[S]King of fighters one liners

[JoyRose]

empress dee

Mai was just changing Benedict's diaper when Jinxi showed. After tossing the dirty diaper down the trash chute, Mai then washed her hands in the bathroom across the hall before handing Jinxi the gown. The gown was made from white silk and diamonds. Clearly Rock had done a really good job on the gown, though there was no doubt that Trixi's one looked better.

Mai then had an idea. She asked Jinxi, "Would you like me to do your hair so that it makes up for the second rate gown? I mean, Rock did put a lot of effort into the gown, though I have seen better work from him. This wedding has him all excited, which was the reason why it didn't turn out as well. But, with the perfect hair do, you will be the best looking one there."

Jinxi was admiring her gown, turning it this way and that to allow the diamonds to catch the light and sprinkle the room in rainbows. Then she looked up at Mai's suggestion and smiled. "I would love it if you have time with two newborns to do my hair. It's so pink, I'm never sure what looks good."  

[JoyRose]

maui boy no ka oi

(Trying to use romanticized events from my real life as inspiration for these posts lol. They'll only be as interesting as my life is.)

In a daze, Maui follows Dee outside to join the festivities.

"I see the party has yet to start. How about some music to pass the time?"

Maui pulls out a piccolo and proceeds to play a mournful elegy of lament over the love that has evaded him. The sorrow in his heart pours through the bore holes of the piccolo and fill the air with notes which bear the weight of all the suffering in the world. After the melody concludes, he approaches the groom to be.

"Rock, I am happy for you on this, your most cherished day of matrimony. Still, I can't help but envy you for the love you have acquired. I am still left in the dust here with nary a soul to even acknowledge my existence. All that I've given, all that I've lost, all of the pain I've gone through to find love has meant nothing. The seeds of compassion that I've sown, the nourishing sunlight of joy that I've shared with this beautiful field called Meamor has resulted in barren crops. Why must I, of all people, suffer when all those around me rejoice?"

In complete disregard for the merriment of the event, Maui takes yet another swig from his flask.

"I wasn't always like this you know." he whispers as he turns away from the crowd. "I was once loved by a most wondrous person. Her name was Josephine. I'd thought all was perfect and that nothing could tear us apart until one day, the cosmos decided to take her back. She ascended to the stars and became a nebula to provide shelter and protection to the lost, wandering astral beings..." Maui finishes off the remainder of his flask and continues, "She had a choice you know. She had a choice as to whether she would stay by my side and live with me forever or live eternally apart from me among the stars in the sky. She chose to leave me. It seems I am never good enough for anyone to love me. I, the most famed swordsman throughout all my land cannot prevent the ones I love from leaving me."

Hidden away from the crowd, more tears fill Maui's eyes as he curses himself internally, *Why do I continue to live? Why do I still exist? Every waking moment is pain without her at my side. I just want it all to end.* As he wipes the tears from his eyes, he turns around once more to awkwardly face the crowd.

"Sorry for the waterworks. There's just a lot going through my mind right now. So what are we all doing here now?"

Trixi finishes putting on her gown, splendid in blue and sparkling gems. She dashes into the room to catch the end of Maul's speech and tears, and her tender heart goes out to him. "Christmas!" she assures him. "And Rock marrying Jinxi!"  

[empress dee]

maui boy no ka oi

JoyRose

maui boy no ka oi

(Trying to use romanticized events from my real life as inspiration for these posts lol. They'll only be as interesting as my life is.)

In a daze, Maui follows Dee outside to join the festivities.

"I see the party has yet to start. How about some music to pass the time?"

Maui pulls out a piccolo and proceeds to play a mournful elegy of lament over the love that has evaded him. The sorrow in his heart pours through the bore holes of the piccolo and fill the air with notes which bear the weight of all the suffering in the world. After the melody concludes, he approaches the groom to be.

"Rock, I am happy for you on this, your most cherished day of matrimony. Still, I can't help but envy you for the love you have acquired. I am still left in the dust here with nary a soul to even acknowledge my existence. All that I've given, all that I've lost, all of the pain I've gone through to find love has meant nothing. The seeds of compassion that I've sown, the nourishing sunlight of joy that I've shared with this beautiful field called Meamor has resulted in barren crops. Why must I, of all people, suffer when all those around me rejoice?"

