Oh my gosh! I hope you enjoy this chapter because it took me so long to write it!
Hopefully, the new chapter will be up next week. Let me know what you think in the reviews!
Thanks!
——-
"Did you see that?"
The man continued to stare out the window into the inky black night that surrounded the small building that he and his associate occupied. A deep scowl was set across his lips as his associate spoke to him with panic rising in his voice. His tall, thin frame was in stark contrast to his partner's small, rounder body. The duo could choose what they looked like in their human form, so he had always wondered why the demon chose to inhabit a body like that.
"Of course I saw it, you idiot." He growled, turning to see the lesser man cower away from him quickly. "What the fuck is happening? I don't know understand! Her aura is different now."
He turned back to the window, his hand on his chin thoughtfully as he mulled over their current situation.
"Maybe that's why the pheromones weren't working. She wasn't throwing herself at him like I thought she would, but he's totally engrossed. Maybe I should up them."
After a few minutes of silence, the smaller man cleared his throat.
"Hey, Tipe." He whimpered, slouching in submission even more as he spoke.
The greater man snapped at his associate, "What is is, Quillet?"
"Wh-what do you think we should do now?"
Tipe 'hmm'ed quietly before turning back to Quillet, a small, rectangular object in his hand. The lesser cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head in confusion.
"Her cellphone?"
A menacing glint flashed in Tipe's red eyes, giving Quillet an evil smile. Quillet winced at the emotion, rubbing his plump hands together in an attempt to calm himself.
"Yes, Quillet." Tipe twirled the device in his hand, "Also, I think I've figured out what's happening to her."
Looking back toward the sky, Tipe raised his hand, sending a brilliant orb to sit among the stars. Quillet repeated his look of confusion from just moments before.
"Why did you do that?"
Tipe watched the orb twinkle as it burned. It was a technique he'd learned long ago when working with an evil overlord. He'd seen their power. The sheer unbridled destruction that lay in store for anything that was in their path. A shiver of anticipation worked its way up his spine at the thought of what was to come.
"Just a little experiment."
——
There was something wrong. Goku had just sat down to eat dinner with his family when his chest began to hurt and his mind tugged. He felt a burning sensation on the ends of his nerves as if he were being slowly cooked in the sun. ChiChi questioned why he had slowed his eating, but he just threw her a casual smile and continued through the gnawing ache. After the meal, he walked outside, promising to be back before bedtime, but that was a promise he hadn't really intended on keeping.
When he arrived at Capsule Corp, the feeling intensified as he made his way toward Isla's room. He hadn't seen her since the night of the dinner. Truth be told, he didn't know why he had been so forward with her. There was just something... primal inside of him that craved her presence. She had a certain smell, like flowers in the woods, that emanated from her that drove him to the brink of his self control. He never understood what it could mean to want someone so badly, but with her around, it made sense.
"Isla," he called out, hesitation in his voice as he knocked on her bedroom door. He couldn't feel her energy inside, so after a few moments of waiting, he decided to see go find her.
As he turned to walk away, a sudden spike of energy assaulted him. It was hot, fire emanating from deep within the building. His forehead creased as he tried to place it. It wasn't Vegeta or Piccolo. Hell, it wasn't even Gohan. It was intense and raw, unfiltered in the way it radiated. Locking onto it, he transmitted himself to its source.
It was a room near Bulma's medical bay. Deep, guttural moans rang out from a large pool of water, along with loud splashes. He saw Vegeta standing in the center of the pool, bent over and holding something, no, someone down in it.
"Get back, Goku!" Bulma's voice rang out as she called to him from behind a glass window that shown into a connected control room. Goku simply shot her a confused look.
"Bulma, what's going—?"
The tall Sayian stopped mid sentence as his eyes landed on the person being held in the water. Isla clawed at his arms as he held her half naked body down. In one swift motion, he grabbed Vegeta's neck, throwing him across the lab into a metal wall. Before even a second had passed, however, the prince was on him, pulling him away from the woman. Goku growled deeply, his chest rumbling in anger as he fought against his peer.
"Stop it, Kakarot!" he commanded, "Stop and look at her! There's something wrong!"
His eyes flashed over Isla. She thrashed wildly, her eyes shut tight as she tore at the water around her and groaned in pain. Every now and then, a shriek would tear through her and then die as it echoed back from the cold walls.
"What's wrong with her?" Goku demanded, his arm around Vegeta's throat. The prince fought off a wince from the pain.
"We don't know, you idiot!" His voice was gruff from the pressure applied to his windpipe, "Bulma is trying to save her life!"
"Vegeta! Get more ice! The temperature of the water is rising again!" Bulma called through the speaker. Vegeta cut his eyes at Goku before wrestling away from him and grabbing a waiting bucket of ice and poured it into the pool. Isla screeched, shrinking away from the cold into the corner of the pool.
"This isn't going to work, woman! We need to knock her out!" Vegeta yelled as he yanked Isla's shoulders back into the water. Bulma tapped her finger on her desk quickly before snapping her fingers and running out of the door before emerging once more with a vial and a syringe in her hands.
"Pull her out of the pool and hold her down, boys." She commanded through her speaker.
Vegeta shot a look toward Goku, "Don't just stand there! Get over here and help me, Kakarot!"
