Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Hope Leaves ❯ Evening Falls ( Chapter 5 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

This chapter: After some serious debate, Vegeta decides to go to a hospital where he finds out what is really causing him to lose his grip on reality. The problem is, he may be too late and too far gone to stop it.


'Evening Falls'
...When the evening falls and the daylight is fading, from within me calls, could it be I am sleeping?
For a moment I stray, then it holds me completely,
close to home - I cannot say. Close to home, feeling so far away.
As I walk there is before me a shadow, from another world, where no other can follow.carry me to my own, to where I can cross over... -Enya Vegeta continued to stare at the cigarette burns on his thigh, running his hands through his hair and almost cutting into the skin of his scalp with his fingernails, as though doing so would somehow improve the current situation. He had almost begun to believe the whole thing had been one long, intensely life-like and lucid dream, but it simply wasn't so. His dreams were never like what he'd just experienced anyway, so real it was as though the past were recurring or a completely intact memory was replaying itself behind his eyes, nothing like this. The spinning tunnel, strange colours on the walls, the distortion of time- these had been dream like, but everything else...

'It happened...' he murmured, 'and it has happened before. It...' Vegeta ceased talking to himself for a moment to look out at the skeletal forest on which the sullen light of dawn was beginning to break. Skeletal. The leaves were entirely gone from the branches, now resting forlornly on the ground below. But how? As he tried to comprehend this frightening sight without spiralling into panic, his stomach gave a loud growl and he became aware of a terrible hunger, as though he hadn't eaten in a ridiculously long time.

'I've got to do something,' he told himself firmly, but the words shook slightly as they left his lips. 'Something, anything...' Anything to take his mind off what was happening. There'd been enough dark times in his life for him to recognise the pattern, the motions he went through, and this wasn't it. Usually the black moods began with restless frustration with the circumstances, which lead to blind anger, which caused him to neglect the basic needs of living in order to focus on escaping or overcoming whatever trial his useless luck had thrown at him this time. Then, when he failed again and again, the apathy would descend, settling over his mind, body and everything in his atmosphere like the snow of a long and harsh winter, melting only when the skies cleared and the sun's warm fingers reached out to stroke his skin. Many times it had felt like he'd seen the last of the sun, that the darkness and lifelessness had claimed him for good, but somehow the light always revealed itself, in the end. Despite the apathy, the self-neglect, despite everything, he'd never lost touch with reality. He'd never lost it completely, but what was this that was happening now? *What the hell was this?*

When he tried to shut out the question posed by the present surroundings and all of their implications, flashes of the recently relived memory took over instead. They kept forcing themselves into his mind, over and over again those feelings, those images, repeating themselves mercilessly. The feeling of being like a toy in their hands or an animal they'd decided to brand, without the strength to fight any of it, helpless. The helplessness was what was so unbearable; physical pain meant nothing at all, but the helplessness almost made him wanted to peel off his own skin just to feel something else. His pride couldn't bear it.

A dark thought came to mind. What he wouldn't give to feel the soft skin of someone else's neck beneath his fingers and the throb of their racing heart, to tighten his grip until the bones were almost ready to snap, holding their life ransom. The pure sense of control, the beautiful rush that came when looking into their eyes, hearing them pleading for life without even a voice to plead with, the smell of raw fear leaking out in their sweat... it was art to him, unrefined, and twisted but art none the less. Even at the edge of these violent thoughts there was a clear awareness of the strange colours playing at the corners of his vision that now warped the sky, and way light came and went in unusual patterns, the anxiety. Whatever it was he'd drifted into through that vortex in the lake, he hadn't come out of it. Not entirely.

The doctor's face shone in his mind. The only logical explanation for all this was that *he* was behind it somehow. *You, you must be behind this. This all started when you arrived. Of course you're no where to be found now, how convenient. But just wait till I get my hands on you,* he thought maliciously. The doctor's secrets wouldn't remain hidden forever, that would be made sure of. And whatever curse or poison he'd used, Vegeta would get it out of him. Brutally torturing somebody to death was just the therapy he needed right now anyhow. It would be a better antidote than talking could ever hope to be... antidote, poison... poison, perhaps that was it! If he went home to Bulma, perhaps she'd figure something out, perhaps she'd know of an antidote- But no, he couldn't go to her, not now. Just the thought of going home summoned unappealing visions of what home would bring, of her eyes boring expectantly into his, her voice drilling into his skull, her damnable questions. No, not now. He'd go to an actual hospital, there was no other choice.

