I'm here to upload another story. It's not my original idea, but I'm adopting this story. I would like to thank WyrmTheFrostDragonSwordsman for permitting me to post it. I've been wanting to write Dragon Ball, and I found the opportunity to do it. I'm looking forward to reliving this legendary series.
The characters are all created by the one and only, Akira Toriyama.
The boy squinted his open to the blinding light of the morning sky. His arms stretched past his head, brushing through his dark palm-tree hair, piping out a light, adorable yawn. His onyx eyes idly traced the puffy clouds that hung high in the sky, causing his youthful face to scrunch in confusion. He quickly sat up to blink away the blurriness.
"Huh?" Goku breathed out. When had he decided to sleep outside? That only happened at least twice as far as he could remember.
He couldn't help but gasp at the gaping crater that walled around him. "What happened?" He muttered, completely confused. He climbed to his feet with a slight wobble, his brown-furred tail unfurling behind him.
Worry etched within him as he began to notice the destruction before him. Several trees lay horizontally on the ground; their trunks were snapped in half as if some force had jerked them out of the ground. What once was an area filled with nature's greenery had been marred with craters—or rather footprints—by this mysterious force, replacing the once flourishing foliage.
And that was when it hit him! 'It was the monster that Grandpa warned me about! It must've come back last night!' Came the urgent thought.
He felt fresh air wash against his bare body, causing him to look down with confusion. "But why am I naked?" Goku muttered. He did remember he had to use the restroom last night. Oh well. He can just head back to the hut and fetch an extra set to wear.
Goku quickly turned around before advancing to climb out of the crater-like footprint. The cottage entered his sight on the hill above. How did he get down here? Did the monster throw him down here while he was sleeping? He had to go back up to check on Grandpa!
Goku zipped around his sight, locating an open route up the hill. He then sprung up and swung through the branches, the dense canopy of the surviving trees brushing against him. He knew the trees of this forest like it was his playground, growing up in this environment. His eyes immediately landed on a distinguishing trail to his right.
After running up the slope as fast as he could, Goku made it up the hill. He couldn't hold the gasp as he noticed the gaping hole in the hut's tiled roof. "Oh no…" He trailed as dread overwhelmed him. "Grandpa!" Goku shouted before dashing toward the hut.
He arrived at the front in record time and ripped open the door. Silence greeted him as he surveyed the living space, with the only audible noise being his feet clicking the wooden floorboards through each step.
"Grandpa?" He called out, a quiver present in his voice.
All Goku could detect were the untouched furniture, the Nyoibo that leaned idly against the corner, and from the corner of his eye, the bright orange crystal ball with four stars shining as the sun's rays reflected from its smooth surface. It sat alone on the nightstand beside Grandpa's bed like a prized treasure.
After digging through the drawer and putting on a second set of blue gi, tightening a white sash around his waist, Goku hurriedly scoured the small cottage's interior. He checked every space available that anyone could fit through: under the bed, their wardrobe, and even the storage crate.
And with his heart feeling heavy, his eyes glistened with tears, his dark pupils shaking. Looking at that giant hole above, which allowed the sunlight to seep, along with the lifeless atmosphere that accompanied the place where all his sweet memories with his Grandpa took place, was a red alert. But Grandpa couldn't be dead; he was strong! Someone who could easily fight off those big-toothed tigers alone couldn't be gone like this!
Goku wanted so badly for Grandpa to emerge through the door from an early morning hunt. But it was the only conclusion that came to mind. Not like this! He didn't even get to say goodbye! The salty tears finally slipped from the corner of his eyes as a whimper escaped him. Nearing the side of the bed, Goku knelt with his hands clasped and buried his face into the cushion of his arms.
The sounds of weeping were audible even from outside the cottage. Tears continued to wet his arms as he grieved for the man who raised him. If only Goku had been awake when the monster attacked, Grandpa would still be here—all of his fond sessions of his Grandpa teaching him how to fight sprinkled into his mental imagery. Goku could even reminisce his earliest memories when he opened his young eyes to see Grandpa's face, feeling the worst headache imaginable after a long sleep.
His thoughts traveled to all his time spent with Grandpa replayed in his mind like a montage, eating together after a dragging hunt, playing, and sometimes even sparring.
And now Grandpa was gone.
