Story: Even the Strongest, Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Ball
...
Goku had never felt more humiliated in his life than he did that day. The memories plagued him, eating away at his mind like some parasite. His body had been violated and yet the voices told him it was all his fault, that he wasn't actually a victim.
Just knowing that he wouldn't have had to go through that if he hadn't followed that man to his place. If he just fought back, or did something. He had even allowed himself to be drugged because he was too stupid to realize it. He could have defended himself, but he just froze up like some coward. His body had reacted against his will, betraying his mind.
When he told Vegeta what happened, Goku had expected to be blamed and called spineless for letting it happen to him. But Vegeta didn't do that. He didn't blame him once for any of it. He told him repeatedly that it wasn't his fault, and if not for him, Goku wouldn't be at the police station right now.
Telling Vegeta about it had taken every bit of courage he had, but now he had to tell Krillin as well? He didn't want to do this. He didn't even want to think about it.
No , all Goku wanted to do right now was leave , and he probably would have without a second thought if not for the fact that Vegeta was there with him.
His eyes darted around the room, feeling as though he had suddenly become privy to every possible sound in the room. The clicking of pens, doors opening and closing and even people typing on keyboards. He was quickly starting to become overstimulated.
There's too much noise in here, I can hardly think right now. I've got to calm down. I've got to-
It wasn't every day he got like this, as he could usually calm himself down pretty easily when he did, but there were times that this sort of thing just happened , mostly when he was stressed out about something.
He suddenly jumped a bit when he felt a hand grabbed his. He quickly looked down to see that it was just Vegeta's. Before he could react or say anything a voice caught his attention.
"So what's up, Goku? You said you needed to talk to me about something?"
Goku looked up to see Krillin standing in front of him with an inquisitive look on his face as he briefly glanced between him and Vegeta.
"Yeah, sorry, it's um... kinda personal... Could we maybe go somewhere quieter?" Goku asked, nervously scratching the back of his head.
"Hmm, you know... I do have a break in about thirty minutes from now, so if you don't mind waiting, then maybe we could-" He started to say, having completely misunderstood Goku's intentions due to the simple fact that he said it was 'personal'.
"No, that's not what I meant." Goku cut him off before averting his gaze. "There's something I need to report..."
"Oh." Krillin uttered in response to the clarification. For Vegeta to be here with Goku like this, he could only imagine it must be over something pretty serious. "Well, sure. But I might have to have one of my buddies come with me. You don't mind, do you?"
"Your buddy?" Goku inquired. He didn't want to talk about this in front of some stranger. He needed to know what he was getting himself into and familiarize himself with faces before he said or did anything .
Krillin could sense his hesitation, and his grin grew wider.
"Don't worry, Goku. He's nice. I'll even introduce you to him first. Stay here, okay? I'll be right back." Krillin said, before walking over to a group of cops that were whispering to one another about something.
Goku immediately started to wonder if he could still go through with this. After all, anybody could say they were nice. It didn't make it true. He had learned that the hard way. Plus, a mere acquaintance didn't know him the same way that Vegeta and Krillin did.
There's no way I can go through with this-
Vegeta, recognizing the look on Goku's face, tightened his hold on him before he could leave.
"Listen to me, Kakarot..." He whispered. "I know that you're nervous right now, but running away from this won't solve anything... You need to stay strong and trust Krillin to handle this situation. Do you understand...?"
Upon hearing Vegeta's words to him, Goku looked away with uncertainty. "Mhm..."
Vegeta sighed, not able to stand seeing him this nervous. He needed to do something , even if it wasn't a lot .
"Hey ... " He reached up, stroking Goku's face and brushing aside some of his hair. A lump formed in his throat when Goku recoiled. "I promise that all of this is going to work out... "
It took a moment for Goku to tell himself that it was only Vegeta touching him and not that man , but slowly he began to relax some.
Vegeta's hand was comforting to him, almost like a safe haven. It helped Goku feel secure and ground him in a way that just drumming his fingers hadn't .
