I hate having a "human Christmas" I was barely able to get away long enough to post this! I saw the responses to where I'm taking the character of Kaede, and I absolutely loved them! I just going to say that I plan on taking a page from FMA, and try to make a layered villian. Trust me, the payoff will be worth it. Oh! Completely unrelated, but do I have any LoK fans out there? If so, that finale though right?! Enough rambling. Enjoy!

For the thousandth time, in the last twelve hours or so, Vegeta sighed frustratingly. It was a little before dawn when he realized the hour of the day and finally tore his gaze away from the ceiling.

In the time that he'd spent staring blankly at the ceiling, servants had come to clean his room, he and Kaede had a full, but completely one sided, discussion on how to handle some things that were going on in the colonies of their planet. Kaede had gone to overlook a transfer, and had been gone for at least four hours come to find that he still hadn't moved from his spot on the bed. She got into bed with him and immediately fell asleep, not bothering to say anything to him.

He had attempted to go back to sleep after Verles stopped by, but it just work. It was almost as if his body wanted to rest but his mind didn't want risk it. He couldn't understand why. The memory that he had was not an unpleasant one, it was just unexpected. And it was as if it were meant to tell him something. But what?

He sat up in bed and turned to look at the woman beside him, facing away. Once assured that she was still asleep, he threw the covers off of himself and placed his feet on the ground. He waited to see if she had noticed his movement before he proceeded to slip on a black tank top and a pair shoes, then left the room.

The halls were empty as he made his way towards the research department. The sound of his footsteps were amazingly loud against the silence of his palace.

With every step, he came closer to his destination and the closer he got the more he actually hoped that Bulma wasn't there. He did want to see her, but he knew that once he did he would feel compelled to asked her a question that he knew she most likely wouldn't have the answer to.

He rubbed the back of his neck as he crossed the threshold of the department. He quickly found his way to the G.R. to begin his morning routine. Though, he might take it easy today, considering his state of unrest.

Once he reached the doorway to the room he began to hear a voice.

"It's very simple, really." He halted before he stepped inside. It was Bulma, and it sounded like she wasn't alone. "This is how you turn it on, and this is what you use to change the level of gravity." She explained.

"I guess it is easy." A male voice. Verles. "Is there anything else?"

"I think that's it. I really doubt that he gave you permission to use some of the features that I installed for him." She worked out.

"What features?"

"Exactly. So, we're done here." She sighed.

There was a long pause before either of them said anything.

"Thank you for doing this for me, Stone." He said sincerely, making Vegeta feel furious.

"It was nothing."

He sighed. "Baylor told me that Kakarot came by yesterday."

"That's right."

"What happened?"

"Nothing worth talking about right now. Which leads me to my question. Why the sudden need to train in here, Verles?" She asked.

"I felt like changing my routine up a bit."

"Why?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I can't ask a question?" She countered very calmly.

"No, that's not it. But, I would rather not answer it. It is as you said; not worth talking about right now." He retorted.

Vegeta had had enough of their little conversation, and decided to make his presence known. He walked inside to see the two of them standing in front of the control panel on the floor of the room. He also noticed how close they were standing. Verles was facing her and she was facing the panel.

"Good morning." Vegeta said, and saw the way the two of them shot apart and turned to face him.

"Good morning, father, you're up early." Verles greeted.

"It is a little earlier than usual, but I felt restless this morning." He said truthfully.

"I take it you're feeling better. Mother informed me that you were in bed half the day." He said.

Vegeta saw the way she looked at him. It wasn't anything remotely resembling concern, it was just pure curiosity.

"Yes. But, I would like to know what brings you here at this hour, Verles." He poked.

The boy kept a straight face as he spoke. "I came here to catch Stone before she started work so that she could show me how to operate the room."

"Its a little early for that, isn't it?" He said looking toward her.

"In truth, I've been a bit restless myself, father." He shrugged.

"I was referring to you choosing such an inappropriate time of day to ask for her assistance." He said with an irritated tone.

