I know it's cliche, but I felt like writing a Code Lyoko story. Please review! I love reviews with a passion.
Warning: This might not be the best story for Ulrich/Yumi lovers.
The campus at Kadic academy was quiet. Clouds rolled through the sky with a lazy attitude, the sun shining softly on the peaceful scene as birds chirped. The idyllic scene was shattered by the sound of two fighting teenagers.
Ulrich glared at the girl in front of him. "Dammit Yumi, can't you ever just be straight with me?"
The Japanese girl scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning away from him. "You're one to talk!"
"Seriously," he whined. "What did I do?"
Yumi glared intensely at him. "Look Ulrich, maybe it's best we don't talk for a bit." She began to walk away, then paused when her phone rang.
"C'mon Yumi," Ulrich said, cautiously approaching her. "Can't we talk about this?"
She snapped her phone shut and took a breath before looking at him, eyes still cold and angry. "XANA is attacking. We have to go to the factory."
As they jogged through the sewers, Ulrich struggled to keep up with the taller girl. Yumi stayed ahead of him until they reached the factory, where she was forced to stop and wait for him in the elevator. Ulrich slammed his fist into the button that closed the elevator and they stood in silence, sulking. Yumi stared stubbornly at the wall while Ulrich continuously glanced between the floor and his quasi-girlfriend.
"You know," he said slowly, still staring at the floor. "I'm getting real sick of this back and forth." Yumi blinked, and turned to him with a wounded expression.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, struggling to keep her voice calm.
The doors opened, and Jeremy turned around in his computer chair to stare at them with a frantic expression. "Hurry! Odd doesn't have many life points left, and Aelita isn't even close to the tower!"
"What's the attack?" Ulrich asked, crossing his arms casually.
Jeremy shook his head. "I don't know, but a tower has been activated."
Yumi nodded. "Right. We're off then." The door closed, and their conversation resumed.
"I'm just saying," Ulrich said, arms still crossed stubbornly. "All this back and forth gets frustrating. I care about you Yumi, why can't you just be happy with that?"
She stared at the floor. "It's not that simple, Ulrich."
He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I see how it is." The doors opened, and Ulrich stalked over to a scanner, fists balled at his sides. He looked up to call, "We're ready, Jeremy!"
Up in the main computer room, Jeremy nodded and began typing. "Transfer, Ulrich. Transfer, Yumi. Scanner, Ulrich. Scanner, Yumi. Virtualization!"
Ulrich felt a strange tingling sensation, and kept his eyes closed as a strong wind blew his hair straight up. A few seconds of darkness and then he felt himself fall onto the mountain sector of Lyoko. Yumi dropped next to him, and they shared an angry glance before turning away.
"Up ahead," he muttered, using super speed to reach the fight before Yumi. Aelita waved at him from behind a rock, and he could see she had already used her singing ability to form a defense wall. Ulrich jumped in front of the petite girl, swinging his saber wildly to deflect shots from the hornets that swarmed above them. Meanwhile, Yumi joined Odd in firing their weapons at the flying beasts.
Ulrich leaned back slightly to speak to Aelita. "You doing ok, Princess?"
She nodded. "Thanks for getting here so fast! The tower is still a long ways away...we got attacked and haven't been able to move much further."
Seeing that the hornets were distracted by Odd and Yumi for now, Ulrich looked up to speak to Jeremy. "Hey, Jeremy? Could you send me the overbike?"
"Sure," Jeremy said. "The tower is still a long ways away, but I don't see any of XANA's monsters on my screen. Ride fast!"
The bike materialized, and Ulrich slung a leg over the side expertly, Aelita jumping on the back immediately afterwards. He revved the engine, loving the sound of a machine roaring underneath him. Aelita clung to Ulrich tightly as they sped through the mountain sector, her arms wrapped around his waist. Unable to see, she allowed Ulrich to be her guide as he drove the bike as fast as it could go.
"No!" Ulrich yelled, turning the bike suddenly to bring it to a skidding halt. Aelita screamed as she was thrown from the bike.
"Ulrich!" she cried, seeing the digital sea below her.
Thinking quickly, Ulrich screamed, "Supersprint!" He jumped wildly from the mountaintop, zipping through midair to catch Aelita before she could fall over the edge. Once back to safety, Ulrich and Aelita separated to stare at the enemy that had made Ulrich stop the bike - the Scyphozoa. Its tentacles gleamed threateningly in the light as it slowly approached the pair, already reaching out for Aelita. Ulrich jumped in front of his friend, holding his sword out menacingly. Expecting the monster to back off, Ulrich was caught off guard when he felt the cold sensation of tentacles lifting his body off the ground. He dropped the sword in surprise, and gasped as he felt the skin on his forehead crawl with pins and needles, the tentacles pumping red light intensely around him. Aelita's wild screaming was faint, and soon was joined with Odd and Yumi's screams.
Jeremy yelled into his headset, "Odd! Ulrich has barely any memory left, you have to fire!"
Odd shot five arrows at the Scyphozoa and it backed away, letting Ulrich's body fall to the ground. "Aelita," Odd said quietly. "Get the tower."