He momentarily closed his eyes, allowing himself to breathe.
"Yeah, you're right..." he finally said, placing a hand over the one resting on his face. He reopened his eyes. "I can do this. I've just got to believe in myself. Thanks, Vegeta..."
Vegeta blushed a bit in response, before teasingly pinching his cheek and averting his gaze. "Don't mention it. As long as you understand, that's the only thing that matters..."
Krillin returned not even a moment later with a tall man who had long black hair tied back into a ponytail. He almost looked like a giant when standing next to Krillin.
"Guys, meet Flanders." He said, approaching them. "Flanders, this is my best friend, Son Goku, and that over there is Vegeta. Don't worry, he may look scary, but he's not too bad once you get to know him."
Vegeta scoffed at Krillin's jab towards him, choosing not to say anything.
"It's nice to meet you two." The man offered a hand for them to shake.
"Likewise." Vegeta muttered in a snarky tone, reluctantly obliging. To be fair, he had never been particularly polite to just anybody , so it wasn't that surprising and fortunately Flanders didn't seem to take any offense by it.
When Flanders reached out to Goku, however, Goku froze up for a moment.
"Son? Do you mind if I shake your hand?" Flanders looked at him inquisitively. Goku was cautious for a moment before deciding to do as asked.
"Oh, uh... okay." He smiled, returning the gesture as he remembered that this was a member of law enforcement. It was only right that he should at least try to be polite. Chichi would have probably scolded him if he didn't. "It's a pleasure for you to... er I mean for me to make your acquaintance, sir."
Vegeta found his attempt at politeness laughable at best, Goku was so awkward when it came to upholding social etiquette. Not that he could really blame him.
Personally, he himself had no desire to be polite to anybody, unless they were somebody like Whis or Beerus that could easily destroy him without even trying .
"Hey, you don't need to be so formal around me, man. I may be a cop but just between you and me, I'm not like some of the other guys." Flanders smiled, seeming pretty chill so far. "Anyways, now that introductions are out of the way, what do you say we take them to one of the interview rooms now, Krillin?"
"Good idea." Krillin agreed, smiling, before leading Goku and Vegeta to a room in the back.
Once Goku and Vegeta had sat down at the table, Krillin held out a couple bottles of water to them. "Would either of you like some water?"
"Sure, I am pretty thirsty right now. I haven't drank anything since this morning." Goku admitted as he took the bottle. Before he could open it however, Vegeta stopped him, grabbing it from him.
"Just wait, Kakarot. Not yet." Vegeta said, putting both of the bottles on the table.
"Huh? Why not ?" Goku looked over at him, confused.
"Because," Vegeta pulled him closer to whisper into his ear only loud enough that Goku could hear him. "If you by any chance happened to swap spit with that man earlier, it would be best if you hold on so they can properly swab your mouth for his DNA."
"Oh, I guess don't think of that." Goku admitted, feeling a bit guilty. "Sorry..."
"You don't need to apologize. I just want to make sure this works out for you..." Vegeta sighed, placing a hand on his back.
"So if you don't mind me asking what was it you needed to report, Goku? Did something happen?" Krillin asked, a bit concerned.
For a long moment, Goku was quiet, fidgeting with the fabric of his gi. Finally, after what felt like hours, he spoke, but it didn't last long.
"...Somebody... he..." He tried his best to form the words, starting to lose his resolve as he felt Flander's eyes on him.
Vegeta could sense his hesitation and decided to at least take some sort of initiative.
"Kakarot has been hurt, Krillin..." He said with a pained voice. "Badly..."
Krillin's eyes widened a bit.
"Hold on, do you mean... somebody assaulted him? Like physically? Or..." He started to ask, a sinking feeling immediately forming in the pit of his stomach. He had been working as a cop long enough to know the kind of implications that could come with a statement like that.
And to narrow it down, neither Goku or Vegeta would have bothered coming here over a random street thug that picked a fight with them. This had to be something else entirely, and he didn't really want to imagine what .
