A/N: Sorry for not updating in a long time! I went back to my home in India and was super busy with wedding preparations and meeting more of my family and chilling and other stuff that I didn't even have time to write. I'm unfortunately back now, but it means I can write!
Disclaimer: I do not own KND!
Unedited as alwaysss so it's probably not going to make sense BUT everything goes downhill from here. This fanfic has become super complicated so after it's done I need to do some major re-working. I'm also not really interested in writing this anymore so like I have no idea. I really want to finish this though because it's about my fave couple in KND!
Chapter 15: Operation S.A.C.R.I.F.I.C.E
"Um, Kuki? I, uh, I—I gotta tell ya somethin-"
"Oh, there you are, mister!" Kuki spun around, shoulders exaggeratedly sagging in relief as a bright, cheerful smile appeared on her face. "I've been looking for you everywhere."
"You hav—WOAH!"
She didn't wait for him to finish as she dragged him out of the treehouse by his arm and down the street.
"Kuki, uh, where are ya takin' me?" he asked, eyes wide.
"I know you're upset, so I wanted to take you out for some fresh air!"
"But fresh air ain't gonna fix anythin'," he mumbled to himself.
"Then maybe you just need a hug from Mr. Flopsywapsipus! He makes me feel better when I'm feeling sad!"
"NO!" His eyes widened in fear just at the mention of that bear. "I don't want that big, dumb cruddy bear anywhere near me!"
Seeing Kuki's lower lip tremble and her eyes well up with tears, he groaned.
This is just great! he thought, bitterly.
"Ah look, don't cry, alroight? I was just kiddin'!"
She stopped her incessant sniffling to look up at him, her dark orbs glittering.
"I like fresh air?" he offered, unsure of what exactly to say. She beamed, the tears practically vanishing as if it had never existed.
"I knew it would do the trick! Fresh air and my Rainbow Monkeys always make me happy again after a long day, you know. Maybe if you weren't so stubborn, you would actually enjoy it too!"
Wally rolled his eyes as soon as she looked away and up at the night sky.
He fixed his eyes at the side of her head and his lips tilted up into a friendly, affectionate smile.
The smile soon disappeared when silence settled over him and his stomach began grinding in nervousness. It had come to the time of finally telling Kuki the truth.
It was time to tell her about his old feelings for her and how those feelings were suddenly aimed at Abby.
And growing stronger each day.
Wally clenched his fists in his pockets and cleared his throat, glancing down at his feet and then up at her. She beamed, but there was a sparkle missing in her eyes that he used to love. There was something up with her, too; he could tell.
"Well, um, Kuki, like I said...I gotta tell ya somethin," he began, voice trembling with hesitation.
Kuki nodded, urging him to continue, though something about her countenance made it seem like she already knew what was coming.
"I, uh...I used to like ya, ya know?" he said, barely above a whisper. Then at the blank look on her face, added quickly, "Like, like-like ya."
Her eyes widened briefly. "Like-like?"
"Yeah."
"You mean like, like-like, like-like?"
He closed his eyes longer than it took the time to blink, reining in his temper. He wanted nothing more than to smash his head against the floor at the embarrassment of saying it out loud.
"Yes," he said through clenched teeth. "I like-like, like-liked ya."
It was silent between them after that and he cleared his suddenly dry, itchy throat. The words he wanted to say were struggling to come out – how could he tell the girl he had practically been in love with half his life, that he didn't feel the same anymore?
It was so hard, especially now that he knew that she actually had felt the same.
"I-I used ta like-like ya but...a lotta things happened. I...I thought ya liked Numbuh 1 and I was jealous so I ignored ya and the team. I became depressed and no one noticed but Abby. She was there for me when none of you were. I know ya didn't mean ta but..." He stared at his shoes as he shuffled his feet, awkwardly. "it just sorta happened by itself. And before I knew it, I couldn't stop starin' at 'er and feelin' all weird and stuff – how I used ta feel when I looked at you."
His eyes averted from the dark, concrete floor to Kuki's dull, glazed ones. They were brimming with tears and her full, plump lips were pulled down into a frown that looked more like a pout. Wally resisted the urge to wince; he didn't want to hurt her, that wasn't his intention at all.
Heart squeezing in sympathy for what could have been had he known sooner, his arms lifted to reach out to her.
But he quickly put them down, purely because he didn't want to give her the wrong message.
Awkwardly, he said, "I-I'm sorry, Ku-"
"Don't be silly, Numbuh 4!" she forced out, her voice coming out in choked garbles. "Why're you apologising? You make it sound as if I like you or something!" She let out a tiny scoff and turned away, but he caught sight of her wet eyes, twinkling in the moonlight.
