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_

The prince was getting irritated the deeper he had to crawl on the dark, packed-dirt cave. Goku's urgency also got on his nerves, but peaked his interest no matter how much he hated to admit it. The idiot just appeared in the middle of his training session, begging Vegeta to follow him. Goku was so insistent, Vegeta know he wouldn't just leave him alone with a simple "Get the hell away from me."

"Where the hell are we going, Kakarot?" Vegeta growled, his voice condensed by the cave, causing a claustrophobic feeling to creep into his mind. "I was in the middle of something and I don't have time to play cave explorer with you today."

Goku shot a look back at him, his brow furrowed in concentration. "Just a little further, ok?"

The prince rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of annoyance. Suddenly, without warning, Goku stopped in his tracks and turned, sitting on the damp floor of the cramped space. Vegeta blinked, surprised by his sudden halt and even more surprised to see him staring straight into the wall of the cave. He sat for several moments, watching Goku watch the blank wall as if he expected Vegeta to see something great.

Finally, Goku reached his hand out and patted the cave wall, cursing.

"It's almost completely dark, now. What should I do, Vegeta?"

Vegeta's eyes shifted from Goku's hand to his intently hard stare and then back again. Concern mixed with anger as he clinched his fists.

"Is this some sort of trick, Kakarot?! You brought me here to look at some dirt?"

The taller Sayian looked at Vegeta as if he had just spoken jibberish. He patted the wall once more before taking his knuckle and gently knocking on the wall. Much to Vegeta's surprise, instead of a dull thump, the sound of a crisp tink rang out softly. The prince squinted at the wall, inspecting it more closely. Damnit if there wasn't the outline of a room on the other side of a dark glass.

"What is this?"

Goku just shrugged, "I dunno, I just found it a couple of months ago. I don't know why it's here or what it means. Usually, it's much brighter, but now the glass is dark like maybe it's about to go away."

Vegeta sensed the tension in Goku's voice as he ended his sentence. He was worried about this thing going away.

"What does it matter if it goes away? It's just a window."

The taller Sayian turned to Vegeta, scratching the back of his head and beaming a goofy, innocent smile.

"Uh, well, ya see," Goku stammered, "There's this, uh, girl. She lives in the window and I've been... checking on her ever since I found the window."

A silence filled the space between the two Sayians as Vegeta stared blankly at his counterpart.

"You've been spying on this woman?"

Goku's hands fly up in front of him, his guilty smile never fading.

"What! No! I've just been making sure she's ok! She lives alone and she's got this ex-boyfriend and that's a mess—"

"This is someone's life, Kakarot, not a soap opera!" Vegeta yelled, "Does your wife know about this?!"

Goku shook his head 'no'.

"Why should she? I'm not doing anything wrong."

The prince's mouth fell open as he fought for the words to argue with Goku, only to stumble over the same syllables over and over again. Goku cut him off with a sigh.

"Vegeta, I can't stop thinking about her." Goku returned his hand to glass, his palm resting on the smooth, cold surface.

Vegeta's hand went to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Kakarot, why did you bring me here?"

Goku shrugged once more, his eyes never leaving the glass in front of him. Vegeta sighed, looking back to Goku. This poor idiot was clearly in distress and now he'd involved Vegeta in it.

He racked his mind, trying to give an answer to Goku's unasked question: "Why was he so obsessed with this girl?" Suddenly, a thought came to him. He mulled it over in his mind, trying to decide if he should approach the subject. Maybe, just maybe.

"Kakarot." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze falling to the ground, "You are a Sayian even if you act like an incipient human. You have Sayian instincts inside of you and it is abundantly clear in battle, however, this may be those instincts rearing themselves in other ways."

This got Goku's attention. He snapped his head toward Vegeta, his eyes still holding their intensity.

"What do you mean, Vegeta?"

Vegeta growled, frustrated that he was having this conversation. He felt as though he was telling a child about where babies came from. Why did he have to be the one to tell Goku the Sayian facts of life? It wasn't his fault that he was raised by humans.

