"This is ridiculous," Vegeta growled out as he paced back and forth in the unbearably small examination room.

"So I've heard," his Father replied flatly, eyes unmoving from the portion of paperwork he'd brought along with him.

"I have more important things to do."

"I've heard that as well."

"Damn it, when will you stop treating me like a child?!"

"Perhaps when you stop believing that temper tantrums will solve your problems."

Vegeta glared at his Father's profile before sitting back on top of the examination table with a huff, crossing his arms before the urge to break something or punch the wall took over. Last thing he needed was his Father chiding him more. Even so, the temptation to do anything was looming over head as he wasted precious time waiting on this senile doctor to return with the results from another pointless Ki test his Father was making him take. He mostly liked quiet situations, usually because he could meditate, but something about the combination of this room, his urge to leave, and the deafening silence broken only by the occasional shifting of paper made him feel like he was going to snap.

There really wasn't any time to waste. Frieza was coming in three weeks and Vegeta planned on turning any planned mockery into stunned awe with the inventions the Woman was making. However, it had taken a week to travel from Yapisha and so far the only thing she had accomplished, if you could call it that, was being slightly less afraid of contact with him. Stunning inventions or not, he'd be a complete laughingstock if people thought he couldn't naturally seduce the concubine he'd be given. Not that any of his attempts to seduce her with his normally flawless methods had been successful. He'd confirmed that she was just painfully oblivious to his real intentions but it still annoyed him to no end. Even if he was able to convince Frieza and his men that he was using her like a concubine he had to wonder if his own people would see that she wasn't actually into him. Or worse, that he was nearly panting over her shapely body, smooth skin, luscious lips…

"Is someone threatening your territory or are you just growling because of impatience again?" King Vegeta broke the silence again making Vegeta realize that he was, in fact, emitting a low growl from his chest.

Cutting the sound off, he expected a chuckle from his Father but instead was met with the sound of the door opening. As Vegeta looked up to see the doctor finally coming back in, he jumped up. "Well it's about time. I didn't think it was possible for you to be any slower but it seems that you've discovered a way. Now then if you'd go ahead and give me the same inane results as usual I can get back to more important things."

Used to the onslaught of words he'd been assaulted with, the doctor decided to get straight to business. Years of treating Saiyan patients had more than proven that bedside manner was useless and the prince was the ultimate proof of that. "Actually, My Prince, these results might very well be quite important to you."

Vegeta noted that his Father had finally looked up from his paperwork to listen fully to the conversation. "Then stop wasting my time and get on with it."

"Well from the results of the ki channel test, it seems that your ki flow has improved significantly compared from before," the doctor winced slightly as the examination table was thrown into the wall just inches away from him.

"Are you kidding me?! Are you seriously suggesting that I'm less stressed than usual?! I just got back from a shitty deal with Frieza, I have to be prepared to deal with him when he comes here, and I constantly have to deal with idiotic interruptions that are preventing me from coming up with something mind-blowing to shove in his ugly face. I've never been more stressed in my life!"

"I understand that, my prince. I've been doing some different tests since we haven't had any success with the previous ones. And, as you previously... suggested, I have found that it might not be entirely due to how stressed you are. Though, I do believe that that does factor in somewhat. In any case, I wanted to ask about the concubine you recently received. Perhaps she's affected you in some way. Have you noticed anything different about how you're functioning since you've obtained her?"

"That's none of your business!" Vegeta raged. 'If anything that blasted woman is a constant source of stress for me.'

"Vegeta, sit down." his Father stated, standing up to prevent his son from leaving.

"Get out of my way. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Your stupid tests are flawed and pointless. There's nothing wrong with my Ki and it's certainly not affected by how stressed I am," he bellowed out.

"If you'd shut up and listen once in a while you'd know that the doctor just said that this imbalance isn't due solely to your stress but something else. If you want to stop being bothered by these tests interrupting you then stop stalling the progress with your attitude!"

"Stop telling me what to do like you have any idea what's going on!"

Before King Vegeta could give a retort, the doctor screamed, "Our race is dying!" After a few moments of silence, the doctor risked opening his tightly closed eyes to see that both the King and the Prince where staring at him with an incredulous look. Not risking the chance of another explosion, he continued with his explanation. "While you were gone, My Prince, I was informed by another doctor that they also had a patient a Ki imbalance. The Ki Channel results proved that the same imbalanced pattern was showing up in his results that were in yours. I decided to perform the test on as many Saiyans as possible and what I found was concerning," he finished holding out the results to be taken.