"...I was... raped ... Just this morning..." Goku's voice was strained, as tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn't even look at him.
For a moment, Krillin was speechless, the gravity of the situation taking some time to sink in.
"Goku... I'm so sorry..." He said at last, unable to even fathom what he must be going through and how much courage it had to have taken him to come forth about something like this.
"We came here to report the sick bastard that did it to him." Vegeta explained in a low growl when Goku didn't respond.
"Yeah, of course, we'll get right to it." Krillin said organizing some of his papers, trying his best to hold back his own tears. He had to do his job, he couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgment right now.
Just take down the police report .
"Goku... I know this might be hard to talk about, so... would you mind if I started by asking you some questions first, instead?" He inquired.
"I guess I could do that..." Goku said with hesitation.
"Did you... know this person?" Krillin asked, as Flanders began writing something on a clipboard.
"No, I had never met him before..." Goku answered, once again trying to fight off the urge to leave.
"Did he ever say what his name was?" Krillin wanted to know.
"It was Allan, there was a paper he gave me earlier with his name and phone number. Vegeta has it..." Goku told him. "I can also show you where he lives if you need me to."
"Here." Vegeta said, handing over the paper he had been holding onto since earlier. Krillin took a glance at it before handing it to Flanders.
He turned back to look at Goku. "You said this happened this morning, right? Can you give us an idea of the time you came in contact with him?"
"..." Goku had closed his eyes, starting to dose off, clearly due to the side effects of the medication.
"Kakarot." Vegeta had to shake him slightly.
"Oh, uh... Time? I'm guessing it was somewhere around 11? I'm not sure..." Goku slurred. "It went on for about four hours..."
Four Hours?! If Krillin weren't on duty right now, he'd be visibly fuming. What kind of person would do that to somebody?
Vegeta wasn't any happier at hearing this.
The bastard. The filthy animal-
His shoulders were trembling. The fact that the man kept him there for so long... it was the perfect recipe for a person to be permanently destroyed on an emotional level. And he had. Nothing was off-limits to that monster - not even his dignity.
"Can you give me a brief description of the events leading up to this, and after? You don't have to go into all the details right now if you don't want to." Krillin encouraged him.
Goku paused before doing as asked, his leg starting to bounce. He began to tell him a shortened version of what had happened. Shortened as it may have been, however, Krillin still found it hard to contain the rage that was building up within him. Goku was one of the kindest and most lovable guys you could ever meet, so the thought that somebody he cared so much about had went through something like that... It felt like a stab to the gut in one of the worst ways possible.
He almost started to tear up, but he had to force himself to remain professional and get his job done. He had to, for Goku's sake .
When Goku got to the point where the man had penetrated him, he immediately started to shut down, covering his face in his hands. He couldn't bring himself to continue.
"Kakarot, please... I know this may seem difficult but you have to do this. You must ." Vegeta said, softly moving his hand up his back, to his shoulder. "You cannot give that man the opportunity to continue hurting others. "
Vegeta knew he had said that multiple times, but he was desperate for this situation to be taken care of.
"Vegeta, I can't... I..." Goku started shaking, sobs escaping his lips as he felt pressure from every person in the room to continue talking. His shoulders shook, and when he started clawing into his arm, all Vegeta could think to do was separate hand from his arm and pull him into a hug for another time that day. He didn't care if Krillin was watching, or anybody else for that matter. All he wanted to do right now was support Kakarot .
"Yes, you can . Stop doubting yourself..." Vegeta said, as he gently ran his fingers through Goku's hair. "It's alright ... I told you... I will be right here with you. I am not going to leave your side... Not for a moment ."
Although it was something similar to what he had said earlier, Vegeta would still say it again , no however many times he had to as long as it got the point across.
Goku flinched at first, but, after a moment, the pain inside of him began to die down as Vegeta held him in his arms. The other Saiyan's embrace was soothing in a way he never expected it to be, and somewhere deep down, he almost wished they could stay like that forever, if only to distract himself from even a little bit of the noise inside of his head right now, but he couldn't bring himself to say that out loud.
