Cosmic Crisis 3 - A New Enemy
Chapter 33 - Reconciliation
Just as the group of four walked off of the elevator and toward their hotel room, Natalie appeared standing next to Sirius. She took her hand away from her forehead to reveal a tear-stained face. Immediately, Sirius spoke.
"Carina what in the world is wrong?" he asked.
"Sirius...I n-need to talk to you." She said in between sobs. Sirius looked back at the others and nodded. They looked at Natalie with worried eyes before walking into the hotel room quietly.
"Where do you want to go?" Sirius asked.
"Anywhere." She cried, wiping fresh tears from her face. "I just need to talk."
"Come on." He said, pulling her arm as he walked back to the elevator. Instead of pressing the "down" button, he opened the door to the stairs and walked in, pulling Natalie behind him. He walked quickly up the stairs until they were on floor 20. Finally, there was a small door. He opened it and revealed the warm, night sky. They were on the roof of the building. He pulled Natalie outside and shut the door behind them.
Natalie squinted her eyes and looked at the sky. The stars were out, but not all of them could be seen because of the drowning lights of the city. Still, the roof was relatively dark, and definitely quiet.
"What did he do?" Sirius asked, his face bordering on anger, though he was trying to hide it.
"N...nani?" she said, rubbing another tear away and bringing her hands down to her sides.
"What did the Saiya-jin do to you?" Sirius repeated himself.
"Sirius I tried to tell him about Orion." Natalie said, sniffling. "Ceres told me today that there was a high risk of me being pregnant, because of what Hermes told you about continuing the race. The last thing I remember is being the Shiroi no Tenshi and killing him. I don't remember being on Vela, I don't remember being with Hermes, Orion, or anyone."
"Slow down, Carina." Sirius said, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"It's Natalie." She corrected.
"Natalie...gomen." He said.
"I thought Trunks had heard Hermes say those things, and I didn't think he would be too shocked. I only wanted to be honest with him, Sirius!" she cried.
"What did he do?" Sirius asked again.
"We were walking on the beach, and he had just given me my present." She said, holding up her hand to reveal the glittering jewel. "We kissed, and then I told him I needed to talk to him."
"Did he hurt you?" Sirius asked, his voice proving that his demeanor was losing its sanity the more he spoke.
"Iie...he got really quiet, and then he started to yell at me and he went super Saiya-jin, and Sirius, I thought he was going to hit me, or try to kill me. I know he wouldn't do that normally, but he wasn't normal then. It was the look...the same look he had when he tried to choke me, right before I had disappeared that day." She said. "I was so afraid of what he might do to me...so I...I told him I was leaving..." she paused, coughing a few times and taking in sharp breaths, "...and then I left."
"Car...Natalie. I want you to stay here." Sirius said. "I will be right back."
"Sirius no! I don't want you to do anything. I came to talk to you because I thought I could trust you out of everyone!"
Sirius looked into the red, swollen eyes of his sister, and his princess.
"I'm not going to sit back and watch." He said, and then hit her in the back of the head, knocking her out instantly.
Her body went limp and fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. He picked her up and carried her toward the door, running down the stairs, and back to the sixteenth floor. He ran down the hallway and knocked on the door to the hotel room. After a few seconds, Ceres came to the door and recoiled in shock.
"Ceres take the princess, I have something to take care of." He said, handing Natalie's body to the blonde-haired girl, and then speeding off. Ceres, with a look of blatant disbelief, just nodded and carried Natalie into the room, allowing the door to shut behind her.
Trunks fell to the sand, still in super Saiya-jin form. Had he imagined those words? No...she had really said it. Natalie wouldn't just leave him...would she?
Suddenly, he felt the presence of another ki, and spun around to see a furious Sirius standing in front of him. The next thing he saw was a fist, followed by a bright flash of light, and then he was on the ground. He felt a warm sensation on his face, and realized that his nose was bleeding. When his eyesight returned, he stood up, facing the angered hybrid.
"You son of a bitch, low down bastard. How dare you." Sirius said, slinging a string of insults at the super Saiya-jin.