Dumbfounded, Goku stepped toward the Sayian and the wild woman he was restraining. He felt surges of energy pulse from her. He'd never felt something so strong and yet so new in his life.
The two pulled her onto the floor. Goku had gotten her lower half as Vegeta pinned her arms down in the 'T' shape. A faint blush fell over his cheeks as he noticed that she was only in her underwear. His eyes couldn't help but rake up and down her body as hips rose under his gaze, trying to pull herself way from the weight forcing her legs down onto the floor. Her skin, wet from the apparently cold water of the pool, was burning at an inhumanly high temperature. Her smell was almost tangible now, dampened only by the water washing it away. She moaned and growled in anger and pain, but Goku couldn't say he wasn't enjoying watching this odd display.
"Just hold still, Isla."
Bulma's voice pulled Goku away from his flustering thoughts and back into the situation. He hadn't noticed her appear beside them, but he had her full attention as she knelt down with a needle in her hand. She stuck it into the vial and drew a dose of something before pushing the drug in to Isla's straining arm.
"This should work." Bulma didn't sound confident, but it was the only thing she had thought to do. She exhaled deeply after the younger woman stopped thrashing and slowly fell into stillness a few seconds later.
"Ok," She said, rising to her full height and letting out another sigh, "Let's go to 'Plan B'."
——
The trio sat in silence in the dining area connected to the large kitchen of the Capsule Corp company cafeteria. Bulma sipped tea on a small sofa, her knees tucked into her chest as she stared blankly at the coffee table in front of her.
Shortly after knocking Isla out, Bulma completed another scan of her body. This time, however, there was no small red circle. In fact, her entire body was now red. Whatever had stared growing inside of her was now her.
"Well, we can't leave her here." Vegeta was the first to speak as he leaned back in his chair, his arms tightly folded across his chest. "There will be kitchen staff here in the morning and I don't think they'll be expecting to find a woman strapped to a bed in the middle of their freezer."
"I'll reroute them to the cafeteria in the C wing. We'll shut this one down for cleaning." Bulma was almost completely vacant as she spoke. She had seen a lot of things in her time being involved in the lifestyle of handsome aliens, alternate dimensions, and intergalactic travel, but seeing her friend like this had shaken her. She didn't know what was wrong. She couldn't help her. She could only treat the symptoms by locking her in a gigantic freezer and waiting to see if she was still alive in the morning. She didn't like being helpless, because she herself was not a helpless person. There was always a fix. But, now, in this situation, she couldn't think of a single one.
"I can still feel the weird energy spikes." Goku offered. He hadn't taken his eyes off of the locked freezer door since he'd shut it. Vegeta nodded in agreement.
"I can too."
The three fell into silence again and stayed there until Goku was about to burst with nervous energy.
"I'm gonna go check on her."
Vegeta scoffed, "There's not a window into the freezer, Kakarot. I know that's your preferred method of viewing her, so you'll just have to wait for signs of life like the rest of us."
Goku's eyes flashed to Bulma's blank face and then back to Vegeta with a look of warning. He held his hand up to his mouth, trying to shield his voice from Bulma's ears.
"Cut it out, Vegeta." His harsh whisper was punctuated by a sharp rattling sound from the direction of the large kitchen. Bulma leapt to her feet followed by Vegeta and Goku.
"What was that?" Bulma asked, but her concerned question went unanswered by her companions as they focused on the swinging door that led to the kitchen.
"That energy is unreal." Anxiety laced Goku's voice as he dropped into a guarded stance, followed closely by Vegeta. "I've never felt anything like it."
The prince's eyes were glued to the door as the rattled turned into a sudden cacophony of clashes and bangs.
"Bulma, go get something to put her to sleep."
Without a word, the blunette dashes for the exit, sprinting toward her lab. The two Sayians glanced at one another before nodding slightly and making their way slowly toward the entrance of the kitchen. The sounds had stopped, but that fact didn't give them any less reason to be cautious.
Goku entered through the swinging door, Vegeta not even a moment behind him. The large room was almost completely black, even the windows did not spare any light for them. As they moved deeper inside of the metal maze, a beam of light caught Vegeta's eye. He nudged the other Sayian, turning his attention to an open refrigerator that sat in the corner of the room with a small, huddled shadow sitting at the edge of the darkness. Squinting his eyes, Goku could barely make out the form of a person within the shadow, their knees tucked into their chest and something clutched within their hands that was moving back and forth from their mouth.
"Isla?" Goku called softly. The shadow stopped all movement. The closer the two Sayians got to it, the more they recognized Isla and the less they recognized her. Her hair had grown significantly, but the locks fell in ragged edges around her waist, covering her shoulders like a thick blanket. Her eyes were rimmed in a raw red as though she'd crying, but upon closer inspection, short claw marks covered the area from her lower lids to the top of her cheeks. She'd been clawing at her eyes. The same scratches covered the visible parts of her arms and legs. Sitting like an animal that was protecting its prey from another predator, she had left bones and empty bowls and fruit cores littered around her from an apparent feast.
The two men were stunned, unsure of what to do next. No words passed between any of them as Vegeta and Goku exchanged glances before looking back to the feral woman crouched before them, her eyes fixed on them with an eerie intensity.
