Chap2

A story By Murasaki Iiro
.............. One Of The Enemy...............
Chapter Two : An Unexpected Decision


Her hair was red. Not an ordinary red, but the color of the sunset...........The same hue as the brilliant slash of crimson that is created where the violet of the night sky and the orange of the sun's glow seep into one another. It fell in soft waves on the sand as she lay there, struggling to hold on a little longer. There was no way to save her now, she knew that well enough. The ball of energy pushed itself further into her side. The pain was unfathomable, but she concentrated hard, focusing her brain waves, searching in desperation for her sister- in- law......

A young man kneeled at her side, tears running down his face. It was an indication of weakness to cry, but he could not hold back the feeling of emptiness and pain as he watched his mother die. His silvery white hair was caked with dirt, and a stream of blood trickled from his wounded shoulder, down the lavender-colored skin on his sturdy arm.

"I'm sorry mother......." he sobbed "I tried, I really did try...........I wasn't strong enough........It's all my fault....."

The dying woman looked up at her oldest son, with soft, turquoise blue eyes.

"Khaeri....... I t's not your fault......Don't you ever blame yourself for this.......I saw you out there......you were wonderful........as good as your father used to be....."

"Mother.......you can't die!.........I'm going to defeat Goku........You'll be there, watching........"

"No, Khaeri.......You will do no such thing ........... Remember what I have always said.......Life , any life is priceless......... Those who take it from others pay dearly..........Look at your father,Khaeri...the quest for power and revenge will get you nowhere........"

"Mother......please........don't die now........."

"I trust you to make the right choice...........your brothers and sisters will follow you, they always have..........I need you to listen, Khaeri, there are many things I must tell you, and so little time........."

"Anything......just say it, and it is done....." he choked back another strangled sob.

"You have known me longer than any of your siblings. Khaeri, when your youngest sister, Jiyaisa, is old enough to understand this..........tell her everything you can remember about me........It may cause you pain, but she deserves to know who her mother was......I never did.........."

"I will,....I can promise you that."

"And take care of your father, please...........This is all going to be so hard for him, left with all nine of you.........especially Jiyaisa......... your sisters are a handful......I'm sure you know that by now."

Khaeri smiled through his tears. His sisters were quite difficult at times. They never agreed on any one thing. They were all so diverse in their personalities, nobody would ever guess that they were related. Ayanxi, the oldest girl,at ninteen, was her father's daughter, headstrong, firey ,and when push came to shove, an excellent warrior. What she lacked in raw intellect, she made up for with strength and precision. Among his sisters, she was considered the most beautiful, but paled in comparison to her younger first cousin, Riaquni. This fact caused her only downfall.She was eternally envious, but it was the truth. Her classic beauty, defined by grey-black eyes, silvery hair and a nd pure white complexion, was no even match for the sultry-looking Riaquni, who had managed to inherit her mother's big, violet eyes and soft ,pink lips.

Second oldest of the girls, only eighteen,and by far, the leader, was Quira. She had both her mother's deep red hair and zest for life. Quira was outgoing and funny, but she had a tendency to act......well, in a rather lascivious manner at times. Grandmother didn'tlet her get away with her flirtatious antics, and made sure that she acted like a lady in front of her superiors.She was the least favored among the older generation, but her siblings admired her to no end. Powerful, she was not, but in her own subtle way, her planning skills and practicality had saved the entire family numerous times. Khaeri depended on her for advice and guidance, and she was more of a close friend than a younger sister.

Next, was Nasaida, born less than a year after Quira, who was the artist in the family. She had her father's coloring, lavender-tinted skin,like his own, and the same glossy, white hair. She was a maven of the martial arts, and was not afraid to use it as a weapon. At the palace, Nasaida was taken under the wing of Radditz, who happened to be an artist, alongside his job as a bodyguard and left hand man to her uncle. He passed on his skills to his disciple, and the two became very close.She was always sketching something, and her hands seemed to be permanently smudged with charcoal, evidence of her attempts to impress him. When Radditz dissapeared under mysterious circumstances, she cried for days, refusing to eat or sleep. Since then, she was a little quieter than usual, and she didn't smile half as much. Khaeri had suspected that his father had already been planning to marry her off to her mentor anyway, because it was obvious that they were soulmates. He was never sure whether she grieved for the tragic loss of a dear friend, or for the untimely demise of her first love.

