Six

Ulrich made his way back to Kadic. He felt awful, all the repressed emotions were wildly swarming in his head. He ran into the building to avoid the cold January night temperatures.

As he made his way through the quiet building, he heard crying coming from behind a door. He found the door locked.

Unlocking it, he found himself in a large storage closet. He reached up and flicked a light on. On the floor, crying, was Milly.

She looked awful. Her shirt and skirt were both torn, her face was tearstained, and she had bruises all over.

She jumped up, terrified, when he came in.

"Odd!" She asked, whipping around. When she saw it was Ulrich she dissolved into tears. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she whispered frantically, pulling her ripped clothes around herself, protectively. "Please don't tell him you found me! PLEASE!" She grabbed his hand, begging. "I swear, nothings going on, I didn't tell anyone! Please!"

Ulrich grabbed her clawing hands. "Milly, Milly," he whispered. "I won't tell him anything. What's wrong?"

She blinked. "N-nothing."

"Obviously something's wrong."

She shook her head. "He'll find out! I know what he can do!"

"He won't find anything out, I promise. Did he do this to you?"

Milly looked uncertain. Then she burst into tears. "He told me he'd make me pay if I tried anything. He knows that, ever since Tamiya and I had a falling out, no one listens to me! I can't fight him, he-he-he hurts me. He hits me, he-he tries to…" Her voice faltered, and she grabbed at her ripped clothes. Ulrich had heard enough to put together what he had done.

"He never-never went, you know, 'all the way', but he threatened to. He said he'd come back tonight," Milly's voice rose again, in panic. "He said he'd come back and-and-" she began sobbing. "I don't know what to do! I'm terrified to tell anyone! Aelita knows, she won't stop him! Jeremie can't! You and Yumi don't c-care about what they do! No one else can stand up to them and-and I don't want him to hurt me anymore! I want him to STOP! I want it all to STOP!"

Ulrich felt even more hatred well up in him against the two, and he felt pity for Milly. He looked at the sobbing girl. "Milly," he whispered. "Milly!"

She looked up at him, shaking.

He put an arm on her shoulder. "Don't worry. Don't worry. He'll never touch you again."

.

The two were found in the forest, just outside the school. The police said that if they had just gone a little further, they'd have made it back. They said that the temperatures dropped far below freezing, and advised the students to stay out of the forest, and, when venturing out, always to wear warm enough clothes. If the two had, maybe they would be alive now.

Yumi exchanged a glance with Jeremie. He smiled back. Everyone assumed that it had been an accident, that Aelita and Odd had gone out to the forest and gotten lost.

Yumi, Jeremie, and Ulrich listened to Principal Delmas go on and on about how much they would be missed.

"Speak for yourself," Ulrich grumbled. A row ahead Milly looked back at Ulrich, a questioning, but thankful look in her eyes. He smiled at her, a held a finger up to his lips. "Talk to you after," he mouthed. Then he turned to Jeremie. "Is this over, then?"

Jeremie shook his head. "Not quite. Apparently, Odd went even further in breaking the rules."

Yumi nodded. "Apparently, he went as far as faking her birth certificate, so that everyone would think they were cousins."

"Messed up cousins," Ulrich snorted. "I mean, they weren't exactly subtle about their relationship."

"Yeah," said Yumi, "they also got the whole school to take out its irritation on someone most people thought they were the friends of. The two weren't exactly popular. Quite the opposite. I wouldn't be surprised if Jeremie wasn't the only one they picked on."

Ulrich thought of Milly. "I'll bet you're right. But can't they trace things back to you, Jeremie? As soon as Odd's parents show up, they'll point out that Aelita is not their niece, and then all chaos will ensue."

"I transferred all the data involving her fake birth certificate, citizenship, parents consent, ect. to her computer. They'll find everything there. I've also gotten rid of everything about Lyoko on her computer and laptop. There wasn't much, actually, about Lyoko. All that's there are her site history and lots of, um, pictures." He gave a delicate shudder.

"Um, ick," said Yumi, putting together what he was talking about.

Ulrich shook his head. "Monsters."

"I leave you with these parting words," Delmas said. "Though Odd and Aelita may no longer be with us physically, they will always be in our hearts."

"They will?" Yumi asked, in mock incredulousness. "Get them out, get them out!"

Ulrich and Jeremie snickered quietly.

.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Della Robbia. I feel so sorry about the passing of your son and niece."

Ulrich watched Principal Delmas console Odd's parents. If there was anyone he felt bad for about this whole thing, it was Odd's family, who would never know what had happened, and probably loved their son unconditionally, no matter how many lives he ruined.

"I'm sorry, our niece?" Mrs. Della Robbia's voice quavered.

"Aelita Stones. The police don't suspect foul play, just that they had gotten lost."

She nodded, tearfully. "But, I don't understand. Who is Aelita Stones?"

And so it began. The inquiries, the investigations. The truth, the one planted by Yumi and Jeremie not the real one, was soon uncovered. No one knew what to make of it. Most people who didn't know Aelita and Odd (the teachers) thought it was a shame that two children could die and all anyone cared about was the legal problems. Most of those who did know Odd and Aelita didn't really care. All you'd hear from them was, "So that's why they dated." His family, both parents and all his grieving sisters were just in mourning, none really cared about his legal problems.

Ulrich sighed, watching Jeremie and Yumi talk softly to each other. He didn't really feel left out now that they were more interested in each other, but he did wish that he was still in a relationship. Not with Yumi, he had realized that that wouldn't work. He needed someone fun and spirited that could ramble on about nothing with him for hours. Someone who could talk movies and sports and school life. That's what he needed in a relationship, not dead serious talk about endless responsibility. He needed to get away from that.

"Hey guys, I've got homework to do," he called to them.

"'Kay," Jeremie called. Ulrich smiled, Jeremie looked so much happier now, though he knew that something had changed, that nothing would be the same.

As Ulrich walked through the dorm hallways, he ran into Sissi.

"Sorry!" She said. "I wasn't looking where I was going. Oh, hey Ulrich," she said coolly.

He frowned. "Just, hey Ulrich. No Ulrich dear."

She drew in a breath. "You may be cute, but you're a jerk. Maybe I never had the guts to stand up to Odd and Aelita, but I always called people away if they were hurting him. I never just stood by stupidly. And, yes, I'm really sorry about Odd and Aelita. I am. But I've lost any respect I've had for you."

Ulrich blinked. "Since when have you cared about people being mean? You may not believe it, but I had a reason for not stepping in. But really, you're one to talk."

Sissi sighed. Then she blushed. "I'm sorry," she said, quietly. "I-I, well, to tell you the truth, I'm only mean to people I know can take it. I know, it sounds stupid, but my jabs were, maybe harmful, but not cruel. I knew you guys had friends that you could fall back on, and I was so jealous it made my teeth hurt. And I'm sorry, I was judgmental. I figured you'd help if your friend was in danger."

Ulrich sighed, tired. "It's nothing I can explain. But, now that I think of it, you're right. You've only ever helped. Why?

She sighed. "It's nothing I could explain quickly."

He shrugged. "I have time. Anything to get my mind off things."

She paused, looking around the hall. "Can you come in my room? I don't like talking in the open."

He shrugged. "Sure."

She held open her door, and he followed her in.

Sorry this chapter is short. The next one might be to, depending on how much I have to say.