"Love is a serious mental disease."

- Plato

Gravity – Chapter 7

I sat there, reeling, for a long while; listening to the soft, satiating panting coming from the room next to me as the two high power levels slowly dropped.

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't all that shocked that I had just witnessed Vegeta and... myself... going at it...At least, once I'd recovered initially. Piccolo had warned me beforehand, so I'd had the time to think about it. What I was shocked by was that – for the first time since I'd known him – Vegeta seemed... happy... gentle... like he actually cared. One thing I knew for sure was that a loving smile did not belong on a face designed for scowling and sneering.

But... somehow – thought I was still contemplating how to change the world back to how it should be - I had to wonder...

Had I accidentally made the world better with this wish? Was there another side of the issue that I hadn't yet seen? What about the Saiyans' story? If I had created a source of peace and happiness for the prince that had caused this whole mess; had I actually solved the problem? Did I have the right to take away something that brought such a smile to a face that had been tortured by the demons of a past of slavery?

I heard voices, and I first I thought I'd been discovered; but when I listened harder to discern words, I realized they were speaking to each other.

"I wish it could stay like this," that was Kakarot. It was strange to hear my own voice coming from another's mouth, but just the same, I was curious to see his expression as he said this, and I peered around the door frame next to me, still half-hidden in shadow.

"So do I, Kakarot," I had never heard that tone of voice from Vegeta's lips before, ever; much less the wistful smile that accompanied the words, "But it can't. Sooner or later this world's fragile stability of government will crumble – whether by my father's hand or its own – and it will just be a mess."

"Why do we have to stay here then?" Kakarot murmured, leaning up to kiss that softly smiling mouth – and action that made me feel indecisive and strangely lonely, for some reason - "Why don't we just go home to Vegeta-sei and stay there?"

A playful smirk danced on Vegeta's lips, "I don't want you to get sunburned, for one thing. Two suns would do a number on your complexion, and I like your skin the way it is," as he said this, he dragged his tongue along Kakarot's shoulder and chest, and I could swear I heard purring.

"For another," the prince continued, "Takhenesh is a much quieter planet than home. Cleaner atmosphere, less pollution..."

I would think the opposite would be true. Was Earth cleaner now, or was Vegeta-sei less so? I also didn't like the new name for this planet spoken so casually from Vegeta's mouth. "Conquest". As Piccolo put it, the Saiyans' "bitch".

Then again, from what I'd seen of "Takhenesh" so far, there weren't a whole lot of Saiyans around, so... maybe Piccolo had been lying. Or maybe Vegeta was lying...

Wait... was lying a sin? Could Vegeta physically lie to anyone?

Oh... gods, what have I done?

I must have moved or something, because both Saiyans abruptly stood, looking unnerved. I was pretty sure they couldn't sense my energy, and I held still. I was proven right as Vegeta picked up a scouter from the bedside table and fitted it over his right ear and eye. Kakarot grabbed two pairs of dark blue gi pants and handed one to the prince. Once clothed, they advanced to where I was slowly, whispering. I didn't move, suppressing my energy. It dawned on me that if they saw me, I would have a lot of explaining to do, and I silently turned to Super Saiyan as a disguise without raising my power.

The two Saiyans stopped, identical pairs of black eyes darting. The scouter beeped and and Vegeta shot forward suddenly, whipping around the corner and grabbing me by the front of my shirt before I even knew what was happening. He pinned me against the wall, and I found myself thinking; He's no less of a battle elite, even now that he's supposedly clean of impurity.

I supposed self-defense wasn't a sin, and only curiosity kept me from teleporting away. I wanted to know about this new Vegeta; especially since he was looking at me with suspicion rather than hate right now.

"Vegeta, wait," Kakarot said, laying a hand on his counterpart's shoulder and scrutinizing me, "Who is he?"

I held my tongue since neither had addressed me, taking the time to examine the similarities – and differences – of these two Saiyans from how they should be.

I was amazed solely by the lack of stress in Vegeta's face; I'd never before appreciated how tense he'd always been until all that tension was just gone.

"He looks like you, Kakarot." The prince murmured softly.

Kakarot tilted his head, "A little bit, yeah. Maybe one of Radditz's sons?"

I almost choked. One, I'd forgotten that my brother would still be alive in this universe, and two, I'd have to be half my age to even begin to classify as one of his children.

Vegeta shook his head, "He's too old to be," he said, echoing my thoughts. I noticed that he'd released my shirt, but I didn't move from where I was; nor did I try to clarify their questions.

"You are Saiyan, though?" Kakarot asked me. I nodded mutely, noticing that they hadn't yelled at me for essentially barging into what I assumed was their house.

"What kind of Saiyan has blonde hair?" Vegeta muttered, "And green eyes?"

"No tail either," Kakarot added.

"I... uh, I was born like this," I lied, averting my gaze slightly from their double ebony stare.

"He sounds like you too," Vegeta said to Kakarot. He seemed unnerved, and rightly so, I guess.

"What is your name?" Kakarot asked, his voice a little sharper than Vegeta's honest, perplexed tone had been.

"Goku." I answered, praying that the name had as little – or less – connection to Kakarot as his name did to me.