Mayeni, fifteen, was amost, if not as beautiful as Ayanxi, but her presence went nearly unnoticed among her radiant sisters. She did her best to hide her beauty, and was extremely modest about her looks. She was taller than most though, and her hair was an odd shade of gold, not quite red, and not quite blonde either.Like Nasaida, she was a creative mastermind, but not with paints or charcoal. Her passion was music, and she was usually found picking out melodies on her flute, some ancient, some modern, and some she had invented herself. Mayeni was soft-spoken, but she wasn't unhappy.She kept mostly to herself, avoiding Ayanxi whenever possible. She was forever doomed to be in the shadow of Ayanxi's power and military brilliance, but she never showed any hostility towards her, only kept her distance.

Falyni, age fourteen, was difficult to describe. She was nearly identical to Mayeni in appearance, but the two were as different as day and night. To her, life was nothing but a huge ,cosmic joke, the object of which, was her. Falyni had been cheated of much of her childhood, since the civil wars had come to a devastating peak when she was only six. Instead of spending time with a mentor, or training with her brothers and sisters, she learned her fighting skills first hand. She found even the most depressing events to be humorous satires, implying that fate was bent on torturing her until she gave in.......... Something she claimed that she would never do. Of course, Khaeri knew that she took these things harder than most. Late at night,he heard her sobbing in the front room,in secret, a wretched sound which continued into the early morning hours. He was sure that once her mother's death had penetrated through her false shield, Falyni would be inconsolable. It was his job to help her come to terms with reality , and it would not be an easy one.

Last, and youngest of his sisters was Jiyaisa, who was barely eleven months old. From his past experiences with all seven other siblings, Jiyaisa was a welcome change. She was good-tempered, and did not mind at all when her mother, father, five sisters, and three brothers, doted over her. Actually, she seemed to enjoy it, and Khaeri always brought a smile to her face.

However, his father, who after all, was an exiled prince , was completely clueless about children, especially small ones. He was one who was content to leave parenting duties to his wife. On occasion , he was good for a laugh or a sparring partner, but Khaeri did not know him as well as he might have wished.While he was growing up, Koola had been so involved in off icial duties, that he barely made time for his oldest son. Lately he had been making efforts to redeem himself, but Khaeri always felt that he was a burden to his father .Hopefully, he would not repeat the same mistake with Jiyaisa.

Yes, his mother was right, Khaeri decided. Those girls were quite a handful, or rather, a great big armful .

"Do not fear, mother........." he replied solemnly " Someday, all of this will blow over, and we will have peace once more...........If I can win against Goku......." The tears came pouring down again. He could feel her power level shrinking away. She shut her eyes tightly, unaware of his affirmation. Her mind was elsewhwere, far away from the sound of her son's voice.

" Khaeri", she whispered with her last breath "Forget everything your grandfather taught you...........Join Son Goku and the others.......swallow your pride and become oneof the enemy ..........we can learn from one another........... It is the only way to stay alive.........Find Riaquni.......tell her........"

She drifted away, her voice fading. She was gone.

He repeated his mother's last words over and over in his head. The idea was ludicrous, he could say that much, yet it made sense.

He felt his father's presence behind him. He looked up. In his father's face, he could see a mirror image of himself. The same eyes, the same nose, the same squared chin, the same tears...........
For the first time in a long while, his father gave him a nod of approval. Both were at a loss for words.

Khaeri cleared his mind of his surroundings. He envisioned his beautiful cousin standing in front of him. He focused a clear beam of thought that carried his words across five galaxies.

Ten billion miles away, Riaquni let out a gasp that cut through the eerie silence like a knife. Her aunt was dead. Why.........How? She panicked. Everything had been going according to plans.......And now? Another family member was gone. First her younger brother, then her father, and now her aunt.........Where did it end?How could she tell her mother?........Lady Jinna had been her best friend, and although they were only related by marraige, they were as close as two sisters could be. She fell to her knees, sinking waist-deep into the snow. Her mother and grandmother looked on in surprise, as she waited for Khaeri to continue..............