Tentatively, Goku took a short step forward, his hand up in front of him and a nervous smile on his face. Isla stood suddenly, backing away in a quick, fluid retreat. A growing sense of discomfort built between the men as they realized that she'd torn away her underwear and stood before them completely naked. Dropping her back foot behind her, she poised herself, expecting to pounce at any moment.
"Oh God," Vegeta groaned, dropping into a fighting stance, "I wish this wasn't happening."
He was about to completely close his eyes, shielding him from viewing her, but something caught his attention at the last second. A long, brown tail snaked into view from its hiding place behind Isla's back.
"Kakarot!" The prince's eyes widened, Goku's expression matching his exactly, "She's a—"
"Sayian!" Goku finished Vegeta's thought, his jaw dropping. Without warning, the female Sayian attacked, lunging at the males who quickly back stepped away from her reach. Goku's hands jolted outward, grabbing her by her upper arms and pulling her to look at him. She thrashed in his grip, growling and pulling away from him with all of her might. He could feel her power spiking and dipping, but she wasn't strong enough to break free from his iron grasp.
"Isla!" he said, shaking her slightly, "it's me! Goku!"
The woman slowly stopped her wriggling long enough to look at home fully. He looked so familiar to her. He sounded like someone she knew. He smelled... Oh God he smelled like someone she needed.
"Goku." She rasped. Her first actual word in many hours that had not been a scream, moan, or growl. Her voice adjusted to the normal timber it was accustomed to, letting her saliva coat the rawness and return some of the ability to speak. "Goku."
The Sayian smiled his signature grin, tilting his head slightly. His grasp loosened, letting her feet touch the ground and giving her some room to move.
"That's right! It's Gok—"
His words were cut short by her lips crashing into his. She pressed her body into his as she wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer to her. A short yip! Of surprise left his mouth as Isla held her body onto his.
"Cut it out, Kakarot!" Vegeta yelled, his eyes widened in shock. Goku fought to look at his counterpart.
"It's—not me—Vegeta!" He mumbled, struggling to pull away from Isla's grasp. The experience wasn't over all unpleasant. He did enjoy the fact that Isla was kissing him and, truthfully, her being naked was an added bonus that he didn't deserve. However, Vegeta's angry face was making it hard for him to take in any of that pleasure. The prince growled, reaching out to take Isla's arm and pull her away from Goku. This action was met with a fierce swipe and growl of her own from Isla, leaving Vegeta taken aback and even more angry. He grabbed her arm forcefully, swinging her into a long, metal island that stood in the center of the kitchen.
"Hey! Take it easy, Vegeta!" Goku huffed, watching Isla rub the soreness out of her back from the impact.
"Shut up, Kakarot!" Was the only retort Vegeta could think of as Isla stood back up, crouching again in a battle-ready position. Her newly grown locks fell over her shoulder as she crawled toward the men, her teeth bared.
"Guys! I have the—" Bulma's sudden voice caused the trio to turn their attention to the blunette's quick entrance through the swinging door. The needle in her hand glistened in the sparse light as she held it up in triumph. She slowed her announcement as she took in the sight that lay before her, "...sedative."
A flash of recognition flew across Isla's face as she stood swiftly. Raising her arm, she sent a burst of energy into a far wall. Rubble and metal pieces exploded into the room, causing Bulma and the Sayians to shield themselves. Goku dropped his arm with enough time to see Isla sprint through the newly made door and out into the night air.
"Get her guys!" Bulma coughed, her arm still covering her mouth from the dust debris that swirled around her. "She could really hurt herself! She doesn't know what she's doing!"
Vegeta rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "What's the worst that could happen, woman? She's a Sayian. Practically indestructible against any dangers here."
Bulma creased her brow, her mouth forming a sharp frown as she spoke, "I don't know. Maybe she could transform into a giant monkey?!"
Vegeta scoffed, "That's impossible. The moon is destroyed and there's no way anyone here could replicate it."
"Uh, guys?" Goku called to his friends. The couple looked at him, finding him staring into the hole Isla had made in the side of the kitchen.
"I know, I know." Bulma sighed, motioning to the damage, "It's gonna take weeks to fix this mess."
"No, look."
Bulma's eye line followed Goku's outstretched arm until it landed on Isla, crouched outside on the lawn, her eyes fixed upward into the sky. A bright light shown down on her, bathing her marred skin in a glittering whiteness. Without warning, she doubled over, her fingers clawing into the dirt as she let out a guttural growl.
Vegeta glanced quickly toward Goku before flying toward the female Sayian.
"We have to get her tail, Kakarot!" He called backward as he approached her, but his attempts were only met with a sudden blast of energy from Isla that knocked him and the others watching, backward.
Isla had never felt pain that intense. Her bones broke and reset multiple times as she grew to an enormous height. Her body wracked itself, releasing wave after wave of power that kept Goku and Vegeta from getting too close to her. Finally, she towered over the city she'd enjoyed gazing at so many times before. She didn't think. She had no train of thought. The only thing that lived within her was the desire to destruction.
Raising her arm, she fully intended to bring it down on a nearby skyscraper, however, she was cut short by a sound she recognized.
"Isla!"
