Cosmic Crisis

   
Trunks' Story
Chapter 4 - Discovery

    After finishing their apple dumplings, the trio headed up to Trunks' room. The two boys sat on the bed, while Natalie sat on top of his desk.
    "What am I doing here? I just met you today, and already I'm wearing your clothes and sitting in your room!" Natalie commented.
    "Um..." Trunks started.
    "Oh well. I guess I have nowhere better to be. It's not like I'm going home anytime soon..." she trailed off. "So what were you guys talking about earlier today, anyway?" she inquired. Trunks and Goten had decided not to tell her about it right away.
    "Oh, nothing." Trunks said quickly. Natalie just rolled her eyes.
    "You guys, I'm really worried about my mom. Can I call the hospital?" she asked, reaching for Trunks' phone.
    "Sure." Natalie quickly dialed the number.
    "Room 316 please." She said into the phone. She sat and waited for a while, but hung up. "There's no answer." She said, with worry in her voice. Trunks glanced at the clock next to Natalie.
    "6:00. Time for training." Trunks said, standing up and stretching.
    "I guess I'll go too." Goten said, getting up as well.
    "Can I come?" Natalie asked.
    "I guess...if you really want to. I don't think dad will mind." He said, walking out of the room. He ran down the hall, followed by Natalie and Goten.
    "DAD!" Trunks called down the hall.
    "WHAT!?" Vegita answered from the first floor. The three ran down the two flights of stairs to the bottom, where Vegita stood.
    "Do you mind if Goten trains with us today?"
    "As long as he doesn't mind getting dirty, fine with me." He replied, crossing his arms once again.
    "Can Natalie watch us today?"
    "Her?" he asked, glancing over at the girl. "Do you think that allowing a human into the training area would be a GOOD idea?" he asked, looking back at the two boys.
    "I'll be fine." She said. Vegita didn't outburst, seeing that this was a week, human female.
    "I don't think that you should." Vegita said, keeping his temper under control. Bulma walked into the room.
    "Honey, give her a chance. If she says she'll be fine, she'll be fine." She said.
    "You humans are all the same! You think you're invincible." Vegita said, raising his voice.
    "It's not a big deal. I won't go..." Natalie said, turning around to walk away.
    "No, wait! You can come...just stay out of the way, ok?" Trunks said, grabbing her arm. Vegita started to comment, but Bulma shot him a glare. The four walked out into the training area, which was a huge room at least 100 meters long and 50 meters high. The floor was made out of artificial grass, and there was an artificial light source. In one corner, there was a gravity chamber.
    "Just sit here for now." Trunks said, and pulled up a chair. "Goten, I'm going with dad first, and then you and I go second." He said, pulling up another chair for his friend. Trunks and Vegita walked out in the middle of the floor, and began stretching their muscles in preparation.
    "So what are they doing?" Natalie asked Goten.
    "They're stretching. In a minute, things are going to get really exciting, you just wait." He said, smirking.
    "Dad, did you set the forcefield?" Trunks asked.
    "No, go set it." He replied. Trunks flew over next to the gravity chamber and punched a few buttons on a panel in the wall. Right after, a transparent wall of energy shot over the area where Natalie and Goten were sitting, startling them.
    "Don't worry, it'll keep you safe." He said, and flew back to Vegita.
    "Safe from what?" Natalie asked, confused.
    "Just watch." Goten repeated. Natalie sat and waited for them to finish their stretches. They stood up, bowing out of respect, and then standing up straight again. Vegita made the first move. He rushed at Trunks, who just dodged. Vegita spun around and sent his fist flying at Trunks' back, but Trunks blocked it with his arm and flipped Vegita over him. Trunks attempted to punch Vegita in the face, but was blocked and then kicked in the side. He retaliated by grabbing Vegita's leg and flipping him again. Vegita just used his hand to bounce back and charge at Trunks, who dodged and got a few punches in. All this was happening too fast for Natalie to follow, but she could sense where they were. She sat in amazement as the two saiyans battled. Soon, the ki blasts started. Any missed shots were absorbed into the walls.
    "Can you follow?" Goten asked.
