They had never seen Yumi so upset.
Ulrich and Odd trailed behind Yumi as she stalked down the lamp lit streets toward the factory. She was quite furious, obviously so, but there was some other emotion mixed in there too. Usually, when Yumi became infuriated, she would simply punch things, maybe even explain to her close friends what she was feeling. For whatever reason, she had chosen to go stomping out of the gym in a silent rage.
They had been at the dance held for the ninth and tenth graders. It was an effort made by the teachers to give potential graduates a night of fun before the weeks of unrelenting tests and training that would occur now that the year was coming to a close.
Just a few hours ago, although reluctant and not exactly buzzing with joy, Yumi had agreed to attending the dance to have some downtime with her friends. But now...She was completely lurid. It was apparent she was having trouble controlling her emotions because she was constantly clenching and unclenching her fists, as if the action would somehow restrain her from wreaking havoc on everything in her line of sight. She kept muttering under her breath, going against her usual action of screaming out her bottled up concerns.
Her dress- well, the one she was forced into thanks to Aelita- swayed with the wind, whipping against her long legs. The air tugged at her hair, dragging several strands out of their arrangement. Ulrich watched her growl and hiss with detached interest.
"Dude." Odd finally whispered Ulrich's way as they followed Yumi further away from school grounds. They were still several yards behind Yumi and the blonde figured she was out of earshot. "Did you see what happened?"
"Sissi did something." Ulrich stated sourly. The urge to return to the dance and confront the trashy broad was overwhelming, but, first and foremost, doing that would land him the principal's office for insulting his daughter and secondly, there was still the moping teenage girl to deal with. "I didn't see what she did, but whatever it was, she got pretty pissed."
"Wow, that's quite the understatement." Odd replied, picking up his pace. Ulrich matched his step and he noticed Yumi had stopped in the middle of the street, crossing her arms but not turning towards them.
"I've know you guys have been following me for the past ten minutes." She informed them bluntly as they reached her. Her words were sharp and crude. Ulrich's cheeks flushed, but Odd took it all in stride, her words failing to get through to him.
"Wow, all that time on Lyoko must be improving your senses." He joked, wrapping an arm over Yumi's stiff shoulders. She shrugged him off, resuming her walk. The boys pursued her. "Seriously though." Odd grimaced when his efforts didn't seem to be helping her mood. "What happened back there?"
"She..." Yumi gathered the fabric of her black dress into one of her fists, pausing mid-step. It was clear that whatever Sissi had done was pretty terrible. Ulrich felt the burning desire to strangle Sissi claw at him again. Whatever she said to Yumi, she was going to pay for it, one way or another.
Yumi shook her head, as if it would get everything that just happened out of her mind. She continued to walk. "She just said something that bothered me, okay?"
"What did she say?" Odd asked with interest. Ulrich listened intently, waiting for a legitimate answer from the black haired girl.
Yumi sighed, stopping again. She faced her friends, her expression weary.
"She wouldn't stop making fun of you guys." Yumi muttered darkly, her body tensing up and her fists curled tightly. "Calling you losers and 'good for nothings'...All that stuff. I just had enough of it and forced myself out of there before I did something to get me expelled. I'm sorry...I know it's silly of me to get all worked up over her insults, but...When I started going to Kadic, I didn't have any friends. Then I met you guys and it changed my life. And to hear her talk about you like that...I-I just couldn't..."
Ulrich and Odd were completely baffled. They probably should of been aggravated with Sissi calling them names, but they could think of nothing more than their geisha's restraint and deeper feelings she had for their friendship. Honestly, the group had grown used to this kind of verbal abuse. Jeremie was teased for his commitment to school work and his high grade point average. Odd had developed a sort of shield against those who pestered him about his strange color choices and this petite body. And Ulrich would never hear the end of the jokes about his introverted-ness and his fear of heights. It was a part of the daily routine, so they didn't really care when more of it came their way. Really, it was the fact that Yumi had managed to keep herself from punching someone in the face that was surprising, especially if that someone was Sissi Delmas.
She was always very clear with her emotions. Feelings and actions went hand in hand with her. They both knew that Yumi cared for all of them genuinely, so frustration and anger were expected. However, the fact that she had even considered their friendship and Lyoko before reacting was quite touching. They never really thought about it, but Yumi did look out for all of them as the oldest of their group, even if it was in the smallest ways.
"Thank you." Ulrich appreciated her actions in all honesty. She looked up to him and shot him that half smirk that never failed to make his body go rigid.
"It was nothing." She waved off, her muscles relaxing for the first time that night. "I was about ready to snap that girl's neck though." There was the Yumi they knew and loved. Odd couldn't help but laugh as she cracked her knuckles in a threatening way.
"That sucks. Too bad we barely got to enjoy the party." The blonde boy chuckled, which wasn't exactly the smartest move because Yumi's shoulders instantly dropped.
"Yeah...Sorry about that." She grumbled. "And I really wanted to dance too..."
"Dance?" Ulrich blinked uncertainly at the Japanese girl. "You- the teenager who hates prom, parties and dressing up- wanted to dance?"
