Code Lyoko oneshot, focusing on the French version of the theme song. Written from an outsider perspective, because I needed a basis of comparison, and because I can.
Uses a point of view from before Aelita was discovered to be human, but after she was materialized for the first time. The character is female, and in Odd & Co.'s year.
Un ira, un saura sauver notre existence
Se donner une chance de tout effacer…
I find it hard to believe that it's been ten long years since I penned those lyrics, eleven since I first attended Kadic Academy. I can still remember the day I first sang it for my French friends, see the expressions on their faces with perfect clarity, even though we have long since gone worldwide in our separation, no longer classmates and roommates.
Un ira, un saura sauver notre existence
Se donner une chance de tout effacer…
My French skills were stretched to their limit when I was writing this, an American transfer student in her second year, having been welcomed two weeks before- as a backup- into a group of warriors for a virtual world. It was for that group of five, and about that situation that I wrote it. You see, this is the literal translation of the French you see before you:
One will go, one will be able to save our existence
To give a chance all to erase…
I know that they knew what the lyrics meant, perhaps mulled over the 'one' I wrote in. Why one, and not six? Or even five?
Well, for starters, un scans a helluva lot better than six or cinq.
Cinq ira, cinq saura sauver notre existence…
Yeah… no.
To be honest, I turn the matter over in my mind often, trying to decide on a 'one'.
I end up ruling out Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich near the start of my pondering, I'm afraid. They are amazing fighters, and have sacrificed much to secure the safety of both Lyoko and Earth, but that's pretty much the extent of all they do. They have a hard time virtualizing themselves on Lyoko, as none of them truly understands the complex mass of wiring and machinery that is the supercomputer. (I don't, either, but I was introduced to it late in the game, and barely understood the entire situation at first- they had to explain it to me about five times before I truly grasped the concepts.) They cannot affect Lyoko, or shut down activated towers. They are true Warriors, for certain, but not individuals enough in the process to make any one of them the 'one', by my thinking.
I never even consider myself for the position. I am a late ally, merely the bard who witnesses, writes, and passes on the story for others to hear, if they would listen.
Jeremy, now, is a contender. He is the one who knows most of the eccentricities of the supercomputer- I doubt anyone knows or knew all, even the creator. Without him, the Warriors cannot get to Lyoko, or can with much strife, and time lost. He is the one who is near paranoid and an insomniac, constantly checking for signs of an attack, so no lives are lost or badly damaged before we can halt what is happening. He is our Napoleon, our master strategist. Without him, we might be blind to an attack until it is upon us, and then it would be too late. Despite that, he is the only one who does not go to Lyoko to fight. He is the worst, physical-fitness-wise, out of the group, and cannot defend himself against humans like Yumi, Ulrich, or myself. Even Aelita and Odd have a certain degree of self-sufficiency when it comes to a fight, but not our Einstein.
Aelita, too, vies for the spot in my mind. The 'Princess', as we jokingly call her, is the only one who can deactivate the towers that herald XANA's attacks. She knows some about the supercomputer, but not nearly as much as Jeremy. Her Synthezation has proved itself useful more times than I can count, but it costs time, lifepoints, and concentration. Beyond that, she has no weapon with which to defend herself, and must rely on one of the three Warriors to keep herself from getting killed, as we must use Code: Earth to bring her back each time.
And so I end another session of pondering with a wry smile to myself. Just like every other time I try to figure out the mess of words that are my own lyrics, I simply end up chasing my tail for ages on end. I'm beginning to doubt that there is an answer, even.
Yet I grin, and turn my computer the loudest it will go- I cease to care what the neighbors will think- and set it to a song I wrote ten years ago today, before turning to my closet.
It's been seven years since I've seen my friends, only seven. But how can I make clear how much I've changed when I see them again tonight? My grin widens again and I begin to belt out the French at the top of my lungs as I rummage through my messy closet looking for the perfect reunion dress…
Fin.
So, what do you think? PM me for details on the character: I haven't used her in anything else yet, so don't bother checking. I may or may not do a multi-chaptered fic featuring the story of this character at Kadic- probably not, seeing as how I have some issues with plot development and pacing, and my writing sucks in anything more than a scene or oneshot. Review and tell me your opinion on the fic, and a possible multi-chapter prequel detailing the character's schooldays!