3/4 Panda Warriors XI

[C7Angelocas12]

Oh, this is waaaaaay too rich, folks. Enjoy Chapter 7...:



“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 -- 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, Kooks... 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... if you want, I’ll let our love grow slowly...” 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, Kooks?”

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, Kooks, but just think happy thoughts of me, and I promise I’ll do the same. One more thing, Kuki...” 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, 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 will find a way to unite the two of you,” 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 work in its own unique ways to somehow conquer the infernal hatred that divided their two families.



END OF CHAPTER 7



Thus does Nigel and Rachel’s grand master plot thicken, but will it really end so rosily? Unfortunately, I might be especially busy this week since I’m celebrating my birthday this Friday... and obtaining information for a couple of special school projects on Tuesday and Wednesday. Fortunately, I suspect that you already know my friendly advice, Courting Commanders and Panda Warriors alike.

[Numbuh 58 (Fredos)]

Great! xD Can you write about 60/86 too?

[C7Angelocas12]

Now, Nigel and Rachel’s plan really kicks into high gear. Fellow Nigel/Rachel and Wally/Kuki shippers, start fastening your seat belts...:



“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. 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.”

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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.

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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.

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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 cockily 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 shaking 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 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 called Tybalt 'stupid,' 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

[Numbuh 58 (Fredos)]

Wow, you are really fast! And I like this chapter! xD

[Darrel Samaitha419]

Hi! I'm back!! ;D Nice story!

[Numbuh 58 (Fredos)]

Welcome back, Darrel! xD

[GoldenFlither]

C7Angelocas12, you're a really talented writer. Your writing style is great. The Romeo and Juliet parody is awesome.

[C7Angelocas12]

Here we go... further downhill. With Mercutio and Tybalt dead and Wallabee now banished, the real countdown to total tragedy begins...:



“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 go find Wallabee for me? I must see him one last time before his banishment...”

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“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, Kooks. 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, Kooks, but we’ve gotten this far,” Wallabee declared. “This star-crossed voyager might wander Italy for the rest of his life, but his heart will forever beat in time with yours!!” He wondered to himself where that last line came from 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’ve 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!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?” Francine screeched at Patton loudly enough to echo all over the mansion before swiftly turning her attention back to Kuki, emphasizing by starting to point a harsh finger at the black-haired girl now begging for her attention. “Now you listen to me very closely, rebellious daughter!!!!! Either ye marry Paris on Thursday, or I promise to ENSURE 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 successfully 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.

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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 ever.

“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 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



Bingo. I will make either Chapter 10 or Chapter 11 the conclusion of this labyrinthine project, the brainchild of Nigel Uno and Rachel McKenzie. Until then, fellow Panda Warriors and Courting Commanders, stay tuned.

[62]

omg I haven't been here for a while? xD
so is there any more info on what's gonna happen in interviews? I think I'm even more excited then I was when PLANET was airing, I sure hope he says it, if not the pandas will need to start an angry mob xD

[C7Angelocas12]

All right, folks. Get ready. My decision is clear. The two-part conclusion of Wallabee and Kuki and the fate of Nigel and Rachel’s plan are finally at hand. I should have Chapter 11 posted directly after Chapter 10, so now, fellow Courting Commanders and Panda Warriors, respectively, have fun reading these last two chapters and learning what happens to Wally 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.

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

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.

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

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.”

“So 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, boys and girls, I invite all of you to join me in giving up a gihugic round of applause for the two prominent Kids Next Door operatives who made this entire production possible!!!!!”

At that, the auditorium fell silent 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 join me in welcoming to the stage Nigel Uno, a.k.a. Numbuh One, the illustrious leader of Sector V, and Rachel McKenzie, a.k.a. 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 proceeded 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 commend you both for a job -- and an admission -- very well done. Congratulations to both of you,” Rachel declared as professionally as ever, cueing everyone to stop applauding for the moment.

“Indeed,” 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.

“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, Numbuh Three?”

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

Hoagie was the first to laugh. “The last time those two said that, I wanted to gag!!”

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

“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 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. We, namely Nigel and I, are very proud of you.”

“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 Kids Next Door operative in this auditorium doubts any longer how Wally Beetles and Kuki Sanban 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, there may be these other two couples, but 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 that’s the general consensus among all of us, which means that it’s time for three cheers for Numbuhs One and 362! 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 Nigel and Rachel 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 would quite easily recognize.



THE END



(exhaling) Well, fellow Courting Commanders and Panda Warriors, my story is complete. All comments I will note for future reference, so please feel to make them.

[Darrel Samaitha419]

Wow! That was one long story! I have to take a while to read it! Your really creative!

62 said:

omg I haven't been here for a while? xD
so is there any more info on what's gonna happen in interviews? I think I'm even more excited then I was when PLANET was airing, I sure hope he says it, if not the pandas will need to start an angry mob xD

Spoiler........

SPOILER: Click to show

he didn't say it.....but almost......just almost!

If you don't want to spoil the fun, please don't press the spoiler button.

[lois4dead4]

ds said:

Wow! That was one long story! I have to take a while to read it! Your really creative!

62 said:

omg I haven't been here for a while? xD
so is there any more info on what's gonna happen in interviews? I think I'm even more excited then I was when PLANET was airing, I sure hope he says it, if not the pandas will need to start an angry mob xD

Spoiler........

SPOILER: Click to show

he didn't say it.....but almost......just almost!

If you don't want to spoil the fun, please don't press the spoiler button.

What??? How??? How do you know this???

[Darrel Samaitha419]

lois4dead4 said:

ds said:

Wow! That was one long story! I have to take a while to read it! Your really creative!



Spoiler........

SPOILER: Click to show

he didn't say it.....but almost......just almost!

If you don't want to spoil the fun, please don't press the spoiler button.

What??? How??? How do you know this???

It used to be on Youtube for a little while before it was banned, sorry.....

[Numbuh 58 (Fredos)]

Great FF C7! Sorry, I'm reading that now, but I couldn't be on Net earlier

[lois4dead4]

ds said:

lois4dead4 said:

What??? How??? How do you know this???

It used to be on Youtube for a little while before it was banned, sorry.....

Hang on, rewind.
You are talking about INTERVIEWS right?