Bulma shouted her name over and over again, trying to get her to look down at her so the men could remove Isla's tail. She jumped around, waving her hands, running toward the monkey as she did so. Isla regarded the woman momentarily before raising her hand above Bulma, swinging it down toward her. She watched the blue haired woman shield herself, shrieking as she waited to be crushed. The last thing Isla heard before her world began to spin was Bulma's frantic voice as she felt a sharp pain from behind her.
"Isla! Stop!"
"Now, Kakarot!"
——
"Isla?"
A small voice called to her from its place at the door. It started as a whisper, but slowly grew into a normal speaking tone.
"Isla?"
The woman startled awake, bolting upright in her bed as her chest heaved to take in oxygen. Memories flooded her head as it pulsed from dehydration. Running her hands over her face, she tried to comfort herself. Her fingers made their way to her hair, but confusion set in as they kept going past their usual stopping point of her shoulders.
"What the hell?" She mumbled as she pulled long locks of dark hair into view, examining them. Giving them a firm tug, she confirmed that they were, in fact, part of her actual hair. A surge of electric energy flowed through her, causing her to shiver. She'd never felt like this before.
She remembered clawing at her arms, legs, and face, trying to relieve some of the intense burning that was happening below her skin. Fingers ran down her arms, making a mental map of every inch, however, there were no scratch marks. Throwing her covers back, her bare legs held no marks, either. Her cheeks yielded the same result—no cuts of any kind.
She was completely healed.
"Isla?"
The voice caused Isla to jump, her head snapping toward the door to see Trunks and Goten standing there. They were watching her. A scarlet blush made its way across her cheeks and she pulled her covers back over her. It seemed as though Bulma had put a tank top and some shorts on her, since the last thing she remembered was being completely nude. Still, she felt a bit odd being in that state of undress around two young boys.
"What is it, guys?" She pushed, attempting to get them to leave quickly so she could continue with her examination. The boys stood in the doorway, Goten looking at the ground and shifting his weight from one foot to the other while Trunks held both hands behind his back and stared up at the ceiling. Isla was growing impatient.
"Goten, Trunks, what do you need?" She asked firmly, trying to get them to say something besides calling her name to wake her up.
"We don't wanna get in trouble." Goten started, avoiding eye contact with her. Isla pressed her lips together and squeezed the bridge of her nose.
"Did you hurt someone or something important?"
"No."
"Did you take a large sum of money from your parents?"
"No."
Isla gave them a sympathetic smile. They were obviously very nervous. She let out a deep sigh and motioned for them to come closer.
"Tell me what's up."
Goten twiddled his fingers in front of him faster and faster before finally exploding with his confession.
"We were playing near the cave that Dad found you in, but we're not supposed to play near there because Mom said it might be dangerous! But we just wanted to take a look and we found something!"
Isla was taken aback. She hadn't been to the cave where Goku had crossed over and saved her. Truthfully, she didn't think she'd be there long enough for it to matter. Also, after what Whis said about the chance of being shredded, she wasn't too excited about being close to that portal.
"What'd you find?" She inquired, curiosity filling her.
Trunks slowly looked at her, tearing his interest away from the rounded, white ceiling of the sick bay room.
"Uh," He started, pulling his hand out from behind him slowly, revealing a small, white rectangle. "It's a phone, but it has your picture on it."
Isla immediately recognized it as her own cell phone. Snatching it from the boy's hand, she examined it. Surpringly, it seemed to still work. The battery was even fully charged.
Clicking the home button, she saw a picture of Quinn and her from their last midnight movie at the vintage theater in their town. The marquee behind them proclaimed that it was showing their favorite movie: Rebecca by Alfred Hitchcock.
A wave of sentimental emotion washed over her as she hugged the device to her chest. Eyeing the boys once more, she creased her brow in determination. Maybe, if her phone had made it through, other things from her world had.
"Take me to where you found this."
———
Heights had never been something that Isla was comfortable with. Although she marveled at the Sayians' and other powerful fighters in this worlds ability to fly, it was not something that she was interested in, personally. When the boys told her that they'd have to fly her to the location, she was none too excited about being carried thousands of feet in the air by two eight year olds and nothing else.
The flight seemed like it took a hour, but it was probably only twenty minutes. Her eyes shut tight, Isla gripped Trunks' shirt as a cold sweat broke out over her body. Even though she knocked him off balance a time or two, Trunks was very gracious to her in her fear. With only a few "Watch it!"s and "Stop wiggling!"s, the boy carried her among the clouds at a quick pace that made her want to vomit.
Finally, the trio touched down in a shaded grassy spot near a protrusion in the ground with an opening that she took as the cave. Isla collapsed to her knees, her fingers digging into the soft grass as she calmed her tried to manage the shaking in her body. After a moment, she regained her composure and rejoined the boys who were relaxing in the little knoll.
"This is where we found it." Goten said, pointing the the general area.
Isla rested her chin in her hand as she surveyed the ground. She wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything. Her fingers twirled her hair, getting used to the length as she wandered around the area. The boys snaked around her like hunting dogs tracking a scent. A smile fell on her lips as she watched them look nonsensical places like up trees and under moss covered rocks. Even if she didn't find anything, it was worth looking with them to see what cute things they did. The boys truly wanted to help her find something, anything that would help her. A warm spot grew in her chest as they reported their non-findings to her before scurrying off to look in a different spot.
