Vegeta hovered over Baba's palace. If she didn't know where the last Dragonball was, he had no idea what he would do. He heard the she had helped Goku and his friends quite a few times in the past, and she had never failed them. The last time he had seen her himself was when she escorted him back to the world of the living. He thought she was a bit peculiar, but no more strange than Bulma's father. He actually kind of liked her in a funny way. She didn't shower him with questions and she kept to herself. For how useful she was, she knew how to stay out of certain situations and let others toughen up on their own. He liked those qualities. When he learned that she was Roshi's sister, he was surprised. The two didn't seem to have much in common. But since they were never really seen together much, they probably weren't very close. He wouldn't blame her if she thought her brother was just a perverted old idiot.

He landed on the bridge that lead to her home. Like usual, there was a line of tough-looking guys waiting to fight. If you asked a favor from Fortuneteller Baba, you had to either pay an exorbitant amount of money, or you had to fight powerful opponents of her choosing. Vegeta could do either of those things. He was thinking of using the money. Normally he wouldn't pass up a chance to fight, but the opponents were weak compared to him, and he didn't want to waste time going through all the stages. It reminded him too much of Babidi's fortress anyway. He would just offer up a raincheck for Bulma to pay when she was alive again. She wouldn't mind if the wish that brought her back came with a price. Money was no object to her. Especially when it came to her life. He also couldn't wait in line with these idiots. Most of them didn't even look like they knew what they were doing. There was no way he was sitting around, waiting for them to fight and then ask Baba what they wanted. All his life he had considered himself on a higher plane than most people. No matter how old he got, or how much he changed, he would always feel this way. He was going to have to cut in line. He rose his power level, slowly at first, then at an alarming rate. In the back of his mind, he remembered the Dragonballs in his pocket. They could withstand quite a bit, but they weren't infallible. Fortunately, he didn't have to raise his power much to get noticed. Baba came out of one of the little huts.

"Ah, Vegeta! I should use you as one of my fighters! Then I would never have to do favors again!" The men that had lined up had all turned around and a couple of them were jumping into the ocean in fear. Baba cackled.

"Any of you boys wanna go up against this guy? You may have heard of him. He's the prince of Saiyans. Undisputed by almost everyone in the galaxy. No takers?" The rest of them jumped into the ocean and started swimming for the far island. Vegeta released hold of his ki, and the energy dissipated.

"Well, well. That was a clever way of getting things done, if I do say so myself. But I'm curious as to why you're here. Very curious indeed. Come inside, won't you?" Vegeta nodded and slipped his hands casually into his pockets. He ran his fingers over the orange orbs. All of their surfaces were still smooth. They were a little warm, but none the worse for wear. He walked quickly along the bridge, following Baba as she floated on her crystal ball. He wondered if the woman ever walked. Could she be paralyzed, or just lazy?

He entered the hut, brushing his hair away from the low curtain in the doorway. As he did so, a small handful of sand fell to the ground. He resisted the urge to growl.

"So. What do you want from me?" Her eyes were narrowed.

"What will it cost?" He narrowed his own eyes in turn.

"Well, I know you are connected to riches, and I know you can beat all of my fighters. You might not have to do either, if you ask little of me."

"All I ask is for something I can't find."

"Oh?"

"I'm searching for the Dragonballs, and I can't find the last one." He tried to keep any desperation out of his voice, but Baba sensed it.

"An important wish to make, huh? I never would have thought it from you. Just as long as it's not immortality."

"Ah, Baba. You should know me better than that by now."

"Well, you just never know these days. I've been around for eons, and people still manage to surprise me. May I ask what your wish is? You can lie if you want, but I'll find out."

"It's not like you to pry into other people's business, Uranai Baba."

"I suppose that's true." She sat down at a table and pulled the ball from under her. "How about this. If you tell me what your wish is, I won't charge you."

"Money is no object for me. Charge however much you want."

"I see. A secret keeper, are you?" She looked him in the eyes for a long moment, then nodded to herself, satisfied.

