I literally have nothing else written about this story at the moment. But I know exactly what's going to happen. (and it's my most favorite idea ever) Hope you guys like. If you want to cheat at the story, go to my deviantpage. hahaha. cheaters.

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Chapter 1: The Girl with the Sword

So I'm moving away from my True Family to my Foster Family

It ended that day

Xana had launched yet another attack upon us. I had to stay back for a bit to deal with my irate father. Yumi and the others went ahead to the factory to get the tower deactivated as soon as possible. Knowing my father, I most likely had to sit this one out—or at least, until I found an opportunity to break free. My dad was more into the argument than most days, I must admit. So when Jeremy called me from the factory, his face turned beet red, and he directly ordered me not to answer it.

Since Jeremy had told me he wouldn't call unless it was an emergency, I answered the phone anyways. Dad looked like he was about to burst. But that's how he always is around me. Like I would care if he did or didn't.

"Come to the factory now," Jeremy almost begged, "Odd's injured, but he made it to Lyoko. I'm fine for the moment, but you never know. We need you here!"

Not really wanting to go without hard reason, I naturally asked him what else went wrong, to try and throw my father off just a step.

"And Yumi?"

Jeremy paused. I didn't know if I should take that as a good sign, but I waited for him.

"She's...upstairs, fighting back Xana…Ulrich, she's hurt badly. The only reason why we left her is that she was too damaged to go to Lyoko, and that she insisted we hurry."

My muscles tensed. She had told me (and technically herself) to back off when it came to our relationship. Reluctantly, I did, but that didn't mean I had no feelings for her still.

"How bad…?" I asked in a low tone.

Jeremy paused again, and I heard some sort of muffled sound, as if it came from the monitor. It didn't sound like Lyoko, so I assumed he had the cameras up. The sound was metallic, like metal slamming on metal. There was a scrambled feminine voice somewhere in there, and it sounded like she was struggling to keep up. Jeremy coughed, and replied with much hesitation.

"Odd's only got a sprained wrist. Yumi…has a broken arm and probably a few cracked ribs. Her shoulder's bleeding, too," He shifted his position, and I imagined him pushing his glasses up in anticipation. "Look, Ulrich, I know what you're going through with your father, but truth is, Yumi might not make this one alone."

I sucked in a breath and clenched my free hand. If I weren't on the phone at that moment, I would've probably sworn under my breath. If I also wasn't in front of my father, I would've sworn loud enough to be heard from five feet away. Bad habit, I know, but whenever someone's in trouble…even if it is Sissy, I swear my head off if it's really that dire.

Like right now. Yumi was in dire need of my help, and, like always, my father could—and would—wait.

I hung up my phone and gave a cheery wave at my father, speaking in a slight British accent, "Cheerio, Dad!" And with that, before he could respond, I was out the door and already racing to the factory.

Because I had met him in Jim's room, (horror) I passed my own down the hallway. Thinking quickly, I jumped into my room, grabbed my katana that I use for martial arts, and then sprinted down the corridor, not caring if I got all of the 'looks.' Mr. Harris, the history teacher, tried to stop me as I raced down the hallway, but, me being me, I ignored him and tore right past without a second's hesitation. Time was short, and speed was crucial.

Instead of climbing down the ladder, I leaped after I closed the lid over my head. Pushing my skateboard (and my legs) to their limits, I leaped across the sewers, hoping to make it in just enough time so that Yumi wouldn't be torn limb from limb when I got there. I gave Jeremy a quick call as I scrambled up the ladder, telling him not to worry, and to tell Yumi that I'd be there within a few seconds. He obliged quickly by hanging up and dialing her.

Up ahead at the factory, I heard the chinking of metal and frantic footsteps that must've been trying to run, but instead came up with a half-hearted lope. I grimaced, and drew my sword.

Showtime.

INSANITY: Doing something over and over again and expecting a different result.

Jeremy, totally.

