Author's Note: You like it, you really like it! :) Thank you all so much for your reviews. Since a couple of you asked for a quick update, I decided to post this before Sunday. I might do the same for chapter 3 if you guys want. Once again, if there are any problems in this chapter, let me know and I'll try to fix them.
Dedication: To Mel, my beta reader. She's the third set of eyes for this story and lets me know if I am using correct grammar. The fact that you guys don't go cross eyed from missing commas is due to her. Thanks, Mel!
Notes: Each chapter takes place about a year after the previous one does unless I say otherwise. Also, the point of view switches back and forth between Ulrich and Yumi. That part's pretty easy to understand about four sentences into each chapter.
In this chapter, the first section in italics is a series of flashbacks during Ulrich's senior year without Yumi.
Their ages are as followed:
Yumi: 19 (freshman in college)
Ulrich: 18 (senior in high school)
Odd: 18 (senior in high school)
Jeremie: 17 (senior in high school)
Aelita: 17 (senior in high school)
Happy readings!
No time to lose,
We've got to move.
Steady your hand.
I am losing sight again.Fire your guns.
-Breaking Benjamin, Blow Me Away
Flashback: Fall
'Ulrich?" a timid voice came from the doorway. The senior school semester had only just started and already he was being bothered.
"Come in," he answered reluctantly.
"Um, I got an e-mail from Yumi," she began. Ulrich's eyes popped open and he sat up so quickly from his bed that he became dizzy.
"Yeah? What did it say?" he asked, eager to know. Their fight right before her graduation had caused a chasm between them. The whole summer had passed without any word from her.
"She wanted to know how you are. That's all. I didn't know what to tell her," Aelita said apologetically. Ulrich threw himself back on the bed.
Was that it? That's all she had to say to him after a whole summer of not talking?
"Well, tell her that if she really wants to know, she can write me herself," he growled, not caring if he hurt Aelita's feelings. He'd probably regret his tone later. Aelita didn't deserve his bad mood, but oh well. Placing an arm over his eyes to block out the sunlight, he heard Aelita exit the room.
At the doorway, she must have paused. "I think you two are being stupid. Just e-mail her yourself."
Flashback: Fall
Gritting his teeth, he sat down at the computer. It was time to take Aelita's advice as he began to type up a message.
Hey Yumi.
Just e-mailing you to see how you are. How's college?
Also, sorry for last year. And for not calling you over the summer.
Later, Ulrich
Sighing, Ulrich highlighted all the words and deleted the text. That just wasn't right.
Dear Yumi,
I miss you. So much. I'm sorry. If I could, I'd take back our whole fight last year. Please e-mail me. Please call me. Please send a smoke signal. Anything, just so I know that you forgive me.
Love always, Ulrich
Highlight and delete. Yumi didn't need to know just how desperate he truly was.
Yumi-
I'm sorry.
-Ulrich.
He hit 'send,' feeling that that this, however short it was, might be a good start.
Flashback: Fall
Jim droned on about the importance of safety while running track. Ulrich found himself nodding off. Really, who scheduled gym first period in the morning? His cell phone vibrated in his pocket and Ulrich nearly leapt out of his skin.
Carefully, as to remain unnoticed by Jim, Ulrich pulled his cell phone out to read the text message he had just received.
I forgive u. I'm sorry 2. Forgive me? Call me later, k? –Y
Ulrich smiled to himself, putting his phone away. Of course he forgave her. Their fight had been months ago. He didn't blame her for not feeling ready for a relationship. He didn't blame her for running off. Hell, he had practically forced her to go.
He would call her the first chance he got.
"Stern!" Jim bellowed, catching Ulrich's attention. "What did I just say?"
"Um, that you'd rather not talk about it?"
Flashback: Winter
Kiwi bounded across the room leaping up at Ulrich's legs as he entered.
"Hey there, mutt," Ulrich said affectionately, scratching behind the dog's ears.
"Hey! Don't call my little diggity dog a mutt!" Odd warned from the spot on his bed. "Anyway, don't get him all worked up. It's snowing too hard out for me to take him out so he has to stay in here." Kiwi jumped back up on Odd's bed, rolling around for Odd to scratch his belly.
Ulrich looked out their small window to see that Odd was right. The light snowfall they had cheered for earlier in class instead of listening to Mrs. Hertz now fell thickly and heavily from the darkened sky. He shut the door behind him, sat on his bed, and took his shoes off comfortably.
