Ototo, Ototo
By: Leelei
Disclaimer: I don't own Code:Lyoko.
Author's Note: Just a little one shot to get me out of my writer's block for Dream of Me, and while I still have a hold of my brother's Japanese dictionary. All Japanese phrases should be explained through context, sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes. Hope you enjoy.
The doors of the scanners hissed open and, once the white smoke within the room cleared, three beings stepped out from the large golden tubes. Two boys and one girl greeted each other silently with relieved smiles, yet all turned as one scanner's door closed, then reopened again.
"You okay, Yumi?" the brunette boy, Ulrich, asked. He rubbed the back of his neck slowly, but was otherwise unaffected as he walked towards the Japanese girl's scanner.
"Yeah, I'm okay, thanks Ulrich," Yumi managed to answer, feeling sore all over.
The only other boy in the room placed his hands on his waist, leaning back dramatically with a wincing expression on his face. "You've gotta be kidding me…getting de-virtualized last can be a real nightmare sometimes, how can you be just okay?"
"Well, all right, I'm a little sore…but nothing we all haven't been through before," Yumi finally answered truthfully, forcing her feet slowly out from the scanner one at a time. "Are you okay, Aelita?" she asked, looking up to the pink-haired girl in the middle of the room who had vacated the scanner for her.
"Yes, I'm fine," replied Aelita. "I guess it's not a privilege to be de-virtualized last?" she asked innocently.
Yumi smiled as she rubbed her arm. "Let's just say I wouldn't volunteer myself if I were you…"
"Hey, is everyone all right down there?" Jeremie's voice called throughout the speaker system.
"Yeah, Jeremie, everything's okay," Odd replied for the group. "We're just moving a little slower, that's all. It was a tough battle, give us a minute."
"All right, all right," Jeremie answered, "but I just wanted to let you guys know that it's almost eight o'clock."
"Eight o'clock!" Yumi suddenly exclaimed. "You guys, I have to get home…I have to watch Hiroki tonight while my parents are out."
"It's okay, Yumi," Ulrich tried to calm her in a caring voice. "We'll make it, come on."
The group made their way over to the elevator and up to the second floor where Jeremie waited rather impatiently at the Super Computer.
"No return trip to the past this time, huh Jeremie?" Odd asked in a joking tone as the group dispersed throughout the room to collect their school books and backpacks.
"Of course not, Odd, X.A.N.A. barely made a fuss this time as far as France is concerned," replied Jeremie as he jumped down from his chair.
"Darn…and I really thought I was going to have a second chance at that chemistry test, too," said Odd.
"Why?" asked Ulrich from where he leaned over to pick up his backpack from beside the wall. "That was your best paper crane in a while."
"Eh, you're right," Odd shrugged off the idea.
Over in the other corner of the room, Aelita and Yumi were gathering their own books, having thrown them down in a hurry during the attack.
"Yumi, you don't look well. Your face is flushed and your forehead has been wrinkled since we returned," commented Aelita in a concerned voice.
"Really, I'm okay Aelita, but just a little stressed to tell you the truth," answered Yumi with another smile for the kind girl. "I still have to finish all of my homework and start a rough draft of my history project for a check in class tomorrow on top of putting my brother to bed...I guess I'm just up for a long night, that's all."
"Well, if you need any help, let us know," Aelita replied.
"Thank you, Aelita."
"Come on, girls, it's time to head back before Jim Patrol kicks in," called Jeremie from where he, Ulrich, and Odd all stood waiting by the elevator.
"Coming," Yumi replied and grabbed the last of her books, missing one as she went. Aelita picked it up and followed them out, but as they rode the elevator up, Jeremie began a conversation with her and made her forget to hand it back to Yumi.
Once the group was back in the park, they recovered the manhole and Yumi bid them a quick good-night. Aelita finally realized she had the textbook amongst the other few in her arms and looked up to her hurried friend. "Yumi!" she called.
"What is it?" Jeremie asked her.
"Oh, Yumi forgot this book, and then I forgot to give it to her on the way back here. I don't suppose she could go without it tonight, she said she needed it for a project," answered Aelita.
"Hey, Yumi's a smart girl, I'm sure she can hack it," Odd waved her off in a care-free tone. "Ulrich, are you up for some Textris Annihilator tonight? I got the newest edition waiting for us back in the dorm. I say we try to beat our last goal and stay up the entire night this time…then we'll really get a record going!"
