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 16 - Journey

    King Kai's antennas suddenly perked up and he stared into nothingness with a grim look on his face.
    "What? What is it Kaio-sama?" Goku asked.
    "It seems that tragedy has befallen on Capsule Corp." the god replied. Vegita's head snapped up suddenly.
    "What did you say!?" he said, grabbing the Kaioshin by the collar.
    "Vegita put me down!" King Kai cried. Vegita just dropped the blue man onto the ground where he got up and dusted himself off in annoyance. Suddenly, there was a sound behind them. The three spun around in surprise to see Piccolo standing before them.
    "I felt it as well." The Namek said, folding his arms. "One of the ki's on Earth has just disappeared." Goku and Vegita got worried looks on their faces.
    "Who was it, King Kai?" Goku asked.
    "I'm afraid it was the Sidran girl." Kaio-sama replied, looking sullen. Vegita's jaw dropped and Goku went wide-eyed.
    "Natalie!? What happened to her?" Vegita asked. Goku was surprised at Vegita's concern, but didn't say anything for fear of deflating his highness' royal ego.
    "What do you think happened, Saiyan?" Piccolo growled. Vegita spun around angrily but Goku stopped him.
    "Is she-?" he started. King Kai nodded his head sadly. "What? How!?" Goku cried.
    "I'm not sure. You can ask her when she arrives." King Kai replied.
    "She's coming here?" Vegita inquired, folding his arms.
    "She will. King Yemma knows of her importance and will surely send her." Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo just stared at King Kai with bewildered looks on their faces.
    Back on Earth, Trunks held Natalie's limp body in his arms as tears ran down his face and landed on her shirt. Suddenly, she began to glow. Trunks looked at her with a surprised expression on his face as she began to fade away right before his eyes.
    "No no no!" he cried, trying to keep her in his grasp. Soon she was completely out of sight and little points of light were left where she had once lain. They then collected themselves and swirled upwards towards the heavens, surrounding Trunks and then dispersing into the sky. Kira suddenly appeared in the doorway and fell to her knees when she saw the grisly scene. She tried to speak but choked on her own words. The skies darkened and thunder crashed in the distance as Kira suddenly became furious. Trunks jerked his head over in her direction, looking at her with a stunned expression. The ground began to rumble and pieces of debris left from the charred fighting droids bounced on the floor of the gravity chamber. Kira then clenched her fists and screamed as her body went rigid and enormous amounts of raw power surged through her body. Trunks just watched in awe as his daughter transformed before his eyes. Kira's tiny muscles bulged and her aura expanded outward, surging through her small frame and her hair turned from lavender to bright gold, spiking outward and falling back onto her shoulders. Her tail also turned gold and her eyes just remained their original green color. When all of this was finished, she fell to the ground, barely breathing. When Trunks snapped out of his shock, he ran over and scooped the girl up in his arms, carrying her into the building. Bulma came downstairs with pieces of ceiling plaster in her hair and a confused expression on her face as she clung to the railing.
    "What the hell was that?" she cried. "It felt like an earthquake!" Her eyes then locked onto Kira's body. "What's up with that girl!? You mean to tell me that she's a...a...you know!" Bulma cried. Trunks smirked and nodded his head. Kira squirmed in his arms and he set her down. She examined herself carefully, marveling at her new hair and tail as Trunks explained the unfortunate situation to Bulma, who burst into tears.
    "She's-she's gone..." Bulma trailed off, dabbing her eye with the bottom of her shirt. "This can't be happening." Trunks dropped his head to the ground and moved his eyes along the floor until he came to Kira's feet. She even had little boots like his. This made Trunks crack a smile. Deep down, he knew that Natalie would be okay and they would wish her back with the dragon balls, but two and a half months without her seemed like an eternity.
    "I suppose you two are hungry." Bulma said, making her way down the rest of the stairs. Trunks and Kira's heads popped up and they looked at Bulma with excited expressions on their faces. Kira was still in Super Saiyan form and strands of her blonde hair fell over her eyes. Trunks looked at his daughter with pride. She was quite the little warrior.
    Natalie suddenly woke up in a large area. When her senses came to her, she looked around. She was on some kind of large, floating platform!
