Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion

Chapter 13 - The Tenth Saiyan

All she could see was darkness, for miles and miles, or what she perceived as miles. It seemed to go on forever and it weighed on her like a blanket.

<Oh no!> she thought, <Am I dead?> She was frightened and confused. She was trapped within herself, unable to move and barely able to think clearly. She could hear Bulma's soothing voice reverberate around the area. There was then a bright flash of light, causing Natalie to raise her arms over her face and crouch down to protect herself. After a few seconds, she slowly let her arms drop and she looked in front of her. There stood a little girl with purple hair. She was wearing clothing almost identical to hers and even had the same green eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, stepping forward, as she didn't see the girl a threat. The girl just stared blankly into Natalie's eyes. She blinked a couple of times and then looked as if she had just snapped out of a trance.

"Mommy?" the girl said, reaching out for Natalie.

"Huh?" Natalie said, producing a look of utter confusion.

"Mommy!" the girl cried, rushing over and embracing Natalie. The Sidra-jin girl just sighed and looked up into the black nothingness, placing her hand on the girl's back. Suddenly, something hit her like a ton of bricks. She felt as if someone had just bashed her head in with a cement block. The little girl gasped and stepped back, looking at the doubled over Natalie in total fear.

Goten and Trunks watched on as Natalie's heartbeat jumped erratically on the heart monitor. But this time, it didn't go back down. Trunks jumped up but Goten stopped him.

"Trunks, don't. She'll pull through, you know it." He said reassuringly. Trunks clenched his fists and paced the room.

"Goten why are we just sitting here? We can help her. And what of that girl over there? We don't even know who she is!" Trunks cried, throwing his fist towards her and pointing. Goten could see that he was using the last of his will to keep from exploding.

"Let's go ask your mom about the Dragon Balls. We need to wish our dads and Piccolo back too." Goten said, getting up and leaving the room. Trunks let out a sigh and placed his hands on the glass of Natalie's rejuvenation tank. "Trunks come on!" Goten called down the hall. Trunks turned away and followed his friend, looking back at Natalie one last time. He ran down the corridors to the living quarters. He could hear Goten and his mother talking in the main living area.

"We have five of the balls here at Capsule Corp. but you'll have to use the dragon radar to find the other two." Bulma said, handing Goten the locating device. Trunks growled in frustration and tore the radar from Goten's hands.

<He definitely has his father's temper...> Goten thought to himself as he launched into the air after Trunks. They both blazed out of Capsule Corp. and into the sky. The sun was beginning to rise, turning the sky a brilliant orange color. The two young Saiyans were already worn out from the battle, as well as lack of sleep. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any troubles on their journey.

Natalie stirred in the rejuvenation tank, causing oxygen bubbles to float to the surface of the water. Her heart rate had slowed down to normal but she was still trapped in her own body. Who was that girl? And why was she here? She had an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She called out for someone, but her voice just echoed infinitely around the area. It was as if she were trapped in a void.

"Mom?" she cried. Her mother was her last hope. Perhaps she would be able to explain things to her.

"I'm right here." A soothing voice said. It was Queen Melina, her mother.

"Mother!?" Natalie said. "Mother please help me. I don't know where I am."

"You're safe, dear. There is no need to worry. You are just in the process of recovering." Melina replied.

"Who is the purple haired girl?" Natalie continued. Melina's form appeared in front of her, wearing her long gown and her flowing golden hair waving around her.

"You will find out soon enough. Do not worry, for she is on our side." Her mother replied, smiling. Natalie sighed in frustration. She just wanted to be out of this place. "I know you are frustrated, but everything has its time. I must go now." Melina continued. She leaned forward and kissed her daughter on the forehead before disappearing in a flash of light. The girl cried out in desperation but was met with nothing. Suddenly, a strange sensation took over her body and she felt like she was in the gravity room under 100 times normal gravity. She felt so heavy, but she could still move around freely. Then, as quick as it came, the feeling washed ver her, leaving her head spinning. Natalie opened her eyes and realized that she was back in her body again.

<I must be healed.> Natalie thought. <Now how do I get out of here!?>

Bulma was working in the lab when she heard the bleeping sound of the tank, signaling that someone was finished. She ran into the room and turned off the machine, draining the water and shutting it down. Natalie, who had been previously free-floating in the water, fell to the ground in a heap. The oxygen mask and the two wires connected to her temples disconnected themselves and returned back to their resting places. Bulma opened the door and helped the girl out of the tank.

"Are you okay?" Bulma asked, handing Natalie a towel. Natalie felt so light-headed now, as if she weighed less than a feather.

"I'm okay." She replied, feeling extremely fatigued. Her power level was just high enough to keep her alive, but was nothing more. Natalie then glanced over at the tank with the little girl in it. She was almost finished as well. Natalie shivered and pulled the towel over her body, which was covered only in wet clothing that was torn to shreds. "Where is Trunks?" she said, immediately noticing his absence

.

"He went with Goten to find the Dragon Balls." Bulma replied. Natalie then remembered that Vegita and Goku had been killed. Bulma didn't even seem to care, though. Natalie wondered if she even knew. Suddenly the peace was shattered when the second tank bleeped, announcing that it had finished. Bulma proceeded to shut it down just as she had done with Natalie's. The little girl opened her wide green eyes and rubbed them, blinking several times to focus on her surroundings. Bulma and Natalie both facefaulted when they both noticed something very peculiar sprouting from the girl's backside.

"Another tail!?" Bulma cried in exasperation. "Where does this girl come from?" The girl just looked back at her tail curiously and swished it through the air. Natalie then swished hers as well, looking at the girl with her head cocked to the side. Suddenly, Trunks and Goten burst into the room, each with a Dragon Ball in their hands. Trunks carried the three star ball and Goten carried the six star one. They both looked pretty worn out, but not enough to be put into a rejuvenation tank. They immediately spotted the purple-haired girl, who now sported a nice, long Saiyan tail. Trunks dropped the ball onto his foot while Goten fell over. The little girl just chuckled and her green eyes lit up. Meanwhile, Bulma had burst into tears. Natalie produced a questioning look.

"Don't you understand?" Bulma said between sobs. "Don't you see why this girl has a tail?" she continued to cry. "She's a Saiyan, that's why!"

"Yeah...we know Bulma." Natalie said.

"Look at her!" Bulma shouted, pointing a finger at the highly amused girl. "Has the question of her HERITAGE ever dawned on you?" Everyone was looking at Bulma as if she had grown another head. Soon, it all came together. She had to be the offspring of either Goten or Trunks, and her appearance gave away which of the two was her father. Trunks suddenly turned a deep shade of crimson and hid his face from everyone in the room. Natalie then seemed to choke on her own words as she finally realized why the girl saw her as "mommy". This was her daughter!

"Natalie is there something wrong?" Bulma asked, seeing that Natalie was obviously distressed. The Sidran girl nodded her head vigorously and pointed to Trunks, and then back at herself. Seeing the connection between the three of them, Bulma and Goten immediately fell over and their eyes twitched. Natalie and Trunks weren't sure exactly how to react, and the little girl just looked on with a smile on her face.