I know that I'm in the middle of writing Love At First Fight and Shock to the Senses, but I just really wanted to get this up. I started it a few weeks ago and just finally finished editing it.
Anyway, as someone with a large scar, I know how self conscious a person can be. The Lyoko Warriors have to have accumulated a large amount of scars over all the years. And yes, I know that Yumi is not a shallow person. But when you have a large scar on your body, it's sometimes very hard to let other people see it, regardless of whether or not you are shallow.
Anyway, please read and review. :)
XANA's symbol flashed once more across the gleaming surface of the robot. Its jagged claw-like appendages swung menacingly in the air as it quickly advanced toward Ulrich and Yumi.
Gasping for breath, Ulrich held his broom tightly in his hand, hoping the makeshift weapon would hold until Aelita deactivated the tower in Lyoko. Yumi crouched behind him, left weaponless after her shovel had been destroyed during their race into the forest.
"Yumi, go!" Ulrich ordered, landing another sharp blow to the robotic monster with the broomstick.
"What? And leave you here to have all the fun?" she panted. She wiped the sweaty hair from her eyes while grinning mischievously at Ulrich.
Unfortunately, the monster took her distraction to its advantage and thrashed its claw at her neck.
"Yumi!" Ulrich yelled, rushing forward. Yumi tried to duck at the last moment, but XANA acted faster. As though in slow motion, the claw descended. A gleam of silver reflected from the sun burned Ulrich's stunned eyes. The awful sound of ripping flesh accompanied with a pained scream pierced the air.
Then, with the sound of wind rushing in his ears and adrenaline fueling him, Ulrich charged forward with a vengeful cry. Holding his broom over his head, he swung it heavily into the center of the robot.
Repeatedly, he beat the monster. The broom was cracking with the force of every blow. Aiming kicks at its spindly legs, Ulrich furiously forced it away from Yumi's unmoving form sprawled on the ground.
Panting heavily with sweat dripping fiercely down his face, Ulrich was ready to give a final hit and end the monsters attacks when it suddenly shook feverishly and fell to its side. The robot shone with blinding white light before Ulrich watched black smoky residue expel from the monster. Aelita must have deactivated the tower for XANA was gone, and the robot lay battered and finished.
Suspicious, Ulrich stood warily and watched the robot for any sign of repossession. Several long seconds passed uneventfully until Ulrich decided the monster was finally destroyed.
Throwing the broken broom aside, he raced to Yumi's side. Her long legs lay crooked and awkward on the ground, her body slumped sideways. One arm lay outstretched with her head resting precariously upon it. A curtain of black hair fell across her face, hiding her features. The occasional flutter of hair reassured Ulrich that she was still breathing.
Kneeling beside her, Ulrich gently readjusted her body so she rested on her back.
He reached out to move her head from its awkward angle of being pressed into the leaves on the ground. When his hand made contact with her neck, his fingers felt a moist warmth.
Pulling his hand sharply away, he saw that it was covered in thick, sticky blood.
Frantically, he moved Yumi's hair aside to examine what he hoped was a minor wound. To his dismay, the gash traveled several inches across her shoulder. The crimson blood seeped out at an alarming rate, staining her hair and the edges of her ripped sweater. It pooled under her resting head, making her raven hair gleam gruesomely.
The stench wafted into his nose, making his eyes water with the sharpness of it. Ulrich gingerly peeled away the corners of her torn sweater to see the extent of the damage. Undaunted by the grotesqueness of it all, he only cared about Yumi's safety.
No longer held captive from the thickness of the sweater, the blood poured freely. Shocking scarlet flowers appeared on Yumi's pale skin as the blood blossomed against it. The sight was nearly enough to make Ulrich sick to his stomach.
Tearing a piece of cloth from his own ripped jacket, he pressed it against the open wound to help clot the bleeding. His free hand dug into his pants pockets to find his phone. Briefly taking his eyes off of Yumi's steadily paler face, he called Jeremie on speed dial.
"Dammit, Jeremie," Ulrich growled into the phone. "Pick up!" The ringing vibrated in his ear until an anxious voice came through.
"Ulrich? Is that you? Are you and Yumi alright?" Jeremie's voice had gone up an octave in his worry.
"Jeremie! You have to do a return to the past!" Ulrich pleaded. The words rushed from his mouth, nearly tripping over each other in their hurry to be understood.