"How dare I what!?" Trunks cried. Then it dawned on him that Natalie had probably gone back to the hotel and told Sirius what had happened.
"You know what you did." Sirius spoke gravely. "I have half a mind to rip your throat out."
"Sirius if you so much as touch me I will kill you." Trunks countered, his voice every bit as deadly as Sirius'.
"You're a heartless ass hole." Sirius continued. "She told me everything that you did."
"It is none of your business!" Trunks snapped. "You protect her like she's five years old, she can handle herself. You're like a lost dog, with nowhere else to go."
Sirius' ki jumped erratically. Trunks had struck a nerve.
"She was in HYSTERICS when she came back!" Sirius shouted, growing an aura. "She thought that you were going to kill her!"
"Liar. She knows I would never hurt her." Trunks said.
"That's not what she told me." Sirius hissed. "I know about the time you choked her before she disappeared from the timeline."
Trunks immediately paled. She had remembered.
"I...I wasn't rational." Trunks stammered. "It was the time paradox, it was affecting us all, making us do things...crazy things."
"Give me one reason why I should let you live." Sirius said.
"Because, I have to make it up to her." Trunks said.
"You aren't getting near her, ever again." Sirius said. "If you do, I will kill you."
"Sirius she is my mate! You can't keep me from seeing her!" Trunks cried, growing angry.
"Not anymore, she isn't." Sirius said. "Move on, Saiya-jin." He then started to fly off to tend to Natalie, when Trunks grabbed his wrist and stopped him,
"Sirius no." he said. "Just listen to me."
Sirius was fighting the urge to unload his anger onto Trunks and beat him senseless. But for some reason, he was kept calm enough to rationalize.
"When she told me about Orion...I was not angry at her." Trunks explained. "I was furious at him, and at Hermes. You don't understand. I couldn't imagine her being that close to anybody else, let alone Orion. It just came over me, and I acted like a bastard."
"That's not an excuse." Sirius said, glaring.
"I know it's not. But I have to make it up to Nat somehow." Trunks said. He could feel his throat tightening. "If nothing else, I want her to leave knowing that I still love her."
Sirius narrowed his eyes further.
"Do it for her, Sirius." Trunks urged. "Just so she will have the security of knowing that I would never hurt a hair on her body."
Sirius subtly peered into the mind of the young Saiya-jin. He saw that Trunks did indeed mean what he said, and that he wanted to make things right again, but something was keeping Sirius from letting his guard down right away.
"Please..." Trunks pleaded.
"I don't know why, but I believe you." Sirius said, his tone still ominous and intimidating. "I will give you one more chance. But mark my words, if you slip up again, it will be for the last time."
Trunks could sense the iciness in Sirius' voice and knew that he wasn't joking.
Ceres, Reena, and Goten all watched Natalie as she lay on the bed.
"I have no idea of what happened, Sirius just dropped her off and ran, literally." Ceres said. "It doesn't look life-threatening though. Just a minor concussion."
"She has been crying..." Reena trailed off. "I wonder why."
Suddenly, Natalie's body began to glow faintly and then flickered out, disappearing.
"Nani!?" Goten cried. "Another time paradox??"
"Iie." Ceres said. "Sirius did that."
Sirius stood in front of Trunks and kept his gaze steady, not flinching, twitching, or even blinking.
"I'll make it easy on you." He said. Keeping his eyes locked onto Trunks, he concentrated on something, and then a figure appeared in his arms. Natalie.
"Nat!" Trunks cried, taking a step toward Sirius.
"You had better remember what I said, Saiya-jin." Sirius said. "I am giving you the benefit of the doubt here, and if you mess up, there is no coming back."
"Sirius, trust me." Trunks assured. "When we come back, you can ask her."
"You have my word..." Sirius said. He then tapped his fingers on the forehead of the unconscious Natalie a few times. Suddenly, her ki rose to it's normal level again and her body regained it's consciousness. Sirius set her on the ground gently before standing up, shooting one final icy glare at Trunks, and disappearing.
