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

Chapter 1 - The Awakening

    This is the sequel to "Cosmic Crisis", my first story about Orion and Carina. If you haven't read that story yet, I suggest you do so before reading this one, just to minimize confusion. If you have any questions or comments, please e-mail me at Scarlet14@aol.com. If you have noticed, "Hey...CC1 is written by Natalie Blair, and this one is by Erin Miller!?"...Well that is because I used Natalie Blair as my pen name...Erin miller IS my real name. ^_^ Thank you and enjoy! (And all the "type-o's in the beginning of the story are there for a purpose...see if you can figure it out!)

    Natalie sat in her dark room, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the Capsule Corp. building. It had been 3 months since Orion attacked. On this particular day, she could feel the strange, yet familiar churning in the pit of her stomach. It hadn't hit her since before Orion came. She clutched her stuffed tiger, Vela, in her hands and looked out the window.


    Somewhere in space, a small planet about the size of earth's moon orbited around a red giant star. There was hardly any life on the planet, as it had been extinguished many months previous. In the middle of a desert-like area, hundreds of square miles across, was a small house-like structure. It was dome-shaped, with many reflective panels on the side that reflected the brilliant sunlight. Inside, there were several rooms with very technologically advanced equipment. In one particular room, there was a rejuvenation tank with a control panel on the far wall. Inside, there was an all-familiar, blonde haired warrior. He had an evil grin underneath his oxygen mask as bubbles filled the tank.


    "Natalie!" a female voice called from downstairs. The girl walked to her door and cracked it, peaking her head outside.
    "Yes?" she asked in a groggy tone of voice.
    "Time to eat!" the voice called back, and Natalie walked out of the room and shuffled down the stairs. She was wrapped in a blanket and had her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she could see Bulma, Vegita, and Trunks all sitting at the dinner table. She plopped down into her seat and struggled to keep her eyes open.
    "Oh, honey. Is your fever getting any better?" Bulma asked, feeling the girl's forehead.
    "Dot really." She said, sniffling. She looked down and saw a bowl of chicken soup and a small cup of liquid anti-histamine medicine as well as a fever-reducing pill and a pain-killing tablet. She reluctantly took the medicine, washing it down with the warm soup. Her head throbbed from her sinus congestion and her stomach was so uneasy that she wasn't even sure that she would be able to stomach the soup that night. She noticed that Bra's seat was empty.
    "Where's Bra?" she asked stuffily.
    "Oh, she's over at Pan's house. They're having a little sleep over." Bulma replied, and served Vegita another steak. Everyone else's plates were full of steaks, potatoes, corn, and rolls. Natalie's mouth began to water as she watched them eat, and then returned to sipping her bland-tasting soup.
    "Ugh." She thought. "I hate being sick. It doesn't matter though, it's not like I can taste anything anyway" When they were finished eating, Natalie started to help Bulma clear the dishes.
    "Oh, no. You go upstairs and get some rest. I'm fine." She said thoughtfully, and called Trunks over to help the weak girl up the stairs. As Trunks put his arm around her to help her walk, she let out a huge sneeze, wiping her tender red nose with a tissue.
    "Excuse be." She said. She and Trunks walked slowly up the stairs to her room. When they entered, she shut the door behind her and plopped down onto the bed. Trunks joined her.
    "Having fun?" he joked, punching her in the arm playfully.
    "Bore than you know." She said sarcastically. Trunks bent over and kissed her forehead. "It was so awful watching you guys eat all that yubby looking food."
    "Heh, you mean yummy?" he joked.
    "I know! I can't help it!" she complained. She pounced on Trunks, rolling him off the bed by mistake and landing on top of him.
    "Hey, play nice." He said, and jumped out from under her. She got up and sat back on her bed, letting out another big sneeze.
    "Ugh!" she cried, rubbing her nose.
    "So then I guess you aren't coming tomorrow, then?" Trunks asked.
    "Huh? Coming where?" she questioned with a confused look on her face.
    "You know, to Goten's house. He's having a party, remember?" Trunks said, looking quizzically at the girl.
    "Oh yeah. I forgot about that one. I guess this fever is clogging up by brain."
    "So you're going then, huh?" he said, and hopped onto the bed next to her.
    "Sure, why dot? Just as log as I feel up to it by toborrow." She said, lying on her back. Trunks picked up her tiger and threw it at her.
    "Hey! Leave by Vela alode." She said, and cuddled the animal.
    "Well I'm gonna go get my shower." He said, getting up. "I'll be back in a little while." He finished and left the room.
    "Great. Dow what ab I supposed to do?" she sighed, rolling onto her stomach. Her head was pulsating like mad, much to her annoyance. "These pain killers better start working sood!" she said, resting her head onto a pillow. She was half-asleep when the door to her room swung open, causing her to roll off the bed in surprise.
    "What the - " she said, rubbing her eyes. She looked up and saw Bra and Pan standing in her doorway.
    "Huh? Oh, hi guys." She said, lifting her body off of the floor and into the warm bed again.
    "We came by to bring you some stuff!" Bra said cutely, and Pan held out a box. Natalie graciously accepted it and peeked inside. There was another blanket, a box of extra-soft tissues, Bra's favorite teddy bear, and a six pack of juice boxes.
    "Oh, thank you guys!" she said, and hugged the two girls. They said their good-byes and left to return to Pan's house. Natalie pulled out a juice box and the teddy bear and sat on her bed, drinking. Soon, Trunks walked in with his hair still wet from his shower.
    "Hey where did you get that stuff?" he said, picking up the box.
    "Pad and Bra gave it to be." She replied, as he took out a juice box and opened it. "Hey! Those are bine!" she said, trying to snatch it away from him. He laughed at her and drank the juice, much to her annoyance.
    "Fide." She said, crossing her arms and turning her back on him. She sniffled, and Trunks laughed at her again.
    "Awww, is Natalie crying?" he joked with her. She became aggravated and her face turned red.
    "Do, by dose is just rudding." She said, trying to control her temper. Trunks put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. She let out an aggravated growl and tensed her body.
    "Whoa, what's the matter?" he said, turning to look at her.
    "Nothing!" she said, holding Vela in her arms.
    "Uh...okay. Well I think I will be going then." He said, getting up off the bed. Natalie turned to him.
    "Why are you leaving?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her voice.
    "Well you don't seem in the best of moods right now. You should just get some rest." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow." He finished, and left the room. Natalie whimpered in sorrow and fell back onto her bed, grasping her tiger. She eventually fell asleep right there in her clothes, with the light on, but Bulma passed by and turned the light off on her way to bed.


