Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion
Written by Erin Miller


Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion
Written by Erin Miller - Scarlet14@aol.com

Chapter 13 - The Tenth Saiyan

    All she could see was darkness, for miles and miles, or what she perceived as miles. It seemed to go on forever and it weighed on her like a blanket.
    <Oh no!> she thought, <Am I dead?> She was frightened and confused. She was trapped within herself, unable to move and barely able to think clearly. She could hear Bulma's soothing voice reverberate around the area. There was then a bright flash of light, causing Natalie to raise her arms over her face and crouch down to protect herself. After a few seconds, she slowly let her arms drop and she looked in front of her. There stood a little girl with purple hair. She was wearing clothing almost identical to hers and even had the same green eyes.
    "Who are you?" she asked, stepping forward, as she didn't see the girl a threat. The girl just stared blankly into Natalie's eyes. She blinked a couple of times and then looked as if she had just snapped out of a trance.
    "Mommy?" the girl said, reaching out for Natalie.
    "Huh?" Natalie said, producing a look of utter confusion.
    "Mommy!" the girl cried, rushing over and embracing Natalie. The Sidran girl just sighed and looked up into the black nothingness, placing her hand on the girl's back. Suddenly, something hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt as if someone had just bashed her head in with a cement block. The little girl gasped and stepped back, looking at the doubled over Natalie in total fear.
    Goten and Trunks watched on as Natalie's heartbeat jumped erratically on the heart monitor. But this time, it didn't go back down. Trunks jumped up but Goten stopped him.
    "Trunks, don't. She'll pull through, you know it." He said reassuringly. Trunks clenched his fists and paced the room.
    "Goten why are we just sitting here? We can help her. And what of that girl over there? We don't even know who she is!" Trunks cried, throwing his fist towards her and pointing. Goten could see that he was using the last of his will to keep from exploding.
    "Let's go ask your mom about the Dragon Balls. We need to wish our dads and Piccolo back too." Goten said, getting up and leaving the room. Trunks let out a sigh and placed his hands on the glass of Natalie's rejuvenation tank. "Trunks come on!" Goten called down the hall. Trunks turned away and followed his friend, looking back at Natalie one last time. He ran down the corridors to the living quarters. He could hear Goten and his mother talking in the main living area.
    "We have five of the balls here at Capsule Corp. but you'll have to use the dragon radar to find the other two." Bulma said, handing Goten the locating device. Trunks growled in frustration and tore the radar from Goten's hands.
    <He definitely has his father's temper...> Goten thought to himself as he launched into the air after Trunks. They both blazed out of Capsule Corp. and into the sky. The sun was beginning to rise, turning the sky a brilliant orange color. The two young Saiyans were already worn out from the battle, as well as lack of sleep. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any troubles on their journey.


    Natalie stirred in the rejuvenation tank, causing oxygen bubbles to float to the surface of the water. Her heart rate had slowed down to normal but she was still trapped in her own body. Who was that girl? And why was she here? She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She called out for someone, but her voice just echoed infinitely around the area. It was as if she were trapped in a void.
    "Mom?" she cried. Her mother was her last hope. Perhaps she would be able to explain things to her.
    "I'm right here." A soothing voice said. It was Queen Melina, her mother.
    "Mother!?" Natalie said. "Mother please help me. I don't know where I am."
    "You're safe, dear. There is no need to worry. You are just in the process of recovering." Melina replied.
    "Who is the purple haired girl?" Natalie continued. Melina's form appeared in front of her, wearing her long gown and her flowing golden hair waving around her.
    "You will find out soon enough. Do not worry, for she is on our side." Her mother replied, smiling. Natalie sighed in frustration. She just wanted to be out of this place. "I know you are frustrated, but everything has its time. I must go now." Melina continued. She leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the forehead before disappearing in a flash of light. The girl cried out in desperation but was met with nothing. Suddenly, a strange sensation took over her body and she felt like she was in the gravity room under 100 times normal gravity. She felt so heavy, but she could still move around freely. Then, as quick as it came, the feeling washed ver her, leaving her head spinning. Natalie opened her eyes and realized that she was back in her body again.
    <I must be healed.> Natalie thought. <Now how do I get out of here!?>
    Bulma was working in the lab when she heard the bleeping sound of the tank, signaling that someone was finished. She ran into the room and turned off the machine, draining the water and shutting it down. Natalie, who had been previously free-floating in the water, fell to the ground in a heap. The oxygen mask and the two wires connected to her temples disconnected themselves and returned back to their resting places. Bulma opened the door and helped the girl out of the tank.
    "Are you okay?" Bulma asked, handing Natalie a towel. Natalie felt so light-headed now, as if she weighed less than a feather.
    "I'm okay." She replied, feeling extremely fatigued. Her power level was just high enough to keep her alive, but was nothing more. Natalie then glanced over at the tank with the little girl in it. She was almost finished as well. Natalie shivered and pulled the towel over her body, which was covered only in wet clothing that was torn to shreds. "Where is Trunks?" she said, immediately noticing his absence.
