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When Bulma stepped out of the bathroom an hour later she saw that Vegeta had locked himself into the bedroom. She loudly stomped past the door to make her presence known, letting out a shrill "hmph!" as she went.

It was still early in the afternoon. With nothing else to do, Bulma began to angrily clean the kitchen. She forcefully cleared the table, dropping the dishes into the sink before running water over them. Grunting under her breath as she worked, the Bluehead was still seething as she scrubbed at the bowls that had been used an hour earlier. It was only a few minutes later that bedroom door opened on the other end of the house. She began to scrub even harder, pretending not to hear as footsteps traveled across the floor.

And when she heard him taking a seat at the table, she angrily began to rinse the dishes off. With nothing else to focus on, she grabbed a rag and began to dry the bowls, rubbing so hard that her knuckles were aching. "So!" She finally said, after growing tired of waiting for him to speak the first word. "Do you have anything you want to say to me?"

Rather than offering a verbal response, a low growl could be heard coming from the man sitting at the table. Bulma placed the dishes in the cupboard before finally turning around to shoot a glare at the saiyan. "That's all?" She put a hand on her hip.

"I am not going to apologize." He muttered, scowling back at her.

"Hmph! It figures you wouldn't!" Bulma turned her nose up to the ceiling, flipping her hair back for the second time that day. "You won't apologize, and I won't be bothered with that silly project, then!"

"First of all, you will not dictate what I do!" Vegeta slapped a palm down on the table's surface.

The Bluehead was unbothered by the loud noise it made. "And I won't do something if I don't want to."

"Second of all, I didn't say you were an idiot!" He spat. "I just said it is idiotic to be so damned wistful!"

"Well, you might as well be calling me an idiot if you're going to say things like that!" Bulma retorted. "You were talking about my actions, weren't you? And I'm not going to stand for it!"

"I didn't call you an idiot, just so we're clear. And what I did say was for your own good." His eyebrows furrowed. "You may think I'm an asshole, as you so bluntly put it yesterday, but you haven't even begun to see what this universe is capable of."

"So? What? Is that a threat?" Bulma narrowed her eyes, looking more irked than scared.

"A day may come that you will be facing the eyes of true malevolence. Trusting that there is any good will only result in exploitation and pain. You need to learn to take things for what they are! When someone shows you what they are capable of, you must accept that instead of searching for what isn't there!"

"Oh? And whenever I've been doing that lately, I've ended up being wrong. You supposedly killed my two friends, and that turned out to be a lie! Didn't it?"

"Woman…" Vegeta growled.

"I'm making my own decisions!" Bulma was yelling now, ignoring the saiyan's attempt to intervene. "I've seen for myself that not every assumption I had going into this was true! It doesn't mean I'm doing anything stupid by thinking there's more to all of this than I realize!"

"Woman!"

"I chose to stay, and that doesn't mean I believe anything in you! It just means that I'm smart enough to know that there's a lot I don't know!"

"Damnit, Woman!" Vegeta finally shouted. "Stop yelling and calm down!"

Bulma jumped from the boom in his voice, but the rage in her eyes didn't cease. She bit her lip, her petite frame trembling as she fought to reel in her temper. Vegeta watched her, fighting to keep his own cool. He didn't do well with being yelled at, and the only thing that helped him keep control of his fury was that it was slightly amusing to watch her shake so fiercely as she struggled through her emotions.

Why, it was nearly comical! This woman looked like she was about to pop!

Her face was starting to sport a bright shade of pink, as she held her breath and tried to count backwards in her head. None of her efforts really worked to subdue her stress, though. Suddenly it all boiled over, and the Bluehead let out a yell so loud that it had Vegeta clutching at his ears and cursing about banshees.

"YOU ARE SUCH A JERK!"

"WOMAN! CALM DOWN!" Vegeta barked back.

"MY NAME IS NOT WOMAN!" She threw her hands up in the air and turned from the room. Her feet slapped across the wooden floor as she made for the bathroom again. With only one bedroom that Vegeta had already claimed, the bathroom was the only part of the house that she could find privacy in. "MY NAME IS BULMA!"