    "What the!" she cried out. "Where am I? What happened to me?"
    "There is no need to fear my friend." A gentle voice said from behind her. Natalie spun around defensively and put her arms up.
    "Who-?" she broke off. Before her stood a green figure about her height, dressed in loose-fitting robes.
    "My name is Dende." He replied. He looked like a younger version of Piccolo. Natalie's eyes went wide.
    "You're Dende! Then that means-!" she broke off. She looked up above her and saw a golden halo floating above her head. "I'm dead!?" she cried. Dende nodded reassuringly. Natalie fell to her knees and stared at her hands in disbelief. Dende placed a hand on her shoulder.
    "Don't be afraid. You were sent here for a reason." The Namek said.
    "I don't want to be here!" she said, standing up on her feet and looking around fearfully. "I want to go home! Please let me go home!" she begged.
    "I am sorry but I have no control over that." Dende said. "You will be sent to King Yemma's place, where he will allow you to pass on to snake way to journey to King Kai's planet. Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo are already there." He continued. Natalie sighed and folded her arms, looking to the heavens as a tear slid down her cheek.
    "I suppose I don't have a choice." She said, her voice heavy with sorrow.
    "Yes, you have a choice. You don't have to go to down snake way. That would just be the best route to take." Dende said to the girl.
    "How long will it take me?" she inquired.
    "It all depends on your speed. Snake way is ten-thousand miles long." He replied. Natalie's jaw dropped.
    "I have to be brave." She thought to herself. "Besides, what's the worst that could happen?" Suddenly she imagined herself tripping and falling off of the side of snake way and falling into oblivion. She snapped back to reality.
    "I'll...I'll go, then." She said, trying to put on a brave face. However, Dende could see right through it.
    "If you don't want to go, you don't have to." He suggested.
    "No. I'll go." She said. She had heard about King Kai from Trunks and Goku. Surely the journey wouldn't be that bad? Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo managed it, so she could too. "How do I get there?" she asked.
    "I'll take you to King Yemma's, and from there you will be transported to the beginning of snake way." Dende replied. Natalie nodded. Then, Dende put a hand on her shoulder and concentrated. Before Natalie realized what was going on, they were teleported to King Yemma's "office". She gasped as she looked up and saw an enormous man sitting at a desk, right in front of her.
    "Well hello, Dende." He said, his loud voice booming. Natalie leaned over to Dende.
    "Is this King Yemma?" she asked. Dende nodded in response.
    "Greetings, King Yemma. I have a girl here who wishes to travel down snake way to King Kai's." Dende said to the large man behind the desk. King Yemma looked at Natalie with his huge eyes, causing her to fall back in surprise.
    "And who might she be?" he asked, opening a gigantic book.
    "M-my name is Natalie." She said fearfully. She wasn't sure which identity to use, since she had apparently had two different places of residence.
    "Natalie? Are you from Earth?" he continued.
    "Uh..." she said. "Technically, yes."
    "What is that supposed to mean?" King Yemma asked. He intimidated Natalie so much that she was afraid to speak.
    "I am from Earth." She repeated.
    "King Yemma, this girl was born on a different planet but sent to Earth. She was taken in by the Briefs family." Dende said, much to Natalie's relief.
    "Hmm..." King Yemma said, flipping through the pages of his book. Finally he came to a stop and scanned the pages with his large, black eyes. "I see. You are Carina, are you not?" he asked. Natalie gulped and nodded. "You are a rare one, indeed." He said, chuckling. "Well I suppose I will let you pass. You seemed to have proven yourself worthy."
    "Thank you!" Natalie exclaimed. She was then led outside to an area where a skinny blue man in a business suit was waiting for her.
    "This man will transport you to the beginning of snake way. From there, you will journey to King Kai's planet, which is at the very end. Make sure to stay on the path, for one you fall, there will be no coming back." Dende said. "Good luck to you, Natalie." The Namek said, and bid her farewell. When he had teleported back to his lookout, Natalie cautiously approached the man.
    "Hi! I will take you to the entrance to snake way. What is your name?" the man asked in an unusually strange voice pitch.
    "My name is Natalie." She replied.