"The Sidra-jins are a weird race." Trunks whispered to himself. He then looked down and saw that Natalie was stirring. He knelt down and rolled her onto her back. "Nat-chan..." he spoke. He then realized that he was still in super Saiya-jin form and immediately powered down. He didn't think she would want to come face to face with him while he was at the super Saiya-jin level.
Natalie's eyes fluttered open, and for a few brief moments, she saw triple of everything, and wasn't able to make out the figure that hovered over her. Soon, her eyesight returned, and she blinked several times before realizing that it was Trunks. Memories came flooding back to her. She remembered breaking the news about Orion to Trunks, his reaction, and then running to Sirius. And that was it. She immediately placed her hands out, somewhat as a protective shell to shield her from Trunks.
The Saiya-jin crossbreed had expected this kind of reaction, so he was not at all surprised.
Natalie slowly scooted backward, her body paralyzed in fear. If she tried to run, would he come after her? And if she stayed, what would happen then?
"Nat-chan..." Trunks said. "Don't hide from me."
Natalie tried to summon her ki and teleport, but whatever had knocked her unconscious had probably hindered her ability to power up for the time being.
"Trunks...get away from me." She whispered, still hiding her face in her knees. "I told you..."
"The reason you're back here is because I wanted to talk to you." Trunks said calmly. "Sirius allowed it."
"I don't want to talk to you any more." She said.
"Nat-chan, just look at me." Trunks said.
Natalie slowly lifted her head and looked at the Saiya-jin.
"You're bleeding..." she said.
"Hai...Sirius did it." He said, smirking slightly. "Listen Natalie I want to explain something to you. When I reacted the way I did, I did it out of blind rage. I know it sounds like an excuse, but it's not. Do you remember earlier today when you got so angry that Goku had to calm you down?"
Natalie nodded slowly.
"I felt the same way. It took over me and I couldn't rationalize. But the anger wasn't because of you. It was because of Orion, or Hermes." Trunks continued. "Nat-chan...I love you more than anything. The thought of someone else's child inside of you made me enraged. But I didn't mean to take it out on you. Gomen nasai."
Natalie was unsure of how to act. She had never seen a more sincere, apologetic Trunks in the entire year that she had known him. She did believe the things that she said. She just didn't know what to think.
"Sirius said that you told him about the day you disappeared." Trunks said. "About how I choked you."
Natalie looked at the ground bitterly, recalling every last detail of the experience. The way his fingers were like steel cables around her neck, crushing the life out of her. The way he seemed to get some sort of enjoyment out of her pain.
"After you were gone...everyone started to act crazy. I lost half of my memories and I acted on instinct. We were all affected, because it was the time paradox that changed us." Trunks explained. "When I choked you...it wasn't me."
"Trunks..." Natalie said, finally speaking up. "I understand what you are saying. But I think...that our meeting has jeopardized the lives of you, your family, and your friends. Because if we had never had contact with each other, you would have never been dragged into the shit you've been through."
"Natalie how can you say that!" Trunks said. "If we had never met, you would be with Orion right now. Either that, or dead."
Natalie shivered and realized that he was right. If they had never met, Orion would have succeeded. And that thought made her feel worse.
"Please, Nat-chan." Trunks begged. "Please forgive me. You know that I wouldn't hurt you for anything."
Natalie didn't want to believe him, but she did. And she knew that he was right.
"Trunks...if I am pregnant with this baby..."
"I will still help you raise that child, Natalie, even if it is not my own." Trunks answered.
Natalie paused, and then looked up into Trunks' eyes and forced back tears of happiness. That was the ultimate devotion. She looked down at her hand, and at the shining stone that adorned it. A promise ring. It symbolized her never-ending love and loyalty to her mate. And somehow, looking down at that symbol of love made her feel safe again.
Trunks leaned over again and kissed Natalie on the forehead. She then brought her chin up and placed her mouth on his, and they continued from where they had left off.
The three Sidra-jins sat in the hotel room with Goten, who was currently sleeping on one of the beds. His body was sprawled out and he was lying on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow.
Reena looked at him and smiled.
she thought to herself.
Sirius and Ceres were talking about the situation with Nat and Trunks, and the possibility of her being pregnant.