Goku slowly calmed down, his tears coming to a halt as he could finally breathe again. His leg was no longer bouncing, although he did start playing with the fabric of his gi.
He finally continued, telling Krillin everything he had told Vegeta.
Krillin listened in silence and watched, a bit surprised as Vegeta continued to hold onto him. He would have never expected to see him of all people acting so openly caring, but he couldn't be more grateful that Goku had found the anchor he needed right now.
"If you don't mind me asking, how did you get away from there...?" Krillin finally asked.
Goku took a second to respond.
"Well, he wouldn't let me go at first... I tried to, but he kept pushing me back down on the bed and saying he needed to cum first... So... I finally told him I'd come back later... I figured it was the only way he would... let me leave without pressuring me to stay even longer. That's when he gave me his number..."
"I see..." Krillin noted, writing something down on his clipboard. "So is that when you came to Vegeta...?"
"Yeah, shortly after that... I was still under the influence of the drugs that guy gave me, so Vegeta noticed it. He asked if I had taken something. He seemed really worried about me, so in the end, I decided to tell him what had happened..." Goku explained.
Krillin smiled softly. "I want you to know that it was very brave of you to come to both him and us, Goku..."
Goku tuned him out, disagreeing. He hadn't been brave, he had been a coward. But he couldn't say that, not in front of Krillin.
"Vegeta, since you came here with him, I'm going to need you to tell me about your side of the story." Krillin said. "Like how long was it until you noticed something was off with him? Was it immediately? Or did it take a while? And how? What were the signs that tipped you off?"
Vegeta drew in a breath, thinking back to the events leading up to the revelation. Even thinking back to it still pained him greatly.
"It took a moment for me to realize it. But when he approached me, he seemed to be having some trouble standing and was acting strangely. He said wasn't feeling well..."
...
Vegeta told him everything he knew, and everything he had seen.
He talked about Goku's odd behavior, how his movements and coordination were off, his delayed responses, etc. He even mentioned Goku's aversion to physical contact, that he had never seen him like that before. As Krillin and Flanders listened, they continued to write, taking note of all the important details he had to offer.
Once Vegeta had finished talking, Krillin gave a small smile.
"Thank you, Vegeta..." He said. "That should be all the questions we have for now. You've been a huge help to both me and Goku."
"Tch. I'm only doing what seems right..." Vegeta muttered. The very idea of the bastard who did this to Kakarot getting away scotch free sickened him.
"Still... It's only because of you that Goku chose to come here, and for that, I couldn't be more grateful to you than I am right now... I really owe you one. Anyways..." Krillin then looked back towards Goku. "Goku, I imagine you'll probably be hearing back from one of our detectives some time later this evening, so I want you to be prepared for that. But for now, I'm going to have to ask that you to head to the hospital for a rape kit. Can you do that?"
"Krillin, you know I hate hospitals..." Goku immediately looked up at him, wanting to protest.
"Hey, try not to worry so much. You'll be in and out before you even realize it." Krillin said, and yet... he knew that wasn't entirely true. After all, these processes could take up to more than several hours. "Besides, you'll have Vegeta there with you. I'm sure you'll be just fine..."
Vegeta didn't say anything but watched Goku from the side, waiting to hear his decision.
In the end, Goku decided he didn't really have any other choice in matter, not if this was a requirement to convict the man who had raped him.
"...Okay, if this is really the only way, then I'll do it. Thank you, Krillin... You too, Vegeta... I guess I'll go there now." Goku said, as he stood up and headed to the door, followed by Flanders, who had finally finished his report, respectfully making his leave.
As Vegeta and Krillin stood up, Krillin quickly pulled Vegeta to the side by his arm, before he could leave the room. "Vegeta, before you go, there's actually something I need to talk to you about first."
"What is it?" Vegeta asked, a bit irritated by the contact to his arm.
