Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Crossing the Boundaries ❯ Aftermath ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
It was a surprise when I woke up on the bed, the comforter tucked around me. I couldn't remember moving from the floor, but apparently I'd somehow managed to find my way there. I'd been in such a state that it wasn't any wonder that I couldn't quite recollect the events following Trunks' departure from the room.

The next thing I noticed is that I'd been crying at some point during the night, though I didn't recall if I'd been awake or asleep at the time. The pillow was still damp with the tears, and my eyes felt sore and swollen.

Some part of me had refused to accept Trunks' rejection, even after his callous behavior. I continued to hope that he would return at some point to reconcile, but when I opened my eyes there was only emptiness in the bed beside me.

My heart sank. So this was it...no whirlwind romance, no happily ever after. The least he could have done is leave a twenty on the pillow. Bastard.

I rolled over slowly becoming increasingly aware of the cuts adorning my legs and the palms of my hands. It hadn't been the smartest move in the world to sit in a pile of busted glass, I suppose. It was just a perfect tribute to my state of mind at the time. Silently I cursed him, yet again, for walking out on me.

A startled gasp escaped me when I saw the figure that was standing just a few feet from the side of the bed. I self-consciously pulled the blanket tighter around me while half leaping to the far side of the mattress, " Vegeta! " I shouted, a combination of surprise and embarassment.

He didn't reply, only stood there staring at me with that black gaze. I shifted uncomfortably underneath the covers. Why did he persist? Wasn't it enough that his damnable offspring had put me through such merciless torment, shattering my dreams...confusing my emotions...leaving me to feel as nothing better than a broken whore lost in childish delusion? Did the almighty prince despise me so completely?

" Go away, " I muttered dejectedly once the initial shock of his presence wore off.

I didn't have the strength to deal with him. It had been well over twenty-four hours since I'd eaten, longer since I'd gotten a decent night's sleep, and my entire body ached. All of that didn't even take into account my emotional distress. The last thing I needed was Vegeta and his holier-than-thou attitude.

" Get out of that bed, " Vegeta said sharply.

My eyes must have widened to the size of half dollars at his demand, and I couldn't help flinching at the agitation underlying his words. What had I done now?

Before I realized what was happening he yanked the blanket off the bed and out of my hands. In a desperate scramble I grabbed two pillows to cover myself, " I'm not dressed!" I squealed; a deep scarlet blush quickly spreading across my face.

" As if I didn't know this. "

" What? " I exclaimed my voice raising further in pitch.

Vegeta rolled his eyes then smirked, " Stupid brat, how do you think you got in the bed in the first place? "

" You mean you..." the sheer humiliation of it rendered me speechless.

I felt faint, and somewhat nauseous, as I pictured the self righteous prince walking into the room to find me there, naked and bleeding; no doubt a more pitiful site than he usually considered me to be. It must have been a real boost to his royal ego to find that his son had relinquished the foolish notion of taking this worthless human female as a mate.

My heart wrenched recalling his words from that first night, " But what would a Saiya-jin Prince wish with a little human girl? " Apparently nothing more than a night or two of passion under the cover of shadows. What a fool.

Vegeta tapped his foot and scowled impatiently at me, " I think we're beyond the shy and innocent act. If you don't get up of your own accord, I won't hesitate to drag you from the bed. "

" You wouldn't! "

He leaned closer arching one brow mockingly, " Wouldn't I? "

I swallowed hard and closed my eyes backing slowly off the far edge of the mattress. It was difficult to ignore Vegeta's presence as I made my way around the bottom of the bed towards the dresser. Inconspicuously, I stole a glance at the man who was busy staring at the photographs lining the wall.

As I quickly pulled fresh clothing from the lavender scented drawers, something occured to me.The cuts had been cleaned; there wasn't a trace of dried blood anywhere on my hands or legs. It seemed impossible. Someone must have...

Vegeta? I zipped my jeans and grabbed a shirt as my mind attempted to contemplate the possibility. He'd already admitted to putting me in bed. Could he have taken the time to clean the wounds as well? And if he had, why?

" Are you about finished? " snapped the prince.

I nodded without bothering to look at him. This was just way too confusing. I took a brush from the dresser and pulled it through my hair, never allowing my gaze to move from the floor.

" Then come on already! "

He reached out and grabbed my wrist yanking me towards the door. " I'm coming, " I sighed following him.

