"Ready to die for?" [Continuation of Kadic Bombshell … It's not just that I would die to save her though, or die with her- though I'd do that too… [Third Time's the Charm… UY.

Joy

Bedtime.

Usually it was rather peaceful, and Ulrich found himself enjoying it quite a bit. Much more than he should enjoy sleeping in the same room with Odd.

Maybe it was the jokes.

Yes, Ulrich did believe it was the little dose of humor Odd provided in his other humorless existence that explained why he liked bedtime so much.

And though he loved the humor, he hated the serious.

He hated the 'guy talks'.

"So…?" Odd said, arching an eyebrow and plopping himself into bed (still looking mighty suave, he'd be glad to tell the next person who asked), "Ready to die for?" he seemed to be holding in giggles.

Ulrich blushed and turned away, the wall was much better looking than Odd anyway, "Shut up."

"No, no come on," he said, rather insistent through the giggles, "Would you die for me?"

Ulrich stumbled through his words, "Well, um, I…"

"See, you have to hesitate. You didn't even have to hesitate with her," his words, this rare bout of wisdom, weighed heavily. In fact, he even managed to say it without any giggles.

Ulrich turned onto his back, gazing up at the ceiling dreamily, as talking about Yumi tended to do to the poor dear, "It's not just that I would die to save her though, or die with her- though I'd do that too. I'd die to make her happy, to get to kiss her, to get to touch her hair one last time…"

He flipped his head over to his friend, awaiting Odd's response with starry eyes.

Odd burst out laughing. It wasn't his fault. He really just couldn't help himself.

Ulrich groaned, successfully broken out of his 'Yumi-trance' and rolled right back to the wall, "I knew I shouldn't have told you," he muttered.

He wiped tears from his eyes, "No, no I'm sorry. It's just that was so… so cheesy. And girly."

Ulrich scowled, "At least I don't watch romance movies," he said in an accusatory tone.

"You totally do," Odd protested, "Plus, those are works of art."

"I only watch them when you make me- and I do not cry at them, unlike some people I know," Ulrich glared at his friend, "Do you know how many tissue boxes you go through per week? I feel like I'm walking on a snot covered carpet!"

"They're works of art! They inspire tears! And emotions!"

Ulrich rolled his eyes once more, "Yeah right. Even Yumi doesn't cry at those. And she's a girl."

Odd decided to ignore the comment about stereotyping women, after all, Yumi could get to him later. Right now, Odd had a bigger mission. And the opportunity was to good too pass up, "Speaking of Yumi…" he said, carefully trailing off and hoping he didn't sound too anxious-even though he was.

Ulrich found himself groaning for what must have been the umpteenth time that minute alone.

"I don't get you two," Odd said with a shake of his head, "You both like each other, why don't you just get together?"

"Oh come on," Ulrich said, staring at his friend in disbelief, "If Yumi's one thing, she's very determined. And if she wanted a guy, any guy- including me- she'd have him. So the likelihood she wants me is below zero."

Odd shook his head, if he had known this guy talk would turn into a pep talk he wouldn't have signed up, "You said it yourself, she's very determined. If she wanted any other guy, she'd have him. So that's got to mean something, that she doesn't have herself any other boyfriend."

Silence greeted him.

"Plus you know, it's different with you. You've got the whole Lyoko situation and everything. If she went out with you, it'd be completely different than going out with Herve or something," Odd said, trying to boost his friend's confidence.

It didn't work.

"She likes Herve?" Ulrich's eyes bugged out, and his voice was choked with jealousy. Odd knew he had it bad, but that bad? To be jealous of Herve?

"No, no, no," Odd quickly said before Ulrich punched a hole through the wall- again- he didn't feel like buying plaster again when Christmas was so far away (it'd be harder to pass it off as a gift that way), "I'm just saying, you're more… difficult. And I don't just mean your personality, I hear girls like the whole bad boy/ challenge thing because it's something to 'fix' so you've got that going for you."

"Thanks," Ulrich said dryly.

"Not a problem," Odd said, either completely ignoring the sarcasm or letting it fly over his head just like Einstein's theory of relativity, "Anyways, the only reason you two aren't off and married yet, Yumi pregnant with your third child- whose name is Odd I'll have you know- is because you know about Lyoko. You're her best friend. She can't go out and make a move on you! She's a girl for crying out loud?"

Ulrich simply raised an eyebrow, use to Odd's odd behavior, "Third kid?"

"Yeah, I've got it all planned out-," Odd shook his head, "Never mind. Don't distract me. We're not focusing on that. We're focusing on why Yumi doesn't want to be with you."

