Chapter 5: Cracked Mirror
After their fight at Capsule Corp., Trunks found himself constantly thinking about Kari. Where was she really from? What other secrets she could possibly be hiding from him and the others? What if she was just another android? What if...
Yamatte, Trunks! Get a hold of yourself! This is Kari you're talking about! Kari, the girl that's been nothing but a friend to you since the day you met her! he scolded himself.
He was becoming suspicious of one of his best friends! What in Kami's name was wrong with him? But try as he might, he could not rid himself of all traces of doubt. After all, his family and friends' safety were top priority to him. But what do you do when one of your friends might be the one endangering everyone's safety?!
Not knowing what to do, and feeling that his brain would explode if he kept his inner turmoil raging silently any longer, Trunks went to Goten and told him what was on his mind. It turned out Goten had been puzzled by the same daunting questions as his best friend. But even with the two of them thinking together they couldn't even begin to figure Kari out. There were just too many unanswered questions and gaps in their knowledge of her.
After pondering these frustrating thoughts for most of the day, the two decided to take a break and do what any two half-Saiyans would do when they were getting nowhere fast. They fought.
They sparred with each other for a few hours in the nearby woods. As the sun was setting low in the west, spilling brilliant streaks of violet, crimson, and rust in the sky, the only sounds that could be heard echoing throughout the normally silent trees were those of two warriors caught in the heat of battle.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
The cooling mists rising from the frothy base of the waterfall gently sprayed themselves upon Kari's tanned arms as she sat on the soft earth, meditating beside the waterfall. Her chestnut hair was pulled up from her face, but slender wisps of it hung lightly about her, sometimes swiping at her closed eyes.
She had been meditating there for over two hours, trying to conjure up memories from her past when her family was taken from her and she was sent to Earth. She could only remember bits and pieces of her earlier life, but it was enough to allow her to put together the story of her kingdom's demise.
However, there was one crucial bit of information that kept slipping just out of her mind's reach: a face. The face of the man responsible for the destruction of her life and so many others': the leader of the Tsunias.
She knew he was still alive and still very capable of destroying what was left of Arquinia, but she couldn't fight a faceless enemy. So, she decided to meditate upon the matter, trying to discover her adversary's identity by clearing her mind and allowing it to flow freely.
A sudden breeze swept through the fresh air and her violet eyes flashed open, jolting her out of the deep recesses of her mind. Kuso! She had almost seen him, almost known who he was! Right when his face was about to be revealed something clicked in the back of her mind, forcing her out of memory, and causing her eyes to fling wide open. Punching the ground fiercely, she cursed again to herself. "Kuso!"
Leaning back against the cool rock that supported the roaring falls beside her she unfolded her long legs, which were clothed in cotton black shorts, and stretched her arms above her head, preparing to begin her training exercises. She decided she had been trying too long and hard to discover the face of her enemy, and thought going through the motions of her exercises would help relax her. Her gray sport tank top clung to her curves as she began her workout, moving swiftly, like a sparrow, in the light of sunset.
She flew up into the air and began a rapid series of punches and kicks combined with energy attacks. Her energy attacks weren't anything extremely powerful, she didn't want to attract attention or incinerate any of the surrounding area. But they were powerful enough to do some damage if anyone should happen to wander into her part of the woods.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
"Ha, c'mon! I know you can do better than that, Goten!" Trunks laughed as the two were flying at each other through the wooded, moist air. They had been sparring for almost two hours now, but neither one of them was the least bit exhausted. Goten's power level flared up as he turned Super Saiyan and flew straight at Trunks. Trunks turned Super Saiyan as well and prepared to block the energy attack Goten was already forming in his hands: one of his most powerful attacks.