    "He went with Goten to find the Dragon Balls." Bulma replied. Natalie then remembered that Vegita and Goku had been killed. Bulma didn't even seem to care, though. Natalie wondered if she even knew. Suddenly the peace was shattered when the second tank bleeped, announcing that it had finished. Bulma proceeded to shut it down just as she had done with Natalie's. The little girl opened her wide green eyes and rubbed them, blinking several times to focus on her surroundings. Bulma and Natalie both facefaulted when they both noticed something very peculiar sprouting from the girl's backside.
    "Another tail!?" Bulma cried in exasperation. "Where does this girl come from?" The girl just looked back at her tail curiously and swished it through the air. Natalie then swished hers as well, looking at the girl with her head cocked to the side. Suddenly, Trunks and Goten burst into the room, each with a Dragon Ball in their hands. Trunks carried the three star ball and Goten carried the six star one. They both looked pretty worn out, but not enough to be put into a rejuvenation tank. They immediately spotted the purple-haired girl, who now sported a nice, long Saiyan tail. Trunks dropped the ball onto his foot while Goten fell over. The little girl just chuckled and her green eyes lit up. Meanwhile, Bulma had burst into tears. Natalie produced a questioning look.
    "Don't you understand?" Bulma said between sobs. "Don't you see why this girl has a tail?" she continued to cry. "She's a Saiyan, that's why!"
    "Yeah...we know Bulma." Natalie said.
    "Look at her!" Bulma shouted, pointing a finger at the highly amused girl. "Has the question of her HERITAGE ever dawned on you?" Everyone was looking at Bulma as if she had grown another head. Soon, it all came together. She had to be the offspring of either Goten or Trunks, and her appearance gave away which of the two was her father. Trunks suddenly turned a deep shade of crimson and hid his face from everyone in the room. Natalie then seemed to choke on her own words as she finally realized why the girl saw her as "mommy". This was her daughter!
    "Natalie is there something wrong?" Bulma asked, seeing that Natalie was obviously distressed. The Sidran girl nodded her head vigorously and pointed to Trunks, and then back at herself. Seeing the connection between the three of them, Bulma and Goten immediately fell over and their eyes twitched. Natalie and Trunks weren't sure exactly how to react, and the little girl just looked on with a smile on her face.
   
Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion
Written by Erin Miller - Scarlet14@aol.com


Chapter 14 - Kira

   
    The small girl felt the weight of everyone's eyes pressing on her. Not knowing what else to do, she nonchalantly put her hand on the back of her head and looked around the room. Maybe revealing her origins wasn't the best thing to do. However there was nothing more she could do at the moment. Natalie and Trunks were obviously to shocked to say anything, and Bulma looked at her with curiosity and resentment combined. The girl desperately wanted to run away, to get out of there as fast as she could. If it were up to her, she would have never had to come back here in the first place. But then, if she hadn't, there would have been nothing left in the future but a cold, desolate place with almost no traces of life. She knew that if it weren't for her, the future would be grim. But all this weight on her shoulders had the potential to crash down on her. She had taken on so much responsibility for her young age, after all.
    "What is your name?" Goten asked, breaking the little girl's concentration and startling her. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn't even introduced herself. So, she swallowed her nervousness and forced herself to look up into the boy's eyes.
    "My name is Kira." She replied, trying to keep her voice steady. Hundreds of thoughts and ideas raced through her head at light speed. She began to wonder if this was an effect of her travel through time or if it was her own body betraying her.
    "Kira..." Bulma whispered. She had a distant look in her eyes. Finally, Natalie gathered enough nerve to speak up.
    "I always did like that name." She said softly, a slight smile forming on her lips. Kira's eyes lighted up as she heard her future mother speak. Her voice was comforting. She then realized that she shouldn't be nervous or afraid anymore. After all, this was the family she loved and knew, just years younger. This thought made Kira loosen up. "Well what are we all sitting around for?" Natalie asked, looking at everyone, even Trunks. She and Kira swished their tails casually.
    "You're right. We're all exhausted. After all, we've gone a while without a decent night's rest." Trunks spoke, forcing his sore, beaten body off of the floor. Unlike Natalie and Kira, he, as well as Goten, hadn't been healed in a rejuvenation tank after the battle. He knew, though, that there was bound to be a stash of senzu beans around somewhere. Everyone else got the idea and stood up as well, trying to gather their senses. Bulma led the way out of the medical wing and back to the living quarters, where everyone immediately headed for his or her respective rooms. Goten decided to return home as not to worry Chi-Chi. Natalie and Trunks bid their friend goodbye and headed upstairs, mumbling their "good-night's" to each other before departing for their warm, comforting sanctuaries of sleep. Not knowing where else to go, Kira followed Natalie into her room, sitting on the edge of the bed quietly. Natalie was intrigued by the girl, but didn't know what to say to her. The fact that this was her own daughter was strange enough. She wondered what was going to happen between her and Trunks now. Surely they would still be together. Finally, Natalie sat on the opposite side of the bed from Kira and looked at her curiously.
    "Kira?" Natalie spoke. Even muttering the name seemed strange. The little girl looked up from fiddling with the drawstrings on her pants, her large green eyes sparkling. "Tell me..." Natalie started, looking down at the floor and playing with a section of her brown hair. "What happened? In the future, I mean." She asked. Kira looked back down at the floor, strands of purple hair falling over her eyes. Natalie saw a single tear fall and splash onto Kira's hand. "If you don't want to talk about it -" Natalie broke off.