"Right!" Aelita nodded and dashed into the tower. Soon its color had returned to normal.
Yumi stared at Ulrich's unconscious body with concern. "Jeremy, bring Ulrich in! He doesn't look good!"
"I'm doing it!" Jeremy said with a touch of annoyance. "Ulrich's materialization is going fine...he should be okay I think. The screens aren't telling me much, I don't know what the Scyphozoa did."
Yumi stared in terrified silence as Ulrich's body slowly faded from sight, his eyes closed peacefully. Odd put a hand on her shoulder as they waited to be materialized.
"He'll be ok," Odd said quietly. "Ulrich is too tough for his own good. Anything the Scyphozoa did to him, he'll hit that monster back even harder."
"I hope you're right," Yumi muttered as she watched her body pixelate around her.
All he saw was darkness. Slowly the darkness was replaced with voices, and Ulrich opened his eyes to see the face of a Japanese girl who appeared to be crying. He blinked, and she smiled.
"Ulrich!" she cried, pulling him into a hug. "I was so worried, I thought you wouldn't wake up!"
A girl with pink hair frowned at him. "Are you feeling okay?"
A blond boy laughed. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"
Another blond boy, this one wearing glasses, held up two fingers. "Ulrich, how many fingers am I holding up?"
Ulrich? That must be his name...or at least these people thought it was his name. "Uh...two," he said dumbly.
The boy with glasses smiled. "Looks like your intelligence isn't gone then. I guess you got away from the Scyphozoa without anything bad happening!"
Ulrich realized the Japanese girl was still hugging him, and he gently pushed her away. After standing and brushing himself off, Ulrich turned to look at the people in the room. A tall Japanese girl, a petite girl with pink hair, a short boy with glasses, and an even shorter boy wearing all purple. "Who are you?" He asked. "And where am I?" He looked around, thinking he must be in the lab of a mad scientist somewhere.
The boy with glasses frowned. "Wait..."
The boy wearing purple smacked his forehead. "Please, not amnesia! Not again!"
"Ulrich?" The Japanese girl asked timidly. "Do you know who we are?"
He shook his head wildly. "No! Should I?"
She nodded slowly, eyes wide with horror. "Yes. Yes, you should."
The boy with glasses held up a hand. "Let's stay calm. This must be the Scyphozoa's attack, it took Ulrich's memories of his life. Ulrich, do you remember anything at all?"
Ulrich shut his eyes, and felt a flash of déjà vu. "This feels familiar...you feel familiar. But I can't place it."
"Oh no," the Japanese girl muttered, holding her face in her hands.
The pink haired girl shook her head. "It's my fault...we shouldn't have gone so far ahead of the others."
Ulrich frowned. "Can someone please start talking sense?"
The boy with the glasses sighed and adjusted his frames. "I'll give you the quick run down. This is Yumi, that's Aelita, that's Odd, and I'm Jeremy. We fight an evil monster called XANA in a digital world every day, and one of XANA's monsters has stolen your memory. I will do my best to get it back, but it will take time."
Ulrich nodded slowly. "Ok. I'm just going to not ask too many questions. What should I do in the meantime?"
The boy named Odd turned to the others. "It's getting late, I say we go back to school. We can fill Ulrich in on the way."
The girl with pink hair - Aelita - nodded. "Good idea. Come on Ulrich, we're going back to school."
He cocked his head curiously. "I go to school?" The group of teens led him into an elevator, and soon he found himself in the sewers below the city.
"We go to Kadic Academy," Aelita explained. "We live in the dorm, though Yumi lives at home with her parents. Odd is your roommate, he can keep you in your routine since you have most of your classes together."
Odd grinned and slung an arm around Ulrich. "I'll just stay stuck to you like glue, okay buddy?"
"Sure," Ulrich said with a grin. "You seem like a nice enough guy to have as a roommate."
Everyone stared at him with raised eyebrows. Jeremy frowned. "This should be interesting."
Ulrich furrowed his brow. "What? Is it so weird to be nice to a new friend?"
"Ah, well," Aelita said, obviously trying to be tactful. "It is for you."
Jeremy laughed. "When you first met Odd, you hated him, said he was a pain in the neck!"
Ulrich forced a laugh. "I can't see why I would say that...but ok." He noticed that the tall girl dressed in all black had stayed silent through this whole exchange. When they climbed out of the sewers into the middle of a forest, the girl walked away without even saying goodbye.
"She must be upset," Aelita whispered to Jeremy.
Ulrich leaned into their conversation. "Someone mind filling me in? What's with Miss Mope over there?"
Jeremy blinked. "Uh, she's kinda...um..."
"It's complicated," Odd said with a wry grin.
Ulrich frowned. "Somehow, that line sounds very familiar." The whole group laughed, leaving Ulrich even more confused.
Odd gestured to the large brick building that loomed out at them in the darkness. "There's the dorm. We have to be quick and quiet now, so Jim doesn't catch us."
"Who's Jim?" Ulrich whispered as they sprinted across the schoolyard.
Aelita giggled. "A big scary gym teacher."
