Arm: Chapter four! Oi. We're on a writing spree…

Leg: Yes, when we should be reading a few books for our book reports…and other assorted bits of homework. Anyway, it's the highly anticipated confrontation. Or not. Who knows? This will be the very last chapter to Abuse.

Arm: ::sighs:: Such a nice fic, too. This, my friends, had NO BASIS in true events. If you exclude the actual abuse.

Leg: We don't own them. Read now and find out for yourselves.

Abuse, Chapter Four: Dib, 1^st Person POV

Oh damn. This isn't good. This is most definitely not good. Not good at all. There is no way Zim is going to make me go to skool.

"Dib, you have to go. You said so yourself, your mom won't touch you as long as you aren't alone in a room with her," Zim explained to me.

I inwardly flinched. I did say that. But he just didn't understand. Just being in the same room as Sora caused me to experience an overwhelming fear. And he can't make me go! There was no way he would do such a thing like that. Zim knew how scared of Sora I was, he just didn't understand how much.

A shiver went down my spine as he placed his hand my own. "Dib, listen. You can't hide from her. She'll find you. You know she will. If I go to skool by myself, she'll make me tell her where you are. And if you're here by yourself, who will protect you from her?" Zim asked, being dead serious.

"Gir?" I joked, trying to lighten the situation a little.

"I highly doubt that. Even if I had ordered him to," Zim stated, giving me a look that quite plainly said he didn't find my joke amusing at all. "Now, get ready. We're going to be late," he ordered lightly as he left to go check on something.

I did as I was told. I knew Zim wouldn't hurt me (not now, anyway), but there was that reflex I had developed due to Sora to do whatever was asked of me. I took my time, though. I didn't want to go to that place, to be in the same room as her. I shuddered as I remembered my nightmares, all of those events. It made me sick to think about them.

How could she do something like that to me? I choked down my tears. The pain of past incidents, more specifically the China one, came back to me in a rush. I won't cry, though. I had done enough of that last night. I will never understand the way she worked, but I didn't care. She'll never love me anyway.

I hadn't noticed I was crying silently to myself, but it was brought to my attention when Zim asked me if something was wrong from the doorway. "It's nothing, Zim."

"Nothing, huh?" Zim asked softly, and I knew he could tell I was lying. He hugged me from behind. "You really don't have to go if you don't think you can make it through the day, Dib. I know that it's really hard on you to even think of your mother, but you have to face her, the sooner the better.

"I know, but…" I trailed off. I had no "but" and Zim knew it. And being scared shitless does not count as a but because I lived with this fear all my life. I did have to face her, and Zim was right, the sooner I did, the better chance I had of her not getting near me.

"So, are you going to skool with me or not?" Zim asked once he let go of me.

I turned to face him. He gave me a slightly pleading look, and I sighed. "I'll go. Only if you make sure she…doesn't touch me."

"Of course. She won't go near you as long as I can help it," Zim promised me. He took my hand once again and dragged me out of the door with him. I wiped my drying tears off of my face with my free hand. "Dib?"

"Yes?"

"Are you sure you want to go? I'll completely understand if you don't," Zim stated as we arrived at the upper levels of the base.

"I think I can handle it," I whispered softly, looking down at something that wasn't there.

"Dib," Zim began.

"What?" I asked, looking up and into his eyes. I almost forgot he was wearing his contacts, and was disappointed not to see his true eyes.

"Nevermind. We're going to be late as it is. I'll tell you later," Zim said as he picked up his skool books, having to let go of my hand in order to do so. "Just don't say anything to her but 'here' and when she asks you skool related questions. I know that won't do anything but aggravate her further, but with everyone in skool watching her, she really can't do anything to you," Zim reassured me.

"I know, but she'll try to do something, I just know it…. Though a more immediate problem is my sister. She knows you lied to her," I stated as we walked out of the door.

We both stopped and blinked. There, standing in front of us was Gaz, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Mom's not mad at you, she's highly worried about you. She wanted me to come here and see if you decided to come here. She wants you home, Dib," was all that Gaz said.

"I'm not going home."

"He's not going home."