He pulled away from the pit of his snuggle, wiping away his tears with the shirt of his gi. "Oh, Grandpa," Goku hoarsely muttered with a sniffle, the traces of his tears staining his cheeks.
A gleam from the crystal ball caught the corner of his eye. He turned to look at the shiny object on the nightstand, sitting comfortably on a cushion, staring at the mysterious sphere with wonder. This crystal ball had been Grandpa's prized possession for the longest time. He slowly approached the ball, those four stars on its center ever so highlighted.
It was then that Goku's eyes dilated in realization before softening. "Grandpa…"
Its shine brought him comfort like Grandpa tried to talk to him through the crystalline orb, telling him not to be sad and to get strong for his own sake. Goku nodded to himself with a determined glare. Grandpa wouldn't want him to wallow in sorrow; instead, he should strive to turn any loss into an experience to make him stronger. That was what Grandpa had told him at one point.
A loud bellow resounded within his belly, causing young Goku to cast his gaze to his stomach with his mouth parted into a small 'o'. It was morning, and he couldn't start his day without filling his stomach. His eyes returned to the orb, throwing a nod. "I'm going out to fish, Grandpa! I'll bring back the biggest one I can find from the river for us to enjoy together!"
He spun around and bolted out the exit, not forgetting to seal the door on his way. Goku trekked down the path with an air of melancholy in his stride. Goku's smile disappeared as he recalled his Grandpa walking with him on this same path every morning for a hunt. He would always eagerly sprint ahead to the river below with his Grandpa trailing close behind.
Things won't be the same after this day.
Goku soon reached the narrow body of flowing water, traversing in a seemingly endless stream. His dark eyes scanned the waters with a squint, the reflecting sunlight obscuring any visible shadowy outlines in the water.
He turned away and soon dipped his tail in the water, flicking the tip underwater as he did. Maintaining his senses as he waited for a bite, the wildlife continued their daily routine as if a monster attacking the area of this forest had not occurred. Goku thought it would scare away all the animals, but it appeared it had moved on far already.
He blinked as his tail detected the advancing movement of an animal. Goku swung his tail out of the water, seemingly centimeters away from getting his tail bit as a gigantic fish vaulted above the water in a splash. After executing a skillful twist, Goku quickly shifted his foot behind him with a slight bend before making a lightning-fast leap and landing a clean strike against the tuna's jaw. The fish's eyes rolled back upon impact.
Minutes later, Goku was hauling the catch up the hill over his shoulder, humming a tune without a care in the world. He switched his cheerful gaze to the dead fish with a short laugh. "Hehe, what a lucky catch! Grandpa is going to be so proud!"
As Goku was grinning, he suddenly felt a rushing wave blow from above, causing his steps to pause. Shortly after, he heard a strange noise. He looked up towards the sun, trying to see through its glare, hoping to identify the source of the noise. However, he couldn't make out anything. His grin quickly turned into a frown, puzzled and concerned about what was happening.
He blinked in surprise once a speck in the air formed into view, rapidly falling as its features became more apparent. Goku gasped, recognizing the figure. "Something is falling, and the noise is a scream! But why does it sound so weird?"
Panic soon overflowed him once he realized the descending figure was rapidly approaching him from above, getting ready to tumble on him. His catch was going to get ruined if he didn't do anything!
Exerting his surprising strength for his size, Goku swung the fish by its tail before tossing it away with a grunt. A split second later, the descending figure crashed upon him in a violent shake, triggering a wave of dust and dirt to disperse around the area.
With a pained groan, Goku blinked his eyes open, his vision clouded and dazed from the collision. Another groan resounded somewhere beside him. He craned his neck to the source, almost cross-eyed as he tried to regain his senses.
Once his vision cleared, he instantly noticed the cluster of black hair on the figure's head, and he was almost afraid they could be pointy. The creature's eyes shut, looking no worse for wear than him. A sense of wonder soon bloomed within him, bubbling into joy.
'It's another human! This person must be traveling around here! Oh man, this is so exciting! Okay, I just got to follow Grandpa's advice and be welcoming, and then maybe we can be friends!'
He spiked in alert once the person's eyes snapped open. Two sets of onyx eyes met each other, and with a gasp, the person quickly shoved herself off of him with wide, frantic eyes, crawling back a distance.