Jeremy seemed the most serious of the group. "If he catches us out of bed we'll be in serious trouble."
Ulrich nodded. "Right. Got it." Somehow, stealth came to him naturally.
He followed the others up the stairs, pausing to wave goodbye to Aelita as she stopped at her floor. Jeremy left soon after, leaving Odd to lead Ulrich to a simple wooden door.
"In here," Odd whispered. Once Ulrich was inside, Odd closed the door behind them and turned the lights on, revealing a simply designed room with a bed and desk on either side.
"Which one is mine?" Ulrich asked. Odd pointed to the one on the right, and Ulrich sat down, looking around the room a bit more. His gaze stuck on the dog curled up at the foot of Odd's bed. "Is that a dog?" He asked dumbly.
Odd glanced over. "Yeah, that's Kiwi. He's kind of the student secret, we can't let any teachers know he's here or I could get kicked out."
"Geez," Ulrich said, reaching over to scratch the dog's ears. "Seems like a sweet pup though." He looked up to see Odd staring as though he had just grown another head. "What now?" He was getting exasperated with these reactions.
"Sorry," Odd laughed nervously. "When you first met Kiwi, you hated him."
Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Look, I don't know who I am, or what my attitudes towards things are, or were. It would be nice if everyone would stop acting like me being happy and polite is weird, makes me feel like a social pariah."
Odd nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, class is at eight, breakfast is at seven. We usually get up at 6:30 to shower and get dressed. I set the alarm, you can just go to sleep."
"Um," Ulrich said, looking around. "Do I have pajamas or anything?"
His roommate shrugged. "You usually sleep in your boxers. If you'd rather, I have some sweatpants you could wear." Ulrich nodded and moved to change, slipping his pants and shirt off before pulling on a pair of sweatpants that Odd handed him. They were a bit small, but comfy.
"Thanks," Ulrich said with a smile before yawning. Odd nodded, obviously trying not to act surprised. He handed Ulrich a pair of earplugs, and flopped down to sleep before Ulrich could ask. When the room filled with snoring moments later, Ulrich understood. He put the earplugs in and lay down, pulling the covers up to his chin before falling asleep. The next morning, he was awoken by the alarm. Odd led him to the boys showers, where a number of students greeted him by name. Ulrich smiled and waved at all of them, figuring he must be a relatively popular guy at this school. After the showers, Ulrich pulled on a pair of clothes and walked to breakfast with Odd, observing the campus as they went. Odd provided a good narration.
"That's the science wing," Odd said, pointing to the building to their right. "Over there is the athletic center, the track and field are behind it. In front of us is the cafeteria. Rosa runs the place, she's a great cook."
Ulrich stood in line behind Odd, scanning the room to observe the dynamic of the school. Everyone seemed to have their own clique, chatting among themselves at various tables. Aelita and Jeremy sat with Yumi at an isolated table near the back, appearing to be speaking in hushed tones. Seeing him staring, Aelita straightened up to wave at Ulrich, who waved back shyly. He turned to see Yumi glaring intensely, and stopped mid-wave, a bit intimidated.
The woman behind the counter waved him forward. "What'll it be Ulrich? Your usual?" He nodded dumbly, and she placed a croissant, a bowl of hot chocolate, and a banana on his plate. Tasty enough. Odd led him to the table with the others, who immediately stared at him.
"So..." Jeremy said awkwardly. "Remember anything yet?"
Ulrich shook his head. "Sorry, no."
"How are you feeling?" Aelita asked. "Have there been any physical side effects to this? Dizzy spells, nausea?"
He laughed. "You should be a doctor! But no, really, I'm fine."
A shadow fell over his tray, and Ulrich looked up to see a girl in pink smiling sweetly at him. "Hello, Ulrich dear," she cooed. She twirled a lock of long dark hair around one finger flirtatiously. "Could I sit with you today?"
"Uh, sure." Ulrich nodded, moving over so she would be able to pull a chair up.
The girl stared at him. "Wait what?" She asked dumbly. "Is this a joke?"
Ulrich frowned. "No? Why would it be?"
A boy walked up next to the girl. "Sissi? Are you okay?" The boy was tall, with shaggy dark hair. He turned to Ulrich and glared. "Did you play a prank on her or something?"
Ulrich shook his head desperately. "No! I just told her she could sit down if she wants!"
"Oh." The boy calmed. "Never mind." He left, and the girl - Sissi - left as well, shaking her head in confusion.
Ulrich turned to his friends. "What was that? Seriously, why does everyone get so freaked out when I'm nice to someone?"
Odd shook his head. "You can be grouchy, but those two were people who you've...I don't want to say hated..."
"No, he hates them both," Jeremy said bluntly. "That's Sissi and William. She's had a crush on you for a while, but is really nasty so you've never taken her up on it."
"Only a few times," Yumi said darkly. "He never has been good at commitment though, so it never lasted long enough to matter - to him, at least." She stood and stalked out of the cafeteria, disposing of her tray's contents at the door.
Jeremy paused as everyone stared at Yumi awkwardly. "Right. So, anyway...that's Sissi. The guy was William, you two haven't gotten along because of..." This he seemed awkward about.