    "No. It's okay." The girl replied and looked back up at Natalie again. "Orion never died that day." She started. "He had managed to teleport away before he was killed, and then came back many years later, only to wreak vengeance." Natalie was surprised at how much this young girl knew. "He appeared out of nowhere, and took us all by surprise. He-he killed my family right before my eyes. Mom died that day trying to save me. And with her last breath she told me to leave that place and go back in time. Then, before I could even say goodbye, Orion killed her. He killed her right in front of me!" The little girl cried. She was now hysterical. Natalie regretted asking her about the future. "So I became angry. I was so angry and I felt like I could blow up the whole world with one flick of the wrist. But I was still no match for Orion. So I left. I left before he could touch me. Mom came to me in my dreams, and she told me what to do. She said that I was brave and that I could do anything because I was her little princess." The girl said in between sobs. Natalie did just what her instincts told her and scooped up the girl into her arms and held her.
    "Everything is going to be fine." Natalie spoke. Surely she would travel back to the future to find everything just right. She held the girl in her arms until they both fell asleep.


    Later that night, Natalie woke with a start. She had been having a nightmare and woke up breathing heavily. She immediately looked around for Kira, and saw her sleeping soundly next to her. Natalie looked down at the girl and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. She looked at the clock and saw that it was about 6:30. Everyone had been sleeping since early that morning when they finally got a chance to rest. Natalie knew that they would be sleeping until the next morning, easily. She sighed, knowing that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep after what she had just been through, and stood up. She stretched her sore body, wincing in pain. She then noticed that she was still wearing her shredded clothing, and changed into something almost identical, but clean, and walked towards the bathroom to brush her hair. She noted that her ki was higher as a result of the recent battle and getting some rest. Now if only she could find a senzu bean...
    "Natalie?" a voice whispered. Natalie jumped and opened her mouth to scream but someone put a hand over her mouth. Since it was dark and she had no idea of who was attacking her, she did what any normal, frightened female would do. She elbowed the person right in the stomach. She then heard someone gasp for air and double over. Then, much to her dismay, she realized that it was Trunks.
    "Oh my gosh! Trunks!" Natalie whispered, trying not to wake Kira. "I'm sorry, I didn't know who you were!" she said, helping him up.
    "Heh, it's okay." Trunks whispered back. "After what has happened lately, I'm not surprised." He laughed sarcastically.
    "What are you doing here?" she asked him.
    "I couldn't sleep, and I heard you moving around, so I decided to see if you wanted to train with me." Trunks offered.
    "Wow! Really?" Natalie exclaimed. Her eyes would have lit up if it weren't for the impending darkness. "Sure. Come on, before we wake..." she trailed off. She hoped that the recent discovery wouldn't change things between her and Trunks. They stepped down the stairs carefully, making sure not to wake Bulma and Kira. Finally, they reached the gravity chambers. Since they were in another part of the building, it was safe for them to speak normally and turn on some lights.
    "So why were you awake then?" Trunks asked Natalie.
    "Oh. I was having a nightmare." She replied. Though, she couldn't remember what it was about. "You?"
    "Hmm. Just couldn't sleep." He replied, fiddling with the controls to the gravity machine. Natalie pulled her hair up into a messy ponytail and stretched her muscles to warm them up. She heard the gravity machine power up and then recede to a steady hum. "Ready?" asked Trunks, who had finished stretching himself.
    "Yeah." Natalie said, breathing in deeply and then exhaling forcefully. She had to be careful not to overwork herself, since her body wasn't completely finished healing quite yet. First, she and Trunks just sparred lightly, not aiming to physically strike the other, but more to practice dodging. After ten minutes of that, they picked up the pace. Natalie managed to get a few hits in but she could see that Trunks was holding back.
    "What." She said in between breaths. "You don't think I can take it?" she continued, smirking at her opponent. Trunks recognized that look in her eyes and decided to give her a little...jolt. Out of nowhere, he powered up and lunged forward, nearly catching the girl off guard. She let out a cry of surprise and narrowed her eyes, looking at Trunks with determination. She dodged his attack and swooped around to his back, bringing her fists towards his midsection. He blurred out of sight and reappeared above her, ready to pounce. She sensed it and narrowly missed his attack. She turned around and crouched down, preparing for whatever he had to offer. She could see a lot of Vegita in him, especially when he was fighting. Trunks smirked and continued. He managed to get some hits in, much to Natalie's distaste. She was already beginning to tire as a result of her earlier exertions during battle.
    "Ready to quit?" Trunks asked, coming to a sudden halt.
    "Hah!" Natalie scoffed. "You think I'm that weak, do you? Well just for that..." she trailed off and jumped up into the air, powering up a ki blast.
    "So you want to play THAT way, do you?" Trunks said, and clenched his fist, gathering energy for a counter-attack. Natalie continued to draw in more energy until she had reached the critical point. Trunks braced himself and was about to throw his attack forward, when all of the sudden, the energy disappeared from Natalie's hands. She looked down at herself in surprise and confusion.
