HI! Thanks for checking out my story! "Mau Loa" means Forever in the native Hawaiian Language. I really wanted to give a small taste into Hawaiian culture as well as giving you the characters you love! Enjoy!


"Cinder get up, get up!" Iko squealed.

Cinder slowly opened her eyes to find a smiling, excited Iko staring back. Sunlight streamed through her curtains, light reflecting off both her dazzling crown and scratched up cyborg hand. It had been a bit more than a year since she became queen of Luna, and she was still getting used to the sheer splendor of her room.

"Iko, why are you yelling?" Cinder asked sleepily, scratching her eyes.

"What do you mean, why am I yelling? Where leaving for Hawaii in a few hours!" Iko exclaimed, "You better have finished packing."

Since Cinder became queen she had been stuck on Luna, changing laws and making new ones, persecuting thaumaturges and upper class-men for betraying the crown. She spent most of her time trying to befriend the rich, while keeping it fair for the poor. Whenever she went to Earth it was for brief meetings and celebrations in the Eastern Commonwealth or American Republic. This trip to Hawaii was meant to study Earth's Flora and Fauna, and to show the people that their new queen did more than just sit around in her palace.

Cinder fiddled with her tangled hair, "Ya, about that. I was meaning to, but I got this really, really long document to read and -"

"You didn't finish did you?" Iko placed an impatient hand on her hip. "Well you're lucky I woke you up early. Thorne and Cress are coming in an hour and you look terrible." Iko bustled around the room, she did everything so loud that Cinder covered her face with her pillow.

"Alright, alright, I'll pack." Cinder yawned, "Just five more minutes…"

Iko pulled back the curtains, further blinding Cinder. "Come on, get up. We have a lot of work to do."


"Iko, do I really have to wear this?" Cinder complained.

"Cinder, Hawaii is an island, it's not like you can walk around in your sweatpants all day." Iko responded. She lounged on the cream colored sofa in the tailors room, flipping through a fashion magazine.

"I can't even swim! My leg would weigh me down and the water would mess up my processor."

The girls had spent the last half-hour looking at bathing suits for Cinder. They were going to be spending some time on the beach, so Iko insisted Cinder got new swimwear for the occasion. Not like she had any beforehand, but even if she could swim, nobody hand seen that much of her skin before. Cinder didn't know how comfortable she was showing her *stump and burns in public, let alone being photographed in that state.

A middle-aged woman bowed in front of the queen, "Well I have a few others you could try, Your Majesty. Your comfort is our top priority." The seamstress shuffled back to her racks, pulling different swim suits the queen might like.

"You have nothing to worry about, honestly." Iko said tenderly, "The whole Universe knows you're a Cyborg, and they love you anyway. Besides, since when did you care about what people thought about you?"

"I don't," Cinder answered, "but I also don't see why I can't just walk around in my shorts."

"You have to bring them for picture purposes, remember. It also shows you have confidence in your body, therefore making you look like a confident leader." Iko gave her a matter-of-fact stare that seemed to say, 'Ya, I know politics.'

The seamstress came back yet again with a different style of swimsuit. "It's called a leg-suit, Your Majesty. Unfortunately, it's not the most… appealing style we have."

"I want to try them." Cinder replied. The suit covered almost up to her mid-thigh, leaving her stump exposed but covering most of her burns. The back had a large section cut-out, for style purposes she assumed, but the amount of coverage in the front made up for that. What she loved most about it was the pattern; the skyline of Artemisia gleaming and glittering all the way around her torso.

After a quick change Cinder stepped out behind the curtain. "So, what do you think?"

"I think it's too long. Cut off a few more inches and we're golden."

"Thorne!" Cress exclaimed. Sure enough, Carswell Thorne was leaning on the door frame with Cress standing by his side.

Thorne grinned his trademark devil grin and said, "Just kidding, you look stunning as always, not as much as me, but still stunning." He walked over and wrapped her up in a big hug.

"I've missed you too, Thorne." Cinder had the sudden realization that she was in skin tight, semi-revealing clothing in front of Thorne and quickly grabbed her robe.

"Are you guys excited for the trip?" Cress asked. She hugged Cinder and sat done beside Iko saying, "I've been reading up on Hawaii for days."

Thorne threw himself on the chaise in the corner, "I'm just excited to go surfing again. I haven't been by the waves in years."

"You, surf?" Cinder raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"We all know I'm a man of many talents, and surfing is one of them."

Iko rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm excited to show off this beach body I've been working on all year."

"What work?" Cress chuckled, "You're an android you can't gain weight."

"Doesn't mean I can't show it off." Iko winked, "Speaking of Hawaii, what are you excited to do Cinder?"

See Kai again. In the past moths,Cinder had been learning everything about Luna, and Kai spent his day repairing things in the Commonwealth. It wasn't only buildings that were ruined by Levana's attacks, but the minds of the people as well. Both of them had to be in the public eye constantly, to reassure people that things were okay. This vacation would be the first time they'd be able to be alone in months.

"Getting to relax I guess," Cinder replied.

"I'm looking forward to that for sure," Cress sighed, "It's been a crazy year, and I'm excited to see everyone again." Iko nodded her head in agreement.

"I guess we all need time to relax don't we?" Thorne threw his arms over Cinder's shoulder. "Come on every one, we have a flight to catch."


*Stumps are the extremity of a limb left after amputations. When Cinder removes her prosthetic, the area of her own body (flesh and bone) is called a stump.

Thanks for reading my story! Please leave comments for what you want to happen next.

~Sasha56dance