Chapter 6: The Spinning Wheel
"Arquinia was the most wonderful planet anyone could have ever hoped or dreamed to live on. There were trees and waterfalls; laughter and play; peace and happiness. There was no oppression by tyrants or wars between squabbling countries. Arquinia was a small planet, but it was paradise in the universe. My paradise.
My father and mother were the king and queen of Arquinia, and they were the wisest and kindest rulers in the planet's history. I had four siblings: two brothers and two sisters, whom I loved very much. I was the eldest of the five of us: I was eight, Tara and Brayden were both six, Jaina was five, and little Devon was three. We would often play together in the gardens or go into town and talk with the villagers. It was like spring year round, with fountains of crystal clear water in the town square and the gardens, flowers of all hues dotting the lush landscape, and cool breezes blowing about. Life was grand.
Being the eldest of my siblings, and the successor to the throne, my parents sought to teach me all they knew about being a fair and just ruler. I was taught the history of my people, studied our language, learned astronomy, gained knowledge of science, practiced art, and absorbed myself in reading. I became familiar with how to make decisions, to be fair and patient when dealing with problems, and to be polite and accepting. But most of all, I was taught how to fight.
Now, don't get me wrong, we weren't a war-seeking people, but Arquinia was the way it was because no other planet in the universe could rival our power. We had the most elite and powerful of fighters and we made our own great weapons, making it very hard for us to be conquered by anyone. My parents were the strongest fighters on the planet and they taught me everything they knew while I was still very young, so I could learn to control my power over time. That's how I learned to wield the sword, because my father passed his knowledge down to me. Being the daughter of the king and queen, I was the most powerful person on Arquinia and in the universe, but I was too young to know my full potential."
She paused here in her story to take a deep breath and close her eyes, emerging herself in the past as the memories flooded back to her. Remembering the past always brought her such pain, but she had to continue with her story. The trust that Trunks and Goten once placed in her was something she needed to live; without it she felt useless. She clutched her sapphire necklace and continued.
"There was only one planet that could even compare to our power, and that was Tsunia. The Tsunians were the complete contrast of the Arquinians in every way: they sought war out and lived to fight. Their planet was in constant turmoil because of this. Rulers would be assassinated everyday by some unhappy fighter, and they would take the ruler's place and become a tyrant themselves. This way of life continued for the Tsunians until one man came to power: Zenshi. He was an evil man with aspirations of conquering the entire universe, and was so powerful no one dared to challenge him. He united the people of Tsunia, more by force than reason, and rallied an army of unbelievable strength. It was still nothing that our troops on Arquinia couldn't defend from, but they were strong enough to put up a good fight and cause some damage if they ever tried to attack us.
Zenshi's plan was a simple one: attack and conquer Arquinia so the Tsunians could conquer all. With the Arquinians out of the way, no one would be able to stop him from controlling the entire universe. And so, Zenshi devised a plan that proved more than adequate for its purpose.
His plan destroyed my happiness along with my life.
On the morning of my ninth birthday, I awoke full of joy and hope. It was the day I would receive my own sword. And not just any sword, but the sword of my father, and his father before him, and his father before him. It had been passed down through the years to the eldest child and had gained tremendous power from each battle it was used in, and I would receive it so I could begin training with it. I would also receive my family crest, which would officially mark my right as heir to the throne. It was a silver necklace with a shimmering sapphire in the center of it, and I still wear it today.
The whole kingdom turned out for the occasion and the gardens were jammed full with people sitting on the walls or the grass or the fountains. They all wanted to see me receive my sword and crest. I had been waiting for this day my entire life.
At the ceremony that day, I was given the sword by my father, who placed it in my hands and showed me how to hold it correctly. I raised it up high for everyone to see, and they all cheered and shouted. I was then given the necklace by my mother, who fastened it around my neck, from where I have never removed it. It was the happiest day of my life, and I thanked my entire family for giving me such wonderful gifts.
But then dark news arrived with a messenger, who came running down the aisle to speak with my father. He was out of breath and my father told me to back away and give him some room. I obeyed and went to stand next to my mother and siblings, wondering what all the commotion was about."
"What happened? Why did the messenger come?" Goten asked curiously, like a small child enraptured by a bedtime story.
"I was getting to that.
