Cosmic Crisis

Cosmic Crisis
Chapter 13 - The Battle

    Okay this is the big chapter that has been long anticipated! It may get a bit violent in some scenes, so if you don't like that kind of stuff I suggest you read with caution. Hey, what did you expect from a DBZ fanfic? Also, there isn't much hand-to-hand combat in this, it's mainly ki attacks and such. Enjoy!

    Natalie and the two saiyan warriors stood speechless as the figure hovered ominously only feet away from them. She tried to speak once again, but only sounds came out.
    "What's the matter? Weren't expecting me?" he said with an evil grin on his face. He didn't know about the dream she had that night, so he figured that she had no idea of who he was.
    "My dear, sweet princess. Don't you know who I am?" he said, getting closer to the three. "And who are these weaklings?" he said, gesturing to Trunks and Vegita. They snarled, but kept themselves calm, trying not to reveal their power just yet. Orion laughed mockingly at them.
    "Th-these are my friends." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She was beyond shock. His presence made her extremely jittery, and yet it felt all too familiar for some reason.
    "Friends?" he laughed, cocking his head to the side. "Carina you don't need these pathetic human friends any longer." He said.
    "Hey! Who are you calling pathetic?" Vegita said with an angered look on his face.
    "Why you, of course. What else would I expect from an earth-child?" the warrior replied.
    "Earth-child my ass! I am Vegita, Prince of Saiyans!" he said, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth.
    "Saiyans? You mean there were some left?" he asked, surprised.
    "How did you know about - " Vegita broke off.
    "Oh, I know all about planet Vegita and it's destruction. Yes, it was Freeza, wasn't it?" he said, gathering his thoughts. "I remember that pathetic slime. We could have finished him off, but he did out dirty work for us."
    "W-what?" Vegita said, trying to control his temper.
    "Oh, yes. It was my father, the great Hesperos, who was really responsible for the planet's destruction. You see, Planet Vegita was home to a race of beings who were relatively weak and feeble, but we didn't want to take any chances, so we persuaded Freeza to destroy them. We spoke of rumors of the race plotting against him." He said proudly. Vegita was desperately trying to keep his rage down, to save his strength. Orion could see this, and laughed, further enraging Vegita. Trunks was in shock, and Natalie wasn't even sure if he was aware of the situation.
    "Then what of you?" Orion asked, turning to Trunks. "Are you an earthling or some other alien freak?" Trunks snapped out of his daze-like stance and glared angrily at the threat. "My, my. If looks could kill." Orion said, looking at the boy with mocking eyes.
    "Then you would be ten feet underground." Trunks said, finishing Orion's remark. "Your overconfidence will be your undoing." He said, his voice full of rage. Orion just laughed once more.
    "I'm assuming you must be saiyan as well, judging by your attitude. So then what are you doing here with my princess?" Orion asked, crossing his arms.
    "She isn't your princess, and never will be." Trunks said, looking at Orion with a lethal glare. Orion's expression changed from amused to angered.
    "Don't tell me what she is and isn't. You obviously don't know who I am, nor she." He said, looking over at Natalie, who backed up a few inches. "You must not either, I presume." He said to her.
    "N-no." she lied.
    "You are princess Carina of the universe Omega." He began. "And your destiny lies with me. Not these saiyan weaklings."
    "They aren't w-weaklings." She argued.
    "Comparatively speaking, they are. Do you not know of your heritage, your past, and your fate?" he questioned.
    "I-I have no idea what you are talking about." She said, lying once again. Orion just sighed.
    "Then I guess I will have to tell you. You have descended from the royal family of Vela, superpower of the Omega universe. You were the queen's only offspring, and were destined to inherit the throne on your eighteenth birthday." He explained. "My father, the great Hesperos, was one of the queen's subjects. He became angry with her because he was constantly living in her shadow. So he came up with a plan. He would take the throne for his own, and have us join in marriage to become king and queen of Omega. Unfortunately, the queen wasn't going to let him overpower her easily, so she foolishly confronted him in a battle. Your mother, Queen Melina, erased your memory and sent you away, preventing you from ever knowing who you really were." He said, and then paused. "Then she killed my father, and destroyed the planet Vela, to prevent him from achieving his goal." He said, with hate in his voice. "Fortunately, my father had been cautious and put me in a state of suspended sleep for a period of 1 year, where I would be freed to find you and once again, join together and claim the universe as our own." He finished. Natalie was, by now, on the verge of tears. Trunks and Vegita were staring in utter disbelief at the girl.