"We—Sayians— live to conquer. We love battles and training, yes, but our ultimate goal is the gain what we desire be it planets, armies, strength... mates."

Goku's eyes widened as he leaped in surprise, hitting his head on the roof of the cave and causing bits of dirt to sprinkle on and around the Sayians.

"What! You think I want to mate with her?!" Goku shouted, ignoring the pain in his head.

Vegeta nodded, "Yes. I think you see her as a potential mate and you've created a bond with her. It's not unheard of for Sayian warriors to have multiple mates, you know."

"Then why don't you have more mates?" Goku said, his tone almost accusatory. Vegeta smirked, his eyes meeting Goku's.

"Because Bulma would kill them."

Goku's head fell into his hands, "Oh no. What do you think ChiChi will do?"

Vegeta shrugged, "Probably the same thing. But," He gestured toward the almost black glass on the dirt wall, "I guess we'll never find out because your little peeping window is almost gone."

Goku opened his mouth to defend himself, only to be cut off by the sound of a door opening and closing, keys jingling and abruptly being silenced by their placement on a surface. His head snapped back toward his window, his heart fluttering as he saw that it had regained its brightness. Vegeta also turned to see the bright window, now being able to take in more of the picture inside of it. It was a small room with a couch, television, brightly decorated, and a small black cat sleeping at the bottom of the window. However, the thing that caught the most of his attention was the woman that stood staring at the Sayians.

_

Running was something that Isla never thought she could do. She hated being so out of breath that she couldn't regain it and that was running to her. However, since she was doing things she had always wanted to do (see: adopting a cat that her ex boyfriend would have been allergic to), she thought she'd give it a whirl. For a few nights after work, she'd stop at the gym close to her apartment and run for a mile or so. The previous night, however, she decided that she wanted to try out running around her block, which went well, much to her surprise. She enjoyed the changing scenery while she blared music into her headphones and waved to different people she met in the small hours of the morning doing the exact same thing.

Opening her apartment door, she saw Rex asleep on the small table below the mirror in her entrance way. She put her keys down slowly, trying not the disturb the sleeping creature. Taking off her jacket, she hung it over the coat rack next to the door and stretched her arms over her head. Her reflection caught her eye as she let her arms fall in a not so graceful fashion to her side.

The exercise was doing things that she like to look at to her body. Turning slightly to the side, she looked at her bottom, admiring that it now was higher and a little plumper than before. She smiled, smoothing out her shirt and pulling it tightly in the back to show herself her flattening tummy. She lifted her shirt over her head, leaving herself only in her sports bra, and grazed her hand over her nicely sized breast and down her stomach. In one movement, she turned her back to the mirror and looked back over her shoulder at her shrinking lower back and shoulder blades. She noted that the extra pushups, leg lifts, and sit ups were helping.

When her surveying was completed to her satisfaction, she turned back to the mirror and sighed contented. Her elbows rested on the table as she leaned down and gave Rex an exaggerated kiss on the head, causing him to stretch and yawn before glaring up at her.

"Good morning, big boy." She giggled at his annoyed expressions as he huffed at her, "Want some breakfast?"

As if she'd said a magic word, the cat darted off of his perch and down to his bowl, letting out a loud mewl. Isla rolled her eyes, pushing herself up from the table and making her way toward him.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

_

Another silence had filled the small cave as Vegeta sat stunned at what he had just witnessed. His eyes shifted toward Goku. He wasn't as naive as he let on. He had been watching this woman live her life for months. Goku had to know that this was not normal behavior, or maybe he just didn't care. Finally, Vegeta cleared his throat.

"So this is—"

"Isla." Goku cut him off curtly. He continued to watch the woman sit on her couch and eat a plate of eggs she'd prepared, occasionally taking a drink of orange juice. The Sayian prince noted Goku's aura had changed as soon as Isla had entered the room. It was something he couldn't put his finger on, but it definitely wasn't how he'd ever felt Goku's energy outside of a battle or training. He tried to pick his words carefully, not actively trying to start a fight with Goku in a cave where he couldn't stand up or even let himself sit up took straight for fear of hitting his head.