.

Sitting alone in his room, Vegeta kept his eyes closed as he meditated in silence. He'd been so taken aback by the Bluehead's words outside that he'd let the short man go rather easily. He should have interrogated him instead – he should have demanded to know how exactly tracking ki worked! The saiyan was now bitterly regretting his impulsive decision to focus so much of his anger towards the Bluehead.

How in Frieza's Rear could one detect ki without a scouter?

The fact that such a weak man was capable of such a thing was frustrating enough. But, never mind that. If an overgrown child could manage this, then surely the prince of all saiyans could master it, too. He'd just never been aware of such a concept – that was all! Perhaps he's grown soft in depending on technology… Perhaps, by getting reliant on the scouter, he'd been holding himself back from his own natural advancements…

… All he needed to do was train himself... And he'd already started. Back in the kitchen, when Bulma let loose like a boiling puppet, Vegeta had sensed it. He'd been practicing even then, reaching out to see if he could recognize her aura as she quivered with uncontrollable rage.

It was much different than using a scouter, but he'd certainly encountered something in that room. Rather than a level that could be quantified with numbers, like the power readings on a screen, her ki had come to him as a feeling.

… He'd felt it.

And, though it had taken all his concentration to do so, and it had also taken her to reach the peak of rage, he considered this to be a success.

With time, this exercise would surely become easier.

Vegeta opened his eyes from his meditative trance, staring at the door and remembering how fiery the Bluehead's aura had felt an hour earlier. Perhaps it was because he knew what to look for, but as he concentrated, he could swear that he could sense her again.

The aura was much less hostile than it had been earlier, but it was still definitely her. Her ki was a bit dimmer now, and it didn't take much for Vegeta to be able to tell that this meant her anger had somewhat dissipated since their row in the kitchen.

Feeling experimental, the saiyan closed his eyes. He was still zeroing in on her aura, but as he kept himself locked on her, he began to also replay the layout of the house, as well. As he concentrated, he started to develop the sense that she was still in the bathroom. In fact, he was pretty certain that she was sitting on the far end of the room, probably with her back to the wall...

He opened his eyes.

Vegeta was amazed. Not only could he recognize someone by feeling for their aura, but he could get a grasp on their geographic location, as well. It was still foggy, and took all his mental focus, but he was certainly doing it.

He was actually sensing ki!

.

Night time had fallen by the time the Bluehead sulked back into the kitchen area. Vegeta was still locked inside his room as she passed it in the hall. She couldn't help but wonder, as she took a seat at the table, if there was something specific that he was doing in there, or if it was just that he had already gone to sleep for the night.

Feeling irritated with herself for what she was about to do, Bulma pulled a capsule from her bag and watched as it morphed into her mobile phone. She extended the antenna, clicked a button, and placed the device against her ear. Her face lit up with a smile when she didn't hear any static, and instead listened to the soft purr indicating that the phone was ringing on the other end of the line.

She heard Vegeta's bedroom door open as the she continued to wait for the call to be received, and she furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to ignore the man walking out into the living room. Not wanting him to hear her side of the conversation, Bulma was about to head for the bathroom, but the call was suddenly answered. She fell back into her seat instead.

"Hello? Dad?"

"Bulma!" Dr. Briefs exclaimed on the other end of the line. "Oh, how's the search going? Hang on, dear, I'll grab your mother-"

"No! Please don't - Dad." Bulma rolled her eyes, unable to keep the grin from her face. Her parents both had a way of always sounding so cheerful when they spoke, and even through a phone it was contagious.

"Oh? You aren't interested in chit-chat? Calling for something else, I see?"

"Yes - hey, I'm wanting to resume work on project FEC00548. Are you at the house?"

"Oh! 548! Yes, dear! The drafts are in the lab. I'll run downstairs and transfer them over. Give me a few minutes."

"Great! I'll get the receiver ready." Bulma was beaming now, reaching into her bag and fishing for another capsule as she spoke.

