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Sasha sniffled, halting her tears to look between the brats and her sister. Selina, amazingly, was at a loss for words. Her glasses slowly slid down the bridge of her nose and she seemed to be resigned to their grim fate. Sasha was in denial.

It could not end like this. She refused to let it end like this. She looked to the Delightfuls again, their cruel smirks etched into her memory and reminding her of three other little deviants she encountered long before their time.

As her mind played with that train of thought, she began wondering which meant more.

Her life?

Or her dignity?

"N-Now hold on, eh, the Delightfuls Children, right?" Life it is. "Let's not be so hasty about this."

They glared.

"Okay, so, you have every right to be cross with us," she awkwardly laughed. "But surely you of all people understand the urge for revenge? Especially against rotten Kids Next Door hooligans."

"So we're hooligans now?"

"Sector Z were hooligans," Selina butted in, hoping she was following along with her sister's last minute ploy for salvation. "But as you've clearly demonstrated, you are not Sector Z. No. No, you five are so much…more."

"Oh?"

"You remind us so much of our former mistresses," Selina continued with an easy smile. "So well-mannered, so properly groomed. So deviously delightful."

Kuki quirked a brow, wondering why the twins looked so calm now. However, all it took was one glance to the Delightfuls, seeing the five absorbing the praise, to figure out that this spelt bad news.

"We see now that we were mistaken," Sasha relented, bowing her head. "If you find it fit to show us mercy, we shall honor it the only way we know how."

The Delightfuls grew curious. "What is your offer?"

"To be your attendants, of course," Selina suggested. "Think about it. You will host the most extraordinary tea parties the neighborhood has ever seen, and each freshly poured cup means another faithful minion to cater to your every whim."

Sasha grinned. "Why let this dreadful botch of business spoil such a wondrous potential relationship? We get our sugar, and you will be unstoppable."

Kuki scoffed. "That deal sounds stinky! There's no way my Delightful friends will agree to that, right guys?" She blinked looking up to see the Delightfuls slowly grinning to themselves as their eyes glossed over with fantasy. "G-Guys?"

"Quiet, girl," they said. The prospect was fabulously tempting. The demons had displayed their capacities for sinisterly deeds, and from what they could recall from selected memory, combined with their superior intellect and charm, they would be nigh unstoppable.

The Delightful Children carefully looked over Selina and Sasha, recalling every single encounter they had with them in a different life. Up until the very day they thought they did away with them for good, they terrorized children everywhere and were their own masters.

The Charming Servants of the Lower Circle were a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who crossed their path never had a happy ending. The two sought to further no means but their own.

They knew this all too well.

"We accept."

Kuki paled. "No!"

"Yes!" Selina and Sasha laughed, the saws reeling back and the tentacles dropping them to the floor. They stood on wobbly legs, tidying their uniforms and trying to regain some sense of decency. They then went to attention, and then gave low, respectful curtsies. "We humbly await your command, sirs and madams."

"Ah, now this is how it should be. We're glad you realized the proper order of things," they said, satisfied as they stepped down. They paused for a moment, looking over the jade kettle. After a moment of consideration, they shrugged. Might as well. "To mark such a splendid occasion, I do believe a toast is in order."

The two demons were caught off guard, not expecting that. They shared a brief look before Selina stepped forth. "Come again?"

"A show of good faith." The Delightfuls wandered over to the fallen table, gently propping it up and sorting the stray cups that had been strewn about carelessly. David held the platter, and the group walked to the twins as Bruce poured two servings. "Out with the old, as they say. Tonight harkens a new beginning for our glorious reign, and an end to frivolous ghosts of the past."

Selina and Sasha took their cups, looking down suspiciously. "Really now?"

"But of course. It is proper etiquette," they said with a chuckle. They held the kettle to the twins, arching their brows expectantly. "Well? You are going to pour our cups, are you not?"