After speaking with the messenger in whispered voices for several minutes, my father turned to face everyone in the restless crowd. 'It seems we have had a little trouble in one of our northern towns. The Tsunians have attacked and are destroying everything in their path. However, there is no need for concern. I have sent for the troops, who will ward off these unwelcome guests. There are very few of them attacking, so it shouldn't be a great effort.' The crowd nodded in agreement and resumed their chatting, while my father came over to speak to my family.
'While what I said was true, there is one disturbing thing I left out. There are very few people attacking our northern town, but there are more warriors than that in the Tsunian army. It troubles me to see so few, but I know that our troops can handle them. But, just to be safe, I want all of you to go inside and prepare for emergency evacuation of the planet.'
My father's words greatly troubled me, but my family followed his instructions. We all went inside while my father told the townspeople to go home and stay inside for safety's sake. The people agreed and left and my father joined us inside, helping us prepare our things for evacuation: if it became necessary. We all felt confident that nothing was going to happen, and so we took our time in preparing ourselves. After all, there was no one who could possibly defeat the unconquerable Arquinian army.
We were dead wrong.
The troops attacking our northern town were only decoys, but my father had sent the majority of our fighters to crush them. Which left us with only a few to defend against the actual assault. The Tsunians attacked at dusk, signaling their arrival by destroying the village nearest to our home. The explosions rocked our house, and we scrambled to get out. They began demolishing our estate and gardens, obliterating anything or anyone that got in their way. My father hurried us all out to the spaceport where the emergency evacuation pods were kept. As I was climbing inside my pod, I suddenly remembered I had forgotten my sword in the house.
I ran out of the spaceport, where my brothers and sisters were already preparing to launch, to retrieve my sword from my room. My father and mother flew after me, begging and shouting at me to return to them at once, but I was determined to recover my family heirloom. There were explosions going off everywhere as I flew, noticing it seemed to take longer to fly back to the house than it did before, when suddenly I heard an earth- shattering explosion behind me.
The Tsunians had completely destroyed the spaceport.
I didn't realize I was now an only child, though, until I had flown back to where my father and mother were waiting. My mother was kneeling on the ground, crying and screaming out in grief, but my father gathered her up and flew us to the hidden underground spaceport, where the extra evacuation pods were kept. I could tell he was grieving immensely, but he didn't have the time or strength to cry.
He placed my mother and I in our pods and climbed into his, then he gave the signal to lift off. We shot out of the spaceport, high into the Arquinia's atmosphere. But my father had neglected to take into consideration the one person who wanted him dead more than anyone. Zenshi.
The tyrant was waiting in his own combative spacecraft when we breached the atmosphere. My father and mother didn't have time to put up their shields before the blast.
I watched my parents' pods explode, leaving only a shower of metal and debris.
I heard their screams over the intercom, and I screamed out in return. My shields were automatic, as was standard for a younger passenger, so Zenshi couldn't destroy my pod as well. But at that moment I wished he could've. I really wished he could've."
Kari had to pause once again because the tears welling up in her eyes came spilling out like warm rivers. Goten asked her if she wanted to stop where they were, but she refused and continued, determined. She had to finish her story.
"My pod raced away on a pre-determined course, one that my father had programmed into the computer in case of evacuation. I was heading for Earth, a planet I had heard was very similar to Arquinia, and where I would be safe from the Tsunians. I fell into a deep sleep after the murder of my parents, and I didn't awake until I had landed here, on Earth.
Even then I stayed in my pod, clinging to the world I had left behind. When I awoke, however, I could only faintly recall where I had come from and what I was doing here. I couldn't remember anything about the war. Eventually, I became unbearably hungry and thirsty, and so I left my pod in a hidden place until I could return to retrieve it. Unfortunately, it was damaged in the landing and I found out it was beyond repair, which forced me to stay on Earth. I eventually found my way into the city, where I lived on the streets until I discovered I could fight in martial arts tournaments to earn money. Because of my training on Arquinia, however, winning the tournaments wasn't difficult.
"I often explored the areas around the city. That's how I found this place. I come here often to meditate and train so I can keep up my martial arts and swordsmanship. I never told anyone who I truly was, though, because Fate had already played a cruel joke on me once by taking the lives of the only ones I ever cared about. I refused to allow myself to become close to anyone, or to love anyone, because I didn't want to be hurt again. Ever.
Then he came along.
I made the mistake of trusting Yamora when I became so lonely and depressed that I attempted to take my own life. He whispered a few kind words and I fell. We started dating and at first it was really comfortable; he seemed to really care about me. But then he became aggressive, and started trying to force me to do things with him that I wasn't ready to do. I broke it off, and that's when he became the stalker you know now. After that, I never trusted anyone.
