Author's Note: Hey there everybody! I didn't want to keep you all waiting long for Chapter 5, so here it is! Once again, I do not own Codename: Kids Next Door, this is a fan-made work (anyone getting sick of hearing this yet?). Enjoy!

With the push of a button, Numbuh 3 sprang toward her friends. She moved quickly, despite the awkward movements of her doll-ified limbs. Sector V was still in shock and could do nothing but watch as their friend charged over to them.

Numbuh 3 reached the group and kicked the closest operative to her, who happened to be Numbuh 5, and sent her flying into a mountain of boxes and dolls and dust.

"Numbuh 5! Are you okay?!" Numbuh 1 called.

"I – cough –! I'm –cough, cough–!" she sputtered, too preoccupied with trying to keep the dust out of her lungs.

The boys readied their weapons. "KIDS NEXT DOOR," Numbuh 1 shouted. "BATTLE STA- AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

Numbuh 1 hadn't seen Numbuh 3 sneak up behind him and grab his wrist, which had caused him to drop his S.P.I.C.E.R. He only had enough time to think about how painfully strong her grip was before he was hurled screaming into large pile of boxes on the other side of the room.

Numbuh 3 turned to Numbuhs 2 and 4, her face still contorted into that unnerving smile. She blinked apologetically.

Numbuh 4 raised his S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R hesitantly. "I'm really sorry about this, Numbuh 3, but it's for your own good!" He charged at the doll-ified girl, ready to knock her out, but Numbuh 3 easily took him down with a drop kick.

He saw his weapon slide across the floor just as he felt himself be pulled by the hood of his sweatshirt, something that usually happened whenever he made Numbuh 3 angry. But upon closer inspection of her face, Numbuh 4 decided that Doll Kuki was much, much more terrifying than Angry Kuki.

Up close, Wally could see the corners of her mouth twitching desperately in a need to be free of the painful smile her lips were frozen in. Her eyes couldn't blink normally; they would shut longer and slower than they should have. Every time she blinked, large tears would stream down her face.

Before she could discard him like she did Numbuhs 1 and 5, Numbuh 2 blasted Numbuh 3 with his F.R.A.P.P.E, making her drop Numbuh 4, and sent her flying towards a slightly dazed Numbuh 1, who was just barely able to dodge her.

Numbuh 2 pulled his buddy off the ground. "You okay?"

Numbuh 4 wasn't really sure. "I…I think so. Thanks."

Mushi, who until then had been delighted at how easy it was to beat Sector V, growled in frustration.

After a few seconds of Mushi frantically pushing buttons and flipping switches, Numbuh 3 sprang from the piles of dolls and boxes and landed right behind Numbuh 2. She immediately knocked the weapon out his hand and lifted the much heavier boy right over her head.

"DOLLS AREN'T SUPPOSED TO MOVE LIKE THIS!" he cried before being sent face first into a dusty pile of boxes and dolls.

Mushi laughed with glee, feeling a personal satisfaction with Numbuh 2's defeat. Three down, one to go!

Numbuh 3 turned to Numbuh 4, who was searching the floor frantically for any nearby weapon to defend himself with.

He tried reaching for Numbuh 2's F.R.A.P.P.E, which was only a few inches away, but he was once again lifted by the hood of his sweatshirt.

Again, Numbuh 4's eyes met Numbuh 3's. It was a wonder how she could see with all of the tears welling in her eyes. She didn't just look guilty; she looked like she was in pain.

He felt tears well up in his own eyes. "Kuki…" he whimpered.

Numbuh 3 blinked in apology, followed by more tears streaming down her face. She then threw him across the room, where he landed by Numbuh 5.

With Sector V seemingly defeated, Mushi started jumping and clapping and laughing with joy. "Yay! You did it, Kuki!" she cheered as she rushed to her sister.

She met Numbuh 3 in the center of the factory, throwing her arms around her and enveloping her in a big bear hug. "You're the bestest big sister ever!"

Mushi looked up at Numbuh 3, almost expecting her sister to cheer along with her. But upon seeing her unnatural smile, she remembered that her sister couldn't cheer and celebrate on her own.

As she looked up at that smile, Mushi's laughter turned sad and desperate again. Despite the twisted smile she had on her own face, it sounded as if the little girl was crying.

Meanwhile, the members of Sector V started coming to.

Numbuh 5 took a few deep breaths, her lungs and throat finally clear of all the dust. She noticed Numbuh 4 reeling in pain about a few feet away.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Not really." he groaned.

Numbuh 5 sighed. "She's too strong. If we try to fight her, she'll just kick our butts again."

"I don't think we're the ones getting the worst of it."

"What are you -?"

She didn't finish. She didn't need to. Looking at her doll-ified friend, she could see it. That look in her eyes.

