Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The Problem With Ecstacy ❯ Withdrawal ( Chapter 3 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Saiyan Sentinel 
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.08.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 165 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 11.08.2003 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 165 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I don’t own DBZ! How many times must I say it?!!!!
A/N: I seem to be doing this for no one but myself. :( Please review! I need to know what you people are thinking!
WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC WITHDRAWAL SCENES
_________________________
CHAPTER 3: WITHDRAWAL
_________________________
Lina looked at Trunks strangely. “I didn’t ask for you’re help! Did you ever think that mabey I was doing this because I enjoy it?” She didn’t, of course, but that was beside the point. “It’s my choice! God! Why couldn’t you just kill me? It would be less painful and a hell of a lot quicker than what’s about to happen!”
He sighed. “Lina, will you try? I want you to be free of this. I am your friend, and it kills me to see you wasted. Did you think that no one would notice? I’ve seen you high enough to hear the angels singing at least five different times! I know that this is going to hurt, but you’ll never have to go back.” He paused, deciding to try a different method. “Look, this is a one shot deal. If you go back to the needle, I’ll turn you in. They’ll lock you up for your own good, and you’ll be alone in that cell for as long as they can hold you. I don’t want to have to do that. I don’t think that isolation is the answer for you. But I won’t let you destroy yourself.”
She glared at him. “Fine, bastard! But if I die from the pain, you better believe I’m coming back to haunt you!” With that she jerked her arm out of his hand and turned to go back into the house.
He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he knew that it was going to be unavoidable. She’d get over it. What he had to deal with now was the coming withdrawal. It was going to be hell.
x x x
Gohan and Goten walked through the front door of the Capsule Corp. mansion. They had both come at the request of Bulma to find out where Trunks was and who this girl was that he was helping. Goten had already figured out who she was. It had to be Lina. He had noticed that funny smell on her all the time, but he hadn’t recognized it. Trunks had become her friend, and he watched her all the time, enough that Goten had tried to tease his friend about having a crush, but he had just smiled and told him that he was wrong about that. They were just friends. Good friends.
Gohan figured that Bulma wanted him there because he had stronger mental powers than anyone else and could find someone who was blocking their ki. He just wasn’t sure if he would be able to do what she wanted. Oh he could definitely find the teenaged Saiyan, but Trunks obviously didn’t want to be found. He didn’t want the girl to be caught by the authorities for her habit. He wanted to help her himself so that she didn’t end up institutionalized or imprisoned or both. Gohan respected that, and he wouldn’t blow their cover. There was really no reason to do that, not even parental anxiety.
Bulma smiled at the two and told them to be seated. They both took a position on the couch. “I’ve told you both what’s going on. I need a couple of things. Goten, I need to know the girl’s name who Trunks is trying to help. I’ll need to be able to contact her parents if anything goes wrong.”
Goten nodded. “Lina Ericson.”
She turned to Gohan. “I want you to find him. I don’t expect you to betray anything he says to you in confidence, nor do I want you to tell me where he’s hiding. What I want is for you to give him this.” She held out her hand. Inside her palm was a 911 phone, an emergency cell phone that could only dial one number. It would reach anywhere as long as there was a station within a hundred miles. She said, “Sometimes Poison withdrawal can be bad enough to stop the heart. He needs to be able to contact someone for emergency care.” She saw the surprised look on her face and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve had time to think about what Trunks said. He was right. I would have done exactly what he said I would, no matter the consequences to the girl.” She sighed. “Just make sure he gets that.”
Gohan nodded, and left the room, going out into the back yard to meditate. It would take that to find Trunks if he was both suppressing his ki and being shielded.
x x x
At the very first, it wasn’t so bad. As the time for Lina’s dose came and passed, she mostly just felt the craving for it, like you might crave chocolate. However as the day wore on, she started getting agitated. Her pulse went up slightly and she started to feel a dull ache in the muscles of her back and shoulders, like from tension. Even this was pretty bearable.