"What?" Ulrich asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Connect the dots for me, please!"
Odd groaned. "We might as well just say it! You and Yumi have been sort of dating for a long time, and William has been competing with you for her attention. The relationship has gotten messy a lot because of William and Sissi."
"It's complicated," Aelita said with a rueful smile. "But you get used to it."
Ulrich frowned. "I don't get it. If we're dating, why does someone having a crush on one of us matter?"
The whole table stared. Odd shook his head. "I know I promised we would try to stop staring at you like this...but Ulrich, you're starting to freak me out."
He looked around with a helpless expression until Aelita patted him on the arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry we're staring, it's just a bit strange to see you so calm about these things."
Ulrich laughed nervously. "What, was I an insanely jealous boyfriend or something?" The group was quiet. Ulrich frowned. "Oh."
"Anyway," Jeremy said. "I have good news. The computer does recognize your memory signature, but it's lost somewhere. I will definitely be able to locate it, but it'll take a few days."
"That's fine," Ulrich said. "This 'Ulrich' guy you all keep telling me about seems to have an interesting life. I don't mind living it."
The rest of his day was quite unremarkable though. He went to class, ate lunch with his friends - Yumi was strangely absent - then had more class before free time in the afternoon. Ulrich sat at a bench with Aelita, Jeremy, and Odd. Jeremy was typing away on his laptop (which appeared to have an infinite supply of battery) while Aelita quizzed the boys on history.
"Question seven," she read off a notecard. "Where did the final battle of the Hundred Years War take place?"
Odd pressed his fingers to his temples. "Uh...Paris?"
She giggled. "Um, no. Ulrich?"
He shrugged. "For me, today was my first class ever of European history. Which reminds me, where's Germany? A teacher mentioned that I'm from there."
"It's East," Aelita said. "Big place, lots of history."
Odd tapped Ulrich's arm. "Hey, it's Yumi." He nodded his head towards a tree across the yard, where Yumi stood with William. She glanced at Ulrich before laughing at what William said, leaning in to run a hand down his chest flirtatiously.
"Cool," Ulrich said, turning back to Aelita. "What's the next question? We went over Spain today, ask about that."
Odd shook his head in wild confusion. "Hold up. You're not upset that Yumi is blatantly flirting with another guy right in front of you?"
Ulrich shrugged. "Not really."
"Why not?" Odd yelled, throwing his arms out wildly. He sat to level with Ulrich quietly. "Ulrich, I can accept that a bit of amnesia can make you act differently...but this is a whole new level. How are you not burning up with jealousy right now?"
"Frankly, I don't care," Ulrich said bluntly. "You guys say I'm dating this girl, but I don't know anything about her. All she's done is be rude or passive aggressive to me, so I don't really care if she wants to flirt with other guys."
"It makes sense," Aelita admitted. "Last time he had amnesia, he went along with dating Sissi because he had no prior memory of her."
Ulrich looked across the school yard to see Yumi glaring at him. "Wow," He commented. "That girl is pissed about something, that's for sure."
Odd shivered. "I hate that look..."
The ring of a cell phone broke their conversation. Ulrich frowned and pulled the phone out of his pocket, holding it up to his ear nervously. "Hello?"
"Ulrich!" A man's voice, loud enough for everyone to hear, echoed from the phone. "What the Hell happened with that math test?"
Ulrich paused, looking at his friends for help. "Uh...I don't know?" He had no idea what this math test about, but apparently this man was very angry about it.
"You can't afford mistakes like this!" The man yelled. "Don't you want to go to college? Or would you rather be a dropout and live on the streets, because I'm not helping you if you fail one more time."
Ulrich glared intensely. "What the Hell is your problem?"
The man on the phone sputtered. "How dare you talk to me like that!"
"No, how dare you talk to me like this," Ulrich said. "You're a rude, angry person and frankly I'm already sick of you yelling at me. Goodbye." Ulrich shut his phone and turned to his friends. "The contact name said Mr. Stern, any idea who that is?"
Jeremy had stopped typing to look at Ulrich in shock with the others. Finally, Odd spoke. "Um," he coughed delicately. "That was your dad."
Ulrich raised his eyebrows. That man was his father? "Why was he so mean to me then? Pretty rude to start a phone conversation like that."
Aelita shrugged. "You always said the relationship was complicated...and you usually brushed off his calls."
"Geez," Ulrich said, leaning back on the bench. "I guess my life is generally pretty complicated, between an abusive dad and a psycho sort-of-girlfriend."
"She's not psycho," Aelita said defensively. "Your relationship is just weird."
"Why does it have to be?" Ulrich asked. "I'm just saying, the whole thing has been pretty weird."
"Maybe try talking to her," Jeremy suggested. "It could jog your memory to remember what you like about Yumi."
"Maybe," Ulrich said doubtfully. He turned to Aelita. "Let's do more flashcards." His phone beeped, and he groaned. "What, another daddy issue?" Ulrich read the text. "It's a text from Yumi, she wants me to meet her in the park."