"So," Odd said, rubbing Kiwi's back, "Yumi just called me. She's visiting next weekend from college. She wants to know if we all want to meet up with her while she's here. Maybe get ice cream or something."
Ulrich glanced out the window at the wintry wonderland. "Isn't it a little cold for ice cream?"
Odd shook his head solemnly. "There's never a bad time for ice cream." He got off his bed to look for a doggy brush for Kiwi. "Anyway, are you going to join the rest of us when we go see Yumi? Or will this be like last month when she came to have dinner with us and you just sulked in here the whole time?"
Groaning, Ulrich turned on his bed so that Odd could only see his backside.
"I just don't want to see her right now," Ulrich muttered into his pillow. Odd sighed dramatically.
"I thought you two worked things out. I mean, you've talked to her on the phone a couple times, right?"
Lifting his head from the comfort of his pillow, Ulrich answered.
"I just don't want to see her yet. Things are still too awkward. I was a jerk and I think I really hurt her." He buried himself under his covers, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. "Besides, she was right. Maybe if we went out, we would be limited."
"What, you think you guys should just be friends, too?" Odd asked incredulously. Ulrich looked over at his best friend staring at him with one eyebrow raised.
"Well, no. But if she just wants to be friends, then I'll respect that," Ulrich said resentfully. Odd gave him a sympathetic look as Ulrich shut his eyes, welcoming sleep.
'She said she forgave me, but does she really?' he wondered as sleep washed over him.
Flashback: Spring
"So, just remember SOHCAHTOA. Sine is opposite over hypotenuse, Cosine is adjacent over hypotenuse, and Tangent is opposite over adjacent. Really, it's quite simple," Jeremie carried on and on.
Ulrich desperately tried to pay attention, but his heavy eyelids grew stronger with each passing sentence about trigonometric functions.
"Ulrich! Hey, Ulrich!" Jeremie hissed. Ulrich forced his attentions back on the neglected notebook in front of him. He looked up guiltily at Jeremie's annoyed expression.
"Look, I already know all this. You're the one that needs to do well on the next few tests if you want to graduate next month," Jeremie reminded him.
Ulrich grimaced. Why was trigonometry so boring? And required before graduation? Life just wasn't fair sometimes.
"Sorry, Jer. I'll do the next problem, okay? And then can you check it for me?" Ulrich begged his genius friend. Jeremie eyed him for a moment before relenting.
"Okay, fine. I'll stay with you for a little longer. But only because I want you to graduate."
"Thanks, Einstein," Ulrich smiled gratefully. He attempted to tackle the problem. While he bent over his paper, he silently cursed the inventor of triangles and the first person to decide to put letters into mathematical equations (Seriously, it wasn't an English class so why have letters?).
"Holy gigabytes!"
Ulrich, eager for any reason to abandon his trig homework, looked up excitedly.
"What is it?"
"I forgot to tell you! Speaking of graduation, guess who's going to be there?"
"Santa?" Ulrich deadpanned, having expected something slightly more interesting to have caused Jeremie's excitement.
"No," Jeremie shook his head. "And don't tell Aelita that, either. She still doesn't fully understand the concept of St. Nick. Anyway, Yumi's coming to our graduation!"
Ulrich snapped his pencil in two between his fingers. Great, just great.
"I guess you really need to work even harder on your homework then. Now you have more of a reason to make sure you graduate," Jeremie teased slyly. Ulrich glared grouchily at his friend before tackling his assignments again.
Present: Spring
"Oh, Yumi!" Aelita cried suddenly. All Ulrich saw was a flash of pink as Aelita ran to greet their friend. She raced to Yumi who greeted her with open arms. The two girls clasped hands and giggled over some silly girlish notion before starting their way back to the boys. It was completely endearing. Ulrich hadn't realized just how much Aelita had missed her fellow female companion.
"Ready, Ulrich?" Jeremie taunted, eying the girls as they approached. Odd laughed behind his hand as Ulrich's cheeks flushed.
"Aw, cool it, guys," Ulrich said grumpily. Some friends they were.
"Sorry, good buddy," Odd said in a tone that was anything but sorry. Ulrich paid him no attention, though, for Yumi drew nearer and nearer.