However by the end of the day, as the sun set, fire was racing through her veins and behind her eyes. Dull, throbbing pain beat at her temples and into her brain, suddenly deprived of the pleasure stimulant that had flooded it for so long. Her skin was hyper-sensitive, and even the slightest touch of the fabric of her clothes was enough to cause pain. She ended up stripping. Trunks didn’t allow his embarrassment to intrude. He knew, at least in theory, what the girl was going through. That was why he had brought the fur blanket. It was softer. She sat nude on the bed, pain wracking her body and he couldn’t touch her to comfort her while she was at this stage or he’d only make it worse. He just sat beside the bed, keeping watch and ignoring the mouth he was getting from her, though at times he marveled at her inventiveness when it came to cursing.
When the first wave passed, Lina was exhausted. She fell asleep on the bed and he covered her with a sheet, knowing that the next wave would hit her soon and she needed to sleep now, while she could. He lay on his own bedroll, knowing that he would be getting just as little sleep as she. He was nearly out when the approach of a familiar ki caused him to curse softly. Damn! Trust Gohan to be able to pierce the ki shield. Trunks stood as quietly as possible and left the bedroom, going to the door of the cabin to await his friend’s arrival.
Gohan landed on the gravel drive and spotted a familiar figure in the doorway. “Hello, Trunks.”
The younger Saiyan motioned for him to be quiet. He whispered, “Hello. She’s sleeping. That won’t last long, so keep it down.” Gohan nodded. Trunks said, “Are you going to turn us in?” He dreaded the answer, but he didn’t let it show on his face. He had at least learned that from his father.
But Gohan surprised him. He shook his head. “No. Your mother has realized you were right. She gave me this. She said that you might need emergency contact just in case she goes into arrest.” He sighed. “They’re proud of you, you know.” He smirked. “More than a little pissed off, but proud anyway.”
Trunks smiled. “What about Goten?”
“He’s just mad that he didn’t figure it out for himself. He noticed the smell just like you did, but he never thought much of it. In fact he had thought that it would be rude to tell her she smelled bad when probably only a Saiyan nose could detect it.”
He snorted. “Well I think I’d better go get some sleep while I can. It’s going to be a long six weeks.”
Gohan nodded. “I’ll go then. I’ll drop by about twice a week to see how things are going. See ya.” With that he lifted off, hoping that Trunks never had to use that phone and that the girl would make it out of this intact.
x x x
Lina woke in pain. It flowed over her skin like acid and ate into her muscles and bones, pounding in her skull and shooting through her spine. Every part of her hurt at the least provocation, and soon she was writhing on the bed in her agony. Her cries awoke her keeper, and he moved to the side of the bed. He could only watch until this part of the withdrawal passed, knowing that he couldn’t hold her to ease the pain.
For about ten hours, they went through cycle after cycle of pain and unconsciousness. Then the hallucinations started. She started seeing spiders and roaches, mice, snakes, all of them coming after her, crawling on her. Trunks had to hold her down to keep her from trying to rip out pieces of skin that she thought were bugs or ripping her hair out when she mistook it for worms or snakes. For twelve hours straight, it was one nightmare after another, wolves, zombies, ax murderers, falling off a cliff. When it was finally over, she collapsed in exhaustion, slipping into a fitful sleep that was still occasionally haunted by nightmares.
When she woke, Trunks had a light broth for her to drink. She couldn’t eat anything substantial, as it would come right back up, but the broth had protein and salt and it would keep her strength up.
x x x
Four days of pain and dreams followed the same pattern set by the first. Sometimes Trunks couldn’t touch her at all for the pain and others he had a hard time holding her well enough to keep her from hurting herself.
Finally the initial withdrawal broke and things settled down a bit. Lina still craved the Poison. The craving ate at her until it was all she could think about. She would have done anything to get Trunks to give her more of it or let her leave and get more herself. She’d scream and rant, bite and kick, try to run away. At one point, she even ran for the cliffs at the back of his property and tried to throw herself off, but he caught her and pulled her back into the house.
