Author's Note: I do not own Code Lyoko, etc.

Chapter One – To Walk Darkness...

Jeremy's night couldn't have been better. He relaxed his head on Aelita's lap as she stroked his hair. She smiled as he smiled and loved every second together. She looked around at the fantastic view of the meadow and the alien purple sky above. Leaning her back against the tree, she breathed the fresh air.

Today was perfect.

The hologram ended and they were back to looking at the steel grid room they were in.

"What the?"

Jeremy stood up from the ground slowly, Aelita soon followed. He walked over to the control panel.

"What do you think happened, Jeremy?"

"I'm not sure, Aelita. But this is no power failure, that's for sure."

"What else could it be?"

"Aelita..." Trickster's voice rung out into the Studio , "if anything goes wrong, you have to listen to what I say…"

In the burning temple, Ulrich opened his tired eyes and put a hand on the ground. He looked up to see Yumi being choked by a large armored man who held her off the ground in one hand.

Nobunaga laughed, "Hahahahaha! Fools, you really think you can beat the demon prince! I'll take your head and make this woman mine forever!"

"Ulrich! Do something! This really hurts!"

"I got this, Yumi. Hang on!"

"Damn...I hate that the female character doesn't have any more actions other than to beg and struggle!"

"Silence, wench! Or your head will join his!"

Yumi spit in his face.

"You insolent whore!"

Ulrich smiled, "Insolent, yes! Whore, never!"

Nobunaga turned to see Ulrich sitting up with a bow in hand and an arrow notched.

"Bye!" He released the arrow, which cut through the air and into Nobunaga's eye.

The demon prince fell dead and Yumi fell to the ground with him, finally free from his grip. She caught her breath as Ulrich stood back up.

"Yumi, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Ulrich."

She got up as he walked closer.

"So...you think I'm insolent, huh?"

"What? Oh no, I was just caught up in the..."

She smiled and swaggered her hips, "Let me show you how insolent I can be, come here."

Yumi grabbed him around the hips and she threw them to the ground, rolling around. Yumi got on top of Ulrich and pinned him.

"Give up, Ulrich. You're my prisoner now."

He rolled her over and Yumi was on the bottom, laughing on the way down. Ulrich held her wrists and Yumi struggled, but was pointless.

"Who's the prisoner now?" He smiled wide.

She laid still and sighed, "Fine, I give up. You win."

"Now for my prize." Ulrich leaned in and gave Yumi a small peck on his lips.

He released his grip and knelt up on one knee.

She grabbed his wrists, "You're not done yet."

Pulling him back down, Yumi hugged him in a loving embrace as she kissed him. He reached his hands down and held her. After several moments of being together, they pulled away and smiled at each other as the hologram ended.

"What the?"

"Yumi, why'd you stop?"

She smiled, "Get off."

"Okay, okay." He stood up, allowing her to.

They walked over to the control panel.

"The buttons are still working, but nothing's going on."

"So, what? We just sit here?"

"It looks like it, Ulrich. Unless you can cut the door open with your katana?"

"I don't have that anymore, I'm flesh and blood again."

"I know, but I can't help but to think of something."

"Maybe we should just wait for Jeremy or Trickster to get us out."

"No, we can figure this out."

"Aelita..." Trickster's voice rung out into the Studio , "if anything goes wrong, you have to listen to what I say. I have...a feeling. Something bad is going to happen. I've put the Studios on Lockdown, so you'd be safe. The Studios are enforced to withstand a Kalsharian Anti-matter Bomb. If everything goes well, then I'll unlock the Studios in a couple minutes. If things don't go well...I've inputted another message that will play in an hour, Shelly will pick you guys up and you all run as fast as you can until I can solve this."

"Great, we're stuck."

"Relax, Ulrich. Everything will be fine." Yumi held his shoulders and gently massaged them, "Regardless, we'll face this like we've always had, we'll face this together."

He mused feeling the sensual massage, "Ummm...you're right, Yumi. Could you...go a little to the left?"

She gently shoved him, "Sure thing."

"What was the shove for?"

She just smiled and continued massaging her boyfriend's shoulders.

