My 1st Code Lyoko fanfic. Yesterday, I posted a KP fanfic and my reviewers loved it, so thanks for the motivation to continue my writing.

I don't own Code Lyoko.

Quick Author's note: I wrote this fic a long time ago and just decided to see if I was any good back then. With enough reviews and/or motivation, I'll be able to rewrite this fanfic in the near future. Please proceed.

My Desert Home

If any terrain deserved to be called a desert, my homeland did. I sat comfortably on the dried, burning-hot sand, taking in my surroundings. Nothing but sand as far as the human eye could reach and the occasional shriveled weed. Behind me sat an oasis, half filled with water, but lacking any green or healthy vegetation.

How did I get here?

The blazing sun hovered in the same spot it's been for as long as I can remember. The sun never set and rain never fell from the sky in this desert, which reveals the cause of the extinct cactus and other common desert plants here. The unchanging sun is constantly cooking the land. I've lived here long enough to pass my observations as facts.

How long have I been here?

I laid back in thought. I've lived in this desert, separated from human contact, without any knowledge of myself. I didn't even know my age.

How old am I? What's my name?

Where am I? I know I'm in a desert, but where on Earth is this desert located, if there is an Earth? I've been to the edges of the desert. I've seen the end of it, but on the other side of the border is nothing but what I call an empty ocean. I also know that anything that goes into the sea never comes out again. My desert hovers feet over the deadly sea. Every day, I sit in wonder, for if gravity overcame the desert we'd both (the desert and I) would be lost forever in the carnivorous ocean that never ends.

However, I never think about trying to escape this desert. I enjoy the heat from the unsetting sun, and I enjoy the wide open terrain where I have plenty of room to run my fastest, which is faster than any human possibility. Though my desert also is home to the deadly packs of Kankralots and Bloks, all I need to do is steer clear of them and I am usually left unharmed and ignored.

Bloks are six-legged cubes, and they have a vulnerable spot on all four sides. They can rotate their heads on and axis connecting the legs to the head. Each of the Blok's four eyes has a different function: one eye is the brain, the next can project lasers, another can fire pulses of fire rings, and the last is able to freeze its enemies.

Kankralots are much smaller, weaker, and less intelligent than Bloks. Still, they do have some form of speed and they are able to cling onto many objects. Kankralots resemble a cockroach and its weak point is located on its carapace.

Tall towers populate this land more than any forms of vegetation do. My home, being a tower itself, is closest to the oasis, in case I am in need of a drink. Most towers emit a blue glow around it, though three of them are red. The Kankralots and Bloks seem to guard those. My curiosity got the better of me one day. What was in there that could be so important? I drew my saber and attacked the packs, leaving not one living creature behind. After the life-risking dare, I entered the red tower to find that it looked exactly the same inside as any other blue tower. There wasn't anything to hide.

I sat up and drew my saber. Where did I get this? I am constantly using this sword, whether it's battling for my life against a Blok, or just simply drawing figures in the sand. Speaking of which, I began to do so at that moment. I carefully outlined the building I had seen so many times in my dreams. I want to believe that my dream is a memory of my past, that I once lived in a large building surrounded by people my own age.

What do I look like?

This mystery bothered me the most. I knew I had brown hair, but where was I going to find a mirror in the middle of a desert hidden from the world? The oasis proved to show poor reflections, but I learned to cope.

I stood, ready to go back to my tower, and stepped toward my OverBike. The one-wheeled motorcycle proved a much more efficient way to travel. The OverBike halted in front of a tall blue-tinted tower that was my home. Inside the tower, I stared into the dark abyss below the hovering platform where I sleep.

The darkness actually led to The Metal World. There was no form of living nature in that world. Every creature and every thing was a metallic horror, noticeable or not. The school of Mantas, the group of Creepers, and the lone Scyphizoa (the only known creature of its kind) populate the area. I visit many times, but loathe the moments I do. I only visit to collect a necessity, food. Even loners need to eat.

The interior walls of the tower blocked any scorching sunlight from outside and provided its own peaceful blue light. A yawn escaped my lips and I laid my head down to once again drift onto a deep sleep.

I sat in a room in a large building. Humans my age surrounded me on my left, my right, in front, and behind me. We all sat in chairs, facing a green colored board and a woman, much older than I was, writing on the board with a thin white stick. She spoke to us in a firm voice, and wrote some more.

I looked among the group sitting down, studying certain faces. The one sitting beside me wore purple and pink, and his hair was yellow with a purple spot in the center. He faced me and threw his hand upward. His fingers were bent inward except for his thumb, which stood upright. That gesture, accompanied with his kind face, seemed to be a sign of encouragement. I copied his motions, giving him an upward thumb as well. We seemed to be companions here.

"Ulrich, pay attention in my class!" The woman's sharp voice stole my attention. Who is this Ulrich she mentioned? Maybe he would speak up so I could see him. I looked back and forth, searching for a guilty face, but I found none. I stared at the ones sitting in front of me. One was a male with yellow hair, wearing blue, and the other was a female wearing pink. They both stared back at me. "Ulrich! I will not ask again!"

The old woman would not seize to glare at me. Me? I'm Ulrich? I figured I should apologize, but what if I'm not Ulrich? "I'm…sorry, ma'am."