    "I don't want to leave this planet." She said to Orion.
    "Oh but you will. Too bad you don't see things my way, princess. A life with me would yield you anything that you desired, and we would rule Omega with an iron fist. Do you not want that for yourself?" he asked her.
    "N-no. I am just fine where I am. Please go, and never return." She pleaded, for she had heard more than she wanted to already.
    "I can't let you do that my dear." He said, and reached his hand out, grabbing her arm. Trunks became furious and grabbed his hand, throwing him backwards.
    "Don't touch her." He said, the lethal look on his face remaining. Orion narrowed his eyes.
    "What did you just say?" he said, his voice becoming full of rage. His armor began to glow a dull red color, and then brightened to a yellow-orange. Trunks' look changed from anger to fear. Orion pointed his index finger a foot away from his face and powered up an attack. Natalie trembled.
    "It's too bad you didn't do this the easy way. Now you will die." He said, and prepared to blast Trunks in the heart.
    "No!" Natalie screamed, and jumped in front of Trunks just as the beam left Orion's fingers. It shot her left arm and left a burn mark. Blood dripped from her wound, as she grasped her arm in pain.
    "Carina!" Orion shouted, and then glared angrily at Trunks again. By this time, Vegita had given up on controlling his power. His ki was glowing bright yellow and his hair turned gold. His muscles bulged and his eyes turned from black to a deep green color. Natalie looked at him in surprise and soon recognized the transformation from Goten's attempt before.
    "I suggest you leave this planet immediately." Vegita said with a serious expression in his voice.
    "I don't think so, saiyan trash. You will be the ones to suffer."
    "Stop this!" Natalie screamed. Orion and the two saiyans looked at her in surprise. "There is no need for violence! I will not join you!" she screamed furiously, as her own ki flared its familiar bright blue color.
    "But you will, princess." He said, and fired at Trunks, catching him off guard. The blast knocked him off balance and he fell to the ground with a sickening thud. His face was twisted in pain as he struggled to get on his feet. Natalie looked down at him and became angrier with Orion. He then shot the boy again with a more powerful blast, causing the earth around him to cave in. When the dust settled, Trunks lay in the center of a crater, with debris covering half of his body. He tried to move, but his body was paralyzed. Vegita looked at the crater with angered eyes and his aura began to glow brighter. He turned back at Orion.
    "How dare you come here and hurt innocent people, for the sake of your own amusement!" he shouted at the warrior. "I will make sure that this time will be your last." He said gravely, and powered up an attack. He threw his power at Orion for all his worth and the energy surrounded the area, producing a blinding white light. When the attack was finished, they all opened their eyes again and saw Orion standing at ground zero, unscathed.
    "What!?" Vegita said, his eyes widened.
    "You underestimated my power, foolish saiyan." He said, and blasted Vegita. The beam went through his chest, narrowly missing his heart. Vegita fell backward, and coughed up blood. "Heh. Weak being." Orion said. Natalie looked at the sight with fear, anger, hate, and helplessness all in one. Her body wasn't reacting to the situation. Orion shot Vegita again, causing him to fall to the earth as well, landing a few feet away from Trunks. Blood poured from his wound as pain shot through his body like a thousand knives as he struggled to breathe.
    "Come with me, princess, and leave these foolish beings to die." Orion said. Natalie didn't move, but only looked at him with sheer terror on her face. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." He said. She still didn't move, and her eyes welled up with tears. "You belong with me." He said, and began to glow. A force hit Natalie like a ton of bricks and her face lost its expression. Suddenly, she lost all control over her body as she hung in the air. Orion reached out to her, and her body slowly drifted towards him. She seemed to be lifeless, and floated into Orion's arms. Tears continued to run down her cheeks as they poured from her lifeless eyes. Trunks looked up at them and struggled to speak. Orion pulled the princess closer; their aura's glowing brighter. Soon, they were mere inches from each other. Vegita looked up as well, observing the horrific sight. He knew that he had to do something but couldn't will his muscles to move. Orion leaned toward the girl, intending to kiss her. She hung helplessly in the air, her face stained from tears. She seemed to be powerless, as he was controlling her body.