    "Huh?" she said, looking up at Trunks.
    "Heh. You lost it." Trunks sneered. He then proceeded to blast Natalie. Unfortunately she dodged, fading out of sight and reappearing inches away from Trunks.
    "Gotcha." She said, narrowing her eyes. No more than a split second later, Trunks was knocked back by a tremendous blast, which sent him flying into the wall, stunned.
    "What the-?" Trunks cried, rubbing the back of his head in total confusion. "You hid your power!" Natalie just smirked and put her hands on her hips proudly. Trunks laughed to himself.
    "Dad would be proud of her." He thought as he stood on his feet again. "Where did you learn to do that?" Trunks asked.
    "There's a lot you don't know about me, Trunks." Natalie said, placing her hand on his chest and pushing him back a few feet playfully.
    "I guess so." Trunks said, running his hand though his hair. Suddenly, he leapt into the air and came crashing down on Natalie, pinning her to the ground by her arms. "But there's a lot you don't know about me either." He said, looking at her expression of surprise and laughing to himself. Natalie powered up her ki and forced Trunks off of her. She just "hmph-ed" and walked over to the other side of the gravity chamber. "Hah, must have hurt her Saiyan pride." Trunks thought as he walked over to where she was sitting. "Do you still wanna spar?" he asked. She wiped some sweat off her forehead with her shirt and helped herself up.
    "Yeah. But this time, no surprises." She replied, getting into stance.
    "Fine with me!" Trunks said. "You're the one who started it."
    "You sound like your sister." Natalie said, sneering at him. She then lunged forward towards Trunks. He dodged, just as she had anticipated. As he reappeared next to her, she brought her leg around to trip him. He just jumped into the air and threw his fists in her direction. She dodged every one and threw her own fury of kicks and punches his way. They were both moving insanely fast; too fast to be seen by normal humans. But Natalie and Trunks were relying more on their other senses rather than their eyesight, for Vegita had always taught them that your eyes can fool you and therefore, rendering you weak. They could feel each other's ki's burning like intense fires against the cold background of the gravity chamber. Soon, they decided to call it quits for the evening, and headed out. As Natalie was wiping her face off with a towel, she glanced at the control panel.
    "Wow, we were under 20 times gravity in there?" she said, looking at the screen with amazement. "I barely noticed it."
    "That's because you have grown stronger from the battles with Orion. Saiyans tend to do that, you know." He said, slapping her on the back.
    "Well if I have any questions about my heritage, I sure know where to look." She said sarcastically. She knew that he got the whole "Saiyan Pride" idea from his father. It made her sad to think about Vegita dying right in front of her face. A horrible image of his limp body lying in front of her continued to stick in her head.
    "Is there something wrong, Nat?" Trunks asked, looking at her. Natalie could sense that she had let her guard down, revealing her emotions at the wrong time, and proceeded to bury them and put on a happy face.
    "Oh, no! What makes you think so?" she said, smiling.
    "Hmm, just a hunch, I guess." Trunks said, and turned around to shut down the gravity machine. Natalie went inside and headed for the kitchen, followed by her purple-haired sparring partner. She had recently remembered that she hadn't eaten in a while, which she was constantly reminded by her growling stomach.
    "Man, Nat. You'd better get some food in there before you wake someone up." Trunks joked, slapping Natalie in the stomach. Natalie winced in pain and proceeded to elbow Trunks in the ribs. "Ow, I was kidding!" Trunks cried in protest. As soon as Natalie was within range of the refrigerator, she disappeared into a blur and began to dig through the contents until she came to something she liked.
    "Leftover curry chicken." She exclaimed.
    "Hey, I was saving that!" Trunks said, reaching for the container.
    "I found it first." Natalie teased, jerking the food away from Trunks and throwing it in the microwave.
    "Oh, come on. Can't you at least share?" Trunks begged. Natalie thought for a few minutes while the food cooked.
    "Nope." She replied. Trunks facefaulted and slapped himself over the head for being beaten by this, this...girl. His dad wouldn't have put up with it, so why should he? Suddenly, his train of thought was broken when the microwave beeped, signaling that the food was ready to be eaten. Natalie removed the container and emptied it's contents onto a plate, much to Trunks' displeasure. The aroma of the food wrapped around his entire face, causing his mouth to water like crazy as he watched Natalie take a bite. Seeing this, she cut off half of her chicken and tossed it to Trunks. "Here, take it before you drool all over the floor." She said. The half Saiyan boy hungrily accepted it and the two of them dug in.
    "You know..." Trunks started, pausing to take another bite. "I think this stuff is better when you re-heat it."
    "I know." Natalie said. When the two had finished their dinner and cleaned up, Natalie gave Trunks a deceiving look.
    "Hey...wait a minute. I know that look!" Trunks cried, but Natalie had already taken off. "The shower's mine! You always get it first!" he called after her. Natalie just laughed and sped up the stairs, almost forgetting that there was anyone else in the house. When she reached the doorway to her room, Trunks grabbed her wrist and pulled her away before she could shut the door.
    "Stop!" Natalie cried, trying to break free. She was breathing hard and laughing at the same time.
