Wallabee and Kuki

[CCACorn26]

Well, well, well. I have a feeling the Panda Warriors will absolutely love this selection in my fanfiction timeline. Have fun reading...:



“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 1: “Nigel and Rachel's Plan, Part 1”



“So, Rachel, how's the paperwork been these past two months?”

“Quite a bit thinner than I'd like, actually, Nigel. It's as if all of our regular enemies have gone quiet.”

Nigel Uno conversed with Rachel McKenzie as they walked down one of the corridors of the Kids Next Door Moonbase. They were a bit disturbed by the almost total lack of activity from their normal adversaries, from Father to the Dodgeball Wizard to the Candy Pirates to Gramma Stuffum to Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb to the Toilenator to Robin Food. Needless to say, these adversaries were of various shapes, sizes, and penchants, but they, in their own respective ways, all despised the Kids Next Door.

“Not a single attack even by those Delightful Children?” Nigel inquired in disbelief.

“That's right. With the appearance of this 'Base of Jihad,' they've simply up and dropped off our radar,” Rachel affirmed.

Nigel immediately recognized Rachel's point -- and felt his blood begin to boil. Two months ago, an organization that called itself the “Base of Jihad” changed the rules quite dramatically with the now-infamous “Great New York City Airplane Massacre,” which killed two of the Kids Next Door's best spies, Numbuhs 1938 and 1941… along with almost 3,000 men, women, and children in what used to be the tallest twin skyscrapers in all of North America. Its leader, some weird fellow with a long beard named Khalid Tariq Saif, appeared two days later and launched into a diatribe vowing the complete annihilation of the United States of America as the first step toward achieving his all-too-inhuman vision for the world -- a vision that made Grandfather look nice, or so Nigel and Rachel perceived: people jailed for owning a television, listening to music, or searching for lost pets; girls and women absolutely forbidden from any type of interaction in school; men rounded up to have rocks thrown at them because their beards weren't the proper color; children imprisoned for attempting to fly kites or play tag. The regular villains of KND memory were most likely still reeling from their betrayal and eventual Senior Citizombification by Grandfather and thus decided to simply cease whatever activities against the Kids Next Door they were previously engaged in upon hearing that tirade. The two prominent Kids Next Door operatives, now considered a couple after they returned to the Moonbase together in Rachel's ROADSTAR after separately heading down to Earth to view the still-smoldering rubble of those twin skyscrapers, neared an intersection and began to cross it, knowing that the Supreme Commander's office was just down their current corridor.

“Those barbarians…” Nigel snarled to himself as he felt himself clenching and shaking his fists behind him. “I sincerely hope they never dare to even think of attacking this Moonbase. If they do, I--"

WHACK!!!!! Nigel never got to finish that thought, because at that moment, he and Rachel were broadsided by a shorter boy who was obviously trying to desperately run from something. His Supreme Commander -- and now-girlfriend -- now sprawled on top of him, his arms splayed in front of him, and his trademark sunglasses now slightly crooked from their normal position atop his nose, Nigel could only groan to himself as he heard the other boy call out, "SORRY, MATE!!!!", before disappearing down the intersecting hallway. He opened his eyes slightly and turned to Rachel.

“Are you okay, Rachel?” Nigel asked in a voice laden with concern -- and astonishment.

Rachel nodded, her eyes opening slightly, as well. “Yeah... What was tha--”

“YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR DESTROYING POOR WITTLE MR. FLUFFY-WUFFYKINS, NUMBUH FOUR!!!!!!”

The bald British boy and the shoulder-length-blonde-haired American girl turned their heads toward the direction of that rather cute roar... and saw a girl with flowing black hair race down the same intersecting corridor in the exact same direction as the short-mushroom-blond-haired boy, her arms raised as menacingly as they could be. Rachel got up and immediately sat back down next to Nigel, signaling to her companion -- and now-boyfriend -- to do the same thing… her command helmet now sitting on its side some distance away in the intersecting corridors. What had happened this time? Nigel tried to reach over and gently help Rachel off the floor, but he had no other choice than to grab her by the shoulders and pull her against the wall on his side as they heard and then saw two more kids come barreling down the exact same corridor the first impact had sent them flying into.

“Numbuh Three, wait!!! Stop!!!!” the portly boy wearing goggles that were attached to a pilot's helmet yelled into the rectangular void ahead of him. “You and Numbuh Four might end up hurting somebody!!” If only he'd stopped to take a look at just who Numbuh Four ran over at that intersection.

The girl wearing a red cap on her head sounded a bit out of breath as she and the boy continued bolting down said rectangular void in order to find their two diametric friends. "Numbuh Five is really gettin' sick of these fights and chases!!"

With that, the duo chasing after Numbuhs Four and Three continued their attempted sprint, leaving Nigel and Rachel to their own devices, staring down the corridor that they just vanished into. The Sector V leader let go of the KND Supreme Commander and sat against the wall as both kids eventually caught their breaths.

“What… for the life of me… was that all about?” Nigel questioned dryly.

“I have no idea, but it's definitely not a scene I'd expect out of Romeo and Juliet,” exhaled Rachel.

The last three words she spoke wandered around Nigel's mind for a few moments… and then clicked perfectly into their place as he slowly turned his head toward her, his eyebrow raised at her possible idea. "What did you just say, Rachel?"

“Romeo and Juliet, Nigel. I'm a bit surprised you haven't heard of it,” responded Rachel.

“Okay…” said Nigel slowly while nodding in slight affirmation. “What is it?”

“It's a tragedy written by this William Shakespeare guy about two lovers who have to overcome many obstacles to keep their love for each other…” Rachel then sighed as she contemplated the play's inevitably grim ending. “However, they end up killing themselves to ensure that their love would be protected forever. But why are we just sitting here talking abou--” She stopped as her brown eyes detected a sudden mysterious gleam behind her bald British companion's sunglasses. “Huh? Something wrong, Nigel?”

The smirk on Nigel's face was unmistakable as he shook his head negatively, then turned back toward her. “Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Rachel?”

Rachel blinked her eyes in confusion… then understood. She, Rachel McKenzie, had just given Nigel Uno a brilliant idea for getting Numbuhs Four and Three, a.k.a. Wallabee Beetles and Kuki Sanban, respectively, to finally admit their long-obvious feelings for each other... and thus ending their almost constant bickering once and for all.

At least, so the Kids Next Door's most prominent couple thought and hoped.



END OF CHAPTER 1
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"Wallabee and Kuki"
Chapter 2: "Nigel and Rachel's Plan, Part 2"



The short boy rushed down the stony corridor, his orange hood flapping inches behind him as he frantically tried to flee his interloper. He'd already knocked several Kids Next Door operatives over -- including two at the last intersection (hint, hint) -- but all he could see in his mind was a girl with flaming eyes as she closed in on him, ready to tear him to shreds as payback for kicking her most recent stuffed toy, as freaked out as he had been -- "WAY too girly," as he put it -- toward the other side of his room just as she was showing it to him. Their two friends tried to restrain them when they checked to learn what was wrong, but to no avail. Thus began that chase all across the various corridors of the Kids Next Door Moonbase. After what was really 15 more minutes down that hall and other corridors but seemed like an eternity to him, he finally noticed an open door, immediately darted toward it into the room inside, and slammed the door shut. At least five more minutes passed, and then the boy sat down leaning against the door, feeling certain that his troubles were over… at least for the moment.

"Crikey, that was close," the boy muttered as he wiped his forehead of any sweat he'd accumulated during the course of that case. "Kuki's really gone crazy this time. If I don't do something to calm her down soon, she's gonna-- YAAAAAAH!!!!"

The door burst open from the outside, sending him flying and careening deeper into the room. Standing at the doorway was a young Japanese girl with oversized green sleeves… and eyes as flaming red as those he was envisioning just moments ago. Each stomp she made toward him seemed more life-threatening than the last as he tried vehemently to back away.

“Kuki, wait!! I can explain! Just hear me out!!!” the boy pleaded as he raised his hands in abrupt self-defense.

“You’ve really gone over the line this time, Wally!!!!” Kuki Sanban, the girl whose “Mr. Fluffy-Wuffykins” he’d just ruined, bellowed over him, completely silencing him and the room around them, if it had any sound at all. “I thought we had something special ever since Numbuhs One and 362 spotted us in the Supreme Commander’s office snuggled up next to each other staring at the Earth after 362 told us about that double airplane massacre, but now I guess I was WRONG, wasn’t I?!?!?!”

Suddenly, a new girl, this one wearing a red cap with the brim tucked backward, kicked the door open, then exhaled quickly in relief, no doubt having heard the latest round of screaming and yelling. “There you two are! Thank goodness y’all haven’t started tearin’ each other apart yet. Now, Numbuh Three, I really think you oughta cool it right about now!!”

“Numbuh Five’s right, guys! STOP!!” the goggled boy accompanying Numbuh Five agreed, extending his hand pleadingly while gasping for breath, then regaining enough of his composure to talk coherently and thus reason with his diametric comrades. “What if Numbuh One accepts cleanup duty for Sector V at the Arctic Training Base over this?!?!” Had he been aware of that collision his Australian friend suffered at one of those last intersections, his current panic level would have skyrocketed exponentially.

“Stay out of this, Abby and Hoagie!!!! This is just between Wally and me!!” Kuki furiously yelled back, then turned back to Wally. “Now, Wally, when I get thro--”

Before any literal sparks could fly, the Kids Next Door Moonbase’s intercom beeped to life, replaced right away by a female voice interlaced with strictness but also a strange sort of secrecy and irony about something. “Attention, Kids Next Door Moonbase. Will Numbuhs Two through Five of Sector V please report to my office A-S-A-now? All other operatives, stand by for a very… unique and special announcement. Numbuh 362 out.”

At least three minutes ticked painfully slowly by before Hoagie Gilligan, a.k.a. Numbuh Two, gulped at what he thought was the KND Supreme Leader’s very stern warning to his teammates. “Great. Just great. Come on, guys, let’s go. We’ve got one serious tongue-lashing ahead of us.”

Abby Lincoln, a.k.a. Numbuh Five, could only nod her head in despair, then sigh in disgust as she turned in Wally and Kuki’s general direction. “Numbuh Five isn’t gonna be too sympathetic with you two if Numbuhs One and 362 ask me what we were doin’...”

With that, Hoagie and Abby trudged out of the room and down the corridor to the office of the highest-ranking operative in the Kids Next Door, leaving a very bewildered Wally and Kuki to reconsider what just happened before they, too, emerged in defeat one long minute later. They could only wonder what punishment Numbuh 362, a.k.a. Rachel McKenzie, not just their Supreme Commander but also their closest real friend here, would impose on Sector V for this unjustified disruption of the peace on the Kids Next Door Moonbase.

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“HAVE YOU AND NUMBUH 362 GONE ABSOLUTELY NUTS, NUMBUH ONE?!?!?!?!?!” Wally, known simply as Wallabee Beetles to his schoolmates and family and Numbuh Four to the Kids Next Door, exclaimed vociferously, echoing rather bluntly the sheer disbelief radiating from the eyes of his teammates as their friend and sector leader and his girlfriend explained Sector V’s latest “assignment,” with Numbuhs 60 and 86, 362’s two main Global Command deputies, in attendance.

Nigel and Rachel only continued smiling triumphantly after they administered a synopsis of their idea and its context. Two months after the Base of Jihad’s explosive (no pun intended at all) self-introduction to the KND's consciousness, virtually every adversary ever normally confronted by Kids Next Door operatives all over the planet but especially in North America was now completely silent and therefore off the radar. As a logical result, thousands upon thousands of kids suddenly became very bored yet also strangely frightened by this new group of villains and their nefarious vision. By that point in time, Nigel and Rachel were completely uncertain about a course of action to alleviate the inevitably mounting stress… until a certain male operative knocked an idea into their heads -- and them clean to the side of said stony hallway just as they were about to reach the final corridor leading to Rachel’s office. The idea itself sounded simple enough: for the next week, the Kids Next Door Moonbase would get into the acting business, and its very first project would be William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

“No, Numbuh Four. Everything Rachel and I said is correct,” Nigel, known as Numbuh One to the rest of his team, nodded in complete and certain affirmation, standing proudly and smugly next to his Supreme Commander and girlfriend, who was sitting in her chair, her hands folded professionally on her desk.

“Awwww, that’s sooooo romantic of you, Numbuh One!!!!!” Kuki chirped as happily as she normally did while clasping her hands eagerly to her side, evidently forgetting her practically destroyed “Mr. Fluffy-Wuffykins.” “IwannabeJuliet, IwannabeJuliet, IwannabeJuliet, IwannabeJuliet!!!…” That claim she verbally raced through as she started jumping up and down as though she’d just seen a brand-new Rainbow Monkey… while the boy whom she’d had a crush on for quite some time could only gag in unmitigated disgust.

