Child of the Storm
The End and the Beginning



 A sleek, spherical Saiyan pod broke through the layer of atmosphere
that covered the Earth like a warm blanket.  It’s occupant rested
motionless in suspended animation.  The stars winked at this new
presence and the sun blazed brightly for the world called Earth that was
third from its fiery embrace.  The pod glowed red hot from the friction
of penetrating the Earth’s atmosphere and with a wailing of air and a
storm of static, it crashed into the Pacific Ocean with such force that
the water receded from around the point of impact, the land curled up
and screamed like a wounded animal.  Then all was motionless and silent
for an instant, the hissing of steam and evaporating ocean water across
the hot hull of the ship the only sound audible in the vast crater.
Then the apparently seamless hull of the craft began to open, letting
out an ominous hiss of steam.  Arashiko stepped out, stretching from the
long journey of being cramped in the tiny pod.  The Namecks had done
their best to reconstruct and repair the Saiyan pod, but their
technology was drastically different and the pod was less than maximum
comfort.

 Arashiko only hoped that he was here, that she had finally found him.
The Prince.  Her cerulean blue eyes searched the horizon of the planet
that was totally alien to her, the Earth.  She rapped her slender tail
around her waist and admired the blue sky, which was a great contrast to
the yellow brilliance of the skies of Nameck.  The gentle wind made her
long, blue-black hair trail out, chasing the streamers of the breeze
that echoed by.  Her body was covered with plates of dark blue and black
armor patched together with another kind of armor borrowed from the
Dragon Clan on Nameck, it almost looked like the tough plates found on
the backs of scarab beetles.

 It’s not like Nameck, but it is beautiful. Arashiko thought to
herself.  She could look at the planet later, her first priority was to
find the Prince, years of searching had led up to this moment and she
had no time to admire scenery.  She closed her eyes and concentrated,
remembering the teachings of the Nameck Dragon Clan Elders.

 Clear your mind, free your soul, and release all anger.  True power can
only be felt with one’s heart.

 She reached out and felt for the powers that resided on the planet, a
technique that had taken years to master since her Saiyan race had
always relied on technology to seek out the power of the ones they
sought.  Arashiko’s eyes widened in shock as she felt an immense power,
alien but familiar at the same time.

 That has to be the Prince!!  Only the son of Vegeta could manage such a
power level!!  She blazed with wild excitement at finally finding him.
Wasting no words, she quickly pressed a button on the ship’s controls on
her forearm and closed the hull into a tiny bulb, safe from the
elements.  None could crack the sealed hull, her ship was safe until she
returned to it.  Arashiko breathed in the crisp air as it began to
quiver around her body.  Lightening blue streaks of energy began to
crackle along her slender form and jump out erratically in the air.
With a burst of energy and joy, Arashiko sped off in the direction of
where she would find her destiny.



 Miles pass within the blink of an eye as the Saiyan advances on her
destination, her long journey finally coming to an end.  Finally she
sees something, a vague form in the mists of the early morning far down
below.  Her heart skips a beat when she sees him fully exposed in the
early rays of dawn.  The mists wrap around his muscular form and the
upward waft of his dark black hair.  Cold light illuminates his taut,
proud features that are bent in extreme focus as he takes a fighting
stance, one hand leveled behind and one in front for defense, coal black
eyes set in deep determination.

 He is no longer the boy I once knew, but a man! And a handsome man at
that!  Just like his father...  Arashiko flinched as tears gathered in
her eyes.  Years had passed and her failure still carried a bitter,
painful sting.  If only I could have gotten to him in time!!  Damn
Frieza!!!  The burden of years came back to weigh upon her heart, never
ceasing, never relenting.  She was loyal to King Vegeta and she was
loyal to his son.  No time to cry about it now!!  You’ve seen too much
and waited too long to let your emotions take control of you now!!
Arashiko scolded herself.  Saiyan Warriors don’t cry!!  She thought
harshly as she tore the tears away with her fingers.

 Arashiko stopped again as she saw someone else below.  It was a tall
youth with a slenderly muscular build and light lavender hair.  He also
possessed the same determined look.  He was bent in an offensive
fighting stance, mouth wide yelling a terrific battlecry.  Arashiko
gasped as the young man charged at the Prince, executing a skillful
series of quick kicks and punches almost too fast for the naked eye to
follow.

 He’s attacking the Prince!!!  Arashiko shouted and thought at the same
time, words leading into action as she rushed downward to help Prince
Vegeta.  Vegeta and the youth separated again and took stances.  They
both jumped back in surprise as Arashiko landed in between them facing
the lavender-haired teen.  Arashiko focused all her energy to her hands,
the blue-white sparkle of power rippling over her whole body and
converging at her fingertips.  I lost him once, I won’t lose him
again!!  With a cry of fury, she released the energy into a brilliant
focused beam that sped towards the youth.

 A look of confusion made the youth’s eyes widen to their fullest as he
shouted out a string of confused words, “What the...!!!”

 Vegeta stared forward at the figure that was illuminated by the blast
of energy coming from it, confusion and surprise freezing him
momentarily.  From his angle he couldn’t see the cloaked form, just a
wave of long black-blue hair that billowed out behind it and the immense
beam that shot out from the figure’s fingertips.  He shot forward to
stop the being, whoever it was, and stopped dead in his tracks when the
figure turned around.  She was shockingly beautiful, blue eyes diving
deep into his own.  And she had a tail!!!

 She was a Saiyan!!



 Torunksa backflipped to the right to dodge the incoming beam, which
cast a cold light upon the world of dawn.  The beam skimmed by, sending
his lavender hair flailing across his face.  The strands of energy
pulled off from the main beam and burned the skin on his back, sending a
tingling sensation through his wrists.  Somehow, he had escaped the
massive beam unscathed.  That was too close for comfort!!  He thought as
he stood up to try and see the person who threw the beam.  The dark,
shrouded figure advanced slowly towards his father, on what seemed like
an attack vector.  Torunksa saw the look on his father’s face, Vegeta
was completely in awe of something.  Torunksa rushed forward to help
him.  Surprised by whatever it was, his father wouldn’t be able to see
an attack coming.  Torunksa was ready to rush in with as much force as
he could muster when Vegeta held his hand up in the air, halting him
with a quick, stern, “Wait!” as he turned his eyes towards his son with
an almost angry glare.  Trunks stared on as Vegeta allowed the figure to
approach him.

 Arashiko slowly reached her hands towards Vegeta’s stunned face.  She
could not believe that this was actually happening, that she had finally
found him after years of searching and suffering.  Was it just another
dream or delusion created to torture a desperate mind?  Finally, the
moment slowed down by the anxiety of years, her hands lay affectionately
on his cheeks.  The dream was real, fantasy was reality.  He is here!
Alive and standing before me!  Arashiko embraced him tightly as Vegeta
tensed, stunned and confused by her unpredictable actions.

 “So long!  So long..,” Arashiko said with charged words as tears
streamed down her face, “ I’ve finally found you...”

 They stood in the embrace for a few moments, Arashiko quietly crying,
and Vegeta dumb-founded by this woman who, out of the blue, decides to
cry on his shoulder.  Arashiko realized how stupid she must have looked
and let go of him.

 “Please forgive me, Prince Vegeta!”, Arashiko kneeled down in front of
him on one knee, “ Your majesty, it has been a long time.”  Arashiko
sniffed and shifted her hand over her face, trying to get rid of the
embarrassing tears.

 Vegeta stood looking down at her, one eyebrow cocked in puzzlement.
“Who are you?”, Vegeta asked, the eternal question.

 Arashiko took a deep breath to regain her composure and began, “I am
Arashiko of the Saiyan Elite Royal Guard, First Class.  I served under
the High King of Vegeta, your father.  We have met before, when you were
younger, much younger.”

 A flash of remembrance hit Vegeta, he had seen her before!!  He could
only remember vague images of her in the background of the royal
entourage.  She had been a soldier and a personal bodyguard for his
father, a soldier of the Planetkiller forces, and ally of himself when
he was very young, only a preteen.  So many memories... most of them
bad.

 Arashiko pulled something out of her capes, a small trinket which she
had waited an eternity to give to the last Prince of Vegeta, her King.
“The king is gone, but he lives on in you.”,  she handed him the
necklace, its blue sheen bright in the morning darkness.  A complicated
but beautiful design radiated from the center of the pendant.  Vegeta
held it in his hand.  He fell to his knees overcome with emotions and
memories when he recognized what it was.  The amulet of the Royal House
that his father once proudly wore shone brilliantly blue in his palms.
Spider web fractures ran from its center.  The amulet had been crushed
by someone and then skillfully pieced back together with great care and
precision, a job that had surely been time consuming.

Arashiko stared at him, full of pride and profound happiness.

 “You are Prince no more, you are the King.”

 Torunksa ran to Vegeta’s side.  “What’s wrong, father?”

 Arashiko gasped silently. Father?!?!  He’s his father??!  Arashiko was
shocked again when she noticed something else, he had no tail!!  What
has happened since I last saw him?

 Vegeta clenched the amulet in his hand tightly, holding it up to his
forehead.  The quiet howl of the wind echoed around them and a long
moment of silence, a moment for the dead, pervaded.  Finally Vegeta’s
solemn voice broke the placid stillness.

 “Come with me,” he said to Arashiko, “ This is no place to talk about
the past.”  Vegeta leaped into the air pulling the wind underneath him
with invisible power.  He took off towards the city.  Arashiko nodded
and followed him.  Torunksa scratched his head in confusion and followed
the two.

 As their forms streaked the sky, Arashiko stole a glance back at the
son of Vegeta.  She could see it now, the resemblance was uncanny.  He
has his father’s determined brow, something they both get from their
forefather, Vegeta.  Arashiko sighed deeply.  He has his eyes.  She
quickly turned away from the youth and stared forward with an angry
look on her face.  Looking at them reminded her of the past, of King
Vegeta and her failure to prevent his murder.  Never again!!  I swear I
will not let it happen again!! I will protect you!!!



* * *



 “I have been searching for you for a very long time, your majesty,”
Arashiko said as she shifted uncomfortably in the alien wooden chairs
inside of the strangely confining dwelling, “It has been almost thirty
years.  I was only seventeen when I served under your father.”

 Vegeta sat back brooding intently in the chair across from her.
Expressions of puzzlement and suspicion crossed his stern face and
danced in the void of his dark eyes.  Torunksa sat farther away, staring
at Arashiko with the glittering eyes of youth.  His puerile eyes were
azure-blue, like hers.

 “How can you look so young after so long a period of time?”, Vegeta
asked, his voice taking on the harsh tone of a viscous interrogator.  He
obviously mistrusted her motives and origins and sought to find the
loopholes in her story.

 “It is a long story, my King, finely tuned with age.” Arashiko replied,
preparing to tell him the tale of a past that was long and trodden hard,
her past.  “Permit me, your highness.” Arashiko implored him as she
gently took his hands and placed them on her temples, “This will help
you see.”

 Vegeta thought of resisting for a second, but then something told him
to listen, to see what she wanted him to.  Vegeta closed his eyes and
cleared his mind.  Through physical contact, he could see her memories,
feel them.  It was an aspect of the Saiyan race that they gained when
they became powerful past a certain extent.  Vegeta prepared himself as
Arashiko took them, as they began....

 . . . falling into the past.

. . . falling.  The End is in the Beginning.

* * *

 Not as far back as childhood, everything was as expected of a Saiyan
there.  Her entire generation was raised to be harbingers of
destruction, agents of pure strength and energy.  But there was
something different about Arashiko, something unique.  She was not like
the other Saiyans who, by the light of the full  moon, turned into giant
beasts known as Ozaroo who leveled entire planets with merely a gentle
sigh.  When the full  moon shined softly on her, she would not change
like the others, she would only change half way, but her power level
increased just as much, even more.  Others saw it as a birth defect, but
she saw it as a gift. . . as did the King.  It did not take long for her
to come to his attention.

 As time slipped past, training and warfare forged her into a warrior of
great skill among the Saiyans.  In no time at all, she answered the call
to be in the Elite, the protectors of the Royal House and the leaders of
the Planetkiller forces, the forces sent out to clear planets of all
life to make ready for sale to the highest bidder.  Alongside Arashiko
the entire time was her brother Zorn, ever strong and vigilant.  Zorn
was always there to watch her back in battle.  They were unbeatable
together in a fight.  She and Zorn were charged with the personal safety
of King Vegeta himself.  Everything changed when the King called her to
his side late one night, to a meeting of great secrecy and importance.

           The door shut automatically behind Arashiko as she stepped
inside the King’s chambers, adorned in her best armor.  The white cloak
of an Elite emblazoned with the crimson symbol of the royal family
draped around her form.  Arashiko almost shivered with anticipation.
What was this meeting about?  Promotion?  Did he think she was finally
ready to become a commander of the Planetkiller forces?  Whatever it
was, it was something important, otherwise Zorn wouldn’t have been so
excited when he told her that the King wanted to see her privately.

            King Vegeta sat alone in a ornately designed chair, the last
rays of the setting sun reflecting over his stern features.  Arashiko’s
hopes began to fade when she saw his solemn expression.  Something was
definitely up, she had been around Vegeta long enough to know his
sincerely angry facial expression from the harsh expression he normally
wore.  Vegeta clutched his chin in deep introspection, covering the dark
brown beard that outlined his straight and strong chin.  He looked like
the statue of the Thinker bent in deep thought, muscles shaped to Greek
perfection with a form that was muscular and large.  Arashiko hesitated,
afraid to break his concentration on whatever thoughts preoccupied him
now.  She finally stepped forward and addressed him formally, crossing
her right arm diagonally over her chest in a military salute, “You
summoned me, my King?”

 “Yes, there is some important business I must discuss with you,” Vegeta
paused, “It concerns Frieza.”

 The simple mention of his name was enough to send pangs of anger
through her.  That damned bastard treated them like they were his
playthings!!  Saiyan might and pride to him were just tools to be forged
to his will.  He used the Saiyans as exterminators, capitalizing on
their destructive power for his own good.  And what’s worse?  They
couldn’t do anything about it!!  Frieza was infinitely more powerful
than even King Vegeta himself!  They had to compromise with him to stay
alive.

 King Vegeta continued on, his deep voice booming, “It’s time to deal
with that bastard once and for all.” Vegeta balled his fists in anger,
“Of all things he chooses to take from us, he can never have my son!!”

 Arashiko stood aghast, “ The Prince?  What!?!  Why??!”

 Vegeta almost hollered out the reply, “It doesn’t matter!!  We’re going
to take action now!  I’ve had enough of living under that tyrant’s
boot!  Frieza thinks he can control the might of the Saiyans, but he is
mortally wrong!”

 “But sire, how do we kill Frieza?”, Arashiko asked, trying to calm him
down and make him think rationally, “He has the Ginyu Tokusentai behind
him, as well as the entire Arquisian Empire.”

 The Arquisians were the reptilian race from Arquisia that provided
Frieza’s growing organization with technology and military support.  One
did not lock horns with them and not loose a limb.  The Ginyu Tokusentai
were the other major threat.  They were Frieza’s own version of the
Saiyan Elite Guard, an army of trained mercenaries and warriors entirely
under Frieza’s beck and call.
 King Vegeta began to grin insidiously, his brow creasing with a hot
glare of anger.  Arashiko straightened a little, when Vegeta smiled, one
ran the other way and did not look back.

 “There is something that can be done, a plan of action that I intend to
follow.  Several teams have been formed already.”

 Vegeta got up from the throne and walked to the back of a room that
adjoined to his main chamber.  He waved his hand over a circular disk in
the center of the starkly decorated war room.  A holographic image of a
red planet encircled with blue and green rings trembled in the air and
then took solid form.  Arashiko immediately recognized the distinctive
rings of planet Arquisia.

 “Each is to be dispatched to one of the six planets that surround
Arquisia under the guise of ambassadorial scouts.”  Vegeta pointed to
three smaller rust-colored planets that orbited around Arquisia.  “They
will simultaneously clear each planet of inhabitants, cutting off
Arquisia from its resources and means of communications.  At their
signal, a main force will disembark from Kalos.”  Vegeta motioned to a
small green planet a distance away from Arquisia.  “At such a distance
from Arquisia, the main force is less likely to be detected by the
Arquisian Empire or Frieza’s lapdogs.”

 This was almost too much for Arashiko to take in at once.  This was a
military briefing, directly from the King himself!  But why brief her at
such a high level?  There must be something else he wanted of her,
something that put everything at stake.  Arashiko’s mind raced,
converting from the introspections of a youth to the analytical mind of
a soldier.  She soaked in every tactical bit of information the King
gave her, recording every detail like a robot.  But of all the answers
she received, she didn’t get the answer to her main question, how do
they cut of the head of the snake, how do they kill Frieza??

 King Vegeta continued on, “With the Arquisian forces occupied, Frieza
will be without military backup from them, he’ll be left partially
unguarded.  It’s the best chance we’ll have to hit him.”  Vegeta turned
to Arashiko and stared straight into her blue eyes, “That’s where you
come in.”

 Arashiko stared at him in surprise, “Your Highness??”

 King Vegeta put a strong hand on her shoulder, “You are one of my
finest and loyal warriors, the only one whom I can trust with such a
mission.  Frieza would be expecting an attack from our ranks, but not
someone in his.”

 Arashiko nodded as her mind began to grasp the intentions of his plan.
A spy!  He wanted someone to get into Freiza’s ranks, and that someone
was her!  The notion was overwhelming to her.

 “We need an informant close to Frieza to tell us when he is going to be
away from Arquisia so that we can attack.”  Vegeta walked over to his
throne and laid a hand over the intricately carved symbol of the royal
family which was the center of the spiraling designs, “If possible, if
you can get close enough,” Vegeta removed his hand from the emblem and
balled it in a tight fist, “ Kill Frieza!!”

 Arashiko froze, eyes wide.  How could she kill someone that powerful??

 Vegeta continued on, aware of her fear, “Frieza would never expect an
attack from his own ranks, he wouldn’t have time to form a proper
defense against a close range attack.”  Vegeta turned to face her, “And
I know you have power.  Others see it as a defect, but it is truly a
gift.  If you cast the Moon Beam and transformed, your Ozaroo form would
stay small enough to not be noticed by the ones that surround Frieza,
and the Moon Beam would make an excellent diversion.  With everyone in
the crowd distracted, you will have the ultimate chance to kill Frieza.”

 Arashiko nodded in numb consent.  This was a heavy burden to bear, a
mission that carried such long lasting implications.  What would happen
if they failed, if she failed?  The all-powerful Frieza would not be
happy!  The Moon Beam was a brilliant diversion though.  The Saiyans
normally used it to simulate the condition of full moon light, with it
they could unlock the destructive force of their race in all its
horrible entirety.  The full moon allows them to transform like the
werebeasts of legend into humongous beings of unimaginable power.  All
they needed to maintain the shattering power of the Ozaroo form was
their tail, one of the distinctive characteristics of the Saiyan race.

 King Vegeta circled around the room anxiously as he spoke, “You are to
leave tomorrow morning, the ship embarks to Frieza’s base at Moon 24.
Once there, you are to report to the Ginyu Tokusentai training area.  We
have learned that Frieza is looking for new additions to the Ginyu.  You
are to work under the guise of being a renegade from the Saiyan Third
Class military units.  Frieza would never trust someone in his ranks
from the upper military classes.”

 Arashiko stood erect, trying to repress the wave of repulsion she felt
at the notion of posing as a Third Class Saiyan.  He wanted her to deny
her very blood and serve, even if only for subterfuge, under the very
tyrant who was the bane of their race all together??  She choked down
the knot of rebellion and discontent that grew in her stomach.  Her
loyalties were only to Vegeta and the King had great wisdom, she should
not question him.  She only worked up the strength and resolve to say. .
.

 “Yes, your Highness.  I will not fail you.”

 King Vegeta nodded knowingly and dismissed her, the blue emblem of the
Royal House gleaming everlasting in the darkness from the amulet that
hung around his neck.
“For the honor and glory of Vegeta.”

* * *

 Arashiko learned that her brother Zorn was to be a part of the main
attack force.  Before she departed the next morning she went to his
quarters and said goodbye.  Zorn clasped her hand in a mighty handshake.

 “Kill that monster for me, sis.  Come back alive.”

 Arashiko smiled at him, assured by his faith in her, “You know I won’t
do anything less.”  She hugged him tightly and let go.  If she didn’t
come back, he would carry on their legacy.

 “You know I’ll always be there to pick you up.” Zorn echoed the words
that he always said to her when he taught her to fight as a small
child.  Arashiko smiled at him warmly.

 Arashiko finished the quote, “ And I’ll be there to throw you back down
again, big brother.” she joked with him, “Good luck and keep safe for
me.”  She waved at him and continued on towards the ship that would fly
her away from everything.

 Zorn quietly watched her go, filled with pride at the thought of his
little sister being chosen for such an important mission.  His faith was
complete in her, he knew she would not fail.



* * *



 Three weeks in a Saiyan pod and now here she was above Moon 24,
Freiza’s base, the heart of darkness.  Dark swathes of mist wrapped
around the moon and held it in an icy grip.  The pod descended down
towards the small, barren planet as the icy swathes of fear gripped her
heart.  Arashiko looked down at herself, the high mantle of a Saiyan
Elite had been stripped away, replaced with the black armor of a Third
Class Saiyan.
 Her identity had been taken too, her very name had to be changed for
the mission, her new name was Kakayun, a low class name.  Arashiko
looked at her trembling hands, now clasped with the dusty black armor of
fear. Her heart  nearly exploded when the pod finally halted with a
clang in the landing dock.  Caution now, anything could fail the
mission, a slight mistake on her part could doom their entire planet.
 The tri-fold door parted at the center and opened to reveal the night
sky above.  Arashiko stepped through the hissing steam of the cooling
spaceship and out onto the deck.  She assessed the area.  Two control
officers in the transportation control room waved her clearance and two
guards on the deck eyed her suspiciously.  Arashiko squinted
rebelliously and strode by them, head held high.  Though she was posing
as a Third Class citizen, she was Arashiko of the Saiyan Elite in her
heart and she still had her dignity.  As she stepped passed the guards,
she caught a snatch of what one of them said after she had walked
further off, “. . . damned monkeys.”  Arashiko stopped walking, her
teeth clenched in anger from hearing the derogative term for her race.
Her fists clenched and trembled, itching to show the guards just what a
“monkey” could do to them.  But Arashiko had to bite back her pride and
anger, a scuffle with the guards would draw unwanted attention to her
and look suspicious.  As she hurried off towards where the Ginyu
Tokusentai training facility was, she could hear the guards cackling
maniacally.  This  mission was going to have its trials.

 Arashiko ducked out of the way as soon as she entered the Ginyu
Tokusentai facility as someone went flying past and slammed into the
door behind her, leaving an imprint in the wall as he slid off.  At the
center of the large, metallic room aliens of various species, shapes,
and sizes gathered around a sparring arena in the middle of the area
hooting and hollering as some voice unknown to her shouted, “Next?”  The
noise suddenly stopped as everyone stepped back away from the arena,
letting Arashiko have a glimpse of the person who caused all the havoc.
It was a female Arquisian standing tall in the middle of the room.  She
pointed to another doomed volunteer and he cowered in the corner of the
ring as the hooting and hollering began again.  Arashiko slipped
unnoticed into the crowd and pushed her way to the front to watch the
action.

 “Hey!!”, someone yelled as she bumped a little too hard into them,
“Watch where the hell you’re going!!”

 Arashiko whirled around to face the rude person but stopped the
rebuttal she had ready for them.  The person who had yelled at her was
another Saiyan!!

 “Wha, whu...you’re a Saiyan?”,  Arashiko asked confused, surprised to
see another of her own race there.

 “Lemme think about that for a second, hmm... let’s see.” the female
Saiyan twitched her tail in front of her face, “Got a tail, moonlight’s
not so good for my complexion....yup!! I sure as hell am a Saiyan!!”

 “You’re from the Third Class?”, Arashiko inquired as she judged by her
dark armor.

 “And what are you, Queen of the World?”, the brute warrior said as she
extended a hand out to Arashiko in friendship, “Name’s Brana, what’s
yours, oh Queen?”

 “Ar. . .”, Arashiko stopped herself just in time.  She wasn’t very good
at this spy thing.

 “What’s that?”, Brana asked for clarity.

 “It’s Kakayun,”  Arashiko said, taking Brana’s extended hand and
shaking it vigorously.  Brana was short, but muscular for a Saiyan.
Feathery bangs hung down around her round face and covered her right eye
while the rest of her dark brown hair tumbled down her back.  Like most
Saiyans, her eyes were a warm, dusky brown.

 “It’s always good to find another Third Class.  Welcome to the Ginyu
training facility, my friend.  The one mopping up in the arena is our
soon to be captain, if you can survive her recruiting process,” Brana
stated as she motioned to the Arquisian on the stage, “Her name’s
Kiaoden.”

 They both flinched as Kiaoden hammered the volunteer she had pulled
into the ring, sending yet another person flying out to greet the hard
metal wall.  All the battling and she had not even broken into a sweat
yet, she was flicking away the would-be recruits like insects.  Arashiko
was staring at the poor soul on the floor when she heard Kiaoden’s gruff
voice call out again, “You!!”  Arashiko turned to look at her as
everyone in the crowd stepped as far away from around her as they
possibly could.

 “M,me?”, Arashiko asked nervously.

 “Yes, you!! You’re here for the recruiting are you not?”, Kiaoden
demanded impatiently.  Brana whispered across to her, “Just put up a
good fight and survive and you’ll make it.”  Brana winked at her
assuredly and motioned for her to go into the ring.

 Arashiko answered assuredly,  “Yes I am.” as she spryly jumped into the
ring.  She knew she could take this Arquisian.  But, she reminded
herself, not too much showing off, you might draw some suspicion that
way.  As a matter of fact, she had never seen an Arquisian this close
before.  Whenever they had shown up to address the King, they had always
worn dark crimson robes that hid their features from prying eyes.  Only
Kiaoden’s pale green skin hinted to Arashiko that her race was
Arquisian.  Kiaoden had a sloping forehead with a crest of small horns
that ridged the center of it.  Two large pointed ears came out from each
side of her head and showed through her long, brick colored hair that
was tied back with two long strands hanging out in front of her face.
Ridges of dark brown skin rested below her eyes, giving their red aspect
a dark and guileful glare.  Her body possessed the muscular manner of a
well trained warrior.  A strange white tattoo was apparent on her right
shoulder.  Arashiko inwardly gasped when she recognized the symbol.  It
was the Royal Family of Arquisia’s symbol!!  The royals of Arquisia were
trained extensively in fighting and energy manipulation techniques.
This fight wouldn’t be as simple as she thought.

 Arashiko ran forward, not giving a warning that she was ready to fight,
hoping to catch the Arquisian off guard.  Arashiko jumped in the air and
twisted her body around to build the momentum for a devastating kick.
Yelling wildly she snapped her leg around and kicked with all her might
while Kiaoden stood her ground, smiling eerily.  Arashiko hoped to kick
the stupid grin right off her face, but as she brought her leg around,
it seemed to pass through Kaioden’s body.  There was a blur, an
after-image in the air and then Kiaoden was behind her.  She was that
fast!!  Arashiko backflipped, executing a double-legged kick as she
narrowly avoided Kiaoden’s intended punch to the back of her head.  The
kick caught Kiaoden in the abdomen and she drew back, swearing. She had
underestimated Arashiko’s reaction time.  Arashiko laughed as she
thought to herself, That’s what a “damned monkey” can do!!  She landed
out of the backflip in a handstand and then used her weight to kip-up
back onto two feet again.

