Cosmic Crisis 3 - A New Enemy

Chapter 2 - Airline Adventures part 2

Natalie stirred in her sleep. She had been fortunate to drift off during the long flight. The bad part was, everyone else was awake on account that it was only 8:30, their time. Pan and Bra were playing with their dolls, while Trunks and Goten sat in their seats with absolutely nothing to do. Gohan was in the back of the cabin, reading a book on physics, while Videl flipped through a magazine, looking bored. Bulma was working on her laptop, trying to design an advanced version of the Hope time machine, and Vegeta was dozing next to her.

The young Sidra-jin girl was having a nightmare. This wasn't a good sign, since she seemed to be prone to them, especially whenever her subconscious sensed an impending enemy. Trunks watched her with interest as she tossed vigorously in the airplane seat. She let out a muffled cry and her aura flared, lighting up the airplane cabin and startling all of the passengers. Even Dr. Briefs saw the flash, sitting in the cockpit. Trunks took immediate action and jumped from his seat to the one next to her, shaking the girl furiously. She still hadn't awakened, and had now started trying to beat Trunks away from her, for she thought that he was trying to attack her.

"Natalie!" Trunks said, grabbing her shoulders and gripping them tightly. Suddenly, she snapped back to reality, looking terrified while she took rapid breaths. She then realized that everyone was staring at her and immediately turned bright red.

"Uh-uh...I g-guess I was having a nightmare..." she said, shrinking back into her seat and curling into a little ball. Everyone then went back to whatever they had been doing previous to the little episode. She could hear Vegeta mumble something about the fact that Orion had better be dead this time. Trunks plopped into the seat next to the girl, trying not to make her nervous.

"What was it about?" he asked her. She muttered something under her breath, not even bothering to look back at him. "What?" Trunks asked.

"I said it was nothing. I can't even remember it anyway." She replied, this time in a louder tone.

"Nat, you could've ripped the airplane to shreds!" he said, almost in a joking tone of voice. She looked back at him with a bitter expression. "Whoa. What's wrong with you?" he said, backing up a bit from the girl.

"Don't you know when to leave someone alone?" she said, crossing her arms and staring straight ahead. She desperately wished that she could sleep peacefully without threatening everyone around her. Meanwhile, Goten was watching through the crack between the seats with a smirk on his face.

<They fight like a married couple.> he thought, smiling inside. Obviously Natalie was sensitive to certain things, and nightmares were one of them.

"Aww, come on Natalie. You look so cute when you're mad." Trunks joked, punching her on the arm playfully. She just sighed and sunk back into her seat, staring out the window. The sun was now set and the stars glittered in the night sky. She saw a rather bright star twinkling, wondering about her home planet, Vela, and if she would ever be able to learn more about her past. It was quite frustrating to her. At least Trunks knew of his origins. She didn't even know her real parents.

Trunks watched her curiously. He could sense that something was bothering her...just by the look on her face. But he didn't want to disturb her, for he knew that she could have short temper at times.

<Must be her Saiya-jin side surfacing...> he chuckled to himself. His dad was the same way.

Vegeta sat in his seat, his arms crossed. He could sense something bothering that girl. And he didn't like it.

"What's the matter?" Bulma asked, looking over at her husband. Vegeta just grunted in reply.

"Hey Bulma!" Goku yelled, appearing in the aisle next to where Vegeta was sitting. His voice was so loud that Vegeta jumped in surprise, becoming greatly annoyed.

"Kakarotto..." Vegeta muttered under his breath.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up from her laptop.

"Where does your dad keep the food capsules? I already finished the fifteen that Mrs. Briefs gave me." He said, burping. Bulma and Vegeta produced sweat drops, not bothering to reply. "Hmm...oh well!" Goku said, frolicking down the aisle towards the cockpit to get another serving of food.

By now, Natalie had rested her head on Trunks shoulder, half asleep in this position. Suddenly, Goku's cries of joy were heard through the plane, waking her with a start, much to her annoyance. She opened her eyes slowly, focusing on her surroundings.

"Kakarotto no baka..." she said with an irritated tone of voice. Trunks tried not to laugh and put his arm around her, resting his head on hers. Just as they had gotten comfortable, Bra walked up and jumped right into Trunks' lap, landing in a rather...bad spot. Trunks turned a strange shade of blue and winced before doubling over. Goten, who had seen it happen, had a look on his face that read, "That HAD to hurt".

"You're so funny, Niichan!" Bra cried, slapping him on the back before she leapt back into the aisle, heading towards Vegeta's seat.

"Trunks...?" Natalie said, lifting up a few strands of his hair to see his face with a rather painful expression on it. She glanced over to see Pan snickering from her seat. Finally, Trunks regained his composure and shot daggers at his sister with his eyes. Natalie slapped herself on the head and fell back into the seat.

"DESSERT'S HERE!" Mrs. Briefs shouted, causing everyone on the entire plane to jump three feet out of his or her seats. The perky, blonde haired woman came strolling out of the cockpit holding a silver tray of various cakes and pies. Natalie casually looked up from fiddling with the radio on the armrest and grew wide-eyed when she saw the confections. She waited in anticipation as Mrs. Briefs served Goku and Chi-chi, who were in the front, until she was at Bra and Pan's seats, which were across the aisle from the teenagers. When Mrs. Briefs leaned over, Natalie almost fell out of her seat from leaning over to get a closer look at the treats.