"Sorry, Isla." Goten fell backward against a tree trunk, resting his tired body, "I guess that's all there is to find."
"Yeah," Trunks sighed in agreement, mimicking his friend's actions, "Sorry we woke you up for nothing."
A matching sigh came from the woman as she sat next to them, "It's ok, guys."
Her hand pulled the cell phone out of the jacket she'd thrown on over her tank top and shorts, holding it up to them, "This is great. Thank you for finding it for me."
"I thought you boys weren't allowed to play over here."
A strong voice called out to them, causing the boys to jump up in surprise. Goku emerged from trees, a small stack of lunch boxes in his hand. Goten grinned nervously along with Trunks who was waving slightly at the older Sayian.
"It's too dangerous for you to be here, Goten." Goku warned shooting his son a stern look, but slyly winking at Isla as the boys floundered for an excuse. "Looks like I'm going to have to tell your mother."
"N-no!" The dark haired boy shouted, his voice filled with fear, "Please, dad! We were just— We just—"
Isla jumped to her feet. The movement was surprisingly effortless, but she didn't have time to marvel at her new ability. Her hands clasped together.
"I asked them to, Goku." She confessed, her hand flying to her forehead as she closed her eyes, "I need strong boys such as theirselves to protect me from the dangerous wild while we looked for things from my world."
Trunks nodded vigorously, "Yeah! She asked us to bring her here!"
The man nodded, his eyes closed seemingly in deep thought as he pondered what to do with them. Finally, he looked to the boys.
"You boys go home and finish your homework, or else I'll have to tell ChiChi you disobeyed her direct order."
Trunks and Goten exchanged panicked glances, before turning their attention to Isla.
"Sorry, Isla." Trunks said quickly, rising up into the air followed by Goten. "We gotta go, but we'll see you later."
Goten nodded, "Bye, Isla!"
With that, the pair took off back toward Goten's house as fast as the could, leaving Goku and Isla alone in the forest. The woman pursed her lips, watching the fading trail of energy they left behind them.
"Well, there goes my ride back to Capsule Corp." She sighed, her shoulder falling slightly at the thought of walking back to the city from the far mountain side. "Well, at least I don't have to be carried like a sack of flour."
Goku raised his eyebrow at her, "Why don't I just teach you how to fly and you go back yourself?"
Her eyes widening slightly, Isla raised her hands in front of her her.
"No, no." She said, taking a step back, "I'm really afraid of heights. It took all my will power not to freak out when Trunks carried me here. I don't want to know what I'd do if I was up there by myself."
A small, thoughtful hmm emanated from Goku as he eyed her, opening his mouth to say something, but plopping down onto the ground instead. Isla watched him as he pulled open the bamboo lunch boxes he'd been carrying and lay them out before him. Pulling out a pair of chopsticks, he quickly dug into a box with rice mounted into it. The smell of the food made her stomach ache. She hadn't eaten anything since she woke up and she could really feel it.
"Wanna sit down and eat with me?"
The offer took Isla completely off guard. It was to her understanding that Goku was not one to share any food item, yet here he was offering her his lunch. She stared at the man shoveling rice into his mouth as he glanced at her and them down at a box that sat before her. He finally swallowed and motioned toward the box.
"Try that. It's ChiChi's speciality."
Isla sat down and opened the lid. The savory smell made her mouth water instantly, along with a mountain of guilt that was building in her brain. Here she was about to be eating ChiChi's cooking when the night before she'd kissed ChiChi's husband. The memory danced before her eyes as soon as Goku appeared. Her hands tangling with is soft, black hair, pulling him closer. His woodsy scent filling her being, urging her to go to the edge of civility. The hard muscles underneath her fingertips as she ran her hands over his shoulders and down his chest.
A blush rose onto her cheeks as she peered down into the steaming abyss of home cooking that sat in her lap. How could she eat this?
"You're thinking about last night, huh?"
Her hair pricked up on the back of her neck as her head snapped up to see Goku leaning his elbow on her knee and peering at her. She nodded tentatively.
"Look," She started, clearing her throat and trying to force the blush away from her face, "I'm sorry about.. you know."
The look on Goku's face was one of pure innocent ignorance, making her want to hit him for forcing her to say anything further.
"What are you talking about? Transforming into the giant monkey?"
"What? No! I what— nevermind. For... you know." She couldn't bring herself to say the thing. She was so embarrassed of her actions. How could she ever do that with a man who was married, let alone one that she'd met and had dinner with his wife?
"I don't know what you're talking about, Isla."
The woman growled, her fingers tightening around the fragile wood chopsticks. How could he act so stupid and still be so charming?
"The frickin' kiss, you idiot!" Her face had transitioned to a new shade of red she hadn't thought possible. Goku stroked his chin for a second before grinning at her with closed eyes and scratching the back of his head.
"Oh yeah," He said, his tone hinting at a faint recognition, "That was pretty nice, huh? But don't go making a habit out of it. I'm married, you know."
Isla stared at the man, her mind failing to comprehend how he could be so nonchalant about another woman kissing him. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'It wasn't such a big deal. He didn't reciprocate and she had to force him, so maybe it was over. That was the end of that.'
The realization made her feel better, loosening her consciousness's grip on her chest and allowing her to breathe freely enough to down the food in front of her.