    Orion twitched in the rejuvenation tank, his body completely healed. The control panel automatically drained the water out of the dome-shaped tank and sent a mild electric shock to him, causing him to awaken. He ripped off the oxygen mask and looked around. Seeing no way out, he blasted a hole in the side of the pod, causing glass to shatter and blow all over the room. He hovered out of the tank slowly, feeling a new power surge through him. He walked over to the far wall and opened a small door, pulling out a set of clothing. As he slipped into the clothes, he walked into a room that resembled a kitchen, taking a container out of the refrigerator.
    "Low quality food; but it will have to do for now." He commented, and sank his teeth into a pre-cooked piece of meat. He walked over to a table and picked up a device resembling a scouter. He clicked and pressed on it, causing it to make various mechanical noises. When he was finished, he tucked it into his over-sized pocket and went out the door, shutting everything down on the way out. When he got outside, the extreme heat caused him to sweat as he walked around the side of the dome-shaped building and opened a large panel, shutting off the main generator. When all power was gone, he closed the panel and continued on to the back. On his way, a small pack of 5 creatures, averaging five feet in height, came towards him. Their skin was a variation of purple, with bumps and scars in various areas, but mostly around their eyes. They were wearing robes and loose clothing to protect them from the sun and the blowing sand.
    "What do you want?" Orion said harshly, crossing his arms and looking at the group menacingly.
    "We make offering." The supposed leader said, holding out a bag made of cloth, filled with various unseen objects. Orion tore the bag out of the alien's hands and held it down by his side. "Please don't punish us, great one." They said, and bowed down in respect.
    "But I haven't had any fun yet today." He said, laughing. The alien's became wide eyed and scattered in various directions while Orion merely held out his hand and shot ki blasts at the weak creatures, splattering purple flesh and scarlet blood onto the sand.
    "Whoops. I forgot to thank them." He said, and left the scene with an evil grin on his face. He went around the back end of the house and came upon his space pod; the same one he had used to travel to Earth in. He opened the door with a remote control, and stepped inside. It was about three times the size of a normal Saiyan pod, with more features and a greater speed capability. He stepped inside and powered up the pod, causing lights to flicker on all around the ship. The steady hum of the machine was comforting to him. He entered coordinates and other information into the database and sat down, closing the door. He opened the pouch that was given to him and examined it's contents. There were various tools, as well as some dried fruit and meat. At the bottom of the brown bag, a glitter of light caught his eye. He dug to retrieve it, and pulled it out, observing a black crystal fragment.
    "Worthless junk." He said, throwing the bag across the pod. He punched a few more buttons and then sat back into the padded seat. He pulled out the scouter-like device, placing it on his forehead, where it automatically sprouted tiny mechanical arms with circular pads on the end. They reached out and attached themselves to his temples and began to glow a faint bluish color. Orion's eyes closed and he fell into a stage of suspended sleep as the pod took off and left the tiny planet's atmosphere, leaving behind a barren wasteland.

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

Chapter 2 - Adventures at Lakeside!