"But if she is, then what of that child?" Ceres asked. "Do you think she will keep it?"
"I know her, and she wouldn't dare to abandon it. But I'm worried, because it would put a strain on...well...her relationship with the Saiya-jin, assuming that everything works out." Sirius replied. "But I'm wary of him. He has a problem with anger."
"He must have inherited that from Vegeta-sama." Ceres commented, smiling slightly.
"Still, that doesn't validate it." Sirius said.
"Sirius, I know what you need." Ceres said. "You need a mate."
Sirius looked at her as if she were crazy.
"Not me Sirius..." Ceres said, trying not to laugh. "I mean someone else. An Earth girl."
"I don't know..." Sirius said. "Sidra-jins and humans don't exactly make great pairs. Besides, I don't think the prospect of dating an alien with psychic powers is very appealing."
Ceres snickered.
"Sirius, there are other people on this planet with powers above universal level five." She said. "It was just a suggestion..."
"Thanks, Ceres, but I think I'm fine." He said. "But if you're so interested in me having a mate, then what about you?"
"What do you mean?" Ceres asked.
"You know what I mean. You didn't have one on Vela-sei, did you?" he asked. "Cronus wasn't exactly a long-term...guy...was he?"
"No, Cronus was just an acquaintance and he asked to escort me to the party. I didn't really have affections for anybody..."
"Ceres I don't think you're being truthful." Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. "I can tell by the tone of your voice."
"Just forget it, ok?" Ceres snapped. "It's not important."
Sirius wished that he could read her thoughts, but it only worked on the weak-minded, which Sidra-jins definitely were not.
"I'm sorry for offending you, Ceres." Sirius said.
"I'm not offended. I'm just..."
"Bitter?" he said, finishing her last sentence. She looked up at him in surprise.
"Somewhat, I guess you could say that." She replied.
"Does it have anything to do with...Carina?" he asked.
Ceres blinked.
"How...you can't read my mind." She said.
"No, but it's just instinct." He said. "Are you angry because she has Trunks?"
"Not him." Ceres said softly.
Then, Sirius realized what it was.
"You mean...Orion?" he asked, making sure that he wasn't just imagining it.
"H-hai." She said. "I had always liked him, ever since we were young."
"Ceres why didn't you say anything??" Sirius asked.
"I didn't want to!" Ceres retorted defensively. "He liked Carina anyway, and I didn't stand a chance against...her."
"You're tormenting yourself over something that you know you can't control." Sirius said, his voice filling with concern.
"So what if I am?" she said angrily. "It just upset me that she got him just because she was princess."
"Iie, Ceres, it wasn't because of that." Sirius said.
"I don't care anymore." She lied. "Orion is dead, so I'll just get over it eventually."
Reena, who was sitting on the sleeping Goten's back playing with his tail, looked up at Ceres and Sirius, having heard the entire conversation.
"Ceres maybe you should find an Earth mate." She suggested.
"Reena, please don't get involved." Ceres said, though politely, her voice was filled with impatience and irritation.
"I'm not, it was just a suggestion." Reena said. "Because there is nothing you can do about Orion."
"You don't have room to talk, Reena." Ceres hissed. "You're the one who can't seem to accept the fact that Belsevi is dead."
Reena's muscles tensed up and her hand clenched around Goten's tail as her anger rose.
Goten, being torn from his sleep by a painful sensation, yelped and snapped his eyes open. He felt someone on his back and turned, seeing Reena, relaxed again.
Reena looked down and realized what she had done, immediately dropping Goten's tail.
"Gomen nasai, Goten." She said timidly. "I was just...angered."
"Ne? About what?" he asked. Reena just shot a cold glare in Ceres direction.
"Are you guys fighting again?" Goten sighed, still pinned to his bed. "It's a wonder you three made it all the way here."
Ceres and Sirius just rolled their eyes simultaneously and went back to talking.
"I don't think they like me." Goten whispered to Reena. She just smirked.
"Yeah, they do. They're just weird when it comes to people." She replied. After a few seconds of silence, they both spoke at the same time.
"Where's Natalie?"