Time slowed down around Ulrich and he lost all sense of his peripheral vision. He either had never realized or had never fully appreciated just how stunning Yumi was. Her shiny hair had grown during their year apart, the ends brushing against her black dress top. Her full pink mouth opened in a laugh that Ulrich had sorely missed. He watched as her graceful fingers tucked a lock of silky hair behind her ear, showing the elegant line of her jaw.
Each step she took was sure and confident and Ulrich desperately wanted to know if she felt as nervous as him. Her face lit up with a bright grin as she gazed at all of her friends and Ulrich knew that he alone suffered from nerves.
"Congratulations, everybody!" Yumi cried excitedly. Ulrich closed his eyes for a moment, trying to record the sound of her voice so he could replay it in his mind during her absence. "The ceremony was great! And Jeremie, I loved your valedictorian speech."
Jeremie blushed modestly as Yumi hugged him. "Well, it was nothing, really," he said in a small, proud voice. Yumi laughed and pecked him on the cheek before moving to Odd.
"It's great to see you again, Yumi!" the skinny blonde boy told her as they hugged as well.
"You, too. I've really missed you guys," Yumi smiled wistfully at Odd. Then, as though moving through still water, she turned to Ulrich.
This was it, the moment Ulrich had been simultaneously waiting for and dreading since he learned that Yumi was invited to the graduation. It had been a year since they last saw each other face to face. A year since their fight, when he pinned her down and kissed her like a madman (He knew the consequences would be lethal, but, God, he wanted to kiss her again.) Ulrich's palms began to sweat as he wondered how she would react to seeing him.
Was she still upset with him? They had shared their apologies and forgave each other, but she was always one to hold a grudge. Would her confrontational personality shine through?
"Hey, Yumi," Ulrich offered off hand. He gave a cautious smile and raised his hand half way in a sort of wave. Yumi took a quick step forward and for a brief shining moment, Ulrich was sure she was going to hug him. At the last second, Yumi seemed to think better of it and pulled away.
"Hi, Ulrich," she greeted him. Her tone with him had been different than it had been with the others and Ulrich wasn't sure if it was a good different or not.
Yumi shook her head as though trying to clear her thoughts and moved away, blushing, to talk to more with Jeremie about his speech.
"Beautiful, huh, Ulrich?" came Odd's voice from far away, nearly breaking Ulrich from his stupor.
"Yeah, beautiful," Ulrich started before completely coming back to Earth and realizing what he had just admitted. "Well, um, that is… Shut up, Odd."
Odd laughed gleefully, his bright green eyes full of mirth. "Maybe you should let her know, Romeo." Ulrich made a swipe at him, but Odd danced out of the way to hide behind Aelita.
Aelita, grinning brightly, held her arms up to protect Odd. The sight of Odd cowering behind the small pixie of a girl caused Ulrich to laugh.
"The tables have turned! Now Princess is protecting her protector," Ulrich joked. Yumi and Jeremie turned to see what Ulrich was talking about.
"Well, I have to save my cousin, don't I?" Aelita said wryly as Odd wrapped a loose arm around her shoulders.
"Thanks, Princess," Odd said smiling down at Aelita. Then, he looked up at the rest of the gang, his eyes gleaming. "Hey, what do you say we make a trip down to the factory? For old times' sakes, huh?"
"And a hi-yah!" Odd yelled, swishing his hand in a downward motion as though karate chopping the air. He kicked as high as his graduation gown allowed (which, admittedly, wasn't very high) with a loud grunting noise. He made a few more dizzying hand movements to indicate more fighting before turning around to face his friends.
"And then I'd kick the monsters!" he finished dramatically with a bow, eliciting giggles from the girls.
"You know, Yumi," Aelita said between laughs, "I think Odd finally lost it!" Everyone shared a laugh at Odd's expense, including Odd himself.
"Well, if you think you're so funny, let's see you fight, huh?" Odd challenged, grinning in Aelita's face. She giggled some more behind her hand, backing away from Odd's silly stare.
"Oh, no. I had all the fighting I could handle on Lyoko!" she said, pushing Odd away affectionately.
Odd, now determined to challenge his friends, moved on to his next target.
"How about you, Einstein? You gonna fight?" Odd teased. Jeremie gave him a cold look over the edge of his black rimmed glasses.
"No, I don't think so, Odd. I was more of the behind-the-scenes guy, remember?" Jeremie reminded him. He rolled his eyes, but eventually gave in to a laugh as Odd shook his head.
