Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its affiliates...I also don't own this song...and, considering how old it is, I wouldn't want to any way.

Chapter Eight: Giving In...Part One

Staring out of her window, Kathi watched the stars in silent wonder, her mind whirling with thoughts on what had happened earlier in the day. She had been surprised when her employer finally came out of his gravity chamber and had tried, for a brief moment, to talk to him about his absence. Unfortunately she had taken the brunt of his anger and ended up a crying heap in the middle of the kitchen floor by the time he exited the house. His words had been harsh and cutting though she knew he didn't mean all of them.

"Will you walk me to the edge again...shaking, lonely and I am drinking again. Woke up tonight, and no one's here with me..."

Turning off the gravity machine, he glanced up at her balcony, noticing her movement from the corner of his eyes. Watching her, he followed her hand as it went up and brushed her hair away from her face before falling to the railing and gripping it tightly. Frowning, he started walking towards the house then leapt into the air and flew, silently, until he was over her balcony. Perching on the roof behind her, he sat down and waited.

"I'm giving in to you...take me under...I'm giving in to you...I'm dying tonight. I'm giving in to you. Watch me crumble, I'm giving in to you...I'm crying tonight, I'm giving in to you..."

Sighing, she turned to go back into her room then looked up in surprise when she noticed that he was sitting over her doors. "What are you doing here?"

Shrugging, he uncrossed his arms and dropped down in front of her. "Why do you still work here?"

"I have nothing else to do."

He snorted then met her gaze evenly. "You have no dates, no other job offers, no friends that call you to hang out with them, and you never go anywhere."

"I know."

"So I'm going to ask you again, why do you work here when I treat you like shit?"

Smiling grimly, she looked down at her feet then let out a tense breath. "This is the only job that...tests my limits. I put up with you, your son, all of his friends, and I cook enough food to feed an army. If I could find another job that even matches this one in difficulty, I would probably take it, but there isn't one that catches my interest."

"So you're staying because this job keeps your interest?"

"Basically."

Lifting a brow, he nodded then looked up at the stars. "Have you ever thought of going out to space?"

Eyes darting skyward, she studied the stars then shook her head. "No, life here is complicated enough without my traveling to other planets."

"You should try it one day."

"I doubt that I should try going out to space."

"Why?"

Looking at him a second, she laughed then walked into her room, pushing past him easily. "You're a nosy man."

"Inquisitive, not nosy."

"Either way, you like to know more about people than they would rather talk about."

"What's your point?"

"Sometimes people don't like telling others about their life."

"What's so bad in your past that you don't want to talk about it?"

Shaking her head, she started brushing her hair, having grabbed her brush off of the dresser. "I just don't want to talk about it Vegeta."

"Why?"

Dropping her hand from the top of her head, she looked back at him from the corner of one eye then sighed. "Why do you want to know about my past? I never ask you about yours."

"Maybe you should."

"From what I could see, you don't want anyone to know your past, I won't pry, it isn't my style."

"But I will pry."

Sighing again, she put the brush down on the dresser and plopped down on her bed. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Picking at her blanket absently, she looked down at her hands then curled her feet beneath her legs. "There's a lot to tell..."

"I've got all the time in the world."

Lifting her gaze, she studied him carefully then nodded after several silent minutes. "Very well then...I'll tell you as much as I can remember."

"Remember?" He leaned back against the wall, a curious expression on his face.

"Yes..." Her eyes clouded in momentary pain, focusing on a point just beyond his shoulder. "There was screaming...so much screaming that it drove me away. My kind was...being punished for being different from other humans. We had kept to ourselves for many years...at least that's what my grandmother used to say."

"What is your kind?"

She blinked then stared at his boots. "We're not animals but we're also not quite human. Our humanity was sacrificed through birth or our making. It's a disease, not one that kills...but one that is passed through blood and biting...or even scratching. We fear very few things and wish to live as normal people do. Super human strength, a keen sense of smell, ultra sensitive hearing, and night vision that makes objects appear the same as they are during the day." Her lips curved in a wry grin. "Unfortunately for us, real humans hate our kind and shun us publicly."

"Like a monster?"

"Very much like a monster...even if we really aren't that horrible. True, there are some of us that kill just for the fun of it and the taste of fresh blood...but then, humans are the same way. I almost fell into that primal state once, when I lost my family to a group of hunters who wanted trophies for their walls. I'm not ashamed to admit that I killed all but two of them...and those two will bear my marks forever." She laughed coldly. "And they deserved it for what they did to my sister. Rape is a crime, even for non-humans."

"How old was your sister?"

"Seventeen...in the human life-cycle. In our life-cycle she was still a child, barely past being a cub."

Author's Ramblings: Yes I know, long time without a word or a single update. Well...what can y'all expect when a girl moves out of the country for a year and doesn't have any internet access until she finally comes back home? ((No, I am not in the military, but I am a military brat))

Just in case it's a long while before I update again, the reason is that I'm expecting my first child any day now...sighs and rubs belly And I might be a little busy adjusting to motherhood. But, as soon as I'm able, I will be so happy to update all of my stuff!!!