Goku sat up, noticing two sharp bangs framing her face when he got a good look at her. He greeted the stranger with a wide smile. "Hey, you're my age!" Goku exclaimed, seemingly oblivious to her predicament.
The person didn't respond to him, frantically bouncing her eyes across the site. Her eyes stopped in his direction before narrowing into a fierce glare. "You!" She hissed.
Goku blinked before a hand speedily reached toward him and snatched him by the collar of his gi. The boy could only respond to her scowl with equal ferocity as his leg automatically shot up toward her chin.
She felt the wind produced from the kick blow against her face as she tilted her head to weave it. Her arm shot forward, and her palm plowed against Goku's chest, knocking the wind out of him as he was forced at a distance across her. His feet drew twin rivers in the soil.
"Woah, you're fast!" Goku uttered breathly, wishing he carried along Grandpa's Nyoibo.
"Answer the question: where am I?" She harshly spoke with a grunt, barring her teeth.
"Mount Paozu," Goku replied blankly after a quick recovery.
Bewilderment took over her features. 'Mount…Paozu? Never heard a name like that before,' She thought before shaking it off, her glare returning.
"No, not that! I need to know the way to the nearest city. If you don't tell me anything, I'll smash you to the ground." She snarled, her glare hardening. "I don't mind either way."
"But there's no city around here for miles." He replied earnestly, his excitement for a new partner vanishing. It was a bit disappointing this new visitor wanted to leave already. "I never wandered off that far myself."
The mysterious stranger steeled her gaze and studied him for a prolonged moment. Her glare then began to soften, taking him as a non-threat. She relaxed her feral stance, and silence erupted from her, not knowing how to proceed.
Her eyes wandered to the sky, only for her jaw to drop at its bizarre hues; how could she not noticed it sooner? It was so blue, vivid, and vibrant in contrast to the lime-yellow sky she was used to, ornamented by white gusts hovering overhead. There was no way the sky could suddenly change so dramatically. She looked to the surface adorned by foliage beneath her feet, unlike the gusty brown surface of her home. She also noticed that she felt weightless. Her stomach dropped in realization; this was not Sadala.
Goku held his stare laced with intrigue at his unsuspecting visitor, maintaining his guard and ready to fight if necessary. Never had he seen another human in his life apart from Grandpa. Although the visitor's appearance did not look like the other beasts in the forest, something about this one was strange. The clothes sure were weird, a brownish body-length robe, seeing a hint of purple trousers beneath the hems. But there was something else.
"Why do you sound weird? Are you sick?"
A tick mark exploded near the stranger's brow. "What do you mean I sound weird!?" She barked back. "And I'm not even sick!"
"But you sound so squeaky."
A feral-sounding growl escaped her in response, "Why you… You sound like a runt yourself!" She retorted, jabbing a finger in his direction.
"That's because I'm not grown up," Goku replied, his skeptical glare remaining on the visitor. "Your face looks so different from mine, and you look skinny, too. Are you sure you're human?"
She nearly choked on her words, "A-a human? What are you—?" A light blush soon flared her cheeks, and she cooly turned her head away with a scoff, eyes closed. "Tch. Idiot. I'm a girl; can't you tell?"
Goku's eyes widened. "A girl? Oh, so that's what you are."
A baffled expression soon replaced her flustered one. "Wait, are you saying you've never seen one before?"
"Well, not really," Goku answered honestly. "Besides my grandpa, you're the only other human I've ever seen."
The girl's face scrunched in confusion, her eyebrow raised. "That word again. What the hell is a human? I'm a Saiyan, not whatever you're talking about."
Goku tilted his head, matching her expression. "Huh, you're saying what?"
"No, you idiot!" the girl snapped at him, wanting to bash his face. "Saiyan! And looking at you, you could be a Saiyan, too."
"I'm not a Saya-whatever," Goku confidently replied before pointing a thumb at himself. "I was born here, so I'm a human being."
"Tch. Spare me. I don't have time for this." The girl commented with narrow eyes and switched her gaze away. She scanned the surrounding area as she turned, wanting to get out of that place and figure out where she was stranded.
As she turned away, a brown-furred appendage swung into view as it curled.