"I tell ya, this is sad. No one will fight!" Odd turned to grin mischievously at Yumi and Ulrich. "Well, at least, Princess and Einstein won't." The look on his face was purely devilish as he walked over towards Ulrich.
"Come on, good buddy!" Odd urged him, pushing Ulrich closer to Yumi. Ulrich tried to resist the smaller hands on his back, but Odd proved stronger than he looked.
"Aw, come on, Odd, we don't have to do this," Ulrich started until he saw the look on Yumi's face. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth was set in a determined smile.
"What? Afraid you might lose, Ulrich?" Yumi challenged, crossing her arms in a most alluring way, causing Ulrich to grin.
"Not a chance," he answered back. He pulled the graduation robe off and handed it to Aelita to prevent any tears or stains during the fight.
Yumi and Ulrich stepped further away from their friends as to avoid hitting any of them in case their fighting got too out of hand as it so frequently did.
Standing a few feet from each other, they bowed respectfully. Lifting his head, Ulrich watched with narrowed eyes at Yumi. He observed her every step, matching each one she took carefully.
Her pale hands stood out in front of her body, ready to block any kick or punch that came her way. Feet stepping over each other in a cool, calculated manner, they moved around in an almost complete circle before either of them made a move.
Odd cheered something out in the background, but Ulrich was beyond listening. All he was focused on was Yumi and the slight twitch of her hand. Her eyes darted to the left, and Ulrich knew that she would make her move there.
Yumi lunged for him on her left as he instantly darted out of the way. She glared up at him from her spot on the floor and he only smirked.
"You need to stop looking at where you're going to move," Ulrich tipped her, feeling a certain satisfaction at her growing irritation. Something about seeing her so wound up fascinated him.
This time, Ulrich made the first move. He kicked at her shoulder, only for his foot to be caught in her hands. She smiled sweetly at him before twisting his leg and throwing him down in a move that was anything but sweet.
He heard, rather than felt, his back hit the floor with a thump, but leapt to his feet before Yumi could pin him down. He swung his arm out to catch her in the stomach only to have her swiftly duck out of the way. God, the girl was quick.
While he pulled his arm back from the swing, he left his stomach unprotected. Taking advantage of his position, Yumi stuck her leg out and kicked him right in his center. He doubled over and Yumi laughed above him.
"That was a beginner's mistake, Ulrich. Haven't practiced since I graduated?" she teased. Ulrich, still doubled over, kneeled on his knees. Despite the sharp pain in his stomach, his heart raced a mile a minute and he couldn't remember the last time he had felt this alive.
Yumi stood above him, waiting for him to catch his breath. He looked up to see her victorious expression, her smile urging him to get up so she could finish him off. Smiling to himself, he knew he loved that girl for a reason.
With a smirk, he caught his breath enough to raise himself off the ground. With a grunt, he gripped at her upper arms, forcing her backwards.
Her eyes widened in surprise at his sudden attack and Ulrich's smirk grew. She tried to force his hands off her arms, her slim fingers working furiously. Unable to move his hands, she glared up at him furiously.
"Had enough yet?" Ulrich taunted her between heavy breaths. Feeling triumphant, he watched her thin eyebrows meet together on her forehead and her pink lips snarled at him. Goosebumps erupted across his skin. Oh, he loved this vicious side of hers.
In the blink of an eye, Yumi's foot hooked around his and brought his leg out from beneath him. Unbalanced, Ulrich swayed, clinging to Yumi to stay standing. His efforts were in vain and soon he toppled over, bringing Yumi down with him.
Shrieking with surprise, she swiftly twisted her body to escape form his hold. Holding him down tightly to the ground, her fierce eyes never left his for a second. Ulrich didn't waste a moment's time. He threw himself upwards, pushing Yumi's body off of his.
In one fluid motion, he flipped her over so that their positions were opposite. She lay flat on the cold ground and he stood on all fours, holding her between his knees. With one swift hand, he caught both of her wrists and held them above her head. His other hand pinned down her waist, keeping her from moving from the ground.
The silence that fell between them was broken only by their harsh breathing. Unblinking, they watched each other warily, waiting for the next move. Yumi's hot, sweet breath blew across his mouth and cheeks, and he found himself wanting to drown himself in its warmth.
Heat radiated from between their gasping bodies and Ulrich fascinated himself with staring at Yumi's exhilarated face. Her eyes were wide and completely open. Her dark, shiny hair stuck to her sticky forehead, beads of sweat lost themselves across her smooth skin and Ulrich grew aware of just how tight his dress pants had become.
