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

Chapter 9 - Encounter

	Natalie could vaguely feel her body resting on the bed.  To her, it
was like floating.  Floating in a vast emptiness.  She could sense
Trunks' presence next to her.  
	"I have to protect them." She thought, the world flowing through her
mind like water.  "I can't let this evil consume their world." She knew
what she had to do.  She would leave this place.  She would find Orion,
and she would destroy him.  She loved Trunks dearly, but she couldn't
ignore this threat anymore.  She would sacrifice her life for him. 
Natalie could feel a tear run down her cheek and land on the pillow
resting beneath her head.  She slowly opened her eyes, bringing her body
back to reality.  Trunks lay next to her, sleeping.  She stroked his
hair, looking at him sorrowfully.  
	"I'm so sorry." She said, sadness consuming her soul.  But she had a
mission.  She had to protect them.  She arose slowly, making sure now to
disturb the sleeping Trunks.  Dressed in nothing more than her back
training clothes, she pulled her flowing brown hair into a ponytail. 
Another tear slid down her face and landed softly on the ground.  Her
nylon pants rustled when she moved, causing Natalie to use more careful
movements.  She couldn't let them know she was leaving, for they would
try to stop her.  When she had pulled on her training shoes, she walked
towards the balcony door.  She looked back at Trunks, still sleeping,
and kissed him softly on the forehead.  With that, she slipped outside
quietly, shutting the door behind her.  She stood out on the balcony,
looking up at the night sky.  She inhaled the cool, night air, preparing
herself.  Her nerves shook, telling her to turn around and go back
inside.  
	"No." she said.  "I have to do this." She leaned over the railing,
looking down at the ground.  Her ki flared, forming a yellow aura around
her body.  Her tail twitched in anticipation, and she lifted herself
onto the rails.  She stood, looking out at the sleeping world.  Slowly
but surely, she floated into the air, her hair blowing in the mild wind
that her ki produced.  When she had reached a safe distance from the
Capsule Corp. building, she allowed her aura to expand, energy surging
through her body.  She then took off across the sky like a comet,
leaving a blazing trail of power behind her.  She didn't know exactly
where she was heading but she knew her senses would guide her.  Orion
was nearby, and she could feel it.  She had felt ever since that day,
when she sat alone in her room.  That's when she knew he was alive.  
	Natalie stopped when she reached the rural area.  Making sure that
there was nobody around, she shot straight up, towards the sky.  The
wind surged past her, giving her a feeling of incredible freedom. 
Freedom that she couldn't possess.  When she was a good 3 miles above
the earth, she slowed her pace, continuing on until she stopped, looking
down at the tops of the clouds.  She then allowed her whole body to
relax, or as close to relaxation as she could maintain.  She closed her
eyes and concentrated.  
	"Orion!  Show yourself!" she cried out.  She could feel an evil
presence about her.  Then there was the laughter.  The laughter that had
caused so many nightmares, so much terror.  
	"So you've finally decided to join me Carina." The evil voice said. 
It echoed through the sky, sending a chill down her spine.  She looked
around, trying to locate the source.  
	"Orion you can take me, but leave the earth out of this!" she said
in response.  Suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged from the cloud, talking
on the form of Orion himself.  As he approached her, she fought to keep
control of her body. She so desperately wanted to get away, to return to
the safe haven of Capsule Corp, but she knew that she couldn't abandon
this now.  Orion stood, a mere two feet away from her, his arms folded
and an evil smile on his face.  Natalie forced herself to look away.
	"What's the matter, princess?" he asked, reaching out a hand and
pulling her chin towards him.  Her eyes were full of fear as she looked
at him.  "Do you fear me?" he said.  She trembled as he held her chin in
his hand.  Her tail twitched nervously and Orion's eyes widened when he
saw it.  "What is THAT?" he asked, looking down at it menacingly.  	
	"It's a -" she broke off.  "It's a tail." She replied.  Orion
growled angrily.
