Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko...

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At lunch the next day, Yumi meets her friends for lunch as usual. She and Ulrich have been skirting around each other. It's almost as if their conversation yesterday never happened…but not quite.

So she sits here teasing Odd as he scarfs down his fifth helping of gluey mashed potatoes, surreptitiously glancing at Ulrich. Jeremie and Aelita are still having a very involved conversation about something mathematical that's beyond Yumi's comprehension. And Ulrich—Ulrich is laughing with her at Odd, but there's something a bit hurt in his smile.

What is wrong with boys?

She can't deny she's enjoying herself, though. Watching Odd sneakily devour everyone's potatoes (and they were pretty awful) is always entertaining. The way he talks with his mouth full isn't, but that's another story.

Jeremie stands up abruptly. "I've had enough of this food," he declares grandly, with a glance at Odd. "I'm just going up to my room for a minute to check on Xana, okay?"

"I'll come with you," offers Aelita. She and Jeremie flush a little, and Odd raises an eyebrow with a messy smirk. The two of them stand up to go, while purple cat boy steals the remains of their brownies.

Finally Odd sits back, satisfied. "Ohh," he groans. "I'm so full."

"What do you expect, Odd?" Ulrich asks. He can't hide the fact that he's amused. Yumi can see through him so easily.

"I'm going outside," Odd retorts. "I need some fresh air." He winks at Yumi as he stands up.

Her mouth almost drops open. I'm going to kill that kid someday, she thinks, but all she can do is watch his back as he struts away.

Glancing again at Ulrich, she pretends to check her phone. Could this be any more awkward? There is nothing but silence across the table. Finally Ulrich says, "Do you want to, uh—get out of here?"

She nods. Ulrich's face is almost apologetic. Maybe they can forget this ever happened…?

They talk a little as they head out of the cafeteria, but both of them sense the thin rift that's formed between them.

…

"So we can determine from this triangle with two sides of equal length that the hypotenuse is…"

Bzzzzz.

Yumi's phone vibrates to life at the table, and she has to turn away from William before answering.

"Hello?" she whispers.

Jeremie's voice hisses in her ear. "Yumi, Xana has activated a tower. I haven't detected any attacks in the real world, but just to be safe…"

"Okay, I'll be over in a minute."

"And Yumi, let Ulrich know, huh?"

"Oh." She pauses. "All right, Jeremie." She hangs up, and before she has to answer William's questioning face, she raises her hand and asks if she can go to the infirmary.

Yumi doesn't know how many times she's used this excuse, but it's worked every time so far.

She darts out of class and calls Ulrich as she runs.

"Ulrich, Xana attack."

"Okay," he says calmly on the other end. "I'm coming over."

And that's all.

…

Grabbing a skateboard from against the wall, Yumi flings it out and jumps onto it. It's a good thing she's so fit from studying Pencak Silat. She remembers when she found out that Ulrich practiced that particular fighting style too. Even when she lived in Japan, it wasn't the most popular martial art: most people studied Judo or Karate. Yumi prefers Pencak Silat by far. The sharp and mystical style, reminding her at times of a coiling snake or a pouncing tiger, feels so right to her.

Her martial arts training definitely helped her adjust to fighting on Lyoko. Even though she'd never used fans to fight before. Ulrich and his dumb sword had it a lot easier.

She climbs onto the bridge and races to the elevator, swinging down like Tarzan on a jungle vine. Out of breath, Yumi hits the button in the elevator and counts the seconds as she's transported to the computer room. Or whatever Jeremie calls it.

She steps out to find Jeremie, Aelita and Odd staring at the screen, perplexed looks on all of their faces.

"What is it?" Yumi asks. A shivery itch crawls up her spine.

Jeremie clears his throat. "This is going to sound weird," he warns. "But the tower is gone."

"Gone?"

"It's not showing up on the screen anymore," he explains.

There is a long pause. Yumi frowns. "Shouldn't we go check it out?"

"Um, yeah. It's just—I don't trust this." Jeremie is looking nervous, fiddling with his glasses, his fingers twitching as they hover over the keyboard.

"Since when have we ever trusted Xana? Come on Odd, Aelita. Let's take a trip to Lyoko."

"All right." Jeremie swallows. "Go on down."

A minute or so later, Yumi steps into the scanner. Being virtualized is definitely not her favorite thing in the world. The feeling is almost as if she's being taken apart and then slowly reformed, and once she gets to Lyoko, it takes a few minutes before she can shake the sensation that her body is only loosely held together. She's gotten used to virtualization, though. Devirtualization, on the other hand…

She lands on Lyoko next to Aelita and Odd. Jeremie took them to the Mountain region, and all around her she sees the telltale formations, some floating ominously through the mist. Odd flicks his tail around as he surveys the scene. Yumi has always wondered what it would feel like to have a tail.

"Jeremie?" Yumi asks. "Is Ulrich there yet?"

His voice floats down from all around her as if he's a god here on Lyoko. "No. You did tell him, didn't you?"

"Yes." Yumi takes out a fan and practices aiming it, her unconscious habit since she doesn't have a tail.

"Hey, Jeremie!" shouts Odd. "You wouldn't happen to have some sort of hint about the direction we go in, would you?"

"Hang on," he replies. Aelita looks around nervously, as if she's afraid a monster is going to eat her. This is Lyoko, after all. Things like that do happen.

"Jeremie?" Odd calls again.

There's the sound of a very familiar groan. "Are you ready for this, guys? Because you are not going to like it."