Ulrich sighed, ignoring how badly the statement sounded, it was, after all, only another idiosyncrasy of Odd, "I know, I know. I know there's a million reasons why we shouldn't be together, but the more and more time goes on, I can't seem to think they're worth anything."

Odd paused, whether deep in thought or simply for dramatic effect, the world will never know, "So what's stopping you?" he asked in quiet voice.

"Because, if she listens to just one of those millions of reasons I'm ignoring, she might reject me. And I can't face that. Not again."

Odd laughed in the face of Ulrich's despair, but that was okay, Ulrich was use to that, "One of these days, you're going to not be able to hold it all in. And it's going to come at the worst time. Like Jeremy and his chocolate milk."

Ulrich laughed, happy to be done with that for now, "That was an image I didn't need."

---

"What is it with girls this year?" Ulrich scoffed. Now that he didn't have Odd to rant with about the mystery of girls, he supposed he'd have to settle on Jeremie.

"They're right you know," of course, Jeremie was always above arguing and ranting and such, Ulrich should've known better, "That Brynja has really started messing with our heads," Ulrich grunted in agreement, "Plus," he added in a sly tone, "You can't really blame Yumi at all."

"What?" Ulrich asked, positively seething, "She's the one who just wanted to be just friends," he said, managing to fit all of his disgust into the one word, "She forfeited her right to be jealous."

"You've got to look at it from her point of view. Flirting with someone right in front of her, it's got to hurt. Think about how you would feel if she did that to you," Jeremie was always wiser than the rest of them.

Ulrich shook his head, "She should know better. Brynja might be pretty, but she could never compare to Yumi. She's got to know that."

Jeremie said with a kind smile, "I don't think she does."

Ulrich frowned deeply, "She should."

---

Jeremie clamored out of the sewer, smiling and talking a mile per minute. Something boys who climbed out of sewers should not normally be doing.

And even less normal, a girl, Aelita, was right behind him, talking the same frequency as him. Quite the large feat indeed.

Odd followed the two (he always liked to be behind a girl, it had more advantages when climbing up the ladder. Even if Jeremie and Ulrich were to 'noble' to use those advantages, Odd sure wasn't), listening and throwing in a joke or two here or there- even though he had no clue what the two were talking about. But he supposed that made his jokes seem all the funnier (as if they could get funnier!)

Ulrich came out next, but he didn't join the group immediately. Instead, he kneeled and reached a hand down to pull up Yumi.

She smiled at him, and accepted the hand.

She was still holding on (even though she was well out of the sewer) when Aelita gasped. The gasp ruined it though. And the two immediately pulled away, cheeks stained red.

"My look at the sky!" Aelita exclaimed, tilting her head back as far as it would go to achieve a better view.

"Oh," Jeremie said disapprovingly, glancing down from the sky to his glow in the dark watch, quite a useful tool when fighting evil, "I didn't realize it had gotten so late."

"Well, time flies when you're fighting an evil computer," Odd joked.

Aelita stared up at the sky, "It's so beautiful," she whispered, seemingly awed by something as simple as the sky.

Jeremie smiled in a typical lovesick fashion, "You're right Aelita," he said, but of course, like any good lovesick boy, he wasn't staring at the sky when he said it.

Aelita beamed at him, "I just wish we could see it more often."

Ulrich laid down on the grass, "Or, we could just enjoy it while we've got it."

"Ulrich's right. It's not often the stars are this bright," Yumi said, and Ulrich's heart almost stopped when she sat down next to him. And then, better yet, laid down next to him. She wasn't even a hairs length away. This night couldn't get any better.

Jeremie shrugged, "It can't hurt. We've already practically pulled an all-nighter," and he too laid down on the ground. Careful to put a little distance (but not too much as to be suspicious) between him and Ulrich and Yumi.

"My parents won't miss me for a while," Yumi piped in, and Ulrich not only heard her voice but felt it, really felt it, she was so close, "So come on you two, what are you waiting for?"

Aelita smiled and gently sat down next to Jeremie.

Odd on the other hand, threw himself down next to Aelita, "Eh, you can see stars anytime you want on the internet," he complained.

"But do they ever look like this?"

Odd looked up at the sky for the first time in a long while, "No… no they don't," and that mollified them all.

"There's something almost magical about it," someone whispered. No one was really sure who it was (certainly not one of the guys!), but it undoubtedly summed up the moment.

And in that moment, Ulrich thought he felt Yumi move a bit closer.

And for a moment, Ulrich thought about kissing her. The moment felt so right, so magical, so wonderful.