"All right. When I discover where your last Dragonball is, you have to save one of the wishes for me."

"That's a pretty steep bargain, Baba. All you're doing is what this radar can do, and you want money, AND a wish?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you use the radar then? Is it broken?"

"No, but I'm running out of time."

"I see. Well, I don't really need the money, but I would like a wish. I haven't wished on Shenron since I was a teenager. It would be quite nostalgic to see him again."

"Fine. I only need to use one anyway."

"All right then. I shall begin." Baba raised her hands above the crystal ball and started chanting.

"Hoi, hoi, hoi! Hoi, hoi, HOI!" The ball when from clear to a bleary image. It sharpened into a picture of Kami's Lookout.

"What? Kami's Lookout? Why would it be there?"

"It's a good thing you came to me. The radar wouldn't be able to pick that up in a thousand years. Who knows why it's there."

Vegeta straightened up.

"Thanks, Baba. I'll save you a wish."

"Of course you will. Say hello to Bulma for me." She croaked. Vegeta almost stopped in his tracks before he realized that she didn't know she was dead. Or did she?

Kami's Lookout was a straight shot north-northwest from Baba's place. He remembered it was very high, and it took a some effort to get to. He flew as high as he dared before the oxygen started getting too thin. Saiyans were made for climate changes, but no air wasn't something you could just adapt to. He started feeling a little dizzy by the time he spotted it. When he landed on the white tile, he could already see its residents coming toward him. Luckily he knew Dende and Piccolo rather well.

"Vegeta! We were wondering if you would figure it out. I almost send Piccolo down to tell you."

"Thanks to Baba I was able to. Why on earth would you have the damn thing up here where no one can reach it?"

"The answer is in the question." Mr. Popo materialized from behind Piccolo. Vegeta scowled, then realized what he meant. He went over his question again. Where no one can reach it. They must have gotten wary of who would collect the Dragonballs, and to be safe, kept the last one hidden away up here so no evil intended wish could be made.

"Well, despite my past, you don't have to worry about my wish. I-"

"We know the whole story." Dende's eyes were sad.

"You're forgetting I am Kami." Vegeta blushed.

"Right. Then you know how much of a hurry I'm in."

"Yes. Bra is a sweet girl, and she shouldn't have to suffer. It wasn't really her fault." Vegeta's heart twisted in his chest, and he was silent.

"Now... Mr. Popo? Could you retrieve the 3 star ball please?" While they waited a moment, Vegeta wondered aloud.

"Why did you chose to keep the 3 star?"

"Oh. Well, there are three of us up here, so I thought it made sense." Vegeta stopped himself from commenting that it sounded like something a kid would think of. He noticed Piccolo sitting alone in the far corner. He respected the Namekian more than almost anyone else he knew. He always kept out of things, but he still managed to know everything. He could read in his energy that he was curiously pleased that Vegeta was going through all this trouble for someone else. Normally Vegeta would be embarrassed about this, but he knew that Piccolo had been down the same path as he had, and understood better than anyone.

Mr. Popo came back, bearing the glowing orb on a golden cushion. He looked at Vegeta, then his pocket. He knew about the memories. Vegeta opened the pocket, and Mr. Popo dropped it inside. He nodded in thanks.

"Well," said Dende cheerfully. "You better get down there. It looks like you managed to reserve the leftover wishes for others on your journey."

"That was pretty much an accident." Vegeta chuckled. "But I don't really care. There is one thing I want to ask about that."

"Yes?"

"Does Shenron keep the Dragonballs powered until all of the wishes are granted? Because I'm not planning on using them all at once."

"He will wait patiently while you gather the others for their wishes later on. It makes no difference to him. I know you don't want a crowd for your wish." He smiled gently at Vegeta.

"No, I do not. That's good to know, though." He walked over to the edge of the platform, saluted them, and dove off.

West City was just a quick trip east across the ocean inlet. In his hurry to get home, he almost forgot about the last memory. He wasn't sure how much it mattered, since he was just about to get her back, but maybe it was important in some way. The memories did put him in a bit of trance, but he could still see and function somewhat. He never realized until now how easy it would be for someone to sneak up on him. But this was the last one, and the whole thing was almost over.