In complete disregard for the merriment of the event, Maui takes yet another swig from his flask.

"I wasn't always like this you know." he whispers as he turns away from the crowd. "I was once loved by a most wondrous person. Her name was Josephine. I'd thought all was perfect and that nothing could tear us apart until one day, the cosmos decided to take her back. She ascended to the stars and became a nebula to provide shelter and protection to the lost, wandering astral beings..." Maui finishes off the remainder of his flask and continues, "She had a choice you know. She had a choice as to whether she would stay by my side and live with me forever or live eternally apart from me among the stars in the sky. She chose to leave me. It seems I am never good enough for anyone to love me. I, the most famed swordsman throughout all my land cannot prevent the ones I love from leaving me."

Hidden away from the crowd, more tears fill Maui's eyes as he curses himself internally, *Why do I continue to live? Why do I still exist? Every waking moment is pain without her at my side. I just want it all to end.* As he wipes the tears from his eyes, he turns around once more to awkwardly face the crowd.

"Sorry for the waterworks. There's just a lot going through my mind right now. So what are we all doing here now?"

Trixi finishes putting on her gown, splendid in blue and sparkling gems. She dashes into the room to catch the end of Maul's speech and tears, and her tender heart goes out to him. "Christmas!" she assures him. "And Rock marrying Jinxi!"

"Ah yes Christmas. The time of giving." A sparkle is seen in Maui's eye for a brief moment as he seems to remember some fond moment from the past. "Such a time should be one of love and celebration. There is little that can be done to ruin such a splendid occasion. To be able to spend this time with comrades from distant planes is such a pleasure; especially now that I've lost everything I once held so dear."

The sparkle vanishes as Maui speaks those last few words. He looks skyward and thinks to himself *I wonder if she can see me now. Had I an opportunity to celebrate a proper Christmas with her, I may have known the happiness I've been striving to afford others. Still, seeing the others in such an elated state is enough to keep me satiated*.

It was so many years ago that Maui had met Josephine. Eradicating alien pests from another world with a team of elite warriors together was the point in time in which they had became bound by blood in the fires of combat. Never had they ever celebrated a Christmas, anniversary, Valentine's, or any other holiday together for the alien hordes were constant and unending. They were paid heftily for their efforts and lived a lavish lifestyle of luxury once the aliens were finally repelled.

It wouldn't be long before a new quandary would reveal itself. A society of astral beings had been expelled from their homes by a cataclysmic supernova. Josephine, as a powerful astral being herself, sacrificed her physical form to become one with the stars as a beautiful nebula in the sky to protect the lost ones who had been expunged from their native homes.

Maui would be left grief-stricken, unable to support the invasion of the "Hive", as it would be called. Other warriors would be recruited to replaced the vacant spaces that were left by the departure of Sir Maui and Josephine. With no viable source of income, Maui would be reduced to nothing more than a street rat with a title.

*I miss those days.* Maui pulls the empty flask up to his lips only to once more be disappointed: this time by the absence of alcohol to numb the pain.

Dee then said, "Terry was like that once. And he had to endure the same pain you did not just once, but at least 3 times over. First, it was his uncle Jeff. Then, it was his first love Lilly. Then it was his grandfather Master Tung. Then it was his second love Sulia. And then the last time was Blue Mary aka Rock's biological mother. You wonder why Terry is still alive after all that pain? Its because he never gave up nor ended his life with drinking. What you need Maui is someone to fill that void in your heart. It will not be easy for there aren't too many people like me around. But, I am sure that if you stay at this party you might just get lucky. First thing's first though...gotta sober you up in a hurry. Follow me to the arcade. Terry always does this when he is drunk and he always has a garbage can for the inevitable reversal food effect. I will be locking the arcade door once you enter. Play video games till you are sobered up, and you will know when that happens. I assure you, it won't take long and you won't be missing a thing. When you are sober, use this device..."

Dee handed Maui a pin like object. "Press the center of the pin once and I will unlock the door, but I will be checking for a mess on your shirt. No mess means no getting out. And there are plenty of games in there to entertain yourself with."  

