The next chapter is posted! Enjoy :)
February slowly ebbed into March. Something Eve was happy about since it meant Spring would be around the corner. But as time progressed, she was worried too. Mainly for Frieza's safety. Because let's face it; how much longer can she keep him a secret and keep him concealed from the rest of the world? On top of that, he can't remain stuck in her home for the rest of his life. That was just plain cruel and unfair to him.
Still, she isn't any closer on finding him a way back to his reality. In a way, he was right. It can't be a coincidence that she mysteriously came to be in his reality and then at one random moment she was back again just like that, and he came along with her. Frieza still stands behind his assumption that someone may have purposely sent her there and then them back here. And he also strongly believes it has to do with certain divine beings in particular.
The tyrant isn't stupid. There are only two deities in particular he knows very well. And if they do eventually bring them back to his reality, he will be getting answers from them. But most of all; he wants to know 'Why?' As far as he knew, they don't do things on a whim. There is always a reason behind it.
Eve was very skeptical at first to their possible involvement. But the more she dwells on it, a part of her was starting to believe in it more. And if it truly is the case, she's wondering if she could somehow reach them from her reality. They can always hear you if you call them, right? Or so she heard.
Frieza's leg was still getting better by the day. He can walk on it a little more freely and doesn't really need the crutches all that much anymore. Though he still knows not to overdo it and walk on it too much. She can tell he's happy at having some more freedom back to move around. But that's where the happiness ends.
It seems like since they shared that kiss a few weeks back, they seem to be walking on eggshells around one another. They will still talk at times, but the inner turmoil was still there. It didn't help that the growing fondness towards each other was still getting stronger the longer they remain here under her roof.
He tries to push the growing feelings aside and, in a way, hopes these nauseating feelings will dissipate when he gets back to his reality. Frieza knows it will happen eventually. He doubts they will let him rot here for the rest of his life in this weak and powerless form. Even more so knowing the inherent danger he will endure the longer he remains here.
One afternoon, Frieza found himself going back down to the basement. He hopes that when his leg is healed more, he can make use of her punching bag. It will give him something to do and let him get some pent-up energy out.
Halfway down the steps he heard the familiar thumps start up. And as he made it to the bottom, he saw Eve just starting to use the bag. She had her back to him again and didn't see him nor hear his descent down the stairs because she had her music playing like she always did while down there working out. The song that flowed through the speakers sounded rather melancholy though. But then, he's no stranger to her music and knew there were a handful of songs on her playlist that sounded like they were meant to be played at a funeral. Something he teased her about a few times in the past when he first heard some of the songs.
'Please, Please Forgive Me.
But I won't be home again.
Maybe someday you'll all go.
And barely conscious you'll say to no one...
Isn't something Missing.
You won't cry for my absence I know.
You forgot me long ago.
Am I that unimportant?
Am I so insignificant?
Isn't something Missing?
Isn't someone Missing Me.
Even though I'm the sacrifice.
You won't try for me not now.
Though I die to know you love me.
I'm all alone...
Isn't someone Missing Me.'
"Again, with the funeral music? I honestly don't understand how this doesn't make you cry." Frieza said.
Eve jumped slightly because she didn't know he was right there behind her. She sighs and turns around to face him.
"How many times must we go over this. People may perceive this music in different ways. You may view it that way. But to me, the music and its lyrics are very meaningful. A reminder that life isn't always sunshine and rainbows and that we must embrace the bad along with the good that comes into our lives." She stated.
He sees her point in that. Because if anyone knows that life has serious grey areas and knows its hardship; it's Eve. Hell, it's both of them. Still, it didn't mean he would stop teasing her for her choice in music.
"It doesn't change the fact that the woman singing this song along with several others on your music list sounds like she's dying as she sings this song." Frieza joked, with some laughter in his voice.
Sure, the vocalist had a nice voice and can carry a tune. But it almost always sounds like she's in pain or dying when she does song these melancholy songs. Eve did have a point in regard to the lyrics in many of this band's songs. They definitely held a lot of deep meaning and both of them can relate on an emotional scale to most of them.
Eve rolled her eyes at his joke.
"Yeah, because I'm sure your music must sound much better." She pauses and a small smirk appears on her face.
"You strike me as the type of guy who probably likes classical piano or concerto music. Kind of like a Bond Villian. Oh wait, I forgot. You do like that type of music. I caught you plenty of times going through my playlist and you always seem to circle back to my classical piano selection. You must really dig Beethoven, Chopin, and Yiruma. In which, I don't blame you. That's kind of my guilty pleasure music too. Hence why it's on my playlist." She says.
Frieza's eyes widen slightly, and he coughs into his hand with a light pink tinge to his cheeks at being caught there. The move was rather cute on his part and made Eve chuckle. She laughs even more when she heard him grumble a 'Shut up' from behind his enclosed fist that still hovered in front of his mouth.
"Oh c'mon. It's not all that bad. 'Fur Elise' and 'Nocturne No.1' are some of my personal favs too. And I could go on about Yiruma's 'When the Love Falls.' I could find more music by these legendary composers for you on Youtube to listen to if you'd like." She suggested.
He places his hands behind his back and gives her a small smile.
"Thank you, I'll hold you to that one. For now, show me how far you progressed since I showed you how to execute some basic fighting moves." Frieza stated.
Eve opened her mouth to say something. But she froze and the color drained from her face as she peered behind him. Frieza's smile gradually disappeared and he turned around to see what she was gawking at. A surprised look quickly took up his face. But not one nearly as bad as the ones on Drew, Lina, and Matt's faces as they openly gawked at the strange alien in the room.
Eve quickly removed her gloves and paused the music on her phone before turning back to her friends/colleagues.
"Guys..." She started but her mind went blank on what to say next.