Selina and Sasha shared a smile as they sat their cups on one end of the platter. Selina accepted the kettle, and went on to pour a cup for Bruce, Ashley, and Constance each. Sasha then did her part, pouring the remaining cups. In their hands, pouring a cup of tea was not a chore, but an art.

The Delightfuls nodded, but tutted as Selina and Sasha reached for their cups. "Now hold on, we do believe you are forgetting Miss Sanban." They turned and regarded Kuki, grinning at how she flinched. "This reunion would not be possible without her, after all."

Sasha was licking her lips as she produced a sixth cup, her and Selina cornering the frightened girl. "I think you are right, sirs and madams."

Selina smirked, taking the cup her sister poured and placing it in Kuki's trembling hands. "Third time's the charm, right?"

Kuki whimpered as she looked to the unconscious guests around her. She looked into her mug, her reflection shimmering in the mocha pool. She slowly looked up as the Delightfuls joined them, the sisters turning their backs to her as they greeted their newfound masters. "W-Why are you doing this? I-I thought that…"

"Silly girl, this is the difference between you and us. You think," the Delightfuls began, each grabbing their cup with content hums. "We do."

Selina and Sasha stifled a laugh, holding their cups high. "Cheers!"

CLINK

And with that, they drank. Kuki blinked back tears as she brought the mug to her lips, finally being forced to succumb and drink the foul mixture. The liquid sizzled against her tongue and smoothly eased down her throat.

It was delicious.

Those monsters.

"Hmm," the Delightfuls said as they finished, looking at the empty cups in a new light. "Not bad at all."

"We knew you would see it our way," Sasha chuckled. Her eyes turned to Kuki, unable to contain her glee. "And now we can finally begin the new harvest."

"Oh yes," Selina pressed her fingers together.

Suddenly, she spun on her heel, bringing her hand close to the Delightfuls' faces. "But you first, masters."

She snapped her fingers.

"Hmm, they actually tried it," the Delightfuls mused as Selina's jaw dropped. Bruce, Ashley, Constance, and Lenny leaned away to nod up at David. "It seems you won the bet, David. First slice goes to you, as promised."

The tall brunette smiled. "Excellent."

Sasha looked between her sister and the five as fear welled in her belly. "Uh, w-what just happened?"

"Nothing, by your expression," the Delightfuls idly commented. "We were curious about our theory, but never thought we would actually put it to the test. In the end, we were right. As always."

"I don't follow."

"Your magic steals the free will of your victims. Every unsavory, rebellious, ill-behaved aspect of it to turn children into perfect, mindless, obedient citizens of society." They then smirked, puffing out their chests. "We are immune because you cannot steal our free will. We surrendered it long ago, and already are the most perfect, obedient, responsible children in the whole wide world. Father accepts nothing but the best, after all."

Selina let her hand drop and stared a hole into the floor. She looked to the Really Destructive Machine in the background, and the sight honed on how much she just screwed up. "Crud."

"OH PLEASE FORGIVE MY SISTER!" Sasha wailed, throwing herself at the Delightfuls feet. She cried into their shoelaces, and looked up to them with quivering lips. "I-I had no idea she was going to try and deceive you, honest! If you must punish her, feel free, but I'm innocent. In fact, that whole revenge thing was all her idea!"

"Wow," Selina breathed, glassing slipping down her nose as she stared at her sniveling sister. "You're such a brownnoser."

"It's quite alright," the Delightfuls said off-handedly. "It's only fair, considering we deceived you first."

Both sisters tensed and Sasha paused her begging. "Little brats say what?"

"Humor us, how did we go about beating you last time?"

Selina frowned as she thought back on that horrible day. "How could I forget? We were just about to complete our perfect plan and bring your Supreme Leader under our heel when you deviants showed up. In all the confusion, you switched the tea-cups and we ended up drinking from our own…"

Her voice trailed off as she looked down at her cup, then to the smug faces of the Delightfuls.

