Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Kuro's Escape ❯ Interlude ( Chapter 8 )

Opening his eyes was a chore. Not of the excessively difficult kind, but still a chore. At least this time when he got his eyes opened, the world wasn't a spinning blur of uncertain, blurred, and moving colors. He let his eyes drift over the familiar room, unconsciously noting the small changes. There certainly hadn't been a table laid with medical supplies next to the bed before.

Vegeta wasn't there. He had known the older man wouldn't be there. He'd gone to see if Korin had any senzu beans yet. Apparently, he'd been… injured… long enough for the things to have ripened by now. He moved cautiously, whimpering a little with the pain of his movements, easing himself ever so carefully to the edge of the bed.

Sitting up was torturous, but he was… Saiyan. A poor, pathetic excuse for a Saiyan, but Saiyan none-the-less. A little pain meant nothing. Besides, he'd had to care for himself after punishments before. He could handle it. He forced himself to stand, then walk. His steps were unsteady; he swayed and staggered as he crossed to the door and made his way into the bathroom.

He washed his hands at the sink, studiously avoiding looking at the mirror. He didn't really need the mirror to see how bad off he was. The bruising was more than obvious, as were the bandages covering the gashes he'd received. Mostly bruises, though. The main torture, before Vegeta had found him at his apartment, had been done elsewhere.

His tail was gone now. He didn't mind, not really. No one could hurt him with it if it wasn't there. He touched the bandage on his side, remembered how he had fallen against the crates. He ached everywhere. Slowly, he looked up, into the mirror, and examined his reflection. A few new bruises, a few new scars.

He watched in the mirror as he traced a few of those new scars. The long, jagged one across his chest, healed by a senzu just before he'd run from Vegeta again. Several small, half-healed ones that decorated various places. His fingers traced over the bandage on his side, slipping around to hover over the raw, bandaged wound in the middle of his back before falling to skim over the sores on his rear.

His attention turned from the mirror to himself as he forced himself to determine just how much damage had been done to him. His eyes grew bleaker as he found both bandaged wounds, and the wounds Vegeta had taken bandages from so they could air. He'd been hurt worse than he'd believed… and he remembered it all. I don't understand. Why would he wait for senzu? He said I had been unconscious for a week… why not take me to Dende to be healed? Why take the time for senzu to ripen?

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the Namek. Vegeta could tolerate Piccolo, but he despised Dende. Kuroichi wasn't really sure why, unless it was because way back when he'd been a sprout, Dende hadn't wanted to heal Vegeta. He cut off my tail because it hurt me so badly… he had to have had a good reason not to take me to Dende. Vegeta isn't…

He closed his eyes, bracing himself against the sink as a sudden surge of dizziness hit. As soon as it passed, he made his way back to the bed and arranged himself carefully, trying to avoid excessive discomfort. He was only moderately successful.

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Vegeta tipped the bag, spilling the beans he had gotten from Korin onto the table. They scattered; he swept them quickly together, counting them, then smiled with satisfaction. Korin had not forsaken his old friend. All the beans were of a good size, and there was an even hundred of them. He scooped them up, dumping all but one back into the bag. The bag was tucked into a safe place in the cabinet, the bean went with him to the bedroom.

He paused in the doorway, taking a moment to look at his lover. Kuro had the light blanket pushed so it barely covered his backside and groin. The rest of him was uncovered, except for the bandages. Vegeta frowned in concern, noticing some fresh blood had seeped through the bandage on his side. "Kuro…"

He stepped into the room, moving quietly to fetch warm water and a cloth before moving to the bed, half-unwilling to wake the sleeper. He settled next to the abused form, reaching out to delicately touch one of the few unbruised areas on the man's body. "Kuro, wake up. I have a senzu for you."

Long lashes fluttered a moment, then dark eyes pinned him. Vegeta's heart froze for a second at the look of betrayal he got. "Kuro? I have the senzu. Here." He held the bean to lips that remained mutinously closed. "Kuro? Do you not want to heal? What is wrong?"

He relaxed slightly when Kuro opened his mouth, and he popped the bean inside, waiting anxiously for the thing to work its magic. Vegeta watched the bruises fade away to nothing, the wounds he'd left to air fade into seemingly old scars. His face fell slightly, but he reached out to remove the bandages anyway, wiping the dried blood away with the washcloth he'd had ready.

Vegeta kept his touch light, remembering too well the agonized whimpers that had accompanied the task of cleaning the other Saiyan before he'd given him the senzu. The beans took too long too long to ripen. I had hoped that these would have healed so they would not scar. The prince dropped the used cloth back into the bowl, and drew the light sheet back into position.

"Not going to fuck me?"

Vegeta stiffened at the coldness of the tone, but met the icy eyes calmly. "No, Kuro. I would gladly drive away the memories of what occurred, but I will not just… fuck you."

The coldness turned to confusion, the expressive face softening before turning away. "Oh."

Vegeta reached out, slipping his fingers through Kuroichi's. "I have told you that I love you. I have tried… to show you that I do. Why will you not believe me?" He was quiet a moment, just watching the other. A sudden revelation hit him. "Is it because I have always taken from you what I want? Because I raped you, kept you as a pet?"

He got a flicker of emotion at that, long fingers tightening slightly around his own as dark eyes closed, but Kuroichi didn't say anything. Vegeta gathered him close, so that the taller man rested against him. Kuroichi offered no resistance, instead turning his face to bury it under Vegeta's chin.

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Goku: um, where's the lemon?

Vegeta: BAKA!

Goku: But she said there'd be lemons or lemonade in every chapter!

Vegeta: *starts growling*

Jewel: I think Muse may be saving up for that Minotaur approved scene.

Goku: *eyes get huge* OOOOOOh, really?

Vegeta: *starts looking very unnerved*

Jewel: *shrugs* That's my best guess. I haven't exactly seen much of him lately, and I've got stories waiting for his influence.

Goku: Oh, well, I think he's still hiding from Chi-Chi.

Vegeta: *smirks* That'll teach him.

Jewel: I doubt it. He expanded The Game.

Vegeta & Goku: *fierce growling, fangs showing, eyes going all red*

Jewel: Er, I'll just… *runs*