Chapter 33 - Reconciliation
Just as the group of four walked off of the elevator and toward their hotel room, Natalie appeared standing next to Sirius. She took her hand away from her forehead to reveal a tear-stained face. Immediately, Sirius spoke.
"Carina what in the world is wrong?" he asked.
"Sirius...I n-need to talk to you." She said in between sobs. Sirius looked back at the others and nodded. They looked at Natalie with worried eyes before walking into the hotel room quietly.
"Where do you want to go?" Sirius asked.
"Anywhere." She cried, wiping fresh tears from her face. "I just need to talk."
"Come on." He said, pulling her arm as he walked back to the elevator. Instead of pressing the "down" button, he opened the door to the stairs and walked in, pulling Natalie behind him. He walked quickly up the stairs until they were on floor 20. Finally, there was a small door. He opened it and revealed the warm, night sky. They were on the roof of the building. He pulled Natalie outside and shut the door behind them.
Natalie squinted her eyes and looked at the sky. The stars were out, but not all of them could be seen because of the drowning lights of the city. Still, the roof was relatively dark, and definitely quiet.
"What did he do?" Sirius asked, his face bordering on anger, though he was trying to hide it.
"N...nani?" she said, rubbing another tear away and bringing her hands down to her sides.
"What did the Saiya-jin do to you?" Sirius repeated himself.
"Sirius I tried to tell him about Orion." Natalie said, sniffling. "Ceres told me today that there was a high risk of me being pregnant, because of what Hermes told you about continuing the race. The last thing I remember is being the Shiroi no Tenshi and killing him. I don't remember being on Vela, I don't remember being with Hermes, Orion, or anyone."
"Slow down, Carina." Sirius said, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"It's Natalie." She corrected.
"Natalie...gomen." He said.
"I thought Trunks had heard Hermes say those things, and I didn't think he would be too shocked. I only wanted to be honest with him, Sirius!" she cried.
"What did he do?" Sirius asked again.
"We were walking on the beach, and he had just given me my present." She said, holding up her hand to reveal the glittering jewel. "We kissed, and then I told him I needed to talk to him."
"Did he hurt you?" Sirius asked, his voice proving that his demeanor was losing its sanity the more he spoke.
"Iie...he got really quiet, and then he started to yell at me and he went super Saiya-jin, and Sirius, I thought he was going to hit me, or try to kill me. I know he wouldn't do that normally, but he wasn't normal then. It was the look...the same look he had when he tried to choke me, right before I had disappeared that day." She said. "I was so afraid of what he might do to me...so I...I told him I was leaving..." she paused, coughing a few times and taking in sharp breaths, "...and then I left."
"Car...Natalie. I want you to stay here." Sirius said. "I will be right back."
"Sirius no! I don't want you to do anything. I came to talk to you because I thought I could trust you out of everyone!"
Sirius looked into the red, swollen eyes of his sister, and his princess.
"I'm not going to sit back and watch." He said, and then hit her in the back of the head, knocking her out instantly.
Her body went limp and fell to the ground in a lifeless heap. He picked her up and carried her toward the door, running down the stairs, and back to the sixteenth floor. He ran down the hallway and knocked on the door to the hotel room. After a few seconds, Ceres came to the door and recoiled in shock.
"Ceres take the princess, I have something to take care of." He said, handing Natalie's body to the blonde-haired girl, and then speeding off. Ceres, with a look of blatant disbelief, just nodded and carried Natalie into the room, allowing the door to shut behind her.
Trunks fell to the sand, still in super Saiya-jin form. Had he imagined those words? No...she had really said it. Natalie wouldn't just leave him...would she?
Suddenly, he felt the presence of another ki, and spun around to see a furious Sirius standing in front of him. The next thing he saw was a fist, followed by a bright flash of light, and then he was on the ground. He felt a warm sensation on his face, and realized that his nose was bleeding. When his eyesight returned, he stood up, facing the angered hybrid.
"You son of a bitch, low down bastard. How dare you." Sirius said, slinging a string of insults at the super Saiya-jin.
"How dare I what!?" Trunks cried. Then it dawned on him that Natalie had probably gone back to the hotel and told Sirius what had happened.
