A/N:                Whoow, sorry again… I know it had already been again a long time since I last posted a chapter… Normally I had planned that this chapter should've been a part of how I had actually planned the last chapter.  Well, after we had Bulma in the last chapter, you now get Vegeta… Enjoy!!!

Chapter 18: "Unwanted Distraction"

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Blood trickled down his chin, mixing with the salty liquid that was secreted from his body due to the physical strains of the fight he was in at that moment. Cursing under his breath, he wiped the red mixture of blood and sweat away with the back of his hand and glared at his opponent. This had already been the fourth time that day that his adversary could land a lucky hit on him, but just because his thoughts kept on wandering to other regions of his mind, instead of concentrating on the fight he was in.

But that day hadn't been the first time either that he found himself distracted. It was happening for quite some time now. At first he had been able to shut out the distraction by simply ignoring everything concerning her. He tried to get out of her way. He left his cabin before she woke up and first returned when he was sure she was asleep. Still, the more time passed, the more he caught himself thinking of her. Questions of her well-being crossed his mind at regular intervals, which he always quickly disposed in the back of his mind, dismissing them as results of exhaustion and stress. But if that really was the reason, then why did her face pop up in front of his eyes before he fell asleep and first when he awoke? This woman was doing something to him, but what? Could he, the Prince of all Saiyajins, cold-hearted killer of hundreds of more or less innocent people, come to… to – argh, even thinking this word brought him a headache – care about a weak annoying nuisance like her?

His thoughts were interrupted, when he saw another attack coming from his opponent. He swung his right arm up, barely managing to block the blow directed at his head, but didn't notice the leg flying into his side. Gasping at the sharp pain inflicted on his rips, he crashed into the rail of the ship, letting some of the planks splinter under the brute force of this collision. He slowly got up again, holding his side. That had been hit number five – definitely five hits too many.

"Hey Vegeta, what's up?" his bulky opponent wanted to know. "Tired already?"

"Shut up and let's continue the fight!" Vegeta snarled and got back into a fighting stance, ignoring the pain in his side.

"I think Nappa's right, Vegeta," Radditz, who had been watching the fight with interested, now decided to throw in. It wouldn't take long anymore until they'd arrive on Frieza's island, depending on how long they would stay on Ginger Island about one to two weeks, so it was about time to set their little plan into motion. "You seem so distant lately. Don't tell me that this Human female has gotten to you."

"Hold your tongue, Radditz." Everyone on the ship, who had been present at this argument, held his breath. Their captain's whole posture was tense and he seemed to be ready to attack at any moment. They were sure he would have done that, especially Radditz, who instinctively had gone into a defensive stance, even though Vegeta was standing with the back turned to him, hadn't it been for the call coming from the lookout and one of his men climbing down the mast.

"Vegeta, sir, I've got news," he said. "We can see Ginger Island in the far distance and I think we will reach it within the next few hours."

"Good," Vegeta said, the tension in his body somewhat lessening. "Nappa, Radditz, this time I will go alone to get the sphere. I can't risk you two doing something as stupid as you did on Namek. You will stay here and watch after the ship." And after the woman, he unconsciously added in an afterthought.

"Don't you want to tell her?" Radditz asked further in a mocking voice. Yes, he had noticed how the Prince had tried to avoid the woman in the last weeks and now wanted to see how far he could go in teasing his captain, to find out how much the woman really meant to him. It could all work for their advantage.

Vegeta clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to suppress the anger that was rising in him. How dare he talking to him in a tone like that! The reason of this anger however was still a mystery for him. Whenever someone was talking bad about the woman, he felt that kind of anger in his body, but being as stubborn as usually, he blocked out every thought dealing with the fact that he might actually feel more for her than he admitted. So, like always, he swallowed the anger, grunted something that sound like 'fine' in his ears and then said to Nappa, "Come with me," before he went under deck. Nappa threw one confused look back at Radditz, who just smirked, and then followed Vegeta.