"It's... about something Goku said earlier, that's kind of had me worried..." Krillin hesitated for a moment, before continuing. "He mentioned... that he had been having thoughts of suicide before all of that happened... I know he's died before and all, but still... If it can be helped, I'd really rather him stay here on earth, with all of us. Just... Try to keep an eye on him for me, will you...?"
Vegeta's heart dropped in his chest as he was abruptly reminded of something that he had pushed to the back of his mind to deal with the overlying problem of Goku's sexual assault. He pulled his arm away and turned on his heel, his back facing Krillin.
"You don't need to worry... He isn't going to do something like that. At least... Not if I have anything to say about it, he won't..."
Krillin wanted to believe him, but at the end of the day, they both knew Goku was the type of person who did what he wanted to. He gazed away, a pained look in his eyes.
"Maybe so, but..." He struggled to find the words. "After everything that just happened to him, Goku is going to need as much support as he can get. This kind of thing... It doesn't just go away..."
Vegeta clenched his fists. "Believe me, I know."
There was a pause from both ends, before Vegeta spoke back up.
"Do you know what he said to me earlier...?"
Krillin looked back up, to see Vegeta's shoulders shaking.
Vegeta was crying. Again .
"He tried to tell me that it was his fault this happened. That he was the one to blame for it... I couldn't even touch his face earlier because he was afraid that I would do the same thing to him as that monster did... Damn it... Kakarot is innocent. He had no idea that's what that man was planning. He had no idea... And when it did happen, he even told him that he wasn't comfortable with it, but that animal, he wouldn't even listen to him..."
Vegeta clenched his fists, his anger and desperation almost reaching its peak glaring at the floor. Tears blurred his vision. "If I ever see the face of the bastard who did this to him, I swear that I'm going to kill him with my bear hands ..."
Krillin's eyes widened when he heard those words, only then realizing what Vegeta was going through, and just how much he cared about Goku.
"Vegeta-" He started to speak, but before he could say anything, Vegeta had already left the room, closing the door behind him.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to go after him, because, even though he was a cop and his job was to put criminals behind bars, the truth was he felt the same as Vegeta did right now.
If he had a choice in the matter, he'd rather kill the man for what he had done to his best friend, for hurting him like that. In his eyes, the world would be a better place without scum like him, who existed for no other reason than to cause pain.
...
"Vegeta, what's a rape kit...?"
"Huh...?" The question caught Vegeta off guard, as he looked up at Goku, who seemed confused. They were now sitting in the waiting room of the hospital. Goku had been extremely quiet for a really long time, and Vegeta understood why now.
"A rape kit. That's what Krillin and everybody else is calling it, right? So is it, like, some sort of medical treatment or something? I mean..." Goku mused, cupping a finger around his chin. "Couldn't that have just been done with a senzu bean? I'm confused... Why would I need to go to a hospital for that?"
"Because it's not... for medical treatment..., Kakarot..." Vegeta looked down, rubbing a hand through his hair awkwardly.
"It's not ? Then what is it?" Goku looked at him with curious eyes. Vegeta felt his heart pounding in his chest, as he tried to come up with a way to put it into words without scaring him too much. Why do I have to be the one to explain this...?
"It is... a test they will run, to determine if any of his fluid or DNA was..." He swallowed as he thought about it, his voice trembling at the idea. "was left behind . If he did what you say he did... then they will find evidence of it, on your body..."
"Oh, I see..." Goku pondered it for a moment, before he spoke back up. "So how do they do one? A rape kit, I mean..."
"Well, how it's done is... by taking blood samples..." Vegeta swallowed. "And... swabbing your insides ..."
"Hold on, do you mean they have to stick things inside of me?! " Goku hissed, his resolve wavering. The idea of doctors and nurses poking and prodding at his body terrified him.
"Shh... Keep your voice down..." Vegeta lightly scolded him, noticing they were suddenly receiving stares from the patients inside of him. He immediately sent them all death glares, which caused them to turn their heads away.
