A serene stillness blanketed the surrounding forests and fields, broken only by the soft chorus of birdsong welcoming the new day. It was a sunny morning at the quaint rural orphanage when a deafening boom suddenly shook the earth. Birds erupted from the forest trees, squawking in alarm.
A sphere streaked through the atmosphere like a comet, flames engulfing its metallic surface at intense speeds. Within the strange sphere, a baby slept peacefully, oblivious to his descent.
With a deafening boom that shook the very air, the pod crashed down in a remote valley surrounded by a dense forest and rocky cliffs. The impact sent birds erupting from the treetops in a panic. Slowly, the smoke cleared around the cratered site.
Nearby, Hina, one of the orphanage working staff, came racing outside from the building. "What on earth was that sound?" she exclaimed.
She could have sworn she'd seen a comet zip through the sky at unimaginable speeds before hearing the loud explosion.
Gazing down toward the forested valley below, she concluded the direction of the sound. Hina decided to go investigate immediately while also being cautious.
Hina hurried down the winding path to the valley. As she passed through the trees, she heard the unmistakable wails of an infant. Her steps quickened, wondering who would abandon a baby out here.
Pushing through a thick forest, she froze at the astonishing sight. As she stared down at the smashed spherical object smoking in a large crater, the cries became more audible. She could see the thin tendrils of steam visibly escaping the cracked orb.
The metal sphere was unlike any aircraft she had seen before. Dirt and ash covered its surface and the pod's opening hatch was wide open. The cries grew louder as she cautiously approached to peer inside.
Nestled within the odd vessel was what seemed to be a human infant, miraculously wholly unharmed. But that's when she noticed the strangest thing of all, the furry brown tail that curled around his small body.
Hina froze at the astonishing sight deep in the forest valley. A naked newborn with a furry brown tail lying on scorched earth, wailing loudly. As Yuji crept closer, the infant's cries grew sharper, almost angry.
"Easy now, little guy," Hina said gently, slowly reaching down to pick him up. Suddenly the baby's small fist shot out, punching Hina's extended hand with surprising force for one so small.
Hina recoiled, stunned by the blow. But the child's distressed screams urged her to try again. This time as she slid her hands underneath, the baby kicked and flailed violently, still howling.
Taken aback by the infant's strength, Hina almost lost her grip. But she managed to adjust the writhing child in her arms, wrapping the blanket tightly around the small flailing limbs.
"Shhh, shhh, you're alright now," Hina soothed, one arm secure around the wriggling infant. The baby's fierce screams echoed through the trees as Hina hurriedly made her way back up the path. She had never encountered a newborn with such energy and aggression. Yet those frightened eyes peering up at her still looked innocent.
Despite the impossibility of it all, Hina's only thought was getting the poor child to safety. "There there, you're alright now," she soothed.
The mysterious baby gripped Hina's shirt tightly with one tiny hand, staring up at her with large, tearful yet oddly focused eyes. As the child's cries settled, Hina hastily made her way back up the path.
As they neared the orphanage, the child seemed to sense safety ahead. His cries slowly softened to whimpers before falling silent. By that time, Hina arrived with the mysterious child. The baby was calmly looking around at his new surroundings, tail gently swaying.
Back at the orphanage, they cleaned and swaddled the now calm, blinking infant. He watched everything with large curious eyes, tail gently sweeping from side to side.
The other caretakers first gasped when Hina arrived with the tailed infant. "Where on earth did you find this child?" one caretaker asked, startled.
"Down in the forest," Hina replied, deciding not to go too into detail. How would she explain that after all? How would she tell everyone this child was found in a spherical pod that seemed to fall from the heavens?
"I found him abandoned down there. He was alone but seems healthy now, though clearly distraught when I first discovered him," She explained, handing over the now calm child.
"The poor thing must be hungry." A caretaker fetched a bottle.
She watched as the small child guzzled it down eagerly. "He has unbelievable strength for his size."
"And such an appetite!" Another bottle was quickly emptied.
"You're right, he does seem healthy enough right now, though I've never seen a child with a tail before," mused another caretaker.
"Do you think that tail is real?" one caretaker asked uncertainly.