Odd pointed at the woods across the field. "There's a bench you two usually meet at, just follow the path then take a left." Ulrich nodded and walked off, hands shoved in his pockets, a familiar pose for him. Sissi waved at him, and Ulrich waved back with a smile, leaving her looking quite startled once more. Once he reached the woods, Ulrich followed Odd's directions till he saw Yumi's lithe figure leaning against a tree by a bench. He waved at her, and she nodded in his direction.
"You came," She said.
Ulrich nodded. "Yup. Got your text."
Yumi sighed. "I'm sorry for being upset earlier...I shouldn't expect you to remember."
"Well, yeah." Ulrich gave the girl a look. "You do realize that for me, I met you yesterday."
She nodded, staring at the ground. "Yeah...I guess I hoped that you would somehow remember me and fall in love with me again based on deep seated memories...just a stupid romantic wish I guess."
"A bit," Ulrich joked. "You seem nice though - when you're not storming off or glaring at me."
Yumi glared at him. "Hey, I have plenty to be mad at. You may have forgotten what you did, but I haven't."
"Uh..." Ulrich scratched his head as he thought. "Are you mad because I talked to that girl, Sissi, this morning?"
"Oh, that's only part of it!" Yumi crossed her arms and moved away from Ulrich.
He stared at her, flabbergasted. "You really know how to turn a guy off, you know that?"
Yumi blinked with a fearful look. "What?"
Ulrich shrugged. "Look, I don't want to offend you, but you're not really earning 'girlfriend of the year' right now. You're mostly glaring at me, and apparently you're pissed about something I have no way of remembering."
"I'm sorry," Yumi said quietly. "It was wrong of me to do so."
He nodded. "Thanks. One question though - are we dating? My friends didn't really tell me much."
Yumi turned red. "I mean, we're very close...as friends! But we aren't...we can't be anything more than that."
"Why not?" He asked innocently. "You like me, the Ulrich I can't remember likes you...seems pretty simple to me."
"It's just complicated," Yumi muttered.
Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Of course it is. Everything in this guy's life seems to be complicated. Well, I don't feel like putting up with it. If you want to date me, say so. Otherwise, we can be friends."
Yumi froze in shock, her eyes welling with tears. "You're breaking up with me?"
He shrugged helplessly. "Sort of? It's hard to break up with someone if you were never really dating. Who knows, maybe I'll get my memory back and regret all this. But right now, I'm not going to play along with this weird game of complicated relationships." Ulrich turned and walked away, leaving Yumi by the bench in the park. When he got back to his dorm, he found Odd bouncing a ball to Kiwi on the floor of their room.
"How'd it go?" Odd asked. "You two kiss and makeup?"
"I actually broke up with her," Ulrich said casually. "That whole situation was weird. Plus, I'd rather not date someone so jealous."
Odd gasped. "Wait, you mean you actually broke up with Yumi?"
"Yup," Ulrich said, sitting on his bed. "I'll probably regret it when I get my memory back, but right now I feel pretty okay."
"Geez," Odd said, shaking his head. "This whole amnesia thing has got you turning your life around, you know. What's next, going to go become a superhero?"
Ulrich laughed as he flopped back on his bed. "Nah, I'm thinking more small time than that."
"Oh?" Odd asked curiously. "Like what?"
"I was thinking of asking that girl out," Ulrich said with a grin.
Odd furrowed his brow. "Who? Sissi?"
"Nah," Ulrich said, waving a hand in dismissal. "Aelita. She's cute, and nice. I figure why not?"
"Uh, cuz she's dating Jeremy?" Odd said. "Wake up Ulrich, you can't ask out a girl who's taken."
Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "They're dating? I never would have guessed, they're so casual around each other."
"Well, they are," Odd said defensively. "It wouldn't be fair for any one of us to ask her out."
"Any one of us, eh?" Ulrich grinned slyly. "You hiding something, Odd?"
Odd turned red. "No! Why would you say that?"
Ulrich threw his head back with a laugh. "You like her, don't you?"
"No!"
"Sure, sure." Ulrich shook his head, still laughing. "You all get more interesting every minute." He laid back on his bed, cradling his head in his hands. The gesture felt familiar, and Ulrich felt as though he had stared at this ceiling many times before. He had a bit of muscle memory, and some faint emotional reactions towards people, that much was obvious. But no specific memories had returned.
Odd's phone beeped with a text. He stood quickly, dropping the ball next to Kiwi on the floor. "Another attack is going on," Odd said. "We need to go."
Ulrich sat up with a start. "You mean XANA, right? The guy who stole my memory?"
"I'm not sure 'guy' is the best word for what XANA is, but yes, that's who is attacking." Odd stood in the doorway tapping his foot impatiently. "Are you coming or not?" Ulrich nodded and jumped to his feet. The boys sprinted out of the dorm to be greeted by a horrific sight.
"Oh my god," Ulrich breathed, surveying the disaster before him. An armored truck was barreling wildly around the school courtyard, and multiple students lay bruised and bloodied on the ground. The truck appeared to have crashed into the cafeteria windows repeatedly, leaving the ground decorated with sparkling shards of glass.