    "Not really." She replied. Watching the fighting was beginning to excite her, and Goten noticed that her ki started to rise.
    "She has no idea of what she's doing." Goten thought to himself. Vegita noticed the increase in her ki also.
    "That girl over there..." Vegita started.
    "Natalie?" Trunks asked,
    "Yeah. Can she fight?" he continued.
    "Actually she can, why?"
    "Can you sense it?"
    "Sense what?" Trunks asked.
    "Her ki. It's rising." They continued fighting, exchanging blows every so often. After a while, they finished. Vegita commended his son. Trunks walked over and turned off the forcefield so that Goten could get up.
    "Goten! Your turn!" Trunks said. "I'm gonna take a break. You can go with dad."
    "Sure." Goten said, and joined Vegita on the battlefield. Trunks turned the forcefield back on and joined Natalie. He was sweating from the training.
    "So what did you think?" he asked, mopping his forehead with a cloth.
    "Where did you guys learn to fight like that!?" she asked, stunned.
    "Fighting comes naturally to saiyans." He replied, and then remembered that she didn't know what a saiyan was.
    "What's a saiyan?" she asked.
    "It's a race of beings. The only ones left are us three and five others." Trunks said, gesturing towards Goten and Vegita.
    "You mean, you aren't human?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
    "Well, I'm half human, half saiyan. My dad is a full blooded saiyan." He explained, and then went into the story of planet Vegita and it's destruction. When he was finished with that, he explained how his dad and Goku had come to earth.
    "Wow." That was all she could manage. "Is that why you can fly and manipulate energy as well?" she asked.
    "Yeah. Well, if you wanted, you could do that too." He said.
    "Huh? How, I'm just a normal human girl." She replied.
    "Actually, that's what I've been needing to tell you. Today when I stopped you in the street, I sensed a strong force radiating from your body. I used the scouter to make sure I was right. Sure enough, you aren't a normal human." Natalie's head was spinning. She had just met this boy today, and already he was telling her that she wasn't normal.
    "What are you talking about?"
    "Well, you have an unusually strong ki. Something in your genetics has caused you to be this way." He explained.
    "Well how come I don't notice this?"
    "You have to be trained to control your ki, as well as how to sense others. If you want, I could show you."
    "I don't believe this." she said quietly. Trunks felt a strange feeling wash over him. Suddenly, Natalie remembered her mom.
    "Oh, I need to see if she's doing okay." she said, getting up quickly.
    "Well the storm hasn't calmed down, so you better just call for now." Trunks replied. Natalie got up and went back inside to use the phone. This time, a nurse answered the phone.
    "Hi, this Natalie Holmes. Is my mother doing okay?" she asked.
    "Well, your mother is still in critical condition. The doctors are debating on whether to operate or not. Would you like me to do get one for you?" the nurse asked.
    "No, no. It's okay." She answered, and then hung up the phone. She got tears in her eyes. Instead of going back out into the training area, she ran upstairs into Trunks' room. She fell onto the bed and started sobbing. A few minutes later, Trunks and Goten came up to check on her.
    "Natalie?" Goten asked, putting his hand on her shoulder. "What's going on?" Natalie didn't answer, instead, she just cried even harder.
    "Her mother is in the hospital in critical condition. She has nowhere to go." Trunks explained. Vegita was passing by and heard the commotion. He felt sorry for the human girl.
    "She can stay here for the night." He suggested to Trunks. The two boys turned around in shock.
    "Dad?" Trunks asked.
    "What?"
    "Care to repeat that?" he asked, just to make sure he wasn't hearing things.
    "You heard me. I said she can stay here for the night. She can sleep in the room next to yours." He said, and then left, walking down the hall. Bulma came upstairs, and tried to comfort Natalie.
    "I'll go prepare your room." She said, and left. Natalie sat up, wiping her eyes.
    "I'm sorry guys. This is really hard for me right now. I don't feel very well." She said, feeling faint. She strained to see, but the blackness took over, and she fell to the ground.
   
   
    Cosmic Crisis
Chapter 5 - Prophecy

Natalie slowly opened her eyes. She could make out figures, but couldn't focus. She heard very faint voices speaking to her.