"Be sure to keep me updated on the progress." Dr. Briefs replied. This call had quickly gone from being a personal matter, to a professional one. He knew what his daughter was like when she was working, and he had quickly forgotten all about exchanging doting pleasantries. "I'll tell your mother you called. She'll be glad to know you're doing okay."

"Thanks," The Bluehead replied. A moment later she had hung up and capsulated her phone. Bulma was still acutely aware that her rude captor was lingering in the same room as her, but she was now too focused on the task at hand to care. She finally pulled the capsule she'd been looking for from her bag and tossed it onto the table, grinning as it erupted into a cloud of yellow smoke.

The curious saiyan, who was sitting on the couch with crossed arms, raised an eyebrow. He watched as the smoke dissipated, and in its wake sat a metal box that closely resembled a microwave oven. Rather than a door, the box had a hollow opening that emitted a soft green glow. Wondering what she was up to, Vegeta closed his eyes and searched for the ki signature that he had become acquainted with. He found it rather easily, perhaps because the two were in the same room and she was only a couple of meters away, but her aura now felt completely different.

'Hm.' He thought, biting his lip as he tried to put his finger on this change. The only word he could put on describing her aura when she'd been angrily sulking in the bathroom was 'forboding'. In there, her ki had seemed to be dripping with a warning that it would be unwise to cross her path - not that this would have done anything to steer Vegeta away. But he had found it amusing just how confidently wicked her mood had been. Now, to the contrary, she seemed to be radiating something else instead. It was enough of a sensation to make his stomach turn, his head starting to spin as it threatened to intoxicate his own mind. Pure warmth - utter calm. It washed over his body as quickly as he could feel it coming from her.

What was this?!

He fought the urge to gasp, opening his eyes and focusing on the first thing that his he could see. It was clear that the Bluehead was now happy, but this was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It had threatened to distract his own mind with pleasantness, and the saiyan had been dangerously close to giving in. He didn't like how deeply and easily her warmth had been to sink into the pit of his body.

Was this normal?

When sensing ki, was it to be expected that he might be affected by it like this? It was one thing to recognize a ki signature, but it was another thing altogether to feel it so deeply! Vegeta was suddenly conflicted. He felt as if he had somehow been violated with such pleasantry, and yet he was awe struck that she had been capable of such a thing. The saiyan looked to the Bluehead, who was now humming something melodic as she punched a few buttons on her contraption, and that display alone was enough to confirm that it was true.

Bulma was happy.

She appeared to be in her own world at that moment - such a stark contrast to how infuriated the woman had been just a few hours earlier. Hell - even when she'd been on the phone she had still seemed to be on edge, but one wouldn't suspect such a thing when watching her now. It was clear that she was currently doing something that she loved, and that had worked wonders in cheering her mood…

Adjusting an antenna that was attached to her machine, Bulma was examining the incoming frequency on its screen before punching a few more buttons. Finally, the connection with her father's lab had been established.

As Vegeta watched, he began to take note of a soft buzzing sound that was coming from the machine. It began to grow louder, the buttons starting to flash a bright yellow as the device worked through its function. The saiyan found himself leaning from his seat to get a better view, when suddenly a bright pink light popped from the same opening that reminded him of a microwave door. A moment later the buzzing had abruptly stopped, and suddenly there was a pile of papers laying under the pale green light.

Still humming to herself, Bulma clicked another button to power her receiver off before reaching into the opening and pulling out the sheets. Without speaking a word, she began to skim through the papers. Taking a seat at the table and muttering something to herself, her eyes flashed back and forth as she reviewed her plans.

"Just so you know," She announced without looking up. "I'm working on this because I want to. Not for you."

"Okay." Vegeta growled.

.

.

The next morning Vegeta awoke while the moon was still in the sky, just as he did every day. The first thing he thought to do was practice his developing ability. He closed his eyes again, reaching out mentally to see if he could still easily sense the Woman's ki. Just as it was when she'd been staring at her transmission machine, her aura nearly knocked him back with how warm and comforting it felt...

