Pacing was an activity that held a surprising amount of appeal to him at the moment. He'd soon learned that slow, rhythmic strides helped him to focus on any problem which came his way. And being the Supreme Leader of the Teens Next Door, problems showed up every five minutes.

Sixteen-year-old Lee turned yet again, staring blankly at the brown boards that made up the floor of his office. His eyes followed the slight pattern on them that all wood seemed to have, before turning to stare directly at the shadowed person in front of him.

"Are you absolutely certain?" he asked, his voice professional. To him, this was nothing more than business. This was nothing personal. This would never be personal.

That's what you want to think…

"Please," replied the figure. "Abby's sure. She knows they're gonna attack the museum again. She knows they want their hands on that KNDNA tracker." Here Numbuh 5 paused, before adding, "She isn't sure if the leader's gonna be there, though."

He nodded, trying not to make it too stiff. Inside, there was only one word dominating his mind.

Crap.

He felt the panic building inside him, but he pushed it down. He would go through with the mission. He had to. He glanced down at the clipboard in his hand, showing the black text of an E.L.I.T.E. report on the plain white background. He only ever seemed to see black and white these days.

"Thank you, Numbuh 5," he said formally, shaking her hand quickly. She tossed her braid to the side, with a smirk and a 'you're welcome'. "Please inform all of the Moonbase operatives to prepare for departure to the museum."

"No problem, boss," she said, saluting. She whirled around, to go back to her duties as a spy. What could he say? She performed quite well on duty.

The position of Supreme Leader was rotated, kept at the ages of 15 to 17. Shortly after Abby turned 18, he had been forced to take over on a global request from Numbuh 98. He remembered the sorrowful look on Wesley's face as he asked him to step up and take the job, as he himself had done when the legendary Numbuh 24.5 and Numbuh 456 had disappeared without a trace.

"Prepare for departure to the Kids Next Door museum," he said into his communicator watch. The strange transmission devices had been given to the humans by the elvens, as the devices had come in much handier than the standard helmet communicators.

"Roger that, Numbuh 84 sir," came the voice of Numbuh 501. His gut twisted slightly every time he heard the operating Numbuh; even though she wasn't the same person, he had still heard the stories about the psychopathic teenager on Adlenir of the same name.

He strode down to the hanger, choosing to ignore the salutes operatives gave him as he passed. Ever since the Kids Next Door and the Teens Next Door had melded, the kids had a newfound respect for teens. He climbed into a S.C.A.M.P.E.R., almost in a trance as he gave the command to take off.

The stars flew by as he fingered the yo-yo in his pocket, thinking about how leadership had changed him. To be honest, it hadn't done much to alter his character; he had always been rather quiet, but effective in a fight. He knew how to follow orders. He later learned how to give orders, after he was made Commander of Sector W after Harvey was decommissioned.

He was still the kid with the faded green yo-yo.

The museum soon came up on the radar, seemingly peaceful. He was aware that inside there was a hubbub of activity- operatives preparing for his arrival. He straightened his hat slightly, frowning as he prepared to disembark.

Numbuh 21 Artifacts greeted him in the usual, overly enthusiastic fashion of his predecessor, Numbuh 101. Numbuh 84 merely nodded and gave short, blunt replies to the now-fainting-with-excitement operative. It was easy from there; station everyone in their respective positions, and prepare for the oncoming assault.

He proceeded to the room where the tracker device was held. He would be guarding that himself, despite the concern of his underlings. Needless to say, he was not about to take chances; he had called in the rest of Sector V to be standing by, should they need assistance.

He surveyed the room where he stood, back straight, in front of the KNDNA tracker, straining his ears to hear the noise of the assault going on in the above floors. He was in a basement- a rather large room, with a high ceiling, and plenty of room to maneuver. The only light came from the emergency exit signs. He took an unusually offensive strategy when in combat- he intended to go for the enemy, knock him or her out, and then walk back to the position he was in now.

Of course, things rarely went as planned.

There was the typical explosion as the door he faced was blown back on its hinges. He took a couple of steps forward, getting into a ready stance. He had expected that; what he did not expect was a swaying Teen Ninja, staring at him for a moment, before collapsing to the ground.