[empress dee]

JoyRose

empress dee

Mai was just changing Benedict's diaper when Jinxi showed. After tossing the dirty diaper down the trash chute, Mai then washed her hands in the bathroom across the hall before handing Jinxi the gown. The gown was made from white silk and diamonds. Clearly Rock had done a really good job on the gown, though there was no doubt that Trixi's one looked better.

Mai then had an idea. She asked Jinxi, "Would you like me to do your hair so that it makes up for the second rate gown? I mean, Rock did put a lot of effort into the gown, though I have seen better work from him. This wedding has him all excited, which was the reason why it didn't turn out as well. But, with the perfect hair do, you will be the best looking one there."

Jinxi was admiring her gown, turning it this way and that to allow the diamonds to catch the light and sprinkle the room in rainbows. Then she looked up at Mai's suggestion and smiled. "I would love it if you have time with two newborns to do my hair. It's so pink, I'm never sure what looks good."

Mai giggled, "No need to worry. I will be sure to do your hair up really nice. After all, there is a saying about Japanese women. Best hair dressers ever."  

[empress dee]

maui boy no ka oi

empress dee

maui boy no ka oi

JoyRose

maui boy no ka oi

(Trying to use romanticized events from my real life as inspiration for these posts lol. They'll only be as interesting as my life is.)

In a daze, Maui follows Dee outside to join the festivities.

"I see the party has yet to start. How about some music to pass the time?"

Maui pulls out a piccolo and proceeds to play a mournful elegy of lament over the love that has evaded him. The sorrow in his heart pours through the bore holes of the piccolo and fill the air with notes which bear the weight of all the suffering in the world. After the melody concludes, he approaches the groom to be.

"Rock, I am happy for you on this, your most cherished day of matrimony. Still, I can't help but envy you for the love you have acquired. I am still left in the dust here with nary a soul to even acknowledge my existence. All that I've given, all that I've lost, all of the pain I've gone through to find love has meant nothing. The seeds of compassion that I've sown, the nourishing sunlight of joy that I've shared with this beautiful field called Meamor has resulted in barren crops. Why must I, of all people, suffer when all those around me rejoice?"

In complete disregard for the merriment of the event, Maui takes yet another swig from his flask.

"I wasn't always like this you know." he whispers as he turns away from the crowd. "I was once loved by a most wondrous person. Her name was Josephine. I'd thought all was perfect and that nothing could tear us apart until one day, the cosmos decided to take her back. She ascended to the stars and became a nebula to provide shelter and protection to the lost, wandering astral beings..." Maui finishes off the remainder of his flask and continues, "She had a choice you know. She had a choice as to whether she would stay by my side and live with me forever or live eternally apart from me among the stars in the sky. She chose to leave me. It seems I am never good enough for anyone to love me. I, the most famed swordsman throughout all my land cannot prevent the ones I love from leaving me."

Hidden away from the crowd, more tears fill Maui's eyes as he curses himself internally, *Why do I continue to live? Why do I still exist? Every waking moment is pain without her at my side. I just want it all to end.* As he wipes the tears from his eyes, he turns around once more to awkwardly face the crowd.

"Sorry for the waterworks. There's just a lot going through my mind right now. So what are we all doing here now?"

Trixi finishes putting on her gown, splendid in blue and sparkling gems. She dashes into the room to catch the end of Maul's speech and tears, and her tender heart goes out to him. "Christmas!" she assures him. "And Rock marrying Jinxi!"

"Ah yes Christmas. The time of giving." A sparkle is seen in Maui's eye for a brief moment as he seems to remember some fond moment from the past. "Such a time should be one of love and celebration. There is little that can be done to ruin such a splendid occasion. To be able to spend this time with comrades from distant planes is such a pleasure; especially now that I've lost everything I once held so dear."

The sparkle vanishes as Maui speaks those last few words. He looks skyward and thinks to himself *I wonder if she can see me now. Had I an opportunity to celebrate a proper Christmas with her, I may have known the happiness I've been striving to afford others. Still, seeing the others in such an elated state is enough to keep me satiated*.