A tiny, red tongue darted between her chapped lips, moistening them. Ulrich nearly groaned as his stomach constricted powerfully. She had to have some notion of what she was doing to him. Seriously, the urge to ravish her right there on the factory floor was nearly too much to bear. This wicked girl, she was killing him.
"You know," she said quietly, her confident words breaking into his less than chivalrous thoughts, "I could get out of this if I wanted to." Deep crimson colored her face as he was sure it did his, too.
"You won't."
His breath fell heavily on her face, her face that lay only inches beneath his. Two seconds, that's all it would take to claim her mouth with his.
"And what, exactly," she asked him, her breath labored and thick and completely alluring, "makes you say that?" One eyebrow was raised, and her piercing eyes stuck him right in his core. Ulrich's insides squirmed delightfully, but as he opened his mouth to answer her, Odd's voice drifted over.
"What's the name of that move, guys?"
Now, Ulrich knew he had never been too smart, but now his mind worked furiously to come up with as many different severely painful ways to murder Odd as it could.
Yumi shifted under Ulrich's weight, sending shock waves through his body. God, did that feel good. And right. Why didn't they ever spar more often? She shifted a second time, twisting her arms to get his attention. Ulrich, jerking himself out of fantasies of what else they could do that would make her sweat this much, immediately met her gaze. She looked at him expectantly until he realized that it would probably be in his best interest to detach himself from her.
With a groan, he released her wrists and rolled off her body. The factory floor felt cool against his sweating back. He shut his eyes and tried to settle his rapidly beating heart.
Ulrich knew he couldn't blame his breathlessness entirely on the spar.
"Seriously, guys, that was pretty cool," Odd continued, standing over Ulrich. "Especially the part where you both blushed," he teased, egging on the two tired teenagers.
"Shut up, Odd, will ya?" came Yumi's voice over on Ulrich's side. He opened his eyes and watched her shift her weight so that she rested on her side. A lovely S of a girl, he thought.
Yumi didn't look too nervous, Ulrich noticed. But he also took note of how her eyes carefully avoided his. Her face had returned to its normal lovely, pale pallor, but a hint of rose could still be found on her cheeks. Ulrich stood and offered a hand to Yumi to help her up. Shyly, she accepted and as she stood, Jeremie's cell phone began to ring.
"Hello?" he spoke into the receiver. "Oh! Sorry, Dad. My friends and I, uh, we were just hanging out. I'll be right back!"
Jeremie hung up, and looked around at his friends.
"Sorry, guys, but my dad's looking for me. Your parents are probably wondering where you all are, too," Jeremie said reluctantly.
"Oh," Aelita gasped. Everyone turned to look at the pink haired princess. "I forgot that all of your parents were here!"
The group of friends looked at one another and then laughed. How easy it was to forget the world when they were all together. Ulrich knew that despite the fact that they would all continue their friendship, he would miss their days together at Kadic High.
"Aw, leave it to the parents to ruin our fun," Odd said, poking his tongue out childishly.
"Well, I better go before Dad comes looking for me!" Jeremie stated, making his ways towards the exit. "Coming, Aelita?"
She nodded and handed Ulrich back his graduation gown. Waving at the other she followed Jeremie outside.
"So," Odd said, rubbing his hands together gleefully, "Can I learn that last move? I would love to have our pretty Yumi und- umph!" Ulrich's hand smacked the side of Odd's head, reminding him of just what would happen if he finished that crude sentence.
"Oh, sure, Odd. Here, let me show you," Yumi joked, forming her fighting stance again.
Odd eyed her cautiously, probably trying to judge how painful a flip would be.
"Uh, no thanks, Yumi!" On that note, he started to scamper away. "No funny business, you two!" He called down when he reached the exit. "If you aren't back at the graduation ceremony in the next ten minutes, I'm going to send Hiroki after you!" Odd ran off, laughing at his own cleverness.
Ulrich chuckled, shaking his head at his friend's antics. His laugh subsided and he and Yumi were left in the emptiness of the factory.
"So," Ulrich said in an attempt to start a conversation. "I guess that was fun."
"Yeah," Yumi nodded with a blush on her face again. "I had forgotten how good you were."
Nervous from her compliment, he muttered thanks, and pulled the graduation gown over his head. Emerging from its polyester hold, he grimaced. Why did they have to be so ugly?