The pair sat in a comfortable silence for most of the meal, chatting only after they had finished eating, but not talking about anything too important. Goku had explained to her the process of dying and how he'd come back to life. He told her how he'd missed his family, but couldn't risk the earth being in danger because of him. He didn't want other families to go through the same thing he had to.
"That's very altruistic," Isla remarked, leaning back against the tree that Goten and Trunks had occupied earlier. Goku lay on the grass, his hands forming a pillow under his head as he grazed up at the sky.
"I didn't mean for it to be," He replied, his voice calling out from absent thought, "I just did what I thought was right."
A small laugh came from Isla as she watched clouds pass them lazily, "You know, we have a legend on my earth called 'Superman'. He's an alien, like you, who was sent to earth by his parents and he protects it because that's his home. You're like Superman, but without the tights and cape."
Goku was silent for a moment, scratching his nose in thought before answering.
"I think the cape would be annoying."
Isla let out another laugh, rolling her eyes, "Yeah, I'm sure it would be."
Without warning, Goku hopped to his feet and stretched his back while groaning. Isla's face fell a bit as she watched him. She was enjoying their talk, wishing that it didn't have to end so quickly. Before she could open her mouth to say anything else, Goku turned to her with a large smile.
"Want to see my field?"
It wasn't anything that impressive, Isla thought. A large blank lot with a ton of deep craters and random plowed lines that squiggled around it. Goku, however, seemed to proud to show her, that she couldn't let him see her complete lack of astonishment.
"This is, uh, something." She said, taking note of every boulder that sat around the empty field. It didn't look like anything could grow there. The dirt was dry and packed, but maybe Goku knew something she didn't about farming. "Have you grown anything yet?"
Goku grinned, shaking his head as he dug his fists into his hips with confidence, "Nope!"
Isla returned his smile with a chuckle. There was just something about his ridiculous demeanor that was refreshing. She'd never met someone like him in her world, but she'd wage that there wasn't anyone like him here, either. That must have been what kept ChiChi with him, his sincere goofy joy and pleasantness.
"You shouldn't stare at people," The man teased, smirking playfully at her and eyeing her from the side, "They might get the wrong idea."
Isla cursed herself inwardly, quickly looking forward to the dirt field. She clasped her hand in front of her, crunching loose rocks under her sneakers.
"So, um, what exactly happened last night?"
Goku crossed his arms over his wide chest, his forefinger going to his chin as he tapped it in thought.
"You turned into a Sayian." He replied after a moment of thought, completely disregarding Isla's look of shock and disbelief, "Pretty weird, right?"
Words couldn't accurately translate what Isla was feeling, but she was sure her face was doing a good job by the weird look Goku was giving her.
"You ok?"
She felt her butt collide with the ground, but didn't actually realize she'd fallen backward. Her mind tried to process what he'd said, but it wasn't working. There was something unsettling about knowing that she was a completely different being than she was the day before.
"I'm a Sayian." She repeated, but the words sounded wrong in her mouth. Her eyes dropped to her hands, but they didn't look any different. Reaching up, she raked her fingers through the ends of her hair that fell against her chest. It was fuller, more voluminous. It wasn't the same hair she had in her world, it wasn't her's. Scrambling, she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and opened the front facing camera. She hadn't looked at her face. A fear of not being able to recognize herself ran through her as she stared at the picture in front of her. To her relief, she was mostly normal. The only difference was a new color to her eyes. Grey. Just like Goku's. Tears pricked at their corners, stinging her newly colored eyes. Slowly, a few drops streaked down her cheeks as she took a paced breath.
Goku dropped to his knees beside her, holding his hands up as if he wanted to comfort her, but wasn't sure how to do so.
"Aw, geez." He said, slight panic rising his voice, "Don't cry! I mean, it's not that bad!"
Isla sniffed, reaching up and wiping away stray tears from her chin. Tucking her knees to her chest, she leaned her head on them.
"Com'on, Isla." The man slowly patted her back, "Please don't be sad."
Isla didn't respond, sighing into her curled form and letting her tears come as they may. Goku sat back, leaning on his hands and groaning.
"I wish Bulma was here, she'd be way better at this than me." He stared up at the sky, trying to think of something to say. What did he say to ChiChi when she was sad or angry or other emotions besides happy that he had a hard time understanding? "Um, your hair looks pretty."
While that tactic only worked about 55% of the time with ChiChi, Isla didn't look like she was budging. At last, she unfurled, looking over at the frazzled man beside her. She drew an unsteady breath, pulling the back of her hand over her cheeks and.
"My eyes are a different color." Her voice wavered. Goku returned an uneasy smile.
"And, uh, what color were they before?"
Isla laughed, pushing her legs out in front of her. "They were hazel."
"Oh," The man said, a flush of embarrassment across his face, "I've never been too good with little stuff like that."
"I guess it wasn't that big of a deal, then."
Isla's gaze fell to her hands in her lap once more. The Sayian beside he could feel sadness radiate from her. Her energy was completely off. His mind went blank as his body worked without his permission. Reaching over, her tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. The unexpected affection caused Isla to look to him, seeing a small smile on his face. He took the phone from her hand and put it in his pocket.
"You still look nice. Leave the old you out of this."
