Warning, this story stops being lighthearted here.
Blah blah blah, I don't own KND.
Hoagie and Wally were still on their way to the candy store when they had gotten the call from Numbuh One. Apparently, the delightful children from down the lane were at it again; they had stolen some sort of important console from an operative on his way to the Moonbase.
"We're going to have to infiltrate their mansion," Numbuh One said. "You two need to meet us there ASAP."
"Yeah, yeah, we got it," Numbuh Four rolled his eyes not at the bossy bald boy, but at Numbuh 3, who was waving at him wildly from the background. The blonde Aussie shut off his watch and motioned to Numbuh 2.
"Camon, Numbuh 2, let's get this ova' with."
Hoagie gave him a shocked look. "But… but… candy!"
Numbuh 4 grabbed Numbuh 2's arm and began to pull him towards the direction of the delightful mansion. "Oh, stuff it, yeh cruddy baby!"
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The group met and stealthily hopped over the gate surrounding the huge mansion. By now the sun had set, and the stars were beginning to come out.
The five operatives peeked into the first window they met, and gasped.
There was the moonbase console, full of all sorts of important Kids Next Door secrets, and it was currently sitting innocently on a table in the middle of the very room they were peeking into.
"Man, somethin' ain't right." whispered Numbuh 5. The console was in the middle of a huge, dark ballroom, and the overly sized room contained nothing but the table and the console. "It's way too easy."
"Then we just have to get in and get out." Numbuh One ordered. "Let's move, team."
The 5 kids scrambled through the window and approached the table cautiously, all the while looking around for the creepy delightful children. "This place is scarrry…" commented Numbuh 3, and her teammates silently complied.
They gathered around the table, and Numbuh One placed his hands slowly on the console, his eyes darting this way and that. When was the alarm going to sound off for touching the delightfuls' stolen prize?
He picked it up, and everyone smiled. "Well, I guess that's that! You know guys, I almost thought this was some sort of-"
BOOM!
The table Sector V had once been smiling around blew up, sending the five children flying in five unconscious directions.
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"Ooh…" Numbuh 4 rubbed his head, and got on his hands and knees. "Whot the crud…" He froze as he looked up to see 5 pairs of eerily blue eyes staring him down. Glancing around frantically, he couldn't spot his friends through the clearing smoke.
"Hello, Wallace. Since you are the first to awaken, you get to be the lucky operative whom we test our new toy on." They laughed in their creepy monotone chorus as Wally glanced over the particularly menacing laser cannon that the delightful children from down the lane were in control of.
"Say Goodbye, Wallabee Beetles."
He was frozen. He couldn't even move. Still on his knees, Numbuh 4 tucked his head down and crossed his arms in front of his face, bracing himself for the horrible impact that clearly awaited him. Wally could feel tears forming as he squeezed his eyes shut; this was it, he was going to die, it wasn't fair, he was going to-
"No! Don't you hurt Numbuh Four!" The blonde's eyes then popped open as Numbuh 3, whom he'd thought was still unconscious, jumped a few feet before him, spreading her arms and legs almost as if to hug her impending doom. Her fear stricken face wasn't visible to the boy she was protecting, but he knew it was there.
"You stupid girl!" The blonde yelled, stumbling clumsily to his feet. "GET OUT OF THE W-"
It was as if time was in slow motion. Numbuh Four finally stood up, eyes wide. He looked down at himself and saw that his whole front had been spattered with tiny red dots. Slowly lifting his head, he had an urge to vomit… there was a hole in his best friend. No, no, no…
He tried to call her name, because Kuki hadn't fallen yet. She was just standing there. She wasn't screaming or anything. "Numbuh 3?" He hadn't meant for it to come out in a mere whisper. "A-ah yeh…?"
He didn't get the chance to finish his sentence, because Kuki began to stumble. The poor girl couldn't think, she started to lose her footing, she started to fall backwards…
She fell right back into Wally's arms, who caught her with an "oomph!". He was overwhelmed by her weight, and the panicked children were pulled down to the floor together.
Numbuh 4 looked down at Numbuh 3 in his lap and suddenly felt very small. Her usually very thin eyes were perfect circles; he had never seen them so big. It was as if she was surprised that she had a bloody hole in her middle that was steadily forming a puddle, engulfing her and her companion. It was as if she was surprised that she was hit at all, even though she was the one that had initiated his rescue. What had she expected? Some sort of miracle? Realization dawned upon him and he could see that it had dawned upon her too; Kuki Sanban was going to die.
The boy looked around for the delightful children; they were long gone, and his friends were still unconscious on the floor. Wally watched as her eyes filled with fresh tears, and that ache in his heart began to make his eyes glisten too. He fought hard to keep then in. He was the fighter; he wouldn't cry in front of her. It would only worsen a bad situation. But then, he never thought he would be in this situation. What should he say to her? She didn't have much time, he knew, as much as he wanted to deny it. But what do you say to your dying best friend? Should he tell her he was sorry for everything? Should he tell her his deepest, most darkest secret? Should he-
His thoughts were interrupted when Kuki grabbed his hand and put on the saddest look he had ever seen. The small Aussie felt a tear slip out, and he kept fighting to keep up the barrier. He decided to say to her what he had seen in the movies. What one was supposed to say to their hurt friend.
"You'll be okay, Kuki…" Numbuh 4's voice cracked and faltered, and he could feel his bottom lip pressing up against his top, quivering slightly.
Kuki looked him straight in the eyes, lifted up one of the bloody sleeves, and showed it to him, as if she was confessing her fate. She blinked quickly, clearing the tears, so she could see his face. "I don't want to die." She whispered.
Wally's eyes darted back and forth to each of her deep black ones. "I don't want you to die either…" His voice was almost gone now, and he bit his bottom lip. No, he was blowing it, he needed to tell her before she was gone, he could already see her eyes clouding up-
"Numbuh…" Kuki blinked weakly and began to stare at nothing. He stared at her expectantly. "Numbuh 4…? Can I have a goodbye hug now…?"
Part of him wanted to refuse. No way, nuh uh, he didn't want to say goodbye. This was the real deal goodbye here… after this, no more hugs at all. No more Kuki. No more…
Wally scooped up the girl in his arms and hugged her, hugged her for dear life. He felt the dam he had worked so hard to build up his entire life blow up into a million, billion pieces, and his small frame shook in harsh, wrenching sobs. He cried wildly as he felt her arms go limp around him; by now the red puddle fully surrounded them by at least a foot.
If anybody was to look at the tough, brash Numbuh Four at that very minute, they wouldn't believe it. All the boy's bottled up emotions came pouring out as he cried for his lost friend. Hate, love, anger, sadness, everything he had been trying to hide from the judgmental eyes of the world. Whatever, he had given up trying to hide.This wasn't supposed to happen. Kids weren't supposed to die at 10. It wasn't done. Especially not the ones he knew. Especially not his rainbow- monkey crazed crush.
Wally sniffed as his sobs began to slow. If he had known, he would at least have given her one of those stupid little goodbye hugs…
-End