An audible gasp escaped Goku's lips as his eyes popped wide. It's a tail—just a portion of the ending half protruding from her robe's underside hem. The sight nearly knocked him off his feet.
"You have a tail!" Goku exclaimed, pointing wildly behind her.
His shout was loud enough to scare a flock of birds from the coverage of the nearby trees. Even the girl jolted from the boy's sudden cry before she threw him a grimacing glare.
"Don't remind me. Yes, I have a tail. What of it?" She responded daringly with her arms crossed.
Baring a toothy grin, Goku shifted to face sideways from the girl, unraveling his tail from the confines of his gi. "Hehe, I have a tail, too!"
The girl watched dumbfoundedly at the tail proudly swaying above his back. If it was not apparent before, it certainly was now. He was a Saiyan, like her, born with a tail that only appeared once every thousand years, according to legend. She never indulged in any history or legend, nor had she any interest. However, she knew she was supposed to be the only Saiyan alive with a tail.
But this didn't add up. Was that something the legend got wrong? Was this boy banished for whatever reason?
Goku relaxed his posture, oblivious to the girl's stare at him with fascination. "Anyways, my name is Goku." He said, flashing her a thumbs up as he neared her. "Son Goku. What's yours?"
She looked at him with a frown. A Saiyan would not have a name like that if he had been born in Sadala. This boy undoubtedly had no knowledge of his Saiyan origins. However, he matched the rest of her fellow Saiyans' naivety, too trusting and blind in their sense of justice. However, something about him made her want to consider it. He may seem a bit stupid and overly carefree for his own sake. But his outwardly bright and pleasant atmosphere made her want to indulge him.
"Caulifla."
"That's a cool name." He commented with a grin. "So different from my Grandpa Gohan's and my name. Does that mean girls have names of their own?"
Caulifla rolled her eyes with a sigh. "You do live under a rock. Yes, there are names for girls; same for boys."
Goku giggled, "Good to know!" He commented brightly. He proceeded to walk towards the fish lying motionless at a distance.
Goku hoisted the dead fish over his shoulder by its tail. He motioned his arm invitingly, "Come on! I'll show you the way to Grandpa's hut. I got this tasty fish to cook if you want to try some. Grandpa once told me that if I ever meet a girl, I should be nice to her."
For the first time since she fell from the sky, a smile curled Caulifla's lips, although a small one. Well, she was hungry, and she couldn't say no to that. She trailed behind Goku with her arms crossed as they hiked up the slope path.
"Well, then. Your old man sounds like an okay guy. Did he raise you?"
"Yep," Goku said affirmatively. His smile then dropped once the dreary reminder returned. "He died last night, though. A giant monster invaded our home. You won't get to meet him."
Caulifla's eyes widened at his words. "Last night?" she muttered before glancing at his tail. "Does this planet have a moon, by any chance?"
Another famous detail regarding the legend of the tailed Saiyan in Sadala was that the tailed Saiyan could transform into a mindless beast called the Oozaru. It would only happen under the conditions when the Saiyan would stare into the moon when it's aligned at an angle for the neighboring star to shower it in all its light facing the night sky.
Caulifla could recall waking up in her brother's chambers in the headquarters of Sadala's Defense Force after a blank night.
Goku tilted his head once more as he stared ahead blankly, actually taking note of her stutter. "Huh? I mean, there's the moon in the sky every night. But what's a planet?" He replied.
Caulifla sighed in frustration. Of course, he didn't know. "A planet is another word for world."
Goku snapped up in realization. "Does that mean you're from another world!?"
Caulifla wasn't one to be emotional, but her chest tightened at Goku's obliviousness to the tail's nature as they continued their trek up the mountain. It was not difficult for Caulifla to connect the dots and conclude that Goku, as the Oozaru, was the culprit for his grandpa's death. Would that mean she had to break the ice and tell Goku the truth? What a pain it was. Of course, she could pretend to be shocked and play with whatever scary story Goku bought.
She refused to yield to his grandpa's white lie. If Caulifla would describe one of the things that piss her off the most in any world, it's lying, no matter the intention.
For once in her life, Caulifla pondered her words carefully. "Hey, Goku. You remember when I told you I'm a Saiyan, right?"
"Huh?" He turned to look at her with a blank face. "Oh yeah, you did. What's a sapien, though?"