    "My, my that's a lovely name. What are you going to King Kai's for, may I ask?"
    "I-I don't really know. Dende suggested I go. Goku and the others are there as well." She answered.
    "Oh, Goku is an old friend of mine! I think we are soul-mates or something, because we think just alike." He said. "Well just hop in the back and I'll take you on to snake way!" the man said cheerfully. Natalie cautiously sat down in the back of the back of the...car. From there she was driven to the entrance, while the man struck up some unusual conversations.
    "So how long have you known Goku?" he asked.
    "Well, ever since Orion came to Earth and we fought him, I met Goku that day." She replied, observing the scenery...or lack thereof.
    "Orion!?" the man cried. "You mean to tell me that you guys fought that awful young man?"
    "Y-yes. How do you know him?" Natalie asked.
    "Oh, he came to King Yemma's when he died. Everyone comes here. Then the king decides where they should be headed." He replied.
    "Really? So, then I guess he went to -" she broke off.
    "Yeah, he went there." He interrupted. Natalie stifled a laugh. "Well here we are, then! Good luck on your journey." Natalie looked up and saw a huge, demon like creature made out of stone. Its open mouth was the start of the long pathway.
    "Wow. That's creepy." Natalie said.
    "I say the same thing every time I see it!" the guy said. "We must be soul-mates or something." Natalie looked at him with an eyebrow cocked before taking a few brave steps towards the mouth. When she looked back, he was waving goodbye to her and then took off in his...car.
    "You can do this, Nat." she said to herself. She took a big gulp of air and stepped into the mouth. The sounds of her breathing were echoed off of the stone walls as she just stood still for a few moments. "That wasn't so bad." She said. "Here goes..." she trailed off and took a few more steps. Soon she was out of the mouth and could see the elongated pathway twisting and turning on its way into the horizon. "Oh man. This might take longer than I expected." She said, powering up her aura and then taking off with blinding speed.
    Goku, Vegita, and Piccolo were all standing outside of Kaio-sama's house, trying to make out Natalie's ki.
    "She's already begun the journey." King Kai commented. "But there's no telling how long it will take. At the speed she's going now, it would take a few weeks." He continued.
    "She can go faster than that." Vegita said. "I've seen her power. She's just taking her time." Goku and Piccolo turned to him.
    "You care for her, don't you?" Goku asked.
    "WHAT!? Whatever made you think that?" Vegita snarled. "I have no feelings for that girl." He continued to rant and rave. This proved the obvious: he did care for her after all. When Vegita was done with his outburst, King Kai spoke up.
    "Well I guess you three would like to begin training, then?" he asked. The three warriors looked at him.
    "I'll sit this one out." Piccolo said with his usual cold tone of voice. He didn't want to be bothered with training when he could be meditating. He then proceeded to hover over to the side of King Kai's house and floated a few feet off the ground in an indian-style position with his arms crossed. Goku and Vegita watched him and then turned back to each other.
    "Looks like it's just you and me, then." Goku said cheerfully.
    "Hmph." Vegita said. "Looks like I'll have to kick your ass solo then." He said, smirking. Goku smirked as well.
    "Think what you wish, Vegita," was all he had to say before the two of them became a blur of fists and feet, punching, dodging, swooping, and attacking faster than the eye could see. King Kai watched...er...sensed them intently as they fought.
    "They have greatly improved since I saw them last." He thought to himself as his sunglasses glinted in the sunlight. Soon after the two began sparring, the ki attacks began, sometimes running astray and narrowly missing King Kai or Piccolo.
    "Watch where you're firing!" Piccolo snapped, angry that his concentration had been broken. He could sense Natalie's ki in the distance, making it's way to King Kai's small planet.
    On Earth, Bulma, Trunks, and Kira all sat at the dining table, eating their breakfast on the Sunday morning. Kira had french toast with syrup, and Trunks had an omelet with hash browns. Bulma was just sipping at a cup of black coffee and reading the paper. Trunks had barely touched his breakfast, much to his mother's surprise and displeasure.
    "Trunks! I just cooked you that whole meal and you've barely taken three bites." Bulma complained. "Don't you like my cooking?"