No, that was impossible. They couldn't have-

She watched the cups this time.

She did!

She and Sasha didn't pour their own drinks, they couldn't have.

The Delightfuls started the toast, then they poured tea for the brats, then they turned around and poured the stupid little crybaby hers…

The cup fell from her hand and shattered against the floor.

"No," she whispered in horror. She looked at Kuki, the poor child extremely lost, then to the Delightful Children who just started laughing. Suddenly, her heart pulsed as her throat suddenly became very dry. "No. No, no, no!"

"Selina?" Sasha called out worriedly. She stood, but felt a wave of wooziness hit her, and she barely able to keep her footing. She suddenly began coughing, feeling as if bile was bubbling her throat. "W-What's going-"

"They switched the cups," Selina attempted to yell, but her voice became raspy as she fell to her knees. Sasha mirrored her status and realization and she collapsed to the floor while her sibling continued raving to the heavens. "You-HACK-tricked us! Y-You horrible, little-HACK!"

"This would be twice now, correct?" the Delightfuls said as they picked up the jade kettle, the object glowing as they cracked open the lid. "So, shame on you."

Kuki did not know what to make of what she was seeing. The two sisters were on hands and knees, coughing and choking as steam rose from underneath their uniforms. After a moment, she squinted her eyes as the two started to flicker.

"Not again," Sasha cried, watching her hands fade and beginning to see the floor through her palm. "Not…again."

Selina began crawling to the Delightfuls, snarling and snapping with her fangs. She swiped at their knees with her claws, and screamed when it simply passed through them.

"Y-You fools could've had it all," she said as she felt the pull and her eyelids became heavy. "Why did you…"

"We won't lie, your offer was most tempting. Why, had the circumstances been any different, we would have accepted." They shook their heads as they held up the jade kettle. "Unfortunately, there's just one little hang-up that just still hasn't changed, even after all this time."

Selina's protest died and she fell to the floor, exploding into a pink mist that was sucked into the tea kettle. Sasha attempted to escape, but fell victim to the same fate. The hazy cloud wisped through the air, being contained within the kettle without much fanfare.

When the two were finally sealed, the lid snapped shut and the Delightfuls snorted. "We still hate tea parties."

Kuki's anxiety shriveled away when it appeared Selina and Sasha were finally gone. There was a long silence where no one said anything. The Delightfuls stood there, staring blankly at the kettle while Kuki just took a second to wrap her mind around everything that just happened.

This party had been a trip.

"So we won?" she finally asked, the Delightfuls responding with a curt nod. "But how?"

"My mistresses sought to dress up, and dress up they did! Layer of lies, a blush of deceit, and the gown of illusion was complete. They neglected their history and became anew. But they can't dress up underneath. No hiding what they really are."

Kuki turned, gasping upon seeing the attendant with the funny hat from earlier. She had nearly forgotten about him. The stubby little man pranced into the room, stopping in front of her and the Delightfuls as he breathed in deeply from his nostrils.

"Their magic was great, but great magic has costs. It was never to be used for their own gain. My mistresses were servants," he rattled on, taking the kettle from the Delightfuls and wiping off a smudge. "And servants are to never serve themselves."

Kuki nodded to show she followed his logic. While he was busy cleaning the kettle, she slowly sidestepped to the Delightfuls and whispered, "I don't get it."

They rolled their eyes. "Did it ever once occur to you why they never poured themselves their own tea and why they needed minions in the first place?"

Kuki blinked.

The Delightfuls growled.

"Oh. I get it!"

The Delightfuls sighed.

"Whelp, it appears the transaction is complete, and the deed is transacted," the stubby man said as he tapped a finger against the jade. "Many thanks are to be said, for you remembered not to renege!"

"We didn't do it to make good on a deal, we did it to prove a point to you, cur," they grumbled, crossing their arms. "Should've just finished them off like we wanted to. Sealing them away just allows them another chance to escape."