Back at Kadic, as I later found out, my dad was fuming. If I were there, I suspected that I would see just a little bit more than steam screech out of his ears. He stomped into Mr. Delmas's office, face as red as a ripe apple.

"Mr. Delmas," He seethed, shaking with rage, "It's time you know what the family is planning to do. Ulrich is obviously ignoring schoolwork here because of his friends. We are taking him from Kadic, and we're setting him up out of this district. Is that clear?"

"Of course it is," Mr. Delmas replied matter-of-factly, "I'm very sorry that we couldn't succeed here. I'll let him know as soon as possible." He shuffled a few papers, and began writing a random document. My dad turned and walked away, still red-faced, grumbling a complaint under his breath.

"It was my wife's idea to set him up here, anyways…," He slammed the door behind him, and got in his car. He fixed his rearview mirror so it was focused on a few of the school kids just wandering aimlessly around. He scowled into it, and drove home to my mother, who was waiting for the bomb to drop on her.

PERSEVERANCE: Never giving up in what you believe in.

That's Yumi.

Xana's attack was babyishly simple, but cleverly deadly. From Jeremy's explanation, (don't think that I figured it out all by myself) he took control over all things metal, shaped them to his liking, threw a 'tantrum', and flung everything at everybody. The main center of attention of the attack, though, was a swirling cloud of a specter in the midst of all the other chaos. At least it was better than attacking us with giant teddy bears or food monsters. I almost laughed out loud, and I probably would've if I hadn't have seen what it did to Yumi.

She looked alright for her situation. I mean, she was stumbling badly after she was branded the best sprinter ever to see Kadic and her shoulder was cut, the arm was broken badly, and she hugged her chest in pain every time she so much as took a breath. She was also running out of space to run, and her sleek hair was getting in her way…

Okay. So she was beat up. But that's the reason I was there, right?

Sucking in a big breath of preparation, I quickly unsheathed my sword. It occurred to me that my sword might fly from my hand from the Xana attack, but that's a chance I would have to take.

I decided not to call to Yumi so I wouldn't get Xana's attention, so in turn, I wouldn't get 'shot' at. Really stupid, because Yumi probably still thought she was on her own, because I saw no sign that Jeremy's call had reached her. Keeping low, I raced along the side of the factory until I came up and kept pace with Yumi.

Although it was hard for me to do, I kept one eye on Yumi and my other on all of the flying objects. It wasn't long before I realized that I couldn't keep doing this. Yumi was toast. Buttered toast in Xana's case. Even though she tried to run in a jagged line, her injuries wouldn't allow keeping up with that. Her loping was reduced to a straight line, down to a quick dead end. Something constricted at my chest, even though I wasn't being attacked. I dismissed it as a reaction to the cafeteria food, although deep down I knew it was much more.

A flash of silver caught the corner of my eye. It was headed straight for Yumi. Sharpened or not, it would have killed her at the speed it was going. I did the only thing I could. I acted.

This is where I get to proudly boast that "Man is better than Machine." Xana was fast, but I was faster. Maybe it was because I jumped off from the top floor, either that or I was just piled up to my eyes with luck. Whatever the reason, it doesn't matter, because Yumi made it.

Yumi must have been totally stunned as soon as I bowled into her, sending both of us sprawling. I instantly felt a pang of regret, because the exact spot where all my body weight was concentrated was her broken arm and torn shoulder. Ouch.

My left cheek was facing the ceiling of the factory when I knocked her down. Turns out that even though I was fast, I wasn't fast enough. The flying piece of metal was sharpened, and it slashed from mid-cheek to almost the inside corner of my eye. Talk about real close calls. I gave a gasp of shock and relief as the metal soared past, damaging nothing else that was breathing. Fresh blood soared from my wound and splattered randomly on the floor. At first I felt no pain, just a cool sleek sensation where I was cut, like slipping into a soothing chilly pool, then the pain came searing across my face. I cried out shortly in agony, then we landed.