It was so many years ago that Maui had met Josephine. Eradicating alien pests from another world with a team of elite warriors together was the point in time in which they had became bound by blood in the fires of combat. Never had they ever celebrated a Christmas, anniversary, Valentine's, or any other holiday together for the alien hordes were constant and unending. They were paid heftily for their efforts and lived a lavish lifestyle of luxury once the aliens were finally repelled.

It wouldn't be long before a new quandary would reveal itself. A society of astral beings had been expelled from their homes by a cataclysmic supernova. Josephine, as a powerful astral being herself, sacrificed her physical form to become one with the stars as a beautiful nebula in the sky to protect the lost ones who had been expunged from their native homes.

Maui would be left grief-stricken, unable to support the invasion of the "Hive", as it would be called. Other warriors would be recruited to replaced the vacant spaces that were left by the departure of Sir Maui and Josephine. With no viable source of income, Maui would be reduced to nothing more than a street rat with a title.

*I miss those days.* Maui pulls the empty flask up to his lips only to once more be disappointed: this time by the absence of alcohol to numb the pain.

Dee then said, "Terry was like that once. And he had to endure the same pain you did not just once, but at least 3 times over. First, it was his uncle Jeff. Then, it was his first love Lilly. Then it was his grandfather Master Tung. Then it was his second love Sulia. And then the last time was Blue Mary aka Rock's biological mother. You wonder why Terry is still alive after all that pain? Its because he never gave up nor ended his life with drinking. What you need Maui is someone to fill that void in your heart. It will not be easy for there aren't too many people like me around. But, I am sure that if you stay at this party you might just get lucky. First thing's first though...gotta sober you up in a hurry. Follow me to the arcade. Terry always does this when he is drunk and he always has a garbage can for the inevitable reversal food effect. I will be locking the arcade door once you enter. Play video games till you are sobered up, and you will know when that happens. I assure you, it won't take long and you won't be missing a thing. When you are sober, use this device..."

Dee handed Maui a pin like object. "Press the center of the pin once and I will unlock the door, but I will be checking for a mess on your shirt. No mess means no getting out. And there are plenty of games in there to entertain yourself with."

As Maui followed Dee to the arcade, suicidal thoughts ran through his drunken mind. *Never before has death seemed so viable an option. The world is cruel and filled with apathy. No matter how much I give of myself, it is never enough...*

Once the door is shut behind Maui, he stumbles over, propping himself up with one of the arcade machines. Following Dee's instruction, he finds the bin. Standing over the bin with a blank stare on his face, he reflects on his life up until now.

"How many loves must I lose before my mind finally snaps? Josephine, Nebula's Blade of Justice has long since been lost to the cosmos. Anne, the Demon Wolf of Silver returned to her kind some years ago never to be seen again. Harlene, the pop star singer had left me for Jacob the Chivalrous. Lord-Commander Shug has departed on a conquest to lay claim to the outer edges of the universe far far away from the worlds we inhabit. Even Mademoiselle Meamor, a woman with whom I spent the better half of my youth growing up with refuses to even acknowledge my existence with her newfound status."

As regurgitation fills the garbage can, Maui's mind wanders to his younger days as a cadet in the Junior Cohorts division of the Regional Defense Force. In the days of his youth, he'd not established himself as the great warrior he is revered as today. He was just another cadet within the legions. It was his training there which had allowed him to meet the likes of Josephine, Anne, Shug, and Mademoiselle Meamor. Only he, Josephine, and Shug would go on to become full fledged Legionaries. Yet there was one cadet who always caught his attention: cadet #88, the so-called "Black Cat". She was shrouded in such mystery and let no one at the academy get close to her. Even though Maui and this cadet simply known as Lena hailed from the same district, each attempt Maui had made to approach her was shot down with cold rejection. Yet of all those who he had grown up with, she was the only one left, if she was even still alive.

"It's so sad that the one thing keeping me bound to this life is the memory of a woman I barely even knew." Maui heaves one final time and proceeds to escape into the virtual world of video games to try to take his mind off of the hardships the world has in store for him.

Dee headed to the main area where everyone was and began conversing with random guests to Maui's condition.  

[JoyRose]

empress dee

Mai giggled, "No need to worry. I will be sure to do your hair up really nice. After all, there is a saying about Japanese women. Best hair dressers ever."

