Hey guys, Noble Scotsman here with an AN on yet another chapter from Code Lyoko; School of Heroes. I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I think that I'll try to post another chapter this weekend.

I had a bit of trouble writing about their experiences on Lyoko, but I hope it was satisfactory. As with all of my stories, let me know if it's not, and I might re-do said chapter.

So, without further ado, I present you with the fourth chapter of School of Heroes.


Chapter 4

It was raining, and the weather did nothing to quench the exuberance of the Lyoko warriors as they trudged through the downpour towards the Factory. It seemed like it had been forever since they were last there, and its smudged outline brought smiles forth from their faces, dripping with the icy raindrops.

Soon they were inside, and Jeremy's sure fingers flew over the keyboard, codes coming to him almost religiously; he was the priest, the Factory was his church, his religion coding. It seemed to take an eternity to those waiting in the scanners, but they finally felt that incompleteness which signaled their transfer to Lyoko. They dropped to the ground lithely and crouched there, baring toothy grins at each other, white teeth flashing identically in the virtual twilight in which the Forest Sector was permanently engulfed. The woody colors felt safe, warm, and the warriors relaxed as they surveyed their surroundings. Aelita was the first to stand, smiling widely.

"We're back!"

The other three grinned and stood up too. Their first moment back was over, and there was no reason to hinder their re-familiarizing themselves with their skills. Lyoko would need them, after all. The world would need them.

"So," Odd said, looking around. "What's first?"

"How about you pair up and try using your weapons again?" Jeremy suggested from the Lab, voice echoing throughout the virtual world.

"Sounds good with me," Ulrich said, turning to Yumi. "Yumi and I will pair off first, you two can watch, then we'll switch?"

Odd and Aelita nodded, and walked over to a fallen tree to watch Ulrich and Yumi's duel. Yumi frowned, then took her position at the far end of the clearing.

"Make sure to keep us from devirtualizing each other, Jeremy," Yumi reminded him sternly. "We don't want to leave just yet."

Jeremy rolled his eyes, and pressed a button. "Just be careful. I'll monitor your health for you."

Ulrich nodded. "Ready, Yumi?"

Yumi nodded, and suddenly Ulrich was there, in front of her, sabers drawn and sweeping in a downward arc towards her midsection. She quickly flipped backwards, barely avoiding his attack, and drew her fans. A quick balance check steadied her aim, but Ulrich threw one of his sabers, pinning her fan to the tree. Gasping more out of surprise than pain, Yumi steeled herself and jumped towards Ulrich, other fan extended and razor sharp edges as quick and darting as Ulrich's saber. Their fight was ferocious and fast, speed and agility beyond the likes and abilities of any fighters the observers had ever seen. Yumi could even parry a fast stroke from Ulrich's special speed, to the amazement of all. Their dance, though deadly, was strangely beautiful and intimate, the participants' love showing through their pretenses at last, even if they did not realize it themselves.

As their weapons locked, Yumi looked into Ulrich's eyes with surprise. His eyes were bright with emotion beyond the likes of which Yumi felt she could counter, and she desperately pulled away. Ulrich's last saber twirled away from his grasp, and Yumi jumped back, throwing her fan with a quick flick of the wrist, and it seemed over.

Ulrich had somehow caught the fan, still spinning, in between his palms, though. He flipped the fan shut, then open again, ready to carry on the fight. As they parried again, their weapons now switched, Yumi heard his soft whisper, his quiet reassurance, making her remember everything she had said before, how much she must have hurt him, how much she had hurt herself with those words…How they would never be anything more than friends.

Yumi gasped, spinning around and kicking off of a tree, jumping towards empty space where Ulrich had been a moment ago. She caught a glimpse of Ulrich's concerned face before it blurred, and she slammed into something hard. With a quick glance, she realized that it was Ulrich, and another granted her a view of the Digital Sea, the edge of a cliff inches from the back of Ulrich's boot. He had somehow miraculously been fast enough to save her, and then had the strength to stop her without being knocked in himself.

What had it taken for him to make that split-second decision…What if he had been knocked in himself while trying to save her? Didn't he realize that she could never live with herself if that happened? Didn't he realize that while he calmed himself with the knowledge of her safety, her happiness would slip away if anything ever happened to him?

How selfish you are…Ulrich Stern.

She closed her eyes, and let him hold her. Maybe she would just stay here; maybe he was right, that it would be different from now on.


Odd and Aelita were dueling now, and Odd was toying with Aelita, much to her chagrin. She was suspended in midair, surveying the tree tops for any sign of movement, when Odd popped out from behind the trunk of a tree behind her, shooting a laser arrow close to her ear, making her spin around. Odd was already gone, though, his laughter booming around the trees as he jumped from tree to tree, branch to branch as his claws let him. Aelita threw up her hands with frustration, and sent an energy ball flying through the trees. Before it had gone more than two meters, however, it burst into a shower of pink sparks, descending beautifully though the trees and resting on Aelita's head and shoulders and littering the ground around Ulrich and Yumi, who were sitting on the makeshift bench together.

