against one of the devices.
<br />
<br />
"I should have warned you in advance," said Genkai, "it will be a while before you have complete control of your body back."
<br />
<br />
Vegeta cursed loudly and stopped in front of the slot machine, breathing heavily. His painted face was reflected in the glass of the screen. "For that ...", he gasped and clenched his fists, "... for that I'll pull your skin off while you're alive, you little punk!"<br />
<br />
"Who's the punk here?" Hiei scoffed. "If I look at your receding hairline like that, I won't be the first to go bald."
<br />
<br />
"Bad luck for you," hissed Vegeta, "our Saiyan hair doesn't grow anymore in adulthood, but it doesn't fall out either."
<br />
<br />
“You no longer grow back?” There was a suspicious twinkle in Hiei's eyes and he pulled a little on the handle of his blade so that a strip of steel shone in the artificial light between the hilt and the scabbard. "So a haircut would be something permanent ...?"
<br />
<br />
"Don't get stupid thoughts, Hiei", Yusuke warned him. "You've enjoyed yourself enough at his expense today. We don't have enough time to waste it on silly pranks."
<br />
<br />
"Yusuke is absolutely right about that," Genkai agreed. "So let's start testing your ki skills. The gr ... I mean Piccolo first."
<br />
....
<br />
............
<br /><br />
“I'm coming!” Bulma quickly wrapped a towel around her wet hair and ran to the apartment door.
<br />
<br />
Trunks was with the Sons to be distracted by Vegeta's absence. Bulma had given him a suitcase with clothes for the next few days and told Chichi about Vegeta's disappearance and Goku's brief appearance. She remembered Chichi's excitement all too well. "And how did he look, my Goku? Is he okay? Why doesn't he come to me?"
<br />
<br />
"Slowly, slowly," Bulma had resisted the flood of questions. "He wasn't here for pleasure and he looked like he did when he died. Fit and strong and not a day older."
<br />
"That's not fair," Chichi sighed and smoothed her hair. "I'm getting older and wrinkled and he stays young and strong."
<br />
<br />
Bulma was glad that she wasn't worried about this problem at the moment, since Vegeta was also subject to life and thus to time, but ... she had noticed that in the years since she had known Vegeta, not a laugh line (okay, he seldom laughed, but that didn't matter) had dug into his skin.Well, he kept himself fit through his training, but it was a little strange ...
<br />
<br />
She called herself to order and tossed the wet towel into the next empty room, fished a comb out of her trouser pocket and hastily straightened the damp strands before opening the door.
<br />
<br />
"Hello, Bulma."
<br />
<br />
"Yamcha, hello! What are you doing around here?"
<br />
"My new friend is on a shopping trip with her friends and I thought I'd stop by you and Vegeta. How is little Trunks doing?"
<br />
"He's with Chichi. Come in and sit down in the living room. I'll dry our hair quickly and make us some tea."
<br />
<br />
Bulma recently started wearing her hair short and layered again, which gave her an elven look. So it only took seven minutes before she came into the living room with a fully loaded tray, where Yamcha was looking at some framed photos that were on the dresser.<br />
"You still have the picture," he said, laughing softly, and picked up one of the silver frames.
<br />
Bulma put the tray down and looked at the picture. "Oh, the old thing? Looks like I'm nostalgic, doesn't it? I found it in the attic a few weeks ago and had it framed immediately. Were we still young, back then ..."
<br />
<br />
"Yes," said Yamcha, scratching the back of his head, laughing in embarrassment. "Did you show it to Chichi?"
<br />
<br />
"No," replied Bulma, shaking her head. "She put all of Gokou's pictures in a box. Not a single one is standing or hanging around in her house. When Goten is older, she wants to go through each one with him and tell him everything."
<br />
<br />
"Have you ever asked her why she didn't put up a shrine for Gokou?"
<br />
“I have.” Bulma put the two mugs from the tray on the table and poured them full of green tea. "Do you want some tea or not? I also have sweet rice balls with it."<br />
<br />
Yamcha did not ask twice. He took a sip of the bitter tea and picked up the top of the red bean jelly balls. The sweetness of the snack harmonized perfectly with the tea. "And?" He asked with his mouth full.
<br />
Bulma raised her eyebrows in annoyance. "Didn't your new girlfriend teach you manners?"
<br />
<br />
Yamcha choked on the rest of the ball and coughed. He patted his chest to breathe again. “Uff!” A quick sip of tea, then turned back to Bulma. "And what did Chichi say?"
<br />
<br />
"That it makes no sense to put up a shrine for someone who is not dead at all."
<br />
"How? What?" Yamcha put the cup down. "But he is in the afterlife, we all heard his voice from there. There is nothing to shake."
