This Oneshot runs parallel with "It's not that I don't like you". The only difference is that it's told through Ulrich's perspective following the group's departure from the Hermitage. It starts off the same and then switches over to Ulrich. Here we find out what happens between him and Yumi and how he settles the argument with his father.

"It has to be a trick. No way Franz got out of Lyoko in time before Xana deleted it." Ulrich's comment fell on deaf ears as all attention was focused on Jeremie who was working on his laptop. "Hey! Did any of you guys hear me? Xana's feeding us faulty information. Don't fall for it."

Odd looked over his shoulder at Ulrich. "And why would Xana do that? He's already kicked our ass, taken possession of William and destroyed the Heart of Lyoko. As far as he's concerned we're no threat."

"He's right, Ulrich." Now it was Yumi's turn. "Right now there's no way we could possibly fight Xana. He's free to roam the Internet at will."

"Which means we can't do a damn thing to stop him." Odd continued. "He's probably forgotten all about us right now. Besides, Jeremie would know if it's a fake. Ain't that right, Einstein?"

Einstein was Odd's nickname for the young genius that was Jeremie Belpois. It was an accurate description as Jeremie was an intellectual prodigy at Kadic Academy, receiving some of the highest grades in the school's history. He was the brains of the group, the guy that came up with all the strategies and plans for their war against Xana. He always had an answer for everything and could figure out a counter to all of Xana's ploys.

Jeremie was sitting on the rugged old couch that was left abandoned in the Hermitage living room. His face was stern as his eyes scanned the screen before him. Jeremie stopped momentarily to fix his glasses. "Nope. This is definitely the real deal." He looked up. "This message was sent from Franz Hopper via the Internet. Somehow he managed to escape before Lyoko was deleted."

"If we had more time we would have been able to virtualize him." Aelita stated. A heavy sadness overtook her. If Jeremie was the brains of the outfit then Aelita was the heart. She had brought them all together as a team and as friends. Without her, none of them would be here right now. The only person missing from her life now was Franz Hopper, her father and the creator of Lyoko. He was Xana's sworn enemy and the reason he destroyed the virtual world in the first place. So long as he lived he was a threat to the malevolent super virus and the only thing preventing it from destroying the world.

"I'm sorry, Aelita." Jeremie said. "I tried my best but Xana was just too strong. He's always been two steps ahead of me."

"Don't beat yourself up, Jeremie. We're the ones who've been getting our butts handed to us every time we fight him." Yumi said. "If anyone's to blame it's us." She shook her head. "No. I'm sorry. It's my fault."

"Come again?" Odd asked.

"I'm the one that suggested we bring William into the group. If it hadn't been for him Lyoko would still be around and Franz Hopper would be here with us." Her hands clenched into vengeful fists. "I was so stupid to trust him. That jerk!"

"We all trusted him." Aelita said. "He betrayed all of us, Yumi, not just you."

"I'd love to get my hands on the bum." Odd punched his fist into his palm. "Teach him a thing or two about backstabbing your friends."

"He was never my friend. I knew he was trouble from day one."

Yumi flashed Ulrich a suggestive glare. "Is that the only reason?"

Embarrassed, Ulrich turned away. "Of course. What else would there be?"

Yumi sighed and crossed her arms before turning back to Jeremie. Aelita and Odd exchanged exasperated glances as this was nothing new. Ulrich and Yumi obviously had it bad for one another but were too dumb-and stubborn-to do anything about it. Too often their on again/off again relationship hampered the team's effectiveness and even more often aggravated the hell out of the others. If they were to just put their differences aside they would make a great couple. But try telling that to the two most prideful people any of them had ever met.

"William was under Xana's control. Need I remind you that he's done the same thing to each of us on separate occasions. Does that mean we should go pointing fingers at one another every time we screw up? No." Jeremie eyed each of them before continuing. "William was green and inexperienced, completely unprepared for the world we brought him into. The same could have happened to Jim, or Herb, or Sissi! He was cocky, I'll admit, but haven't we all at one point thought ourselves indestructible? Let me remind each of you that William Dunbar, a living, breathing human being, is no longer with us. While it's easy for us to blame him for everything that's happened it is he that's paid the ultimate price. He's gone. A prisoner of Xana. God only knows what's happened to the poor guy. What will we tell his parents? While not technically dead he just as well may be."

