Dee Dee walked down the narrow metal hall with a file in hand. She passed a few scientists and other employees of Bubbles'.

Once in a while she might nod or say a greeting but they didn't concern her; her only official job was to advise in the construction of the creatures under her authority (unofficially she was Bubbles' favorite stress relief "toy".)

The large room filled with technological bibble-babble would normally remind Dee Dee of her younger brother, but now was too important to stall on such things. Approaching Bubbles, who was looking at something on a computer screen, she placed the files onto Bubbles' desk and left.

"That the report?" Bubbles asked without turning.

"Yes," Dee Dee answered. "All the data about the latest run."

"Dee Dee." Bubbles turned to face the younger girl. "Would like to take a break with me?"

Dee Dee became slightly flustered. "Uh, I'm... s-sorry… but I think I'm going to have to return to my work, if you'll excuse me."

Bubbles smiled as she watched Dee Dee rush out of the room; she liked to tease the girl.

'So wound up,' Bubbles thought. 'If she's not careful, she might break.'

*******************1

Usagiko lay on the cot; she was within a small cell with just one door, which was metal with a slot in it, and a few florescent lights overhead.

'Maybe breaking into this dumb place wasn't such a good idea,' she thought as she placed her hands behind her head.

There was a knock at the door; turning her head, Usagiko saw something slid under it. Getting up and retrieving it quickly, and finding it was what she came for, she smiled, placed the papers into her uniform and lay back down.

*******************2

"Some hours before."

"Where now?!" Toji asked, holding his kazeken ready to strike.

"The scan says the monster is on the roof, north by northwest," a voice chimed from the headset he was wearing, which had a retractable visor that was now over Toji's black eyes.

The visor had all sorts of things going on but it lead Toji to the target, a large humanoid female that was as anatomically correct as a Barbie doll.

"She" was very tall and slender, gray skin, which was pure metal, and shiny black hair, which was metal as well. Whatever her eye color, if she had any, was lost as she had a strange metal visor over them.

"Found it! And it definitely looks like Dr. Zaighger's work." Toji took a stance. "The pervert," he mumbled.

The "woman" noticed Toji quickly and held out a hand. Within seconds the area Toji was in was engulfed by a pillar of energy and then eaten away by the explosion that followed after.

The smoke rose and there was no sign of Toji; the creature looked around but "her" senses were saying there was no one there.

"Shi ne!"

Toji rushed out of the clearing smoke and crashed right into the monster, then drove them both over the building's edge, landing on the ground forty stories down.

The only difference was that Toji survived because he had a shield that his friend Dexter made. The creature, which was now nothing more then a pile of Chemical X, cybernetics and various goo, didn't.

"I found and destroyed the monster," Toji said. "Any others?"

"Not that I can see."

Toji sighed and disappeared in a gust of wind.

********************3

Buttercup was very in step with the waltz. Princess was a little rusty but it didn't matter.

"I see you've been practicing, haven't you?" Princess said.

"And you seen to be out of practice," Buttercup retorted.

A small chuckle between the couple filled the cheerful air of the Townsville Ball. There were quite a few people there.

"Such a nice night," Buttercup said. "Want to go out to the lily garden?"

They left the groups and went into the lily garden that was nearby, where they sat on the ground and stared up into the sky.

"I love you, Buttercup," Princess said, "And I'm glad you saved me."

()()()()()()()() Author's Corner. ()()()()()()()()()

Translations:

Shi ne - Die!

I really would say such a thing out load (or at all) unless it was truly serious.