Zim and I looked at each other. We had spoken at the same exact time.

"Why the hell not? She loves you, Dib."

I laughed bitterly to myself. Zim glared at Gaz. "If she loved him like you say she does, he wouldn't have come to my house, a complete emotional wreck," Zim paused, "because of all the things she had done to him."

I stopped him from going any farther. "Gaz, did you ever see what she had done to my back?" I asked quietly.

"No," she replied softly.

"She had thrown china at me, Gaz. Broken china at my back because I had dropped a few dishes," I stated, my voice somehow managing to stay in the same octave. It was almost like I wasn't the one speaking. I had this eerie calm take over me.

Zim gasped slightly. "You…you didn't tell me about that, Dib," he stated slowly, almost reaching for my hand on reflex, but didn't because Gaz was there.

'I…I didn't you to think that she abused me like that anymore," I said softly.

"You mean she doesn't?" I nodded my head.

"Not anymore, anyway. She used to, though…" I trailed off and looked down at my hands.

"Then why haven't I noticed Mom doing those things to you?" Gaz asked, opening her eyes slightly.

"Because you were never home. Half of those scratches on my arms last year weren't from Zim, like you thought they were. Remember the burn I got on my hand?" I asked, showing her the still scarred area.

"She did that to you?" Gaz gasped slightly to herself. "What about the cuts you have on your arms now?" she asked.

Damn. I inwardly flinched again at that. I pulled the arms of my trench coat up and showed her. "These ones are…self inflicted," I stated slowly, the tears I knew I had kept in for too long sneaking up on me again.

"Yes, he's what most humans call a 'cutter.'" Gaz and I looked over at Zim. He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "I did…research while you were asleep, Dib," he said finally.

"A cutter? Dib, you cut yourself in order to relieve emotional pain?" Gaz asked quietly, touching my arm.

Sighing, I simply looked down. "Yes. I had heard that it helped you forget your emotional pain. I became addicted to it. I've been trying to stop, but…it's so hard. It's like…it's like a…"

"Drug?" both Gaz and Zim supplied for me.

"Yeah. Zim, I never did thank you for stopping me from cutting myself last night. If it weren't for that, I might have gotten brave and killed myself," I admitted, shoving my hands into my pockets, expecting to find the cold metal of the small blade Zim had taken from me last night.

"C'mon, we should be going to skool," Zim said as he grabbed my right arm. "Gaz, I suggest you go to your skool. If your mother sees you with us, she'll suspect you knew where Dib was the whole time, and you'll probably get hurt as well," Zim stated, not at all sounding as if he cared whether she got hurt or not.

"But I knew that Dib was at your house yesterday after he ran out of the house. Mom believed me though when I said that I checked your place and that he wasn't there," Gaz pointed out.

"Figures. Sora always favored you, Gaz. Haven't you realized that? She's probably never even hit you," I stated, trying not to sound bitter, and failing miserably.

"She has, when she was drunk one time…but that was it," Gaz admitted.

I turned to face her, but Zim simply stated that we had no time to waste and continued to drag me off to skool. I waved goodbye to my sister as she took the path to the middle skool.

"She was lying, you know," Zim stated once he knew Gaz was out of earshot.

"Who was lying?" I asked him, but then I caught on. "No, she wasn't lying. Gaz is my sister, I would know when she lies to me!" I exclaimed.

"I don't want to get into a fight about this, Dib. She told your mother. Your mother knows that you were with me the whole night," Zim stated calmly. "I don't know how I know, but she wasn't telling us the truth, not all of it, anyway."

I just nodded slightly. We walked the rest of the way in silence, Zim holding onto my hand, as if to keep me from going anywhere. My fear had gone away, somewhat, but I was still anxious. If Zim was right about my mom knowing, I could very soon be dead.

"Dib. Get over here. Now." I stopped. My blood had run cold, and suddenly I felt as if I couldn't breathe. My fingers wrapped tightly around Zim's because of my sudden spasm of fear.

Zim obviously knew who had spoken because of my reaction. He made to turn around to face Sora, but he had to pry my fingers off of his hand to do so, and I guess he didn't feel like it. He just kept walking. "Keep walking, Dib. Pretend you didn't hear her," Zim whispered.