Aelita paused, looking at the glittering sparks. 'They're so…colorful…'

Ulrich caught some on the flat of his blade. They made a clear, pretty note that reminded him of a music box. "Very nice," Ulrich said, clapping appreciatively and sheathing his saber. "I like your flair for the unusual and beautiful, Odd, and of course thank you Aelita for the colors, it was splendid."

Aelita glared at him. "This isn't a joke, Ulrich. I'm going to catch Odd…And then I'm going to-"

"Going to what, Princess?" Odd laughed, jumping out from a tree and putting his arms around her neck carefully so as not to strangle Aelita, even in her Lyoko form. He grinned into Aelita's annoyed face, and she eventually started to smile too, laughing along with the rest of the gang as she and Odd drifted to the ground.

"You two should go out," Ulrich said bluntly, knowing full-well that Jeremy could hear them. It had been an ongoing joke between the five of them for the school year so far, and Jeremy's reaction never failed to impress with its magnitude.

"Ok, you can shoot me now," Odd said, hearing Jeremy draw breath for a possible lecture, and pressed her hands into his head so as to give her an easy headshot. Surprised, she pulled away; disturbed at the thought of hurting Odd, even though she had been jokingly hunting him earlier and the fact that they wouldn't really die on Lyoko.

"He's kidding, Aelita," Yumi whispered to her. Aelita nodded, and froze Odd's feet to the ground instead, making Yumi and Ulrich laugh with delight.

"How about a compromise?" Aelita said tilting her head to the side and looking at Odd rather like someone looks at a statue, fighting to keep herself from grinning. "I'll leave you here forever, and we can visit you, like a vacation."

Odd was about to give a witty response, but froze suddenly, turning into an outline before here eyes, his data returning to the sky like so many pieces of paper carried on the wind. Yumi and Ulrich soon followed, and Aelita glanced around nervously, worried because of Xana's inactivity and the suddenness of her friend's devirtualization.

"Jeremy…" she began, "What's happening?"

"It's all right," Jeremy replied. "We just have a visitor, and I thought that Ulrich and Yumi should be there."

"What about Odd?"

Aelita imagined Jeremy's mouth quivering as he fought back the urge to smirk; she knew Jeremy had been dying to separate Odd and she. "He…Uh, looked like he was having some trouble. You'll see in a second; devirtualization!"


"Hey, what's going on?" Aelita asked as she came up the ladder. Odd pointed towards where he and Ulrich were glaring, and Aelita suddenly understood.

"…How can you just let him come here?!" Yumi said, gesturing angrily towards the dark figure leaning against the wall near the elevator. "William is no longer welcome here."

Jeremy pushed up his glasses uneasily. "I know, Yumi…But since he's going to be a target for Xana, wouldn't it be better to keep him close to us? 'Keep your friends close and-"

"-Your enemies closer', I know," Yumi said, sighing and stopping to glare at William. "But that doesn't mean that I have to like it. Don't decide things on your own, Einstein."

"He came here on his own," Jeremy said, frowning. "Don't presume I would do this just to spite you, Yumi."

"I'm sorry, really. I should have known full well how sneaky and underhanded he can be."

William didn't say anything, but instead turned his curious gaze from Yumi to Ulrich. "I see…" William said, blinking. Ulrich had a perfect poker face, but he still was new to body language, hardly understandable due to his background. His fists were clenched and his body taught as a bowstring, ready to jump to either defend his friends or attack William, which was really the same thing, in his mind. "Well, I'll leave. I only came to see if you needed any help anyway. I'll see you in class tomorrow…Yumi."

"Looks like I have no choice."

After a few minutes of silence, each member being immersed in their own thoughts, Jeremy cleared his throat, taking off his headset. "I don't think that there's any point with continuing with training for the night…The fun's been ruined anyway, we'll try again tomorrow."

The others nodded and walked towards the elevator, but Jeremy spoke up again. "That said, we need somebody to watch him for us, any volunteers? How about Yumi, she's done it before."

Yumi looked indignantly at him. "Are you serious? I don't want to be anywhere near him!"

"Well, you are the most practical choice…" Ulrich began, slamming his fist into the red elevator button.

"But Ulrich-" Yumi began desperately. She didn't know why she was panicking, was it because she was scared that Ulrich would get the wrong idea about William and she?

Ulrich smiled at her with a somewhat strained smile. "It's only temporary…Besides, we're still going to the festival, aren't we?"

Yumi blushed. "Oh."

"Aelita, how would you like a charming, handsome, princely man to walk you back to your dorm?" Odd said, turning to Aelita and winking, not wanting to disturb Ulrich and Yumi's reverie.

"You guys talking about me over there?" Jeremy called out from behind the holosphere, not resisting a chance to express his newfound sense of humor.

"Of course, Einstein."

Aelita giggled. "Well, you're certainly princely, Jeremy, but I think I'll have to count on my fine American friend for this walk…I know you wanted to get some work done on the new vehicles."