Aelita could see the turmoil in Jeremie's face. He was fighting back tears, she realized. As leader, Jeremie was responsible for each and every one of them. He felt that William's "demise" was on his shoulders and he blamed himself for it. She sat down beside him and placed a hand on a slightly bobbing shoulder. "Jeremie…"

"He's gone. We have no right to pass judgment on him for what's happened. He wasn't ready. We should not have brought him in. I should have," Tears streamed down his eyes and he could no longer speak. Aelita threw her arms around him and began to cry along with him. The others were speechless. They had never thought to think about the repricutions for William. He willingly chose to go to Lyoko. He knew the dangers. Well, maybe he didn't, but he was their responsibility. Who were they to judge him? He was just a kid. Like them. And now he was gone.

"Jeremie, we're sorry." Yumi began. "We didn't mean,"

Jeremie was too far in despair to hear them. He began to convulse with sobs and Aelita turned to the others. The look in her eyes told them everything they needed to know. In silence, Odd, Ulrich and Yumi left the two alone. Aelita put the laptop to the side and returned to hugging Jeremie. She stayed with him through the late hours. He cried and he cried but Aelita never left his side. It's times like these when one needed a true friend. Aelita was all that to Jeremie and more…even though he did not know it.

William…

For the short time Ulrich had known him the guy had been nothing but a pompous, self-centered, girlfriend-stealing jerk. Now that he was gone he could not help but hate himself for thinking that way. Jeremie had known William for an even shorter time than Ulrich did and there he was shedding tears for him. Yumi, Aelita, Odd; they all silently mourned his passing. So what did Ulrich feel right now? Sadness maybe? Or was it relief? Now that Dunbar was gone there was nobody around to steal his Yumi away. Now that William was gone…

Stop that!

How can I allow myself to think like that? Sure we had our differences but I never wanted anything bad to happen to him. William was just a kid, like me. He may have tried to move in on Yumi but what guy wouldn't have? Yumi is fantastic. He realized that as much as I did. I can't blame him for having wonderful taste. I can't hate him for that. I don't hate William. I never did.

Then why was he feeling this way?

"This sucks!" Odd barked. Ulrich's friend was walking in between him and Yumi when he cried out. He stopped and lowered his head, his arms flat on his sides. Ulrich and Yumi stopped as well. Maybe Odd was taking this just as badly as Ulrich was. What happened to William must be getting to him too. It relieved Ulrich to know that he was not the only one going through these emotions. Neither he or Odd cried liked Jeremie did but the experience was still painful nonetheless. He looked to Yumi who had her arms crossed above her chest. The Japanese girl didn't spare him a glance. She just stared at the ground and shifted from one foot to the other.

Poor Yumi. She must really be hurting. She was a lot closer to William than any of us. I hate to admit it but she may have actually cared for him. Who am I kidding? Of course she did. He was way more romantic with her than I ever was.

Maybe he could have learned something from him.

"Guys, I've gotta split."

Ulrich and Yumi looked up at the blonde as he turned to them. "I'll catch up with you tomorrow, alright? If you see Jeremie again tell him I said I was sorry and that it was not his fault."

Before he left, Ulrich called out to him. "Odd!"

"Huh?"

He seemed in a really big hurry to get wherever he wanted to go. "You okay?" Ulrich asked.

"Sure. It's just…well."

He's hesitating. Why? Ulrich took one step towards him but then Yumi decided to speak up. "Something bothering you?"

Something's bothering all of us, Yumi.

"It's nothing. Look, I've really gotta go. I'll see you back at the dorm, Ulrich." He turned and ran off. "Yumi, good night!"

They watched Odd leave with great haste. Now alone, Ulrich put his hands in his pockets and faced Yumi. "What do you think that was all about, Yumi?"

"I don't know." She said. Yumi grabbed her left arm nervously and purposely avoided looking Ulrich in the face.

The boy did not miss that cue. "Yumi? Something wrong?"