"Very handsome," Yumi teased lightly, tugging at the collar.
"Knock it off, will ya?" Ulrich laughed. Yumi stopped teasing him, but she still didn't move her hands from his collar. She brushed her fingers up his neck and across his cheek in a feather soft motion.
"I've missed you," she told him matter-of-factly. Her words were normal, but a softer look appeared in her face that he had sorely missed in her year of absence.
"Yeah. Me, too," he agreed as casually as she had. But he knew she understood how much he meant those three words.
"Look, Yumi, I'm sorry that I didn't come to see you at all when you visited," Ulrich started, placing his hand behind his neck. "I guess I was just being stubborn."
"As usual," Yumi said, rolling her eyes in a friendly fashion. "Hey, look, we really should start heading back."
Ulrich followed her wordlessly, feeling an immense weight fall off his shoulders. She truly did forgive him. Everything felt balanced in his world again.
Outside the factory, the two friends walked side by side on the path back to Kadic. Ulrich stood close enough to her so that occasionally their hands brushed against each other. Each touch of her skin brought him back to thoughts of her sweating body pressed up against his.
"Hey, Ulrich?"
Once more, Yumi's words jolted Ulrich out of a very pleasant and highly inappropriate day dream.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. What is it?" he asked her, looking over at her side. She kept her gaze forward, not meeting his.
"Do you think that fighting brought us together?" she asked in a more serious tone than he had heard her use all night.
Ulrich thought back to how they met. It had been through learning Penkak Silat with Jim. And how their friendship strengthened on Lyoko, fighting X.A.N.A. And how they had survived past all the jealously-induced fights that Sissi, William, and Emily had caused. And how, even after last year's epic fight, they still managed to stand next to each other as friends.
"Yeah, I do," he answered plainly, unsure of how exactly to convey all his thoughts to her. She had always made him tongue-tied.
"Do you think," she continued as though he hadn't said a word, "that if we hadn't fought each other that day we met that we would still have cared for each other as much as we did?"
Ulrich, at a loss of what to say, waited until Yumi elaborated.
"What I mean is, if you had fought some other girl that day with Jim and I had fought some other guy, do you think that maybe we would have fallen for them instead of each other?"
She stopped walking and looked at him inquisitively. Ulrich slowed his pace, thinking to himself.
"No, Yumi," Ulrich disagreed. "Fighting is how we met and it did bring us together, but there are so many other reasons why I fell for you."
Her quick smile. Her full laugh. Her impossibly short temper. Her endless strength. Her clever sarcasm. Her irrational jealousy. Her boundless courage. Her focused intensity. Her fierce determination. Her challenging attitude. How exasperatingly gorgeous she was, no matter what time of day or what season it was or what mood she was in. In short, everything that made her Yumi.
The moonlight filtered through the leaves and graced itself across Yumi's alabaster skin. He leaned in, ready and eager to taste the lips he had been dreaming about for the past year. Their last kiss had been out of anger. He needed a kiss out of love.
Eyes shut, he moved in closer until he felt his lips make contact with balmy skin. He pulled away, surprised. Yumi had moved her head at the last moment. Ulrich had kissed her cheek instead.
"I'm sorry, Ulrich," she said dejectedly, looking at the ground.
"It's okay, really," he assured her. Despite the understanding smile he gave her, he couldn't help feeling frustrated on the inside.
Wasn't this a repeat of last year? A missed chance? A too-late apology? He had been waiting to kiss her for months. Now he would have to wait even longer.
Ulrich felt a tentative hand take hold of his own. He looked down to see Yumi's slender fingers entwine themselves with his. Shy and feeling like he was fourteen years old again, Ulrich looked over at Yumi through the corners of his eyes. A smile stretched across her shiny face and he immediately felt his nervousness dissipate.
"Come on," she said good-naturedly. "We don't want Hiroki to come after us."
And with that, she tugged on his hand, pulling him through the trees. Ulrich chuckled at her sudden playfulness.
'I am always going to love this girl,' he thought to himself as he watched her laugh gleefully under the dappled moonlight.
Blow me away.
I will stay unless I may.
After the fall,
We'll shake it off.Show me the way.
-Breaking Benjamin, Blow Me Away
...and thus chapter two is completed. I hope you like all the action. :)
I originally wanted to update this a little earlier, but fanfiction dot net was being sorta glitchy. Sorry about that, guys.
Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!