Child of the Storm
Chapter 3: Born of the Dragon
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 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. There was no mistaking it, it was a Nameckian 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; nor to stay awake any longer. With one last sigh of defeat, 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 where many bottles and vials lined the walls of the room. 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, their alien language 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 out of the room, 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 Kaioden'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 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. He was running to the fallen warriors and kneeling over them. An alien 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, cluthing 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 is 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 was not 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 all with a simple raise of his hand. The elder Nameck's 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. Its 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 its 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 could not 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 countenance once again melted back into golden formlessness , its beaming voice resonated everywhere.
"Your wish has been granted. I bid thee farewell."
The seven burning celestial globes throbbed with energy and began to rise 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 fleeing paths. 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 beneath 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 abdomenal piece of the armor, feeling the raised edges from the force of the vicious 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, disinterested, 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 awakening 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 sitting high atop a white throne with spikes protruding out of its pinnacle, which gave him the appearance of wearing a great 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 the 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, and 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, for 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??! He's older than me! 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 landscape everywhere. They too were of purple shades with a round nest of leaves at their tops. 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 going to 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 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. Silently, the reality set in 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, placing 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 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, and 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 an eager predator hiding within herself. 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 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.
* * *