 Kiaoden glared at her, the anger burning in her red eyes as the smile
stretched across her face again.  She shook of the effects of the kick
to the abdomen and stood up straight, raised her arm and dared Arashiko
to attack again with a wave of her fingers.  Arashiko came forward
again, with a punch angled at the side of Kiaoden’s head.  Kiaoden
caught Arashiko’s arm in midair and twisted it over her shoulder,
pulling Arashiko towards her and hammering her chin with an elbow.
Arashiko’s head snapped back from the impact, blood flinging from her
open mouth.  Arashiko fell to the ground in a not so graceful landing.
She wiped the blood away from her mouth with her arm, infuriated by the
sight of it and the fact that she let the Arquisian get a blow in.
Maybe I can show off a little.  Arashiko reconsidered her earlier
opinion about the fight.

 Arashiko flipped back onto her feet and took a defensive stance, both
hands level and ready.  She circled slowly around the ever-confident
Kaioden who angered her further by just standing there grinning.
Arashiko got tired of waiting for her to take the offensive and went at
her again, this time much faster and more carefully.  The movements of
her limbs made a psychedelic blur in the air as Kaioden lightly blocked
her blows.

 “Damn you!!”, Arashiko shouted in frustration as she finally gave up
with physical attacks and resorted to an energy attack, launching a beam
straight at Kiaoden.  Kiaoden dodged the beam and came forward at
Arashiko with a rapid succession of punches and kicks, nailing her in
the stomach with the punches.  Arashiko doubled over but used Kaioden’s
prediction that she would be left vulnerable to fool her.  Instead of
falling to the ground, Arashiko doubled back with a somersault and
jumped into the air, spears of light gathering at her fingertips.
Kiaoden turned the surprise on her when she appeared in front of her,
moving again with speed undetectable by the naked eye.

 “Nice moves, monkey.”, Kiaoden mocked in her face.

 Arashiko yelled insanely at her in fury.  Would they never get tired of
calling her that!!

 Kiaoden bypassed her attacks with a quick movement and brought down a
double-fisted punch onto Arashiko’s back, catching her falling form with
a knee to the midsection.  Stunned by the blows, Arashiko started to
fall back down but Kaioden caught her...by the tail!!  Brana flinched as
Kaioden delivered several hard blows to the back of Arashiko’s head and
neck, knocking her out cold.  She was surprised she had even made it
this far, Kiaoden normally killed a lot of the recruits within five
seconds of entering the arena.  Arashiko fell to the floor, body
crumpled uncomfortably.

 Kiaoden stared down at her curiously for a few silent, contemplative
moments, then finally said, “Next?”



* * *



 Arashiko came to with a start, flinging the wet compress off of her
head which smacked into Brana’s face.

 The first words to come out of Arashiko’s mouth were, “She grabbed my
tail!!!  OW!”  Arashiko flopped back down onto the stiff bunk.  She had
the hugest headache ever created.

             Brana pulled the compress off of her face and gave Arashiko
the good news, “Congrads, kid, you made it!!”  She whacked Arashiko’s
arm encouragingly,  “Welcome to the Ginyu Tokusentai!!”

             Arashiko moaned in reply.

             “The Commander was impressed with your performance out
there.  Most people don’t survive the recruiting process.”

              Arashiko’s interest was tweeked, “Commander?  I thought
she was the Captain?”

             Brana answered as she fluffed her scruffy brown hair and
wiped the wetness from the compress off of her face, “She’s actually
both.  She’s our squad leader, and her brother Ryuichi is the general of
the entire regiment.  Kaioden’s second in command.  Not to mention the
fact that she’s one of the Emperor of Arquisia’s many daughters.”

              Arashiko pressed her palm to her throbbing forehead.  No
wonder she had gotten beat so badly, she was the damned Emperor’s
daughter and those Royal Arquisians were a tough lot.  Arashiko wouldn’t
let her defeat rest peacefully though.

              Brana stood up and Arashiko leaned forward and slowly
rose, holding two fingers to her aching temples.  Brana walked over to a
small table at the edge of the comfortable little room.  Laid out upon
the table was a sleek dark gray and black uniform, made in the fashion
of Saiyan armor which was developed and used widespread throughout the
galaxy.  The armor was very durable and lightweight in battle, also able
to withstand strong blows.  A billowing white cloak ran from the
shoulders and spread out over most of the table, it’s length designed to
hide the motions of the armor’s wearer while also looking quite formal
and attractive.  The white v-shaped symbol of the Ginyu was emblazoned
upon the breast of the suit of armor.

               “From now on you are to report to duty with this
uniform.  Your quarters are here and..”  Brana jumped up, shouting
enthusiastically,”. . I’m your new roomy!!!  It’s been so lonely being
the only Saiyan in the whole outfit.”

              “Terrific..”, Arashiko gripped her head tighter as the
throbbing became worse.

              “Heee^_^”, Brana continued on gaily, “Our first mission’s
in two days!!  So you sure as hell better train some more, oh Queen!”,
Brana bowed in mock homage to Arashiko, “Come to the training room with
me and we’ll brush up on that floor-biting habit of yours, HAHAHA!”

               Arashiko could tell that being roommates with Brana was
going to be a barrel of fun, unfortunately.  Arashiko rolled her eyes as
she thought, How did this air head ever get in the Ginyu?

 “YEEEEAH!!  Let’s both try on our uniforms!!  It’ll be fun!! Then we
can both go to the training room and kick some ass!!”, Brana shouted
excitedly, full of enthusiasm and energy, yanking on Arashiko’s arm and
pushing her towards the table.  Oh yeah, Brana was definitely helping
with her headache, but Arashiko didn’t see the point of refusing her so
she took the white robes and black armor into the adjoining room while
Brana got into her uniform.  Arashiko slipped into the Ginyu uniform.
Arashiko stared at her own uniformed reflection in the mirror.  She
appeared so different, even to herself.  It felt so strange to wear
anything but the blue uniform of the Saiyan Elite.  The form-fitting
Ginyu uniform gleamed softly in the low light, divisions in the armor
accenting her muscles and giving her body an ergonomic appearance.  The
contrasting ivory robes flowed around her sides and gathered at her
feet, an accessory added to the Ginyu uniform by the Arquisians.  The
uniform felt dreadfully uncomfortable.  Maybe because of the uniform
itself but most likely because of what it represented to Arashiko.  It
was the mantle of the scourge of her race, the mantle of the followers
of Frieza.  The V emblem of the Ginyu blazed on her breast like a
scarlet letter, a mark of shame.  Arashiko stared at herself in the
mirror, looking into her own sky blue eyes.  She could almost spit at
herself for wearing the Ginyu uniform, but it was necessary, it was her
mission.  It would all be over soon.  She turned away from her
reflection and walked into the other room, where Brana was waiting
impatiently, tapping her foot.

 As soon as Brana saw Arashiko, she started waving her arms and hooting,
“WOOO!! Lookin good!  You’d make the boys back home cry, HAHAHA!”  She
jumped onto her feet and yanked Arashiko by the arm, pulling her all the
way down to the training room.  Arashiko couldn’t help smiling at the
antics of her loud roommate.
 “Come on, Kakayun, wanna try and beat the strongest of the Saiyans!!
MUAHAHAA!!”, Brana stood up straight and posed dramatically, trying to
show off her muscles.  Arashiko passed on that offer and went to sit
down by the edge of the ring.  Her head was still bothering her.

 “Bah, you’re no fun!,” Brana said, pouting.  Then she smiled when she
saw the perfect sparring partner, a bulky looking alien with purple skin
speckled with orange dots.  He had a sloping forehead that was covered
with an orange layer of scales. “Heeey you!”, Brana grabbed him by the
arm and flipped him into the ring.  He fell face first onto the mat.  He
jumped to his feet and looked around confused.

 “Your name’s Bertak, right?  Come on!  Show me whatcha got!!!”, Brana
took a fighting stance and giggled happily.  Bertak growled menacingly,
angered when he realized that it was Brana who had slammed him into the
ring.  He shot forward at Brana at breakneck speed, arms extended
outward, ready to grip her in a choke hold.  Speed was the specialty of
his race.  Brana side-stepped him and grabbed his leg, tripping him.

 “Wow!  You’re fast^_^”, Brana said as she pulled his leg up, swung him
around a few times, then threw him across the ring.

 Arashiko watched on, amazed by the extraordinary strength Brana
displayed for being someone from the Third Class.  So that’s how she got
into the Ginyu.

 Bertak charged at her again, anger making him charge without thought.
Brana stood her ground, not even bothering to take a fighting stance
anymore.  She just stood there with an innocent smile on her face as she
waved her fuzzy, brown tail in the air in front of her, taunting Bertak
forward.

 Brana shrugged in Bertak’s furious face, then kicked forward, hitting
him right between the legs.  All the men in the room went, “Oo!”, as
Bertak stood motionless for a few moments, eyes wide and pupiless.

 Arashiko laughed heartily, her headache starting to fade away.  Another
reason she got into the Ginyu, she fights dirty!!  Hahaha, I shoulda
guessed!

 Brana giggled and then pushed with a single finger the still motionless
Bertak and he fell to the floor cringing.  “Welp!  I’m done here!”,
Brana stated as she smacked her hands together a few times, “Your turn,
Kakayun.  Go kick some alien ass!!”

 It took Arashiko a split second to realize that Brana was talking to
her, she still wasn’t used to being called by the name Kakayun.  Brana
took a seat by the side of the ring after she picked up Bertak and threw
him out of the arena, clearing the floor for Arashiko.  Arashiko stood
up from where she sat and stretched.  Ah, hell, it might be good for me,
she thought as she scanned the people in the room for a sparring
partner.

 She finally spotted the ideal target, a fine specimen of an alien.  He
was a stout figure though, much shorter than her and possessed of
flowing white hair and red-orange skin.  He was kinda cute to Arashiko,
and muscular for a short guy.  Brana came up beside her and whispered
into her ear.

 “His name’s Jiece.  He’s so full of himself, I wonder how he has room
to eat anything.  He’s cute though.”, Brana winked at her mischievously
and nudged her with an elbow to the side, “Go show him how to.”  She
shoved Arashiko from behind and sent her towards Jiece.

 Arashiko stopped her fall and composed herself.  She went up to Jiece
and smacked him on the back of the head.  No use playing nice, she was
going to wipe the floor with this guy, but not without having a little
fun first.  She smiled coyly into his angered face as he spun around,
eyes glowing.  He stared up as he realized how much taller Arashiko was
and the grimace of fury turned into boyish confusion.

 “Hey handsome, dance with me?”, Arashiko said as she turned and walked
into the arena.”

 Jiece straightened himself smugly and dismissed her with a wave of his
hand and flick of  his white hair, “I don’t have time for you weak
Saiyan monkeys.  I’m much too handsome for someone like you to fight
anyways.”

 Arashiko’s eye twitched at the corner, There’s that damned monkey name
again!! OOHOHO, is this guy going to get it good! Arashiko charged
forward and kicked Jiece across the ribs, sending him flying back into
the ring.  Arashiko caught him in the face with a jab before his body
hit the ground.  Jiece recovered from the blows and wiped the blue blood
from his face, “That’s it! You’ve ruined my beautiful face!” he screamed
out at her with anger.

 Arashiko laughed at him maniacally.  If he only knew the true power
level of a Saiyan Elite, how pitifully small his own power level is!
Arashiko let him advance close to her as she dodged his blows carefully
and decisively, using her superior speed to get behind him and deliver a
devastating blow to the small of his back.  Arashiko could hear Brana’s
voice booming excitedly over the rest of the crowd.

 “WOOOOHHOOOO!!! Gooooooo Kakayun!!”

   Arashiko seized Jiece by the hair as he made a vain attempt to escape
her by trying to run out of the arena.  He twisted his body around and
shot a red energy beam at her, but she deflected it with a smack of her
forearm sending red sparkles of energy up into her face that dissipated
into the air like fairy dust.  Arashiko spun foreword in a corkscrew
forward flip and kicked him full force in the chest with both legs.  The
force of the blow sent him flying out of the ring and into the metal
wall, BAM!  Jiece got out of the ring the hard way.  The room went
silent, astounded by the sheer strength and power Arashiko displayed.
Jiece peeled from the wall and fell to the floor unconscious.  Even
Brana had stopped shouting, she just stared at her mystified.

 “Daaamn!”, Brana finally broke the silence, “I haven’t seen anybody
slammed like that except for when Kaioden fights!”

 Arashiko shrugged in reply, “Ah, it’s a gift.”  She hoped she hadn’t
shown off too much as to give anyone a clue as to who she really was.

            Brana raised her eyebrows as Arashiko walked to the side of
the ring and sat down to watch the next training matches.  She moved her
mouth as if to say something to Arashiko, but she couldn’t think of
anything to say.  She was completely in awe.  Finally she managed to
force out a couple of intelligible words. “Remind me to never get you
mad at me!”, she told Arashiko as she sat down beside her.

            Arashiko smiled to herself, her pride swelling.  It felt
good to have someone marveling at her strength because she had always
been subordinate to the King and his son, their power levels exceeding
her own as was their royal birthright.

            “Just remember that during our first mission.  Be there to
back me up.  From what I saw, your power level is not so small.”

            Brana shrugged and coughed uncomfortably, “Well, I guess
it’s in the blood.” she said, her voice overtoned with a darker emotion
that Arashiko picked up on immediately, “I guess this means you’re ready
for your first mission?”, Brana inquired, changing the subject quickly.

            Arashiko nodded her head.  The sooner she could penetrate
the ranks of the Ginyu, the closer she could get to Frieza.  She
expected that this first mission was going to be a test for the new
recruits, an initiation into a brutal army, and Arashiko knew that it
was not going to be easy.



*            *            *



 Eight pod ships streaked through the dark, star-spangled void that
stretched across the heavens.  The pods were only big enough to fit one
person and their supplies and weapons so Arashiko and the other team
members had to travel each separately in their own personal transports.
Arashiko sat silently in her own tiny ship, the red lights of the
controls casting a crimson glare over her features.  Cold sweat
glistened on her forehead as she took slow breathes to sway her fear.
This mission was going to be far more difficult than Arashiko had first
anticipated.  They were going to the outermost planet in the Arquisian
solar system, a small planet called Cadvia.  Kiaoden stated in her
briefing that there had been reports of suspicious activity there.
Arashiko’s heart beat faster at the revelation that King Vegeta may have
stationed troops there and that if they were discovered, their whole
plan to rid themselves of Frieza would crumble to ashes, along with all
their lives and dreams.  Arashiko prayed that the Vegeta had not chosen
to station soldiers on Cadvia, she hoped that the activities were due to
something else.  Hope against hope and pray against the inevitable.  The
green planet loomed ominously into view and Arashiko’s anxiety did not
ease the vertigo caused by the fast descent of the ship.  It seemed like
her stomach was being wrenched by apprehension and gravity
simultaneously.  She braced herself as the pods impacted on landing
concurrently, leaving deep, fractured craters in the planet’s surface.

 Each occupant of the ships stepped through the hot steam created by the
friction of entering the atmosphere.  The violent contact of the ships
to the planet’s surface caused the forest surrounding the landing site
to catch on fire.  The trees splayed away from the craters as the smell
of burning wood and sap permeated the air.  Foliage popped and sizzled
around the eight foreigners as they advanced slowly away from the
clearing made by their ships and searched for any signs of activity.
The dark shadows of the woods seemed to absorb the black garbed Ginyu.
Kiaoden took point and ordered them forward with her harsh voice which
resonated through the thick air.  Arashiko looked around at the burning
woodland and breathed a heavy sigh of relief.  She had found no sign of
Saiyan activity within two hours of searching.  All she had found was
the darkness cast by a dying forest and the parade of fleeing animals.

 She spotted Brana over in a small, sunlit clearing under a patch of
tall, green trees.  Arashiko signaled to her with a wave of her and that
she had found nothing.  Brana motioned the same signal back to her, much
to Arashiko’s relief.  As Brana turned around something suddenly shot
out from the deep blackness of the woods and hit her square in the
back.  It was an energy beam!!  Arashiko ran to her, barely missing a
beam directed at her head.  She pumped her legs as hard as she could to
get to her friend.  More beams whistled past her head as she dashed.
Finally, after an eternity she reached her side.

 “Brana!  Brana!!  Speak to me!!”, Arashiko screamed into her face.

 Brana eyes flew open and she popped to her feet, “What the hell!!”

 A multitude of voices clamored from the shadows of the woods as
indistinct forms surged forward at them.  Arashiko and Brana took a back
to back stance, striking out at anything that moved.  Arashiko could see
them now, their dark green bodies blending with the woods but showing
discerningly in the sunlight of the small clearing.  They flashed in and
out of visibility, blending with the dusk green of the trees and
flashing visible again when the rays of the sun caught their rapid
figures.  Their red eyes gleamed eerily as they streaked about them.
 “These are the natives of this planet!”, Brana shouted out behind her,
“They don’t have very high power levels but their fast little buggers!!”

 Brana ducked as one of the stealthy creatures tried to tackle her.
Arashiko nailed him with an energy beam that sent him screaming back
into the shadows, his midriff bludgeoned by the shaft of energy Arashiko
had sent into him.  That was one less native to worry about.  Brana and
Arashiko stood back to back again and started yelling, each
concentrating power into their fingertips.  Blue lightening began to
swirl around Arashiko’s dark uniformed figure as soft purple light
danced along Brana’s.  Their battlecries raised through the aborigine
yells of the natives as they scattered from the glowing pair.  Winds
blew around them in a tumultuous uproar of  leaves and power, adding a
banshee scream to their combined battlecry.  Their energy swirled
together and burst outward in an all-encompassing wave of destructive
force.  Blinding light seared the forest around them as everything
became imperceptible.  In a blur of purple and blue essence, the natives
existed no more.  As the insuing mists disappeared,  nothing was left of
the immediate forest around Arashiko and Brana but the black, burnt-out
husks of trees and the deeply scarred  land.

 “Well, I think we got em.” Brana stated matter-of-factly as she stared
at the leveled land.

 “You think?”  Arashiko said as she picked up a charred, dark green body
part, the remainder of what had attacked them, then threw it away.

 Arashiko and Brana walked smugly back to the landing site, pride
beaming with their easy defeat of the natives of Cadvia.  Arashiko
breathed a lot easier now with the knowledge that there had been none of
the King’s soldiers stationed there.  She was even laughing, so relieved
was her mind.  Kiaoden stopped them cold in their tracks as she threw a
beaten and battered figure to the ground in front of them.  Arashiko
couldn’t contain the gasp of dread she breathed as she instantly
recognized the uniform and features of a Saiyan.

 Kiaoden kicked him in the side, sending him flying across the forest
floor.  He landed in a crumpled pile, coughing up blood that stained the
green ground.

 “I’ll ask you once again, who are you working for!! Who sent you!!”,
Kiaoden’s menacing voice assaulted the prisoner.

 Through blood and pain he managed to yell out defiantly, “I’ll never
tell you!”

 No!  No! No!  Arashiko’s mind railed as she realized how close the
King’s plot against Frieza was to being revealed.

 Growling ferociously, Kiaoden kicked him one more time in the gut,
making him double over and cringe on the ground.  She stepped aside and
stared straight at Arashiko, “Kakayun, make him talk, then finish him!”

 Arashiko was almost frantic with panic and fear.  She stumbled to find
a response for Kiaoden, “He will never talk.  He’s a Saiyan and he won’t
bend.  I  know our kind better than that.  There is no need to kill him,
he’s already finished.”  Arashiko prayed desperately that would satisfy
Kaioden’s appetite for blood.

 Kaioden eyed her suspiciously for a few moments then spoke, a sly edge
to her voice, “I realize that..but think of this as a test of loyalty.
You must prove yourself to the Ginyu.”  She moved aside away from the
unfortunate captive.

 Arashiko slowly walked forward, her blue eyes taking in the countenance
of the boy before her. He was a young soldier, probably a weaker foot
soldier left behind in the scramble to evacuate the troops before the
Ginyu’s arrival Arashiko guessed.  He was hardly out of his teens, he
stared at her with supplicating eyes that harbored tears of fear and
pain.  Red blood flowed from a wound to his forehead and traced a path
across his smooth face, outlining his ever-pleading eyes.  Arashiko
could hardly bare to look at him.

“Please!!” his shaking voice begged her, “You’re a Saiyan! You can’t do
this!”

 Arashiko stood in front of him, inner turmoil twisting her face into a
grave expression.  How can I do this?!  How can I kill my own??  If I
show mercy then Kiaoden will know who I am!  Our whole world could
burn!!  How can I do this? How!? How?!!!

 Kiaoden stared at Arashiko thoughtfully, her reptilian red eyes
narrowed to two dangerous slits.  This was the deciding factor, the test
that proved everything.

 Arashiko placed a gentle hand over the prisoner’s eyes as she whispered
words softly for only him to hear, “Such bravery in the face of power is
admirable.  You have earned a death worthy of a Saiyan.  King Vegeta
will live on.”

 The boy still looked up at her and begged her one last time, his
desperate voice pleading and ripping Arashiko’s heart out, “Please!”,
tears streaked down his face.

 Arashiko stared onward at him, the test weighing her soul down with
indecision.

 For the Glory and Honor of Vegeta.



* * *


 Arashiko scrubbed the white cloak, still stained with the young
soldier’s blood.  She just couldn’t get the stains out!  Not out of her
conscience, not out of her guilt.  She couldn’t clean the blood off of
her hands!!  They had arrived back at base over an hour ago and still
she could not cleanse herself.  A tiny voice inside of her scolded her,
To think!  A Saiyan with a case of conscience!  You did what you had to
do!  The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few!!  The Royal
House lives on and that is your only purpose for living.

  Yet still it stang and still she could not wash away the blood.  With
an agonized cry of frustration and fury Arashiko tore the bloodstained
white cloak along with the shoulder guards of the Ginyu uniform from her
body and threw them across the room, accursed mantle that it was.  She
slammed her fists into the walls and knocked aside the furniture,
breaking most of it.  She had never felt such bitter anger in her whole
entire life.  She could not do anything but struggle in the prison of
her own anger until the mission was complete and Frieza was defeated,
one way or another.  She stood there for a few moments, fingers
trembling with pure rage, chest heaving with labored breathes.  Arashiko
thanked goodness that Brana had not been there to see her violent
outbursts, she might have begun to suspect something.  She quickly
picked up the the mess she made and replaced the unbroken furniture, her
anger spent for now.  She couldn’t walk outside of her quarters at the
moment, seeing anyone wearing the Ginyu uniform would ignite her anger
anew.  All Arashiko could find the will to do was flop down onto the
uncomfortable little bunk that had been provided for her to sleep in.
Soon Arashiko heard Brana come in and lie down on the bunk across from
her where she slept.  Arashiko noticed that Brana was unusually quiet, a
state that was nearly impossible for Brana.  Arashiko turned around to
look at her to see what was the matter.

 Brana looked just as visibly shaken by the experience as Arashiko was
internally shaken.  Brana had her arms wrapped around her knees, her
head buried in her elbows despairingly.

 “What’s wrong?”  Arashiko asked softly.

 Brana raised her head a little and shook it.  Arashiko could see the
tears blotting her face.  Brana took a deep breath and looked over at
Arashiko, “The past always comes back to haunt you when you’re least
expecting it.”

 Arashiko blinked, not knowing what she meant.

 “I left our homeworld fifteen years ago.  When I was there, I had a
family, mother, father, brother.  We served the King with all our
strength and blood.  We served him, we gave him our lives!”,  Brana
paused, her voice deepening with anger.  “One day the Elite came for
us.  It was King Vegeta’s decree that my brother and father be taken
away and executed.  He feared us, he feared the power we possessed,
especially because we were Third Class trash.  He despised the fact that
a Third Class could possibly have more power than he did!!  It was not
enough that he take my brother and father but he ordered my mother and I
taken as well!”, Brana balled her fists angrily, the hate flowing
through her words like electricity, “Vegeta feared that we carried the
gene that made such power possible, he saw it fit to eliminate my whole
entire family!  I was small enough to escape the Elite Guard, those
demons who hide behind the armor of honor!  They took my life along with
the lives of my family!  All that was left to me was this path!  The
Ginyu. . .”  Brana stopped, her voice cut off, too full of chaotic
emotions to express them any further.  She turned her glistening eyes
towards Arashiko.

 Arashiko turned away from her, unable to look Brana in the eyes.  She
tried to come up with some excuse, some way to defend the King’s
actions, but she couldn’t , she couldn’t justify them even to herself.
She couldn’t think of anything to say to her except for a few words,

 “I. . .I’m sorry.”,  Arashiko put as much meaning into those words as
she could, though it did little to rectify anything.

 Brana smiled sweetly, her cheeks still glistening with tears., “S’Okay,
Kakayun.  You can’t change the past, all things come to their just
ends.  The Elite will come to theirs, as will the King.”

 Arashiko shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to reply, mind not
knowing how to interpret her own feelings.  After a while, they both
drifted off into a soundless sleep.

 The next day Arashiko noticed that Brana wore something around her neck
that she had never noticed before.  It was a simple necklace, bound by a
brown leather chain.  A single circular gold amulet with small designs
scratched into the surface hung central from the strap.  Brana saw her
staring at it curiously and she smiled broadly.

  “Hehe, me and my brother, Brolly, made this amulet when we were
smaller.  It’s supposed to be our family crest, we made it up
ourselves.”  Brana fingered the amulet in her hands and smiled somberly,
reminiscing of the past.

 To Arashiko, the amulet looked almost like a child’s infantile version
of the Seal of the Royal House, the blue embellished disk that King
Vegeta wore proudly around his neck.  Arashiko sighed, she didn’t know
whether to take the amulet as an insult to the Royal House or a token of
love between a brother and sister.  For the first time she found herself
questioning the Royal House and it was not a good feeling.  She had been
born and raised to be loyal to them, to serve them with every ounce of
blood and spirit in her body.  She never expected to find morality in a
Third Class, to find someone from the Third Class that was just like
her, path predestined and preordained.  The classes weren’t as clear cut
in her mind anymore, everything was changing.  She dismissed it and
pushed it to the back of her mind.  She had a mission, she had a destiny
and she had loyalty, to the once and future king, Vegeta and his son.



* * *



 Time slipped past as days turned into months. Arashiko was able to rise
in the ranks of the Ginyu along with Brana.  Her, Brana, and Kiaoden
were the top officers in the entire force and yet Arashiko still had not
obtained an opportunity to get close to Frieza, only brief meetings with
him, always with Kiaoden and Ryuichi there as well as Frieza’s lackeys
surrounding him, preventing any would-be assailants.  The clock was
ticking and Arashiko knew that if she was going to make her move, it
would have to be soon.  She studied his habits very carefully.  Frieza
never had less than one person around him when he was alone.  The fact
was frustratingly real to Arashiko.  She knew she did not have the power
or strength to best Frieza along with one of his powerful cronies
Kiaoden, Ryuichi, Zarbon or Dodoria.  There was something about the cold
eyes of Ryuichi that made Arashiko avoid him whenever she could.  There
was something dark and brooding in those eyes of his that turned her
soul to ice.  Ryuichi hardly ever talked.  The Arquisian normally stood
silently by Freiza’s side.  Though his exterior seemed calm, he was
always vigilantly watching what happened around him.  He was a tall
figure, with a well-built form and the usual Arquisian proudness.  On
his right arm the white symbol of the Emperor of Arquisia contrasted
against his dark green skin.  A imperious red crest on his forehead set
off his deep crimson pupils.  His crest and physique definitely singled
him out as a Royal of Arquisia.  Zarbon was an insanely loyal
emerald-haired alien that was never too far from Frieza.  Arashiko
strongly disliked his over-inflated ego and disgusting loyalty for
Frieza.  Dodoria was another that Arashiko hated with a passion.  He was
a fat blob of an alien with salmon skin who always treated her as an
inferior when she was around.  Dodoria had a strong racism towards
Saiyans of any kind.  With a sigh of frustration, Arashiko returned to
her quarters.  If she didn’t come up with something soon, her mission
would be doomed to failure, a fact which she could not live with.

