Priestess Aishisu: Hmm...Three reviews. I guess that will just have to do. (Shrugs)

(i forget): i no, i like the 1/5 and 3/4 pairings alot too. anyways, great story. i liked it alot.

Priestess Aishisu: Well, they do seem to be the two most popular pairings.

Evilevergreen: Very good first chapter. I can't wait to read more.

Priestess Aishisu: Thanks.

strawberry lover!!!: ooh thank you for making a 1/5 story! and of course, I LOVE the title. 'Tears of Silence' it just rolls off my tongue when I say it!! And its a great start to your story. Keep it up!

StRaWbErRy LoveR

Priestess Aishisu: Yeah...it took a while to decide the title, as you might guess. Tears of Silence was the best one.

Nigel felt an anxious mixture of fear and apprehensiveness as he knocked the door. When there was no reply, he decided to take a chance and pushed it open himself.

Abigail was sitting on her bed, turned away from him, resting her chin on her knees. There was a clipboard next to her, and a pencil was resting on the paper.

"Numbuh Five?" There was no reply. He hadn't expected one, but he decided nonetheless to continue trying. An increasing anxiety mounted in his voice as he practically pleaded, "Numbuh Five, say something."

She picked up the clipboard and wrote angrily, 'I can't talk. U should know that. What's the matter? Didn't think your ridiculous wish would actually come true?'

"Oh..." he didn't know what to say. "Numbuh Five, I'm so sorry," he whispered helplessly.

'Yeah, I'll just bet you are,' she wrote angrily. 'U stupid bastard. How dare u? How DARE u!!' The last words were written with such rage the pencil lead snapped, and she jumped to her feet. He started to protest, she started smacking him on the head with the clipboard. Her mouth was set into a grim line, her eyes livid.

Eventually, all the racket caught the attention of the rest of the group and they ran inside. They were fully armed, but they dropped their weapons in shock when they saw what was going on. Wallabee crossed his arms and snapped, "What did he do this time?"

Eyes flashing, Abigail sharpened the pencil and wrote, 'That idiot made a wish to some demoness that I was mute and guess what? I cant talk.'

Numbuhs 24 stared at each other, then her, then Nigel. Their expressions were appalled and horrified. When Hoagie spoke, he wasn't very helpful. "You didn't!"

Nigel was somewhere between guilty and defensive. "I didn't realize it would actually come true!" He cried defensively. "Besides being mean, I could think of a better wish!"

Kuki glanced at Abigail, who was trembling with anger and dismay. Tears pricked at her eyes. Abigail scribbled three words with a fierce swiftness: 'Get. Out. NOW!!'

Numbuhs 14 glanced at each other.

Then they fled.


Nigel felt unnamable emotions as he watched Abigail. She was sitting on the couch in the same position she had been last night, and he couldn't see her face. She hadn't come to breakfast, and she wouldn't speak to anyone.

He slapped himself mentally. She can't talk, you idiot. But at least his slap was only mental.

Understandably tentative, he took about three steps forward and touched her shoulder cautiously. "Numbuh Five..." Her hand swung up, striking him on the cheek.

He stumbled backwards, a hand raised to his stinging cheek. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see his reflection in the mirror. He now sported a pink mark vaguely shaped like a hand print. In all honesty, he was shocked. She had never hit him before. If he considered it later, he might find it strange that getting slapped was more upsetting than getting pummeled by a clipboard.

"Numbuh Five..." Picking up a marker, she grabbed his hand and scribbled something on it in large harsh letters. 'If u EVER touch me again, I will kill u.'

He glanced at the threat, then at her. She was glaring at him, and he could see she had been crying. "Is that really true, Numbuh Five?" he asked sadly.

She turned away, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs. He was suddenly aware of it being quiet, deathly quiet. He sighed sadly and walked away, not even noticing Abigail watch him leave.


"This is a very important, very disturbing bit of information," said Numbuh 65.8 (or whatever his name is) from over the computer. "Also," he lifted an eyebrow at Abigail, who was glaring fiercely at Nigel. "I think Numbuh Five's been replaced by an assassin."

"I wish," Nigel muttered. Aloud, he said, "She's mad because this evil lady made her mute."

Numbuh 65.8 lifted an eyebrow skeptically. "Yeah...anyway, you remember meeting and overpowering the Delightful Children From Down the Lane's Father, right?"

"A guy made out of fire?" replied Wallabee, lifting an eyebrow slightly under his long bangs. He was standing right next to Kuki, one arm involuntarily wrapped around her. "Kind of hard to forget."

"Umm...as I was saying, we have proof that the Delightful Children are not actually related to the Father. Instead, they were adopted. However, it seems he has a wife. Supposedly an evil being with supernatural powers. We have only a vague idea of her powers and appearance, but we believe she gives the impression of being"

"A skinny woman made out of a weird silvery glow and gives the impression of being an ice goddess?" interrupted Nigel, making everybody stare at himexcept Abigail, who had already been glaring at him and who now gave the impression of being a flame goddess. She actually seemed too infuriated to be a human being.