   
    Natalie awoke on the Friday morning to her alarm blaring in the dark room. She sat up groggily and looked around, her eyes getting used to the changes. She fell back down and hit the snooze button while mumbling, "Just five more minutes..." No more than 30 seconds later, the door to her room swung open and Trunks shook her, trying to get her out of bed.
    "Come on! You'll be late if you don't get up now!" he said. She just rolled over on her stomach and pulled the covers over her head. "Man if my dad were here I would have *him* do this." Trunks said, ripping the covers off of the tired girl.
    "Leave me alone!" she cried, her sinuses finally clear. "I can't go to school, I'm sick."
    "But you have those big tests today! You can't miss them, Nat!" Trunks cried, and dragged her out of bed, placing her on the floor. She landed in a heap and looked up at the boy with confused eyes.
    "Oh fine. Then get out so I can get ready." She said and shut the door behind him. She got in the shower and turned on the water, which came out cold at first, chilling her. "What tests do I have again?" she thought out loud. "Oh no! French and physics! Man..." she said, washing her hair. When she was finished, she wrapped a towel around her hair and ran to her closet to pick out some clothes. She pressed the talk button on the intercom and spoke into it.
    "Trunks! What's the weather supposed to be like today!?" she said in a hurry.
    "Uh...warm. Really warm." He said a few seconds later.
    "Thanks." She replied, and then returned to her closet and pulled out a pair of boot-cut denim jeans and a short sleeved yellow shirt. She looked around her room for her shoes but found them to be missing. She ran to the door of her room and opened it, calling out to everyone below.
    "Does anybody know where my brown shoes are!?" she cried.
    "Down here!" Bulma called from the kitchen. She ran down the stairs and grabbed the shoes, running back up the stairs to her room. She wrung out her hair and pulled into a ponytail, tying a white ribbon in it and frantically slipping her shoes on.
She ran down the stairs to get her books, which she had left in the sitting room the previous night. She was on her way out the door when Bulma stopped her.
    "Don't forget your lunch!" she said and handed Natalie the brown paper bag.
    "Thanks. Gotta go!" she said and ran out the door, heading toward her school. She glanced down at her watch. "8:12! I've gotta make it..." she said, dodging a pedestrian. Suddenly, someone grabbed her hand and jerked her forward. She looked over and realized that it was Trunks.
    "Come on!" he said, and flew down the sidewalk with Natalie struggling to keep her feet on the ground. When they finally made it to the school, the first bell had already rung.
    "No! Late again!" She cried as they ran into the building. Unfortunately, a hall monitor caught them on their way to class.
    "Natalie! Trunks! Let me see your hall passes." The snobby blonde girl said to the two.
    "Well...er...we just got here, and - " Natalie was cut off.
    "Say, you're pretty cute. I'll let you go this time, but next time you'll get a late pass." The hall monitor said to Trunks.
    "What!?" Natalie cried. "What about me? You aren't going to give ME a late pass, are you?"
    "Um...yep" the girl replied dryly. Natalie growled out of frustration and tore the pass from the girl's hands and ran off to her French class while Trunks headed to Algebra 2. Natalie opened the door to the classroom and shut it behind her, catching her breath. She looked up as the class all stared at her in silence.
    "Natalie! Late again, are we?" The teacher said, folding her oversized arms. Why don't you take a seat in the back next to him." She said, pointing to a brown-haired boy in the back row. "Since he's new, I'll give you the task of showing him around today." the teacher finished. Natalie shuffled to the back of the class and sat down in her seat while the teacher began to pass out tests.
    "Hi." The boy next to her whispered. Natalie turned around quizzically and studied him. He was tall and muscular, with brown spiky hair and pale green eyes.
    "My name's Ryan." He said. "Yours?"
    "N-Natalie." She replied, looking at him curiously. Suddenly the teacher approached their desks and slammed her hand down on the wood desktop. Both teens jumped in surprise.
    "Natalie, what am I going to do with you?" he teacher sighed. "You can't even set a good example for a new kid in school." She said, shaking her head in disgust while plopping two tests on either desk. Natalie shot daggers at the teacher's back with her eyes as Ryan produced the infamous anime sweat drop. "Okay class, you may begin with your test. You will have 45 minutes." The teacher said, and then sat down at her desk.
    "Hmm..." Natalie thought to herself as she lowered her pen to the paper. "To congregate regular -er verbs..." she thought as she wrote vigorously on the paper, spelling out the present tense forms of French verbs. While she was busy with her test, Trunks sat in Algebra, barely awake. Suddenly, the teacher called on him to answer a question. Trunks' eyes snapped open and he sat up straight.
    "C-could you repeat that, ma'am?" he said, trying to regain his composure.
    "I said, will you please answer number 42 of your homework assignment?" The teacher said, pushing her curly red hair out of her eyes.
    "Uh..." Trunks said, looking down at his paper. "F(x) = (3y - 4x) + (-5 + 12x)?" he answered, looking up at the teacher.
    "Well done! Adrienne, please answer number 43." The small, frail woman requested as a girl with black hair and freckles began to recite the answer.
    "Whew. I lucked out that time." He thought to himself as he slumped back into his chair.
    Meanwhile, Natalie was having trouble writing out a conversation in French. She scribbled down a few more things on the paper and decided to call a quits. When she had finished, she got up to hand her test in, but Ryan was on his way and took it for her.
    "Thanks!" she whispered to him. She rested her head on her desk and closed her eyes. "Man I am so tired." She thought to herself. Suddenly, there was a tapping on her shoulders. She was about to swat the person away when she realized it was Ryan. Not wanting to appear rude, she got up and looked in his direction, noticing a folded piece of paper on her desk. "What the - " she thought as she opened it. Inside, it read,
    "You seem pretty nice. Wanna hang out later?"
    She looked in Ryan's direction, who was flashing a charming smile her way. She couldn't resist and nodded her head sweetly. After about 10 minutes, the teacher grabbed the graded tests off her desk and announced to the class.
    "I have graded your tests and will average them into your final grade. Remember that you cannot re-take these unless you have a valid excuse." She said, passing them out. When she came to Natalie, she paused, and then placed the paper on her desk facedown. Natalie flipped it over anxiously and looked at it.
    "92! Yes!" she exclaimed rather loudly. "Heh, oops." She said, and sat back in her seat.
    "Tres bien ("very good")!" the teacher commented, and continued on to the other students. Natalie leaned over to Ryan's desk.
    "How did you do?" she asked.
    "Not so good. I got a 65." He sighed. Suddenly, the bell rang for second period and the students scrambled out of the class. On her way out, Natalie was stopped by the teacher.
    "Natalie, Ryan is really having trouble with this class. I was wondering if you would tutor him since you are an exceptional student." The teacher explained.
    "Sure, Madame Menzie!" Natalie said, and hurried off to second hour. For once, she arrived on time and took her assigned seat. She liked this class, mainly because Trunks was in it as well.
    "Alright, class. Settle down. The bell is about to ring!" the teacher said, walking up to the chalkboard. A few other students entered the classroom, Trunks included, before the late bell rang. He sat in the seat in front of Natalie.
    "Okay, please take out your literature books and turn to page 243. As you know, we left off yesterday when Mercutio and Romeo were at the party and Mercutio had just finished his Queen Mab speech." The teacher began, as the class turned to the appropriate page. After the students took turns reading passages from Romeo and Juliet, the teacher called on a student to pass out the results of the quiz they had taken the day before.
    "Aw, man!" Trunks said as he got his quiz back.
    "What?" Natalie asked curiously. Trunks showed her the paper that had a big 70 written in red marker.
When she got hers back, she replied, "Don't worry. I only got an 82." She said reassuringly.
"Thanks, Nat. Makes me feel so much better." He replied sarcastically. She slapped him in the back of the head playfully.
    "Quit flirting." Someone called from behind Natalie. She turned around to discover Akari, slumped in her seat, looking at her with a smirk on her face. Natalie glared at the girl with a menacing look in her eyes. "What's the matter, embarrassed?" the girl laughed mockingly.
    "Why should she be embarrassed? At least she has someone." Trunks said to the girl with an annoyed look on his face. The class erupted into a roar of laughter as Akari turned red in the face and snapped back at the two.
    "I do have someone!" she said rudely. Suddenly, the teacher slapped his desk with a yardstick, causing the class to jump in surprise.
    "Akari! Natalie! Detention!" he said in a loud tone of voice. The two girls sunk down in their seats and offered weak apologies. When the class ended, Natalie shuffled out of the room with her head hung. Trunks ran up and playfully slapped her on the back.
"Trunks!?" she cried in protest.
"Hey! Sorry!" he said. "What's the matter?" he asked.
"You saw what happened in there. I didn't even say anything to her!" she said angrily.
"Hey, I'll get detention too if it will make you feel better!" he said, plastering on a cheesy grin. She just snickered and punched him in the arm as they both walked outside for lunch. They picked a shady spot under an oak tree and pulled out their lunches.
"Oh, I have to go deliver something to a teacher really quick!" she said, pulling out a manila folder and running back into the building. On her way out, she ran into Ryan.
"Hey Ryan!" she said, opening the door, which he held open for her. "When do you have lunch?"
"Now, you?" he answered.
"Me too! Want to sit with us today?" she asked thoughtfully.
"Sure." He replied, and followed the girl to the oak tree where she sat down. As soon as Ryan spotted Trunks he produced a look of surprise on his face.
"Oh, I haven't met your...friend." He said, looking at Trunks with a strange expression. Trunks just looked back with a puzzled look.
"Oh, well this is Trunks. Trunks, this is Ryan." She said. They two teenage boys exchanged glances as Natalie pulled out her lunch.
"So what did your mom pack today?" Natalie asked, peering into her bag.
"Huh? His mom packs your lunch?" Ryan asked with a confused look on his face.
"Oh, um...yeah. My mom...er...left early this morning and forgot to fix my lunch, so his mom gave me an extra." She replied, remembering that nobody knew that they lived together. Ryan cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh." He said, and watched as the two pulled various items out of their bags.
"Don't you have a lunch, Ryan?" she asked, noticing that he was empty-handed.
"Oh, no. I guess I forgot it today." He said.
"Well you can always share with us. Bulma kinda packs too much food." She said, and handed him half of her sandwich, which he accepted. He studied it for a minute.
"What, don't you like turkey?" she asked him.
"Turkey. Yeah, I like it." He said, and bit into the sandwich. When the two finished 20 minutes later, the bell rang for third hour and they went their separate ways.
"See you guys later!" Natalie called out as she ran to her physics class.


