Cosmic Crisis

Chapter 14 - The Aftermath

Natalie slowly awakened to a breeze rustling through her hair. She sat up, her muscles stiff with soreness. She looked around at the scene, realizing that everyone was still lying on the ground in the same positions. She perked up and turned her head frantically, trying to gather her thoughts. Suddenly, the sound of moving caused her to turn around in surprise. She observed Trunks struggling to sit up. Natalie cried out in joy and literally jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Trunks! Oh my god you're alive!" she screamed, putting her head on his shoulder and cried tears of happiness.

"N-Natalie?" he said, putting his sore arms around her. "What happened?"

"Everything's fine now!" she said, and looked into his blue eyes, overwhelmed with happiness. She brought her lips to his, and they kissed under the cool, grey sky. Soon, everyone else began to awake, as if from a deep sleep, and observed the couple wrapped around each other. Vegita looked up with a startled expression on his face while Goku and Goten looked at each other with sweat drops aplenty. Everyone stood up and had their turn to be strangled to death by the over-excited warrior girl. Soon they all managed to get back to Capsule Corp. for recuperation and Bulma passed out senzu seeds to all the fighters while dishing out lots of questions for the fighters. Bra ran into the room where everyone was and jumped into Vegita's lap with a grin from ear to ear.

"Daddy! Mommy said you kicked some ass!" she cried, not realizing what she just said. Natalie cracked up as Bulma turned bright red with embarrassment.

"Yep." Vegita said proudly, flexing his arms for his little girl to see. Goku walked over and slapped him on the back.

"Good job, Vegita ol' pal!" he said with a ridiculous grin on his face.

"Ow! Don't touch me Kakarott!" Vegita cried in protest.

"Yep, he's back to normal." Goku confirmed, and Goten pulled him back into his seat with a humiliated look on his face. Bulma walked around the group, cleaning their wounds and wiping dirt off their bodies. It was like a reunion with all the saiyan warriors sitting together with their girls. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door and Bulma got up to go answer it. The group could hear angered cries from the foyer and she came walking back into the room with Chi-Chi close behind.

"Where have you two been!?" she shouted at Goku and Goten. "Now your dinner is cold and I found a grey hair!" she said, still wearing her apron. Goku just looked at his wife with a cheesy smile on his face and muttered a pathetic apology. "You two come home right now!" she cried angrily, and walked out the door. The two saiyans got up to leave. Goten walked over and gave Natalie a friendly hug before leaving. Goku said his good-byes and the two were out the door, running after the furious Chi-Chi. When they left, the Briefs family began to settle in once again. Bulma cooked a huge dinner to celebrate and they were all very happy to be together. When everything was finished, Bulma and Vegita got up to go to bed, leaving Trunks, Natalie, and Bra sitting at the table.

"Natalie can I ask you a question?" Bra asked with a devilish grin on her little face.

"Sure." Natalie replied, looking over at the tiny saiyan girl.

"Are you in love with my brother?" she asked cutely, and then glanced over at Trunks who looked rather uncomfortable.

"Heh...um...well..." Natalie started, her face bright red, when Trunks got up from the table.

"Bra we really need to get to bed, come on let's go upstairs, okay?" he said, grabbing his sister by the arm and muttering something under her breath.

"But I don't want to go!" she cried, and tried to break away from her brother. Trunks forced his little sister into bed and promised to play dolls with her the next day if she went to sleep. Natalie was walking up the stairs just as Trunks emerged from Bra's room and they both went to their separate rooms to get dressed for bed. Natalie got into the shower and enjoyed the feeling as the warm water ran down her back, soothing her wounds. She winced in pain when she washed her body, the soap stinging her cuts. When she was finished, she gently dried her body and rubbed medicated lotion on her arms and legs. She then put on a pair of baggy, black nylon pants and a navy blue tank top, to minimize pain from sleeves rubbing against her wounded arms. She blow-dried her soft brown hair, reminiscing on the day's events. How close they'd come to the end. Just thinking about it caused her to shudder as a chill ran down her spine. When she was finished, she walked out onto her balcony, looking up into the velvety sky. A crescent moon shone brightly, surrounded by thousands of twinkling stars, glittering like jewels in the ocean of air that blanketed the earth. She looked over at Trunks' balcony and saw a stream of light coming from his room. She flew over and knocked on the glass doors, and saw his face peek from behind the curtains. She smiled at him as he walked out onto the balcony to join her. She held his arm and leaned on him as they stood together.

"Trunks?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah, Natalie?" he replied, still staring straight ahead.

"I - " she broke off, and Trunks looked down at her as her green eyes filled up with tears.

"What?" he asked, holding her closer.

"I love you." She said, and then gripped his arm tightly as she came closer to him.

"I love you too, Natalie." He said, and bent down to kiss her. The two stood on the balcony, embracing under the black sky on the cool night as a breeze blew threw their hair.

A wind blew across the field where Orion's body lay motionless, embedded in the ground. Dust and debris were lying all around and the earth was caved in around him. The moonlight cast shadows upon his face and the wind rustled his spiky blonde hair. Suddenly, his crystal blue eyes snapped open and an evil grin appeared on his face as an evil laughter echoed throughout the universe.

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...The End