Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Second Chance ❯ Breached Boundaries ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Three

~Ellery~

There was no way that I was falling back asleep after that goddamn terror. I was surprised that Kakarot had bothered to come wake me up. No one had ever bothered to do it before. Frieza’s men would always find ways to poke fun at the terror that haunted my dreams. They’d make me the entertainment of the evening.

I had no choice but to get up. Vegeta had come to check on me after his human mate covered his wounds. I had told him that I was fine, but I could tell that it wasn’t enough to convince the prince. He simply nodded and left the room to return to his own bedroom. After that, I’d gotten up and decided the only way to deal with this was to train for a while.

I was curious about the chamber that my father had been using for a good part of the afternoon the previous day. I decided to go and investigate. I changed into a pair of shorts that Vegeta’s mate had left for me to wear, as well as a tight shirt that appeared to be ideal for individual training. Both garments were very tight, but also easy to move in. I slipped into my boots and my fingerless training gloves before I walked out to the lawn where I’d defeated Kakarot the day before. It was dark so I couldn’t see as well as I would have liked to. Judging by the placement of the moon, it was early morning, maybe the third or fourth hour of the new day.

There, a little further down the lawn was the large silver chamber. It had the words “Capsule Corps.” etched into the outside like every other goddamned piece of equipment in this facility. I rolled my eyes and opened the door. A hissing escaped from the room as the seal released. I stepped inside, seeing that the chamber was very similar on the inside as it was on the outside. It was smooth, silver metal with a control panel in the center that extended to the ceiling like a column. I let the door close behind me and took in my surroundings.

I approached the control panel, anxious to see exactly what this thing could do. My father had come out, sweating and exhausted. It must had created a different training atmosphere.

I looked around the panel. None of the buttons were labeled, which made this even harder. I did notice a small screen that said, “Normal.” Normal? What the hell did that mean?

My fingers brushed over the screen, waiting for some kind of response from the machine. When nothing happened, I hit the green button next to the screen. Suddenly, I felt the air around me become heavy. I looked around, trying to figure out what exactly was going on. I knew that earth’s gravity was less than that of Planet Vegeta, or so Frieza had said. Frieza’s ship even had stronger gravity than this worthless planet. I hit the button again, feeling my body strain as I watched the numbers increase to three, four. I smiled in satisfaction and decided not to push myself too far. I started punching at the heavy air, almost watching the air part around my thrusts.

I could train, which was something I’d been very concerned with when I decided to come to this mud ball. I hadn’t realized that the humans had advanced far enough to give me an area suitable to push my body to the limits.

I continued this routine, increasing the gravity every few minutes, and continuing to attack the empty air. Perspiration dripped from my forehead and collected in the clothes the human had provided. I pushed my body to deal with those disgusting thoughts that invaded my sleeping, defenseless mind. It was nothing but a weakness, and I needed to fight away this stupid vulnerability.

Still, after hours of working and pushing my flesh and muscles to the limit, I still felt the terror shake in my bones. I yelled my frustration, my ki bursting from my body in waves. The familiar burn of my muscles popping with my transformation wracked my body. I was stronger than Frieza. I couldn’t let these stupid memories haunt me for the rest of my miserable life. I had better things to do.

Suddenly, the gravity lifted and equalized to the normal earthling gravity. I looked to what could have happened. I saw my father standing in the doorway, looking in at me from the outside. He had his permanent scowl glued to his face. I hadn’t powered down, so I still was shaking from my aggression.

“You could have gotten yourself killed.” Vegeta said, his voice flat. He stepped into the chamber, his bandaged arms crossed over his bare chest, clad only in a pair of pajama pants.

I growled at him. “I don’t need protecting, Vegeta.”

“This room is extremely dangerous if you don’t know how to use it, Ellery.” He continued to walk toward the control panel, methodically pressing buttons until all the buzzing ceased. “Go back to bed and I’ll teach you how to use this in a few hours. Then, you can train all you want.”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’ve already figured it out. I don’t need lessons.”

Vegeta’s gaze snapped over to me. “I told you to go back to bed.”