Bulma sat on her stool in front of her vanity mirror. The windows showed it was dark outside. She was in the middle of her bedtime routine. She had one for the morning and the afternoon too. Vegeta always thought it was a little funny how vain she was. He was vain about his power, she was vain about her looks. Every evening before bed, she sat in front of that mirror, nitpicking different parts of her body. Sometimes Vegeta avoided it by coming to bed later after she was asleep, and sometimes he just drowned her out by reading a book. Most people didn't pin him as a book reader, but he liked to keep his mind sharp. No use being strong if you weren't smart too. What happened to Nappa and Recoome was proof of that. Well, he happened to them, but it was because he was smarter. He had read books since he was a child, and Nappa used to tease him about it. At the moment, he was idly skimming through "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. He had already read it in detail countless times. He didn't have the original copy he had studied as a child of course, but it didn't really matter. Other books that amused him were "The Warrior Within" by a man named Bruce Lee. He was rather impressive for a mere human, and not fake like Hercule was. Then there was "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli. That was full of politics, but he still enjoyed it. Being a prince himself, he would have had to deal with politics a lot if his planet was still around, and he had the right mind for it. "Book of Five Rings" by Miyamoto Musashi was an ancient text mostly about sword play. But it was still strategy and fighting, and that was all he cared about.

He turned another page, still concentrating on drowning Bulma out. She was talking about her wrinkles again. Considering she had very few of them compared to other people her age, he thought the whole thing was redundant. After awhile, she stopped, and he enjoyed a few blessed moments of silence. He was on one of his favorite chapters, "Attack by Fire".

"Why do you even read that book?" Bulma asked. It took Vegeta several moments to realize she was addressing him.

"What?"

"That book. It's not about warriors. It's about armies. You're not in an army, so why read it?" He didn't look away from the page.

"It doesn't matter to me, as long as it's about fighting. There are some great strategies in here. And, if things had gone differently, I would have been a commander of my own army."

"Yeah, well, you're not." Vegeta put the book down and glared at her.

"I get that you're in a bad mood because you see wrinkles that aren't even there, but that doesn't make you the judge of whatever book I read. Why does it matter to you? I could be read "The Secret Garden" and you couldn't stop me." He watched Bulma's face in the mirror as it went from angry to amused.

"You've never read that." She grinned.

"Of course not. But I overheard your mother reading it to Bra. That kid Collin needs to grow some balls and get out of that damn bed already. I'll bet he doesn't really have a hump on his back."

"No, he doesn't. Eventually, he gets over it. Or, 'grows some balls' as you said."

"Good. Can't have a bad example for our daughter."

"Nah, she likes Dicken, anyway."

"The kid with all the animals? That guy is a wimp too."

"Just how much of this story did you overhear?" Bulma laughed.

"Enough to know I wouldn't want to read the blasted thing."

"Well, it is kind of a girl's story, anyway. It's not like she's going to read her any of your books."

"No, when she gets old enough, she can read them herself."

"Ha, ha...do you really think Bra's going to want to read 'The Art of War?'"

"Maybe she will. You never know." He opened the book again. The room was quiet for a few more minutes.

"Vegeta?"

"What?"

"Do you think I should do something to slow my aging process down?"

"Like what? Use more face cream?" He chuckled.

"No. I mean, scientifically." He dropped the book again.

"What? How do you mean?"

"Well, my dad's been working on it for years. There is a way to revitalize the the DNA. To reconstruct it to make it younger again. It gets damaged as we age, and if we can figure out a way to rebuild it...it would be possible to stay young much longer."

"It sounds idiotic to me."

"Oh, you don't care. I don't know why I even bother talking to you about it."

"I didn't say that because I don't care. I said that because I do. It sounds like a dangerous, stupid thing to do. Being a scientist, you should know what happens if you mess around with your DNA. You could mutate yourself. And, I'm sorry but...I don't really relish the idea of having a mutated wife."