"Uh...yes, basically. Except we thought she was made of blue light...wait a minute, that information is top-secret! Until I was told it so I could tell you, just Numbuhs 86 and 362 knew! Do you know her?"

Nigel frowned and crossed his arms, making a grunting sound. "We've met."

"Huh?" Hoagie sounded bewildered, but Kuki pointed at Abigail. Her eyes were blazing with blue fire. Hoagie, Kuki, and Wallabee glanced at each other and chorused, "Oh."

"Yes, oh," snarled Nigel, turning back to Numbuh 65.8 and snapping, "Just tell me what the mission is!"

"You must infiltrate the Delightful Children's mansion and use the camera embedded in your sunglasses to take a solid picture of the so-called 'Ice Goddess.' Can you do this?"

"Sure," replied Nigel, sounding irritated. "But if I get killed, it's your fault!"

Numbuh 65.8 lifted an eyebrow and frowned. "You don't have to beat the ice lady or anything. Just get a picture and run. I doubt she'll be able to kill you."

"Who said anything about the ice lady?" Nigel replied, sounding truly puzzled. "I meant she'd kill me!" he emphasized this by jabbing a thumb behind him at Abigail.

Hoagie, Kuki, and Wallabee had to agree with him.


"We've been searchin' fur three cruddy hours!" shouted Wallabee in frustration, waving his gun around hazardously. "If some crazy lady who goes around makin' girls mute wants a fight, why can't see just show her face?"

"On the bright side, I have enough snapshots that we'll be able to add in our previously gathered information and make a rough map of the Delightful Children's mansion," remarked Nigel. And I'm still alive, though I doubt Numbuh Five sees this as a 'bright side.'

The mission had been unusual due to Abigail's silence. She had always been 'the quiet one', but she had also been the smart one. Now they didn't have her help. Well, they did, but she couldn't just tell them what was wrong anymore.

"Great," muttered Nigel. "Another fork in the path." He squinted and noticed a glimmer of light at the very end of one hallway. "We should go this way." He was stopped by Abigail touching his shoulder. He turned around, by now being thoroughly frustrated with her. Twice he had nearly died in positions when she would usually have warned him beforehand. "Now what?"

Abigail's face was grim and set. She pointed at the way he was going, shook her head, and pointed the other way. Nigel rolled his eyes. "Numbuh Five, this way is just as good as that way. You've infiltrated the mansion more times than I have, true, but I recognize that woman's light and I'm sure I've known her longer than you have!"

For a split second she seemed surprised and hurt, and he immediately could tell why: what he had said just supported her belief that he had intended for his wish to come true. But this didn't last, and she snatched his glasses off his nose. With a scowl, she pointed in the direction he didn't want to go.

Thinking he might not be understanding what she was saying, he said, "You want to go that way, right?" He pointed at the way she was pointing, and she nodded with determination. "Well, why?"

Scowling again, she whipped her precious hat off her head and flung it at the hall he wanted to use. Nothing happened, and Nigel opened his mouth to yell at her. Suddenly the floor started to shudder. Without warning, the bricks fell apart. The Kids Next Door (minus Abigail) gasped as the entire hallway crumbled.

Abigail's eyes flashed and she snapped the rubber band off her braid. Her luxurious black hair tumbled over her shoulders in thick waves and she stormed off.


"Oh, now there are three halls to pick!" snapped Nigel. He whirled on Abigail. Hoagie, Kuki, and Wallabee groaned. "Well, where should we go, Miss Genius?"

Abigail didn't reply. Her eyes were sharp and calculating, her fists braced on her hips. It was as if she could see and/or hear something no one else could.

'So, you noticed.' Everybody but her jumped at least four feet. There was a shimmer of light which grew into a flickering flame which turned into the evil 'Ice Goddess', who smiled frigidly.

"You filthy stinking lying bitch!" yelled Nigel, and this time Abigail jumped as well. Every head turned to him, but the woman's smirk simply widened. Surely she noticed Nigel take a picture, but she didn't care.

'My, my, such temper! I never lie, though I suppose I twisted the truth. Not a word I spoke was a lie, it was just a bit...misleading. Should I have told you I was working for the enemy?'

"You lousy, dirty trickster!" he shouted, and suddenly caught a glimpse of Abigail's expression. She was being misleading again, with that last sentence. It was Abigail who had been tricked, but she was making it seem like it was him. This was just more to make Abigail think he had actually told the 'Ice Goddess' his wish, not muttered it in his fit of rage. The Ice Goddess knew it too, he could tell from her gleeful expression.

'Enough. You needn't revert to name-calling. You have your precious pictures. Now you must pass a test if you wish to live. I'll put it by numbers. Three and Four go this way, Two goes this way, and One and Five go this way.'

She started laughing, and the like before the laugh echoed long after she was gone. Nigel glanced at Abigail, not knowing what he expected. She didn't even glance at him as she stormed in the direction the Ice Goddess had pointed. Glancing at the others, he decided to point out the obvious. "If you're sane, you'll all be on her side, but pray she doesn't kill me anyway. You can't have a leader who's mute."