Everyone I had ever cared about had been taken from me or caused me a tremendous amount of pain. I was tired of being hurt and used, so living with a permanent mask and keeping my past a secret seemed to be the best way to keep people at a distance. At least when you're alone, you can't get hurt, right?
But recently, long-forgotten memories have started coming back to me and I realized something crucial and deadly critical. Zenshi was never killed by anyone; he was out in space until the battle on Arquinia was over. I went to my pod to listen to the data it had recorded from the Arquinian General. He had reported that, although casualties were severe, they had managed to subdue the attacking forces, and that the enemy had retreated with only a few men left alive. Their leader had not been killed, however, and was still considered a very dangerous threat and at large. They had lost the royal family, and all of them but myself had been killed.
I realized for the first time how truly alone I was in the universe at that moment.
That's when I met you, Trunks, in the park that night. It was the day I had listened to the recording and I went to the park to try and numb my pain by practicing with my sword. That's when I almost lost you before I knew you," Kari finished.
Now, it was completely up to them whether to empathize with her reasons and forgive her, or give her the pain of loneliness with which she was so familiar. They were her judge, jury, and potential executioners now.
Trunks stood staring at the ground for a long while, realizing what a fool he had been. She had endured the most difficult life anyone could ever have had to live, and here he was calling her a liar and a betrayer. He felt overwhelming guilt and shame at his actions and began to apologize to Kari. It was then he realized she was crying.
The lavender-haired boy stepped towards her, bent down, and put his arms around her. "I'm so sorry I treated you the way I did. Nothing can excuse it. Gomen nasai," he whispered, wishing all her grief and agony would dissolve with his embrace.
She flung her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder, her tears a mixture of lament and joy. Goten joined the two of them and sat down next to Kari, placing his hand on her back. He knew they were the only friends she had left in the universe who knew of her story, and they would never tell a soul what she had told them. She had been carrying this heavy burden of pain on her shoulders for so long now, but by telling them everything she had slowly chipped away at it with each word.
«How could I ever have doubted you? Trunks thought, exhaling slowly. You are so strong, Kari, but you're not invincible, are you? But it doesn't matter because you'll always have us.»
«Always.»
"Arquinia was the most wonderful planet anyone could have ever hoped or dreamed to live on. There were trees and waterfalls; laughter and play; peace and happiness. There was no oppression by tyrants or wars between squabbling countries. Arquinia was a small planet, but it was paradise in the universe. My paradise.
My father and mother were the king and queen of Arquinia, and they were the wisest and kindest rulers in the planet's history. I had four siblings: two brothers and two sisters, whom I loved very much. I was the eldest of the five of us: I was eight, Tara and Brayden were both six, Jaina was five, and little Devon was three. We would often play together in the gardens or go into town and talk with the villagers. It was like spring year round, with fountains of crystal clear water in the town square and the gardens, flowers of all hues dotting the lush landscape, and cool breezes blowing about. Life was grand.
Being the eldest of my siblings, and the successor to the throne, my parents sought to teach me all they knew about being a fair and just ruler. I was taught the history of my people, studied our language, learned astronomy, gained knowledge of science, practiced art, and absorbed myself in reading. I became familiar with how to make decisions, to be fair and patient when dealing with problems, and to be polite and accepting. But most of all, I was taught how to fight.
Now, don't get me wrong, we weren't a war-seeking people, but Arquinia was the way it was because no other planet in the universe could rival our power. We had the most elite and powerful of fighters and we made our own great weapons, making it very hard for us to be conquered by anyone. My parents were the strongest fighters on the planet and they taught me everything they knew while I was still very young, so I could learn to control my power over time. That's how I learned to wield the sword, because my father passed his knowledge down to me. Being the daughter of the king and queen, I was the most powerful person on Arquinia and in the universe, but I was too young to know my full potential."
She paused here in her story to take a deep breath and close her eyes, emerging herself in the past as the memories flooded back to her. Remembering the past always brought her such pain, but she had to continue with her story. The trust that Trunks and Goten once placed in her was something she needed to live; without it she felt useless. She clutched her sapphire necklace and continued.
