It was a chilly November night, with a slight wind traveling through the world, kissing her skin in a chilly embrace. Keeping her eyes on the stars above the balcony, she crossed her arms, trying to keep herself warm.

"Need a blanket?"

Whipping her head towards the voice, Kuki found herself looking at Wally, clad in jeans, a hoodie, and a jacket. In his hands was a woolen blanket.

"Wally!" she said. "What…What're you doing here? I thought you were at Hoagie's!"

"I was, but I left. Figured since Abby's not around to keep you company, and Nigel and Hoagie are hangin' out, I thought I'd come an' see how you were doing."

"R-Really? Wow…" She was so surprised. Wally came to check up on her? Seriously?

"Well…Yeah…" He blushed, rubbing the back of his head. "I hated the thought of you hanging around in this big treehouse all by yourself…So…Y'know."

"Th-Thank you…That's so sweet of you." She blushed as well, hoping Wally would think it was just the wind making her face red.

"N-No problem, my pleasure," he replied. He walked up to her and draped the blanket around her shoulders. "What're you doing out here anyway? You're in your pajamas!" he said, noting the silky bunny pants and shirt she was in. "It's freezing out here!"

"I just came out here for some peace, that's all."

"Peace? It's plenty quiet in the treehouse! What do you need to be out here for?"

"The stars are out here," she answered, turning back to the sky. "The sky always calms me down."

"You still upset over Brooke makin' fun of ya?"

She said nothing, but the shame in her eyes was apparent. Hesitatingly, Wally put his arm around her. "Don't listen to her, Kooks," he said, saying her nickname in his husky Australian accent. "She's an idiot, remember? Nothin' she says about you is true."

"I know," she answered. "But it still hurts."

"Yeah…I guess it does…But…It'll be okay, Kuki. I promise. I'll protect you from her. We all will," he said, referring to Hoagie, Abby, and Nigel. "Best friends look after one another, after all."

Kuki smiled, snuggling into Wally's side. Whenever Wally or the others called her their friend, a warm feeling always overtook her whole body. The fact that she never had to be alone again, and that she had friends who cared about her as much as she cared for them was just incredible. Nigel was the leader and hero that everyone, especially her, admired. Hoagie was the funny genius that made her laugh non-stop. Abby was the cool, calm, and collected girl, the friend Kuki always wanted. And Wally...was just the amazing guy that she had fallen head over heels for. She loved all four of them, each in their own special way. "I know, Wally. I know."

"What did she say to you today, anyway?"

Kuki's eyes widened, and immediately pulled away from Wally, turning away from him. "N-Nothing," she said, avoiding his questioning stare.

"Doesn't seem like nothing to me, the way you just pulled away from me like that," he said matter-of-factly, putting his hands on her shoulders and turning her around. "C'mon, Kuki, what is it? You can tell me."

She looked into his eyes, his beautiful emerald orbs, and found her heart caught in her throat. He was so wonderful; she could stare into his eyes all day.

"C'mon Kooks," he said. "Tell me what she said."

Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she told him at a fast pace, "She said that no one will ever love me."

Hesitantly opening them, she found him staring at her, his mouth open like a small o. "Whot?" he said. "That's what she said? She said that?"

She nodded her head miserably.

"That's a load of crud!"

"Huh? What?"

"Ah said, that's a load of crud! Everybody loves you! She's just too jealous to admit it! Stupid Brooke, she's such an idiot…"

"Wally," she interrupted. "She didn't mean that kind of love. She meant…the romantic kind."

He paused. "Oh."

"Yeah."

"I see."

"Uh-huh." She turned her head to the ground, wishing a hole would open up and suck her into oblivion. "She thinks no one will ever fall for me…And…And…" Tears began to well up in her eyes and fall down her cheeks. Slowly they dripped off of her face, and onto the floor boards of the balcony, creating small dark puddles.

Wally's heart broke. "Kuki," he said, dropping the nickname. "That ain't true…"

"How do you know?" she said, voice breaking. "What makes you so sure of that? No boy's ever loved me…Remember when I told you about the time I sent Ace a valentine in seventh grade? He just ripped it up and laughed. He laughed, Wally! I'm not good enough for a boy! I never will be!"

