Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko, but if I did, this was how I would have ended the series. XD

Caution: This story is rated T for intense, graphic language, so please don't read this if you can't handle really bad swearing. XD

-Nicole

-

Ulrich Stern was furious. No, he was livid.

He had returned.

William Dunbar, Ulrich's most hated rival. He had almost forgotten in William's absence how much he despised him.

Ulrich leaned against the archway, standing between his friends. A furious scowl was plastered on his stoic features as he watched William lead Yumi out of Kadic, towards her home. The nerve of him, just when he gets back, he already has Yumi eating from his fingers again. Mind her nerve as well, he thought menacingly to himself, telling him not to be jealous.

I mean, they were just friends right?

C'est tout copain, as she had told him.

Idiot, he cursed himself inwardly, as William and Yumi disappeared around the bend. He had the sudden urge to run after them, grab Yumi, and sock William. You even agreed to what she said, he thought, what did you say again? Oh yeah, fantastic that's great.

But Ulrich couldn't hurt William, as much as he would have liked to.

As Jeremie said, they needed him to fight Xana.

Pfft, Ulrich thought, that's what he wants you to think. Yeah right, all he wants is to be in with Yumi. If it were up to me I'd—

"Anyways," Jeremie's voice broke into his thoughts. "Even with William back, were still stuck in a major whole here. We have no idea how to destroy the Colossus. I want at least one of us here at school to be on the night watch. I talked with Yumi, she says she'll keep her phone on. I'll do it tonight, since I'm going to be stuck working on the Colossus.."

Aelita frowned, looking at him.

"That's four nights in a row Jeremie, even you need some rest."

"Yeah Einstein," Odd grinned. "Let me do it tonight. Oh yeah, Man Hunt marathon all-nighter!!"

"I don't think It's a good idea, Odd," said Jeremie at once. "We need someone responsible."

Aelita thought for a moment.

"How about William?" she said, "I'm sure he'll be up for it. He must be eager to prove himself again."

"You'd call him responsible?" Ulrich replied scathingly, eyes narrowing instantly.

"Well, it's settled then," Jeremy said, scowling at Ulrich. "Ulrich, you've just volunteered yourself for the job. Make sure you stay awake."

"Hold on a minute," Ulrich snapped furiously. "I never said—

"I'm warning you now, Ulrich," Jeremy said seriously. "There can't be any problems within our group. So you'll have to discard whatever romantic issues you have. Don't make them our problem."

He strode away towards his dorm. Aelita followed, looking over her shoulder and shrugging at Odd and Ulrich, throwing them a sympathetic look.

"Hey cheer up, Ulrich," Odd said nervously, looking at Ulrich's morose expression. "At least you'll have tons of time to write in your diary."

The brunette scowled even more.

"I'm going upstairs," he said darkly. He walked towards the stairs.

Odd shrugged, following in his roommate's wake. He had not seen Ulrich so surly in a long time. I mean sure, he was usually moody, especially when he was tired, or when Odd played some sort of prank on him. He even swore loudly at Millie and Tamiya, whom he was usually kind to, just for getting in his way in the hallway, asking him for an interview.

"Hey!" Tamiya had chastised him, while comforting a sobbing Millie. "What's your problem? Huh, Ulrich?!"

"Sorry," Odd apologized, scurrying after Ulrich. "He's just um.. having a bad day. Excuse me, ladies."

Ulrich immediately plopped down on his bed when they reached their dorm, turning his back on Odd. The blonde had an immediate urge to snap angrily at his friend, but withheld so, knowing it would only make him angrier.

Perhaps a different approach, Odd thought aptly.

"Hey.. Ulrich," he asked casually. "What's up? You seem kinda.. down."

Lame, Odd, lame.

Ulrich snorted passively, flicking specks of fuzz from his blanket into the air.

Let's see, Odd thought, when Ulrich's this moody it's either one of two things, Yumi or William, or both.

"Are you and Yumi having another lover's quarrel?" Odd asked slyly, losing all restraint.

"We're not lovers," He snapped immediately. Yep, definitely Yumi. "And we do not quarrel," He added sharply after a moment.

Odd rolled his eyes. Woaah.. those two are like so convincing with their whole denial story. He snorted inwardly.

"But it'll be nice, though," Odd continued casually, as Kiwi jumped up on his bed. "Having William back should take some load off us."

"Or put more on," Ulrich muttered under his breath. "Yeah maybe for you," he snapped at Odd.

Wow, both Yumi and William, he thought, inwardly grinning. This should be interesting.

"Oh I get it.." Odd said, leaning back on his bed. "You're pissed because William's back and that threatens your ride off into the sunset happy-ever-after with Yumi."

"Of course not, Yumi and I are just friends!!" He retorted hotly, whipping around to face Odd.

The blonde raised an eyebrow.

"You know, Ulrich," he said. "You've been doing this dance for 3 years now. You should just tell her how you feel. You're even taller than her now, so what've you got to lose?"

He sat back on his pillow, looking depressed.

"Everything," he said quietly.

"Come on," Odd said. "A girl isn't everything."

"But Yumi is my everything," he retorted defensively, immediately firing up again. "But she's already told me.. I'm not her everything. I bet you anything she's in love with William."

"God, Ulrich, you're so paranoid."

"You should see the way he looks at me," he continued obliviously. "It's like I'm the lowest of lows. Like I can't believe I've been gone this long and you still haven't told her how you feel."

"Isn't that what everyone looks at you like?" Odd snorted. Whoops, he thought, I let that one slip.

"Am I really that pathetic?" He asked quietly.

"No," Odd replied, now playing with Kiwi's floppy ears. "But people in love do stupid things."

Ulrich frowned, sighing, his head landing with a thump on his pillow.

-

Yumi Ishiyama felt incredibly uncomfortable.

For the first time in a long time, she really wanted to get home, as fast as possible.

Walking next to William, a guy whom you knew liked you, but you didn't feel the same way, could be extremely weird… not to mention scary.

"How—how does it feel to be back?" Yumi asked, speaking for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

"Nothing's changed, really," said William. "Everyone's the same as I remember."

"Oh," she said.

They continued to walk, stride by stride.

Why did she agree to let him walk her home?

Remember what happened the last time, she thought, he almost kissed you!

"Oh, there's my house," she said quickly, itching to get away. Her house was a few blocks away. "You'd better go before my dad sees you. He'd flip out."

As Yumi was about to turn away, William grabbed her hands.

"Wait, Yumi," he said. "I need to talk to you."

"Can it wait?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically high pitched. "I have a lot of homework and my parents—

"No, it won't take long," he said, gazing at her, gripping her hands firmly. "Just hear me out."

Inwardly wishing she was anyplace but there, Yumi faced him.

"Ok.. yeah, what's up?" she tried to pull her hands away, but he held them tight within his own.

He took a deep breath.

"I missed you, Yumi."

".. Er—you did?"

William looked at her fiercely, his eyes ablaze with passion.

"Being trapped, being controlled by XANA, it made me realize.. what's truly important. Yumi, I can't hide anymore—I love you."

Being powerless to stop him, William brought her towards him, kissing her firmly on the lips. Eyes wide with shock, Yumi tried to tear herself away as he wrapped his arms around her waist. She pushed him off, heart beating profusely, trembling with shock.

"What—what d'you—what are you doing?!"

"Yumi, what's wrong, please?" He said, trying to gather her back towards him.

"No-! What's wrong with you?!" she cried, backing away from him. "I told you William.. I told you before that I don't feel that way about you. I just want to be friends!!"

"After all this time, Yumi, you still love him, don't you?!," he said darkly, glaring at her.

"Pl-please leave me alone," she begged, turning her back and walking down the sidewalk.

He followed, storming after her.

"Can't you see, Yumi?! Ulrich will never—he could never give you what I could!!"

"Please—William!" She shook his arm off her shoulder.

"Ulrich Stern is a coward!!" He flamed. "Can't you see that?! He'll never tell you how he feels! Can't you see that?! Are you just going to waste your life away—

Spit flew out of his mouth as she slapped him, as hard as she could, her eyes blazing with anger. William stumbled backward, tumbling to the ground, holding his cheek. He looked up at her, staring in shock.

"Ulrich may not be a lot of things," she said, tears dripping off her eyelashes. "But he's not a coward. I'm sorry William."

She shut the gate to her home. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she opened the front door, walking inside, leaving an astonished William behind sprawled out on the sidewalk.

-

That night, Ulrich found it more difficult than he had thought staying awake. Though thoughts of Yumi and William still troubled his mind, he still had a hard time not falling flat onto the bed. He sat by the window, knees pressed against her chest. Leaning his head against the window, he could hear Odd's snores in the back of his ears. Slowly, his phone fell phone his hand and to the floor, as he dozed off.

He saw Yumi, her smiling form standing in front of him.

"I love you, Ulrich," she said, pressing her warm body against his. And then they were kissing, an uncontrollable lazy grin on his face as he wrapped his arms around her, eyes closed. Continuing to kiss her, he lifted her off her feet, her laughter rippling in his ear. He set her down on the bed that had appeared beside them and then pressed his lips against hers again, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He withdrew slightly, looking into her scintillating eyes. She was so beautiful. He smiled and bent down again to kiss her.

Suddenly, her eyes widened with fear and an expression of lurid horror flooded over her delicate face. He was suddenly standing from afar, a few feet away.

"William—please no!" She cried out, shielding her body.

Ulrich whirled around; William indeed was there, but he was not himself anymore. He was, once again, XANA's underling, the symbol of evil glowing red in his dialated pupils. William smirked, as Yumi's screams of fear filled the air. He raised his sword and she screamed again.

Ulrich tried to run at them, shouting at William, but he found himself unable to move or speak. He was powerless to save Yumi. It was too late.

As William brought the sword down, a demonic voice filled the air, "You never should have trusted me…"

Ulrich's eyes snapped open, his body drenched in a cold sweat. He fell off the windowsill with a thud, heart thumping, and blood rushing through him. He grabbed his cell phone, fumbling with it in his cold hands.

No, he thought, Yumi—no.. wait.. I was asleep, I'm sure she's fine. It was just a dream.