"You know what you did." Sirius spoke gravely. "I have half a mind to rip your throat out."
"Sirius if you so much as touch me I will kill you." Trunks countered, his voice every bit as deadly as Sirius'.
"You're a heartless ass hole." Sirius continued. "She told me everything that you did."
"It is none of your business!" Trunks snapped. "You protect her like she's five years old, she can handle herself. You're like a lost dog, with nowhere else to go."
Sirius' ki jumped erratically. Trunks had struck a nerve.
"She was in HYSTERICS when she came back!" Sirius shouted, growing an aura. "She thought that you were going to kill her!"
"Liar. She knows I would never hurt her." Trunks said.
"That's not what she told me." Sirius hissed. "I know about the time you choked her before she disappeared from the timeline."
Trunks immediately paled. She had remembered.
"I...I wasn't rational." Trunks stammered. "It was the time paradox, it was affecting us all, making us do things...crazy things."
"Give me one reason why I should let you live." Sirius said.
"Because, I have to make it up to her." Trunks said.
"You aren't getting near her, ever again." Sirius said. "If you do, I will kill you."
"Sirius she is my mate! You can't keep me from seeing her!" Trunks cried, growing angry.
"Not anymore, she isn't." Sirius said. "Move on, Saiya-jin." He then started to fly off to tend to Natalie, when Trunks grabbed his wrist and stopped him,
"Sirius no." he said. "Just listen to me."
Sirius was fighting the urge to unload his anger onto Trunks and beat him senseless. But for some reason, he was kept calm enough to rationalize.
"When she told me about Orion...I was not angry at her." Trunks explained. "I was furious at him, and at Hermes. You don't understand. I couldn't imagine her being that close to anybody else, let alone Orion. It just came over me, and I acted like a bastard."
"That's not an excuse." Sirius said, glaring.
"I know it's not. But I have to make it up to Nat somehow." Trunks said. He could feel his throat tightening. "If nothing else, I want her to leave knowing that I still love her."
Sirius narrowed his eyes further.
"Do it for her, Sirius." Trunks urged. "Just so she will have the security of knowing that I would never hurt a hair on her body."
Sirius subtly peered into the mind of the young Saiya-jin. He saw that Trunks did indeed mean what he said, and that he wanted to make things right again, but something was keeping Sirius from letting his guard down right away.
"Please..." Trunks pleaded.
"I don't know why, but I believe you." Sirius said, his tone still ominous and intimidating. "I will give you one more chance. But mark my words, if you slip up again, it will be for the last time."
Trunks could sense the iciness in Sirius' voice and knew that he wasn't joking.
Ceres, Reena, and Goten all watched Natalie as she lay on the bed.
"I have no idea of what happened, Sirius just dropped her off and ran, literally." Ceres said. "It doesn't look life-threatening though. Just a minor concussion."
"She has been crying..." Reena trailed off. "I wonder why."
Suddenly, Natalie's body began to glow faintly and then flickered out, disappearing.
"Nani!?" Goten cried. "Another time paradox??"
"Iie." Ceres said. "Sirius did that."
Sirius stood in front of Trunks and kept his gaze steady, not flinching, twitching, or even blinking.
"I'll make it easy on you." He said. Keeping his eyes locked onto Trunks, he concentrated on something, and then a figure appeared in his arms. Natalie.
"Nat!" Trunks cried, taking a step toward Sirius.
"You had better remember what I said, Saiya-jin." Sirius said. "I am giving you the benefit of the doubt here, and if you mess up, there is no coming back."
"Sirius, trust me." Trunks assured. "When we come back, you can ask her."
"You have my word..." Sirius said. He then tapped his fingers on the forehead of the unconscious Natalie a few times. Suddenly, her ki rose to it's normal level again and her body regained it's consciousness. Sirius set her on the ground gently before standing up, shooting one final icy glare at Trunks, and disappearing.