It was especially excruciating for Yumi, for one she hurt just another part of her body by slamming into the thick metal floor, and for another I landed straight on top of her already injured arm. She screamed in pain, and I rolled off her as quick as possible, being careful that my sword wouldn't hurt anything. As far as I could tell, Yumi was trying to contain her screams. She grasped her broken arm tenderly when I rolled off, desperate to try and soothe the pain. I rested my hand gingerly on her shoulder to reassure her, then looked up to locate how far away from the elevator we were.

Grimacing, I turned back to Yumi, one hand holding the sword, the other her shoulder. She forced her eyes to open and gave me a small nod of thanks. I noticed that she was biting her lower lip so hard that I expected to see blood at any second. I spoke softly, so as not to rattle her brain too much.

"We're about fifty meters from here to the elevator. Can you make it?"

Yumi let out a gasp and spoke in an unsteady voice, shaking her head slightly, "No. There's no way I can make it. It's too far."

I stole another glance up, and saw the whirlwind of a Xana ever so slowly creep toward us. Somehow finding the wise-crack do-no-good side of me within an instant, I replied to her, picking her up piggy-back style (which was hard with the sword)

"Well, that's just too bad!"

Yumi gave a short yell of protest as I grabbed her and slung her on my back. But even so, she wrapped her arms around my neck wordlessly. She gave a nod against my head to signal that she was ready, so I took off, running in that classic zigzag pattern.

It must've been quite a sight, to see me running from a bunch of flying metal objects with a girl riding on my back with me holding her legs and my sword at the same time. I didn't have to think hard to imagine what Odd would've said about this.

I wasn't the best runner in the world. I practically die half-way through the hundred meter dash. Problem was, the dash to the elevator was exactly that. To make matters worse, Yumi was on my back and injured badly. I had to deal with an approximate 120 pound girl on my back in addition to Xana throwing crow bars at me! (At this moment, I pray that Yumi'll never read this.) It was a wonder why I was gifted with super sprint on Lyoko.

Nevertheless, I pumped my legs faster, pushing myself so I could reach the elevator without collapsing. Yumi kept looking back to check Xana's position, and constantly gave me warnings whenever we got close to danger. You gotta hand it to her, even when she's close to uselessness; she makes do with what she's got.

Finally, we reached the elevator. I gratefully let Yumi slide off my back, and she slumped down, gulping in air and holding her arm like she was cradling a baby. Every now and then a wince would escape her lips from the constant pain and no support. Thinking about her well-being, I pushed the elevator button and waited, raising my sword in case any metal object decided to fly at us.

The elevator opened just a tad later than expected. On top of that, Xana just sent a swarm of sharpened javelin-poles hurling toward us. Without giving a thought of being careful, I grabbed Yumi by the sweater and half-threw, half-shoved her into the compartment. She gave a short shriek, but cut it off in an attempt not to alarm me. I ignored that.

My mind was currently focused on the speeding xanafied javelins headed straight for me. They were just as fast—if not faster—than the other one I faced only moments before. I grimaced, and leaped over into the elevator.

Xana caught on quickly, and sent one of the javelins over and straight for my head. Reacting faster than I thought I could, I brought my sword up and parried it by sending it flying upward.

I failed, but succeeded at the same time. The pole didn't kill me; it just grazed the same cheek that was already bleeding creating an X, just like on Ruroni Kenshin. The cut wasn't as long, but it was deeper. I batted the javelin to the ground with my sword, and kept my foot on it so it wouldn't rise again. The elevator door slammed shut as the compartment jerked, shutting out all the other deadly poles. Suddenly we were moving down toward the counsel room. Yumi laid her head back and heaved a heavy sigh of relief. I turned to her, cheek striped red with blood, and gave her an uneasy smile.

Yumi blinked and forced a smile out. She ran her good hand through her hair a few times, and then rested her forehead in it, still staring up at me.

"You have a real knack for saving tails, don't you?" she asked, her voice hitting a high-pitched note at the end from her broken arm. Feeling like a total idiot, I took off my top shirt and kneeled down, talking as I went.

