Disclaimer: I do not own, and will never own, DBZ. If you for some odd reason unknown to human knowledge, thought I owned it, then you know better now.
A/N: Okay, this is a slight AU in the way that it takes place at about year 1700, the guys does not have Ki, and so on. Also, they are all humans, and no Saiyans. Anyone bothered by that, knows where the door is. Oh, and one more thing; I have yet to decide this: 1) if I should make this a lemon or not (will prolly be, but not sure, will let readers (if I get any) decide) and 2) if this shall be a Vegeta/Bulma, or a Goku/Bulma. I like both couples, and the main reason I put it here is because I thought it would be easier to notice here, than on the Vegeta/Bulma section. So there. Now, on with the story! Oh, and almost everyone from the series will make *at least* a brief appearance, not too sure on the kids tho… ;)
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The sea was beautiful today. It was a very fine morning, with the gulls screaming, or singing, as you should say about birds, and the waves crashing against the ship. Bulma Briefs, the house of Briefs only daughter and jewel, heir to Briefs manor in Scotland (by the locals referred to as 'Capsule corp.'), cousin to the royal family of England and long-distant relative with the king of Sweden, was standing against, and leaning over, the rail, looking down at the little waves that danced about. She was utterly, hopelessly, bored.
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Chi-Chi grumbled. She hated ships. The truth to be told, she loathed ships. She loathed them to such an end she doubted there was enough words in the whole world to describe it. Not to mention, Goku's snoring could be heard through all the walls even into the little cabin she shared with Eighteen, the petite blonde that the whole darned ship seemed to have the hots for, when they weren't drooling over herself or miss Bulma, of course. Bulma, though, was naturally a forbidden territory, and the captain had made both that, and what was to be expected if anything inappropriate would occur, very clear before they set out. Of course, if something like that seemed to have even the tiniest chance to happen, Chi-Chi was quite sure that nothing the captain could do was worse than what Bulmas father would do to her when he heard of it. She sighed, and suddenly felt a wave of nausea overrun her again. Jumping to her feet, she staggered over to the little porthole, and there proceeded to empty what was left in her poor stomach.
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Eighteen woke up to the sight of Chi-Chi practically hanging out through the little porthole in their cabin, and the very unpleasant sound of someone barfing. She sighed. Not again. Chi-Chi finally pulled back in, and went straight to their little bowl of water on the nightstand, and promptly plunged headfirst into it.
"What are you trying to do, drown yourself?" Eighteen said sarcastically.
"What a great idea!" with that, Chi-Chi dived right back in with her head. Eighteen rolled her eyes, and, seeing as she probably wouldn't get all that much more sleep this morning, slowly got up. After getting dressed, she thought she had better to check on Bulma. She snorted as she headed out the door. Miss Bulma, the little bitch. Eighteen was relatively new, she had been hired just a few months ago, and even though both Goku, Bulma's bodyguard, and Chi-Chi, her "escort lady and chaperon", assured her that she really was very nice and caring, Eighteen didn't believe them. Bulma was a spoiled, ice-cold, whining, annoying brat that couldn't even get dressed herself. She had people helping her with everything. And Goku, the dumb-ass, he was always loyal, and defending her, no matter what it was about. 'Oh well', Eighteen thought. 'He was a man after all, and no one could deny that Bulma wasn't attractive. Pale porcelain-like skin, aqua-marine hair, and sky-blue eyes. Long legs, wonderful body with curves at all the right places. No, no one could deny that she was very attractive and beautiful. And perhaps that was the problem', Eighteen thought. Perhaps she would've liked her more if she had been ugly, or fat, or… or…or if she hadn't had all the things Eighteen herself never had gotten…but Chi-Chi seemed to like her. 'But oh no, the others might think she was an angel, but she was not about to trick her', she thought. She would not give in to the intriguing spell of her lady and mistress. She had seen how Bulma would treat some of her servants, and could only find contempt and disdain in her heart for her. No, she decided, she definitely did not like Bulma Briefs.
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Bulma suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She gasped and spun around, before smiling a relieved smile at the sight of Goku, her best friend and bodyguard.
"Gees, Goku, don't do that, you know that I hate when people are sneaking up on me!" she said, and lightly swatted his arm as he only grinned back at her.
"So, what are you doing? Enjoying the view?" she sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Ugh, Goku, you know I hate being on this damn ship! It's so…so…"
"Boring?" he offered with a grin. She glared at him, before making an exasperated gesture with her hands.
"Yes!" He gave her a steady look, and then shook his head.
"You're exaggerating again."