"I can't! Aelita is in the middle of a crucial download in the way tower. If I return now, we'll lose Lyoko. If I go back, we'll lose Lyoko and Aelita!" Frustration made Jeremie edgy. His shouts grated against Ulrich's ear as he clenched his fists angrily.
"Look, Jeremie. Yumi's bleeding! There's, there's blood everywhere," Ulrich's voice cracked, and he tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat.
Jeremie's response was lost to Ulrich for at that moment, he felt Yumi's body stir. She had regained consciousness and was stretching her uninjured arm toward the phone. Wordlessly, Ulrich handed it to her, sure that she would convince Jeremie that she needed a return to the past.
"Jeremie?" Yumi's voice was soft and weak, and Ulrich found himself praying that Jeremie could hear her. "I'm fine," she answered after a pause. "Don't do a return to the past. Our secret hasn't been compromised, and I'll heal. No worries."
Before he could take the phone from her hand and frantically beg Jeremie himself, Yumi ended the phone call. She carefully placed the mobile back into Ulrich's grasp before her hand fell limp at her side.
"I'm fine," she stressed, noting his anxious face. "Really, I promise." Her smile turned into a grimace as she flinched in pain.
"Yumi," he breathed, amazed by her resilience. Scarlet trails stained her skin from where his soiled fingers pushed her tangled hair away.
"Just a flesh wound," she quoted, trying to lighten the mood. Gripping his arm for support, she adjusted herself to sit upright.
The coppery smell of her blood filled his nostrils as Yumi tugged on his sleeve impatiently.
"Come on," he said, "let's get you to the nurse. We'll make up some story and get you all fixed up."
Yumi nodded, and then winced as her ripped skin stretched. The lump returned and Ulrich tried to clear his throat before tears formed and betrayed him.
With Ulrich carefully supporting Yumi's frame against him, the pair walked over XANA's fallen monster and toward the nurse's office for what seemed like the thousandth time.
Nine years later...
Moonlight filtered in through the breezy curtains of the bedroom. It danced across the bed, bathing Yumi in silvery light. Ulrich lay on his side with his elbow perched on the mattress and his head in his hand with an affectionate smile on his face. Not yet asleep, Ulrich observed his wife's resting form. His tired eyes traveled the slender curve of her cheek and the graceful arch of her neck as his free hand rested gently on her slowly rising and falling stomach.
The cicadas outside created a lullaby, and Ulrich felt his eyelids droop in weariness. He moved his hand from Yumi's stomach to brush her dark hair from her face so he could kiss it softly before falling asleep.
As he pressed his lips to her skin, she shifted sleepily. Her eyes opened a fraction to see his face.
"Ulrich?" she muttered hazily. She yawned and rubbed the tiredness from her eyes. "You're not asleep yet?"
"Nope," he answered quietly. The pair lay down once more and rested tired heads against fluffy pillows. The warm summer air floated through the open window as Ulrich wrapped his arms around Yumi so that her back was pressed flush against his chest. Her hair fluttered against her skin as he sighed contentedly. She giggled in response, and he opened his eyes.
"Tickle?" he questioned huskily. She nodded and giggled as he lightly ran his fingers against the sensitive skin of her neck.
"Ulrich!" she admonished, chuckling into her pillow. Her laughter made his face break into a wide smile. He kissed her neck, and she fell into another fit of giggles.
"Ulrich!" she repeated, giggling harder than ever. Not willing to relent, he led a trail of kisses down her long neck. All too soon, he reached the neckline of her pajamas. He pulled it down slightly to get better access to her shoulder. She jerked slightly under his touch, and he knew why.
Her scar.
Still, he pulled away the cottony fabric of her nightshirt and gazed at her shoulder.
Ulrich looked at the transition from smooth, pale skin to stretched skin that had knitted together to mend itself. It was a tragic sight to see.
Most scars fade into light shades of white and pink, but Yumi's alternated white and red with vivid staining. Valleys and dents speckled the old scar where the skin had not fully recovered. A sliver of shining, broken scarring twisted into the otherwise flawless skin.
Yumi, still breathless from giggles, turned her head to look at him from her peripheral vision.
Ulrich briefly made eye-contact with her before tenderly kissing the heart of the scar. A slow, sweet smile formed on her pretty face as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
"I love every inch of you."