I swallowed and continued to walk. I started breathing again in slow, deep breaths, trying to keep myself calm. Didn't work. Sora came over to us and tore my hand away from Zim's.

"What do you think you're doing, Zim," Sora asked me in her deadliest tone.

Trap One, check. I looked at her, and didn't even try to struggle out of her grip. Zim placed a hand on my shoulder. "Let go of him now, Mrs. C," he ordered quietly.

"He's my son, Zim. I can do whatever I want to him." She glared at him.

"Leave him alone, Mrs. C. I know that you abuse him," Zim said in an even quieter tone.

"Abuse him? I have never laid a hand on my children," Sora said, glaring at me. "Dib tells lies. I have never even disrespected him."

My anger started to grow. I have never lied to anyone about what she did to me. "Then how did you get arrested when I was eleven? It sure wasn't because of something you did to Gaz!" My hands flew to my mouth the second after I had said that.

My whole body was screaming at me to run. My panic button was being pushed. I remained in place though, because Zim's hand was keeping me where I was. Sora's eye twitched and I relaxed slightly when I realized that I wasn't at home, and that Zim wouldn't let her get near me.

"This is a warning, Dib. When you get home today, you're going to be punished for the rest of your life in your father's house," and with that she walked off to the skool.

I closed my eyes and told myself to relax, and that she didn't even touch me. I looked over at Zim, who glared at Sora behind her back. I did not believe how much he seemed to hate her.

"Dib, we're sneaking into your house today after skool so you can get some things you need. You aren't staying there," Zim stated as we headed towards the skool, taking a slightly different route from Sora's.

"Zim… Oh, god, I don't think I can… If she catches me, I'm not going to be able to get out of there…. I walked into what I like to call 'Trap Two.' If I'm alone with her for one second, I'm bound to have a new injury," I explained to him.

"Trap two?" Zim asked, slightly confused.

"Yes. I had spoken to her in a disrespecting way. Trap One usually gets me yelled at, Trap Two gets me hurt. Trap Three… Well, I'd rather not talk about," I explained slowly. "Sora sets these things up. I walked into Trap One when I didn't listen to her; Trap Two was when I yelled at her. Though, since I ran away, I think I'm really in Trap Three. If I screw up today during skool, I could get seriously hurt," I said in a barely audible whisper.

Zim took my hands into his own and made me look up at him. "I know we're out in public, Dib, but this has to be said. She won't be able to touch you, because I'll be by your side. You're going to make it through today, if it's the last thing I do. You are the only person who knows me well enough to even just be my friend. I can't let her get near you. Do you understand?"

"Yes. I understand completely," I replied, completely not caring about the looks we must be getting.

"Good. Now, we're going to be late," Zim stated again.

"You don't like being late, do you?" I found myself asking.

"Not at all. The last few times I was late, Miss Bitters would do something horrible to me. And since this is your mother, if we're late, then you're in even more trouble. Correct?"

"Yes."

"That's what I thought. And Dib, I, myself alone, can't really hold off a full grown human for too long, even if I were to use my mechanical legs. They sometimes cause more trouble than good for me," Zim explained, pointing to what would be his backpack.

I knew better, though. I've seen that thing produce a lot of things, almost out of thin air. I understood it was a very important thing to Zim's race. "So you're saying that you'll try to protect me as best as you can, but be ready to run if I need to?" I asked, trying to sound like I was kidding, and failing yet again.

"Not in so many words, Dib, but yes. Actually, I was about to say that you should go back to my base," Zim stated, looking over at me as we walked.

"No. I'm going to skool. I have to face her sooner or later, and I'd rather face her now," I stated bravely.

Zim nodded and looked out in front of him. We were nearing the skool. I could see all the kids in our class, meaning that somehow, Zim and I weren't as late as we thought we were. I noticed that Sora was looking over at us. I bit my lip and looked away from her. Zim didn't seem to notice her as he guided me into the skool.

I felt my fear come back to me. My legs almost gave out from under me, but I kept on walking and went to my locker, which was closer to the front doors than Zim's was. I had expected him to grab his things out of his locker while I got my own, but he waited for me.