"Ah, destroy them you could've. But it is not the Sector Z way, is it not?"

"We are not Sector Z anymore!"

"If that is what you wish to say, then I shall let you say it." The man paused for a moment before dipping the kettle as if to pour out tea. Only it wasn't tea that spilled from the spout, but white shimmers of light.

Kuki and the Delightfuls watched the lights danced around them, one encircling Kuki, and the others flying in different directions. A few flew towards the other guests, settling into their chests as the glow dimmed out. The remaining wisps split down the separate corridors and others zipped out the window, intent on returning to their rightful owners.

The man chuckled as he suddenly chucked the kettle towards the Delightfuls. "Quickly think!

"WATCH IT!" The Delightfuls yelled as the kettle fumbled in their hands. Their grip slipped and it almost fell to the floor, but Kuki reacted promptly and slid under them to catch it. They allowed themselves a quick sigh of relief before turning to give the attendant a piece of their mind. "Do you have any idea what would happen if that…broke."

The attendant, having fulfilled his last service, disappeared.

Kuki was more than a bit weirded out by the strange little man. "Who was that? An old friend?"

"That was the Brat with the Hat; though we suppose he's not a brat anymore," they answered. "And he most certainly is not an old friend. We made a deal with him; he would inform us of the Charming Servants' weakness, and we would free him of their service."

"Oookie-dookie," Kuki giggled, deciding not to give it much thought. "That was really scary, but also really fun if you think about it. We won!"

"Fun?" The Delightfuls spluttered. "In what demented fantasy world do you reside in where that horrible affair qualifies as fun?"

"One where we save the day and kick bad guy booty," Kuki said, doing a series of kicks and karate chops.

The Delightfuls waved off her antics, crossing their arms as she acted like a dunce. Kuki tripped on the carpet, went tumbling over, but Lenny's hand snapped out of its own accord to catch her by the scruff of her collar. The boy himself refused to acknowledge this as he and brethren simply dryly glanced to the side.

"Ooopsie," Kuki laughed. Her eyes widened as she wiggled free and ran off. "I almost forgot!"

"Forgot what? Your dignity?" They turned to watch her, curious as to what she was up to now. They saw her wandering behind the chairs the sisters had been sitting in, then found themselves grinning as she presented the bounty. "Our cake!"

"Yup-yup," Kuki said as she held the dessert up high. "Mission accomplished!"

"Well, it appears you have your uses after all," the Delightfuls lightly praised. They fiddled in their pockets, looking for the keys for their Destructive Machine still standing in the distance. "Let us depart this dreary setting so we may finally commence with eating our cake and rubbing it in your faces, as is tradition."

"See, about that," Kuki slowly said as she swayed on her toes. She smirked, grabbed the cake display, and darted off down the hall out of sight. "Buh-bye!"

"W-WAIT!" The Delightfuls called out. They broke into a sloppy sprint, but ended up tripping over the downed body of The Steve. By the time they looked up, Kuki Sanban was long gone with their birthday cake.

"W-Why that no good," they said, lips trembling as they snarled to fight back the wetness behind their eyes. They pounded their fists into the ground, throwing tantrum. "How could we be so stupid?"

The little sneak had them marked for saps the entire time. They should've seen this coming. This had all been some elaborate trick to make off with their birthday cake. No doubt Nigel had recruited Kuki into forcing them to come to this stupid thing so she could make off with their cake when she had the perfect chance.

What buffoons they were. To actually think they were beginning to consider that Sanban's affections were genuine.

Well, they would not make that mistake again! The next time they saw those no good, misbehaving Kids Next Door, they would-

Their thoughts of revenge halted when they felt a tap on their shoulder. They growled, preparing to explode, only to make a cute noise of bewilderment when they saw Kuki kneeling down with an extended hand.

"Just kidding," she giggled. The Delightfuls were too dumbstruck to deny her assistance, and she slowly helped them back to her feet. After dusting them off and straightening their ties, and passed them the cake container. "Here you go!"