Frieza turned around completely to face the three of them who were still frozen in place on the stairs.
"Well, this is certainly an unexpected surprise." He said.
The awkward silence was broken when Lina let out a loud scream. Which caused everyone in the room to flinch at the loud sharp sound. Eve snapped out of her stupor and quickly approached them with her hands up in a calming gesture.
"Take it easy! He's not going to hurt anyone! Lina calm down!" Eve partially shouted.
The other young woman abruptly stopped screaming. Though she still looked no less scared. The two young men didn't look any less shocked either. One of them gave Frieza a scrutinizing look as he eyed the tyrant up and down slowly.
"He...looks rather familiar. What's your name Dude?" Matt asks, with hesitation in his voice.
Frieza had a hint of confusion on his face at such an odd statement. Familiar? How could he possibly look familiar to anyone in this reality? Especially, since he didn't exist here.
"I don't know what you mean by familiar. But to answer your question, I am Frieza." He replied.
Matt furrows his brows for a moment in thought. Then his look of shock quickly returns upon realization.
"Holy shit! No way!" Matt blurts out.
Frieza quirks an eye ridge. Confusion written all over his face yet again.
"I beg your pardon?" He says.
"How's this even possible!? How is he even here!?" Matt continues.
Everyone turns their attention to him and give him odd looks.
"Matt what in the hell are you talking about?" Eve asks, clearly confused by her friend's behavior as well.
The young man in question just stares at them all in surprise.
"What? You mean to say you guys never watched the show growing up? You all live under a rock or something!?" Matt exclaims.
Now they all looked at him like he grew another head.
"Show? Man, what the fuck you talking about? What show? And what the hell does that have to do with this alien looking creature standing here?" Drew snaps back.
"Dude! You mean to say you never watched the Japanese Anime Show 'Dragon Ball Z' as a kid!? Man, you were deprived of some good shit." Matt retorted.
"Dragon Ball Z? I think I heard you talking about this show a couple times before, Mattie. And what does Frieza have to do with it?" Eve asks.
He blinks a few times, "Because he's on the show, Eve! Not only that but he's also present in the newest reboot, Dragon Ball Super. And..."
Matt pauses and is very hesitant to say this. He may be putting her and the rest of them in danger by mentioning this. But they also had a right to know.
"He's...also very dangerous, Eve. Why is he here with you? The guy is a bonified murderer and batshit insane." Matt finally gets out.
Ok? He got the murderer part. That was true. But he wasn't 'batshit' insane as this man so eloquently puts it. Something the tyrant feels like he must rectify.
"I understand your concern. But I'm not a threat to Eve or the rest of you. And I can tell you for a fact that I'm most certainly not this 'batshit' insane you claim me to be." Frieza points out.
Matt levels him with a look.
"Then what do you call blowing up peoples' planets then?" He quips.
"Business." Frieza bluntly calls out.
"Frieza!" Eve hisses under her breath while glaring at him. Secretly telling him to shut the hell up and not another word.
"Wait is that true!? Eve?" Drew asks. Worry now written all over his features.
She closes her eyes and lets out a drawn-out sigh.
"First, before we start explaining anything. Can you tell me what you all are doing here? Why did you let yourselves in before even calling or texting me to let me know you were coming?" She asked.
"Eve, remember? When the weather started getting cooler back in November, we made plans to all spend time here and wind down a bit before work gets busy again. We always do that when we find ourselves working back here near our hometowns. And I did text you earlier to let you know we were coming and what time. You must've not heard your phone or been paying attention to it." Drew reminded her.
'Shit! I do remember. We do this all the time whenever we find ourselves home during the winter months and not halfway around the world.' She thought. And they alternate between homes to spend time at. The year before last year when they were here for the winter, they were at Lina's that time. And the time before that, they were at Matt's. She must've forgot that they chose her house this time around for their little gathering.
What they usually did was play games. Both fun games and drinking games. Just fun stuff to unwind and cut loose before work started getting very busy again with the incoming warmer weather. They would also spend a night or two at the host's house. It was a silly tradition they all have been doing now for the last several years.
"Yeah, I remember now. How about we take this conversation upstairs. I'll try not to leave anything out." Eve finally says.
Frieza turned his gaze to her. And she gave him a reassuring look and told him, 'It will be fine' under her breath. He gave her a reluctant nod. Eve approached her friends and gestured for them to head back upstairs. While the tyrant followed behind her. A part of him didn't really like where this could be heading. Nor does he fully trust any of them not to tell others of his presence here. All he can do, is hope Eve can try and convince them otherwise.
Because he hated the fact that his life was on the line when it involved keeping him secret from the outside world. Though Frieza would say he's lying if he wasn't curious as to what her friend was talking about. It was obvious that he was aware of Frieza's heinous deeds in his Universe. And the Galactic Emperor wanted to know how he knows. Especially, when he believed, he was not known to this reality.
Frieza never thought he'd be wrong in that aspect. And judging by the look, Eve was equally as surprised as he was, and most likely wanted answers to that as well.
Looks like the cat is out of the bag now. Eve's friends now know of Frieza. And it's no surprise on how they reacted to his presence. I don't own the lyrics to the song in this chapter. The song is called; 'Missing'. It's a single by Evanescence. It's one of my personal favs and a very beautiful song. You can easily find it and listen to it on YouTube. The whole bit on it sounding like funeral music was a real pun. My Dad teased me and called it funeral music and he did say it sounded like Amy Lee (the singer) was dying XD I never really saw it that way because like Eve, their music always held a special and significant meaning in my life. And quite a few of their song lyrics did hit pretty close to certain turbulent periods in my life. The next chapter will follow this one and have Eve try and explain everything she can to her friends. While Matt will fill in what he can about the show. Until Next Time ;)