He closed his eyes, trying to calm down his breathing. He was terrified.

"Oh my god.." he whispered, pressing his hands against his sweaty forehead. He looked at his cell phone.

No, he shouldn't.. she was asleep, of course..

Unable to control himself he grabbed his phone, pressing speed dial one.

His stomach in his throat, he slowly heard it ring.

Once..

Twice..

Three times..

Where was she? No.. it couldn't be.

"Ulrich?"

Relief flooded over him as he heart her familiar voice against his ear.

"What's going on?" She asked groggily. "Is it Xana?"

"Er—no..," he said slowly, not sure of what to say. "I just—uh—

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" She asked, sounding irritated.

"Yeah, I-I know.. I was just—just—checking on you," he fumbled, immediately regretting his choice of wording.

She was silent for a moment, taking in his words.

"Oh."

"Are you okay?" He asked suddenly, sounding concerned and frightened.

"Yeah—of course," she paused. "Is there some reason I shouldn't be?"

"No-no.. of course not," he replied. "Just—yeah.. I'm sorry for waking you."

"It's okay," she said. "It's nice that you called."

"It is?" He asked and heard her laugh.

"Kuso," she cursed suddenly. "I've got to go. I think I hear footsteps."

"Ok, see you."

"Bonne nuit."

Hearing her voice reassured him, but it still didn't stop Ulrich from wanting to jump out the window and run to her house, just to make sure she was safe.

After all, what wouldn't he do for her?

-

Ulrich, after admittedly dozing off during the night, awoke early the next morning. Surprisingly, he didn't feel tired at all. He actually felt pretty good. He checked his cell phone: no new messages, it was six thirty. He smiled: he had just enough time before breakfast to meet Yumi outside the gate, before William got to her.

Stripping out of his pajamas, he snorted as he looked at Odd, who was halfway off the bed, snoring, drool slipping down his chin. He really did have to take a picture someday. Checking his hair in the mirror quickly, he bounded out of his room, only to smash right into Sissi. Stumbling for a moment, her skinny form came into focus.

"Ugh.." he groaned. "What do you want?'

"Oh nothing, Ulrich dear," she replied sweetly, swishing her hair back and forth. "I'm just an early riser, comme toi."

His eyebrows furrowed. Sissi an early riser, he thought, somehow that didn't seem right.

"Why are you outside my room?" He asked.

"Oh," she said. "Je suis attender pour Odd."

Ulrich blanched.

What the fuck?

-

Sissi, waiting for Odd?

There's something seriously wrong with that, Ulrich thought, is Odd not telling me something?

He checked his cell phone again. Dang, he thought, I wasted five minutes talking to that dipstick.

Quickening his descent down the stairs, Ulrich focused on his other predicament: Yumi and William. He wouldn't stand for it today, Yumi was going to pay attention to him today, not William. He was her best friend, the one to protect her, to take care of her, not William.

He opened the door to the outside campus, letting the smell of new life drift inside. Finally, spring had come. It was long overdue. Spring had always been his favorite season, a one of new beginnings. Ulrich strode towards the gate. No William in sight: that was good. Yumi wasn't there yet: another good.

He leaned against the gate, taking a deep breath.

Relax, he thought, she's coming. His dream last night still left him unnerved.

Or was he nervous for another reason? What would Yumi say? He usually didn't wait for her in the morning. Would his gesture come off as being over protective?

I mean, obviously, she just wanted to be friends. He valued their friendship above nothing else. What if she took it the wrong way?

"Hey, Ulrich."

The handsome brunette visibly jumped.

"Yu—oh hi, Hiroki," Ulrich recovered. He looked frantically around Hiroki's little figure. He didn't see Yumi anywhere. "Where's your sister?" He asked urgently.

"Why, are you waiting for her?" Hiroki asked, grinning.

"No—well, I just wanted to talk to her," He frowned. "Do you know where she is?"

"Not sure," Hiroki replied nonchalantly. "Mom and dad said she was going to be late."

Nervous energy bubbled inside Ulrich. Late? Pourquoi?

He followed Hiroki into Kadic, keeping pace with him.

"Are you sure that's all they said?" He asked. "Did you see her this morning? Is she okay?"

Hiroki turned and looked at Ulrich.

"You've got it so bad, man," he said, shaking his head. "Why don't you just ask her out already?"

The older brunette flushed with embarrassment.

"That's—

"Oh, there's Millie, gotta go," He said, running off. "Cya, Ulrich!"

Scowling, Ulrich swore under his breath. Taking out his cell phone, he texted to Yumi: Where r u?

He stood, staring at his phone for a while, waiting anxiously for a response. None came. Swearing again, Ulrich stormed off. Students were now waking form their dorms and starting to filter outside. He looked around for his friends. Instead, he saw someone that he definitely considered the opposite. William was meandering around the campus, under the trees.

Ulrich scowled unhappily, just seeing him made him sick. Then he noticed something unusually. William seemed to be limping and taking a closer look, Ulrich saw that William had a black eye. Unconsciously drifting closer to his rival, Ulrich studied him closely. Why did William have a black eye? He didn't have it yesterday afternoon.. he was—with Yumi.

"What are you looking at, Stern?" William snapped darkly.

"How come you're limping? Got beat up by some five year olds?" Ulrich retorted coldly. Some people turned around, watching the two. He could hear the whispers traveling.

"Shut up, you'll get yours someday, Ulrich," he said. "You may think your some hot shot but—

"What happened?" Ulrich asked urgently, in a icy tone. "Why've you got a black eye?"

Glaring at him coldly, William said, "None of your business."

-

Ulrich met up with Odd in the lunchroom shortly after his confrontation with William. Still feeling anxious and rather irritated, Ulrich slumped down into the chair opposite his roommate. He stared at Odd, who already had 3 empty trays beside him, and was working on finishing a fourth.

"Hey, did you see Sissi this morning?" Ulrich asked, leaning his chin on his hand. "She said she was waiting for you."

Odd looked puzzled and took a huge swallow, before answering, "What're you talking about? I didn't see Sissi this morning. I saw you had left so I took Kiwi out for a walk. You know Jim never wakes up early."

"That's weird," he replied. "I bumped into her outside our dorm. She said she was waiting for you."

The blonde snorted.

"And you believed her? You know she stalks you."

Sighing, Ulrich said, "I guess your right. I'm just distracted this morning."

"You're distracted?" Interrupted an angry feminine tone. Aelita sat down roughly into the seat beside Ulrich. "Jeremie stayed up again last night."

Jeremie sat down next to Odd, looking apologetically at Aelita, who scoffed, and looked the other way.

Ulrich leaned over, whispering in the genius' ear, "You haven't told her that you've been staying up for months now?"

"No," Jeremie replied in a low whisper. He rearranged his crooked glass, he again had keyboard imprints on his cheek. "Don't you dare say anything either, Ulrich."

The brunette grinned, leaning back in his seat.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

"Trouble in genius paradise?" Odd asked, noticing Jeremie and Aelita's sour moods.

"No," "Yes," Jeremie and Aelita answered simultaneously. The pink-haired girl continued to glare across the table, crossing her arms.

"Hey," Aelita said suddenly, changing the subject. She looked around. "Where's Yumi? She's usually here by now."

A sinking feeling pitted in Ulrich's stomach again. Everyone looked at him.

"No idea," he said, blushing slightly. "Hiroki said that her parents kept her."

"Oh, that's weird," Aelita replied. She took out her pink cell. "I'll call her."

His thoughts preoccupying him, Ulrich started to zone out, gazing across the lunchroom. His dream last night, Yumi coming in late, William having a black and blue eye, something didn't add up. He was beginning to grow increasingly agitated, more by the second. Yumi's safety was the most important thing to him; he considered it his job to keep her safe.

"Hey," a voice floated into Ulrich's thoughts. Two boys from William's class were passing by the lunch table, talking animatedly. "Did you see Dunbar's cheek? He looked so pissed this morning. Him and Stern started to go at it again."

"Yeah," the other replied. "He has other reasons to look upset to. I heard he tried to sneak in three hours after curfew last night and got caught by Jim: six hours of detention!"

"No way.." Ulrich breathed, staring after them.

"She didn't answer," Aelita said. "That's weird. It went directly to her voicemail. Yumi always keeps her phone on."

Jeremie frowned.

"You don't think—," Odd paused. "Could it be Xana?"

"I'll run a scan," Jeremie said, taking out his laptop. "But if a tower was activated, the super scan should have already notified me."

Ulrich suddenly stood up, glaring at William's back across the lunchroom.

"That's it," he snapped. "I've had it with this."

"Ulrich," Aelita called. "Where're you going?!"

Odd and Jeremie stood up, sensing danger. They watched as Ulrich stormed right over to William, standing across from him. He leaned down, getting right in William's bruised face.

"Where did you go last night?!" Ulrich snarled maliciously.

William didn't respond: he glared into Ulrich's fiery gaze.

Ulrich slammed his hands angrily onto the table. People heard the noise and turned around, eager to watch this new development.

"You were with Yumi, where-did-you-go?!" Ulrich spat again. William, once again, gave no response. Snarling angrily, Ulrich grabbed onto his shirt, forcing him viciously closer to him.

"You bastard—," William snarled. "What is—

"I swear, if you hurt her," Ulrich was now visibly losing it. He had never felt so enraged. "I'll give you a lot more to cry about than a black eye—

Flooded with surprising strength, William threw Ulrich off him. The brunette's head hit the wall with a sickening thud.

"Ulrich!"

"Oh my god!"

Ulrich recovered quickly. Wiping a drop of blood from his lips, he charged William. The two were locked together, trying to force each other to the ground. The cafeteria watched the engagement with excitement, some people starting to shout "fight, fight." Odd and Jeremie rushed forward towards William and Ulrich.

They didn't reach the two in time—

Knocking William off balance, Ulrich raised his fist.

"You—stay – away – from – her!!"

He swung his balled knuckles as hard as he could, making contact with William nose. The crowd around gasped with shock, some shielded their eyes, as they heard a deafening crack, blood flying everywhere. Stumbling backwards, William held his nose, blood squirting everywhere: on the floor, on his clothing, on Ulrich.