They took the cake, not sure what to think of this. After all that, she was just going to hand it over? "You're…giving it to us? Just like that?"

Kuki nodded.

"This…this is a trick, isn't it?"

Kuki shook her head.

"Wait. You can't fool us, we're on to you, Sanban," they said, thinking they had exposed her ploy. "Nice try, but it's not going to work. You think simply because you returned to us what is rightfully ours that we will share our cake with you? You really are an idiot if you think false charity will convince us to-"

Their words became twisted and distorted when Kuki lurched forward, somehow collecting them all in one, massive, group-hug. "C-Cut that out! What do you think you're doing?"

"Thank you for saving me, Delightful friends."

"W-We," they began protesting, their faces red and thankfully Kuki was positioned where she couldn't see them. "We are not-"

"We could be."

The Delightfuls said nothing as Kuki continued her hug, choosing to look away as something came over them. As they were being held in a warm embrace they had not felt in so long, they felt themselves being drawn to another place in another time.

For the briefest of moments, the Delightful Children did not feel so delightful.

They weren't in some ruined, abandoned manor, but in a bustling, lively station with the stars overlooking them and a giant blue orb hanging in the vast expanse beyond.

The Charming Servants were defeated; gone for good and their nightmare gone with them.

Kids rose up and cheered them on, hollering like snotty children were prone to do, only it didn't annoy them.

They loved it. They relished every passing second.

They felt warm.

They felt like they were home.

And it wasn't Kuki hugging them, but someone different. Someone similar, yet so very different at the same wearing a dinky dish-canister as a helmet.

The small girl was their leader, their Supreme Leader.

But in this one moment she wasn't that much a leader, and more of a long lost friend.

A friend they would risk their lives for over and over again.

A friend, they depressingly realized, they missed dearly.

"Thank you for saving me, guys."

And just like that, the memory vanished, becoming foggier as they reluctantly pushed it away. Kuki began pulling back, and they couldn't bring themselves to look at her just yet, opting to marvel at their cake and the deliciousness that was awaiting them.

Only when they looked into the glass, one last memory shimmered in the reflection as five, uncomfortably familiar faces saluted them.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" they quickly recovered, hiding the cake behind their backs. They blinked, then coughed into their hands as they mumbled. "And d-don't you dare let anyone know we allowed that act of stupid sentimentality. We know where you live!"

"Don't worry," Kuki said, crossing a finger over her lips. "My lips are sealed!"

"They better." They shook off nostalgia, already forgetting why they had been overcome by emotion as they wandered to their Machine. "Now can we finally get out of here?"

Cue their machine exploding in a plume of fire and mustard.

"Oh, come on!"

"Hold it right there, Delightful deviants!"

Kuki got excited at the familiar voice, hopping with unbridled glee as four familiar faces stormed out from the rubble of the Really Destructive Machine. "Hey guys! You missed the party!"

"Then consider this the after-party," Hoagie said, smirking as he loaded his turkey rifle. The bird gave an ear-piercing squawk as eggs deposited into the canister. "And we brought the favors!"

Abby lowered her weapon and wiggled her hand. "Eh, needs work."

Wally ignored the two, centering his sights on the five brats standing too close to his friend. "You losers better put some distance between you and her or your faces are gonna get real personal with my fists!"

"Wally, don't be rude," Kuki jokingly scolded before waving at her leader. "Hiya, Numbuh 1. I didn't know you were coming."

"We thought we'd invite ourselves," Nigel answered. "We've been looking for you all afternoon! When we picked up the Delightfuls' Really Really Incredibly Destructive Machine on the move, we mobilized to follow it. And it's a good thing we did." He then turned his attention to his foes. "You five move a muscle, and you're in for a world of egg-yolk. Numbuh 3, get over here now!"