Radditz was satisfied with the outcome of this. Nappa might not understand this yet – he was more the muscles in this plan, while Radditz, not as strong as his two fellow Saiyajins, himself was the brain. He knew what it must mean to be in the resentment of Frieza – namely long hours of tortures, followed by death, if not even first spending years in the dungeons. Maybe the tortures and death by the hand of their Lord wouldn't be that painful, but the dungeons were what everyone under his commando feared. Radditz had never heard that someone got out alive of it. He just knew of rumors that the prisoners, who were living down there in the damp and cold cells, got just enough food and water to not to die, but also not enough to be alive. The reasons for most of their deaths were sicknesses and he had just heard of one man who survived more than ten years in that hellhole – rumors said that he had been down there for more than twenty years and still didn't seem to want to give up. No one knew his name or what he had done so many years ago, but they were sure that they didn't want to end like him.

This was the fate for those, who had fallen into Frieza's resentment and he knew that with Vegeta's doing, nothing would happen faster than that. But now with their little plan, Radditz was sure that he and Nappa would stand in Frieza's favor.

Vegeta stopped in front of the door to the room, which inhabitant he had so successfully avoided for the past three and a half weeks. But something in this one sentence Radditz had said was true. He somehow felt the need to tell her that they would reach Ginger Island soon. He unlocked the door and rested his hand on the doorknob, just long enough to hesitate, but not long enough for Nappa to notice it, and opened the door.

She was sitting on the small bed, her head resting on her arms on her drawn-up knees. She didn't even look up, probably expecting the old cook bringing her a meal or something like that. Vegeta took a few moments to observe her closer. In the last weeks she seemed to have lost weight, her hair wasn't as shiny anymore as it had been, when she'd first arrived on his ship and the clothes she wore were dirty. Could it be that she had finally given up? Seeing her like this somehow tightened a knot in his stomach, so, before he could watch her longer, he decided to clear his throat. "Woman…"

Upon hearing his voice for the first time in weeks, her head jerked up. And really, there he was, standing in the doorframe in his typical stance. Being too stunned by this, she reacted on her first instincts, jumped up, walked up to him and poked him with her index finger in the chest. "So the almighty Prince of the Saiyajins decides to show his sorry ass again. Where the hell have you been all those weeks? How many weeks have even passed since you've last decided you could show your ass here?"

"On the ship. Four," he just said, even though he had to suppress a smirk. Not everything about the woman had become dull. There was still the spark in her eyes. No, the woman hadn't given up, yet. And he would be surprised if that would happen anytime soon.

"What?" Bulma asked confused.

"I've been on the ship all those weeks and four weeks have passed since we've left Namek," he informed her. "And now take your filthy hands of me."

"Oh…" Bulma quickly removed her finger and sat back down on the bed.

"Woman, I'm here to tell you that we'll reach Ginger Island today, the location of the next sphere. I will leave the ship alone – Nappa and Radditz will stay here to watch after the ship and to make sure that none of my other men get wrong ideas," he said, trying to watch her reaction, but she just stared at him indifferently.

"And you're telling me that because…?" she asked slightly annoyed.

"I…" he hesitated. He just noticed that he actually had no idea, why he was telling her this. Instead of answering her question he 'hmphed' and eventually said, "Instead of questioning my reasons you should be honored that I wasted my precious time to inform you of that."

"Precious time my ass…" Bulma mumbled pouting.

Vegeta simply ignored her, trying to hide his confusion and left the cabin. Nappa stayed behind just long enough to throw Bulma a look that sent a chill down her spine, telling her that he was planning something – something terrible – before he locked the door again and followed Vegeta.

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So what do you think? I know, it's again short, but if you wanted this chapter to be longer, it would have taken more time for me to write it…

Remember to review, please… I somehow think that you guys don't like this fic anymore and it's somehow a bit discouraging…

Eternally yours

ChibiChibi