<br />
<br />
"That's exactly her argument," Bulma took a sip of tea, grabbed a rice ball and took a bite of it.While she slowly chewed it, Yamcha waited like needles for her to continue.
<br />
<br />
"What kind of argument is that supposed to be? Dead is dead. Mouse dead. Gokou is so dead that nothing is left of him. Period," he poked.
<br />
<br />
Bulma sighed and refrained from taking another bite. "You're pretty tough on your feet, aren't you? You weren't really dead to me when you were dead either. I knew there was a way to get you back and that's what I clung to. If I was a shrine for you, then it would be as if I had given up on you. To mourn for a while, hold up memories and then look for something new, that's what people expect from widows, especially if they have small children like Chichi and are constantly in need of money. "
<br />
Yamcha had never seen it like this before. "Hmm ... right, there is something to it. And he's not unreachable over there. After all, he can talk to us through Master Kaio if he wants."<br />
"And about Uranai Baba," said Bulma.
<br />
<br />
"How did you get on Uranai Baba?", Yamcha asked surprised, whereupon Bulma told him the whole story.
<br />
<br />
"Uii!", Yamcha whistled through his teeth, "doesn't exactly sound like a walk." With a sigh he stroked his hair. "No wonder Gokou didn't ask me. I haven't trained really hard in a long time."
<br />
<br />
"You're definitely not the only one. Besides Vegeta and Piccolo, everyone on the old team has been lazy lately. I bet Gohan, Kuririn and Muten Roshi are only shadows of their former strength."
<br />
<br />
"There might be something to it ...", grinned Yamcha, covering up his guilty conscience by taking another deep sip of tea and stuffing another rice ball into his mouth.
<br />
At that moment the doorbell rang.
<br />
<br />
"Who can that be again now?", Yamcha asked surprised.<br />
"Maybe your friend who wants to scratch my eyes out," joked Bulma and walked to the front door.
<br />
<br />
"Impossible!", Yamcha followed her, "she doesn't know where I am, we have agreed that we will go home separately."
<br />
<br />
Bulma pushed the bolt back and opened the door. Outside, Uranai Baba was floating on her ball. Behind her was a young guy with red hair and a blue suit who had seen better days.
<br />
<br />
"It's good that you're here, Bulma," said the sister of the Turtle Lord, relieved. "May we come in?"
<br />
<br />
"But yes, that's ...?" Asked Bulma in the direction of the red-haired boy.
<br />
"Oh, that's someone from the other side. His name is Kuwabara."
<br />
"Which other side?" Blurted Yamcha from behind Bulma.
<br />
"Yamcha, are you there too?", Uranai Baba rubbed his hands together. "Fine, then I don't have to look for you anymore. Are you going to let us in now, or not?"<br />
Bulma quickly stepped out of the way and Uranai Baba floated past her into the living room. The red-haired boy, apologizing for the disturbance, slipped off his shoes and trotted after her in stockings.
<br />
<br />
In the living room, Uranai Baba jumped from her ball onto the sofa and asked Bulma if she could have some tea. In no time at all, Bulma brought two more mugs, filled them both and asked about the purpose of the visit.
<br />
<br />
"Well," said Uranai Baba after she had sipped with relish and found the tea tolerable, "actually I came with you because of him." She nodded in Kuwabara's direction. "His Enma, actually his Enma's son, has given him the job of looking for the Dragon Balls. With Shen Long's help, he wants to avert the danger in the afterlife on the other side. I don't need to emphasize that, now Vegeta, Gokou and Piccolo are there, they too are threatened by this extinction.If we help Kuwabara, we'll also help our three heroes over there. "With this final word she grabbed two of the rice balls and devoured them with loud smacking.
<br />
<br />
Embarrassed by her lack of table manners, Kuwabara turned the mug in his hands. At last he took heart and bowed his head almost to the table top. "Please, Briefs-san, please help me and lend me your wonderful invention called ... um ... named ..." He glanced over at Uranai Baba, who was just holding the next rice ball in her hands. "Dragonball radar, that's the name of the thing, you fool," she prompted before taking a bite.
<br />
"... wonderful invention took Dragonballradar, please!", Kuwabara finished his sentence on the second attempt.
<br />
<br />
"Don't worry," Yamcha patted Kuwabara encouragingly on the back. "Since this is about Vegeta too, Bulma will surely lend him to you."
<br />
<br />
"No!" Came out of Bulma's mouth and it sounded damn final."I won't lend it to anyone."
<br />
<br />
Uranai Baba choked on the last bite of the rice balls and Bulma had to hit her hard on the