Authors note: This is random idea that popped into my head one late night. I originally wasn't going to post this, seeing how rushed it was, but I decided that I wanted to do a test run here on since I have a much larger project in the works. Constructive criticism is beyond appreciated.
Odd wasn't exactly sure of when he first noticed what was going on. He had been engrossed in strife with an especially persistent Megatank that day. Jeremie had explained some Lyoko technicalities and jargon that had just flown over Odd's head at the time. To be honest, he couldn't even really understand what Xana did to screw up the programming that badly or how it even managed to make their lifepoint system similar to Aelita's that day. All he knew was that he had to be especially careful on Lyoko, for devirtulization would mean death.
Aelita had sprinted off to deactivate the tower, Yumi had been fending off a rather stubborn pair of Krabs, and Ulrich was by his side helping with the Megatanks. Well he had been, at least. Both boys heard a rather loud thud, followed up with yelling. Before Odd could even ask about what had just happened, Ulrich had ran off to save Yumi from falling into the digital sea. When Odd knew for certain that their Japanese friend was safe and sound, he returned to the last remaining Megatank only to see it frozen in place. Its signature Eye of Xana had been completely exposed, but it didn't seem to be charging up for a shoot. Odd was incredibly confused by the orb's weird behavior. He walked towards it (which was kind of a dumb idea in hindsight, especially since he didn't just shoot the seemingly stunned monster) and knocked on its metallic shell. No reaction. Then the boy, for reasons unknown to even himself, decided to look in the direction the Megatank seemed so focused on. When he did so, he was met with a rather present surprise.
Ulrich and Yumi were kissing! Well, almost kissing. But that was besides the point. Not only was this absolutely perfect blackmail material, it was also concrete evidence that the two lovebirds liked each other romantically.
"No denying it now, huh." Odd chuckled to himself. This was even better than the time Kiwi made out with Sissi! But Odd had to wonder about something. Why did Xana's monsters care? Was the creature analyzing the two for future attacks? He hadn't really thought at the time that Xana would ever become smart enough to emotionally manipulate the warriors or understand how to use things such as friendship and love against the group. Could this prove Odd's hypothesis wrong? Or was he just overthinking this? He disregarded his thoughts for the time being and plopped down right next to the Megatank as the all too familiar white light had begun to coat Lyoko.
The following school day had been rather unproductive for Mr. Della Robbia. That isn't really saying much seeing that most of his time is usually wasted on food, flirting, and goofing off. Plus there's always the chance of a Xana attack ruining his school schedule. But today was a bit different from his usual slacking off. The recent Lyoko visit had actually left quite an impact in his mind. Not really the part where he was inches from death (he'd gotten quite use to that, to tell you the truth) or even the fact the Ulrich and Yumi had kissed. The thing he couldn't shake off was Xana's reaction.
Odd had asked Jeremie earlier that day if they could talk about Xana. The younger blonde had promised him that they could chat after school had ended. It seemed like time was moving at the pace of molasses, each class taking an excruciatingly long time. When the final bell rang, Odd immediately bolted towards Jeremie's dorm room eager to finally get his thoughts off his chest.
Jeremie was in the middle of working on Aelita's virtulization program when Odd barged into his room. He nearly removed the door from its hinges with the sheer amount of energy and speed he had used to open it. Jeremie, who had completely forgotten about Odd's visit, had been given quite the scare by his friend's sudden intrusion. He quickly regained his composure and turned towards the older boy.
"You know, there's this interesting new trend going around. It's called knocking at my door and PATIENTLY waiting for a response." Jeremie said dryly. It was rather obvious that Odd had gotten a laugh out of this. After closing the door, Odd hopped up onto Jeremie's bed and made himself comfortable. Jeremie adjusted his glasses and began to speak. "Odd, I'm actually rather busy today. So could we please try to make this quick?" Odd nodded.
"Of course! Anything for you Einstein." He chuckled. Jeremie rolled his eyes not so subtly at his nickname.
"So, what's up? Is there a reason why it's only the two of us?" Asked Jeremie.
"Well, it has to do with Ulrich, Yumi, and Xana." This answer got a raised eyebrow form Jeremie.
"Sounds like fun." He joked. "So, what's up with them?" Odd's mouth began to form into a grin which size could rival the pastries Rosa had served for dessert last night.
"Well, Ulrich and Yumi kissed!" This immediately got Jeremie's attention. "… or, almost kissed. I couldn't tell from where I was standing."
"That's pretty incredible on its own! Maybe they'll finally stop fighting. I'd be able to do more work with less arguments!" Jeremie exclaimed. "But as awesome as that is, how does this tie in with Xana?"
"It happened on Lyoko and Xana sort of… well… reacted to it."
"That's rid-" Before Jeremie could even finish his sentence, Odd had slapped his hand over the young genius' mouth.
"UH UH UH Jeremie! Let me finish." Jeremie sighed.
"Continue."
"Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes! The Megatank I was totally beating up just froze up and started staring at them. I've never seen one of Xana's monsters do anything similar. Makes me think."
"You're thinking? That's a first on your part!" Odd glared at the younger boy. Jeremie tensed up and let Odd continue.
"And since then, I've kind of had this weird thought on my mind. Do you think Xana understands the concept of love?" Jeremie had been taken aback by the strangequestion. The gang had always seen Xana as vile, its only goal being to kill off the Lyoko Warriors. None of them had ever thought of looking at the AI on a more human level.
"Of course not. That's a ridiculous question, even for you. Xana is an AI. It's not capable of understanding things such as human emotion. Especially one as powerful as love." Odd grimaced at the response.
"That's what I expected you to say. But I have this gut feeling that says otherwise. Xana always seems to attack Ulrich in front of Yumi or vica versa. Same with you and Aelita. It's obvious that you're in love with each other." Jeremie blushed profusely at what Odd had just said, much to his friend's amusement. Odd paused for a moment to let Jeremie calm down and then started up again. "And maybe Xana has learned how to use attacks that weaken us emotionally and physically." Odd waited for a response from his friend, but got none. It seemed like Jeremie was attempting to form a reply to what Odd had just told him, but had been left incapable.
"I've never really thought of it like that. If that's true, then I'm afraid of what else Xana is capable of." Jeremie's demeanor and tone had become cold. "I- i- I'm sorry Odd, I don't really have an answer for you. At least not right now." Odd frowned but accepted his reply.
"Thanks for talking to me anyway. It didn't really clear up much, but at least I got it off my chest." Odd said as he got up and began to walk out if the dorm. "Keep up the good work." Jeremie weakly smiled at the complement.
"Thank you too. Goodnight." Jeremie replied as he watched the door shut. The boy sat on his bed and attempted to relax. He had a feeling that he was going to be doing quite a bit of contemplating that night. Jeremie usually did his fair share of thinking, but tonight was going to be different. His overall view on Xana, Lyoko, and love had been shifted ever so slightly. Odd Della Robbia, of all people, had made him actually sit down and think. What a concept! Joking aside, Jeremie was terrified by Odd's realization. The implications of this rankled Jeremie as he tried to rest. But no matter what, he couldn't get the thought out of his mind. The idea of Xana hurting Aelita or anybody else he loved just to further manipulate Jeremie was a thought that he would never be able to get use to. He was not ready for that nightmare to become a reality, none of them would ever be. But if Xana ever reached that level of power, Jeremie knew that he would put up one hell of a fight.