    "Natalie! Are you okay?"
    "Wake up, Natalie!"
    "Oh dear, she doesn't look too good."
    Soon, her senses came back to her, and she slowly sat up. She was in Trunks' bed, surrounded by everyone, including Bulma and Vegita. There was a damp cloth on her forehead, which slipped off when she sat up.
    "Natalie! Say something." Trunks said.
    "W-what happened?" she asked, looking around the room. "Did I pass out?"
    "Just calm down sweetie." Bulma said, putting the cloth back onto Natalie's forehead.
    "Is she okay?" Goten asked.
    "She's fine...let's all get out of here and let her get some rest. Her body is completely worn out." Bulma said, and escorted everyone out of the room. When everyone was gone, Natalie drifted off to sleep.
    "Natalie?" a soothing voice called out to her. "Natalie?" She floated through space. All she could see were stars, twinkling all around her. She had wings on her back that spread towards the heavens. "Natalie can you hear me?" the voice called out again.
    "I can hear you! Who are you?" she answered.
    "Natalie, it's time to show you."
    "Show me what!?" she asked frantically.
    "Come with me..." the voice said. Natalie felt herself being guided. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light, and she was standing up. She was wearing a gorgeous, flowing gown made of silk. She still had her wings. She looked around and saw columns and floors of marble. Suddenly, a light appeared in front of her. It began to take the form of a woman. She started to speak in a calm, soothing voice.
    "Natalie, my name is Melina. I am your mother." She said, finishing her forming. She was a tall, slender woman. She had golden brown hair that reached halfway down her back, and light blue eyes that sparkled in the starlight.
    "What?" Natalie asked, confused.
    "I know it seems confusing, but listen to me." She started. "Your name is Carina. You were born 15 years ago on a planet called Vela. Back then, your father and I were the king and queen of what you call the universe. We ruled, and were guided by the powers of the stars. When you were born, there was a threat to the kingdom. His name was Hesperos. He wanted to overthrow the kingdom and gain control of the universe. He also had an offspring, his name was Orion. Hesperos wanted you and Orion to be joined, to achieve the ultimate power and control over the universe. He came to Vela bringing terror and pain along with him. He killed thousands of our people, including your father. Left with no other choice, I called upon the power of our heritage, and tapped into the energy and everlasting life of the stars. I sent you to the most optimal planet I knew of. Earth. After you had been sent, I used the last of my strength to destroy Hesperos and rid our universe of his kind forever, killing myself in the process. Unfortunately, Orion had been frozen in a time capsule, where he would be freed to take his father's place." Melina paused for a moment. "He has been recovered, and has begun the journey to Earth to find you. He will stop at nothing to regain control of the universe. You must stop him from achieving his ultimate goal." She said, and then held out her hands to Natalie. "This represents our kingdom, and all that you stand for. It contains the very essence of the stars themselves. Only members of the royal family can use it. I have faith in you." She said, and lifted her hands. A small, round crystal appeared in her palms. It was pure white, with a golden star in the center, which gave off a brilliant light. Suddenly, the light became brighter, until all she could see was the star. Suddenly, it exploded into a million pieces and surrounded her body, absorbing into her. She felt warm all over, but very alive. She could feel its power embracing her body.
    "I love you Carina." The voice said, and then the light faded away and all that was left was black emptiness. Before she could scream, she awoke with a start. She looked around, and then remembered that she was at Capsule Corp. in Trunks' room. She tried to call out, but no sound came out of her mouth. She struggled to get up, but her muscles were extremely weak and could barely support her. She was about to give up, when Goten walked by.
    "Natalie?" he said, walking into the room. "Are you awake?" Natalie struggled to sit up, but failed after a couple of attempts. "I'll go get Bulma. You just wait here." He said, and rushed down the stairs, calling Bulma's name. A few minutes later, Bulma walked in with Trunks.
    "What's wrong with her?" Bulma asked, walking over by her side. As hard as she tried, Natalie couldn't make any noise whatsoever. She became so frustrated that tears began to flow down her face. "I think she's in a state of shock. We need to get her to the medical wing right away." Bulma said. Trunks lifted her limp body and carefully carried her down the stairs and into one of the rooms. Bulma worked quickly to take her vital signs. The heart monitor showed that her heart was beating rapidly, and her blood pressure was rising. Goten and Trunks stood helplessly as Natalie's condition worsened.