A light blush crossed her cheeks as she returned the smile, "You shouldn't make a habit out of that. You are married, you know."
Goku didn't reply, only stood and looked into the distance. Turning back to her, his face held a pleasant expression.
"You want to see my favorite spot?"
Not waiting for her response, Goku took her arm and pulled her into him. His steel arm around her rib cage, trapping her by his side. Isla faltered a bit, trying to adjust herself away from him, but his grip was too firm.
"I'll fly us there!"
"Oh no, Goku. Really, I'm so afraid of hei—"
He beamed, taking off before Isla had a chance to register the rest of her complaint. She clung to him, her arms locked around him as if she were holding on for her life. Digging her face into the crook of his neck, she tried to take her mind off of her situation.
She tried to ignore the wind roaring in her ears by giving her other senses power. Her sight picked up the ground below that was rushing by at an impossible speed, ok maybe another sense. Her She could taste bile rising in her throat that she was trying to keep locked in her stomach, oh God, it was getting worse. Closing her eyes, so focused on what she could smell. Goku. His skin held a mixture of sweat and earthiness. She took several deep breaths until she was intoxicated by his scent.
"Just try and focus on something else." She heard Goku's voice being carried by the rushing wind into her ears. Little did he know, she was following his advice already.
He no longer felt hot when she touched him, only the normal feeling of skin on skin. His hair made perfect sense to her now, with its wild demeanor. Her's felt as though it would float away with the strange energy that coursed through her veins, so he must have felt a thousand times what she did.
"We're here!" Without warning, the Sayian released his arm from his female counterpart. She expected to land with her feet on the ground, but to her surprise, she kept falling. She only saw the water seconds before she made a splash into its cool body. Isla quickly oriented herself, sending her head up to the surface and popping out of the water like a cat who'd been thrown into a bathtub. Goku simply looked down at her, a laughing smile on his face.
"What the hell, Goku?!" She yelled, anger rising up from her belly. "I could have drowned!"
The Sayian shook his head, waving her off, "Nah, a Sayian would never go out like that. Drowning is too easy."
Slapping at the water, her anger only grew as she growled.
"I'm gonna kill you!" She shouted, her teeth gritting. Goku simply greeted this with a shout of encouragement.
"That's the spirit!"
He dipped his foot closer to her as if he wanted her to grab it. Her hand shot up as she attempted to take hold of the appendage, but Goku yanked it out of her reach at the last second. Again, he dangled his foot in front of her, pulling it just out of reach as she jumped to grab it.
"Come on, Isla." The Sayian teased, "You'll have to try harder than that."
The female Sayian growled again, watching the man's amused smile grow with every attempt she made. She wasn't enjoying being toyed with. Her anger grew. She hated when men did things like this. Paul would act this way with her phone during fights as he scrolled through it, trying to prove that she was cheating on him with another man. Looking up at Goku's foot, she could envision her phone being held above her head.
"Women can't be trusted. You're only good for one thing and I know you're looking everywhere for it, slut."
With one last anger fueled jump, her hand closed around Goku's foot. She was thankful he'd lowered it enough to let her grab it, until she looked down and saw that she was several feet above the water. Letting go of him, she stayed in her spot. She was flying.
Goku circled her as she floated above the water.
"See! I told you all you had to do was think of something else! Flying is a breeze."
Isla was silent. In a flash her hand was out, stopping Goku in his flight path by taking a fistful of his shirt and pulling him toward her. His nose was inches from her's. She stared into his grey eyes as he was taken off guard by her actions.
"You know what I'm thinking of right now?" Her voice was low as her eyes continued to pierce his. He could feel his face grow hotter as she snaked a hand down his torso and over his belt. His eyes widened a bit as she reached into his pocket. A smirk grew on her lips as she quickly diverted her hand, grabbing her cellphone and pulling it out triumphantly as she pushed the stunned Sayian into the water below.
Swiftly, she threw her phone to the sandy shore more than a dozen feet away from them before Goku leapt out of the water, dragging her down with him.
"Did I really transform into a giant monkey?"
The two lay on the beach, Goku, only in his boxers, waiting for his clothes to dry that he'd hung up over a stray tree limb and Isla watching the setting sun.
Goku nodded, "Yeah. You were pretty strong, too. Vegeta and I finally got to cut off your tail before you squished Bulma with your big monkey fist. After that, you changed back. That's what happens with every Sayian."
Isla tapped her lips thoughtfully. She'd noticed the bandage at the base of her spine, but since she hadn't seen Bulma, she hadn't had a chance to ask about any details. "So you had a tail and Vegeta had a tail?"
"And Gohan and Goten and Trunks and Pan and any future Sayians. I wasn't around for Gohan and Goten's tails being cut off, but I cut off Vegeta's."
Isla sent him an odd look, "You were there when Vegeta was born? Isn't that when you cut them off?"
Goku shook his head, "Nah, Vegeta came to earth trying to take it over and I had to fight him."
A look of surprise passed over Isla's face, "What?"
"Yeah," Goku replied, "He used to be a really bad guy. Now, he's just a big ol' softy compared to then. I think Bulma has mellowed him out."
Isla rolled her eyes, "Yeah, he's a real teddy bear."