Rachel chuckled warmly, raising her hand in an offering yet eager gesture. “Now that you mention it, Numbuh Three, Nigel and I decided to take a vote among every Kids Next Door treehouse on the planet. When we listed our possibilities for the Romeo and Juliet roles… well, let me just say we were surprised at how unanimous the vote was, with one key suggestion.”

“You mean…?” All of Sector V minus Nigel questioned in unison.

“That’s right,” Nigel and Rachel countered, also in unison, before Rachel continued, “Wallabee Beetles and Kuki Sanban, you two are Romeo and Juliet. In fact, never mind that last part. Thanks to a suggestion from the British Kids Next Door, we decided to change the name of our production to Wallabee and Kuki.”

“YAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!! Oh, we’re gonna have so much fun being all dramatic and stuff, and we’re gonna talk and confess our love under the stars, and everyone’s gonna wanna try to keep us apart!!!!!…” the black-haired Japanese girl rambled on and on and on, then sighed in anticipation.

“Ooooooooohhhh… You go, Numbuh Four,” Hoagie said eagerly, gently nudging his elbow into Wally’s side. “Go get her, man. We're rooting for ya.”

Wally threw his arms into the air in dismay. “HEY!!! Why didn’t I get a say in this cruddy debate?!?! Guys, help me out here!!!!!”

Numbuh 86, a.k.a. Fanny Fulbright, began to chuckle in total amusement at Sector V’s antics while Numbuh 60, a.k.a. Patton Drilovsky, cleared his throat. “Well, this is all well and good, Numbuh 362, ma'am, but didn’t Romeo and Juliet have parents of their own?”

“Oh, you mean Lord and Lady Montague and Lord and Lady Capulet, Numbuh 60,” Rachel stated matter-of-factly. “Nigel and I did some thinking of our own after the vote, and we thought it would be a very good idea to pit Hoagie and Abby Montague against you and Fanny, er, Lord and Lady Capulet.”

Patton gulped as he felt a blush rise against his cheeks. “M-m-m-me, ma'am?”

Abby could only laugh heartily. “Oh, yeah, baby!!! Numbuh Five is really gonna enjoy this activity!!”

“Hey… wait a minute, Numbuh 362,” Fanny countered suddenly, then pointed at Nigel and Rachel. “How come you two aren’t in this play?”

Nigel and Rachel looked at each other knowingly, then regained their previous smiles just before Nigel spoke up. “As for us, Numbuh 86, we’re codirecting it. It was Rachel’s idea.”

Hoagie couldn’t resist glancing slyly at the prominent couple. “Oh-ho… Very smooth, Numbuhs One and 362. Now to work on my dramatic performance!!!”

“Well, team, I guess this means there are no objections to our little idea,” Nigel accepted, followed by various shouts of “Yeah!” and “We’re ready!” that were accompanied by a defeated “Oh, fine... cruddy romantic thing…”.

Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie could only smile at the warm scene in front of them before turning to each other, their eyes twinkling in clear signal, then nodding, letting Nigel know it was time. “If that’s really the case, then Kids Next Door…” He paused for a moment to allow Rachel to join in. “Let’s get this show on the road!!!!”



END OF CHAPTER 2

[wallysgirl]

Aw, cute! ^-^ This sounds interesting!! And looks like it's gonna be very fluffy. Wallabee and Kuki the perfect Romeo and Juliet! ^^ And I love how you have 2 & 5 as the Montagues and 86 & 60 as the Capulets! ^^

Update soon!

[allie]

Ah, I remember this story exactly! All you guys are in for a real treat! Keep 'em comin', Angel!

[CCACorn26]

Indeed, Allie, so here we go.:



“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 3: “The Play Begins”



The next several days saw the Kids Next Door Moonbase once again supercharged with activity as it hadn’t been in the past two months. Different operatives offered to volunteer to gather props, set up the general scenery, and help Nigel and Rachel mentor their teammates and friends so they could master their “Kids Next Doorified” lines for the performance itself. Some even wanted to play whatever characters were left to be assigned by the two usually sternest operatives in the entire organization, now official codirectors for Wallabee and Kuki. For example, Numbuh 65.3, known simply as Herbert, the communications officer for the Moonbase, found himself in the role of Friar Lawrence, Wallabee’s confidant and advisor, for his ability to communicate certain details about major events in the plot so Wallabee and his friends could act quickly. Numbuh 35, a.k.a. Bartie, was eager to try being the Prince of Verona and getting the Montague and Capulet families to halt their blood feud permanently... or face consequences of the utmost severity. Nigel and Rachel’s self-confidence could only inch higher as the characters slots were filled one by one and the operatives -- and, in some cases, allies -- who filled them practiced each line more and more perfectly.

The operatives playing the individual Montague and Capulet characters were, if nothing else, no less active in their own character practices. Hoagie and Abby thoroughly enjoyed mocking Wally, their new “son,” over his inevitable romantic interactions with Kuki during the play, which would be ironic if Hoagie and Abby themselves began to develop their own crushes on each other during preparations for Wallabee and Kuki, as per Nigel’s observations. On the other side, Patton and Fanny got into a rather heated, to say the least, exchange about obtaining the jewels on both Fanny and Kuki’s dress costumes, forcing Rachel to try to break them up just before their yells could reach deafeningly high volume, leaving Kuki covering her mouth in distress. As time went by, however, Hoagie and Abby increasingly sounded like bitter rivals to Patton and Fanny, with Wally and Kuki caught right in the middle of this blood feud. They and their fellow operatives on the Moonbase must have been more energized than Nigel and Rachel initially guessed, as may have been particularly evident as cheers and applause erupted from any bystanders while Wally and Kuki brought their final Romeo and Juliet lines to life right down to their final act of defiant self-destruction so that they could be together for all eternity. These and other reflections on the state of affairs at the Kids Next Door Moonbase practically dominated Nigel and Rachel’s minds as they stood at the center of the now-decorated Moonbase auditorium stage... the play itself due to take place within the next few hours.

“It’s almost time, Nigel,” Rachel beamed. “To think that only a week ago, this was a much gloomier, duller Moonbase.”

“I know, right?” Nigel acknowledged wholly as he calmly placed a hand on her shoulder for further encouragement. “Just look around. All this was your idea, Rachel. You never stopped encouraging our friends and fellow operatives to try their utmost to succeed at their lines. In fact, this plan may prove even better than I initially thought. The fact is, though, that you did it, Rachel. Now’s it up to them.”

“You’re right, Nigel...” Rachel paused for a moment to further gather her thoughts. “However, we did it. Together, I might add.” A slight twinkle in her eye emerged to a raised eyebrow from her boyfriend and most trusted confidant. “In fact, as my own way of thanking you...” She leaned in closer to him, planted a kiss directly on his cheek, and moved back away.

Nigel could only chuckle in enjoyment and bemusement at the same time. “I have a strong feeling that everyone’s going to be cheering and applauding Numbuhs Four and Three once they actually become a couple. Shall we let them keep the spotlight? You know I don’t like having to wear romance on my sleeve.”

Rachel shook her head negatively, clearly understanding Nigel’s point. “Neither do I. Speaking of Numbuhs Four and Three, isn’t it time to alert the Moonbase to the start of our play?”

Some laughter escaped Nigel’s mouth as he playfully nudged his elbow into Rachel’s arm. “Ever the workaholic, aren’t you?”

“Well, so are you!” Rachel interjected just as playfully.

One last round of laughter from the Sector V leader and the KND Supreme Commander ensued before Nigel cleared his throat as professionally as he could. “Let’s go. It’s time to start ‘Operation Romeo and Juliet.’”

The auditorium stayed silent as the young couple walked away back to Rachel’s office, steadily holding hands the whole walk through. The play itself would serve as a reward for successfully maintaining the usual order of business over the past two months and one week. Some 30 minutes after Rachel issued her final instructions, every Kids Next Door operative currently on but not necessarily assigned to the Moonbase was either onstage finalizing his or her line memorizations and costume preparations or enthusiastically sitting somewhere in the auditorium rows. Finally, at a signal from Nigel, the curtains opened, and Wallabee and Kuki commenced to riveted applause.

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(Author’s note: Voila!!! The Wallabee and Kuki major character list, using real names whenever possible, meaning if I know them:

1. Wally - Wallabee Montague
2. Kuki - Kuki Capulet
3. Hoagie - Lord Hoagie Montague
4. Abby - Lady Abigail Montague
5. Patton - Lord Patton Capulet
6. Fanny - Lady Francine Capulet
7. Bartie - Prince of Verona
8. Herbert - Friar Lawrence
9. Virginia (Numbuh 23) - Kuki’s Nurse
10. Matthew (Numbuh 101) - Benvolio
11. Lee (Numbuh 84) - Mercutio
12. Numbuh 34 - Tybalt
13. The Kid - Paris
14. Peter - First Capulet servant
15. Patrick - First Montague servant

With that said and done, let the first Montague-Capulet encounter commence!!!)

It was a warm, lovely spring afternoon in the humble town of Verona. A lone figure traversed its streets, admiring the scenery around him.

“Ah, what a beautiful afternoon in the history of creation this is!!” exclaimed Peter, a simple, joyous servant of the esteemed Capulet family, in self-satisfaction as he smelled the soft, fresh air wafting around in the breeze. “Nothing could possibly ruin a day like to--”

Suddenly, Peter’s eyes narrowed as another fellow wandered into his sight, a fellow much more odious than any of the birds singing happily overhead. After all, this new character was a servant of the thoroughly despised Montague family, the Capulets’ archenemy these past several generations.

“So, that dirty Montague servant dares to interrupt my view of this town with his presence? It’s time I taught him a lesson about keeping off the streets whenever there are Capulets around,” muttered Peter maliciously to himself as he picked up a small pebble, walked haughtily over to the unsuspecting rival family servant, who was known to the Montagues simply as Patrick... and cast it directly at his feet.

“What the--” Patrick yelped as he jumped at the sudden impact close to his feet, then glared at the intruder into his retrospective time. “Oh, you... you’re one of those Capulets my family hates with a passion, aren’t you? Are you the one who cast that pebble at me?”

“I cast pebbles, yes. It is a hobby of mine, not that a man as lowly as you should care,” Peter responded, his nose held snobbishly in the air.

“And yet, you cast that pebble at ME?!” Patrick’s voice grew increasingly furious at the last word in that interrogative exclamation.

“Here you are raising your voice when I am simply asserting my right to cast pebbles as I wish, despicable worm,” Peter shot back. “I sincerely hope you aren’t just asking to start a fight with me.”

“Absolutely not, Mr. Crudubrain, but you don’t see me trying to stop[/b] a fight, either, do you?!?!” Patrick countered, his tone even more belligerent now.

Peter’s eyebrow began to twitch, his inner rage beginning to bubble out of his control, as he began to draw his sword from the hilt on his belt. “You, a wretched Montague, have the nerve to mock a Capulet!? You shall pay for that insult WITH YOUR LIFE!!!!!”

Patrick draw his sword immediately afterward, his eyes narrowed in total conviction of the cause he served. “Enough of this idle talk. WE BATTLE NOW!!!!”

Battle cries unleashed, the two servants, each from rival families, charged directly at each other, their swords clashing and clanging. Another battle in the Montague-Capulet War had begun.



END OF CHAPTER 3
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“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 4: “Initial Infatuation vs. High-Minded Hate”



The two men (or, in this case, boys) exchanged blow after counterblow, their swords echoing dreadfully across the town as more of the separate clans each boy served began flooding the street, their eyes as narrow with boundless hatred for the other clan as were the boys’ own... except for one voice of reason.

“Hey, guys, cut it out, will ya!?” Benvolio cried out. “Prince Bartie told us we gotta live in peace so that the rest of Verona might actually have some respe-- WHOA!!!!”

At that instant, a fellow larger than Benvolio lunged toward him, his sword raised ominously over his head… only to meet Benvolio’s own sword.

“You speak of peace, Benvolio, when you’re not planning to drop your sword any time soon?!?!” Tybalt demanded almost mockingly as he tried to overpower Verona’s de facto peacemaker-wannabe. “Only a Montague could be dumb and cowardly enough to believe THAT! HYAH!!!”

Benvolio deflected a blow that could have gone right through his neck, then stood still as Tybalt took a defensive posture. “And risk letting you simply slice me to death? Thanks for the offer, Tybalt, but, uh, no.”

With that verbal exchange wrapped up, Benvolio and Tybalt’s swords slammed into each other, their respective holders each determined to finish each other off before any more harm could be done. The fight repeated itself all over the town as its denizens fled once again in terror, leaving behind shattered flowerpots, wheelbarrows, even doors. Just then, a boy wearing a cap that clearly symbolized command and control atop his head and a stern expression on his face stepped out to observe the situation, a girl with sharp red hair wrapped behind her in a bun standing just behind him.