"No, Kuki, you're wrong!" He cupped her face and brought it up to his, a passionate look on her face. "It's everyone else that's not good enough for you! You're too awesome for any boy! They don't deserve you, not the other way around! They don't, and neither do I! But that doesn't matter to me, because I love you anyway! I love you, I always have!"

Before she could say anything, he forced his lips onto hers, pulling her close into a loving embrace. Shocked, Kuki didn't know what to do, until Wally gently took her arms and placed them around his neck, then pulled her face harder against his. She complied, and closed her eyes and kissed him back.

Kuki sighed as the memory went through her mind, remembering every sensation and every detail of that night. That had been the night he confessed his love to her, and the first time he kissed her.

The months that followed that fateful night had been bliss. Wally had kissed her, embraced her, held her hand, and whispered sweet nothings into her ear. The look on Brooke's surprised face had been priceless, and the others had cheered over their new relationship.

But those memories only tore Kuki's heart up even more.

Now, she was lucky enough just to receive a peck on the lips from him. Lately all he had been interested in were hanging out with Hoagie and Nigel, wrestling, and trying to get by in math. He hadn't been on a date with her in months. He hadn't kissed her passionately in weeks.

She couldn't remember the last time he told her he loved her.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?" Kuki asked him, staring up at him hopefully. "I'll make whatever you want! My parents are out of town, and my sister's having dinner with Sandy at his house, so-"

"Sorry, Kooks!" Wally said. "Hoagie and I are goin' to a hotdog eating contest downtown. If I beat him, he's givin' meh fifty bucks!"

"Oh! Okay…Well, can I-?"

He glanced at his watch. "Oh crud, I only got fifteen minutes to get there! I gotta get goin'! I'll see you later!" He gave her a quick peck on her cheek.

"But-"

"Bye!" He said, running towards the sidewalk. "See ya, Kooks!"

"Bye…."

"Hello?" Wally said, picking up the phone. "Wally speaking."

"Hi Wally!" Kuki said, cheerfully. "I'm glad I got a hold of you!"

"Kuki? Hey!" he said. "What's up? I can't talk long, there's a wrestling match comin' on, but I can talk for a minute."

"Oh, okay! When's the match end?"

"Uh…I dunno, an hour?"

She smiled. Maybe they could go on a date after all!

"Well, when that's over do you want to go see a movie with me?"

"A movie?"

"Yeah!" An expression of excitement came across her face at the though of going to the movies with him. "I don't care what it is, I just want to see you!"

"Well, I'd love to, Kooks, but…."

Her face fell. "But" was never a good word to hear. "Y-Yes?"

"Well, y'see, I'm kinda going to Nigel's. We got a project to work on, and we were gonna go an' eat with Hoagie…"

"O-Oh…"

"That's okay with you, right?"

"Y-Yes…" It was not okay with her, but she was too afraid and too kind to say so. "M-Maybe tomorrow?"

"Sure! I'll call you!"

"Okay. I love-"

"Bye Kuki!"

He hung up the phone, and forgot to call her the next day.

It had been like that for the past month now. He hadn't spent any time with her, and the only time they were together it had seemed as if they were more like friends then boyfriend and girlfriend.

Kuki had begun to think he didn't love her anymore.

Her heart began to break.

"Wally…" she mumbled, laying on her bed in her room in the treehouse, her hands covering her tearful eyes. (They gang still used Nigel's treehouse to hang out in, and used it just like they used to in the KND). "What did I do wrong…?"

She fell asleep, crying.

She woke up a few hours later to the sound of footsteps entering her room. Opening her sleepy eyes, she turned at fumbled around, searching for her lamp light. She found the knob, turned it, and shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness. When her eyes adjusted to the light, she looked up to find who entered her room.

"Wally?"

There he stood at her doorway, wearing a white t-shirt and orange shorts, his typical sleepwear. "Hey, Kuki. Sorry I woke you."

"I-It's okay," she said, rubbing her eyes. "What's up? Is it an emergency?"

"No, I just wanted to talk to you."

"Huh? What for?" she asked curiously. She sat up in bed. "Did I do something?"

Wally smiled, and chuckled lightly to himself. It was just like her to think it was her that did something wrong. "No, I did."

"What are you talking about?" Now she was really confused. "I don't understand."