"What would you like, sweetie?" the woman asked kindly. Natalie stuttered as she struggled to make a decision.

"U-um...I'll have..." she said, twisting her hair in that agonizing moment. How she wished to just devour them all and enjoy each one. <Damn why do some decisions have to be so difficult?> she thought to herself.

"We'll take them all." Trunks blurted out, grabbing the entire tray out of her hands. Natalie and Goten looked at the boy in shock.

"Oh, dear. I should've brought more capsules." Mrs. Briefs said and headed back towards the front. Trunks, Goten, and Natalie all headed toward the back of the plane, passing everyone on the way. At the end of the aisle was a curtain. Trunks pulled it back to reveal a door, which he opened cautiously. Natalie and Goten followed, peering around the corners curiously. Inside were a sofa, a few chairs, and a round table in the center, as well as a TV mounted on the wall in the far right-hand corner.

"It's Ojiisan's recreation room. I'm the only one who knows about it besides him." Trunks snickered. He sat the tray down on the table and pulled up one of the larger, more comfortable chairs and sank into it. "Well come on." He said, motioning for them to join him. Goten let out a cry of joy and leaped onto the sofa like a little boy, while Natalie made a mad dash for the dessert plate. Her eyes lit up as she scanned the plate, reaching for a fork in the process, but noticing that there weren't any.

"Uh..." she said, looking down at the tray and then back up at Trunks. However, she wasn't going to let this slight disadvantage deter her, so with a "what the hell" look, she simply reached and broke off a bite of cake with her hand. Trunks let out a combination of a laugh and a sigh, rolling his eyes as she popped the bite into her mouth. "What!?" she said, her mouth full of cake. She then noted the ridiculousness of her appearance, as her cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk and her hands had icing smeared on them. An evil grin appeared on her face and she looked at Trunks slyly.

"Natalie...? Natalie what are you doing?" Trunks said, backing against the back of his chair with a worried expression. He knew that look meant that she was scheming, and it usually involved him and a heavy dose of embarrassment. Suddenly, she hurled her fists toward him, smearing cake icing all over his face and in his hair. Goten laughed hysterically from where he sat, and Natalie shot him a "you're next" glare, causing him to back away like a frightened child. Trunks then took her by surprise and grabbed a handful of cake, smashing it right in her face. She cried out in surprise, wiping globs of icing off of herself and licking it off of her fingers happily. The purple-haired boy laughed with delight and seemed to transform from the fierce, strong-willed warrior that everyone knew into a little schoolboy playing in the mud. Goten was happy to see his friend like this, and so was Natalie. The trio continued to make mischief, just for the sake of delight. By this time, the rest of the passengers were beginning to tire, as the journey had been very tolling. Bulma had already settled down, burying her head into Vegeta's right shoulder, gripping his arm and wrapping her own around him. He didn't like to show it, but he really loved his mate. Suddenly, his state of contentment was shattered when Goku began snoring once more. Chi-Chi turned red in the face and held his nose shut to waken him.

"Huh? Wha -?" Goku broke off. Chi-Chi had a look on her face that was mixed between anger and embarrassment. "Was I snoring again, honey?" he said, yawning. Chi-Chi just nodded a pathetic "yes". "Oh, sorry. It usually only happens when I sleep on my back." Goku finished and rolled over on his side, falling right back into deep sleep. Pan and Bra had fallen asleep as well, their arms and legs tangled together as they slept fitfully. Gohan had fallen asleep in the back with his glasses on, and Videl was struggling to keep her eyes open. Suddenly, Dr. Briefs' voice came in over the intercom.

"Uh...attention passengers. We still have three and half hours to go, so get comfortable. I'll be turning out the lights in the cabin in a few, so if you have any preparations to make, make them quick. Enjoy the rest of the flight!"

Bulma had now awoken and was rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Are you going to sleep, dear?" she said to her husband, trying to suppress a yawn Vegeta grunted a reply and shifted positions in his seat, attempting to get comfortable, which isn't really possible on a Trans-Pacific flight. She took this as a yes and snuggled up to him. She could almost detect a slight smile form on his lips as she rested her head on his chest and took her last deep breath before settling in. Videl, by now, had managed to untangle the two young girls and tuck them in, as well as get herself and her husband to sleep. She took small, short breaths as she rested peacefully next to her husband. Chi-Chi and Goku had also managed to get comfortable and fall asleep. Just then, the lights dimmed and then faded out completely, allowing darkness to sink in.

Meanwhile, Natalie, Goten, and Trunks had all fallen asleep in very peculiar positions on the floor of the recreation room. Bits of cake strewn about the floor made it apparent that they had had a massive food fight. Natalie was curled up into a fetal position, resting on her left side with Trunks and Goten on either side of her, sandwiching her in the middle. The lights went out in the recreation room as well, giving the three a sense of comfort and protection as the jet soared through the night sky.