    "I don't think so! It's my turn to get the shower first." Trunks said, holding steady to the struggling girl's wrist. All of the sudden, a figure appeared in the doorway, causing Natalie and Trunks to jump back.   
    "Kira, my god you scared us." Natalie said, releasing her grip on Trunks' neck and jumping off of his back, much to his relief.
    "I'm hungry." The girl whined rubbing her eyes sleepily. Trunks and Natalie looked at each other with dread written all over their faces. Here they were, getting a taste of parenthood, when they weren't even parents! Yet...
    "What would you like to eat?" Natalie asked the girl, plastering on a smile and crouching down so their faces were on the same level.
    "Ice Cream!" The girl said, her face brightening with hope. Natalie sighed and turned to Trunks.
    "Got any?" she asked. Trunks just nodded, not even taking his eyes off of Kira as the girl trotted down the stairs followed by Natalie, and soon enough, himself. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he made his way into the kitchen to see Kira already taking a bite of a relatively large bowl of mint chip ice cream.
    "How did you know this was my favorite?" Kira said in between bites. She had "delight" written all over her face.
    "It's my favorite, too." Natalie said, sitting down next to the girl.
    "I know." Kira said plainly, shoveling another bite into her mouth.
    "Of course you do." Natalie said, laughing nervously and producing a sweat drop.
    "Then you must know that she also loves strawberry milkshakes." Trunks commented, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed Vegita-style.
    "No she doesn't." Kira said, looking up from her bowl.
    "Heh. I know." Trunks said, a smile forming on his lips. "I just wanted to test you."
    "So, Kira." Natalie said. "Tell us about ourselves in the future."
    "I can't." Kira muttered, looking back at her ice cream again. Natalie produced a look of question on her face.
    "Why not?" Natalie asked.
    "I-I just can't. I don't want to prevent anything from happening the way it should"
    "But you already told us where you came from." Trunks said, bringing his hands back down to his sides.
    "That's because you and mom are already in love..." Kira trailed off, looking back and forth between the two. "Aren't you?"
    "Y-yes." Natalie said, looking up at Trunks for reassurance.
    "Uh, I have to go." Trunks said quickly and ran up the stairs. When Kira saw the pained look on Natalie's face, she did the only thing she knew to do. She cried.
   
Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion
Written By Erin Miller - Scarlet14@aol.com

Chapter 15 - Meeting the End

    Natalie slept fitfully that night. After Trunks had run off, Kira had quietly finished her ice cream with tears occasionally splashing into the bowl. Natalie tried to shrug it off, making excuses for Trunks' behavior, but it wouldn't let her mind rest. Did he not love her? Was it because of Kira? Was he angry with her for something? These sort of things continued to pop into her head until she fell asleep with Kira by her side, upstairs in her room.

    The next morning, Natalie was already awake when the sun rose, painting the early sky a brilliant red-orange before crawling above the horizon to signal the start of the day. She looked over and watched Kira turn over in her sleep. Well surely she and Trunks would get back together, otherwise Kira would have faded from existence. Still, this didn't cease her fleeting thoughts. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door, which caused Natalie to jump, almost falling off the bed. She knew it was Trunks, and rushed to the door, but opened it cautiously. Sure enough, she stole a glance at his purple hair before looking into his blue eyes.
    "Natalie..." he began. Natalie stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. The two stood in the hall almost invisible to each other due to the lack of light. She could feel his eyes burning into hers and the warmth of his body radiating off of him.
    "Yes?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
    "I-" Trunks broke off. He had inherited his father's sense of pride, and fought to overcome it. "I am really sorry." Natalie looked up from staring at the floor to what she could make out as Trunks' face in the dark hallway. "I don't know what was wrong with me. I think it's the girl." Trunks said, his voice heavy with grief. Grief over his father, grief over his actions, and grief over the thought of losing Natalie.
    "Kira." Natalie corrected him.
    "Kira. I think it was Kira." Trunks said. "Maybe it wasn't. I don't know what came over me. Nat I'm really sorry." He said, apologizing profusely.
    "It's okay...Trunks." Natalie said. Without saying another word, before she took another breath, Natalie was in Trunks' arms, and they embraced. Finally, they reluctantly let go and looked into each other's eyes before returning to their respective rooms to take advantage of a couple more hours' rest. Natalie walked into her room and watched as Kira slept peacefully on the bed. She walked over and pulled the covers over the shivering girl and curled up next to her, drifting off to sleep now that her mind was at peace once again.
    Meanwhile, Vegita and Goku were strolling down Snake Way in the direction of Kaiosama's place.
    "Why do you insist on visiting that old fool?" Vegita scowled, not even looking over at Goku.
    "Oh, come on Vegita. It's just a nice thing to do for an old friend. Besides, do you know of anything better to do up here?" Goku asked. Both were sporting halos as they strolled down the stone road. They had both chosen not to fly, for whatever reason, since they wouldn't be expending any energy in heaven.
    King Kai could sense their approach as he stepped out onto the rocky pathway that led out into the training area.