"She is—"

Goku's eyes cut to Vegeta, an intense cloud coloring his black irises.

"She's what?"

The prince shook his head, signaling Goku to return to his voyeurism. Once Goku was lost in Isla's apartment again, Vegeta relaxed back on his heels. He had been right. Goku had found another mate. In a way, he was proud that Goku was using his Sayian mind even though he was a simpleton in almost every other way.

"What are you going to do now, Kakarot?"

Goku was quiet for a moment before he turned back to Vegeta. His features were tired as if he'd been through a thousand sleepless nights. He clearly had been tormented by this for some time, Vegeta decided, and that almost made him pity him. However, when Goku spoke, his voice never wavered, steady as a rock.

"I'm going to watch over her."

_

"He said he wants to talk to me about something." Isla's phone was wedged in between her chin and her shoulder as she leaned forward, gliding her favorite lipstick over her lips. Quinn sat on the other end of the line, her arms folded in an annoyed stance that Isla couldn't see but knew was happening.

"This is a mistake, Isla." Quinn huffed, "You're going to see a sociopath who you were in a relationship with for four years and made your life a living hell. What are you wearing? Please let it be sweatpants and that T-shirt with the holes in the armpits."

Isla sighed, slipping on a wedged high heel. She's decided to wear the dress that Quinn got her for her birthday. Paul would drop dead when he saw her, and that's exactly what she wanted.

"Just let me tell Paul to go die while I, coincidentally, am looking like a snack."

Quinn was quiet. She didn't want Isla to do this. She wanted to scream into the phone that she was coming over to duct tape her to the bed until this stupid idea left her head. But, Isla was an adult.

"Please, Ise," she begged after a few moments of silence, "Just call me when you get home, ok? And, Isla?"

The brunette stopped, listening to her friend. She wanted Quinn to scream at her and tell her to stay home, because deep down in her belly, that's what she wanted to do.

"Yes, Quinn?"

Her hopes were crushed as she heard Quinn's voice crack in concern but give only the advice of, "Please be safe."

_

Goku had an uneasy feeling that day. It had been a few days since he revealed his secret to Vegeta and his mind had been in a state of unrest ever since. Every time he looked at ChiChi, a sinking feeling fell over him, making him fall into the guilt pit he'd dug for himself.

He'd only wanted to watch over her, protect her. He knew he wanted to stay with ChiChi, but the sheer desire he had for Isla was something he felt like he couldn't ignore. Was he really just living out a Sayian tendency to collect mates? Could he really just relieve himself of guilt by accepting that? The thought of that made his stomach queasy.

He'd spent most of that day sitting in his tractor, unmoving, staring straight into the ground in front of him. It wasn't until his oldest son Gohan showed up to talk that he actually engaged with the world around him. Gohan, who was 24 years old. Only two years younger than Isla, who could be his daughter. He pushed that thought to the back of his mind as Gohan talked about married life and what he was working on for his job. Most of the things went over Goku's head, but he still enjoyed listening to what his son had to say.

"You know, Dad," Gohan smiled at his father, leaning against a bolder that they'd taken up residence in the shade of, "You should get a hobby. I've started digging deeper into the Great Sayiaman job and it's really helped me focus on other parts of my life. I just let off steam doing that and my mind is free to do what I have to do."

Goku smiled in return, if Gohan only knew what turmoil his 'hobby' was causing him.

"That's nice, Gohan, but my plate is pretty full with the farm work and training."

Gohan eyed the land around him. It was clear that Goku was not the ideal farmer. Large craters littered the landscape, revealing that Goku was more into the training part of his life instead of the planting and harvesting.

"Just something to think about," Gohan rubbed the back of his head, not wanting to hurt his father's feelings. He knew Goku was trying because it was so important to Gohan's mother. It was one of the things he admired about his parents' marriage. They were steadfast in their commitment to each other.