As William prepared to counterassault, Jeremie and Odd grabbed both of them, holding them backwards and away from each other.

"You fucking bast—

William never finished his curse at his rival. As the raven-haired Japanese girl, all dressed in black, stepped into the room, pushing her way to the front of the crowd, everyone fell silent. Everyone stared from Yumi, to William, to Ulrich, and then back to Yumi again.

"Yumi.." Ulrich whispered, all sorts of feelings washing over him. Relief, embarrassment, joy, repentance—

Looking horrified and astonished, she covered her face with her hands, looking at Ulrich. Her face paled as she saw William's dislodged nose.

"Kami.." she whispered into the dark silence that silhouetted the room.

Jean-Pierre Delmas, Jim Morales, and Suzanne Hertz rushed into the room. Suzanne covered her eyes in horror. Jim paled, his stomach growing queasy with this morning's six coarse breakfast tumbling around inside. Jean-Pierre, the principal, looked completely astonished at first, but then he stared at William and Ulrich coldly.

His lips seemed not to move as he said, "My office, now."

-

"This is not the first," Jean-Pierre thundered. "But this is the second time the two of you have gotten into a physical confrontation. Therefore, you have already been warned—

"But sir—," William said. "It's only because—

"I don't care what the cause is. Whether it's personal, about a girl, or anything else—it doesn't matter," he said. The two boys in front of him looked passive. He would have to be severe. For god's sake, a broken nose. Nothing like this had ever happened at his school.

Ulrich stared out the window, looking visibly indifferent, not having a care at all. He felt no sadness or regret at having broken William's nose. As far as he was concerned, he deserved it. All that mattered to him, was that Yumi was safe, damn the consequence.

"To make that this does not occur again, you both will spend 60 hours of community service together, with a relationship counselor. As well, both of you will face in school suspension for a month. You will participate in all classes, but will have no contact with any other students, only your teachers will give you their assignments, which you will complete with a proctor. I'm sure Jim will suffice. Also, you should know, that I am notifying your parents."

The brunette gaped at him.

"Sir, please," Ulrich began. "That's all fine, but don't call my—

"I'm sorry to say Stern, that you are in no position to argue. You both will report to Jim's office first thing tomorrow. Your counselor will notify you about community service. Now, get out of my sight."

-

None of the punishment meant anything to Ulrich at that moment. Although he knew that the realization would sweep in sometime, he was numb to it. All he wanted was to see Yumi. He stormed out of Jean-Pierre's office, striding ahead of William without a word. He bounded down the stairs and out onto the campus.

His friends were there: they were waiting for him beside their favorite bench.

They all stared at him as he stepped beside them. He only had eyes for Yumi. As he gazed at her, he realized that he couldn't read her expression.

"What in the blazes—," Jeremie exploded. "What the hell were you thinking?! Of all the times to pick fistfight with William—what the hell were you thinking?! Ulrich!! Are you even listening to me?!"

"Yumi," Ulrich said, completely ignoring Jeremie. He didn't care that everyone was watching.

She looked at him for a moment, her eyes shimmering, and her expression passive. She opened her mouth and then scowled, "I have nothing to say to you."

Dread flooded over Ulrich like a hurricane—his confidence was shattered like a mirror hit with a sledgehammer.

-

Ulrich had never felt so horrid in his life. The girl he loved refused to look at him, let alone speak to him. He didn't even fathom that their relationship would ever recover.

What could he do? How could he explain…?

He was only.. protecting her.

"We need to have a plan of action," Jeremie stated, swiveling around in his computer chair to face everyone. "We have two objectives tonight: save Franz Hopper, destroy Xana. Now that all of the Replika's have been destroyed, this is his moment of weakness. We need to act quickly and sharply. The first phase.. we need to draw Xana out. We need to get at what he's afraid off: that's Hopper. Aelita and I have located a faint signal: if we can get at it, it should draw the Colossus out. If it works, we can use my multi-agent system to destroy Xana once and for all."

Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich looked at Jeremie unsurely.

"Don't worry," he said, sensing their concern. "I'm going to guide you through step by step." He paused. "There's just one more thing we need to decide—do we want William's help?"

No one said anything. Ulrich stared at Yumi, who was still looking unconcerned.

"U-Ulrich," Aelita began tentatively. "We've decided that you don't get a vote on this one. So if the rest of us agree unanimously, then we'll include William in the group once again."

"So," said Jeremie. "Excluding Ulrich, everyone raise your hand if you want William back."

Slowly, Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita raised their hands. Ulrich never took his eyes off Yumi. She closed her eyes, keeping her hand clenched at her side.

"Sorry," she said. "But I don't think it's a good idea. I know him: He's a hothead and besides.. I feel like it's my responsibility about what happened before. I shouldn't of let him get involved."

"Okay, then," said Jeremie quietly. "No William. But we all agree, meet at the factory at 7, okay?"

"Right," "Yeah," "Yep" "Sure," Everyone murmured.

Still gazing at her, Ulrich saw Yumi stand. She sighed and then waved lazily at all of them.

"I've got to go," she said, sounding unenthusiastic. "I promised my mom."

"Okay," Aelita said, nodded and waving. "Bye!"

"Bye, Yumi," Ulrich said firmly.

As he stared at her, he saw her open her mouth, as if to reply, but then she closed it again. She closed the door and stalked off.

"She's got every right to be angry, you know," Odd said, crossing his arms.

Ulrich scoffed, still staring at where Yumi had been sitting.

"Well," Aelita said, standing up. "Jeremie and I are going to go to the factory now, to get a head start. Cya, guys."

"Bye," Odd said.

The two opened the door, only to find Sissi standing outside. The black-haired girl jumped, squealing in surprise.

"Oh, hi!" She said in a high-pitched voice.

Jeremie scowled.

"What're you doing here Sissi?"

"Uhm.. nothing," she stuttered, batting her mascara-ed eyelashes. "I just came by—to see Odd! I promised to walk—his—rat thing."

"What the heck?!" Ulrich mouthed at Odd, who shrugged. Two times in one day?

"Really, Sissi?" Odd asked, grinning mischievously. He handed her Kiwi and his leash. "Thanks a bunch."

She looked disgusted, taking Kiwi in her arms. Odd closed the door, grinning. Ulrich looked baffled as Odd sat down on his bed.

"What?" The blonde asked. "I never voted against cheap idiot labor."

"You never asked her to do it did you?"

"Nope," Odd said.

-

At seven o-clock sharp, Ulrich and Odd snuck out through the boiler room, entering the underground passage on the way to the factory. Maybe, tonight is the night, Ulrich thought, the wind wafting through his hair as he rode his skateboard through the sewer, maybe this is the night we actually are going to defeat Xana, after three years.

Three years, he thought, I can't believe it. I'm sixteen now.

He and Odd ran, grabbing the ropes and swinging down onto the factory floor. They landed swiftly, striding into the elevator. Ulrich pushed the button and they began their descent. The door opened. He heard Yumi's voice—

"I can't believe him," she was saying. "After all this time he still—

As Ulrich and Odd stepped out, she dropped the conversation she was having with Aelita instantaneously.

"So," said Odd, clapping his hands together. "Are we ready to rock and roll?"

Jeremie quirked an eyebrow. Aelita giggled.

"So, what's the plan?" Yumi asked, folding her arms. She looked agitated, Ulrich noticed as he gazed at her.

"The four of you are going to split up into two pairs. Aelita and Odd, you'll complete phase one: going into the digital sea to rescue and Hopper. Ulrich and Yumi: you'll wait in sector five to meet the Colossus. I'll guide you two through the steps."

"No way," Yumi said at once, scowling. "I'm not working with him."

Jeremie and Ulrich frowned.

"Can't you two just put aside your differences this once?" Jeremie asked, straightening his glasses.

"No," Yumi snapped immediately. "And Ulrich—stop staring at me."

The brunette flinched.

"Oh, is looking at you against the law now too?"

She whipped around to face him, glaring angrily into his eyes. He smirked: she hadn't even looked at him all day. It was a minor victory.

"Ulrich—Stern—you—

"I've had enough," Jeremie interrupted. "Yumi and Ulrich: you're just going to have to deal with each other."

"Fine with me," Ulrich said, turning towards the elevator. "Let's go."

Yumi looked scandalized. She gaped at Jeremie, who stared back fiercely. He motioned towards the elevator. But before anyone could step into it, the elevator door opened by itself. Standing inside, was William, hands in his pockets. His face was bruised, but his nose was reset. Everyone stared at him: Yumi gasped.

"What're you doing here?!" Ulrich snarled, stepping forward.

"William—," Yumi gasped. "Are you—are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied coolly, eyeing her. "Stern doesn't punch that hard."

"Oh yeah?!" The brunette snarled, ready to charge William again. Odd immediately grabbed his arms, holding his roommate back. "Well, you've got some nerve, showing up here!"

"So," William said, stepping out of the elevator. "Need any help? I saw you guys sneak out, figured you might need me."

"Well," Ulrich snapped. "We sure as hell don't want—

William completely ignored him. He looked at Yumi and Jeremie.

"Look, William," Yumi began slowly, looking at her feet. "I decided—We decided that—it's for your own good if you don't get involved."

His eyebrows furrowed.

"I don't understand—

"We just—I don't—I don't want to see you hurt," She said, lying a hand on his shoulder. Ulrich's insides swelled with fury.

"Well," said Aelita, breaking the icy silence. "William doesn't have to go to Lyoko, you know. He could stay here, with Jeremy in the lab."

"Yeah," Odd agreed. "That sounds good. Einstein does need a good protector. Is that okay with you, Yumi?"

"Uh—," she faltered. "Yeah—I guess."

"Okay, then it's settled," Jeremie decided, turning around to face the supercomputer. "Guys, off to Lyoko. William, you stay here with me."

"Sure," William agreed. As Odd, Ulrich, Aelita and Yumi stepped into the elevator, he looked at the Japanese girl. "Be careful, Yumi."

"Yeah—you too," she replied.

Ulrich's heart felt torn in two. He was certain now.