    "Well, well, well. It'll be good to see Goku again." Kaio-sama said to himself as a smile appeared on his face. "It seems as though Vegita is with him as well." King Kai was aware of the situation with Orion and Natalie, as well as the battles that they had fought. He was always keeping a close watch on Natalie since she had such an interesting past, from what he knew. He remembered the terrible losses that resulted from Vela's destruction and how all of the Kaio-shins had reacted to the situation. But they weren't aware of any survivors other than Orion and the princess. Seemed a shame, really, to see such a great race end in mere moments. He quickly dismissed those thoughts and returned to present-time as Bubbles grunted.
    "Kaio-sama!" a voice called out to him. King Kai looked up to see Goku waving at him with an excited expression on his face while the prince stood next to him with the usual scowl on his face.
    "Well! If it isn't the two greatest warriors this side of the galaxy!" King Kai said, a large grin appearing on his blue-tinted face. "What brings you two here?"
    "Well, we were in the neighborhood." Goku said, smirking.
    "Ah yes, I know. I know. Can I get you guys anything?" he offered. Almost instantly, Goku was in Kaio-sama's kitchen. Vegita just rolled his eyes and bowed his head to King Kai respectfully.
    "So how are things going down below, Vegita?" King Kai asked, breaking the awkward silence.
    "Hmph." Vegita replied, once again folding his arms. "You must know about the girl?" he asked. King Kai nodded his head. "She sure is a strong willed one."
    "It's her Saiyan blood." King Kai replied, obviously aware of her Saiyan heritage.
    "She has a thing for Trunks. I just know it." Vegita said.
    "And if he does, what is wrong with it?" King Kai asked. "Don't you think he was bound to find a girl sooner or later?" he laughed, snorting. Vegita's only reply was a "hmph".
    "Hey guys. What are you two talking about?" Goku said, coming out of Kaio-sama's house with a bowl of fried rice in his hands and ready chopsticks in another.
    "What do you care, Kakarott? Don't you have other things to worry about, like your stomach?" Vegita snapped. Goku looked at Vegita with a stunned expression.
    "Come on Vegita. Don't be so harsh." Goku said. "It can't be so bad that you can't tell your close friends, huh?" Vegita grunted. He never considered Kakarott to be one of his friends. Why did he care anyway? It wasn't like he was asking him to.
    "It's none of your business." Vegita said. "Besides, if I wanted to tell someone, it wouldn't be you." Goku was a bit crushed by Vegita's comment. He never seemed to want to accept him.
    "Fine. I won't bother you then." Goku said plainly, and then turned to King Kai and began to converse.
    "Hmph. I didn't think that Saiyans gave up so easily. But Kakarott is just a low class warrior anyway." Vegita thought to himself. Vegita was always using this excuse because he couldn't accept the fact that Goku was stronger than he was.
    "Is that all!?" Goku said loudly to King Kai, snapping Vegita out of his deep thought process.
    "Is WHAT all?" Vegita barked.
    "Vegita why didn't you tell us that Trunks was in love? It's not that big of a deal!" Goku said, grinning. Vegita turned a frightening shade of crimson and looked at Kaio-sama with a lethal look in his eyes.
    "You...told...him!?" Vegita said through clenched teeth.
    "Oh, come now Vegita. Don't get so angry." He said. Vegita forced himself to calm down for the most part. It wasn't the fact that Trunks was in love that angered him, it was that now Kakarott knew. Therefore, everyone would now know.
    "Is it that girl? What's her name..." Goku said. "Natalie, isn't it? They seem to be really close."
    "Yes, Kakarott, it's that girl." Vegita said, his voice bordering on temporary insanity as he spoke through tightly clenched teeth.
    "Well that's good! It's about time he found someone." Goku continued. Vegita took that as an insult.
    "I don't see your younger brat with anyone!" Vegita retaliated.
    "Who, Goten? Nah, he isn't interested in girls!" Goku said. King Kai and Vegita glared at him with one eyebrow cocked.
    "Well, fellas. Let's continue this discussion inside!" King Kai said, leading they way into his small, yet cozy home. Vegita grunted and purposely bumped Goku out of the way, proceeding to stomp inside after King Kai.
    "Well one of the reasons we came here, King Kai, was that we were wondering if you could train us while we are here." Goku said, walking inside as well.
    "How long do you have until the dragon balls can be used again?" King Kai asked.
    "Around two and a half months." Goku replied. Surely that would be enough time to at least keep them in condition.
    "Hmm..." King Kai thought out loud. "I don't see why not. Vegita are you up to it?" he asked.
    "Why wouldn't I be?" He sneered. "It would be a fine time to humiliate Kakarott in his lack of fighting skill." Goku just shrugged it off. He knew that Vegita only said that because he was too proud to do otherwise. So, without delaying any further, the two warriors prepared to train under Kaio-sama's watch.
    Back on Earth, the sun had finally risen above the horizon and shone through the windows of Capsule Corp. and right onto the sleeping forms of Natalie and Kira. The purple haired girl was the first to awaken, stirring at first and then opening her eyes and looking around the room curiously.
    "Where am I?" she said aloud, hopping off the bed. Obviously the time travel had caused a memory lapse. Natalie, who was previously lying on her stomach, rolled onto her left side and pulled the covers over her head. At seeing the girl, Kira's memories came flooding back to her at once. Almost immediately, she jumped on top of Natalie, shaking the girl senseless. "Wake up! Wake up!" the girl cried. Natalie was torn from her sleep and thrusted into the reality of a new day.
