This chapter starts in Yumi's point of view.
I fought the urge to just give up. Ulrich kept saying something, but his words didn't register in my mind as I focused on trying to breathe. It felt like my throat was closing in on itself. The effort it took to breathe multiplied every second. Aelita and Odd should be on Lyoko by now... I thought. They'd better hurry.
I knew that they were trying as hard and as fast as they could, but I wasn't sure if it would be enough. Xana had more than likely sent an army of monsters to stall them.
Memories of the past made their way into my mind... when Jeremy first discovered the supercomputer... finally virtualizing Aelita onto Earth... trying out the once new Lyoko vehicles... finding Sector 5... discovering Franz Hopper... everything that had happened before.
Suddenly all I could feel was pain, causing me to collapse onto the ground. I heard Ulrich yell my name. I curled into a ball, attempting to find a way to lessen the pain, but it steadily intensified. Ulrich continued to talk, but, like before, I couldn't understand him. I tried to speak, to calm Ulrich down. I couldn't.
The pain finally overwhelmed me, and I screamed, startling Ulrich. Hot tears streamed down my face. I couldn't seem to breathe at all now; all I could do was hold my breath and hope that Aelita would hurry.
I crawled back over to Yumi's trembling form; when she had screamed just moments before it had scared me so bad that I had actually backed away for a second.
"Yumi? Yumi! Answer me!" I yelled, not sure if I wanted to touch her.
Taking my chances, I gently placed my hand on her shoulder. She immediately reacted by kicking me. "Ow..." I muttered, clutching my stomach, which was where she had kicked. Not daring to touch her again, I continued to say her name. She never responded.
"Yumi!" I shouted, exasperated. "Please answer me!"
She suddenly stopped moving and went limp. Dread overpowered me, and I put my hand on her shoulder again.
No reaction.
"Yumi! No!" I shook her.
Nothing happened.
I put my ear to her back, hoping for a heartbeat.
There was none.
I shook her more vigorously. "No no no no no no NO!" I yelled, feeling tears threaten.
Just then a bright light-dome appeared in the distance, rapidly getting closer. Soon it enveloped everything. Jeremy was launching a Return to the Past trip...
But was it too late?
Me and Odd were sitting in the lunchroom. I looked around, panicked, hoping that Yumi would walk in any second.
"Ulrich? What's wrong? Isn't Yumi okay?" Odd asked, noticing how fast I was glancing around the room.
"No no no, I, she, I don't know... I have to find her!" I almost yelled. I got up from the table, not bothering to even look casual, and ran out of the lunchroom doors. I could hear Odd following close behind.
Running into the woods, I found the spot where Xana had attacked us. Yumi wasn't there. Relieved yet worried, I turned to sprint back to the school. I stopped when I heard something... it sounded like running. I darted through the trees toward the sound. I halted at what I saw.
Yumi was laying on the grass, motionless.
"Yumi!" I shouted, fear blocking every other emotion.
I ran over to her, only to be intercepted by something slamming into me.
"Ulrich!" Odd yelled.
I looked at my attacker to find... Gavin? I was confused until I noticed Xana's symbol flickering in his eyes. I pushed him off of me and jumped over him to get to Yumi.
"I'll take care of him, Ulrich!" Odd said, pouncing at Gavin.
I crouched by Yumi, tears pricking my eyes. Was Jeremy actually too late with the Return to the Past? Forcing those thoughts away, I shook Yumi. She didn't respond. "Nooo!" I screamed, shaking Yumi harder. She couldn't leave us!
Suddenly Odd landed a few feet in front of me, crying out in pain. Furious, I turned to Gavin, who had a smirk on his face. I tackled him, not caring if I hurt him or not. I hated Xana more than I ever had before. He had actually won for once, and I wouldn't let him win again. I couldn't let him win.
Gavin threw me off of him, grinning. "Anger doesn't help you fight, Ulrich."