"A lot of things are wrong now, Ulrich."

Ulrich sighed. "Look, I know what happened to William was…well, tragic, but we can't just,"

"Is that what you think this is about?!" She snapped at him.

Ulrich winced and fell back a step. "Wha…"

"It's not just William." She finally faced him though he could clearly see she was fighting back tears. "Everything that's happened has been one disaster after another. Ever since Jeremie found that damned supercomputer our lives have become a living hell. I can't sleep. My grades have been falling. My parents are suspicious of everything I do. I'm on threat of expulsion because of my excessive absences." She began to squeeze her arm. "I can't take this anymore!"

"Yumi, I,"

"Oh shut it! I'm in no mood for your patronizing." Her face became a scowl. All her anger was focused on Ulrich Stern. "I'm sick of this, Ulrich! I'm sick of Xana, sick of Lyoko, sick of this team, sick of the lying, the sneaking, the fear of not knowing whether I'll live to see tomorrow." She pointed to herself. "I almost died a few weeks back. Do you have any idea how scary that is? No, you wouldn't. Because while you're busy being brave and macho, I'm the one with her ass on the line. Xana wants to kill me, has tried to kill me, and I'm not going to give him another chance."

Confused, Ulrich reached out to her but Yumi turned away. "What is wrong with you? Yumi, talk to me."

"No, Ulrich." She slowly turned around, the tears flowing freely. "Because I'm sick of you most of all." With that, Yumi ran off.

"Sick of me?" Ulrich repeated as if unable to believe what he had just heard. He knew something was bothering Yumi but this…

"I don't understand." He said aloud. "What did I do?" He became angry, his hands clenching into fists. "What did I do?! Huh?! I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS, EITHER!" Ulrich screamed. Who the hell did she think she was? Brave and Macho? His ass was on the line as much as hers. Who the hell did she think she was blaming him for her problems like that?

"Fine!" Ulrich turned and headed for the Academy. If she wanted to be a bitch that's her prerogative. From now on, Ulrich Stern only dealt with his own problems.

The war with Xana was over but the war at home was just beginning.

Ulrich knew that one last fight was waiting him back at Kadic. His father scared him more than any of Xana's monsters, any of his made disasters or any of his possessed humans. He was the one foe Ulrich was never able to face down on equal terms. Mister Stern had no powers or superhuman abilities, but a single glare would have young Ulrich shaking. It was always like that with parents. No matter how old you became they always had some kind of hold over you; some influence that you could never escape or disobey. It was like facing the part of yourself that you hoped you would never have to see, the part that was smarter than you, stronger than you, knew more about you than you did yourself.

Until you did something about it.

Ulrich was angry. He had been ever since that incident with Yumi. He didn't need this. He didn't deserve that. His grades sucked, his father berated him, Xana defeated them once again and William was long gone. Now here she is adding her two cents to the weight on Ulrich's shoulders. He wanted to go back there and tell her off. Ulrich had a lot of pent of rage. Maybe he should take it out on her and see how she likes it.

"Dammit." He grumbled and kicked a nearby can that happened to be in his way.

The can bounced along the curb in front of the main entrance to Kadic Academy. Had Ulrich looked up he would have seen somebody waiting for him by the gate. He didn't have to, however. He could feel his gaze even from over here. So it was time to face the music. With his hands in his pockets and his eyes on the ground, Ulrich approached the main gate.

"Ulrich!" Mister Stern's voice was low but commanding.

The boy looked up into the angry eyes of his intimidating father. Standing well over half his height, Mister Stern was a well-built man with broad shoulders and a face appearing as if chiseled out of stone. Standing with his feet apart and arms crossed the man posed as an immovable obstacle as any the young Stern had ever seen. With the waning sun at his back, it provided him with an almost godly figure, adding to his height and mass.

Ulrich didn't care. He just didn't care about any of that.

Mister Stern would make sure he cared. "Where did you go?"

"A friend of mine needed some help. Why are you still here? Don't you have to get back to work or something?"

"Don't take that tone with me. I warn you, Ulrich. You are on very thin ice here, young man. It took me twenty minutes to calm down after you ran off. I don't like to be made a fool, Ulrich. You've embarrassed me too much already."