The rest of the afternoon went by as slowly as the morning. Thankfully, training helped Goku's mind rest from the other things of the world. By the time it was dark, he had worked himself into a a state of near exhaustion. He'd spent more time training than farming, but hey, what was one day of missed work in the big picture of getting stronger? He grabbed his bundle of empty food containers from lunch, slinging the cloth wrap over his shoulder and beginning his walk toward his home.

Before he could get too far, he felt his mind tug at him. He hadn't seen Isla that day. Did he really know if she was alright?

"Com'on, Goku." He scolded himself, forcing himself to keep facing forward toward the direction of his house. "I have to go home for dinner."

He felt as though he was talking to Isla, giving her an excuse as to why he couldn't see her. A feeling of dread filled him. Maybe one peek wouldn't hurt.

He stood at the mouth of the cave. His feet were planted firmly in indecision. Should he continue this? Day after day he would just keep going to see a person he would never know in real life. He would just watch her until... what? She died? She moved out of her apartment? She got married and had kids? His guts wrenched at that last thought.

"Just give me a sign." He sighed, rubbing his head in aggravation. He wasn't really talking to anyone. Or maybe he was talking to the universe.

"Should I go inside?"

"Yes."

A male voice caused him to jump. His eyes darted around, trying to see who could have heard him. There was no one there.

"Can you hear me, mirror man? You need to come help Isla."

His eyes traveled down. Standing at the cave's maw was a familiar little black cat. Its eyes were trained on him, furrowed in annoyance as it took an aggressive stance.

"Did you just talk?" Goku asked, his head tilting to one side. The cat let out a small growl.

"Yes! You need to help Isla! How many times do I need to say it, mirror man?"

Goku nodded quickly, flying into the cave after the cat had darted back inside. The little creature stopped in front of the window, pointed toward it likes hunting dog.

"Fast! He's going to hurt her!"

Goku's eyes flashed to the window, seeing a man he didn't recognize hovering in front the couch, staring down at something, menace written in his dark smirk. He moved slowly, putting both knees on the couch, straddling something. His fist raised and then landed out of Goku's sight. A hollow moan emanated from the glass and then—

"Someone-help." The voice was small and the words slurred together, but he knew who it belonged to instantly.

In one movement, Goku was through the glass window and stepping into Isla's living room. His hands flew to the neck of the man on top of the crumpled Isla on the couch.

"What the fuck!" The man yelled more out of shock than anger that he was interrupted. His eyes widened as he stared at Goku. "Who the fuck are—"

A single punch to the gut silenced the man, folding him toward the floor. He writhed and gasped, his eyes never leaving the Sayian.

Standing to his full height, Goku turned his attention to the woman. He tried to suppress the desire to rip the man's head off as he took in her injuries. A black eye, a split lip, and God knows what else. In a flash, Goku leaned over and scooped her up in his arms. She let out a cry, but he didn't know if it was pain or the surprise of sudden movement that caused it.

"Helpme. Please." Her weak words felt like screams in Goku's ears. He had to do something. His mind flashed the room at Capsule Corp that he'd been taken to many times after an intense training with Vegeta or a battle. That's where he was going.

Making his way toward his point of origin, he noticed that his window to her was a mirror, which made sense. The cat did call him 'mirror man'. Stepping through, the man he'd forgotten about on the floor screamed a string of obscenities, but Goku couldn't have cared less about him.

Once through the mirror, he held Isla close to him, crawling toward the entrance of the cave. The cat was waiting for him as if he knew Goku would bring Isla back there.

"Where are you taking her?" He asked, trotting with the quick steps of the Sayian. Goku jerked his head in an upward motion, signaling to the cat that he should jump up onto this shoulder, which the cat obliged.

"I have a friend that will help her." Bringing two fingers up to his forehead, he glanced down at the creature on his shoulder, "Hold on tight."

_

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