"You guys go on ahead. Sorry Odd, but Yumi needs this book. I'll run in over to her house and meet you all back at the dorms, okay?" said Ulrich.
"Are you sure you want to risk getting caught for curfew?" asked Jeremie.
"Yeah, I don't mind. Besides, the sooner I go, the sooner I'll get back, right?"
"Well, I guess so," said Odd. "But this is really going to cut into our marathon!"
Ulrich snickered. "I'm sure Textris Annihilator can wait another day for a marathon, Odd."
Aelita handed him the history textbook. "Do you want us to cover for you?"
"Sure, but I should be back in time. See you guys in a little bit!"
"Okay, Ulrich, give us a call if you run into any problems getting back in!" Jeremie raised his voice to him as the brunette boy hurried off through the park. The remainder of the group watched as he went, yet started on their own path back to the dorms as time crept closer to their curfews.
While running, Ulrich knew he couldn't have paced Yumi by then. She was probably already home, or at least close enough to it. Nevertheless, he sprinted on anyway, anything to help his closest friend.
But when he did reach the Ishiyama home, he saw all of the bright lights on in the house piecing through the dark night, and a few cars parked in the driveway. Yumi's parents had returned early and seemed to have some sort of company over, most likely involving someone from Mr. Ishiyama's job. Not wanting to disturb the adults, he opened the gate as he dialed Yumi's number on his cell phone and held it to his ear while quietly walking around to the back door.
After Yumi failed to answer twice, he realized that her phone must have still been on silent mode after rushing out of school for the X.A.N.A. attack. He left a short message and went to go knock on the door, but stopped as he looked through the window into the family room and saw a very interesting scene.
Yumi had just walked into the room, Ulrich guessing that she was probably coming from upstairs where she must have just dropped off her books, and her younger brother Hiroki bounced up from his seat on the couch to greet her.
"Ane! Ane!" he could hear the young boy shout through the glass as Hiroki threw his arms around Yumi's waist. Ulrich pushed past the shrubs by the window and crouched beneath the sill, compelled to see how two such seemingly bitter enemies were treating each other so sweetly.
"Hiroki, please be quiet," Yumi shushed him as he let go of her. "Mommy and Daddy have company over, we have to stay in here or in our rooms."
"Ane, please play a game in here with me. I wanted to all day but no one's had time!"
"Okay, Hiroki, go pick one out, but please be quiet," Yumi said as she sat down on the couch.
'But she doesn't have the time,' Ulrich thought, 'I know she has a lot of homework…'
"This one!" Hiroki placed Monopoly Jr. on the coffee table between the couch and the television, Yumi moving to kneel before the opposite side of it from him. The young boy pulled off the top and immediately sifted through the pieces. "Akaino to kiiroino to, dochiraga ii desu ka," he chattered in Japanese, asking her if she wanted the red pieces or the yellow, having previously lost all the other colors.
"Oh Hiroki, please, speak slowly. I have a headache…" Yumi mumbled, lightly touching her forehead as she watched him move the pieces around.
"Nani?" (1) Hiroki replied, not having understood her muttered response.
"I said, Yukkuri hanashinasai. Atama ga itai," Yumi repeated herself, switching from French to Japanese.
"Ohh," said Hiroki, the words floating right past him anyway as he intently finished setting up the board. "Okay!"
They played several quick turns, Ulrich watching all along, vexed by their fluent Japanese and Yumi's caring treatment of her brother, even though he knew she detested him most of the time. Soon, the minutes were passing faster than any of them could count.
"Nanji desu ka," Yumi said later into the game. Ulrich saw her point to the clock behind her brother and the young boy turning around to see it.
"Aww…" he groaned, noticing the time.
"Kuji jugofun mae desu," said Yumi. Ulrich guessed that she must have been stating it was a quarter to nine, figuring by her glance at the clock and the current time. "Bedtime," Yumi pronounced to her brother in French.
"Ane…onegai shimasu…" (2) Hiroki suddenly pleaded to his sister as she quickly cleaned up the Monopoly board.
Yumi looked to her brother and sighed after setting the closed game box before them. Hiroki suddenly made a puppy dog face, pushing his bottom lip out past his top one, and Yumi smiled. "Oh, all right…" she gave in. "But not very loud, because Daddy's boss is still here."
Hiroki cheered and bounced as Yumi moved over to the CD player and put in a disk from on top of the system. She adjusted the volume and pressed play.