    "Natalie, no!" Trunks shouted, and struggled with all his might to stand up. His body screamed with protest, but he kept on. He crawled out of the crater and lifted himself onto his knees. Orion's hand reached out and held her chin up, getting closer and closer. Trunks trembled under the massive amount of pain, but couldn't give in. He powered up a weak ki blast, but it dissipated. He tried once more, but failed. "Natalie!" he shouted to the girl, but she was unaware of his cries. Orion's lips met hers, and their aura's joined together, glowing with an intense blue color, surging with power. She closed her eyes and the warrior had complete control over her. Trunks screamed with anger, looking up at the two. He powered up to super saiyan, and struggled to lift into the air. He fired at Orion, breaking his control over the princess. She jumped back, and gasped for air, her muscles tense and her eyes forced shut as her body went rigid. She lost all energy and fell to the earth, landing unconscious next to Vegita. Orion looked at Trunks with pure rage.
    "How dare you attack me!" he shouted at the boy. Trunks fired another blast, but it bounced harmlessly off his aura. He fired many more times, but they were all deflected or absorbed. Orion laughed evilly, and powered up. Trunks knew he didn't stand a chance, but stood his ground. He knew he had nothing left to offer, for this warrior was too strong. He thought about his mother, sitting alone at Capsule Corp. He thought about his father, lying in pain on the ground below him. He thought about Natalie lying unconscious on the ground, not aware of what was happening. His eyes welled up, and tears began to stream down his cheeks. He clenched his fists, and prepared to take the beating. Orion just laughed once again, readying his attack.
    "So you have finally realized how foolish it was to come against me. Now you will feel true pain." He said, and aimed his attack at the helpless saiyan and fired. Trunks forced his eyes shut as the energy slammed into his already beaten body, surrounding him as he screamed in pain. Orion laughed and poured out more energy. Vegita looked up in horror as his son was being killed in front of his eyes. Orion sent one final wave of raw power at Trunks' body. He fell to the ground and landed next to the unconscious Natalie. Trunks used the last of his energy to reach his hand out to her, placing it on hers.
    "I-I love you..." he said, and then closed his eyes. His body trembled in pain and then stopped, as one final tear slid down his cheek, and landed in the dust. He was dead.
    Suddenly, Natalie's eyes shut tightly, as if she was in pain, and she gritted her teeth. Her ki flared and she forced her eyes open, looking into the sky. Her eyes stung, and she looked over at Vegita, who was in shock, and then turned her head. She looked in Trunks' direction, and witnessed his dead body lying next to hers. She widened her eyes in horror, and grasped his hand. More tears slid down her face and she frantically rested her head on his chest, checking for a heartbeat, but found none. She sat up and cried out to the sky, her voice full of pain and emotion. Vegita just closed his eyes and listened to the sound. Orion looked down at Natalie, and saw Trunks' dead body lying next to hers. He laughed at the sight and looked over at Vegita, sensing that he was not yet dead. He powered up an attack to finish him off, as Natalie looked up at him with tear stained eyes, full of rage. She grew a bright blue aura and the ground around her began to tremble. She clenched her fists and gritted her teeth, looking Orion right in the eyes. Vegita looked on as pieces of debris lifted into the air around her. Her power level began to rise sharply, as she tensed her body more and more. The saiyan watched in surprise as she shot into the air and slammed into Orion's body, sending him flying. He stopped himself in mid-air and looked down in surprise as her aura began to grow brighter.
    "What the -!" he shouted, and looked at his princess with fear. This time, it was her turn. She threw energy blasts at him and charged at him with her fists out. He dodged her physical attacks, but was having trouble with the energy ones. He became angry and stopped in mid air. He looked at Natalie and clenched his right fist. Suddenly, Natalie stopped her attacks and grasped her head as the familiar pain took over her body.
    "Y-you! You've been doing this to me!" she said, trying to get into an upright position, but her body was doubled over. She let out a scream of pain, amusing Orion. Out of nowhere, a blast of energy slammed into Orion's back, sending him forward. He turned around and saw Goten finishing off a kamehameha.