At night, the nightmares still clawed at her. Many times she woke up screaming her head off that there was something trying to kill her. Once she even dreamed that Trunks had tried to kill her, but he was able to dispel the dream by hugging her fiercely. She knew that he would never really try to hurt her, and she broke down, sobbing into his shirt.
x x x
About two weeks into their stay at the cabin, the cravings eased enough that her mind started working again. She started becoming very inventive in ways to get what she wanted, though none ever succeeded. The worst one was at the end of the third week. Trunks had just come in from hunting with a deer in his arms. The animal was already cleaned and dressed and he hung it over the barbecue pit in the back yard.
She came out to watch as he seasoned the carcass and started turning it on the spit. He was always able to cook the meat well and quickly so that he didn’t burn it, and even for the whole animal, it usually only took an hour. She knew that only a small portion of the venison would go to her. His appetite was truly awe inspiring.
Once the meat was done, he took the dear off and started carving the meat off the bones. He gave her her portion and they ate together in companionable silence. She started inching closer to him on the rock they were sitting on, and he looked at her, wondering what she was up to now. She put her plate on the ground and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his chest. Surprised, he looked down at her. She said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For sticking it out with me. I know I’ve been a bitch to you, and you didn’t deserve it. You’ve only been trying to help me.” She stood up and moved around to stand in front of him, putting both her arms underneath his and staring at his face. She reached up with her head and kissed him, a kiss that quickly turned passionate and pleading.
Trunks took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her back, breaking the hold she had on his torso. She opened her eyes to stare at him, a hurt look coming to her face. “Why?” She knew that he wanted her, at least at that moment, at least physically.
He looked into her eyes, searching for the truth, and to his regret he found it. He sighed heavily and said, “Because it’s not me you want.” He looked at her again, and though he tried to hide it some of the pain he was feeling leaked into his expression. He stood and went inside the house, leaving her staring at his retreating back, and trying not to break down and cry in front of her.
x x x
A/N: Well, here’s the next chapter, guys. I wanted to be really careful with this scene. He’s her friend, so of course the constant proximity and her vulnerability will have some affect on him, but it was important that he not give in to that. She would just be using him, and he couldn’t allow that for either of their sakes.
There will probably be two more chapters to end this out. I have no idea how long they will take, but there you go. Please review!
A/N: I seem to be doing this for no one but myself. :( Please review! I need to know what you people are thinking!
WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC WITHDRAWAL SCENES
_________________________
CHAPTER 3: WITHDRAWAL
_________________________
Lina looked at Trunks strangely. “I didn’t ask for you’re help! Did you ever think that mabey I was doing this because I enjoy it?” She didn’t, of course, but that was beside the point. “It’s my choice! God! Why couldn’t you just kill me? It would be less painful and a hell of a lot quicker than what’s about to happen!”
He sighed. “Lina, will you try? I want you to be free of this. I am your friend, and it kills me to see you wasted. Did you think that no one would notice? I’ve seen you high enough to hear the angels singing at least five different times! I know that this is going to hurt, but you’ll never have to go back.” He paused, deciding to try a different method. “Look, this is a one shot deal. If you go back to the needle, I’ll turn you in. They’ll lock you up for your own good, and you’ll be alone in that cell for as long as they can hold you. I don’t want to have to do that. I don’t think that isolation is the answer for you. But I won’t let you destroy yourself.”
She glared at him. “Fine, bastard! But if I die from the pain, you better believe I’m coming back to haunt you!” With that she jerked her arm out of his hand and turned to go back into the house.
He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but he knew that it was going to be unavoidable. She’d get over it. What he had to deal with now was the coming withdrawal. It was going to be hell.
x x x
Gohan and Goten walked through the front door of the Capsule Corp. mansion. They had both come at the request of Bulma to find out where Trunks was and who this girl was that he was helping. Goten had already figured out who she was. It had to be Lina. He had noticed that funny smell on her all the time, but he hadn’t recognized it. Trunks had become her friend, and he watched her all the time, enough that Goten had tried to tease his friend about having a crush, but he had just smiled and told him that he was wrong about that. They were just friends. Good friends.