When the school day had ended, Natalie left her last class, sighing with relief. Suddenly, she remembered that she had detention. She reluctantly headed to the detention room, sitting down into a seat near the back of the room. Soon, Akari walked in. As soon as the teacher was about to shut the door, Trunks ran in as well.
"Trunks!?" Natalie said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"I was late for fourth hour." He said, winking. Natalie just laughed to herself and pulled out her books, starting on her homework. An hour later, the three were dismissed to go home for the day. Natalie and Trunks walked down the sidewalk, heading for Capsule Corp.
"Thanks for coming to detention today. I would have died if it was just me and Akari." Natalie said slapping him on the back with a grin on her face.
"Yeah well you can thank me later." He said, and looked around to see if anyone was watching, and then leapt into the air. Natalie followed, and her ki flared, leaving behind a trail of blue. Trunks did the same, and the two headed home. When they made it to the Capsule Corp. building, they landed on the rounded roof and sat, looking out to the horizon. A warm breeze blew, making Natalie feel cozy and content. Suddenly, the peace was interrupted when Vegita appeared in front of them with his arms crossed.
    "What are you two doing?" he asked. He looked down at the girl who was leaning on his son and glared at her. She looked up innocently and jumped back when she saw the look on his face, almost slipping down the side of the building. Trunks looked at her with a confused expression, and then turned back to his father.
    "What?" he asked, looking up at Vegita.
    "Well I heard you two 'land', so I figured I'd come and get you. Besides, it's that time of the month for Bulma and I've been trying to avoid her." He said. Natalie burst out laughing and flew to the ground, entering the building, without saying another word to the two. Trunks looked back up at his father with a questionable look on his face and said nothing.
    "What!? You know how women are!" Vegita snarled.
    "Heh, yep." He said, and landed on the ground with a soft thud. He went into the building, and ran up the stairs, throwing his books onto the bed. He then proceeded to race to the kitchen and examine the refrigerator for anything edible. Natalie appeared behind him and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump and hit his head on the top of the door.
    "Hey remember the plan for today?" she said to him. "We are supposed to go to Goten's house, right?"
    "Uh...yeah. We are." He said, tossing her a soda. "Why?"
    "Well I was just making sure. So how mane people are going to be there?" she asked.
    "Just the three of us. Actually, his parents are having some friends over for a little reunion type thing so he was going to invite us along." He said, looking in her direction. "You don't have to go if you don't want to."
    "No I want to go, I was just wondering." She said. Bulma came down the stairs as Vegita entered the building.
    "We're going over to the Son family's house in a about an hour." She announced. "I want your homework done before we go, mister!" she said, looking over at Trunks with a stern expression on her face. He backed away sheepishly and Natalie followed him up the stairs to the living quarters. When they reached their respective rooms, they both rushed in to do their homework before they left.
    "NO!" a scream was heard from Natalie's room. She stood up with her hands on her head, her face red with frustration.
    "What!?" Trunks' voice came in on the intercom.
    "I left my physics book at school!" she cried, and slumped onto her bed. She dumped everything out of her book bag and searched frantically, but there was no sign of it. She growled angrily and pulled out another notebook and flipped it open.
    "Is it really that important?" Trunks' voice was heard again. "It's not like you miss assignments that often anyway."
    "I know but I had a lot of work to do in that class!" she said. "That teacher is so strict about that stuff too, even if you make straight A's in there!" she fumed a bit more, and eventually let it pretty much go. She would have to work a lot harder though to maintain her grade in the class.
    "Maybe Gohan will have one." Trunks said, this time standing in her doorway.
    "What?" she asked, looking at him with question on her face.
    "Goten's brother...?" he said, looking at her with one eyebrow cocked. "Remember him? He has plenty of books on that kind of stuff."
    "Well...no I don't remember him. But it's cool. I guess I'll see him tonight anyway, huh?" she asked, fishing in her bag for a pen.
    "What are you doing, boy?" Trunks spun around to see his father standing behind him in the doorway. "You're supposed to be getting ready, not talking to her." He said, making a gesture to Natalie, who looked up.
    "Yeah. Oops." He said, and slunk back into his room.
    "And as for you..." he said, looking at Natalie menacingly. She had gotten used to his cold demeanor after awhile and learned to dismiss it. "You have work to do as well. I suggest you get to it."
    "Well maybe I would if I had some books!" she said. She was the only one besides Trunks or Bulma who had the guts to talk back to him. She was also the only one that Vegita wouldn't attempt to blast through the wall after doing so. Vegita just grumbled and walked away as Natalie let out a frustrated sigh and shut the door behind him.
    "Why is it always ME?" she asked herself out loud. "He hates me and I don't understand why." She sat down on the bed and flipped onto her stomach, resting her head on her hands. She looked out the window at the grayish-white sky. She reminisced on the day's events, and remembering Ryan, thought about his reaction to Trunks. She just dismissed the thought and continued with her schoolwork.