*Finally a solid, logical thought I can hang onto for more than a second*, he sighed heavily with relief. He took off trying to remember the direction of West city hospital, but for an indefinable period of time afterwards was only vaguely aware of the direction he was flying in, and he was terribly dizzy. Everything looked wrong; the sky, the cities and forests below, all of it was stretched out in a way it wasn't normally, stretched thin like a tablecloth over a table much wider and longer than it was. The clouds looked like they were breathing, but still he was certain it was a hospital he was headed for. One way or another, that's where he'd end up.

***

When Vegeta finally touched down in front of West City hospital he noticed that the sun was now shining, meaning it had taken most of the night to get here when it should have taken minutes.* It's alright,* he thought, *I'll go in there, they'll fix... whatever it is, and it will all disappear, it'll be over.* He lifted his hands to his eyes, wondering why they felt so heavy. They were shaking and his heart was racing. None of it could be controlled despite desperate efforts to do so. He'd rather avoid going into the hospital unless it was absolutely necessary. Medical examinations and treatment were never things he was fond of. There had been one doctor back on Frieza's ship, one that he'd trusted, had always seen whenever it was required, but since then there had been no treatments, check ups or doctor's visits of any kind. There had been no need- Bulma and her father could always patch him up if need be. But that was no longer an option, and his hands wouldn't stop their insistent shaking.

'Forget it...' he muttered, 'I'll just go inside...' Two men standing near him were staring as he walked inside, having been watching Vegeta staring at his hands and muttering for some time. One of them had a shock of postbox red hair while the other was dressed in a KFC uniform. They couldn't have been much older than Trunks.

'Whoa,' the red head murmured, his green eyes wide. 'That dude's trippin' balls.'

'Fuck yeah,' his friend replied, as they watched the short man with wild hair walk into the building unsteadily. 'Wow. What kinda hairspray could possibly achieve that?'

'Uhhh... have you ever seen 'There's something about Mary'?'

***

Vegeta wasn't sure how long he'd been in the emergency waiting room. It could have been minutes or hours. Time was coming in waves, rolling towards him and rising over his head, only to pause just as the wall of water was about to come crashing down. The moments passed like snapshots, stopping and starting intermittently. Finally a doe eyed woman with a scarf covering her hair came to stand in front of him, clasping her hands and peering into his eyes.

'What is the matter sir?' she asked in a very timid, accented voice.

'I need to see a doctor,' he growled back at her, wanting to skip the idle chit chat.

'But what is the matter please?' Her English wasn't perfect.

'Take me to see a doctor now, I've been poisoned.' Vegeta's voice was rising.

'Oh...' She whispered, then scuttered off into another room, only to return a few moments later with an Indian man wearing a turban.

'Please sir right this way,' the doctor more commanded than asked, his English worse than the woman's.

He got up and followed them out of the room and down a long corridor, trying not to look at the walls on either side of him that now appeared to writhing, swirling patterns climbing and softly caressing their surfaces. Fear was creeping insidiously into his mind, constricting his throat like a noose. What was he doing here? How could these people help him? He could be cursed, possessed, anything. He could be imagining this. These doctors could be apart of it all, anybody could. Nobody could be trusted. His breathing quickened and cold sweat began to trickle down his forehead. Eventually they reached a small room with a hospital bed, a sink atop which sat various medical implements, a desk and two chairs.

'Now please, what is the problem sir? You have been poisoned, you say? What is the symptoms you are having right now?'

'I'm...' Vegeta stopped short, noticing the doctor's black, black eyes, shimmering strangely, rippling. 'What happened to the leaves?'

'I'm begging your pardon?'

'The leaves...' came the whispered replied. 'Before I... feel asleep, the trees in the forest were still full of leaves. Now they're gone. See?' he pointed out the window at the bare tree's in the hospital grounds, watching the doctor look over at the scarfed woman and raise an eyebrow.

'Sir I'm going to ask you some question, please answer the best you can. What hospital you are in right now?'

'West. West City. Of course.'

'Now I am going to ask you again, what is the symptoms right now?'

'It's the sky. The walls. Everything. Nothing looks rights. I keep seeing... the time keeps stopping. It's madness. Listen, you've got to tell me, how long have the leaves been like that?'

'Ok, we are going to do some tests now. Please wait here' the doctor muttered, hurrying out of the room.

'Why won't he answer me?' Vegeta demanded of the woman standing near him. 'What's the matter with you two? Tell me what happened to the leaves!' He was almost shouting, and her eyes grew wide, alarmed.

'The winter is coming. All the leaves are gone for two weeks now. Maybe three.'