"I was already here, anyway." She offered. "He said that you had permitted him to use the room and that you wanted me show him the controls."

"I did. But that doesn't give him permission to bother you."

"Oh, no. He wasn't a bother. I was happy to help." She shrugged one shoulder.

"Well, Stone, if you are finished with your demonstration." He turns to his son. "I would like to start my workout."

"Yes, sir." She said, and made her way towards the exit.

"I wasn't asking you to leave, Stone." He called, stopping her before she reached the door.

She turned around. "Sir?"

"I need your assistance in here today."

"With what, father?" Verles asked before she could.

He turns to the boy. "That's my business, not yours." He snapped slightly.

"Would you mind if I joined you this morning, father. I would like to get started as soon as I can. And I'm sure you could use a partner after training alone for all this time."

"Yes, I would mind." He answered coldly. "And I haven't been training alone this entire time, Kakarot joins me whenever he has the time. And as for your training, you will start in the evening."

"But, why the evening?"

"Obviously, because I use it in the morning. If you have a problem with that you can always go back to working out with the others in the training area." He sniped.

"That's fine, father." He accepted.

Bulma had come back to stand behind him, and as he waited for the third wheel to depart he slowly became annoyed. The boy just stood there, stating at him. Vegeta was about to, very rudely, tell the boy to leave, but, surprisingly, Bulma beat him to it.

"Verles, your father wants to start his workout."

Vegeta saw the way his eyes darted to her, as he hadn't taken his eyes off of him. They were both surprised.

Verles nodded at them. "Alright. I will see you both later, then." And he walked past his father and stopped at her. He offered his hand out for her to take. "Thank you." He said as she took his hand.

She nodded. "You're welcome, Verles."

"People are only what they think themselves." He said suddenly, still holding her hand. "I like to think that I am a good person with good intentions."

Vegeta couldn't understand what he was talking about. But, apparently, Bulma could, as she looked at him thoughtfully.

"What do you think of yourself, Stone?" He asked. Without waiting for an answer, he continued walking until he disappeared beyond the threshold.

Bulma had kept her eyes on the spot where he stood previously. Whatever Verles had said to her must have meaningful enough to leave her in a thoughtful pause. She ran her fingers through her hair to shake her trance and looked towards Vegeta.

"What do you need me to do?"

"What was that?" He asked, ignoring her and getting straight to the point of his irritation.

"What was what?"

"Just now."

"Oh." She said casually, showing no falter in composure, as she walked over to the panel on the wall. "I don't know. It was just something that he said that reminded me of something, that's all." She shrugged. "Now, do you wanna get started?"

He stared for the longest time before answering. "Sure."

(((Kaede)))

Having been awake for some time now, Kaede had been aware that her mate was awake as well. She felt the movement in the bed as he got up. She didn't need to look at him to know that he was preparing to leave. She just kept her eyes on the wall as she waited for him to go. And at the sound of the door opening and closing, she sat up and got out of bed herself.

Dressed in nothing but red lace underwear, she pulled on a violet silk robe and fastened it around her waist before she departed the room herself.

She walked barefooted down the hall. Unclear of a destination, she wandered aimlessly until she looked up to find herself at a place she hasn't seen in a while. The observatory. She opened the door, stepped inside and closed it behind herself.

She sighed as she walked through the room towards a bench, and proceeded to sit. She looked upwards toward the ceiling. The room itself was nothing but an enormous glass dome, with a honeycomb structure. A perfect view of the blankness of space, and one of the queen's favorite places of solitude.

She just watched sky, already reflecting the hues of the morning sun. Her favorite time of day was during sunrise. To watch, what looked like, flames engulf the sky above was a marvelous sight to behold. But, lately she seldom had the time, or energy, to come by here at this hour.

"Yet another beautiful morning." She sighed to herself. Dropping her gaze down, she could see the lights of the cities below. Everything seemed so peaceful right now, but she knew better.