	"So you have a tail?" he asked, looking back into her eyes.  She
nodded her head fearfully.  A gust of wind blew past them, blowing her
hair around while it passed.  Orion laughed softly.  He grabbed her hand
suddenly and his brilliant aura appeared, enveloping his body in it's
bright light.  Natalie closed her eyes, awaiting whatever fate had in
store for her.  


	Vegita awoke with a start.  His heart was pounding so loudly that he
was sure it would awaken his wife.  He put his hand to his forehead,
wiping off the beads of cold sweat that had appeared in his sleep.  He
could sense it.  The power was intense.  Suddenly, the thought
registered in his mind.
	"Oh shit!  The girl!" he cried, jumping out of bed and racing down
the hall to Trunks' room.  Seeing it empty, he headed to Natalie's.  He
swung open the door to reveal Trunks sleeping on the bed.  Natalie was
nowhere to be seen.  Vegita clenched his fists and cursed under his
breath.  His sharp increase in power caused Trunks to awaken as well.  
	"Huh?  What's going on?" he said, sitting up.  He looked up at is
father, who was looking out at the balcony.  Noticing the absence of
Natalie almost immediately, he opened his mouth to speak.
	"She's gone." Vegita replied, as if he had read Trunks' mind. 
Trunks felt the sudden surge of power in the distance and his eyes
widened.  
	"Oh no..." he trailed off and jumped up from the bed, powering up.
	"Don't!" Vegita shouted at his son.  "We don't even know what's
going on yet...let's wake up your mother." He said and ran down the hall
for Bulma.  A few moments later, Bulma was awakened and dragged to the
science wing where she groggily searched for the enhanced scouters.  
	"I don't know what you want these for..." she said, poking her head
into a cabinet.  "It isn't going to tell you WHAT the source of the
power is."
	"Just get them, woman." Vegita said hastily.  Bulma rolled her eyes
and continued, locating a green-tinted one.  Pulling it out, she tossed
it to her husband.  
	"Here." She said, standing up and brushing herself off.  Trunks
stood in the corner, hardly keeping himself still.  Vegita put on the
scouter and pressed the main button on the side.  The scouter bleeped
and displayed several numeric readings.  
	"No, stupid piece of junk!" Vegita shouted at the scouter.  "I don't
want to see Kakarott's power level!"  He continued to press the main
button on the side until it displayed two powers.  One was fairly
strong, the other enormous.  "I've found her." Vegita said, staring into
the tinted piece of glass.  
	"Let me see!" Trunks said, jumping up and ripping the scouter off of
Vegita.  The Saiyan prince was about to protest when he caught a glance
from Bulma that warned him not to.  Trunks put on the scouter and
located the two ki's.  He almost fell over when he saw the power reading
on the second ki.  If his mother hadn't enhanced this scouter, it would
have surely exploded by now.  Before Bulma or Vegita could protest,
Trunks tore off the scouter and took off, not even bothering to open the
door before he flew through it.  Vegita cursed under his breath and
followed, leaving an annoyed Bulma behind.  
	"Oh well.  I guess you get used to it when you marry the prince of
an extinct warrior race." She said, and slumped onto one of the chairs.
	Trunks hurled through the sky at an amazing speed, with only one
thing on his mind.  
	"Why did she do this?" he thought to himself as he whizzed through
the clouds.  He was angry with her for leaving, but he knew she had
reasoning behind her motives.  Suddenly, he stopped dead in his tracks. 
He could see the blinding light at a distance, and knew she was there. 
	"Natalie!" he cried, racing towards the scene.  
	Orion sensed Trunks presence at once.  He snapped his head around,
locating the light of his ki.  
	"So you set a trap?" Orion said, turning back to Natalie.  