"I don't care!" I yelled, lunging at him again.
He dodged my attack, and I fell to the ground. "You should care. After all, anger didn't help Yumi fight."
I pounced at him, hitting my mark this time. I kicked him, hit him, did everything I could to inflict injuries. Fury for the stupid virus was all that I felt.
"Ulrich, stop!"
"NO! I won't stop until—"
"STOP! Ulrich, Yumi's alive!" I stopped thrashing immediately and looked up.
Odd, Aelita and Jeremy were staring at me. Did I just hear them right? Gavin shoved me off him and stood, reminding me of the fight.
I turned abruptly and punched his jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. I grabbed a large tree branch and, as Gavin tried to sit up, smashed the branch on his head with full force. He slumped back to the ground, unconscious.
Turning my attention back to my friends, I looked at Yumi. She was still on the ground, and Odd was at her side, his hand at her wrist to check for a pulse. "Yumi's alive." He repeated. I wordlessly ran to her and took Odd's place by her. I held her arm up and checked her pulse myself.
Her heart was beating, but barely.
I watched her chest, noticing for the first time the shallow rise and fall that signaled that she was breathing. "Yumi..." I whispered, relief flooding me. She was alive! Xana had lost again.
I let the tears come. This time, though, they were of relief and happiness, not fear and sadness.
Jeremy's hand on my shoulder brought me back to reality; Yumi was barely alive.
"How can we save her?" I asked him, looking into his eyes.
"Now that the attacks are over, she should be able to heal on her own. It just takes time." Jeremy answered, removing his hand from my shoulder.
"You deactivated the tower?"
"Yup." Odd replied joyfully. "It really was a piece of cake! I totally saved Aelita when I took out that megatank, too!"
"Not as much as when I saved you from the tarantula." Aelita argued playfully.
"Hey! I was busy with the other tarantula! I coulda' handled it if the dumb monster wasn't so stubborn!" Odd complained.
"Sounds like you two had fun." I commented.
"Oh yeah! It was a blast!" Odd said.
"Quite literally, too." Jeremy added.
I turned back to Yumi. She looked like she was breathing slightly better. Or was it just my imagination? Jeremy noticed my concerned look.
"She'll be okay." He reassured me.
"When will she wake up?" I asked him.
"She should wake up within a couple of days. Don't worry."
"Should we get her to the hospital?"
"Good idea. The hospital would be the best option because we won't have to watch her twenty-four-seven." Jeremy replied. A thought struck me.
"What if we Return to the Past?" I suggested.
"It wouldn't make a difference." Jeremy shook his head. "With the damage that Xana's already done, and with the type of injuries it's given Yumi, Returning to the Past wouldn't change a thing."
"Oh."
"Everything will be okay." Jeremy said, placing his hand on my shoulder in a gesture of comfort.
Someone groaned. I turned towards the source of the sound.
"Jeremy, take the others and go deactivate the tower. I'll take care of Gavin. Hurry!" I commanded.
Jeremy nodded and sped off with Aelita and Odd at his sides.
I glared at Gavin as he stood. He glared back.
"Guess what Xana? You lost again!" I taunted.
"Do you really think that, Ulrich?" Gavin growled, malice lacing his morphed voice.
I charged at him. He didn't move until the last second, with which he side-stepped out of the way, leaving his foot in the open for me to trip on. I hopped over his extended foot just in time and halted, whipping around to receive Gavin's fist at my stomach. I cried out in pain and stumbled backward, struggling to keep my balance. Gavin smirked and kicked my legs out from under me. I fell to the hard ground, landing on my back. Gavin pounced on me, pinning me to the earth. I squirmed under his tight grip.
I lifted my head and bit Gavin's arm as hard as I could. He reacted by retreating his hands from my shoulders. I used his slight surprise to shove him off of me and jump to my feet. I sprinted through the trees, until remembering that Yumi was endangered if I ran away. Pulling a u-turn, I darted back through the trees to find Gavin standing over Yumi. Electricity pulsed around his hand, which was hovering over her. I charged into him, furious, and knocked both of us onto the grass.