    "She won't stabilize! I need a tranquilizer syringe." Bulma said, searching frantically. Finally, she found it and shot Natalie with a heavy dose of tranquilizers. Her heartbeat slowed down to a steady pace and her blood pressure returned to normal. "Whew...that was close." Bulma said, relieved. She left the room, leaving Natalie on the bed barely conscious. Trunks and Goten walked over by her side.
    "What's up with her?" Goten asked.
    "I don't know...one minute she's fine, the next, she's passing out. I don't get it." Trunks replied. "Come on...let's go back up to my room." Trunks said, and went upstairs with his friend. Bulma and Vegita were in the living room, debating about something.
::Somewhere out in space::
    A small pod, much the same design as a Saiyajin pod, shot through the empty void of space. Inside, there was a warrior in a state of suspended sleep, with an evil smile on his face. As the pod shot through space, there was an evil laughter echoing throughout the universe.
    Natalie woke up shaking. After a few minutes, her nerves calmed down and she sat up. She remembered the dream that she'd had earlier. She slid her legs off the bed and sat on the side, thinking.
    "What am I going to do now? What if that dream was REAL?" she thought, terrified of what might happen. She wished Trunks would come in and talk to her.
    Trunks and Goten sat upstairs and watched TV. Suddenly, something hit Trunks. His eyes widened, and he perked up.
    "What's the matter?" Goten asked, alarmed.
    "I have to get to Natalie." He said, running down the stairs. He ran into the medical wing, and into the room where Natalie sat.
    "Trunks?" she said, looking up.
    "Natalie! Are you okay? I had the strangest feeling, like you needed me to be here." Trunks said, leaning against the wall.
    "I do. You have to help me." She said, looking back at the floor.
    "What?" he asked with a worried look.
    "I had a dream. I think it was trying to tell me something." She said, and began to explain the dream to the two boys. When she had finished, they were sitting on the floor with bewildered looks on their faces.
    "Do you know for sure if this Orion guy is for real? And if he is, is he coming to Earth?" Goten asked.
    "I don't know. But I think we should try to find out, for all of our sakes." She said, getting off the hospital bed.
    "You shouldn't get up." Trunks said.
    "I'm fine. I don't know what came over me but I feel much better now." She said, slipping on a pair of Trunks' old shoes that she had been wearing earlier. "Come on...let's go get your parents." She said, walking out into the hallway. The trio made their way into the living quarters of Capsule Corp. When they found the couple, they were relaxing in the living room.
    "Mom? Dad? We have to talk." Trunks said, with a serious tone to his voice.
    "What is it?" Bulma asked.
    "Well, there's a problem." He started. "We think there may be a strong force on its way to earth."
    "What!?" Vegita asked, standing up. "You mean there's someone else? I thought we had finished everyone off!"
    "Well, no. We need to find out for sure, though."
    "Come on. I have just the thing." Bulma said, heading towards the science wing. She went into the lab, and plugged a device into a large generator.
    "This thing can detect powers like what you explained, up to 1 million light years away." She explained. It resembled some kind of large telescope, with a control panel on the side. Bulma looked into the display piece, and swiveled the telescope around until it locked on to something.
    "Hey guys I have something here..." she said. She pressed a few more buttons to display distance and speed. "It's approximately 3 light years away. At the speed it's traveling now..." she said, punching buttons on a calculator. "It should be here in about two months." She said.
    "What's the power level?" Vegita asked.
    "Hmm..." she said, punching a few more buttons. "WHAT!?" she shrieked. "It's too high for it to detect! It stopped at 999 million and was still growing before it short-circuited!" The group suddenly facefaulted.
    "What's it doing coming here?" Vegita asked frantically.
    "It's after me." Natalie blurted out. Bulma and Vegita looked at her in question. "Oh, I guess I need to explain. I had a vision." She started. She began to explain her prophetic dream once again. When she had finished, the group began to panic again.