He finally looked back to meet Goku's gaze, his eyes desperate for him to cooperate.
"And yes... That is how the procedure works, but look at me... This is the only way to prove that he is the culprit . Do you not wish to give that... monster... what he deserves ?"
Vegeta's voice was quiet. He was trying to be delicate - trying his best to ensure that his words were the right ones, but in his mind - he felt helpless right now. He didn't know how he could possibly make this process any less traumatizing than it already had been or would be.
"I'm scared , Vegeta..." Goku admitted, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I don't want anybody else touching my body like that, not again ..."
At hearing those words, Vegeta wanted to break down all over again, but, as much as it hurt, he had to force himself to keep it together . For Kakarot.
"I know... I'm not going to lie and tell you this is going to be easy, because it won't . Even so..." Vegeta glanced down for a moment and bit his lip before looking back up at him, caressing his face. "You're strong, Kakarot... Stronger than I am. That's why I know you can get through this..."
Goku was silent for a moment, doubting himself.
"And also..." Vegeta looked down, blushing a bit. "Once all of this is over... If it will help you feel any better... We could even go somewhere to eat, like a buffet or something... How does that sound...?"
It wasn't really like he was asking him on a date or anything. Rather, all he wanted right now was to give him another reason to push through this. He had nothing better to offer him at the moment and just knowing that made him feel completely useless right now. Still, he had to try .
"You would do that...?" Goku asked, surprised by the invitation. He awkwardly turned his attention to playing with his hands. He never expected to be asked by Vegeta of all people to go anywhere with him. "I thought you hated going out places..."
"I didn't say I was against it all the time ..." Vegeta muttered, scoffing. It was true that he didn't really deal well with social situations or people in general, but thanks to Bulma, he had found numerous restaurants that he could at least tolerate because the food was just that good. And if helping Kakarot right now meant putting his pride aside to make such an offer, then he would do it.
Goku gazed back up at him, silent for a moment when he realized Vegeta was serious about this and was trying to console him in his own way. The offer made him genuinely happy, happier than he'd been all day .
"Well... If you're really okay with it, then sure..." He scratched the back of his head and turned away awkwardly smiling. He felt his own face heat up as he spoke. "I'd love to go with you... I am pretty hungry right now..."
"Good... Now that that's settled, you may feel free to use that as motivation to get through this, Kakarot... " Vegeta's face got even redder before he turned to give him an intense look. He pointed a finger at him. "But if you even think of backing out on this again, you'll be hearing it from me, got it?"
Despite how harsh his words may have sounded, they weren't from ill intent or anger. He was genuinely trying to press him to get through this, in his own way.
"Don't worry, I won't..." Goku grinned nervously.
Vegeta opened his mouth to speak again when a voice cut him off.
"Son Goku?"
It was a nurse, he was standing at the door, holding a clipboard and waiting for a response.
"That's me." Goku said, as he stood up and approached him, as Vegeta wordlessly followed behind him.
Despite how anxious he was about all this, he told himself he had to do this.
If not for himself, then for any other potential victims that his rapist had hurt, or would continue to hurt.
...
A/N: So in the end I decided to continue this, if only to shed light on the whole process and give people an idea of what happens. All though some of my memories from the day that happened are kind of foggy, I'm trying to reimagine it as if I were Goku with Dragon Ball as well as giving slow build up for my VegeKaka stuff. I personally didn't have a Vegeta in my life though, rather I had to primarily go through this process on my own(fortunately I thought to get an audio recording of what was happening to me to nab him), so I know if I can do this, all of you deserve to heard as well, your feelings matter and you are NOT to blame. So if any of you ever ends up in a situation like I did, please report it, you deserve to be heard!
It's been over a year now(2021) since it happened to me, and only now (in 2023) am I FINALLY getting a trial. I'm nervous, and anxious that I'll have to see his face again, but I'm trying to press through this scary process. I wish my love and support to anybody else going through something similar. Stay strong, all of you.