	"No!  I had no idea that he knew where I was!" she said, trying not
to get the boy killed.  "Please don't harm him.  Just take me." She said
desperately.  An evil smile appeared on Orion's face and he grabbed her
by the shoulders, sending out a huge shock wave of power.  The wave
tried to knock Trunks back, but he persisted, getting closer.  He could
see Natalie.  But who was that with her?  Trunks sped up, making out a
figure.  No...It couldn't be!  Trunks narrowed his eyes in rage,
increasing his speed.  When he was within 20 feet of the two, the light
began to grow infinitely, becoming painfully bright.  Natalie looked
over at him with horror in her eyes as she was enveloped in the bright
light.  Just before she disappeared, she reached up a hand and ripped
off one of her silver star earrings, throwing it to Trunks.  Then, she
screamed an ear splitting scream and disappeared into the night sky. 
The light exploded, hurling outward several miles.  It lit up the entire
sky and then subsided just as quickly, leaving behind no evidence that
it was ever there.  Trunks blinked several times, trying to focus on his
surroundings.  When his sight returned, he saw that Natalie was gone. 
He thrashed about, trying to locate her presence.  He couldn't even feel
her ki.  Enraged, Trunks let out a deafening yell, exploding into a huge
ball of energy.  His hair turned gold, his eyes green.  The massive
surge of power knocked back the stunned Vegita.  He looked up to see his
son, fists clenched, exploding into USSJ.  
	"Shit.  This isn't supposed to happen!" Vegita cursed and headed
towards Trunks.  The young Saiyan boy didn't even notice his father
approach as anger filled him, causing him to become insanely powerful. 
Vegita faded out and appeared in front of him.
	"Trunks!  Stop!" he shouted.  Trunks didn't even acknowledge his
words and continued to emit an enormous amount of energy.  Seeing no
other alternative, Vegita powered up to super Saiyan and confronted
Trunks once more.  This time, the boy noticed his father and looked on,
eyes narrowed in complete exasperation.  He saw the look in Vegita's
eyes and calmed himself down considerable, yet still remaining in the
super Saiyan stage.  
	"Boy there was nothing you could have done." Vegita said, putting a
hand Trunks' shoulder.  "Now we have to focus on finding her." Trunks
clenched his fist and then opened it to reveal Natalie's earring. 
Seeing this caused Trunks to break down again.  He was positively
angered,  
	"It was Orion." Trunks said through clenched teeth.  His rage was
boiling inside of him as he fought to stay under control.  Vegita looked
as his son in doubt.	
	"He's dead." was the only thing that escaped Vegita's lips.  Trunks
looked at his father with a reassuring look.  
	"He's alive.  I saw him.  That bastard is going to pay with his
life." Trunks said.  He was desperately trying to locate Natalie's ki,
but it was nowhere to be found.  He would head back to Capsule Corp. for
the scouters.  


	Natalie awoke slowly, her head throbbing in pain.  She took in a
breath of icy air, causing her to gasp in pain.  
	"Where am I?" she said aloud.  Her voice echoed back to her.  It
sounded so far away, yet close.  A chill ran down her spine.  Suddenly,
she remembered what had happened.  Orion had taken her somewhere.  Had
she done the right thing?  There was no helping her now as she sat
alone.  The whole world was dark.  She could see nothing, hear nothing,
only her rapid breathing.  Suddenly, something caused her power to
surge.  The force caused her to claw the ground in pain, trying to keep
herself under control.  She screamed as the energy surged through her
body.  Then, the pain left as quickly as it had come.  She was now
sitting still again, with nothingness around her.  No sound could be
heard except for her breathing, which had increased.  She called out to
Orion.
	"Miss me?" he said, his voice echoing as well.  The sound caused
Natalie to jump.  She still couldn't see anything, just black
nothingness. 
	"Where am I?" she cried, her tail swishing back and forth.  Then, it
hit something.  Something hard and strong.  She spun around in reaction,
and though she still couldn't see, she felt around on the ground with
her hands until she reached it.  "What is it?" she wondered.  She felt
it, running her hand upward.  It was smooth in texture, like metal. 