Vegeta's eyebrows rose slightly, "That's not a Saiyan name. You're sure you're one of us?"

He didn't seem hostile, but I heard the suspicious note in his voice.

"Yes," something about his honesty was compelling me to respond in kind. I wasn't used to the almost friendly look in his eye. Quite frankly, I'd expected to be attacked upon being discovered; or at the very least accused of breaking and entering or theft.

"Something doesn't add up here," Kakarot muttered, "He just... looks weird."

"Kakarot, Saiyans breed like rabbits," Vegeta consoled, "It shouldn't be surprising that an... albino of sorts could be produced now and then."

I almost didn't hear what Kakarot whispered in the prince's ear then, "What if he's a Super Saiyan?"

Vegeta shrugged him off lightly, "That's ridiculous... Where are you from?"

The second part of the statement was directed at me.

I shifted uncomfortably. I couldn't tell the truth; because first of all, I wasn't allowed to say "Earth", and second, I couldn't say that Vegeta-sei had been destroyed if it hadn't been in this dimension.

"Uh...I've been... here and there, I guess." I said evasively.

"Haven't we all," Kakarot sighed.

"One more question," Vegeta said, "Why exactly are you in my house?"

I knew I'd get asked that sooner or later.

"It was an accident," I answered carefully, "I didn't mean to intrude."

"Hmm..." Vegeta murmured distractedly. He did back off and let me move away from the wall, but his eyes didn't leave me. He took off his scouter after a moment, and I felt like I'd been released from under a radar.

"What was his power level?" Kakarot asked Vegeta in a whisper as the prince set the scouter on the table. He probably assumed I couldn't hear him, or didn't care enough to listen.

"Sixteen thousand," Vegeta replied in monotone.

The younger of the two visibly tensed.

"No wonder you were so cautious with him; that's just two thousand below yours."

Even when I suppressed my power, it was still suspiciously high.

"So... tell me, Goku," it was weird to hear my Earth-name from Vegeta's lips, but I listened anyway, "Why were you out and about instead of indoors during the sabbath? Surely you must have been outside in order to get in here."

Damn his wit. Even though he wasn't trying to crush me beneath his royal boot, he still had that knife-like logic and used it flawlessly. Sharp as a tack, as always.

"I... I didn't realize..." I stammered, "What I mean is, I... I forgot." I finished lamely, better to play oblivious than to explain why I was out there today, and pretending to be less than clever was one of my specialties.

Kakarot sighed, "Let's not forget how Broly got himself locked away."

"Who?" I asked, confused.

"Don't tell me you haven't heard of Broly," my doppelganger said, "That guy was always out there flaunting his ridiculous power level and challenging the law. Earned him a cell in prison four years ago; it was pretty big news."

"Yeah, and you were always mooning after him before he was landed behind bars with a ki-cutting collar around his neck," Vegeta said swiftly.

"I didn't 'moon' after him," Kakarot objected, "I admired him." I could swear he was blushing. Did I always looked that flustered when I blushed?

"Don't deny it, Kakarot, you had a little crush on Broly." Vegeta grinned.

"Well it's not like he ever returned the favor," my twin grumbled.

"That's right," the prince said smoothly, "You'll always belong to me anyway."

Did he really have to punctuate that statement by brushing his tail against Kakarot's chest? It was shameless enough that neither of them were clothed above the waist, did they have to flaunt it?

Kakarot trembled slightly, the flush across his cheeks intensifying, "I'd rather be with you than that jerk Broly any day."

"That's what I like to hear," said Vegeta.

The Vegeta I knew would have blown into a homicidal rage at the thought of his... significant other... having thoughts about someone else, if he even cared enough to have a significant other in the first place. This whole situation still seemed beyond strange to me; and I must have been staring as blankly as my mind was, because both Saiyans paused in their casual conversing to look at me. I was still amazed that they hadn't kicked me out of their house yet. Were all Saiyans this hospitable?

My stomach growled, interrupting my thoughts. The bread I'd had at the inn seemed like it had been days ago.

"Want to stay for lunch?" Vegeta asked.

I almost fell over in shock. I'd never heard those words from him before in my life and had never expected to; it just... wasn't something he said.

"Sure," I amended hastily when I realized my gaping may have offended him.

"Yeah, yeah," Kakarot muttered, "First lunch, then dinner, then you'll ask him to live here. Do you have to adopt every cute thing that wanders in off the street, Vegeta?"

I took a second to decode that Kakarot had all but called me cute.

"Hey, that was a one-time thing," Vegeta protested, "And you saw that puppy, it was starving."

Kakarot raised an eyebrow, "And the baby T-Rex?"

"Well... I..." the prince stammered.

I really didn't know what to make of this. Unless I was mistaken, they were teasing each other. And unless I was further mistaken, it was a regular thing. I'd never seen Vegeta so casual, and I'd never seen... myself... so carefree. Was it because I wasn't tied down to a wife that didn't accept me, friends that didn't understand me, and a rival that didn't give a damn about me? And had Vegeta's past really had that big of an impact on his everyday life and his personality? Did I not know him at all beyond the mask that years of suffering and grudges had forced on him?

...Did I know myself even less?

TBC