    Meanwhile, in another part of town, a teenage boy was walking around an empty section of the city with his hands buried deep into his pockets. He had a look of concern on his face, as his pale green eyes flashed. He looked up into the sky and then changed directions, heading to the south side. When he got to what appeared to be his house, he entered the dark home, shutting the wooden door behind him.
    He walked up a flight of stairs and headed towards a closed door. He entered the room and sat down onto a chair, still looking preoccupied with something. A gust of wind suddenly appeared, knocking over a garbage can outside. The boy looked up, his green eyes twinkling in the dim light. An evil smile appeared on his face as laughter echoed throughout the house.

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

Chapter 3 - Reunion

"Ten minutes!" a female voice called up the stairs. It was Bulma, announcing to the group that they were to leave soon. Natalie finished jotting down a few more notes and then piled her books in the corner, letting out a relieved breath. She went into the bathroom and pulled her ponytail down, rushing the tangles out of her straight brown hair. She could hear Vegita arguing with someone in the other room as she put on a yellow tank top. Yellow was her favorite color next to blue, and it showed. All you had to do was take a look at her room. The door to her room opened and Trunks peered in slowly.
    "What?" she asked, and looked in his direction.
    "Mom said to bring a change of clothes. We're going to go swimming." He said, and left, shutting the door. Natalie walked over to her dresser and pulled out the second shelf, which was full of bathing suits. She rummaged through the assortment of suits until she came to what she was looking for. It was a yellow and blue plaid bikini with strings that tied in the back and halter strings that went around the neck. She paused before packing it into her bag and thought to herself.
    "This is my favorite, but it IS kind of skimpy." She thought, and inspected it. "Oh who cares, I'm sure there'll be other girls there wearing the same kind of thing." She concluded, and threw it into her bag, along with a bottle of sunscreen and a change of clothes. When she was finished, she walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs where Trunks and Bra were sitting. Trunks was wearing a tight, white T-shirt that said "Capsule Corp." on the front in blue letters and a pair of baggy nylon pants in the usual black color. Natalie strongly resisted the urge to stare at Trunks' body. He looked up at her and she snapped back to reality, turning a shade of crimson as she walked over to a chair next to where Bra was sitting and sat down.
    "You look pretty Natalie!" Bra exclaimed and jumped into the teenage girl's lap. "I'll bet Trunks has a CRUSH on you!" she said, and looked up at Natalie with an innocent grin on her face. Trunks turned red as well and buried his head in his hands while Natalie strained to keep a straight face. Bulma and Vegita then walked in and observed the two embarrassed teens sitting with Bra and produced looks of confusion on their faces. Bra looked over at her parents.
    "Hey daddy! Trunks loves Natalie!" she exclaimed cutely to Vegita. He grumbled and Bulma face faulted while Trunks and Natalie got sweat drops.
    "Heh...let's go honey." Bulma said and grabbed Vegita by the arm, dragging him out the front door. Trunks shot Bra a "I'm gonna kill you when nobody's looking" look and got up to join his parents. Natalie and Bra followed, and they all headed towards Goku's house in the Capsule aircar.


