A/N: Well, here it is. The first DBZ fanfic I ever wrote, and my first
fanfic in general. This is the edited, re-edited, and edited again version,
three years later. Beware, when I first wrote this I mixed up aspects of
both Mirai Trunks and "normal" Trunks that I was too lazy to fix. This
takes place in the "normal" Trunks timeline, however. You know, the one
where everybody didn't die.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z (or it would have more romance in it/less destroy-the-earth plot). That honor belongs to Toriyama Akira-san. I will not repeat this again! ^_^
Prelude
«Why am I so alone? Why do I have to be this way, refusing to trust anyone and not letting anyone near me? It's such a desolate existence. But at least when you're alone, you can't get hurt.» The thoughts raced through Kari's mind as she stood by the roaring waterfall, gazing up occasionally from her inner conflict at the clear and starry night sky.
From underneath the sweeping willow tree, the full moonlight reflecting off of the small, sapphire lake highlighted her elegant features. Her long, chestnut hair flowed gracefully around her oval face, giving her the appearance of princess of the night. Which she was, not princess of the night that is, but princess of her home planet, Arquinia.
Her lavender eyes showed with confusion and her delicate face reflected a meditative look as she thought these things over. Fingering her necklace in her hands, the one she had received when she had turned nine, she recalled her sparse memories of Arquinia: her gentle mother and loving father, and her impulsive yet sweet younger siblings.
But she also remembered the day her whole world came crashing down, like a glass ornament shattering at her feet. The day when they, the Tsunias, attacked her kingdom and her family, leaving her with nothing but fragments of her past and memories she couldn't erase...
She concentrated on her silver necklace with the two interlocked rings and an iridescent sapphire in between them. It was her family crest and it held a special power: whenever her family or the one she truly loved, her soulmate, was near it or holding it, it would shine brighter than the sun. There was one catch though: the one she loved had to love her just as strongly in return. It had been dull since she had left Arquinia, and she suspected that it would never glow again.
Loneliness had been her savior, but it had also been her tormentor. While it helped to protect her from experiencing pain at the loss of someone she cared for, it also left her feeling like a part of her was missing, a nameless void aching to be filled. But her previous experiences with pain refused to allow her to fill that void with feelings for someone else, because she was sure she would only lose that person as fate once again played another one of its cruel macabre jokes.
People wanted to befriend her, but no one could understand her reasons or her history, especially no one from Earth. They were all too simple and wouldn't believe such things. They preferred to shut out all traces of pain and devastation, and delude themselves in a flawless reality that they themselves create. Her story would only help to shatter that precious fairy- tale world, and survivors of true pain like herself were shunned for that very reason.
She needed someone to care for her, to show her how true love feels and tell her that pain is not all of life. She needed a friend, but in order to have a true friendship they would have to know the real her, and she couldn't allow that. Day after day she would put on her fake façade and act differently from who she really was, so no one would really form a relationship with her. She had a reason she acted this way: she was scared. Scared to love anyone or let anyone love her, because she didn't want to be hurt again.
She had already foolishly trusted herself to another: Yamora. He had disillusioned her and hurt her to the point where she was on the verge of self-destruction. That was the second time she had experienced true loneliness as her tormentor, and she refused to allow that to happen again.
«But if being alone is such a good thing, then why do I feel so incomplete?»
Lost and confused, Kari stared at her reflection in the clear water and wondered if anyone would ever love her, or if she would ever be able to trust someone enough to love again and make the sapphire glow.
A slight breeze stirred through the branches, making them sway gently as she clutched her necklace in her hand and stared into the clear night, the stars twinkling like diamonds in a sea of darkness. Looking down she thought, «Maybe one day I will find someone who will show me that happiness and love really exist, that life is not just a cruel joke played on us by those who delight in causing pain. And in this realization, I will find the one who will make my necklace glow like the stars...»
As Kari allowed herself this one hopeful thought she glanced up at the sky once more and a saw a shooting star cascade across the night sky, leaving a trail of little, sparkling diamonds as it sailed away into the darkness.
Look at me, you may think you see who I really am But you'll never know me. Ev'ry day, it's as if I play a part Now I see, if I wear a mask I can fool the world, But I cannot fool my heart
Who is that girl I see Staring straight back at me? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?
I am now in a world where I have to hide my heart, and what I believe in But somehow I will show the world what's inside my heart and be loved for who I am
Who is that girl I see Staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Must I pretend that I'm someone else, for all time? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?
There's a heart that must be free to fly That burns with a need to know the reason why Why must we all conceal What we think, how we feel? Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide?
