Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion

Chapter 5 - Natalie's Injury

Goten opened his eyes and looked around the room. Not remembering where he was at first, he sat up, startled.

"Oh man...talk about surprises..." he said groggily and ran his hand through his hair. He glanced over to the bed where Natalie and Trunks were lying. They had both kicked the covers off of themselves and Natalie was lying on her back with her arm draped over Trunks' chest while one of his legs rested on her back, the other hanging off the side. Goten snickered. Suddenly, Trunks awakened as well. He looked around confusedly with a bewildered expression on his face. He then realized the position that they were both in and his face became flushed. Goten laughed at his friend, almost falling off the bed. His laughter awoke Natalie. As soon as she realized what she was doing, she turned red as well and looked at Goten with surprise on her face. The two just sat in their positions, frozen in shock, with embarrassed looks on their faces. Soon, everyone else had awaked throughout the cabin on the bright, sunny morning. Vegita busted through the door, startling the three teenagers. He glanced at Trunks and Natalie and grunted in disapproval. They immediately jumped away from each other.

"I should have known." He said, looking at Natalie with narrowed eyes.

"Relax, Vegita. Trunks was sleeping with me last night. He accidentally tripped on his way to the bathroom." Goten lied, trying to get them out of this one.

"Well maybe you should be more careful about where you land next time!" Vegita said, glaring at his son, and then at Natalie. They both shrugged it off and got up from the floor. They could smell breakfast being started downstairs. The three of them took turns in the bathroom, brushing their hair and washing their faces. They were STILL in their bathing suits from the night before, but so was everyone else, so they didn't mind. Natalie discreetly threw a pair of denim shorts on with a white tank top to cover her torso. When they were finished freshening up, they went downstairs. Pretty much everyone was sitting in the main room, with the exception of Master Roshi and Oolong, who were apparently still asleep. Gohan and Videl were asleep on the loveseat, leaning against each other for support. Pan and Bra were in the corner of the room, comparing Goten and Gohan's hair. Tien, Yamcha, Krillin and Chaozu were sitting on the sofas, trying to awaken. Goku was watching Saturday morning cartoons on the big screen, while Bulma and Chi-Chi cooked in the kitchen. Vegita was scouring the fridge in hope of a snack.

"Vegita! You can wait for breakfast!" Bulma cried, smacking him on the back of the head. He grumbled and walked into the main living area, plopping down onto a chair near Gohan.

"Whoo! That was great. Did you see that Vegita?" Goku bellowed as another roadrunner cartoon ended with the coyote being squished by an anvil...again.

"Shut up, Kakarott." Vegita mumbled. He was determined to make this day as...pleasant...as possible. He wasn't going to let that third class fool get in his way.

"Hey Vegita! Did you see the one where the train coming out of the fake tunnel hit the coyote? Now THAT was a classic!" Goku said while laughing. Vegita took on the appearance of a chili pepper.

"How can this...this FREAK be the strongest warrior in the universe!? Come on, he watches cartoons!" Vegita said, his anger exploding. Everyone sat up in shock, looking at Vegita with annoyed looks on their faces. Feeling cornered, he let it all out. In the midst of all of his ranting and raving, Natalie, Trunks, and Goten managed to slip out the front door.

"Man if we had stayed any longer we would've been fried!" Goten said, rubbing his tired arms briskly to get the blood flowing. They walked along the shoreline, up to their ankles in cool, salt water. Seagulls shrieked overhead and a breeze rustled their hair. They heard a high pitched scream coming from the cabin. "Bulma." Goten thought to himself.

The three of them walked along the beach, enjoying the warm, sea air. After about 20 minutes, they cautiously returned to the cabin, not knowing what to expect as they pried the door open and peeked their heads inside. They observed everyone, draped over the chairs and sofas, fast asleep. All with the exception of Vegita. He looked up at the kids with a startled expression on his face.

"What?" he muttered. Bulma was asleep, her head resting on his shoulder. Natalie and Goten tried not to laugh, while Trunks looked around the rest of the room, observing Goku lying on the sofa, snoring louder than a lawn mower.

"Man what happened here?" he asked.

"What does it look like?" Vegita said sarcastically. He was trying to pry Bulma off of him while attempting not to wake her. "What are you three doing?"