They lifted and examined the appendage closely. "It seems attached. I don't see any evidence it's a costume piece."
"Perhaps we should give it a gentle tug to be sure?" another suggested.
But Hina quickly intervened. "I wouldn't recommend pulling on it. The child was quite aggressive when I first tried picking him up. Better not to risk provoking him."
"We should give him a name, at least for the time being."
They debated various options, but no conventional name seemed to suit the extraordinary child. Then Hina noted thoughtfully, "He somewhat resembles a monkey with his furry appendage. Why not name him 'Son Goku'?"
As the caretakers tended to baby Goku, some of the caretakers studied his furry tail again with a slight frown.
"Have to say, this one's an oddity for sure," she remarked. "Kinda gives me the creeps, like that little girl with horns that came in not too long ago."
One of the other caretakers glanced up. "Oh yeah, those two both stick out for sure. I wonder if they'll get along in the future. Could make for an interesting pair down the line," she says slightly joking.
"Let's just care for the poor things as best we can," the caretaker finally sighed. "Not their fault nature made them so peculiar."
In the weeks after the mysterious infant's arrival, the caretakers at the small orphanage gradually adjusted to the challenges of looking after the unusual boy they called Goku.
Though just a newborn, Goku quickly demonstrated that he was no ordinary child. His nonstop cries and demands for food overwhelmed the staff day and night. The amount Goku could eat was astounding, far beyond a typical baby's needs.
"It's as if this child has a bottomless pit for a stomach!" one exclaimed in exhausted dismay after preparing yet another bottle.
When not being fed, Goku refused to settle down, displaying a hyperactive energy that defied his tender age. He would squirm, kick, and wail endlessly unless someone played with him or took him outside.
Goku managed to clamber onto his feet unassisted after just a few weeks. Once mobile, his mischief amplified. He moved with speed and dexterity, often escaping the grasp of caretakers who turned their gaze for even a second.
Caretakers pleaded helplessly as he clambered atop dressers and cabinets, always out of arm's length somehow. He seemed to think it a game, giggling at their distress.
Worse still was Goku's temper. When frustrated, angry, or upset, he lashed out aggressively. Tantrums prompted bursts of frightening strength for one so small. He upended furniture, punched holes in walls, and shoved adults away hard enough to knock them down.
The caretakers and orphans alike became wary and frightened of Goku, keeping their distance from the volatile child.
Between his ceaseless demands, defiant behavior, and escapades, Goku pushed the orphanage staff to their limits. They worried what the future might hold if this pattern continued.
As the months passed, Goku started picking up words and basic speech. "Ball!" he would demand, toddling after any spherical object. "Go out!" he would insist impatiently when confined indoors too long.
At least now the people around him would know what he wanted instead of being forced to hear loud wailing with no idea how to stop it.
His vocabulary and comprehension grew rapidly. Soon Goku was speaking in short but clear sentences. "Want juice!" declared imperiously, refusing to wait when thirsty.
At mealtimes, it became a chorus of "More food! More!" from Goku's seat. He thought nothing of taking portions from other children's plates, much to their dismay.
The caretakers struggled to teach him manners and patience. "Goku, you must ask nicely for things you want," he was told frequently. But the lessons rarely seemed to stick.
During playtime, Goku began bossing the other children around, grabbing toys, and commanding them to fetch objects for him. "You! Get ball now!" he ordered, unconcerned with making friends.
Over time his speech had become quite sophisticated, but often more defiant than polite. "I don't wanna nap!" Goku yelled when being put down for afternoon rest. "I wanna keep playing!"
One morning, as a caretaker tried coaxing Goku to come to eat breakfast, he scowled up at her.
"Stop calling me that ridiculous name! From now on, I am Kakarot."
She blinked down at him in confusion. "Um, alright Kakarot. Let's go eat, okay?"
Kakarot stomped past her to the kitchen, leaving her baffled by this sudden name change, especially one sounding so strange. She exchanged a look with other staff, who simply shrugged helplessly. They resolved to call him Kakarot from then on if that was what he insisted. They knew it was just easier to do what he said.