King Vegeta took the documents and looked them over. "Then this is an issue with several people?"

"Yes, My King, though only those born within a certain amount of years." At the King's questioning look, the doctor continued. "Those that don't fit into the parameters of those years don't have the same Ki imbalance affecting them."

Vegeta, having regained his composure, gave an uninterested scoff. "So you're saying that my generation is the only one messed up then?"

"Your generation is the only ones with a Ki Imbalance, yes. However, that does not mean that everyone else is fine. While the older generations have no issues with the flow and control of their Ki, those younger than you are quite a different matter."

"What does that mean?" Vegeta asked, only to be answered by his Father handing him the doctor's papers. His eyes narrowed as he saw that the wave-like patterns showing the eb and flow of the Ki Channels of those much younger than him were severely stunted. "All it seems to me that the younger generation lacks discipline. If they trained more, they'd be able to control the full range of their energy."

The doctor sighed, "That is the full range of their energy, my Prince." Vegeta narrowed his eyes before looking back at the results. "For some reason it seems that, no matter their strength and fighting abilities, their Ki is incapable of increasing beyond a certain point. The difference isn't too obvious yet since it hasn't come to anyone's attention until now but as early as the next generation we could begin seeing significantly weaker people with shorter life spans. It's too soon to prove anything but, genetically speaking, that would mean that each generation would become weaker and weaker until they simply wouldn't be able to live long enough to reproduce."

"Hence why you're saying that our race is dying," King Vegeta stated, once again sitting down. "Do you have any idea as to why Vegeta's generation has the Ki Imbalance and those younger than him are incapable of increasing their Ki beyond their low levels?"

"I... have some theories," the doctor answered, hesitantly looking back to Vegeta. "Which is why I asked about your concubine earlier. I know it's not my business who you couple with or why but there seems to be a pattern showing up with those that had similar Ki Imbalances."

"How would my taking a concubine affect anyone else?" Vegeta answered, annoyed that, once again, the topic had switched back to Bulma.

"It doesn't. It's just that the pattern that is showing up is the preference for alien partners over Saiyan ones."

Vegeta tensed. He could feel his Father's eyes on him and knew that there was no denying that statement. As his Father pointed out far too often, he was well past the age that most Saiyans mated. 'Well if there's anything good coming out of this it's that he'll no longer be able to accuse me of being odd at my distaste for Saiyan women.'

"Basically I think that those that carry the same Ki Imbalance as you instinctively know that all of your potential partners aren't compatible from seeing the outcome of the offspring produced."

"Are you saying that this Ki Imbalance is due to solely to our sex lives?" Vegeta asked, unbelieving but humored by the idea.

"There's more to a steady partner than the promise of intercourse, sire. When you're continuously with someone you're compatible with your entire being gains benefits be it desire, sharing burdens, or simply unwinding and relaxing. Since you have no desire to mate with any of the Saiyans around you there isn't a constant source of those benefits and your body reflects that. You unconsciously try to fill those needs by seeking out someone to spar with or a temporary partner but it's not likely that you'll find everything in one person and any alien partners you might engage with aren't being considered for traits other than those offered at the moment."

King Vegeta nodded. "That does explain a lot," he remarked, eyes closed as if in deep thought. "I was wondering how Vegeta's Ki could have changed in the time since his last test given what has happened." With a smirk, he opened his eyes and gave a sideways glance at his son. "Looks like you've gotten cozier with your concubine than I thought."

It took everything in Vegeta's power to stop his face from turning red. "T-that's... As I said, it's none of your business what I do!" He growled out, angry that his Father's smirk only grew at his reaction.

"I need to do more tests to see exactly where the cut off is but my theory is that it has to do with," the doctor nervously coughed before continuing, "With the divide between us and the Southerners."

There was another long pause before Vegeta turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door hard enough that some of the bolts popped out of the hinges. The doctor let out the breath he'd been holding before turning to the King.

"I believe that it may not be an aversion to our species in general but simply that those here don't have the proper traits needed to provide balance between partners. Our abilities must depend on those varied and balanced traits in order to properly control the strength and Ki we're accustomed to."