"Nothing really. We came back to see if there was anything planned." Natalie replied. She squeezed in between Yamcha and Goku on one of the sofas and sat down, sinking into the fluffy cushions. Goku mumbled something in his sleep while Yamcha made grunting noises.

"Sure...Bulma. I'll go out with you." Yamcha blubbered in his sleep. "Don't worry, Vegita won't find out..." he continued. Vegita's eyes snapped open and he looked at the sleeping Yamcha in rage.

"Why that -" Vegita started. Natalie, annoyed, got up and sat on the floor to avoid being smacked by Goku in his sleep.

"Come on, let's wake these guys up! We haven't even eaten breakfast yet." Goten said, shaking Krillin's sleeping body. Everyone promptly agreed, walking around the room to awaken the whole group. Vegita shook Bulma off of him and walked over to where Bra was lying. He grabbed her wrist and lifted her up, carrying her over to the sofa where her mother was resting. When everyone had been torn from their sleep, Kamesennin suddenly came bounding down the stairs, seemingly full of energy.

"It's...about time you woke up." Krillin said, so tired that he looked as if he were drunk. Oolong came behind Master Roshi, and together they went outside and headed for the aircar.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Vegita shouted, running after the old man. Before he could reach them, the couple zoomed off, leaving a trail of vapors behind. Vegita slammed his foot into the ground with frustration and went back inside, slamming the door behind him. "Damn fool." He said, falling onto the chair near Natalie. She looked over at him and then slowly inched away. "Have a problem, earth girl?" he said to her with a voice full of hatred.

"Daddieee!" Bra cried, waking up from her sleep. She clung to his shirt and looked up at him with her innocent blue eyes.

"What?" he replied.

"I'm hungry!" she whined. She knew that this was just the way to get whatever she wanted from him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Pancakes!"

"I don't think we have any -"

"I want PANCAKES!" she said sternly, folding her arms. Natalie looked down at the girl, hey eyes wide. Vegita grumbled and slipped on his sandals.

"But didn't Master Roshi take the aircar?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah. So?" he said, and shuffled out the door.

"You're not going to walk...?" she said, the three of them following after him.

"You underestimate me, girl." He said, and took off into the sky. Natalie got a sweat drop and hung her head.

"I can't believe he's going to FLY to the store..."

Vegita landed in an alley. Making sure that nobody saw him, he walked out onto the busy sidewalk. A stocky guy in his mid thirties bumped into him.

"Watch where you're going!" the man said, preparing to push Vegita out of the way.

"Why you pathetic little -" Vegita said, grabbing him by the collar with one hand and charging a blast in the other. People were screaming and panicking, running around the area like maniacs. The guy shook with fear and closed his eyes, preparing to take the beating. Just as Vegita was about to deliver the blow, someone grabbed his arm and stopped him. Vegita spun around and discovered Trunks, Goten, and Natalie standing behind him. Vegita loosened his grip on the earthling and the guy ran off faster than the cars that were traveling down the road.

"What are you doing here?" Vegita asked. He was obviously angry. Natalie brushed by him and turned the corner.

"Dad, you know you can't make a scene in public like that!" Trunks said.

"You should have seen him! He tried to lay his dirty hands on me!" Vegita said, outraged.

"Well that happens all the time in the city!" Trunks bickered. While the two of them argued, Goten followed Natalie. She had gone into the "International Shack of Pancakes" to get food. Natalie stepped up to the counter, getting the attention of the cashier immediately.

"Uh...yes. M-may I help you?" the teenage boy said, clearing his throat and loosening his collar.

"Yeah. I need fifteen dozen pancakes and four gallons of syrup." She said casually. The guy behind the counter fell over with surprise, immediately regaining his composure.

"C-can you repeat that!?" he said, grabbing his notepad.

"Fifteen dozen pancakes and four gallons of syrup." Natalie repeated. Goten stepped up next to her and shot a reassuring look at the guy.

"C-coming right up." His voice squeaked. A few minutes later, five people on the staff delivered nine boxes, each holding 20 pancakes, and four, one-gallon containers of syrup.

"Uh...that will b-be two hundred and sixteen dollars please." He requested. Natalie pulled a wad of bills out of her pocket and threw it to the counter. She then grabbed a couple of boxes and a gallon of syrup and headed out the door. Goten grabbed the rest of the boxes, and Trunks walked in, grabbing the remaining containers of syrup. When they all got outside, they came upon Vegita.