"Erm, not really. It's more of a 'leap before you look' kind of thing," I said, gesturing to her left arm. "Where is it broken?"

Yumi painfully moved her arm and I took it gently. She spoke as I transformed my shirt into a makeshift sling, "Up by the elbow, I think. Careful, it—ah!!"

I'm sure that if she'd finished her sentence, she would've said 'It hurts a lot.' Scared that I had made it worse, I pulled back immediately and apologized. She nodded her head, accepting it, and continued through gritted teeth.

"It's alright—it just hurts, you can continue…with…," She paused in mid-sentence and her cheeks flushed to a rosy color. If my face hadn't been red already, I'm sure it would've flushed too. Noticing my mouth was open slightly; I shut it and quickly fastened the sling around her back. (which I almost had to hug her to do.) She uttered an embarrassed sound, and I mumbled something about professional nurses. Yumi gave a short laugh as I straightened up.

The elevator door opened and I stood up quickly, picking up my sword. Jeremy eyed it first, then almost dropped his glasses when he saw my cheek.

"Ulrich! What happened? Are you okay?!" He said, concern clouding his voice. I blinked a few times, then laughed out loud, even though my face hurt every time I smiled.

"Don't worry, Jeremy," I said after I was quite through laughing, "It looks a lot worse than it feels. I'm alright." Jeremy shook his head in wonder, and beckoned me in. I turned around and helped Yumi to stand. She winced as her ribs moved as she stood, but she tried to conceal her pain. I put a hand on her shoulder, then we walked over to the monitor.

"Xana's attack took us by surprise. If we had been a bit more aware, Yumi and Odd wouldn't have been injured." Jeremy explained.

"Stop blaming yourself, Jeremy," Yumi said, giving him a friendly smack. "It was as much our fault as it is yours."

Jeremy shook his head in disagreement, and in turn Yumi smacked him again. Something told me that her hits were painfully weaker than normal. Her face twisted slightly for less than a second as the unfamiliar sensation of pain shot up her arm, but she straightened it out and stared at the monitor intently, even though she didn't know what any of it meant.

It didn't take long before Odd and Aelita clambered up the ladder and greeted us with the concerned stares. I simply waved them off, but Yumi took them gratefully, and told them not to worry. Jeremy waited for the murmuring between us to calm down, before he raised the most important question.

"Return trip, or no return trip?"

Silence fell down on us before the murmur started up again.

"I say we go for it," Odd said, "Yumi's pretty much beaten to the bone. What excuse could we possibly come up with?"

Yumi shook her head. "I can live, Odd, and the last thing we need is for Xana to get stronger again. We wanna limit how much we use the return trips."

"I agree fully," I added, putting a hand up in defense, "I'd hate it if Xana would be able to come up with controlling fifty people at once and having them all go against us. This latest attack was pretty weak, but we've all seen what Xana can do. I vote against it."

Aelita nodded knowingly, speaking in her usual soft tone, "I see both sides of the argument, but if I would have to choose, I would go with Odd. Unless, of course, we can think up of a good excuse for Yumi's condition, then I'd say don't do it."

Everybody looked simultaneously at Jeremy. He was staring at the screen, the light reflecting off of his glasses and creating an eerie sensation for his eyes.

"We need a tie-breaker, Jer," Odd said cheerfully, "You're the guy to do it!"

Jeremy stared on, completely silent. Everybody else stared at him like he was a movie screen, and the monster was just about to jump out and devour him, but it was taking hours to get there. Finally, Jeremy pushed his glasses up, and spoke one word.

"No."

There was more silence. As usual, Odd broke it by asking yet another question.

"No to what?"

"No to the return trip. We can't afford to find out what would happen to Xana next. We need to save those until we need them for the worst emergencies." Jeremy jumped down from his 'high seat' and began walking to the elevator. Odd began protesting along the way.