Glad that he still possessed the capability to sense her ki, but taken aback by how strongly it was impacting his body, the saiyan was somewhat dizzy as he stumbled from the bed and found a shirt to pull over his torso. He found it ironic that it took such a deep level of focus to achieve a sense of her aura and yet it was now taking all of the concentration he could muster just to let go of it and move on. Something about that warmth was intoxicating, and it took all he had in him to block it away.

Grumbling under his breath, Vegeta quickly pulled his clothes on and stepped out into the living room. Just as he did each morning, he immediately went for the Woman to wake her up so they could start their day. Bulma was laying on the couch, her hair splayed across the cushion that she was using as a pillow.

Looking down at her, Vegeta noting how carefree her face was as she softly smiled through whatever dream she was having. She was nuzzling into the throw blanket she'd packed, breathing a soft rhythm as she unconsciously parted her lips… It was like this every morning, with the saiyan standing over her and considering how delicate she was as she obliviously dozed in front of him. It was interesting to think that he had already seen so many sides to this strange Earth Woman in the few days that they had known each other. With how fragile she looked when she slept, one wouldn't imagine that this was the same girl who fearlessly jumped from an exploding plane, or stupidly dove into a saloon full of drunken groping men.

"Hey..." He was still amazed with how warm her ki was, and now he was also surprised at how careful his own voice sounded when he spoke to her.

"Mmmm-mmm..." The Bluehead groaned, rolling over so her back was now facing him.

"Wake up." Vegeta continued, a little more sternly than he had spoken a moment ago.

"Stop..." She breathed, pulling the blanket over her face as she sighed. "I need another hour... Just one more…"

What pissed the saiyan off in the moment wasn't necessarily the fact that she was asking for such a thing. She did this every morning. No, what did it was how inclined he suddenly was to let her have her way. His first instinct had been to back away and let her be, and that just wouldn't do. 'She's developing power over me.' He thought bitterly. Vegeta had been too close to finding something to do until she woke up on her own - and without even thinking about it. Where had this come from? When he'd taken her hostage in the first place, he'd been so brutal just to make his mark as the authority figure! And yet, with each passing day, it was slipping.

Why?! Why should he care at all what this woman wanted and demanded? She was there for nothing more than to abide by his bidding, and yet he was about to let her sleep in as late as she wanted - simply because she'd asked?!

"Hey!" Vegeta barked, prodding the couch with his toe. It was enough to tip it over, and the Bluehead went rolling onto the floor with a gasp. "Hey!" She screamed, now almost too alert. "What was that for?!"

"We have work to do this morning." Vegeta spat.

"You had to knock me down to tell me that?" Bulma sat up, clutching her blanket and looking around the room as she gained her bearings. "A simple 'wake up' wouldn't do?"

"I did tell you to wake up. And you didn't listen." The saiyan began to storm away. "Right now, we are going to pack up and resume our trip. You will show me the controls of the plane and run through working the dragon radar, and then you are to resume your work towards the project you've started."

.

Fourteen hours had passed, and Vegeta was grinding his teeth as he stared at the radar. Learning how to man the plane had been simple. The controls weren't very different from the ships that Vegeta had piloted before. And the dragon radar was even easier, with only a simple button that zeroed in on the closest dragon ball with a click.

Bulma had spent the entire trip in the cargo section of the jet, set up at a small table as she reviewed her plans and added to the formulas she had written long ago. Her concentration was at its peak as she backchecked her math and worked through any discrepancies. Vegeta was quick to learn that, when she was working, the Bluehead became as foul-mouthed and short fused as he did when he was struggling through a particularly tough training session. The day had passed with more than a few events consisting of the woman slamming her fist on her table and viciously shouting at him to "stop flying the plane liked a damned bat out of hell, or I'll kick your fucking ass!"

Of course, rather than take such remarks idly, the saiyan had been quick to bark something back about how she should learn to use her pencils in any type of circumstance, regardless of how much turbulence they may be under. That being said, he found her threats nearly amusing, knowing fully well that she wouldn't be capable of even landing a blow on him if she tried.