“So, another skirmish, eh? Hand me my sword, beloved Lady Francine!!!” Lord Patton Capulet, his expression now transformed into an “evil” smirk, triumphantly called to his wife, who dutifully presented him with a particularly long sword for him to brandish. “Time to teach these Montague mishaps how to REALLY fight!!!!”

“Aye, Lord Patton,” Lady Francine Capulet grumbled mostly to herself while her husband proudly snatched his sword from her hands and charged into the fray, letting their fellow Capulets know who was in command. “I swear, that boy’s as full of himself in a play as when he’s trainin’ those cadets either ‘ere on Moonbase or over at the Arctic Base…”

The battle continued unabated, a considerable number of men, women, and even children on both sides now slaughtered in senseless rage. Eventually, Fanny, er, Francine had to drag Patton back from the fight after realizing that he was dazed from having a little too much fun slicing through every Montague he could find. All of a sudden, everybody froze at their positions -- including one with the tip of his sword less than an inch away from his opponent’s chest -- as a lone figure stepped into the square, his brow furrowed in royal (no pun intended here, either) exasperation at the carnage before his eyes: bloody corpses, smashed property, two clans now silent in inevitable shame.

“Are you guys supposed to be my most distinguished subjects or simple rebels?” Prince Bartie, the ruler of Verona, demanded harshly. “This gihugic blood feud of yours is making my city cower in absolute fear. ALL OF YOU, DROP YOUR SWORDS NOW!!!!!!”

Sounds of swords hitting the ground were followed by looks of disgrace and mortification on the faces of Montague and Capulet alike.

Prince Bartie sighed in disgust before continuing his diatribe. “Do all of you realize that this is the THIRD--TIME--THIS--YEAR[/b]” -- he held up three fingers and shook them at the crowd while raising his voice during the last four words to emphasize his point -- “that your fights have brought blood flooding onto Verona?!?! Several citizens have fled to my castle for safety, others simply packing their belongings and moving to another town!!! Even the merchants are diverting their trade routes, citing 'instability in Verona,' for heaven’s sake!!!!! I promise all of you that the next time I hear about ANY fighting between the Montague and Capulet houses, all those involved will be beheaded at sunset…” Prince Bartie then closed his eyes and paused for a few moments to fill every Montague and Capulet present with even more dread, finally opening them as his mind cleared once again. "… on the same day."

The infuriated prince turned around and steadily walked back to his castle. Everyone got his cue to return to their homes, soundly defeated in simple stalemate. Only Benvolio remained to contemplate the devastation around him.

“Prince Bartie certainly deserves to be angry at us for having turned Verona into a battle zone three times in a row already,” Benvolio murmured quietly. “Now that I think about it, Wallabee wasn’t seen anywhere during the brawl. Maybe his parents know where he is. I might as well go ask them now.”

Benvolio ran over to Wallabee’s parents, who were just silently observing after the battle ended.

“Hmm. Wallabee didn’t show up for the fight at all, did he?” Lord Hoagie Montague, Wallabee’s father, queried.

Lady Abigail Montague, Lord Hoagie’s wife, shook her head negatively, her arms folded coolly in front of her. “Lady Abigail says, ‘uh-uh, haven’t seen him here at all.’”

Benvolio shared Lady Abigail’s reply. “Sorry, Lord Hoagie, neither have I. The last time I saw Wallabee was early this morning. He was watching the sunrise for some reason, but then hurried off before I could talk to him. You guys think something’s wrong with him?”

Hoagie and Abby, er, Abigail could only nod affirmatively while chuckling mentally before Hoagie spoke. “Yep, that’s about it, Benvolio.”

“We reckon Wallabee trusts you more than even us, so we’d like you to find out what’s wrong with him,” Abigail added… while trying not to snicker as she thought to herself, “Like we don’t already know what’s wrong with Wally…”

Benvolio nodded at his new task. “You guys better go. I’ll look for him.”

The two leaders of the Montague clan nodded in acknowledgment of Benvolio’s recommendation one last time before departing, leaving Benvolio to search for his old friend.

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A boy with bowl-shaped blond hair wandered aimlessly through the outskirts of Verona, the radiant, serene sun overhead a striking contrast to the strange gloom on his downward-cast face... in contradictory ways. Suddenly, Benvolio appeared alongside him, curious to know exactly what was troubling his mind.

“Hey there, Wallabee,” Benvolio greeted him. “Nice day for a walk, isn’t it?”

“Wha...” Wallabee Montague, Lord Hoagie and Lady Abigail’s son, looked up in confusion, then focused slightly on Benvolio. “It’s daytime already, mate...?”

“Well, duh!! I mean look how high and warm the sun is right about now!” Benvolio countered.

“Doesn’t feel like day to me...” Wallabee sighed as he and Benvolio continued trudging along. “Feels more like a cold night that’ll never end...”

“Lighten up, man! Do you really want to feel sad on a day like today?” Benvolio continued as he patted Wallabee’s shoulder firmly. “Come on, tell your old friend Benvolio what’s wrong. I’m not gonna tell anybody...”

Wallabee only sighed in dismissal of that transparently false claim by Benvolio before stopping. “Every time I see her, my face turns red...”

Benvolio raised an eyebrow in confusion, then nodded his head and narrowed his eyes in amused understanding. “Oh, I get it, Wallabee. You’re in love, aren’t you?”

“You got it, mate...” Wallabee could only reply unhappily.

“Then why all the gloom and doom on your face, man?”

“She’s a Capulet, Benvolio... She’s in the very family my clan hates.”

“Oh, really? Well, who’s the lucky girl?”

“Her name’s Rosaline...”

“Whoa, nice going!! She’s really pretty, you know? Did you tell her how you feel about her already?”

“Mm-hmm... I tried telling her, but she said she wanted nothing to do with a slimy Montague rat like me...” Wallabee could only sigh once more.

"Youch,” Benvolio flinched just before patting Wallabee’s shoulder again. “Well, cheer up, Wallabee, my friend. I’m sure there’s a girl out there just waiting for you!!!"

“Yeah, but I doubt she’ll be as beautiful as Rosaline...”

Wallabee began to proceed once again, away from Benvolio toward whatever direction his feet happened to take him.

“Hey, wait up!!” Benvolio called, chasing Wallabee down as the two friends meandered through the empty streets of Verona.



END OF CHAPTER 4

[kndlover7]

Aigh. I would read it, but (a) I'm a bit busy right now, and (b) my monitor is flickering again so i'm finding it hard to concentrate on the words. Of the small section I did read, it looks great! Good job.

[CCACorn26]

(chuckling ironically) How priceless these next three chapters ought to be. :



“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 5: “Preparations for a Rendezvous with Destiny”



“So, Patton, have you decided whether to accept or reject my offer to marry your lovely daughter? I would love to have a wife who can treat others with the utmost respect and compassion,” Count Paris, one of the wealthiest noblemen in Italy, addressed the patriarch of the Capulet clan respectfully just outside the Capulets’ headquarters.

Patton rolled his eyes. “Like I said yesterday, old friend, Kuki is quite a beautiful girl, and you obviously don’t admire her just for her looks. Not that I don’t admire that quality of a gentleman. Unfortunately, my daughter doesn’t have a single clue who you are, but I’ll tell you what I have in mind. I suggest that you attend a party I’m hosting at my mansion tonight. I trust you’ll attempt to make an excellent impression on Kuki, fellow nobleman?”

“Yes, sir!! I’ll be there!” Paris, smiling confidently, saluted Patton, then left.

“He’s a good guy,” muttered Patton to himself as he rubbed his chin deliberatively. “It’s a shame he works alone. He would make an excellent Kids Next Door operative.” After several more seconds of musing, Patton turned to Peter and handed him a long piece of paper. “Peter, here’s a list of all the people I’m inviting to my party tonight. I want you to find them all and then notify them of that party A-S-A-now. Do I make myself clear?”

Peter tried to review the list, but then frowned in puzzlement. “Uh, sir--”

“No time to complain, soldier! Just do your job!” Patton barked. “Francine and I must get the mansion ready. Now GO!!”

Patton then walked off briskly, leaving a confused Capulet servant scratching his head at his new dilemma. Having taken pride in serving the Capulets since he was young, Peter hadn’t really taken the time to hone his reading skills.

“Oh, man. Talk about being in trouble,” Peter lamented hastily. “If I don’t find somebody who can read and fast, Lord Patton’s gonna roast me alive!! Oh, wait, maybe those two gentlemen over there can help me figure this list out.”

“Those two gentlemen” whom Peter was now running up to turned out to be Wallabee and Benvolio, who were still debating the former’s rejection by Rosaline… or simply were until Wallabee understood Benvolio’s point about cheering up.

“Um, excuse me,” Peter called out behind them to get their attention. “Do you two know how to read?”

When both Wallabee and Benvolio replied affirmatively, Peter immediately handed them Patton’s guest list and ran off. The two unsuspecting Montagues began to scan the strange piece of paper…

“Crikey, Benvolio!!! Patton Capulet’s having a masquerade party at his mansion tonight, and Rosaline’s gonna be there!” Wallabee exclaimed gleefully. “I just want one more look at her beautiful face… It’s settled. Benvolio, you and I are buying masks right now!!!”

Benvolio shook his head at his friend’s passionate audacity. If Wallabee wanted to head straight into the enemy’s lair, he would certainly need at least some backup. Benvolio tucked that thought into his mind and hastily followed Wallabee, who had just raced off to find a mask store.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Nurse Virginia, do ye know where Kuki is?” Francine interrogated while various other servants hurried about their business preparing for the masquerade party their mistress and her husband were hosting.

“No, Lady Francine, I’m afraid not,” Virginia responded. “I did tell her you wanted to see her, but she s--”

“Here I am, Mom!!” a young girl chirped just outside the door before skipping into Francine’s dressing room while humming to herself, then started rambling in all-too-obvious excitement. “Oh, I just love masquerade parties! Everyone’s wearing all these cool and funny masks, and we’re all just gonna dance and clap and have a good…”

“I don’t believe this. Numbuh Three’s makin’ Juliet seem a bit ‘happier’ than Numbuhs One and 362 described…” Francine quietly mumbled with a suspicious hint of frustration before Numbuh Three, er, Kuki, the beautiful daughter of and heiress to the Capulets, stood at attention, most likely at a cue from Virginia. “Now, Kuki, I’m going to talk about something very important.”

“Okay, Mom,” Kuki accepted as she giggled.

“All right, Kuki. First, you’re growin’ up now.”

“That’s right. In fact, you’ll be as old as I am in just two more weeks!” Virginia agreed eagerly. “I remember how our birthdays are just four days apart and you and I always played together when we were just little kids, although maybe we still are in another way. Also, wouldn’t you always tell me not to play pranks on the other servants and just keep yourself the most polite, angelic girl anyone's ever kno--”

Francine had had enough of these consecutive rambling monologues of excitement, first from Kuki, now from Virginia. “Virginia!!! If ye don’t shut up within the next five seconds, I will strangle ye!”

Kuki’s faithful nurse jumped, then bowed apologetically. “Uh, sorry, Lady Francine. It’s just that, well, Kuki’s a young lady now, and soon, she’s gonna get married!!”

“I WAS GETTING TO THAT, YE BABBLIN’ LASS!!!!!” Francine snapped loudly enough to make all other servants in the room freeze in place, only to then continue as they realized whom their mistress was talking to, leaving the Capulet matriarch to clear her throat and turn to her daughter. “Now, then, Kuki, like Virginia was flapping her gums about, have you ever thought about getting married to someone?”

Kuki gasped. “Married? YAAAY!!! Are we gonna have this gihugic wedding in a really big chapel with cool bands performing and stuff? Ooh, ooh, I know! We should invite our friends over so they can cheer while I get married to… uh, who am I getting married to, Mom?”

Francine smiled at Kuki's sudden cluelessness. “Count Paris, one of the wealthiest noblemen in all of Italy.”

Now it was Virginia’s turn to gasp. “Paris?!?! Wow!! He’s the best husband I could have thought of!!! He’s rich, handsome, wealthy, loved by everyone, a rich nobleman, powerful, rich, friendly to Prince Bartie, rich, a guy with excellent fashion tastes, rich… oh, did I mention that Paris is rich?”

Francine rolled her eyes at Virginia’s incessant compliments. “Only about five times already. Anyway, Kuki, what do ya think? Could ye take Paris’ hand in marriage and be his loving, faithful wife?”

“Ooooh, I don’t know, since I’ve never met the guy before, but he does seem like a really nice guy,” Kuki mused openly.

