I was going to wait to start this, but then one night I got in mood to just write and write and write. This came out fairly quickly, as well as the beginning of the next chapter of Operation TUTOR, so you should see that soon as well. And maybe some one-shots, if I can come up with any ideas.

This story's plotline should make itself evident soon, if it hasn't by the end of this chapter. But trust me, this is just where it begins. There's much more than this chapter shows. After all, we haven't even seen Wally yet. :D

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story as it unfolds. I know I'm going to enjoy writing it!

If you're curious, part of the plot to this story comes from the song "Everywhere" by Michelle Branch. Give it a listen, it's pretty rad.

If you're also curious, they're both about 19 in this story. Just so you know.

Right, I'm going to quit rambling and just let you read. Have a lovely week!

Disclaimer: I don't own Codename: Kids Next Door or any of its characters.

Love, Sadie

--

The world around her was quiet.

Everything seemed to glow with an unnatural light. Kuki realized immediately that this must be a dream, for the weather was far too clear and pleasant to be an actual memory. And there seemed to be a faint music in the distance - a faint melody that was both haunting and calling. Curiously, she began to explore her surroundings, and found that the scene plucked at the faint strings at the back of her memory.

And then, without warning, she began to move down the path. Her muscles moved without command of her mind, as though she was a puppet on strings to be moved as some unseen figure would wish it. It was then that she realized that this must be a dream of a memory, a figment of her past that her mind was trying hazily to recall.

She watched through first-hand eyes as her dream-self danced through the streets, humming a tune that she could barely remember the words to. There seemed to be some intent in her direction, for she turned purposely down a maze of streets and finally stopped at a place with aisles lined with colorfully-packaged sweets.

Thoughts that she had not created were born into her mind - what candy will I buy for the others? - and Kuki wondered what others she had been buying candy for, because she could not remember this specific incident in her past. It was obvious that this happened at an age too young for her to clearly remember.

"Good morning, Mr. Alister!" her dream-self chirped in the voice that she could remember, the one that had been so high and so cheerful. Since then, her voice had taken on new, warmer undertones that still had hints of chirping hidden inside it at moments of emotional excitement. The man greeted her warmly by name and Kuki realized that she must have gone there frequently as a child, and yet she couldn't remember it.

She found herself thoroughly enjoying the pleasant scene, and was quite disgruntled when she was yanked out of it and into consciousness.

"What?"

Kuki sat up and tried to make sense of the area surrounding her. It all came rushing back like a river into her lake of a brain. She wasn't a child; she was on the verge of adulthood and it was finally beginning to show in the gentle curves that had taken their place on her body. She wasn't in her old home; they had relocated to an area nearby and in an place that was slightly more urban.

And she wasn't living at home anymore. Which is why her roommate started grumbling at her sudden disturbance in the early hours of the morning.

"You okay, girl?" The hoarse voice belonged to a Miss Abigail Lincoln, who sounded very weary and somewhat impatient with the sudden outburst at a time when sudden outbursts should not occur.

"I'm. . . not sure." Kuki ran a hand through her thick hair, brushing the loose strands away from her eyes. She sat herself up and crossed her thin legs, trying to recall the scene that had just acted itself out in her sleeping mind. The question that followed had passed her lips a few times in the past, but never with so much meaning. "Why do you think I can't remember my entire childhood?" Her breath came out a sigh. "I think I just had a dream about it."

"Come again?" Seeming to realize that sleep was not going to happen for some time, Abby sat up herself, rubbing a hand across her eyes and turning to face the other girl.

"I just had a dream. . . about me. As a child. It felt like a memory." Kuki adjusted her rumpled pajamas in an attempt to find something to do with her anxious hands. "You've told me before that you don't remember yours, either. Why do you think that is?"

"We've talked about this." Exasperatedly, Abby let her head fall on her pillow and closed her eyes again. "We don't know. Maybe we both suffered eerily similar bouts of amnesia?"

Still not convinced, Kuki slid out of her bed and wrapped a blanket around herself. It was evident that Abby expected to sleep for at least a few more hours, so she exited the bedroom and shut the door behind her. She could entertain herself perfectly fine before the rest of the world decided to wake up.

The sun was just barely beginning to grace the word with its flaming golden reaches, so there really was no purpose in trying to recapture sleep. Instead, she would have a little more time to prepare for the day, and that suited her just fine. Only the wooden floor was cold against her toes, so she started by retreating into the kitchen.

Over the past few years, she had developed a liking for warmed milk in the morning. It was the perfect soothing drink for days like today, when the nerves needed to be tamed from their crackling instability. She stirred in a couple spoonfuls of chocolate-laced powder to add a sweet taste to the mixture, and then raised the mug to her full lips and swallowed it without a break. It left a pleasant aftertaste on her tongue.