She didn't know why she didn't see it earlier. Kuki wasn't just crying from the shame and guilt of fighting her friends; she was crying in pain.

Then it clicked: there was no way a semi-artificial form made from a machine built by a kindergartener could be maintained for long, even if that kindergartener was insanely clever. The artificial, doll-ified parts of Numbuh 3's body were conflicting with her remaining organic parts, essentially pitting her body against itself.

Numbuh 5 knew that if they didn't get Numbuh 3 the help she needed soon her body would surely be destroyed. She needed to get Mushi to let her go.

Numbuh 5 got up and slowly made her way to the two girls.

Mushi saw her approach and instantly scowled. "Get away from us!" she yelled, clinging closer to Numbuh 3. "We've beaten you! We've won! Now just leave us alone!"

Numbuh 5 raised her hands. "I'm not going to take Kuki away. I just wanna talk."

Mushi looked at her suspiciously. "About..?"

"Listen to me: Kuki's doll form is not stable. Her body is trying to fight her doll-ified parts, and it won't be long before it starts losing! You need to let us take her to Moonbase. If we don't reverse the effects soon, she's…" her voice trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to actually say it.

Mushi took a moment to process this information, and Numbuh 5 hoped that she had finally gotten through to her. But suddenly Mushi glared at her.

"No! You're lying!" she screamed. She kept looking from Numbuh 3 to Numbuh 5. "You… you're just trying to take her away from me again so I won't have a sister! Kuki's fine! My machine worked perfectly! She's gonna love being a doll! She wants to be here, so we can be a happy family again! Right, sis?"

Mushi looked her sister's twisted smile. She refused to look at her in the eyes. Once again, Mushi almost expected a response, but Numbuh 3 stayed silent.

The little girl's denial was shattering. The more she spoke it seemed like she was trying to convince herself rather than Numbuh 5. Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she refused to let herself cry.

Numbuh 5 put her hand on hand on Mushi's shoulder. "I know you want to get along with your sister again. But she hasn't really forgiven you. You just turned her into your toy! Look at her!"

Mushi reluctantly looked at her sister in the eye. The sadness and pain in Kuki's eyes that Mushi had pretended wasn't there was finally in plain sight. The artificial smile that Mushi had pretended was cute and genuine was seen for how it truly was: horrifyingly fake. If Kuki could see the way she looked as a doll, she would have been terrified. Mushi looked away. She couldn't hold back tears anymore.

As she was wiping the tears off her face, Mushi thought she could her the faintest whimper being emitted from Kuki's frozen lips. She forced herself to look at her dolli-fied sister's face again. She heard another whimper. This one was louder, as if Kuki was trying to get her attention.

Mushi went to key lodged in Kuki's back. As she turned it, Mushi suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

She then stood in front of Kuki, forcing herself on more time to look at her sister's face. The winding sound began, and Kuki opened her mouth.

"Mushi… it… hurts… it hurts!"

Mushi covered her mouth with her hands. She choked out a sob.

"You're… hurting… me!"

Mushi fell to her knees and started sobbing uncontrollably. She thought about the hours she spent with her doll-ified sister before Sector V showed up; how she made her practice walking and running, how she squeezed her body into a bunch of ill-fitting dresses, how she winded that key over and over until Kuki said the words she wanted to hear perfectly. She was hurting her the entire time. That wasn't what she wanted. She just wanted to feel like she had a sister again.

Numbuh 5 put her hand on the little girl's shoulder again. "Mushi…"

"I… I didn't mean to!" Mushi sobbed. "I didn't wanna hurt her! I just… I just…"

Numbuh 5 knelt down and looked Mushi in the eyes. "Mushi, we need to take Numbuh 3 now."

Mushi looked at the older girl for a moment and nodded.

Numbuh 5 ran over to Numbuh 3 and scooped up the dolli-fied girl in her arms.

She whispered to her friend. "It's gonna be okay, girl. We're gonna help you."

Numbuh 3 could only blink.

Numbuh 5 turned to the boys, who had regrouped and had watched the exchange in silence from a few feet away. "Let's go!" she ordered.

Mushi watched through hot tears as Sector V bolted out of the factory with her sister. Then she heard the S.C.A.M.P.E.R take off.

She sat there, crying alone in the middle of that miserable doll factory.

"Kuki… I'm sorry!"

Author's Note: And that's Chapter 5! Wasn't that just so cheerful and totally not depressing? Yeaaah it was around the time I finished this chapter that I realized that this story is kind of an emotional roller coaster. But I'm okay with that, and I hope you're okay with that. And with that said (written? typed?), thank you so much for reading and please feel free to let me know what you think of the story, as it is always appreciated! As always, have a lovely day!