Author's Note: This story is based off of one of my old stories, Across Seas, which I wrote years ago when KND was still airing. Since I was never really that proud of that story I ended up deleting it last year along with the other story I wrote for a different show. I'm not sure why, but lately I've been feeling motivated to rewrite my old stories so I decided to give this one a shot. It will not be exactly like the old one, but I feel it will be better and more focused. I realize that since KND is not as popular as it once was and that its "hey day" has passed, I'm fully expecting not as many readers to be around as there used to be. Nonetheless, I will attempt to continue to write the rest of the story despite the number of readers. Although, reviews do always help for motivation. Now,onto the story.

Farewell

It was a typical evening in the Beatles' household. As always, the family had gathered around the dining table for another casual family dinner and as usual, Mr. Beatles heedlessly chatted away about work stories in his thick Australian accent while the rest of the family went about their business. His wife Mrs. Beatles, was busy trying to feed baby Joey and only paid half attention to her husband's story. She was too preoccupied with her unsuccessful attempts at keeping most of the baby food in little Joey's mouth instead of on the wall across the room. Joey, on the other hand, found his mother's struggles quite entertaining.

Wallabee, the oldest son of the couple, purposefully toned out the chaotic scene before him. For Wally, returning home for dinner was merely a chore since it meant missing out on time he could have been spending friends. Sure one of his favorite things in life was food, but he would much rather be back at the tree house either kicking Numbuh Two's butt at the new fighting game that was just released a few weeks ago or testing his hand to hand combat skills against Numbuh One in his boxing ring. He'd even offer to help Numbuh Three rearrange her rainbow monkeys by the individual colors of the rainbow until they were perfectly sorted to her liking. Of course, that had only been one time. And, if he was being honest with himself, a sorry excuse just to spend some alone time with her.

He continued to stab his fork onto his plate while he carelessly tuned out his parents' conversation. Mindlessly shoveling food into his mouth, he didn't even flinch when a fresh clump of what was supposed to be mashed potatoes whizzed passed his head.

"And then, we were all around the water cooler hidin' out from the boss right?" continued Wally's father, completely oblivious to his son's lack of attentiveness, "and Bob from down in filing tells us this hilarious new joke. You wanna hear it?"

Wally groaned.

After cleaning up the mashed potatoes Joey so amusingly threw around the room, Mrs. Beatles noticed the untouched broccoli on her son's plate. "Wallabee, don't forget to eat your veggies this time hun. I don't put them on your plate for you to just move around with your fork you know."

Wally tried his best attempt at a pitiful face. "Awww but Mom, they're so gross. Why do I gotta eat these things anyway?"

"Now, now son," interrupted Wally's father, "you want to grow big and strong right? You gotta eat your greens."

"But Dad, they just taste so...terrible. How do you grown-ups even stomach this stuff?"

"Finish your broccoli my little kuala bear, or no dessert after dinner," threatened Mrs. Beatles in her sweet motherly voice.

Wally grumbled and held his nose as he choked down the unpleasant vegetables. He swallowed them quickly by chasing them down with some of the small red potatoes. "There. Ya happy?"

"Oh yeah that reminds me," continued Mr. Beatles ignoring his son's comment, "did I tell ya all the good news?"

Wally's mom lifted Joey up from the high chair for a diaper change. "What news honey?" she asked, struggling to contain her squirming son as he attempted to escape his mother's grasp.

Mr. Beatles smiled happily. "You're not gonna believe it, but I've decided to finally quit my job and pursue my old passion of professional surfing! Isn't that great?"

The news managed to pull Mrs. Beatles attention from Joey. She smiled at her husband. "That's great honey! So does that mean we're finally going to move?"

"Yep!" Mr. Beatles interrupted enthusiastically. "To Hawaii!"

There was a distinct metallic rattle as Wally's fork abruptly dropped to the floor. He stopped mid-chew, nearly chocking on the hunk of steak he was trying to force down. His expression completely distraught.

"WHAT!?"

His father turned toward him smiling. "That's right son! Your mother and I were discussing it a while back, and we decided it would be best for all of us! Isn't it exciting?"

Wally stared at his father is disbelief. "Best for all of us!? But, but Dad. We can't move away. All my friends are here and I can't even swim and-"

"Nonsense, you'll make new friends! And as for swimming it's never too late to learn!"

"New friends..." Wally muttered to himself, his heart sinking down to his stomach. "But...but Dad-"

Mr. Beatles smile faded. "No buts son. The decision's final. I had to put off my dream to go pro back when you were a just a little tike, but I'd always promised myself I'd tackle that dream again. Now that you're older, I'd say it's finally time to get back on the old board."