    "No, mom. Your cooking is fine. I...I'm just upset right now." He replied with a solemn tone of voice. Kira looked up at her father with smears of syrup on her face. She had managed to power down to regular form, since Bulma had a "No Super Saiyans at the Table" rule. While Kira studied him intently, he was deep in thought. "There has to be some way to get her back early." Trunks thought to himself. "If only Goku were still alive. He could teleport to new Namek and collect the Namekin dragon balls." But he wasn't.
    "Man this sure is boring." Natalie said as she shuffled down Snake Way. She decided to walk for a while and save her strength. Earlier she had found out that the edges of Snake Way were sharp, the hard way. "How much longer is this going to take?" she cried out loud. There weren't any other souls around for miles, and she was beginning to wish that she hadn't even come here in the first place. Actually, if it hadn't been for Orion...no. She needed to just forget about him. But how could she? It was all his fault! All of the things that had taken place during the past couple of months had been because of him. "Damn him." She muttered under her breath. "Oh well...I'm stuck here. Might as well make the best of things." She said, shrugging her shoulders and picking up the pace again. The road seemed to go no forever, just begging to discourage her on her journey. Luckily, she had inherited the fiery will that Saiyans were renowned for and wouldn't give up that easily.
    Back on King Kai's planet, Goku and Vegita had taken a break from sparring and were indulging themselves in a bowl of rice, provided by Kaio-sama himself.
    "You still have that enormous appetite, I see." King Kai said, watching Goku as he inhaled his food. Goku grinned in between bites.
    "Okay, Kira." Trunks said, studying his daughter. "You seem to have some potential."
    "What's potential?" she asked. Trunks slapped himself on the head.
    "How old are you again?" he asked.
    "Five." She replied with an innocent look on her face.
    "You're five!?" Trunks cried. "I mean...you're five." He said again, this time straightening up his voice. "Have you ever trained before, Kira?" he asked. Kira nodded her head.
    "Grandpa trained me." She said proudly. Trunks rolled his eyes.
    "So father trained her, huh?" he thought to himself. "Typical."
    "Are you going to train me, dad?" she asked. Trunks faltered when he heard her call him dad. It sounded so...strange. But he liked it.
    "I was thinking about it." He replied, snapping out of his daze. "Are you up to it?" he asked.
    "Of course I am." She replied, placing her hands on her hips.
    "She definitely has dad's ego." Trunks thought to himself. "Not to mention Nat's attitude." It was obvious that she was his daughter.
    "Okay then. Tell me, how hard did father train you?" Trunks asked. "Did he use the gravity room?"
    "Yes he's been training me ever since I was able to walk." She replied plainly. Trunks gaped. "But he didn't let me use the gravity room until I was three."
    "O-oh." Trunks said, amazed.
    "But mom only let me train up to ten times normal gravity." Kira continued, as if nothing were abnormal about this. "She said that grandpa would end up killing me if he trained me too hard. But I think mom is silly." She giggled.
    "Ah, of course." Trunks said, trying to keep himself from exploding. He couldn't believe the things that she managed to pull off at such a young age. "So is there anything else you can tell me about the future?" Trunks asked. He was really curious.
    "I-I can't. I'm sorry but I don't want to risk anything." She replied.
    "That's fine, don't worry." He said. "Now let's get to training!" he said, then noticing that she was still wearing her old clothing from the day before that had already been ruined in battle. "But I suppose you will need some new clothes." He said.
    A few minutes later, Kira emerged from Natalie's room wearing one of her white tank tops and her navy blue nylon pants. They were so long that she kept tripping over them. Trunks laughed at the sight.
    "I think you need to roll those up." He said, sitting down in front of her and began to roll up the bottom of the pants to prevent any accidents. Dende knows they didn't need anything else to happen anytime soon.
   

Chapter 17 - Encounter with the Snake

    Natalie awoke from a deep sleep on the hard, rocky path. She had obviously lain down to get some rest and fallen asleep on accident. She stood on her feet, stretching. Her neck was sore from sleeping the wrong way.