Over the years, Kakarot's violent tantrums and domineering ways had cooled into a cold demeanor and indifference toward the other residents. Now ten years old, he had come to view himself as superior and saw little point in making friends.
Kakarot's incredible strength set him apart and fueled his pride. Why should someone like him stoop to associate with weaklings and nobodies? He lived only to test his limits and grow stronger.
His drive for battle had grown since he was a baby. He was a Saiyan afterall. Most days he would slip outside to practice techniques and push his limits, honing his skills as a fighter.
Having witnessed Goku's vicious tantrums and aggression in the past, most of the other orphans gave him distance now. They moved quickly out of his way when walking, avoiding eye contact in hopes he would pass them by without incident.
Only one child continued trying to approach the solitary boy - a timid, frail girl named Kaede. She possessed a pair of small horn-like growths protruding from her skull that marked her as different.
The girl had been in the orphanage as long as him, and for some time now, Kakarot had shared a small bedroom with the peculiar young girl named Kaede.
He slept on the top bunk, leaving Kaede on the bed below. He did not care enough to be bothered by their living situation. The girl was just another insignificant part of his daily routine, barely warranting notice.
Kakarot tried his best to interact with her little, mostly ignoring her presence. But to his annoyance, the horned girl would try to start a conversation with him which was immediately shot down much to her disappointment.
'Dammit, why can't you leave me alone like the others?' Kakarot thought to himself.
Kaede always knew she was different. The two protrusions sticking out of her head were proof of that. It was the same reason she was an outcast, bullied, and tormented.
They were probably also the reason why she was so infatuated with the boy named Kakarot.
The boy had wild black hair and fierce eyes. And most of all, a monkey tail sprouting from his back.
He was different the same way she was, and in her eyes, this made them the same. That's why she felt so connected to him.
Kakarot was the only one who never mocked or hurt Kaede for her unusual features. He seems to barely notice them at all, unlike the cruel bullies. But it also seemed he didn't really care for her at all.
If only he would give her a chance, offer the smallest opening, she knew they could be true friends. She dreamed of sitting beside him, seeing him smile, hearing him laugh. She dreamed of someone finally understanding her.
'Why must he keep so stubbornly to himself?' she wondered as she lay in bed.
She could hear slight movements on the top bunk and she knew it was Kakarot.
Unable to resist, Kaede spoke up. "Hey Kakarot, are you still awake?"
An irritated sigh came from above. "Obviously," he grumbled. "What do you want?"
Kaede considered her words carefully, not wanting to provoke his temper. "I was just thinking about your tail earlier. Were you born with it?"
"Of course," Kakarot replied annoyed and tired. "Do you want to keep wasting my time with any other questions?"
"I'm sorry, it's just... all I have are these horns that get me teased and called names. I hate feeling so weak and helpless when the bullies come around. You're lucky to be so strong, Kakarot."
Kakarot let out an impatient huff. "I'm not just lucky, I work constantly to become stronger. You seem content to remain weak. Why do you let those weak idiots tease you when you could easily fight back? Pathetic."
Kaede recoiled at the thought. "I...I don't want to hurt anyone," she said haltingly. "I just want to be left in peace. My horns already make me a target..."
"Spineless. You'll always be prey until you stand up for yourself."
His cold words sent a chill through Kaede. She lay silently reflecting until exhaustion began clouding her thoughts. Finally, Kaede whispered "Goodnight, sleep well" up to the unseen boy on the bunk above.
She heard a single scoff as a response before all movements ceased above.
'Maybe he was right about a few things' she thought as his bitter lesson still echoed in her mind.
Despite it all, she was glad to be able to have a conversation with Kakarot for once.
Kaede smiles slightly to herself before closing her eyes.
Well that's the first chapter of my first fanfiction. I finally stopped procrastinating and got it done. What do you guys think?
This chapter is more of setting everything up that's why there isn't as much dialogue. Hopefully for the next chapters I can change that.
I was gonna make 2 chapters before I posted this one but I decided I wanted to hear feedback quickly. Please leave reviews to help me improve the storyline.
Hopefully I don't abandon this story. I know how I want the story to end so let's see if I can pull it through. I am a massive procrastinator by the way.