    "Who the hell are you?" he said, angered. Goten just folded his arms and introduced himself. Soon, Goku flew up and joined him as well. Orion was hardly amused with the new company.
    "We're gonna teach you not to mess with us, alien bastard." Goten said, readying another attack. Orion became greatly annoyed with this and fired back at him, knocking him back. "What the!" Goten cried. "How did he -?" Goku fired a kienzan at him, attempting to slice him in half, a la Freeza, but it was deflected and bounced harmlessly off of Orion's armor. Goku shouted words that I can't repeat and attempted a kamehameha as well, but Orion deflected that also. He looked and saw Vegita lying on the ground in a puddle of blood, and Trunks' dead body lying nearby.
    "Holy shit this guy's strong!" he said to himself, and flew down to Vegita while Goten and Natalie distracted Orion. "Hey Vegita!" he said, landing a few feet away from the fallen warrior.
    "K-Kakarott?" He said, lifting his hand up to shield his eyes from the bright lights of the attacks.
    "You look pretty bad. But I got something for ya!" Goku said, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small bag. "Here, it's my last one." he said, reaching into the sack and pulling out a single senzu seed and tossing it to Vegita, who put it in his mouth and chewed on it. Instantly, he was revived and sat up, looking over at Trunks. He clenched his fists in anger and stood up on his feet.
    "I'm gonna kill that bastard with my bare hands." He said, and prepared to launch into the air.
    "Hold it!" Goku said, and grabbed Vegita's ankle before he flew away. "They're taking care of him right now. Don't step in until you have to; we don't want to risk you getting hurt more than you have to." He said, and walked over to Trunks, shaking his head in disgust. He looked up at the two fighters attacking Orion. Goten fired a blast at the enemy, but it bounced back, as usual. Orion fired back at Goten, knocking him back a few feet. He continued to blast Goten until the saiyan couldn't remain airborne anymore and began to fall. Orion stood over him and fired a blast into his back, sending him flying toward the ground. Goten screamed and prepared for the impact. He slammed into the earth and left a crater where he had landed. He coughed up a mixture of dirt and blood, while Natalie watched helplessly from 50 feet above. She fired at Orion, who sent it back at her, and she barely managed to dodge it.
    "I highly suggest that you stop this before I have to use desperate measures." He said, looking into her tear-stained eyes. There was something about his crystal blue eyes that caused her to become faint and powerless, but she fought to gain control and fired at him once more.
    "You don't want everyone to end up like your foolish friend down there, do you?" he said, gesturing to Trunks' lifeless body. She glanced down at him and tears filled her eyes again, for she knew that she couldn't help him any longer. She looked back at Orion and held her hand above her hand, gathering a tremendous amount of energy.
    "Akiyah...!" she shouted, and brought her hand down, aiming her attack at his chest. Orion looked on with a surprised expression on his face. "...Meh!" she screamed and finished the attack. The energy hit Orion like a cement wall, and sent him flying backward. He regained his composure and he looked up at the girl with menacing eyes. Suddenly, Goten smacked him from behind, sending him flying forward toward Natalie. Unfortunately, she didn't dodge in time, and Orion smacked into her. Orion took the opportunity and grabbed her by the back of the neck, and turned to face Goten.
    "One more move, boy, and I will severely damage this girl's body." He said, gripping her neck tighter, which caused her to whimper in pain.
    "Leave her out of this!" Goten said, preparing an attack.
    "Go on, shoot me." He said, grinning evilly. "You'll only endanger her life as well."
    "G-Goten...d-don't." Natalie said, trying to breathe. His grip was blocking her windpipe, therefore cutting off her oxygen supply. Goten finally let his attack dissipate, and dropped his hands down to his sides.
    "There. That's better." Orion said, and threw Natalie's weak body toward the earth. She was on the verge of losing consciousness, and couldn't gather the strength to boost herself back up. She closed her eyes and awaited the impact, but someone caught her before she hit the ground. She turned around feebly and saw Vegita holding her. He set her on the ground gently as she coughed and gasped for air. As he prepared to fly up to the battle scene, Goku stopped him again.