Wally sank in his seat in defeat. The thought of leaving sector V filled him with a gut-wrenching, sickening feeling. How was he supposed to tell everyone he was moving away for good? How would they react? Would they be upset with him? Would the Kids Next Door add someone else to Sector V to take his place?

"Oh honey, that's wonderful! I can't wait!" squealed Mrs. Beatles happily, snapping Wally out of his trance. She was busy struggling with Joey who was now crying due to the discomfort of his dirty diaper. "When are we expecting to leave?"

"Three months," answered Mr. Beatles. "And no worries! Everything major is already taken care of."

Wally face fell even more.

Three months?

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Only three lousy months left with my friends, with...Numbuh Three. What am I going to tell them? Oh crud, what am I going to tell her!? HOW am I going to tell her?

Feeling faint, Wally clenched onto the fabric of his orange sweatshirt. "Mom, may I be excused? I don't feel well," Wally asked, raising a finger with his other hand to get his mother's attention.

"Yes Wally, since you've finished your dinner. Just don't forget to drop your plate off in the sink on your way." Wally got up and did as he was told, then dragged his sulking body back to the tree house.

Upon entering the main room of the tree house, things were taking place as usual. Numbuh Five was relaxing in her lounge chair with headphones while casually reading a magazine, Numbuh Two and Numbuh One were in a heated discussion centered around Numbuh Two's latest 2x4 invention (clearly in a disagreement), and Numbuh Three was gleefully throwing a tea party with her prized stuffed animal collection.

He did his best to avoid eye contact. Not feeling up for socializing and hoping to go undetected, Wally carried himself silently toward his boxing ring. Of course, Numbuh Three hadn't failed to notice him.

"Hey Numbuh Four!" she said joyfully, waving a covered sleeve at him. "Wanna come over and have some tea with Mr. Snugglekins? There are some new faces here who are just dying to meet you!"

Wally felt his face flush with embarrassment for a brief moment. Normally he would fire back with some sort of vomit comment at the exceedingly girlish activity, but today his heart just wasn't in it. "Eh, that's okay Numbuh three. I have to um...go make sure my room is the way I left it."

Kuki stared at Wally puzzled. The lingering pause between them made him feel uncomfortable. Had she noticed something was wrong? Did he seem too suspicious? Just when he thought he should say something to feed into his white lie, she abruptly broke the silence.

"Oh okay!" she shouted gleefully and waved him goodbye. He breathed a sigh of relief. For a moment he was afraid she had seen right through his lame excuse. He continued onward slowly to his room.

Unfortunately for him, Numbuh Five wasn't so easily misled.

She lifted one of the headphones off of her ear. "Hey Numbuh Four, you okay?" she asked concerned with a somewhat suspicious undertone.

Wally froze and turned around to face her with a fake smile. "Who me? Oh yeah, I'm just right as rain," he lied. "I'm just a bit tired is all. I think I'll head off to bed a bit early." He went as far as to give a fake yawn and stretched his arms behind his head.

Abby eyed him skeptically. "Mmm hmm. Whatever you say Numbuh Four." She placed her headphones back over her ears. She hadn't been fooled in the slightest, but figured if he needed her advice, he'd come knocking on his own terms.

Wally continued down the hall to his room. When he reached his destination, he collapsed in the middle of the boxing ring and stared up at the ceiling. "Cruddy Dad and his cruddy job," he grumbled, slamming his fist down on the mat in frustration. "Why do adults always get to decide everything?" His eyes began to burn as a few tears threatened to well up.

It isn't fair.

He liked the way his life was. He didn't want it to change. He had worked so hard to make friends when his parents had moved to town and if it hadn't been for Nigel standing up for him on his first day of school, he wasn't sure where he'd be now. It was one of the main reasons he specialized in hand to hand combat with the Kids Next Door. That, and he had wanted to impress Number Three.

He thought of what the rest of Sector V's lives would be like once he moved away. Would the KND replace him with a better operative? Would the new guy fit in better? What if they end up liking the new operative more than me? He felt his mood darken. His team always seemed to have a special bond. It seemed unthinkable that they could possibly be torn apart before their time. They worked so well together during missions, it didn't seem anyone would be able to just jump in and take his place. Besides having the famous Nigel Uno as their leader, their teamwork and coordination was one of the reasons they were considered one of the best, if not legendary, sectors in the KND. Sure, Numbuh 86 would disagree due to a number of blunders in the past, but it didn't change the fact that the other KND operatives practically treated them like icons.

Suddenly another thought struck him.

What if he ends up liking Numbuh Three? He felt his pulse quicken, the throbbing of his beating heart echoed in his ears. What if...what if she likes him back? What if she forgets about me!? What if-

"Numbuh Four?"

Startled, Wally yelped and jumped at the sound of the voice. He turned around quickly, but relaxed when he realized who it was. "Oh...hey Numbuh Three." He turned his back to her again, not wanting her to notice the evident redness in his eyes.