Then Ulrich was amazed at what he watched next. No matter how beautifully he thought Yumi sang in French, her singing in Japanese was, in his opinion, simply angelic. He watched as she gracefully swayed to the trance beat in the background and began singing along to the female Japanese singer's voice. Her brother immediately lit up upon hearing her over the singer and started dancing along with her.
Ulrich recognized the song. It was by a popular artist from Japan, he knew after having voluntarily listened to the CD once with Yumi even after she offered to play one in a language he would understand. 'Wow,' he thought. 'I wish she'd sing like that for me…'
"Mawari o miwataseba. Dare mo ga awatadashiku. Doko ka ashibaya ni toorisugi…" Yumi sang perfectly in Japanese, carrying the last note on the end. "Kotoshi mo ki. Ga tsukeba. Konna ni sugu soba made…fuyu no kehai ga otozurete'ta…"
"Yay!" Hiroki cheered. "My sister is the best singer in the world! Hooray, Ane!" he cheered, Ulrich finally understanding that when he referred to "Ane" he must have meant his sister.
As Yumi finished singing the last line of the song, she moved back over to the player and turned it off as her brother started to squirm. He obviously didn't like the remixed, haunting trance elements at the end, and Yumi smiled sweetly as he uncovered his ears after the CD player was off. "Okay, time for bed, mister."
"But-"
"No, buts. Bedtime."
"Aww…"
"Get to bed on time, and I'll come in later and read with you."
"Okay!" Hiroki suddenly perked up again.
Yumi heaved a sigh of relief as he bolted out of the room. She waited a few moments, then picked up the board game and returned in to its place on the top shelf of the closet, just shutting the door as Hiroki reappeared in the doorway dressed in his pajamas and holding something up. Ulrich caught his breath in his throat and nearly choked with laughter as he covered his mouth at the sight of the object.
"Ane," Hiroki called. "Kore wa, Nihongo de nan to iimasu ka?"
"What, Hiroki?" Yumi replied in a tired voice and she rubbed her sore eyes while turning to him, having completely missed his quick question.
"I said, What's this called in Japanese?" Hiroki asked again with a large grin in very pronounced French, holding out her black, lacy bra that he had found in the bathroom.
"HIROKI!" she shouted sharply, then covered her own mouth. "Hiroki!" she scolded him in a quieter voice. "You put that back where you found it right now and finish getting ready for bed or no story!"
"Aww…come on, it was just a joke."
"Now please, Ototo."
"Oh, all right…"
Yumi sighed again as he walked away, but snickered after he was gone. She rubbed her tired face again, but as she pulled her hands away she finally noticed Ulrich in the window. She was a little startled at first, but then smiled to him. Ulrich, startled himself, returned the smile and waved. Yumi pointed to the backdoor and they met at it towards the opposite end of the family room.
Yumi opened the door and greeted him shyly, her face slightly red at the thought of him having seen her bra. "Hey, Ulrich. What's going on? Is something the matter?"
"Oh, no, nothing's wrong, it's just…" Then, Ulrich had to remember what he was there for. He was so mesmerized by watching Yumi act so responsibly and kindly towards her brother, he almost forgot the textbook in his hand. Looking down, he finally noticed it and handed it to her. "Here, you forgot this."
"Oh, thank you so much!"
"Aelita grabbed it but forgot to give it to you so I ran it over here."
"Ulrich, that was so nice of you, I really appreciate it," said Yumi as she took the book from him and clutched it to her chest. They just looked at each other for a moment, caught in one another's gazes until Yumi spoke up again. "Um, I'm sorry, I'd invite you in, but my parents have company over and they already think eight is late enough…"
"It's okay, I have to be getting back, but uh…it was nice to see you, though," said Ulrich. "I mean…not that we didn't just see each other like an hour ago, but uh…"
Yumi snickered and smiled for him. "Yeah, I know what you mean. We should hang out together more often."
"And listen to some CD's?" asked Ulrich.
"Oh my gosh…did you see that?" Yumi blushed. "We were just joking around… Hiroki likes that song, but he thinks for some reason that I can sing it better. He's so silly, though, he's afraid of the end. It's like his little ritual to hear it at night, I know it's kind of dumb…"
"No, I thought it was really cool!" replied Ulrich sincerely. "I hope to hear you sing in Japanese more often. I…I think you have a great voice in both languages."
"Thanks, Ulrich," Yumi said, blushing even deeper. "You're really very sweet. Can I get you something to drink before you go?"
"Nah, I'm all right, but thanks," answered Ulrich. "Odd usually has a pop stash hoarded away for his Textris Annihilator marathons, and there should be a couple cans left when I get back."