    The door of the Son home swung open, revealing Kamesennin, Krillin, and Oolong with a tote full of sunscreen, towels, and *magazines*, as well as a couple of folding chairs.
    "Just in case I get bored!" Roshi said casually to Goku, who was waiting by the kitchen entrance, and walked into the house followed by the 3-foot tall, shape-shifting pig. Chi-Chi emerged with a large tray, loaded with hors d'oeuvres, and told the two to make themselves at home. She glanced at the bag and the thought immediately registered in her mind.
    "Mister I suggest you keep those out of sight while the others are here." She said, looking at Kamesennin with a stern expression. He knew better thank to mess with the PMS queen and slid the pile of magazines under his chair. Soon, Yamcha and Puuar arrived, followed by Tien, Krillin, and Chaozu. The group all came together and began to talk, when Gohan arrived. Chi-Chi ran over to hug her son.
    "Oh Gohan your father and I have missed you so much!" she said, trying not to cry. Soon, Videl entered the house followed by Pan. They all greeted the three as they set their things down and got refreshments. Pan sat in the corner with nobody to talk to as she listened to the adults converse and laugh together. She was about to burst into tears of loneliness when the Briefs family arrived. She jumped up and greeted her best friend, and they walked off happily together. Vegita and Bulma set their things down and walked over to the living room where everyone sat. Trunks and Natalie joined Goten's side and the whole group stood in Goku's house together. Kamesennin glanced over at Natalie and did a double take when he saw her. Suddenly, he got a nosebleed while staring at the girl's chest. She looked over in surprise and then stepped back in disgust. Trunks and Goten ushered Natalie to another area while Goku helped Master Roshi to the bathroom sink.
    "Well you've met Kamesennin." Goten said, placing his hand on the back of his head and laughed dryly. Soon, Yamcha walked over and greeted the three. Natalie had never met most of the people there, and was having a bit of a tough time, socially. She soon met Tien, Chaozu, Puuar, Oolong, Chi-Chi, and Gohan. They were all surprised with her story, and treated her like one of the group. Oolong especially enjoyed her company, and repeatedly tried to get a peek down her shirt.
    "Hentai!" She cried and slapped him across the face, leaving a red handprint on his cheek. He backed off for a while, but came back again, trying once more. Everyone got a laugh from the situation and Oolong was finally restrained.
    "Well now that everyone's here, let's head to the beach!" Goku exclaimed. Everyone grabbed their bags and left the house. The Briefs family packed into the aircar and squeezed Goten in with them. When they arrived at the lake they got out and headed over to where Goku and Chi-Chi were already waiting. Goku was wearing a pair of swim-shorts in his signature orange color and Chi-Chi had on a purple, one-piece suit. Bulma and Natalie headed towards the Briefs Log Cabin on the hill to change clothes.
    "So how do you like the group?" Bulma asked as they headed up the sand. Natalie laughed sarcastically to seal her approval. They opened the stiff wooden door and entered the main room.
"Let's use this room." Bulma said, directing Natalie to a small room in the front of the cabin. It had a large window that faced the ocean. Natalie entered and shut the door behind her.
    "Here goes!" she said, and slipped out of her clothes. She put on the yellow and blue suit and pulled a pair of short denim shorts on top of it. When she was finished, she put her clothes in her bag and left the room, allowing Bulma to change. She stood outside the door, holding her bag, when she noticed a rug that hadn't been there before.
    "What the - " she said, and went over to inspect it. She stepped on top of it, and heard a shout. She jumped back at least 5 feet and looked up. She saw the rug begin to deform, becoming smaller, but growing a few feet. Soon, it took on the shape of Oolong.
    "You're a shape shifter! A perverted one at that!" she cried, and threw a nearby lamp at the pig. It crashed into his head and shattered.
    "Ow!" he cried, and scrambled out of the cabin, with Natalie chasing after him.
    "Come back!" she yelled after him. Finally, she gave up and returned to the cabin, where Bulma was finishing up. She left out of the room just as Natalie walked up. Natalie facefaulted as she observed Bulma step out wearing a racy, blue and white bikini. Even the bottom piece had to be tied with strings!
    "Well let's go!" Bulma said and they both left the cabin. Natalie kept glancing over at the practically naked Bulma and producing a look of shock. She had lived with the Briefs family for about 4 months and had never seen this side of Bulma before. They approached the area where everyone was already standing. Natalie observed Trunks and Goten standing near the shore. Goten was wearing a pair of green swimming shorts and Trunks was wearing navy blue with grey trim and drawstrings. Her jaw dropped when she saw their bodies. Goku waked over to where she was standing.
    "Well don't just stand there, go have some fun!" he said, and slapped her on the back so hard that she fell onto the sand. "Heh, heh...oops." He said, and helped her back onto her feet. Bulma approached the group and Vegita blushed when she saw his mate. Master Roshi got another nosebleed and Yamcha's eyes bulged.
    "What is everyone staring at?" Bulma asked naïvely. Chi-Chi pulled her away from all the males and escorted her over to a more secluded spot.
    "Bulma! What on earth are you wearing!?" Chi-Chi asked frantically.
    "What's wrong with it? It was the only one I had clean, anyway!" Bulma replied, placing her hands on her hips.
    "Bulma Briefs you know better." Chi-Chi said.
    "Well..." she said, blushing. "I just wanted to look nice for Vegita." Chi-Chi produced a sweat-drop and they both walked back to the group.
    Natalie walked over to the two boys who had their backs turned to her. Goten suddenly turned around and his jaw dropped when he saw her. Trunks did the same.
    "H-h-hi Natalie." Trunks said.
    "Hi Trunks. Hi Goten." She said, trying not to stare at them. Suddenly, Vegita appeared behind the group and pushed Trunks into the water playfully. He grabbed Goten's arm on the way and they both sailed into the lake. Natalie jumped back and laughed at the two as they emerged. She removed her shorts, preparing to join them, when Vegita attempted to do the same to her. However, she anticipated it and dodged, just as he moved forward. His inertia caused him to go flying into the water as well. She laughed hysterically at the three soaked saiyans and turned to walk further up the beach. On the way, Yamcha almost smacked into her while he dove to catch a frisbee. He apologized profusely, while staring at her in the process, much to her annoyance. She began to walk onward, joining Bulma and Chi-Chi who were sitting on beach towels, chatting.