"Yes, it would've lessened the stress of the finals coming up and the pressure of saving the world on Lyoko." She sighed, going from disappointed to irritated in a matter of seconds. She glared at the samurai. "Do you have a problem with that?"
"N-Not at all." Ulrich raised his arms, palms up in defeat. "It's just...You know, unexpected."
"How so?" She snarled, her fists clenched once more. Her eyes narrowed and Odd elbowed his friend in the ribs. Yumi was holding a lot of pent up aggression at this very moment, so it was best that he didn't give her an excuse to unleash any of it, especially on them.
"N-Nevermind." The brown haired boy muttered. Yumi, obviously not pleased with his answer, continued to tighten her grasp on the fabric of her dress as if it was the only thing she could hold onto to keep her from drowning in her ever growing animosity. She didn't seem to notice the pedestrians beginning to stare.
"Oh, so now you're saying I can't dance, are you?" She growled, a look on her face that said they were going to die in a few short moments if she didn't get an explanation. Ulrich wanted to point out that, no, he did not say that she couldn't dance, and that this was a stupid thing to get worked up over, but it was clear that Yumi was beyond pissed and was simply looking for something to beat the crap out of at this point. So, reasoning with her was already out of the question.
Ulrich opened his mouth, still searching for the right words to diffuse the situation. He noticed the shop they had stopped in front of. It was the music store he was always forced to go to with Odd.
Odd noticed too and tilted his head, trying to get a good view of the window without giving too much away. What the blonde found was a very
intrigued looking elderly man behind the glass, watching as the exasperated teenaged girl raved in the middle of the sidewalk. The disks on display clattered as Yumi stomped furiously.
Getting an idea, Odd nudged his friend, pointing to the door.
"Hey, Ulrich." He hissed, leaning towards Ulrich subtly as Yumi went on a rant about how everyone was so stupid today. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
As it happened, Ulrich was thinking what Odd had been planning because his automatic response was:
"Hell no. I'm not doing that, Odd."
"Come on!" Odd breathed, stepping back slightly when Yumi made a step towards them. "It'll make her stop. Besides, she stood up for all of us back there, we owe her that much."
Ulrich shook his head again. "First of all, I want to live to see another day and second, if this is so important, why can't you do it?!"
Odd pulled out his last weapon. "Because I'm just her friend. It won't mean anything if I ask her. But, she has feelings for you, Ulrich." He gestured toward the fuming girl who persistently jumped on the street, yelling about stupid dances. "Now is as good as a time to make your move, hot shot."
Ulrich considered his options for a second.
He could look like a complete idiot, or he could deal with the fact that his back may be broken for not calming the girl down.
Odd grinned when Ulrich made his way to the door. "Looks like these suits aren't going to waste after all."
Ulrich reemerged several minutes later, looking equally as irritated as before, but a bit nervous too. Odd didn't even have to ask how things went, because the sounds of smooth jazz began to fill the air around them.
Yumi seemed oblivious to the music, continuing her rants about how stupid everything was. It wasn't until Ulrich cleared his throat that she finally stopped, noticing the tune.
The samurai shifted hesitantly.
"What-?" Yumi began, but was cut off when Ulrich offered his hand. She looked down at it for a second before looking back up to the young man, who was trying desperately to look anywhere but at her face.
"May I have this dance?" He asked shyly, finally meeting her gaze. She examined him for a few moments and Ulrich was sure she was going to laugh at him or punch him or simply say no or something of that nature. However, a gentle smile spread slowly across her lips, disposition changing completely, and she entwined her fingers with his.
"You may." She grinned at sweet smile of hers, allowing herself to be pulled to his chest. Ulrich blushed at the closeness, but what bold enough to settle a hand on her hip. She responded by putting hers on his collarbone.
Ulrich led them through the music and he could tell she was completely content with what was happening. She wore that playful grin of hers that made his stomach do flips and giggled when he twirled her. She was like a stubborn child, uneasily appeased but always enjoying the little things life continued to offer.
Ulrich was an exceptionally talented dancer, integrating some of his martial arts skill into the grace and balance of dance. Still, the teenager always found himself in the corner of the room during parties or dances anyway, even though girls practically lined up for a chance to dance with him. The problem was...None of them were the right one. And so, he never called a girl out to dance and in that sense, Yumi was very special, a first in his life.
He helped them weave through the melody, releasing her at some parts but yanking her back right away. He actually enjoyed it, much to his own surprise. It was like playing a game of push and pull with her. It felt nice to have some control for once, especially when it came to a life as chaotic as his.
The few bystanders on the street stopped to watch, but Ulrich paid them no mind. He spun Yumi around, enveloping her expertly without a care in the world.
The song ended relatively quickly, yet neither Lyoko Warrior made a move to let go of the other. Yumi breathed against the nape of Ulrich's neck and his grip on the geisha's back tightened. The elderly shopkeeper took the hint, propping the door open a bit more and grabbing another track from a shelf. A new, slower ballad filled the momentary silence and they wordlessly commenced their swaying once more.
All the while, Odd leaned against the wall, beaming at his two teammates in an insufferably smug way. Oh, he was never going to let Ulrich live this one down, not until he married this girl.