“Well, how about meeting him and seeing him for yourself at tonight’s party?” Francine offered.

“All right, Mom, I’ll go meet this Paris guy,” Kuki accepted happily.

Francine nodded at her daughter’s determination, unsure whether to be happy that Kuki was about to find a potential soul mate… or nervous that a certain someone from the Montague family would take Paris and Kuki’s encounter tonight just a bit too seriously and just grab her for himself and “beat the crud” out of the young nobleman rather prematurely. “Well, if all this is settled, then let the fun begin…”



END OF CHAPTER 5
============================================================================================
“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 6: “A Rendezvous with Destiny… Cut Short”



Wallabee and Benvolio, now joined by Mercutio, another old friend of theirs, walked down the street leading to the Capulet mansion, their masks in tow and moods up to just partying and dining with the Montague clan’s greatest enemy. Remarkably, upon thinking of seeing Rosaline one last time, Wallabee’s sense of dismay kicked in once again.

“I can’t dance, mates… not unless Rosaline’s my choice. She fills my heart with butterflies when she and I are near, but if she’s gone, it can only stumble…” Wallabee bemoaned… while mentally excoriating himself, “This is beyond stupid. I can’t believe how romantic I’m having to act. Yecch!!!! Why couldn’t Numbuh One be Romeo and Numbuh 362 be Juliet?! This plan of theirs had better work, or--”

“You know something, Wallabee?” Mercutio interrupted suddenly. “You have GOT to overcome this love bug you’ve caught!! Just look at yourself, man!!! You were a heck of a lot more fun without it! If I were you, I’d just squash it into the ground like--”

“Uh, guys? I think we’re here,” Benvolio affirmed, pointing to the open doorway into the Capulet mansion’s ballroom and then putting his mask on.

“Huh? Oh, right. We better put our masks on, too!!!” Wallabee and Mercutio agreed in unison before following suit, and the trio snuck into the ballroom unnoticed by Patton or any other Capulets who happened to be keeping watch.

“Welcome, all of you, to my wondrous masquerade party!!!” Patton greeted the guests, his tone of command as evident as his gesture of extended arms in outreach. “Eat, drink, and just have fun, guys, please!! Anyway, I remember my younger days, the days when I would don a mask of my own…”

Wallabee wasn’t paying attention. A girl with black hair flowing down her back like a waterfall and a remarkable dress unlike any he’d seen before had just caught his eye. “Wow… she’s like an angel, but am I supposed to be dead or something? I’m surprised she’s not from heave--”

Wallabee’s eyes blinked as someone with glasses suddenly dragged the girl’s friend into the crowd. As the heir to Hoagie and Abigail Montague learned mere seconds later, it was Benvolio, who was now smiling and giving him one thumb up in anticipatory eagerness, who distracted that friend to the beautiful girl, who was now alone. Wallabee took a deep breath and readied himself.

“All right. Now’s my chance to meet that girl!!!” Wallabee whispered while rushing over to her… loudly enough for Tybalt to narrow his eyes, having just recognized the unmistakable voice of a Montague.

“Peter, where’s my sword?” Tybalt queried crisply.

Upon hearing the commotion, Patton immediately leaned over and whispered, “Something wrong, Tybalt? Did we just run out of root beer, perhaps? Not to worry, I’ll get more,” before barking, “HEY!!!! Tybalt and I want some more root beer over here!!!”

Tybalt shook his head and pointed at a suspiciously familiar trio intermingled with the crowd. “It’s them, Lord Patton… those accursed Montagues had the nerve to sneak in with masks of their own…”

Patton eyed the trio, the boy with short blond hair now rushing toward his daughter more astutely than the other two, then regained his previous calmness. “Nah, Tybalt, it’s just that Wallabee kid and his two friends. I hear he’s actually one of the nicer ones in the Montague family. Ignore them for now, will you?”

“Fine,” Tybalt begrudgingly replied. “But if he disrupts this party in any manner, he--”

“Relax. Even if he did want to do something, he couldn’t possibly risk launching an attack right in the middle of a room full of Capulets, could he?” Tybalt could only nod and snort reluctantly at Patton’s observation before the Capulet patriarch glanced over to his right and quietly alerted Francine, “All right, Numbuh 86, it’s time.”

The Kids Next Door’s Global Tactical Officer, er, the Capulet matriarch could only smirk intently as she grasped the true meaning of Patton’s words. “Yer right, Numbuh 60. Yer too right.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------

With each step Wallabee took toward the girl who’d caught his eye, his heart rate doubled to the point that he thought it might simply burst. Finally, he was behind her, and he didn’t mind at all that his hand was now acting as if it had a mind of its own by reaching out to her hand. She gasped and whirled around to face him, her eyes sparkling like diamonds or pearls glistening on a clear moonlit night.

“Oh, uh, I’m so sorry,” Wallabee apologized. “Your hands were so beautiful and soft… like the most fragile cloud in the sky… I just couldn’t resist trying to touch them, my own hands were like fish drawn toward a fisherman’s hook attached with bait…”

The girl smiled and giggled dreamily, making Wallabee’s heart inch that much closer to melting. “It’s okay. I don’t mind. My hands are warm when they touch yours.”

When she extended her other hand, Wallabee immediately grasped it as gently as he did the first hand.

“You know something? I pray every night that tomorrow’s gonna be even better. Don’t you?” declared the young girl.

“If ya whisper to Him, then you must be an angel…” Wallabee continued, his voice increasingly synchronized to the rhythm of this strangely dazzling girl.

“You can’t whisper without using your mouth, silly…”

“Then you know my prayer?”

One last giggle and affirmative answer from the girl sealed the conversation before she leaned closer to Wallabee.

“Kiss me,” she implored quietly yet firmly before planting her lips squarely on his, and Wallabee could only respond just as squarely… to sudden various bursts of “EWWWW, GROSS!!!” and “We’re too young for this!!!!” intermixed with shouts of “Awwwww!!!!!” and “Isn’t that romantic?” that calmed before, a few moments later, a young female voice called out:

“Kuki, your mother wants to talk to you!”

Wallabee and Kuki slowly broke their lips away and stared into each other’s eyes, but before they could speak any further, the friend whom Benvolio dragged into the crowd earlier grabbed Kuki’s arm and started to pull her away.

“Wait!” Wallabee urged before the two girls could disappear into the crowd. “What’s her name?”

“Her name’s Kuki, of the Capulet clan,” replied Kuki’s friend obliviously.

Wallabee felt a chill pierce his heart. “I can’t believe it… Kuki’s a Capulet…”

Benvolio ran up to him and gently patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Wallabee. I know you’ll get Kuki and then you two are gonna live together forever. Now, come on, let’s get outta here!! Everyone’s headin’ out!”

Wallabee nodded at his friend, a determined smile on his face, and the two made their way to the exit amidst the flowing stream of guests, in the opposite direction from Kuki, who was now accompanied by Nurse Virginia.

“Virginia, can you see who that handsome young man leaving the masquerade party is?” Kuki asked, pointing at Wallabee and Benvolio, now accompanied by Mercutio.

“No problem, Kuki,” Virginia cheerfully answered, then hurried off toward the trio.

“Oh, I hope he’s not married…” Kuki prayed just before Virginia returned.

“He’s Wallabee Montague, Kuki,” Virginia relayed. “Don’t worry, though. I really think he liked you since he asked me who and how you were before he left.”

“YAAAY!!!!! I’m soooo happy now, but I hope I’ll be able to see him again…” Kuki admitted rather timidly.

“Perhaps you will, Kuki, but for now, we gotta sleep. Lord Patton and Lady Francine know you need your rest,” Virginia admonished.

Kuki nodded sadly, then turned her soft eyes toward the ballroom doorway just before she and Virginia headed for the Capulet mansion’s sleeping quarters. The girl giggled mentally as she contemplated the next phase of her romantic encounter with the boy who what seemed like just moments ago had enraptured her.

“I hope Nigel and Rachel’s plan works…” the Capulet heiress thought one last time before she and Virginia left the ballroom.



END OF CHAPTER 6
============================================================================================
“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 7: “A Real Rendezvous with -- and Confession of -- Destiny”



The Capulet gatekeeper wished the trio of boys just passing by on their way back to their homes a good night’s rest, never suspecting that they were connected in any way to the very family against whom the Capulets directed every ounce of their animosity. Strangely enough, one of the boys was trudging slowly behind the other two, an almost... lovesick expression marked on his face.

“Man... I would never think of wanting to close my eyes or fall asleep... the sweetest dream I could ever have of her wouldn’t compare to the sight of her before me... I’d miss her too much...” Wallabee muttered forlornly... just before walking straight into Benvolio, who had just admonished Mercutio to go on without him and was now of a cognizant look: Cupid had fired his more serious arrow at the very center of Wallabee’s heart.

“So, Wallabee, my friend, why aren’t you, uh, climbing over the wall guarding the Capulet headquarters, huh?” Benvolio inquired.

“What??!! If I ever got caught, Capulet would slice me in half!!!” Wallabee exclaimed.

“Let me think...” Benvolio turned his eyes skyward. “I got it. You’ve been daydreaming and writing poems for the past several days, and now, here you are having just met this Kuki and already thinking much more seriously about her than you ever did about Rosaline. In other words, you’ll be climbin’ that wall for love, which is all that matters to you now, isn’t it?”

Feeling rejuvenated as he never had been before, Wallabee smiled. “Benvolio, I don’t know what to say. You’re wise beyond your years, I’ll tell ya right now. Just tell Mercutio I wanted to challenge him to a race to see who could reach my mom and dad more quickly.”

Benvolio chuckled. “That’d be so you, Wallabee. Just don’t let anyone catch you, all right? Well, what are ya waitin’ for? Go get her already!”

“Thanks a lot, mate. I’ll see ya,” Wallabee complimented Benvolio just before starting to ascend the treacherous wall meticulously, leaving no protruding brick to chance and Benvolio to a pursuit of Mercutio.

Wallabee jumped over the wall and landed in a cluster of bushes that lined it in a certain direction, perhaps leading to Kuki’s bedroom. The brash Montague heir crawled through the bushes, certain that nothing would stop him now. Finally, the bushes ended in a clear field with a tree almost directly next to a balcony. After turning his head in all directions and realizing that nobody else was there, Wallabee stealthily dashed over to the tree and climbed it, hiding himself among the leaves. Suddenly, the unmistakable flicker of a candle in the night approached the balcony... to reveal Kuki.

“Wow...” Wallabee gasped in awe. “The light I see breaking through that window just now and silencing the moon -- such eyes, the two most beautiful stars in heaven. I can’t tell if her cheeks are brighter than the sun or vice-versa...”

It was Kuki’s turn to sigh as forlornly as she could. “Aw, man... Wally’s a Montague, but I’m a Capulet... I wish love really were strong enough to conquer all, so he and I could be together forever...”

“Wally” was increasingly unable to contain his distinguishably dreamy excitement. “She just spoke, and about me... Eh, I’ll stick around so her voice can continue enchanting my ears...”

“Oh, Wallabee, Wallabee!!! Wherefore art thou, Wallabee? Deny your parents and refuse your name, or at least let me swear my love to you, for cryin’ out loud,” Kuki called out into the night... while self-evidently giggling mentally for a few seconds immediately afterward.

“I like her, and she likes me... and Kuki looks more beautiful now than she ever did during all our practicing...” Wallabee observed mentally. “Maybe Numbuhs One and 362 really didn’t have such a ridiculously cruddy plan after all...”

“Oh, Wally, you aren’t my enemy, but the name that you bear is...” Kuki continued bemoaning. “It’s not fair, I tell you, it’s not fair!!! I would still love you if you had a different name, but why judge by names? A Rainbow Monkey by any other name would feel just as sweet, right? Please tell me you’ll always love me, Wally, and I know that things are gonna work out just fine!!”

“All right, I will!!!!” Wallabee’s excitement erupted into the night as Kuki jumped back fearfully. “Without your love, I have no will to live! If ya tell me you’ll be mine, I’ll happily be yours now and forever!!”

“Somebody there? Show yourself before I call my mom and dad!”

“No, Kuki, wait!!!” Wallabee pleaded earnestly, revealing himself from the branches. “It’s me... Wallabee Montague, although if you don’t want me to be a Montague, then I won’t be.”

“That’s fine, Wally, but how did you get here without being noticed by those mean guards?” Kuki asked humbly.

“Love brought me here. I know your father and mother would kill me if he saw me, but I jumped over that wall and climbed this tree so I could see your pretty face one more time,” Wallabee implored.

Kuki giggled further. “Then... do you love me?”

Unsure whether this was Romeo or himself talking, the hand-to-hand fighter of Sector V, er, the son of Hoagie and Abigail Montague made his verbal move. “Yes, Kuki. I’d scour this planet to find every type of Rainbow Monkey that ever existed for you.”