I walked toward him, still remaining in my ascended form. My chest was almost touching his when I stopped. I didn’t let any of my body relax, keeping my guard up. “I am not your subject, Vegeta. I could easily kill you, and I expect you to keep that in mind.”

Vegeta’s face tightened as the rage exploded in his eyes. “I’m not commanding you as your prince, I’m commanding you as your father. You haven’t slept enough, and it’s making you reckless. Now, go.”

I pulled my eyebrows together. “What makes you think you have power over me as a father? What makes you think I would respect you?”

His jaw clenched as his body shook with his anger. "Because I know what you're feeling." Vegeta stepped away from me, toward the entrance to the chamber. "Come with me and I'll tell you about it." He nodded toward the door and exited the chamber, giving me the choice to follow. I swallowed and powered down before following the Saiyan prince. 

He'd waited for me outside the chamber, somehow knowing I would follow. I walked until I stood beside the Saiyan and he began walking, leading the way while staying right beside me.

“As you already knew, I was a member of Frieza’s army as well. I was taken as a child from Planet Vegeta, and I worked with Nappa, another Saiyan, to conquer planets from childhood. There were a few other Saiyans that managed to be off planet when our home planet was destroyed. Unfortunately, they were all under Frieza’s control as well. Kakarot was the only Saiyan who escaped that hadn’t been a member of the army.” Vegeta paused, turning to walk further into the yard. “Come this way.”

I continued to walk with my father, listening to his story.

“I wasn’t trained by Frieza, as you were, but I had to deal with the discipline you endured as well. I wasn’t as strong as Frieza when I was under his control, but he knew I was still a threat. I was constantly put down and beat on by the rest of the soldiers. I was never a favorite of Frieza’s, and he was sure to let me know it, oftentimes by making an example of me when I was insubordinate. He made a show of humiliating me, and beating me within an inch of my life, leaving me to find my own way to the medical ward.”

I didn’t tell Vegeta, but that was the least of the example that Frieza had made of me. Being the only woman in his army, he often looked the other way when the men would use me to rid themselves of hormonal urges, and even did so himself. I couldn’t count the number of times that I was restrained and violated on that ship, and the numerous planets we’d landed on. No one cared how I was treated because having boundaries was a weakness to them. Being a woman who wouldn’t allow herself to be fucked whenever someone else seemed fit was one that was useless. I couldn’t even fight back, because they’d often attack in groups, and restrain me using the special cuffs that blocked ki.

That wasn’t something Vegeta needed to know. It was something he probably would never know. I was ashamed of it as it was, and I couldn’t let anyone see the vulnerable side of me if I hoped to keep any amount of dignity.

“I have those night terrors still to this day, and Bulma has learned to help me deal with them. The only way to wake me is to press ice to my skin, and wait for me to come to. They don’t happen as often, especially since Bulma always accompanies me at night. It seems to give me a sense of security.” Vegeta paused, giving me a look of understanding. “It isn’t the same, and I know that. I could never imagine what torture you were probably put through. Frieza was bad enough when I was in his army. If he raised you strictly to have you destroy Kakarot and I, it probably gave him all kinds of ideas.” Vegeta made a face of disgust. “I’ll never say that I know what you went through, but I can offer you some form of understanding.”

I nodded to him. He basically already assumed that Frieza had used more for his own pleasure, but he’d never come out and say it. I knew why. The last thing my father wanted to do was to bring back an unwelcome memory. His pride was important to him, and he knew that mine was as well. It was obvious that I didn’t want to be called out on something that I didn’t even want to admit happened. I didn’t want to admit how many times that I begged for mercy, and how often I sat up at night, wishing for death.

“I don’t want you getting yourself killed. A lot of our training equipment is pretty intense, and I’d prefer you being taught to use it before you jump head-first into busting your ass.” Vegeta’s voice was much softer now. It was obvious that sharing his experience with me was important to him, especially if it helped me relate to him more. As much as he hated to admit it, he already cared about me. This child that he had no part in creating, but shared almost every part of his genetics, and he saw something worth worrying about.

So much for being a heartless prince.

“Okay, Vegeta.” I answered, noticing that we’d reached the front of the campus. Vegeta pressed the call button so someone would let us in. I had forgotten that the human woman was adamant about locking every door to the compound.