 She sat and looked out the tiny window of her cramped compartment which
she and Brana shared overlooking the bleak landscape of Moon 24.
Largely stripped of organic life to support weaponry and supply
buildings, the terrain had a desolate gray physique that matched
Arashiko’s frustrated mood.  Arashiko looked over to Brana’s side of the
room when she noticed a pungent, rank smell floating about in the air.
Brana never, ever cleaned up anything, food, clothes, anything.  She was
the biggest slob Arashiko had ever met.  It was a habit that was
prevalent among the Third Class Saiyans.  Arashiko shook her head,
trying to ignore it. She sniffed hard to try and get the smell out of
her nostrils.  It was no use trying to clean Brana’s side of the
quarters, one might lose a limb in that attempt.  Finally, Arashiko
could stand it no more and sought relief outside in the fresh air of the
hallway.  With no outlet for frustration, she just paced up and down the
halls, telling those who asked that she was just on guard duty.

 “There’s no question about it now, my lord.”, Arashiko heard Kiaoden’s
gruff voice long before she reached the entrance to Frieza’s elaborate
quarters.

 Arashiko silently slipped up to the door and stood just outside of it,
making sure to keep her form well-hidden.  She sensed something
important going on.  Kiaoden continued on.

 “The soldier we found on Cadvia was definitely working for King
Vegeta.  It is most certain he is conspiring against us.”

 Frieza sat back in his hovering chair which concealed most of his
reptilian-like body and tail.  His horned visage conveyed neither
happiness nor sadness at the revelation that his so-called ally Vegeta
was against him.  Frieza’s face was frozen and emotionless as he
listened intently to Kiaoden’s words.

 Kiaoden paused for a moment, surprised by Frieza’s indifferent
reaction.  Frieza sat sedately drinking a glass of diaphanous dark
wine.  He took a sip every few moments and swished the glass slowly,
thoughtfully, vigilantly, expression locked in stone.

 “There are some situations which must be rectified.  Our sensors have
detected activity on the outer moons of Arquisia.  Vegeta is trying to
make a move,” Kiaoden flexed her clawed hands as she spoke, “This is one
thorn that must be pulled from our sides.  My father, the Emperor, can
dispatch assassins immediately.  The king of the monkeys will be dead by
sundown, hahaha!”

 Kiaoden’s cackling laugh echoed throughout the empty halls and
resonated emphatically through Arashiko’s ears.

 They mean to kill the King!!?  I should have seen this coming!!  How
blind I must have been!  How blind we all must have been to ever trust
that snake Frieza!!!  Damn him!!

 Kiaoden stopped laughing as the wine glass shattered, spilling the wine
over Frieza’s hand.  The dark wine ran through his fingers like blood.
Fury finally cracked the mask of his face, “Don’t bother with assassins,
let him make his stand!”, Frieza’s face was overcome by an evil smile,
“Let him come!  This will be an example to all who dare oppose Frieza!!
The Saiyans have been useful to me, but it’s time that our ‘alliance’
terminated.”  An overbearing silence fell over the room.  Kiaoden stood
in reticent, a nervousness for some hidden reason creeping into her
features.

 Arashiko did not need to hear anymore.

 I must warn the King!  If I contact him via the scouter, the signal
might be detected and traced.  I have to find some way to get a signal
to Vegeta!!

 Arashiko cautiously backed away from the door to Frieza’s chambers and
walked quickly and quietly towards the docking bay.

 The bay was all but abandoned except for the presence of two patrolling
guards and two control tower officers who monitored the coming and going
of the ships.  She entered the control room casually.  The two officers
noticed the white V on her chest and saluted stiffly.  Arashiko wasted
no words, with a quick high kick she sent one of the control tower
officers flying backwards.  The force of the kick made his head smack
and break the thick glass of the window.  His body slumped to the ground
in a pile of shattered glass.  The other guard managed to fire his hand
laser which passed through her cloak harmlessly.  Before he knew what
hit him, Arashiko was behind him.  She gripped his head tightly and
twisted it forcefully till a dull crack signaled that the officer was
dead.

   Arashiko ran swiftly out to the docking area and peered out of the
doorway.  The patrolling officers had been too far away in the bay to
notice the fight, but they might notice the broken glass.  She strode
briskly up to them.  They too turned and saluted, but then cowered when
she started running towards them.  Arashiko let herself be lost in the
flow of adrenaline from the last fight.  It was what Saiyans lived for,
to fight.  She jumped into the air and flipped behind them, easily
evading their lasers.  Arashiko came forward with a punch aimed at one
of the surprised guards’ backs.  Her fist penetrated his back and passed
through his body.  Arashiko drew back and threw the dead guard off of
her arm, streams of blood dripping down her face and through her
fingers.  Horrified, the other guard ran for his life in a frantic
effort to escape.  Blazing white light erupted from Arashiko’s
fingertips.  The beam caught him square in the back.  The guard was no
more.  Arashiko quickly returned to the control room and tapped a
sequence into the transmissions panel that was the frequency only the
Elite of Vegeta used to contact the King.

 It’s only matter of minutes before the guards come to check on the
missing patrol!! Work you damned machine!!!

 She pounded the control panel with her fists when all she got was
static.  She yelled into the receiver, hoping that some of what she was
saying might get through to the King.

 “Mission 401, Elite First Class Arashiko!!  It’s a trap!! Frieza’s
expecting the attack!!  Withdraw from Arquisia!!  Break off from the
attack plans!!  He’s going to murder the King!!!!  DAMMIT!!  WORK DAMNED
MACHINE!!!”  Still no reply except for garbled static.  Arashiko
screamed in frustration and with one last, desperate punch screamed
again, “DAAAMMITT!!!”  She rested her forehead on the broken panel.

 Think!  Think ! Think!  What can I do now?

 She sighed with relief when she realized she could use one of the ships
in the docking bay to get the message directly to King Vegeta.  She ran
towards one of the docked pods, its open door beckoning her and assuring
her.  Freedom was almost upon her.

 Arashiko screamed as something hit her in the back hard, wrenching her
guts and throwing her to the floor.  She rolled over and supported
herself with her arms, recovering sluggishly from the blow.  She looked
up and everything stopped as her mind and body went into shock.

 Brana was standing just a few feet from her, arm upraised from shooting
the energy beam that had struck her in the back.  A look of pure anger
and rage enveloped Brana’s features in darkness.  Arashiko slowly rose
to her feet to face her.

 Arashiko silently implored her, “Please, what are you doing Brana?”

 “Traitor. . .,”  Brana began quietly, her voice breaking as if she was
about to cry.  The calm before the storm.

 Arashiko’s eyes searched for something to say, some excuse, but found
only silence to pronounce.  She lifted her empty hands up to Brana,
trying to get her to understand that she was doing this to save their
world.

 “All the lies, all the memories, all this time!!!!”,  Brana’s voice
raised into an infuriated yell, “ALL THIS TIME YOU WERE ONE OF THOSE
MONSTERS WHO TORE MY FAMILY APART!!!!”  She rushed forward and kicked
Arashiko in the ribs.  Arashiko slid across the floor, trying to defend
herself.

 With nowhere else to go, Arashiko inadvertently blurted out, “It is you
who are the traitor!  You abandoned us!! You fight against your own King
and race!!  You would kill your own!!  Just like a Third Class!!”, her
outburst was empty, trained.  She had nothing to say except what had
been beaten into her mind.  She was raised to be an entirely loyal
follower of King Vegeta.

 Hot tears of anger and emotion ran down Brana’s face, “You dare call me
a traitor!!  You murderer!!!”, she kicked Arashiko in the ribs again.

 Arashiko took the blow and tried to convince Brana again, “Please!!
Please!!  Just let me go!!!  I don’t want to hurt you!!!”  Arashiko knew
she could defeat Brana, though she was strong, her own power level
exceeded hers immensely.  Arashiko avoided her next blows and got to her
feet to try and defend herself.

 “You killed my family!!! YOU KILLED MY FAMILY!!!!!  YOU STOLE MY
LIFE!!!”, Brana screamed insanely at her, launching a series of chaotic
blows which Arashiko tried to block.  Some of Brana’s kicks caught her
in the stomach and face and she was sent sprawling backwards.  Arashiko
caught herself and landed on two feet.  Brana rushed at her, this time
primed to kill.

 “PLEASE!!! PLEEEEEASSSE!!! DON’T MAKE ME DO THIS, BRANA!!!!”, Arashiko
begged and pleaded one last time.  She knew this time that Brana was
going to kill her.  The strings were pulled taut, life and death, honor
and dishonor, one choice or the other, constricting tightly.  Brana’s
screaming, enraged form was almost upon her.

 With an outcry of defeat and sorrow, Arashiko released all her anger
and emotion outward into one focused beam.  Brana was sent flying
backward and she fell unmoving to the floor.  Arashiko fell limply onto
her back, breathing heavily.  As she felt the cold floor she closed her
eyes tightly, not wanting to see what she had done.

 Brana gasped for a few more breaths then wispered " Prince...........
Ve.... ge...
ta......I.......I.....lov..." her gasping  stopped her from finishing
her sentence.  Brana layed there and found the strength to say "
Arashiko....... remember what I tell you now...... *cough, cough*
Remember this please it might help you some how.......Anxiety is love's
greatest killer. It makes one feel as you might when a drowning person
holds on to you. You want to help him but you know he will strangle you
in his panic......all  it means is that you want to help someone who is
in need of your help but they are to much in their emotions that it
seems impossible to help them then you reliaze they will kill you even
with your help.......Also know that death is always going to knock on
your door...But what keeps you alive is to know to never answer the
door.....so promise you will never open the door for death....I let King
Vegeta destroy me...... I told myself I wouldn't let him distroy me yet
he did.....*cough, cough*.....Brolly I am coming soon...."

 She could hear Brana choking for a few torturous moments, then all was
silent except for her own breathing.

 Finally, she pulled herself up with all her might and forced herself to
walk over to Brana’s side.  The blast Arashiko emitted had blown a hole
straight through Brana’s chest.  Brana’s eyes stared upward, unseeing
into the abyss.  The abyss stared straight back into Arashiko’s heart,
holding it in an icy grip.  She fell to her knees by Brana’s body and
cradled her head like a mother who cradles her newborn baby.  With a
gentle stroke of her hand, she closed Brana’s eyes forever.  Arashiko
rocked her body back and forth, not knowing what else to do.  Her mind
was frozen, everything was gone except for what she had done.  She had
killed perhaps her only true friend.  A glint of metal caught her eye
and drew it to the gold medallion Brana had around her neck.  Arashiko
gripped it in her palm and held it to her heart.  With a tug she pulled
it off and rose to her feet, staring down at Brana’s still body.  She
tied the tiny trinket around her neck and it fell to rest right over her
heart.  With one final glance back, she said goodbye to Brana and took
to the ship.

 As she sat in the pod speeding towards oblivion, she felt something
warm and wet on her face.  With a questioning hand, she wiped away the
unwelcome wetness.  She did something that she had never done before in
her entire life.  She cried.



* * *



 “We’ve locked on to her ship’s signal.  I knew she was a traitor!!”,
Arashiko listened resolutely to Kiaoden’s angered voice over the ship’s
transmissions monitor, “She’s going to die if it’s the last thing I
do!!”

 A much calmer and deeper voice broke  in, “Don’t worry, sister, we can
reach her before she ever reaches Vegeta.  Frieza will have nothing to
worry about, neither will our father.”

 Arashiko breathed deeply, trying to calm herself so she could think
straight.  Everything was falling apart!!  And she was riding the last
chance to freedom.

 Brana must have been able to get a signal off to the others!  Frieza
had sent both Kiaoden and her brother Ryuichi after her!  Ryuichi, the
Arquisian General of the entire Ginyu outfit, son of the Emperor of
Arquisia!!

 Hearing his cold voice was like hearing the deep-toned voice of Death
as he rang her death toll.

 Can’t this damned ship go any faster!!!  Arashiko blazed with
trepidation.  She checked the panels, the ship was already set to go as
fast as possible without risking compression of the hull.  Arashiko
cursed again and pounded the back of her head on the seat in
frustration.  Two hours!!!  All I need is two hours to reach Vegeta!!!
All there was left to do was sit back and wait, all things would come to
their just ends, just like Brana said.



* * *



 Suddenly, the ship jolted, electrical red sparks jumped up from every
panel, scalding Arashiko’s face.  She frantically pressed buttons around
the panels, trying in vain to stabilize the ship and see what the hell
was firing at her.  The proximity alarm showed two ships hot on her
tail.

 Shit!!  They caught up with me this fast?!?!  One more hour!!
Goddammit!!  Just one more hour till I reach Vegeta!!!

 Arashiko quickly punched a sequence into the navigational controls,
trying to evade any more blasts from Ryuichi and Kiaoden.  She grimaced
as yet another blast rocked the ship.  All the controls flashed bright
red simultaneously then went out, leaving Arashiko in total darkness
except for the soft luminescence of the stars.  She was flying blind.
Short, ragged gasps escaped her lungs as she frantically pounded every
button on the dead control panels.

 Nothing works!! Nothing works!!!!!

 More white and red sparks jumped at her face as she was pressed back
into the seat by G-force that even the aerodynamical technology of the
pod could not dampen.  She was falling fast!!  The ship was going to
crash!!!  The wayward flailing of the ship had gotten it caught in the
gravitational pull of a small, emerald planet swaddled in yellow
clouds.  Arashiko was hysterical, no controls, no sight, no sound,
nothing but the feeling of falling and the feeling that she was going to
die right then and there.  She clinched her teeth as the ship punched
through the planet’s atmosphere causing it to go into a rapid, gyrating
spin.  Through the circular viewport on the front of the ship she could
see the ground rushing up to meet her.  Arashiko closed her eyes
tightly.  There was a terrible ripping feeling, a rush of pain and
sound, then blackness.



* * *



 Darkness faded in and out as shadows passed over her eyes.  When she
finally opened them, she could see her own feet dangling in front of
her.  Arashiko shook her head, disorientation making it hard for her to
do anything.  She was suspended upside-down, body bent over the strap at
her waist that secured her to the ship’s seat.  Every so often sparks
would erupt from the disfigured panels.  Arashiko slowly unlatched the
belt, cursing as she fell face down into a pile of metal shards and
glass.  Well, I’m not dead, death doesn’t sting this much, she thought
as she pulled a piece of glass out of the skin of her hand.  She
stumbled out of the rubble and took in her surroundings.  Three burning
suns blazed in the sky brightly, casting the landscape in a soft yellow
hue.  The terrain was somewhat barren and flat except for a few trees
that were strangely bare of foliage but for a plume of leaves that gave
the tops of the trees a circular shape.  Rich purples and greens spread
across the colorful landscape to a sea of blue water.

 Arashiko tapped the scouter computer attached to her ear to get a
readout on her location.  The readout on the glass display over her
right eye jumped erratically.

 Planet:  Namecksei  Class:  B
 Resources:  Minimal  Power Levels:  Indeterminate
 Status:__ shfstsst__#_*_*_ _ _

 The tiny screen went blank.  Arashiko tapped it a little harder.  No
response.  She tapped it one more time, getting only weak beeps in
reply.  Arashiko cursed again.  Without a scouter, she was completely
blind as to how to locate power sources and enemies.

 Great!!  No ship, no scouter,  what can happen next!?!?  She thought as
she stomped the ground and slouched to a seated position next to the
disemboweled ruin of her ship.  Arashiko released a heavy sigh.  A
high-pitched  noise in the air caught her attention immediately.  She
recognized it without even having to find the cause of it.  Two circular
ships streaked the sky a short distance away, the white V emblem showing
distinctly on their outer hulls.  Arashiko jumped to her feet, she
couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think.

 Kiaoden and Ryuichi’s ships!!  They’re here to kill me!!!  Shit!!!

 Arashiko started off, not caring what direction she was going as long
as she was away from her ship, the crash site would be the first place
they would search.  If she could hide, maybe they would give up on her.

 But how can I mask my power level??  With their scouters they’re sure
to lock onto my signal!!!!  There’s no way I can beat both of them!!!

 Arashiko quickly searched the landscape for a way out.  She ran towards
a series of caves that opened invitingly at the bottom of a large
plateau.  Deeper and deeper she penetrated the darkness of the tunnels
until she reached a large inner chamber with a small opening to the sky
above.  Arashiko stopped and cleared her mind, calming herself.  By now,
Kiaoden and Ryuichi were most certainly scouring the wreckage of her
ship, they would be upon her in a matter of minutes.

 I will run no more!!  They’re going to find me, it’s inevitable.  But
at least I can fight!!!  I’m not going to die sitting down!!  Better to
die on my feet than live on my knees!!!  I have to try and get out of
this alive for the King, I’m  his last hope!!!  For the Glory and Honor
of Vegeta!!!!

 Her determination was set in iron.  A ray of sunshine shone through the
small opening in the ceiling, flashing in her eyes.  That’s it!!  The
Moon Beam!!!  If I can shift to my Ozaroo form, I might have a
chance!!!  It’s just big enough of an opening to let the moonlight show
through!!

 Arashiko took in a deep breath, knowing that it might be the last one
she ever took.  She closed her eyes and focused.  In her mind, she
converged energy into a sphere, letting everything else fall away.  She
slowly raised her right hand, palm held upward catching the sunbeams as
they floated down from the light.  Blinding white radiance tore through
the darkness of the cave and illuminated Arashiko’s features.  A perfect
sphere of ivory energy floated up from her uplifted palm.  The ball
danced and trembled in the air like foxfire.  It followed every movement
of her hand as Arashiko drew back and threw it upward through the
opening and into the sky.  With a shout, she closed her hand and the
ball exploded, producing an intense flash that filled the amber sky.

 “Let there be light!!”



* * *



 Outside , Kiaoden and Ryuichi saw the blast of dazzling brilliance and
stood staring, dumbfounded until Ryuichi finally broke the daze.

 “It’s the Moon Beam!!!  The Saiyan’s trying to transform into an
Ozaroo!  We must stop her before she shifts!!!”, Ryuichi jumped into the
air and flew towards the spreading light.  Kiaoden hurriedly followed
her brother’s lead.

 Arashiko stood staring at the light, eyes never averting from its
beautiful glare.  She could hear it, she could feel it.  Her heartbeat
quickened and she could hear it pounding in her ears.

 It is beginning. . .

 Arashiko doubled over.  The transformation for her was never pleasant.
It was painful and it was excruciating and with an outcry of pain and
sufferance, she began to change.  All of her canines elongated to
dangerous sharp fangs.  The color of her skin deepened to a tan brown as
her hands contorted awkwardly.  She balled her fists, trying to ease the
torment.  It felt like every bone in both her hands were breaking
simultaneously.  They twisted and popped painfully, the tips of her
fingers extending to claws.  Her whole physique changed, becoming larger
in stature by a few feet, her muscles became firmer and stronger, adding
to her distorted countenance.  Simultaneously, her ears augmented to
points, giving her sense of hearing a boost.  No longer did she see with
the clear blue eyes she was born with, but with the unearthly crimson
eyes of an Ozaroo.  Arashiko stretched her body out, cracking the new
bones and muscles into place.  She stared at her clawed hands and cried
out in triumph.  She could feel the elevated power of an Ozaroo flowing
through her like wildfire.

 Thus is the power of the Saiyan race realized!


* * *


 Ryuichi finally reached the origin of the light with Kaioden following
close behind.  He yelled over to her that the scouter indicated the
Saiyan was inside of the caves at the base of the plateau, he didn’t
have time to do anything else.  A rush of energy exploded from the
plateau, sending Kaioden and Ryuichi falling backwards.  Bits of smoking
land and debris fragmented in the air and assaulted them.  Brilliant
pale blue light blinded them on all signs.  With a crash, they slammed
into the ground.  Kaioden lifted herself up, slanted red eyes searching
for the source of the massive outburst of energy.  She spun around as
she heard a tumult of wild screaming.  Arashiko landed only a few feet
away from her, howling a battlecry that echoed throughout the broken
land.  Kiaoden quickly took a stance as the Saiyan slowly advanced.
Kiaoden smiled broadly, exhibiting her sharp fangs.  No matter that the
Saiyan had become more powerful from shifting into an Ozaroo, that only
meant there was going to be more fun in killing her.

 “All this time I’ve been waiting for an excuse to kill you,”  Kiaoden
spat with  contemptuous ardor.
 Arashiko stared silently at her for a few moments, head bowed
ominously, her blood red eyes glowing, “So have I.”  Arashiko’s eyes
flashed and she charged at Kiaoden, preparing to fight or die.

 Arashiko’s claws came down with all the force she could muster.
Kiaoden backed off and tried to block her attack, but once again, she
underestimated Arashiko’s heightened strength and speed.  Arashiko
slammed into Kiaoden with such force that the Arquisian was driven to
her knees.  Kiaoden screamed out as Arashiko clutched her head in a
choke hold and embedded her claws into the side of her neck in an
attempt to slit her throat.  Kiaoden swept back with her foot and used
Arashiko’s own weight to flip her over her shoulder.  Arashiko gently
rolled out of the throw and licked the blood off of her claws.

 “First blood is always the sweetest!”,  Arashiko quietly said as she
grinned menacingly at Kiaoden, her bestial features distorting
strangely.  Kiaoden glared back at her, eyes blazing with hatred and
contempt.  Arashiko jerked her head towards Ryuichi as he appeared
behind his sister.  His cool eyes narrowed to slits as he slowly
advanced towards Arashiko.

 “Stop!  This one’s mine, Ryuichi!!” Kiaoden wiped the blood off her
face with the back of her hand,“I can handle her by myself.”  Ryuichi
nodded silently and held his ground.  A sardonic laugh abruptly burst
from Kiaoden.  She laughed as if possessed, so much that she could have
cried.  Her psychotic laugh sent icy chills up Arashiko’s spine.

 Finally, Kiaoden’s  laughter ceased and her insane sneer melted away to
the darkest of expressions.  The points of her teeth glinted in the
gathering darkness of their battlefield.  Storm clouds converged over
the planet, ripe with lightening and rain.  The first plump drops of
rain from the impending torrent pelted down upon the land.  The wind
sent the Arquisian’s raven hair wipping out in front of her face.

 “You’re not the only one who can transform, monkey!”

 Arashiko jumped back as Kaioden shot forward a few feet.  The
disgusting pop and crack of bones emanated from Kaioden as two extra
arms forced their way out of her shoulder blades.  An unnatural howling
shriek arose from Kaioden as her body twisted and warped into something
else.  Her jagged claws protracted outwards to an elongated length.  Her
needle-like fangs extended also, giving Kaioden a demonic form.  Barbed
spikes erupted from her elbows and knees.  Savage spears of pointed
protrusions burst forth from the vertebrae on her back.  Lightening
flashed and crackled behind her as it struck the ground close to them.
The immense powers raised in Kaioden’s body called forth clouds and
death.  Arashiko stared at her in total awe.

 I didn’t know the Arquisians could form shift!!!!!?

 The demonic Kaioden saw the question in her eyes and laughed heartily,
“Hahaha!!  You fool!!!  Unlike the Saiyans, we kept our transformation
ability a secret!!  Why do you think the Empire of Arquisia lasted so
long?  We have an edge over all who think we possess only that one weak,
pathetic form!  We were careful to conceal this from Frieza, but you
Saiyans?  You were stupid to reveal yourselves to Frieza!!  And now
you’re nothing!! ARRGGGHH!!!”  Kaioden charged forward at Arashiko
faster than even her Saiyan eyes could catch.

 With one punch she toppled Arashiko and at the same time used her three
other arms to deliver three simultaneous blows to her abdomen.  The
force of the blows sent Arashiko flying back into an outcropping of
rock.  The formation shattered as her body slammed into it.  Arashiko
shook her head, trying to clear her mind and regain her focus.  She had
to think of a way to defeat the monstrous Kaioden!!  Or the King would
die, she would die!!!  Kaioden rushed at her again, but this time
Arashiko was ready.  With a graceful leap, she flipped over Kaioden and
rammed her in the back with a roundhouse kick.  She followed up with a
flurry of punches and kicks aimed to injure internal organs.  The blows
had little effect on Kaioden, they just pissed her off even more, but
that was the plan!!  If she could get Kaioden to charge carelessly in
anger, she could perhaps land a decisive lethal blow.  Kaioden screamed
in fury and charged her again, just as Arashiko wanted.  Arashiko spun
around her flailing form and nailed her with an energy blast right to
the chest.  Kaioden groaned in agony and fell to the ground.  Arashiko
smiled smugly and walked over to her to deliver a final blow just to
make sure.  Rain pounded down incessantly as lightening flashed
everywhere, illuminating Kaioden’s fallen body.  Arashiko called power
to her hands as she walked over to Kaioden.

 Without warning Kaioden shot up and grabbed Arashiko with both sets of
arms.  She squeezed Arashiko in an intense bear hug with all her
strength, making her bend backwards in distress.  Arashiko struggled in
vain to escape her iron grip.  She could feel the bones in her back
cracking, any more and she would be paralyzed in a matter of seconds.
Arashiko let her head fall back, seemingly giving in to her coming
death.  Arashiko screamed defiantly as she brought her body forward with
all the strength left in her.  She headbutted Kaioden right between the
eyes, almost knocking herself out in the process.  With her left hand
she shot an energy beam directly into Kaioden’s face.  Kaioden screamed
out in pain and rage as Arashiko slipped from her deadly embrace.
Kaioden fell to her knees clutching her burnt face and howling in
agony.  Arashiko pulled the wind underneath her and took to the air.

 I have one chance to defeat her.  Shi no Arashi!!!  Arashiko called to
mind the most powerful technique she possessed, the Shi no Arashi, Storm
of Death!!  It was a  potent energy attack where she focused all of her
strength and energy into her hands and released it in a single
destructive beam of devastating power.  This technique was her trade
mark as well as her trump card.  Once released, it would incinerate
Kaioden to ashes.

 But I need time to gather the energy for it!!  That little prick I gave
her should keep her occupied. . .

 Arashiko penetrated through the thick storm clouds, the rain pelting
her face as she went.  She judged her distance from Kaioden at least a
mile and figured that would be just long enough to charge the attack.
She wasted no words.  Arashiko stilled herself and began the process.
Shards of blue light formed at her fingertips.  Lightening ejected from
the clouds and struck the aura of pale blue energy that began to swirl
around her body.  Energy crackled in the air and danced along her arms,
accumulating at her fingertips.

 It’s almost done!!  Just a few more seconds!!!  Already Kaioden was on
her tail again.

 Just a few feet away Kaioden appeared before her.  Blue Arquisian blood
ran from the gaping wound where her right eye had been and trickled over
her wicked fangs.  Kaioden did not look happy.  Like the four arms of
the death goddess Kali, Kaioden’s arms weaved about in the air
maliciously calling for blood, Arashiko’s blood.

 Yesss~!!  It’s finished!!!

 Arashiko let loose the Shi no Arashi.  Kaioden flinched in surprise as
the resplendent azure light engulfed everything.  Blinding streaks of
thunder crashed around Arashiko as the aura surrounding her floated
outward and dissipated into the flashing violence of the storm.  The
tremendous beam Arashiko launched at Kaioden creeped forwards in slow
motion.  Time seemed to stop and stagnate as the Arquisian brought her
hands up to enfold the rushing beam of energy.  Dark and light met as
Kaioden fired off her own beam of spinning red essence.  It sliced
through the pure blue effulgence that was Arashiko’s last hope for
defeating her.  All at once time sped up again, a rush of motion and
noise.  Thunder and lightening and wind and rain sang in a cacophony of
destruction.