A comfortable silence held the two as they watched the sun's steady decline. Isla had had so much fun with Goku that she couldn't believe it was almost night. Her first day as a Sayian had been a success. Usually, change scared her, but Goku had taken her mind off of every scary part and left the fun. She'd learned how to fly, gotten her first taste of her new body and power. In a strange way that she didn't expect, she finally felt like she'd found the spot that her puzzle piece fit into. She just didn't know that it was with a completely different puzzle.
"Do you miss being on your earth?" Goku's voice pulled Isla out of her thoughts. Biting her lip, she dug her fingers into the sand beneath her.
"I miss parts of it, but every minute I spend here, the miss it less and less." She answered, surprised at how truthful she was being, "I miss my mom and brother. I miss my friend Quinn. I miss the kids at my job."
"What about your dad?"
Isla sighed, tossing a piece of hair over her shoulder, "Let's change the subject. Why don't we talk about how I'm getting home. It's almost dark and I won't be able to recognize anything. Bulma is probably worried."
Goku nodded, standing and walking over to examine his now dry clothing. Isla watched as he pulled on his pants and shirt, trying not to stare at his physique, but failing miserably. How could she not look at such perfection? As he turned back to her, she looked forward, trying not to get caught leering.
"Why don't you come have dinner with us and I'll take you back tomorrow?"
Isla stood slowly, dusting the sand off of her legs.
"Don't you think ChiChi will mind having an unexpected guest? I mean, she's already cooking dinner for two Sayians and I know how they eat."
Goku waved her off, his winning grin covering his face, "She'll love it!"
———
"She can't stay."
ChiChi didn't love it. She stood at the threshold of the dome-shaped home the Son family occupied with her arms crossed, a soup ladle in one hand. Goku's face fell.
"Aww, com'on, Chi. I already told her she could."
This didn't seem to sway her in the least.
"And when did you do this? How long have you two been cavorting in the wood together today?"
A knot grew in Isla's stomach. She had been cavorting. She cavorted all day long. Guilt washed over her, a dry feeling covering her throat. Truth be told, the last place she wanted to be was in the same house with ChiChi and Goku together. She could feel the hot stare of the housewife as it lasered through her soul.
"Maybe I could help you cook? Do you need help in the kitchen?" Isla offered, trying to steady her voice and not let ChiChi she the small beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. ChiChi creased her brow.
"I never need help in the kitchen."
A nervous laugh came from Isla as she felt the sweat droplets roll down the back of her neck.
"Could I clean up afterward? Wash the dishes? I know nobody likes to do that."
The older woman was silent for a moment. Isla's palms grew slick.
"Fine. Come in."
——
Once inside, the evening went rather smoothly. Isla helped Goten with his homework before dinner, going through elementary calculations and the art of writing complex sentences. Goku sat on the couch watching them as ChiChi clanged metal utensils and rushed around the kitchen. An hour later, the small family sat down to dinner with their guest. Conversation was minimal, but Isla got the impression that that was how every meal was. She, Goku, and Goten devoured bowl after bowl of ChiChi's amazing cooking. Before she knew it, the large spread the woman had put out was completely gone and Isla was leaning back in her chair with a satisfied sigh.
ChiChi eyed Isla suspiciously.
"You put away just as much food as Goku and Goten. How? Humans can't do that."
Goku patted his full belly before sending ChiChi a smile.
"Isla's a Sayian now."
ChiChi tilted her head in genuine confusion.
"What do you mean 'now'? Don't you have to be born a Sayian to be one?"
"Uh," Isla began dumbly, trying to string together a sequence of events that made sense, but really, the whole situation was just unexplainable, "We don't really know why. I just transformed last night and there's no explanation. Maybe Whis and that Lord Beerus could tell us something about it when we meet with them."
The housewife shook her head gravely. She had met Lord Beerus before and something told her that he wasn't going to be so much helpful as he was angry.
"This isn't good."
A concerned look washed over Isla's face as she opened her mouth to ask ChiChi what she meant, but before she could get her words out, she was cut off by Goku.
"Oh, it'll be fine. Lord Beerus is a cool guy. He'll understand that it's just an accident. A freak accident."
Isla slumped in her seat. She tried to worry about Lord Beerus and Whis' visit, but the food had hit her system. Yawning, she rubbed her eyes and stretched. She was going to sleep so well.
ChiChi stood, taking her plate to the kitchen before coming back for Goku and Goten's. She stopped in front of Isla, staring down at her.
"Don't forget the dishes."
——
Dragging her body up the stairs, Isla's eyelids drooped with every step. It was well passed midnight, but all of the dishes were washed, dried, and put away. Her hands felt like prunes and her feet ached, but at least ChiChi had showed her the guest room ahead of time and had given her a soft blanket to use during the night.
She didn't even bother to change into the pajamas ChiChi had set out for her. Her body flopped onto the soft bed, her limbs splaying out like a starfish. She was tempted to fall asleep like that, but she pulled herself up to the top of the bed and lay her head on a plush pillow. Pulling her phone from her jacket pocket, she gazed into the glowing screen. She and Quinn looked so happy, the blonde on her back as she pointed up at the marquee sign. Both girls laughed in the picture as the theater lights burst around them. She did miss Quinn. She hoped that she was ok.
Smiling, she lay her phone to the side and closed her eyes.
She hoped that Quinn would find the spot for her puzzle piece.