Andrew sat in his room, staring at his hands.
He was eight years old, and something was wrong. Or maybe something was right. He couldn't tell anymore.
The memories had started three months ago. They vague at first flashes of images, sounds, feelings that didn't belong to him. A world of technology and stories. A life where people watched shows about warriors with incredible powers. A world where Dragon Ball was fiction.
But now, those memories were becoming clearer.
I wasn't always Andrew Hayado. I was someone else. From somewhere else.
He remembered sitting on a couch, watching Goku transform into a Super Saiyan for the first time. Remembered the excitement, the awe. Remembered thinking, I wish I could be that strong.
And now?
Now he had a tail. A tail he carefully kept hidden under his clothes. A tail that felt natural, that responded to his thoughts, that was undeniable
I'm a Saiyan.
The realization should have been impossible. Ridiculous. But deep in his bones, he knew it was true.
Andrew stood and moved to the window, looking out at the quiet neighborhood. His younger brother Issei was playing in the yard below, energetically chasing butterflies with a wooden sword.
Issei doesn't have a tail. Mom and Dad are normal humans. Which means…
He was different. Special. And with those past life memories came knowledge of what Saiyans were, what they could become, the transformations they could achieve.
But this isn't the Dragon Ball world. This is somewhere else. So what am I doing here?
A knock on his door pulled him from his thoughts.
Mrs. Hayado: "Andrew? Dinner's ready."
Andrew: "Coming, Mom."
He wrapped his tail more securely around his waist, hidden beneath his shirt, and headed downstairs.
[Dinner Table - That Evening]
The Hayado family ate together, as they always did. Issei was telling an animated story about his day at daycare, and their parents listened with patient smiles.
Andrew was quiet, picking at his food, lost in thought.
Mr. Hayado: "Andrew? Everything okay you'd Normally be on your 6th plate by now He teased
Andrew looked up, forcing a smile.
Andrew: "Yeah, Dad. Just thinking about school stuff."
His father didn't look entirely convinced, but he nodded and returned to his meal.
They've done so much for me. Kept my secret, raised me as their own. The least I can do is not burden them with things they can't understand.
He touched his side subtly, feeling where his tail was wrapped securely beneath his shirt.
They know I'm not normal. And I guess that's enough .