"I just had a talk with the others." He walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. "Kuki, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," he said, taking both of her hands and looking into her eyes. "I've been such a jerk."

"What?"

"Look at you," he said, taking note of her red eyes. "You've been crying…"

"N-No I haven't!" she argued. "W-What makes you say that?!?"

"Your eyes, they're all red. Abby said that you were upset…That you've been upset for a while now…"

"I-I-I'm not upset-"

"Kuki, you don't need to lie to me to make me happy," Wally said, brushing her hair away from her face. "I know what's been going on. The others told me all about it."

"A-About what?" she asked, whispering.

"About how I've been ignoring you. About how I haven't spent any time with you at all whatsoever, and how selfish I've been. Hoagie and Nigel had to keep Abby from tearing me to shreds, she was so mad. Hoagie and Nigel threatened to beat me up too. They said they wouldn't let me hurt their 'sister'."

She blushed. "They called me their sister? And Abby wanted to beat you up because of me?"

He smiled. "They love you, Kooks. And I love you too," he said, lifting her face up. "Kuki…I'm so stupid…I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't want to make you cry. Kuki…" he whispered, pain and regret in his eyes. "I'm so sorry…I love you…I really do."

He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "I won't ever hurt you like that ever again," he whispered into her ear, making the hair on her neck stand up. "Please give me another chance, Kuki. I'll take you on dates, and kiss you all the time, and hold you…I won't ever ignore you ever again…I promise."

"You mean…" she said, choking up. "You…You still love me? I didn't do anything wrong?"

"No! Oh crud, you thought I…?" he said, looking at her. "You thought I was ignoring you because it was your fault? You thought I didn't love you anymore?"

His heart broke at the thought. "I had no idea I hurt you so badly…Crud…" He buried his face in his hands, ashamed of himself. "Crud…."

"Wally?" She scooted closer to him. "Wally…It's okay…"

"No it's not!" he yelled. "I messed up so badly! I made you feel like trash, and it's all my fault! Don't you see, Kuki? I ignored you just like everyone else has! I made you feel terrible about yourself! I suck! I suck I suck I suck I suck I-"

"Wally!" She took hold of his arms and looked at him. "It's okay, Wally…I forgive you. I know you didn't mean it. You're just not used to being in a relationship, that's all. Neither am I. We both have a lot to learn. And you are not like everyone else. You didn't treat me like trash, Wally. You just treated me more like a friend then girlfriend."

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. Now he had wished that Abby had ripped him to shreds. He had never meant to hurt Kuki, and the fact that he did just killed him.

"It's okay…" she replied, burying herself into his chest and felt his strong arms encircle her. "It's okay."

"I love you…" he said, his voice dripping with affection.

Her heart leaped at his words. She had been waiting so long to hear him say that. "I love you too," she replied, beaming. She then yawned.

"Lay down, Kooks…" he said, gently pushing her back down on the mattress. "I woke you up. Go to sleep."

"But I don't want to…" She argued, trying to keep her eyes open. "I want to be with you some more…"

"Then I'll sleep next to you," he said, laying down beside her and wrapping her in his arms again. "I'll be right here."

"You won't leave?"

"Never."

"Promise?"

"I promise. Go to sleep now. I'll be here in the morning."

She smiled. "Kiss me…" she said. "Kiss me, and I'll go to sleep."

Wally complied, smiling back, and cupped her face with his hand. He placed his lips on hers, kissing her sweetly, gently, lovingly. "Mmm," moaned Kuki, putting her hand on his face. Her heart was racing.

"Mmm," he replied, pressing his lips harder against hers.

They soon let each other go, and Wally laid his head back against the pillow. Kuki's face was dreamy, and she stared at him until they finally closed, plunging into a deep, deep sleep. Leaning over her, Wally turned the lamp off, and laid back down.

He never ignored her again. He kissed her as often as he could, and told her he loved her all the time. In fact, the next day he said it too much.

"Good morning, Kuki! I love you!"

"Will you help me with my homework, Kuki? I love you, by the way."

"I love you, Kuki. See you next class."

"Did you say something? I love you."

"Pass me the mustard? I love you."

It was the best day of Kuki's life.

This was my attempt at making a oneshot. Hope you enjoyed the little friendship stuff I put in there. I ought to write a friendship fic...Please review, I'll give you a virtual cookie!