Caulifla looked at him with narrowed eyes. "For the last time, it's Sai-yan!"
Goku sweatdropped under her glare. "Whoops, sorry! Hehe, I'm not good at remembering confusing names." He responded, rubbing his head with a chuckle.
Caulifla let out a breath. Oh heavens above Sadala, this boy will be the death of her.
"But you said I was one, right?" Goku quickly added.
"Yep. It means that you and I are not from here." Caulifla responded before shooting her gaze past the clouds. "We're from another world called Sadala."
Goku looked to the sky in awe. "Woah. Grandpa couldn't ever guess I was an alien when he found me. But how do you know that I'm a Saiyan, though?"
Caulifla clicked her tongue. "We Saiyans have specific traits. We have dark, spikey hair, and our eyes are the same color. Let me ask you this. Has your hair ever changed since you were born?" She goaded, raising an eyebrow suggestively to Goku.
Goku kept his blank stare fixated ahead of him as he continued to haul the scaly carcass. "Well…. I never thought about it. I can't remember anything when I was a baby, but I remember always having my hair like this since I woke up with a bad headache that day."
She raised an eyebrow at that. 'Bad headache?' she thought, placing that aside as a reminder to ask later. "Of course. Saiyans will always have the same hair we were born with. It will never grow longer, nor will it lose shape." Caulifla added matter of factly.
"No wonder I can never get my hair to fall down even after diving in the water, now that you mentioned it." He said, scratching at the corner of his head.
Caulifla couldn't help but smile. Was he starting to believe he was a Saiyan? "And not to mention, we both have tails like this. Get the picture?" She expressed, stirring her tail for Goku to see.
Pressing his baby-fat fingers to his chin thoughtfully, Goku hummed, "Hm… does that mean humans don't have tails? My grandpa was a human, and he didn't have one."
A quiet grumble throttled from her. While she did have a tail, no other Saiyan back in Sadala had one. Caulifla couldn't speak about humans because she had never met one. She could deduce that they looked similar to Saiyans after Goku had mistaken her for one.
"Saiyans back at home don't have tails; I'm a special case," Caulifla said, casting her bitter gaze to her feet as she walked.
"How come?" Goku replied.
"Let's just say I'm the first Saiyan to be born with a tail in a long time, okay?" Caulifla huffed, a vein throbbing behind her brow. Her eyes scrunched with a scowl as she kept her face forward, feeling Goku's studying gaze from beside her. She waited longer than she hoped until the boy finally uttered a response.
"If you say so."
She turned to look out from the slope, her eyes widening at the sight before her as she hiked. This was the first time she got to see the landscape in full view, only that it was littered with craters and monstrous footprints in the field below, while over a dozen trees had snapped off their roots. Was this the damage the Oozaru of a weaker Saiyan could do when left unchecked by stronger adult Saiyans?
They soon reached the top of the hill, where a hut appeared in view. Caulifla had never seen a building with a layout like this, so distinguishable from Sadala's. She shifted her gaze to see a small water well in the yard. The place looked nice enough to live a quiet life in contrast to the luxurious cityscape in which she grew up. She could dig it.
That hole in the roof was noticeable like a mortal wound.
Goku smiled wide at his humble abode. "Finally! Let me set up a fire so we can cook this. I'm starving!" He exclaimed before rushing forward with the dead fish in tow.
Caulifla watched Goku set the fish near the porch before he disappeared behind the corner of the small building. She contemplated how she could proceed to relay to Goku the truth. And she could only sigh, wondering how she wanted to look after this boy when she had met not even an hour ago.
He reappeared from the back, looking down disappointed. "Ah, darn. Our wood must have gotten lost when the monster attacked," he complained frustratingly before shifting his focus to the wrecked forest. "Guess I have to go back down for some more firewood."
After grabbing a saw, Goku looked at Caulifla. "I'll be back! Try to make yourself comfortable," he called out, waving at the Saiyan girl when he stepped down the slope.
Caulifla observed Goku's hair, resembling a palm tree, bouncing in sync as he walked down the path. While waiting in boredom, she sat on the ridge of the well and pondered the sudden changes in her life. She had decided to steal a tasty load of meat from a food stand only to run into some blue lady and a fat purple cat. An instant later, she was falling from the atmosphere of this rock before she could even process her predicament.