Standing up, King Vegeta collected the paperwork he'd brought along with the test results. "You may be onto something, Doctor. It looks like you've actually convinced Vegeta to think about his condition more practically than before. Unfortunately, the divide is a very touchy subject with him. It'll be better if you tell me your findings and let me discuss what I can with him. I want this research to be considered high priority. Do what you can to find out how far this problem goes." With that said, he made his way towards the exit.

"Yes, Sire. What will you do now, if I might ask?"

Opening the loosened door, King Vegeta looked back at the doctor. "I'm going to contact the Southerners. If we're having issues here, it goes without saying that they might also be having troubles of their own. It's been far too long that this divide has gone on." Looking back towards the direction his son had left, he added. "It's time we let our deepest wounds heal."

Bulma's eyes fluttered open and looked around the dark room. Slowly sitting up and stretching, she was pleasantly reminded of the quick shoulder massage Chichi had given her earlier. She would have been too stiff to move if it hadn't been for that. Reaching over and turning on the bed side lamp, she looked at the clock. "I woke up just in time for bed. Great," she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

She was still tired but at the moment it would be impossible to simply fall back asleep. While she could start working on one of the many projects she'd planned but she didn't feel like starting another multiple hour project so soon after her previous one.

It suddenly occurred to her that she was still wearing the same outfit she had worn while getting ready to leave the ship that morning. She hadn't even bothered to change out of the dress before working on the gravity generator and chip. While not as dirty as most mechanical work, it had still been a long, tiring, and sweaty process.

"I must look like a wreck. Where's a mirror?"

Looking around the room, Bulma realized the perfect solution to 'what to do until sleep comes again' was finding out where everything was. Next to the first door her eyes landed on she noticed another wall switch similar to the ones on the ship. As expected, pressing it turned on the lights and allowed Bulma fully see her new room.

At first her eyes were drawn to a wall covered in dark blue curtains. Deciding that they were most likely covering the windows and that it was likely too dark to see anything even if she did look, she continued her survey elsewhere. She took minor note of the large, lush bed she'd just been sleeping in before finally landing on a large floor length mirror next to the only other door in the room.

Moving over to look at herself, she couldn't help but chuckle at the confirmation of her disheveled appearance. The combination of the fashionable dress and a hard day's work made for the perfect picture. "Wow, it's like looking at a tabloid about a trashed celebrity. Luckily Chi's not one for cameras or gossip."

Opening the door next to the mirror, Bulma sighed in relief upon confirming that it was a bathroom. Unlike Vegeta's personal bathroom on the ship, it appeared to be designed with a lighter palette in mind using white marble-like tiles to give the room a bright, clean look. To the side there was a separate shower and bath. Squealing with delight, Bulma moved towards the tub. Spaceships were generally designed to be space and time efficient so it'd been forever since she'd had a bath. She couldn't wait to have a nice, long soak.

After setting the tub to fill, she started removing her clothes when another door caught her attention. Making her way over to it, she peeked inside and was surprised to find a large walk-in closet. One side was filled with a mixture of clothes that she wore around the house or in the lab along with several nicer looking clothes that she didn't really recognize. More than likely, they were from the capsules full of clothes that her Mother and Chichi had bought because they thought they'd look nice on her if she ever decided to go out of the house. They did look pretty but she'd never bothered to even try them on. She doubted some of them would even fit.

Looking towards the other side, Bulma was startled to see it jam packed full of a variety of different skimpy outfits. Given the haphazard way they were seemingly shoved onto the shelves and racks, they had likely taken up the other half of the closet as well before Chichi came in to unpack. Pulling one free, she realized how little it would actually cover and that it was more like lingerie than something that would actually be wore by itself. But then again, it was a concubine's quarters. It might be what someone like her was supposed to wear in order to 'please her master'. Vegeta didn't keep a concubine before so perhaps the large variety was for whoever was called in for a night to fill the role to wear. The only other possibility she could come up with was that Vegeta had ordered the clothes for her so she'd have clothes to fit her new role. Shuddering at the thought of wearing anything she was seeing, Bulma threw the outfit back with the others before exiting the closet.