    "Oh if only I could teleport like Goku. Then I wouldn't be doing this right now!" Natalie cried out loud. "Of course, complaining hasn't gotten me there, anyhow." She continued. After preparing herself, she shot through the air like a bullet, getting ever more close to King Kai's planet. "Hmph! At this rate I'll be there in no time." She said to herself as a smirk developed on her face. The wind whipped through her hair, occasionally blowing a few pieces into her eyes. On the way, she passed some sort of castle.
    "Is that where King Kai is?" she wondered. She cautiously approached the building, leaning up against the side and then peering inside the large doors. Seeing nobody there, she walked in, taking slow, careful steps. There was no telling what could be around every corner. Suddenly, a young woman crossed paths with her. She had blue skin, and was wearing a green dress with a scale-like print on it. Her blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail on the top of her head.
    "Who are you? Where do you come from?" the girl asked defensively. Natalie took a step back and bit her bottom lip.
    "I am looking for King Kai." She replied. Before the yellow-haired girl could reply, another woman came walking up. She had the same blue skin as the first girl, but she had a thick head of short, fiery orange hair and large, red eyes. She was wearing a dress similar to the green one, but in a shade of blue instead. She also had a white feather boa and round purple earrings.
    "Now, honestly dear. Does it really take that long to-" she broke off when she noticed Natalie standing in front of her. "Now who might this be?" she asked, studying the girl. "A visitor? Too bad it wasn't a handsome young man. It's been a while since we had one of those stop by the palace."
    "Oh, you see, I'm looking for King Kai. This is my first time on Snake Way, and-" Natalie started, but was broken off by the red-headed woman.
    "Well you must stay for dinner. It's not every day that we get a guest." She said. <This girl may be of some use to me> she woman thought to herself. <She would make a great maid. I need a few more anyhow.>
    "A-are you sure?" Natalie asked.
    "Of course!" she replied. "Oh, I haven't even introduced myself. I am Princess Snake, and I live here."
    "I see. Well I really must be going." Natalie said.
    "No, I insist you stay!" Princess Snake said, startling Natalie with her unusual firm tone.
    "Alright...if you insist." She replied.
    "My maid will take you to be freshened up." Princess Snake said, and then walked off. The blonde-haired girl took Natalie to a room with a large, round, porcelain tub in the middle, with a fountain-style faucet hanging over the rim. On the far wall, there were several gold racks with white towels hanging on them. The floor under her feet was a pale pink tile with a glossy finish, and there were stylish overhead lights.
    "Now let's get you out of these clothes." The maid said, and started undressing Natalie. Natalie, however, let her modesty get the best of her.
    "That's okay, really. I can undress myself!" she said.
    "Don't be ridiculous!" the maid replied, and continued. When she had finished, Natalie was beet-red while trying to cover herself up. The maid walked over to the tub and turned on the water. As it flowed into the tub, steam began to rise to the ceiling. She then poured some bubble bath into the water and bubbles began to fill the tub. "Just step in here and relax while I wash your clothes." The maid said. Natalie quickly got into the tub, but jumped up when she felt the heat of the water. After a few minutes adjusting, she finally settled into the water, which was just under her collarbone when she sat down. The luxurious bubbles surrounded her and made her feel totally at ease. As soon as the maid took her clothing and left, another maid came in. She looked just like the first one, with the exception that her hair was brown.
    "Hello there. I'm here to clean you up!" she said cheerfully. Natalie was about to protest, but realized that it was useless. The woman walked over and took Natalie's brown hair down, causing her brown locks to fall over her shoulders. She then dunked Natalie under the water to wet her hair. When she surfaced, she coughed up a mouthful of water.
    "What, are you trying to drown me?" Natalie cried, wiping bubble bath out of her eyes.
    "Nonsense. I'm just getting your hair wet." The maid replied, rubbing shampoo in Natalie's hair vigorously. Natalie put up with the torture, only because she knew that she would feel much better afterwards. When the maid was finished rubbing in the shampoo, she dunked Natalie again, this time keeping her under longer to rinse her hair. When she surfaced, she again had to wipe soap from her eyes and spit out some water. After a few more minutes, she was finished and the maid handed her a towel to dry off, as well as a towel to dry her hair in. Natalie stepped out of the tub, covered in bubbles, and almost slipped on the tile floor. She dried herself off as quickly as possible and then wrapped her hair in her towel.