Kuki took a step closer, her expression full of concern. "Are you okay Wally? Usually you play that new video game with Numbuh Two after you come back from dinner, but instead you just went right to your room."

He felt his heart flutter somewhat at the use of his actual name. Somehow it always felt more personal than when she used his code name. But despite her attempts to get him to face her, he remained where he stood. He didn't know the right way to respond.

Kuki took another step closer, this time placing a hand on his shoulder. She felt him tense at her touch. "Is there something you wanted to tell me Numbuh Four?"

His body went rigid.

Where to begin? Of course there was something he wanted to tell her. It was the same darn thing he had been trying to tell her for years but never had the guts to spit it out. He sighed and did his best to try and calm himself down, but he could tell his actions only seemed to worry her more. Without looking her in the eye, he turned around to face her.

Guess now's a good a time as any.

"Uh listen Kuki," he started nervously. "There's somethin' that I gotta...I gotta tell ya."

Kuki innocently smiled back at him. "Sure Wally. What is it?"

"It's just that...I...well..."

She stared back at him patiently. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"It's been somethin, I've wanted to say for a long time..."

Kuki stared back at him, her eyes full of anticipation. Could he be-? Her cheeks flushed a light red as she nervously smiled and bit her lip.

Palms sweating, Wally finally looked up at her. "Kuki...I...I...lo-"

ALERT! ALERT! ALERT!

The deafening sound of the mission alert alarm suddenly sent a blaring wail throughout the base, followed by Numbuh One's voice shouting "KND battle stations" over the loudspeaker.

Hesitating for a moment Numbuh Three stared back at Wally. He was looking back at her stunned, as if a precious moment had just been stolen from him. Her training kicking in, she decided to put off the encounter. Snapping back to attention, she quickly dashed back to meet the rest of the team. "Come on Numbuh Four!" she called out to him as she sprinted ahead.

Wally watched her go, but was too stunned to follow right away. He cursed the alarm for interrupting him at such a critical moment. He had been so close! If only he had been granted a few more seconds. He sighed. Forlorn and defeated, he hurried to catch up with the rest of the team.

One mission later:

"That...was an absolute disaster," Numbuh One said grudgingly as he stepped out of the transport vehicle. His clothes were messy and torn and he seemed to have a lingering smoldering effect surrounding him.

Numbuh Five was the second to emerge. "You're tellin me! The fact that we even made it back in one piece is a miracle." Hoagie simply tumbled out of the vehicle with a groan followed by a dazed Numbuh Three. The last one out was Wally, rubbing the bruise to his head. He tried walking ahead but found a grumpy Numbuh One standing in his path with crossed arms.

"What happened back there Numbuh Four? How could you have so carelessly given away our position to the enemy? Instead of shipping twenty four crates of stolen root beer back to Sector T for their root beer float party, we barely escape the factory by the skin of our teeth and came back empty handed!"

"Well, I uh.." Wally fiddled with his fingers anxiously. This time he was at a loss to come up with a good excuse.

"Numbuh Five thinks there's something goin' on that you're not telling us," said Abby approaching Numbuh One's side. She was soon joined by the crossed arms and irritated faces of their remaining team mates.

Wally shifted glances between them nervously. "I...uh...I..."

They remained silent, their unified glare clearly indicating their aversion to hear any excuses.

"Alright!" admitted Wally. "My parents told me at dinner today that we were going to move away in three months! I tried to tell them no, but they already decided and there's nothing I can do. That's why I couldn't focus on the mission! I'm sorry okay?"

The team stared at him, shocked and silent. None of them could believe what they were hearing.

Wally waited impatiently as they seemed to be processing the bombshell of information. He tried to fight back the burning sensation welling up in his eyes, but it was a losing battle. His anger and frustration became apparent as the collective pool of droplets became visible to his comrades.

After quite some time, Nigel was the first to speak up. "I'm...I'm sorry Numbuh Four. I don't know what to say. Are you sure that's what your parents said?"

Wally nodded, wiping a few rogue tears from his eyes. "I didn't want to have to tell you guys."

"But you know, we were going to find out eventually," added Hoagie.

"I know," answered Wally. "I just figured that...if you didn't know, then maybe...I don't know...it would have been easier that way."

Kuki, oblivious to what was really going on, chimed in. "It's okay Numbuh Four," she said happily, "You can always come hang out with us after school."

Wally frowned. "Eh, Numbuh Three, I won't be uh...comin' back."

She stared at him blankly for a moment, followed immediately by flowing waterworks. Wally winced and tried to reach out to her as she ran off to her room, loudly sobbing.

He wanted to chase after her, but he stood his ground. He was never good with words, and he would probably just make the situation worse. Abby, noticing his dilemma, approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know this doesn't make you any less of a team member," she said, trying to comfort him. "We will just have to enjoy the time you have left. That's all."