Hearing a thump, Bulma realized that the tub had automatically stopped filling so she quickly stripped and made her way back to finally clean up after her long day. Sighing, she laid back enjoying the feel of the warm water surrounding her as she thought about what she needed to do. It was late but Vegeta could possibly still be awake. She'd have to talk to him about getting a different wardrobe because there was no way she was going to wear anything that was originally in the closet. He was a prince so she doubted that he'd be too strapped for cash to buy her some new clothes that would suit her better. Then again, he was also an asshole so he might just say no to spite her. Hopefully he'd be impressed enough by her gravity simulator to grudgingly accept her request.

"Speaking of which," Bulma broke the silence as she pulled her hand out of the water to look at the bracelet, "I need to talk to him about a better method of disguising this." In addition to better clothes for her cover job, she needed some nicer, lightweight metal that wouldn't require as much maintenance. Hopefully, it wouldn't seem odd for a prince to gift his concubine with precious metals.

Getting out, Bulma made her way back to the clothes to grab something to sleep in. She was still hoping to speak to Vegeta so she pulled on a loose top and some shorts before making her way out into the living room that connected their bedrooms. Noticing Vegeta's room was open, Bulma peeked inside and saw that it was dark and the bed was still made. Apparently Vegeta's habit of training until who knows when wasn't just limited to boredom on the ship. "Well, guess I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to talk then."

She was about to leave when a familiar picture frame caught her attention. While it was rude to enter Vegeta's room while he was gone, Bulma knew she'd likely not get another chance to finally see what was so important about the picture.

Picking up the expensive looking frame, Bulma was confused that it appeared to be empty. "Did Vegeta take the picture out? Surely he wasn't carrying around an empty frame. There's got to be a trick to it." Turning the frame over she started fiddling around with the back to see if she could open a soft glow coming from the front caught her attention. Looking at the front again, she found that her fingers had moved over some kind of hidden control panel which turned the frame into a miniature computer.

"Some genius I am," Bulma chuckled with embarrassment as she looked at the foreign language filling the screen. "Of course it's digital. Everyone uses computers for things here. They probably wouldn't even know what a photograph is. In fact," Bulma touched the glass and confirmed that she could move the text around by touching it, "this might actually just be similar to a tablet computer and not a frame at all."

Looking at the control panel to find a way to turn it off, she noticed something. Faintly, behind the text, there seemed to be something behind it. Playing around with the buttons, Bulma smiled in triumph as she found a way to decrease the opacity of the screen and reveal what was behind it.

Bulma's eyes widened at the image of a gorgeous woman. She was clearly a Saiyan woman, or at least she was visually similar. Though muscular, her body seemed lithe and nimble, not at all like the other Saiyan women she'd seen. Remembering King Vegeta's explanation earlier, Bulma concluded that the woman must be one of the Southerners that lived in the dense forests of the planet.

Her body was covered in armor similar to what she'd seen the other Saiyans wearing but, like Vegeta and Vegeta's armor, the actual armor part only covered the chest. It was also slightly damaged, with tears and scuffs in various places. Her short, black hair framed the look of confidence on her face, her bright smile telling all that saw it that she was more than capable of taking them on.

"Whoa, I never would have thought Saiyans like this existed given Vegeta's description before. She must be the epitome of strength and beauty. Who is she? Vegeta said it wasn't his mother. He told me to drop the subject when I asked if it was his girlfriend but surely if he was in a relationship he wouldn't have a concubine. Not to mention, why would he want a concubine with a woman this pretty in his life. If this is Vegeta's standard of beauty then that explains why he wasn't too impressed by my attempt to look attractive earlier. "

It seemed that instead of sating her curiosity, she just enhanced it. She stared at the frame as if in a trance, looking over the image of the beautiful woman. How envious she was! She hoped to have even a fraction of this woman's confidence by the time this mess was over.

An impossibly loud BANG of a slamming door sounded in the outside room startling Bulma so much that she let go of the frame. Fumbling, she tried to grab it but was met with only air as the frame crashed to the floor, the sound of shattering glass making her heart freeze. The illuminated frame had gone black again but this time it was accompanied by large cracks and tiny fractures. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself, she tried to control her shaking.

She had broken something very important to Vegeta. Important enough to carry it around even when he was off planet and on missions. And she just destroyed it.

She should have never come into Vegeta's room. She never should have looked at that picture.

She was so dead.