    "Now let's see if your clothes are clean." The maid said to Natalie as she led her out of the bathroom and into the hallway. She then ducked into one of the other rooms for a moment, and then came back out. "They still need to dry. So while we're waiting, let's get you made up." The maid said, taking Natalie to the end of the hallway and into a new room. This one was a bit smaller than the bathroom, and had a large vanity on the far side. There was also a closet and thick carpeting underneath. The maid grabbed a gown out of the closet and handed it to Natalie to slip on. She did, and examined herself in the mirror. It was made of light blue silk, and was held in place by two thin straps that fell softly over her shoulders.
    "This is nice." Natalie commented as she sat down in the chair in front of the vanity. While she sat still, the maid dried her soft, brown hair and styled it nicely.
    "Do you wear makeup, dear?" the maid asked Natalie.
    "No, not really. Just lip gloss." She replied. "Unless it's a special occasion."
    "Well we'll make you up beautifully, then, won't we?" the maid continued, and opened a drawer full of cosmetics.
    "A-are you sure about -"
    "Don't worry! I'm practically a professional." The maid consoled Natalie. She began with concealor and then followed up with powder, which made Natalie sneeze. She then applied eyeshadow and kohl, as well as a nice shade of light pink lipstick. When she was finished, Natalie looked in the mirror.
    "Wow." She said, studying her face. "This is a change."
    "You look lovely. Now to check on your clothes." She said, stepping out of the room. Even though it looked really nice, Natalie really disliked too much makeup. It made her face feel weird. Just then, the maid came back into the room, holding Natalie's clothes, which were warm from drying. "Let's see what you have here." The maid said, holding Natalie's clothes up. "THIS is what you were wearing?" she said, studying her black tank top and navy blue nylon pants.
    "They're just my training clothes." Natalie replied.
    "Well I guess it'll do." She said, tossing the clothes to Natalie, who slipped into them quickly. She felt at ease in them. "Dinner is prepared. Let's go get you seated."
    Natalie was lead to a rather large room with a long, rectangular table in the center. On top were a decorative red covering and two tall candles set inside silver holders. There was a great assortment of foods to chose from, ranging from rice to mashed potatoes, chicken to pork. Natalie stood in front of the table and gaped.
    "Well don't just stand there." Princess Snake said, just entering the room. "Have a seat and help yourself." Natalie slowly sat down and looked at the food for a moment before serving herself. After a few minutes of eating, Princess Snake spoke up.
    "What brings you to Snake Way, then dear?" she asked.
    "Well..." Natalie said, pausing to swallow a mouthful of rice. "Dende said that I should go to King Kai's to train." She finished, remembering that she still had that golden halo above her head.
    "Oh, I see. We once had a visitor who was in the same situation. But that was years ago. His name was Goku, I believe, but I could be wrong." Princess Snake said. Natalie jumped up in her seat.
    "Goku? You mean Son Goku the Saiyan?" she said.
    "Well yes. Do you know him?"
    "Oh of course! Bulma and him are good friends. But Vegita doesn't seem to like him very much. He's a very nice guy." Natalie replied.
    "Yes, indeed. Handsome too." The princess commented. Natalie smirked. Suddenly, she realized that she was supposed to be journeying to King Kai's planet, not dining with a Snake Princess.
    "Well, thanks for the hospitality." Natalie said, getting up from her chair. "But I really need to be going now. I have to -"
    "Why don't you stay a bit longer?" Princess Snake said demandingly.
    "W-well..." Natalie stammered. "I really need to get to King Kai's planet. I only have a couple of months, and -"
    "No I insist. Take your seat." The princess said. Just then, the two maids pushed Natalie into her chair.
    "Hey! Look I'm sorry to eat and run, but I'm in a hurry!" Natalie cried.
    "That's too bad, because I could use someone like you around here to help out." Princess Snake hissed, looking at Natalie with an evil glint in her eye. Natalie had about had enough.
    "Hey, what are you doing?" Natalie screamed as the two maids grabbed her by the arms and dragged her into another room.
