Disclaimer: I don't' own Codename: KND. I'm pretty sure an idea like this has probably been done… or something like that but does it matter right now? Didn't think so! And yeah I'd hate to say it but it won't be as humorous as it sounds but I'm not one to be too serious so stick around some humor will show up.

Operation 8: The Kuki I Remember…

                It has been exactly one week since the stupid prank and well Kuki just disappeared from the group completely. She hadn't even returned to her room that night, according to Abby, and well Wally was starting to feel REALLY guilty. The one friend he had longed to see for so long he had hurt… on purpose at that. He couldn't believe that the one person he spent his time hating since he got to this place was the friend he had to see… the friend he wanted near… the friend he loved more than anything.

"Hey Wally let's go…" Hoagie tugged on Wally's arm from the top bunk. "If we're going to go now's the time to do it."

"Go where?" He asked jumping out of the bed and slid on his boots not bothering to tie them up.

"Let's go! It's Vincent's Birthday…" Hoagie said as apparently the entire group of boys was hopping out a window.  Along the way they met up with the girls and they rushed to the wooded area they called the rifle training field… more like paintball wars. Once there Abby had already been there with a radio and a small table of food had been set up. It had been a rinky dink kind of party but still to even get this much at a strict place was enough.

"This is what I'm talking about!" Abby declared putting on an upbeat song as she started moving to the beat. After watching what was happening for a few moments Wally realized this must be the secret surprise "Kay" would give if it was a birthday.

"Hey don't just stand there Mr. Hunky dance!!!" A girl looking to be around the age of twelve or thirteen tugged on Wally's arm. Her hair was cut short and apparently she had attempted to pull it into two pigtails that didn't get too far.

"Mooshie, is that you?"

"Do I know you?" She asked.

"Mooshie, you remember Wally… OR Numbuh four from way back when." Hoagie said as the girl inspected him.

"Man if I knew you were going to turn out this cute I would've gone to Japan with mom and let Kuki stay here. Maybe you two would've been together and she wouldn't be such a grump!!" She said.

"What?!?!" Wally was awed more over the 'You two would've been together' Statement.

"Oh please I'm young not stupid. I knew all about your stupid crush on my sister." Mooshie waved him off. "Actually if I'm not mistaken that's why you started dating that stupid blonde girl on and off."

"What?!?!" Was this girl stalking him?? "How did you-?"

"Come with me… you and Kuki just need to talk I suppose." She grabbed his hand.

"She won't want to talk to me after the glue and paint thing."

"Well, probably not but with me she doesn't got a choice!" She gave him a wink. "Saw the break up with Jenna Gillespie. She was annoying anyway!"

"How did you-?"
"Let's just say the hostess of the party has a hole in her fence…"
But don't you stay here?

"Unlike Kuki, I loathe this place. For Kuki she needs to keep moving or she'll just lose it all and cry. She's tired of crying."

"Cry?"

"She'll tell you, hopefully."

She led him into a big house on the far side of campus. She walked up several stairs chattering about anything and everything. Silently Wally wished the girl would shut up. It made no sense for her to keep going on like she was, but then she stopped.

Then she opened the door and shook her head softly looking kinda upset. Inside, Kuki had been there hair up in a high ponytail, black pants that showed off her lower body, and a deep green sports bra. Her hands were adorned with white tape and were consistently meeting up with a black punching bag. Her feet had no sneakers and her ankles taped up as well.

In his mind he could still see the nude girl from the showers, but it amazed him how much the girl had changed. Her face didn't even look quite the same. Probably from the darkness she's been enduring he decided. She still was taller than him, and still very cute… hell if she'd crack a smile she's be gorgeous.

"Kuki…" Mooshie broke the chain of grunts and groans Kuki were letting out every time her fist collided with the bag.

What…Do…you… want?" She asked in pants not even looking to her sister.

"Party?" Mooshie asked.

"No." She said simply. "I told you to take care of it."

"Whatever, someone's here to see you anyway…" Mooshie muttered pushing him into the room closing the door behind him.  Kuki stopped slugging the object long enough to look at him.

"Came to gloat about how you embarrassed me?"  She asked going back to swinging at the bag.

"So you did know…"

"I think I would know your pranks by now, Wally."

"I suppose so… we did grow up together for the most part." He said softly and she stopped in mid punch completely.

"So you knew?"

"No… When I saw your tattoo after it was set up… Hoagie kind of helped put things in perception." He said softly.

"SO are you coming to say you're sorry now that you know it's me?"