"Oh, you guys got the new version?"
"Yeah, I heard it's pretty sweet…" Ulrich trailed off. He felt weird mentioning his and Odd's lazy, nonproductive night as he kept thinking of Yumi's homework and busy home life. "But I better let you get back to your family."
"Thanks again, Ulrich. You're the best. Please thank Aelita for me, too."
"You're welcome, Yumi, and I will," said Ulrich. "Give me a call later, if you want."
"Ugh, I'll try to find some time," Yumi replied, Ulrich inwardly wincing at her miserable tone. "But if I do, I'd love to talk."
"Well, I'm here for you," said Ulrich.
"Thanks."
"Good night," said Ulrich.
"Oyasum-I mean…" Yumi cut herself off with a quick shake of her head as she slipped into Japanese, as she would have with her own family. "Sorry," she snickered, looking away briefly as her face turned red.
"It's okay," replied Ulrich with a smile of his own.
"Good night," Yumi repeated herself, that time in French.
"See you tomorrow, Yumi."
"Bye," Yumi called to him as he walked away. Ulrich looked back and waved as he continued, turning back towards the drive as he approached the gate and quietly unlocked it, turning back one last time to see the door just closing.
As Ulrich ran back to the dorms, he thought nonstop of the occurrence he had just seen. He knew Yumi couldn't stand her brother when he tormented her and acted obnoxious in front of her friends, but he never would have expected to see her taking care of him in such a motherly fashion. And, even more surprising, he had never heard them use nicknames with each other, either.
But then again, he thought, Yumi is a very responsible and loving person. He just never thought to put two and two together to realize that she had such a busy and fulfilling life, him being such a slacker himself outside of saving the world and playing soccer. Ulrich never realized just how much Yumi had on her plate. Not only was she expected to be a normal, sociable girl in school, but she always remained an excellent student, an obedient daughter, a graceful geisha warrior, an amazing sister, and a beautiful friend on top of all of it. She was so impressive –how could he not have realized that sooner?
Sissi could never be like that…neither could any of the girls that chased after Ulrich's heart. The brunette boy sprinted faster as he neared the dorms, knowing exactly which doors would be safe to enter but also remembering that he'd have to reach them soon to slip in unnoticed.
And how worldly was Yumi, Ulrich thought, to speak an entire different language and to embrace her culture so contently. But she had been speaking to him in completely fluent French; why did she break into Japanese in the end? Was it her routine? Ulrich thought. Or her custom at night? Or maybe she was just comfortable with him, comfortable enough to forget their ethnic differences and to slip into her first language with him, like he was just another understanding member of her family.
As he crept into the dorm building and up the stairs to his floor, Ulrich suddenly felt a sense of honor to have watched his friend and her little brother. And, as much as it discomforted Yumi to have broken into Japanese in front of him, he was glad she did. It may have helped him realize just how closely she viewed their friendship to be, and may help him finally find a way to bring it even closer.
His cell phone vibrated in his pocket right before he opened the door to his and Odd's dorm room. He noticed it was Yumi's caller ID and immediately answered, "Hello?"
"Ulrich? Hey, it's me. I'm sorry to bother you again, but I mentioned to Hiroki that you had stopped by and he insisted that you come back to hear a story with us. I know you can't, but he's going to throw a huge fit if you don't hear it, too, so I was wondering…would you mind just staying on the line and listening as I read to him? It was Hiroki's idea, I'm sorry if this is weird." Yumi explained herself quickly.
"No, I don't mind at all," Ulrich replied.
"I'm sorry," Yumi repeated herself, Ulrich almost able to hear her deep blushing. "This'll be really quick, I promise."
"It's okay, I'd like to hear it, too, actually."
"Well, it's uh…kind of in Japanese. That's why I didn't want to bother you."
Ulrich smiled. "Don't worry, Yumi, I'll appreciate it no matter what language it's in because I'm sharing it with you and your little brother…"
The End
(Title) Roughly translates as "Little brother, little brother"
(1) "What?"
(2) "onegai shimasu" "please"
Okay, I know Yumi's American voice actress is absolutely terrible at singing, but I think the writers intended for Yumi to have a nice singing voice, so I based the song portion off of her actually being able to sing. And, the song happens to be "M (Above and Beyond Remix)" by Ayumi Hamasaki (go listen to it!) which I also don't own. Besides all of that, I hope you liked it! Please leave a review!