Author Note: 05/23/2016

It's been more than eleven years since I finished writing this story. In that time, FFN has done a lot to change allowed formatting. As you read this story, you might find places where there are missing line breaks or other errors. Those are not intentional, and maybe someday I'll work up the time and motivation to edit this monster. Until then, I can only apologize and hope you enjoy the story anyway, flaws and all.

Wish For the Past
(Be Careful What You Wish For)

"So what should we wish for?" Son Goten stared at the small, orange-red orbs that lay in a pile in front of the two boys. He placed a hand behind his head and scratched a spot. The thick black spikes that sprayed out in all directions stubbornly refused to be displaced, even by this casual gesture. Sitting besides him, the purple haired boy glanced over at his best friend, who looked so much like his father at that point that it was almost funny. Trunks Briefs shrugged.

"We could always wish for more toys," he hazarded. It wasn't really important, since they had only gathered the dragonballs for the sake of something to do, not out of any real need for them.

Surprisingly, Goten shook his head. "Nah, it needs to be something... bigger than that." The little demi-saiyan locked his innocent black eyes on his older friend's startled blue eyes. It wasn't like Goten to actually think seriously about something, which was exactly what he was doing, by the look in his eyes. Goten's brows furrowed a little in concentration. Just as Trunks was about to say something, Goten's eyes lit up and he grinned the famous Son Grin (TM). "I know!" he shouted enthusiastically. "I've always kinda wondered what my grandpa was like."

"What do you mean, Goten?" Trunks was thoroughly confused. "Don't you live near your grandpa Ox King?"

"No, stupid, not that grandpa!" Goten whacked Trunks on the back of his head in annoyance, although inwardly he was gleeful that for once he was the one correcting his friend's mistake and not the other way around. "I'm talking about my dad's dad. I don't even know his name, y'know?"

"Ooooh, now I get it," Trunks said, his eyes turning thoughtful as he pondered what it would be like to meet the famous Son Goku's father. He didn't think long before he grinned widely to match the expression on Goten's face. "That would be cool! But we have two wishes, remember? What'll we do with the other wish?"

Goten thought about it for a moment before wisely proclaiming, "We could wish for toys and to meet my grandpa!" Both demi-Saiyans grinned in agreement, then turned to face the dragonballs, preparing to make their wishes.

Bardock panted heavily as he faced off against Frieza. Despair wrenched the proud Saiyan's gut as he watched the glowing Death Ball swell on the tip of the purple and pink monster's finger. No one had believed him when he had said that Frieza was going to destroy Vegeta-sei, that the lord whom they had served for so many years would betray them. Now it didn't matter what he said or did. All he could do was give his life for the world that had given birth to him and so many others. In these last few moments of life, Bardock regretted the acts of evil he had committed in his life. He wished that he could see his two sons before he died, but that wasn't going to happen. It was too late.

"Wait wait, Goten!" Trunks cried out before Goten could start speaking. The eight year old looked quizzically at the nine year old, wondering what he wanted. "Maybe we should use the other wish to get lots of good food. Your grandpa might be hungry after being dead so long."

"Hey, you're right, Trunks!" Goten exclaimed in admiration. "I know I'D be hungry if I hadn't gotten to eat in years, or however long my grandpa's been dead. Okay, let's do it!" Grinning, he looked at the orange balls on the ground in front of them and said, trying to sound dramatic, "Arise, dragon, and grant our wishes!"

The spheres glowed brightly, too brightly for the friends to look at. From the center of the seven balls a serpentine form emerged and grew. It expanded to fill the darkened heavens, taller than any building the boys had ever seen, with green scales and glowing red eyes. Those twin orbs stared down at the kids. "YOU HAVE TWO WISHES. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?" The dragon's voice rumbled like thunder, thrumming in their blood.

"I wish for a big feast with lots of yummy food and stuff to drink," Goten said, trying unsuccessfully not to drool at the thought of the kind of food a wish-fulfilling dragon could bring. The dragon's eyes flashed and the meadow in which the two boys sat was suddenly filled with baskets and bowls of wonderful smelling food and pitchers of liquids. Goten's and Trunks's bellies grumbled in response to the sudden aroma filling the air.

"IT IS DONE. NAME YOUR SECOND WISH."

Ignoring the food was hard, but somehow both Trunks and Goten did so. After all, there was something more important to be done. "I wish," Goten stated, his heart pounding in anticipation, "that I could meet my dad's dad."

The Eternal Dragon's eyes flashed again. "IT IS DONE. FAREWELL." With that, the dragon disappeared and the dragonballs shot off into seven different directions to lie dormant for a year before they could be gathered and used again.

Trunks looked around, eager to meet the father of one of the strongest men in the universe. At first he saw nothing, other than the magnificent spread of food. He turned to say something to Goten, but stopped, his eyes wide with horror.

Goten was gone.

His vision swam, causing the little demi-saiyan to close his eyes before he got dizzy. When he opened them again, everything around him had changed. He was no longer in a meadow, but floating in the air above a strange world that didn't look like Earth. Although he was thoroughly confused, thankfully his danger senses were still working fine. Goten's eyes flicked immediately to the large ki in front of him and widened as he saw the Death Ball dancing on the strange alien's finger.

Frieza, too busy laughing his victory over the 'stupid monkeys', didn't notice the small Saiyan boy appear from out of nowhere. "Goodbye, monkeys!" he howled with wicked glee, launching the planet-killing ball of ki down at Vegeta-sei. Coincidentally, Goten was right in the ball's path.

Goten panicked. He was suddenly floating above a strange world and a strange alien was launching a potentially deadly blast right at him. Fortunately for him, he'd been trained well, so while his mind was blank from shock, his reflexes kicked in and he batted the sphere of energy. Straight back into Frieza.

Unfortunately for the space tyrant, he was only in his first form and he was unprepared for this unexpected turn of events. He only had time for fleeting surprise to cross his cruel features before he was consumed by his own lethal attack. An unearthly shriek of pain escaped from his lips before he was obliterated.

In the air above Vegeta-sei, two figures floated, both very confused, though for different reasons. Bardock simply stared at the child in front of him who was, apparently, unaware of his presence. It hadn't quite registered in his mind that this child - this child - had just defeated the strongest creature in the known universe. All he knew was that, for some reason, the fate of Vegeta-sei had somehow been diverted, and there was a child up here in the middle of the remnants of a battlefield. Certainly no place for a small child such as this.

Goten, however, was wondering just what had gone wrong with his wish.