In truth, Vegeta did not wish Kakarot dead. If Kakarot should die, he wanted to defeat him himself. Only a Saiyan had the right to deal life and death to another Saiyan, and a Saiyan's death at the hands of a lesser race disgraced the Saiyan people.
"Kakarot, listen to me," he had begged, his body struggling against Frieza's fatal wound. "Don't be so soft — there's no fucking honor in any of this. It's just a game. Play to win. There are no rules. You're going to have to get over your soft-heartedness. You have to forget about your feelings. You have to — they'll get you killed, Kakarot! Fool, you don't know what you're dealing with!
"No — there's more. He killed our whole planet — it was him — your father and mine. The whole planet-he blew it up. It's true. None survived but us. No — listen; you have to hear this." Tears had filled his eyes. "He took me from my father when I was just a little boy. He made me do whatever he wanted, and said he would kill my father if I didn't. I did everything he asked, but he killed him anyway along with everyone else. He was scared of us! Scared that a Super Saiyan would be born to rise up and overthrow him.
"Kakarot, please! Destroy Frieza — he made me what I am! Don't let him do it to anyone else! Whatever it takes, stop him. Please!"
And now Frieza was destroyed. Kakarot had not failed, as he had. Vegeta's pride swelled, but he felt ashamed that he had failed his people. "The blood in your veins, Kakarot, that perfect instinct for battle — there's no denying what you are," he had whispered from Otherworld. "Reach down and deep — feel the pain of those of us who fell! Your brethren were all decimated, your homeworld lost. My father, your father — both gone, killed by him, Lord Frieza. I dreamt, I yearned, to be the one to avenge us, yet he battered and broke me just as he did the others. You cannot know the torment I died in. Unless you're the one to finish this, we'll be lost — lost forever to the memory of time."
He did not wish Kakarot dead, but he knew that he had to find some way to best him. Kakarot, who had cared nothing for his race, had avenged them, and he had stolen the glory due the Saiyan people. Vegeta would wrest it from him, and he would prove to them that he had not failed or abandoned them. As the crowned prince of his noble race, it was his duty. His father would have wanted that. If only he could see his father again, show him how powerful he had become, and bear him a son...
Despairing cries from Kakarot's brat interrupted Vegeta's thoughts. Because Namek existed no longer, Porunga could not resurrect Kakarot where he had fallen. It seemed that Gohan would never see his father alive again. Though Vegeta cared nothing for that, he knew that the dragon must restore Kakarot nevertheless. He could not stomach knowing that he could never succeed in the name of Planet Vegeta; having died on Namek would have been a better fate, for at least he would join his father's ranks. That, and Kakarot had become a Super Saiyan, and perhaps he could learn to perform the transformation himself.
"There is a bridge between Earth and Otherworld — you could wish Kakarot there before you wish him back to life," Vegeta suggested.
"That's a great idea!" Gohan said, smiling. "Thank you very much!"
"Get away from me." He swatted the half-breed child away. They knew nothing. The Saiyan race meant nothing to them. Frieza had wiped out the Saiyans before they ever learned what one was. They may as well have never existed. It disgusted him. So what if Gohan had lost his father? He had lost everything.
Having already made their wishes, Gohan and his friends would have to wait until they could bring Goku back to life. In the meantime, Vegeta had nowhere to go, and he had no ship. Nappa was dead, and he did not keep friends among Frieza's rabble. Even if had known someone, he could not contact him or her. Perhaps he would escape into the wilderness and train until the Namekian year had passed. Then, he would come to meet Kakarot, and he would remind him of the pride of the Saiyan people whom he had dismissed as no family of his.
"Hey!" Bulma cried, seeking to catch Vegeta's attention. "You need a place to stay, don't you? The Namekians are staying with me. You can come too, if you want."
Yes, Vegeta remembered the annoying blue-haired woman. She had brought a ship to Namek, and her father had lent Kakarot a ship fashioned with specialized training simulations. If he could get a hold of the same equipment his rival had used, he could probably get over the presence of the others as long as he hid away from them. Vegeta snarled in response to Bulma's offer, but he followed her anyway.
Author's Note: Hi, this is your friendly neighborhood flamingpoetic here! Comments, suggestions, and constructive criticism are always appreciated. I guarantee a response to every question or review. I love to proofread and edit, so if you want a second pair of eyes on your work, I'd be happy to see what I can do for you. Just send me a message, tell me what you would like me to take a look at, and we'll work something out. Happy reading and writing, my fellow creative people! I'm having lots of fun with The Mistaken Wish—I hope you are too.