 There was no time for thought or action, no time for reflection or
fear.  The hellfire energy collided with Arashiko dead on.  Hot white
fire ran through every vein in her body.  So overwhelming was the pain
and shock to her nervous system that she just stopped feeling all
together.  Everything became quiet, though the deep roar of releasing
energies still filled the air.  Then there was the most serene sensation
of flying, being carried on the wings of angels.  Flying to the greatest
heights past all pain and death.  All was shattered as the ground caught
Arashiko’s falling body.  She fell even deeper into the ground, her mind
fell into darkness as unconsciousness gripped her.

 Kaioden slowly descended down to the earth.  The Saiyan lay on her
back, her body embedded a few inches into the ground from her violent
impact.  The regal black armor of the Ginyu was scraped and scorched
from the abdomen.  Shreds of the once white cloak, now stained with dirt
and blood, fluttered in the air.  Kaioden spat in disgust.  This weak
Saiyan traitor had defiled both the honor of Arquisia and of the Ginyu
Tokusentai!  Kaioden kneeled beside Arashiko’s body and tore the white
emblem of the Ginyu from her chest, rending flesh and drawing blood in
the process.  Kaioden drew her foot back and kicked Arashiko in the
side.

 “Wake up, traitor!!”, Kaioden yelled bitterly as she kicked Arashiko
again, making her body roll over.  Arashiko was jerked back to the world
of the living.  Everything burned and ached, the world loomed over her
eyes like a dream vision.  Kaioden entered the vision and turned the
world into a living nightmare.  Kaioden caught her in the face this time
with another viscous kick.  Arashiko tumbled over, still unable to get
to her feet.  Begrudgingly her senses faded back into clarity and she
could tell what was going on.

 I’m still alive!!  I’m not going to let it end like this!!!  I have to
get up!!  I have to fight!!!  As long as there is still breath in me!!

 Arashiko caught Kaioden’s foot in the air as she kicked again.  She
twisted her ankle and tripped Kaioden with a sweep of her leg.  Arashiko
pushed all pain to the back of her mind, this was the decider!!  Fight
or die!!  No time for pain!!!  Arashiko fought with all she had left,
nothing but her own willpower.  Kaioden was caught completely off guard,
she had believed that Arashiko was near death.

 Her underestimation of the power of the Saiyan race will be her
downfall!!

 Arashiko landed a kick to Kaioden’s abdomen and an elbow right into the
scorched and hollow-eyed side of Kaioden’s face.  Kaioden gripped the
aggravated wound like a newborn child.  Arashiko twisted her upper body
around and snapped her leg forward, hammering Kaioden on the wounded
side of her head.  Kaioden toppled over and fell to the ground.
Arashiko started for her immediately, but something made her stop.  She
gasped in horror.  Her Saiyan tail fell to the ground.  In all the
fighting, she had forgotten about Ryuichi!!  The bastard had cut off her
tail!!!!

 Without her tail, Arashiko quickly reverted back to normal.  The bones
in her body shrank back to their usual size and her skin lost its
brownish tint.  Arashiko’s sky blue eyes were returned to her.
Arashiko’s last, best hope for victory faded away into nothingness.  Her
power level fell dramatically back to normal.  Arashiko spun around in
panic, she didn’t now what to do now!!  Ryuichi materialized by his
sister’s side.

 Kaioden screamed insanely at him, “Dammit!!  I told you Ryuichi!!  This
one is mine!!!  Let me handle this!!!!” She got to her feet and pushed
him aside.  Ryuichi raised his arms in consent and stood back, cold eyes
narrowed at Arashiko, a mocking smile stretched across his face.

 What do I do now!!?!  WHAT THE HELL CAN I DO NOW?!?!!!  Arashiko
thought frantically as she backed away from the advancing Kaioden who
looked seriously pissed.  She searched around for absolutely anything
that could help and found absolutely nothing.  In the blink of an eye,
Kaioden was upon her once again.  Arashiko tried to find some way to
defend herself, but she had used up all of her energy forming the Shi no
Arashi and without the elevated strength of the Ozaroo, she was no match
for the transformed Kaioden.  With no defense, Kaioden was able to seize
Arashiko by the neck, her long claws wrapping around her and effectively
preventing any escape attempt.  Arashiko tightly gripped Kaioden’s
forearm as she desperately tried to escape.

 “It’s been fun, but I’m afraid your time has come!!” Kaioden spoke
jovially into Arashiko’s face.  Arashiko’s eyes widened with terror as
Kaioden ‘s other clawed hand lurched forward.  Arashiko coughed
violently as bitter blood came up in her throat.  She blinked her eyes
in stunned confusion.

 Kaioden had stabbed her long claws straight through her abdomen.

 Arashiko’s breathing became labored as blood traced paths from the
corners of her mouth.  Kaioden brought her face close to hers and locked
her red eyes with Arashiko’s widened blue pupils.  Kaioden let her
writhe for a few moments, sating her appetite for blood and suffering.

 “Last blood is always the best.”, Kaioden said darkly as she withdrew
her claws and threw Arashiko to the ground.

 Arashiko choked agonizingly for a few moments, then her eyes finally
closed and she lay silent.  Kaioden walked beside her and lifted her
head up by her hair.  She snorted disgustingly, “She’s still alive,”
she brought her claws up to Arashiko’s throat, “but not for long.”

 Ryuichi’s cold, commanding voice interrupted her gruesome fun, “We
don’t have time for this.  Leave her, she’s dead anyways.  Frieza just
contacted me, the King of the Saiyans is making his last stand.  He
wants us to return to base immediately.”

 Kaioden growled menacingly and slammed Arashiko’s head back down into
the dirt.  She got up and walked away from her desolated body.

 “That’s one less disgusting Saiyan polluting our universe.  By dawn
their king will be dead,  HAHAHAHAAA!!!”

 Kaioden’s cackling laugh echoed over the landscape and rebounded in
Arashiko’s ears.

 She had failed her King, she had failed her brother Zorn, she had
failed herself.

 Now there was nothing left but sweet oblivion.



* * *



 She didn’t know how much time passed after that, everything seemed to
blend together into eternity.  Overhead, the storm still wailed and
raged.  Black clouds swirled violently in the once amber pure sky.  Rain
poured down over Arashiko and washed away some of the blood and dirt
that her body lay in.  Failure, she was a failure, she had failed the
ones she cared most about and they would surely die because of it.  She
had been defeated utterly and devastatingly.  She could have cried the
rest of her life away there on the blood and rain-soaked ground, but she
no longer had the strength to cry.  So she let the heavens cry for her.
Raindrops landed softly on her face and streaked down her cheeks,
echoing the paths of the tears she couldn’t cry.  Around her, lightening
flashed wildly as if the heavens themselves were opening to take her
soul to oblivion.  Arashiko closed her eyes and waited for death, there
was nothing else to do.  When she opened them again, a blue shimmer of
lightening silhouetted a figure standing over her.  The figure had
pointed ears and a round bald head.  It was short, the height of a
child.

 So, is this what Hell is?  Arashiko asked herself, for she knew that
she had done nothing worthy of going to Heaven.

 In the glare of the storm, the figure had dark green skin and small
antenna that protruded from just above the muscular ridge of each eye.
It was no mistaking it, it was a Nameck child.  She wasn’t dead yet!
Arashiko feebly reached out to the child for help.  With a cry of panic,
the Nameck child backed away and almost tripped over himself as he ran
off.

 “Wait!  Please!!”, Arashiko cried out weakly in vain.  The child was
gone.  She let her arm fall back down to the ground.  She didn’t have
the strength to call out any louder, she couldn’t find the strength to
stay awake.  One last sigh of defeat and Arashiko fell back into
unconsciousness.



* * *



 She awoke to the sound of pounding rain on the roof of a structure.
She was inside some place out of the torrent.  Little light penetrated
the depths of the strange building she was in.  The storm ravenously ate
all the sunlight that had once covered the land.  Arashiko rotated her
head around, trying to get a sense of where she was.  She was in some
kind of building with a round ceiling.  She could see the highlight of
many bottles and vials lined against the walls of the room she was in.
She turned her eyes towards the sound of soft voices talking.  In the
far corner of the room, a group of three adult Namecks were discussing
something.  Every so often one of them would glance back at her.  They
were obviously talking about her.  They spoke in a language which was
indiscernible to Arashiko.

 “It’s obviously a warrior.  We don’t know if he’s hostile or friendly.
If we heal him, it could pose a danger to the rest of us.  The risk is
too great.  We must address the Elders about this.”

 Their conversation was interrupted by a loud noise outside followed by
muffled screams of panic.  One of the Namecks shouted the word Kurai as
they ran outside leaving Arashiko by herself.  More screams and yells
rang outside, followed by the clash and scrape of metal.  Arashiko would
know the sound of battle anywhere.  Her whole life had been spent in
battle for King Vegeta.  Arashiko stared up into the darkness.  She
pulled herself up and put her feet on the floor.  The armor that had
once covered her abdomen had been cut away leaving the Ginyu cuirass in
ruins.  Her stomach had been bandaged over.  Some kind of strange yellow
salve had been smothered into the cuts and contusions over her body.

 I owe these people my life.  I must help them!  I have to find the
strength somewhere. . .

 Arashiko got to her feet and staggered forward as she tried to walk.
She caught herself on a table ledge and lifted herself back to her
feet.  A pang of pain made her grip her stomach.  The wounds from
Kiaoden’s claws throbbed angrily.  It was a pain and defeat she would
not soon forget.  Arashiko slowly made her way outside on wobbly legs.
The Namecks were too caught up in the battle to notice her presence.
The clash of swords and armor sounded all around her.  Arashiko could
hardly make out the attackers.  They appeared just like normal Namecks,
with pointed ears and antenna, except for the dusky gray color of their
skin.  Their eyes were also dramatically different than the other
Namecks, they possessed a nocturnal red hue.  All of the Namecks were
humanoid in appearance.  Arashiko made her way to a small clearing where
the main part of the battle was taking place just outside the small
Nameck village.  The Namecks who had saved her were putting up a valiant
fight, but they were losing badly.  Their light purple blood stained the
ground everywhere.  Arashiko counted at least twenty enemies on the
battlefield.  Nearby she spotted the young Nameck child who had found
her running to the fallen warriors and kneeling over them.  A strange
saffron light emanated from the brave child’s body and bounced between
his two Nameckian antenna.  Arashiko realized he was trying to heal what
fallen warriors he could.  Some string of compassion was pulled deep
within her as she watched the child try to heal the dying Namecks.
Without warning one of the enemy soldiers caught the child from behind.
He pulled him up by the scruff of his neck and prepared to kill him with
his long bloodstained blade.  Arashiko blazed with anger, using the
surge of fury to fuel her energy.

 No way I can beat them all.  Maybe I can psyche them out!  The others
seemed to be afraid of me, that gives me an advantage!!  The skies
turned blacker than before as Arashiko summoned her remaining power.  A
storm of energy sent bolts of lightening pummeling down upon them.  The
rocks levitated from their places and hovered strangely in the air.  The
attackers looked up at her in terror, seeing her glowing blue eyes and
illuminated body, they fled in horror from the battlefield.  The
defending Namecks stared at her in awe and stunned confusion, all their
bright eyes turned towards her.  Arashiko staggered to a nearby wall
breathing heavily.  She thanked the powers that be that they had not
called her bluff.  One of the braver warriors approached her to thank
her but stopped short when she began to moan.

 “Ughh, dammit!!” Arashiko groaned as she clutched her stomach.  The
wounds to her midsection had ripped open from the sudden action so soon
after her battle with Kaioden.  She collapsed to the ground, leaving a
streak of red blood on the wall.



* * *



 When she awoke again, the Nameck child was standing by her side.  She
was back in the same domed room once more.

 “Kiva dantuna. Atuna ackba.” the child spoke to her softly.
 Arashiko shook her head in reply, “I. . I can’t understand you. . .”
She cringed and turned over to face him.  God how her stomach hurt!!!

 I’ll get Kaioden for this!!  I swear I won’t die till I feel her blood
on my hands!!!

 The child brought a strangely shaped gourd up to her mouth.  Arashiko
let the cool liquid wash down her throat.  It tasted like water with a
bitter edge to it.  Somehow, the peculiar concoction made the pain in
her stomach relent a little.  Arashiko looked up gratefully at the young
Nameck and nodded her head.  The child put the flask down and placed the
tips of his fingers on her temples.  Arashiko felt a strange tingling
sensation in her ears.

 “Can you understand me now?” The child asked.

 Arashiko gaped in surprise, “Y. .Yes!!  Who are you??”

 The youth smiled warmly and replied, “My name’s Nail.  I’m the son of
the leader of this village, Kaiochuru.  Who are you?”

 Arashiko looked away from him, sorrow overlaying her reply,  “I’m
nothing.”

 Nail stared at her confused, “You must be something, you’re here aren’t
you?”  he asked with naive bafflement.

 Arashiko sighed and softly responded to him, “My name’s Arashiko.”

 “Thank you, Arashiko, for saving our village.  Thank you for saving my
life”, Nail said as he stared at her with wide grateful eyes.

 A fit of violent coughing suddenly took her.  She tasted the blood in
her mouth yet again.  She felt so sleepy.  It took all her strength not
to fall into the trap of slumber.  Arashiko knew what it meant.  She was
dying.

 Nail gasped and tried to reassure her, “We’re going to take you to my
father and the Clan Elders!!  They’ll heal you just hang on!!!”

 Nail’s worried face faded into darkness as all sound ceased and
Arashiko fell into a dreamless coma.



* * *



 The council of Elders stood in a circle in a great clearing at the
center of the village, their ancient faces bent in deep contemplation.
At their feet, the Dragonballs were arranged in a circle.  The strange
globes shone a brilliant orange in the encroaching blackness of the
storm.  Tiny stars etched into each stone showed their order.  There was
a matter of great importance to be discussed--the warrior who had come
in the midst of the storm that still raged across the land.  The eldest
and wisest of the Namecks, Kaiochuru, stood listening to his youngest
son’s appeal.  Nail spoke with much vigor and determination and with a
force that belied his youthful appearance.

 “Father, you must listen to me.  The warrior saved our village!!  He
saved me!!  If it wasn’t for this warrior, we would have all been
slaughtered by the Kurai!  The least we can do is heal him!”

 A clamor of voices arose from the elders.  One Elder argued that the
warrior was powerful and might destroy them upon being restored.
Another debated that such power would be useful against the Kurai.
Kaiochuru silenced them with a simple raise of his hand.  The elder
Namecks kindly features folded in introspection.  The warrior could be
the key to defeating such evil and powerful enemies as the Kurai who
threatened his Dragon Clan.

 “Father, please . . .”, Nail implored further.

 Kaiochuru silenced him with a quick gesture and raise of his wrinkled
palm.  Nail bowed his head and was silent.  The wise Elder signaled over
to two of his soldiers who stood just outside the Elder’s ceremonial
meeting and bade them bring the warrior to the center of the Circle.
They soon returned and laid the battered warrior in the midst of the
Elders and the orange globes born of Kaiochuru himself.  He stepped
forward and gently covered Arashiko’s forehead with his hand.  He sensed
something in her.  She had a strong spirit, a good spirit, but there was
something dark he sensed deep down inside her.  It was hate and anger.
Kaiochuru shook his head slowly.  This warrior was at a nexus, her
spirit could be led towards good or evil.

 “Listen to me, my children”, Kaiochuru’s deep, discerning voice
resonated throughout the clearing, “I have known what it is to have good
and evil in one’s spirit.  I have walked that path alone and endured.
This warrior has the same division of spirit that sired you.  But we
must not fear evil in any person for one can only do good if one is
given the chance.  With such power as this warrior possesses, we can end
the violence in our world before it consumes our lives and the lives of
our children.  And perhaps we can help another escape the same fate that
has divided our people and our spirits.”

 Kaiochuru stepped back away from Arashiko’s comatose body and stood
before the golden spheres.

 “We must summon Purunga, the Eternal Dragon.  Only his power can heal
the wounds that ail this brave warrior.”  The other Elders bowed their
heads in silent consent and stepped back, leaving Kaiochuru to perform
the ceremony of invoking the Eternal Dragon of Nameck.

 Kaiochuru spread his arms out over the Dragonballs and began to chant
monotonely.  Each of the orbs began to pulse with golden radiance.  The
pulsing of the globes attuned themselves with his heartbeat as his
booming voice spoke the words to summon the Dragon.

 “Takara pao Purunga tipa rei paro.”

 A swirl of violent wind erupted from the glowing spheres and blew
outward from their center.  The storm clouds converged over the horizon
and centered over the Dragonballs.  The clouds threw spears of blue
lightening down angrily upon the ground around Arashiko’s pallid body.
Golden light streaked forward from every illuminated orb in a tumult of
primal energy that concentrated in the sky overhead.  The sparkling
chaotic light began to take the vague shape of a dragon as it spun and
swirled in the air.  The formless was given form as a great dragon
materialized from the golden womb of energy.  It was a truly awesome
being to behold.  It floated in the sky, its long scaly body extending
for almost half a mile upwards.  It’s robust underbelly was covered with
plates of brilliant golden scales that caught the reflections of every
shard of light and flash of lightening.  Brilliant emerald was the rest
of it’s armored hide.  The mass of its upper torso was strangely
humanoid in appearance except for the heightened muscular proportion of
its mighty shoulders.  Black spines protruded from its heavy shoulders
and ran all the way from the middle of its forehead down the entire
length of its extended body to the very tip of its tail, which curled
about many times in the air in magnificent coils.  Four prongs accented
the omnipotent glare of its radiant red eyes.

 “You have summoned me from my slumber.  Give unto me thy three wishes
and unto you they will be granted.  As it is written so it shall be
done.”   The Dragon’s reverberating voice boomed through every soul in
its presence.

 “Purunga, Eternal Dragon of my own blood”, Kaiochuru shouted back to be
heard clearly over the storm, “My wish is for this fallen warrior to be
healed in body and restored to health.”

 The eyes of the Dragon blazed brilliantly as they contained the
boundless power within.  Arashiko’s body slowly rose off of the ground
and levitated in front of the great dragon.  The Dragonballs swirled
around her as laces of delicate energy traced from the golden aura of
the dragon and ensnared Arashiko’s limbs.

 Arashiko’s eyes fluttered open from her coma.  Golden brilliance filled
her vision as an awesome dragon loomed over her.  It felt like she was
floating in the middle of a great sea, with no end but the horizon.
Arashiko blinked in wonder and closed her eyes.  She couldn’t resist the
sleep any longer.  With one gentle exhalation, she breathed her last.
Splendid energy rushed into every pore of her being and into the wounds
that plagued her body.  When the profound light left her, it took all
presence of pain and injury.

 “Your wish has been granted”, the voice of the Dragon echoed, “but the
one you seek to be restored has left this plane.”

 “Than I invoke the second wish”, Kaiochuru said calmly, “Let the
fleeing soul of this warrior be returned to its body.”

 Another gleam of the Dragon’s fathomless ruby eyes and lightening
erupted from the sky and passed through Arashiko’s lifeless body.
Blinding flashes of pure white light exploded all around as her body
illuminated brightly for a few divine moments then went dull again.

 “Make your third wish.”, Purunga demanded.

 “Restore the mind and body from the coma that keeps this warrior
asleep.”

 One final flash of the Dragon’s eyes and energies converged in
Arashiko’s body.  The Dragon’s splendid coutenance once again melted
back into golden formlessness as it’s beaming voice resonated
everywhere.

 “Your wish has been granted.  I bid thee farewell.”

 The seven burning celestial globes throbbed with energy and began to
raise into the sky as Arashiko’s body slowly descended down to the
ground.  With one last parting flash of radiance, the Dragonballs
separated to the ends of Nameck.

 Arashiko jerked awake, just in time to see the golden paths that the
Dragonballs left in their wake.  Arashiko inhaled violently, the first
breath taken for a new existence.  She felt so unusual, so exhilarated.
Some strange new power flowed through her veins.  No pain racked her
body anymore.  She felt her stomach for the four wounds left by
Kaioden’s claws.  They weren’t there anymore!?  Arashiko looked down at
her own hands as if they didn’t even belong to her.  When she dared to
look up, the jaded figures of the Nameck Elders stared at her from their
places in the Circle, their emerald features gleaming in the afterglow
of the Dragon.  The mist of rain floated mysteriously about them, giving
them all the seeming of specters.  Arashiko’s blue eyes fixed on the
strong, benevolent figure of Kaiochuru as he stepped forward and stood
in front of her.

 “Welcome to the world of the living, Santi Uru. . .

 . . . Child of the Storm.”



* * *

 Arashiko laid her black tattered armor across the table and inspected
it.  Jagged cracks ran all across it, showing the signs of the past
battle.  She was dressed in a long white robe that the Namecks had
provided her.  Underneath it she still wore the sleek, segmented black
body suit that she had worn underneath the Ginyu armor.  It was
relatively undamaged as compared to the rest of her worn armor.  A
couple of days had passed and the Namecks had kindly provided her with
her own domed hut on the edge of the village.  The quaint little place
kept out the elements decently enough and provided a comfortable little
hole to nest in, but Arashiko was planning on a short stay.  She had to
get back to planet Vegeta.  She had to know what had become of her
King.  She popped the top off of the vial of fixative that had been
attached to her belt.  It was a miracle it had survived the battle
intact.  Cautiously she poured the inky black fluid into the
spider-webbed cracks and fractures in her armor.  She tried not to waste
a single drop of the precious fluid.  The ebon substance sank into every
cleft in the armor and glowed dully for a few moments, then turned dark
black again.  It soon hardened into the armor, repairing it as best as
one single vial could.  Arashiko contemplatively ran her fingers across
the four holes left in the abdomen piece of the armor, feeling the
raised edges from the force of the vicous stab.  They were too large and
deep to repair with what she had, just like the wounds to her pride.
Arashiko’s brow creased sharply in anger as she remembered her appalling
defeat.  She unconsciously gripped her abdomen where the fatal blow had
been dealt.  The word failure echoed relentlessly through her mind.
Arashiko gripped her face in her hands to make it stop.

 “It must have been terrible”, Nail’s soft voice addressed her from the
door, “Who did this to you?”

 Arashiko stood up nervously and shook her head.  After a few
embarrassed moments, she sat back down and tried to explain it in terms
that Nail would understand.

 “It was a demon named Kaioden”, Arashiko spat with disgust, “She was
sent by a demon king named Frieza.  They’re different, like me.  They
come from another world.  Frieza wished to destroy the leader of my
clan, Vegeta, and I tried to get away to warn him, but the demon king
sent Kaioden and her brother Ryuichi to kill me.  We ended up fighting
on your world because my ship crashed here.”

 Nail blinked at her, a little confused at first, then nodded his head
in understanding, “This demon must have been infinitely strong to defeat
one as powerful as you!!”, Nail cried out with enthusiasm that Arashiko
did not share.

 Arashiko turned away from him and got up, “No matter,” determination
deepening her words, “I will have my day of reckoning.”  She began to
strap the pieces of repaired armor back on.

 The little Nameck cocked his head curiously at her and stared
innocently, “Wow!  You must train alot!!”

 “Some.”, Arashiko answered disinterestingly, her mind focused on the
task of getting the armor primed.

 “You must be very strong, you have very developed chest muscles!!”

 Arashiko stopped what she was doing.  Her face reddened a little when
she realized what he was staring at.  She couldn’t believe this little
kid was so straight-forward.

 “W. .What??”, Arashiko asked in disbelief.

 “Huh?  Why are you getting angry?”, Nail asked naively.

 “It’s not polite to stare at a girl’s breasts you know!!” Arashiko
scolded him angrily, “GLUUL!!  And you’re a little kid too!!”  Arashiko
moved to push the puny pervert out of the hut.

 Nail backed away, “Huh??  What’s a gurrll?”, Nail struggled over the
pronunciation of the new word.

 Arashiko stared at him for a few long moments, one eyebrow cocked in
bafflement.

 “You mean there are no female Namecks?!?”

 Nail rolled his eyes back thoughtfully as he tried to grasp the concept
of what a girl was, “Err,  no.”  He finally answered.

 Arashiko’s mouth fell open with surprise, “Then how do you?”, she made
a couple motions in the air with her hands, she searched for a word to
say, “ Procreate?”

 Nail giggled gaily as if she had just asked the dumbest question in the
world and answered her, “We Namecks come from eggs.  The Eldest Nameck,
my father Kaiochuru, is our sire.”

 Arashiko stood silent with one finger raised in thought.

 Weird!!

 She finally shrugged and started to gather her things to go.  She
scooped up the broken scouter from the table.

 Maybe I can use the spare parts to repair the panels on my ship.

 “Wait, where are you going?!?”, Nail bounded after Arashiko as she
stepped outside.  It was beginning to get sunny again.  Streaks of the
suns’ rays poked through the thinning gray clouds.  All that was left of
the torrent was a brisk wind.

 “I’m going to kill Frieza!!”, Arashiko replied to him as she prepared
to take off to the crash site of her ship, “Tell your father that I
thank him deeply for saving my life.”  She patted the little Nameck on
his round green head and then took off.

 Nail yelled after her desperately, “B. .but!!  Wait!!  You’re not
strong enough to defeat Frieza!!!”  He tried to run after her fleeing
form, but she soon faded into the sky.  He drooped his head in
disappointment and stared into the vastness of the vibrant yellow
atmosphere.



* * *



 It took Arashiko a couple of  hours to locate her ship without the use
of her scouter, but finally it appeared on the horizon.  It lay open
with its innards fully exposed to the elements like the abandoned shell
of a hermit crab.  By the brightening light of day she could see the
deep tears on the outer hull of the small pod.  The spare parts from the
scouter would not be enough to make it fly again.  She needed to find
more circuits and plating for the outer hull.  She wasn’t going anywhere
for a very long time.  The words of the little Nameck echoed through her
thoughts.

 You’re not strong enough to defeat Frieza!!!

 She knew he was right.  She couldn’t even defeat Kaioden.

 What possessed me to think that I could take Frieza??!  But what about
the King??  I must return to him!!  I must find out if he is still
alive!!  Arashiko implored the little voice in her thoughts.  She begged
herself, Is he still alive??!!

 Tears came to her eyes as the little voice answered her.  Deep down she
knew, she felt it despairingly in her heart.  The King is already dead!
Murdered at the hands of Frieza, the one you couldn’t kill!!!  If you
are going to leave, you need power.

 Where could she find such power?  It would take much training and
fighting to ever reach the near infinite level of the all-powerful
Frieza!  It suddenly hit her like lightening.

 The Dragonballs!!

 Arashiko brought to mind the orbs that had she had seen streaking the
sky like falling stars after she had awoken from her coma.  Nail had
called them Dragonballs.  With them, the Namecks had wished her back to
life and with them she could gain the ultimate power she needed to
defeat Frieza.  She knew just how she could get to the orbs.

 Santi Uru, that’s what Kaiochuru had called her.  She figured that the
Namecks thought that she was some kind of warrior sent to help them, she
could use that to obtain the Dragonballs.

 She would be their Santi Uru and she would get her power.

 She would defeat Frieza and all who stood in her way.



* * *



 Arashiko twitched her fingers nervously.  Kaiochuru ominously loomed
over her  as he sat atop a white throne with spikes protruding out of
its pinnacle, giving him the appearance of wearing a crown.  He was
proportionally bigger than Arashiko and his large form was very
imposing.  The Great Hall spread out before Arashiko and Kaiochuru.  It
was abound with a simplistic splendor of shining floors and white
metallic walls.  Somehow, the rays of the sun were able to seep through
the walls and light the whole chamber with golden brilliance.
Kaiochuru’s dwelling abided just outside of the village.  It sat high
atop the face of a small ridge overlooking the community as a protective
shrine.  Kaiochuru’s abode was made of several domed lodges that
intertwined together to form one large complex.