"We're going to land." Vegeta called now, glaring at the dragon radar. With a deep sigh, Bulma pushed herself up from the table and folded up her paperwork. After stowing her plans, she walked to the cockpit and took a seat in the copilot's chair. "We're landing here?" She asked as she buckled herself in and looked out the window. It was already nighttime, and she was surprised to realize that she'd spent the entire day working in the back of the jet. It was pitch black out, and as she stared down below she furrowed her eyebrows. "This is where you want to land? It almost looks like we're-"

"Yes. We are above an ocean." He interrupted. "Is this craft even capable of landing on water?"

"This isn't a float plane!" Bulma shrilled as if she were stating the obvious. "We're going to have to head back to the shore. I have a boat that we can use from there."

He didn't bother with a reply - the saiyan just scowled at the controls before turning the plane around at such a tight angle that Bulma let out a scream, thinking for a second that the vehicle had started nosediving. "Hey!"

"You are strapped in." Vegeta muttered, as if this excused his reckless piloting.

.

Thirty minutes later, the two were sitting in a small boat. "Can't this thing go any faster?" Vegeta growled. "At this rate it will take us two hours to get to where we need to be!"

"Too bad." Bulma sighed. She was sitting in the back by the engine, pushing down on the accelerator and staring at the darkness surrounding them. "The engine is running at full capacity. We won't go any faster than we are now."

"And we don't have any paddles… or anything? If I could just do it myself, we'd be there by now!"

She thought he was being sarcastic, so the Bluehead rolled her eyes and gestured to the emergency oars that the boat was equipped with in case the engine died. "Go ahead."

"What? Damnit, Woman! Why didn't you tell me we had these while we were still on the shore?! I could have started a long time ago!"

"Are you serious?" She gasped, raising an eyebrow as Vegeta pulled the two heavy oars down from their rack.

Muttering something under his breath, he took a seat at the back of the boat, just in front of Bulma, and got the paddles into position. Without warning he began to work, and the Bluehead nearly toppled over the edge of the boat as her body jerked from the sudden lunge of speed. She fell to the floor with a yelp.

"Be careful!" Vegeta snapped, continuing his pace as he worked the oars so fast that Bulma could hardly see his arms when she looked up at him. She was still laying on her stomach, her hair was blowing out behind her as she stared up at his face. His features were wrinkled in concentration as he worked, but his breaths didn't even sound strained. It was only a few minutes later that the boat came to a sudden halt, and Bulma finally sat back up to access the situation.

They were now in the center of the ocean, and in the darkness the Bluehead could not make out the shoreline from where they were. She clicked on a small lamp that the boat had been equipped with, lighting enough of the deck that she and Vegeta could now see each other with more clarity. Now that there was more lighting, Bulma pulled out the dragon radar from her pocket and clicked a button, frowning as she read the screen. "You got us here – wow, it's to the tee. Wherever that dragonball is in that water, we are directly above it."

"Alright." Vegeta stood. "So, the ball is just a dive away."

"It's probably not as easy as that, but yes. You're correct. I've got some scuba gear we can- hey!" When the Bluehead looked up from her radar, she saw Vegeta pulling the dark blue shirt of his saiyan garb over his head. "What are you-"

"You will stay here and wait for me." He explained, kicking off his boots.

A crescent mood was hanging above their heads to supplement the small lamp near their bodies, and as Bulma watched the saiyan undressing under the dim light she couldn't help but to bite her lip. Kami, he was actually going to just dive for the ball without any scuba gear? But - how could she be surprised? This man was so unpredictable that it would have been more shocking if he did something normal! Her eyes glossed over the toned lines of his chest, and she felt heat rising to her cheeks as her stomach began to twist. The Bluehead had imagined such a body from how he looked in his fitting clothes, but seeing his nude skin was more than she could have prepared herself for. 'Kami', she thought, her eyes trailing down his muscular back as he kicked his way out of his pants. 'His body is just as good as his face...'