A slight pang struck her heart as she wondered if she were out of reach from her home. Caulifla shook her head as more bitter memories resurfaced in her mind. She decided to stop thinking about Sadala as everyone she knew there saw her as an anomaly or a potential weapon to be used for the defense force.
After a while, Caulifla perked up when she heard the sound of something grinding against the dirt path over the slope. She turned to see Goku rising from the hill on top of a log as it rolled, happily hopping on his feet to keep balance.
Goku hopped off the log when he reached the yard. "I'm back!"
Caulifla looked on dumbfounded, with her mouth slightly parted. Here she was, brooding over her past life in Sadala, and there was Goku—having lost the man who raised him—sporting that happy-go-lucky grin.
Caulifla tilted her head as she watched Goku bend his legs, his arms trembling with his fists clenched when he looked at the log with a determined glare. He stretched his right leg to the side, grunting loudly, making Caulifla even more confused.
"What are you doing?" she asked, mistaking his actions as some dancing ritual.
The girl flinched when a sudden shout from Goku resounded as he stretched his arms before gripping the log and tossing it into the air. Goku immediately dropped into a wide stance. One that Caulifla never saw from any Saiyan soldier. Goku shot into the air and punched the flying log hard with enough force for the log to explode into planks.
Caulifla's jaw parted as the cube-like planks fell into a neat stack before Goku, who landed gracefully on his feet. She rushed to his side. "What did you just do?" She asked frantically, clutching his shoulders.
Goku rubbed at his neck, "Grandpa taught me this. It's called martial arts."
Caulifla shot a brow up pointedly. "Really? I never saw a style like this before, even from the soldiers." She thought out loud. Her eyes bore into his, allowing Goku into her intense onyx pools. "You have got to teach me this."
Her tone was just above a whisper, but her eagerness was evident; it caught Goku off guard. His blood burned with excitement at the implication of a sparing partner. "Sure, why not?" He then turned to the fish. "But we can't train when I'm hungry, though. How about we eat, and then we get to spar?"
Caulifla shot him a competitive grin, "You're on!"
A while later, Goku and Caulifla sat across each other as the fish roasted above the dancing flames between them. Goku exhaled a relieving breath, slanting his body so his arms acted as support. He turned to Caulifla to give her his bright smile.
"So, what part did we stop?"
Caulifla faced him with a puzzled stare. "Hm?"
"Y' know, about our tails and how I'm supposed to be a…uh… Saiyan!" Goku replied with a shot-up finger, rubbing the back of his head with a giggle. "Did I get it right?"
Caulifla couldn't help but return his grin, all above contagious. "Congratulations," she said before shooting him a smirk. "You passed the test of not being dumb."
Goku pouted, "Hey, I'm trying my best here!" A muffled giggle was audible when he noticed her looking away, pressing her palm over her mouth. He couldn't help but smile and laugh back. "What was that?"
Caulifla turned to him with a playful grin, "It's called joking."
"Oh, is it when you say funny things?"
Caulifla couldn't stop the snickering from escaping her. "So you're not as dense as I thought as well."
"Grandpa Gohan did tell me about many things," Goku said proudly.
"Is that so?" She trailed, her smile dropping when she looked at the fire. She could see how Goku's eyes sparkled as he spoke about his Grandpa Gohan. Caulifla turned to look at him again, looking a bit more serious. "So, what's the last thing you remember doing last night?" She earnestly spoke.
The boy's smile slowly disappeared, staring at her blankly. "The last thing?" He repeated with confusion. He faced the fire in front of him. "I was doing the potty outside."
"Potty?" she replied incredulously.
Goku nodded with a grin. "Yup! I couldn't hold it in, so I had to go outside. I wanted to come back inside fast because my grandpa warned me the monster would come out on a full moon, so I should not go outside on those nights. After I finished, I couldn't help but see how amazing the full moon looked. Then I remember waking up in the destroyed forest without my clothes on."
Caulifla looked with a distant gaze. "It happened to me once, too. I was outside at night, and there was a full moon. I only saw it before I instantly blacked out, and all I could remember was waking up at my brother's place the next morning. Then I learned that a portion of the city was destroyed."
Caulifla dipped her head, adorning an expression that confused Goku. "I'm going to come straight forward about this to you, Goku. I know about this monster."