He was just about to let the attack fly, when suddenly a flash of bright light lit up the dark woods. Suddenly, a huge ball of energy came out of nowhere and would have knocked the two of them to the ground had Trunks not sensed it coming and warned Goten. Looking bewilderedly at each other, the pair decided to power down and investigate the source of the attack.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
I let that one fly too wildly. I have to be quicker, Kari chastised herself. She had been training for over two hours but she was not even fazed by the demanding work. Something must really be bothering her; she should be at least breathing hard by now! Deciding that another hour of training would be sufficient before resuming her meditation, Kari increased the power in her energy attacks in hopes of reaching her normal standard of training.
She flew to the top of the cascading waterfall, which was approximately fifty feet tall, and landed on the soft ground without any sound at all. As she began to concentrate her ki, a small, aqua ball of energy formed in her hand, and kept increasing in size. When the ball was about as large as she was, she threw it down the course of the waterfall, waiting for a few moments before taking off after it to prevent it from striking the ground below. Her speed was fast and in a matter of milliseconds she had moved in front of the ball, preparing to take it head on and block it.
Crossing her arms in front of her as she landed on the ground and, with the ball continuing in its rapid course, she threw her arms out in front of her and caught the energy with her hands. With minimal effort she launched the attack into the safety of space, with a speed unlike anything human or Saiyan eyes had ever seen. That was barely a challenge, I should've put more energy into it, she thought, frustrated. She wiped her hands together in front of her, preparing to head back up the waterfall and begin anew.
A twig snapped behind her and, when she turned, she found herself staring straight into two pairs of equally stunned eyes, one cobalt and one black. Oh Kami...
Trunks and Goten had entered the small clearing just moments before Kari had thrown her last attack: they had seen it all. Sudden feelings of anger and betrayal rose up in both of them as they realized she had been deceiving them the whole time.
She concealed her martial arts talent from us, as well as her power level, and now this!
How could she do this to us after all we've been through together?
For all I know, she could be an android after all. And she played us for fools.
How could she..?
Kari saw these emotions and angry questions rising up in their eyes and immediately knew she had made the biggest mistake of her life. They don't trust me anymore...
She had to tell them who she really was; she had to reveal everything about herself. This would mean that she would be throwing everything about life into the open, and leaving herself at the mercy of her friends who could forgive her or forget her. But she had no other choice; she didn't want to lose her only friends. "Trunks. Goten. I...I..." Kari stammered, unsure of how, where, to begin.
"You what? You're not human, you lied to us, what is it you want to say? Sorry, sweetheart, but we already figured out your little secret. Did you think we were stupid, that we were never going to know the better? Well?!" Trunks raged, sarcasm dripping from his every word. The lies friends tell each other these days...
"I..I..I never meant to hurt you, or anyone. If you'll just give me a chance to explain..."
"I don't want to stick around and hear more of your lies. Everything you've ever said to us was a lie, and I can't take it. I'm outta here," Trunks declared.
"Iie! Onegai! Matte!" Kari pleaded, reaching her hand out to stop him.
Trunks didn't stop. As he was walking away, though, he felt a hand grip his shoulder, and turned around slightly. Goten. "Why are you holding me here? Let me go. She's lied to us and I can't forgive that!" Trunks growled.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me, Trunks," Kari explained gently. "I only want you to listen."
"What for? I have no reason to stick around here any longer. Why should I listen to a betrayer's words?" Trunks spat. He never expected her to be the kind of person to keep secrets of such great importance from the people who trusted her the most, who trusted her with their lives.
"Let's just hear her out. Maybe she really does have a valid reason for keeping her secrets from us," Goten quietly urged him. "I'm just as angry as you, but we have to listen to her. We owe her at least that much."
Trunks mumbled something that she couldn't make out, but he turned back around and walked over to the tree nearest her, leaning up against it with his arms folded. Goten sat down near him, at the water's glistening edge, dragging his hand through the gently lapping water. Kari sat down upon a rock, facing both of them with her head sagged in regret as the refreshing breeze blew the wisps of hair about her face in the moonlight.