"Am not!"
"Are too!" Goku was one of the few persons who were allowed to speak with her like this, and if anybody else had tried, she would probably had smacked them by now.
"Am not!"
"Are too!" Finally growing tired of the one-sided conversation, she moved on with her list of complaints.
"Oh, I wish dad would never had sent me on this stupid, stupid trip, in this stupid, stupid boat!" As she received no answer, she continued to complain.
"Just to go to that stupid, stupid land, whatever it's called…"
"America."
"Yeah, yeah, that. I'm an important person, to even think the thought *I* would go on a trip to see how our cotton plantations is faring, is simply…just…
"Absurd."
"Yes!" she repeated her exasperated hand-gesture, and he repeated his steady gaze and headshake.
"Bulma, you're amazing."
"And now what exactly is *that* suppose to mean?" she asked snippily.
"Uh, never mind, never mind…you were saying?" As Bulma decided to ignore his suspicious comment, she continued on with complaining about her parents, the stupid boat, the icky food, the bad service, and so on and so on. Goku couldn't help but think that she really was stunning when she was angry. 'Always amazing, but even more perfect now…' Goku thought, as he let his eyes wander, completely zooming out Bulmas voice and just enjoying the view. Suddenly, in the middle of a very loud sentence filled with words not suitable for children under 30 ( ;.) ), regarding, once again, the stupidity of her parents and the silliness of this ship, Goku saw something at the horizon. At least he thought he saw something. He shook his head. For a moment there, he thought he had seen a…no, no, certainly he must have been wrong. Suddenly, it came into view again, and for a few seconds, he managed to catch a glimpse of it. He furrowed his brows. This time he knew he wasn't wrong, even though he really hoped so. After all, he hadn't been able to look at it properly.
"Bulma," he suddenly cut her off in the middle of a sentence. "Will you please give me the telescope?"
"You know," she said, and fixed him with a glare. "If you weren't my best friend, I would have thrown you overboard by now!" He merely looked at her a few seconds, before opening his mouth, and calmly saying:
"Bulma?"
"Yes?!"
"The telescope, if you please." She sighed and, muttering something incoherent, handed it over.
"Thanks." He put it to his eye, and began looking around. Finally he saw what he was looking for. And, he had been right. It was what everyone feared the most, during a sail. Pirates. Cursing out loud, he slowly took the telescope down. This was not good.
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Chi-Chi had finally stopped trying to drown herself and decided that, despite indisposition, maybe she would live through the day. She had got dressed, drunken some water, and now felt, that maybe, perhaps, she could face the day of this horrible ship. She was just about to go out, when the door slammed open, and Eighteen and some other fellows, she thought their names was Seventeen and Sixteen, burst in. ''Funny', she thought and sniggered openly, which confused the others, since they hadn't even said something yet. 'Sixteen, Seventeen, and Eighteen. What a team.'. She snickered some more, at the thought of how Eighteen would react about being said to be 'in team' with someone. She would probably give the offending person a good beating. 'Yes, that sounded very much like Eighteen.'
"Yes?" she said out loud, and raised her eyebrow slightly.
"The captain," they panted, oddly enough. Almost as if they had been running. 'But what could be in such a hurry on a ship?' "Want everyone on," they stopped to breathe. Chi-Chi sighed. This was turning annoying.
"Just spit it out, okay?!"
"He wants everyone on deck in this very instant!" They finally managed to gasp out, and, wasting no time, grabbed Chi-Chi by the wrist and promptly took off.
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"Bulma…"
"Yes?" She looked at him wonderingly, actually a bit worried. Whatever it was that could cause the normally so carefree Goku to behave this way, it had to be bad.
"Go get the captain, immediately. Tell him it's an…" he gulped.
"Tell him what?"
"Tell him it's an emergency." He almost whispered the sentence, and watched as she looked at him disbelievingly.
"Emergency? Goku, what is it that you're not telling me?" she demanded, and he finally lost his patience.
"Damn it all, Bulma, just trust me and go get him!" a shocked look crossed her face, before she instinctively obeyed and scrambled away to get the captain. Goku rarely even raised his voice to anyone, and when he talked in that tone, she wasn't one to object.
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"Crew…" the captain began, turning to all the confused persons gathered in front of him. "Some troubles have ensued, and I will not lie to you. The situation is very serious. We are being followed by pirates." At this simple announcement, followed a collective gasp. When everyone had gotten their wits together enough to hear the rest, the captain continued on. "We cannot sail away from them, they are way too much fast. And, as we carry no cargo, and have no treasures, we are worthless to them. But they will not let us live, as we then are dangerous to them. We have to face this; if we cannot give them *something* worth our lives, we will be assimilated." Then, suddenly, a crewman, got a bright idea. Shouting loudly, he pointed to Bulma and her friends.