    "Let me go, Kakarott!" Vegita shouted, and attempted to break free.
    "No. You stay here with the girl and I'll go." He said, and shot into the air. He joined the badly beaten Goten.
    "Hey!" He called out to Orion, who spun around. "Why don't you leave him alone and fight with me now?" he said, getting into position.
    "Sure. Let me just get rid of the crowd." He said, and fired at the weakened Goten. He cried out in pain and was sent flying towards to the ground and landed with a thud. He coughed up some more blood as Natalie rushed over to where he was lying.
    "That wasn't necessary!" Goku shouted, and gathered energy.
    "That's okay. It makes for good entertainment." He laughed. Goku threw his energy at the warrior, who sent it flying back. Goku dodged it and blasted Orion again. He continued his rapid fire, but didn't manage to get any hits in. After a few minutes, Goku ceased fire.
    "Oh, is that all you've got?" he laughed, and prepared a counter-attack.
    "Hardly." Goku said, breathing heavily. He did the routing stripping thing, removing his weighted clothing and wristbands (sometimes I think he does this just to show off his body ^_^). "Ah, that's much better." He said, stretching his arms.
    Meanwhile, Natalie was tending to Goten.
    "Goten! Can you hear me?" she cried, flipping his body over to face her. His face was covered in scratches and bruises, and blood was running down his chin. He coughed up more blood.
    "Goten you just take it easy, okay?" she said, wiping the blood off his face with her shirt. She glanced over at Vegita, who was standing over his son. She got up and walked over to where he was standing.
    "A-are you okay?" she asked cautiously.
    "I'm fine!" he shouted at her, obviously distressed. She backed away, and turned around to Goten, who was lying on the ground in a lot of pain. She looked around frantically, with nowhere to go, so she shot up into the air. She made sure to avoid the battle, and hovered in the air, watching the two warriors fight. Orion glanced over and prepared to go after her, when Goku grabbed his arm.
    "Going somewhere?" he said, looking at Orion with an evil look on his face.
    "How dare you lay a hand on me you pathetic earth being!" he said, and shot a strong blast at Goku, which hit head-on. Goku was knocked back several feet before regaining his composure. He looked up and Orion was already preparing another blast.
    "Damn this guy is too strong!" he thought to himself, and created a ki shield. Orion fired at Goku, and the blast surrounded Goku's shield, but didn't pass through. Orion became frustrated and poured more and more energy into his blast, until it penetrated the shield and slammed into Goku's body with much force. Goku cried out, and tried to deflect it, but it was too strong and sent him flying back once again. He slammed into Natalie, who was hovering nearby, and caused them both to fall to the ground. She tried desperately to get out from under him, but the force of the attack had them basically stuck together. They slammed into the earth hard, knocking the air out of Natalie, as she was pinned under Goku's body. He struggled to his feet, helping her up as well.
    "Sorry about that." He said, and looked back up at Orion. Unfortunately, he didn't have time to react before an enormous wave of energy consumed his body, causing him to fall back on his knees. He cried out in pain, which caused Orion to laugh and send more energy towards him. Soon, he was knocked onto his back and Natalie jumped back in horror. The force of the energy was too strong for Goku to withstand, causing him to grit his teeth in pain. Orion then sent a slim beam, similar to a laser, flying down at him, penetrating his skin and cutting a hole through his chest. Goku sputtered and blood ran down his torso, as Natalie watched with a terrified look on her face. She ran over to where Vegita was standing and informed him of the situation, and he clenched his fists and shot into the sky after Orion. He was still in super saiyan mode, and powered up to super saiyan 2. He was infuriated and sent multiple beams at the alien's body, causing him to be knocked off balance. Vegita was blurring in and out of sight, sending punches flying at Orion's armor and face. Natalie ran over to Goku who was barely holding on to his life.
    "Say something!' she said, and checked his vital signs. Seeing him, Goten, and Trunks lying on the ground caused her to break down into tears again. She blotted his wound with the end of her shirt, trying to slow the bleeding. Goku looked up at her.
    "W-who are you?" he asked, for he had not met her before.
    "My name is Natalie. What is yours?" she asked, forcing a smile.