    "We need to begin preparing right away!" Vegita said. "That means extra training for you two." He said, and glanced over at Trunks and Goten. Natalie piped in as well.
    "Can I train with you guys?" she asked innocently.
    "What? You think that you would actually stand a chance against someone with that kind of power?" Vegita said, trying not to laugh. Natalie had a serious look in her eyes, however.
    "I mean that." She said, crossing her arms, Vegita style.
    "We'll have to see about that. After all, you're just a weak human and I don't think you could possible build up endurance in two months time." He replied, and began to converse with Bulma. Despite all the panic in the air, the three teenagers walked out of the lab and back into the living quarters of Capsule Corp.
    "Two months! That's all we have to prepare!" Goten said, sighing.
    "We have to work especially hard. No slacking off this time." Trunks continued.
    "Was your dad being serious back there?" Natalie asked.
    "Well..." Trunks began.
    "You think I can do it, don't you?"
    "Sure, if you really set your mind on it." He replied. "Let's go upstairs. We have a busy day ahead of us." He said. Goten said his good-byes, and left to return to his house. Trunks and Natalie went up to their rooms and began to prepare for the days ahead.
       

Cosmic Crisis
Chapter 6 - Training

    Natalie brushed her straight, silky brown hair. She was reminiscing on the day's events, when there was a knock at her door.
    "Come in." she said, putting the brush down. Trunks entered with a bag.
    "I brought you some stuff." He said, handing her the sac. She emptied the contents onto the bed. There was shampoo, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a bar of soap, and some clothes to sleep in.
    "Thanks!" she said, putting the things away. "Trunks?" she asked.
    "Yeah?" he replied, looking up into her green eyes.
    "Thanks for all you've done for me today." She said. "It really means a lot to me."
    "No problem." He said. "Sleep well." He said, and then left, shutting the door softly behind him. Natalie finished brushing her hair and then pulled out her nightclothes, consisting of a white tank top and a pair of boxers, probably Trunks'. She slipped into the clothes, and then went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she had finished, she pulled back the covers on the bed.
    "I hope I'm doing the right thing." She thought to herself, as she settled into bed. She turned off the lamp next to hr bed, and allowed her thoughts to wander. Soon, she was fast asleep.
    The next morning, she awoke to the commotion coming from downstairs. She just flipped the covers over her head and attempted to go back to sleep. Suddenly, her door swung open and her covers were jerked off of her. She sat up, preparing to deliver a serious tongue lashing to the person who disturbed her sleep, when she came face to face with Vegita.
    "Could you explain your motive for interrupting my sleep?" she asked, sitting back away from his body.
    "You wanted to train, didn't you?" he asked with his arms crossed in the familiar fashion.
    "Well..." she broke off.
    "Then I suggest you get out of bed."
    "Just give me five more minutes..." she said groggily, settling back under the covers. Before she could take another breath, Vegita grabbed her by the back of her shirt, and carried the struggling girl downstairs. He placed her on a chair at the breakfast table, where Trunks was already pouring his cereal.
    "So he got you too, huh?" he asked the groggy teenage girl.
    "Uh-huh." She said, resting her head on the table. She glanced over at the clock. It was only 5:00 in the morning.
    "Well if you're gonna train with us, you'd better get used to this kind of treatment." Trunks said, taking a bite of his breakfast.
    "Yeah yeah." She mumbled. She decided to get some food into her stomach.
    "Do you guys have any orange juice?" she asked, rubbing her eyes. Before she could blink, Trunks' hand zipped across the table and grabbed a carton of juice that was out of her sight. "Uh...thanks." She said, pouring a glass. While she was sipping away, thinking about her dream, Vegita returned to the table and dropped a pile of clothing in front of her.
    "This is what you'll be wearing." He said, and then turned and walked away. Natalie got up and went upstairs to change. She examined the clothes when she reached her room.
    "A sports bra and exercise pants. Paris runways, here I come." She said sarcastically as she changed.
    "I heard that." Natalie was startled as she heard Trunks' voice from behind her. She was about to scream when she realized it was just an intercom.
    "Oh, god Trunks you scared me." She said, relieved.