"The Sidra-jins are a weird race." Trunks whispered to himself. He then looked down and saw that Natalie was stirring. He knelt down and rolled her onto her back. "Nat-chan..." he spoke. He then realized that he was still in super Saiya-jin form and immediately powered down. He didn't think she would want to come face to face with him while he was at the super Saiya-jin level.
Natalie's eyes fluttered open, and for a few brief moments, she saw triple of everything, and wasn't able to make out the figure that hovered over her. Soon, her eyesight returned, and she blinked several times before realizing that it was Trunks. Memories came flooding back to her. She remembered breaking the news about Orion to Trunks, his reaction, and then running to Sirius. And that was it. She immediately placed her hands out, somewhat as a protective shell to shield her from Trunks.
The Saiya-jin crossbreed had expected this kind of reaction, so he was not at all surprised.
Natalie slowly scooted backward, her body paralyzed in fear. If she tried to run, would he come after her? And if she stayed, what would happen then?
"Nat-chan..." Trunks said. "Don't hide from me."
Natalie tried to summon her ki and teleport, but whatever had knocked her unconscious had probably hindered her ability to power up for the time being.
"Trunks...get away from me." She whispered, still hiding her face in her knees. "I told you..."
"The reason you're back here is because I wanted to talk to you." Trunks said calmly. "Sirius allowed it."
"I don't want to talk to you any more." She said.
"Nat-chan, just look at me." Trunks said.
Natalie slowly lifted her head and looked at the Saiya-jin.
"You're bleeding..." she said.
"Hai...Sirius did it." He said, smirking slightly. "Listen Natalie I want to explain something to you. When I reacted the way I did, I did it out of blind rage. I know it sounds like an excuse, but it's not. Do you remember earlier today when you got so angry that Goku had to calm you down?"
Natalie nodded slowly.
"I felt the same way. It took over me and I couldn't rationalize. But the anger wasn't because of you. It was because of Orion, or Hermes." Trunks continued. "Nat-chan...I love you more than anything. The thought of someone else's child inside of you made me enraged. But I didn't mean to take it out on you. Gomen nasai."
Natalie was unsure of how to act. She had never seen a more sincere, apologetic Trunks in the entire year that she had known him. She did believe the things that she said. She just didn't know what to think.
"Sirius said that you told him about the day you disappeared." Trunks said. "About how I choked you."
Natalie looked at the ground bitterly, recalling every last detail of the experience. The way his fingers were like steel cables around her neck, crushing the life out of her. The way he seemed to get some sort of enjoyment out of her pain.
"After you were gone...everyone started to act crazy. I lost half of my memories and I acted on instinct. We were all affected, because it was the time paradox that changed us." Trunks explained. "When I choked you...it wasn't me."
"Trunks..." Natalie said, finally speaking up. "I understand what you are saying. But I think...that our meeting has jeopardized the lives of you, your family, and your friends. Because if we had never had contact with each other, you would have never been dragged into the shit you've been through."
"Natalie how can you say that!" Trunks said. "If we had never met, you would be with Orion right now. Either that, or dead."
Natalie shivered and realized that he was right. If they had never met, Orion would have succeeded. And that thought made her feel worse.
"Please, Nat-chan." Trunks begged. "Please forgive me. You know that I wouldn't hurt you for anything."
Natalie didn't want to believe him, but she did. And she knew that he was right.
"Trunks...if I am pregnant with this baby..."
"I will still help you raise that child, Natalie, even if it is not my own." Trunks answered.
Natalie paused, and then looked up into Trunks' eyes and forced back tears of happiness. That was the ultimate devotion. She looked down at her hand, and at the shining stone that adorned it. A promise ring. It symbolized her never-ending love and loyalty to her mate. And somehow, looking down at that symbol of love made her feel safe again.
Trunks leaned over again and kissed Natalie on the forehead. She then brought her chin up and placed her mouth on his, and they continued from where they had left off.
The three Sidra-jins sat in the hotel room with Goten, who was currently sleeping on one of the beds. His body was sprawled out and he was lying on his stomach with his face buried in the pillow.
Reena looked at him and smiled.
she thought to herself.
Sirius and Ceres were talking about the situation with Nat and Trunks, and the possibility of her being pregnant.