    "Goku. Natalie...where did you come from? Are you from earth?" he asked, sensing her incredibly high power level. She closed her eyes and a tear ran down her cheek, landing on his chest.
    "No." she said. "I am from a planet called Vela. I don't even remember being sent here..." she trailed off. "Orion...he came here after me." She said, trying not to show any emotions at the time. "He wants to take me away from this place." She said, another tear streaming down her face.
    "Why?" he asked, coughing up some blood.
    "I don't know." She said, her voice barely above a whisper. She looked back up at Vegita, who was having a bit of trouble with Orion. She shot into the air and joined the battle scene.
    "Get out of here, girl!" Vegita shouted at her as he threw his hands out, preparing an attack. She backed up a few feet, but did not leave the sight. "I told you to leave!" he yelled once more, still gathering energy. She looked at Orion, who was powering up as well. "Final..." Vegita started, as the energy around his body began to glow intensely. Natalie began to back up more, trying to stay out of the way. "FLASH!" Vegita screamed, and the energy screamed towards the unsuspecting warrior at an amazing speed. It impacted with his body and exploded, sending Natalie towards the ground as a result of the enormous amount of power. She shot into the ground next to Goku at high speed, causing her to be drilled into the ground several inches. Her body was trembling with pain and she felt like every bone in her body had been pulverized. She cried out in pain and tried to lift her body out of the ground, but she couldn't move. She looked desperately at the battle sight, and observed Vegita finishing off his attack. When the dust cleared, she witnessed Orion standing in the same spot, almost untouched except for a few burn marks. Vegita jumped back in surprise and fired another blast at the enraged Orion, which bounced off harmlessly. Orion then put his hands above his head and gathered energy from all around.
    "Tsumono!" he shouted, and fired at the helpless saiyan warrior. The attack engulfed him, and his body twisted in pain as the energy surged through his body. He gritted his teeth in pain as Orion sent more power into his already damaged body. "Kamanko!" Orion yelled out, and sent another wave of strong energy towards Vegita, who screamed in pain and terror. He tried to shield himself, but his power was all gone, absorbed by Orion's attack. His body was paralyzed in pain and the warrior's attack failed to cease. Finally, everything stopped as blackness melted into Vegita and he fell to the earth, where his body lay limply on the ground. Natalie tried to get up, but pain shot through her body. She looked over at the fallen saiyan and realized that he was dead.
    "NO!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. She struggled and tried to lift her body but her attempts proved to be futile. She cried out for someone, but everyone had fallen. Tears streamed down her face as she realized that all hope was gone. She began to convulse in terror and wished for it all to end. Orion floated to the ground and walked over to where she was lying.
    "So, princess. It looks as though you will be joining me after all." He said, and lifted her out of the ground telekinetically. He brought her trembling body into his arms and gripped her soft shoulders. She looked up at him with a tear-stained face as he brushed a tear off her cheek and looked into her wet eyes. "Don't be afraid, Carina." He spoke to her. She attempted to speak, but her voice was gone. Orion lifted her chin up and kissed her once more. She tried to pull away but her body went numb and her aura flared brilliantly as it met with his. Energy surrounded the two as the clouds grew dark and thunder rumbled. Lightning bolds struck the ground and shook the earth. Gale force winds blew from all directions. Natalie knew he had won.
Suddenly, her ki flared brilliantly and she shot away from Orion's grasp, much to their surprise and she looked at herself in amazement. The ground shook as she clenched her fists and powered up.
    "Carina! Stop!" Orion cried out to the angered girl. She ignored his cries and glared angrily at him.
    "Look what you've done!" she cried. Her body began to glow a pinkish white color as millions of points of light converged around her like little fireflies in the dark, stormy sky. Lightning struck the ground near her but she was unfazed as she focused on the alien warrior who had dared to come disturb the peace of earth. She held up her hands to the sky as if gathering a Genki Dama, and cried out.