    "We're just going to get rid of that dreaded memory of yours, and you'll forget all about King Kai." Princess Snake said evilly.
    "No!" Natalie cried, struggling out of the maids' grip and making a mad dash for the door.
    "I don't think so." Princess Snake said, and began to grow fangs. Suddenly, her skin was replaced with scales, and her eyes narrowed. Her body became elongated and sharp spike-like projections sprouted from her head and spine. She then chased after Natalie.
    "Where did THAT come from!?" Natalie cried, soon forgetting the idea of running and jumping into the air. She shot out of the front doors and sped along Snake Way. "Whew. That was a close one." She said. Unfortunately, she looked back and saw that the Snake-Demon thing was still after her. "Damn I'll just have to expend a little more energy." Natalie said to herself and grew a brilliant white aura. She paused for a split second and then thrusted forward, leaving a sonic boom behind to blow the snake back. After about five minutes of this, Natalie finally slowed the pace a bit, but still maintained a good speed to make sure that she would arrive quickly. After an hour, she could see a tiny object ahead of her. From where she was it looked no bigger than a grain of sand, but slowly grew bigger. "That must be it!" she cried, and sped up.
    King Kai sat on the hood of his car, watching the two Saiyans spar. Piccolo was still meditating on the side of the building.
    "That girl should have been here by now. I wonder what's keeping her." King Kai thought to himself. No more than thirty seconds later, as if on cue, Natalie appeared in front of him. Just after she appeared, a tremendous gust of wind covered the entire planet, blowing the three warriors out of place and sending Bubbles and Gregory flying. King Kai barely managed to keep his grip on the bumper of the car.
    "Well I see that you like to make an entrance. You are Natalie, I presume?" King Kai asked, letting out a snort.
    "I am. Are you king Kai?" she inquired. "And MAN what is with the gravity on this planet? I feel like I weigh a metric ton!" she cried.
    "I am King Kai. Sorry about the gravity problem. You'll adjust!" King Kai said with artificial cheer. "Your friends have already started training." He continued.
    "Who said we were friends with HER?" a harsh voice said from behind Natalie. She spun around to see Vegita, crossing his arms, and Goku standing next to him with a grin on his face. Natalie's eyes lit up and she ran over to embrace them both. Vegita just stood like a statue, not even flinching, and Goku put his arm around her. She then stepped back and looked that them.
    "Wow we have all missed you guys!" she exclaimed.
    "We've only been gone for a day." Vegita said rudely. Natalie chuckled to herself.
    "Well I guess HE'S back to normal." She thought to herself.
    "Well, Natalie, before we begin ANY training whatsoever, I have one requirement." King Kai said. Natalie turned around to face him.    
    "What's that?" she asked.
    "You have to make me LAUGH." He replied.
    "Huh?" Natalie asked, puzzled. "Are you serious about that?"
    "Yes." King Kai said.
    "Oh...okay. Well, um..." she began, trying to think of something to do. "Okay, have you heard the one about the ham sandwich?" she asked.
    "No." king Kai replied with a serious look on his face.
    "Well, a ham sandwich walked into a bar and sat on the stool, preparing to order something. But the bartender said to him 'Sorry, we don't serve food here.'" Natalie said, trying to make it sound as funny as possible. King Kai didn't even flinch. "Yeah, I never liked that one either." She said, still trying to think of something. Goku and Vegita looked at her with sweatdrops.
    "Don't worry, Nat!" Goku said, trying to console the girl. "It isn't that hard. I managed it in less than five minutes!"
    "Yeah, thanks. Your naïve personality makes you naturally funny, baka!" She snapped. Suddenly, smothered giggles escaped from King Kai's mouth, until he couldn't hold it anymore and burst into a fit of laughter.
    "Ha ha! I've never seen anyone insult ol' Goku so well!" King Kai said in between snorts. Natalie bowed and then walked over to Goku.
    "Don't worry! You know I was kidding, right?" she said, slapping him on the back, hard.
    "Sure! No hard feelings." Goku said, regaining his composure. Vegita showed his annoyance with a deep-throated growl.
    "Well," King Kai said, "Let's begin."