Kuki blushed. “This is all happening so quickly, Wally, but I’m much slower than this...”

More certain than ever of his next course of action, Wallabee ascended higher up the tree as he continued his solemn soliloquy. “Even though your love for me was quicker than the sun which bathes this world with its light... I’ll let our love grow as slowly and delicately as you wish...” When he reached the balcony’s ledge, he reached out and grasped Kuki’s hand as gently as he did during the masquerade party. “What do ya say?”

Wallabee and Kuki stared dreamily at each other before Virginia’s voice pierced through the night as a knife would a balloon.

“You must go,” Kuki stated urgently. “Parting really is such sweet sorrow, don’t you think, Wally?”

Wallabee nodded. “I will, Kuki, but just think happy thoughts of me, and I promise I’ll do the same. One more thing...” He visibly hesitated, then shook his doubts away. “Will you marry me?”

One gasp of total joy preceded a hug for Wallabee from Kuki as tight as she could muster. “YAAAY!!!!! Of course I’ll marry you, Wallabee, but how will you get the wedding plans to me...?”

Wallabee was struggling to breathe. “If you can let go of me... I’m sure love will find a way...”

Sure enough, Kuki loosened her grip, causing Wallabee to fall back among the branches, and then whispered tearfully to him, “Bye-bye, Wally...”, before rushing back inside.

Wallabee stared thoughtfully at his hand, a hand that just grasped the hand of an absolute angel, but before he could think any further, the voices of Capulet guards trying to investigate some noises they’d heard caused him to jump right out of the tree and land near but not quite in the bushes he crawled through before encountering Kuki for the last time that night. Still dazed from that encounter, Wallabee never really paid attention as somebody pulled him into the nearest bush.

“Benvolio?” Wallabee asked when his mind reoriented itself, but Benvolio merely warned him to quiet down, then thrust him over the fence, taking himself along... until both boys landed in the grass on the other side and then ran away from the Capulet mansion.

“So, Benvolio... did you hear my entire conversation with Kuki?” Wallabee spoke up reluctantly when they were beyond hearing range of Patton and Francine Capulet’s guards.

“Every word of it, Wally, my friend,” Benvolio assured Wallabee. “I mean, did you think I’d let you sneak into the headquarters of the Capulet family alone?”

“... No, and thanks, mate,” Wallabee exhaled. “With that out of the way, exactly how will Kuki and I actually get married?”

“I wouldn’t worry, Wallabee. As you said, love really will find a way,” Benvolio mused supportively.

Wallabee nodded enthusiastically, and then the two headed off into the night, certain that Wallabee Montague and Kuki Capulet’s love would somehow conquer the infernal hatred that divided their two families.



END OF CHAPTER 7

[kndlover7]

Again, I've only just finished another small chunk of the first chapter. Is English your first language? If not, I won't press the matter, but something about the flow of possibly just the chapter is bugging me, I find it difficult to read and I keep having to go back and reread it. It does also seem a little repetitive in some places, and other parts do seem like you've tried too hard.

As aforementioned, if your first language isn't English I won't mind as much, but at school we have to peer-assess each others work, and I'm trying to do that with yours.

Your fanfiction has inspired me to write a KND fanfiction of my own (if I ever think of a good storyline) but I'm currently trying to work on a gazillion other things on a computer which doesn't even have the stuff I need on it. Once I finish the roleplay idea and decide if I'm going to continue a small writing piece I did a few weeks back, I may try.

I will also try my best to continue reading your fanfiction, though. It's definitely good so far, but it will take me some time to get through. Sorry.

[CCACorn26]

I understand. Well, Rhz, please feel free to continue typing comments as you see fit. I wanted to post my fanfiction timeline incrementally... so that all Panda Warriors here can see precisely what I've been working with in terms of my own thinking. I think I can safely include one chapter per post now, and therefore, Wallabee and Kuki can be a little easier to read. As ever, have fun.:



“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 8: “The Light of Marital Love and the Darkness of Emergent Death”



The sun began to rise over Verona’s main church. A single occupant admired the distinct beauty of his surroundings, especially the garden he cultivated during his spare time. Many and exotic were the plants he raised, but Friar Lawrence treasured them all as miracles of the Hand of Providence. One plant in particular caught his eye: a flower with strange purple leaves that emanated a mysterious aura to all who smelled it... but also was perfectly convenient for individuals who wanted to fake their own deaths, a course of action he found egregiously baffling. The thought never crossed Friar Lawrence’s mind that someone in Verona would take advantage of this flower’s more sinister purpose, let alone someone intimately connected with one of the two boys who had just darted into the church right up to him.

“Wallabee and Benvolio?!?! Good heavens, both of you look terrible!!! Didn’t you two get any sleep last night? There is a time to heal, you know? The Lord knows you can‘t really serve Him if you’re not at your full strength,” Friar Lawrence admonished, then eyed Wallabee’s face more closely. “Wallabee, are you still depressed over your rejection by Rosaline?”

“Oh, no, Friar Lawrence, I’ve forgotten about that girl,” Wallabee laughed. “There’s a new girl named Kuki. I really love her, and she really loves me back.”

“Hmm?” The priest sounded skeptical at first. “Explain, young Wallabee.”

Almost immediately, Wallabee and Benvolio took off on the verbal equivalent of a horse race, taking turns explaining the serious romance between Wallabee Montague and Kuki Capulet, and when the two friends finished, Wallabee let loose with his favor:

“So, Friar Lawrence, can you marry Kuki and me so we can live our lives together forever?”

Friar Lawrence stroked his chin meditatively. “Hmm… this marriage could actually halt this disastrous blood feud between the Montagues and Capulets permanently… Very well, young ones. Just get Kuki over here, and I’ll begin the ceremony.”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kuki sat in front of a mirror in her room, brushing her long black hair and thinking about her encounter with -- and confession to -- Wallabee last night. Virginia had gone out on Kuki’s request to find more information about his current whereabouts.

“I wonder what’s taking news about Wally so long to arrive… I hope Virginia gets to him in time…” Kuki thought hesitantly to herself.

Finally, Virginia straggled into the room and collapsed onto Kuki’s bed. “Sorry, Kuki… I couldn’t get anything… so tired…”

“Not to worry, Virginia and Kuki,” a male voice called out from the balcony, alerting the two girls to his presence. “The name’s Benvolio, ladies, and I’m Wallabee’s best friend. Oh, by the way, Kuki, I gotta take you back to Friar Lawrence’s church, like, immediately!!!”

“Okay, Benvolio!!” Kuki called out joyously. “If Wally really did all this for me, then he must really be in love with me. Virginia, tell Mom I went shopping, okay?!?!”

“What…? What was that, Kuki…?” Virginia mumbled just as Benvolio and Kuki snuck out through the balcony and over the wall and then ran off toward said church, ready to matrimonially seal a Montague-Capulet love agreement.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wallabee and Friar Lawrence stood boldly at the altar in Verona’s main church, waiting for news of Benvolio’s mission. Did he retrieve his target, or did he run into trouble on the way there? Any doubts were dispelled when the door to the church opened to reveal Benvolio… and a marvelously beautiful Kuki Capulet in tow.

“Hey there, Wally!!!” Kuki waved as cheerfully as ever.

“Well, then, shall we begin?” Friar Lawrence strode to the altar’s podium, opened his Bible, and adjusted his glasses as the jubilant moment revealed itself more with each step Kuki steadily took.

“She’s as beautiful now as she was last night,” Wallabee thought as he stood confidently in front of him as Kuki began to walk slowly up the church’s center aisle… and Benvolio providing the shower of good-luck rice fragments and flower petals along the way…

Finally, Kuki took her place alongside Wallabee, Benvolio sitting down in the front row and now accompanied by a couple of his friends, presumably Montague loyalists. The time to begin this secret marriage was now.

Friar Lawrence cleared his throat of any unwanted particles one last time before beginning solemnly, “We are now gathered under the Cross of the Great Redeemer and in the presence of these beloved witnesses to join these two young lovers, Wallabee Montague and Kuki Capulet, in the most sacred state of eternal matrimony. Any person among these witnesses who wishes to object to seeing them be married must speak now and present a formidable case against this wedding…” He narrowed his eyes in clear warning. “Or shut up for all eternity. I mean, seriously, who could possibly think these two don’t make a good couple or something like tha--”

“Psst!!! Hey, Friar Lawrence, the vows!!” Wallabee and Kuki verbally nudged Friar Lawrence back to the wedding.

Friar Lawrence blinked in confusion, then shook it away. “Huh? Oh, right.” He turned his eyes slightly downward at the rather short Montague heir. “Wallabee, do you take this young lady to be your lawfully wedded wife and promise to uphold whatever promises you made to her before joining with her in matrimony, including comforting and honoring her and staying with her and her alone in both sickness and in health, indeed, for as long as both of ya will live?”

At a loss for words to describe his love for Kuki, Wallabee managed to muster the will to declare, “Yes, Friar Lawrence, I do.”

Kuki felt tears of sheer joy washing down her cheeks, realizing she would be next to declare her love.

Friar Lawrence nodded, acknowledging Wallabee’s vow to be truthful. “Good answer, Wally." He then turned upward to face the taller Capulet heiress. "Now, Kuki, do you take this young man to be your lawfully wedded husband and promise to demonstrate your love for him and him alone in all your remaining days in this world, comforting, honoring, and standing beside him in trial and tribulation… et cetera, et cetera?”

At just as a big a loss for words even though she and Wallabee had just met, Kuki managed to utter the exact same response just as breathlessly, as if she were a dragonfly flying high in the sky, “Yes, Friar Lawrence, I do, too.”

“All righty, guys,” Friar Lawrence commented one last time while smiling. “Then by the power vested in me by the Holy Spirit, I pronounce both of you husband and wife. Wally, my boy, you may go kiss your bride now.”

With that concluding comment, Wallabee and Kuki turned to each other, letting a few moments pass by as they slowly leaned in closer toward each other… and then, their lips made full contact to wild cheers from not just Benvolio and their new friends but apparently all sides as Friar Lawrence looked on… not merely with confidence in the new couple, but also a sense of foreboding.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The following day, Mercutio and several Montague loyalists waited near the town square for Benvolio and Wallabee to arrive. Those two were nowhere to be seen the whole day yesterday, and Mercutio was worried that some rogue Capulet had ambushed them both and not alerted anyone to his treachery. Much to his relief, however, Wallabee and Benvolio appeared, somehow of an even brighter disposition than they normally had.

“So, guys, did anything seriously awesome happen yesterday?” Mercutio asked craftily.

“Nah, Mercutio. We’re just glad there hasn’t been any fighting since that fiasco the other day,” Benvolio countered -- quite falsely, he already knew.

One of the Montague loyalists gulped as he pointed down the street. “Uh, not yet, anyway, Benvolio... those Capulets over there are heading right for us...”

“And your point is...?” Mercutio began, an eyebrow thingyily raised.

Benvolio shot an urgently worried look at his comrade. “You know, Mercutio, he may be right for n--”

“Right about what, or did I just butt into this conversation between all of you Montagues? How terribly rude of me,” Tybalt remarked sarcastically.

“And what harm could there possibly be in a simple conversation?” Benvolio challenged.

Tybalt only snickered boastfully. “None... yet.”

Mercutio began to reach for his sword. “Just what do ya mean by that, Tybalt?!”

Tybalt only dismissed him. “Enough nonsense. I’d just like to have a little talk with Benvolio, Wallabee, and Mercutio, and then my fellow Capulets and I will be on our way.”

The three aforementioned boys stepped toward Tybalt before Benvolio spoke. “Okay, then. Since you seem so reasonable today, what’s up?”

Tybalt’s eyes narrowed as though he’d just suffered an affront to his dignity so unconscionable that only Montague blood would be an acceptable price to compensate for it. “You three defiled Lord Patton’s masquerade party with your presence. Which one of you dared to think of violating the very sanctity of my clan’s mansion that night?!?!?!”

Benvolio calmly accepted the verbal component of Tybalt’s rage. “You wanna know the guy who first thought of sneakin’ in, Tybalt? He’s talkin’ to ya right now.”

Tybalt reached for his sword, clearly struggling to control himself. “Oh, really, orphan, er, adopted friend of young Wallabee here? When you stepped even one inch onto the Capulet clan’s property, you forfeited your lives completely.”

“You seriously need a life, Tybalt, you AND the whole lot of ya stupid Capulets here right now!!!” Wallabee responded sharply.

The Capulet crowd gasped in incredulous outrage, their reputations sullied by no less than the very son of their fiendishly loathsome foes. That last comment was enough to snuff out whatever self-control Tybalt still had inside him, and he completely drew his sword, his eyes aflame.