Behind the teen, Numbuh 85 saluted. "Sorry, sir," he called. "This one almost got through." He turned and sprinted back to the fight, actually looking like he was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Numbuh 84 did not relax. He still had a job to do. He couldn't let idle things distract him. He couldn't let anything distract him. He couldn't-

"Always so punctual, aren't you Lee?"

He whirled and felt his heart freeze. Their last encounter had been much the same. Because of her direct action in the attack, the Kids Next Door had lost. Again.

He quickly regained his composure, placing the neutral, emotionless expression he had worn for so long on his face. She casually flicked some of her dirty blond hair over her shoulder, leaving some strands lying on her blood red fighting suit. The suits had become the new uniform for Teen Ninjas ever since she had become leader.

"Sonya," he said tersely. Her seemingly innocent blue eyes found his, and she let out a soft, musical laugh.

"You still haven't changed much," she remarked, taking a few steps toward him. Her smile, he reminded himself, wasn't the same sweet smile that made his heart flip years ago. Now it was a smirk, a show of confidence. She knew she was the one of the best fighters on the planet; not even he could deny that.

One thing was the same about that smile: it still made his heart flip. Not that he listened to his heart anymore.

"Shall we skip the banter this time?" he asked cordially, taking a more defensive stance now. Sonya wouldn't be an easy fight.

"Oh, of course not," she replied, her smirk widening. "I rather enjoy it." He wasn't a fool; she used it to distract him.

As always, he felt a small twinge of hesitation at the thought of attacking her. Then he reminded himself that this wasn't Sonya anymore. This wasn't the polite, fiercely loyal KND operative he had once known. Now, she was a calculating, confident young woman with an agenda to destroy the Kids Next Door.

Numbuh 83 was as good as dead.

She came first, her movements almost cat-like in their grace, delivering a few, quick jabs to him abdomen. He focused on parrying with the back of his hand, before delivering a swift kick to her knee. She didn't even wince, though her smile became strained.

"You still go for the support, don't you?" she asked, casually trying to punch his right temple. He caught it and decided to give a quick reply, hoping it would satisfy her and get her to stop talking.

"I find it far more effective when your enemy is immobilized on the ground."

Her smile became almost feral now. "I agree," she said, ducking around him to avoid his attempt at punching her throat; he was trying to paralyze her vocal cords. Maybe it would get her to stop talking. Pain exploded in the back of his knee, and he was dimly aware that she had kicked with the toe of her boot. He didn't sway, and he didn't falter as he front flipped away from her, spinning in midair to land facing her once again.

Only now, she was in front of the KNDNA tracker. However, she disregarded this, choosing to continue to attack him.

"I wonder what other people would think if they knew," she remarked thoughtfully as she came at him again. She was torturing him, knowing that his curiosity would prompt him to ask her what, precisely, they would know.

"You want to know?" she asked mockingly. Her eyes became dangerous now. "You already know, Lee. Want me to show you?"

Ah. Now he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"I'd rather not," he said in a monotone. "I have a job to do."

"Liar."

She knew. Of course she did. It was in everything she did- her movements, the way she spoke, the way she looked at him. The way he couldn't stop looking at her. She continued to drive him back, using a quick succession of hits to knock, almost forcing him off his feet. He did his best to stand his ground.

Lightning fast, she danced around another of his own hits, and came up directly in front of him. He felt his breath catch, a part of him screaming for her to close the gap between them.

She complied, her lips fitting perfectly against his. His defenses fell apart immediately. There was no point in keeping them up, after all; the kiss revealed how much they both wanted it. How they hungered for it.

Her hands slowly worked their way into his hair, one of them gently taking off his hat first. It fell to the floor, hitting it with a clunk that neither heard. Lee completely opened himself up to the one person that he wasn't a robot around, his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer. The passion with which they kissed was rushing through him, like adrenaline in a fight.

He noticed that she tasted… almost like regret, and sorrow. One of his hands traveled up to her hair, playing with a loose strand. He felt her shiver slightly against him.

They both felt their minds protest when she pulled away slightly, though not completely. She leaned her head against his chest, breathing lightly.

"I was right," she murmured, lifting her sky blue eyes to stare into his. "I still don't understand, Lee."

He didn't answer, knowing that he should be pulling away entirely and attempting to knock her out, but he let her stay in his arms. He knew what it was that she didn't understand.