Jeremy sighed and agreed with her, waving to them somewhat dejectedly as the elevator doors closed.


Outside the Factory, Ulrich and Odd separated as each walked their respective partners home. It was a clear night, a full moon, and Ulrich could clearly see Yumi's small smile as he put his arm around her to keep her warm until she was home. It was late September, and the air was starting to get colder. It wouldn't be long until Christmas…Only three short months away, Ulrich thought. Which begged the question, what was Yumi to him? He promised himself that he would know by Christmas, but until then, this was enough, to be close to her, to know she's ok, to assure her happiness…

'How happy they are,' Aelita thought, looking after Ulrich and Yumi's retreating backs. 'I wonder when they'll realize that.'

Aelita thought about the two as Odd turned them towards Kadic. If there was something to tell about Ulrich, it would be his chivalry, she decided as they passed by the place where Ulrich had tackled a police car last year when he and Odd had thought the real world was Lyoko. He's always there for Yumi, even when she doesn't want him. He stands up for the weak, the bullied, and he's loyal to both his friends and his family. His love is unrequited, and he doesn't do anything to force a decision on Yumi. Her culture dictates that he make the first move, but his nature dictates that he must know for certain first so that he does not hurt her in the process.

What a confusing couple…how impossible.

But then, isn't Odd sort of chivalrous in his own ways? He isn't lordly like Ulrich, not as refined, but altogether as noble. He's the sort of guy who would jump in front of a stranger to take a bullet for them if they were in trouble, Aelita thought with satisfaction, thinking of an extreme case.

Her thinking had taken up all the time walking with Odd, unfortunately, and now back in her room, Odd's glistening smile once again on her mind, Aelita saw a package under her pillow. Opening it, she was amazed at the artistry and detail. It was a rose…her rose, the one she had drawn, redrawn in black and grey pencil. Its detail was amazing, but its shadow was a work of art in its own right, too, all the colors of the rainbow swirling together in a river of color, easy to look at, and fun to examine. At first glance, the background seemed white, but upon closer inspection revealed the surface of a shallow pool of water, in which the rose was residing. Very faintly, so that you had to be looking at it under just the right light, there was the reflection of a person, bending over the pool of water so as to smell the rose; his blonde hair was reminiscent of Odd's.

Aelita smiled, and took a picture frame off of the wall, removing the simple sheet of pink paper set as decoration. She replaced this with the picture and stood back to admire it, making her gasp at the final aspect which she had failed to notice up close. From afar, the rose transformed into a portrait, a perfect picture of Aelita herself. Her eyes were colorless, but her lips were colorful, her cheeks rosy. Aelita's spirits faltered. Was this what she looked like? Wasn't something missing? Where had the color gone from her eyes?

Her eyes refocused back on the resemblance of Odd, and she noticed the colorless pallor of his lips, his grey cheeks, before her eyes came to rest on his. They were full of life, mirth, the only detailed part of him. They were blue like Odd's, but also a hue of green, like Aelita's. Suddenly she understood.

"I promise…" she said, sitting down on her bed. "To see all the colors in the world. To see them with all the excitement and mirth with which you do…Odd. But only if I see them with you...I want you to show me…Help me see…"


So, yes, William is back. Surprise!

A huge thank-you to everyone who's reviewed this story so far, especially WriterChic6, NKcandygirl, and Lord of Tuft, helping to make it as good as possible. I'd really appreciate any ideas/advice any of you might have. A huge thank you to sardellihalas, J-Rod67, and Raiden Tachibana R-117 for the character reviews, which I will post at the bottom, even though it's not December yet. Chances are that I will combine a few with my own ideas, but that's only a possibility. Great suggestions all, remember to review with which one you think would add to this story, and remember to compliment the authors on their creativity.

Also, character reviews are still welcome until this new OC arrives in the story, so please feel free to continue posting!

Chapter 5 will be out soon.


Character suggestions.

sardellihalas

-Name: Scarlett Annabella Jeffer
Age: 13
Looks: Shee wears almost just like Odd but again the purple is aqua and the
pink is purple. Her blonde hair is just like Sissi but with some aqua
highlights running in her hair. Personalty: She is funny like Odd but when need is just like Aelita and Ulrich. Power and costume: She has Aelita's first power and Odd's laser arrows. She
looks like Odd but the purple is aqua and the photo nothing.

J-Rod67

Katherine "Kat"
Powers: Bow and arrow with different options of types of arrows like electric or fire or ice.
Looks: Darkn brown hair with light brown highlights, natural curly hair often in a pony tail , tan complexion almost Mexican like, Hazel eyes, short for her age, likes to dress in all the different clothings like stuff from a thrift store.

Raiden Tachibana R-117

Raiden

Raiden wears a Blood Red WWII army jacket with Black highlights, hair is black with Red stripes, black pants, red shoes, a red Bandana above eyes... that is what it should look like...powers are can copy anything he finds in the internet. I have two personalities for him...your choice.

1: always happy and can't be broken down, and dances everywhere...

2: dark and quiet but very helpful... and hates fallowing the crowd...