"What if I could make myself more like a Saiyan?"

"Then you would be even more of an idiot. You've examined my DNA before. Remember how complicated it was? I have so many more strands than you do. I can't believe you are even entertaining this idea."

"I didn't mean change my DNA, I just meant maybe I could tweak it a little to slow down the aging process."

"See, that whole tweaking thing? Not smart."

"Don't you get it, Vegeta? You will live so much longer than me! Do you really want me to look all shriveled and ugly when you still appear to be in your thirties?"

"Come on. I at least look like I'm in my forties by now…"

"That's not...I don't like being the only one in this relationship that's aging. It's like when we're at a party, and I'm the only one who is getting drunk, or the only one dancing."

"Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? I don't even go to parties."

"Vegeta!"

"All right! Yes, I know what you mean. But...I don't care if you get old. Your appearance doesn't matter to me."

"Oh, it's good to know that I spend so much time in front of the mirror and so much money on clothes when it doesn't matter to you."

"Get a grip, Bulma. You do that for yourself, not me." She shot up from the stool.

"Don't you care that I'll die before you will? You could live to be two-hundred years old for all I know. YOU don't even know. Saiyans never lived long enough to find out because they all got blown away, fighting like animals all the time! Your people didn't even care about their quality of life! They just threw it away! Even when they had babies they just shipped them off!"

"Hold on. What the hell does my race have to do with your damn aging? Don't throw them into this."

"I don't want to die!" She slumped down hard on the stool and burst into tears. Vegeta stood up slowly. He hadn't seen her cry in a long time. She hardly ever did, especially not in front of him. He wasn't sure what to say or do to make her stop.

"Bulma…" He put a hand on her shaking shoulder.

"I can't help it that I'm made differently than you are."

"D-Don't you want me to...to live longer?" She sobbed.

"Not if it means putting your cellular structure in danger."

"There could be another way…"

"What do you mean?" Bulma sat up, staring at him in the mirror.

"When's the last time you've seen my mom?"

"What? Your mother? What does this have to do with-"

"Haven't you noticed? She looks the same. Not a single gray hair or wrinkle." Vegeta frowned.

"That's true. I can't believe I didn't notice before."

"My dad's work. Notice he doesn't get older either?"

"He always looked old to me."

"Yeah, but he's looked like that since I was in high school."

"Really."

"Yeah. Really."

"Does he 'tweak' his DNA?"

"Well, he is researching that all the time, but not at the moment. Right now he only uses chemicals."

"Chemicals? That doesn't really rank much higher on the 'don't be an idiot' scale."

"I don't know what he does. He keeps it a secret. I think he's afraid that something bad will happen to me."

"Gee, for once he's got an idea that makes sense."

"Vegeta…"

"What? Do want me to just say 'Oh, sure. Toxic chemicals. That sounds alright. You do that, Bulma. Go and get you some young."

"Well no, but…"

"You know what, never mind. You are a scientist. Do what you want. I can't speak for myself. Everything I have ever done is dangerous. There's always the Dragonballs, right?" He stripped off his shirt and pulled the blankets back.

"I'm done talking about this. If you get yourself killed or mutated, it's on you." He crawled into the bed and turned his back towards her.

"Well, hey, it's worth a try, right? To make myself younger? And like you said, there's always the Dragonballs. You'd wish me back, wouldn't you?" Vegeta chuckled, and Bulma didn't like the sound of it.

"Bulma, if you get yourself killed messing with chemicals, I'm not sure if you'd deserve being wished back. It would be your own damn fault."

"But…" Her voice was a whisper, and she was choking back tears again.

"I'm a scientist...What if I wasn't even working on that? What if...it was something to better society? You don't know…"

"Whatever. You're just going to do what you want to do anyway. I can't stop you."

"You can't stop me, no. But you can wish me back."

Vegeta was silent for the rest of the night, and Bulma lay awake, staring into the dark with wet eyes.

AN: Coming up...The Wish!