"There was only one planet that could even compare to our power, and that was Tsunia. The Tsunians were the complete contrast of the Arquinians in every way: they sought war out and lived to fight. Their planet was in constant turmoil because of this. Rulers would be assassinated everyday by some unhappy fighter, and they would take the ruler's place and become a tyrant themselves. This way of life continued for the Tsunians until one man came to power: Zenshi. He was an evil man with aspirations of conquering the entire universe, and was so powerful no one dared to challenge him. He united the people of Tsunia, more by force than reason, and rallied an army of unbelievable strength. It was still nothing that our troops on Arquinia couldn't defend from, but they were strong enough to put up a good fight and cause some damage if they ever tried to attack us.
Zenshi's plan was a simple one: attack and conquer Arquinia so the Tsunians could conquer all. With the Arquinians out of the way, no one would be able to stop him from controlling the entire universe. And so, Zenshi devised a plan that proved more than adequate for its purpose.
His plan destroyed my happiness along with my life.
On the morning of my ninth birthday, I awoke full of joy and hope. It was the day I would receive my own sword. And not just any sword, but the sword of my father, and his father before him, and his father before him. It had been passed down through the years to the eldest child and had gained tremendous power from each battle it was used in, and I would receive it so I could begin training with it. I would also receive my family crest, which would officially mark my right as heir to the throne. It was a silver necklace with a shimmering sapphire in the center of it, and I still wear it today.
The whole kingdom turned out for the occasion and the gardens were jammed full with people sitting on the walls or the grass or the fountains. They all wanted to see me receive my sword and crest. I had been waiting for this day my entire life.
At the ceremony that day, I was given the sword by my father, who placed it in my hands and showed me how to hold it correctly. I raised it up high for everyone to see, and they all cheered and shouted. I was then given the necklace by my mother, who fastened it around my neck, from where I have never removed it. It was the happiest day of my life, and I thanked my entire family for giving me such wonderful gifts.
But then dark news arrived with a messenger, who came running down the aisle to speak with my father. He was out of breath and my father told me to back away and give him some room. I obeyed and went to stand next to my mother and siblings, wondering what all the commotion was about."
"What happened? Why did the messenger come?" Goten asked curiously, like a small child enraptured by a bedtime story.
"I was getting to that.
After speaking with the messenger in whispered voices for several minutes, my father turned to face everyone in the restless crowd. 'It seems we have had a little trouble in one of our northern towns. The Tsunians have attacked and are destroying everything in their path. However, there is no need for concern. I have sent for the troops, who will ward off these unwelcome guests. There are very few of them attacking, so it shouldn't be a great effort.' The crowd nodded in agreement and resumed their chatting, while my father came over to speak to my family.
'While what I said was true, there is one disturbing thing I left out. There are very few people attacking our northern town, but there are more warriors than that in the Tsunian army. It troubles me to see so few, but I know that our troops can handle them. But, just to be safe, I want all of you to go inside and prepare for emergency evacuation of the planet.'
My father's words greatly troubled me, but my family followed his instructions. We all went inside while my father told the townspeople to go home and stay inside for safety's sake. The people agreed and left and my father joined us inside, helping us prepare our things for evacuation: if it became necessary. We all felt confident that nothing was going to happen, and so we took our time in preparing ourselves. After all, there was no one who could possibly defeat the unconquerable Arquinian army.
We were dead wrong.
The troops attacking our northern town were only decoys, but my father had sent the majority of our fighters to crush them. Which left us with only a few to defend against the actual assault. The Tsunians attacked at dusk, signaling their arrival by destroying the village nearest to our home. The explosions rocked our house, and we scrambled to get out. They began demolishing our estate and gardens, obliterating anything or anyone that got in their way. My father hurried us all out to the spaceport where the emergency evacuation pods were kept. As I was climbing inside my pod, I suddenly remembered I had forgotten my sword in the house.
I ran out of the spaceport, where my brothers and sisters were already preparing to launch, to retrieve my sword from my room. My father and mother flew after me, begging and shouting at me to return to them at once, but I was determined to recover my family heirloom. There were explosions going off everywhere as I flew, noticing it seemed to take longer to fly back to the house than it did before, when suddenly I heard an earth- shattering explosion behind me.
The Tsunians had completely destroyed the spaceport.
I didn't realize I was now an only child, though, until I had flown back to where my father and mother were waiting. My mother was kneeling on the ground, crying and screaming out in grief, but my father gathered her up and flew us to the hidden underground spaceport, where the extra evacuation pods were kept. I could tell he was grieving immensely, but he didn't have the time or strength to cry.