 Kaiochuru stared down at Arashiko, his wrinkled and aged features
echoing the depths of his great wisdom.  The Eldest Nameck did most
certainly show his age.  His once sturdy and strong form had sagged with
the trial of years.  His once vibrant emerald skin had faded and
grayed.  Yellow spots of age dotted his face around his eyes and across
his bald head.  The rosy pink plates of skin all Namecks possessed that
adorned Kaiochuru’s forearms, legs, biceps and abdomen had faded to a
dusty gold.  To Arashiko, he looked as if he was silently forming an
opinion about her for he said nothing but just stared forward at her
contemplatively.  He had asked Arashiko to come to The Great Hall so he
could speak with her.  As always, Nail stood nearby on the side.

 “I would like to thank you for what you have done,”  Kaiochuru’s
strong, but gentle voice cracked the silence, “You saved my children.”

 Arashiko bowed her head in acknowledgment and replied to him softly,
“My debt is repaid in full,  you saved my very life, you even healed my
wounds.  I cannot be more grateful for what you have done.”

 Kaiochuru’s kindly face saddened, “There will be more death if this war
does not end soon.  More of my children will die.”

 Arashiko stared at him, confused by his words, “Who are the people that
attacked the village earlier?”

 Kaiochuru sighed deeply and prepared to tell his story, “They are the
Kurai.  They too are my children.  I am the Eldest of my people, I am
the first of the Nameck.  I lived here alone on this green world.  I do
not remember where I came from, all I remember is that I came to be.
But even alone, I did not have peace.  I possessed the same duality of
spirit that I sense in your soul.  There was a balance of good and evil
within me.  The balance became tipped and the evil was prevailing.
Voices spoke to me in the darkness of my sleep.  I felt as if the souls
of many were combined within me.  To rid myself of this evil and the
voices that plagued me, I purged them physically and mentally from my
body.  In doing so, I created the first Namecks.  Each one possessed a
personality and spirit individual to them.  They were my children.  The
eldest of my children came to be the Masters of Nameck and the leaders
of their own clans.  I left them to find peace in the mountains of our
world.  After the creation of my eldest children, I formed my own clan
so that I would not be alone.  My clan is called the Purunga, the Dragon
Clan, because it is my will alone that created the Dragonballs.  Only
those of my clan have the power to create them.

 I thought I had found peace at long last, but it did not come to pass.
My children fought amongst themselves.  They warred when they should
have loved.  They killed when they should have embraced.  The
descendants of the Evil within me which I purged from my spirit long ago
are the ones who attack us.  They are the Kurai, the Dark Ones.  They
seek to control the power of the Eternal Dragon of Nameck, Purunga, and
to accomplish this, they must have me.  My youngest son, Nail, has been
trained in the ancient ways of our people, he has been taught the Art of
War.  But he is still too young, he cannot defeat the Kurai who kill my
Clan.  Nail is only twenty-four years old and not yet powerful enough to
fight the Kurai.”

 Arashiko gasped.  He’s twenty four??!  Damn!  Maybe he wasn’t such a
puny kid after all!

 “How my heart dies to see my children kill one another”,  Kaiochuru
saddened immensely, his gentle features sweeping sorrowfully, “If the
Kurai are able to obtain the Dragonballs, all things living in nature
will be thrown into endless chaos and death.  That is why you must help
us Santi Uru, Child of the Storm.  We are not powerful enough to defeat
the Dark Ones and I cannot use the Dragon against them.”

 Arashiko locked her blue eyes with Kaiochuru’s dark, imperceptible
pupils and gave him her word, “In light of what you have done for me, I
give you my solemn vow that I will help your people.  Maybe I can save a
life instead of taking one.”

 Kaiochuru looked sideways at her, a little perplexed by her words,
“What do you mean?”

 Arashiko turned around away from him and stared into the darkness of
her own mind, “It is a story for another time.”  She walked out of the
room, the white robe she wore fluttering behind her like the spirits of
the departed on the wind.

 She slowly walked along the trail that wound about the ridge that
Kaiochuru’s lodge dwelt upon.  From this height she could get a good
view of the Nameckian landscape.  The distant landscapes flowed with
purple and blue hues, but jagged upheavals and cracks in the flat
landscape exposed the earthy orange and brown tones of the land’s
underbelly.  The strange trees dotted the scape everywhere.  They too
were of purple shades with a round nest of leaves at their tops but bare
from the crown down.  The clear sky burned with the light of two suns
that stained the sky with yellow, a perfect compliment of the violet
tints of the ground.

 “Wow!!!  You’re really gonna help us!!  Thank you!!  Thank you!!!”,
Nail bounded up beside her, his agile little figure jumping up and down
with excitement.

 Arashiko tried to walk forward but the hyper little Nameck blocked her
way with his bouncing form.  She gently tried to get him out of the way
with a push.

 “If you want me to help your village fight the Kurai, you gotta move
outta the way!!!” still, Nail avoided her gentle proddings and jumped up
and down around her like a wild man.

 “Oh, thank you so much Arashiko gurrl!!”, Nail exclaimed happily.

 Arashiko finally gave in and let the little Nameck walk with her.

 She walked to the very edge of the path which dropped off about fifty
feet.  Her foot pushed a rock off of the rim and it disappeared into the
distance.  It took a few seconds for her to hear the crack it made as it
crashed into the ground below.  It was a long way down.

 Arashiko drew in long breath of the humid air and stepped back.

 Well, this is one way to see if I’m truly healed.

 With one gigantic leap of faith, Arashiko jumped from the edge of the
path as Nail watched on in astonishment.  The white robe trailed behind
her and gathered the breeze.  She spread her arms outward like the wings
of an angel to kiss the wind.  Below the ground came rushing up to meet
her with its solid body.  The land shook violently as Arashiko smashed
into it.  She landed in a crouch, her feet dug in several inches from
the impact.  Arashiko slowly rose to her feet.  She silently took in the
reality that she had made the distant jump without being damaged at
all.  She took in another long, deep breath and let out the loudest and
most joyful laugh she had laughed in a very long time.  She could feel
the raw power coursing through her veins and through every inch of her
body.

 Kaioden’s in for it now!!  When a Saiyan is defeated we only get
stronger!!!!  HAHAHAAHHH!!!!!!

 Her hearty laughing was cut short when the ground shook beneath her
feet as another impact jarred the earth.  Arashiko snapped around to see
Nail standing beside her.  Her mouth dropped in utter wonder.  The kid
had made the jump!!?

 Nail complacently looked up to the top of the ridge they had jumped off
of and shielded his eyes from the glare, “Hell of a jump huh?”

 Arashiko smiled as she and Nail walked towards the village.

 “Kid, you and I are going to make a great team.”, Arashiko stated with
respect as she placed a hand on Nail’s shoulder.

 They walked together towards the village, the round domed lodges
appearing as white shells on the horizon.

 “So, why does your father call me Santi Uru, child of the storm all the
time, Nail?” Arashiko asked, the strange title had been bothering her
with its meaning since it had first been bestowed upon her by Kaiochuru.

 “Well, you came to us during the storm.  Only the summoning of the
Eternal Dragon causes great storms like the one that occurred when you
came to us.  The storm was an omen that something powerful was coming,
and that something was you.  On that day, we saw an occurrence that only
happens once in a millennium, we saw the Dark Sun.”  Nail replied, his
voice full of wonder and admiration.

 They saw the Moon Beam.  Arashiko thought to herself.

 “The Dragon has truly blessed us to send a powerful warrior such as you
to deliver us from the evil of the Kurai.”

 Arashiko sighed and patted the little Nameck’s shoulder, “I hope I can
live up to your expectations.”



* * *



 The next day, Kaiochuru called her again, this time to the clearing at
the center of the village where they had first summoned the Dragon to
heal her.  Kaiochuru was there to greet her at the center of the
courtyard.

 “If you are going to fight the Kurai, you must know the Art of War.”
Kaiochuru said as he handed her a long, guilded sword forged with a
strange white metal in the blade.  The ebony hilt and handgaurd were
wonderful works of artistry.  Small intricate designs traced about the
hilt and base of the beautiful blade.

 Arashiko lifted the sword and took a look at it for a couple of
seconds, then handed it back to Kaiochuru with a slight smile on her
face, “Kaiochuru, I already know how to fight, I don’t use weapons,
Saiyans use their hands”, she said as she balled her fists and lifted
them up to her face forcefully.

 “You must learn to fight as we do.” Kaiochuru replied as he shook his
head, “There are some advantages.  Lanan. . .” Kaiochuru called to
someone behind him.

 A strong, middle-aged Nameck stepped forward and bowed to Arashiko.  He
was one of the young soldiers that protected the village.  Lanan was
clad in strange red armor that covered the sections of his muscles with
armored plates.  The shoulder guards ran upwards from his shoulders and
curved to points.  He drew his long white sword, similar to the one
Kaiochuru had offered Arashiko and took a stance.

 “This is Lanan, one of the foremost and skilled soldiers in the Dragon
Clan.  He is a protector of the village and the Elders.”, Kaiochuru
introduced the young, zealous warrior, “He wishes the honor of testing
your strength.”

 Arashiko smugly replied, “Hmmp!  I accept that challenge!”

 Kaiochuru once again offered her the sword, but Arashiko refused it.
What harm could he do to her with his puny little sword?  Especially
with the strong armor she had on.  She waved Lanan forward with her
hand, she was willing to let him even try to make a mark on her with the
sword.

 Lanan took her bluff and jumped forward with his sword raised high over
his head.  Arashiko smiled at him, unmoved from her spot.  She stood
with her hands on her hips waiting for him to make a move.  Lanan
brought the sword down.  The blade sang as it sliced through the air.
Lanan backed away from her perplexed that his sword had caused no
damage, Arashiko stood still smiling arrogantly at him.

 “W. .What?!”, Arashiko blurted out surprised when she lifted her hand
up to her face and found that it was covered with crimson blood.  The
sword had cut her in the side.  Arashiko clutched the wound and glared
over at Lanan, her gaze full of hot rage.

 “Dammit!!”, she cursed him, she cursed the sword, she cursed the
ground, she cursed the tree, she cursed everything.  The wound wasn’t
deep and it wasn’t life-threatening, but it certainly was a deep wound
to her Saiyan pride.  The Nameckian sword had pierced even Saiyan design
armor!!  Lanan stepped farther away from her, afraid of another outburst
of power from her fury, for she looked sincerely pissed.

 Nail ran up to Arashiko, “Are you okay??  Let me see!”

 “DAMMIT!!!”, Arashiko still raged, she tried to push Nail away, it was
even more embarrassing to have the little kid try to see if she was
okay.  But as usual, Nail was relentless and she finally had to let him
see the cut after much evasion and embarrassment.

 “Grrrr!!!”, Arashiko growled as Nail placed his hands on the cut to her
side.  Yellow light emanated from his hands.

 Arashiko started back, “What the hell are you doing?”  she asked in
shock.

 The light disappeared from him, as did the wound to her side.

 Arashiko stared at him, her eyes full of wonder, “You have got to teach
me how to do that!” she finally said to Nail.

 Nail wiped some sweat off of his brow and replied, “It’s a gift learned
with practice.”  He sighed deeply, a little exasperated by the healing
process, “But for everything there is a price.  You must listen to my
father.  Let us teach you, maybe we can help you with your quest to
defeat the demon king Frieza, but you must listen to us.”

 Kaiochuru stepped forward and held out the snow white sword to her.
Nail nodded to her assuredly.  The light of the two Nameckian suns
reflected off the blade and illuminated her cerulean eyes.  Arashiko
begrudgingly took up the sword.

 “There are some advantages after all, Wise Nameck.”  she acknowledged
Kaiochuru’s great wisdom and brandished the sword in his honor.

 She turned to Lanan and took her own stance, the sword held over her
head in one hand, “Again?”

 The Nameck cowered back a little then finally took his stance.
Arashiko rushed forward and brought the sword down upon him.  Lanan
nimbly sidestepped her charge and Arashiko overextended her reach.  The
weight of the sword made her stumble forward a little.  She almost threw
down the sword and prepared to clobber Lanan with her bare hands but
both Nail and Kaiochuru eyed her with a disapproving glare and she
continued to use the sword clumsily.  She swiped at Lanan again, missing
both times.

 Damn these little Namecks are fast!!  Arashiko thought as Lanan evaded
every amateur thrust and jab she took at him.  Lanan suddenly stopped
and sheathed his sword.  He glanced back at Kaiochuru and Nail.
Arashiko followed his look and found that Nail and Kaiochuru were both
on the verge of laughing out loud.  Their green faces twisted as they
tried to contain their laughter.

 “GRRRRR!!!”, Arashiko growled as her face reddened with anger.

 Finally they could hold their laughter in no more and they burst into a
roar of sniggering.

 “Arashiko gurrl, you can’t fight like that,  HAHA!” giggled Nail.

 Arashiko walked up to him and shook the sword at him angrily “Well how
the hell do you expect me to use this damned thing?!?”  Arashiko burst
out furiously.

 Nail drew his own sword from an elaborate gold sheath that hung from
his thigh.  He skillfully placed his hands about the hilt and slashed
downward in the air and stepped forward into a stance, one leg bent and
the other spread back.  Arashiko stared at him stunned, she still
couldn’t believe how much skill this small child possessed.

 But then again he’s not really a child is he?  He’s older than I am,
I’m only nineteen!!!!

 “Follow me.”  Nail said as he motioned to her to follow his movements.

 Arashiko blinked a couple times, still astonished, then tried to mimic
his stance.  She spread her feet apart, the forward foot pointed
outward, the back foot pointed away, and the sword held in the right
hand with the left hand leading in front for balance.

 “Now let yourself be as a reed in the wind.  Bend to the breeze.”, Nail
instructed gently, his voice filled with the wisdom of years of
training.  He swept forward with the blade, spinning his body and the
blade gracefully, one could not think that such a graceful movement
could disembowel someone.  Arashiko mimicked the movement almost
exactly, the blade singing through the air.

 “Good!  You’re a quick learner!!” Nail praised, excited by her
beginning skill.

 Arashiko stepped back and smiled at him, giving him a wink, “Thanks
kid^_^”



* * *



 “Clear your mind, free your soul, and release all anger.  True power
can only be felt with one’s heart.”

 Arashiko listened diligently to Nail’s teachings.  She had since
learned that the Nameck possessed a great wisdom beyond his years.  They
sat side by side with their legs crossed Indian style on a beautifully
woven mat.  Their eyes were closed in deep concentration.

 “Now”, Nail’s soft voice guided the lesson, “Feel with your soul, reach
out with your inner strength and heart.  Feel the powers that reside
here on our world.”

 Arashiko breathed in deeply, allowing the calmness of mind and heart to
guide her soul.  She reached out to the world, wishing to touch
everything with her own spirit.  Beside her she could feel the gentle
flowing energy of Nail, the pure energy that coursed through his body.
She let herself float farther in the pulse of energy that she felt in
every living thing around her.  Suddenly it assaulted her, the evil
saturated her senses.  She could see them in her thoughts, the Kurai,
with their burning red eyes and dark skin.  One of them in particular
burned eternally into her vision.  He was their leader, the first
descendent of the Evil within Kaiochuru.  His name was Yugure and she
could see his black visage besieged of any light and goodness.  She
could feel their profound darkness.  With a snap she withdrew to her own
senses and self like a ray of night escaping the rising sun.  She had
never truly felt evil till that moment.

 So that’s what it feels like?  Evil.  Arashiko wondered if she had the
same darkness deep down inside, hiding away for now and waiting for the
right moment to strike like a monster waiting underneath your bed.  She
turned to Nail who nodded knowingly at her.

 “My father felt the same thing in you.  The same darkness.  But there
is a way to remedy what is in your heart, fear, hate, defeat, the need
to be strong and to survive, the need to kill.  You must follow the Way
and find your own path.” Nail preached to her the knowledge of the
Ancient ways of Nameck.

 Arashiko locked her gaze with his, “No one has ever known what is in my
heart.”

 Nail stared back at her, unblinking in the face of the harsh tone of
voice she used, “Only you can change what is in your heart.”

 Arashiko answered him with silence.  The wind wailed mournfully in the
stillness.  Arashiko’s black hair floated wraith-like in the air and
framed her face which darkened with hidden emotions and thoughts.
Finally she released the anger she held within.

 “It’s true.  I’ve killed men, women, children.  I wiped entire planets
clean of life and love and everything good. All for the glory and the
honor.  It was all I’ve ever known and ever been taught, all for the
King.  All for the pride of my race.  We killed for the pleasure of it.
We stood in the blood of dead worlds and let it wash through our
fingers.  I’ve looked into my heart and found nothing.  What I see can’t
be changed.  It’s too late to try.”

 Nail smiled at her compassionately, “All things change.  People
change.  You have, you just refuse to realize it.  You saved my village
and you saved me.  Father saw it, and I see it.  There is good in you.
We both know it, we both feel it.  You just have to find it and embrace
it.”

 “But you can’t change the past, no matter how your heart has moved.”
Arashiko said in a sorrowful whisper, tears gathering in her eyes.  Her
thoughts floated back to Brana, the friend she had gained and lost all
within the sliver of a moment in her life.  And it was her fault that
she was gone.  She had taken her life into her own hands and crushed it,
blown it away like rose petals in the breeze.

 “You mustn’t live in the past.  You must live for the future.  Learn
from the mistakes we all make,” Nail consoled, “Maybe here we can help
you change.”

 Shades of the past, present and future caught in the blue shine of
Arashiko’s glistening eyes.  Despite tears and sadness, she smiled
sweetly at Nail.  Someone finally treated her like a person, not a
weapon or a soldier to be sacrificed.  Maybe through him she could find
some kind of redemption, at least in the eyes of one person.

 Without warning, Arashiko grabbed her forehead.  It felt like a
thousand sharp needles were stabbing into her mind!  She jerked to her
feet and fell back down to her knees, pressing her fists to her
throbbing temples.  She had opened a door when she felt the Kurai and
now everything rushed through, overwhelming her.

 She clenched her fists and looked up, sweat running down her face,
“They’re here!!  The Kurai!!!  They’re here!!!!  Can’t you feel it!??”

 Nail had jumped to his feet in surprise.  He stared at her, stunned and
confused.

 “It’s him!!  The Yugure!!  Their leader!!!  GAAHHH!”, the rush of new
senses was excruciating to Arashiko.  She could feel the pure Evil
permeating the entire existence of Yugure.  It was sickening and
painful, the feeling of being cast into complete darkness and locked
there.  She could see his face in her thoughts, laughing and burning
eternally with those red eyes.  Arashiko yanked Nail up and pulled him
back towards the village.

 “Wait?  What are you talking about??”, Nail blurt out confused.

 Arashiko said the knowledge that burned in her mind.

 “Darkness is here!!  The one of Evil, the one that Kaiochuru spoke
of!!!”

 Nail’s eyes widened with fear.  They ran as fast as they could to the
village, their legs racing against the sunset.

 There arose such a wailing in the air that it drowned out all hope and
goodness.

The Kurai were attacking the village.



* * *



 They ran through the chaos that enveloped the village.  Thick clouds of
black smoke from the burning huts made them choke and lose their way.
Screams and cries echoed all around them as the battle raged within the
smog of fire.  Through the smoke Arashiko could see that Nail had drawn
his golden sword to fight.  It shined through the gloom of the battle
with a brilliant white glow.  Arashiko’s throbbing head pounded worse as
she was tackled to the ground by a flying figure.  She could feel strong
hands constricting around her throat.  With her superior strength,
Arashiko grasped the wrists of her attacker and crushed the delicate
bones with a simple squeeze of her hands.  The Kurai screamed out in
agony as Arashiko hefted his body into the air and threw him into a
nearby wall.  Arashiko made sure he was dead with a quick blast of
energy that caught him directly in the chest.  His violet blood
splattered into the black mists.  Arashiko whirled around to see if Nail
was okay.  She was astonished to see the little Nameck slicing through
the enemy with skilled strokes of his blade.  Nail was a warrior at
heart, possessed of a true fighting spirit almost as fierce as hers.
Arashiko took one last look at him and decided to leave him to fight by
himself.  He was capable enough.  Something was calling her, something
that she had to answer alone.  She sliced a path through the black haze
of smoke and enemies and stepped into the center of the battle, into the
heart of darkness.

 Arashiko spun to the side as a Kurai took a swipe at her with his
wicked blade.  They seemed to melt from the darkness and the shadows as
if they were a part of it themselves.  She had to avoid getting hit by
their blades.  The sabers they carried sliced through armor as easily as
blood passes through water and all she had for defense were the simple
brown and white robes that had been provided for her.  She had no time
to change into her armor.  Everything was happening too fast.  The
bitter black smoke pressed at her from every side, choking all her
senses.  White lightening erupted outward from Arashiko’s body and
penetrated the darkness as she made an effort to clear the encroaching
fog.  The black nothingness withdrew from her light all at once.  It
hovered around the area mysteriously, almost as if an invisible circle
had been formed around the battlefield.

 Needles of pain penetrated her mind once again.  Arashiko closed her
eyes tightly and cradled her forehead with her hands.  When she opened
her eyes again, she saw him there, standing in the center of the
battlefield, the darkness wrapping around his form like a lover.  His
eyes were the same red eyes that burned into her mind.  It was Yugure!
His skin was a dark, impenetrable grey, black as midnight.  The darkness
of his skin echoed the darkness of his evil soul.  Black plated armor
melded with the nightfall tones of his skin, making him appear as one
flowing conformation of shadow.  The only thing to set off his
appearance were his blood red eyes and pointed fangs.  He held no weapon
nor did he need any.

 Yugure beckoned Arashiko forward with a wave of his black fingers,
“I’ve been waiting for you, Arashiko.  You heard my summoning.”

 Arashiko stood at attention a few feet away from him, muscles tensed,
“How do you know me?!  What do you want!!!?”

 Yugure smiled, showing off his honed fangs, “You.”

 “Hmmp!!”, Arashiko took a fighting stance and ground her sharp blue
eyes defiantly into his, “You can sure as hell try!!”

 “Don’t you feel it, Santi Uru?  The Evil inside of you.  It is what
brought you here to me.  It echoes my own.  You are a shadow of me.”

 Arashiko shrugged off the annoying pain that ebbed away in her mind.
The summoning.

 “Come now.  You can feel it deep down inside yourself.  Its festering
there like a gangrenous wound, waiting to spread to the rest of your
soul.  Come!  Join us!  Join the Kurai and feed the Evil that you know
your soul succumbs to!!  You only protect these weak Dragon Clan to
obtain power!  I can give you all the power you ever imagined!!!”

 Arashiko shook her head, trying to clear the influence of Yugure from
her mind, “You talk too much!!” Arashiko yelled at him, yet she still
hesitated.

 What if he’s right?  What if I came here just to feed my own appetite
for destruction!  I killed people, entire worlds, and I enjoyed it!!  I
indulged the feeling of power I got from destroying the weak!!  I’m a
monster just like he is!!!

 “NOOO. . . Arashiko!!  You can’t let him control you!!”, Nail broke
through the wall of black mist, shouting desperately, “You can’t let him
change your heart!!  Please!!”

 Arashiko shook her head as she snapped out of the daze she had gone
into.  Before she could react to anything, Yugure raised his hand.

 “Insolent child!”, Yugure spat as a slender shaft of light erupted from
the tips of his fingers and slammed into Nail’s chest, easily passing
through his thin armor.

 A wrenching scream ripped from Arashiko, “NAAILL!!”

 Nail’s eyes reached out for her, the question lurking there as his body
fell to the ground.

 Are you going to betray me?

 Arashiko ran over to Nail.  Yugure watched her silently, amused by her
futile efforts.  Her hands trembled as she frantically tried to get Nail
to wake up.  She shook him violently, but to no avail.  His eyes
remained closed.

 “Nail!!!  WAKE UP! WAKE UP!!  You can’t be dead!!!  You can’t die!!
DAMMIT!!”, Arashiko yelled psychotically upwards to the heavens.  She
lifted her hands to her face and saw the pale lavender blood of Nail
soaking into her palms.

 Not another friend!!  Not because of me!!  Dammit!!!

 Arashiko screamed out, her rage and pain boiled out into one long
scream of pure fury and sorrow.

 Not again!!!  Not ever again!!!!

 Burning tears of anger and sadness streaked down her face as her raging
blue eyes found the object of her pain.  Yugure just stood there
watching her silently with a smirk on his twisted face, taking in her
suffering.  Arashiko clenched her fists so hard that her wrists felt
like they could break.  Her breathing became so quick from frustration
that everything seemed to meld into one breath.  No amount of physical
expression could convey or lessen the loss and anger that she was
feeling.  Cool drops of rain fell on her hot face and upon Nail’s fallen
body as black clouds converged overhead.  Rumbling thunder seemed to
echo her anger everywhere around them as streaks of violent lightening
hardened the shades of animosity upon her features.  Lightening flashed,
illuminating everything in a blinding white glow.  For a split second,
Arashiko’s flailing black hair glowed gold as it trailed in the growing
torrent.

 “You wanted to see a monster, Yugure!!  You wanted to see the Evil in
me!!!!”  Arashiko opened her still trembling hands, showing him that she
was not hiding anything and she now had nothing else to lose. . .

 “WELL HERE IT IS!!!”  Arashiko screamed out defiantly, calling every
scrap and presence of energy in her body and soul outward to focus.  Her
blue pupils disappeared, leaving only ominous white pupils.  Lightening
chaotically struck everywhere around her, setting the darkness of the
battlefield ablaze with white light.  The solace Yugure found in the
shadows was blown away by the blazing brilliance radiating from
Arashiko.

 Then she released it outward, all the pain and fear and evil, cleansing
her own soul, hoping and praying it would be enough.  The starfall of
energy burst forth and enveloped Yugure’s dark form.  For a moment he
was enveloped in it, embraced by total light, then the sparkling
effulgence dissolved into the night.  Clouds of ominous fog arose and
obscured everything around Arashiko.  Arashiko took the moment to calm
herself, to keep her own anger from making her rage forever.  She paced
her breathes.

 Can’t let it seep into me!  The anger, the rage, the need to kill!!
It’s everything I don’t want to be!!  I can’t let it!!!

 “It’s everything you were born to be. . .” his caliginous voice
penetrated her thoughts once again, “You’re a killer to the core, just
like us.  You are my shadow, my other half.”

 “Stay out of my head!!!!!”, Arashiko screamed out into the fog.  She
spun around and launched energy chaotically into the floating haze.  The
mist lifted and revealed Yugure still standing proudly in the heart of
darkness.  Arashiko clenched her teeth and threw yet another fist-full
of energy at him.  It hit him dead on in the center of his torso.  The
white globe of energy writhed in the air as it contacted his chest and
reacted violently then fizzled away into nothingness.  Arashiko growled
in frustration and decided to take the direct approach.  She launched at
Yugure with a series of strong attacks.  Yugure blocked them all with
his hands.  His body blurred psychedelically in the air as he moved
faster than the mind could process.  He withdrew from her forward kick
and grabbed her forearm in an iron grip.  His long claws dug into her
skin and drew blood.  Arashiko shouted and hollered as she tried to pull
away from him.  Just the simple contact with his hand sent a surge of
dark energies into her mind, increasing his influence over her.  Finally
she broke away, cradling her arm.

 Damn!!  Energy doesn’t effect him!!  Physical blows don’t effect
him!!!  What the hell is he?!!?  What did he do to me???