"I could have handled that myself." He grumbled.

"Relax, we're here to help." Natalie said, and slapped him on the back, harder than usual. He grunted in annoyance and took off into the sky. The three teens followed, reaching the Briefs cabin in less than ten minutes. They made their way through the door and plopped the food onto the table.

"Whew..." Natalie said, wiping her forehead with relief. Everyone rushed over to the table, looks of hunger on their faces. They all grabbed plates and helped themselves to the feast. Goku piled 25 of the cakes onto his plate and poured half a gallon of syrup on top. Vegita and Gohan were next, getting a total of 47 pancakes and using the rest of the gallon of syrup. Everyone else joined in, filling his or her plates to the brim. In the midst of all the eating, Trunks noticed that the aircar was still gone. He dismissed the thought and took a bite of his breakfast. Soon, everyone was full and only a few pancakes remained. Goku let out a humongus burp, startling Natalie and causing her to fall out of her chair. Everyone else burst into laughter, as they all were used to it. Natalie got back onto her chair and sat, annoyed.

Suddenly, Kamesennin burst through the door, his arms full of shopping bags.

"Whoo! What a ride!" he exclaimed. Vegita stood up and approached him.

"Don't ever touch it again, old man!" he shouted.

"Relax Vegita! I brought gifts for everyone." He said, and sat his bags down, pulling out presents for all. He handed Goku a radio for the shower (he likes to sing, ok!?), which he accepted thankfully.

"Alright! Now I'll have something to sing to!" he exclaimed, and made a beeline for the bathroom. Chi-Chi just hung her head in annoyance. Next was Gohan's gift. Roshi gave him a narrated audiotape on how to increase his social life.

"Wow! Thanks Master Roshi!" Gohan said, and grasped his precious gift. Roshi continued to hand out presents. Chi-Chi got a book titled "How to Lead a Less Stressful Life". Bulma got a gift certificate to a day spa and a spare package of chocolates. Vegita got some stress relieving aromatherapy bubble bath. Yamcha got a Pamela Anderson wall calendar. Tien got an inflatable friend, and Chaozu got some more makeup.

"Just what I needed!" he shouted in his annoyingly high pitched voice. Everyone rolled their eyes as the gift giving continued. Krillin received some pajamas with little ducklings printed on them. Roshi handed Videl a fashion magazine (to help with her tacky taste in clothing). Goten got a CD player to drown out Chi-Chi's constant high-pitched screams. Trunks got several shirts that lacked the Capsule Corp. insignia (to his relief). Natalie received a stuffed animal and Bra and Pan got dolls.

"Wow. What's the special occasion Master Roshi?" Goku asked, returning from the bathroom.

"Nothing, really. I just felt like spending some money!" he joked, causing everyone to fall over. "Was it something I said?"

Later that morning, as people were leaving to return to their homes to continue their daily routines, Bulma exclaimed that they would all have to get together again soon.

Yamcha, Tien, and Chaozu made their way out the front door after saying their good-byes. Yamcha almost ran into a tree while staring at his gift in awe.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" Krillin called, chasing after the three. Soon, only the Briefs and Son families were left.

"It sure was good to see everyone again." Chi-Chi commented, tossing out a bag of trash.

"Yeah. It was nice of Master Roshi to spend his money on us. I'm surprised he didn't waste it all on -" Goten was interrupted as Trunks smacked his hand over his mouth.

"Need I remind you that there are little kids in our presence?" he whispered to his friend.

"Oh. Yeah..." Goten said sheepishly, and cleared his throat. "Well I guess I'll be leaving now..." he continued, stepping outside where Natalie had already gone. Trunks followed and the two friends flew into the air, looking down at the cabin. Carelessly, Trunks smacked into Natalie, who was also in mid-air, causing her to be knocked off balance and fall to the ground. She slammed into the aircar, which was hovering a few feet off the ground. Her inertia caused the car to hit the ground as well. She was lying in the back seat in a twisted position with a look of surprise still on her face.

"Hey! Look where you're going next time!" She yelled up at them. They laughed nervously and hovered away from the scene. Natalie growled with frustration and tried to remove herself from the aircar, failing. She tried to reach up and grab onto the back of the seat for support, but her arm would fail to respond. She tried with all her determination, causing pain to shoot through her arm. She cried out, causing her ki to flare involuntarily, propelling her into the air with amazing speed. She stopped abruptly, realizing that she couldn't move her right arm.

