant. But she figured she inquire about it to gain confirmation.
"In what way do you not feel like yourself?" She asked.
He gave her a look.
"Are you daft? Do you honestly believe I'd be in the state I am in now from merely getting struck by one of your world's vehicles?" Frieza pointed out.
"You're implying that your body as not as durable as it usually is, right?" Eve states.
"That's putting it too lightly. I feel...downright pitiful. I feel..."
"Human?" She ended for him.
A scowl is now ever present on his face as she finishes that sentence. Even more so, because it's true. He can hardly sense his own power. It's like it's been snuffed out or so menial that it's on the same level as Earth's feeble inhabitants. If this truly is the case, then next to being paraded around by fairies for over a decade, this is the greatest form of humiliation he could've ever endured.
"Yes, a lowly being that could only be comparable in strength to that of an insect." Frieza spat.
A comment that made Eve seethe.
"And yet, this lowly being dragged your useless and broken ass out of the cold, into her home, and patched you up." She snapped.
"While we're on the subject; why did you? I almost thought for sure you were going to leave me for dead out there." He shot back.
She clenched her jaw and looked away.
"Because it's cruel to leave someone behind like that. Even if they do deserve just that. I dedicated my life to help preserving species and helping people when they need it. I can't in good conscience do that to someone. It's just immoral and egregiously wrong." Eve said.
She turned her gaze back to him.
"I'm not a cold heartless monster." She said.
Though Eve almost added; 'Plus, I know what it's like to be left behind and having to fend for yourself.' But she stopped herself before blurting that out.
"And yet, I am. Despite how righteous you believe yourself to be, most still in your position would've left me to my fate. Or have you forgotten that I was about to end your life before we were mysteriously brought here." He brought up.
"I haven't forgotten at all." She snapped with a glare.
Frieza continued to stare and study her. Like he was still trying to figure this strange young woman out. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off.
"Now, will you let me close up this gash and cover it? I'm feeling extremely tired at this point and want to rest." Eve snapped.
He closed his mouth and nodded. Eve started dabbing at the congealing blood. Though she was being a little rougher this time around while dealing with the wound. Frieza hissed and winced a couple times as she went about cleaning it. But he didn't say a word.
The fun part came when she pulled out some butterfly bandages and proceeded to pinch the gash closed as she applied them. It took a total of four of them to close it. Then Eve pulled out a tube of ointment and a Q-Tip and used it to apply ointment to the wound. Afterwards she pulled out a gaze square and some medical tape and put that over it.
Eve looked at the clock in the living room on the far-left wall. It was near midnight now. And despite everything that just happened, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed for the night. As she was about to close the first aid kit, she remembered something. She rifled through it again and found the painkillers she packed in there.
She looked back up at Frieza, who still lay there watching her.
"I'll be right back." She repeated for the second time that night.
Eve got up and went to the kitchen. She pulled a glass out of one of the cabinets, took it to the fridge, and filled it with filtered water. Then she brought it back to where Frieza was. She carefully set it on the floor by the couch, then pulled out a packet, ripped it open, and took out a couple pills.
"Here, take these. They're for the pain." She said, as she held out the pills for him.
He slowly reached out and took them. Frieza glanced at her, before he put them in his mouth. Then she handed him the glass of water to wash them down with. She's unsure how effective the pain meds would be. Especially, with some of the injuries he has sustained. Hell, he'd be lucky if nothing was broken. Eve did check his body and pressed down on some places to see if anything moved that shouldn't be moving.
As fast as the car was going, the person did slam on the breaks, slowing it down considerably. And instead of hitting solid pavement, Frieza landed in snow which helped cushioned the fall. Eve was not exactly an expert, but she did take a few anatomy courses while going through college. She was quite familiar with broken bones. Though she was unsure, how to check for internal bleeding or injuries.
He did have some bruising around the right side of his ribcage. But when she pressed on them, none felt broken. So, at most, he bruised them. The only cause for concern with her was the swelling around his lower right leg. When she pressed on one particular area of his tibia, he let out a pained grunt. It felt like it may be broken in one area. If that is the case, she will have to go looking through her garage and basement in the morning to look for something to use as a splint.
That also meant setting the bone. Something Frieza will not enjoy feeling. He will just have to make do with what he has. Seeing as Eve can't bring him to a hospital. Worst case scenario, she may have to contact her friend and colleague, Lina. She has a minor in nursing and went through Med School prior to taking the job aboard the boat. The challenge will be getting her not to freak out at Eve's injured alien guest. It's quite a risk too, because who knows if her friend may not report him to the authorities. And for some reason, that didn't sit well with Eve.
He may be a cold ruthless tyrant. But even then, that doesn't mean he deserves to be experimented on, cut open, and/or dissected. Just thinking about it made her realize just how unsafe it truly was here for the now powerless and helpless Galactic Emperor. She will have to go through strict measures to keep him hidden while he's here.
"You seem like you have a lot on your mind." Frieza pointed out.
"No shit, and for good reason. Unfortunately, it's too much right now to discuss. And as I mentioned earlier, it's late. Best thing we can do right now is to try and get some sleep. We can discuss things in the morning." Eve informed him.
He agreed, currently he was very sore and exhausted. Frieza hoped the painkillers will give him enough relief to at least sleep.
"Alright." Frieza said.
Eve stood up with the first aid kit in hand.
"Well, if you need anything; just give a shout out. This house isn't very big, so I'll have no problem hearing you." She told him.
He didn't say anything. There was an awkward silence between them. So, Eve started heading for the hallway. She just reached it when she heard him speak.
"For what it's worth...Thank you." He rasped.
"Welcome." Was all she said.
Then started down the hall. She shoved the first aid kit back under the bathroom sink on the way. Relief hit her when she approached her room, which was the last door on the right. She entered her room, only to turn around to close the door, and lock it. Then she proceeded to strip out of the stretchy uniform and tossed it aside. She pulled back the covers and pulled a pair of sweatpants and a tank top from underneath her pillow.
Once she finally settled into bed, Eve started dozing off. Though her mind was still running with a lot of questions. Just what day is it? What month? How long had she really been gone from here? It was frustrating that she lost her phone during the accident. 'The accident' something else that may have to be addressed at a later time. She'd also have to use the home phone to call her colleagues and explain to them that she won't be coming to work tomorrow.
Soon, sleep started taking over her exhausted body and mind. Before Eve fell asleep, her last thought drifted to Frieza, and his new situation. The last thing that came to mind that night, was how the tables have turned for them.
Until Next Time ;)