Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion

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.