Yumi, his Yumi, was in love with William Dunbar.

-

"I'm going to send Odd and Aelita first," said Jeremie. "Yumi and Ulrich, wait, I'll send you guys in a minute."

Odd and Aelita stepped into the scanners.

As Jeremy began the transfer process, Ulrich looked towards Yumi again. She was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. For some reason, she looked deeply trouble, her eyes swimming with emotion. Ulrich felt himself melt inwardly, having the urge to hold her.

"Are you okay?" He asked her quietly.

Wordlessly, her eyes flickered toward him. He knew by the look that something was bothering her.

"Yumi," He began. "I.. uh—

"You guys ready?" Jeremie asked.

"Yeah, we're ready to go," said Ulrich, his voice going thick. He and Yumi stepped into their scanners. What felt like seconds later, they both landed into the forest region.

-

Ulrich and Yumi made it safely to Sector five. Surprisingly, they met none of Xana's welcome committee on the way. Jeremie had told them to stay put and wait. He said he was going to have to transfer his "multi-agent" system to the database, or something like that. He then babbled on in tech talk, at which point both Ulrich and Yumi stopped listening.

They sat across from each other in silence. Ulrich had taken out one of his swords, running his fingers along the sharp blade. Yumi stared ahead off in the distance, on alert for danger. Occasionally, Ulrich noticed her eyes on him, studying him.

"What's bothering you, Yumi?" He asked, looking up at her. She immediately averted his gaze.

"There's a lot of things that are bothering me," she replied.

"Which are?"

"None of your business."

"If something's bothering you, it's definitely my business."

"Stop protecting me. I can handle myself."

"Just like you handle William, right?"

She glared at him, eyes blazing with anger.

"How dare you?!" She spat.

"Don't pretend anymore, Yumi. I know you're in love with him," he snapped back.

She paused and then retorted viciously, "Maybe I am? What's it to you?!"

A swelling agony pitted inside him. It was even more painful than he had thought to hear her actually say it. All these years he had wondered why she had told him "Nous avons copains, c'est tout," now he finally knew. It was what he had suspected, she didn't love him, she loved William.

Breaking the solemn silence, Jeremie's voice filtered through the air.

"How're you guys doing in there? Any problems?"

"Jeremie," Yumi said. "What's taking so long? It feels like we've just been sitting here for hours."

"Er—well. Xana's troubling Aelita and Odd. I had to find a new way to transport them through the digital sea, since the Skid's gone. It's working, but Xana's trying to thwart my plan."

"That's it?" Ulrich asked, as Jeremie sounded apprehensive.

"Well, there's one other little problem." He paused.

"Which is?" Ulrich prompted.

"Sissi," he replied. "She found her way into the factory. We think Kiwi led her in. But, anyway, I've sent William to deal with her."

Ulrich snorted. Yumi glared at him.

"So we're stuck here?" Ulrich asked.

"Er—yeah, basically."

Yumi groaned.

"Great," she growled to herself. "Just what I need, to be stuck here, with you."

Ulrich heard, but chose not to reply.

-

"Hello?" Sissi called out. "Is anyone here?"

Her voice echoed through the factory walls, frightening her even more. Stumbling around aimlessly, she cuddled Kiwi to her chest tighter. Sure, he smelled bad, but he was something warm and fluffy to comfort her. She hadn't fathomed when she had placed her tracking device on Ulrich that morning that she'd wind up in a place as decrepit as this. She had just wanted to see where him and that Yumi girl were always sneaking off too.

What a place for a romantic get-away? She thought. But where's Ulrich?

She looked at the tracker. The signal had disappeared!

How—what the? She thought. He was just here a second ago!!

Her terror increasing even more, she looked around for an exit. She saw the ropes dangling from the platform above. There was no way she could climb up them, she had always received a failing grade in P.E.

Sissi Delmas was trapped.

"Please!!" she cried out into the dark distance. "Ul-Ulrich please come out! This isn't funny anymore!"

She squealed as a mechanical creaking nose blasted loudly through the air. It sounded like the factory was in motion, like something was moving on a conveyor, or some sort of cable. How could it be? Wasn't this place abandoned years ago?

Panicking, tears started to stream down her cheeks. Kiwi started to bark loudly in a high-pitched squander. Pupil's dialated, her eyes darted nervously around, searching for the source of the noise. It's volume increased. It sounded as if it was coming closer, up from beneath her. Suddenly, without warning, screams filled the air, causing Sissi to scream in terror as well, letting Kiwi fall from her arms. He scrambled to his feet, barking loudly at an area where the conveyors were moving, they seemed to be pulling something up.

Sissi continued to scream in horror as another wail of screams ricocheted through the air. It sounded as if something was being tortured. Suddenly, the creaking and the screaming stopped together.

"Oh my god," Sissi gasped. The cables came to a halt and a rusted elevator pulled into the open abyss. The doors opened. Relief swelled through her, finally, someone she knew. William was standing there, his shoulders hunched downward. "William, finally. What the hell is going on? Where's Ulrich and—

William's neck snapped upward, his eyes focusing on her. Something was wrong with him, his eyes were bulging out of their sockets, red veins pulsing, his body glowed with a strange black aura. A crooked, shady smirk curved onto his thin lips.

"Hello, Elizabeth," He hissed.

-

Some time ago, Ulrich had stood up and started to pace up and down. Yumi still sat against the wall, watching him with increasing irritation.

"Can you stop that?!" she snapped.

"Why?" He said, continuing his stride.

"It's annoying me," she replied crossly.

"I don't get it Yumi," he said. "Why are you so angry at me?"

"You started a fight in the cafeteria with William! You said you wouldn't be jealous. You promised me and you broke it without a care."

He turned towards her, his fury increasing.

"He walked you home. You were late this morning, not answering your phone," Ulrich said, flaming. "And then I see that he has a black eye. What the hell am I supposed to think?!"

"Honestly, Ulrich," she answered. "You broke his nose. Don't you think you overreacted just a bit?!"

"No," he snapped.

"You such an idiot," she exploded suddenly, looking close to tears. "Don't—you—get—anything?!"

Ulrich was about to reply, but he was interrupted as Jeremie's voice filtered through again.

"Yumi, Ulrich?!" He called out, sounding alarmed. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Yumi answered bitterly, looking away from Ulrich. "What's going on? You sound worried."

"It's just—William—he, he's possessed!" Jeremie finally spit out.

Yumi's eyes narrowed.

"Big surprise there," Ulrich commented sourly.

"Shut up," she snapped. "Jeremie, what's happening with William?"

"He attacked Sissi," Jeremie replied, breathing hard. "I think—I think she's knocked out, I don't know. But—William—I jammed the elevator, that should delay him a bit."

He paused.

"I'll go," Yumi said.

"What?" Jeremie and Ulrich asked together.

"I'll go and distract William," she said again. "Ulrich can stay here and deal with—whatever our job is."

"No way," Ulrich retorted. "You're not going alone."

"And you're going to stop me?" she asked bitterly.

"If I have to," he snapped, taking a step towards her.

"Jeremie?" Yumi asked.

"Yeah, that's fine," he replied, his voice shaking. "We can't let Sissi get hurt."

"It's her own damn fault for coming here," Ulrich argued fiercely.

"Ulrich—!" Yumi cried, looking outraged.

"C'est vrai," he replied. "If she wasn't such a nosy bitch—

"Jeremie," Yumi said, interrupting him. "Please send me now. I've had enough of this—idiot's company."

"S-sure," Jeremie replied, beginning to type in the de-materialization code.

"You—can't—be—serious?!" Ulrich shouted, absolutely livid. "You can't just let her go alone!!"

She scoffed, hands on her hips.

"Why?!" She snarled. "Do I need a big idiot in shining armour to protect me?!"

The brunette didn't reply. He looked at her enraged stance, his eyes clouding over with fear and apprehension. Images of his dream from the previous night played like a slide-slow in his mind. William—attacking her—killing her. And he wasn't there—he wasn't there to save her.

She flinched, seeing the way he was looking at her. She quickly averted her eyes, feeling herself blush. She felt warmth spread over her form, as the feeling of de-materialization washed over her.

But when she opened her eyes, she realized she was still on Lyoko—embraced in Ulrich's arms.

He closed his eyes, holding her tight against him. He savored the feel of her body pressed against his, shielding her with his love and protection. He clasped her tighter, as fear for her safety engulfed him.

"Ulrich—," She gasped as he pulled her close.

"Be careful," he whispered in her ear, words for her alone. "Don't you dare die on me."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, whispering in his ear, "I'll do my best."

As a thin smile spread across his face, she was gone, seemingly evaporating into the air.

-

The minute Yumi got out of her scanner, her cell phone rang.

"Jeremie?"

"It's me," he replied. "You can't take the elevator. I jammed it to keep William out."

"I'll use the ladder then, don't worry," she said. "I'm not afraid of heights."

He smiled.

"That was why I had you go. Good luck."

Her connection clicked off. She ran forward, grabbing onto the ladder, beginning her ascent upwards. Time was becoming short, she had to get to Sissi and William soon. If William got to Jeremy or the super computer, then things would be all over. She knew she had made another mistake. She shouldn't have agreed to let William even stay in the factory at all.

Halfway there, Yumi looked down and gasped. The depths below daunted her, elevating her fear. Trembling, she held onto the ladder tighter.

I shouldn't have said I'm not afraid of heights, she thought, it's just that I don't have vertigo like Ulrich.

Gaining back some confidence, she began to climb again, although her muscles felt weary. She had to make it; the world was counting on her.

-

They were almost there. Aelita could feel it. She could feel her father's presence there, waiting for her, waiting to be saved.

She and Odd continued to race through the red corridor, hoards of Xana's monsters following their trail, eager to get to Hopper. Breathing hard, Aelita turned, still sprinting, firing energy blasts from her hands back at her foes. Odd, who was a little behind her, destroyed a Tarantula.

"Jeremie," he called out. "What's going on? Give us an update!"

"Odd, Aelita," Jeremie replied. "Are you guys almost there?"

"I think so," Aelita answered. "Xana's increasing his firepower."