Gohan figured that Bulma wanted him there because he had stronger mental powers than anyone else and could find someone who was blocking their ki. He just wasn’t sure if he would be able to do what she wanted. Oh he could definitely find the teenaged Saiyan, but Trunks obviously didn’t want to be found. He didn’t want the girl to be caught by the authorities for her habit. He wanted to help her himself so that she didn’t end up institutionalized or imprisoned or both. Gohan respected that, and he wouldn’t blow their cover. There was really no reason to do that, not even parental anxiety.
Bulma smiled at the two and told them to be seated. They both took a position on the couch. “I’ve told you both what’s going on. I need a couple of things. Goten, I need to know the girl’s name who Trunks is trying to help. I’ll need to be able to contact her parents if anything goes wrong.”
Goten nodded. “Lina Ericson.”
She turned to Gohan. “I want you to find him. I don’t expect you to betray anything he says to you in confidence, nor do I want you to tell me where he’s hiding. What I want is for you to give him this.” She held out her hand. Inside her palm was a 911 phone, an emergency cell phone that could only dial one number. It would reach anywhere as long as there was a station within a hundred miles. She said, “Sometimes Poison withdrawal can be bad enough to stop the heart. He needs to be able to contact someone for emergency care.” She saw the surprised look on her face and said, “Don’t look at me like that. I’ve had time to think about what Trunks said. He was right. I would have done exactly what he said I would, no matter the consequences to the girl.” She sighed. “Just make sure he gets that.”
Gohan nodded, and left the room, going out into the back yard to meditate. It would take that to find Trunks if he was both suppressing his ki and being shielded.
x x x
At the very first, it wasn’t so bad. As the time for Lina’s dose came and passed, she mostly just felt the craving for it, like you might crave chocolate. However as the day wore on, she started getting agitated. Her pulse went up slightly and she started to feel a dull ache in the muscles of her back and shoulders, like from tension. Even this was pretty bearable.
However by the end of the day, as the sun set, fire was racing through her veins and behind her eyes. Dull, throbbing pain beat at her temples and into her brain, suddenly deprived of the pleasure stimulant that had flooded it for so long. Her skin was hyper-sensitive, and even the slightest touch of the fabric of her clothes was enough to cause pain. She ended up stripping. Trunks didn’t allow his embarrassment to intrude. He knew, at least in theory, what the girl was going through. That was why he had brought the fur blanket. It was softer. She sat nude on the bed, pain wracking her body and he couldn’t touch her to comfort her while she was at this stage or he’d only make it worse. He just sat beside the bed, keeping watch and ignoring the mouth he was getting from her, though at times he marveled at her inventiveness when it came to cursing.
When the first wave passed, Lina was exhausted. She fell asleep on the bed and he covered her with a sheet, knowing that the next wave would hit her soon and she needed to sleep now, while she could. He lay on his own bedroll, knowing that he would be getting just as little sleep as she. He was nearly out when the approach of a familiar ki caused him to curse softly. Damn! Trust Gohan to be able to pierce the ki shield. Trunks stood as quietly as possible and left the bedroom, going to the door of the cabin to await his friend’s arrival.
Gohan landed on the gravel drive and spotted a familiar figure in the doorway. “Hello, Trunks.”
The younger Saiyan motioned for him to be quiet. He whispered, “Hello. She’s sleeping. That won’t last long, so keep it down.” Gohan nodded. Trunks said, “Are you going to turn us in?” He dreaded the answer, but he didn’t let it show on his face. He had at least learned that from his father.
But Gohan surprised him. He shook his head. “No. Your mother has realized you were right. She gave me this. She said that you might need emergency contact just in case she goes into arrest.” He sighed. “They’re proud of you, you know.” He smirked. “More than a little pissed off, but proud anyway.”
Trunks smiled. “What about Goten?”
“He’s just mad that he didn’t figure it out for himself. He noticed the smell just like you did, but he never thought much of it. In fact he had thought that it would be rude to tell her she smelled bad when probably only a Saiyan nose could detect it.”
He snorted. “Well I think I’d better go get some sleep while I can. It’s going to be a long six weeks.”
