A/N: This is probably the strangest stories I've ever written. It just popped into my head, wouldn't leave me alone, and then this happened. Anyway, I don't really know if anyone's explored the MALNR pairing, so I am. Enjoy!

Is it strange to love your opposite? Is it strange to love one not of your species? Will the universe make an exception for me, a lone Vortian scientist?

Her appearance is regal and stunning. Her voice is harsh and soothing. Her nature is flamboyant and patient. Her very being is at war and at ease. A great leader stands before us this day, as does the love of my life.

Yes, we are engineering weapons capable of destroying entire planets, but not for war. No, she wants to make peace between the galaxies and beyond these familiar stars.

I can't help but be amazed and humbled by her appearance.

I proudly show her the facility, the Infinite Energy Generator, the new weapons and battleships, some technology that's still in the development stage. And she takes it all in, congratulating successful teams, inspiring the ones who have failed, and praising all of us for our hard work that will benefit future generations.

But then we come upon his lab.

He shows off his "greatest" creation, the Infinite Energy Absorbing Blob. He laughs at the most mundane things, it's sickening. He boasts, he brags, he disregards other's precious time and patience. We all know why he's here and how stupid the defective can be. But, this must be the day where all the gods of Vort frown upon me.

His blob goes for the generator and swallows it whole. It begins its rampage through the facility as the defective tries to tame it. Miyuki floats near me, optical implants widened in shock and disbelief. But as the madness continues, the blob comes closer and closer. I try dragging her along behind me, running to safety out of the blob's path, but something happens. Soon, I do not feel her claws in mine. Turning around is the worst decision I could possibly make. There she is, my love, with the monster bearing down upon her.

I look away, for I cannot bear to see her die before me. Her beauty, her strength, her charisma; gone in one fell swoop. There's no way she can be gone, but her screams suggest otherwise…

Then I open my eyes and rediscover the heartache and fury. That happened so many years ago, yet it all seems so fresh in my mind.

It is all gone, all because of an idiot ill-suited for the job he was assigned. I lost everything because nobody wanted to deal with this...defective. My love is eternally unrequited due to this little mistake, this unwanted trash standing before my very eyes.

Zim...a name I shall never forget.

Miyuki...a love I shall always avenge.

Zim...the one at my mercy as of right now. He lies before me, bloody and beaten to a pulp; the puddles on the floor are proof enough of that. As I walk towards him from my perch, Ixane hands me a knife and nods. In a way, she became my new lover, but she understands that Miyuki was-still is special.

The scum before me looks up, one last pleading glance at me. He just lost everything, the empire dumped him here on our ship with a note that read:

We've had our fun, your turn. We know your past, make him suffer and end it all. Get your revenge.

Oh, I intend to. Nine minutes and fifty-six seconds prior to this, we ripped off his PAK. From there, we watched him suffer and scream as we destroyed the PAK right before his implants. I step to him now.

Looking down upon him feels nice, the egotistical maniac now reduced to a pathetic whimpering smeet. I pull him up by his already injured antenna and whisper to him.

"Do you wish for death?" I smirk as he nods, still shuddering with every breath he takes. We broke him. I broke him.

This is for you Miyuki. May you accept this as a token as my love.

I slam Zim down upon the floor again and place one tube in his back where the PAK should go. If he is to live, he shall barely survive. If he is to suffer as I did, he should have his one wish taken from him.

"Too bad," I tell him, "you should have known that I'm not really the killing type. You should also know that this, right here, is the best form of torture. Beat your victim within an inch of life and make them want to die. At the very last second, you pull back and deny that final wish to them. It is the most brutal, unforgiving form of torture there is, but you deserve it. You took away my life wish and I'm taking away yours. Enjoy your punishment, Defective."

As I leave the room, I feel a weight lifted from my shoulders. I've avenged Miyuki, couldn't feel any happier. Reveling in my victory, I never make out the garbled apology or remember something about Zim.

Pity, I forgot to remove the self-destruct button. Oh well, one less Irken the growing Resisty have to work to stop.

I'm doing it all in Miyuki's name. She would have never wanted the empire to become like this. So, this is for you Miyuki. Rest easy now.