    "Yeah, and then he had the nerve to eat all of his breakfast and half of mine!" Chi-Chi grumbled in frustration.
    "Well at least your husband doesn't find your stash of chocolate bars and eat them all!" Bulma squealed. Chi-Chi stifled a laugh, infuriating Bulma. "What?" Bulma said, annoyed.
    "Nothing. It just seems kind of funny that Vegita steals your chocolate." Chi-Chi said, giggling. Soon, Bulma burst into laughter as well and they both sat on the beach together enjoying each other's company. Soon, Natalie approached.
    "What's the matter, Natalie? You don't want to go swimming with the boys?" Bulma said, looking up from her magazine.
    "No, it's not that." Natalie began. She was about to continue but was cut off by Vegita, who was standing behind her, water dripping off his body and forming a puddle on the sand.
    "Trunks wants to see you." He said, folding his arms casually. She gave him a look of confusion and then proceeded to walk over to where Trunks and Goten were standing.
    "What do you want?" she asked, still walking toward the two boys.
    "We found something here. Look." Trunks said, and gestured to the water. Natalie leaned towards the water's surface to get a better look.
    "What? I don't see anyth - " she broke off as she hurled into the waves. "What the -!?" she cried, emerging from the water, pulling a clump of seaweed out of her hair. She looked up to see Trunks and Goten rolling on the sand, laughing. She narrowed her eyes and slunk stealthily back into the water. When she was about five feet away from the shore, she shot out of the water like a bullet and landed on the sand, inches away from the two saiyans, who were now standing. Before they could react, she had them both by the back of the neck and forced them onto the ground, wincing. She smiled evilly as they fell onto their knees and then to their stomachs, begging for mercy. She finally gave in and loosened her grip, retreating back into the water before they could even blink. Everyone was staring in shock and disbelief at the scene. When Trunks finally gathered the strength to stand on his feet, he immediately searched the area for Natalie, intending to get revenge. Goten joined his side and they began to track her ki. The located her and dove into the ocean with swift, graceful moves. The water surged past as they propelled themselves beneath the surface. Natalie obviously hadn't learned to do this using her ki, so they had the upper hand.
    Natalie came up to the surface and gasped for air. She scanned the area for any sign of Trunks or Goten, realizing that they were nowhere to be found, and began to panic. She knew that they were hiding, waiting to pounce on their prey like a cat. She tried to sense their ki's, but had not quite mastered the technique and couldn't concentrate while her adrenaline was flowing. Just as she was about to go under again, there was an explosion of water and Trunks and Goten flew out, faster than the human eye could see, and then stopped abruptly in mid-air. The hovered menacingly above the startled girl and grinned evilly. She looked up with wide eyes and yelped when she saw the two. She sank beneath the surface slowly and timidly, not making any sudden moves, for they could easily out-swim her. She considered flying to safety, but realized that they were as fast, if not faster than she was anyway. She sat about a foot under the water, her eyes shut, trying to think of an escape plan. Suddenly, two strong hands shot into the water and gripped her arms just below the shoulders. She knew that it was Trunks and Goten and tried to get away, but it proved no use. They pulled her struggling body out of the water, still keeping a very strong grip on her, for she was known to act on impulse, usually startling everyone with her surprises. But this time Trunks wasn't going to let her get away.
    "Well, well, well. Look what we have here." Trunks said, mockingly.
    "It looks like a little girl. What should we do with her?" Goten said.
    "Maybe we should take her some place where she can't cause anymore trouble." Trunks said, and then looked around. He spotted the cabin and got an idea. "There." He said, pointing in the direction of the house. They both took off, with Natalie dangling helplessly behind them. They reached the cabin within 30 seconds, and landed with a thud a few feet away from the entrance. Goten pushed the door open and they dragged Natalie inside.
    "Come on guys this isn't funny. Let me go!" she cried, trying to slip her wet arms out of their grasp.
    "Who says it's supposed to be funny?" Trunks said, turning his head around to face hers. The look in his eyes caused her to jump back. He almost looked evil. "Now you're not going to give us any problems, are you?" he said, gripping her arm harder and harder until it started to hurt.
    "Trunks! Let go, that hurts!" she said, looking at him with fearful eyes. He laughed mockingly at her. She looked to Goten for help, but he also had the same look of pure evil in his eyes. "Goten!?" she cried. He suddenly grabbed her by the neck, this time gripping her harder than she had done to them. She cried out in pain and fell to the ground. Tears came to her eyes as the feeling shot through her body like electricity. The two let out more laughter. They were actually enjoying this! She tried to look up at them but her neck was paralyzed from Goten's grip. She gritted her teeth and her body tensed under the tremendous amount of pressure that Goten was applying to her neck. Just as she thought her spine was going to snap, they released their grip and let Natalie fall to the ground, gasping for air. She rolled over onto her back and looked up at the two with a red face.
    "W-why are you doing this?" she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Trunks laughed and kicked her sharply in the side. She restrained herself from crying out, and forced herself onto her knees.
    "We didn't tell you to get up." Trunks said harshly, and Goten kicked her in the same spot, causing her to fall down again.
    "That isn't Trunks." Natalie thought, replaying the sound of his voice in her mind. She suddenly powered up, causing her ki to flare and surround her with a brilliant blue aura.
    "What the hell?" Trunks said, jumping back. The surge of power caused the pain to cease, allowing Natalie to jump to her feet. She looked at them with menacing eyes.
    "I don't - " she gasped for air. "...know who you are, but I'm gonna kick your ass!" she said, and lunged at Trunks, or whoever it was. Her fist met with his chest and caused him to fly into the wall. Goten reacted by hitting her over the head with a wooden chair, causing her to lose consciousness and fall onto the floor in a heap. Trunks got up and walked over to the girl, picking her up in his arms.
   