"Okay, Kari, " Trunks began none to gently, "tell us your story."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
After their fight at Capsule Corp., Trunks found himself constantly thinking about Kari. Where was she really from? What other secrets she could possibly be hiding from him and the others? What if she was just another android? What if...
Yamatte, Trunks! Get a hold of yourself! This is Kari you're talking about! Kari, the girl that's been nothing but a friend to you since the day you met her! he scolded himself.
He was becoming suspicious of one of his best friends! What in Kami's name was wrong with him? But try as he might, he could not rid himself of all traces of doubt. After all, his family and friends' safety were top priority to him. But what do you do when one of your friends might be the one endangering everyone's safety?!
Not knowing what to do, and feeling that his brain would explode if he kept his inner turmoil raging silently any longer, Trunks went to Goten and told him what was on his mind. It turned out Goten had been puzzled by the same daunting questions as his best friend. But even with the two of them thinking together they couldn't even begin to figure Kari out. There were just too many unanswered questions and gaps in their knowledge of her.
After pondering these frustrating thoughts for most of the day, the two decided to take a break and do what any two half-Saiyans would do when they were getting nowhere fast. They fought.
They sparred with each other for a few hours in the nearby woods. As the sun was setting low in the west, spilling brilliant streaks of violet, crimson, and rust in the sky, the only sounds that could be heard echoing throughout the normally silent trees were those of two warriors caught in the heat of battle.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
The cooling mists rising from the frothy base of the waterfall gently sprayed themselves upon Kari's tanned arms as she sat on the soft earth, meditating beside the waterfall. Her chestnut hair was pulled up from her face, but slender wisps of it hung lightly about her, sometimes swiping at her closed eyes.
She had been meditating there for over two hours, trying to conjure up memories from her past when her family was taken from her and she was sent to Earth. She could only remember bits and pieces of her earlier life, but it was enough to allow her to put together the story of her kingdom's demise.
However, there was one crucial bit of information that kept slipping just out of her mind's reach: a face. The face of the man responsible for the destruction of her life and so many others': the leader of the Tsunias.
She knew he was still alive and still very capable of destroying what was left of Arquinia, but she couldn't fight a faceless enemy. So, she decided to meditate upon the matter, trying to discover her adversary's identity by clearing her mind and allowing it to flow freely.
A sudden breeze swept through the fresh air and her violet eyes flashed open, jolting her out of the deep recesses of her mind. Kuso! She had almost seen him, almost known who he was! Right when his face was about to be revealed something clicked in the back of her mind, forcing her out of memory, and causing her eyes to fling wide open. Punching the ground fiercely, she cursed again to herself. "Kuso!"
Leaning back against the cool rock that supported the roaring falls beside her she unfolded her long legs, which were clothed in cotton black shorts, and stretched her arms above her head, preparing to begin her training exercises. She decided she had been trying too long and hard to discover the face of her enemy, and thought going through the motions of her exercises would help relax her. Her gray sport tank top clung to her curves as she began her workout, moving swiftly, like a sparrow, in the light of sunset.
She flew up into the air and began a rapid series of punches and kicks combined with energy attacks. Her energy attacks weren't anything extremely powerful, she didn't want to attract attention or incinerate any of the surrounding area. But they were powerful enough to do some damage if anyone should happen to wander into her part of the woods.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
"Ha, c'mon! I know you can do better than that, Goten!" Trunks laughed as the two were flying at each other through the wooded, moist air. They had been sparring for almost two hours now, but neither one of them was the least bit exhausted. Goten's power level flared up as he turned Super Saiyan and flew straight at Trunks. Trunks turned Super Saiyan as well and prepared to block the energy attack Goten was already forming in his hands: one of his most powerful attacks.
He was just about to let the attack fly, when suddenly a flash of bright light lit up the dark woods. Suddenly, a huge ball of energy came out of nowhere and would have knocked the two of them to the ground had Trunks not sensed it coming and warned Goten. Looking bewilderedly at each other, the pair decided to power down and investigate the source of the attack.