Embarrassed you?! Are you kidding me?

"When did this become about you?" Ulrich barked.

"When you were born and carried my family name. Everything you do reflects on me." He placed a palm on his chest. "Me! You fail, I fail. You screw up, I screw up. Every time I receive a distressing call about your bad grades and disorderly behavior is slap to my face. I won't have that, Ulrich."

Ulrich turned away. "It's not about you."

"Then what is it? Huh? I'm talking to you! Look up!" Ulrich looked up with grit teeth. "I asked you what is it? Is it your friends? Are they the ones causing you to not take your grades seriously?"

"Leave them out of this." The boy hissed.

"Then what? Are you on drugs?"

The question nearly had Ulrich bowling over. "What kind of reasoning is that?"

"I don't know. You tell me. God only know what you kids do nowadays."

"It's not drugs."

"Then why are your grades the way they are?"

Frustration and anger caused the youth to shake. How could he tell his father the truth? It would be like betraying his friends. Then again, Lyoko was long gone and he doubt they would use the supercomputer ever again. Maybe he should show it to him. At least his story would prove valid.

But even with the truth staring him in the face, his father would have a difficult time believing him. He may as well have been right and Ulrich was on drugs. His story does sound like something a recovering addict would come up with.

And what about Jeremie, Aelita, Odd and Yumi? They trusted him completely. He could never reveal their secret. Neither of them had ever spoken about the factory or Lyoko to outsiders unless the situation called for it. Was this such a case? Would a father's wraith be enough for Ulrich to turn his back on everything he held so dear?

No. He would not break even now.

"It's complicated." He said plainly.

"Is that so? Well I'm going to make it easy for you, Ulrich. I'm pulling you out of this school. You're leaving Kadic and never coming back."

"What? But dad that's not fair!"

"What's not fair is you being the disobedient, disrespectful brat you've become. I've sacrificed a lot for you and this is the thanks I get? Hmph! I'm going to give Mister Delmas a call tomorrow morning and get this matter straightened out. I'm putting you in a school closer to where I work so that I can keep an eye on you. I didn't want to do this but you've forced my hand. Say goodbye to that blonde-haired cartoon character you call a friend because you won't be seeing him or any of the others for a long time." Mister Stern brushed past his son. "Tomorrow, Ulrich."

Ulrich bit back a retort that would surely have received a whipping. His dad was rarely a violent man but sometimes…

"Dammit!" Was all he could say.

First William.

Then Yumi.

Now this.

This was fast becoming the worst day in Ulrich's young life. All this time he thought he had been fighting the good fight. Saving the world from Xana. Sacrificing a normal existence for one of unpredictable danger and total secrecy.

If only his father understood. If only his teachers knew. If only none of this had ever happened.

"This is a load of crap." He said through blurry eyes. The tears began to develop as soon as his father made his decision that would separate Ulrich from those he cared about. He fought them of course. Ulrich Stern didn't cry. That was one aspect he picked up from his father. Living with that S.O.B would make anyone emotionally separated. Stern made his way over to a bench and sat down. He then hunched over, his hands behind his neck, looked at the ground and wished for this to be all a dream.

Or a nightmare.

The light waned and Ulrich was still wide awake. He had no idea how long he stayed there. He wouldn't care if the world went on without him. Perhaps if he held this position he would become a statue, forever frozen as the disheveled, angry loser he felt he had become. Losing William had been bad enough but Yumi's painful words still stung him. Everything stung him at the moment.

"Because I'm sick of you most of all."

"I'm pulling you out of this school. You're leaving Kadic and never coming back."

"Let me remind each of you that William Dunbar, a living, breathing human being, is no longer with us."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Ever since Jeremie found that damned supercomputer our lives have become a living hell."

"Tomorrow, Ulrich."

"DAMMIT!" He reared back his head and screamed. "I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU ALL WANT FROM ME? HOW IS THIS ALL MY FAULT?" He slumped on the bench and cried. "Why is this happening?"

He laid down on the bench and began to cry. For the first time in a really long time, Ulrich Stern allowed himself to cry.