"Ulrich!" Sissi reached to the boys desperately from under a pile of debris. A gash on her forehead was dripping blood, and she appeared unable to move. Odd and Ulrich ran to her without pause.
"Can you walk?" Odd asked, slinging an arm around the taller girl.
She shook her head. "I...I can't feel my legs."
"You'll be ok," Ulrich reassured her. He somehow felt that he had been in this situation before, helping Sissi during a XANA attack. A teacher waved to the trio fearfully from inside a building of classrooms, and the boys quickly ran Sissi over.
"Thanks," Sissi said, wiping tears from her cheeks.
"I'm sure you'll make it up to me somehow," Odd said flirtatiously, giving the girl an exaggerated wink.
"Come on," Ulrich said, a sense of urgency overtaking him. "We need to go." He and Odd ran back in to the courtyard and faced the car with fierce glares.
"Maybe we can distract it," Odd suggested quietly, never taking his eyes off of the car. "Then we lead it into the woods, where it can't follow us."
Ulrich paused, staring at the car in horror. "It doesn't have a driver," he gasped. "How is that possible?"
Odd sighed impatiently. "XANA controls machines and computers. Cars are machines and have computers inside them. Ergo, XANA is able to control cars and has taken this one over."
"Ok," Ulrich breathed. "Again, not going to bother asking questions."
"Good idea." Odd adjusted his stance. "Now, follow my lead." Odd began jumping up and down wildly. "Hey ugly," he yelled. "You're ugly enough to be an English car and dumb enough to have been imported from America!" The car revved its engine and sped towards the boys.
"Run!" Ulrich screamed. The boys turned and sprinted into the woods, hearing the engine roaring behind them. The trees thickened, and the sounds grew distant. They reached a clearing, and Odd stopped short.
"Down here," Odd said, squatting to remove the cover of the man hole. Ulrich followed Odd down the ladder, taking care to put the heavy metal cover back on behind him. After a trip through the sewers, Ulrich found himself in an old abandoned factory. He swung down the hanging ropes with ease, though he didn't land as gracefully as Odd did. When they stood at the doorway of the elevator, the roar of an engine filled the factory.
"It followed us!" Ulrich cried. The elevator door opened and the boys rolled in. The door closed just in time for them to see the car speeding towards the elevator fast enough to destroy the entire mechanism.
"Hopefully everyone else is already here," Odd muttered. Ulrich nodded and gave a weak smile. When the door opened again, Ulrich was greeted with the sight of Jeremy typing faster than should be possible on a keyboard with many extra buttons. A hologram of a flat environment was displayed next to him, his swivel chair elevated so he could see the expanse from above.
"Go downstairs to the scanners," Jeremy called. "The girls are waiting for you, hurry!" Odd punched the door button with a stony face. In seconds, Ulrich found himself standing in the scanner room he had first woken up to. He mimicked Odd and stepped into a scanner, eying the contraption with a nervous expression.
"You'll be fine," Odd called to him. "We're ready, Jeremy!"
The doors closed, and Jeremy's voice echoed out of a speaker. "Transfer, Ulrich. Transfer, Odd." A tingling sensation overtook Ulrich as dots of light swirled around him. "Scanner, Ulrich. Scanner, Odd." Lights moved up and down in the scanner, and Ulrich closed his eyes to hide from the brightness as a strong wind blew over him. "Virtualization!" Everything went black.
Ulrich opened his eyes to see a completely new world. Everything seemed both flat and three dimensional at the same time. Next to him, Odd stood wearing a ridiculous outfit. He appeared to be dressed to look like a cat. It was a desert environment, with sand dunes and cracked dirt, but Ulrich felt no heat from the artificial sun. He looked up to see two more people, both girls. They appeared to be under attack from giant flying bugs, and the taller of the two girls was throwing fans that sliced off the heads of the bugs.
When the last bug had been taken out, the girls turned to face the boys with cross expressions. "You're late." The girl with geisha makeup crossed her arms.
"Did something happen?" The girl with pink hair seemed calmer.
Odd shook his head. "No, Aelita, we're ok. But the kids at school won't be unless we move fast."
Jeremy's voice echoed from above, making Ulrich look around wildly. "I'm sending your vehicles," the blonde boy announced. Ulrich looked to his left to see pixels forming the shape of a skateboard without wheels, a motorcycle with only one wheel, and a weird disk with handlebars.
Aelita turned to the boys to explain the situation to Ulrich. "You usually ride the overbike, Ulrich. Think you can drive it?"
Ulrich eyed the strange bike with a wary expression. "Is there a button to turn it on?"
Odd laughed. "Uh...no."
"I'll drive," Aelita offered, throwing a leg over the bike. "You just hold on. Yumi, are you ok with riding alone?"
The geisha nodded with a stony expression, speeding off silently on the strange disk. That must have been Yumi under all the makeup - Ulrich hadn't even recognized her. Everyone looked very different in this world. Aelita was dressed like a medieval elf, Odd resembled a giant cat, and he himself appeared to be wearing a yellow samurai vest of some sort. Ulrich climbed onto the bike behind Aelita gingerly, awkwardly placing his hands on her waist.