We rolled to a stop and started fighting. I thrashed at Gavin until his foot connected with my head. The world spun as I fell painfully off of him. I clutched my head and moaned. Reminded myself that I was fighting for Yumi's life along with mine, I forced myself to stand. My head stopped spinning not long after, and I lunged into Gavin the moment I saw his hands at Yumi's throat. I could tell that Xana was angry that she lived past the torture he had put her through. That thought made me furious enough to hit Gavin, and hard too. He stumbled back, then shook his head and ran at me.
I sprinted toward him and dove at his feet, seizing them and causing him to fall with my forward momentum. I got up quickly and turned to find him motionless. Had Aelita deactivated the tower already? Uneasy, I walked cautiously to him. I kicked him over so that he was laying on his back. His eyes were closed, but that didn't tell me much. I stared at him for a few minutes, and only when he didn't move an inch did I turn my gaze to Yumi.
I glanced back at Gavin one more time before traveling around him and crouching by Yumi's 'sleeping' form. Xana had put her through unbearable torture, that much I knew. But she would be fine now that the tower was deactivated.
"We'll help you come back." I whispered to her gently. She has to make it. I thought silently. Because if she doesn't— My thoughts were cut off by two hands pulling me back and pinning me to the ground.
Gavin's hands moved to my neck, and his grip tightened. I struggled to breathe as Gavin continued to strangle me. His eyes narrowed as I thrashed at him, but nothing I did could get him off me.
Suddenly Xana's symbol vanished from his eyes, and Gavin slumped to the ground by my side. His hands released my throat, and I scrambled upright, breathing heavily. I smirked. "You'll never win, Xana."
Pulling out my cell phone, I dialed Jeremy's number. He answered on the second ring.
"Ulrich?" Jeremy's voice said. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Looks like Xana was actually targeting Yumi during the whole fight though."
"What do you mean?"
"Every time Gavin was able to stall me he went for Yumi. I guess Xana isn't happy that Yumi survived the 'big attack'."
Jeremy chuckled bitterly. "You're probably right. After all, Xana's never liked the fact that we always beat him."
"Yeah. So are you guys coming to help me with Yumi, or are you gonna spend the entire day at the factory?"
"We'll be right there." Jeremy laughed. "See you soon." He hung up.
I returned my mobile to its' place in my pocket and walked over to Yumi. I rechecked her pulse, and found that it was the same as before. I frowned. Why did Xana have to attack Yumi, of all the Lyoko Warriors? Why couldn't it have been me? I could tell that the experience had made her stronger, but why did she have to go through so much to gain so little? Or had she gained more strength than I thought? I sighed, dreading that it would be days before I could talk to her.
I heard several people running, and looked up to see Odd, Aelita and Jeremy emerge from the trees.
"How is she?" Jeremy panted.
"No better, no worse." I answered. He sighed.
"Cheer up." Aelita encouraged. "Yumi will be awake within a couple of days. She'll be fine. I'll call the hospital."
"Good idea." Jeremy brightened. "Anyone have any excuses for Yumi's parents and the school?"
"Um..."
"Don't worry. I have one." Jeremy laughed. I glared at him playfully for putting me and Odd 'on the spot', which only made him laugh harder.
"And your excuse is..." Odd pressed, faking a glare himself.
"I'll tell you later." Jeremy became serious again. "For now we need to get Yumi to the hospital."
"Right." Aelita grabbed her phone from her pocket and dialed a number. We listened to Aelita's side of the conversation.
"Hello? Yes, I'm at Kadic Junior High. My friend needs an ambulance. Yeah, she's in some kind of coma. Okay. Thanks, bye." She hung up. "They're on their way." She informed us.
"A coma? Not very far from the truth." I commented.