He placed my mother and I in our pods and climbed into his, then he gave the signal to lift off. We shot out of the spaceport, high into the Arquinia's atmosphere. But my father had neglected to take into consideration the one person who wanted him dead more than anyone. Zenshi.
The tyrant was waiting in his own combative spacecraft when we breached the atmosphere. My father and mother didn't have time to put up their shields before the blast.
I watched my parents' pods explode, leaving only a shower of metal and debris.
I heard their screams over the intercom, and I screamed out in return. My shields were automatic, as was standard for a younger passenger, so Zenshi couldn't destroy my pod as well. But at that moment I wished he could've. I really wished he could've."
Kari had to pause once again because the tears welling up in her eyes came spilling out like warm rivers. Goten asked her if she wanted to stop where they were, but she refused and continued, determined. She had to finish her story.
"My pod raced away on a pre-determined course, one that my father had programmed into the computer in case of evacuation. I was heading for Earth, a planet I had heard was very similar to Arquinia, and where I would be safe from the Tsunians. I fell into a deep sleep after the murder of my parents, and I didn't awake until I had landed here, on Earth.
Even then I stayed in my pod, clinging to the world I had left behind. When I awoke, however, I could only faintly recall where I had come from and what I was doing here. I couldn't remember anything about the war. Eventually, I became unbearably hungry and thirsty, and so I left my pod in a hidden place until I could return to retrieve it. Unfortunately, it was damaged in the landing and I found out it was beyond repair, which forced me to stay on Earth. I eventually found my way into the city, where I lived on the streets until I discovered I could fight in martial arts tournaments to earn money. Because of my training on Arquinia, however, winning the tournaments wasn't difficult.
"I often explored the areas around the city. That's how I found this place. I come here often to meditate and train so I can keep up my martial arts and swordsmanship. I never told anyone who I truly was, though, because Fate had already played a cruel joke on me once by taking the lives of the only ones I ever cared about. I refused to allow myself to become close to anyone, or to love anyone, because I didn't want to be hurt again. Ever.
Then he came along.
I made the mistake of trusting Yamora when I became so lonely and depressed that I attempted to take my own life. He whispered a few kind words and I fell. We started dating and at first it was really comfortable; he seemed to really care about me. But then he became aggressive, and started trying to force me to do things with him that I wasn't ready to do. I broke it off, and that's when he became the stalker you know now. After that, I never trusted anyone.
Everyone I had ever cared about had been taken from me or caused me a tremendous amount of pain. I was tired of being hurt and used, so living with a permanent mask and keeping my past a secret seemed to be the best way to keep people at a distance. At least when you're alone, you can't get hurt, right?
But recently, long-forgotten memories have started coming back to me and I realized something crucial and deadly critical. Zenshi was never killed by anyone; he was out in space until the battle on Arquinia was over. I went to my pod to listen to the data it had recorded from the Arquinian General. He had reported that, although casualties were severe, they had managed to subdue the attacking forces, and that the enemy had retreated with only a few men left alive. Their leader had not been killed, however, and was still considered a very dangerous threat and at large. They had lost the royal family, and all of them but myself had been killed.
I realized for the first time how truly alone I was in the universe at that moment.
That's when I met you, Trunks, in the park that night. It was the day I had listened to the recording and I went to the park to try and numb my pain by practicing with my sword. That's when I almost lost you before I knew you," Kari finished.
Now, it was completely up to them whether to empathize with her reasons and forgive her, or give her the pain of loneliness with which she was so familiar. They were her judge, jury, and potential executioners now.
Trunks stood staring at the ground for a long while, realizing what a fool he had been. She had endured the most difficult life anyone could ever have had to live, and here he was calling her a liar and a betrayer. He felt overwhelming guilt and shame at his actions and began to apologize to Kari. It was then he realized she was crying.
The lavender-haired boy stepped towards her, bent down, and put his arms around her. "I'm so sorry I treated you the way I did. Nothing can excuse it. Gomen nasai," he whispered, wishing all her grief and agony would dissolve with his embrace.
She flung her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder, her tears a mixture of lament and joy. Goten joined the two of them and sat down next to Kari, placing his hand on her back. He knew they were the only friends she had left in the universe who knew of her story, and they would never tell a soul what she had told them. She had been carrying this heavy burden of pain on her shoulders for so long now, but by telling them everything she had slowly chipped away at it with each word.
«How could I ever have doubted you? Trunks thought, exhaling slowly. You are so strong, Kari, but you're not invincible, are you? But it doesn't matter because you'll always have us.»
«Always.»