"I want to, but what's the point? When I did it thinking it was Kay I felt no remorse for it." He said. "I just want to talk…"

"Now that we're even?" She asked softly looking at him.

"What?!?!"

"I humiliated you consistently so you humiliated me and we're even."

"What is going on in that solid head of yours?!?!" Wally practically screamed. "It has nothing to do with revenge! I just want to know why you didn't tell me… us that it was you."

"Abby knew, and Hoagie knew…"

"But Nigel and I didn't."

"You wouldn't have gotten the point. I was going to when I overheard you and Nigel making fun of the way I used to be. Before everything had gone so wrong… I hate that stupid happy girl I had once been and I took it out on you for a moment. Then my father gave me the report on everyone and reason for being here. You have temper problems!!"

"I do not!!"

"Then why the prank, Wally? If it were for fun why not do it on Hoagie or Abigail, Or Nigel, your accomplice?!?!" She said and he looked at her and frowned. "It had been me… carefully chosen for me. It was because you were angry with me. It had been anger you could've used to put your PT (Physical Training) back up to the way it had once been."

"Kuki…" He said softly "Why didn't you have me and Nigel reprimanded?"

"For what? Everything else I had done only made you angrier and you still hadn't learned, telling on you wouldn't make you understand." She was now red in the face from anger. "Leave…" She said turning from him.  He looked at her back… her body language had been sending off the signal that she wanted to be touched, comforted, or hugged in some sort of way… Or she really could be angry with him and the prank and wanted him to leave. He'll take his chances…

"Why are you so angry?" He asked softly hugging her from behind not really paying attention to the fact that she was sweaty. He had been right she just wanted to be touched; she just stood there slightly limp in his arms not really moving. "The Kuki I remember had no reason to ever get so upset over a prank, unless it included one of her stuffed animal getting destroyed or she had to get her hair cut. Hell the Kuki I remember was hardly ever angry."

"The Kuki you remember is gone Wallabe Beatles." She tore from his hold. "That naïve girl you knew isn't naïve any longer. She grew up and learned the harsh realities of the world…"

"I see…" He said softly and just stood there. She almost immediately felt guilty.

"You should go… I would hate it for Amadahy to find out I'm keeping her troop."

"I…" He sighed regretfully and headed for the door.

"Tomorrow is an off day… a day to get back to packing." She said softly. "Wait at the Mess hall after lunch… Wear something you're comfortable in …"

"Right…" He said walking off…..

*~*~*~*~

(The following morning...)

"Happy Birthday Man…" Vincent approached Wally at the lunch table. Wally could've slapped himself, throughout all this mess he had forgotten it was his birthday.

"Didn't all you delightful kids celebrate your birthday at once?" Wally asked suddenly.

"We did, it was more like the birthday the delightful children had gotten together." Vincent said and Nigel nodded.

"Right…" Nigel sighed. "In any instance it's nice to finally be in our own clothes for a change and not have classes."

"Not to mention when we get back we get two weeks to ourselves while they end the semester." Hoagie added earning nods of agreement all around.

"I guess it is great we're going back home…" Abigail said softly as the signal sounded for the end of lunch.

"So what are you guys up to after lunch?" Hoagie asked.

"I was actually going with my siblings to break in the paintball field the way it was meant to be broken in… none of the organized stuff." Vincent said.

"Alright I'm game for that." Hoagie said.

"I don't got anything better to do, I guess Abby's in."

"Maybe we can see what true skills we have left of our KND skills." Nigel said.

"KND vs. DCFDTL… this will be awesome." Bethany, the blonde sibling, interrupted.

"Are you in Wally?" Hoagie asked as they left the mess hall.

"Depends on when, I kind of have to meet up with someone." Wally said slightly uncomfortably as he leaned against the wall.

"Well, it's cool. I've got to pack and that will take sometime so I'm thinking about three thirty?" Bethany said.

"Alright…" He said as the group separated. He stood there about five minutes before something dropped on his head. He bent to pick whatever it had been up and saw it had been another picture of the KND days… It had been when The DCFDTL had that party and both Wally and Kuki were tearing up the dance floor.

"Happy Birthday." The voice called from above him he looked up and saw Kuki sitting on the roof in an outfit very similar to what she wore from back then. Black and white sneakers, black pants, and a green sweatshirt that still had its sleeves way too long for her petite body, but it had the logo of the school on the front. She could only smile as what he wore came close to what he used to wear, orange hoodie, baggy blue jeans and white sneakers. Apparently they both knew whatever they would talk about today would eventually wind up a trip down memory lane…