"Yeah, that's how Jeremy and I came up with the idea." Aelita smiled. "We should probably get Yumi by the road so that they can get her into the ambulance easier."
"You're right. Ulrich, do you think that you can carry her?"
"What?" I exclaimed. "Why can't someone else do it?"
"Oh, c'mon Ulrich! She's carried you before!"
"What? When was that?" I asked incredulously.
"Remember when Xana used the bulldozers to try and take the factory down?"
"And they almost killed me? How can I forget?"
"Well, Yumi found you when you were unconscious and carried you to the lab."
"How come you guys never told me?"
Odd shrugged.
"That doesn't matter now." Aelita said. "We need to get Yumi to the ambulance."
"Okay fine. I'll carry her." I mumbled. It was really awkward, but I was able to carry her, bridal style, (I know that sounds weird) to the front of the school with a little of Odd's help. I set her down gently on the grass.
"Huh? What are you guys doing out here? Shouldn't you be in class? And what happened to Ishiyama?" A voice said behind us, making me jump in surprise. I turned around to see Jim, his arms folded. He didn't look happy.
"Oh, hi Jim." Jeremy greeted. "It's hard to explain, but Yumi's in some kind of coma. We're here to help her. And we've already called the hospital." Jeremy added to Jim's bewildered expression.
"What happened to Yumi though?"
"Like I said, it's hard to explain."
"Oh yeah? Well, I've got time."
"Okay then, we're not sure exactly what happened, but Yumi is in a coma and needs to go to the hospital." Jeremy replied.
Just then an ambulance pulled up to the curb. Two people came out of the doors, one from the drivers side and one from the passengers'. One was a woman and the other a man. They hurried to us.
"Can we come with you?" Jeremy asked them a few minutes later. They were setting Yumi in the back of the ambulance. "She's our friend."
"Uh, sure." The man responded hurriedly.
"Wait a minute!" Jim said crossly. "What about your classes?"
"I'm sure the principle would understand." Jeremy grinned.
"Huh?"
"Jim, can you please tell the principle why we left?"
"Uh, sure, I guess. But..."
"Don't worry, we'll make it up to you." Aelita winked.
"Okay..." Jim replied slowly. "But make sure you go to your classes tomorrow!" We stepped into the back of the ambulance.
"We will!" Odd assured, closing the doors to the back of the vehicle.
I watched Yumi as we rode to the hospital, hoping that she would wake up soon and be okay. We finally arrived at our destination, and Yumi ended up being in room 132. Once there, me and my friends gathered around Yumi, who was laying on the bed. Everything was silent except for the beeps that signaled that Yumi's heart was beating. I didn't like the speed that it was at.
"We should probably leave for now, but we'll come back tomorrow." Jeremy said after several minutes. "It's getting late."
I opened my mouth to argue, but decided against it. I looked at the floor and closed my mouth.
"I say that we come when we can." Aelita suggested. "Even if she's not supposed to wake up for a couple of days, I think that she'd like it if we visit her often."
"Okay. We'll come back during lunch." Jeremy agreed.
As we walked out the door I looked at Yumi once more. The beeping of the heart monitor was still fast-paced, but I hoped desperately that she would wake up when Jeremy said she would.
"Please wake up soon." I whispered, even though I knew that she couldn't hear me.
"Please be okay."
I know that you probably hate me for the intense suspense at the beginning of this chapter, but I wasn't even expecting that to happen! Honest! In the last chapter my characters started controlling the story, and there was nothing I could do! I apologize to Yumi for making her get so close to death. :|
Anyway, PLEASE write a review and tell me what you think! I really want to know how I can improve it. :D Plus, reviews will cause me to write faster! ;D
The next chapter will probably be a 'cool-down' chapter, but we'll have to see what the characters decide to do...
I hope you enjoyed, and here's a little puzzle that you can solve for fun.
Rearview – ar = ? (Simple enough, right?)
