(A/N) So, I recently rediscovered my love of this show, and I rediscovered my love of this pairing… I simply had to write for them! This is a oneshot and will stay that way ;)
Set a few months after the end of the show.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko or it's characters.
Even though the supercomputer had been shut down quite some time ago, the dreams never left Yumi alone. Each one was equally terrible and horrifying, though somehow each one was different. When she woke up, she'd always been tangled up in her sheets, legs moving like she was trying to run away.
But she couldn't escape the dreadful nightmares. She'd always been one for going to bed early when she could, but now she stayed up until as late as two A.M. in hopes of being so sleep-deprived she'd sleep peacefully. She never did, and she could never fall back asleep, so she was usually running on maybe three hours of rest a day.
Sometimes she'd doze off in class, so lightly sleeping that she could hear what was going on around her, and when addressed, she could snap out of it and pay attention. That was what she depended on, that zoning out that could barely pass as napping.
The worst dreams were the ones that she couldn't seem to wake up from, like the one she was having at the moment. She tossed in her bed, murmuring things in her sleep, occasionally letting out a breathless shriek.
She watched as, in her dreamland, Ulrich was shot. The stupid Manta hit him, and he began to turn into pixels before vanishing altogether, and somehow, she knew he wouldn't be back in the real world waiting for her.
It's just a dream, and you can wake up! It usually worked, but that night, it just wasn't happening. Yumi tried to open her eyes, but she found them too heavy to lift as she watched the scene unfold over and over again, endlessly tormenting her.
Then the Manta let out a piercing cry before turning on her. Yumi reached for her fans, but found they weren't there. She did nothing, could do nothing, as the Manta fired at her, the pain spreading throughout her body and becoming debilitating—
Finally, she thought as she was wrenched out of the awful nightmare. Her heart was beating so fast it was probably unhealthy, but all she felt was a strange combination of relief and fear.
That dream was different then the norm. Typically, she'd feel herself dying and wake up, be jolted out of her nightmare instantaneously. But that time, she watched her beloved be de-virtualized, and it was hard to think that maybe she'd never see him again.
It was hard. She knew she was alright, but was he?
She was tempted to call him, just to check. Yumi couldn't bring herself to do something like that though; she was never the type of girl who would put others at an inconvenience for her mundane problems. She could handle this one her own.
She glanced at the clock and, miraculously, it was only fifteen minutes away from the time she would have to get up and get ready for school. She'd gone to bed earlier the night before, (and maybe that was why her visions were so horrible) so she'd gotten a good six and a half hours of sleep. Not bad.
Yumi yanked herself out of bed and looked in the mirror. Same as always. Immediately, her gaze went to the dark circles under her eyes, looking like bruises or something. She knew it was the first thing anyone noticed when they looked at her, and there was always at least one person who'd gently ask her if she was alright.
She'd lie and say of course she was fine before pretending to be angry with them for thinking she couldn't take care of herself. Really though, she was touched by her friends' concern, and she knew she wouldn't trade them for anyone. Well, except for Sissi, but even she was growing on Yumi.
Moving mechanically, Yumi tugged on her usual outfit and ran down the steps. She got some cereal and pretended to eat it before going back upstairs and brushing her teeth. Yumi called out a quick goodbye to her family before leaving.
They always tried to do some kind of inspection on her, so she got used to leaving the house early. When Ulrich found this out, the two would meet near the entrance to the factory, and he'd never complain.
Yumi smiled when she saw her friend at the usual spot. She shot a glance at the looming building in the background before forcing her eyes away.
Ulrich was studying her. Her sleek black hair still hung around her face, shiny as ever. Her skin was still slightly tan, the way most Asians were. And the bruises under her eyes were present also. "What?" She snapped.
He knew he was staring, and he knew he should be ashamed or apologize like he usually did. But he'd just had enough. He had to know what was bugging her because it killed him to see her so different then the way she used to be. It's so hard, watching someone you love turn into a ghost of who they used to be.
That's exactly what happened to Yumi. She changed so much, she was quiet and closed off, rarely ever smiling. Sure, she'd pretend like everything was fine, but she wasn't fooling anyone, and he wished she would have just talked to him or something instead of acting like she hated everything. "I'm worried about you."
"Isn't everyone these days?" Yumi shot back, wry smile on her face.
Ulrich shook his head in frustration. "Yeah, but… I just…" He wasn't sure what he was getting at. He didn't want to talk about how he felt, so instead he tried hesitantly, "Why haven't you been sleeping?"
She wasn't sure why she told him. Maybe it was because she'd been so worried that he wouldn't be there, that XANA had somehow found a way to take her from him, or maybe it was because she just had to tell someone; but in any case, she opened up to him.
"I have these dreams," She started in a slow whisper. "They're terrible, and I just hate them more and more every night, I can't sleep and…" She trailed off, knowing there was no more to be said.
Especially when the tears fell from her eyes. She was horrified and embarrassed, and she tried to hide the saline tracks from her friend, but found it was no use when a choking sob erupted out of her throat.
Ulrich stared at her, shocked. Tough as nails Yumi was crying. He'd always imagined that in this situation, he'd hold her and he wouldn't let go as he murmured reassurances. So why couldn't he move or talk?
Because sometimes you just can't find the words.
Yumi hadn't allowed herself to cry over the nightmares. They were just dreams, something that was just conjured up by her subconscious, something that wasn't real. She just couldn't help it though as she sobbed, and she didn't want to admit that it felt good, felt freeing.
She always felt that the dreams were one final curse from XANA, and if she cried, it would be like letting him win. So she refused to she tears until now, and she was ashamed.
Then she felt a strong hand pull her close, and she rested on Ulrich's shoulder, a bit of that mortification evaporating to be replaced by surprise and contentment.
He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Ulrich had a feeling that just being there for her would be enough. He probably wouldn't say the right thing and just hurt her more because he was just that bad with words. He lifted a wary hand to her hair and stroked the ebony strands, marveling at how soft they were.
They sat there, in some tender embrace for however long. Distantly, Ulrich knew they were late, but he didn't care. He'd rather be with Yumi over in a classroom any day. Course he'd rather be anywhere then in a classroom, but he couldn't think of anything more important to him than this girl sitting with him.
Finally, she pulled away, even though she kind of didn't want to. They didn't talk. They just stood up, grabbed their bags and walked in a silence that said more than any eloquent phrases.
(A/N) Originally there was going to be some dialogue between the two at the very end, but I thought it was more meaningful this way. I would love some feedback :)