    "A...ki...yah..." she said, her voice reverberating all around the area. Her muscles were burning in protest, but she ignored the pain and continued to gather energy. Orion's armor glowed the familiar red-orange color as he anticipated her attack. "...Meh!" she screamed and brought her hands down in an open clamshell position, similar to the kamehameha pose. Enormous waves of raw energy erupted from her hands and flew and neck breaking speed towards the startled Orion. He held his hands out in defense, but the energy slammed into him with such force that he flew backward several tens of feet. The attack surrounded his body as he cried in pain and rage. Natalie then shot forward and slammed her fists into his chest, knocking the air out of him. He looked at her with confusion and wonder on his face, and tried to reach out to her.
    "C-Carina...princes...don't d-do this..." he managed to speak, but she was relentless and continued her brute attack on his body. Her power level skyrocketed and she sent several more ki blasts at him. Her aura was a brilliant blue color and it left trails in the sky as she flew at him from all directions. She was moving so fast that she left temporary images of herself where she had once been. This confused Orion as he took the beating from the girl. She flew back several feet from where Orion's body hung in the air. He had bruises and burns all over his body, and parts of his armor had been cracked. She powered up another blast and bent backwards, then snapping forward again to deliver the final blow to Orion. He had no time to react as the power enveloped his body and surged through his veins, incinerating his flesh and causing extreme pain to shoot through him. He cried out one final time before losing his balance and falling. She shot after him and planted a punch into his stomach, propelling him to the ground. He slammed into the earth with her fist still embedded in his armor and his bones snapped on impact. He barely opened his eyes and looked into the face of princess Carina one last time before she delivered the fatal blast to his face, killing him on impact. She continued to beat on his dead body until she was satisfied and then fell on the ground next to him, crying. She crawled over to Trunks' body and threw herself onto him, tears running down her face and splashing onto his chest. She gathered dirt into her hands and clenched her fists around it, her body exhausted but her mind very much alive. She wept for him and everyone else as they all lay there under the dark sky and cried out to the sky in pain, all alone.
    Suddenly her body started to glow and she raised to her knees.
    "What's happening?" he said, her voice echoing around the area. Soon, energy began to flow from her body and come together at a single point a few inches from her chest. She looked down and enveloped her hands around the strange light. It was warm, and the light surrounded her body, calming her. Soon, the ball of light compacted and formed a small crystal with a brilliant golden star in the middle.
    "The crystal star!" she cried out, remembering this from her dream. She held it above her head as the power surged through her body, and then threw the crystal into the air, where it stopped about 20 feet above the ground. A blinding white light exploded from the crystal and surrounded the area. When the light dimmed, she fell onto the ground next to Trunks and fainted from the extreme surge of power. The crystal exploded into millions of points of light and returned to her body, absorbing into her skin and glowing with life. The light soon dissipated and the area sat still in silence under the grey sky.

Cosmic Crisis
Chapter 14 - The Aftermath

    Natalie slowly awakened to a breeze rustling through her hair. She sat up, her muscles stiff with soreness. She looked around at the scene, realizing that everyone was still lying on the ground in the same positions. She perked up and turned her head frantically, trying to gather her thoughts. Suddenly, the sound of moving caused her to turn around in surprise. She observed Trunks struggling to sit up. Natalie cried out in joy and literally jumped onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
    "Trunks! Oh my god you're alive!" she screamed, putting her head on his shoulder and cried tears of happiness.
    "N-Natalie?" he said, putting his sore arms around her. "What happened?"
    "Everything's fine now!" she said, and looked into his blue eyes, overwhelmed with happiness. She brought her lips to his, and they kissed under the cool, grey sky. Soon, everyone else began to awake, as if from a deep sleep, and observed the couple wrapped around each other. Vegita looked up with a startled expression on his face while Goku and Goten looked at each other with sweat drops aplenty. Everyone stood up and had their turn to be strangled to death by the over-excited warrior girl. Soon they all managed to get back to Capsule Corp. for recuperation and Bulma passed out senzu seeds to all the fighters while dishing out lots of questions for the fighters. Bra ran into the room where everyone was and jumped into Vegita's lap with a grin from ear to ear.
    "Daddy! Mommy said you kicked some ass!" she cried, not realizing what she just said. Natalie cracked up as Bulma turned bright red with embarrassment.
    "Yep." Vegita said proudly, flexing his arms for his little girl to see. Goku walked over and slapped him on the back.
    "Good job, Vegita ol' pal!" he said with a ridiculous grin on his face.