We walked into the classroom just moments after my mother had. Zim sat down in his desk, and I walked self-consciously to mine. The bell rang just seconds after I sat down.

"Good morning, class," Sora began as usual. She looked over all of us, glaring at Zim, then at me. I heard Zim growl at her once her eyes landed on me. He caught himself just moments after he had, and proceeded to mumble something about the homework being too hard, so the kids around him wouldn't suspect anything.

I felt my heart speed up slightly. I acted as if I was paying complete attention, like I had yesterday. Though, today I was twice as jumpy. I nearly panicked when she called my name during roll, but I managed a shaky "Here."

Zim looked over at me a few times. He did his work like he had to (or, more like did next week's work) and stopped during the middle of the lesson. I did try to my work, but I couldn't concentrate on it. I quit a little after he did, and received a glare from Sora.

I tried to keep my eyes off of Zim and looked out the window. This is why I always picked the seat closest to the window. It reminded me there was a world outside of the one I was currently trapped in. At least, that's how I had looked at it before, while I was in skool and Sora wasn't really in my life.

I loved those days when she was too busy traveling to even come to Dad's house. The same days when I started chasing Zim, and the only reason I ever got hurt was because of Gaz or Zim. Even though they were injuries, they were never like the ones I had received from Sora.

That first week she came back and stayed was the absolute worse of my life. Gaz was away, and I had thought Sora changed. I thought she had taken the counseling like she and Dad were told to do.

She didn't.

And I had gotten the worst beating of my life, that very same week.

It was so stupid of me. I knew she had been drinking that night. I shouldn't have offered to wash the dishes. I had the tendency to break everything my mother valued (without meaning to), and those dishes were given to her by her mother.

Suddenly, I yelled at myself to stop thinking about that night. I didn't want to think about it. It was the only thing that was worse than the time she found out that I was gay, a year or so after that. She had given me the worst of her anger then, but it was nothing compared to the China Incident. Nothing could ever be worse than that.

Or so I hoped.

I knew I had crossed Trap Three, there was no way I hadn't. I turned away from the window and looked at the blackboard. The detention list was put up. I squinted to read it, when I realized I had received detention.

But when had that happened? I didn't do anything but my work since my mother arrived. Then it hit me. I was late, yesterday. I suddenly cursed out my past teacher who Sora had replaced. She must have written down I was late three times before I was late yesterday, and four lates equaled a detention. Which was the truth, I had been late three times, all because Sora wouldn't let me leave the house until Gaz did, and her skool started later than mine did.

I wished Sora had never moved back in. I wish Dad had fallen for someone else, and wouldn't let Sora back in the house. I knew it was no use though. All of this happened, and I can't change it.

"Zim! Pay attention!" Sora ordered suddenly. I snapped my head over in Zim's direction. He looked up at Sora calmly, almost bored like.

"I did all of this work last week. I was able to because our last teacher gave me it upon my request. And I have been paying attention," Zim replied to her.

I knew right away that Zim had crossed into Trap One. I was desperately trying to get him to stop while he was a few steps a head of Trap Two.

"You have, have you?" Sora asked him, a fire in her eyes that I thought only I could see, but Zim gave her his best glare.

"Yes. The work is on your desk," he stated, pointing to it.

"Why are you getting your work early, Zim?" Sora asked, trying to keep her anger in check.

God, was I thankful that there were other people in the room. If Zim was me and I was alone with Sora, I would have been dead by now.

"Because I requested to. I like to be ahead in my studies in case of a family emergency and I have to be out for a week or so," Zim stated with such seriousness that I almost believed him. "Or when I get sick," he added.

Sora actually bought that. She looked over at him and resumed her teaching. I looked back over the detention list. Damnit. I would be alone with her for an hour after skool, with that stupid detention.

I spaced out after that, once again, until it was almost time for lunch. But before then, Zim had been yelled at by Sora again, for something he claimed he didn't do.

I think he knew about my detention. There was no way Zim would be acting this badly if he didn't. Or maybe he was testing her, seeing how quickly he could get her to forget she was teaching and lash out at him like she had done with me in the past.

