Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Piccolo's Embrace ❯ Nightmares Revisited ( Chapter 10 )

She did not hear him, he realized as her steady breathing told him she had cried herself to sleep against him. Gently, as he lifted a fragile flower that may wither and die if he did not use care, he lifted her to the bed and smoothed her coverlet up over her body to her chin. Instinctively she curled her knees up to her chest and sighed raggedly. He stood back and looked down at her and thought she looked so small, so vulnerable there all tucked in and curled into herself.

How could anyone even think of harming someone like her? He thought as his anger continued to boil. Alaura never asked for any of this, he shook with rage, all she ever wanted was to be a dancer. All. How could anyone hurt her so much? Why? He spun around and stormed from the room, not stopping even when he'd crossed her livingroom and opened the front door. Taking off into the dark beauty of the early evening sky, Piccolo was a sight against the natural setting of the sun's fading light. He meant to get his answer and then some.

Alaura awoke sometime near ten o'clock. Her eyes felt gritty from crying and she'd slept in her clothes, which were now wrinkled to her body. Wearily, she sat on the edge of her bed for a moment, trying to rouse herself to the day. The day. She thought, uncertain, What day is it? With a horrified pang she realized she did not know. She looked down onto the floor by her bed and saw a track of dirty shoe-prints. Her eyes followed the trail out of her room. Piccolo. She thought, and last night came rushing back like it was happy not to have been forgotten. She sighed and realized as she did so that a heavy weight had been lifted from her.

Before she could enjoy the feeling a bit longer, someone rang her doorbell. She heard the soft chimes of some piece of ballet music fill the house and smiled. She'd always loved that belll. She stood up and tried to straighten her skirt and fix her blouse. She knew her hair must look a fright, but there was nothing to do for that until she had a shower and re- combed it. For now, she just pulled it back into a hastily made ponytail as she walked to the door.

"Tae!" She cried, looking happy and confused all at the same time. The little Namek smiled up at her, his duffle bag with his dance clothes within over one shoulder. "Is it time for the class already?"

"No, Miss. Flaxen." He said, seriously, his tiny antennae twitching a bit, "You promised me private lessons, remember?"

"Oh, oh yes." She waved her hand, motioning him inside and closed the door behind him, "Have a seat in the livingroom, won't you, Tae. I just woke up, sorry."

He grinned at her, "It's no problem, Miss. Flaxen." He said, taking a seat in one of her lounge chairs, his feet did not even come close to touching the floor. She found it amusing that he and Piccolo were of the same race, with the one being so large and the other so small, "I understand. Humans have to sleep and then have to wake up."

She smiled, "That does simplify it, Tae."

How could I have forgotten Tae? She thought to herself as she stepped into the shower, allowing the hot water to steam off her skin and run down her body as she turned and picked up the shampoo bottle, Has my mind been so far gone that I've forgotten my responsibilities? She cursed herself and her weak mind, she needed to stop thinking about the past and concentrate on the future. She did not wish to let Tae, or any of her students, her children, down.

Tae looked around the living room and heard the water running in the bathroom. He knew that his dance instructor, Miss. Flaxen, was cleaning herself and decided that this was a good time to fetch something he'd left. He jumped lightly to the floor, hovering just a bit off the ground before lowing himself down. It was a good thing his guardian had taught him how to fly and how to do other things that would bring buildings down, well a small house maybe for him, Tae giggled a bit and subconsciously started to form a ki ball within his small, rounded hands.

Not now, he thought to himself as the ball dissipated into the air. He had to find something first. He walked to the basement door and opened it, walking down silently, not having to duck to avoid hitting the low ceiling. He flipped on the overhead light and saw that, yes, even down here in the studio, Miss. Flaxen used a soft bulb. He wondered, briefly, just how her eyes had become that way and then shrugged it off as no business of his.

He lifted the loose brick and froze in place. "What?" He cried, shoving aside the other treasure some other child, a human female by the look of what was collected, had placed there before him. "It's gone! How can this be?"

He had put the dragonball there because he had not wanted to take it home and have his guardian find it on him and take it away and that is just what he would have done too. Tae hated him, but felt he was too little to fend for himself and he hadn't asked anyone else to take him in. Besides, he had never known any other kind of life. So, he decided, one day after he was up in his attic room, nursing the bruises which came from talking too much out of turn, he would collect all the dragonballs and make a wish. He would wish himself a better family, if he was even worthy of a family. Tae wasn't sure, but if not, he'd settle for a place where no body ever hit him again.

None of his friends in the dance class knew about his home life. Non of his wounds ever lasted long enough for anyone to see, at least not outwardly. But now the dragonball, the only one he'd found, so far, was gone! He felt tears well up in his eyes as the thought of it. He had taken great pains to bring it here and hide it, too!

He was still there, staring into the dark hole in the ground under the changing bench, sniffling, when she found him.