Kuki sniffled softly and lifted up her sweater-ed hand to rub at her face.
Wally's eyebrows furrowed in concern. "Kuki..." his voice trailed off as she shook her head furiously.
"I'm really happy for you, both," she said, flashing him a smile that had no crinkle at the corner of her eyes. "Numbuh 5 is awesome and so are...you. So you both go together really well!"
She giggled, the sound coming out forced and strangled. "Anyway, I gotta go now!" Without letting him see her face, she speed-walked away.
He could only watch with his mouth wide open and his shoulders slumped in defeat as Kuki became a green blur in the distance.
Wally had ruined things.
Like always.
But Kuki'll come 'round, he told himself, pursed lips twisted to the side in deep thought. Roight?
Kuki hadn't come around.
She had stuck to avoiding him like the plague, much like Abby. Speaking of the mocha-skinned girl, he hadn't had the chance to tell her how he was feeling.
Every time they would accidentally make eye contact after being caught out for staring at her for far too long, he would chicken out like some wimp. If nothing was done soon, then it would be like the Kuki situation, where he would have to stick with shoving his feelings deep down and wondering whether she liked him or not and never having it go anywhere.
Wally knew one thing for sure: he didn't want to move on from Abby.
Ugh, and don't get me started on Kuki, he thought, gingerly.
He shuddered thinking about all the times he bumped into her and would begin to apologise and how she would run away like the time he thought he had cooties. It was frustrating and upsetting, just thinking about how two out of the four people he valued in his life couldn't even stand him anymore.
The only thing that made him feel a little better, was the fact that Abby was actually talking to him. Not as much as they were before but it was progress and he was happy.
Not that he listened to anything she said. He just liked staring at her face while she talked.
And maybe her lips.
He sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that day, and Abby turned to look at him. Fighting back an embarrassed flush, he shot her a tentative half-smile.
"What?"
"You've been sighing ever since we got here. You okay?" she asked, softly.
Wally blinked. He glanced over at Kuki who still refused to acknowledge his existence and chatted animatedly with Hoagie as if nothing had happened. He then looked back at Abby.
They were currently on another mission because they were given information that very morning about how the Delightful Children were planning something devious at their house.
So there they were, on a Friday afternoon, in the Delightful Children's large, empty, dark house.
"Uh, yeah. I'm foine."
"Ya sure?"
He bit down on his lip to stop himself from smiling like an idiot. Just having her ask him small questions like that caused his heart to speed up like a motorcycle.
"Y-yeah."
A soft snicker caught Wally's attention and when he glanced over in the direction he had heard it come from, he gripped his M.U.S.K.E.T tightly. He glowered at a red-faced Hoagie whose lips had broke into a teasing smile, with one corner hinting upwards.
As Kuki and Abby went ahead, focusing on the mission at hand, Hoagie leaned in towards the blond.
"Sooooo."
Wally tried not to look at him, feeling his piercing gaze in the side of his head. "Sooooo."
"...You tell her yet?"
"Well, I-I, uh—no?"
Hoagie's shoulders comically slumped and his face sagged. "Are you going to?"
"Yeah, maybe," he replied with a pained grimace, not wanting to continue the conversation when Abby was within earshot.
"Numbuh 4, you really sh-"
"Can we talk about this some other time?!" he hissed through clenched teeth, a muscle in his cheek twitching.
Hoagie jerked back, eyes wide. "Geez, alright! I was just asking anyway, sheesh, why'd you gotta ruin my fun?" he mumbled.
"Are ya fools comin' or not?!" Abby whisper-yelled from a few feet away.
In an instant, Wally and Hoagie were both at her and Kuki's side. The Japanese girl looked around, unfamiliar in the part of the house they were in. Currently, they were leaning against the wall of the many hallways that lead to yet another hallway and many more rooms.
"I forgot about how scary this place is," she muttered, holding her weapon close to her chest just in case.
"So did I," Hoagie mumbled in reply before glancing at Abby and asking in scepticism, "Uh, Numbuh 5, do you know where we're going? My conscience says we shouldn't be heading this way."
"Well, your conscience is a liar. Numbuh 5 knows what she's doing, boy."
Though they had been there plenty of times to destroy various plans, the house was still too big and dark to navigate.
Of course that meant they got lost.
Multiple times.
"Ya know, the whole point of splittin' up is to actually split up," Wally deadpanned after a few seconds, glaring at the three members.
Abby shot him a pointed look. "Shut yo trap, fool. You were the one complainin' in the first place!"
