She was short. He was tall.

Her eyes were brown, his were blue.

Her hair was dark, his was light.

She was skinny, he was muscular.

She was fast, he was strong.

She Mexican, he was American.

She was fully human, he was half a robot.

She was a girl he was a boy.

However much they hated it, they were almost the complete opposite of each other physically. But it made things like fighting each other interesting. Anybody else would have told you that the differences made them an almost unbeatable team, but it was the similarities between them that made it all work.

Both of them had no family.

Both had lost everything to the robots.

Both would risk their life to help save the universe.

Both accepted the fact that they could die from their job.

Both could lead a mission.

Both could appear to be cold and dangerous to humans.

Both loved a challenge.

They worked because mentally they were identical, and physically they were opposites. They used each other's strengths and weaknesses to become stronger as a whole.

The fact that they loved each other was obvious to everyone, apart from them. They knew that they loved the other, but did not believe that the other loved them. Outsiders might have told them if they weren't so scared of them.

Up loved Taz, he knew it from the second she'd fought in a training session. No-one else had dared to fight him, and therefore he had been assigned to instruct others on how to fight, when he wasn't on missions.

Before that day, he'd kept his distance from her, perhaps it was a mistake to as it seemed to anger her, but he felt that she should settle into the academy, and not be influenced by him. He'd start talk, and she'd have a life of hell for the rest of her time a Starship Ranger. But he could see that she was feared by her classmates, despite the fact that she was younger than them all. He looked at her records and immediately found the reason, she was top of every practical class. He then watched her progress, she was lethal.

The day he had to train her class, he watched as she floored every person in the class, even the ones who were much stronger than she was. She was shouting things in Spanish at them. He didn't have to understand them to tell that she was insulting them.

He leaned over to one of the boys sat at the side recovering.

"How often does she do this?"

"Every time we're having a session on fighting." He replied. "No-one's ever beaten her."

"And how often does she speak English?" He asked.

"Very little. She can, we've heard her speak it when she's forced to, but she prefers Spanish."

"How do they force her to do anything." He asked amazed.

"She shows a level of respect to some people, and speaks English to show that respect."

Up sat back watching as she fought one of the best fighters in the class. He was losing. When she floored him and he showed no sign of getting back up again he stopped her.

"Get him off the mat." Up said to two of the boys.

He looked back to where she had been stood, only to find that she had walked over to the punching bags.

"And what in Dead Gods name are you doing?" He demanded of her.

"Excuse me, Commander, por favour, who is there left to fight?" She said turning to face him.

"You want a challenge?" He said, taking off his jacket.

She saw what he had in mind and smiled. He saw the way the prospect of a challenge lit up her dark eyes.

At that moment he realised exactly how alike they were, the fact that a challenge thrilled them both, the way people had to earn respect with her, the way could terrify people with one look. She was his equal.

The fact that he loved her clicked when she hit him. She was one of the only people ever to b able to hit him, and the only girl. He lost his focus for a second, and found himself on the floor. She stood impatiently waiting for him to get back up.

"You should take your own advice commander. Get back up." She said. He looked at her, and she smiled innocently at him.

He stood up, and smiled at her. Then the fight began again.

From then on he looked after her. Sat with her at lunch, helped her train. Even taught her calculus. The more time he spent with her, the better she got. And he realised that what she'd needed was a friend. So he vowed to be that friend, however much it hurt his heart.

Taz was not the type of girl to fall in love. In fact she had promised herself that she wouldn't fall in love. So what the hell was she doing falling for Commander Up. The worst part was that she knew exactly when it started.

Sitting under a tall tree reading Mexican folk tales. It had barely been two weeks since Up had become her friend, and she was still cautious, he seemed to know exactly what she was thinking, and it scared her a little. She was almost glad that he had a meeting, just so that she could spend some time alone.

But then this was the academy, being alone was impossible. The boys in her class had spotted her. She felt for her knife, that she kept on her at all times when possible, and found that she'd left it in her room.

"Hey look, it's little Taz. And look she's reading again." The front most boy was saying, "Where's your best friend?" He said to her.

She glared at them, but before she could say anything another voice spoke from next to her.

"Right here."

She turned to see Up stood next to her. He offered her a hand and pulled her up. She then walked up to the front most boy, the one who had spoken, and punched him hard in the nose. He swore.