"Tae?" She asked, she was wearing her leotards and toe shoes, her hair was pulled back into a tight, pale bun on the top of her head and secured with a black ponytail holder that matched her leotard, "What are you doing down there? Are you all right?"

He turned to face her with tears wetting the green of his face, "No, I'm not all right, Miss. Flaxen." He said, and hiccupped, "I've lost my dragonball."

"Your.?" She paused as she remembered the orange ball with the stars on it that Gohan had found in her basement, she brightened, "Oh, don't worry about that, Tae. It's not lost."

"I-it's not?" He asked, hopeful, maybe he could have his wish after all, well, he would have to collect the other six, but what was that old human saying; Every journey starts with one step? "Where is it?"

"I think Piccolo put it upstairs in my room." She said, "It's in one of my dresser drawers. But, forgot about it for now, you said you wanted private lessons, well, let's make the most of it."

He nodded and she left him to change, waiting for him in the studio, stretching her muscles at the barre. She hoped that he was as willing to learn as he had been a few days ago. He came out and stood before her, apparently as ready as ever.

Her mind flashed on Piccolo for a moment and she wondered where he was. He hadn't been there to kiss her awake this morning and her heart ached for him. She planned on showing him just how much she ached for him when she saw him again, but for now, she had a little Namek standing before her, like a sponge, waiting to soak up all she had to teach him about the dance. As it always happened when she threw herself into teaching or dancing, her mind lost all thought of anything save what she was doing and soon, both she and the little one were lost in the different exercises and routines.

"Very good, Tae." She praised him after they had finished. She raised a towel to her face and dabbed the sweat from her brow, "Your turns still need some work, but your jumps are getting much better."

Tae smiled. He knew he could jump higher, make himself lighter, if he used his ki, but he felt that would be like cheating and wanted to learn to dance the correct way, the way he'd seen her dance on stage in an old videotape of her he'd seen at the library one afternoon, he wanted to dance like Miss. Flaxen someday. "Thank you, Miss. Flaxen. I'll keep practicing."

She nodded, "Good. Practice."

"Makes perfect." He said with her and then she made him repeat the three Ds of ballet, "Desire, Determination and Dedication."

"Wonderful, Tae." She said, "Let's go upstairs and have something to drink."

No sooner than she'd said that than the doorbell rang. "Who could that.?"

But, Tae clutched at her tutu and she looked down to see fear cross his features, "Tae? What?"

"I think I'm in trouble, Miss. Flaxen." He said, quietly, "It's my guardian, he never comes looking for me unless I'm in for it."

"Oh." She did not understand the fear in the child's eyes and wondered what kind of guardian he had. She'd read and heard stories of people who kept their children like possessions to hurt and abuse as their whims decreed and gave out bits of love and affection like scraps to the family dog, but had never encountered such a situation before. She wasn't sure she knew how to handle it. "Don't worry Tae, it will be all right."

"No, it won't, Miss. Flaxen." He whispered, "I don't mean to argue with you, but it won't be all right."

Just then, they heard the door crash open and a loud voice bellow though out the house. "Tae! Tae! Come on out! I know you're here and hiding from me is only going to make me angrier!"

Alauara paused, her heart seemed to stop dead in her chest. She KNEW that voice. She knew it! She started to back away down the stairs, shoving Tae out of her way as she struggled to get away. How could this be? She asked herself, This was her home! She was suppose to be safe here! She was awake! This wasn't some nightmare she was trapped in and forced to live until it's bitter end, this was real! How could this be real?

"Tae?" His voice was getting louder as her searched for her little student, he came closer, "Tae, where.?" He stopped as he came to the top of the stairwell, looking down at Alaura and Tae looking up in fear at him, "Oh! How perfect! I remember you, little ballerina."

Alaura turned around and covered her face with her hands. "Your not here. This isn't real. This isn't real. Your not here. She trembled as she crawled into a corner and tried to tuck herself up as small as she could, "Your not here. This is just one of my dreams. Not real. Not real. Not real."

"I am very real, little slut!" He screamed at her, reaching down to pull her to her to him. He hated being ignored and this bitch obviously did not know that about him. Which was just as well, it gavee him the opportunity to teach it to her. "I see you have forgotten just how real I can be."

Tae saw his teacher about to be hurt and reacted without thinking. "No!!" He launched himself at Vegeta and screamed again; "Leave her alone!!"

Laughing, Vegeta easily deflected the little Namek without out even sparing him a backward glance. Alaura gasped as she saw him fly across the room and hit the wall, his head left a red stain that smeared as he slumped to the floor, unconscious if not dead.

"Tae!" She cried, hoping the little Namek was still breathing.

She saw the fist coming before it connected with her jaw and all at once she was back in the photograph room, reliving her past, except this time, she was terrified, he wouldn't just let her live with shattered memories, but would kill her after he was done with her, this time.

Alaura screamed then.