Yesterday, after she had assaulted the behemoth saiyan for his actions, she tried to take her mind off of the matter and busy herself by going over some things with Vegeta, but he seemed uninterested. She knew that something was bothering him, to the point of being bedridden and practically unresponsive. So, she decided to just leave him be.

The things that she needed to discuss with him about the state of the lower class citizens of Planet Vegeta. There would most likely be some problems if they didn't address it soon. The way the king has been putting the interplanetary affairs above their own was becoming a bit troubling. She made a mental note to bring this to his attention later.

She leaned back and crossed one leg over the other as she continued her inner thoughts. She rested her elbow on the back of the bench and placed two fingers to her temple.

"I'm sorry, I didn't realize anyone was in here." An abrupt voice said from behind her.

She looked back to see the person. "Tala,"

"Good morning, your highness." The beautiful young woman greeted.

"What brings you here at this hour, Tala?"

"I was passing by when I heard something coming from in here. I didn't realize it was you." She answered diligently.

"But why were you awake?" The queen asked.

"My queen, it is actually past dawn." And she gestured toward outside.

Kaede turned her eyes forward, only to realize that the young woman was indeed correct. In the time that she had spent staring lazily into the endless void she had failed to notice the sun peeking over the mountains of the planet.

"Hmm. So it is." She said solemnly, and stood up. "Tala,"

"Ma'am?"

"What are you still doing here? I thought you were planning to leave yesterday." She said walking over to her.

"I was, but I got held up with some of my equipment needing repairs."

"You've been here for two days now, correct?" She asked curiously.

"Yes, my lady. But, my armor and equipment were not finished in the time that I wanted." She explained.

She sighed. "It must be those new workers down in the armory." Kaede deduced.

"I don't understand. What happened to the worker who usually did the repairs?"

"You actually met her the other night."

"She attended the party?"

"Yes, she did."

"Who is she?"

"The Junior Head of The Research Department, Stone." She said the title formally.

"Oh. The woman who attended with the lieutenant, right?" The queen nodded. "Yes, I remember. I had no clue that there was a woman who was working in the armory. Such a dramatic change in scenery, to go from the armory to the research department." She said impressed.

"True." Kaede agreed. "But, I will have to look into the problem with those new workers. You aren't the first to have complaints with the time." And began walking past the younger woman. "While you wait, Tala, I would like you to join me today."

Tala turned around. "For what reason, my lady?" She asked as she followed after her.

"Well, for starters, breakfast."

(((Bulma/Vegeta)))

"No, I couldn't imagine being under that much physical pressure. Earthlings aren't really made that way." She said after being asked if she would ever consider using the room herself. "But I'm sure that your people could easily become desensitized to such conditions."

"Well, yes, saiyans are bred to withstand such things." He boasted as he attacked the air.

The duo had been locked inside of the room together for the last two hours. She stayed in the control room while he carried out his routine in the middle of the dome. He made conversation in between his movements. Finding out that it would be easier to just talk rather than ask her about her life.

"But, I also know that humans, over time, could conquer certain harsh conditions." He grunted.

"Well, I suppose you're right." She shrugged. "I have had a theory that saiyans and humans, judging by the outer form, have a similar biological structure. Minus the tail, of course."

"Of course," he smirked.

"And even if I were to try to condition myself, it would probably take years for me to able to stand 3x gravity."

He drops to the floor and begins a set of one handed pushups. "Why were you here so early?" He asked suddenly.

She leaned forward on one elbow and rested her face in her palm. "I was trying to test something out before you got here so that I wouldn't be in your way." She told him without hesitation.

"Why was the boy here?" He grunted.

"Verles? I arrived only a few minutes before you did. He was already in here when I got here." She shrugged one shoulder.

"What happened with you and Kakarot?" He asked before he could stop himself.

She shook her head in her hand. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

He stopped and got up from the floor. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation earlier." He said, a little embarrassed to admit that he was eavesdropping.

"Oh." She said quietly. "He and I just had a little disagreement, that's all."

"Was it bad?"

"No. Just some words exchanged between friends." She said sullenly.

