A/N: Thank you all for your patience and thank you for the recent reviews as well. Here is the next chapter. I was feeling unusually creative today and this surprisingly was written out all in one go! Hope you enjoy and thank you so much for reading :)

Warnings: language, mild violence.


DUSK

03


The sun sat high in the sky as I reluctantly continued to follow Goku. For that, I was thankful as it was highly uncomfortable when his eyes were on me. First and foremost due to the fact that I felt like absolute pray under his scrutiny - and of course, because it was always intimidating to have a good looking man follow my every move.

ugh.

My anger was turning into you hanger with each hour that passed and I was seriously having a hard time matching his pace. I hadn't eaten a real meal in fuck knows how long, and my stamina was fading fast. My green eyes bore into his from behind as he lackadaisically meandered in front of me.

Everyone once in awhile he would kick a piece of rubble or rock around out of what I could only assume was boredom, all the while with his hands clasped behind his head. The sight was most aggravating and I found myself trying to think of ways to enact revenge for myself and this damn planet by killing this fool. Though I knew I wouldn't be successful and I wondered if he could feel my intent as he stopped in his tracks and waited for me to come alongside him.

If only…..

"Hey so how much longer? I'm getting pretty damn hungry. Where again did you say that restaurant or whatever it was used to be? I like, really, really need to eat so-"

"WOULD YOU STOP WHINING?!" I blurted out, rounding to stare up at him. "Did you ever consider how hard it is to recognized locations since you and your kind annihilated this whole fucking town?"

I was surprised to see mild shock on his face before a rather amused expression took over.

"Also, do you have any idea how long it's been since I've eaten?! You can clearly see how thin I am and it's so BEYOND rude to throw your hunger in my face, as you clearly have plenty of muscle for your body to feed off of! You're literally making me accompany you, and slowly, this is killing me!"

I ran my eyes up and down his form before letting out a growl of frustration and stalked off to sit down on a large slab of concrete that had been upheaved from the ground. Bits of earth still clung to its underside, though it had long been dried out. It was only a reminder that I was headed the same direction as I closed my eyes and held my head in my hands. Between low blood sugar and anger, I was shaking.

I gasped when something heavy caused the slab to shift, and I found myself doing everything I could as to not fall over into the lap of the Saiyan who was now sitting beside me.

"You know...it's not going to get easier if you quit now. And honestly like I said before, I'm growing fairly impatient with these outbursts of yours…"

I refused to look over at him and it rebellion turned my back to him. I knew I was playing with fire, but in this moment I didn't really give a fuck. I knew my outbursts were justified. Nobody could tell me otherwise. I felt him poke at my back as to try to elicit some type of movement from me.

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe I don't like how you are bullying me into doing what you want-"

Without warning, I heard a huff as I was again hoisted over Goku's shoulder and carried off like a prize of war. I dug my nails into his back but was sorely disappointed when he barely even hissed at the action. What was this guy made of?

"Hey! What the hell?! I told you, don't touch me!" I yelled, unable to move an inch in his grasp.

"Be thankful. At least you don't have to use those pretty little legs of yours, right? Just direct me where food is and enjoy the free ride."

I flailed around for a few more minutes until I realized my struggle was of no use. It didn't phase him one bit. I let out a sigh of defeat and went limp, finally allowing myself to simply dangle as he asked which way to turn and what street he should be looking for next.

"See, this isn't so bad is it?" He taunted.

"Uh huh…" I mumbled, feeling like a sack of potatoes. I was thoroughly unimpressed with the amount of cockiness I was detecting as for all I knew, he could have been staring at my ass this whole time. "Can you put me down now? This is honestly starting to hurt my stomach."

"Nope, not till we get there!"

I groaned as I tried to maneuver into a position where his shoulder wasn't digging into my ribs. There was something so self-approving in his tone that I considered trying to knee him in the stomach just to see if I could. Though to my surprise, I suddenly found myself tucked against his chest with only one of his huge arms looped underneath me.