"So...where are we going?" He asked the question quietly, not wanting Jeremy to start announcing things from an unknown place.
Aelita flashed a cute grin back at him, making him blush. "Just hold on. I'll explain on the way." She revved the engine and sped off much faster than any bike on Earth would, forcing Ulrich to wrap his arms securely around her waist. Everything felt strange in this world, like his hands were constantly covered by thick gloves. Aelita spoke as she drove, expertly gliding over and around sand dunes. "XANA activates towers to make attacks on our world," she explained. "It's my job to deactivate those towers."
Ulrich struggled to be heard over the roar of the engine. "So why are the rest of us here?"
"You call me princess," Aelita laughed, "Because I always need saving. I don't have weapons or offensive powers, and XANA has monsters. It's your job to help me get to the tower and not get killed by monsters."
A sense of fear overtook Ulrich. "What happens if we get killed though?"
"You'll return to Earth," she explained casually. "We have to be more careful with me though...it's a long story."
Ulrich decided to not ask, figuring it would be pointless if he got his memories back. "Where's the tower?"
Aelita pointed at a white object in the distance. "It's there. Jeremy needs to get better at dropping us closer to the towers."
"I'm doing the best I can!" Jeremy's voice echoed from up above. "You have four blocks guarding the tower, good luck."
Odd swerved up next to the overbike, gliding along effortlessly on a hover board. "How are you holding up, Ulrich?" He asked it conversationally, as though he wasn't defying the laws of physics at the moment.
"I'm okay," Ulrich said, still staring at Odd's vehicle. "How...how are you doing that?"
Odd blinked, then laughed. "If you think this is unbelievable...just wait till we get to the tower!"
They finally caught up to Yumi, who merely nodded to the trio from up above on her flying saucer. Ulrich couldn't believe that they were just casually defying the laws of physics...this world was too unreal. A close laser shot startled him out of his thoughts as Aelita dodged the shot. Up ahead, four squares with clawed legs and giant eyes appeared to be guarding a broad white pole with roots at the bottom.
"Is that the tower?" Ulrich asked Aelita, gripping her waist tightly as she swerved wildly around the desert.
"Yes!" She yelled with surprising ferocity, eyes set in a focused glare. "And these monsters are in our way!" A laser shot hit the bike, and Aelita and Ulrich were forced to jump for safety. They landed in the sand safely, only bouncing a bit when they hit the sand.
"Careful!" Jeremy called. "You both just lost ten life points!"
Ulrich straightened to help Aelita up and brush his clothes off. "How many life points do we have in total?" he asked.
"One hundred," Jeremy said. "With the blocks, you can take quite a few shots before getting killed, but be careful."
Odd flew around the blocks, firing arrows from his wrists as he screamed wildly. Yumi appeared to be throwing spinning disks from her overwing - but when she caught the weapons, they looked to be hand fans. Aelita stood behind Ulrich, and for the first time he caught a flash of fear in her eyes.
"Are you okay, Princess?" He made sure to ask quietly enough so Jeremy would not overhear.
She nodded, startled by the use of her familiar nickname. "Yeah. Go help the others, okay?"
"How?"
"You have a sword - use it." She gestured to his waist, and he gripped the handle of the sword that rested there. Ulrich admired the shine of the blade briefly before dashing to join the fight, yelling wildly. He slashed at the beasts, not understanding why the deep incisions he made in their bodies did not slow them down at all.
"Stab the eye!" Yumi yelled from above, glaring at him in the intensity of the fight. "That's the only way to kill them!"
Ulrich nodded, then pulled back to stab the walking cube in the eye right on the strange symbol. The beast shook violently, then exploded in a shower of pixels. Ulrich felt the wave of energy hit him and he fell.
"You lost ten points, Ulrich!" Jeremy called frantically. "Odd, you're down to fifty points! Yumi, you just lost ten more!"
"Let us work!" Odd yelled. "And reload my arrows!"
An echoed grumbling was heard from above as Jeremy typed the necessary commands into the computer. Ulrich watched as Odd checked his arm with a smile, apparently feeling something reassuring in the glove. He looked up to catch Yumi staring down at him with a remorseful expression. He couldn't help it - he felt a little bad about breaking up with her. Maybe they would get back together if he regained his memory.
A shot of pain went through his back, and Ulrich stumbled, crying out in pain. He turned to see a block winding up to fire another shot, and jumped out of the way. Only two blocks remained, and Odd and Yumi seemed completely preoccupied with the other.
"Ulrich!" Aelita called. "Triplicate!"
He furrowed his brow at the girl in confusion. "Triplicate?" All of a sudden, two clones of himself appeared at either side. Ulrich's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Okay! I have clones! Okay! Um...attack?" The clones ran forward, yelling wildly as they moved to stab the monster. Ulrich joined them, and three swords entered the beast's front eye at once. The monster exploded and the two clones disappeared.