"Sam!" Odd's voice rang out.

Ulrich sat up and saw Odd coming to a stop ahead of him. He was completely out of breath and hunched over panting. "Odd." Ulrich muttered and wiped the tears from his face. No way he would let Odd see him like this. The guy would never let him live it down. Stern got up and approached his heaving friend. "Odd."

The blonde looked towards the origin of the voice but his expression told Ulrich he was not the one he had been hoping for. What was that voice he called out a moment ago? Sam? Wasn't she the girl Odd had a crush on? Samantha Knight. Yes, he remembered her. He had asked her to tell Odd to come to the factory during the Xana's attack but she never gave him the message. The two really like each other but Ulrich had guessed that things did not turn out too well if Odd looked the way he did. That's why he rushed off. He wanted to see Sam again. Love struck fool. Hope Odd had better luck than he did with Yumi.

"Did you find her?" Ulrich asked.

Odd turned away and that was all the answer he needed.

"I'm sorry, buddy. I know how much she means to you."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Ulrich stepped up to him. "Trust me. I know exactly what you're going through." He placed a hand on Odd's sagging shoulder as he spoke. "For what it's worth I think you two would have been happy together." Ulrich found that he really meant those words.

"You think so?"

"I know so, Odd. What you and Sam have, it's,"

"Like you and Yumi?"

Ulrich winced. His previous encounter with Yumi flashed back into the forefront of his mind. "Because I'm sick of you most of all."

"Did something happen?" Odd asked.

"Yeah. Something did." Ulrich turned his back on Odd and put his hands in his pockets. "It's not something I really want to talk about, you know."

Odd put his hand around Ulrich's shoulder and put on his best smile. "Then you won't have to. Come on. It's almost time for bed and we have a big day tomorrow. What say we hit the sack and start fresh bright and early?"

What a good friend, Ulrich through. "Yeah. I guess." He looked at Odd. "You okay with all this?"

"Can't cry over spilt milk. Besides, it would have never worked out between us."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I could never have been the man she wanted me to be."

"How so?"

Odd thought for a moment. "With the way things are now, Ulrich, I don't think I'll be able to have a normal life anytime soon. Xana will be back and I don't want Sam or anyone else I care about to get caught in the middle of it." His smile was anything but reassuring. "Too bad I can't say the same thing for you." Odd playfully punched him the face and dragged him along toward the dorm.

"Knock it off, Odd." Ulrich said but allowed himself to be pulled along. Perhaps a good night's sleep would do him some good.

Odd had gone off to take a shower while Ulrich lay slouching in his bed. Kiwi stared at him from Odd's bed but Ulrich ignored the dog. Most of the time he pretended the mutt wasn't around in the first place and it usually worked…when he wasn't barking that is.

To think he would no longer be with his friends. His father was taking him out of Kadic and there was nothing he could do about it.

Ulrich tossed and turned. He wanted to go to sleep but too much had happened for a peaceful slumber to overtake him. Grumbling, Ulrich sat up on his bed. Kiwi continued to stare. Throwing his legs over the side, Ulrich slumped over much in the same way he did on the bench. He cared for his friends deeply and the thought of losing them was almost too much to bear. The last time he saw Jeremie or Aelita they had parted on a sad note. Come to think of it, had they even returned to the Academy? At least he found Odd. No bad part on their friendship.

William?

Ulrich tried not to think about it.

Yumi?

Yumi.

Ulrich reached for his cellular. He had Yumi on speed dial and punched up her number. The phone rang. Ulrich sat on his bed while the tone went on. He had to speak with her. He could not let their friendship end on that note. It was late but he was sure she was still up. After all that happened how could any of them get any sleep?

Someone picked up on the other end. "Hello?" A sleepy voice said.

Guess I was wrong.

"Yumi."

"Ulrich, is that you?"

"Yeah, Yumi. It's me." Ulrich straightened out the collar of his shirt as he spoke. "I…I need to talk with you...about what you said."

Yumi sighed. "Listen, Ulrich,"

"What did you mean by all that?" He asked without giving her chance to prepare. "Why are you so angry with me?"

"Ulrich, it's late."