He pressed his lips tightly together, recalling the morning's events. Nigel had originally told them all to split up, with Kuki and Wally going in one direction and Abby and Hoagie going in another.
But of course, for some reason, Wally had thrown a fit about it, forgetting that he was already in deep, troubled waters with Kuki.
Not even realising that she was getting hurt, he had continued with his complaint about how the partners for splitting up were always the same. Then, when Abby offered for both him and Kuki to come with him, he got grumpy about it.
"I wasn't complainin'! I was just statin' facts," Wally mumbled, irritated, breaking into her thoughts.
"Well, we're all together now," Kuki said, still not looking at him.
"Yeah, exactly. You got what you wanted, Numbuh 4."
"This isn't what I wanted!"
"Well, too bad."
"Shut up, Numbuh 2. I wasn't talkin' to ya!"
"You don't have to be talking to me for me to say something!"
"Will the both of ya just shuddup?!" Abby whisper-yelled, whipping her head back to look at the bickering kids.
They all instantly fell silent at her glare; she paid close attention to Wally who frowned deeply and glared at the floor.
She wanted to ask what was up with him, but she knew she had to focus on the mission at hand. Saving kids and stopping the Delightful Children were more important than anything. Shaking her head, she turned back around.
The S.P.I.C.E.R was held tightly against her chest as she slowly tip-toed across one of the many hallways in the house, the others following closely behind, looking this way and that.
They each kicked down the closed doors, only to find them empty and dark. Abby's stomach began churning, warning her of something.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Hmm, somethin' fishy's going on down here. Numbuh 5 can just feel it."
Hoagie shuddered, his voice going a little high. "Me too. This place is giving me the creeps."
"The Delightful Dweebs aren't even 'ere, those little wimps," Wally grumbled, tightening his hold on his weapon. "Do ya think they knew we were comin'?"
"They couldn't have," Hoagie replied. "We're always one step ahead of them."
"Numbuh 5, come in."
Abby pressed a hand against her ear where her earpiece was situated.
"What is it, Numbuh 1?"
"Have you spotted the Delightful Children anywhere?" his tone was slightly on edge as he asked this question, furthering Abby's suspicions.
"There ain't anyone here. But Numbuh 5 feels like this is all too planned."
"I was just having the same thought." Nigel let out a sigh, muffling the radio a bit and causing static. "Stick close and keep a lookout for those Delightful Dorks. We'll meet downstairs for a quick debrief. I have a feeling this is a trap."
"You got it, Numbuh 1."
She turned to address the others. Both Wally and Hoagie looked at her, awaiting her orders.
"Alright, guys-"
Abby froze. She stuck her head out further to look behind Wally, only to see nothing but darkness.
"-where's Numbuh 3?" she asked, slowly.
Both Wally and Hoagie whirled around to see that their Japanese friend was nowhere to be found. Hoagie let out a little yelp.
"N-Numbuh 3?" he whispered into the dark abyss of the hallway. Abby slapped him upside the head.
"She won't hear you if you're whisperin' like that, you fool!"
"Well, I'm sorry. I'm panicking, okay?!"
Wally ran his hand through his hair, obviously in distress.
"Kuki's gone?" he whispered, seemingly to himself.
Abby stepped towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm him down. They had to set their differences aside, at least for the sake of the mission. Plus, she knew how much he liked her, even if that thought hurt her.
"Numbuh 5 knows she's alright, Wally. Numbuh 3 couldn't have gotten far."
He shook his head. "No! They took 'er! I know they did. What if they hurt 'er or somethin'?!"
"She probably just wandered off into some other room. The Delightful Children are nowhere to be found, so they can't have taken her."
Wally seemed to relax a little, even though his eyes were still dilated with panic. To find Kuki, they stealthily went from room to room.
Only to turn up empty-handed.
Now even Abby was starting to freak out.
"Okay, well, Numbuh 3's probably dead-"
"Numbuh 2!"
"What?! I said I was panicking!"
"Well, panic to yourself, then, boy," she said through gritted teeth, pointedly looking at Wally who had suddenly blanched.
"Oh. Whoops?" Hoagie said, letting out a sheepish laugh.
Abby wasn't liking how pale the Australian boy was getting; it looked like he was about to either faint or have a heart attack.
It was strange to see the ever strong and fierce Wallabee Beatles look like he was going to have a panic attack.
Guess that's what love does to ya, she thought, slightly bitter.
"Look, Wally. Numbuh 3's fine. We'll find her!"
"I-It's ma fault that she's kidnapped. I shouldn't have been so rude to 'er. I've been ignorin' 'er and hurtin' 'er because I..." he trailed off, glancing at Abby before looking down at the floor.