And with the combined anger she was feeling because of what I did yesterday and with what Zim was doing now, I think he was close to succeeding.

Whatever he was planning, I just hoped that neither of us would get hurt. If he just wanted to get detention, he should wait to do something at lunch. The bell suddenly rang, and Zim and I had the intention to be able to get to the cafeteria without interruptions.

Boy, were we wrong.

"Zim, Dib, please stay. I would like to have a word with you," Sora stated.

I felt my blood run cold for a second time today. Oh, damn. Zim knew she abused me, she would hit me in front of him. Zim walked up to me and waited for everyone in our class to leave before placing an arm around my waist. Either he was trying to reassure me that he wouldn't leave, or to piss Sora off. Either way, it was working.

"I know the two of you are together," Sora began slowly. "And, Dib, I know you've probably told Zim every little thing I have done to you, but since Zim now knows, it won't do anything to keep me from hurting both of you…." She looked over at Zim, who just glared at her, then at me. I visibly flinched when I saw the anger in her eyes.

I wanted to run, and run very far from Sora. My legs weren't working. At all. I waited for whatever she was going to do to me. I closed my eyes and waited, afraid of what she was capable of.

But the blow didn't seem to want to come. Which meant one thing, Sora had learned to control herself, or…

I suddenly was pushed out of the way by something. I opened my eyes only to close them again in pain. My head had hit against one of the desks. I opened them dazedly to realize that it wasn't me who Sora was after. I got up from the floor and ran over to Zim, who was getting off of the floor himself, a hand pressed against his side.

I didn't even care when she pulled me off of Zim, her nails digging through the material of my trench coat, even if it was leather. I did something I had never thought I'd do.

I punched Sora as hard as I could in her stomach, causing her to let go of me.

Once realization set in, I looked at my balled fist in shock. Oh god. No. I didn't. I hadn't. I didn't punch Sora. I looked over at her; the shock at what I had done clearly etched all over Sora's face. She had never thought, with all of the years of her abuse, that I would hurt her in anyway.

Zim glared at her. He placed a hand on my shoulder. "C'mon, Dib, let's go," Zim said as he turned to head for the door.

I turned with him, but I was grabbed from behind by Sora, who clamped a hand over my mouth to prevent me from screaming.

"You thought you could punch me and get away with it, didn't you?" Sora asked as she began to choke me.

"Let go of him, Mrs. C!" Zim hissed in a deadly whisper.

"It hurts you, doesn't it, Zim? To see your fag of a lover to be hurt like this?" she asked harshly, choking me even more.

I was turning all sorts of colors. I could just feel it. My vision was beginning to swim as I struggled getting out of her vice-like grip on me.

I was beginning to black out when Mrs. Guy, the principle, ran into the room. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and Sora dropped me like a sack of potatoes. I fell to my knees as gasped for air. I rubbed my neck. It still felt as if her arm was choking me. Zim ran over to me and helped me get back on my feet.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

I swallowed and winced in pain at the action. "I…will be," I replied just as quietly, still rubbing my neck.

I looked over at Sora. She looked like a dear caught in headlights, and I found myself feeling triumphant. It's about time she was caught. She was arrested once before, but she had somehow gotten out of it.

"Mrs. C, please come with me. Zim, Dib, you too. I want you to explain to me what had happened, and what's been going on," Mrs. Guy ordered.

I told Mrs. Guy everything and anything she wanted to hear. My mother was arrested for various charged. I could finally live my life in peace.

Zim smiled and took my hand into his own, telling me without words that I was safe, and that I would remain that way. I leaned my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes as we rode in the police car (the officer had offered us a ride to my place, since he was going to talk to Dad). I was finally safe, and I had someone who loved me for who I was.

I don't believe I've felt this happy in my whole life. But something told me it most definitely wasn't going to be my last.

Arm: ::sniffs:: It's over, god jammit.

Leg: Man. It's about time we finished this. But, there is this idea Arm and I have for a sequel/continuation for this fic… We might start that really soon.

Arm: ::nods:: Yes. Well, read and review and tell us what you thought. Please?