"Yumi, stop avoiding the question. What's wrong? Is it William?"

Yumi said something under her breath that Ulrich did not catch. "Yumi?"

"I'm here."

"Is it William?" He repeated.

"Yes and no."

Just like a girl. Never a straight answer.

"What does that mean?"

"What happened to William was…bad…very bad. I miss him."

"You do?"

"Yes. And it's not like that, Ulrich. I admit I liked the guy at first and then he got on my nerves. But I never wanted this to happen. Neither did you."

"Of course not."

"Losing one of us to Xana. It was just too much to take."

"That still doesn't explain why you blew up on me."

"I didn't mean to."

"You don't sound sure."

Yumi said something that Ulrich did hear. "Don't speak Japanese. Talk to me straight up, Yumi."

She groaned. "I was angry. After everything that happened I was angry and I just took it out on you. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings but…"

"But…" Ulrich pushed.

"Ulrich, I'm tired. Can't we talk about this tomorrow?"

"There may not be a tomorrow."

"What?"

"I need to hear this from you. Tell me what's bothering you. We may not get another chance like this."

"What are you talking about?"

"Please. Just tell me."

"I can't believe this." She sighed. "You want to know what's bothering me?"

"Yes."

"Everything! We lost to Xana, Ulrich. We lost Lyoko, we lost William and if we're not careful we'll something more."

"Like what?"

"Our lives. Ulrich, we're human. William's demise goes to prove how fragile we really are. We've been lucky so far but I'm afraid that sometime one of us, out of the original group, is going to join William. Anyone of us can be next and I'm not sure I can face that. I want a normal life, Ulrich. I don't want to worry about looking over my shoulder wondering if a Xana-possessed human is going to crack my skull open or electrocute me to death. I don't want to worry about a motor a car running me over on the sidewalk or some gray mist turning me inside out. I want my parents to trust me again. I want to live in a world where my only worry is studying for the next exam. I just want us to be normal again, Ulrich. Don't you feel the same way?"

Normal? Being just plain Ulrich Stern? He was a loner, an outcast without any real friends. Then the supercomputer came along. And Xana. Now he had the best friends imaginable and his life was full of adventure. If it hadn't have been for all this, despite what happened, Ulrich would be nothing. He'd be a loser without his friends.

"I…I don't feel the same way, Yumi."

"Liar! That's why I'm so mad at you. You never say what you feel."

"Huh?"

"Baka!" She spat. "I'm sick of talking to you, Ulrich Stern. Go to bed. We have school tomorrow and I can't be late anymore."

"But we haven't finished talking."

"Yes we have. Good night!" Yumi hung up.

"Yumi? Yumi!" Ulrich moaned. "What do you want from me?"

"Ruff!" Kiwi barked.

"Shut up!" Ulrich cried. He lay sprawled out on his bed with no closure on his mind. This may very well be his last night at Kadic Academy and he did not want it to end like this. Fate, it seemed, had other plans for Ulrich Stern.

He closed his eyes, playing back the events of the day before him. Yumi's face kept appearing and Ulrich hated himself for being so shaken by that girl. Why was she treating him like this? What the hell was her problem?

Someone was about to enter the door and Ulrich pretended to be asleep. He heard the door open and kept his eyes closed. The person shut the door and took a moment to survey his roommate. "Guess Yumi really did a number on you." Odd Whispered.

Shut up, Odd!

Kiwi barked.

"Shh. Be quiet, Kiwi. Have some manners." Odd ordered. "Good dog." He said a moment later. Ulrich heard Odd walk past his bed. Odd's cell rang out and the boy rushed to silence it. "Who the hell?" He had reached it and turned it on. "Jeremie? Aelita? You've got some nerve calling at this hour. Do you have any idea how," He stopped. "Sam? Is it really you?"

Wonderful.

Ulrich slowly pulled his arms up and around his head to drown out Odd's voice. He just wanted to sleep.

Well that's Ulrich's side of the story. For those of you not familiar with Japanese, Baka, means fool or idiot. I'd like to see where I'm going with this as it's starting to sound like a really good story. Let me know what you think and I'll get started on the next one. See ya!