Jinxi thanked her profusely. She hadn't often had the chance to dress up, and was thoroughly enjoying it!

maui boy no ka oi

Trixi waved cheerfully after Maui as he was led away, then returned to enjoying the entertainments and delights in her vicinity. After a short while, she got to wondering what had become of her friend, and headed in the general direction of Andy's room.

[Trixi hasn't been here as long, so it's completely possible in my mind that she gets lost en route.]  

[empress dee]

JoyRose

empress dee

Mai giggled, "No need to worry. I will be sure to do your hair up really nice. After all, there is a saying about Japanese women. Best hair dressers ever."

Jinxi thanked her profusely. She hadn't often had the chance to dress up, and was thoroughly enjoying it!

maui boy no ka oi

Trixi waved cheerfully after Maui as he was led away, then returned to enjoying the entertainments and delights in her vicinity. After a short while, she got to wondering what had become of her friend, and headed in the general direction of Andy's room.

[Trixi hasn't been here as long, so it's completely possible in my mind that she gets lost en route.]

(I think it wouldn't be that difficult for Trixi to find Andy's room, but you can most certainly have her cause some mischief for good laughs)

Mai began doing Jinxi's hair, which got her thinking of how wonderful it was going to be to doing Lemnear's hair when Lemnear got bigger. There were a few tangles, but not as many as Mai would have thought. When done, Jinxi did look gorgeous. Rock who had been heading upstairs to deal with the banquet hall and to sort the presents in the lounge as was his job, he caught a glimpse of the final look and blushed, "Oh wow," Rock thought, "Mai did an awesome job on my bride's hair."  

[empress dee]

maui boy no ka oi

empress dee

Dee headed to the main area where everyone was and began conversing with random guests to Maui's condition.

JoyRose

#88. What could she possibly mean to Maui that would make him think of her so frequently? They'd shared so few words between them that one would think them barely even acquaintances. As Maui pondered these thoughts, he notices a bug with its leg caught under the rubbish bin he was using to purge himself of the poison he'd been consuming; it is unable to escape on its own and is struggling with all its effort to try to escape.

"What a poor, pathetic creature." he thinks to himself. "Fighting with all your effort to try to prolong the inevitable. Your life means nothing and we humans see you as nothing more than pests. Yet you still fight with all your might to try to live. You put yourself through so much suffering even though you know you will die within the next few days anyway. You deserve to suffer as I suffer. Die alone you filthy insect."

Maui turns around holding the pin-object in his hand, sobered up by now. As he stares at it ready to press the center, he turns once more to the bug, still struggling to free himself.

"We all need help alleviating the burdens of the world." He lifts the bin and the bug scurries away, limping to one side as it is clear its leg is completely incapacitated by the trauma it has received. "Even the lowliest of us deserve a chance to live. You will be handicapped now with your broken leg and the only way you can survive is by fighting with all your might. But no matter how badly the world has hurt you, you must continue to fight."

Dee's words resonated in his mind as he watched the bug take flight and escape his view: "You wonder why Terry is still alive after all that pain? Its because he never gave up"

"The only way to win is to fight. I must fight with all my might to survive just as that bug had. I may have had help standing back up after my fall, but I won't always be so lucky to have such helpful people at my side. I must become stronger: strong enough to hold myself up with my own two feet ... perhaps strong enough to carry the burdens of others in their time of need."

With a renewed sense of purpose, Maui pushes the pin ready to face the world once more. "I'm stronger than this. I'm stronger than anyone else. If anyone is to carry the burdens of others, it shall be me. It is my duty to protect others; it is my wish to help them. I want to take on all the sorrows and miseries of the world and destroy them with one fell swoop of my sword. No one should ever have to go through what I've gone through alone again."