"Bye?" Ulrich waved awkwardly to the empty desert space. Aelita ran up to him with a huge grin on her face, and Ulrich wondered if he was going to get a reward of some sort for killing the monster. But then she ran past him and into the tower, avoiding the block that was distracted by Odd and Yumi. The final block was destroyed just as the tower's glow turned from red to a neutral pastel shade. Odd and Yumi exchanged a high five, then turned to the tower expectantly.
"Ulrich," Jeremy called. "Aelita seems to have found something connected to your memory inside the tower...go join her in there."
"Uh...how?" Ulrich awkwardly reached out to poke the tower, then was shocked when his hand went through the wall. "Woah!" He lurched back in shock, making Odd snicker.
Odd led his friend to a certain spot of the tower. "Here, this is where the platform is. Just walk in." Ulrich gave his new friend an uncertain glance before slowly walking into the tower, convinced that this was the final step of his insanity taking over. But then he was in a beautiful room covered in lines of numbers and letters, a cool glow lighting the room. Aelita stood in the center of the platform, typing madly on a screen. Ulrich approached her slowly, craning his neck to attempt to see the the top of the tower, which disappeared into darkness.
"Ulrich," Aelita said with quiet excitement. "I think I found your memory!"
He grinned boyishly. "That's great...can I get it back now?"
She nodded, then closed the screen. "It seems that XANA hid it inside the tower's structure files - probably thought this would be the last place we would look. Now come on, we need go up."
"Up?" Ulrich never got to finish his question, as Aelita suddenly grabbed his hands and threw her head back, a strange song emitting from her pursed lips. She glowed white and he began to glow again. "Woah," he murmured. They floated in the air, then shot straight up with a windless rush. He stared at Aelita, realizing how angelic she looked at the moment. They landed on a smaller platform high up in the tower. He still could not see the ceiling of the room though.
"This should only take a moment," Aelita whispered, opening a screen. She placed a hand on the screen, then held a hand to Ulrich's forehead. "May I?" He nodded, and she placed her small hand on his head. "Just stay still." A stream of numbers rushed from the screen to Aelita's hand as though they were negative magnets and she was the most attractive positive magnet in this universe. Her body glowed and so did his as a tingling sensation overtook him. Memories filled his mind - memories of his family, his friends, Yumi...
The flow stopped, and Ulrich sank to his knees, shaking his head in disbelief. "It can't be..." His voice was quiet. "I can't have really broken up with Yumi."
Aelita knelt next to her friend and gave an encouraging smile. "You had amnesia - you can definitely work it out. She'll forgive you. She loves you, you know." Aelita looked at the ground, not smiling much anymore.
Ulrich frowned. "But what if I don't want to do that? What if I want to be with something else?"
"You'll...you'll have to talk to Yumi about that," Aelita stammered. "I don't know much about all that...that's your business, not mine."
Ulrich leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, the soft glow of the tower illuminating her surprised eyes. He pulled away and stared at her in his traditionally stern gaze. "I know it's not the right thing to do. I just had to see...I felt so attracted to you, both emotionally and physically when I had amnesia. I wanted to know if you felt anything at all for me." He stood, turning away to gaze down at the abyss below the platform. "It's okay if you don't, I get it. You have Jeremy. I can always go date Yumi, see if that works out for once."
Arms wrapped around his torso, and Ulrich held the pale hands of the girl behind him. She whispered quietly to him, "I'd rather have you."
He turned around only to be met with her lips. They stared at each other in a breathless moment, in shock at their actions. "What do we do?" he asked quietly.
"I don't know," Aelita admitted quietly. "What do you want to do?"
Ulrich was quiet, lost in thought. The whole situation was wrapped up in people's feelings. He had to fix the mess with Yumi. It was all so delicate, right now. He turned back to Aelita and kissed her again, letting his arms wrap around her waist. She kissed him back, palms pressed against his chest. After the kiss, Ulrich took a step back with a somber expression. "I can't kiss you again for a while," he said, reaching down to hold her hands. "Right now, our group can't afford to be broken up in any way. It's too important that we be united while fighting XANA. But I promise, we will be together someday."
Aelita gave a soft smile. "I'll hold you to that. Now come on, the others are waiting."
Back in the scanner room, Ulrich was greeted with a hug from Yumi before he could even step out of the scanner. Her eyes were shining with tears, and he hugged her back kindly. "Hey," he whispered into her ear. "I'm sorry about what happened. It wasn't me, it was the amnesia."
She nodded, though her eyes remained sad. "You had a point though. I'm always making things complicated when they don't have to be." They were silent for a moment. Ulrich glanced away to see the others standing nearby awkwardly.
Odd coughed delicately. "We'll, uh, give you some privacy." He led Jeremy and Aelita to the elevator. Aelita glanced back at him, and their eyes met with an understood message - not yet.
Ulrich turned back to Yumi. "We'll be alright, I promise. Now come on, it's late. We should be going.
Up on the bridge, Ulrich and Yumi walked side by side in silence. He found himself watching the trio that walked ahead of them - Aelita, flanked by Jeremy on her right and Odd on her left. Maybe it would be different after XANA was defeated. All he could do was keep fighting, and remember the lessons he learned from forgetting.
There will probably be another chapter to follow. Leave me reviews! Thank you for reading.