"They don't seem to get it, do they Taz?" Up said to her. She shook her head, and felt certain that the same idea had come into both of their minds. Up bent his knees and gave her a hand to hold onto, and she climbed onto his back. She gave a cry and they charged at the boys. When they all jumped in the dumpster Up and her walked away. When they had got back to the tree, Up put her down and turned away from her. It took her a minute to realise that his whole body was shaking with laughter. And she couldn't help it, she laughed aloud. He turned at stared at her, it was the first time he'd seen her laugh. Then he started to laugh again.

It was then that she realised then that Up wasn't an intruder in her life, and he wasn't her friend. He was the one who she'd love, come what may. Of course she didn't think of it as love then, she just felt happy, like she'd been pulled out of her loneliness. It was only afterwards, when she was in bed that she worked out what she was feeling.

To her it was a little bit ridiculous, how could she go from hating the world, to loving someone, in the space of a few minutes. But the more time she spent with up, themore she realised that she loved him.

From then on she trusted him, and she relied on him. Like when she had nightmares and woke up screaming, she'd always go into his room. If he was awake he'd put his arms around her and hold her until she had calmed down, and most often gone to sleep. If he was asleep she'd lye next to him and his he'd feel her there and automatically put his arms around her.

He also learned to trust her, when they were on missions, he had to trust her to do her job and come back again. Mostly she did, so he began to trust her with more and more tasks. Eventually, they reached a stage where they just knew what to do. It was more proof to the rest of the G.L.E.E that they were perfect for each other.

Then it changed. Up was given a mission, a mission that might end the robot wars. Taz was not on the mission. When he had told her that he was going Taz refused to speak to him. He sat outside her door for most of the night. He spoke to her constantly. She would reply, but only shouting thick voice Spanish at him. He felt horrible. He knew that he should be holding her when she cried. But alas she had shut him out. Eventually he admitted defeat and walked back to his own room.

In the morning she was in the crowd of people saying goodbye. She wouldn't speak to him. She wouldn't even look at her, even when he had taken her by the shoulders and held so she had to look at him, she just closed her eyes. He gave up and walked started to walk onto the ship. It was a low sentence, spoken by someone who could only be Taz.

"Te amo Up." She'd meant it to be part of the crowd, but he heard it.

He turned. "What." He said looking directly at her.

She closed her eyes and took a breath, before opening them and saying the same simple sentence, only this time it was louder, and more confident. "Te amo Up."

He dropped his bag and ran back to her. He didn't pause, or hesitate, he just kissed her. He ignored the fact that the crew were shouting at him, he ignored the cheers of those who had betted on this. He ignored everything but her. Still kissing her, her picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around him so he didn't have to lean down to kiss her.

When they broke the kiss they stared at each other. He then turned, still carrying her, and walked up onto the ship. He had barely reached the door when an officer stopped him. But he had shouted at him until it was agreed that Taz could come on the mission. She didn't move the whole time, but suppressed her laughter into his shoulder.

When it was eventually agreed, he walked, still holding Taz, and they went to somewhere that they could finally be alone.

"You know, I don't think that you're meant to shout at people to get someone on a mission." She said as they were walking.

"Why not, I did it to get you into the academy, you were far too young to enrol when you did."

"True."

"Anyway, you're not meant to say that you love me right as I'm about to go away and probably die."

"When else could I tell you, idiota?"

"Years ago?"

"I never could say it until then. Why didn't you?"

"I don't know."

"You see, it isn't easy is it?"

"No it's not, but do you know what Taz? I love you."

"I think I know. Why else would I be here?"

He smiled and kissed her cheek.

All she could remember was screaming as he was ripped in half. And then the numbness came. She couldn't remember feeling after that.

He could hear her talking to the recruits. She was saying everything that she always had. Despite the fact that she believed him to have died, and then had gone when he wasn't. She hadn't come and seen him in the two years, and he hadn't seen her. She would hate him. Hate him because he wasn't that Up anymore. And she had no idea. Maybe she could still love him. Maybe. He hoped.

A/N - so this is just a take on Taz and Up. I'm not sure about the ending. I might make it longer, but I might not.

Thank you for reading.

Love KCornish13