"But what about Yumi's arm? And Ulrich's cheek, and my wrist? What are going to be our excuses?" Jeremy almost ignored him because of his stupidity, but replied nonetheless.

"A fall. Yumi's injuries result perfectly with a fall from the cliff in the woods. A little slip of the foot. For you? You fell down and threw your hand out to stop yourself. As for Ulrich…,"

"Let me guess, I was practicing with my katana and became careless," I said with a sarcastic tone.

"Not quite what I was thinking, but that's good too." Jeremy admitted. Odd threw me a wink, and Aelita giggled softly. I rolled my eyes, and was about to make a smart comeback in my defense when my cell phone buzzed.

Confused, because all my friends were already with me, I pulled it out and checked the number. Everyone gave an expectant look, and I shrugged. Who knew the principal would call?

"Yes Mr. Delmas?" I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible. Mr. Delmas cleared his throat before continuing, a strange tone in his voice. I tried not to look interested or worried, because somehow I knew what this was about.

"Hello, Ulrich, your father just left me with some crucial information,"

I paused. My dad wasn't at school anymore—that was good. Crucial information? That was bad. I answered slowly, hoping my voice wouldn't waver.

"Yes…what is it?"

Odd stole a glance over at me. He knew something was wrong from the way I was speaking. Great. Now I have to answer a lot of questions. I turned away from him and the others, straining to listen to see if Mr. Delmas was doing anything else. All I heard was a sigh, and the sound of a pen being put down.

"Your parents want to move you to a totally different school district. I'm sorry that we couldn't provide the proper learning environment for you. They already have everything set up. You will be moving to a public school tomorrow. Pack up tonight, Ulrich, your father will be here in the morning."

Mr. Delmas didn't hang up. I didn't either. I was struck stiff with shock. I imagine even my heart stopped beating for a long moment. What must have been three minutes passed, then Mr. Delmas sighed again.

"Well, Ulrich, I can't do anything. It's been a pleasure knowing you." With that, he hung up.

A pleasure? A pleasure??!!! I'm about to leave the only school where I really felt like I belonged and he said it's been a pleasure knowing me??!! I wanted to go over there and throttle him. I squeezed my phone so hard that I thought I would crush it. I was seething with anger. They were going to take me away from the only family I felt I really had aside from my mother occasionally. And Yumi…

Yumi…

Oh God, I hadn't gathered up the courage to tell her yet. I was going to leave the only person I've ever loved in my dust without even hinting that I couldn't live without her. They couldn't do this to me!!!

Unfortunately, I never had much voice when it came to arguments. They did do it to me. They took me away from my friends—my family, the only place I felt like I truly belonged and I could be myself. My heart stopped beating completely then.

"Hey man, you okay? Didn't he hang up already?" Odd asked, a worried tone in his voice.

I tore my cell away from my ear angrily, growling deeply at him as I shoved it in my pocket.

"Yes he did, Odd!! Now stop questioning me!!!"

I could literally feel the entire room turn to stone as I slammed on the elevator button.

SILLYNESS: Never sad even in the darkest hours.

Well, that's Odd.

"Hey, Ulrich? Ulrich? Could you come out, please? Everyone's really worried about you!"

"The hell they are!" I spat. Was I annoyed? Oh yeah.

Odd was outside our dorm. I was inside. As soon as I got back I stormed and locked myself out here, never coming out. Hours had passed, and I had completely skipped supper. Yumi was sure to be long gone by now. It was already quarter after seven. At least my friends knew when to leave me alone. This was the first time they even bothered to contact me. Still, I didn't like it one bit.

Odd took almost no notice of my profanity usage and knocked harder. I scowled, and snarled at him to shut up and go away. Odd sniffed behind the door. I couldn't tell if he was laughing or doing something else. I was about to tell Odd off for the last time when he spoke up before me.

"I have shut up and gone away, Ulrich. For as long as I dared could. But I couldn't stand it anymore. Ulrich, we've got to talk,"

I dismissed him with a "tch" and rolled over in my bed. Odd sighed beyond the doorway, and continued with a calmer, steadier voice.