"We have a treasure! We have the precious daughter of the very wealthy Briefs!" the others mumbled in agree, and, cornered as they were, there was not much Goku could do, except glaring dangerously at anyone who dared stalk to near. Opening his mouth, he was about to speak, but Chi-Chi made it before him.
"You can't do that! She is not a someone to give away to pirates! She is a lady, belonging to one of the noblest houses there is!" the captain chuckled, although it was not from any particular merriment.
"Oh really? I can't, you say? Well, dear miss, watch this then." Shouting orders at the crew, they threw themselves over them. Even though Goku, Chi-Chi and Eighteen, yes, even Bulma, fought back the best they could, there were simply too many of them. Within a few moments, they were all tied up, and no harm to anyone. Just then, someone shouted from somewhere, and they all looked around, suddenly noticing how lose the other ship really was. Only fifty metres away, they had amusedly watched the fight.
"Ahoy over there! Are you about ready with your fighting? Good, then get moving! Get everything, treasures, or even gold teeth's, up on deck, and make it on five minutes. Our leader will board you within that time, and if he doesn't get what he wants, he might get nasty." Hearing the menacing tone the one shouting put particularly into the word 'nasty', the crew began swarming around like ants, desperately looking for something that was even worth showing.
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Bracing himself, Krillin lifted his hand and warily knocked on the door in front of him.
"Come in." A gruff voice answered. Krillin opened the door and slid in.
"They're – they're ready to board, sir." He stuttered out quickly, squirming slightly under the steady gaze of his leader and master, Vegeta.
"I'll be in a minute."
"Ye – yes, sir." With that, Krillin bowed and leaved, letting out the breath he wasn't even aware he had been holding, as soon as the door slammed shut behind him. He was simply *terrified* of Vegeta. Not that he thought he would hurt him, or so. 'No, no, not at all.' Krillin thought, and straightened up. Then, just as he was in the middle of convincing himself that he was really quite important, the truth came booming in. Krillin wasn't all that… eminent. The truth to be told, he was the one cleaning the floor, and 'go-fetch-that', and 'go-do-this'. Which was also why he had been the one that had to run with messages to Vegeta all the time, as no one else dared. Not to mention the fact that Krillin didn't dare either. He just had to.
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Vegeta snorted as he entered the other ship's deck. Just as he thought, it was really poor. Turning to the quivering little wimp that was the captain, he grabbed him by the collar and lifted him, despite the fact the captain was actually a bit taller than him.
"I am not satisfied." He said, in a low, chilly voice, that made everyone shiver. "Do you not have anything else?"
"O – of course, sir, we have saved the best or last." Vegeta gave him a doubting glance, but, seeing as it would only be worse for the right now dangling in the air, he decided to give it a look.
"Fine, bring it."
"Uh, sir?"
"Yes, now what?!"
"Can you please…perhaps…just…"
"Just say it, I have no patience with your insolence."
"Put me down?" Vegeta grunted, and dropped him unceremoniously on the deck's floor. Just then, the crew came back, with Bulma and their friends, and, seeing their captain in a little pile on the deck, hurriedly brought them before him. Vegeta eyed them, to catch in what way they could be valuable.
"I don't see how these weakling bakas can be of any use to me at all!" he bellowed to the little shaking heap, and kicked it viciously.
"Sir, the muscular one with the hair, can be a good slave!" a crewman piped up.
"And what about the onna, then? The only good they are for, is cooking, and screwing. Possibly sewing." Being his usual Vegeta self, he was quite blunt, and Bulma and Chi-Chi both blushed deeply. Eighteen, having had a much less protected life, just shook her head in dismay. She hated man pigs.
"And we already have a chef, and besides, women on a ship means bad luck!" one of the pirates shouted. As Vegeta glared at him for even *thinking* of saying something without being asked, he shrank back and realised he was in trouble.
"I am not afraid of bad luck, that is just nonsense."
"Sir, the blue-haired onna, is daughter to the extremely wealthy Briefs family, in England." Vegeta scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Briefs…yes, I have heard of them…" finally reaching a decision, he concluded:
"Take the three onnas and that muscular one to my ship."
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Um, lets just pretend the little thingys above is waves, sort of to fit the theme, 'kay? Good. Now, likes? No likes? Want to ki-blast my computer so I can never write again? Let me know! Please review!