I won't pretend that I'm someone else, for all time When will my reflection show who I am inside?
© Christina Aguilera, 1999
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z (or it would have more romance in it/less destroy-the-earth plot). That honor belongs to Toriyama Akira-san. I will not repeat this again! ^_^
Prelude
«Why am I so alone? Why do I have to be this way, refusing to trust anyone and not letting anyone near me? It's such a desolate existence. But at least when you're alone, you can't get hurt.» The thoughts raced through Kari's mind as she stood by the roaring waterfall, gazing up occasionally from her inner conflict at the clear and starry night sky.
From underneath the sweeping willow tree, the full moonlight reflecting off of the small, sapphire lake highlighted her elegant features. Her long, chestnut hair flowed gracefully around her oval face, giving her the appearance of princess of the night. Which she was, not princess of the night that is, but princess of her home planet, Arquinia.
Her lavender eyes showed with confusion and her delicate face reflected a meditative look as she thought these things over. Fingering her necklace in her hands, the one she had received when she had turned nine, she recalled her sparse memories of Arquinia: her gentle mother and loving father, and her impulsive yet sweet younger siblings.
But she also remembered the day her whole world came crashing down, like a glass ornament shattering at her feet. The day when they, the Tsunias, attacked her kingdom and her family, leaving her with nothing but fragments of her past and memories she couldn't erase...
She concentrated on her silver necklace with the two interlocked rings and an iridescent sapphire in between them. It was her family crest and it held a special power: whenever her family or the one she truly loved, her soulmate, was near it or holding it, it would shine brighter than the sun. There was one catch though: the one she loved had to love her just as strongly in return. It had been dull since she had left Arquinia, and she suspected that it would never glow again.
Loneliness had been her savior, but it had also been her tormentor. While it helped to protect her from experiencing pain at the loss of someone she cared for, it also left her feeling like a part of her was missing, a nameless void aching to be filled. But her previous experiences with pain refused to allow her to fill that void with feelings for someone else, because she was sure she would only lose that person as fate once again played another one of its cruel macabre jokes.
People wanted to befriend her, but no one could understand her reasons or her history, especially no one from Earth. They were all too simple and wouldn't believe such things. They preferred to shut out all traces of pain and devastation, and delude themselves in a flawless reality that they themselves create. Her story would only help to shatter that precious fairy- tale world, and survivors of true pain like herself were shunned for that very reason.
She needed someone to care for her, to show her how true love feels and tell her that pain is not all of life. She needed a friend, but in order to have a true friendship they would have to know the real her, and she couldn't allow that. Day after day she would put on her fake façade and act differently from who she really was, so no one would really form a relationship with her. She had a reason she acted this way: she was scared. Scared to love anyone or let anyone love her, because she didn't want to be hurt again.
She had already foolishly trusted herself to another: Yamora. He had disillusioned her and hurt her to the point where she was on the verge of self-destruction. That was the second time she had experienced true loneliness as her tormentor, and she refused to allow that to happen again.
«But if being alone is such a good thing, then why do I feel so incomplete?»
Lost and confused, Kari stared at her reflection in the clear water and wondered if anyone would ever love her, or if she would ever be able to trust someone enough to love again and make the sapphire glow.
A slight breeze stirred through the branches, making them sway gently as she clutched her necklace in her hand and stared into the clear night, the stars twinkling like diamonds in a sea of darkness. Looking down she thought, «Maybe one day I will find someone who will show me that happiness and love really exist, that life is not just a cruel joke played on us by those who delight in causing pain. And in this realization, I will find the one who will make my necklace glow like the stars...»
As Kari allowed herself this one hopeful thought she glanced up at the sky once more and a saw a shooting star cascade across the night sky, leaving a trail of little, sparkling diamonds as it sailed away into the darkness.
Look at me, you may think you see who I really am But you'll never know me. Ev'ry day, it's as if I play a part Now I see, if I wear a mask I can fool the world, But I cannot fool my heart
Who is that girl I see Staring straight back at me? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?
I am now in a world where I have to hide my heart, and what I believe in But somehow I will show the world what's inside my heart and be loved for who I am
Who is that girl I see Staring straight back at me? Why is my reflection someone I don't know? Must I pretend that I'm someone else, for all time? When will my reflection show Who I am inside?
There's a heart that must be free to fly That burns with a need to know the reason why Why must we all conceal What we think, how we feel? Must there be a secret me I'm forced to hide?
I won't pretend that I'm someone else, for all time When will my reflection show who I am inside?
© Christina Aguilera, 1999