As other human beings do, she went through her morning routine with little thought. After brushing her teeth clean from any traces of chocolate, she combed her tangled hair into one single wave that swept down her back. The bathroom fogged up with steam quickly when she turned the shower on. The puffs of white smoke from the steaming heat melted away her troubles and washed them down the drain in a smooth spiral.

Upon finishing, she wrapped the damp towel snugly around her lithe figure, turning to face herself in the foggy clouded mirror. The face she saw had aged since childhood, but the face behind it, she realized, had not. Her lips still carried the hint of a childish smile, and black lashes framed the light violet eyes that glinted brightly even in the dim light. Her features were as slender and graceful as ever, but had lengthened over the years to make her a shadow in the moving crowds.

The minutes following were also a fairly average routine for her. Black dress slacks and a button-up green shirt that was just dark enough to contrast her gaze. Dark shoes and a pair of simple green earrings. It wasn't in her nature to dress up; Kuki had always preferred a warm sweater and a pair of clean pants, but in her profession it was necessary to appear clean-cut.

It wasn't until she had began to nibble on a bar made of fruit and oats that a sleepy Abby shuffled in, covering a wide yawn with her painted fingertips. The chair scraped against the floor as she fell into it, resting her chin on a leaning hand. "Mornin', sunshine."

"Morning, sleepy," Kuki responded with a lopsided grin at the girl, already moving to set out a bowl and a gallon of milk for her.

"You're perky." Reaching for her brightly-colored cereal box, Abby lifted an eyebrow at her. Their mornings were usually spent quietly, for both girls were under the philosophy that any real waking up should not happen until somewhere around noon. It was only on special occasions that either of them could be completely coherent at breakfast.

"Nah. Just awake." She took another bite of her breakfast and chewed it thoughtfully for a minute. "I had a dream about my childhood. It felt real. Like a memory." This time, she had Abby's full attention, given the fact that Abby was out of reach of the warm pull of her bed. "It wasn't really important. . . I was just buying candy. But it seemed real."

"It could have been a memory." Abby tilted her head, and Kuki could almost imagine the dusty gears in her head beginning to turn slowly, waking from the sleep that had held them still until now. "Abby has those sometimes, y'know? Just stupid stuff, like the carnival came to town. It could have been a small memory."

"I wonder who I was buying candy for." A tiny smile played on the corners of her lips as Kuki mused over the question. A playmate, perhaps? An old friend? Mushi? Or maybe more than one person; maybe she had been taking in candy for her class at school. There was no indication one way or another, but it was fun to imagine the mysterious figures that she would have been taking the multicolored candies to.

Abby shrugged and dug eagerly into her cereal with vigor that was usually reserved for a sports player. Even leaning against the counter, Kuki could hear the pieces crunching between her teeth. She was lost inside her own mind, replaying the fantastic scene in her head, and didn't notice the continual ticking of the clock.

Finally, Abby spoke up. "Hey, wait, girl, aren't you gonna be late for work?"

"Oh!" Kuki grabbed her purse and let it dangle off of her shoulder, throwing a wide smile over her shoulder. "See you later! Have a great day!" She barely caught her friend's reply as she scurried out the door and started down the sidewalk. It was only a short walk to her office, and she rather enjoyed the stunning outdoors, especially on the crisp and somewhat chilling mornings. It was a miracle that her long jacket kept all the wind out.

The streets were empty, save for the cars that were few and far between. It was one of the benefits of starting an early shift; Kuki never had to worry about crowded sidewalks and busy streets, and the fear of being late for work was all but nothing. It gave her time to enjoy the sub-urban settings of her hometown and mull over things that there was normally no time to think about in the busy chaos of the day.

Which could be a good thing at some times, and a bad thing at other times.

This morning was one of the ones were she would have rather liked to have something else inside her head while she walked, instead of the company of her own thoughts. The dream had begun to eat away at her mind, threatening to wash over her every thought.

She had been so happy back then. It was easy to see that her dream-self had been enjoying life; it had been evident in the bouncing step, the cheerful chirp in the voice, and the way that her dream-mind had noticed every single bright detail of the sunny dream scene. It was so clearly evident that it would have taken a fool to look at her and think that she hadn't been enjoying life to the very fullest extent, in every minute of every day.

So. . . what had happened?

Kuki recounted in her mind the details of her life. She was living with her best friend and she had a decent profession that provided her with some comfort that many people couldn't afford. She hung out with friends on a frequent basis and loved to stay up during the long nights with a good book and a mug of hot chocolate.

Truly, she had almost everything that life could offer.

So what left her feeling empty?

--

p.s. If you can figure out why teenage!Kuki isn't as happy as childhood!Kuki, then you get a cookie.

Pfft. As if it's hard to figure out.