    "I'm up!" Natalie cried, sitting up in her bed and causing Kira to roll off of her. "What's the rush?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
    "It's time to get up." Kira said, and jumped off the bed. Natalie scratched the back of her head in confusion and stumbled out of bed. Bulma passed by her room with an exhausted look on her face. She didn't even bother to turn her head as she passed Natalie's doorway. Natalie started to call he name, but stopped herself. She realized that Bulma must be extremely upset about the death of her husband. Natalie became enraged as she remembered that gruesome scene. It played over and over in her head in a seemingly never-ending torturous fashion. Natalie grasped her head and ran her hands through the thick mass of brown hair. She just wanted to crawl back into her bed and sleep forever. She lied back on the bed and was about to pull the covers over her head when a hand reached down and took them from her hands. She looked up to see Trunks's face hovering over hers.
    "Are you okay?" he asked, blowing a few strands of hair out of his eyes.
    "He's so sweet." She thought to herself. "I'm fine." She spoke, sitting up in the bed once again. She could see the grief in Trunks' eyes as his eyes rested on the floor. Natalie was getting angry. Angry with herself for not being able to stop Orion. She had let him take control of her. She had been weak! And because of her weakness, Vegita, Goku, and Piccolo were now dead. And if she hadn't even come here in the first place, Orion wouldn't have killed the innocent people on this planet. By now, the rage was boiling inside of her. This was the prefect time, she told herself, to train. Without saying a word, Natalie slid off of the bed and walked into the bathroom, pulling her hair back vigorously, pulling out some of her hair in the process. She didn't even bother to change clothes before she splashed some water on her face and walked out, heading for the gravity chamber. Trunks followed her with his eyes until she was out of the room. He considered going after her, but stopped himself, since he knew what was going through her mind. She had a tremendous weight on her shoulders. He just wished that there was something he could do.
    Natalie stormed out of Capsule Corp and walked towards the gravity chamber. By now, she had tears in her eyes and she blindly set the gravity controls. The low, steady hum of the gravity machine resonated around the area as Natalie flipped open the control panel that dispersed fighting androids and holograms. Of course, being enraged, she felt as though she could take on the world. So she set the machine to disperse five robots and two holograms, without even warming up first. She was oblivious to the danger of her actions, and proceeded into the chamber, shutting the door and locking it behind her. She didn't want to talk to anyone right now, and didn't want to take the chance of Trunks or Kira paying her a visit. Before she could even stretch her tense muscles, her 7 sparring partners greeted her. The robots' chrome armor glinted in the false light of the chamber as they emerged from their storage spaces and activated themselves. Two holograms appeared before her. This time, they were both male, averaging about six feet in height and were incredibly built, just like all of the other senshi. The one on the left had black spiky hair that fell over his pale grey eyes. He was almost attractive. The other had straight brown hair that was similar in fashion to Trunks' hairstyle. They were both wearing identical outfits, consisting of tight black tank tops that accentuated their muscles, and loose grey pants that were tied in place with a rope-like piece of blue cloth. After staring at them for what seemed like an hour, Natalie's eyes darted over to the robots, which had lined up in single file. She assumed that they were waiting for her to make a move. With one swift, smooth motion, Natalie lunged towards the holograms. This set them off, and they dodged her attach with ease. The robots responded as well, and began to move towards the girl, powering up blasts with their cold, metal "hands". Natalie turned her head just in time to see a fist heading straight for her face. She jumped to the side and avoided it, but, unfortunately for her, she jumped right into the path of a beam from the other hologram. The energy surrounded her and knocked her to the floor. It was a relatively weak blast, however, and did little damage to the girl, other than stunning her. The black-haired hologram shot his fist towards her midsection, taking advantage of her position. Natalie rolled out of the way and sprang to her feet, throwing her fists at the brunette hologram. Suddenly, out of nowhere, something hit her on the back of the head, causing Natalie's sight to be exaggerated for a few fleeting moments before she realized that one of the robots had attacked her from behind. She kicked her foot in a roundhouse fashion and spun her torso around after her leg, sending it crashing into the robot's legs and bringing it to the ground. She pummeled it with her fists, putting dents in the chrome. She then felt a presence behind her and moved right as a hologram's foot stomped down where she had just been, crushing the head of the robot as it hit the ground. Natalie looked on in disbelief before powering up and delivering a ki blast to the back of the hologram. He was knocked forward a few feet before retaliating with a blast of his own. Natalie just jumped out of the way as it hit the wall and was absorbed. Suddenly something knocked into Natalie from behind and she was pinned to the floor by the black-haired hologram. While she was vulnerable, he delivered a blow to the back of her head, which caused her to lose her peripheral vision in bother of her eyes. This scared Natalie, for she feared losing consciousness and being torn to shreds by the holograms, so she expanded her aura, knocking both holograms against the walls. She brought herself to her feet, only to be met with a blast from one of the fighter robots. Natalie was becoming annoyed and let out a growl, lunging towards the robot and grabbing it by the neck. Before it could blast her again, she brought her fist back and snapped it forward, impaling the droid