The Nightmare of Reality
It was a dream. But it felt more like a nightmare. He hovered there watching patiently for the dust to settle. Below him was a crater and in that crater, his enemy. He could not believe that his opponent was taken out by such an attack. A child could have done more damage than what he had done. Yet as the dust began to find it’s way back to the safety of Earth it became more evident that perhaps the blast had done more than what he had thought.
“Kakarott?” his voice called softly yet stern. He was not about show a soft spot for his enemy. He knew his opponent was just hiding. He had to be.
There was no sound, there was no movement. Nothing. Just silence. The wind swept over the ground that had been, at one time, a lush forest. They had been fighting for so long that Vegeta had forgotten what they had been fighting about to begin with. It was not important. What was important was who was going to be the last man standing; and by the looks of it, it was him. But no, this could not be. How could he destroy Kakarott? It was not possible. It could never be possible. No matter how hard he tried to surpass his Saiyan counterpart and now friend, the lower class idiot always went one step ahead. It was annoying, it was frustrating but at the same time it was challenging. Vegeta had worked his entire life to equal to Kakarott and the goal he strived to achieve was what kept him alive. It was a matter of pride. There was no other way to say it. He wanted.. no, he had to beat Kakarott. And now.. now this? He had done it? No. No it couldn’t be.
“Kakarott, stop fooling around so we can continue this,” Vegeta snapped as he stared down into the crater.
There was still no response. Vegeta, growing impatient of this waiting game, hovered down into the crater. He landed on rigid ground as he crossed his arms. There, in front of him, lay the Saiyan he had been struggling for power with all these years. Vegeta approached him slowly, his arms at his sides. He was ready for any trick his opponent might play. He would not be fooled.
The closer he got the more evident it became that Kakarott would not be attacking him. The man lay motionless on the ground as Vegeta finally stood beside him. He nudged him gently with the toe of his boot but it only barely moved the limp arm of the fallen Saiyan.
“Kakarott?” Vegeta questioned, his voice now softer, more concerned.
This could not be. It was impossible. Vegeta leaned down now as he reached out and placed his hand on Kakarott’s chest. The younger Saiyan finally made a facial gesture; that of pain. Vegeta quickly jerked his hand back as he looked at him. Kakarott was badly injured. But how? Why would he be? Vegeta’s attack could have been easily blocked. The only way a person would die from such a weak attack was if they allowed themselves to. Vegeta snapped from his thought as he glared at Kakarott; surely this was not the intent here.
“Kakarott..” Vegeta repeated.
He could not speak any more words other than Goku’s own Saiyan name. He did not understand why but the words would not come. He wanted to tell Kakarott to wait so he could go get some senzus but Vegeta did not want to leave his side. He knew he would never make it there and back in time; Kakarott was dying. Vegeta didn’t know how to respond to it. It was just him and Kakarott; alone on an empty battlefield. A million thoughts ran through his mind. He wanted to make Goku better, he wanted to help him but he didn’t know how. He didn’t know what to do.
Leaning down, his hand pressed against the younger Saiyan's chest. Kakarott’s clothes were still warm from the blast.
"Kakarott, this is not amusing. Wake up right now," he ordered.
There was no motion, no feeling. Vegeta started to get a sick feeling in his stomach. His gently rested hand turned into a clenched fist as he gripped Goku's gi. His other hand joined it as he began to shake him.
"Kakarott! Answer me! Stop this foolishness!" Vegeta snapped.
Almost as if his shaking had jump started Goku's heart, the weakened Saiyan slowly opened his eyes. He saw, through blurry pools of red, his best friend with that concerned look on his face.
"..s..h..imata... V..eg..et.a.." Goku responded weakly with a light smile.
Hearing his quiet response, Vegeta paused from his shaking. His hands relaxed slightly as he stared at Goku. Those pools of black were looking dimly at him. Vegeta felt his heart racing. He had kept it in so long and now Kakarott was dying.
"... ..w..hat?" Goku asked.
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