He sighed heavily. He stared down the long corridor that led to Numbuh Three's room.

Three months ended up passing in the blink of an eye. True to their word, Wally's team had done everything they could to make their final days together memorable. They had taken him to all his favorite fast food joints, all of his favorite sporting events, and Numbuh One even let him have his choice on a couple of missions. He truly had the time of his life.

Eventually however, the day they all had been dreading finally approached. Wally stood solemnly in his front yard, his friends all gathered to say their farewells. As his parents were busy strapping down the last suitcase, Wally turned back toward his comrades.

"Well, I guess this is it," he said gloomily.

Nigel was the first to approach him. "Don't worry Numbuh four, you will always be a member of Sector V." He held out his hand. "We're going to miss you old friend. Try not to get into too much trouble with the Aloha sector."

Wally returned the handshake and managed to crack a smile at the remark. "No promises Numbuh One."

Abby was the next to step forward. She handed him a small envelope containing a stack of pictures. "Something to remember us by," she said with a sad smile. "They're copies I made out of the team's photo book. I tried to include the most memorable moments and a whole bunch from the going away parties at the end."

Wally gratefully took the envelope and she gave him a friendly farewell hug, but it was quickly interrupted by an over-emotional Hoagie squeezing them both in a bigger, giant bear hug. "I'm gonna miss you buddy," he managed to get out in between sobs.

"Numbuh Two!" Abby grunted as she struggled to break free from her friend's grasp. "Will you please get a hold of yo'self?"

"Opps, sorry," stated Hoagie, slightly embarrassed. He finally let go of the two of them and after regaining his composure, turned back to Wally. "Promise you'll stay in touch?"

"Promise as long as you promise to never hug me like that again," Wally joked.

Hoagie's smiled and reached into his pocket to pull out a Yipper card. "Here, I wanted you to have his."

Wally took the card and his eyes grew wide. "No way! You're super-duper, ultra, top secret best of the best Yipper card? Holy crud! You sure about this mate?"

Hoagie nodded proudly."Only on the condition that you promise to return it next time we see each other," he said with a wink.

"Deal!" Wally said happily, shaking his best friend's hand. Hoagie then cleared his throat and made an indicating motion toward Numbuh Three.

"Eh, right," said Wally nervously. "Could you guys...give me a minute?"

The rest of his team nodded and respectfully stepped away, leaving a rather bashful Numbuh Three exposed. He approached her nervously.

"Look eh Numbuh Three...I'm sorry I have to go and all," he started, attempting to maintain his tough-guy act. "But before I leave, there was somthin' I wanted to say that I...didn't get the chance to say earlier."

Kuki nodded with a sad smile and patiently waited for him to continue.

"Well I uh...you see I.." He tried his best to get the words out, but they still eluded him. He glanced back up to her uneasily, her eyes once again full of anticipation.

He gulped. Great, now she's making it twice as hard to say it.

"I...uh...aw crud. I'm just gonna say it! Kuki I-"

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep

"Come on son it's time to go! Hop in the car and we can get this show on the road!" shouted Mr. Beatles after the obnoxious sound of the car horn faded away.

Wally turned back toward Kuki. They stared at each other in silence. He wanted to say it. He truly and honestly did, but something held him back.

"I...uh...gotta go."With the courage gone and the moment broken, it was all he seemed to be able to muster. To his surprise she took him in for one last hug. Unlike all the other times in the past, this time he didn't fight it.

"Goodbye Wally," she said, sadly. There was a slight quiver in her voice. "I'll miss you."

His throat tightened as he chocked back the tears. "I'll miss you too Kuki." He reluctantly broke the hug and made his way over to the car. Ashamed of his cowardice and not wanting her expression of heartbreak ingrained into his memory, he didn't look back as the car shifted into drive and accelerated down the road.

I'll miss you too Kuki. More than you'll ever know.

Author's note continued: And that's it for the first chapter! Poor Wally keeps getting interrupted before he can say anything. I know it's a bit cliche, but I feel like it pays homage to the show a bit since he always seemed to get interrupted when he tried to tell her how he felt. I tried to leave out any unnecessary filler, but hopefully the pacing didn't feel too rushed. This chapter is was mostly supposed to be the preliminary to the actual story, but I wanted to make sure everything was set up the way I wanted it. Like I said, I don't expect much from this story, but it is always nice to hear from those of you who enjoy it. Let me know in your reviews!

Also, I know it's kinda cheesy, but I like to include a song a the end of each chapter that encompasses the overall mood or theme of the chapter.

Song for this chapter: "What hurts the most" by Rascal Flats. Normally, I'm not a big fan of country, but I will make an exception for this song.