    "I just wanted to let you know that we start in 15 minutes, so you should do some stretching."
    "Got it." She said, and walked out into the sitting room of her suite. She sat on the floor and spread her legs almost to a split, and then lowered her torso so that her chin reached just below her left knee, stretching her hamstrings. She alternated legs for a couple of minutes, and then began to stretch her arms. When she was finished, she pulled her hair into a tight ponytail, and walked out towards Trunks' room. She knocked on the door, and Trunks opened the door, wearing his traditional outfit, without the Capsule Corp. jacket. They both walked down the stairs towards the training room. Suddenly, Vegita stopped them.
    "We're going outside to train today." He grumbled.
    "But isn't it too wet from the previous night's storm?" Natalie asked.
    "Not if you can elevate."
    "But I - " before she could say more, he dashed downstairs and out the door. "Great." She said, rolling her eyes.
    "You just have to get used to him." Trunks said with a crooked smile on his face. Natalie rubbed her sore shoulder. Hopefully the wound would be healed in a couple of weeks. They both walked out into the damp backyard. The skies were still grey, and there was a cool breeze blowing. Natalie shivered.
    "Don't worry, you'll heat up." Trunks said. He ran out into the yard and shot into the air. He then did a somersault and landed on his feet.
    "Show-off!" she shouted across the field. She did a running cartwheel, followed by a series of somersaults and backflips. She finished on her feet, and blew a piece of hair out of her face. Vegita then entered the backyard and shouted for the two to come to him. He explained the "rules".
    "Since this girl is a beginner, and obviously not skilled in this type of training, I suggest you take it easy on her Trunks. And you, Natalie..." he said, turning to the girl, "You will have to work your ass off for a couple of weeks, until your body gets used to the work. Until then, I don't want to hear ANY complaining." He finished.
    "Uh - okay." She replied, looking rather frightened at the towering saiyan.
    "Come on, I'll show you how it's done." Trunks said, grabbing Natalie's waist and flying to a spot in the far end of the yard.
    "Okay. First, never take your eyes off the person who you're fighting with.
    "Yeah, yeah. I know all that stuff." She said. "Get to the good part." She said, getting into a fighting position. Trunks laughed to himself.
    "Okay, then show me what you know." He said, getting into position as well. The both bowed in respect. Then the fighting began. Trunks was quite amazed at her speed and agility.
    "You aren't bad." He said. "For a human."
    "Stop it! You sound like your dad." She giggled. The two continued to spar while Vegita watched from a distance.
    "Perhaps I was wrong about that human. She may need harder training than I estimated." He thought to himself.
    The two teens continued to fight. Natalie was getting in a few hits every now and then. Trunks was trying his best not to actually hit her, but rather to block her own attacks.
    "I think you can do better. You're holding back." She said with a smirk on her face. Trunks just laughed.
    "So you want more, huh?" he said, speeding up. Natalie retaliated and began to pick up the pace as well, but was struggling to stay as fast as Trunks. Occasionally, her ki would flare. "Where did you learn to fight like this?" he asked, dodging a blow to the face.
    "It just comes naturally." She replied casually.
    "That kind of ability doesn't come naturally to just anyone. There's something special about that girl." Trunks thought to himself.
Meanwhile,
    Goten laid in bed, wide awake.
    "What am I doing awake? This is summer vacation! I'm supposed to be sleeping until noon!" he thought, as he rolled onto his back. He looked out the window and into the grey sky. He thought about Natalie, and the dream that she had. He also thought about the strong power on its way to earth.
    "Oh no. I need to train hard today. Ugh." He thought. He'd just sleep a little bit longer...
    Natalie's hand whizzed by Trunks' face. He dodged, and attempted to punch Natalie in the arm, but she dodged as well. Her ki flared again.
    "What's happening to me?" she thought as she dodged and attacked her opponent. "Is it because of that dream?" She suddenly began to get very tired. Trunks noticed that her moves were getting sloppier and she wasn't dodging his attacks very well.
    "Are you okay?" he asked.
    "Yeah...I'm just a little sleepy." She replied. Her ki flared again, and her energy was restored. She began to attack with full force again.
    "Odd..." Vegita thought as he watched the two.