Panic set in as I silently cursed myself for making such an absurd comment. If I hadn't then I wouldn't be so close to his perfect fucking face. I should have kept my mouth shut. This new position was way too intimate for my liking and I was frozen, like a deer caught in headlights as he continued onward.

Finally, the smell of something delicious filled the air. My mouth began to watering almost immediately and I tried to rack my brain as to which building could have possibly survived the chaos. Upon rounding a corner my gaze fell upon a sight for sore eyes. While the building has most certainly sustained damage during the raids, it was surprisingly more than less intact.

"No way…" I whispered.

A steady stream of smoke was billowing from the chimney, no doubt responsible for carrying the amazing smell of food toward us. I felt my eyes water with happiness and did everything I could to stop myself from bursting out in tears. How embarrassing would that be? Refusing to blink, I swallowed the lump in my throat before I attempted to speak.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my Saiyan captor briefly close his own eyes and take a deep breath, sniffing at the air.

"Now that smells like good cooking! I think this will do just fine!"

A large smile was plastered on Goku's face as he wasted no time marching up to the building like he owned the place. I sense of dread suddenly formed in the pit of my stomach as we rapidly approached the doors. Worry thoughts began to spin in my head

"Goku, wait-" I began

"Shh-"

"No, you can't just barge in here. People aren't going like- Hey!" I was silenced when his free hand covered my mouth and barged into the place without any regard as to where I could have possibly been trying to say.

My sense of anxiety grew two-fold as I stared wide-eyed at the few folks who were currently sat at the bar. Most of the tables at been destroyed or otherwise were covered in dust. The silence grew thick in the air as shocked, scared, and angry faces locked their eyes upon the two of us.

This didn't seem to phase Goku one bit as he confidently walked up to the bar. A couple people wasted no time in moving out of his way. And as a result, I pleasantly placed upon on stool as he stood beside me.

The tension was thick in the air as Goku looked around the place before finally settling his dark eyes on the man behind the counter. I didn't miss the flicker of fear in the man's before he did his best to cover it up. I'm sure Goku didn't miss it either.

"What do you have to eat?"

It was a simple question, though there was great hesitation on the other man's part to respond. It almost looked as though he was grappling with whether or not he would serve him. I watched the way he clenched the rag in hand as he stared back at the Saiyan beside me.

"That depends..."

"Oh yea, on what?" Goku inquired.

I was unsure of his tone.

"Do you have cash?"

The man swallowed as he looked at the Saiyan and I. Goku only raised a brow and cocked his head at the man before him, still staring him down.

"I'm s-sorry sir, but if you don't have cash I can't-"

Faster than I could follow, Goku had the man by the collar of his already ripped shirt with an all too eerie yet charming smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"You think for one-second money makes any lick of difference when your world is literally falling apart? How is it going to benefit you now?"

I heard whispers behind me and glanced over my shoulder to see a group of three men huddled together in a growlingly devious manner. I looked back at Goku who was all too focused on the shaking man behind the counter. I swallowed hard when I realized how dangerous this situation could become as Goke forcibly made the man look at me.

"You see this girl?" He nodded quickly. I could see the fear in his sad, blue, eyes. "She hasn't eaten in weeks. Do her a favor and make her something, will you? And while you're at it, make me something as well. Your payment will be me sparing your life."

The man almost lost his balance when Goku suddenly let go of his shirt. He trembled while trying to put on a brave front before disappearing into what I assumed was the kitchen.

"And don't try to run! I'll find you all too easily." The Saiyan hollered after him.

I sat just as wide-eyed as ever when Goku seemed to snap out of it and offered me a semi-warm smile. I didn't return it as I patiently waited to see if our new chef would actually feed us after his life had been threatened. Goku's smile faded when I fearfully continued to stare back at him.

"What?" He questioned, quirking an eyebrow at me. "Aw, C'mon don't look at me that way!"

"And why shouldn't she?!" A voice chimed in from behind us.

One of the three men stood up. He was older, beard graying, but never-the-less challenged the Saiyan. He glared at him, taking a few brave steps forward as Goku who sat with him back to the man. Slowly, he turned to face the newcomer, leaning one thick arm lazily against the bar.