As soon as he realized that I would come willingly, he let my hand drop. I continued brushing my hair as he lead the way to the kitchen.

Goten was sitting at the table with a large plate of food in front of him. He looked startled when we walked in together; pausing with a ham and cheese sandwich poised halfway between his mouth and the plate. His dark eyes darted from me to the prince and back again.

I shrugged slightly at the youngest Son boy and dropped into an empty chair. All I wanted to do was go back to sleep. Stifling a yawn, I folded my arms on the table and laid my head down.

A plate appeared in front of my face with a heavy clunk against the wooden table. I looked up to see Vegeta lording over me with a strange, guarded expression on his face. " Eat, girl, " he said before spinning on his heel and leaving me alone with Goten.

" I take it you're feeling better. "

" I don't know, " I admitted staring at the doorway Vegeta had disappeared through for a lingering moment before turning to Goten.

" You're not going to hit me again are you? " he asked setting the uneaten sandwich back on the plate.

" Hit you? Why would I hit you? "

" Forget it. " He shook his head and looked away.

There was something really odd about Goten's behavior today. At least yesterday morning he'd been kind of friendly, and when we'd gone to eat he'd really tried to make me feel better.

It suddenly occured to me that I couldn't remember anything beyond the restaurant. In fact, the first really clear memory I had was of Trunks walking out. There were fuzzy bits and pieces of the previous night, but it seemed that the harder I tried to recall those events, the hazier they grew.

" Um, Goten? " I asked warily tapping a nail against the edge of the plate Vegeta had placed there.

There was a moment of hesitation, " Yeah? " He sounded almost as apprehensive as I felt.

" What happened last night? I mean, " I fumbled with the words feeling the heat in my cheeks rise as I though back to my escapade with Trunks, " I don't remember what happened after we ate, and I don't remember coming home. "

" You weren't feeling well. "

I waited for him to say something more, but he fell silent and resumed eating. That didn't explain anything. Why did he seem so uncomfortable? I was just about to demand an explanation when Goku walked into the kitchen.

Goku looked at me for a long time without saying a word. The worried crease in his brow grew deeper as did the frown on his lips. He took a step closer, and I felt like cringing under his critical gaze.

He seemed angry, unsettled and yet curious. What happened to all of those quiet nights chatting on the porch when we'd felt like friends? Then it didn't matter that the others acted so oddly around me, at least Goku would answer my questions. Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage this fiasco.

" Goku, I wanted to ask you..."

He walked away before I could finish the question. What was it with these Saiya-jin? I was beginning to feel like a pariah in my own home.

I took a grape from the plate and popped it into my mouth while Goten continued to devour his food. With no one to talk to, my thoughts drifted back to Trunks. His actions didn't make sense any more than his father's.

Didn't this mark mean anything? Everything I had ever read supported the theory that the bond mark was an almost irreversible symbol of a mated pair, but then, my knowledge on these beings had failed me repeatedly. It was quite possible that this stupid spot was nothing more than an elaborate Saiyan hickey.

The thought made my stomach turn, and I pushed the food away. As much as I tried to deny it, I had feelings for him that went beyond lust and childish obsession. I wanted to be with him, and I wanted him to want to be with me.

The sound of shouting caught my attention. Goten was out of the room before I even stood from the chair. I recognized Goku's voice immediately as I ran towards the front door, but who else was out there?

'Please don't let it be Trunks,' I thought suddenly knowing that Goku was the stronger of the two. I couldn't bear the thought of what could happen because of me, but how had Goku known?

Throwing open the door, I skidded to a halt on the porch almost slamming into Goten who was intent on the scene unfolding in the yard.

Goku and Vegeta stood face to face, the former's ki level had increased. I knew this only because I was becoming more accustomed to the warmer, denser feel of the air when they expended a higher level of energy.

Vegeta growled, " It was inevitable, Kakarrot. Even you can't stop the course of nature! "

" This never should have started, and you know it! " Goku shouted back both hands curling into fists at his sides.

Vegeta tensed, his own power level surging around him like the heat blast from an oven. I cowered against the door watching the two powerful Saiya-jin standing off against one another.

The prince's voice dropped low, threatening, " You cannot do anything stop it. I won't allow it. "

" But Vegeta, " Goku's voice took on an almost pleading tone, " don't you understand? This pregnancy could kill her! "

*~*~*~*~*~*

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