XANA smiled as he walked forward in Trickster's body, "This body is incredible. It feels much stronger than a normal human body."

"Get out!"

"What? Who said that?" XANA looked around.

Trickster yelled, "Get out!"

"How...How is this possible?"

XANA felt his control weaken considerably as Trickster moved his body. As he struggled toward the door, it opened.

Enigma stood there, holding the ship key, "Listen, Trickster. I can't take the New Light, it's yours after..." He noticed Trickster struggling as the black digital gas cloud that is XANA was leaking from his body.

Enigma dropped the key and rushed forward. Turning into lightning, he passed through his friend who shouted in pain before lowering to his knees, XANA seemed to fade as the current sparked through him as well. He returned to his original form and kenlt at Trickster's side.

"Could you...have done it...another way?" Trickster asked as Enigma threw one of his friend's arm over his shoulders.

"I could, but I know how much you hate to wait."

Trickster smiled, "We have to go."

"Say no more." He started walking them to the door.

"No, we have to go there." Trickster pointed to the Dark Future Orb.

"What? Walk a Dark Future?"

"We can't stop this enemy." XANA's form was reconstituting, "At least, not here. We have to go to the Dark Future where he escaped and stop him there."

"Did your mind finally blow a gasket or something?"

"No, when he possessed me, I saw it all. The Dark Future where he escaped is one that hasn't happened yet."

"Yeah...that's what all Dark Futures are about."

"No, no, he escaped from one where he was about to lose. I don't know how he found out, but he determined he was in an alternate reality and worked a way to escape. But this means he's tethered to that reality. If we cut the tether, then he should disappear from our reality and everyone will be safe."

Enigma blinked his eyes twice, "You lost me...for the twenty-seventh time since our friendship started."

"Forgot that Theoretical Metaphysical Science isn't one of your fortes." He looked at XANA, "Quick, get the ship key."

"Why?"

"Use your power, get that to Aelita."

"Where is she?"

"Holo-Studio on the west end, why?"

Enigma stretched out his hand, a yellow aura wrapped around his hand and shone in his eyes. The key disappeared from the room.

"Wow, new trick?"

"I'll tell you about it later. Here we are." They stood before the Orb.

"Computer, lock down the secret chamber, all encryptions!"

"Acknowledged."

The door leading from the Artifact Containment Room closed. Trickster held the Orb.

"You're going to feel like you're going into a gravity well, we have to follow the trail that he's leaving through the Dark Futures back to its source, that's the Dark Future where we'll stop him. Are you ready?"

Enigma looked into the determined eyes of his friend, "Just like old times, huh?"

"We're not that old. I'm only thirty-one and you're...thirty-something."

"Let's go!"

They looked back at XANA fully restored.

"Now!"

They touched the Orb together and vanished in a flash of light. XANA reached out a second too late and yelled in frustration.

The legendary duo felt like they were falling down a tunnel of dark light. The two colors mixing together like water on the ocean. An incredible force started pulling them toward the tunnel walls. They used all their strength to keep themselves away.

"Enigma, can you see?" Trickster said as they continued to fall.

"Barely, where are we?"

"We're traveling through the Dark Future Nexus, the place where all the Dark Futures of all the beings in existence are stored."

"What do we need to do?"

Trickster struggled lifting his arm up, pointing to the black line going down the tunnel with them, "That's XANA, we have to follow this to whatever Dark Future this XANA has come from."

"What do you mean this XANA?"

"There's countless Dark Futures and XANA is in many of them. But we want this one right here."

"If this is the tether, then can't we just?" Enigma reached out.

"No!"

Enigma felt a strong jolt when he touched XANA and flew off to the tunnel wall. Trickster swam toward him, trying to catch his friend.

"Trickster!"

"Enigma!"

Enigma stretched out his arm, "No! My powers..."

"Enigma!"

He watched his friend fall into the tunnel wall, submerging into a Dark Future. Trickster looked at XANA and shrugged, he fought against the heavy gravity of the Dark Future Nexus and was looking at the spot where his friend had fallen.

"I'm coming, friend."

Trickster dove headfirst into the wall and hopefully to the same Dark Future that his friend had gone to.