"Has your cheek stopped bleeding yet?"

I was quiet as I pondered this. After a moment I got up and rubbed my washed and dried face in my hands, "To tell you the truth, Odd…," I said as I walked to the door, opening it. Odd stood there, more patient than I'd ever seen him, "I don't think it'll ever stop bleeding."

Odd looked me up and down. "How poetic. Can I come in?" he asked.

"Half of it is your dorm anyways…," I waited as he sat down on his bed, the continued on, solemnly, "Better get comfortable by yourself—you're losing a roommate."

Odd looked up at me like a lightning bolt, his vibrant violet eyes wide in shock. I sighed, and sat down on my bed across from him.

"Let me explain…," I said finally.

SENSITIVITY: Knowing how to react kindly and softly.

All Aelita

I could not get up that morning. It was impossible. Thankfully I had packed everything the night before with Odd's help. My Dad would pick me up at eight. It was already 7:30. I had buried myself within the bed sheets of the cot, trying to steal a few more minutes of sleeping in this room. Fat chance.

Odd violently grabbed a struggling Kiwi and threw him on my stomach. I let out a loud whoosh of air and sat up, brushing the yelping dog off me. Odd gave me a long stare, and I looked up at him.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"Jeremy and Aelita know, and I left Yumi a message last night." He said in a sad, monotonous tone.

"So?" I retorted, trying to sound as if I could care less about me leaving. Odd sighed.

"Your friends would like to see you before you go."

I blinked, and got up. It was somehow always Odd that persuaded me to do things. Or maybe his seriousness scared me into getting dressed. Odd sighed and waited outside with my bag. As I got dressed something bad occurred to me. At the time it had happened I'd been too angry to notice; but now I did.

I left my katana at the factory last night.

"Shit," I breathed. That thing cost at least seven hundred bucks. I did not want to lose that thing—especially right before I switched schools. I opened the door just a little angrier than last night. How could I have been so stupid to leave it there? Odd gave me his age-old "question" look, and I scowled at the ground.

"I left the sword at the factory yesterday." I grumbled as I snatched my bag off the ground and headed downstairs. Odd followed, explaining as he went with an innocent tone.

"Don't you worry about it. Yumi noticed before she left and took it with her. Uh…she didn't give it to me though. Must've forgotten—or figured that, uh, that…,"

"That what?" I snapped, leaping the last two stairs. Odd fidgeted, and glanced at my bag. Sighing deeply, I set it down and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. His violet eyes stared deep into mine, and I forced myself to calm down. I really shouldn't have been treating him like that. He was my best friend, and I might not be seeing him for a while. A really, really long while.

"Look, I've been acting like a real jerk lately, okay? I just…this has all happened so fast, and I, I don't want to leave you guys. You're all like family to me," A family I never had, a thought shouted as I spoke. At that time I ignored it, but it came back to haunt me forevermore. "And I don't want you to forget that, m'kay? You know I couldn't imagine life without you guys—and without Lyoko. Besides, you're my best friend. Why would I ever forget you?" I patted his shoulder, and Odd smiled at me before I let it slip away. There was a minute or so where we just stood staring at each other silently. I could see that tears were stinging Odd's eyes. I felt bad, because I did not feel the pain that you usually do when you're trying to hold back tears.

Truth was, I hadn't really cried since I was about five or six. Long time, I know, but let me explain.

I don't quite remember what caused me to quit crying, but I do remember it had something to do with my parents. They were fighting I think. Being only a kindergartener I started to cry when the shouting got nasty. All I remember is my scared mother and a fuming father. Everything blacked out for a while after that for about two hours. Afterwards my mother told not to cry ever again. So I didn't.