"You guys have to make sure you make it before he does," Jeremie said.

"How's the William problem?" Odd asked.

"I sent Yumi to deal with him."

"You left Ulrich alone?" Aelita asked, sounding worried.

"When you guys transfer the system to him—," Jeremy responded. "Don't worry, Aelita—I'll guide him through."

The pink-haired girl nodded soundlessly, dodging another red blast.

"Aelita!" Odd cried suddenly, pointing ahead and to the right of them. "Look!"

The room ahead of them split off into a deep circular channel, the walls alight with red. At the center point, looking like a huge glowing ball of energy was Franz Hopper. Finally, they had found him.

"Jeremie!" Aelita cried out in jubilation, overflowing with happiness. "You were right, we found him."

"That's great, Aelita," he replied, sounding just as pleased. "You know what to do."

"Right," she said. As she took a stepped forward, she cried out, getting hit with several blasts from behind her. Grimacing, she looked behind her. What must have been hundreds, thousands, of monsters were hoarded up behind them. Odd lowered his paw, gaping with astonishment. He looked around. They were surrounded. Every which way they turned, thousands of monsters were appearing, everywhere.

They had led Xana right to Franz Hopper.

-

What felt like hours later, Yumi reached the top of the ladder, barely having enough strength to hoist herself up and out onto the factory's top floor. Immediately on alert, she looked around, scanning the area for a possessed William. The coast was clear, for now. Striding forward, out of the small encasement that held the latter's opening, she looked around the open room.

Where was Sissi? But more importantly.. where was William..?

She whipped her head around: a faint whining noise rang through the air. She gasped.. it wasn't human! It sounded like—Kiwi!

"Oh my god.." she whispered in shock as Kiwi came limping into her arms, barely supporting himself on three-legs, the other hanging lamely off to the side.

That's right, she thought, scooping Kiwi into her arms, Sissi had Kiwi with her!

Frantically, Yumi looked in the direction the little dog had come from. Dread filling her, she spotted a tiny body slump against the wall. Sprinting over to her, Yumi saw that it was Sissi, a deep gash on the side of her forehead. Fresh crimson blood flowed onto the factory's floor. Placing Kiwi down, she turned Sissi's ahead.

"Sissi," she whispered. "Please, come on.. Wake up—wake up."

Carefully, she patted the side of the girl's head. Scowling in frustration, Yumi checked Sissi's pulse. It was strong: she was only out cold. If only I had some hot water, Yumi thought.

Whimpering softly, Kiwi limped up, placing his nose beside Sissi's bare arm, the sleeve ripped off. He started to lick her bare skin.

Slowly, Sissi's eyes fluttered open, darting around until she found Yumi's face.

"I feel—like shit," she stated weakly, her lips barely moving.

The raven-haired girl suppressed a chuckle. She held Sissi's head straight.

"Sissi," Yumi said. "Can you stand—

"Yumi—," she whispered, her eyes darting around again. "Where's Ulrich?"

A twinge of annoyance shot through Yumi. Of all the times, she thought, some people never change.

"That's not important right now— Sissi focus—can you stand? We need to get out of here—fast."

Sissi nodded feebly.

Yumi hoisted the thin girl over her shoulder, helping her stand. Moving slightly, Yumi realized that Sissi could barely walk. Dragging her almost limp body, Yumi's ears suddenly pricked and Kiwi beside her started to growl. She heard something: footsteps and a faint grunting or growling nose. Panic shot through every nerve in her body and she realized that she had to move fast, to find a place to hide. There was no way she could take on a possessed William by herself in this condition.

It took all she had to quicken her pace, dragging Sissi's body forward, whose legs were now dragging on the ground. Yumi guessed that she had slipped back into unconsciousness. The footsteps continued to grow louder. William would be upon them soon.

She knew a good hiding place, a place where she could barricade the door, but she had to get there first and fast. Grimacing with exhaustion, she heaved Sissi over her again. There was a clang in the distance, Kiwi growled, tensing immediately. She saw the stairs that led down to the tech room, their hiding place. Her and Ulrich had fought William in there before. Quickly, Yumi dragged Sissi down the steps, her feet making soft clunking noises as they hit the edge.

Instant relief swelled over the raven-haired girl. They had made it to the tech room. She reached for the door handle and yanked. It didn't budge. The door was locked.

"Kuso!" Yumi swore under her breath. Sissi opened her eyes.

"What's going on?" She said. "Yumi..?"

"Quiet!" the Japanese girl snapped back. She clasped her hand over Sissi's mouth. The growling noises of William increased. He was getting closer.

Yumi was trapped, stuck in a dead end with a limp dog and an immobilized human, who wouldn't have been much help if she could walk anyways. She had no choice. They had to stay silent for as long as possible and count on everyone else to do their jobs on Lyoko.

She hunched down into the dark corner. Setting Sissi so she lay across her lap, Kiwi cuddled into Yumi's side, whimpering softly.

"Shh.." she patted his head. "It's okay.."

She took a deep breath. Things were certainly not okay..

-

Aelita and Odd watched, helpless. They watched in horror.. Xana's monsters were slowly destroying Franz Hopper, Aelita's father. Thousands of shots were being fired at him and the white ball of pure energy squirmed, seemingly in pain.

The pink-haired girl's vision clouded over with tears.

"Daddy.." she whispered.

"C'mon Aelita," Odd said, trying to rally. He cocked his laser arrows. "We have to help him. Look, the monsters, they're not even paying attention to us anymore. They're vulnerable."

Aelita shook her head.

"It's no use," she said. "They're to many."

"Aelita, Odd!" Jeremy shouted frantically. "You have to get out of there. I'm going to bring you back to Lyoko."

"No!" Aelita shouted back. "We can still try one thing. I'll forward the multi-agent system to my father. Maybe he can use it."

"He'll never—," Jeremie shouted back. "He'll never have enough strength now Aelita. We have to abort the mission!"

"No—!" Aelita screamed. "We'll never have another chance. Without my father it's over."

"No, I'm bringing you back—

"Not yet—!"

"Aelita—

"Jeremie, listen!!" Odd screamed at him. "Just let her try."

"Jeremie," she said. "Forward the multi-agent system to me."

"Fine—," he grumbled, typing in the code. "I'll do it as fast as I can."

A data block popped up in front of Aelita. Odd watched as she immediately started typing the formula in. He couldn't take it much more. He watched Xana, attacking the ball that was Hopper. He couldn't just stand there. He had to do everything he could—to help.

The blonde cat cocked his gun, screaming wildly, "Take this—Xana you bastard—!"

As Odd sent arrows flying in every direction, Aelita and Jeremy scream simultaneously, "Odd—no!"

"Now—Aelita!" Jeremy screamed at the top of his lungs. As the monsters, in retaliation, fired back on the heroes, Jeremy deported them back to Lyoko and in the flash of a second, they disappeared, leaving Franz Hopper defenseless.

-

Ulrich paced back and forth harder than ever now, sweat bulleting down his back. Not only was the waiting killing him, but not knowing where Yumi was.. it was unbearable agony. Every time he closed his eyes, images of her and William flashed across his mind. It felt like hours since he had last heard from Jeremie.

He felt like a ghost, waiting to disappear into thin air. He had never been on Lyoko alone for so long.

How long was it going to take..?

"Jeremie?" He asked. "Jeremie, are you there?"

No response came.

Terror seared through Ulrich. What had happened? Was he stranded…?

"Jeremie!! Aelita—!" The brunette screamed into the distance. "Anyone—!!"

A rumble filled the air and suddenly, the whole room started to shake. Ulrich lost his balance and was thrown against the wall. Feeling sick, he slowly opened his eyes, his body shaking, either from panic or the force of the room, which, he could not tell. Horror filled him.

Slowly, materializing in front of him, was Xana's true form, his most powerful weapon, the Colossus. Letting out a blood curling stream, the giant, hideous, monster thumped its fist onto the floor, quaking the room and Ulrich was thrown against the wall again.

The Colossus slowly scanned the room, pin-pointing the location of its enemy. It found its target in the young samurai.

No, Ulrich thought desperately, I can't get devirtualized by Xana in sector five.. otherwise.. I'll be stuck forever..

The Colossus raised its giant fist, swinging it down towards Ulrich—

Thinking quickly, Ulrich did the only thing he could. Grasping his own sword, he pulled it out of its sheath, stabbing the sword through his own chest.

The world spun, slowly marveling him into the depths of darkness. Where was he..? Was this death..? He felt sick, he felt— agony. He heard screams—her screams—Yumi's screams. No, he couldn't die.. He still had something to do on Earth… He had to save Yumi.

Ulrich's body fell out of the scanner onto the cold, hard floor with a large thud. Slowly, he hoisted himself off the floor with a thud. Relief washed over him: he was back on Earth. But, what, how..? What was going on?

He grabbed his cell phone, dialing Jeremy's number.

No answer.

Cursing, Ulrich whipped around, his mind racing. He had to figure out what was happening—but most importantly, he had to find Yumi. He raced over to the elevator, slamming his hand down onto the button. It didn't budge.

"What the fuck is wrong with this thing?!" Ulrich screamed, kicking his foot against the metal. His leg cracked and seared with pain. Somehow, he had to get up. Looking around, Ulrich spotted his answer.

The ladder.

-

Despite the warmth of the body's around her, Yumi was beginning to feel cold. Time felt slower than ever. Her whole body seared with mental and physically agony. Staying still, it made her face her own pain. Clenching her eyes shut, she put a hand on Kiwi's trembling body. She tried to imagine happier things—

Her family, her friends—Aelita, Odd, Jeremy.. Ulrich—

"Yumi..?

The Japanese girl opened her eyes and looked down.

Sissi's was slowly blinking up at her, her eyes cloudy.

"It's ok.." Yumi said. "We're just—stay still. Don't talk."

"What's going on..?" she whispered. "Where am I?"

"It doesn't matter. Don't talk."

Sissi's beady eyes darted around aimlessly. The blood from her forehead had matted into her hair.

"I always—," Sissi began slowly. "I always wanted to be part of—your group.."

