Kuki blinked rapidly, but the darkness remained. She pulled herself to her feet, and stretched her hands out, trying to find a wall. Or, more preferably, a light switch.
She wandered aimlessly, finding nothing.
"Kuso... Where is the lights?"
And as if grating The Happy One's request, the lights flickered on, revealing a round room, with blue walls, and door lining them. Some door were the normal 'open close' type, while some where sliding, some where vault like, and a few where just a sheet draped across the entrance.
"He'o?" She called, "Is anybody here?"
Her voice echoed. Finally, she approached a door way covered in a sheet. She moved the cloth to find an empty room. "He'o?"
Nothing. She moved around the room. The vaulted doors where locked tightly so she couldn't enter. The rest where empty. Behind a sliding door, she heard something.
"He'o?"
Suddenly, a beast launched itself from the room, biting and snarling. Kuki slammed the door back in place.
> >
"Stupid girl."
The speaker turned to his unwilling companion. "But every time you chase her off, I get a little more control, don't I?"
> >
The sliding door bounced a bit, but remained shut. Kuki was gasping for air, "That was a lot of teeth..."
The Happy One glanced at the door again before moving on. This next door lead her into a white hall, doors on all sides. She went to the right, investigating as she went.
Many rooms were locked, and the ones she did open were empty. She finally got up her nerve to stand up to the hideous guard-dogs, if at one point they were dogs, and the beast didn't try to hurt her, just cried mournfully. Those rooms to, where empty.
"HE'O?"
> >
A small 10 year old fought against his restraints – "Kuki! GE' OU'!"
"Ah ... does my little friend dislike people in his head? HA! Fine, fine. How about I get rid of her, hmm?"
> >
It felt like forever that Kuki searched, finding door after door to empty rooms. She was about to sit and cry when a voice called out to her.
"Kuki? Are you really Kuki?" It asked.
She turned, her heart skipping. There, a few feet away, was Wallabee. He looked to young, maybe 15, as he stood smiling at her.
"Wa'ie!" She cried, running to glomp on to him.
At first, he seemed lost, but then he held her as well. After parting, the two struck up a conversation. It seemed to her, like a blessed eternity. After all, Quatre was right in quessing how she truly felt about this boy. And now, to have him all to herself, and to not have to share with The Quiet One.
"KUKI! NO! DON'! PLEASE!... please. Ya haveta get away. D'at's not meh..." A child cried, as his very being started to fade.
Wallabee smiled at her again. He leaned forward to place a kiss on her forehead. "Kuki? Will you stay with me? Forever?"
Kuki beamed up at him. Personally, she wished for nothing less.
"Oh, Kuki!" he hugged her again. "I love you so much!"
Finally, a feeling started knotting in her stomach. "Rea'y?"
The blond faltered "... of course."
Kuki pulled away. "Who are you? Where's Wa'bee?"
"I am Wallabee!"
"Wa'bee what?"
"Beetles, duh!"
"You're codename, moron! The one you sti' use, even though KND was finished 15 years ago!"
"Huh?"
"You're not Wa'bee. You're a fake. Just a fake"
> >
A tiny six year old smiled as he collapsed on the floor. "Thank you." He mumbled, as he continued to waste his energy, so that he could help her.
> >
The fake Wallabee stood, suddenly much older, 20 almost. He grinned as she inspected his form. "Perhaps a fake I am, but soon enough, the real one won't exist anyway!"
He then directed his sights to the Japanese woman. "And neither will you."
Kuki backed away, before stumbling on something. She looked down to find a light weight sword at her feet. A katana, almost exactly the one Wallabee had given her for her 15th birthday. Before they started to disagree. Before he told her who he liked... Pushing back her own memories, she grasped the hilt and brought it up to face the fake Aussie.
She attacked once, measuring his abilities. He only laughed. But something happened. The hall faded to an arena. She found herself sporting a comfortable tunic and pants.
The Fake One glared up. "You're really not helping her, brat."
With him distracted, Kuki lunged, and sliced the figure. He vanished, and with him went the lights.
Kuki stood in the dark, listening. With nothing else to do, she started to walk. A light appeared in front of her, and she jogged to meet it. As she stood under the light, she noted that she was standing on a sidewalk, running along a street. A car drove by. Kuki steeped in front of it to catch their attention, but it drove right through her.
"Nani?"
'What a sec', she thought, 'this seems familiar! This is the same street I was on after I ...'
Sure enough, she saw herself, though much younger, waking down the street. Wallabee's head appeared from over a fence. "Kuk's?"
She watched, fascinated at this 3rd person view of her past.
Her past self jumped a bit, spinning to confront the other, standing just outside the light. "Oh... uh, hi, Wa'ie."
He scowled at her for using his name, before climbing over the fence, ad dropping down on her side.
"Whatcha doen' Wa'ie?"
He shrugged, but was still scowling. "Ah nee'e' ta get ou' An' stap callen' meh d'at! Why are Youh ou'?"
"Same thing. Sorry... about using your name"
"Wha'evuh."
Kuki watched the memoir continue, before spotting a draped doorway. After going though, she found herself in another hall.
'Am I? Am I in Wally's MEMORIES!'
> >
"You stupid brat!" The Fake One stood in front of The Tough One. "Why won't you just FADE?"