“Why--you--insolent-- TAKE THIS!!!!!!!!!” Tybalt growled as he thrust his sword directly at Wallabee…

… only to see it pierce straight through Mercutio’s throat.

“What?!” Tybalt shouted as he quickly pulled his sword back, surprised that he’d missed... but it wouldn’t matter at all now that Mercutio had just slumped to the ground, his body now as lifeless as a regular door.

That was it for Wallabee, a glare colder than ice now sweeping his face, his voice shaky with rage at the demise of one of his most loyal companions since he first learned to talk... and his sword ominously drawn to its standard battle position. “Mercutio was a good friend and a very positive-thinking soul... He did nothing whatsoever to deserve that!!!...”

He jumped up, hovering directly over the street, and then tackled the rather large Capulet loyalist directly to the ground. Letting his outrage take control of him, Wallabee plunged his sword directly into Tybalt’s heart. Vengeance was now his, but so was grief at Mercutio’s death, and Wallabee ran off, disappearing behind one of Verona’s many intersections. It was probably just as well, for soon after Wallabee vanished, Prince Bartie, Hoagie and Abigail Montague, and Patton and Francine Capulet arrived hastily, gasping at the latest fatalities of the Montague-Capulet War.

“All right, who started this fight?” Prince Bartie demanded, his patience down to its last smidgen.

“Ya wanna know, Your Highness? I’ll tell ya,” Benvolio spoke soberly. “Wallabee, Mercutio, and I were just talkin’ amongst ourselves here when Tybalt thought it necessary to draw our attention to him. You wouldn’t believe the nerve of that guy, telling us to give up our lives just because we attended Patton’s party, then calling me an orphan, for Pete’s sake!!! To top it all off, when Wallabee told Tybalt that he and the rest of the Capulets needed a life, Tybalt went off drawing his sword… and sliced though Mercutio’s throat. The rest of that story is history, I’m afraid.”

“Ya stupid boy!!!! How can we possibly know you’re tellin’ the truth if you’re Wallabee’s closest friend?!” Francine pointed an accusatory finger at Benvolio.

Prince Bartie waved off the visibly mounting tensions. “Enough!!! Wallabee killed Tybalt in retaliation for killing Mercutio and then ran off somewhere. For this specific disruption of the peace here, I will simply banish Wallabee from Verona. My messengers will find him and instruct him to pack whatever supplies he sees as necessary and then allow him to bid everyone he holds closest to his soul one final farewell. As ever, my word is certain: IF Wallabee Montague returns to Verona, then he will do so at his own peril.”



END OF CHAPTER 8

[kndlover7]

Alright, I finished chapter ONE...

XD

Yeah, no more criticism for that chapter. XD I'm going to try my best to read the other seven chapters now...

And now my username is going back to Rozalynd and staying that way before I confuse people even more.

[CCACorn26]

Understood, Rozalynd. Don't worry too much about confusion on my part regarding your username. No worries about my story are necessary, either... since there will be only two chapters left after this one. :



“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 9: “Divisions Here, There, and Everywhere”



Kuki stood in front of her mirror and smoothed her hair out, blissfully unaware of the horrendous travesty near Verona’s main square involving her secret husband. She was quite eager to see him in person yet again tonight at the church so that they, Friar Lawrence, and Benvolio could decide on a future course of action that would ultimately end the Montague-Capulet War once and for all and finally bring peace to Verona. As Virginia’s sudden wailing rush into Kuki’s bedroom would reveal, however, that meeting would suddenly become much more urgent than it once was -- no matter where it took place.

“Oh, no, Kuki, it’s horrible!!!” Virginia sobbed. “Tybalt was killed in a duel near the town square just a few hours ago, and Prince Bartie just banished Wallabee for killing our poor, poor ally...!”

Kuki began whimpering, her eyes now as wide in innocent grief as they could possibly get. “Y-y-you mean...?” Finally, a waterfall of tears erupted from her eyes. “WAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! Now I’ll never see my Wally again... or will I?” Her waterfall of tears stopped, and she looked at Virginia with a new face of odd resolve. “Virginia, can you please[/i] go find Wallabee for me? I must see him one last time before his banishment...”

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe the mess I’ve gotten ourselves into...” Wallabee lamented the next day at the church. “First I end up killing Tybalt for killing Mercutio, and now, Prince Bartie decides to banish me completely from any part of Verona!!! I’ll never see my Kuki again...”

“Perhaps Prince Bartie was trying to be merciful in sparing your neck from the ax,” Friar Lawrence tried to console the depressed Montague son.

“Then why didn’t he decide to behead me?!?!?!?!” Wallabee shot back. “Now I’ll have to wake up every torturous day knowin’ that Kuki’s cryin’ her heart out over me!!!!!!”

Just then, a series of knocks sounded on the front doors, and then they opened to reveal Benvolio, a look of relief marking his face.

“Any news about Kuki, Benvolio?” Wallabee interrogated rapidly.

Benvolio simply shook his head negatively, obviously relaying his own relief to Wallabee and Friar Lawrence at Prince Bartie’s retrospectively merciful sentence on the former. “I managed to meet Nurse Virginia yesterday. She told me that Kuki wanted to see you one last time tonight before ya left on your... permanent vacation away from Verona.”

Wallabee and Friar Lawrence exhaled before the church’s caretaker continued, “Very well, Benvolio. As for you, Wallabee, I’ll inform everyone of your marriage to Kuki as soon as you depart. I will also personally try to persuade Prince Bartie to lift your banishment so that you and Kuki can live together in peace and thus terminate the Montague-Capulet War.”

“That’s right, Wally, my friend,“ Benvolio chimed in optimistically. “However, should that plan fail, I promise here and now to send you news about all your friends and loved ones, especially Kuki, every single day.”

Wallabee gratefully patted and gripped Lawrence’s shoulder and then Benvolio’s and prepared to head out to the Capulet mansion one final time, certain that Divine Providence would guide and sustain him in his confrontation with a destiny of misery.

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Upon hearing of Tybalt’s untimely death at the hands of Wallabee, Paris galloped to the Capulet mansion from his estate at Verona’s outskirts to comfort the girl he still thought was his wife-to-be. However, upon arriving, Paris learned from Lord Patton and Lady Francine that Kuki was in absolutely no mood for any visitors. To be sure, Francine offered as consolation to tell Kuki about the eminent nobleman’s request for her hand in marriage, but neither she nor the two noblemen ever got around to detecting sounds... of the most unwanted guest they could have possibly expected to visit Kuki at this bleak hour.

“Ya know somethin’, Wally?” Kuki began sentimentally as she wrapped her arms around Wallabee, a single tear trickling out of her left eye. “I wish I had friends who would do as much for me as Benvolio and Mercutio do for you, Benvolio especially...”

“I know, Kuki. Benvolio’s the one who encouraged me to ascend this tree and find you after your dad’s mask party,” Wallabee replied honestly. “Will ya check up on him and Friar Lawrence from time to time?”

“Mm-hmm, you bet, Wally,” Kuki answered innocently... just as a single beam of light penetrated the horizon.

Wallabee tilted his head toward the tree and closed his eyes for a moment before turning back to Kuki and reopening them. “It’s time, Kuki.” He then jumped onto the balcony’s ledge and hopped onto the branch, still protruding as it was that night.

Kuki’s chin quivered as she clasped her hands near her heart. “W-will I ever see you again, Wally...?”

“I don’t know, Kuki, but we’ve gotten this far,” Wallabee declared. “Once we get through this, I think we’ll be back to normal… hopefully.” He chuckled to himself at that last line as he slid down the tree, bolted through the Capulet yard, and finally jumped over the forbidding wall, disappearing from Kuki’s sight.

The thunderstorm of emotions churning inside Kuki as she stood overlooking the balcony was more intense than ever. She was uncertain whether the boy who’d just reassured her of their eternal love for each other was Romeo... or Wallabee Beetles. Likewise, she was uncertain whether the girl who’d been clinging onto him for those final moments was Juliet... or Kuki Sanban. She did not have time to fully think about the answer, for Patton had just entered her room, a triumphant smile on his face... and, if one could discern properly, a mysteriously sober expression in his eyes.

“Hey, Kuki, guess what? Count Paris is gonna marry you on Thursday!” beamed the Kids Next Door’s drill sergeant, er, the Capulet patriarch for a few moments... while only silence from Kuki passed. “Uh, something wrong, Kuki?”

“I don’t wanna marry Paris anymore, Dad,” Kuki responded bluntly.

“Well, Numbuhs One and 362 coordinated all this...” Patton thought blandly yet grimly to himself as he sighed outwardly and turned toward the door and Francine entered with just as triumphant a smile on her face as the one previously on his... that only disappeared when she looked at Kuki.

“Eh... did something out of the ordinary happen, Patton?”

“I wish nothing like that happened, Francine. Kuki doesn’t want Paris’ hand in marriage after all.”

Francine turned back to Kuki, even more skeptical than she used to be. “Don’t tell me ya wouldn’t at least consider marrying a wealthy, influential who honestly loves you as much as he does?”

Kuki shook her head more vehemently than either Patton or Francine could have expected of her. “No, Mom. How can you expect me to marry someone I haven’t met even once yet?!?!”

Francine exchanged glances with Patton, who simply gulped at what was about to unfold, a bit more mischievous but also similarly mysteriously sober expression now marking her eyes... before turning back to Kuki, finally ready to unleash her verbal torrent of coercive conformity. “Ya rude, ungrateful lass!!!! Ever since I gave birth to ya, I have worked endlessly to make CERTAIN that you always had the best of anything ye ever asked for, and I mean anything!!! Everything I have done was to prepare you for this moment, and now, here ya are rejecting my request to do something for me in return?!?!?!?!?!?!”

Virginia, who had quietly entered the bedroom when Francine started her diatribe, humbly cleared her throat. “Uh, Lady Francine, don’t you think you’re being just a bit hard on the poor girl...?”

“Hold your tongue this instant, ya double-ponytail nuisance, or I’ll fire ye on the spot!!!” the Capulet matriarch raged.

At that threat against Kuki’s dutiful nurse, Patton stepped into the verbal brawl. “All right, Francine, calm down!!!!!! I think we can guess that Kuki might have somebody else in mi--”

“WILL YE SHUT UP ALREADY, YA IMBECILE OF A HUSBAND[/b]!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?” Francine screeched at Patton loudly enough to echo all over the mansion before swiftly turning her attention back to Kuki, emphasizing by start to point a harsh finger at the black-haired girl. “Now you listen to me very closely, rebellious daughter!!!!! Either ye marry Paris on Thursday, or I promise to personally ENSURE[/u] that every possible step is taken so that ya NEVER SEE THIS MANSION AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Francine shook her finger at a thunderstruck Kuki -- who started to cry an even bigger waterfall of tears -- once for each of the last five words before storming out of the room and slamming the door shut, almost breaking it from its hinges. Patton resisted the urge to whistle in awe and gently told Kuki that he would clear this up with Francine himself. Finally, he and Virginia left the room, darker clouds appearing on their minds’ horizons.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her head bowed in sadness at how enraged her mother was at her free decision, Kuki tramped down the street to the church. Raising her head slightly, she opened the door and caught sight of an evidently annoyed Friar Lawrence “conversing” with Paris just before the latter started making his way toward the door.

“Oh, I’m going to enjoy this!!!” Paris exclaimed jubilantly. “Guess what, Kuki? Thanks to some arrangements I cleared up with that good priest over there, as of Thursday, you’re gonna marry me and be my bride for as long as you live. Until then, farewell.”

Paris practically waltzed out of the church, leaving Kuki slightly confused but still determined to see Wallabee again. Kuki then walked up to “that good priest,” namely Lawrence, her dilemma as painfully plain as it already was.

“What am I gonna do, Lawrence? This Paris guy wants to marry me, but my heart and my vow already belong to Wallabee,” Kuki complained.

“Sorry, Kuki, my guess is as good as yours,” shrugged the mild-mannered priest... who happened to be facing a window overlooking his garden of exotic plants. “Huh...? Didn’t think of that before...”

“Whatcha lookin’ at, Friar Lawrence?” Kuki questioned innocently.

“My garden of exotic plants, especially that strange purple flower over there,” Lawrence pointed out the flower with strange purple leaves blooming in the sun. “I don’t quite know what to do with that flower, but I heard once that anyone who digests its leaves will instantly go to sleep for 48 hours... but appear dead to any observer. By that, I mean any astute observer, too: once ingested into the body, the flower instantly stops breathing capacity and blood flow, but ONLY for two days. After that, you wake up good as new and it’s like nothing ever happened at all, although I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to make everybody else think he or she is dea--”

“THAT’S IT!!!!!!! Friar Lawrence, you‘re a genius!!!” Kuki yelled suddenly, her arms now parallel to each other in front of her in resolve, causing the priest to jump.