Maui stands proudly at the door to the exit; a look of confidence now lines his face. *#88...* The thought of her once again crosses his mind. *What does she mean to me I wonder? Why can't I stop thinking of her?*

As promised, Dee unlocked the door and noticing the mess, she set Maui free from the arcade. Then she said, "Now you get to visit with everyone else. There was one in particular you may find an interest in. She is an android from the land of Dragon Ball Z. She has a number for a name, but she has a good heart. Her name is #88. She was telling me a bit more about you and says that she was the last one you were with before you went nuts on her. Said you were blowing a fuse. Oh, and not everyone here is a humanoid. I myself may look human, but really, I am a Tuffle. I have vast knowledge in technology, but I can also borrow other creature's powers when in physical contact. People call me a shape shifter because of that. I'd change into a pokemon as proof, but I dunno if changing into an articuno now would be such a good idea. Articuno birds are pretty cold. And seeing as how you need to boost your immune system, I might end up giving you the sniffles if I changed into that. So, I guess a Raikou will have to do."

Changing into a pokemon known as Raikou, Dee said, "Not a bad change huh?"  

[empress dee]

maui boy no ka oi

empress dee

maui boy no ka oi

empress dee

Dee headed to the main area where everyone was and began conversing with random guests to Maui's condition.

JoyRose

#88. What could she possibly mean to Maui that would make him think of her so frequently? They'd shared so few words between them that one would think them barely even acquaintances. As Maui pondered these thoughts, he notices a bug with its leg caught under the rubbish bin he was using to purge himself of the poison he'd been consuming; it is unable to escape on its own and is struggling with all its effort to try to escape.

"What a poor, pathetic creature." he thinks to himself. "Fighting with all your effort to try to prolong the inevitable. Your life means nothing and we humans see you as nothing more than pests. Yet you still fight with all your might to try to live. You put yourself through so much suffering even though you know you will die within the next few days anyway. You deserve to suffer as I suffer. Die alone you filthy insect."

Maui turns around holding the pin-object in his hand, sobered up by now. As he stares at it ready to press the center, he turns once more to the bug, still struggling to free himself.

"We all need help alleviating the burdens of the world." He lifts the bin and the bug scurries away, limping to one side as it is clear its leg is completely incapacitated by the trauma it has received. "Even the lowliest of us deserve a chance to live. You will be handicapped now with your broken leg and the only way you can survive is by fighting with all your might. But no matter how badly the world has hurt you, you must continue to fight."

Dee's words resonated in his mind as he watched the bug take flight and escape his view: "You wonder why Terry is still alive after all that pain? Its because he never gave up"

"The only way to win is to fight. I must fight with all my might to survive just as that bug had. I may have had help standing back up after my fall, but I won't always be so lucky to have such helpful people at my side. I must become stronger: strong enough to hold myself up with my own two feet ... perhaps strong enough to carry the burdens of others in their time of need."

With a renewed sense of purpose, Maui pushes the pin ready to face the world once more. "I'm stronger than this. I'm stronger than anyone else. If anyone is to carry the burdens of others, it shall be me. It is my duty to protect others; it is my wish to help them. I want to take on all the sorrows and miseries of the world and destroy them with one fell swoop of my sword. No one should ever have to go through what I've gone through alone again."

Maui stands proudly at the door to the exit; a look of confidence now lines his face. *#88...* The thought of her once again crosses his mind. *What does she mean to me I wonder? Why can't I stop thinking of her?*

As promised, Dee unlocked the door and noticing the mess, she set Maui free from the arcade. Then she said, "Now you get to visit with everyone else. There was one in particular you may find an interest in. She is an android from the land of Dragon Ball Z. She has a number for a name, but she has a good heart. Her name is #88. She was telling me a bit more about you and says that she was the last one you were with before you went nuts on her. Said you were blowing a fuse. Oh, and not everyone here is a humanoid. I myself may look human, but really, I am a Tuffle. I have vast knowledge in technology, but I can also borrow other creature's powers when in physical contact. People call me a shape shifter because of that. I'd change into a pokemon as proof, but I dunno if changing into an articuno now would be such a good idea. Articuno birds are pretty cold. And seeing as how you need to boost your immune system, I might end up giving you the sniffles if I changed into that. So, I guess a Raikou will have to do."

Changing into a pokemon known as Raikou, Dee said, "Not a bad change huh?"

"If only it were so easy to change the souls of men." Maui scoffed. "The world is cruel to even the best of us. We must be strong to endure the hardships that it throws our way."