"Sissi—please, don't talk—

"I was jealous and envious of you.. U-Ulrich never even saw me.. H-he n-never even saw a girl until you.."

"Sissi—

"I admire you, Yumi. Because—you're the only one Ulrich sees."

Yumi smiled weakly.

"Thanks, Sissi," she said. "You're really not so bad."

"R-really?" Sissi coughed out.

"No."

Yumi looked up, closing her eyes again. She had just realized something. She was being selfish, hiding like this. No—she was the one Xana wanted. It was needless, she could save Sissi and Kiwi, bide them time at least. There was no reason they needed to be dragged into this. She was the one Xana wanted.

"Stay here," she ordered Sissi, letting her head droop onto the floor. "Don't move, don't talk. Keep Kiwi close."

"Where are you going..?" Sissi whispered.

Yumi stopped, her fists clenched. Her whole body was trembling now, shaking with fear. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Sissi," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "If—I-if this is it—for me.. I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Please tell—please tell Ulrich that I love him."

And without another word or explanation, Yumi sprinted off into the distance.

-

Odd and Aelita both felt as if they were physically thrown out of the tower. Landing hard on his side, the blonde looked up. They were in the desert sector of Lyoko.

"Oh my god.." he whispered, holding his stomach, still lying on the ground. "I feel sick."

He looked at his hands. They were trembling uncontrollably. His whole body was trembling.

"It's not you, Odd," Aelita said, now standing and trying to keep your balance. "It's Lyoko. Lyoko is shaking."

He tried to stand, but he couldn't keep his balance. Looking around, he saw that indeed, the virtual world around him was shaking uncontrollably.

"Holy shit," he murmured. "I can't even get up. What's going on?"

Aelita gulped, and said, "I wish I knew."

"Aelita, Odd!!" Jeremy screamed, panicked with worry. "Are you guys alright?! Did you make it?!"

"Jeremie!" Aelita cried back.

"Did you do it?!" he asked. "Did the multi-agent system work?!"

"I don't know," she admitted. "But by the looks of this, it doesn't look good."

"You're tellin' me," Odd agreed.

Suddenly, Jeremie exploded with rage, screaming at the top of his lungs—

"Odd, what the fuck were you thinking?! Why did you just go off randomly shooting?! You idiot—d'you realize you probably just doomed our whole planet—

"What the hell was I supposed to do?!" Odd shouted back weakly, flailing about on the ground. "I wasn't going to just sit there and let Franz Hopper, Aelita's dad, die—!!"

"Well, that's why I—

"SHUT UP!!!"Aelita thundered, her voice echoing. She had fallen to the ground on her knees, tears dripping down her face. "Both of you," she sobbed. "You're not going to fix anything.. It's over.."

"My god.." Jeremie muttered, seemingly in disbelief. "Lyoko—it's shaking—the core.. from the energy overload.. No.. Hopper—he.."

Odd looked down, scraping his nails against the ground in utter exasperation. He couldn't believe it. They had failed.

"This can't be happening.." he whispered, utterly stupefied. "There has to be—some sort of—mistake."

"Yeah, you know what it is?!" Jeremie screamed at him. "It's your mistake Odd— YOURS!"

The blonde cat suddenly started to tremble himself, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm—sorry," he choked out. "I'm—so—sorry."

"No, your not!! What the fuck did you think this was all this time?! Just some fun video game, Odd?! This is life—and death!"

"I'm—sorry!!"

"You don't just go off shooting randomly—when you don't even understand!! …..God—my god—I failed..," Jeremie's voice shook, it sounded like he too was now sobbing, muffled sounds coming through the speaker. "I led Xana right to Hopper—I fell for it. I let him win.. It was exactly what he wanted—and I took the bait."

Odd continued to sob, his tears falling onto the ground. This could not be happening—

'Aelita..? Are you still alive..? Anyone..?'

The pink-haired girl looked up. It was his voice, her father's voice.

"Daddy!!" She screamed. "Can you hear me..? Where are you?!"

"Aelita," Odd said. "What the—

"Listen—

'If you can see or hear this message, it worked.'

"Oh my god—," Jeremy whispered, unbelieving the message that was typing itself on the super computer's screen. "It's him—it's Hopper—!"

'I have the multi-agent system, but you all must leave here at once. Not just Lyoko, but the factory itself. The core is shaking from the overload of energy that is being created by Xana, who thinks he is destroying me.'

"Daddy—what..?"

'Listen carefully, you—must—leave—at—once. Xana is feeding his own energy into me, the multi agent system will allow me to compress the energy and send it right back at him, destroying him. But you must be safe and away from the factory, for the amount of energy that willed be released—the building will not survive.'

"But daddy," Aelita said. "What about you..? You have to escape!!"

'I must undo my own mistakes, Aelita. They should have never been your burden in the first place, nor your friends. For that, I apologize.'

"He's going—he's going to sacrifice himself," Odd whispered disbelievingly.

"No daddy—you can't! I won't—

'Heed my words, Aelita. Leave with your friends. And remember, my love will always be with you..'

"Daddy," Aelita cried out. "No—no!! You have to save yourself too—please!!"

His voice dry, Jeremie stared at the computer screen.

"Einstein..?" Odd said. "Ready to rock and roll?"

Jeremie nodded, his hands flowing over the super computer's keyboard for the last time.

"Yeah, let's do it."

-

Yumi was sweating hard. She felt sick. Her heart thumped faster than ever, each beat sounding like the smacking of a gong in her ears. Her every sense was on alert, as she crept along the wall, closer to William. She had found him and was going to use the only element she had going for her; surprise.

She knew she would only get one good shot at him. She had to knock him out—at least.

The world was resting on this one punch alone.

Meters away now, every centimeter counted. She had never been more aware of the noises she was making. The pounding of her heart—every intake of air in her longs—each clap of feet—and then – her cell phone rang.

William whipped around and on instinct, Yumi swung her fist as hard as she could—

"Konichiwa, Xana—!"

Holding his chest, William stumbled backward, tumbling to the floor. Breathing hard, Yumi watched as he lay there, body slumped against the wall, unmoving. Slowly, she drifted towards him. Had she done it..?

She reached her hand towards his sweaty face.

"William..?"

His bloodshot eyes snapped open, a wicked smirk plastered to his thin lips—

The Japanese girl flew backward onto the floor, blood spitting into the air from the fresh gash on her cheek. His vision on her left side immediately went blurry—wet blood clouding over her eye. Helpless, she tried to crawl away, hearing William's ragged breaths drawing closer. She cried out in agony as he stomped down hard on her harm, pinning her down to the floor. She saw him raise his hand, a ball of blue static energy twisting, crackling in the air—

"William—no—

"Don't—you—dare—touch—her—!!"

Ulrich sprang forward out of nowhere, socking William in the side of the head as hard as he could. With a sickening thud, William collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Not caring what damage he had done, Ulrich immediately knelt by Yumi's side, lifting her up in his arms. Fury rumbled inside him as he saw her condition: her cheek was split open, her left eye bruised and red.

"Ulrich—!" She choked out, unable to focus her eyes on him. "I c-can't see!"

He caressed her cheek, his lungs heaving. He was relieved, thankful to have her back in his arms.

"Don't worry, it's fine," he said. "It's just temporary."

Her chest heaved, tears rolling down her cheeks. He brushed them away.

"Ulrich—

"Shh.. Don't talk."

"Ulrich—there's something—this thing inside your jacket."

She fingered around for a moment and then brought out what looked like a little black chip, with a red blinking dot, a blue wiring hanging off the end.

"What is that?" He asked, staring at it.

"It's a tracker," she replied. "So—that's it. That's how Sissi got into the factory."

He gaped at it.

"She must have put it on me this morning when I bumped into her," he said. "That's why she made up the excuse that she came to see Odd!"

"Ulrich—," she gasped suddenly, holding her side. "Kami—I feel sick.. It feels like—the world is shaking."

"It's not you," he said, looking around. "The factory—it's shaking. What the hell is—

"Ulrich, Yumi!!"

Ulrich whipped his head around. Odd, Jeremie, and Aelita were sprinting towards him as fast as they could, looking terrified. They stopped in front of him. Odd was carrying Sissi and Kiwi in his arms.

"What's going on—?!" Ulrich asked quickly, as the factory quaked again.

"No time to explain—!" Odd replied, breathless. "Grab Yumi. We've got to get of here."

"Can you stand?" Ulrich asked Yumi.

She nodded determinedly, shaking as she tried to stand. She was too unsteady on her feet, paling immediately. She gasped as Ulrich wrapped his arms around her, picking her up bridal style.

"We've got no time to loose!!" Jeremie shouted, as he and Aelita grabbed William's wrists, dragging him behind them. The factory trembled, thundering warning sounds, knocking the heroes unsteady on their feet. They all took off in a dead sprint, heading for the bridge. They could hear the rumbling in the distance, the building's quaking keeping them off balance as they ran.

"We're not going to make it!!" Odd screamed, almost tripping. "The place is going to blow us apart."

Ulrich felt Yumi wrap her arms around him tighter. He looked ahead of him; they were almost halfway across the bridge. They had to get across it and into the forest, if the factory was going to blow, it would take the bridge with it, and they would all either be blown apart or fall into the river below.

The bridge shook with immense force, knocking them all side ways. Ulrich barely kept his footing, while, Jeremy and Aelita were sent flying to the ground. He and Odd helped them up, screaming. They took a hold of William again. The factory began to tremble uncontrollable. Ulrich felt his hair stand on end, the static electricity buzzing and cracking in the air. They were almost there—at the brink of the forest. This was it—the factory—it was going to blow—

A horrible, screeching sound wave tore trough the air—everything around the factory was blown apart, particles of dust and debris piling into the air. With a few sickening snapping sounds, like the crushing of bones, the bridges cables snapped, and it tumbled into the water below.

The heroes all dived forward, onto the ground, their bodies and faces covered in dirt and debris. Coughing from smoke instillation, Ulrich looked around back at the factory. It was bear, the island, only a few strands of infrastructure left, the rest of the debris floating to the ground, or into the water in a heap of flames.

But most importantly, they had made to: they had survived.