Then, it stopped.  Next there was some kind of material, like fabric of
some nature.  Suddenly, she stopped, realizing that it was Orion's leg. 
She jumped back five feet, grasping her hand as if she had just touched
acid.  Her eyes darted around wildly, desperately trying to locate the
figure.  
	"Oh, did I scare you?" Orion laughed mockingly.  
	"He loves doing this to me." Natalie thought bitterly.  She
struggled to her feet, waving her arms around in the air.  She
accidentally stumbled forward, falling into Orion's arms.  She tried to
pull away at once but was kept in place by his strong grip.
	"Orion let me go." She said firmly.  She wasn't going to plead this
time.  She wasn't going to be his weak little princess any more.  He
obeyed, releasing her.  She fell backward, inhaling sharply.  "Where am
I?" she repeated, this time speaking directly to him.  
	"That's not important." Orion said.  She could hear him shifting,
probably folding his arms.  "What is important is that you're here with
me." Natalie shuddered.  She wanted so desperately to get out of there. 
But she didn't even know where "there" was.  She forced herself to
speak, her voice quivering.  
	"Why do you want me so badly?" she asked.  "Can't you see that I
like it on Earth?  Why won't you just leave me alone?" Orion narrowed
his eyes.
	"Princess, you love Earth because it's the only home you've known."
Orion started.  "If you come with me, you would have anything and
everything.  With that perspective, Earth would be nothing more than a
grain of sand in the hourglass." He said.  Natalie was becoming angry
with him for taking her home so lightly.  
	"I don't want that perspective!  I have everything I could possibly
want." She argued.  "If you really want the best for me, you will leave
me and the earth alone.  There are plenty of other things out there for
you to pursue."
	"It's your destiny to be with me!" Orion said, almost shouting at
the girl.  "Have you forgotten your past?" 
	"I don't want that past!  I am Natalie.  I'm not princess Carina of
Vela or anything else." She shouted back.  
	"But you ARE Carina." Orion said.  Suddenly, the room lit up,
startling her.  She blinked her eyes and looked around.  She could see
Orion standing before her, his arms crossed.  "Look at yourself!" he
said.  Natalie looked down at her hands.  She was still the same person.
 Tears began to stream down her face and she looked up at Orion.  
	"I won't let you do this to me!" she cried.  She was finished with
trying to negotiate with him.  She stood up, preparing to attack him,
when her ki surged again, causing her to double over in pain.  She
gritted her teeth and tried to stand, only falling onto the floor.
	"No, no, no, princess." He said.  "Not this time.  I took this into
consideration before I returned to earth." She looked up at him,
enraged.  Suddenly, she felt something on the back of her neck.  She
reached for it, her ki surging again.  "It's this great little device
that locks onto a person's ki and controls it." Orion explained.  
	"Get this off me, NOW!" she screamed, trying to power up. 
Unfortunately, Orion wouldn't allow it.  
	"I'll remove it as soon as you decide to join me." He said.  
	"Then I guess it's staying on." She said bitterly.  Orion laughed at
her fate.  
	"Stubborn, I see.  No matter.  I'll change that." He said, stepping
closer to her.  She backed away, looking at him threateningly.  
	"Don't touch me." She said in a low, menacing tone.  
	"My, my.  Aren't we feisty tonight?" he said.  Suddenly, he lurched
forward and grabbed her neck.  She tried to pull away but there was no
use in trying.  He then placed his palm to her forehead.  Then, his hand
started to glow intensely.  Natalie's eyes widened in terror and she
used all of her strength to try to escape, but Orion held on.  Soon, her
whole body went numb.  One by one, her senses started to dissipate.  She
couldn't move, even if she had a chance of getting away.  Another tear
slid down her cheek and onto Orion's hand.  He looked down at it and
then back into her eyes, smiling evilly.  This was the last thing she
saw.