Lawrence slowly regained his breath as he clutched his heart. “Kuki, my girl... that’s the closest... anyone has yet come... to giving me a... heart attack.” He inhaled deeply and then exhaled finally. “Anyway, what did I just say?”

Kuki only had determination written on her face. “I hate having to be dishonest with anyone, especially my own family, but I can’t stand being apart from Wally for the rest of my life, plus if our families realized how happy the two of us are together, I just know they’d stop fighting and make peace. Please, Friar Lawrence? Will you let me take the flower and eat its leaves, however yucky they may be?”

The calm priest could only stare at the once-proud Capulet heiress in uncertainty tinged with divisive guilt. He knew he was about to agree to something that Rome would consider intolerably unworthy of his position. However, the only remaining alternative by now was to simply watch the once-prestigious Montague and Capulet families decimate each other... perhaps taking all of Verona with them in the process. Would he, a humble priest seeking to uphold the Bible to the utmost of his ability and sustain the spiritual growth of his fellow Veronans, engage in deception to end such a murderous, self-destructive rivalry? Finally, his course of action -- and the inevitable result of this whole play -- clear for his mind to see and grasp, he closed his eyes, made a sign of the cross, and returned to face Kuki squarely in the eye.

“Very well, Kuki, that flower is yours,” Friar Lawrence began before she wrapped her arms around him in gratitude, though more gently than usual. “Now take this vial” -- he removed a vial from a secret compartment at the back of his podium and handed it to Kuki, who‘d just let go of him -- “fill it with water, and mix it with the leaves of that flower, then put it somewhere on you that’s hidden from everyone else. When Wednesday night arrives, drink it. The potion should have the same effect. I’ll dispatch a messenger to inform Wallabee of this plan so that he can immediately be ready to retrieve you Thursday night and take you to Mantua, which I believe is the nearest town he’d likely be in by now, where you two can finally live happily ever after -- and thus hopefully put an end to this dreadful war between the Montagues and the Capulets.”

“Thank you very much, Friar Lawrence. You have no idea how helpful you’ve been to Wally and me,” Kuki said with tears of hopeful joy, then left the church.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So Kuki announced that she had changed her mind, very much to the elation of her parents and especially Count Paris. Somehow, if Patton and Francine already realized that she was lying, then neither of the two Capulet leaders showed any reaction. Finally, Wednesday night fell on the Capulet mansion, the moon revealing Kuki with the vial in her hand, its purple contents glistening in the silent glow.

“Wally, my sweet Wallabee... this is for you, for our love for each other... and for the end of our families’ ferocious feud,” Kuki whispered before drinking the potion and swallowing.

She felt a minor headache for a few moments, then collapsed onto her bed, thinking at the last possible moment of consciousness that it was all up to Wallabee now.



END OF CHAPTER 9

[wallysgirl]

This fiction is lovely and beautiful. ^^ I love how it is openeing up Kuki & Wally's real feelings for each other through the art of one of the most romantic plays ever, Romeo and Julet! ^-^ Wonderful job, I love reading this (and nice work on also giving a modern feel to it as well through their verbage )

Please update soon!!

[CCACorn26]

An update, you said, Wallysgirl? Very well. These are the last two chapters to this story. Have fun learning what happens to Wallabee Beetles and Kuki Sanban.:



“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 10: “Everything Falls Apart”



A brilliant Thursday morning dawned on Verona, a tranquil sun as stark a contrast as stark could possibly get to the almost nihilistic horror that would befall its two most (in)famous houses this day. As of this moment, however, everyone would believe that only one house had been devastated. The first Veronan to believe this was none other than Nurse Virginia, who was humming a sweet song while walking bouncily into Kuki’s room to gather her apparently-sleeping friend’s wedding attire.

“Isn’t this great, Kuki? Today’s the day you get married to Count Paris! You can’t really afford to sleep late on a day like this, you know? I cannot believe how excited for you I am this morning!!” Virginia said in excitement... while not a single sound interrupted the air around Kuki. “Uh... Kuki?”

Virginia laid Kuki’s wedding dress neatly out on a nearby chair and moved over to her friend’s bed, where the Capulet heiress moved not a single muscle, her face down on her pillow. Confused that Kuki was so unresponsive this morning, Virginia turned her over... and screamed in terror. Patton and Francine immediately raced into the room, followed closely behind by Paris and Lawrence.

“Hey, Virginia, what happened here?!” Patton inquired urgently.

“What are ye screamin’ like a banshee for, lass?!?!?!” Francine demanded just as immediately afterward.

“That’s right! You’re not trying to interrupt my future bride’s beauty sleep, are you?” Paris spoke in succession after his future parents-in-law.

“No, no, Lord Patton, Lady Francine, and Count Paris!!! Kuki’s not sleeping, she’s DEAD!!!!...” Virginia shrieked while wailing helplessly.

Patton immediately examined Kuki’s arm and face. No pulse... and no breath, either.

“I don’t believe it... Virginia was right...” Patton managed to whisper for everyone to dreadfully hear as his shoulders sank under the extraordinary stress.

“HOW CAN THIS BE HAPPENING TO US?!?!?!?!” Francine sobbed and threw her arms and face upward.

Paris only stood in silence, his future now shattered before his eyes. Friar Lawrence patted the nobleman’s shoulder to console him.

“I wouldn’t worry too much about Kuki, friends. Given everything I’ve heard about her, I’d have to say she’s in a better place now,” Lawrence told them... while mentally praying with every ounce of his soul that the messenger he’d dispatched to inform Wallabee of his plan would actually reach Wallabee in time.

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Wallabee strolled brightly down the bustling streets of Mantua, as contently invisible to everyone as they were completely oblivious to him. Feeling hungry, he entered a small restaurant and took a seat, waiting to order a standard ham sandwich.

“Good mornin’ to ya, mates,” Wallabee greeted the three guests next to him as the patron brought his order, cueing him to pay up and then begin chewing and swallowing. “So, anyway, what news have you got out and about these days?”

“Tragedy, man, tragedy of the highest rank!!!” lamented the guest to Wallabee’s left.

“Lord Patton and Lady Francine have been grieving to high heaven over this...” added the guest standing beside the first guest.

“I just can’t understand how such a beautiful girl could die so randomly, and right on the morning of her wedding to that Count Paris guy, too!!!” emphasized the last of this trio.

“Wait a minute...” Wallabee reluctantly countered, a twinge of confusion intermixed with some of fear evident. “Who are you guys talking about?”

“I see you haven’t heard yet, young man,” sighed the restaurant patron. “Earlier this morning, Kuki Capulet of Verona died of stoppage in her blood flow, as the Capulets’ doctor diagnosed. She was buried at that special ‘Reserved for Capulets’ part of Verona’s cemetery shortly thereafter. It has to be especially painful for Lord Patton and Lady Francine seeing as they had no other...”

By then, the voices of the patron and everyone else in the restaurant were now completely tuned out of Wallabee’s mind, Wallabee himself having stumbled out of the restaurant and begun to meander through the street. The true love of his life was now dead, probably from crying over his banishment so much. Yet, he still had a hunch that Kuki’s soul was out there, waiting for him, even if she was gone in body. He then swore mentally to find that soul of hers... no matter where it took him. That resolve more certain than resolve of any type ever seen in him before this moment, Wallabee regained his composure and walked into a nearby potion shop, eyeing each of the sleeves instantly.

“So, stranger, what can I do for ya this fine day?” the shop owner inquired.

“Give me the strongest poison ya got,” Wallabee replied sharply.

“Whoa, I’m afraid I can’t do that, stranger,” the owner cautioned. “If you drink my strongest poison, you’re dead in a heartbeat, plain and simple.”

At that, Wallabee removed his little pouch of money and completely emptied its contents onto the table, insistent upon his purchase. “Well, then, mate? If ya don’t, then I might as well beat the crud out of ya, but it’ll never be the same...”

Immediately nodding as if he understood Wallabee’s point, the potion shop owner simply handed Wallabee the strongest poison he could possibly find in that store. Wallabee then plodded out the door, the vial of real poison in his pocket. If he and Kuki would never be together in life, then perhaps they would be... in the afterlife.

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Friar Lawrence paced back and forth in front of the altar at his church, awaiting the messenger’s success at informing Wallabee of his and Kuki’s plan. No doubt the young Montague son would be very eager to cast off his accursed name, settle down with Kuki in Mantua or somewhere else, and start a family completely untainted by Veronan corruption and fear. Just then, the messenger opened the door, stepped into the church, and strode as professionally as he could up to Lawrence.

“So, messenger, let me hear it. I trust that Wallabee was quite overjoyed to know about my plan?” the priest questioned.

“Well... unfortunately, almost every road leading to Mantua was blocked by either its gatekeepers... or something very big, so...” the messenger answered nervously.

Friar Lawrence could only stare in shock, clearly stammering at first, “Y-y-y-you didn’t bring Wallabee my message...?!?!”, before snatching his Bible and racing out of the church toward the cemetery, knowing that this really was a matter of life and death for this young couple... and consequently, the Montague and Capulet families, as well.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“All right. Now to end this mess,” Wallabee thought -- and it was a mess in more ways than one -- as he treaded the stone pathway leading directly to the Capulet tomb. “Kuki, just wait for me... whatever girly Rainbow Monkeys you’ve got with ya on the other side...”

At last, the Capulet tomb came into Wallabee’s view. Standing in front of it was a lone figure placing a single flower in front of the door leading inside. Hearing footsteps behind him, the figure turned around... and started glaring at Wallabee with unbridled rage.

“Eh? Who are you?” asked Wallabee in puzzlement.

The figure stood ominously still for a few seconds before answered. “Who am I? I’m Count Paris, the man whom Kuki Capulet was SUPPOSED to marry yesterday!!!!! I initially didn’t think much of you, Wallabee, but now, here you are trying to desecrate my beloved’s tomb AFTER killing one of her relatives?!?! Talk about a really bad Friday!!!”

“What do ya mean, Kuki’s ‘your’ beloved? She’s my wife now, and nothing will ever change that, so lay off!!” Wallabee threatened.

Paris only snorted. “I see I was wrong all along. You’re just like your father and all those other ruthless monsters known as the Montagues.” He began to draw his sword. “Ever heard of the saying, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?’ Well, now that the Capulet bloodline has been wiped out, I suppose it’s only fair for me to return the favor to the Montague bloodline.”

“And just what do you plan to do to ‘return the favor,’ Paris?” Wallabee interrogated defiantly.

“THIS!!!!!” Paris bellowed before charging straight at Wallabee, his sword ready to strike the Montague heir down once and for all.

Wallabee deflected Paris’ first swing with his own sword, then dodged the second and third ones, clearly not in the mood to fight at all. Seeing a blind spot, he made his move, slashing Paris’ left side just before driving his sword straight into Paris’ lungs and heart and removing it just as swiftly. Paris instinctively reached for the wound near his left lung, stumbling backward several slow steps, then closing his eyes and feeling his last breath escape him just before collapsing onto the stone pathway.

“I hated having to do that...” Wallabee muttered at Paris’ lifeless body just before moving closer to the tomb’s entrance.

Wallabee shoved the heavy door open, his sword back in its carrying pocket, and walked quietly into the tomb. Sure enough, he saw Kuki’s apparently-lifeless body among other bodies of past Capulets. Carefully sidestepping each body, Wallabee made his way to Kuki’s side to get a closer view of her peaceful face. It was everything he couldn’t possibly endure: their first encounter at that masquerade party, their confession at her balcony, their secret wedding -- all of it now meaningless. Then, he reached for his pocket and pulled out the still-intact vial of poison he’d purchased in Mantua, removed the cork, tossed it over his head, and drank the perilous liquid.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friar Lawrence dashed through the cemetery toward the tomb, noticing the open door, then a single body sprawled out on the ground away from the entrance.

“Huh? How could she have overpowered Paris and escaped that easily...?” Lawrence pondered aloud, understandably not suspecting the horrible truth.

Finally, Lawrence reached the tomb and raced inside. Wallabee lay just off to Kuki’s side, his eyes closed, an empty vial in his hand. Just after Lawrence made that observation, Kuki yawned awake and turned her eyes to the priest, who now had a look of dread and horror on his face.

“So, Friar Lawrence, did the plan work? Where’s Wally to take me away with him somewhere away from here?” Kuki inquired as innocently as she always had.

Lawrence was silent, mustering the will only to gulp and hesitantly point a finger at something to Kuki’s left. Kuki glanced in that direction... and cried out, her shoulders sinking. She tried to stir Wallabee awake, but it was no use.

“I... I’m so sorry, Kuki, but I just can’t stay any longer... there are others heading this way...” Friar Lawrence pleaded, finally running off.