    "Ow! Don't touch me Kakarott!" Vegita cried in protest.
    "Yep, he's back to normal." Goku confirmed, and Goten pulled him back into his seat with a humiliated look on his face. Bulma walked around the group, cleaning their wounds and wiping dirt off their bodies. It was like a reunion with all the saiyan warriors sitting together with their girls. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the door and Bulma got up to go answer it. The group could hear angered cries from the foyer and she came walking back into the room with Chi-Chi close behind.
    "Where have you two been!?" she shouted at Goku and Goten. "Now your dinner is cold and I found a grey hair!" she said, still wearing her apron. Goku just looked at his wife with a cheesy smile on his face and muttered a pathetic apology. "You two come home right now!" she cried angrily, and walked out the door. The two saiyans got up to leave. Goten walked over and gave Natalie a friendly hug before leaving. Goku said his good-byes and the two were out the door, running after the furious Chi-Chi. When they left, the Briefs family began to settle in once again. Bulma cooked a huge dinner to celebrate and they were all very happy to be together. When everything was finished, Bulma and Vegita got up to go to bed, leaving Trunks, Natalie, and Bra sitting at the table.
    "Natalie can I ask you a question?" Bra asked with a devilish grin on her little face.
    "Sure." Natalie replied, looking over at the tiny saiyan girl.
    "Are you in love with my brother?" she asked cutely, and then glanced over at Trunks who looked rather uncomfortable.
    "Heh...um...well..." Natalie started, her face bright red, when Trunks got up from the table.
    "Bra we really need to get to bed, come on let's go upstairs, okay?" he said, grabbing his sister by the arm and muttering something under her breath.
    "But I don't want to go!" she cried, and tried to break away from her brother. Trunks forced his little sister into bed and promised to play dolls with her the next day if she went to sleep. Natalie was walking up the stairs just as Trunks emerged from Bra's room and they both went to their separate rooms to get dressed for bed. Natalie got into the shower and enjoyed the feeling as the warm water ran down her back, soothing her wounds. She winced in pain when she washed her body, the soap stinging her cuts. When she was finished, she gently dried her body and rubbed medicated lotion on her arms and legs. She then put on a pair of baggy, black nylon pants and a navy blue tank top, to minimize pain from sleeves rubbing against her wounded arms. She blow-dried her soft brown hair, reminiscing on the day's events. How close they'd come to the end. Just thinking about it caused her to shudder as a chill ran down her spine. When she was finished, she walked out onto her balcony, looking up into the velvety sky. A crescent moon shone brightly, surrounded by thousands of twinkling stars, glittering like jewels in the ocean of air that blanketed the earth. She looked over at Trunks' balcony and saw a stream of light coming from his room. She flew over and knocked on the glass doors, and saw his face peek from behind the curtains. She smiled at him as he walked out onto the balcony to join her. She held his arm and leaned on him as they stood together.
    "Trunks?" she asked, looking up at him.
    "Yeah, Natalie?" he replied, still staring straight ahead.
    "I - " she broke off, and Trunks looked down at her as her green eyes filled up with tears.
    "What?" he asked, holding her closer.
    "I love you." She said, and then gripped his arm tightly as she came closer to him.
    "I love you too, Natalie." He said, and bent down to kiss her. The two stood on the balcony, embracing under the black sky on the cool night as a breeze blew threw their hair.
    A wind blew across the field where Orion's body lay motionless, embedded in the ground. Dust and debris were lying all around and the earth was caved in around him. The moonlight cast shadows upon his face and the wind rustled his spiky blonde hair. Suddenly, his crystal blue eyes snapped open and an evil grin appeared on his face as an evil laughter echoed throughout the universe.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There it is! I really hope you liked my story! It took me a while to come up with the perfect ending, but I think I did a pretty good job with this one, leaving room for a possible sequel. If you have any questions or want to give your opinion, please, please, PLEASE e-mail me at Scarlet14@aol.com. I want to hear what you all have to say and if you think writing another story would be a good idea! Just make sure to mention in the heading that you are mailing me about the story, otherwise I will probably delete it. I tend to do that with e-mail I don't recognize because it usually ends up being junk mail. Thanks and don't forget to e-mail me! ^_^
*GemStar*