'Fuck...' he whispered. A hand raised to her small, doll-like lips as though Vegeta's choice of words shocked her. 'That can't be right. Its only been a day or two.' He was speaking more to the trees out the window than to the nurse, barely noticing when the doctor returned to the room, took out a syringe and knotted a tourniquet around his arm, preparing to draw blood. Deep in thought, the lights being shined into his eyes went unnoticed, as did the hands guiding him into another much darker room where there were no sounds. Time and everything in it began to sneak by him again as he slipped into an intense lucid dream-like state, but true sleep never came. Eventually a voice came through the haze and the vague shape of the Indian and another doctor re-emerged.

'Good evening, sir. Did you sleep?'

Vegeta was having trouble focusing on the men in front of them, but their words were clear.

'No. Is it really evening now?'

'Yes,' the new doctor replied, 'you've been sleeping all day. Listen, we've received your test results, and we were hoping you'd be feeling better and perhaps able to tell us how you think this might have happened, for example if you have any idea who may have poisoned you. We also need to know if you'd like to notify the police. ' The doctor paused, checking for the ashen looking man's reaction, which was mild laughter followed by a stony expression.

'That shouldn't be necessary. I'm quite capable of handling this on my own. I will not be answering any of your questions. You will tell me what it is I have been poisoned with, provide me with an antidote, and then I shall leave. If you require payment it can be arranged. I warn you now, do not try to detain me here. I'm not in the best of moods right now and as such it wouldn't be in your best interests.' The less than friendly sentence was punctuated with a scowl. Both doctors looked frazzled, but gave each other knowing looks all the same.

'I'm afraid we can't provide you with an antidote. I'm sorry, but there isn't one. The substance we found at high levels in your blood is very similar to the recreational drug LSD. We're not sure about the particulars of the substance but we're currently running further tests. All we can do for you really is give you something to reduce the anxiety, so that the symptoms you're experiencing won't be so frightening and unpleasant. LSD is taken recreationally for it's hallucinogenic and mind opening properties, but if you're not mentally prepared for the overwhelming effects as in cases like yours where someone slips it into your drink or whatever it is that's happened, it can be quite scary.'

'I see. So I have been poisoned. With some kind of drug you say?'

'Yes.'

'And there's no antidote at all?'

'No. I can give you a valium to help relax you, but apart from that you'll have to wait several hours for the effects to wear off, which can last up to12 hours. You've got to rest, stay away from bright lights and loud noises and let it run its course. I'll warn you that you might not be able to sleep for some time though.'

Vegeta growled deep in his throat, angered by what he'd heard though it was what he'd suspected anyway. 'Fine then. Give me this sedative so I can leave.'

'Listen sir, there's some other issues we need to address. Firstly, you're a little dehydrated and your blood sugar is quite low. When was the last time you ate? Secondly, you seem to have a foreign body lodged under the skin on the right side of your neck. Our first notion was to remove it but after close inspection it was discovered to be deeper in the skin than we first thought and very close to a major artery. Until a surgeon is consulted as to a safe way to remove it you'll need to go on a course of high dose antibiotics. There's already quite a serious infection. What we're wondering is, how did it get there? It's in a very unusual place and we thought it might be glass or something like that. You haven't uh, fallen through any windows lately by any chance have you?' The doctor was chuckling now. 'It's just that sometimes we get people coming in here with injuries like that because during their trip they've got the idea they can fly and jumped out a window.' The laughter and smiles faded as the doctors noticed an increasingly agitated expression spreading over the man's face.

'A hem,' the Indian cut in. 'But please sir, do not try to do any flying.'

'That's right. The idea that you can fly might seem plausible at the moment, but just remember, you can't.' At this they both started to laugh again. Vegeta only vaguely registered the irony of their words. He could feel all the blood drain from his face, a feeling of light headedness overcoming everything as he rose, intending to leave. *A foreign body lodged under the skin...* The thought was disturbing. How could such a thing possibly escape his notice? Moreover, did this have something to do with everything that had been happening? These giggling idiots were of no more use to him, that much was certain. There was only one man he needed to speak to right now. Or rather, to torture slowly until every malicious thing that had been done was undone.

'Wait, your sedative, the antibiotics-' they called, hurrying after him, but to no avail. The last they saw of the man was his figure weaving around another patient a few metres up ahead then disappearing altogether, leaving them puzzled.

A few moments later Vegeta stood outside, staring into the darkness at the smooth, dome-shaped buildings of West City. He felt dizzy, feverish and nauseous, and his head was pounding unbearably. The wavering street lights hurt his eyes, put there to aid the poor vision of the humans scurrying back and forth like over grown squirrels, hurrying down their narrow holes into their pathetic little lives.