 Arashiko frantically searched around for something, some way to defeat
Yugure.  A glint of gold caught her eye.  Nail’s sword lay on the ground
just a few feet away.  She took a quick glance at Yugure and ran for the
sword.  She somersaulted and picked the sword up by the hilt as she
dropped down.  Arashiko recalled all the things Nail had taught her, the
sword skill and concentration, faith in herself.  She would fight this
monster and free her own soul.  She would do it for him, she would do it
for Nail, and she would do it for herself.  Body in affectation and
courage set, Arashiko made her stand against the dying of the light.
The gleaming sword shined triumphantly, its arm-length blade pointing
towards the one of darkness.  Arashiko dashed forward and began to wield
the sword, Nail’s gentle teachings echoing throughout her memories.

 Let yourself be as a reed in the wind.  Bend to the breeze.

 The sword sliced downward through the air, singing its silent song of
death.  Yugure missed it by a mere hair of an inch.

 Free your mind.  Free yourself.

Only you can change your heart.

 The blinding blade raised once more and came down upon Yugure, slicing
a path across the left side of his face.  Dark violet blood flowed as
did anger and adrenaline.  Yugure looked up at her, his eyes made even
more fiery red by fury.  Arashiko sliced at him again, this time more
accurately and deadly.  Yugure threw up his hand, his claws showing
distinctly.  An invisible force hammered Arashiko in the chest.
Everything froze.

 I. . . I can’t move!!!?

 She strained every muscle and still wasn’t able to achieve any kind of
motion except for the furious beating of her heart.  Beads of shining
sweat ran down her face as Yugure slowly approached her.  She was stuck
with the sword upraised high over her head.  Yugure brought his sneering
face close to hers.  She looked deep into his narrow eyes and saw a
burning soul there.  Arashiko tried to recoil from him, but she was
fastened tightly to her spot.  His pointed features loomed over hers
than finally receded.  She strained to look at him, to move, to do
anything.  Yugure brought his black fingers up to her eyes and ran his
barbed claws across her face almost affectionately.

 “You should know me.  We have been waiting for each other here in the
darkness, Santi Uru, brought by the holy providence of the Eternal
Dragon and the heart of the Storm.” Yugure softly induced.  Each of his
words seemed to echo and sound to her as if they had been spoken by many
voices.  They strangely swayed her, soothingly, like the soft breath of
the wind.

 Come, join us in the Dark.
  Feed your fear.
 Let your hatred burn.
  Feed your desire.
 Pave the Way in Flesh and Blood.
  Give in to your anger.
 Bathe in Evil and know that I am your other half.
  You are my shadow,
   We are both dusk shades cast upon the same wall.

Join me in the Dark.

 He ran his fingertips over her fluttering blue eyes, caressing her
chin.  Arashiko felt herself slipping away, as if she was slowly being
overtaken by sleep.  Her mind was clouded, her vision blurred.  She fell
to her knees, nearly seized by Yugure’s influence.  She held herself up
with Nail’s sword.  The cold touch of the hilt was the only thing
keeping her to her own senses.  It was a present reminder of all she had
left to fight for.

 Will you fight for Nail?  Can I honor him in death?

 Will you fight for Brana?  Can I gain retribution through defeat?

  I must fight it!

Only I can change my heart and my fate!!

 She ripped to her feet breaking the bonds that held her consciousness
and slashed at Yugure, almost disemboweling him.  He drew away from her,
clutching his stomach.  Yugure raised his palm toward her again, causing
the same sharp needles of pain to penetrate her mind.  Arashiko screamed
out, trying to struggle and rid herself of the horrible agony.  Yugure
took the moment of chaos within her to seize control of her once more.
Her strong will was too much for him to control so he used the last
moments of control he possessed to exert his influence.

 Arashiko raised her arms in the air like a marionette controlled by a
puppeteer, Nail’s golden sword gripped tightly in both hands.  Arashiko
desperately tried to stop herself, to gain control again, but to no
avail.  He was controlling her body, her actions.  The sword came down
and stabbed into her chest, right beneath the center of her collarbone.
Arashiko shrieked as the tip of the blade dug in a couple inches.  Tears
of pain gathered in her eyes as the blood ran down from the wound and
soaked her garments.  She had just enough will power to keep the blade
from going deeper and piercing her heart.  It took all her strength to
hold off her own self.  Her hands trembled as the inner conflict of
control raged on and on.  Exertion finally showed itself in Yugure’s
features as his own upraised hand began to shake.  Arashiko’s blue eyes
glowed with rage and determination.  A saffron aura of energy began to
illuminate around her, she was reaching her breaking point and Yugure
knew it.  Finally, she could take no more.  Rage and Will bent as
Arashiko yelled out with all her heart and soul to all the heavens above
and the hells below.

 “I WILL BE FREE!!!!”

 She ripped the sword from the bloody wound as immense energy flooded
forward from every pore of her being.  Thunder roared from the black
clouds as lightening struck on every side , alighting everything in
golden brilliance.  To look upon Arashiko, the Child of the Storm, at
this moment was to look at the sun, blinding and burning.  Yugure feebly
tried to block the incredible energies as he was embraced by all the
light and emersion.  Slowly, he sank away into the darkness, realizing
his defeat.  His crimson eyes were the last things she saw of him as he
dissolved away into the dusky shadows.

 Light returned to dark as the radiant energy receded back into her,
it’s warmth and brilliance invigorating her.  Arashiko sat there on her
knees, breathing heavily.  She had won back her own soul and maybe this
time it was worth fighting for.

 “Y. . .You didn’t give in. . .”, a weak voice made her turn.

 “Nail!!!”, Arashiko exclaimed as she quickly ran over to him, “Thank
God you still draw breath!!!”  She grasped the little Nameck’s hand and
held it tightly.  He was hurt bad, burned across the chest area.
Lavender blood ran from the corners of his lips.  He faintly smiled at
her and coughed.

 “You didn’t give in.”, Nail repeated, tears of happiness and pain
clouding his eyes.  He groaned and Arashiko felt his hand loosen a
little.

 “Wait!!  Stop!!  There has to be something I can do!!  Show me how to
heal you!   I have to help!!!!  Show me how you saved me!!!!”  Arashiko
yelled at him and squeezed his hands tightly, trying to get him to stay
awake.

 With a grunt of effort, Nail lifted his hand and took Arashiko’s
trembling palm.  He guided her hand slowly and laid it gently on the
wound to his chest.  He tried to talk, his words coming out ragged as he
gasped for breath.

 “N. . Now, make your mind. . .clear.  Focus, feel the life-force within
yourself, the warmth inside.  Let them . . .flow within you and heal.”
Nail coughed again, this time bringing up blood.  Arashiko winced and
tried to do as he said.  She focused as she had never focused before to
save her only friend, and she was not going to let another friend slip
away.  It started out as a small feeling of warmth than grew till her
whole entire body felt boiling hot.  Her hands lit with flaxen rays of
sunshine as they lay on Nail’s chest.  Nail breathed in sharply as the
wound illuminated then faded away to nothing.

 “I. .I did it!!?  Ohh..”, Arashiko grabbed her forehead for balance,
she felt extremely dizzy and nauseous.

 So this is the price that Nail was talking about.  She sat back on her
knees and breathed deeply, trying not to pass out.  She was completely
exhausted and weak.  Nail got to his feet and approached her, his eyes
glistening with gratefulness and happiness.  Arashiko smiled at him and
held out her arm, “Your sword, little warrior.”

 Nail took the golden sword and sheathed it, then embraced her.

 Arashiko patted him on the back, “Nail, this time you saved me, in more
ways than one.”

 Nail was silent, he could think of no words to say.  He could never
thank her enough for what she had done.  He helped her to her feet.
Arashiko leaned heavily on him for support.  Slowly they made their way
back to the village.  They walked through the fog and the death and knew
that they had triumphed.



 Arashiko kneeled before Kiaochuru, the wise Nameck seated proudly upon
his ivory throne.  Nail stood by his side, smiling.  One could almost
taste the victory in the air.  They had repelled the Kurai for now, but
their leader was still alive and they would be back.  They would be
ready.  Arashiko smiled up at Nail, her azure eyes lit with a new fervor
and zeal.  She had done something not for the King, but finally for
herself.  This was her first real taste of her own life, of freedom.
And it felt good.  Kaiochuru looked on at her and nodded respectfully.
Lanan came forward and placed a suit of crimson armor and a guilded
white sword in front of her on the cool metallic floor.  It was the same
sectional armor that he wore but fitted and customized to fit her
particular features.

 “For your bravery and honor in battle, we of the Purunga offer you this
as a token of our eternal thanks to you.  You have saved many
generations of my children.” Kiaochuru’s commanding voice boomed.

 Arashiko ran her fingers along the red cuirass.  It was a mantle she
was proud to wear.

 Nail stepped forward and placed a luminous silver mask in her hands.

 “With this you become one of the Dragon Clan, with this you become one
with us in spirit.  You become a warrior of the Eternal Dragon.”  Nail
said as he stepped back to his place at Kaiochuru’s side.

 Arashiko felt the molded mask in her hands and stared down into its
hollow eyes.  It was mouthless and had one singular smooth section
covering the nose and mouth giving its wearer a fearsome aspect.
Layered sections accented the eyes of the warrior who would wear it.
Slowly she brought it up to her face.   It fit her features perfectly,
as if it was made for no one else but her.  Underneath the cold mask,
she smiled.

 “Arise, Santi Uru.  You are one of my children now.  May you find peace
as we do.”

 Arashiko slowly rose to her feet and peered out through the steel mask
with her blue eyes.  She felt as if this was her true face.

 Clad in the crimson armor and white mask, she gazed out over the amber
horizon, feeling the invigorating new energies that surged within her.
The fight with Yugure had opened another door spiritually and
physically.  She could feel that she was stronger.  Arashiko laid a hand
on the hilt of her pale sword and felt the still aching wound where
Nail’s golden blade had almost penetrated her heart.

 The Kurai were out there, scheming in the shadows.

Yugure waits for me still.  My sword waits for him
and all of his Kindred.

They will never harm any of these people again. . .
. . .any of my people.

 The red armor gleamed in the glare of the three suns, shining like
blood.


I’m ready for you, Yugure.
Can you hear me?

Your other half is ready and waiting.



* * *


 Once more the years passed by, one by one till almost ten years have
passed since the great storm cast Arashiko into the world of Nameck.  In
that small amount of time she has learned much.  She has formed a bond
with these people, the same people she could have cared nothing about so
short a time ago.  Nail, who was once her teacher, now becomes the
student.  They taught each other their own languages.  Arashiko can
speak Nameck as fluently as any one of the village.  Nail has a decent
grasp of the Saiyan language, especially the word girl.  Nail has also
taught her the Art of War, the graceful fighting techniques of Nameck.
In this tenth year, they enter the last year of the war between the
Purunga and the Kurai.  Arashiko has been a most effective weapon
against them, wielding her new skills with power and precision.  In all
the years since, Yugure has not shown himself.  With hard determination,
Arashiko prepares to wipe the last of his kind off the face of Nameck.



 On the outskirts of the Purunga village, a battle raged once again.
The crimson armor of the Purunga soldiers flashed brilliantly in the
glare of the three suns.  Lanan led them on, screaming triumph in the
face of all the Dark Ones who would destroy the tranquillity of their
home.  The Kurai foot soldiers fought ferociously, landing blow upon
blow, but the Purunga fight with all their will, fending to protect what
is most sacred to them.  Amid the violence and the blood, it is hard for
either side to notice the black clouds that began to streak the sky.
The arms of gray clouds blocked the light of the suns and the field is
enveloped in an unnatural darkness.  Death was coming on silent wings.
Lanan shouted to be heard over the screams of the battle.

 “Pull back!!!  Pull back!!  Santi Uru is coming!!!”

 The Purunga soldiers did not hesitate.  They pulled away from their
opponents and gathered back to watch the wrath of the Storm.  The Kurai
clamored uneasily.  Each one knew what was coming, it was Death in the
form of the Child, Arashiko.  They had no time to run or time to fight,
a cyclone of thunder and lightening struck down and battered their
bodies, sending the purple earth flying into the air in a beautiful
pattern.  Thunder roared all around them, feeding their fear.  The
battleground alighted with white fire as Santi Uru burst forth from the
heart of the lightening, ripping through one of the Kurai with her
blazing white sword, like the avenging angel of Eden who guards the gate
with a burning blade of fire.  The flashing white blade passed through
flesh and bone as easily as blood through water.  The Kurai scattered
about, trying to escape their fate, but Santi Uru’s blade found them
wherever they ran.  Soft and shining purple blood spread from their
gathered wounds and splattered across the silver mask, framing her
striking blue eyes with trails of their dark blood.

 One of the shadowy creatures struck at her from behind, his blade
glancing off the side of her head.  To his surprise, his blow did not
wound her at all.  Santi Uru twirled around in the air, her hand
shooting out to grasp her assailant’s neck.  With one strong squeeze of
her hand, she crushed his throat, leaving him trying to gasp for air.
The unfortunate Kurai warrior fell back, his red eyes bulging with the
final realization of death.  One by one, the wretched Kurai fell, their
black bodies littering the battlefield which had once been the peaceful
gathering place of the Purunga village.  Finally, there was only one
lone warrior left.  He fought desperately to save himself, backing away
from her in a futile effort to escape the wrath of the Child of the
Storm.  In a last ditch effort, he launched at her with an energy beam
that hit her directly in the face.  The force of the beam threw her head
to one side, but she still remained on her feet.  The beam bounced of
the mask, ripping it from her face.
 Arashiko stared down upon the last warrior with her shining blue eyes.
Her black hair whipped at the wind. The lightening and thunder roared
around them in a tumult of cacophonous noise.  The stunned warrior lay
on his back, staring at her dumbfounded.  He looked upon her real face
with wild, scared eyes.  Fear and anxiety drove him to attack her though
he knew she was his death.  The last Kurai warrior thrust his sword at
her with all his might.  Arashiko caught the blade with her forearm, it
lodged harmlessly into the front guard.  The sharpened sword quivered in
the air for a few long moments then shattered to a thousand pieces.
Splinters of the broken sword flew back into the Kurai’s face.  A small
sliver brazed Arashiko’s cheek, causing a tiny river of blood to flow
down the side of her face.

 Arashiko loomed over him once again, the black storm wrapping her in a
shroud of darkness.  Like the grayed specter of death, she stood over
him, waiting to claim another.  She hesitated.  Something echoed in her
memories.  Another regret, another soul she had claimed.
 The young Saiyan soldier still looked up at her and begged her one last
time, his desperate voice pleading.

 “Mercy...please!!”

 He was so young, just barely out of his teens.

 Arashiko’s hands trembled as she reached out to the ghost, the wraith
of the young Saiyan she had killed on Cadvia.  His words twisted her
soul and wrenched her heart.

 “Please!”

 Arashiko shook her head, trying to make the ghost disappear.  Whenever
she let her guard down, the ghosts seemed to gather there in the mists
of her memories.  One face always seemed to stare at her among the many
blurred faces.  Brana’s burning brown eyes were always there, staring
from the blackness of her soul.  Crystal tears streaked from Arashiko’s
crystal blue eyes.  She had to escape them or she would surely go
insane.  Her hands trembled violently from her impending madness.  A
lump of fear and anxiety caught in her stomach and her throat.

 Then something else appeared to her, another image, another memory that
was vividly relived.  The Kurai were not the only ones to die in this
war.  Arashiko saw new friends, the peaceful people of Purunga, with
their shattered bodies spread across the battlefield.  They gave their
lives to defend what they held most sacred and dear.  Their pale blood
seeped into the earth, along with the tears of all their loved ones.

 That single fact drove her back to reality with a stinging rush of
anger.  The crushing weight of the waking world ripped her from the
brink of insanity.  The lone Kurai kneeled in front of her, even more
scared and confused by her unpredictable actions.  Was she going to kill
him or not?  Arashiko stared deep into his dark red eyes.  The souls of
all the dead Purunga shined there, crying out for retribution!!  Wasting
no words, Arashiko took his head with one fatal swoop of the snow-white
sword.  Sections of the silver blade reflected from the parts not
covered by Kurai’s dark blood. White light poured into her blue eyes.

 There is no time to regret when the ones you care about are at stake.

    . . .more blood.
   . . .more death.

     This is all I can do to save them.
  The heart of a Saiyan bends so easily. .? Death for something good.

Life for something better. . .



* * *



 Arashiko stared up into the darkening, deep jewel sky.  Once more it
was tinged with the black clouds of the storm of the Eternal Dragon, the
storm she was born in.  Golden lightening jumped from cloud to cloud and
converged over the gathered Elders and the soldiers of the village.
Arashiko let out a deep sigh.

 The last time I saw this warm, golden light, I was dying.  Now I see it
to say farewell.

 It was her first day on this world again, ten years gone by in the
dust.  Nail stood beside her, his face filled with hidden tears.  He
appeared as a child no longer.  His small form had melted away from the
child she had gazed upon through the tears and the rain, all those years
ago.  His face still held that same quality of youth, the same
gentleness and wisdom she respected in him, but there was a firmness and
sharpening of his features that tipped him more towards being a man.
His black eyes watched the dragon forming out of the nothingness of the
sky.  All those years of fighting and dying, student and teacher, and
she was going to leave him now?

 Kaiochuru stood at the center of the circle of elders, within the
circle of the Dragonballs.  Every year had deepened the wrinkles on his
once proud form.  But every wrinkle and scar was a testament to his
great wisdom and knowledge.  He had pleaded with her not to leave them.
She was a part of them now.  But Arashiko felt it, she could feel her
own power.  She could feel that it was time.

    It was time to leave and face her demons.
     Frieza was waiting for her.

 Every sane bone in her body told her to stay here with them, with the
ones she cared about..but her past was haunting her, it stung at her in
the night, in her dreams, and behind the joy in every waking moment.
Perhaps it was the deep loyalty she once held for Vegeta?  Perhaps is
was some kind of honor?  Revenge?  Rage?  Guilt?  So many things called
her back and nawed on her conscience.

 Somewhere she could feel that the Prince was alive.
   Vegeta was alive!

 She had an obligation to him, for the death of his father, her King.
If anything, she owed him the same chance that she had found here, among
the Nameckjin.  Maybe she could change him as they had changed her.

 “You have summoned me from my slumber.  Give unto me thy three wishes
and unto you they will be granted.  As it is written so it shall be
done.”   The Eternal Dragon Purunga spoke the same words as it
manifested before them.

 This is the gift that Kaiochuru presented to her in their parting, the
three wishes of the Dragon.  The chance for power was there.  The chance
for immortality, the chance to seize all she had strove for as a
harbinger of destruction was all right there, ready for her to grasp.
But Arashiko left it to fate.  Kaiochuru’s untold wisdom would guide her
now.

 Arashiko kneeled before the Dragon on one knee and awaited Kaiochuru’s
words, her faith complete in him.  She could not help but stare in awe
at the magnificent creature curling about the sky.  Its great presence
filled her with a combination of fear and wonder.  This was a being of
pure power and energy, something beyond her own comprehension.  Staring
at Purunga, she felt some kind of kinship, some kind of bond between the
Dragon and herself, though she could not put her finger on it.

 “The first rite, Purunga,” Kaiochuru began, “Give your Child, Santi
Uru, the Eternity of Youth, so that she will live in glory forever.”

 “WHAT?!”, Arashiko had time to gasp before the light of the Dragon
enveloped her in a glaring sheet of radiance.  Every pore in her body
seemed to open up and breathe.  Her skin felt boiling hot, like her
innards were cooking in their own juices.  When the feeling and the
light finally vanished, Arashiko opened her eyes and stared up at the
great Dragon, than spun around and cast Kaiochuru a questioning glare.

 What did you do to me??

 Before she could voice her question, Kaiochuru raised his hand and bade
her be silent till all was finished.  Arashiko bit back her frustration
and listened.  In the back of her mind, she knew what he was doing.

 He is giving me all the power I ever wanted.  How can he do this?  How
can he know, how can I know, what I will do with such power??

 Once again, the fear of that black creature of evil lurking inside her
soul re-emerged to torment her.  Arashiko dreaded each word as Kaiochuru
pronounced the second wish.

 “Purunga, grant this warrior the power to overcome the one she seeks.
Give her the strength to save the ones she loves in return for saving
those I hold so dear.  This is my wish, so it shall be done!!!”

 Thus followed the same burning, the same igniting of the senses, except
something was different this time.  All the fire in her spirit was
released.  Blue shafts of light spiraled outward from her body in a
deadly blossom as the gates of power were released within her.  A rush
of energy and flashes of cool thunder took the breath from her lungs.

 I’ve never felt such power!!!

 It was almost god-like, almost enough to drive her insane.  She felt as
if she could raise her hand into Heaven and touch the face of the
Divine.  Blue lightening surged outward from her body and struck
brutally at the ground around her, reducing it to a battered mess.  Even
after the Dragon’s presence had left her, she could still feel the
maddening levels of power that  now surged through her veins faster than
any blood.  Then Arashiko reminded herself.

 There is still one more wish!

 Arashiko stayed herself, the force of breathing and living finally
returned to her senses.  She gulped in the air and stared up into
Purunga’s looming face.  The towering dragon seemed to smile at her with
his boundless red eyes.
 The third and final wish echoed throughout the Circle.

 “Purunga, I call upon you for this final rite.  Grant your Child the
wisdom to overcome, to fight, to survive.  Give her the knowledge to
combat the evil within herself.  That is my final wish.”

 Arashiko closed her eyes and sighed as the light of the dragon caped
around her for the last time.

 What is power without the knowledge to use it?  How can Kiaochuru know
if he has just given all this power to a monster?

 Arashiko opened her azure eyes again as the parting farewell of Purunga
echoed throughout.  The Dragonballs parted the black sky as they fell
towards their resting places in the four corners of Nameck.

 We shall have to see after all is said and done.  Now comes the hard
part...

  How do I say goodbye?

 Kaiochuru walked over to Arashiko and placed his hands affectionately
on her shoulders, “Arise, my daughter.”

 Arashiko smiled to hear him use a word that she had taught him.  She
got to her feet, turned, and embraced him.

 “I’ll win that battle for you, Kiaochuru.  I’ll win it and I’ll stand
proud with the knowledge and the life that you gave me.”  Arashiko
squeezed him tighter.  “Thank you...thank you for giving me the chance
to do something good.”

 Fare thee well, Wise Nameck.  She let him go.  Kaiochuru moved aside
and Nail stood there with that same sorrowful look as he tried to hide
his tears.  Now came the real goodbye.  Arashiko appraoched him and
kneeled down before him.  Nail was still a shorty, though he was growing
up right before her eyes.  Arashiko smiled tenderly at him and wiped
away his tears with a gentle sweep of her hand.

 “Now don’t start that.  Warrior’s don’t cry, Nail.  You have to be
strong and guard your father, to take my place as Santi Uru.”

 Nail sniffled and obeyed, “But I will miss you if you go, Arashiko
gurl.”

 Arashiko laughed softly at his innocence.  He was like a little child
again.  She pulled him close and gave him a mighty hug.

 “Little warrior, my heart will always be here.  Thanks to you, I was
able to change it.”

 Nail could not help but let a few sniffles escape from him as she
spoke.

 “You saved me.” Arashiko was almost crying herself.  She pulled away
from him before her emotions could overcome her.  She had to leave
before she changed her mind.  Nail still grapsed her hand tightly.  When
he finally let go, a small golden trinket lay in the center of her
palm.  It was a delicate golden charm in the shape of a dragon.
Arashiko smiled at him.
 “I don’t need this to remember you by, I will always remember you.”

 Arashiko’s fingers enclosed about the charm as she turned and walked
away from him.  Nail watched her silently as she walked out of his life.

 A single strong tear slid down his face as he watched her.

 Goodbye.

 Nail stood his ground as he watched her leave.  He was strong in spirit
and mind.

  He would become as great a warrior as his Father saw in the Future.
   He would take her place as their protector.

 Arashiko took one last breath of the humid air of Nameck and prepared
to leave.  She called all of her new power to bare to test herself, to
see if she could control it.  Rings of shimmering blue and white stars
spun around her body.  The rush of energy opened up her senses to a new
level.  Sight, hearing, touch, taste, all were elevated far beyond
anything she had ever felt before.  Victory could be so much sweeter,
death could be so much more painful.    Sowehow she managed to control
it.  The gifts of the Dragon stayed true to their form.  Arashiko used
the quickening of energy to mark her departure.  Trails of white light
followed her body through the air as she raced through the sky, leaving
everything behind once again.



* * *



 Rain beat against Arashiko’s face as she headed towards where her ship
had been nestled in the womb of the land.  The storm caused by the
presence of the Dragon still lingered over the planet, turning the
bright day into a dreary night.  Arashiko gazed at the little dragon
charm that Nail had given her, twinkles of golden light reflected into
her eyes.

 I’ll never forget you, Nail.  You saved my soul.  I will repay you one
day, I swear!  I pray that I can live up to your expectations.  Please
go on without me, protect our people.

 A brilliant flash of lightening suddenly flashed in front, blinding
Arashiko for an instant.  Thunder clapped as a familiar pain almost
forgotten pierced into her mind once more.  All at once it hit, sending
her falling from the sky, streaks of power still flailing from her body
as she fell like an angel from paradise.  She couldn’t breathe, her
throat constricted as she was choked by something, or someone.  Before
Arashiko could free herself, the ground came up to kiss her on the
face.  She slammed head first into it, pushing up the purple earth with
a terrifying impact.  A few disorienting seconds passed before she
pulled herself up and looked around frantically.  Even before the
incensed lightening illumintated his dark form, she knew who it was.

 Yugure finally showed himself after all the years.

 “You!!” Arashiko yelled out in surprise at seeing him again.  She would
not let him go this time.

 With another flash of lightening and clap of thunder, he was gone, just
like that.  Arashiko searched the horizen, squinting to see through the
pummeling rain and the chaotic glare of lightening that flashed all
around her.  Deep laughter echoed on the blowing wind behind her.
Arashiko spun around, lashing out with her fist and hitting nothing but
air.  The laughter continued, echoing all around her with the howling of
the torrent.  He was toying with her.

 “It’s just you and I.”
   “It’s just you and I.”
 “It’s just you and I...”
    “You and I...the only shadows left on the wall.”

 “Hahahah!”

 Arashiko screamed out and punched into the ground, sending cracks
radiating from the impact as energy and light burst outward from her.

 “I WILL MAKE YOU BE SILENT!!!”

 Silence pervaded as the dust cleared.  Arashiko breathed a sigh of
relief, eyes still searching around nervously.  He was gone.

 “NO!!!  We finish this now!!!!”  She shouted into the stillness.  She
knew that he was still there..somewhere.  Arashiko kept a cool hand on
the hilt of her ivory sword.  A bead of sweat streaked down her temple.
Her breath crystallized in the air, its crisp hush the only thing that
sounded as the world turned cold.  Everything faded to black.  Even the
roar of the storm quieted.  Arashiko tensed and raised the sword when
she spotted a small figure standing alone in the darkness.  It was
turned away from her, head bowed solemnly.

 The child turned to her and raised her soft brown eyes, short brown
hair framing their burning sadness.  Her voice whispered loudly to
Arashiko, filling her with fear.  The ivory sword fell to the ground
with a loud, metallic clang.

 “Kakayun...never open the door to death.  Remember?  I told you that
all things would come to their just ends.  You’re coming to yours.”

 Brana’s eyes burned into her.  “You’re coming to yours.”

 Arashiko slid to her knees, the darkness pressing in upon her heavily.
Brana’s soft voice was the only thing that echoed through the awful
blackness.  Arashiko tried to make it stop.  She was going insane!!  All
the ghosts were coming back, all of them!!  She clapped her shaking
hands over her ears in a futile effort to stop the madness, to block out
the Voice.

 “Arashiko, never pretend to act or be someone you never were and can
never be. You killed people and you did it with a smile on your face so
don't pretend to be a nice caring person!  You think you have changed?
Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember.
Happiness, you never had it and never will since you don't remember it.
Your life begins to end the day you become silent about things that
matter. So stop pretending..."  Brana's voice became so clear and loud
it sounded inside of Arashiko’s ears as if Brana were there whispering
beside her.