"Okay!" Kuki obeyed, waving at the Delightfuls as she rejoined her team. "Bye-bye, Delightful friends."

The Delightfuls groaned. They decided to just ignore Kuki all together as they fell back into their normal routine with the bald one.

He was so much easier to deal with. They shot him, he shot back.

Simple.

Right now, they needed simple.

"Late as ever, Nigel. Normally we would stay and play with you, but it's been a long evening, and we have much better things to do."

"Unless those things involve handing over that cake, then I think you can spare a moment," the bald boy replied. "No trump cards this time, dorks. Hand it over!"

The Delightfuls frowned, then slowly realized that the guests around them were starting come around. The villainous adults whined as they held their heads, and the teenagers got to their feet, and stumbled around confused.

"Dude," The Steve said, holding his stomach and adjusting his sunglasses. "That was some wicked party!"

Cree rubbed at her eyes. "We were at a party?"

Seeing their chance, the Delightfuls bowed. "Well, Sanban since we have retrieved our cake, we think we shall do you a kindness and release you from your promise. It appears we shall not be leaving together after all."

Kuki nodded, but stopped. "Why?"

"Until we meet again." They suddenly ran in the opposite direction, David holding the cake while the others cupped their hands over their mouths and screamed. "THE KIDS NEXT DOOR ARE HERE!"

Cree and Steve blinked, then snarled. "Kids Next Door?"

The adult villains jumped up, whipping out their weapons as they narrowed in on the five. "Kids Next Door!"

Nigel face-palmed and sent Kuki an annoyed glance. She awkwardly shrugged and he rolled his eyes and shouted, "BATTLE STATIONS!"

/-/-/-/-/

"…and then there was yelling, running, more yelling, and then they went BOOM!" Kuki said excitedly, falling to her bed and making doll-angels among her giant assortment of stuffed animals. "It was the best tea party I've ever been invited to."

Nigel sighed as he lowered his clipboard. "It's the only tea party you've been invited to, Numbuh 3."

"Details, details," she shushed, scrambling to the end of her plushy bed. She hung her head over the end, laughing as Nigel appeared upside down from her perspective. "Why don't we ever have a tea party? We could totally have a tea party! Your dad can make us tea, your mom can make us cookies-it'd be great!"

"Maybe later. For now, focus. I need to give Global Command a proper report of your account," Nigel said as he went back to scribbling. "The Delightful Children are bad enough, but with the threat of these Charming Servant demon things in the air, danger levels of parties everywhere jumps straight to red!"

"But we beat them, silly. I told you that."

"They were apparently beaten once, but that didn't stop them permanently, apparently." Nigel ceased his writing for a moment and gave Kuki a stern stare. "Besides, you're lucky this outweighs your poor performance. I'm very disappointed in you, Numbuh 3?"

She flipped around, folding her arms under her chin, kicked her legs up and blinked cutely. "Why?"

"Because if what you say is true, then you gave the Delightfuls their cake back!" His waved his hands around, acting if she had said she was considering going traitor. "What were you thinking?"

"They saved me, so I thought I would be nice. Maybe they'll remember it and share it with us next time."

"I highly doubt that," he said. "Numbuh 3, you can't trust them. I don't know why they went out of their way to assist you, but it probably benefitted them somehow. They're our enemies; you should always be weary of their motives."

"But they're not our enemies, not really. I found out a sooper important secret." She then stood on her bed, wrapping an arm around his neck and bringing him close. She looked around, and once the coast was clear, she whispered, "The Delightful Children are Sector Z!"

Nigel tensed, Kuki actually leaning away as he stared out her. Even with his sunglasses in the way, she could feel the intensity of his gaze.

"Kuki," he said evenly, and she began fidgeting. Nigel rarely spoke to her like that, and most of the time, he only did it when she was in big trouble. "Where did you hear that?"

"The twins," she mumbled as she buried her arms further into her sleeves. "And, um, the Delightfuls too."