'Despicable,' he whispered, eyeing them all venomously and noticing that he could see his breath on the air, white and frosty. A wicked smile curled at one corner of his mouth. 'I just knew you couldn't stay away long.' People standing around all looked up into the air, some crying out in surprise when they saw a flare of light illuminate the entire street from the middle of a pavement followed by a man shooting off into the sky. Vegeta came to a halt high up in the air when an incredibly powerful gust of wind almost threatened to knock him right out of the sky. He spun around several times, keen eyes darting back and forth, and it didn't take long for them to come to rest on the doctor's still figure, perched on top of a skyscraper.

'What a surprise,' he chuckled deeply, the smirk on his face broadening. 'I wasn't expecting you so soon. Come to see how I am, doctor?'

'So soon?' the doctor looked him over with a scrutinising and somewhat bewildered stare, confused by the saiyan's word. 'What are you talking about? Where ever have you been Vegeta? The sun's been up and down more times than I could count. I couldn't sense you anywhere.'

'I see. Would you like to know where I've been then?'

'Uh... if you'd like to tell me. It would certainly clear a few thing-' the doctor began, stopping short when Vegeta suddenly appeared in front of him, forcefully grabbing hold of his neck.
'You want to know where I've been?' he snarled. 'I've been down the fucking rabbit hole, and don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Now you can start by explaining what happened to the leaves. All the trees are bare, and when I saw you last just a few days ago that wasn't the case. What have you done with the leaves?' His grip tightened, but the doctor's face remained expressionless.

'I'm not going to lie to you Vegeta. That's a very worrying question. Now we can talk about this. Tell me what's happened, where you've been. Your family is scared. Your wife sits in her father's laboratory deep inside the building, wondering what's happened to you.'

'Don't you DARE go near my family or into that house again. Your chances of getting out of this alive are slim as it is. Now speak! SPEAK!'

The doctor only stared at him, his eyes both questioning and knowing at the same time. This complete lack of fear on his captor's part enraged Vegeta, making him feel hopelessly incompetent, so that he tightened his grip even further. Why wasn't he choking, spluttering, coughing, anything?!

'Do you want to kill me, friend?'

'Shut up. Shut up! You will answer only the questions I ask of you, understand? Tell me what you've done to me! I'm losing my mind; I've been to the hospital and they told me I was poisoned with some kind of drug, that there's an object lodged under the skin of my neck,' he pointed to the festering lump. 'Remember when you said this was unusual, asked me if anything strange had happened? Turns out you were right, it's very fucking unusual! Now this is your last chance. You will tell me what you've done and after that you will undo it. If you do not comply, I swear you will not see another day. All the talk in the world won't save you from me, do you hear?!'

Aggressive winds were picking up around them, howling through the city like frightened voices, screaming in his ears and stinging his eyes. The sky loomed above them, polluted by the lights and smog of the city below that stained it with a dusty red glow. Everything was shifting, and it felt as though the sky was slowly descending on him, melting into the buildings below which themselves appeared to be rising to meet it. The now familiar dizziness was threatening to overcome him as he tried to keep the fear out of his eyes, to remain forceful, but the response Vegeta got after all his threats and demands was unsavoury.

'I won't see another day anyway. I haven't seen a day in fifteen years.'

'So be it. You had your chance. And by the way, I don't have any friends,' he whispered, his voice wavering and his hands clamping down hard enough to snap the bones. Usually this action would have provided a sense of release, but the only feeling the saiyan experienced was that of strong hands around his own neck, crushing the life that raced through the veins, constricting the spirit. That's when the flesh under his fingers began to dissolve into the violent winds around them.

'You can't kill me Vegeta,' he said sorrowfully as he began to de-materialise. 'When you're ready to talk to me, I'll be here again,' was the last thing Vegeta heard before the doctor disappeared completely, leaving the other man stunned and alone with only the wind, which was growing more vicious with every second. The sky and the horizon continued to bleed into one another, and the wind began to move in a circular formation around him.

'What the hell...' He was driving forwards to fly out of what was quickly becoming a twister, but the air was full of dust and he couldn't see anything save for the glowing red light that was forming below him. The force of the wind was sucking him down into the light and for some illogical reason he couldn't find the strength to fight it.

'No, not again! Not this time!' he shouted, and everything went white.

***

The Briefs sat around the kitchen table, all staring blankly at the table cloth. Goten sat with them too. Only Bra wasn't there, being off somewhere in the house playing. Bulma's mother was crying. The air in the room was thick with tension.

'So you haven't sensed him either, Goten?' Bulma queried, her voice weary.