"What the hell?" She shouted, looking around for Trunks and Goten. Failing to locate them, she flew towards the cabin. She stumbled inside, seeing nobody except Vegita in the main room. He noticed her off-center position and eyed her suspiciously.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"I-I don't know! I can't move my arm!" she cried, attempting the impossible once again. Seeing this to be useless, she gave in and fell to the floor in frustration. Vegita walked over and felt her shoulder, searching for breaks or fractures. He pressed a certain spot on her shoulder, causing pain to lurch through her body. She cried out in response.

"I think you fractured your shoulder." He said. "What were you doing to cause that?" Natalie thought for a moment, remembering her "encounter" with the boys.

"I got knocked out of the air by Trunks." She grumbled. She would have folded her arms, but obviously this couldn't be done. The pain increased, causing her to flinch. Vegita called out for Bulma. A few minutes later, the energetic blue-haired woman came into the room.

"Yes?" she answered sweetly.

"Take a look at her." Vegita said, gesturing to the girl. Bulma walked over curiously and inspected Natalie's shoulder. Once again, she pressed "the spot", causing Natalie to jump back in pain.

"Oh, no. That's a definite fracture. What did you do!?" she asked worriedly. Natalie repeated the story to her, causing Bulma to fold her arms in annoyance. "Those boys are so careless!" she cried angrily. She ushered Natalie up the stairs while Vegita flew after Trunks. By the time Bulma got her upstairs, Natalie was on the verge of tears. The pain was almost unbearable. She concentrated her energy away from the shoulder area, trying to minimize it.

"Goku, do you have any more senzu beans?" Bulma called down the hall. Goku popped his head out and observed the staggering Natalie.

"No...why?" he asked, looking at the girl with concern. He walked out of the room and over to where Bulma was standing. "What happened?"

"She fractured her shoulder. Well, Trunks did." Bulma replied.

"Trunks!? How?" Goku asked, surprised. Bulma explained the story to Goku. Suddenly, Trunks and Goten blurred up the stairs to where Natalie was sitting.

"Trunks! What the hell happened here?" Bulma asked with a dangerous tone.

"I don't know! I knocked her out of the air by accident! I didn't mean anything, I swear!" He cried, breathing heavily. Vegita came up the stairs soon after, an angry expression on his face. He had obviously delivered a harsh tongue lashing to his son.

"Well I think you owe Natalie here an apology!" Bulma said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'm sorry, Natalie! I didn't mean you any harm. You know I wouldn't hurt you on purpose!" he said, reaching out to her. She looked up at him, wincing in pain. "Do you have any senzu beans, Goku?" he asked. Goku shook his head sorrowfully.

"Well unless you want Natalie to sit here and suffer any longer, I suggest YOU go to Korrin Tower and get some!" Bulma said to Trunks.

"I can go." Natalie spoke up. Everyone turned and looked at her with surprised expressions.

"No, no. You stay here while Trunks goes. You just need to rest your arm." Bulma said to the girl.

"I can fly without using my arm! Besides, if I go, I can get a senzu bean quicker because I won't have to wait for Trunks to return." She insisted.

"Well..." Bulma said, looking over at Vegita. "What do you think?" she asked him.

"Let her go." Vegita said plainly. "If she injures her arm any further, it'll be her own fault." Natalie shot him a glare. He never had any faith in her.

"I'll see YOU later then." She snapped at him and walked down the stairs, followed by Trunks.

"Natalie I'm sorry." Trunks said as they headed out the door.

"Whatever. Which way?" she said, hovering a couple of inches off the ground. Trunks stepped back in response to her plain remark. Trunks pointed his index finger in a northeast direction, looking at her with an astounded expression on his face. She took off before he could say any more and he watched her figure disappear from sight.

"Looks like she's mad at you." Goten said, stepping up to where Trunks was standing.

"No kidding. Should we follow?" Trunks asked.

"Yeah. Just stay out of her way ok?" Goten replied to his friend.

"You're coming too, aren't you?" Trunks asked, turning to face Goten.

"I can't. We're leaving in a few minutes. I'll see you later." He said, and walked back inside the cabin. Trunks let out a heavy sign and took off into the air. He sat in the air for a second, locking onto Natalie's ki. Suddenly, a golden aura appeared around his body and he flashed across the sky.