Once upon a time there was a beautiful 22 year-old woman, Rie Aoi, and a handsome 26 year-old man, Ryu Tendo. They were to be married because they loved each other. They were to be heroes and protect the world of their birth because they were courageous. And then, in a terrible accident, the beautiful woman was lost, falling from her lover's fingers into the cold vastness of space.

When our heroes met the villains Ryu discovered among them one whose face and form were identical to Rie's. Her name was Maria. She was a vicious, sadistic warrior. He did not know anything more about her but we, the audience, learned all sorts of things.

She loved music. When Gure brought home a piano she was drawn straight to the instrument then began playing, and the first time she stopped in confusion because she didn't know where the music had come from. Classical piano was her forte, and it had been Rie Aoi's. She desired power over almost all things and had a great deal of pride. Over the course of time she and Gure became an item. They listened to records together, played music and drank, and simply were most content and comfortable with each other.

Then one day enemies tried to destroy Maria, saying she was already dead. They turned her inside out and we discovered that inside was Rie Aoi. She was gathered in by Ryu, and we learned that she had no memory of what happened after she fell through the hole in the spaceship. Ryu was forced to leave her to fight the Vyram, and Radiege came to her. She recognized him from his broadcast "We are your masters" speech she had seen before the attack started. Before she could do more than cry out, he sent a fall of power into her and restored Maria.

After that every time Ryu saw her he called her Rie, which drove Maria up the wall. One time Maria was badly injured in battle. It was a cold, rainy day and she lost consciousness, freezing. Gure hadn't a clue what to do for her, and when Ryu found them in a cave, was forced to give her into his care. Little G2 saw Gure's distress. When the rain stopped and Ryu went out to search for firewood, it sneaked into the cave and took Maria out to bring her to Gure. She was unconscious through the whole thing and never knew about G2. Gure kept the little one a secret.

One day Maria made a deal with the devil. Actually with Radiege, but it was about the same. She wanted power, as I said, and wanted him to show her the way to increase her power as he had his own. So he made a thing from his blood and it fastened itself to her. She began craving blood, and stalked humans, luring them with her human beauty before killing them. The more she drank, the more she could feel her power grow. However, the cost was tremendous. Her body was distorting, becoming monstrous to reflect what was happening to her soul. Gure understood what was going on. This was Radiege's attempt to take the humanity out of Maria, and it was destroying what made her... Maria.

So Gure made a decision and went to the Jetman to ask them to stop her, to help her if they could. And oh, they tried. They fought her, and Ryu got in close to her and managed to hold her tight. He told her he would always love her, it didn't matter how monstrous she looked because he knew her. Maria would have fought him off, but he kissed her, and her mind went into total chaos. For as we know, inside Maria was Rie Aoi, who loved Ryu more than anything. Even more than power. And she rejected the gift Radiege had given her, for it would cost her that love. The blood-thing detached from her and went after Ryu, who destroyed it.

Rie was about to go to Ryu when Radiege arrived, and he did not use power this time but called her back. Then she remembered that she was Mariah. But this time she also remembered she was Rie. And still she chose Radiege, to Ryu's horror. Was it a ruse to get close to him or did she mean it? I don't know. But when Radiege turned to attack his rival, Maria picked up Ryu's sword and stabbed him in the back. Radiege spun without thinking and sliced her. Laughing wildly he staggered back and vanished to the Vyram ship saying, "You are MINE, not Red Hawk's!"

When Ryu would have run to her and tried to save her, she held him back with his own sword. She refused him, saying her hands were red with blood. She was a murderer, now, and it couldn't be undone. She backed up and Gure was there, holding her shoulders. He teleported her away. He took her to the ocean, which was not far, and held her above the waves as she died. He asked her, "Is this what you wanted, Maria?" It had always been only to him that she could show her true feelings, and she answered that it was not. She had wanted to live, wanted to be with Ryu. But then, where does Maria end and Rie begin? Nowhere, anymore. She died, wishing for what never had a chance to happen.