A/N: Hi, thank you for reading my story! This is more of a prologue, but for the sake of the system, it's the first chapter. It kind of gets off to a slow start, but it'll pick up. I mean this is a prologue after all.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code: Lyoko. I will do the proper research to find the exact name of the person who created it, but for now, since I don't know it, just know that I don't own it.

Chapter One: Odd's Delima

Early September sunshine warmed Kadic Academy's courtyard and lit rooms with yellow light. Odd was silhouetted by this light by the window in his room. He was staring out the window, thinking. His hair, normally gelled up to a point, Lyoko style, was down. It fell just past hi shoulders, his purple streak shorter and surrounding his face. He pushed them behind his ears, then studied the ends of his hair.

The door opened and Ulrich entered. "You know, you don't look as fun when you're all broody," he announced, in and unusually chipper mood. He tossed his suitcase onto his bed. "What's the matter?"

"It's my hair," Odd explainded, turning away from the window. He looked at Ulrich. "It's too long to put up Lyoko Style. But I'm not sure I want to cut it."

"Then leave it long," Ulrich said, nonchalantly as if the decision were so easy. His own brown hair was the same as always, maybe a little longer. But his "style" was natural, not done up manually like Odd's. Ulrich set about unpacking his suitcase.

"But, are you sure? I mean, do you tink it will make me distinctive enougth?" Odd protested.

"You make you distinctive enough," Ulrich assured him. "Look, if yo don't trust my decision, ask the others. Maybe one of the girls."

"Ask us what?" Yumi asked as she entered the boys' room. With her entered Aelita, who had spent the last weeks of summer vacation with Yumi and had just dumped her own stuff into her room. She sat on Odd's bed while Yumi offered to help Ulrich.

"My hair! I can't get it up anymore, it's too long," Odd whined.

"So cut it," Yumi, who had cut her won hair a few inches, concluded. She folded one of Ulrich's shirts.

"No, you should leave it long," Aelita disagreed. "I think it's very you."

"If you cut it, it can be styled up again," Yumi insisted. "Just like on Lyoko," she added after a moment.

"Having withdrawls?" Odd asked. "I am, too."

"The supercomputer has been shut down for a whole year. You're just now missing it?" Ulrich chimed in. He was blushing as Yumi helped him fold and put away his clothes. He was thankful he had already put away his underwear, and yet, somehow, regretful...

"Well, I missed it before, a little," Yumi said. "I was excited about my grades, though. So were my parents."

"Yah, even Odd's not failing anymore," Ulrich agreed, to Odd's protest.

"But then, they demolished the factory last June," Yumi continued.

"And then we really started to realize, it's really over, " Aelita added, "And that's good and bad."

Jeremie quietly joined them. He was without his laptop, and he took a casual seat on Odd's bed near Aelita. "I just got used to not keeping my laptop with me constantly," he said, catching onto the conversation quickly.

Ulrich's clothing properly folded and hidden in drawers, his suitcase hidden for the next several months, he and Yumi sat on his bed. Feeling like an unofficial fifth wheel, Odd sat on his desk, using the chair as a food rest.

"And I can turn my cell phone off during class," he added. "Maybe it is time to let go and leave my hair down."

Ulrich and Aelita nodded. Yumi was uncertain, but still disagreed. "Why not put it back up the way it was?"

"Yah," Jeremie consented. "In a way, it's like all we have left."

"When you put it that way..." Odd looked at the ends of his hair.

"We have each other," Aelita cut in. "That's all we need."

"Tie breaker," Odd announced. "We're going to ask the first person we see."

With that, Odd hopped off of his desk. On his was out, he opened his bottom dresser where his forbidden dog, the secret pet of the ex-Lyoko Warriors, was sleeping soundly. "Come on, guys." The friends left together.

The hallway for the boy's dorms was deserted and quiet. Downstairs, however in the girl's hall, they met up with Emilie LeDuc. She was headed to the boy's hall, carrying a suitcase, followed by a boy that look a lot like her.

"Hi, Emily," Yumi greeted.

"Hey. Um, guys, this is my brother, Max. This is his first year, Emilie said. "She leaned closer to Odd, Jeremie, and Ulrich and added, "He's kind of shy, will you guys be nice to him and help him get comfortable?"

"Sure," the boys agreed.

"I have a question for you," Odd said. "Should I leave my hair down, or put it back in a spike?"

"Down. It would look good pulled back, but I don't have a hair tie on me." Emilie shrugged and switched the suitcase to her other hand. "Hope you don't mind, I"m going to take Max to his room, this is heavy."

"Yah, sure, see you later. Thanks!" Odd waved to her as seh led her brother up the stairs. Odd and his friends continued down the stairs.

"Has anyone seen William?" Yumi asked. Ulrich only slightly cringed as the mention of his romantic rival.

"No. He is coming back isn't he?" Aelita pondered.

"Why wouldn't he?" Jeremie asked. "But it would be a loss."

"Even though he was under X.A.N.A.'s control most of the time, he was still part of our team," Yumi agreed.

"Okay, I don't think I could handle the team being broken up," Aelita said. That would be too much."

"We'll look for them," Odd assured them.

The kids reached the Rec. Room and split up to greet old friends and try to find William. Most other students they asked weren't sure if they had seen him, or if he should be there or not. Ulrich and Odd eventually ran into Sissi, Nicolas, and Herve.

"Hi, Ulrich!" Sissi greeted. Herve did not react. He had given up being jealous of Ulrich as Sissi stopped pursuing him as persistently.

"Hey, Sissi. You haven't seen William around, have you?" Ulrich asked.

"Yes, actually I have. I was just talking to him,' Sissi pointed. "He's right there." Sure enough, William was standing nearby, talking with a few girls. "Oh, and your hair looks good Odd, but you should pull it back."

"Thanks, do you have anything I can pull it back with?" Odd pulled his hair back with his hands to get a feel for what would apparently be his new style.

"No, all of mine are pink. I'll see you later, I have to unpack my things." Sissi left and Nicolas and Herve followed, as usual.

Odd and Ulrich pulled William to a corner to talk to him. "So," he began. "No more X.A.N.A, for real. It's kind of weird. I would have liked more time to pay him back for capturing me." William swung an imaginary sword around a few times. Sometimes, Ulrich wondered who was more of a hassle, William, or the polymorphic clone that Jeremie had made of him to keep suspicion away while X.A.N.A. was controlling the real William.

"It's probably more of a defeat if we all move on, and stay friends," Ulrich said, honestly trying to be friends with William. They guy wasn't so bad, he was jsut competion, and a big, reckless handful.

"Yeah," William agreed. "Hey, Odd. Your hair looks cool. More of the letting go thin?"

"I suppose," Odd said. "It's a new year, and I think this is going to be a great X.A.N.A.-less year."

A/N: Thanks again. Please keep in touch, and constructive criticism in my reviews would be apreciated. The next chapter is called "Power Surge." It's the first day of school, and the lights keep flickering throughout the day, reminding the kids of a X.A.N.A. attack.