He turned, lying on his side, looking at Yumi, whom was lying underneath him. She coughed, closing her eyes.

"It's—gone," she whispered, looking into the smoky haze that was the factory.

Gazing at it as well, Ulrich nodded.

"He's—he's gone," Aelita choked out, collapsing into Jeremie's arms, beginning to sob. She trembled, quaking with her tears.

Jeremie slowly looked up. His glasses were shattered, hanging lopsided off his face.

"Franz Hopper," he said, his voice thickening. "He sacrificed himself to save us."

"Kiwi," Odd whispered, cuddling his dog into his arms. He whimpered, his leg hanging lamely at his side.

"Hey, Odd," Yumi said helplessly. "My mom knows a good vet. She's a friend of our family. I'm sure she'll fix Kiwi up for you.."

He nodded, still looking at his beloved pet. Sissi and William were unconscious, lying on the ground. Everyone was silent, still trying to wrap their minds around what they had accomplished and all that they had lost. Ulrich looked around at his friends. Aelita and Jeremy—in each other's arms—Odd holding his little dog—Yumi, staring off into the distance..

Lyoko was gone, Xana was defeated, but the thing that mattered to him most: his friends were alive and safe.

-

Things were strange after Xana's defeat, Ulrich had to admit. It was weird not rushing off to the factory every night. It was strange not having a daily return to the past, to not experience classes twice. He began to realize how boring normal people's lives were, compared to the exhilarating one he had been living. Everyone, for the next few days, seemed rather solemn. But the recent events had definitely hit Aelita the hardest. For two days, she wouldn't come out of her room.

Jeremie, even refused to go to class, until she came out, which was big for him, being the work-a-holic he was. Finally, she came out. Odd swore that Jeremie must have done something big to get her out of the state she was in. He claimed it was either "I love you," or a kiss. Ulrich just shook his head and chuckled. Odd always loved conspiracy theories.

His roommate was still – well, he was still Odd. That was something you could always count on. As promised, Yumi had snuck Kiwi to the vet outside of school. At the moment, he was still there in recovery, because his broken leg needed an operation. Ulrich was rather grateful, having nice dry sheets to wake up in for once in a lifetime.

And Yumi, well—much to Ulrich's dismay, he had barely spoken to her since Xana's defeat. She was so busy, always racing off from one place to the next. Whether it was helping Odd with Kiwi, comforting Aelita, dealing with William's anxious parents, answering Mr. Delmas constant badgering questions about exactly what had happened to his daughter, or rushing off to home because she was needed there—she hadn't had the least bit of time to even say "hi" to him.

He tried not to show how much it bothered him, but as the days rolled by, he was beginning to grow irritated at her constant absence.

"Hey Ulrich!!" Odd cried, sprinting up to where his best friend was sitting. He sat down beside Ulrich on their favorite bench. "Guess what? I've got great news. Yumi told me that I could go pick up Kiwi this afternoon."

"You mean she actually had time to speak with you?" he replied, eyes narrowing. Yumi was once again with William, and his parents. They were leaving and she was happily waving goodbye, a cheery smile on her delicate features.

Odd followed the brunette's eyes to where Yumi was.

"Don't tell me you two are still going at it?" he asked, rolling his eyes. "I thought you two had kissed and made up already."

"If I'd even had the chance to talk to her, we probably would have," he said, scowling unhappily.

"Maybe she's avoiding you?" Odd suggested, grinning.

The handsome brunette scowled even more, watching Yumi shake hands with Mrs. Dunbar.

"Yeah," he said. "Maybe she is."

"That's m'boy, Ulrich," Odd grinned, patting his roommate heartily on the back. "Always up for a good conspiracy theory."

The Japanese girl waved again to William's parents, wishing them goodbye. She then turned, heading towards Odd and Ulrich.

"Hey, guys," she smiled. "Are Jeremie and Aelita around?"

"They should be coming," Odd said.

"That's good," she said, sitting down next to them. "I have something to ask you guys."

Ulrich's eyes flickered towards her, crossing his arms unhappily. He hadn't even gotten a separate hello or anything. A few moments later, Jeremie and Aelita came over to them, noticeably holding hands. Odd whistled and they both blushed furiously, while the blonde chuckled.

"Hey everyone," Jeremie greeted them. Aelita managed a weak smile, she had huge bags under her eyes.

"Great, you guys are here," Yumi said, standing up and clasping her hands together. She faced them all, smiling. "Well, in honor of recent events, I was thinking that we should all go to the park and have a Japanese pick nick. Nobody has to worry, I'll do the cooking. So tonight, six o'clock? You guys up for it?"

"Sounds good," Jeremie said, smiling warmly.

"I'm in, but I want to pick up Kiwi first," Odd said. "Then he can run around, get some fresh air."

"Sure," Yumi smiled. "That's fine."

Ulrich raised his hand, scowling.

"Yes?" She prompted, gazing at him curiously.

"One question," he said scathingly. "Is William going to be there?"

Her gaze prickled, noticeably irritated.

"No," she answered after a moment.

"Right," he agreed. "I'm in, then."

"Okay," Yumi said, averting her eyes from Ulrich. She quickly strode towards the gate away from them, waving. "I'll meet you guys later. I've got to get home. Bye."

The brunette stared at her retreating form for as long as he could. After he could no longer see her, he stared up towards the ski, sighing in frustration. Would they ever end this dance, this game…?

An hour later, Odd and Ulrich headed to the vet's office to pick Kiwi up. Jeremie and Aelita had been summoned to Jean-Pierre's office for more questioning by the police. Everyone, Sissi and William included, had been questioned about the mysterious explosion of the factory. Sissi was not a problem, since she apparently had been diagnosed with "temporary amnesia" and could not remember a thing. William on the other hand, after some sort of "persuasion" from Yumi, had been rendered silent as well. (Ulrich had badgered Aelita for hours, trying to get the exact "terms" of the persuasion out of her, but she claimed that she was informed "not to tell anyone, especially you").

The police now believed that the whole incident was a science experiment gone wrong, which was part of the truth, in all. Jeremie summed up that he had been experimenting with different sorts of chemicals, unaware of the reactions they would cause. His friends had come along to see what he was doing, but Sissi and William had snuck in, curious as to what was happening. A few of the chemicals suddenly reacted, causing an explosion. He explained that he had meant to put on a fireworks show in celebration for the end of term at school.

Luckily, everyone was far enough away not to be harmed. The police seemed apprehensive at first, but they examined the scene and could find no other explanation. They were forced to believe Jeremie's story and luckily since he was an adolescent, they waved any disturbance charges that could have been filed, suggesting that Jean-Pierre keep a "closer" watch on where his students went after dark.

On the way to the vet's office, Ulrich watched in exasperation as him and Odd ran into an old woman who was walking her ferrets. The blonde couldn't resist not touching them and immediately after doing so started sneezing hysterically. Ulrich immediately started to crack up as Odd became purple in the face after sneezing some twenty times in a row.

"Hey," Ulrich said, as they moved away from the lady with the ferrets. His ribs hurt from laughing so hard. "Curiosity killed the cat."

"Ferrets—ACHOO!" Odd muttered. "Of all the—ACHOO—things to be allergic to. Smelly, oily, little rats."

"At least their potty trained," the brunette snorted as his roommate glared at him.

Not looking where he was going, Ulrich accidentally bumped into someone on the sidewalk. They dropped all the shirts they had been holding, presumably having just picked them up from a tailor.

"Sorry," Ulrich apologized, helping the man pick them up. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Here—

Handing the man his shirts back, Ulrich stood up, seeing that the man was rather short. He stood at least a head over him. Shock flooding over him, Ulrich immediately recognized the familiar face—

"Mr. Ishiyama—!" he blurted out. "Hi—."

"Oh," he replied stiffly. "Hello, Ulrich. And.. your friend..?"

"ACHOO—sorry, I'm Odd. Yumi's friend."

"I'm sorry—," Mr. Ishiyama said, staring at the spiky-haired blonde boy. "I didn't catch your name."

"That's Odd," Ulrich stepped in. "I'm sorry that we bumped into you."

"It's fine," he said, eyeing them both. "Er—," he began again, after pausing. "How's Yumi..? I heard she was in an accident."

"She's—fine," Ulrich said. That's strange, he thought, him asking us how Yumi is.. picking his shirts up from the tailor..?

"Er—well, I'm late," he said. "Goodbye."

He walked off, quickly striding past them. Ulrich stared after him, thinking hard.

"You coming..?" Odd asked, watching Ulrich staring off into space.

"Yeah," he muttered, distracted. "Let's go."

Mr. Ishiyama.. asking how Yumi was like he didn't know? But wouldn't he have seen her at home..? And then.. picking his shirts up from a tailor, Ulrich thought, scowling, as he walked down the street next to his best friend. Odd was now chatting away happily about picking Kiwi up. When Ulrich prompted him about the strange occurrence, Odd shrugged it off with ease.

The brunette knew otherwise though: something didn't add up.

-

Yumi was late coming to her own pick nick, something that irritated Ulrich to no end.

15 minutes, he thought, she was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago.

His eyes scanned his surroundings, Odd lay sprawled out on the grass, a lazy grin on his face as he watched Kiwi prance around the trees curiously. Jeremie and Aelita sat a little off in the distance, talking, staring at the small brook that ran through the hillside park. The sky was already a hazy blue, the sun's rays barely streaming in through the clouds.

"Give it a rest, Ulrich," Odd said, rolling his eyes and sitting up. "You look like you're waiting for a time bomb to explode."

He turned his head slightly, glaring at the jokester.

Odd chuckled laying back down, his hands behind his head

"It's true."

Staring ahead through the trees, Ulrich heard a familiar voice that made his heart smoke with jealousy inside his chest.

"Yumi," he heard William's voice call out. "I found them. They're right over here."

"Oh, right," he heard her reply. "Coming, hold on a sec."

"What're you doing here?!" Ulrich snarled viciously as William's head appeared through the trees.

"Actually," Yumi responded for him. "Thanks for giving me the idea, Ulrich—I decided to invite William after all—seeing all he's been through—figured it'd be nice to have the whole team her."