"We, uh, better go out and meet the others." I said as Odd sniffed a few times. He nodded, and started for the door. As he turned a thought came to my mind. Wordlessly I grabbed the dog tag that I wore around my neck and took it off. I remember the exact day I got that thing. It was a month after we had successfully materialized Aelita, so we decided to go out for a little mini-party. While browsing through a store, Odd saw this dog tag with the word SAMURAI embossed into it. After he showed it to everybody, they wouldn't stop pestering me until I bought it. That dog tag and I haven't parted since. So when I handed it dangling on the chain to Odd, it took him a while to pick his jaw off the floor.

"But I can't do that!" He exclaimed, trying to refuse the gift. I insisted, and forced it into his hand as he continued, "I can't take that, Ulrich! You love that thing!"

I shook my head and opened the door, stepping outside while dropping it in his hand. "It'll be safer with you. Besides, it'll be like a token," I paused and took in a big breath of Kadic's air, then started toward Jeremy and Aelita, who were at a bench near the vending machines, "So you won't forget…," my voice trailed off as I saw my friends.

Although I'm sure Odd was thoroughly confused, he didn't say anything, and pocketed my dog tag. Jeremy and Aelita looked up as I approached, the faintest hint of sadness surrounding them. Under normal circumstances, that would be weird, but this was anything from normal. Aelita managed a good smile, while Jeremy failed in trying to follow suit. When I finally got there I just stood, at a loss for words.

"Hey," Aelita said quietly.

"Hi," I mumbled as I looked around the courtyard. I dropped my bag and turned my attention on my two smarter friends. "Uhm…Where's Yumi?" I asked, feeling really stupid. Silence disturbed me, so I wanted to have a conversation—or, at least, attempt at one. Jeremy shifted his feet.

"Not here yet," he muttered. I could tell he was taking this hard. It kind of shocked me—out of all of them I would've never guessed that Jeremy would be the one to take this as hard as he was. Interesting.

I nodded slowly at his reply, and almost instantly my eyes became glued to the gate. No one, not even Odd said something to lighten the mood. There was no use.

As I was watching the gate I thought about how quickly this happened. One day I'm here, the next I'm packed up and leaving. It just didn't make any sense. How long were my parents plotting this? People just can't switch schools overnight—there has to be some arrangement. Although, it sounded like it was all new to Mr. Delmas; not that he really cared, but still. He must've gone on uninformed until yesterday.

"Hey…you aren't anxious to leave, are you?" Odd asked meekly and in a worried tone. I snapped back to reality and swung my head toward him. Me? Anxious to leave? Are you kidding?

"Where did you get that idea?" I asked him like he just told me he had a wolverine in his underwear. "I already told you—I can't leave; not without leaving everything behind here! You're my family, Odd! All of you," I looked around me, meeting everyone's eyes. Immediately, I felt like I wanted to crawl into a corner and die of embarrassment. Sheesh. I never realized what a big mouth I had. "All of you…," I echoed, and turned my gaze back to the gatehouse. Even with Aelita, Jeremy and Odd here, I felt empty. If you knew me well, it doesn't take a genius to figure out why.

Aelita knew me well.

"She'll be here, I promise," she whispered softly, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"She's usually here by now," I protested, fidgeting with my fingers, "What's keeping her, Aelita?" I asked her; for she was the only salvation I had at that moment. I was incredibly nervous. How could I leave without saying good-bye to the girl I loved? I knew my dad wouldn't wait for that if he showed before she did. I bit my lower lip. I guess I should add that I've never been this nervous before in my life.

"It's gotta be the arm, remember? Maybe she's having trouble with that. Don't worry, she'll be here." Aelita said reassuringly. I wanted her prediction to be right. Jeremy stared at me through his glasses with sky blue eyes. He blinked a few times, and I saw a tiny tear escape. Aelita turned her head toward him sympathetically, and left me to his side. He snuffled a few times, then said he was all right. For the time being, at least.