He heard the change in her tone and looked over at her through the window. "Bulma,"

"Sir,"

"Shut down the room and come in here. And grab a towel for me." He commanded.

"Yes, sir." She obeyed and did as she was told without question. She picked up one of the towels that were stacked in the corner before she exited the room and stepped into the main area. "Now what?" She asked, walking over and handing him the towel.

He accepted the cloth and began wiping sweat from his face and neck before draping it over his shoulder. "I felt like taking a break." He breathed.

"Do you want me to take a look at some things while I'm here?" She offered.

"That won't be necessary. I would just simply like it if you took a break with me." He suggested. "Would that be alright?"

She raised an eyebrow, appearing more confused by his suggestion. "Right now?"

"Yes. It is still very early, so I figured that we could stop and get some breakfast."

"Together?" She said bemusedly.

He saw the confusion becoming more and more apparent as he kept talking. "Only if you want to." He backpedaled nervously, believing himself to be too forward.

"Uh." She said stupidly and scratched the back of her neck. "That sounds nice and all. But, I think that any free time that I have should be put towards my work. You did give me the day off yesterday, remember?" She quickly explained.

"Of course!" He blurted a little too loudly. He cleared his throat. "You're absolutely right." He said in a more calm tone. "But, would you be opposed to taking a break for lunch?" He said somewhat meekly.

Bulma grimaced at his meekness. 'What the hell is with him today? First he wants me to watch him workout, now he wants us to eat together!' She screamed mentally. She ran her fingers through her light locks and sighed. "That would be fine." She complied hesitantly.

Vegeta almost cracked a genuine smile. "Alright then, I'll see you at lunch."

(((Kakarot)))

Kakarot was sitting quietly be himself in the corner of the cafeteria poking at the plate of food in front of him. Since his argument with Bulma yesterday he had been feeling embarrassed at his childish behavior. Even though they made up, he knew that he could have handled the situation better than lashing out. But, just like when they were younger, Bulma always put his feelings before her own to the point of suffering in silence. And that ate him alive to know that.

Even as he yelled and said such hurtful things, she still did her best to calm him down. When he tried to storm out, she wouldn't let him, not wanting to allow him the opportunity take his frustration out on anyone but her. And after all his harsh words, she just told him that she loved him and embraced him.

He couldn't understand how it is, after all she's been through, she can still find the capacity to reassure him.

He dropped his fork onto the table and just stared in at his plate.

"Kakarot,"

He looks up to see his brother walking towards him. "Radditz," he greeted sullenly.

"What's wrong with you?" He asked, standing beside him.

"Nothing. What do you want?"

"Whatever." He mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Look, it's your turn to help out the newbies with their Great Ape training."

"Alright. I'll be there this afternoon, but if you show up and try to disrupt me again I'm ditching them with you." The younger saiyan stated firmly.

"You won't have to worry about that, I'm going into the countryside today and won't be back until later on." His older brother explained.

"Okay." He accepted. "Hey, what's up with Nappa?"

The long haired saiyan stiffened. "What're you talking about?"

"I saw him earlier in the hallway and he nearly knocked me over. I the guy is an ass, but what the hell?" He said in very annoyed tone.

Radditz put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about that too much. Nappa is just lashing out because he couldn't get his way."

Kakarot scoffed. "I could only imagine what that oversized neanderthal wanted."

"Kakarot, what is going on between you and that female inventor?" He asked suddenly.

He sighed. "For the last time, we are just friends."

"That's it?"

"Yes, that's it. Why are you asking me this?"

"That's why she did that." He murmured.

"What?" He asked, not able to make out the words.

"Nothing. See you later, Kakarot."

Kakarot just scratched the back of his head. "What was that about?"

The reappearance of Tala is going to good for next couple of chapters. The last scene was necessary for one particular thing that will happen in the next chapter. We are two chapters away from two big reveals. I can't say if you'll be shocked, but you will definitely start rethinking some of the things going on. Review this chapter and stay tuned to find the key to MyLockedHeart!