“Mr. Vegeta, did you lock yourself out?” the intercom echoed. A woman ran the desk at night, there simply to let people in after hours.

“I had to have a word with my daughter, and I left my key inside.” Vegeta had returned to his typical cold self. I knew that the man I had just seen was a rare occurrence, and I shouldn’t become used to it.

The door clicked, and Vegeta tugged it open, waiting for me to step inside. “Thank you, Elise.” he called into the intercom before he followed me inside, pulling the door closed behind him.

The prince escorted me back to my bedroom. “It’ll be a couple hours before anyone else is up. I’ll be up with the sun, so you’re welcome to come down any time after that, and I’ll teach you to use the gravity chamber.”

I smiled at him. “Thanks, Vegeta.”

He nodded his acknowledgement and walked down the hall to return to his mate. I closed my bedroom door. I knew I wouldn’t fall back asleep, but if it would keep Vegeta off my back for a while, I’d go and get a shower and wait until sunrise to resume my training.

The too-hot water ran over my muscles, relaxing them and tensing them all at once. I had to repress my ki, to be sure not to wake the prince again.

I curled my nose in disgust. I wasn’t used to answering to anyone anymore. I’d defeated Frieza a little less than four years before this, and I had been the leader of myself since. The Namekians had been happy to assist me, believing that I’d saved them when I destroyed Frieza’s fleet. I was some kind of hero, and that got me hospitality and a place to sleep at night. Food was a whole other issue, since the Namekians didn’t require food. I did figure it out, and managed to solve my problems until I made my way to earth, and then to this timeline.

Climbing from the shower, I flared my ki to remove the excess moisture. I looked into the mirror and brushed through my hair, pulling it to a braid at the side of my head again. It’s how I’d always worn it.

I slipped in to a pair of shorts and another t-shirt. It was nearly sunrise, so I walked down to the kitchen. I wanted to give Kakarot a hand, since he’d been suffering by my hand.

It was a little past sunrise when the concoction was finished. I went in to Kakarot’s room and he was still fast asleep. An old Saiyan remedy for pain, and an accelerated healing remedy as well, was all I could do to help him. It wouldn’t work as quickly as the “senzu beans” that Bulma had told me of the previous day, but he’d feel better by mid-day, maybe sooner.

I moved the blanket away from his side, face-to-face with an ugly black bruise. I was surprised that he’d been so quiet about it. I never even heard a complaint. The bastard had a monster of a pain tolerance.

I broke the bandaging that held on the icepack and moved it to the side. Not only was he pain tolerant, but he slept through everything.

Almost everything.

I reached into the bowl I’d brought up and pulled some of the foul-smelling paste onto my fingers. I was glad that I’d kept some of the fluid from the regeneration tanks in case of emergencies and managed to find the other ingredients necessary to create the remedy. I lightly touched it to the Saiyan’s skin and felt him jump at the warmth of the paste.

“What?” He looked over at me, only alert because of the excitement. “What are you doing, Ellery?”

“Be quiet, Kakarot. It will help.” I said, smoothing the heavy cream over the entire bruise. “You’ll be good as new by lunchtime.” I put on a little more of the mixture for good measure and pulled the blanket back up to where it had been before. I grabbed the bowl and stood to walk out of the room.

“Wait!” Kakarot shouted sleepily. I turned to look at the handsome Saiyan laying in the bed, still sluggish from the abrupt waking. He was smiling up at me. “Thank you. Why are you helping me?”

I chuckled, shaking my head for a moment. “I owed you a favor. Don’t get used to it.” I turned and walked from the room, closing the door behind me.

I went down to the kitchen to package the rest of the paste for later, knowing I’d probably need it with all the Saiyans around here.

Vegeta was in the kitchen, shuffling through the cabinets, obviously trying to find his breakfast. He looked over when he noticed I was there. He raised an eyebrow. “How did you learn that?”

I smiled. “In the other timeline, you taught it to me. When Frieza’s discipline went too far, you helped me recover, and told me that the remedy would only work for Saiyans.” I explained, slipping the small bowl into a ziplock bag and closing it. I put it above the refrigerator, that way I’d have it if I needed it.