 “You have not changed, you’ve only tricked yourself into believing that
you have.  You’re heart is as black as the day you first killed!!  Have
you changed?  Have you?!  Ask yourself...you’ve become just another
killer for another king.”

 Arashiko clutched her ears tighter as hot tears forced their way out of
her eyes.  She screamed out as if stabbed, the pain of remorse evident
still.  She raised her eyes, vision blurred with the painful tears and
saw nothing...Brana was gone.  A cool wind blew, the winds of her home.
She was standing in the plains of her homeworld Vegeta.  The frigid
breeze sighed through her long dark hair.

 Is it painful to know that it was a cool, windy night when you had to
kill your best friend? The Voice returned to haunt her once more.

 Arashiko looked around her.  She was in a field that held endless
patches of NightBells.  The shining white bells of flowers spread to the
endless horizon.  There were few fields like this..most of Planet Vegeta
was barren.  Only the lower castes farmed the land.

 I’m home?  The images of  her world confused her thoughts.  She never
realized how much she missed the world of Vegeta till these images
passed before her.  Arashiko laid in the soft grass where she was
surrounded by NightBells and looked into the stars caught in the depths
of the blue sky.

 Arashiko shouted to the stars as if they could offer her the answers
she sought,  "What does Brana want to show me? Why does she haunt me day
in and day out? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME!?!!" Arashiko's voice faded
with the dying wind.
 Arashiko curled up and closed her eyes, wishing to return to this world
that she knew was all a part of her tortured nightmare. The stars fell
from the sky, returning her to darkness. In her mind she could hear the
cries of the people who suffered and died at her hands.
 I have gone mad and the world has gone mad with me.
   Everything is dark still...
 Please!!  Just let me go!!  LET ME GO BRANA!!!!  HASN’T THERE BEEN
ENOUGH SUFFERING???

 “No...no..you don’t know what suffering truly means.  That is why I
have brought you here...to see my suffering.  So you can taste it and
know what you are...

   .. a killer forever and eternal...”


 "Wake up, Hurry,” the Voice began quietly, “WWAAAKKKEE UUUPPP!!!" The
Voice seemed to be right there over Arashiko.

 "WAKE UP!!!!" It was right in front of her.

 Arashiko opened her eyes slowly, sluggishly..not wanting to see who was
standing over her, for she knew who it was.

 "Long time no see, traitor." Brana's voice seemed different, darker
than she remembered, full of hatred.

 Arashiko shook her head slowly, unwilling to accept the realization
that Brana was there.

 “GO AWAY!! LEAVE ME BE!!” She shouted desperately at the wraith.

 Brana walked over to Arashiko's side and stood there looking up at the
field of boundless stars.  The wind blew through her brown hair. Brana
looked just as Arashiko remembered. Her feathery brown bangs settled
over her eye.  The rest of her hair was pulled back in a tight
ponytail.  Brana was dressed in the dark uniform of a Third Class
Saiyan, the uniform that Arashiko had first met her in.

 "I have only come here to show you what you have done to the many poor
souls of your kind.  Your own people that you sent to hell! I thought
you were my friend why did you lie to me?!"

 "I am sorry Brana.......," Arashiko's voice turned empty.

 “You’re sorry??  My old friend, you don’t know what sorry is...”  Brana
turned her head, motioning to the side.
 A small girl who looked about five or six sat in a grassy field close
by them.  The girl stood and walked over to where Arashiko was standing
but she sat there quietly watching the flowers in the field.  Her
tender, long brown hair danced in the wind behind her. Arashiko
recognized the girl.  It was Brana when she was smaller, it was her past
self the way she used to be before.  As the girl sat there alone she
started to sing.

 "Will you miss me? Will your sunny days go away? For I will miss you.
I will cry if you left me here.  My sunny days would turn cold, I
wouldn't know what to do.  Would you?  Just remember, that I will be
here for you.  When you need me the most.  Will you miss me......", The
voice was soft yet the song was familiar.

 "Brana!!! Where are you child?!" two more people ran between Arashiko
and the wraith of Brana.  The wraith stood by, watching gravely.

 The girl stood up and wiped the flowers off her lap as she heard her
name.

 "I’m right here!!! Over here Keoto and Broli!! hehehe!" Brana's voice
tinkled with the cheerful sweetness of youth as she yelled, waving her
arms in the air.

 Two teenagers ran up to the innocent girl and sat down beside her.
Broli was a handsome youth.  He had long, dark hair and handsome dark
eyes that were set in a strong, determined face.  The girl, Keoto, was
also dark, possessed of raven black hair and strange crimson eyes.  She
was a tall, slender female Saiyan.

 Arashiko recognized Keoto instantly.  I know her from long ago!  She
was my brother Zorn’s trainer!!  She was one of the Elite, just like me!

 What is she doing here???  Arashiko thought, puzzled.

 Brana sat down by Keoto and laughed as Broli picked a long piece of
grass and started to tickle Brana.

 "Broli that tickles...hehehehe......," Brana tried to speak as she
laughed.

 Arashiko gave a mournful sigh as she watched and wondered why Brana
turned the way she was.  She knew the name Broli from somewhere, it was
vague, lost in a cloud of violent memories.

 Brana and Broli ran off together towards the house oblivious to their
watchers, Arashiko and the wraith.  Keoto disappeared into the fields as
they left.  Arashiko followed Brana and Broli, she had a sense of dread
that would not let her stay behind.  The ghost of Brana did not follow,
she vanished into the cool evening air, solemn eyes closed with sorrow.

 Before she reached the open door of the little house, she could hear
the yelling voices.  Arashiko listened intently to them.

 "Brana, go to your room and stay there while me and father talk for
awhile....." Broli looked at her kindly and pointed to the stairs as he
spook to her.

 Brana ran to the stairs and then ducked behind the door so she could
watch and no one could see her. Broli walked up to their father,
Parangus, his eyes shining angrily.

 "Father, King Vegeta wishes to kill us!!!!  I overheard him talking to
some of the Elite of our deaths! I didn't hear it all, only that part.
They’re coming!!  You must believe me!!"  Broli's voice deepened with
anger and fear as he tried to convince his father.

 Parangus turned away angrily and both of them walked into the other
room and talked with Brana's mother, Kayinko.  Arashiko caught snippets
of their heated conversation.

 “How can you speak so of our king??  Ungrateful child!!  We have been
given the honor to fight for Vegeta!!”

 Broli burst out of the other room and found Brana hiding by the stairs.
Broli looked around then grabbed Brana, “Brana, listen to me.  You have
to stay here, under the stairs with mom okay?  No matter what you hear,
don’t come out!  Just stay here with mom.”  He put a gold medallion into
her small fingers, “Keep this for me Brana, promise me you’ll stay
here.”  The small child nodded and went under the stairs.  Kayinko took
Brana by the arm and tugged at her arm, pulling her under the stairs.
Broli and Parangus turned from them and towards the door.

 Arashiko jerked around from them as several loud knocks pounded at the
door.

 “Parangus of the Third Class.  Open the door, by order of the King you
must be taken.”

 The door flew off its hinges as an energy blast shattered it to
pieces.  Saiyan soldiers of the Elite stood in the dust of the beam.
Their blue armor shined maliciously.

 "Broli, Why do you fight the king? Come peacefully and you may see
heaven faster and besides Broli we need you....."

 "Never!!! You want to kill my family I will never help you!!! If you
hurt my family I swear I will see you in hell!!" Broli yelled as he shot
forward, hammering one of the Elite guards in the stomach, sending him
flying back through the door.

 Arashiko ran outside as the fight escalated.  Strangely, Parangus
watched as his son fought alone, a cold stare encompassing his
features.  Broli was surrounded by the Elite, they tightened in a circle
about him.  He backed away towards the forest, teeth clenched in anger.

 Suddenly, Broli’s head jerked forward.  He fell slowly to his knees,
blood dripping from his lips.  He collapsed forward and looked up before
unconsciousness took him.

 “K..Keoto??” Broli had time to say before he passed out.

 Keoto stood with one foot on Broli’s chest, hand still fisted from the
viscous blow she had inflicted to the back of his head.  Her red eyes
squinted as her lips contorted in an evil smile.  She turned around and
bowed to King Vegeta as he walked out of the darkness of the woods.

 A gasp escaped Arashiko as she watched dumbfounded to find the King was
there, that he had some part to play in Brana’s madness.

 He couldn’t have done this to her?  He couldn’t have!!  It can’t be
true!!

 “My lord, the Super Saiyan is in our grasp.”

 “Good work, Keoto.” He nodded towards Keoto and turned to Parangus who
stared silently at him.

 “Your work is done King Vegeta, you have him.  Now leave the rest of my
family in peace!” Parangus sternly pronounced as the King surveyed the
small Third Class dwelling.

 “You underestimate your position in the scheme of things, Parangus.  We
need your son alive, but I’m afraid it is impossible to leave the rest.
Frieza will become suspicious if he doesn’t see the bodies of those who
carry the gene that creates such power.”  King Vegeta motioned to the
other guards and they angled their hands at Parangus.

 “What?!  My lord, you can’t do this!!!” WAAIT!”  Parangus shouted as
the Elite unleashed a barrage of violent energy beams into him.
Parangus grasped at Vegeta’s knees as he fell, begging one last time,
“P..Please..”

 “I am sorry, but you should know better than anyone.  The needs of the
many outweigh the needs of the few.”  King Vegeta tore his cloak from
Parangus’s grasping fingers.  Parangus gave one last moan and his eyes
closed.

 Arashiko heard a cry behind her and quickly turned to see Brana's
mother on her knees crying and Brana held in her arms, a small child
whose innocence was lost this very night.
 Brana screamed out desperately " BROLI!!!! DADDY!!!!  NOOOOOOOO!!!!!".

 Brana frantically looked around at her destroyed home. Things lay on
the floor broken, crushed, and bloody. Her brother and father’s blood
stained the white bells of flowers that grew before their small house.
Everything was shattered, her life, shattered.  Brana tore from
Kayinko’s hold and ran off into the fields trying to get them to follow
her instead of her mother.

 The Elite were right behind her chasing her down like hunters chasing a
fox for sport. Brana ran into the forest and used the trees to try and
evade them. Arashiko ran behind her, she had to do something!!  She
couldn’t let it end like this!!  She knew what was going to happen!!
Suddenly, Brana stopped running.

 “Give up Brana we have your mother!!! Surrender, and we might offer you
deaths worthy of the Saiyan Elite rather than the low class trash that
you are!!”

 Brana froze as she heard her mother scream in pain. The Elite saw that
she had stopped and fired beams at her.  Brana dodged the first beam,
but another one sliced through her ankle.  The child fell towards the
monsters below.

 “NOOOOO!!!  Arashiko screamed as she ran forward to catch her.

 I can’t let it end like this!!!   I can’t let it happen like this!!!!

 She was too late.  Nothing Arashiko could do would change the past.
That was the lesson Brana was trying to teach her.   The Elite pounced
upon the child and beat her.  Their fists lashed out, drawing blood and
cries.

 Arashiko screamed out, anger finally moving her to a desperate action.
She charged all the energy she could into her hands and released it
outward into the group of Elite, once her former comrades.  The beam
roared through them, passing by harmlessly.

 The Voice of Brana’s wraith laughed at her from nowhere.

 “Hahahah!!  Arashiko, you cannot change the past!!  Look upon this
horror and know that you have inflicted it upon thousands!!!  Know that
you can do nothing to stop it now!!”

 The Elite kept up their gruesome work until Brana was beaten
unconsciousness.

 “I wasn’t powerful enough to save myself then.  I was just like you,
enable to do anything but watch as everything was stripped from me, my
family, my life, my honor.

 Brana woke up covered in a dark shadow.  King Vegeta stood before them,
his Elite gathered about him on either side.  Her mother hugged her
tightly, wiping away the blood and tears from her young face.  Arashiko
approached the pair.  She stared into the young child’s eyes and brought
her hand up to her face.

 I wish I could have changed everything.

 Her hand passed through Brana’s tears, offering no comfort.

 “You two shall die to save our whole race.  You should be honored to
die for your King and your people!!” Keoto talked down to them
haughtily.

 “I don't understand, how is killing us going to help our planet? Tell
me what have you done with my brother!!!!" Brana worked the strength up
to say, her yells coming out ragged.

 “He’s in a safe place, child.” King Vegeta softly answered.

 Arashiko watched as Brana stood holding her fists tightly.

 Such strength.  Arashiko admired her determination.

 Brana lashed out desperately at the King.  Vegeta took her blows
lightly.  They didn’t even topple him.  Keoto grabbed her arm and threw
her back down to the ground.  Kayinko was the next to strike.  Kayinko
stood and shoved Brana away from her. She launched a beam of light at
Keoto.  It slammed into her as Kayinko jumped into a fighting stance and
prepared to fight the Elite to her death.  She would not die lying down.

 “The Saiyan Elite of King Vegeta were more than a match for my mother.
They slaughtered her like so many others.”

 "MOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!" Brana's voice cut through the noise of the battle.

 Kayinko fell to her knees, beaten and bloody, she stared back to her
daughter, her tearful eyes begging forgiveness that she could not
protect her. Keoto walked up to her, wiping the blood from her face and
the dirt from her shining blue uniform.  She grabbed Kayinko and shot
her through the back with an energy beam.

 Kayinko gave a small cry as she fell forward, the light in her eyes
dimming.  She looked up at Keoto and implored her one last time, “Why
Keoto?  Why? You damned traitor......see you in Hell Keot...." Death
stopped her from finishing her sentence.

 Arashiko fell to her knees, overwhelmed by the fact that she could do
nothing but watch.

 Brana pressed her face to the ground crying.  Arashiko watched as rage
overcame the young girl.  Her chestnut hair glowed brilliant gold in the
darkening night.  Brana gave a cry of pain and defeat. Arashiko shielded
her eyes as everything was enveloped in ivory light.  When it finally
faded, all of the Elite except for King Vegeta and Keoto, who had been
covered by him, lay dead.  They had been destroyed by Brana’s fearsome
outburst of power.

 A look of pure awe and astonishment crossed Vegeta’s face,
“Incredible!!  How can a child so young have such power!!!  HAHAH!!”  He
laughed insanely at the irony, “No wonder Frieza fears Parangus’s family
so!  They carry the gene of  legend!!”

 Brana fell to the ground breathing heavily then passed out.

 The same look of amazement overcame Arashiko, “Impossible!!  Brana was
a Super Saiyan?  It can’t be!!  Only the Royal Family of Vegeta possess
that rite!!!”

 Brana's voice echoed in Arashiko's mind “I am a Super Sayian....But I
was one of those poor souls who didn't understand the power I was given.
And so I wasn't able to use it, it left me weak. I never knew how to
become a Super Saiyan. I only became a Super Saiyan twice out of my
whole life.......I didn't even know about it because I was too mad to
control it....”

 As the child lost consciousness, the world shattered to darkness once
more.  All that could be heard was a child’s quiet weeping and
Arashiko’s fated heartbeat.

 "You did it, you never changed at all......you are the same damned
traitor you always were ......stop fooling yourself Arashiko.....”  The
Voice echoed in her mind.

 "Brana .....I wish there was some way I could keep you from changing
like that.....If only I could..." Arashiko's voice was loud but no one
heard it.

 “I trusted you.......I would have given up my life for your
King........Why must I go through hell? Arashiko..... Why.....Why??”
Brana’s voice assaulted her from every side.

 "DAMN IT!!!!! BRANA!!!! WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?! STOP THE PAIN
PLEASE?!  I am so sorry Brana.......Forgive me.........Please? I know
not what I have done....," Arashiko's voice faded and died like the
wind.

 “Why should I give you mercy? You gave no one mercy!!! What goes around
comes around Arashiko. Did you give me mercy when you killed me you
murdering traitor!!!”  Brana's voice echoed loudly in Arashiko's tired
mind.

 “You were the same throughout your life... you were merciless, you were
blood thirsty.....you weren't happy if there was no blood shed. Your
pride and joy was being in the state of battle......you were a Saiyan,
but you were a monster.......,"  Brana's voice was relentless.  She beat
and battered Arashiko coldly with an incessant barrage of words.

 Liar!!
  Traitor!!  Murderer!!
     Killer!!
 MONSTER!!

 Every word seeped down into her like the unforgiving coldness of the
dark.  Every syllable made her bleed as if stabbed

MURDERER!!

 Finally, Arashiko could take it no more, she screamed out so
horrendously it seemed as if she would die then and there.  The soul
wrenching scream tore from the deepest, darkest bowels within her.
Tears of agony fell down her face.

 “Just let me die!!  LET ME DIE!!  TO TAKE AWAY YOUR PAIN!! GIVE IT ALL
TO ME!! JUST LET ME GO AND DIE!!!!!  FOR YOU!!!”  Arashiko collapsed to
the ground, beating the void of darkness with her fists, blood crying
from her eyes.  She crumpled up into a ball, will finally broken.  She
whispered to herself.

 “Just let me die...I deserve it.  I’m sorry...I’m sorry....sorry.”  She
repeated the phrase endlessly till all her strength was gone and her
face was covered with the blood of her own guilt.

 For once, the Voice of Brana was silent.  The wraith of Brana stood
over Arashiko’s broken body and looked upon her silently.  She bowed her
head in soundless affirmation.  She had no answer for this.

 Brana became a part of the black nothingness once more.

 Arashiko’s silent crying echoed into the endless void.  Forever and
eternal. . .



“Lift up thine eyes.”

 A new voice penetrated the darkness.  It sounded deeply and eternally
throughout the nothingness.  It resonated clearly through all who heard
it.  The voice was reminiscent of the Dragon’s, Purunga.

 Arashiko slowly raised her eyes to him.  She never expected to see him
here, not in this emptiness and sorrow.  Not as a spirit.  Never in her
darkest moment.

 It was Zorn.  He stood over her, his cloak of crimson shrouding and
protecting her like the wings of a guardian angel.  Zorn’s gentle black
eyes looked upon her with compassion and sorrow.  His jet black hair
floated divinely about his pale face.  Arashiko averted her eyes from
him.

 “How can you bare to look at me?  I’ve failed you. . .”  Arashiko’s
voice cracked with emotion and fatigue.  “He’s dead...I couldn’t save
him, I couldn’t save you, I couldn’t even save myself...Just let me die.
. .”

 “Your suffering is not in vain, my sister.” Zorn knelt down close to
her, bringing his hands up to her face.  He firmly held her chin in his
strong palms and lifted her blue eyes towards him, “Death is never the
answer.”  He wiped away the blood and the tears that stained her pallid
cheeks crimson.  Zorn grasped her wrists and pulled her to her feet.
His dark blue eyes glimmered ethereally as his blood red cloak flailed
out around them.

 “You are a Saiyan.  Death is your redemption of life.  I stood with
Vegeta when he fell.  He died defending his people.  I died by his
side.  The Royal Emblem was crushed under the foot of Frieza, but the
Prince lives.  My faith is complete in you, Arashiko, do not let this
injustice take place.  Never allow the deaths of so many to be in vain.
Find your faith in yourself so that you may go in Grace.  See now with
eyes unclouded by hate and anger, fear and agony.  Fight to avenge us,
in all our fallen glory, you are the only one who can.”

“Stand tall and shake the Heavens. . .
stand tall, my sister. . .
 and awaken, for even shadows must be true to their shade.”

 As he spoke, he faded away from her.  Arashiko’s eyes glistened with
tears of profound happiness, her heart split to see her brother leave.
She wished with all her aching soul that he would stay, that she could
be at peace as he was in Death.  But she had to fight, all her life, she
had to fight.  At least now it would be for her reason, a just reason.
She sought naught but honor as the stars seek their places in Heaven.

I fight for you, brother.  I’m the only one who can.



 Arashiko burst awake with a crack of thunder.  Her senses rushed back
to her overwhelmingly as the night sky alighted with the clap and tumult
of the storm.  Her throat and face burned with blistering pain.  Deep
cuts and blood streaked her cheeks.  Arashiko lifted her hand up to her
neck and felt four grooves left there by long, sharp claws.  She raised
her fingers up and saw them covered by her own red blood.  Arashiko
quickly jumped to her feet as a sword’s blade punched into the rock
where her head would have been.
 “Impossible!!!”  Yugure shouted insanely at her, his sanguine eyes
burning, “You were mine!!!”

 Arashiko faltered painfully.  Everything hurt, making her confused
senses rail.  The old wound where Nail’s golden sword had stabbed into
her was bleeding profusely.  She glared at Yugure defiantly, blue eyes
blazing.

 Yugure’s fangs gleamed against the blackness as his deep, maddening
roar filled her ears.  The storm screamed with him as his anger poured
out into the night.  Arashiko returned his yell with her own wailing
battlecry.  She raised her blood-covered hands wildly, blue stars
gathering at her fingertips.  Yellow rays of effulgence spun around her
body, spiraling fast with her heartbeat.  The lightening joined the fray
as it struck all around her, almost as if summoned by her command.  The
blood gleamed on her face, marking it like warpaint.

For you, brother!!!!

 Arashiko launched forward at him, putting all her power into one,
all-encompassing beam of pure white energy.  It enveloped everything in
blinding light.  Yugure melted away again into his shadows.  Arashiko
knew he was not gone and looked to the shadowfalls behind her.  She
sensed him all around her in the darkness.  Arashiko spun around, trying
to see where the creature had gone.  The blue glint of her sword caught
her eye as lightening struck, reflecting on everything.  Arashiko
scooped up the white sword and angled it skillfully.  Her eyes shifted
hastily about, probing the darkness for his form.  Another spear of
lightening struck into the earth, sharpening and revealing the shadows
of the land.  With all her might, Arashiko threw the sword.  It sang
through the air and thunked into the side of a rock formation that was
awash in a black shadow.  Thunder crashed loudly around them as the
skies shrieked.  Silence fell, fragile and trembling.  Arashiko watched
the sword attentively.  A hiss sounded as the white sword began to slide
forward, a black figure impaled upon it slowly parted itself from the
shadows of the rocks.  Yugure grimaced at her evilly, fangs beared.  He
fell forward, the sword driving through his torso as he hit the ground.

 “Damn y . .you.” he growled as the life ebbed away from him.  “You are
not the one I seek, she . . .she is the other half of Kaiochuru.  She is
. . .not you?!”

 Arashiko watched silently, puzzled by his dying words.  Yugure cringed
upon the ground and was finally still.  The storm had finally quieted
and shafts of sunshine peeked through the clouds, illuminating Yugure’s
body.  There were no shadows for him to hide in now.  A sunbeam shined
down on Arashiko, lighting up her features with sparkling beauty.
Arashiko walked up to Yugure’s corpse and tore her blade from him.  She
breathed in the air triumphantly, sable hair blowing out with the last
winds of the storm.  She looked down on Yugure, her whole being shining
with her triumph.

 “Even shadows must be true to their shade.” she said to his deaf ears.

 The words of her brother lifted her spirits high.  Now she was truly
ready to leave Nameck and walk her own path.

Destiny would have it be so.



* * *


 Final destination--Planet Vegeta 013405--

 Arashiko tapped the familiar coordinates into her ship’s navigator.  It
seemed like an eternity since she had tapped them in, an eternity since
she had seen her desolate home.  But it was home none the less.  She
only hoped that Frieza had not killed many in his vengeance against King
Vegeta’s betrayal.  Arashiko could not help but smile.  In a matter of
hours she would be home, she would find the Prince and keep the spirit
of hope alive.  They would stand together and fight Frieza to the
death.  They would free their people of the tyrant who had tormented
them all of their lives.  Arashiko kept these happy thoughts burning in
her heart as the stars streaked by.  Within mere hours she would be upon
the soil of her own Planet Vegeta.

 Finally, the red lights flashed on the panels, indicating that she had
arrived.  Arashiko peered out of the viewport eagerly.  She expected
within any second now to see the red atmosphere of her homeworld
swirling with feathery white clouds and patches of brown green land
peeking through to greet her return.  Minutes passed, she saw nothing.
Arashiko’s brow creased with frustration as she checked the computer.

 Maybe my ship’s computer was damaged in the crash?  It must be
inaccurate.

 A loud bang made the whole ship shake with the impact.

 “Dammit!!” Arashiko cursed loudly as she checked to make sure nothing
had been broken by the asteroid that hit the hull.  She had flown into
some kind of asteroid field.  Frustrated, she piloted the ship manually
to a small blue-green moon that she sighted on the very edge of the
viewport.  It was so far away it seemed like a blue star on the
horizon.  She would ask there where the hell she was.  She suspected
that her computer was on the fritz from the integration of the more
primitive Nameckian technology.



 The ship landed harshly on the edge of an ocean of green water, leaving
a deep crater.  Arashiko wandered around for hours until she finally
found an inhabitant.  It was in a lonely field of strange black flowers
lost in a sea of unusual blue grass.  The alien she found was leaning up
against a tree, he did not even flinch when he saw her.

 “We’ve already paid Frieza’s men, Ginyu.  Can’t you just leave us in
peace?” he said sternly as his crown of horns twisted with the anger
apparent on his long, snouted face.

 Arashiko recognized the language.  It was a dialect of Chershirian.  In
her training as an Elite, she had learned a multitude of languages in
order to be able to communicate with the various races that the Saiyan
monarchy dealt with.

 “I’m not one of Frieza’s men.” Arashiko’s voice distorted with a thick
accent.  She had spoken Nameck so long that it had begun to wear down on
her natural speaking voice.  “Please, can you tell me what sector we’re
in?”

 The oblong alien shrugged and squinted at her, still untrusting of her
motives.  “We’re in sector 7, the Salaido sector.”

 Arashiko stared at him confused.  I’m in the right system.  How the
hell did I get lost when I’m in the right sector?

 “Have you heard of the Planet Vegeta?”, she inquired further.

 “Vegeta?  Who hasn’t heard of the Saiyan homeworld?”, the alien spat
with disgust, “Hah, I’m glad they’re gone.”

 Arashiko’s face bent with frustration and a little anger, “What do you
mean?  What do you mean gone?”

 “Boy, you really must have been in a hole somewhere.”, he snorted,
“Frieza wiped their disgusting kind from the universe.  There are only
three of them left now.  The stupid monkeys didn’t even know that it was
Frieza who destroyed their planet, but it’s plain to any fool with eyes
to see.  Huh?  What’s wrong with you?”  The alien stopped as he saw the
frozen look on her face.

 Arashiko’s heart stopped.  She couldn’t breathe.  Everything froze in
its place as her universe collapsed.  She didn’t hear anything else that
the alien said to her.  Her heart shattered to pieces in her chest.  The
blood stopped flowing in her veins.  The ice blue of her eyes turned
gray and sorrowful.  That moment in time seem to last forever,
stagnating her soul to a deeper emptiness than she had ever known.  At
last her own scream broke the silence of the long moment.  She didn’t
even realize it was coming from her, it just erupted out of deep within
herself as the pure, intense anger overflowed.  There was no thought or
sound or action.  She didn’t hear herself yelling or see the flash of
energy that burst forth from her body.  The alien cowered back from her,
trying to escape the magnificent streams of energy that surrounded her
and turned the sky black.  He was not quick enough.  The energy
swallowed him up in its radiance.

 The land desolved under her feet.  The fragile black flowers and
delicate blue grass were blown awry by the violent typhoon.  Clouds
gathered overhead in the darkening sky.  The torrent began.  Arashiko
did not know if she still screamed and wailed, or that the tears of hot
anger and agony burned down her face.  Her mind disconnected with her
actions.  All was crushed in her deadly wake of pure destructive anger.
Her body permeated with golden brilliance, weaving yellow like
sunshine.  Finally she was able to come back to reality, unfreeze the
moment in time.   But that only made her angrier, for she could finally
feel the realization of all that had happened.

