Two more months went by, with no change except that now Kami almost never came out of his quarters anymore. On another note he seemed to have gained his appetite back, of which Mr. Popo was grateful for. For about five weeks now Kami had not left his dinner untouched once; and even before that he had touched his food, leaving some leftovers behind but now even that didn't happen anymore. But the genie was understandably still worried for his Master, especially since there was nothing he could do to help him. He feared that he would have to soon begin training for either Krillin or Goku to become the next Guardian, a task he did not look forward to. But the caretaker knew that if Kami's depression wasn't over soon, he probably wouldn't live for too long and a new Guardian would be needed. He didn't like the idea of losing his beloved Master one bit, and all the worrying was seemingly beginning to have its toll on him as well.

He still trained with both kids on a daily basis and always served dinner for them after they were done. Now, though, he had begun giving them a snack in the middle of the training as well since he had noticed some food had gone missing in the kitchen for quite some time now and he was pretty sure it was the always hungry Goku. But when after even the offered snack food still went missing, he began wondering that either it still wasn't enough or that something fishy was going on. He asked the boys about it but they swore it wasn't them. That confused the genie even further since he could feel they were telling the truth.

A couple more weeks passed by and one day when Mr. Popo would usually be watering the flowers, he happened to have forgotten the watering can in the kitchen. When he went in to retrieve it, a scene he never thought he'd ever witness opened before his very eyes. There, in the kitchen, was none other than Kami himself, stuffing his face in a pace that rivaled even Goku's and Yajirobe's at best.

"K-Kami?"

Realising he had been caught made Kami stop suddenly and look at the interrupter. An awkward silence settled between the two as they both stared one another with a startled look on their face. Kami was the first one to snap out of it as the realization of how he must look set in. His gaze fell and he sighed loudly, putting the chicken leg he had been holding on the counter next to the empty half a gallon milk jug, several empty containers and packages of different sort and the almost entirely finished chicken. If Kami had lost any weight during his earlier "fast"; he had gained it all back, and with interest. His cheeks no longer had the scrawny look on them and his belly was visibly bulging from underneath his robes.

"So, it was you. I had my doubts, but I couldn't believe it, so I didn't ask." Mr. Popo said, finally snapping out of his shock.
Kami didn't say anything, but took a chair from under the table and sat down, still avoiding Mr. Popo's gaze.

"But I should have known that you'd be hungry after eating next to nothing for so long. I could have made you bigger meals if you had just asked, Master."

Kami was silent for a moment, until he finally decided to speak up.

"Mr. Popo… I… I don't think it would have made any difference."

"Why? What do you mean?"

Kami was again quiet for a while, as if trying to think how to say what he was about to say.

"I think there's something wrong with me." The Guardian finally said.

"Wrong?" Mr. Popo asked, getting worried.

The old man nodded. "For quite some time, now."

"Go on." The caretaker requested, fearing the worst.

Kami let out a sigh.

"As you know, I didn't eat much for the longest time. Back then, the mere thought of eating disgusted me. But then again, I knew I couldn't go on for long without eating, so I began forcing myself to eat at least something, even if I could barely keep it down… and sometimes couldn't. Now, then… It's almost like the reverse. I'm always hungry no matter how much I eat, and despite it almost always makes me sick sooner or later, I still want more. I kept to myself, because I didn't want anyone to worry. Let alone see how pathetic I must look." He said, referring to his apparent weight gain.

Mr. Popo didn't know what to think, but one thing was certain; his Master was most definitely not well. And considering the recent developments, it could only mean one thing; the end was drawing near. It had to be. The black man was desperately trying to keep his composure to avoid worrying the old Guardian, while his mind was racing trying to think of what it was that his description had reminded him of. Some sort of eating disorder it was. He'd heard of them from Bulma, apparently they were surprisingly common among people who were depressed for one reason or another. Yeah, that had to be it.

"Oh, my." Mr. Popo slipped, a huge sweat drop appearing on his forehead as the worried look escaped on his face.

"What is it, Mr. Popo?" Kami asked, wondering why the caretaker had been so quiet for so long.

"Oh, it's just that… What you just described reminded me of something Miss Bulma once told me; that when the humans become depressed, their eating habits usually change; sometimes drastically. And some even develop something they call eating disorders. Could it be that… you had one, too?

Kami lowered his head again and sighed. "Who knows? It sure feels like one massive disorder. Look what I've become; I neglect my job, I can't eat right, I'm constantly sick, I feel terrible… I'm a total failure as a Guardian."

He then eyed at the mess he had left behind in the kitchen.

"I should clean this up."

Poor Mr. Popo was practically in stitches at this point.
"No, Kami, you shouldn't stress yourself even more! What you should do now is to concentrate on getting better. I shall take care of the rest. I-I'll contact Miss Bulma right away and let her examine you."

Kami reluctantly arose from the table and began walking away.

"Alright, you do that. Thank you, Mr. Popo. I shall be in my quarters." Then, he stopped.
"I guess I should also thank you for training young Goku and Krillin. I hope either one of them will be ready when the time comes… Which might be soon." He added, knowing Mr. Popo knew what he was talking about. This said, he left the kitchen, leaving the now even more stressed caretaker to clean up the mess Kami left behind and arrange his medical check-up, which in his mind practically equated a death sentence.

Slowly he walked back in his bedroom and for the first time in months he decided to confront the inevitable, to look into the mirror to see what he'd become. He opened the curtains to let the sunlight in so that he could see his image properly. The mood in the now fully lit bedroom changed immediately, though the light also revealed the mess the place was, since he hadn't had the energy to even make his own bed once during all this time. But the light did add a nice feel and it made Kami feel a bit happier for once.
He approached the huge mirror in the corner his eyes closed and, leaving out a sigh, he opened them. What he saw didn't really surprise him. He looked old and weary, withered even. That was nothing new. But now, he was also fat. Not Yajirobe-fat, but still pretty fat. His cheeks had rounded and his belly was huge. Surprisingly there wasn't much else. Kami disrobed himself and turned to his side. Yeah, there was most definitely fat in places that had never been there before. He noticed that despite being huge, his belly was still pretty firm, but he guessed it wouldn't take long for it to lose its shape either.
The old Guardian sighed once more and put his hand on his belly, rubbing it a little in shame. How could he have let himself to get into this condition? He should have…

Suddenly, Kami stopped still. Had he felt something? He moved his hand across his belly once more.

"Nothing. I must be sensing things now, too. It's crazy." he thought, looking at his image in the mirror.

"Face it, Kami, you've become too old. You're losing it." Then suddenly, he felt it again. He tried with his other hand in the same place and felt it now, too. It was faint, barely recognizable, but it was there.

"A ki?"

It was a ki that was not his own, even though similar. The look on his face changed drastically.
"But how is this possible? It can't be! I must be sensing things, it can't possibly…" he said, but now that he had felt it, he couldn't un-feel it, no matter how much he tried.

"I don't understand it! Because, the only way it should even be possible was if I was… if I was…" And then the realization hit in. Within seconds the look on his face changed from disbelief to overwhelming shock, turning eventually into the widest smile he had ever worn on his face, as tears of happiness casted down his cheeks while he fell on his bed, pleasantly laughing from the bottom of his heart.