His blond bangs covered his face, but his clenched fists were an indication of his growing frustration.
Abby raised both eyebrows and shared a sceptical glance with Hoagie. "Boy, this is no time to be blamin' yourself! We don't even know if she's actually kidnapped or not. Don't worry, she's-"
"Foine?" Wally suddenly blurted out angrily, eyes darkening as he glared up at the girl. Abby took a step back in shock. "Is that what you were gonna say?"
"Well, Numbuh 5's just sayin' not to worry."
"How can I not worry when Kuki just got cruddy kidnapped?!"
His bitter voice rang throughout the entire hallway and Hoagie flinched.
"Guys, you might wanna be a little quiet-"
"Why are you yelling at Numbuh 5, boy?! I'm just trying to help," Abby cut him off, seemingly ignoring Hoagie's presence altogether.
"Well, you ain't," he snapped in reply. "Yer makin' things worse by saying things are gonna be foine when they're not. Kuki just got kidnapped and we have no idea where those dumb Delightful cruddy dorks are!"
Wally breathed heavily through his nostrils, chest heaving and fists trembling at his sides. Abby didn't know what to say or do. It was the first time she had seen him so angry and at her, too.
She knew that it was only because Kuki was gone, that he wasn't actually mad at her. But still, she felt attacked and betrayed, but most of all, hurt that Wally would take it out on her.
Abby was wise enough not to take it to heart, but that didn't mean it hurt any less.
"Guys, stop fighting!" Hoagie came in between them. "Look, we still need to find Numbuh 1 and the sooner we do that, the sooner we can find Numbuh 3! Like I said before, this hallway is giving the creeps so it's best if we leave now."
Abby turned to address Hoagie, ignoring the fuming blonde behind him. He needed some time to cool down, she knew that much.
He was hot-headed by nature, anyway, so it wasn't like she was necessarily surprised at his outburst in general.
She wasn't mad at him or anything, but it took all her will-power not to slap him upside the head with her cap.
"Alright, Numbuh 2. Let's go."
She could feel Wally's gaze on the side of her head as she quietly led them downstairs.
"Numbuh 1!" Hoagie screamed as soon as they met up in the living room, flailing his arms. "Numbuh 3's gone and-"
"I know."
"Wait, what?"
Nigel waved a little tablet in their direction, face grim and lips pulled into a taut line. A holographic message from the Delightful Children popped up.
"Why, hello, Kids Next Door. I see you have paid a visit to our humble abode once again," they said in unison, an unsettling smirk framing their mouths.
Wally scowled.
"But unfortunately for you, you have stumbled upon our very well-done trap and Kuki Sanban just happens to be a big part of it. Your friend has kindly offered to be our guinea pig for an experiment. And what is this experiment you ask?"
They let out a cackle, their heads thrown back.
"We are going to erase the memories of the best unit of the KND. If you don't know the existence of the KND then you cannot defeat us. And when you go down, the Kids Next Door will be weak and vulnerable and will be easy to manipulate!"
"I didn't even know we were the best unit," Wally mumbled. Abby rolled her eyes; of course, both he and probably Kuki wasn't aware of that fact but everyone else was.
Especially the Delightful Children who clearly would stop at nothing to get rid of them.
The plan they had come up with was just as dumb as all the other ones. Abby knew in her heart that they wouldn't succeed — they were the best unit for a reason and they sure as heck weren't going to win.
"You see, even if the plan of destroying the KND fails, at least it means you annoying pests won't be coming after us after your little memory wipe. So, it's a win-win situation for all of us, don't you think?"
After another cackle, the holographic message fizzed our and an eerie silence enveloped the team.
Wally scowled. "Where are ya, ya cowards?!"
"Uh, Numbuh 4," Hoagie whispered, leaning to the side, "this is a holographic message."
"So?!"
"So, they can't hear you."
"Oh," he said, lamely before groaning in frustration. "Well, crud! How're we gonna find Kuki then?!"
"We will find her, Numbuh 4, don't worry. The Delightful Children won't get away with this."
Nigel closed the holographic message and turned to face his team.
"But still, we know what's at stake team. We will get Numbuh 3 back but make sure to kick those Delightful Dork's butts so hard, it'll be sore for a whole month."
They cheered and whooped, with Wally mumbling under his breath, "We bettah or I'm givin' them a great big whoopin' of ma own."
All of a sudden, as if his words prompted it, the room completely shifted, bright pixels fading away to reveal a large, dark and empty room. The Delightful Children stood in the corner with venomous smirks on their faces, their eyes glinting with a ferociousness the KND were used to seeing.
