Code Christmas

A/N; so this is a contest entry for the forum Xana's Lair. (.) if you ever have time you should swing by and check us out, we are always happy to meet new people.

I hoped everyone like s this, especially since I haven't written for Code Lyoko in a while. Let me know what you guys all think okay?

The loud buzzing of the alarm snapped Ulrich awake. He blindly hit his alarm clock until it was silent once again. He gathered up his clothes and made his way to his room door. As he opened his door his cell phone began to vibrate.

Ulrich picked it up and read the screen, there was a message waiting for him from Aelita, it read; "Ulrich, you need to get Yumi a present, nothing like last year." He shook his head. It was still two days until Christmas.

Yumi was the last person he wanted to give a gift to this time of year. The fact that Yumi had been willing to talk to him after his last attempt at getting her a gift had surprised him. After all, she had been very upset.

"No more socks for Yumi this year." Ulrich pulled open a drawer and lifted a small box from inside it. This was his year, he thought to himself, this time around he was going to do things right. Besides, he might not get another chance. After checking to make sure the contents were safe he put it on his dresser and left to take a shower.

As Ulrich stomped down the stair well to the cafeteria he accidentally bumped into Sissi. She turned to yell at him but stopped when she saw him; oh, Ulrich dear, what did you get me this year? I know its not Christmas yet, but I just can't wait." She crooned.

"You don't have to wait to get nothing Sissi. I already told you I don't like you."

"But you have to admit, you would make a wonderful couple." Yumi's cold voice tore through Ulrich. He turned to face her.

She stood with her arms over her chest, and glared first at him, then at Sissi. Ulrich gulped. He had hoped that Yumi would put last year's last minute gift aside. She obviously hadn't.

"Don't you have some shopping to do Ulrich? Or are you just going to throw whatever comes to hand at me again." Ulrich blushed in embarrassment. Yumi hmphed and walked over to their normal table, making a point of sitting next to Odd.

Ulrich dropped into his chair next to Aelita. She looked at him quizzically for a moment; he normally sat next to Yumi whenever he could. "What's wrong with you two? Usually you're both almost inseparable?"

Ulrich looked over at Yumi who made a point of staring out the window. "Yumi is still holding the gym socks over Ulrich, which I don't really understand, they were nice socks."

Yumi turned and punched Odd on the shoulder; "they were your socks… Ulrich, I don't care what you get me. Honesty, if you don't get me anything… that might be better for me." She half whispered the last part. Only Aelita heard it and she frowned; Yumi was really starting to get depressed about all this.

Aelita laid a hand on Yumi's arm to get her attention. "Can we go talk?" Yumi nodded and both girls stood up to leave. Odd looked over at Ulrich; "what was all that about?" Ulrich shrugged; "no idea."

Yumi followed Aelita out of the cafeteria and into the hall. Aelita subtly positioned herself so that Yumi was trapped in a corner. She didn't want Yumi trying to get away from her.

"Okay, I'm here. What did you want?"

"Why are you being so negative? I know Ulrich messed up last year, that's going to happen, you're not perfect either… what did you do with his gift anyway?"

Yumi stood still for a moment. No one had asked her that all year, she had been trying to keep it from coming up. And until now she thought she was in the clear. But now Aelita had beaten her to the punch.

"I never got him anything." She mumbled quickly, hoping Aelita would back off the subject.

"I didn't hear that, try again?" Aelita put a hand to her ear. Yumi felt her cheeks heat up; "I didn't get him anything." She hung her head as a look of shock passed over Aelita's face.

Quickly though that shock turned to rage; "how could you have done that? Yumi… you know what he thinks of you. He practically worships the ground you walk on! And I know how you feel about him. Don't you try to deny that."

Yumi tried to push past Aelita, but the smaller girl held her ground. "Just leave me alone, I don't want to hear this." She struggled for a moment with Aelita before she managed to shove her aside.

With a short cry Aelita fell to the ground as yumi darted past her. Aelita pushed herself up and called after her friend as she ran down the hall.

Yumi ran down the halls, fighting the tears that were obscuring her vision. Without thinking of what she was doing she made her way up to the boy's dorms. She stood in the hall, unsure of what to do. Aelita had touched a deep running nerve, and had hurt Yumi badly in doing so.

It was true that she had never gotten anything for Ulrich. Three years ago she had told him that she wanted to be "just friends." she had watched how that had hurt him then, and it continued to do so even now.

She had meant it then, but now things had changed. There was no threat to everyone's lives and sanity. Yumi was looking at the world differently now. And Ulrich featured far more prominently in that new view of the world.

Aelita had dug into the hurt of not being with him and shoved it in her face. Sure, it hadn't been intended to hurt her like it was, but that wasn't what mattered. What did matter was that it was true.