Gohan nodded. “I’ll go then. I’ll drop by about twice a week to see how things are going. See ya.” With that he lifted off, hoping that Trunks never had to use that phone and that the girl would make it out of this intact.
x x x
Lina woke in pain. It flowed over her skin like acid and ate into her muscles and bones, pounding in her skull and shooting through her spine. Every part of her hurt at the least provocation, and soon she was writhing on the bed in her agony. Her cries awoke her keeper, and he moved to the side of the bed. He could only watch until this part of the withdrawal passed, knowing that he couldn’t hold her to ease the pain.
For about ten hours, they went through cycle after cycle of pain and unconsciousness. Then the hallucinations started. She started seeing spiders and roaches, mice, snakes, all of them coming after her, crawling on her. Trunks had to hold her down to keep her from trying to rip out pieces of skin that she thought were bugs or ripping her hair out when she mistook it for worms or snakes. For twelve hours straight, it was one nightmare after another, wolves, zombies, ax murderers, falling off a cliff. When it was finally over, she collapsed in exhaustion, slipping into a fitful sleep that was still occasionally haunted by nightmares.
When she woke, Trunks had a light broth for her to drink. She couldn’t eat anything substantial, as it would come right back up, but the broth had protein and salt and it would keep her strength up.
x x x
Four days of pain and dreams followed the same pattern set by the first. Sometimes Trunks couldn’t touch her at all for the pain and others he had a hard time holding her well enough to keep her from hurting herself.
Finally the initial withdrawal broke and things settled down a bit. Lina still craved the Poison. The craving ate at her until it was all she could think about. She would have done anything to get Trunks to give her more of it or let her leave and get more herself. She’d scream and rant, bite and kick, try to run away. At one point, she even ran for the cliffs at the back of his property and tried to throw herself off, but he caught her and pulled her back into the house.
At night, the nightmares still clawed at her. Many times she woke up screaming her head off that there was something trying to kill her. Once she even dreamed that Trunks had tried to kill her, but he was able to dispel the dream by hugging her fiercely. She knew that he would never really try to hurt her, and she broke down, sobbing into his shirt.
x x x
About two weeks into their stay at the cabin, the cravings eased enough that her mind started working again. She started becoming very inventive in ways to get what she wanted, though none ever succeeded. The worst one was at the end of the third week. Trunks had just come in from hunting with a deer in his arms. The animal was already cleaned and dressed and he hung it over the barbecue pit in the back yard.
She came out to watch as he seasoned the carcass and started turning it on the spit. He was always able to cook the meat well and quickly so that he didn’t burn it, and even for the whole animal, it usually only took an hour. She knew that only a small portion of the venison would go to her. His appetite was truly awe inspiring.
Once the meat was done, he took the dear off and started carving the meat off the bones. He gave her her portion and they ate together in companionable silence. She started inching closer to him on the rock they were sitting on, and he looked at her, wondering what she was up to now. She put her plate on the ground and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around his chest. Surprised, he looked down at her. She said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For sticking it out with me. I know I’ve been a bitch to you, and you didn’t deserve it. You’ve only been trying to help me.” She stood up and moved around to stand in front of him, putting both her arms underneath his and staring at his face. She reached up with her head and kissed him, a kiss that quickly turned passionate and pleading.
Trunks took hold of her shoulders and gently pushed her back, breaking the hold she had on his torso. She opened her eyes to stare at him, a hurt look coming to her face. “Why?” She knew that he wanted her, at least at that moment, at least physically.
He looked into her eyes, searching for the truth, and to his regret he found it. He sighed heavily and said, “Because it’s not me you want.” He looked at her again, and though he tried to hide it some of the pain he was feeling leaked into his expression. He stood and went inside the house, leaving her staring at his retreating back, and trying not to break down and cry in front of her.
x x x
A/N: Well, here’s the next chapter, guys. I wanted to be really careful with this scene. He’s her friend, so of course the constant proximity and her vulnerability will have some affect on him, but it was important that he not give in to that. She would just be using him, and he couldn’t allow that for either of their sakes.
There will probably be two more chapters to end this out. I have no idea how long they will take, but there you go. Please review!