"I don't understand," she repeated more insistently; though her voice was merely a whisper, it was still full of intensity. "Why?"

This time he felt obligated to say something. "Why what?" he asked, absentmindedly stroking a lock of her golden hair. It felt silky in his fingers.

"Why didn't you come with me?"

That got his attention; when they were both fourteen, they had secretly agreed they had had enough of the Kids Next Door, but they were unwilling to give up their memories. Sonya had made the decision to create a diversion, so that they could escape.

When the time came, however, he stayed.

"I had to stay," he whispered back. "You know that."

"No, I don't," she said, at a normal volume now. For a brief moment, he saw her the way she used to be- innocent and carefree. She pushed herself out of his arms now, a cold look coming on her features. "I don't know why you had to give up your life for this godforsaken group." She didn't shift to a fighting stance, and merely stared at him.

That was fine with him; it was almost as if the kiss had drained his energy, and his body was unwilling to fight any longer.

"There wasn't anyone else," he said, his voice going back to deadpan. "I couldn't refuse Numbuh 98. Both the kids and the teens needed someone to look after them. I just happened to be that someone."

She laughed again, only this time it was harsh and bitter. "Why not just let it all fall apart?" she snarled, her anger becoming clear. Before he could answer, she rolled her eyes. "You couldn't stand to have that on your conscience?"

Wordless, he nodded slowly. That wasn't his only reason, but he wasn't about to name the others.

She didn't seem to accept that answer, as her features hardened. However, she shrugged. "Well then, Lee," she said, more formally now. "I'm going to make you a deal. Or rather, more of a promise."

He felt a twisted feeling in his gut. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I'll let you all keep your KNDNA tracker. I can always find you anyway. In return, however, I promise you this: one day, you will come with me."

He felt a cold shiver run up his spine at the menace in her voice. Her blue eyes burned icily into his as she regarded him a moment more; without warning, she moved around him, slamming her fist into the back of his head.

The force was enough to make darkness swim in front of his eyes. He registered falling backwards and hitting the hard surface. Two things imprinted in his memory about that moment.

One was a gentle pressure on his lips, much sweeter and caressing than the last. The second thing was a last, lingering whisper…

"Why didn't you just come with me?"

"Sir! Sir! Someone get the medical team, this instant!... Numbuh 84 sir? Are you alright?"

The concerned face of Numbuh 501 swam into view, peering down at him. She sighed with relief as he blinked, trying to regain his grasp on the world. He almost cowered at the amount of light around him, but managed to keep himself from doing so.

The first words out of his mouth were, "Status report."

Numbuh 501 jumped to a salute at once. "The damage to the museum is severe, but the KNDNA tracker remains accounted for. A few operatives were injured, but it was thankfully nothing serious."

"Thank you." The emotionless robot was back. He quickly stood up, a little shaky from being unconscious. He realized that he was still in the scene of the fight, and that Sonya had somehow escaped once again.

"I'm afraid we couldn't catch the Ninjas' leader," said Numbuh 501. "She eluded all of our troops. One of these days we're going to have to find someone who can best her in combat." There was sympathy in her voice.

It didn't surprise Lee that Sonya had outsmarted him. She always was the better fighter of the two.

"Send the repair crews down here to begin cleaning up," he said. "The rest of us will head back to the Moonbase." He was already striding away as he gave these orders, heading back up into the main level of the museum.

As he regarded the destruction in the exhibit hall, he recalled Sonya's vow. He felt a slight foreboding feeling.

If there was one thing he knew about Sonya, it was that she always kept her promises.

Sonya regarded the stars above, glinting coldly in the sky. It had been an easy getaway, as usual.

Her encounter with Lee had been something she'd been craving for ages now. It had gone exactly as planned. One day, one day…

"One day, Lee," she whispered, "You'll be by my side."

Author's note: This one-shot has been waiting in my mind for a while. I know it's kind of a dark take on their relationship, but I wanted to try something different. If anything at the beginning was confusing, then I recommend that you read my other KND fanfic, Operation R.E.B.E.L.

Please review! I'd like to have feedback on how I did on this one. I strayed from the usual pairings that I support. Just so you know, this is NOT a sequel to Operation: R.E.B.E.L.