Cosmic Crisis 2 - The Return of Orion
Written by Erin Miller - nekochan016@aol.com 

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.