"You'll be excused this one time, but it won't happen again. The next time you decide to daydream, it will be in the principal's office."

I thought over what I just heard. So, my name is Ulrich. "Ulrich…" I whispered to myself. I had no way of knowing if it fit me, because I have never seen a clear reflection of my face, but I liked the name. What's a principal? Whoever he was, I concluded that I would prefer to steer clear of his office, so I paid attention.

A loud ring filled not only the room but also the entire building. I brought my hands to shield my ears from it. Everyone else cheered and showed signs of joy. They began filing out of the room, one-by-one. I exited behind the Boy-Of-Purple-Colors. He was my companion in the Gathering Room; maybe he was still my companion throughout the entire building. I followed him with my hope rising.

"Ulrich, what happened in Ms. Hertz's class? You forget your name or something?" he laughed. Though, I could only understand few of the words he had spoken, I enjoyed the feeling of conversation.

I was forced to smile in reply. I had no knowledge of how to answer and, luckily, he didn't expect a spoken one. I followed him to the outdoors, where I could recognize the welcoming sun. This land had many different forms of healthy vegetation that were alien to me. The firm sand was covered with green blankets, stretching far beyond the forest of tall plants.

The Boy led me to a long chair underneath one of the tall plants. The tall plant's stem was made of wood, and it did a thorough job shading me from the sun, though I didn't enjoy hiding from it. I've lived with the sun's rays constantly warming me for many uncountable years. Why would I want to stop now?

I stood from the long chair and escaped the tall plant's cold shade, allowing the sun to touch me once again. The Boy seemed confused. "Uh…"

I studied his face. He may be my companion now, but he may want to leave me if I act against his will. I did not know much about him, so I couldn't tell if he was angry with me, or if I was confusing him. Either way, I hated the look his face showed, so I reluctantly rejoined him on the long chair, feeling the warm sun disappear behind the tall plant's long green fingers. I was glad that tall plants didn't exist on my desert.

Another sharp ring filled my sensitive ears. "Hurry, Ulrich! We don't want to be late for class."

Class? I was curious to see what 'Class' was. It appeared to be another Gathering Room, though it was structured differently. Another woman, much younger than the first, stood in front of the room. She began speaking to us.

The Boy raised his arm where the woman could notice. "Yes?"

"Ms. Mayer, I have to use the bathroom."

Whatever a bathroom was, she refused to allow him to go. "You should have gone before the bell rang."

"But Ma'am, I've really got to go!" The Boy seemed to be jumping in his chair. If the woman allowed him to go, then I would be left without a companion in this strange world.

"Me too!" I jumped out of my seat. I could feel the stares coming from around the Gathering Room, but I ignored them. The woman sighed and pointed at the entrance, motioning us to leave.

"Fine, just make it quick."

The Boy and I quickly exited the 'Class'. I followed close behind, wondering where he was leading me. When he entered a small door, I could make out many stalls and little bowls with tiny waterfalls shooting from a shiny hose that operated only when a knob is turned. Above the 'bowls of waterfalls' I found mirrors! I hurried to the mirror, ready to find my reflection staring back at me, but before I could reach it, an explosion erupted in the 'bathroom', shaking me to wake in the familiar blue tower.

I sat up in thought. My dreams have become more frequent now, and this was the first time I had heard my name spoken by the people in my dreams. Ulrich… I thought back at The Boy, my companion during both 'gatherings' and in between.

"Hello? Artificial Intelligence, respond if you can hear me," a booming voice spoke, ringing louder than the 'bell', as the second woman called it.

I stood up quickly, racing out of my tower home, ready to defend it, but the voice wasn't coming from outside the tower. It was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "I repeat: respond if you can hear me."

"W-Who's there? Show y-yourself." I pointed my saber out, hands shaking and feet melting.

A different voice responded, "Hello, Artificial Intelligence… What do you want me to call you?"

I, still shaking, answered, "U-Ulrich. Who are you?"

"I'm Jeremie Belpois. We've been studying you for ten years, Ulrich, with no way of contacting you until now. Do you know how old you are, or how long you've lived here?"

I lowered my saber, raising my head to speak to the stranger, "No, how old are you?"

He laughed, "Since you asked, I guess I'll have to answer truthfully. I'm thirty-eight years old."

"What else can you tell me about you?" I asked, curious of the voice.

"Well, I married eighteen years ago to a woman named Aelita Hopper, and I have two kids. One is fifteen and the other is thirteen. Now, you owe me some answers. First of all, how did you get there?"

I thought for a moment, searching in the back of my head, under forgotten memories, but not one told me how I first came upon the desert land. "It's difficult to speak to you like this. Is there some way where you can talk to me face to face? Could you come out of hiding?"

"I'm not from your world. I'm on Earth, and you're on Lyoko. I believe you can visit me, but it will take plenty of work. Could you wait for maybe three days?"

I nodded, but also spoke it in case Jeremie couldn't see my agreement. In about three days, I would be leaving my home into a new one… however long that is.

Please R&R. Like I mentioned before, any suggestions, advice, blah,blah, will be greatly appreciated. Karen Stern 05 : )