Cosmic Crisis 3 - A New Enemy

Chapter 42 - Separate Ways

Ceres didn't know what to say. Her lower lip quivered slightly as she searched her vocabulary for the proper response. Sirius cared for her. Nobody had ever cared for her. Not like this, anyway. But she asked herself, did she care for him in the same way?

"Ceres..." Sirius started.

She couldn't hear him. She was overwhelmed with a foreign feeling deep in her chest and she struggled to breathe. Why was it so hard for her to talk? She looked back into his eyes again, and for a fleeting moment, she wanted to run, because she was afraid of these feelings, but that desire left just as quickly as it had come.

He began to speak again, but she couldn't hear the words. Instead, she heard the sound of her pulse racing in her temples, and felt the sensation of becoming flushed. Then, before she could react either way, he leaned toward her. Ceres forced her eyes shut and wished that she would wake up, free from the foreign emotions that she experienced. Then, she was shoved back into reality when there was a sensation on her lips that caused her to open her eyes.

A few seconds passed, and Sirius stood back, his eyes still locked with hers. She saw him mouth the words "I'm sorry", smile slightly, and then depart. Ceres stood in the room, unmoving, for what seemed like an eternity before she finally collapsed into the chair, laid her head down, and fell asleep in a state of shock.

The next morning, Natalie was the first to awake. Before she opened her eyes, she spent a few minutes gathering her thoughts and short-term memories. She sensed Trunks' presence next to her. Judging by the deepness of his breathing, he was asleep.

Natalie rolled out of bed slowly and pushed the covers back onto Trunks. She walked to the bathroom and looked at her reflection. Her hair fell to her bare shoulders, her tank top was twisted messily from a fitful night's rest, and her eyes were still slightly swollen from her tears. She splashed cold water on her face and slipped her feet into a pair of slippers before walking out the door and shutting it quietly behind her.

As she took small, slow steps down the stairs, she looked down at her stomach. Though Trunks denied it, she swore she saw the tiniest bulge. Perhaps she was imagining it. But she knew that sooner or later, it would appear whether she liked it or not. She made a mental note to talk to one of her guardians about the Sidra-jin pregnancy term.

She had just stepped onto the main floor and walked a couple of feet when her stomach rumbled noticeably. She was reminded that she hadn't eaten in a while. The digital clock in the kitchen read 5:15am. From the stories she heard, she would soon be eating more than normal. Considering she already at her fair share to feed her Saiya-jin appetite, she shook her head at the thought. Ahs she looked into the pantry, she began to pick out baby names.

Ceres was jolted awake. She lifted her head off of her arms and looked around groggily.

"Where..." she trailed off, looking around. She recollected that she was in the lab. Why? She had been fixing the droid. And then...she remembered him. She looked down at her left hand, and found Orion's medallion still in her palm. Her neck was sore, her eyes were tired, and her head spun. She wanted to lay down in a real bed, but she didn't want to go into the living quarters. What if she ran into him? Sure, she couldn't stay in the lab forever, but she wasn't ready to leave just yet. She had a droid to fix, and some thinking to do.

Yawning and stretching lazily, Reena walked out of her bedroom door, wondering where Ceres had gone. A look outside told her that it was still very early, but she was not in tune with the circadian rhythm of this planet, and she had already been awake for at least an hour. She looked around, blinking a few times to clear her eyes. Nobody is here, she thought.

She started to walk back into her room to catch a few more winks when she heard some noise in the kitchen. Her senses perked up and she recognized the ki to belong to Carina. Trudging down the stairs, she rubbed her bare arms to get the blood flowing.

Natalie was in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal and staring lazily out of one of the windows in the kitchen. She had spent the past ten minutes making crucial decisions. First, she was going to continue training and reach the super Saiya-jin state once more. She could take it, and so could the baby. Second, once the baby was born, she was going to go back to Lakeside, and at least finish high school. She didn't think Trunks would love her baby, and she didn't expect him to by any means. At least she wouldn't get her hopes up.

"Carina."

Natalie jerked and spun around to see Reena standing in the open doorway to the kitchen.

"Reena...what are you doing up?" Natalie asked. She stood and threw her bowl in the sink.

"I've been awake. I haven't become accustomed to your sleeping patterns, remember." Reena replied. "And I sensed your ki in here, so I decided to see how you were."

Natalie realized that Reena probably wasn't up to date on the news. She didn't know whether to tell her point blank, or wait for the question.

"I'm fine." Natalie lied.

"You seem tired. So back to bed then." Reena suggested. Natalie shook her head.

"I couldn't sleep if I wanted to. I came to eat, and then to train." She replied.

"Training...already? You just came out of the rejuvenation tank."

"I know. That's the point. I'm better. I can fight again. Now that I'm healed, am I supposed to give training the back seat?"

"Well that's now what I meant-"

"I know Reena." Natalie said. "Why don't you train with me?"

"Don't want to." She replied simply.

"Where's Goten?"

"He went back home late last night."

"You two seem to have hit it off pretty well."

"We have, yes." Reena said. "What's going on with you and Trunks?"

"What are you talking about?" Natalie asked, playing dumb.

"Ceres and I saw the two of you talking outside yesterday, and I have noticed a hint of tension in your interactions." Reena explained. "What's the deal?"

Natalie sighed and leaned against the counter. "Reena...have you talked to anybody since I came out of the medical wing last night?"

"I didn't even know you went to the medical wing." Reena said. "Ceres didn't even come in, she must have fallen asleep in the lab. Goten was probably the last person I spoke to."

Natalie didn't think Goten knew.

"Why do you ask?" Reena questioned.

"Because..." Natalie began, trying to calm her thoughts and think of a rational explanation. "I...well...I'm..." Natalie couldn't force the words out of her mouth. She tried...but she didn't want to grasp the concept, let alone speak of it.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" Reena asked. Natalie bit her lower lip and nodded.

Reena's face saddened and she looked at the girl before her. It was such a shame. She was the princess of the great Sidra-jin race. She had fought many battles. She had prevailed. She was strong. She had potential. And now, her life was taking a dramatic turn and she was a wreck. Her eyes were filled with pain, regret, and shame. She looked like a lost child, and she stood slightly hunched over with her hands resting under her chin as she stared at the floor, embracing herself protectively.

Reena grew angry. Not at Natalie, but for her. Her best friend was unraveling before her eyes. She remembered the cruel smirk on Hermes' face when he declared that he would continue the Sidra-jin race. He didn't care about anything except his desire to prevail over all others. And in doing so, he had changed the course of time.

The purple-haired girl walked over and put her arms around Natalie for comfort. She couldn't say anything...what could she say? Carina, I know how you feel?

"Reena..." Natalie said softly. "I will be fine. You know that. I appreciate the concern, but there is no need to worry about something that can't be changed."

"You'll be fine? Have you seen yourself lately?" Reena asked, stepping away from Natalie and placing her hands on her hips. "Your eyes are red, your face is flushed, you don't smile."

"Reena-"

"If things were reversed...and I was the one who was pregnant, and you were me...what would you do?" she asked.

"Well...I don't really know. I guess I would just...be there if you needed someone to talk to."

"So do you want to talk?"

"Not now. I need to train."

"Fine." Reena said, calming herself once more. She wished desperately that Carina weren't so stubborn sometimes.

They went their separate ways, with Natalie to the gravity room and Reena back to her room. Reena considered finding Ceres, but she decided to worry about it later as she felt her sleep hormones kick in. As soon as she rested her head onto the pillow, she was asleep.