When Vegeta finally finished removing his clothes, he turned to look back to her. Clad in only a tight pair of boxers, and staring right at her, Bulma suddenly felt shy. She quickly turned away, wondering if he had noticed that she'd been checking him out. This was just so wrong! He had kidnapped her!

"Let me see the radar." He was saying now. Still feeling timid and avoiding eye contact, Bulma reached out and handed it to him. Vegeta gave a quick glance at the flashing ball on its a screen before handing the device back to her. "Give me 10 minutes." He said. "It's as good as mine." He began to turn towards the end of the boat, and Bulma suddenly felt wary. This was all happening so fast! "Vegeta..." She breathed, her heart still pounding from seeing his bare skin in such close proximity.

"What?" He growled, not looking back at her.

She didn't even know what she wanted to say. She just wanted to keep him there - to prolong his presence. The last thing she wanted was for him to leave her... alone... in a boat that was stranded in the middle of sea, during the dead of the night...

… Somehow, the thought of that made her feel even more defenseless than the idea of joining him under the water. Feeling silly, she couldn't bring herself to confess her sudden anxiety, so she simply settled on saying "…Be careful..."

"What?" He had been about to jump, but the tone in her voice was enough to make him stop what he was doing and look up. He'd already been in a diving position, and he straightened as he stared into her blue eyes. Her lips were slightly parted, a strange expression on her features as she watched him. He hadn't seen such a look on her face since they had begun their time together, and he was taken aback back how vulnerable it was.

Biting her lip, Bulma looked as if she were about to both cry and yell, and Vegeta raised an eyebrow. As he stared at her, he began to utilize the skill he'd been experimenting with since the day before. He mentally reached out, feeling for her aura, wanting to get a sense of what was going through her mind. And when he felt her, warm and strong in front of him, he also encountered something else as well. Rather than the calm and comforting sensation she'd had when she'd been sleeping that morning, there was now a shadow of dread. Her ki fluttered as he took it in, his jaw tightening. His own heart was starting to beat harder as her aura contaminated his blood with her trepidation. He still wasn't used to blocking her out once he'd found a connection, so he had to close his eyes as he warded her off and willed it away.

"Woman." He said when he opened his eyes again, and she was still looking at him with that same fearful expression on her face. "Are you afraid?"

"I..." Her large eyes widened. Had she made it that obvious? She'd been trying not to let on how frightened she was. The deep sea was something she'd encountered before, and never had things gone smoothly. She'd seen what this man was capable of, and he was clearly able to defend himself - but still. There was no telling what might happen! 10 minutes was a long time to be underwater without any protective gear! What if something happened to him down there? ...What if something happened to her while he was away?

"Don't be frightened." He said, and she was surprised at how soft he was suddenly speaking to her. "I'll get the ball, and then we'll set up camp for the night. Just wait for me here."

She pursed her lips and nodded, trying to turn away. Kami, why was the tone in his voice only adding to her emotions? It was as if any will to maintain a tough front faded at hearing the oddly soothing way he spoke.

"I mean it." He continued. "What happened to the woman that jumped out a plane? She had no fear, did she?"

"I - I.. I was terrified!" She sputtered, looking down at her feet. "I wasn't fearless – I was so afraid…"

She felt fingers touching her face, running down her jawline before clasping her chin. He pulled her head up so she was looking at him again, and he was staring into her eyes. "Terrified... Yet you still did it, correct? That is bravery, is it not? Stay brave..."

Bulma took in a silent breath, awestruck at the look in his eyes. Was he really trying to comfort her? Where was this coming from?

As they stared into each other's eyes, Vegeta abruptly let go of her chin. He slowly began to back away towards the edge of the boat, his pupils never leaving her own as he steadily made distance between the two. Suddenly, without saying another word, he turned and dove into the sea.

Originally, this was going to be one long chapter (8k words and counting!) but I decided to split this up. That means that the next update is already well under way, so hopefully I'll be able to finish it up and post Chapter 8 before too long!

I had a lot of fun writing this one! I hope you enjoyed it, too!