"You are a monster and shouldn't be served. After everything you and your kind have put us through…" He lowered his tone, "You should be ashamed of yourself. You destroy our city, threaten a good man who didn't have to open his doors to anyone, and you take this poor, young, woman as a captive?"

"Save it for someone who cares, old man. Like the rest of you, I'm doing what I had been ordered to. And now, I'm just as hungry as the rest of you."

And with that, Goku turned his back to the group once more, impatiently tapping his fingers on the counter. He was clearly unimpressed with the shade being rightfully thrown at him. His words were disrespectful, to say the least, and I couldn't help but feel myself siding with the old man. I was thankful he was at least trying to stick up for me.

The vibe was growing more dangerous with every second that passed since we have walked through the door and I was feeling too close for any type of confrontation. My eyes began to dart around the room for any sign of an escape route should anything escalate. The man took another step forward.

I let out a shriek when I was suddenly pushed out the way. Annoyance was laden on Goku's face when the old man threw a fist at Goku. How he was able to anticipate the impending attack was beyond me, as it took all of two seconds for Goku to have the man in a headlock and completely render him useless.

Gasping for air as he attempted to throw Goku off, the Saiyan didn't budge an inch and raised his dark eyes to focus on the rest of the group who had suddenly found their feet. A smile emerged when it was all too obvious the other intended to attack him as well. It made me wonder if he was actually getting some form of pleasure out of this.

"Goku!" I pleaded, "Stop."

"Stay out of it, Lauren."

I covered my mouth with my hands as the others leaped at Goku. I watched the scene unfold before me. I would be a liar if I didn't admit that I had hoped this gang up would have been successful. However, I was left in shock when all the attacks were easily countered with little to no effort on Goku's part, and one-by-one, all of the men met the same fate.

The horrible sound of gurgling and sputtering filled my ears when Goku mowed each one of the men down. It all happened so quickly that I wasn't entirely sure how he was capable of getting away without even a scratch on him. I was even more shocked when he simply popped his neck in several places and then sat right back down as if nothing had happened.

My heart was beating rapidly against my ribcage and all I wanted was to flee. I felt sick after what I had just witnessed. The thought of being alone and away from him was the only thing that felt safe. A chill was sent down my spine when one of Goku's hand covered onto one of my knees.

Only slightly looking at me, he shook his head silently. Had he been able to sense my panic? My thoughts were spinning as I wondered what else he was capable of doing.

Just then the sound of silverware clattering noisily to the ground elected a startled gasp from me. Goku chuckled at my nervousness and gave my knee a pat before finally removing his hand. Whether it had due to cooking or perhaps he was hard of hearing, the man who Goku had ordered food from was seeing the damage for the first time.

Looking over at Goku, it took him a few moments of shock before he scrambled to quickly bring the plates of food he had prepared out to us.

To my dismay, I found myself looking at steak. Not because I didn't like it, but rather as I looked back what the heap of bodies behind me, I found myself with an appropriate lack of appetite. The juices of the looked all too similar to the blood that was oozing from one of the victim's nose.

"Wow this looks delicious, thank you!" Goku beamed with the most cheery smile I'd ever seen on him.

To say I was confused would have been a gross understatement. The switch in character had me wondering just how sane this Saiyan was. His disposition was completely different from what I had just witnessed moments before and well, the entire time I had been around him really.

And even though I had a warm meal in front of me for what felt like the first time in forever, I found myself struggling to eat it as I watched the man next to me devour his. I was beginning to feel dizzy.


A/N:

cat105: Thank you so much for your review! I'm really glad you are enjoying this so far and I am definitely trying to bring in sense of realism given the circumstances of this fic! Thank you for touching on that :) It definitely might take Lauren a good long while to warm up to Goku, if she manages to stay alive at the end of it all. We shall see! And as for the author Malevolent Reverie yes I have read a few of her fics. She is by far excels at dark fics from what I've read, though I do need to explore more of her familiar with all of them! Thank you again for the review and hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Littlebrwk & animegirly13: Thank you so much as well! I will try to get the next chapter posted asap! Already started playing with ideas :)