Goku looked at her with worry, her tone setting unease within him. "What do you mean?" he replied with sincerity.
Caulifla took a deep breath. Here goes. "When a tailed Saiyan looks at a full moon, the Saiyan will transform into an Oozaru. It's a famous story in the legend."
"Oozaru…." Goku muttered thoughtfully. All he could hear alongside Caulifla's words was the thump in his chest. "That's how Grandpa described it."
She turned to look at him with a stoned face. "The tailed Saiyan will lose all sense of thought and reason as an Oozaru, not even remembering anything they do in that state."
Goku listened intently to every word she spoke while his mind had been in a swirling twister. Her story was oddly similar to his. Slowly, Goku's eyes widened when the shocking revelation glowed bright in its horror before him. His heart suddenly stopped when he stared into nothing, unmoving.
Tears welled in his eyes before they trickled down his cheeks. 'I… killed Grandpa Gohan?'
Caulifla looked at him from the corner of her sharp eyes, her face composed while expressing stoic sadness for the boy. The boy's neck hung down, bringing his blurring gaze to his knees.
A shuddering breath vented out of him. All this time, Grandpa had been warning Goku about himself. Goku was the monster, and Grandpa likely knew it. His eyes tracked down to his tail, curled beside his legs. If this tail had been the cause he turned into the giant beast that killed his Grandpa, then he didn't want it! What if he would end up killing other people because of it?
Goku abruptly stood up, harshly clutching his tail with both his hands. His cheeks and mouth drooped at the feeling of utter weakness, but he didn't care; this tail was coming off. He forcefully gritted his teeth, exerting force against his tail with a shout.
A loud snap resounded as Caulifla's jaw dropped as wide as it could when she witnessed the action. 'He just ripped…!'
There stood Goku, the tail dangling above his head in his grasp. His mouth was open in a relieving grin, and his eyes were full of tears. Grandpa Gohan was gone, but he was glad he received a form of closure. He tossed the ripped appendage to the side, allowing it to fly over the ledge and descend to the forest below. He weakly fell to his haunches, his shoulders raising with each breath. He tiredly steered his head to face Caulifla, who continued to hold him under a look of absolute astonishment.
Goku's lips curved a smile under his wet eyes. "Hehe. Now I won't have to worry about the full moon," he said in solace.
Caulifla remained speechless. Goku had torn out his tail, the single trait rare enough to be considered a legend in present-day Sadala. The shock soon melted into awe, impressed that the boy would have the guts to tear off a part of his body that he thought would be a painful reminder of the tragedy despite the pain in doing so.
"Aren't you going to pull out your tail, too?" Goku asked.
Caulifla flicked her eyes to her tail. She began to reflect on her life in Sadala. While she never killed anyone in her mindless state, due to the adults being absurdly powerful compared to her, everyone forced expectations on her thanks to this tail.
This damned tail.
Theories were hatched that Caulifla could be trained to control the Oozaru's killer instincts. Everyone, even her brother, had wanted her to grow into a weapon of justice for the defense force, hoping to be Frost's greatest asset in defending planets from powerful invaders. She never liked that Frost, even after being fed how much of a heart full of empathy and compassion he had for the weak and the helpless.
Why was she unfortunate to be born with the weight of the legend on her shoulders?
Her face switched to bitterness at the tail. Even the other kids were much stronger than her, teasing her for her lack of strength. She was the weakest Saiyan to be born in Sadala. But so what? She desired to be stronger than anyone there and would be so without this tail to spite them all.
Raising the hems of her long robe, Caulifla gripped her tail and her strength was already being sapped. She powered through the searing pain from the base of her back. She heaved heavily when she held the now detached tail before her. She tossed the limp appendage over the cliff in the same manner as Goku before collapsing to her haunches as well.
She turned to the boy with a grin, who mirrored her expression in return.
Later on, after roasting the fish, devouring the roasted flesh, and the body was reduced to bones, Goku and Caulifla stared down at one another a distance away from the hut, moving on to their promise dual. Ecstatic grins overtook both faces as they readied themselves into stances, their hair swaying along the morning breeze.