immediately. Sparks flew from the hole she had created in the thing and she dropped the pile of scrap metal to the ground, following up with a ki blast to incinerate its remains. As soon as she gathered her senses, the holograms were attacking once more. They stood on either side of her, waiting to attack. They then lunged for her simultaneously. A robot was coming towards her from the front, and she didn't have enough room behind he to dodge. Instinctively, she shot her arms out to the sides and opened her hands to expose her palms. With a yell, she sent huge waves of energy out of her hands and towards the holograms. They crossed their forearms over their faces and attempted to withstand the onslaught, but were blown back once more. Just as this happened, Natalie shot her foot out in front of her to send the robot flying back against the far wall. Natalie blurred over to it and attacked it head on, sending bits of metal flying in all directions. When she was sure that it couldn't do any more harm to her, she kicked its head in one final time and blasted it, drilling the remains into the wall. She wiped her forehead vigorously as beads of sweat dripped down the side of her face. Suddenly, the black-haired hologram smacked her straight in the face, sending her flying into the wall where the remains of the droid smoked. A trickle of blood ran down her chin as she gathered her wits. The brown-haired one attacked her from the side, kicking her sharply in the side and shattering her rib cage immediately. She let out a shrill cry as she fell over on her other side, rendering herself vulnerable. She inhaled sharply and thanked Kami that her broken ribs hadn't punctured her lungs. The two holograms then punched her in the chest, causing her to gasp for air again. Her body burned and her muscles screamed as she fought to get on her feet to defend herself against her attackers. The holograms stood before her, preparing to attack once more, when she screamed and let a ki blast loose. The energy surrounded them and knocked them back, but they recovered immediately. Just as she was about to attack them again she doubled over and coughed up blood. Just then, a robot blasted her from the side. She screamed in anger, trying desperately to regain her composure before she was attacked again. The gravity chamber rocked as she powered up to super Saiyan and incinerated the robot instantly. Now there were only two robots and two holograms left. Surely with her transformation, she would be able to finish them off. She powered up a blast and sent it flying towards the brown-haired hologram. The energy sliced through its chest and it let out a deafening yell before exploding into a million points of light. The black-haired hologram became enraged and attacked with full force. Natalie managed to fend off most of the attacks, with the exception of a few hits. She suddenly became aware that the two other robots were heading straight for her, and struggled to disengage herself from the hologram so that she could finish them off. She tripped the hologram to temporarily distract him while she headed for the robots. She ripped one of the arms off of the nearest one and smacked its head with it. She then grabbed it's neck and twisted it to make it snap. It seemed apparent that when Natalie transformed, her Saiyan instincts kicked in and she became fiercer when she fought. After she had taken care of the first robot, she headed for the second. Before she could attack it, she was hit in the back of the neck by the hologram and sent flying towards the wall. Right before she hit, the hologram blasted her, increasing her speed as she smacked straight into the cold, hard metal wall. She slid to the floor, barely conscious after the blow to her head as the hologram hovered over her with an evil grin on his face.
    Trunks sat on Natalie's bead as his thoughts raced. He was suddenly struck with a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach. He immediately thought of Natalie, and located her ki in the gravity chamber. What had she done!? Surely she wasn't fighting the battle droids at the state she was in! He raced down the stairs, past his sullen mother and the tiny Kira, ran out the door, and skidded to a halt in front of the gravity chamber. He looked at the control panel and saw that she had activated five droids! Then he noticed that she had also used two holograms as well! Trunks became wide-eyed and tried to open the door. It was locked! He knew that he couldn't blast it, since his mother had built it to withstand those kinds of things. He cursed to himself and activated the view-screen inside the chamber. When he saw the sight, he recoiled in terror. Natalie was lying on the floor on the brink of consciousness as a fierce-looking hologram stood over her with an evil smirk on his face. He outstretched his hand and positioned it over her head, preparing to finish her off.
    "Natalie, NO!" Trunks cried. He clenched his fists and powered up, firing at the door in vain. A ball of energy appeared in the hologram's hands as he collected energy for his kill. Natalie coughed up more blood and looked up at the hologram in sheer terror. Trunks beat on the door until his knuckles bled, still not managing to budge it. He looked at the view screen to see that the hologram had finished collecting energy for the attack and was preparing to fire.
    "GOD DAMNIT NATALIE GET UP!" Trunks cried at the top of his lungs. With one final laugh, the hologram fired directly at Natalie's head. She screamed an ear-splitting scream that reverberated around the chamber as the energy slammed into her, exploding on contact. Her screams came to a sudden halt as the blast shot through her. Trunks saw the whole thing and immediately exploded into super Saiyan level 2! He incinerated the door of the chamber in blind rage. He shot a ki blast straight though the hologram's heart, killing it instantly as it exploded into points of light. The attack went on to disintegrate the robot, leaving no evidence that it was even there. Trunks blurred over to Natalie, lifting her limp head into his hands.
    "NATALIE!" Trunks cried, shaking the girl's limp body as tears came to his eyes. Blood leaked out of her mouth and streamed down her chin, splashing to the floor. She was dead.