However, this time it felt a little different and Hoagie pointed that very fact out.
"Uh...this is new," he whispered to Abby who looked around, wondering what kind of craziness they had come up with now.
Wally's eyes immediately shifted to the middle where a large ray was situated, and his eyes travelled to the figure it was pointing at.
Kuki.
"Kuki!?"
At his exclaim, all of the members' heads turned to where he was staring at. Kuki lay on the floor, eyes closed with dirt on her face.
Her hands and feet were tied to a metal bench to stop her from escaping. Hoagie let out a little yelp whereas Wally instantly began scowling, his face turning red and his enclosed fists shaking to the point where Abby looked afraid herself.
"Let 'er go, you dorks!"
"Or what, Wallabee Beatles?"
Without any warning, he ran at them full speed and began throwing rapid punches. They were hit once or twice but then began to predict his rage that was fuelled by pain and sadness than anything practical.
Which caused him to be kicked right back to the feet of the KND.
Abby stared down at him, almost pitifully and he hated how much that look got to him. It made him feel like she understood how he was feeling but she couldn't.
He was hurt and annoyed at himself for being such a careless little brat and for ignoring Kuki the way he did.
He had spent all his time with Abby that he completed neglected the first girl he had ever really connected with.
Even though they were polar opposites, obviously their attraction for each other and the goodness that they found was enough to overcome everything else.
Wally had tears in his eyes and seeing this, Abby stepped forward.
"Let the girl go, Delightful Children."
"Sure. While you're at it, you can also grab the antidote off us."
Nigel rolled his eyes after a second of silence.
"You're not going to let her go, are you?" he asked, monotone.
"Of course not, Nigel. I didn't think you were that stupid."
"You were stupid enough to reveal yourselves before doing the deed and stupid enough to both reveal the fact that you had an antidote. Besides, why make an antidote in the first place?"
"Well, we needed to test it out on someone, and who better than one of us? And the antidote was so we would come back safely with all of our memories intact."
Nigel kept quiet as to not point out the fact that they could easily get the antidote and cure whatever mishap would go on. If he said anything, he knew that they would destroy it and any chances of a plan B in case things went awry.
"Whatever. Just let her go, you creeps. This has gone too far and you know it, too."
"Too far? You know we've gone further than this, before. Besides, did you really think we were just going to hand her over to you without a fight? Silly Nigel."
The bald boy made an irritated noise in the back of his throat. "Fine. If it's a fight you dweebs want, then it's a fight you'll get. Kids Next Door, BATTLE STATIONS!"
They all got into their positions and ran full charge with Wally ahead of them all, lips pulled back into a ferocious snarl that resembled an animal's.
"I said let 'er go, ya freaks!"
With that, he jumped on them and the others with their weapons began attacking, trying not to hit an angry and upset Wally in the process. One of the Delightful Children grabbed Wally and turned him into a shield for some time before shoving him away.
By that time, he was deflated from the random punching. Nigel and the others were bested by the weapons that they had stolen from Wally in the meantime.
Abby shot Wally an irritated look but she knew he couldn't be blamed.
They were all worried about Kuki and he had every right to be angry.
The Delightful Children cackled as they pointed the S.P.L.A.N.K.E.R at them. "You dweebs didn't think you'd beat this plan of ours, did you? This took months! It's foolproof and not even a fool like Wally could fight his way through it."
"Your plan may be perfect. But did you realise that you're not?"
"Huh?" They straightened up, gun lowering for a second as they contemplated the odd question raised by Abby. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Using that second to her advantage, she grabbed her S.P.I.C.E.R and sprayed it on their faces.
"Now, guys!"
Nigel and Hoagie ran over to help Kuki as the others screamed.
"It burns! My eyes!" Regardless of the pain they seemed to be in, they managed to stumble over to a large button near the ray and pressed down on it causing the ray to hum as it powered up.
Abby's eyes widened as a large green bolt came shooting out of the ray. Instincts took over reason and she found herself leaping off the floor and towards the others, and just in time too. Right when she shoved them away, she became the target instead and got blasted by the laser in a matter of seconds.
All she could feel was a surge of hot air and a quick weight to her body as the force caused her to fly into the wall behind her. Her mind felt fuzzy and her body felt thin as if she was floating on air.
Her vision became blurry and just when she was about to close her eyes, the green filling her vision faded. The next thing she remembered was her falling limply to the ground with no control, the last sight being of her teammates staring at her horrified—Wally, more than the others, pale and frenzied.
And then everything went black.