> >
Kuki open another door in the hall, watching the memories of her friend, the one's he'd managed to hide for The Fake One. Here too, was she hiding, safe from him. But somehow, she had to defeat him!
She about cried at some scenes, like ones after his parents split up, and others, she was left amazed, like one about the dandelion 86 had told the boys to watch over. She had no idea he'd brought it back to the tree house, and kept it him his room. Granted, it looked like he forgot to water it, so it died... And others she found. One's of him and Abigail. Those she didn't take a second look at, but continued on.
Finally, she got to one she was in, right before he left. It was the night Abigail got hooked up to the machines. And how the scientist told them she couldn't be healed. Kuki had perhaps been to cheery about it. That was the night that her and Wallabee fought... and he left, vowing if her ever did come back, it would be for Abby, and he hoped Kuki rotted.
Memories like those were painful. She pulled out and kept going. After that, was an area with no doors, but the walls went on. She ran her hand along the surface, shocked when a few steps in, her hand went right though the wall. Inside this void was blackness, but she also found two people. The Fake One had aged again, and his 21-year-old frame stood towering over a 4-year-old boy. The little boy was kneeling at The Fake One's feet, but not on his own free will. A wicked collar wrapped itself around his neck, and a chain flowed from it to the wall behind.
Some how, she knew. That little boy was The Tough One. He was all that was left of Wallabee Beeles.
Sanban Kuki hefted high the Katana. And stood with her head held high as The Fake One turner to her.
"You're still here?"
The Happy One nodded.
"What does it take to rid myself of you?"
"Maybe if you left, you wouldn't have to worry about it, would you?"
He attacked her, and she parried. And so it went, each blocking and dodging and thrusting, and a parrying. Finally, Kuki saw her opening, and struck. Hard.
He only laughed. Wallabee had told her once the dangers of hitting so hard, and she finally understood now, as she was flung across the room. She sat up, dazed, and meet with two cerulean eyes. The Tough One wiped away some loose tears as he watched her. He was hugging his knees, and just looked pitiful.
Then, The Happy One saw it. A faint aura on the chain. It last for only a second, but she new what to do. As The Fake One approached, she lounged to the side. She slashed the chain with her blade and watched as the links shattered. The Fake One backed away, his power cut off. The Happy One brought her Katana down on his being and whispering a "Sayonara" as he was destroyed.
"You see." The Happy One said, "Wa'bee didn't ever love me. He loved Abby." And thus, she turned her back on the pile of falseness, and knelt next to The Tough One. He flinched as she tried to help.
"Come on, Wa'ie! It's me, Kuki."
No reconnection presented itself, but she tried again. She coaxed the boy peacefully into her lap. He found himself trapped, and bawled as the girl hugged him. His energy sodangerously low, he slipped away into sleep. The Happy One still held him. For a moment, a flickering of what could have been was seen, but Kuki let it go. She loved Wallabee. She always would. But as much as he cared for her, he loved another more.
The Happy One rubbed soft circles on the child's back, slowing lulling herself to sleep.
"Eh? Kuks-chan? Kukichan! Wake up"
Slowly, The Happy One opened her eyes to meet the soft brown of The Quiet One. "Ohayo, Abi-chan."
"Gur', ya gotta stop scaren' Abby li'e d'at!"
Kuki smiled. "Gomen, Abi-chan!"
"Don' say it 'less ya mean it!" The Shy One said from his seat. The boys were all scattered about The Hidden Room.
"Where, Wa'ie?" Kuki asked.
The Leader (he would prefer The Supreme Comanderness, but ... no) spoke up, "He's over there."
Hoagie smiled as she approached, "He's starting to come around."
All focus turned to the blond. The Suave One stepped forward incase Wallabee flipped out.
Abigail stood next to her, and Kuki winced at the damage to her friend. The hat was gone still, reveling the network on metal on his skull. His heavy coat was gone, showing a sickly thin form. Taught skin was stretched to far, it easily displayed the broken, mangled bones.
Michael and Nigel both wanted him restrained in case he did, as Chad expected, flip out, but Hoagie and Abigail worried about hurting him more.
Painful gasps echoed from the lost one and they waited. His eyes finally opened, and Kuki noted how childlike they were still. And now, no longer were the glazed and crazy, but calm ... tired... and lost.
He met with smiles from everyone, and attempted one of his own, before drifting away again.
> >Ending One
Hoagie set up his machine, which he dubbed F.E.A.R (Freeing Everyone Around Rapidly). Nigel gave the OK, and The Shy One fired it at the marching army.
They all watched in amusement as the crowd stopped and looked around. Once done, the Heroes went inside, where Wallabee waited, and Abigail and Kuki tried to get him to stop moving.
"Well?" The Tough One asked.
The Shy One gave him a thumbs up. "Not to mention, Quat running around Europe with on too!"
"So, Josh? Ya up ta se'n 'em 'gain?"
The Hispanic Delightful turned to Cree. "I guess so. Do you think they will be angry with me?"
"At first." The Composed One said.
"Well, as much is expected."
Cree turned to Joshua. "So, I guess this is The End, huh?"
AN: I'm not done. I hated that ending, so I'm rewriting it! I hate it, I hate it, I hate IT!
It could be green, as suggested in REPORT but all super sayian's eyes turn green, so I'm not sure (feel like a freak for knowing that though)