'Only flashes,' he replied sadly.

'Same here,' Trunks added. Doctor Briefs tried to comfort his wife as she burst into fresh bout of sobs.

'Four weeks,' she moaned. 'He's been gone four weeks! Something terrible's happened, I can feel it! He should be here at home, with us-'

'There there honey, let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe he's just had a bit of an accident or something and he's... recovering somewhere. I'm sure he'll be back in no time. He's always managed to bounce back before no matter how badly injured he was. Maybe he's just gone off to train somewhere peaceful and quiet. I'm sure everything will be alright-'

'Mum, dad, please!' Bulma cried, frustrated with hearing the same thing again and again. 'Right now we need to focus on finding him, ok? There's no point speculating on what's happened to him. Because none of us knows. All we know is that the waitress from Typica, Annie, saw him three weeks ago, that he came into the cafe with a middle aged man with curly white hair. That's the last anyone's seen of him.'

'Maybe we should check at the hospital, he might have gone there,' Goten offered.

'No,' Doctor Briefs shook his head. 'Vegeta would never see a doctor. Whenever he had an injury he'd either let it right itself or come to Bulma and myself.'

'But what if- what if he was in really bad shape and the hospital was the closest thing?'

'He's right grandpa,' Trunks said. 'We should at least check. It's better than just sitting here doing nothing.'

'My God, who keeps leaving the window open!' Bulma huffed, getting up to check the window in the adjoining lounge with her arms around her shoulders. 'It's freezing in here!'

'The window isn't open mum. I think the central heating's just stuffing up again.'
'No no,' doctor Briefs muttered. 'I've checked it again and again, and it's fine. I've no idea what's causing these damned drafts.'

At just that moment Bra came bounding into the room looking far more cheerful than she had generally been looking this past month.

'Mummy!' she squealed delightedly, racing into the lounge upon noticing Bulma wasn't in the kitchen with everyone else.

'Don't run in the house please hun. I don't want you tripping over anything-'

'Mummy look!' she repeated, holding up a delicately embroidered handkerchief. In the centre of the fabric the letters 'S.S.A' had been sown in cobalt blue stitches. Before Bulma had time to ask her where on earth she'd gotten it, Bra began to babble happily.

'Daddy's friends gave it to me to show daddy. They said that he's gunna come back home, an then, they coming back to see him, and then he won't never go away ever. Look, it's pwetty!'

'Whoa, slow down honey,' Bulma said, the worry in her voice obvious. 'What friends? Daddy doesn't have any- I mean, who were these friends of daddy's?'

Everyone else, having overheard Bra from the kitchen, was filing into the lounge, curious as to what she was talking about.

'They were funny men with funny heads,' she patted her own head to clarify. 'And they were really nice. They said they'd be my friend too.'

'Bra, what have I told you about speaking to strangers? Remember what I told you, that sometimes nasty men tell you they know your mummy and daddy so you'll believe anything they say? Wait a minute, where did you see these men? Are they outside? Is that where you saw them?!'

'No. I was having a nap in my room, an they woked me up. They said when daddy comes back, tell him not to go away no more. They coming back tomorrow.'

'What!' Bulma cried. 'They were in your room?!' She looked up at Trunks, her eyes filled with shock. Both him and Goten looked at each other and raced off in the direction of Bra's room, only to return a minute later with the news that the intruders were gone.

'I'm going to search the whole house, and the grounds. Goten, stay here with everyone,' Trunks ordered, his eyes narrowed angrily. Bulma watched him silently, holding her daughter to her and marvelling at how different Trunks looked when he was angry, how much more like his father. Bra was the only one confused, unable to understand why everyone was so upset all of a sudden.

'I'll go check the security cameras,' doctor Briefs said, his voice determined.

Bulma didn't get up, still clutching Bra and staring at the handkerchief. Goten knelt down beside them to inspect it, his eyes puzzled.

'S.S.A...?' he questioned, baffled. 'What the hell does that mean?'

...Forever searching; never right, I am lost in oceans of night.
Forever hoping I can find, memories,those memories I left behind.
Even though I leave will I go on believing,
that this time is real, am I lost in this feeling?like a child passing through, never knowing the reason.Close to home - I cannot stay, I am home, feeling oh so far away...
Next time: Vegeta's enemies notice that he's growing sicker, weaker and more delusional with every passing moment, and decide that it's finally the right time to strike. This time they don't intend on letting him escape. Meanwhile his family continue their frantic search.What will they do when they realise what's happened to him?


Please R & R and let me know what you think! Hope you like the direction the story is going in :)