Nigel looked away, and Kuki plopped down on her butt. Her leader was normally stoic, sure, but only those close to him knew when something was really bothering him. And for whatever reason, what Kuki had just told him was really grinding his gears.

She could tell. She was close to him, after all.

Then, Nigel further worried her as he took the report he had been writing up and cleanly tore it in half.

"Nigel?"

"Listen to me very carefully, Kuki," he said, voice soft as he took off his sunglasses to look at her. "Under no circumstances are you to divulge the information you've learned with anyone. Not your sister, not your hamster, not Wally; anyone."

Kuki was getting anxious. "Why?"

"The knowledge that the Delightful Children are, in fact, the missing Sector Z is Zip-Yer-Lip class information. You are to share it with no one under threat of decommissioning."

She gasped only to cover her mouth, it feeling all tingly with spicy information. After a moment, she peeled her hands away as she frowned at Nigel. "Wait a goshdarn second, you knew didn't you?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "Of course you did! They said you were keeping secrets!"

"I discovered this during the Grandfather incident." They both shivered at the mention of such a traumatic period. "And I'm telling you the same spiel I was given when I brought it to Rachel's attention."

"Why all the secrecy? Shouldn't we do something?"

"The Delightful Children were delightfulized to insane degree; not even the recommissioning device could undo their transformation for long. It's a terrifying thought," Nigel sighed as he peered out her window, eyes wandering to the manor far on the horizon. "Father wanted the most perfect, well-behaved, adult respecting children ever, and he got them. Permanently."

Kuki shuffled. "There's nothing we can do?"

"Not yet. There's a sooper secret, ultra-special science nerd team analyzing delightful chamber technology. Once they discover a breakthrough, I'm sure we can free them from Father's hold."

Kuki smiled at that. "Oh, that's good then. What will we do then? Ah, I know, we could probably go on missions with them and be best friends! We'd visit each other's treehouse, go see movies, beat up adults and-"

"If the Delightful Children were to ever be cured, we would have to promptly decommission them."

The room fell silent, Kuki shell-shocked and Nigel crumpling the paper in his hand. He looked to his teammate, nodded, and donned his shades as he made for the exit. "Get some rest, Numbuh 3. I'll see you in the morning.

"But," she said. Upon seeing him hesitate, she continued. "Why…why do they need to be decommissioned? It's not their fault they're bad guys."

"It's not."

"Then why?"

"The cautionary tale they tell you as a cadet is a lot older than they let on, Kuki." Nigel stood in the doorway, his hand gripping the frame as he lowered his head. "Sector Z went missing a long, long time ago."

He left without another word, leaving Kuki to her thoughts. She slowly fell back on her bed, staring at her ceiling as if it would give her all the answers. Her mind wandered to the Delightfuls, how could it not? She thought about them, their fate, and the information she had just sworn to never tell anyone.

Despite being their enemy, she found the whole situation completely unfair.

Deciding she needed some rainbow monkey love, Kuki hopped off her bed and made her way to her closet. She was going to need Losta Lovin' Rainbow Monkey to deal with this grief. As she walked through her room, she heard a commotion at her window. She turned around, seeing nothing strange at first, then rose a brow as she saw something on the sill.

Kuki carefully walked over, not knowing what to expect and the events from earlier still weighing on her mind. She picked up the Tupperware that had mysteriously made its way to her window. Weird.

Maybe it was trying to get back to the kitchen and got lost? It felt a bit heavy, so she peeled back the lid and looked inside.

Sitting there, all neat and sweet, was a piece of chocolate cake. She frowned. Not that she would ever turn down cake, but where the heck did this little guy come from? Off in the corner was a folded note and she snatched it and carefully read the contents.

Her heart broke a little as she read the line over and over again.

"Tell the Kids Next Door we miss them."

Kuki gently took the cake, using her sleeve to wipe at her eyes as she sent a sad smile down the lane.

"We miss you too."

end transmission