But when he looked down at her serene face he thought he couldn't break the moment. Not just yet. For now, sitting here, watching the girl beside him, would suffice.

---

The beat was addicting. Powerful. Consuming. Eternal.

And so was she.

When she had given him that look, that come hither look, it had set him on fire. He would've, ignoring all factors of cheesiness, followed her to the ends of the earth (and cyberspace) if that look had been painted on her face.

So it was really no surprise when he found himself out there on the dance floor with her, a little confused to as how he had gotten there in the first place.

They'd danced before. Always to strong songs with a good beat. Something consuming, fast paced, sweaty and too pleasant to be simple dancing. It was their dance of life.

He loved dancing with her.

The way she moved to the music, he could only hope one iota of her (beauty, glamour, shine, Yumi-ness?) was rubbing off on him. Because, really, he felt like a fool out there next to her.

It didn't matter though, he would've looked like a idiot several times over just to get a front row ticket to the Yumi dancing show.

He wasn't really paying attention to the mind-numbing (and ear blasting) beat, just her. Dancing madly along with the fast-paced song.

She smiled at him.

He hoped he smiled back- even though he was sure he had been smiling like a fool since the moment they had begun dancing.

And just when he was really beginning to feel the dance, feel her, the song changed.

And he didn't just mean to another fast-pace song, to the point where the transition was almost unnoticeable. No, a slow song had to play.

Immediately, Yumi did the worst thing she possibly could; she stopped dancing. She stood there, frozen, looking awkward, not quite sure what to do with herself.

He froze for a minute too, silently debating what to do.

He was turning so red, but he was sure (and so he prayed) that the dim lights were hiding him.

He reached out his hands… and put them around her waist.

She looked a little shocked at first, but then she smiled, and tentatively placed her hands around his neck.

Oh, this was bliss. Sheer bliss.

If he thought watching her dance was good, he was obviously missing an entire world; feeling her dance.

He really couldn't help it, he pulled her closer. She was just so addicting. He hoped it didn't come on too strong.

He supposed not, because she leaned her head on his shoulder.

Oh god… was she wearing perfume? He could've melted on the floor.

She was rubbing her pelvis up against his and he could've just stayed there and moaned all night long.

His eyes fluttered close for a minute, this had to be a dream. Everything was too perfect, too surreal to be anything else than a dream. If that was true, god, he hoped he never woke up.

Standing there, swaying to the beat, feeling Yumi pressed up against him (still sweaty from previous dancing as an extra bonus) it was heaven.

He could feel her smile, feel her glow, oh god this was better than sparring. Why hadn't he done this sooner? There was nothing wrong with slow dancing. In fact, it was all right. So right. And so wrong in all the right ways…

He saw Odd, giving him a cheesy thumbs up and a large over-exaggerated wink. But it didn't matter, Ulrich didn't blush, nothing could touch him. He was infallible. Not even Sissy could touch him, glaring daggers at him. And in fact, if there had been a XANA attack at that very moment, Ulrich wouldn't have even gone. At least, not in till the song was over.

Yumi lifted her head up, and bit her lip. Ulrich wondered if she was going to run away, he hoped she wouldn't. He prayed she wouldn't. He wouldn't be able to survive if she did.

But she didn't.

She stared there, swaying to the beat, arms tight around his neck, body pressed up against his. She almost looked expectant.

Ulrich tried not to, he really didn't, but his gaze couldn't help but be attracted to her lips. And for many moments, long after the song had ended and another fast one had come on, he stayed there, staring at those lips, caught in indecision.

He had missed the moment.

---

He walked her to the door, hands in pockets.

She was laughing at something he had just said (and he thought he was laughing too, though his heart was beating too hard to hear much else).

And before he knew it, those few precious moments he had alone with his Yumi, were just about over.

She smiled, and climbed up her steps (he followed, he always did), and she rung the bell.

"Thanks Ulrich, I had a really nice time."

And it was then, with her hair blowing in the wind, her cheeks pink from exercise, a smile on her face, that he leaned in and kissed her.

Kissed her.

And my, what a kiss.

He heard a little grunt in the background, but he would be damned if he wasn't going to ignore it.

Yumi pulled a way, cheeks pinker than before, a kind smile on her face, "Bye Ulrich," she whispered, and stepped inside.

Her father stared down at him, "I never really liked you," he said treacherously, and then he shut the door.

Ulrich's heart sank, but it needn't have. Next morning, when Yumi met him at their usual spot by the gate she met him with a morning kiss. A morning kiss that lasted way past morning, and instead for an eternity of love.