Maui starts in the direction of the rest of the group. "So your kind borrows the strength of others as your source of power huh? I can think of a myriad of humans who could have really used such power. Simply trusting others isn't good enough for us humans unfortunately. We lie to each other. We deceive each other. We steal from each other in our dire times of need. When we should be giving as much as we can give and only taking what little we deserve, we end up taking it all and giving nothing back. To be able to receive without taking truly is a desirable gift."

Maui's mind drifts toward this #88 that Dee had mentioned. It couldn't possibly be the Lena. When last they met each other, Lena was as human as human got. But who else would possibly have met him that could be referred to as "#88"?

"This android you mentioned ... does she ever remember being human? There was once a cadet named Lena at the academy who..."

"That was another lifetime Maui."

A familiar voice echoes from across the room. Sure enough, it is the same Lena who had shared such fond, yet brief memories with him.

"How did you ever become an android? You were human last I met you in the academy."

#88's expression grows a bit more serious as she explains, "After you graduated from the academy with flying colors, I was left behind to carry on by myself. We were supposed to serve in the Regional Defense Force together and then here you get drafted into the Elite Expeditionary Team serving on the front lines of battle rather than defending our dear planet Earth. You always offered to return to visit me, but I couldn't put you through that on my behalf. If we would meet again, it would be because I was strong enough to fight beside you rather than because you were constantly looking back at me. I did not want to be a hindrance so I signed up for the vanguard on the frontlines hoping that one day we would meet again."

#88 clenches her fist and grits her teeth. She takes a deep breath and continues, "I wasn't ready for the harsh realities of total war. I was so worried about you going off to fight these beasts but I should have been worrying about myself. I knew you would be fine. You were strong. I wasn't."

#88's eyes start watering up as her shaky voice details the ordeal. "I've had to watch as comrades, friends die one by one by my side. We were in over our heads. They threw us cadets out into the hell of war. All we were to them was a meat shield. Corrosive acid breaking down the bodies of my fallen comrades into human stew for the aliens to devour. As that landstrider stood above me, I knew I was already dead." #88 looks down for a while and bites her hand, clearly trying to hold back her tears.

"It tore me apart Maui!" she shouts. "That beast, that monster tore me limb from limb! I knew then that I would die and that I would never see you again. I felt so weak and helpless. Yet somehow, my body was found. My parents, being the magnates that they were, managed to get a mad doctor to piece my body back together. Taking a lesson from projects #17 and 18, he used biomechanical organic substances meant to mimic human cells. That is why I do not look an android even though deep down I am."

Maui's heart sinks. *How could I have been so blind? How could I let this happen? How could I simply have left her behind just because she told me not to return? Why couldn't I have been there to carry her with me? Lena you fool. You should have let me protect you. No. I should have always been there to protect her, but I was so caught up trying to be the most powerful warrior in the galaxy that I lost track of those who are most important. I'm the true fool. I should have seen this coming a mile away.*

Speechless, all Maui can do is turn to Dee, hoping that she will say something; anything to break this silence and stop the tears of both he and #88. *Why can't I speak? I want to say something, but the words won't leave my throat. Am I so weak I need someone else to speak for me?* Maui continues to stare in Dee's direction as the tears roll down his cheeks.

Dee sighed, "You are in the Renaissance Galaxy and not on Earth. I have been to earth and yes, It is a cruel place to be. More savage than the saiyan home world. You were sent to the Renaissance I suppose to explore it, but unfortunately for you, unless you return when my parents go after the holidays you will be stuck here. Then again...that might be a good thing. I mean, here in the Renaissance, you develop super human powers over time. Jinxi has developed powers. My mom is human on earth, but here, she is a fearsome dragon. My dad is human on earth, but here, he is a kind dwarf. Most humans don't even believe us animated characters are real, but you are talking to me, right? And you've met someone who has had hands on experience with Dr. Gero. The land of Dragon ball Z is still as savage as it ever was, but we've found a way to co-operate with them. I mean, Vegeta the Prince of all Saiyans is a lover to my husband Terry and I. Plus, Vegeta does do an interesting job at the bar. If there is ever a need for you to get drunk and he's on, he will do you a good service. Anyway..."

Changing back into her humanoid form, Dee added, "I am the last Tuffle of my kind and the empress of this entire galaxy, so if there is anything you need, I am here to help, just like I did for you earlier."