DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or any of it's characters. I don't don't don't, and maybe I can stop saying it now. But whatever, there's probably someone out there just waiting to be able to say, "She didn't put a disclaimer!" so yeah...coughparanoidcough

Matronene screamed shrilly.

Vegeta threw himself up off the floor and powered up immediately, shouting over her scream, "What! What is it, who's attacking!"

He glanced over at Matronene and saw that she was sitting in a fetal position, holding her knees. Nappa and Raditz came running in.

"Vegeta!"

"What happened!"

Vegeta just shrugged and the three looked over at Matronene, who was still sitting quietly. "Just a bad dream," he decided quietly. "She was raised with a peaceful race."

The other two saiyans left the room. Vegeta was quiet for a moment before deciding to go and talk to her.

"Girl, what's wrong? I mean, I know what's wrong, but...just relax...it's not that bad, we only had to torture two people this time-"

At this, Matronene looked up, terrified, and started whimpering. "Only two this time?" she murmered. "You usually have to torture more than that?"

"Yeah, almost every time. This particular race went without too much of a fight, surprsing, really..."

But this only succeeded in scaring Matronene more. Vegeta sighed. "Man, I am no good at this 'comforting' thing..." he thought.

"Er...listen, Matronene, I'm gonna go and do things that I have to do...so...just come out of the room when you're ready to."

"What do you have to do?" she asked softly, looking up at Vegeta.

"You know...clean my ship and stuff."

"What's on it?"

"Just like dirt and some blood and other things from when I blew up that planet-"

Matronene screamed and put her face down on the pillow. Vegeta leapt up and practically ran out of the room.

An hour later, Vegeta, Nappa, and Raditz were taking their time eating breakfast when Matronene came down to join them.

"Well, well, look who's up," taunted Raditz.

The saiyan girl just sat down and started to eat a little. The three men glanced at each other, but said nothing.

"Hey Vegeta when's our next mission?" asked Nappa without pausing in between words.

"I don't know," answered the prince slowly. "I don't care, either."

"God, I don't want to go on another mission. I don't like torturing people."

"Too bad, girl, you're gonna have to go. Frieza's gonna make you, because Vegeta said you did well."

Matronene sighed. "Great..."

Vegeta looked up and saw Dodoria walking by.

"Hey! Dodoria! You great pink zit, I need to ask you something!" he shouted. Dodoria turned to face him, and Vegeta seemed to realize just what he was actually saying. He leapt up and saluted.

"Uh...er...Dodoria! Sir! I- I have to ask you something!" he stammered desperately.

Dodoria walked over and smacked Vegeta hard across the face. So hard, in fact, that Vegeta's nose started to bleed slightly. But he ignored it.

"Do you have any idea when our next mission is?"

"Yes. Frieza said something about two days from now."

Vegeta nodded. "Thank you."

Dodoria punched Vegeta in the face again before walking away. The force of the punch knocked Vegeta over, but he stood up quickly and stared at Dodoria's retreating back.

"Well. There's your answer, Nappa. In two days."

"Tough luck girl," said Nappa.

Matronene hung her head. "Joy..."

"Well then I really do need to clean my ship," Vegeta muttered.

"Yeah me too," agreed Nappa.

Raditz nodded, and the three started to walk off.

"Wait!" called Matronene. "What about me?"

"You could come and clean your ship," suggested Vegeta.

"Um...sure. Why not." She ran after the other three.

As the three worked, they thought quietly.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to torture people," Matronene was thinking.

"I wonder if Matronene can even handle this or if I'm going to have to kill her for losing her mind," Vegeta wondered.

"Maybe this race will put up a better fight than the last one," Raditz smirked in his head.

"This race had better make this fun," Nappa thought furiously.

Raditz was the first one finished. "Have fun, losers," he said, laughing, and walked off. Vegeta was finished soon afterward, but he didn't feel like going anywhere, so he continued to clean his ship. Nappa finished a few minutes later, and then the two saiyans, the prince and the girl, were left alone.

"Matronene, do you think you can handle this? Because if you don't think you can, I can just tell Frieza that."

"What will you do to you?"

"I don't know, but it'll probably involve kicking my ass."

"Then no, I'll go."

"Are you sure?"

"I don't want you to get hurt just because of me. I can handle it, I'll be fine."

Vegeta rolled his eyes, putting up a brave face, but said, "Okay. Thanks."

If Raditz or Nappa had heard this, they would have gaped at him and been entirely confused. But Matronene didn't know that Vegeta never thanked anyone, that he felt that he had been screwed over so many times he didn't have to say thanks to anyone at all. So Matronene just smiled and nodded and continued cleaning her ship, and Vegeta blinked in confusion at his own behavior.

He was growing soft over a girl. Had he actually said, 'thanks' to her! But he decided to let himself get away with his own emotions. He just...couldn't let anyone else know. That was all. He went to go help Matronene finish cleaning her ship.