Caulifla was the first to charge, approaching Goku for a head-on attack, her first raised as she roared a battle cry. Goku widened his eyes at the sudden burst of speed. 'So that's how fast she moves!' He thought just before he narrowly weaved a punch from Caulifla thanks to his sharp reflexes from his constant training with Grandpa.
Goku's jaw fell at the brute strength he could feel from the air around the girl's extended limb over his shoulder. She was strong! Stronger than any wild animal he encountered in the wilderness just by this single punch thrown! Could she be as strong as Grandpa?
Goku twisted his body and flew a kick, which Caulifla caught by cushioning her arm against his leg to her hip. Goku gasped as he was whisked around and was tossed at a hurling pace. Goku grits his teeth as he forces himself to flip upright for his feet to scrape against the ground. Goku looked up with wide eyes before he hopped away as Caulifla swooped down and stomped both her feet against that very spot, puncturing a webbed crack on the surface.
Goku backpedaled a distance, whipping out his Nyoibo and aiming one end of the weapon at the girl. "Extend!" he shouted.
The red staff stretched rapidly toward Caulifla, who froze in disbelief at how such an object could exist. She raised both her arms to form an intertwined barricade to feel the tip punch against her wrists. Caulifla's teeth clenched upon contact, and she was pushed against the pole's trajectory and smashed against the cliff face.
Caulifla gagged a breath from the collision before thrusting the extended weapon aside. Caulifla bounded forward, and detecting Goku preparing for another counter, she phased down to her fours and avoided another swipe from the magical staff.
Goku's eyes darted down to see Caulifla just by his feet, looking up at him with a feral grin before she launched upwards and connected a hard strike to his jaw. Goku was surprised that he could feel this much pain from any strike.
Goku was launched to a distance with a groan, rubbing at his jawline. He sat up to see an extended hand above him, gazing up to see Caulifla shining down at him with a grin.
"Looks like I won this round." Caulifla proclaimed.
Goku pouted, grabbing for Caulifla's hand for her to help him to his feet. "No fair. How are you this strong? And I'm pretty strong myself."
Caulifla blinked at the Saiyan boy. Had he called her strong? That was the first time any kid told her that. She would challenge anyone her age to a fight, only to get knocked to the ground from a single punch. She looked down at their hands that remained clung together.
"You did put up a good fight, yourself. But no, I'm not strong. I'm pretty weak by Saiyan standards." She replied with a weak grin.
Goku returned her gaze with one of disbelief. "Really?"
Caulifla nodded. "I-it's pretty hard to believe, huh?" She said lightheartedly before shooting a look at him. "But it doesn't mean we have to be weak. How about another round?"
Goku stared at her before nodding his head with a determined grin. "You're on."
When Caulifla first entered the cottage, she marveled at the mysterious shining sphere with four stars plastered in the center on a cushion on a furniture stand. Curious, she was about to grab for it only for an angry Goku to smack away her hand, scolding her that the ball contained Grandpa Gohan's spirit. Only he was allowed to touch it, much to Caulifla's confusion and annoyance.
From that day on, Goku and Caulifla came to an unspoken agreement to stick together. Daily, one would hunt while the other prepared the fire. In addition to sparring after meals, Goku taught Caulifla martial arts exercises handed down from his beloved late Grandpa Gohan.
Goku was so happy to meet someone he could relate to, especially soon after Grandpa's death. Grandpa had been his ultimate caretaker growing up, and Goku will forever do anything for his honor. Now, Caulifla was with him, filling the void in his heart. She was a fun sparring partner, but it would be even better if he could eventually reach to match her in combat. Although Goku was the more skilled fighter, Caulifla's speed and brute force more than made up for it. It was still confusing how she was so much stronger than him.
Caulifla responded with a theory that the gravity in this world was lower than this Sadala she spoke of, which was why there was a gap in strength. Whatever that meant. It mattered nothing to Goku. In time, Goku would strive to match her, and their fights would be even more exciting!
Living in the hut had become a monotonous routine for the two children, consisting only of daily hunting and sparring. Nine months passed seamlessly, the day starting with Goku going for a hunt at the river.
I won't be changing Goku's character from canon, although he might have other developments, being a bit smarter than portrayed in canon (looking at you, DBS). Caulifla here will, of course, have her own development here. I won't go into details, though. As you can see I nerfed her heavily for obvious reasons.
If you made it to the end, then thank you for reading.