Just as Kuki finished getting dressed, there was a knock on the door. She opened the door and was met with Nigel who was already in his suit.
"What do you want?" She asked as she moved out of the room heading for the entrance hall where she left her utility belt and shoes a few days ago.
"I want to talk to you." Nigel said as he trailed after her.
"We have to talk now?" She asked as she looked at her watch, it was 9:00.
"You didn't come down for dinner." Nigel started as they turned right.
"Wasn't hungry." Kuki replied as they neared closer to the main hall.
"Can you please just talk to me instead of deflecting all the time?" Nigel asked.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Kuki snapped.
"Yeah, I should start heading out." Nigel said as he pressed the button for the elevator. "Who has a wedding that starts at eleven anyways?" He tried to joke.
She reluctantly smiled. "Give Kami my congratulations."
Nigel frowned, but nodded. "I will, but I can't guarantee that she'll remember you." They stood there looking at each other for a while before Nigel coughed and said, "Can I at least give you a hug?"
With a sigh, Kuki wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Nigel's fingers ran through her hair and he kissed the top of her head. "Be careful and put your hair in a ponytail."
Pulling away, Kuki took the hairband from around her wrist and quickly pulled her hair up. "Have fun." She said, leaving him and heading to the kitchen to get a snack.
"What's that?" Wally asked, pointing to her sheathed sword on her back.
"My weapon of choice." Kuki replied as she clicked her utility belt into place, patting the pockets to make sure she had everything she needed.
"Which is?" Wally asked as his fingers drummed a pattern on the wood of the table next him.
"My katana." Kuki replied as she pulled on her black combat boots and tying the laces.
"You have a katana?" Wally snorted with disbelief.
"Yeah, you would know that if you actually spent more time with me." Kuki replied, standing up and pressing the button to call for the elevator.
Wally rolled his eyes. The elevator dinged and they stepped inside. "If you weren't so stupid most of the time, I would." He muttered, pressing the floor one button and leaning against the wall.
"Excuse me?" She asked as if she didn't hear, her eyebrows rising into her hairline. "You don't know anything about me."
The blond shrugged. "There isn't much to know. You're just the girl dating the boss. That's all you ever will be."
Kuki frowned and shook her head. The elevator door swung open and they head straight for the car. It was small and barely fit two people. The sides were metal and the door flung open from a button on her watch. Hoagie had designed the car to be indestructible, but also impossible to drive unless you were skilled enough. Hoagie had given it to Numbuh 1, but Wally also had the ability to drive without much problems. She buckled into the passenger side. "You have no idea what you're talking about." She said as Numbuh 4 took his seat and started the engine.
"Really? So you're not dating Numbuh 1? Wow, he's in for one cruddy rude awakening." He pressed the button that closed the door and shifted the gear into drive. The light turned red, blinked a few times then flashed to green.
Kuki leaned back in her seat as Wally took off. "That's not what I meant."
"Of course not." Number 4 hissed. "You are always so tragically misunderstood, aren't you? Poor Kuki Sanban and her poor unfortunate life."
"That's not true and I'm surprised you actually know words like 'misunderstood' and 'unfortunate' considering your rank in our graduating class was negative four." She spat back as they stopped at a red light.
Wally's teeth clenched, his knuckles turned white from holding the steering wheel too tight. "You know I can't help it." He whispered, studying the navigation.
'Tawagoto' Kuki cursed herself for bringing it up, for sinking so low. Wally was diagnosed with severe dyslexia in sixth grade and it hadn't gotten much better. His main problem was the lack of motivation to get better. She tried countless times to get him to let her help him. Her little sister shared his disability and she had picked up a few techniques, but Wally never listened to her.
"I did offer you help, you were just too stubborn to accept it from a 'cruddy girl' like me." Kuki replied as the light turned green.
Wally glared at her out of the corner of his eye before returning his gaze to the street, his hands still clinched. "I can't believe you are making me stop at all the red lights. We're on a mission here!"
"Our mission is to keep children safe. Running red lights and making people crash isn't the way to do that." Numbuh 3 pointed out. "You should remember that when I'm not here."
"Girly, everything you tell me goes through this ear," he sticks his finger in his right ear, "and out this one," he motioned his other hand out the left ear.
Kuki rolled her eyes. "Keep your hands on the steering wheel. Are you trying to kill us?"
"Stop nagging at me! You sound like my mother."
"Just drive. We're almost there."
The car went silent as the two pulled up to the back part of the huge mansion. It was the biggest building in Cleveland and both Numbuh 3 and 4 knew it like the back of their hand. They had spent the majority of their childhood sneaking in and beating the Delightfuls that lived there. After Father had died, the Delightful not-so-much children took over and are now far worse than Father ever was. Now that they were Adults, it wasn't just about their birthday cake, but about world domination.
They parked and got out. Wally didn't make it but a few steps before his body crashed against the side of the car courtesy of Kuki. "Look, I hate being on this mission with you just as much as you hate being here with me, but we just have to suck it up and get this over with. The more we fight, the more time the Delightfuls have to destroy everything." Kuki said, her arm around his throat. She let him go after a second to get her point across.
"So what's the plan?" Wally asked as they crouched low to the ground behind a bush.
"We infiltrate the mansion from the roof." Kuki started, "There is a small air vent that should be wide enough for us to get through. Being the smallest in the team is going to come in handy today."
"Hey! I am not-" Wally started but was cut off by Kuki putting her hand over his mouth.
"What part of we are undercover do you not understand?" Kuki hissed between her teeth as Wally licked her hand. "Gross," she retracted her hand as fast as she had placed it, rubbing his saliva on her cargo pants. "You are so immature."
"After you, Cookie Monster." He mocked, waiting for her to look around and sprint across the yard of lights. She held a finger, indicating for him to stay where he was. A minute later, she motioned for him to follow her. "Why are you the leader anyways?" He asked when he made it safely to the other side.
She glared at him. "That isn't important right now. Grab the rope." She ordered, slamming the rope in his chest. "Do what you do best."
Nodding, Wally tied a knot around his grappling hook and aimed it towards the roof. Making a perfect shot so where the rope is in between the windows, he looked around once more before climbing up the rope. His feet found the indents in the walls easily and it took him no time at all to get up there. Kuki would have a lot more trouble so he opted to actually pull her up instead of making her climb.
When Number 3's feet were planted safely on the roof, Wally stuffed the hook and rope back in his bag. Hopefully, they would be able to break from the ground floor instead of climbing back down. Expecting a fight, they both turn around, weapons in hand, but to their surprise, the roof was deserted. "They were expecting us. It's a trap." Wally muttered, lowering his gun a little to survey the empty space.
"Maybe they needed all security inside. Kids are hard to handle and the Delightfuls know that. They would need all the staff they can get." Kuki suggested, resting her katana back in its holding.
Wally shook his head, crouching down. "But letting the roof be unguarded is too risky. Even they aren't that dumb." He stood, wiping his hands on his pants.
"Follow me." She said, taking a step, but only to jump back when a laser burned her boot. "Great. These were my favorite pair."
"Told you." Wally bragged as several other light beams lit up, they were only an inch apart and wide enough for a shoe to fit sideways. "It's your turn to follow me."
"The vent is in the middle." She told him. He took a step, fitting his foot in between the lasers, taking it one step at a time. Kuki followed. They reached the vent and Wally jolted it open and motioned for Kuki to go first. He jumped in after her, darkness surrounding them.
That's it for this chapter! Please make sure to leave us some feedback!
~Yougotburned and The Lord Writer