I stood there, waiting intently. Minutes passed, and she never showed up. I looked around, and grabbed Jeremy's hand. He didn't resist as I pulled up his shirt sleeve and checked the time. 7:49. I took in a deep shaky breath to try and calm myself so I wouldn't do something stupid. I was leaving in about ten minutes. If Yumi wasn't here, I might as well melt from sorrow and drift away forever. My face became twisted with worry. The bell had rung four minutes ago, but Mr. Delmas had let my friends stay out in the courtyard to see me off. Hmph. Nice guy.

Odd patted my back, trying to reassure me everything was fine; even if he knew that everything wasn't. I looked up to the sky and watched the few clouds floating in it change shape as the wind carried them by. Five minutes. No Yumi.

Five minutes. Yes, there was a dad.

He blasted his horn out at me even though I saw him pull up. I was glad that the windows of the car were tinted so my friends couldn't see his possibly furious face. I shook my head multiple times, and turned to Jer and Aelita. Aelita smiled weakly. I shook my head again, and pulled both of them into a hug. Jeremy started to cry on my shoulder, and Aelita didn't try to stop a flow of silent tears. I pulled away, and turned to Odd. Odd gave me a sad-but-I'm-trying-to-cover-it-up look. I smiled, and grabbed him into a headlock and noogied his brains out.

Normally, whenever I did this to him (which was often) he would shout in protest until I finally stopped, laughing hard. He'd scowl at me, then disappear into the bathroom to fix his messed up hair. But this time, he just remained silent and smiled as tears began to flow down his face now. I let him go, and picked up my bag, giving my friends one last glance. My father blared the horn again, and I began to walk out of Kadic for the last time.

I Opened the backseat door and threw in my bag and slammed it shut, opening the passenger door.

A high wince-gasp caught my ear, and I stood there reluctantly with the door open. I slowly turned my head in her direction. Yumi stared at me, her chocolate eyes shining on the brim of crying. She was standing on the sidewalk, hugging herself despite the nice weather. Her arm was in a sling and cast, and her shoulder bulged from the bandage underneath her turtleneck. Her posture was crouched over, hesitant and timid. I felt a pang of pity for her as I stared.

In her left hand, the broken one, she clutched the beech wood of my sword sheath. For a second, I feared she might break it, but that thought was washed away. The maroon hilt stuck up at the top, tilted sideways and catching the sunlight in a mournful way, reminding me of dark funeral attire. Yumi looked like she was about to die. I didn't blink as I stared at her, but something did happen.

One, single, tear escaped my eye and flowed down my scarred cheek, following my face to underneath my chin where it broke off and hit the pavement. It was only one tear, a miniscule drop of water, but when it hit the pavement, it shook the world.

I grunted sadly and turned away, clambering into the waiting vehicle. Yumi didn't stop me to give me my sword back. To heck with seven hundred bucks. It's rightfully hers, now. A piece of memory left behind to remind her of the friendship we shared. I wondered if she thought it was more than just a friendship.

My father grumbled as he hit the pedal and we literally sped off. I reclined the seat and closed my eyes, sighing deeply, thinking of what I left behind.

Jeremy. My friend who more times than not saved my life in the most unusual and uncanny ways. The friend who introduced me to Lyoko and an adventure I would never, ever forget.

Gone.

Aelita. The girl I and my friends saved from an evil super computer. The friend that always listened to me and calmed my hot-headed anger down when it was needed. She was unbelievable.

Gone.

Odd. My strange best friend. A match that no one would've believed. He and I shared more memories and laughter than most, and we were the tightest bond within the group. I would miss him terribly—he knew how to read me like a book, and even though I hated it at first, I miss it now.

Gone.

Yumi. I loved her. No, that's pessimistic. I love her. More than anything else. I could've told her two minutes ago, but I didn't. I don't know why. Maybe I thought the sword was enough. I wonder if she feels as empty as I do when we're not near each other. I swear to God, I left more than half of me stranded at Kadic Academy.

Gone.

Gone, forever.

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Has anyone ever noticed how strange the word "gone" is? -shudder-

well, R&R as always. :)