On impulse Yumi decided to go into Ulrich's room. She quietly opened the door. She looked around as she stepped in; the room was pretty much the same as it had been the last time she had been in his and Odd's room.

She sat down on Ulrich's bed. It was still a few days until the twenty-fifth, and Yumi was growing tired of waiting. Last year she had meant to tell Ulrich her feelings, but he had screwed up and she got mad at him. Looking back she wanted to kick herself for what she did then.

It had been a brief moment of idiocy, and anger. And now she was still paying for it. It felt like someone was tearing her heart in half… and that someone was her. Another wave of anguish rolled through her body and she bent over, putting her hand on Ulrich's dresser to steady herself, she knocked a small box off the corner.

She reached over to pick it up. I was a just a small plain box, nothing special. As she lifted it something inside rattled. Curious and grateful to have a distraction she opened it.

Inside it was a silver chain. She lifted it out, marveling at the way it sparkled in the light. It was about eight inches long; hanging from two of the links were the stylized letters of her name. She gasped at the beauty of what she held.

Almost as soon as she realized what it was, she realized what it was for. Guilt surged through her as she set it carefully back into its box. Ulrich had obviously intended to surprise her with it. Without meaning to she had ruined that for him.

She had to tell him. The question was how. She needed a way to do it without totally ruined everything, which she had already done. With a sigh, she opened a drawer and pulled a scrap of paper from Ulrich's notebook.

She scribbled a not on it and set it on top of the small jewelry box and set that back on his dresser. She stood to leave, but then decided against it, and set the box on Ulrich's bed. Yumi took a deep breath and left the room, as she did so, she heard someone coming up the stairs.

"That's probably Aelita." She thought as she darted across the hall and made to run down the stairs. As she started down, her eyes locked on Ulrich's as they passed each other on the stairs.

Yumi made it the bottom of the stairs and immediately turned around and ran up the stairs. Ulrich was just closing the door to his room.

Ulrich closed the door to his dorm room and immediately noticed that his gift box was sitting on his bed. His thoughts immediately went to Odd, but he hadn't been up here at all. The only person that had been he had seen up here was Yumi… but it couldn't have been her, if it had, she would have said something when they past each other on the stairs.

Though she had seemed a little flustered as she raced down the steps, and she had not even acknowledged him. He hesitated, not sure if he wanted to know if Yumi had been in his room. Though, why would she have been here at all?

Ulrich pulled the lid off the box and sighed, nothing was missing. He pulled the choker style necklace out and watched as it glittered in the sunlight. He couldn't help but smile as he watched the light dance across the intricate chain.

By pure chance he noticed that, as he set the chain back into the box that the tissue was resting on top of something. He pulled it away to find a scrap of paper resting in the bottom of the box.

He lifted it and unfolded it. The note read; Ulrich, I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to find this. I hope you aren't upset.

He flipped it over, trying to find a signature, but there wasn't one, not that he needed one, the handwriting obviously belonged to Yumi. She was the only person he knew that had such hand for cursive.

He sighed; at least she wasn't angry, though his surprise was ruined. He sat there on his bed for a while, unsure of what to do. Yumi knew about his gift for her, should he just give it to her now? It was two days until Christmas what was the point of waiting.

With a sigh he sat back on his bed and held the necklace in front of him. He balled it up in his hand. He threw it against the door to his room, and curled up.

Yumi sat with her ear pressed against Ulrich's door she recoiled automatically when something hit the door. She waited for a moment, but all she heard was a muffled groan. Carefully she pushed the door open.

As she did so she braced for angry words, or at least some kind of thrown object. She took a hesitant step into the room and her foot touched something on the floor. She bent down and picked up the necklace.

As she held it Ulrich looked over at her; "well, you can have it I guess. Its not Christmas yet, not that it matters anymore." Guilt once again coursed through Yumi. "Ulrich, I'm sorry, I never meant to ruin all this for you. It is really pretty though." She slipped it around her neck and fastened the clasp.

"I know you wanted to surprise me with this… but I have something for you to, I hope that it makes everything better between us." Yumi sat down on Ulrich's bed. " I was supposed to give you this last Christmas, but I was stupid.

Ulrich opened his mouth to reply but was cut off when Yumi leaned in and kissed him. He sat immobile for a few moments after she pulled away. The only thought that passed through his mind was that her lips tasted like heaven, with a hint of strawberries.

Finally his brain re-engaged and he was able to talk again; "wow." Yumi smiled, and snuggled closer to his chest, enjoying the feeling of his arms as they wrapped around her. "I've wanted to do this for so long, you know?" this time Ulrich kissed her, and she kissed him back.

"merry Christmas Yumi." He whispered in her ear. A shiver ran down her spine as he spoke. "merry Christmas Ulrich." They kissed again.