"Ooooh.." Odd hooted loudly. "Buuuurnn.."

William gave a complimentary smirk as Yumi smiled warmly at him. Glaring furiously at them both, Ulrich sat down, defeated. He watched Yumi, absolutely livid, as she set a basket full of food down on the grass. Her gaze flickered towards him, but she immediately withdrew the contact.

Jeremie, pulling Aelita by the hand along with him, sat down beside their friends.

"So.." Odd said, immediately trying to snatch the basket from Yumi. "What did you bring?"

"You'll see," she replied, taking out napkins and little soup like dishes. She handed some to everyone, handing double to Odd, saying nastily, "You can give Ulrich his, he seems to want the extra attention."

Everyone chuckled to themselves at Ulrich's expense, even Aelita managed a small smile. Yumi pretended not to notice, beginning to take out a container of what-looked-like soup. She began pouring everyone a portion.

"What is it?" Odd asked, sniffing his bowl.

"Soup, obviously," Jeremie replied.

"Oh," the blonde grinned. "Good enough for me."

He began to slurp it all down, while everyone else sipped theirs quietly. Everyone's gaze flickered around from Ulrich to Yumi, both of whom were caught in a stare down. Ulrich was glaring profusely at her as he picked at his soup, Yumi acted as if nothing was happening, completely ignoring him. William, on the other hand, was needling a glare at the handsome brunette.

"What's your problem?!" William snapped at Ulrich, setting down his empty bowl with a clang.

"Haven't you already had enough shots to the head, William?" Ulrich replied calmly, still staring at Yumi. "Or would you like another? You know I would gladly oblige."

"Why you—

"Sit down."

Everyone whipped around, staring at Aelita. She was enraged, a look of complete outraged plastered to her face.

"Can't we all just—get along??" she hissed. "All you two ever do now is argue, argue, argue. Can't you two just finally whip it out and measure, for honesty's sake?!"

Everyone gaped at her; Yumi inhaled sharply, looking scandalized; Ulrich smirked.

"I second that," Odd peeped up quietly, barely managing to contain his amusement.

"Speaking of honesty, Yumi," Ulrich said, setting his bowl down as well. "Ran into your dad today."

Her head snapped up, their gazes locking. He smirked nastily, oblivious to his own insensitivity. Her mouth opened, agog, her eyes piercing his like talons. Suddenly, she set her soup bowl side, standing up. She brushed herself off, her expression suddenly passive again.

"I'm going for a walk," she stated, not looking at them. "Eat whatever you want."

Odd grinned and immediately dived into the pick nick basket, Kiwi yipping happily by his side. Jeremie and Aelita looked at each other, deciding not to get involved. Ulrich on the other hand, once Yumi was out of sight, immediately stood up. Staring into the darkness after her, he followed her into the trees.

He tracked her easily, hearing the crushing of leaves under her feet. She walked along the river's edge, Ulrich following her between the trees, treading silently on the damp moss. Finally, after a short walk, she came to a small wooden bridge that crossed the stream. Leaning on the rail, her head over the water, he could see her tears drip down over the side.

Agony tore through Ulrich as he watched: it took a lot to make Yumi cry.

Maneuvering through the trees, he wandered closer to her undetected.

"You could have told me, you know," he said, standing at the edge of the bridge, staring at her. The breeze whipped softly through his hair.

"It's none of your business, Ulrich," she replied, hiding her face.

He stepped closer to her, his feet making clacking noises on the wood surface.

"You should know by now," he whispered, standing next to her, facing her. "That if something's hurting you—I will make it my business."

"Well, you shouldn't," she stated icily.

He smirked slightly, gazing at her intently.

"That doesn't mean I won't," he said. He paused. "I'm sorry— for what I said earlier—about your parents."

She trembled, tears cascading off her eyelashes.

"It's for the best," she said weakly. "Even Hiroki notices—they're much happier."

Seeing her so weak, so vulnerable, made him melt inwardly, engulfed in her pain and unhappiness. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, to allay her pain. Reaching out towards her limp hand, he laced his fingers with hers, running his thumb around her palm in soothing circles. To his surprise, she didn't pull away.

"Shh.." he whispered. "It's going to be okay.."

"I can't help—," she choked out. "I can't help but think that—it's my fault. If I wasn't sneaking out—lying to them all the time—

"Don't even go there, Yumi," he retorted sharply before she could finish. "You're just lying—

"How can you say that?!" she snapped suddenly, whipping her head around to face him. Her fierce brown eyes, laced with tears, locked with his gaze. Tears rolled down her cheeks, her eyes softening as she looked at him. He held her gaze for a while, her body still trembling, her eyes swimming with salty tears. Giving into his temptation, Ulrich leaned forward to embrace her.

Sniffing, she turned her heard away, leaving him frozen, inches from her. A sinking feeling rumbling in the pit of his stomach, he relinquished slightly away from her. The only thing that kept them connected was her hand, still loosely entwined with his, dangling pointlessly between them.

"So," she began quietly, still not facing him. "How's community service been..? I heard you got it pretty hard from your dad."

Incapable of forming a proper sentence, he simply nodded.

"William told me your counselor is really annoying.." she continued.

As she paused, he suddenly released her hand, stepping away.

She turned her head around in surprise, gazing at him in astonishment.

Ulrich opened his mouth to speak, finding his throat parched and dry. It seemed to ache with pain as it vibrated with his voice. He found it unbearable to look at her, his heart swelling with agony.

"I'll—just.. go," he said after a long pause, his voice sounding strained. "You obviously—would rather—you'd rather talk to William about this stuff.. I'll just go—I'm sure he'll find you."

She stared at him, reading his face. She'd never seen him look so hurt, so vulnerable. His eyes were clenched in pain, she wondered if he was suppressing tears; she'd never seen Ulrich cry before. As he stood there before her she slowly shook her head, looking down at her feet.

He heard her laughter, seeing her beautiful smile.

She looked up, her face beaming with radiance.

"Kami, Ulrich," she said, her voice tinkling with laughter. She took a step towards him, standing in front of him, looking into his swirling eyes. "I'm sorry for calling you an idiot, but sometimes you can just be so stupid."

His ears pricked with surprise, the hair on his neck standing on end, his eyes beginning to narrow towards her. What did she think this was? A joke? Did she find his shattered heart fun to toy with—?

And then, at that moment—something Ulrich Stern considered to be incomprehensible—happened. Placing her hands on his flushed cheeks, she leaned up, kissing him firmly on the mouth. He stood as still as a pin, overcome with shock. He felt the tip of her tongue slowly dart out, carefully touching his own. And then, after a long moment—that seemed like a split second—she broke the kiss.

The warmth of her breath caressed his face; he knew she hadn't moved too far away. His eyes remained closed, his lips still tingling—and then her angelic voice broke through his fuzzy, cluttered thoughts.

"Was it—bad?"

His eyes quickly fluttered open, seeing the look of fearful apprehension on her features.

His heart began to melt, looking at her.

"It was—so wonderful, I can't even describe it to you," he spluttered out breathlessly.

She blushed pink, a shy, small smile curving onto her lips.

Smiling, all other thoughts leaving his mind, he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled his nose against hers, feeling her heart beat against his own.

"Je t'aime," he whispered softly, rocking his body gently against hers.

"I love you too, Ulrich," she murmured.

Feeling his heart leap with joy, he pressed his lips against hers. It was wonderful—jolts of pleasure spreading through every inch of his body. He kissed her with all the suppressed feelings he had pent up for three years—all his love. It took every bit of his deepest restraint not to devour her lips hard, fast, and furious, wanting to claim what he had desperately sought after for all this time. Instead, he kissed her gently and passionately, enjoying exploring the new treasure that finally belonged to him.

As he tenderly ran his tongue along hers, she ran her hands up his firm, but soft chest. She kissed him back with just as much force, one hand around his neck, the other snaking it's way into his soft air. After his gentle assault, air became a necessity for her, gasping between each kiss. He was too enveloped to notice, turning his head to get a different angle.

Desperate, she reached around and clasped his cheek, holding him still. As he pulled away slightly, she leaned herself against his warm embrace, panting hard. He held her tight against him, smiling uncontrollably.

"You don't know how long I've waited for this," he smiled.

"Je sais," she replied quietly, closing her eyes.

"Tired?" He asked, kissing her forehead softly.

"Exhausted," she murmured, yawning.

As she cuddled further into him, only one sole word washed over his mind, finally.

-

It was unlike his sister to not wake up early on weekends.

Or so Hiroki Ishiyama thought.

It was unacceptable for anyone but his sister to do that. She was simply strange that way, he had decided.

The young boy scratched his chin thoughtfully as he passed down the hall, out of his bedroom. Had she even come home last night at all? He didn't recall hearing her click into her room, as she usually did when she came home late. His curiosity suddenly pricked, he stopped in front of the door to her bedroom. Listening for any sound, he slowly, quietly pushed the door slightly ajar, peering inside.

His sister was home. In fact, she was cuddled up in Ulrich Stern's arms, nestled up together under the sheets.

Hiroki gaped at them. Standing rigid for a moment, he suddenly smirked. Fisting his hand into his pocket, he took out his newly acquired cell phone— he had bribed his mom.

A soft click echoed threw the room— his sister's picture in her boyfriend's arms excellent blackmail material.

Hiroki chuckled, gazing at it.

"Well— it's about time."

-

Owari.

-

Woah… I think—that was really fun!! Merry belated X-mas everyone! Now, that, was how I think CL should have ended. I mean, it was horrible, what they did. They didn't resolve anything! For god's sake—I'm really pissed. You can't just lead up to things through the whole entire effing show and then just shit your pants at the end!! I'm sorry—I'm really angry, lolz. Well—was this my best effort ever? How did you guys like it? I loved writing it honestly, it was incredible—I love Ulrich, honestly is he not like the world's perfect boyfriend??

(Runs away as Tristian tries to bludgeon Nicole with a soccer ball)

Anyways—Merry XMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to '08!!

-Nicole

PS: Wish me a Merry Christmas by clicking on that little tiny review button over in the left hand corner of your screen! I think I hear sleigh bells! O.o