Vegeta nodded. He still was only wearing his pajama bottoms. “You found the heart to help Kakarot?”

I didn’t look at my father as I sifted through the refrigerator, reading labels. I wasn’t sure exactly what must of the substances were, so I took the cap off of the carton that read “orange juice.” I sniffed the opening, making a face at the sour citrus scent that was wafting from the container.

“I felt that it was wrong to allow him to suffer for no greater purpose. I was angry, and he was just protecting his people.”

Vegeta chuckled. “It’s just fruit juice, Ellery. You’ll like it.”

I just nodded, tipping the container and sipping from it. I made a face at the sour taste, but also a sweet aftertaste coated my mouth. I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

“The woman will be angry if she sees you drinking out of the carton.” Vegeta warned.

I chuckled. “I’m sure I can handle her.” I continued to drink the confectionous juice, only to stop when I saw Kakarot come into the kitchen. I watched him walk over and sit at the table. It looked like he hadn’t slept much after he came to wake me. His hair was even messier than usual.

“Good morning, Kakarot.” Vegeta said condescendingly.

He smiled at my father. “It is a pretty good morning, huh, Vegeta?”

My eyebrows moved together again. I didn’t understand their relationship. I could tell that Vegeta was fond of Kakarot, but I could tell that he also annoyed my father. I didn’t know what exactly was going on with those two.

Soon after, Kakarot and Vegeta both came out to show me how to operate the gravity chamber. It was very similar to how I’d done it, but I had to be careful to only increase the pressure slowly and by small increments. Vegeta had overreacted when he saw me, but I guess he was just worried.

It was kind of nice to have someone worry about me.

“Hey, Ellery?” Kakarot said to me as Vegeta powered down the chamber to go and train on his own. I looked over at the other Saiyan. He looked concerned as well. “I won’t ask you what you were dreaming about last night, because I know it’s probably personal, but I just wanted to tell you that I’m a good listener, if you need it.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “I appreciate it, Kakarot, but I can handle my emotions on my own.”

He smiled. “I figured that would be your answer. I just wanted to offer because I know you don’t have many friends here yet.”

I scoffed at him. I knew he was just trying to be friendly, but I couldn’t let him see inside of that part of my life. No one could see it.

“It’s not your problem, Kakarot, and I refuse to make it your problem.” I walked to the control panel. “Now, I’ll be training if you need me.”

I powered up the chamber and Kakarot stayed inside with me. He rid himself of his gi top, but left his blue weighted shirt on.

“Mind if I join you? I’m in need of a fresh sparring partner.” Kakarot asked, getting into a defensive stance.

“You’re quickly becoming a pain in my ass.” I said, removing my boots to keep from seriously injuring him.

He chuckled. “You really are Vegeta’s daughter, aren’t you?”

I copied his stance. “I’m a lot like him, aren’t I?”

After a few hours of sparring, and actually learning a few things from the third-class warrior, we were both rather exhausted. I turned off the extra gravity and exited the chamber, my tail drooping behind me from the lack of energy I had.

Kakarot stretched leisurely before following me back out of the chamber. “You know, you could really help us improve our techniques. You took a lot more from Frieza’s training than Vegeta did.”

I smiled at him. I knew that it was the closest thing to a praise that I’d ever gotten. “I’d be happy to teach you all a few things. You’ll have to convince my father that he needs pointers before he’ll let me give them.”

“Oh, Vegeta is softer than everyone thinks he is. He may be rough around the edges, but he can be a really nice guy when he wants to be.” Kakarot had his arms behind his head as we walked back toward the house. He had such a carefree demeanor about him, and though it irritated the hell out of me, it was rather intriguing as well. For such a strong warrior, he was so childish. It was a way he carried himself and how he talked. He was confident, but innocent.

He seemed so easy to read, like he was an open book, but I could tell that there was so much more than what he was leading on. It wasn’t that he was hiding anything, but he refused to let anyone see what he didn’t show. He almost had a character that he was playing. He knew exactly what the character’s personality was and how to act, but he couldn’t break character under any circumstance.

Something about it made me want to destroy the walls he’d erected and see the person that he fought so hard to hide behind that dopey smile.