Kuki didn’t even feel the tears running down from her eyes or hear the whimper escaping her mouth as she gently touched Wallabee’s face. She slowly bent down to kiss it one last time before noticing his sword at his side. She carefully drew it and held it in front of her, the only course of action left for her to take clear in her mind’s eye. She plunged the sword into the center of her chest and flinched slightly in pain before slumping down to the floor next to her secret husband... just seconds before a crowd of Veronans -- including all the prominent ones, from Prince Bartie to the respective leaders of both the Montague and Capulet clans, male and female -- arrived just outside the tomb. They could only gasp at this final bloody scene.

“Will someone please explain what just happened here?” Bartie demanded in final sad desperation, having seen far more death over the past several days than he would usually see in a year.

Utter silence followed the crowd for at least a minute before Benvolio made himself known. “I will, if no one else here can.”

Then, Benvolio explained everything: Wallabee and Kuki’s love at first sight during Patton Capulet’s masquerade party (including that first kiss); their next rendezvous -- and confession -- under the sparkling stars at Kuki’s balcony; their secret wedding at Friar Lawrence’s church the next day; the showdown with Tybalt and Wallabee’s ensuing banishment; Lawrence’s new plan of deception involving that strange flower Benvolio had been wondering about, which then went horribly awry because Lawrence’s messenger failed to reach Wallabee in time; and, finally, the showdown with Paris just outside the tomb just before Wallabee and Kuki separately killed themselves to be together forever. When Benvolio finished, nobody could move a muscle, feeling as though all the air had been drained out of the cemetery. Hoagie and Patton sank onto the pathway, realizing the unimaginable implications: with Wallabee and Kuki gone from this world and no other siblings to turn to, as Abigail and Francine respectively recalled in mounting shame, the Montague and Capulet bloodlines were finished. Their blood feud had terminated both houses.

Hoagie and Patton sighed before stepping up to each other and extended hands in sorrow and defeat for each other’s losses. “I’m sorry, Patton... I’ll forgive you and your family for everything you’ve done to us Montagues...”

“And I will forgive you, Hoagie... my new friend, for everything you and your family have done to us Capulets...” Patton responded.

“I promise to use whatever fortune I have left to build a statue of Wallabee right in the center of Verona’s square.”

“Just as I promise to use whatever fortune I have left to build a statue of Kuki right next to the statue of Wallabee, so that all who stand here will forever be aware of what could have been but now will never be,” Patton completed just as he and Hoagie shook hands.

Prince Bartie turned his head to the sky, realizing that the sun should be starting to go up right now. Instead, gloomily gray clouds permeated the sky, much more apt to describe the mood at the Capulet tomb at that moment. He sighed one last time before commencing his final lamentation:

“This Saturday morning brings a doubly sad peace with it. Just look at the sky; the sun won’t even show itself at all. Let us depart now, fellow Veronans, to discuss these tragic events amongst ourselves. I’ll tell all of you right now, though: never was a story of more misery than this of Kuki and her Wallabee.”



END OF CHAPTER 10
===========================================================================
“Wallabee and Kuki”
Chapter 11: “Something Anew Begins”



The curtains perched high above the Moonbase auditorium stage closed to significant applause. The vast majority of the Kids Next Door operatives present in the audience had tears running down their cheeks as they shouted their approval of the performance. Then, the curtains reopened to reveal in a straight line facing the audience all the major operatives and their allies who’d taken separate Wallabee and Kuki roles, starting from both ends and converging toward the center: Peter, Patrick, Numbuh 34, Matthew, Lee, The Kid, Bartie, Herbert, and Virginia, right before the respective couples. Hoagie and Abby were standing to the line’s right, or the audience’s left, Patton and Fanny to the line’s left, or the audience’s right. Finally, standing proudly in the very center of the stage were Wally and Kuki themselves, the two Kids Next Door operatives who got “voted” into playing their Romeo and Juliet equivalents. All of them bowed together before Wally turned to face Kuki.

“Uh... Kuki...” Wally began.

Kuki looked down at her favorite companion in anticipation, almost knowing precisely what he was about to tell her, and giggled. “Yes, Wally?”

At those comments to their side, Hoagie and Abby immediately turned their heads in Wally and Kuki’s direction before gradually backing away, cueing Patton, Fanny, and the others on the stage to follow suit... and the audience to pause. The moment was at hand, and they were all too eager to applaud it, however heart-melting it would turn out to be.

Wally exhaled any remaining doubts and looked directly into Kuki’s eyes. “I don’t quite know how to say this... so I might as well just say it, even though we’re still standing in front of everyone here. Kuki, I love you.”

Kuki gasped in total elation. “You really mean that, Wally?!?!”

Wally only nodded. “Yes, Kuki, I really mean that.”

It was all Kuki could do to contain herself before her elation burst outward, “Awwww, thank you so much, Wally!!!! I love you, too!!!”, just before wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him in as much delight as she could muster. “You’re all that I want and you’re standing in my arms. Can you believe that we’re in heaven right now? Love is all that I need, and I’ve found it in your heart, Wally. It’s not too hard to see we’re in heaven, don‘t you think...?” She sighed and hugged him even more tightly.

The Wallabee and Kuki actors and actresses and almost the entire audience of Kids Next Door operatives stood or sat absolutely still, beholding with awe the marvelous scene before them. About seven seconds ticked by before the auditorium exploded with unrestrained cheers and claps.

“WHOO-HOO!!!!!! Way to go, Numbuh Four, ya did it!!!!!” Hoagie called out just before turning to Abby and inching closer to her. “So, Abby, you think you and I could be like that, hmm?”

Abby only rolled her eyes. “What will Numbuh Five do with you, Hoagie?”

Meanwhile, Nigel and Rachel looked on in celebratory observance of the whole scene from the special codirectors’ box just above stage left of the Moonbase auditorium, right where Nigel first administered the signal to open the curtains and commence Wallabee and Kuki. They turned to each other and high-fived.

“Mission…” Nigel began.

“Accomplished,” Rachel finished before both turned their eyes back to the stage.

Bartie, who just noticed the high five out of the corner of his eye, grabbed a microphone he’d stored in his pocket and cleared his throat into it. “And now, fellow Kids Next Door, I invite all of you to join me in giving up a gihugic round of applause for the two prominent operatives who made this entire production possible!!!!!”

At that, the auditorium fell silent once again. All eyes were on the Moonbase messenger as he introductorily extended his hand out toward the codirectors’ box. If they enjoyed the previous moment, then Hoagie, Abby, Patton, Fanny, and especially Wally and Kuki were even more eager for this one.

“Please welcome to the stage Numbuh One, the illustrious leader of Sector V, and Numbuh 362, the even more illustrious Supreme Commander of the KIDS NEXT DOOR!!!!!!!” Bartie concluded jubilantly to even more thunderous applause, the most cheering and clapping coming from the rest of Sector V and 362’s dutiful deputies.

Nigel and Rachel smiled hesitantly, then resigned themselves to simply nodding in acknowledgement and proceeding out of the codirectors’ box down to the entrance to stage left, yet another round of cheers going up as they walked in and finally reached the main stage area.

“Numbuhs Four and Three, allow Nigel and me to congratulate you both for a job -- and an admission -- very well done,” Rachel declared as professionally as ever, cueing everyone to stop applauding for the moment.

“I agree,” Nigel added. “I will speak for Rachel and myself when I declare ‘Operation Romeo and Juliet’ a complete success.”

“You can say that again, Numbuh One!” Hoagie agreed.

“Hmph. I just hope those two don’t wreak havoc all over the Moonbase again, so that I don’t have to find a way to knock meself over the head in exasperation,” Fanny cautioned pessimistically.

“But you know what Wally and I have found, thanks to Numbuhs One and 362?” Kuki continued obliviously while grabbing Wally’s hands, Wally himself not minding at all.

Rachel could only raise an eyebrow expectantly. “What have you found, Numbuh Three?”

Wally and Kuki looked at each other suspiciously eagerly before responding in unison, “Each other!!!”, and locking lips for the first time after the play ended.

Hoagie was the first to laugh, memories of a transmission he’d rather forget surfacing in his mind. “The last time those two said that, I wanted to gag!!”

Rachel chuckled wryly. “Trust me, Numbuh Two. You’re not the only one who found that disgusting.”

“Oy... can we ever get enough of those two?” Fanny deadpanned just as “those two” broke apart from their first official kiss... and Patton gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, Numbuh 60?”

Patton hesitated before responding. “Uh... I’ve been thinking, Numbuh 86. Would you mind...?”

“Well, if ya want somethin’ to happen between you and me, then why don’t ye just say so, ya stupid boy?” Fanny asked bluntly, emphasizing the last three words distinctly playfully while nudging the back of her hand onto Patton’s arm.

“Well, what do you know?” Nigel said observantly. “First Numbuhs Four and Three, now this.”

“You got that right, Numbuh One, and none of this would have been possible without you two. You dig?” Abby stated gratefully and proudly as she pointed at Nigel and Rachel.

“Us? You guys did all the hard work,” Rachel said in return. “You gathered all the necessary supplies, memorized each of your lines to the best of your creative abilities, and entertained this audience by giving a performance they will not soon forget.”

“But you two came up with this idea in the first place,” Hoagie countered. “Thanks to this romantic drama by that Shakespeare guy, not a single KND operative in this auditorium doubts any longer how Wally and Kuki feel about each other. In fact” -- he glanced at Abby -- “you may have even inspired some of us to find love ourselves.”

Abby only slapped him upside the head gently. “Come on, Numbuh Two. Do you really wanna say that in front of our sector leader and our Supreme Commander, who also happens to be his girlfriend?”

Herbert could only shake his head, a smile of disbelief on his face. “This is amazing. The operatives who played couples in this whole performance are actually each growing closer to each other as a result. In other words, in proposing, organizing, and codirecting Wallabee and Kuki, Numbuhs One and 362 orchestrated a masterpiece.”

“Three couples finding love all at once?!?! Oooooooooh, isn’t this exciting?!?!?!” Virginia chirped and giggled. “I mean, Wally and Kuki may have admitted the obvious after all this time, and now, their ‘parents’ might become couples, as well, but it looks like Nigel and Rachel are the real winners after all.”

It was Bartie’s turn to jump into this coalescing bandwagon by clearing his throat into the microphone once again. “Well, I guess we can all agree with that, which means that it’s time for three cheers for Numbuhs One and 362[/b]! Hip-hip!!!”

“HOORAY!!!!” shouted everyone else enthusiastically and immediately.

“Hip-hip!!!”

“HOORAY!!!!”

“Hip-hip!!!”

“HOORAY!!!!!...” yelled every Kids Next Door operative in the auditorium except Nigel and Rachel before breaking out into another round of cheers and applause, all those in the audience even standing up out of their seats to do so.

Nigel and Rachel only stood on the auditorium stage, triumphant yet humble smiles on their faces. They looked around at the faces of each of their friends and comrades in the Kids Next Door. Hoagie was laughing and whistling his lungs out, while Abby was simply smiling smoothly as she clapped. Wally had resigned himself to being squeezed tightly by Kuki, who was now rubbing her cheek against his affectionately, and then began offering his own applause. Patton and Fanny were standing upright next to each other and saluting, their perspectives on this situation clear for the Sector V commander and the Kids Next Door Supreme Leader to see.

As Nigel and Rachel’s eyes began to scan throughout the auditorium rows with every other KND operative still standing and clapping, their introspections were also clear. This entire project was an exercise on the part of the KND to use their freedom to think, think about what props to utilize, how to set up the background, what lines to improvise, when to start each scene, how much emotion to put into each line, and so on. Sure, they were kids, but that didn’t stop them from maintaining the cohesion and coherence of this play. With new enemies far more comprehensively evil than Grandfather could ever be now looming on the horizon, this freedom would be more critical in sustaining and strengthening the Kids Next Door than ever, as Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie quite easily recognized.



THE END

[kndlover7]

The fanfiction does look good, but it will take me some time to get through. I'm going to try and read a chapter per day, possibly more. ;D

[wallysgirl]

Nice work, <3'd it! ^^ The end almost reminded me of OperatioN LOVE where Wally ALMOST confessed in front of an auditorium full of people...until he saw his parents in the audience and found out it was a play. *giggles* I'm glad he went ahead and confessed here though; that made it all the more sweet! ^^

Also, it's always good release energy through another mode of creativity, I can see that was Nigel's and Rachael's intentios here. By working on the play and utilizing new skills, they were also preparing for future battles with their new enemies, using what they learned and teamwork from the production; which uniformly brought everyone closer anyway. ^^

Nice work, A+! ^^

[tater06]

That was awesome, dude! The best KND version of Romeo and Juliet ever written! You got every part down pat! It was exactly like the play, only without confusing words! Great job!