**At this point, I'm going to call the Trunks and Goten we all know and love Trunks1 and Goten1 and the others will be called Trunks2 and Goten2, to avoid confusion. Thanks! ^_^**

    Trunks1 emerged form the ocean. He no longer sensed Natalie's ki in the water. Goten1 soon popped his head above the surface, gasping for breath.
    "What is it?" he asked.
    "She's gone." Trunks1 said, with a worried look on his face. Suddenly, he became aware of it again. He could feel her ki growing immensely in the direction of the cabin. "She must have gone back to the shore while we weren't paying attention. Come on." He said, and dove underwater again. When he reached the point where he could no longer swim in the shallow waters, he leapt into the sky, followed by Goten1. When they landed on the ground, they were about twenty or so feet away from the door to the cabin. "What the? The power is gone." Trunks1 said, confused even more with the situation.
    "Let's go check it out." Goten1 said, and walked towards the door. Trunks1 followed. They swung the door open and jumped back in surprise with what they saw.
    "What the hell!?" Turnks1 exclaimed, observing an exact image of him and Goten1 standing inside. Trunks2 was holding Natalie's limp body in his arms and Goten2 was grasping a chair.
    "Damnit let's get out of here!" Trunks2 said and headed out the back door with Natalie in his arms and Goten2 following close behind. Trunks1 and Goten1 snapped up and followed in pursuit, easily catching up with their other selves. Trunks1 grabbed Trunks2 by the leg, causing him to stop abruptly. His body jolted and he lost his grip on Natalie's body. As she fell to the earth, Goten2 went after her.
    "What are you doing with Natalie?" Turnks1 demanded. Goten1 kept a close eye on Goten2, who was hovering in the air a few feet away from Trunks2 with Natalie under his arm. Trunks2 turned around and looked at Turnks1 with menacing eyes, and attempted to punch him in the face. Trunks1 easily dodged and retaliated by putting a chokehold on Trunks2. Goten1 went for Natalie, sending a slender beam flying at Goten2 to avoid hitting her. Goten2 fell off balance and Goten1 caught the wet, unconscious body of Natalie. When he was sure that Trunks1 could handle the situation, he flew back to the ground and raced over to where everyone was gathered.
    Trunks1 delivered a painful kick to the stomach of the weaker Trunks2. Seeing that neither of the two had any fighting skills whatsoever, he sent a moderately strong ki blast flying at them. The energy hurled towards the two clones and slammed into their bodies. They both fell to the ground, barely alive. Trunks1 flew down to where the two were lying on the brink of consciousness.
    "Where are you from?" Trunks said, with an angered tone to his voice. He had his hand around Trunks2's throat.
    "We'll never reveal our origins." Trunks2 said, his voice quivering.
    "Damn you! Tell me!" Trunks1 demanded, squeezing Trunks2's neck even harder. The Trunks clone gasped for air as Trunks1 kept his grip around his neck.
    "D...d..." Trunks2 said, trying to say something.
    'What!?" Trunks1 said, his face twisted in an angered expression.
    "Die..." Trunks2 said, and then fell unconscious. Trunks blasted the two out of frustration, vaporizing their bodies instantly. Suddenly he remembered Natalie and raced back to the beach. When he arrived he saw everyone gathered around in a big huddle. He could hear commotion coming from the group and he flew down to where they were standing. He saw Natalie, wrapped in a large towel, lying in a little ball in Goten's lap. She was still unconscious but her body was shivering to keep itself warm. Bulma looked up and saw her son.
    "Trunks! What happened!?" she said, her voice full of panic.
    "Mom it's okay." He said, stepping closer to Goten and Natalie. "I killed them."
    "Killed who? Who did this to her?" Vegita said. Trunks thought he could detect worry on his father's face, but dismissed the thought.
    "I-I don't know. They looked exactly like us. They were clones, or something." Trunks replied. He longed to stroke her cheek, to hold her in his arms, but did not dare show his feelings for the girl in front of everyone, especially his father. Suddenly, Natalie's eyes fluttered open and she looked around with confusion on her face.
    "Natalie! Say something!" Gohan said, checking her vital signs. Since Gohan seemed to know what he was doing, everyone left him to it. She looked up at Goten and screamed, jumping away from him immediately. Instinctively, Goku grabbed her and calmed her down. When she became rational again, she realized that this was the Goten that she knew.
    "O-oh. I'm so sorry." She said, putting her hand over her forehead. "I didn't know - " she broke off.
    "Can you tell us what happened?" Bulma asked.
    "I don't know. Trunks and Goten...they got me. Not Trunks and Goten, but someone who looked just liked them."
    "What did they do?" Bulma continued.
    "They were so mean. I tried to fight back but something hit me on my head, and that's all I remember." She said, swaying to the side. Goten grabbed her and laid her back onto the sand to keep her from falling and hurting herself.
    "We need to get her back to the cabin." Bulma said. "Then we can figure out what happened and go from there." The whole group made their way back to the Briefs cabin. Goten carried Natalie inside and rested her onto his bed as Bulma came in with Gohan and Vegita.
    "Could it have been...Dr. Gero?" Gohan asked, studying Natalie's head injury, much to her displeasure.
    "No, he's dead fool." Vegita said in his usual tone.
    "Could he have been wished back, possibly?" Gohan continued.
    "That's highly unlikely Gohan. Even so, the Dragon Balls still can't be used for another two and a half months." Bulma replied to Gohan's question. Natalie sat up and supported herself with her elbows.
    "Natalie you lay back down, sweetie." Bulma said.
    "No, I'm fine. I just have a headache, that's all." Natalie said, and slid off the bed.
    "I don't think - " Bulma started.
    "It's okay! If I feel dizzy I'll just lie back down again." Natalie insisted, and walked towards the door, still in her bikini. Bulma had put a shirt over her suit to prevent any more of Master Roshi's nosebleeds. Trunks and Goten followed her to the main room, where everyone was chatting, still in their swim clothes. Natalie looked around and noticed that all the fighters had perfect bodies. It made sense to her, seeing what they had been through and how much training they had endured. Everyone was in perfect condition...everyone that is, except Kamesennin. No comments there. (^_~)
    Vegita turned and saw her standing in the doorway.
    "Well it's about time you got up." He said rudely.
    "Aw, come on Vegita! She didn't mean any harm." Goku said, punching Vegita in the arm.
    "Kakarott!" Vegita shouted, and backhanded Goku in the head, causing him to fall to the ground.
    "Wow! Look at all the birds!" Goku said stupidly as he reached up and tried to get a hold of one. Soon Bulma emerged with Gohan.
    "Well how about we cook out, huh?" Bulma said, putting her arm on her son's shoulder. "Vegita, you and Goku can grill the steaks and me and Chi-Chi will so the rest of the cooking inside."
    "What!? I'm not working with him!" Vegita exclaimed and gestured to Goku, who was still lying on the floor. Everyone looked at him with weird expressions on their faces. Natalie diverted their attention by saying, "Well Trunks, Goten, and I are going outside then; we'll leave you to it." She said, glancing at Vegita before walking out the door. Trunks and Goten exchanged glances and followed.