*-*-*-*-*-*-
I let that one fly too wildly. I have to be quicker, Kari chastised herself. She had been training for over two hours but she was not even fazed by the demanding work. Something must really be bothering her; she should be at least breathing hard by now! Deciding that another hour of training would be sufficient before resuming her meditation, Kari increased the power in her energy attacks in hopes of reaching her normal standard of training.
She flew to the top of the cascading waterfall, which was approximately fifty feet tall, and landed on the soft ground without any sound at all. As she began to concentrate her ki, a small, aqua ball of energy formed in her hand, and kept increasing in size. When the ball was about as large as she was, she threw it down the course of the waterfall, waiting for a few moments before taking off after it to prevent it from striking the ground below. Her speed was fast and in a matter of milliseconds she had moved in front of the ball, preparing to take it head on and block it.
Crossing her arms in front of her as she landed on the ground and, with the ball continuing in its rapid course, she threw her arms out in front of her and caught the energy with her hands. With minimal effort she launched the attack into the safety of space, with a speed unlike anything human or Saiyan eyes had ever seen. That was barely a challenge, I should've put more energy into it, she thought, frustrated. She wiped her hands together in front of her, preparing to head back up the waterfall and begin anew.
A twig snapped behind her and, when she turned, she found herself staring straight into two pairs of equally stunned eyes, one cobalt and one black. Oh Kami...
Trunks and Goten had entered the small clearing just moments before Kari had thrown her last attack: they had seen it all. Sudden feelings of anger and betrayal rose up in both of them as they realized she had been deceiving them the whole time.
She concealed her martial arts talent from us, as well as her power level, and now this!
How could she do this to us after all we've been through together?
For all I know, she could be an android after all. And she played us for fools.
How could she..?
Kari saw these emotions and angry questions rising up in their eyes and immediately knew she had made the biggest mistake of her life. They don't trust me anymore...
She had to tell them who she really was; she had to reveal everything about herself. This would mean that she would be throwing everything about life into the open, and leaving herself at the mercy of her friends who could forgive her or forget her. But she had no other choice; she didn't want to lose her only friends. "Trunks. Goten. I...I..." Kari stammered, unsure of how, where, to begin.
"You what? You're not human, you lied to us, what is it you want to say? Sorry, sweetheart, but we already figured out your little secret. Did you think we were stupid, that we were never going to know the better? Well?!" Trunks raged, sarcasm dripping from his every word. The lies friends tell each other these days...
"I..I..I never meant to hurt you, or anyone. If you'll just give me a chance to explain..."
"I don't want to stick around and hear more of your lies. Everything you've ever said to us was a lie, and I can't take it. I'm outta here," Trunks declared.
"Iie! Onegai! Matte!" Kari pleaded, reaching her hand out to stop him.
Trunks didn't stop. As he was walking away, though, he felt a hand grip his shoulder, and turned around slightly. Goten. "Why are you holding me here? Let me go. She's lied to us and I can't forgive that!" Trunks growled.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me, Trunks," Kari explained gently. "I only want you to listen."
"What for? I have no reason to stick around here any longer. Why should I listen to a betrayer's words?" Trunks spat. He never expected her to be the kind of person to keep secrets of such great importance from the people who trusted her the most, who trusted her with their lives.
"Let's just hear her out. Maybe she really does have a valid reason for keeping her secrets from us," Goten quietly urged him. "I'm just as angry as you, but we have to listen to her. We owe her at least that much."
Trunks mumbled something that she couldn't make out, but he turned back around and walked over to the tree nearest her, leaning up against it with his arms folded. Goten sat down near him, at the water's glistening edge, dragging his hand through the gently lapping water. Kari sat down upon a rock, facing both of them with her head sagged in regret as the refreshing breeze blew the wisps of hair about her face in the moonlight.
"Okay, Kari, " Trunks began none to gently. "Tell us your story."
*-*-*-*-*-*-*
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