"But if she is, then what of that child?" Ceres asked. "Do you think she will keep it?"
"I know her, and she wouldn't dare to abandon it. But I'm worried, because it would put a strain on...well...her relationship with the Saiya-jin, assuming that everything works out." Sirius replied. "But I'm wary of him. He has a problem with anger."
"He must have inherited that from Vegeta-sama." Ceres commented, smiling slightly.
"Still, that doesn't validate it." Sirius said.
"Sirius, I know what you need." Ceres said. "You need a mate."
Sirius looked at her as if she were crazy.
"Not me Sirius..." Ceres said, trying not to laugh. "I mean someone else. An Earth girl."
"I don't know..." Sirius said. "Sidra-jins and humans don't exactly make great pairs. Besides, I don't think the prospect of dating an alien with psychic powers is very appealing."
Ceres snickered.
"Sirius, there are other people on this planet with powers above universal level five." She said. "It was just a suggestion..."
"Thanks, Ceres, but I think I'm fine." He said. "But if you're so interested in me having a mate, then what about you?"
"What do you mean?" Ceres asked.
"You know what I mean. You didn't have one on Vela-sei, did you?" he asked. "Cronus wasn't exactly a long-term...guy...was he?"
"No, Cronus was just an acquaintance and he asked to escort me to the party. I didn't really have affections for anybody..."
"Ceres I don't think you're being truthful." Sirius said, raising an eyebrow. "I can tell by the tone of your voice."
"Just forget it, ok?" Ceres snapped. "It's not important."
Sirius wished that he could read her thoughts, but it only worked on the weak-minded, which Sidra-jins definitely were not.
"I'm sorry for offending you, Ceres." Sirius said.
"I'm not offended. I'm just..."
"Bitter?" he said, finishing her last sentence. She looked up at him in surprise.
"Somewhat, I guess you could say that." She replied.
"Does it have anything to do with...Carina?" he asked.
Ceres blinked.
"How...you can't read my mind." She said.
"No, but it's just instinct." He said. "Are you angry because she has Trunks?"
"Not him." Ceres said softly.
Then, Sirius realized what it was.
"You mean...Orion?" he asked, making sure that he wasn't just imagining it.
"H-hai." She said. "I had always liked him, ever since we were young."
"Ceres why didn't you say anything??" Sirius asked.
"I didn't want to!" Ceres retorted defensively. "He liked Carina anyway, and I didn't stand a chance against...her."
"You're tormenting yourself over something that you know you can't control." Sirius said, his voice filling with concern.
"So what if I am?" she said angrily. "It just upset me that she got him just because she was princess."
"Iie, Ceres, it wasn't because of that." Sirius said.
"I don't care anymore." She lied. "Orion is dead, so I'll just get over it eventually."
Reena, who was sitting on the sleeping Goten's back playing with his tail, looked up at Ceres and Sirius, having heard the entire conversation.
"Ceres maybe you should find an Earth mate." She suggested.
"Reena, please don't get involved." Ceres said, though politely, her voice was filled with impatience and irritation.
"I'm not, it was just a suggestion." Reena said. "Because there is nothing you can do about Orion."
"You don't have room to talk, Reena." Ceres hissed. "You're the one who can't seem to accept the fact that Belsevi is dead."
Reena's muscles tensed up and her hand clenched around Goten's tail as her anger rose.
Goten, being torn from his sleep by a painful sensation, yelped and snapped his eyes open. He felt someone on his back and turned, seeing Reena, relaxed again.
Reena looked down and realized what she had done, immediately dropping Goten's tail.
"Gomen nasai, Goten." She said timidly. "I was just...angered."
"Ne? About what?" he asked. Reena just shot a cold glare in Ceres direction.
"Are you guys fighting again?" Goten sighed, still pinned to his bed. "It's a wonder you three made it all the way here."
Ceres and Sirius just rolled their eyes simultaneously and went back to talking.
"I don't think they like me." Goten whispered to Reena. She just smirked.
"Yeah, they do. They're just weird when it comes to people." She replied. After a few seconds of silence, they both spoke at the same time.
"Where's Natalie?"