 I’ve come back to this????  Everything is gone!!  Everyone is gone!!!

   THEY’RE DEEEADDD!!!!!!!  THEY’RE DEADDD!!!!!

 She screamed again, a roar of deeper anger and sorrow ripping from her
as the winds violently rushed around her.  All the sacrifices!!  All the
pain and the suffering!!  Everything!!  And they’re gone!!!!

 AND IT’S ALL FRIEZA’S DOING!!!  I should have killed him when I had the
chance!!  WHY COULDN’T I KILL HIM?!?!?!?  WHYYYYYYYY!!!?!?!
AAARRH!!!!!!!

 Everything turned black as she threw her fists down to the ground,
cracking the earth even deeper as she beat it incessantly trying to
siphon her rage.  In the swirling winds, her hair began to glow gold as
the air saturated with pure energy.  Her power elevated as her anger
reached new, profound heights.  The sparkling gold of her hair fluttered
out into the gale as she looked down at her hands, feeling the power as
it rose within her.  She gasped at the realization, at the golden wave
of hair that whipped around her face.  She had become something else,
something only foretold in the legends of her world.

She had become the Saiyan of Legend!!  A Super Saiyan!!!

 But only the Royal House possess this right?  How can this be true??
Brana was a Super Saiyan too!?  I don’t understand!!!

 She fell to her knees, breathing heavily, body hot, fury finally
subsiding.  The winds died away as the golden light faded from her hair,
returning it to its normal shining blue-black shade.

 “I don’t understand,”  she whispered weakly to herself, “I don’t
understand. . .”  She couldn’t see how the universe could allow such a
tragedy to happen, how all the Heavens could conspire to make her life a
living Hell.  Even the brightest light casts the deepest, darkest
shadow.

 Arashiko sat alone in the ruin of another planet she had destroyed.
The black petals of the delicate, destroyed flowers floated down in the
air around her, showering her with their sorrowful softness.  The gray
mists drifted around her like the wraiths of the dead and dropped tears
of dew on her cheeks.

 She was one of the few left, the only daughter of the planet Vegeta.
Her whole race was lost now.  It was up to her to restore it. . .

For the Glory and Honor of a dead Vegeta and a dead people.



* * *



 The next few years were spent in searching and mourning.  Arashiko
desperately sought to find the identities of the three Saiyans who had
survived the ruination of their world.  Arashiko knew that one of them
was the Prince.  She had long since felt deep in her heart that he was
alive, she knew it long before she heard of his destructive path left
throughout the galaxy.  It maddened her exceedingly to know that he
still lived under the oppression of Frieza.  The last remaining Saiyans
still worked for him!!!!  The thought sickened and enraged her beyond
all things.  She had to find Vegeta and release him from Frieza’s
bondage.  Arashiko thought that the Prince had no doubt been deceived
about the destruction of their planet surely caused by the demonic
Frieza.  She had to free him from his grasp!!!  All her fighting and
struggling lead her forward, full-circle to one of Frieza’s bases, Moon
24, the same base where she had been a part of the Ginyu, the same place
where she killed Brana.  Returning to that stark and barren world full
of its painful, tormenting memories made Arashiko think of the demented
irony of the universe.  The philosophers are right, life is a spiral.

 Arashiko wrapped herself in a thick crimson cloak that she had acquired
in her extensive travels.  It concealed all of her somewhat distinct
Saiyan features, namely her tail, which she wrapped tightly around her
waist in the folds of her clothes.  A trail of information had led her
here again.  She heard that the Prince had been here recently on return
from a mission for Frieza.  As wide and as vast as the universe is, she
was finally close in her search for the Prince.  She knew not much more
than that and sought to find information somewhere on this lonely,
gruesome world.  The scarlet cloak enclosed all her features in shadow,
all except for her blazing azure eyes that shined like fiery ice.
Arashiko had no worries about being recognized, after all, who would
recognize her?  She was nothing but a lost member of a dead race now, a
lonesome ghost walking the trodden paths of the past.  She was supposed
to have been dead long ago.  People now would think that she was just
another wayward nomad in the endless sea of travelers that traversed the
universe.  She left the same familiar docking area of the base without
being noticed by anyone.  As she left, she cast one final glance back
into the still unchanged place where her fateful fight with Brana had
taken place.  For a split second, she could have sworn to see her lying
there still in the pool of her own dark blood, but a second later the
apparition faded and she left the room, mind focusing forward on the
present and the future.

 Much had changed since she had served at the Ginyu base.  The Arquisian
royal symbol which had been emblazoned upon much of the base’s walls was
now replaced by the white V of the Ginyu.  Much of their royal influence
was gone.  Arashiko did not even see any Arquisians around like there
would normally have been before.  It was odd and it set her mind to
questioning.  All their technology was there, the guards still used
their trademark weapons and scouters, but they were not there.  Arashiko
wondered the hallways unnoticed by anyone.  People seemed to pass by her
as if she was invisible, just as she has expected.  She left the base,
there was nothing there now but bad memories and regrets to plague her.
Outside of the base was the city that had sprung up to accompany
Frieza’s soldiers.  It was a seedy city, never too full of criminals and
vagabonds.  The violet flag of Frieza with his white circular symbol
imprinted on it caught her eye as it fluttered atop one of the decrepit
buildings.  Arashiko averted her eyes angrily from it.

 His flag will fly no more once I find the Prince.

 Finally, the twisted and damp alleyways led her to a tiny little bar
tucked within the bowels of the city.  Arashiko remembered it, she and
Brana used to crash there after fighting in the training room.  If she
could find any information on the surviving Saiyans, it would be from
the mangy lot who drank their days away at the bar.  Arashiko entered
throught the little door and into the dark room lit only by the soft
crimson light of two energy orbs that floated at the ceiling.  She gazed
around non-chalantly.  Most of the pack of people in there were
low-ranking Ginyu soldiers.  The rest were just bums.  Aliens of all
kinds congregated at the bar, filling it with the noise of countless
languages and the pungent odor of many alien bodies.  She walked up to
the bar, unnoticed and unrecognized by anyone.

 “Bartender, one Rising Sun, heavy on the Red, none of that weak shit
you guys normally used to serve around here.” Her speaking voice, and
her manners, were finally returning to normal after living so long with
the Namecks.

 The bartender winked at her with his one good eye and passed her the
drink without a word.  Arashiko flipped him a coin and took a deep
draught.  It had been a very long time since she had tasted good, hard
liquor.  They still have the best Rising Suns out there.  Arashiko
flicked two more coins at the bartender, “Maybe you can help me out.
You’ve heard of the Saiyans right?  I need to know where they are.  You
think you can help me?”
 The bartender nodded but before he could answer, a loud, gruff voice
cut him off from across the room.

 “Dammit!  Get over here and get me a drink!!  You have the gall to make
a princess of Arquisia wait!!!”

 Arashiko jumped up from her seat, jerking around as she heard the
familiar harsh voice.

 It couldn’t be!!

 Yet there she was plain as day.  The years had greyed her brick red
hair to a dusty brown and her green skin to a pale verdant.  A black eye
patch covered her right eye where Arashiko had injured her so many years
ago.  Her remaining sleek red eye still held its guileful glare.

Arashiko clenched her fists angrily.

                                                    It was Kiaoden!!

 Anger and adrenaline welled up inside of Arashiko, saturating her blood
with seething power.  Yellow light boiled along her cloaked form.  All
of the aliens in the room backed away from her and cleared her path to
Kaioden.  Before Kaioden realized what was going on, Arashiko slammed
her head against the bar, sending cracks along the black table top.  Her
hand clamped around Kaioden’s neck like a vice.

 “What the hell??  Who are you???” Kaioden managed to yell out in
gurgled gasps.

 Arashiko’s blue eyes blazed furiously, “You don’t remember me?  You
should!!  I never forgot what you taught me about blood and hate!!!”
Arashiko threw back the crimson hood on her cloak.  “Do you remember me
now you murdering bitch!!!”

 A spark of surprise and fear lit up in Kaioden’s remaining red eye,
“You!?  But you’re dead!!”  She choked as Arashiko squeezed her hand
ever tighter.  Arashiko’s cold blue eyes squinted at her as she spoke.

 “You made sure of that, didn’t you!”  Arashiko jerked her arm up and
threw Kaioden into the wall with a pounding crash.  Her flying body
crushed glass and sent cracks radiating forth from her point impact.
The cold shadows of the room illuminated with soft ivory light that
danced along Arashiko’s body.  The crimson orbs of energy which
illuminated the room popped from the surge of invisible energy that
permeated the air.  The energy that bounced off of Arashiko was the only
thing that lit the room up with radiance.  The other aliens in the room
sensed a fight immediately and cleared out quick, leaving Arashiko and
Kaioden alone.

 Kaioden’s long red hair draped over her face preventing Arashiko from
seeing her expression.  Arashiko lifted her arm up, preparing to deliver
the final deathblow, but something stopped her.

 Laughter.  Cackling, chaotic laughter echoed everywhere, filling
Arashiko’s ears with its madness.  Kaioden’s bent face was revealed to
her as she sat there, laughing insanely.  Finally, she quieted, the most
twisted and insane smile plastered upon her sharp features.

 “Oh, Kakayun, have you learned nothing?  HAhahah...you can’t kill me!
What would you do about your little Prince?  Frieza still has him
licking his boots. . . AHAHAHA!!!!”

 Arashiko’s fist lashed out, smashing into Kiaoden’s jaw with a dull
crack.  “You know where he is don’t you?!” she screamed at the Arquisian
angrily.

 Kaioden coughed once, blue Arquisian blood dripping down from her lips,
and then turned her wild gaze back to Arashiko, her red eye blazing.
Why doesn’t she fight back?  Arashiko thought, confused by her
irrational actions.

 “Why don’t you do the universe a favor and kill us both, Kakayun, or
can I say Arashiko of the Elite?”  Kaioden saluted her drunkenly, “Do
you see my brother around here anywhere?  He and I had our own stand
against Frieza.  So did our father, the Emperor.  HAHAHA....they’re both
rotting in Hell right about now..AHAHAHAH”  Kaioden erupted into
deranged laughter once more.  Arashiko stepped back away from her,
brooding intently.
“Think about it, Kakayun, the logic!  Just let them all die.  Let them
all burn!!  Let the world burn!!!  I’m just like you now, the last
outcast of a fallen, pitiful race!!”

 “I’m nothing like you!!” Arashiko’s hate-filled voice grated.

 “Oh, right.  There lies the irony of the universe.  There it is,
burning along with everything else.”  Kaioden laughed again as she hung
her head low.

 Arashiko sat there and stared at the fallen princess of Arquisia, a
pathetic warrior lost in a haze of liquor and defeat.

 Kaioden spoke lowly, the snickering completely gone from her voice,
“Vegeta, you’ll find him on Deliis.  That’s the last I heard of him.
And Nappa too, that stupid bastard.”

 Arashiko flinched with surprise.  Nappa?  He’s one of the survivors???
Of all the honorable Saiyans to be saved from destruction, the lowest of
us all is saved!!!?? She had known Nappa, he was a commander of the
planet-killer forces, a big, bulging brute who thought of nothing but
wanton destruction and battle.  The thought angered her even further.

 She gave Kaioden one last glare of fury and then turned and walked away
from her.  She would be left to her own ruin.

 “Wait!!”, Kaioden called out behind her.  She grabbed the trail of
Arashiko’s blood red cloak. “Don’t let it end like this.”

 With a look of total disgust, Arashiko jerked the cloak from her hands
and turned away from her towards the exit.

 “Don’t let it end like this.  Can’t let it end like this...not like
this...”  Kaioden continued on, talking quietly to herself as she sat in
the broken glass and the burden of her own defeat.

 Arashiko gave one last glance back at the tiny little bar where the
past was buried, then turned around and walked away, Vegeta was close
and she would find him.  The motley lot of aliens watched the strange
woman leave.  About a half hour later, once sure that the fearful
warrior was gone, they inched back towards the bar to return to the
sludge that was their lives.  They all stopped to gape at the body of
the dead Arquisian that lay in a puddle of her own blue blood upon a
pile of shattered glass in the bar.  The smoke of an energy beam still
wafted upwards into the air from the fresh wound.  The awful wound to
her chest made them all wince painfully and shake their heads in dismay.

 The last princess of Arquisia fell under the strain of her own pride
and dignity.  The body cannot live with a shattered soul.



* * *


 “That is what led me to you. I followed your destructive path
throughout the galaxy.  It led me here to this world.  Prince Vegeta,
you are Prince no more.  Now you must be a king, though only few of us
remain.  We must keep our legacy alive and make it better than it was
before.  I offer you the chance to surpass your father and become truly
great with an empire not built on the sanctified flesh and blood of
entire worlds.”

“Please, you have seen my life. . .
Offer something to make up for all the pain.”

 Vegeta’s hands fell from her forehead as he jerked awake from
Arashiko’s memories.  He stared at her silently, totally in awe and
speechless.  His dark eyes finally accepted the truth.  He suddenly
grasped her hand and touched it to his forehead.
 “You are not the only one who has suffered.”

 Arashiko closed her eyes and concentrated, doing as her King wished.

 “See my pain.”

 A jumble of images flashed in her mind, much more quickly and chaotic
than the vivid memories she had shown Vegeta.  It was almost as if he
was trying to hide some memories or push them away.  Then she saw it
there in his mind.

 He had faced Frieza in battle, and been defeated, alone and the last of
his kind to make a stand against the tyrant.  He had died at his hands,
still laughing in the face of the monster who struck fear in the hearts
of the universe.  In his mind, she saw the violet fields of Nameck and
the seven gleaming Dragonballs.  It was at the mercy of their power that
he too had been resurrected by the Eternal Dragon.  That was the place
they had fought.   In Frieza’s outburst of battle, the whole planet had
been destroyed!  Few of the Namecks survived.  They had escaped to earth
and used the Dragon to create a new world to live.  One image seemed to
repeat itself over and over, the image of a man, standing strong in a
cloud of blinding energy, his golden hair indicating that he was a Super
Saiyan.  He had a strong build, an innocent face that belied the anger
that rippled across it as his hair trailed gold.  It was another
Saiyan?   Kakkarot.  The name bounced around incessantly, as did the
strong feelings of anger and hate that the image was associated with.
The feeling soon died off to a sense of mutual respect.

 The next thing to be revealed to her was the reflection of the lavender
haired youth that Arashiko had seen earlier, the one who was supposedly
his son.  It was Torunksa, but he looked different than the young man
that now stared at them in awe as Arashiko experienced Vegeta’s
memories.  He was older, the blue of his eyes hinted of deep pain and a
sorrow so profound.  His right hand held a gleaming silver sword against
the dark clothes he wore.

Mirai no Torunksa.
          The Future.

 The next few scenes flashed by, jumbled and confused.  The first was
the older Torunksa, lying dead on the battlefield, a strange dark figure
standing over them, Vegeta and the other warriors sent to face the evil
of the ultimate.

Cell.

 Majin Buu,  Kaioshin. . . the names rebounded in her mind.
  Dubura, Kami, Piccolo, Roshi, Tienshinhan, Yamucha, Goku. . .Goku,
Goku.
    Bulma.
 A woman smiled lovingly at him, her light blue hair falling around her
face.  Bulma.  She was Torunksa’s mother?  The woman still smiled and
kissed Vegeta gently.

 The tranquil vision faded and was replaced by another flash of memory.
Dark hair and yellow energy flooded from a screaming figure.

 “The First of the Legendary Saiyan.”

 Arashiko knew his face, it had grown older, away from the soft edges of
youth.  Brolly!  The Prince fought him???  He survived???  Brana’s
brother is alive?!

 The man who was constantly in Vegeta’s memory showed up again.  “He,
Kakkarot, killed Brolly in a massive show of power.  Brolly was not as
he was, his mind had been corrupted by madness.  Another one of us gone
to oblivion.”

 The blue-haired woman appeared again, she and Vegeta embraced tightly,
passionately.  All alone in their own world, they were both alone.
.alone... Could she love him?

 “Loneliness is my ally. . .”

 The pair shattered to pieces as the world rushed back in a funnel of
colors and blaring images.  Arashiko pulled her hand away from Vegeta
forcefully.  His mind was too dark, violent, and awesome all at the same
time.  There was something dangerous there that she was afraid of, the
same viciousness as his father.  That was why she was here, to make him
see past their heritage.  Vegeta’s dark brown eyes bored a hole into
her.  It made her so uncomfortable.  She came all this way, what was she
to do now?  Everything just seemed to stop.  All the years she sat alone
wondering the universe, planning and imagining what she would say to
him, and when she finally finds him, all she could do is stare at him.
The heavy silence was deafening.  Arashiko’s blue eyes shifted
nervously.  At last, she bowed deeply to him and exited the confining
dwelling.  She would give him time to think.  Torunksa gazed after her
perplexed.  He ran up to his father’s side, “Who was she, father?”
Vegeta also followed the warrior with his eyes as she walked away from
them.

 “An old friend.” The solemn answer came.

 “Friend?” He asked again, confused.  Vegeta turned away from him,
holding the splintered blue amulet tightly in his hand.  His own ghosts
started to gather.  So much of the agonizing past had been brought back
to bare so suddenly.

 “She was an Elite.  She worked for my father, a long time ago.  It was
another time...”


* * *


 Arashiko sat vigil outside of the King’s dome shaped house.  It was
nearly nightfall now, and the stars were beginning to peek out from
their hiding places in the dark blue sky.  For the past few hours she
had been meditating.  It was a skill Nail had taught her.  It helped her
to reach a clarity and calmness of thought that would allow her to think
straight.  She had to keep herself resigned.  Now the move was
Vegeta’s.  It was his choice if she should stay or go.  Movement finally
punctured through the silence as she heard the door of the unusual white
house open and close shut.  One long moment later, Vegeta sat down
quietly beside her.  He kept his face and eyes averted from Arashiko as
he held out his hand to her, the dangling azure porcelain chain of the
Royal House’s pendant evident between his fingers as it clinked in the
darkening air.

 “I can’t accept this.” His words seemed to echo forever.

 Arashiko’s mind froze.  She could not comprehend what he had just
said.  Her brow creased in frustration and bewilderment as she glared at
him questioningly, completely incapable of asking him why.

 “You know as well as I.  I cannot accept my father’s amulet.”

 “Why?”  The trembling word finally came to her lips.

 “You would have me be King of a dead people??  There is no one left!!”
His voice was harsh and loud.  “Things are not the way as they were
before!  The House of Vegeta is dead and gone!  Our world is gone,
Arashiko!!  We can never bring it back!!”

 Dead silence was her only reply.  Arashiko’s face became red with anger
and sorrow.  Scorching tears gathered in her icy eyes.

 “You shame yourself!!” She finally burst out, her voice filled with
emotion.  She had suffered too much and waited too long to be rejected
this way.  “You were born to this rite!  It is your duty to be King!
You disgrace the lives of every single Saiyan who has died!  You are not
serving for yourself!!  You are King to redeem the memories and the
deeds of all of us!!  You’re the last hope to save our people’s souls!!
Honor them!!  They call out for you because it is your destiny!  Honor
them or be forever shamed!!!  Every day of my life I have watched over
you, bled for you, prayed for you so you may become a better king than
your father.  Please do not make everything I have fought for with my
blood and soul in vain!!”  She grasped his hand which held the talisman
and squeezed it tightly.  She stood up and embraced him strongly.

 She was crying now, as embarrassing as crying was, “Our people may be
gone...but I can bring them back. . .I have to. .”  The rest was lost in
endless crying and quiet sobs.  Vegeta stood stunned again.  She was
right, he knew it in his heart.  Not knowing what else to do, he lifted
his arms up to her and held her shaking form.  He closed his eyes and
offered the best comfort he could to one of his people.

 “Vegeeeetaa!” a woman’s voice broke the silence of the emotionally
charged moment, “Honey I’m hoome.”  A blue-haired woman came strolling
across the yard with a bag of groceries supported by both hands and the
tip of her chin.  “Helloo, are you beating our son again?  You guys and
your damned training.!”  Bulma yelled across the yard as she searched
for where Vegeta and her son were.  She finally spotted him across the
yard. . .with another woman held in his arms?!?  The bag of groceries
fell to the ground, spilling out its various contents.  Bulma marched
across the yard towards Arashiko and Vegeta, one thing burning in her
mind.

 “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY MAN!!”  Bulma screamed as she rushed
headlong at them and hammered Arashiko in the face with a slap.  The
smack itself wasn’t enough to topple her, just the surprise that someone
had hit her.  Arashiko faltered backwards a few steps, confused by what
had just happened.   Vegeta realized what was going on and tried to
persuade Bulma it was all a misunderstanding, but his words bounced off
of her.

 Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!  Bulma continued her
onslaught.  Through the barrage of the woman’s flailing fists, Arashiko
desperately tried to get her to calm down and stop.  “Wait!  You don’t
understand!!!”  It took all her restraint not to lose it and just blow
the stubborn woman into oblivion.  Arashiko was infinitely more powerful
than this frail creature!  She kept her cool, blocking efficiently as
she was trained to do.

 “YOU BITCH!!”  Bulma shouted insanely as she landed a full-fisted blow
into Arashiko’s midsection, and this time, it hurt!  Arashiko sensed a
sudden increase in her power right before she delivered the punch.  It
was enough to send Arashiko back a few steps and make a crack in her
abdomen’s plated armor.  Arashiko snapped.

 There is no way I’m letting this frail human get the best of a Saiyan
Elite!!  Once again, her swelling pride over-ruled her best judgment.
With a swing of her arm, Arashiko backslapped the blue-haired annoyance
across her cheek.  She felt the impact of cheekbone and flesh upon her
knuckles.  The strength of the blow alone was only a fraction of her
own, but it was enough to throw Bulma off of her feet.  She fell a few
feet backwards into the ground, unconscious, a small trickle of blood
running from her nose and mouth.  A few seconds later, something crashed
into Arashiko’s face, flinging her head back with the force of the
impact.  Her body was the next one to hit the hard ground.  She
recovered quickly, fists clenched with incredible anger as she prepared
to tear into whoever had hit her.  Blood seeped from her mouth and nose
and the salty taste of it fueled her temper.

 Everything died away as she realized it was Vegeta who had hit her.  He
stood over her, his features darkened with anger.

 “No one hurts her like that.”  He spoke in low, angered tones.
Arashiko got to her feet slowly, confusion and disbelief stretching her
face into a dejected mask.  She shook her head back and forth slowly.
She couldn’t believe it.  He couldn’t have hit me?!  It can’t be...  He
valued a human over one of his own??  She gave up all her life just to
be hurt by the one she gave up everything for???  Arashiko breathed in
sharply and took off into the air.  Within moments, she was lost in the
stars of the night sky.

 Vegeta watched her go, he wanted to call out to her, to tell her to
wait, but she was already gone.  He ran to Bulma’s side and held her in
his arms.  She was still breathing.  Vegeta released a sigh of relief,
she was only bruised and unconscious.  Her eyes fluttered open and she
stared at him, her eyes focusing and unfocusing as if in a daze.

 “I . . .”  Bulma began to talk weakly.  Vegeta leaned in closer,
holding a caring hand to the side of her face.  “I. . .love you. . .”
Bulma continued on, half-conscious.  Her eyes suddenly opened all the
way as she woke up.  “Damn you!!”  She yelled into Vegeta’s face as she
punched him on the side of the head.  “OW!”  Bulma grabbed the throbbing
side of her face.  “You are going to explain this to me NOW!!!” She said
through muffled shouts as Vegeta carried her back to their house.



* * *



 It was raining again over the countryside of China.  The silver
droplets poured over the landscape, lacing everything in a soft
phosphorous glow.  Arashiko sat, knees pushed up to her chest, on the
side of a cliff overlooking a vast emerald forest.  She didn’t know how
far she had flown or where she was.  It was a gentle rain, no thunder
hindered the soothing rhythm of its pounding.  Drops of crimson blood
rolled off of her face and fell to the ground, mixing with her tears.
It’s bitter-sweet taste was all too familiar to her.  The blood and the
tears swirled together in the little puddle that began to form at her
feet.  She didn’t care if she bled, it didn’t matter anymore.  Her whole
reason for living was crushed.  She had come for nothing, she had
survived for nothing.  The Prince had rejected her utterly.  Yet the
rhythm of the rain continued, ever soothing, ever continuing.  She put
her forehead against her arm and let the blood run and the rain beat her
back.

 “I saw what happened. . .”  A kind-hearted voice made her turn.  When
she realized who it was, she quickly turned from him in disgrace.
Torunksa came and sat down beside her on the cliff face.  He watched her
sympathetically with his innocent blue eyes.  The wetness plastered his
amethyst hair to his cheeks, revealing the handsome features of his
face.

 “You must think me a monster. .”  Arashiko kept her eyes averted from
him.  “I’ve dishonored myself.”

 “Look at me. .” He implored her.  Arashiko sighed deeply and finally
raised her eyes to him.  He held her chin up with his fingers.  “I don’t
see a monster.”  He spoke tenderly to her.  He brought his other hand up
to her face and wiped away the blood.  “There, now you look a little
less horrifying.”  He smiled at her, cerulean eyes gleaming.

 Arashiko managed to return his grin with a small smile of her own.
Tears still clouded her vision as she gazed at him.  She sniffed a
couple of times.  She didn’t like to cry in front of others and she
didn’t know why she cried in front of him now.  She just let all the
emotions out.  They had been bottled within her soul far too long.
Torunksa stared at her compassionately and slipped a comforting arm
around her.  He did the only thing he could.  He held her till she
stopped crying.  The blurry shape of the full moon glimmered through the
thin clouds and bounced off the droplets of rain.  A couple hours had
passed, Arashiko had finally quieted.  Her eyes were closed, tired from
their outpour of sorrow.  Arashiko let one last tear fall as she felt a
gentle kiss on her forehead.  With that kiss, Torunksa got up and
started to walk away.

 “Listen, if you need a place to stay, I have an apartment not far from
here.  You can’t just sit outside of my father’s house all day and I
won’t let you stay out here.”

 Arashiko nodded speechlessly and followed him.  They disappeared into
the star-filled night.  The rhythm of the rain continued on, ever
soothing, ever continuing.



* * *


 “Here, you can sleep back there.”  Torunksa pointed to the small
bedroom in the back of the apartment.  “I’ll err...sleep here on the
couch.”

 Arashiko looked at him and then back at the odd little room with the
rectangular piece of furniture in it.  She flopped down on the bed and
crumpled up into a ball.  She didn’t bother taking off her armor, she
was tired, so very tired of everything.

 Torunksa’s eyes widened a little as he suddenly realized that there was
actually a girl on his bed.  He stared at her for awhile and then turned
around to go to sleep on the uncomfortable little gray couch.

 Arashiko finally gained peace of mind in the nothing that was a
dreamless night.  She could lose herself in those empty nights where no
dreams, memories of the past, haunted her spirit.  They were always
short, those scattered moments of peace.  Inevitably, the suns rays
brushed her eyelids and woke her, filling the nothingness of
dreamlessness with the reality of the waking world.  She looked around
the cozy little apartment, almost forgetting where she was.  Torunska
was gone.  She stood up in the bed and stretched, everything was so
strange, the future was uncertain.  A piece of sky blue paper caught her
eye.  It was lying on the bed next to her.  Writing was scribbled upon
its smooth surface.  Arashiko picked it up and read it.

“If I could wash away your pain with all my tears.
I would drown your fears.
If only I could take away all your pain.
You wouldn’t have to cry anymore.”

 Arashiko held the paper in her palm and smiled sweetly.  Somewhere
within her, she could feel herself melting.

 What a brave new world that has such people in it.

   Maybe there is hope after all...



FINIS