Hey, so it took me a long time, but I finally finished! So, I really would like to say more to you, but I haven't gotten many comments…it makes me sad. I really would like to know what you guys think. It would really help to know where to go with this story. But if you don't, I'll probably end this story earlier than I would have. But anyways….

I don't own Code Lyoko….I SHOULD, but I don't.

Chapter 6

Odd

The group came out of the movie, laughing loudly. They had seen The Three Stooges, and it was just what they had needed. It was some good, old group bonding time. They even decided to go and get some ice cream afterwards and walk around downtown, since it had warmed up considerably since just a little while ago. Funny how the weather changed so suddenly. Yumi, Ulrich and Odd were laughing about the movie still, while Aelita just smiled and watched. Jeremy and the girl he liked, Nicole, had gone back to school, saying that they wanted to try out a new computer program. Odd was glad that the boy genius had found a girl who was just as into computers and smart as he was. As smart as Aelita was, they weren't right for each other. The princess he knew liked to have fun, and that was one thing Jeremy was not good at, and something that Odd excelled at.

They made their way downtown to a local ice cream place, and Odd turned to Aelita. "Well, my fair lady, what flavor shall thou serve thee?" he asked, putting one hand behind his back and sweeping the other out while bowing. She giggled and curtsied back to him.

"Thy shall get thee any flavor thou shall want to serve," she answered him in a fake, medieval voice.

Yumi and Ulrich looked at them like they were crazy. "You know, Aelita, I think Odd's craziness is starting to rub off on you," Yumi commented, smiling. Aelita shrugged but she smiled back.

"And is that such a bad thing? A little crazy in your life is good for you. Just like a little chocolate is good for you," Odd retorted, acting offended. In reality, he thought that Aelita was a very happy, crazy girl, but she had always been the calm one because she had been around Jeremy. With him, she was a completely different person. But then again, so was he. Around her, he wanted to make her laugh, but also be serious. She brought all the best parts out in him.

"Uh, Odd, chocolate is never good for you. Only if you want to get fat," Ulrich commented. Odd shrugged. He really didn't care about what he ate, as long as it tasted good. Chocolate was apart of his daily routine, so to him, it was good for someone.

"Yes, because Odd is so fat," Aelita added in. "I mean, he just blunders down through the hallway like a sumo wrestler." She acted like a big fat guy and pounded on the ground, having a serious face put on. But halfway through, she busted out laughing. Odd couldn't help but laugh with her, and pretty soon they were all laughing. Odd wiped the tears from his eyes as he grabbed his and Aelita's ice cream cones from the waitress.

Aelita took it from him and her smile got bigger. "You knew my favorite flavor, chocolate cookie dough," she whispered. Odd felt his heart clench, and it was a new feeling. Yes, he knew he liked her. But it was new that he liked her this much. When he liked a girl, he very rarely liked them so much that he would constantly think about what they thought or what they liked. It was a definite sign that Aelita was special. Now, he just had to ask her out before Ulrich asked Yumi out so he could win the bet, and then Ulrich would have to ask Yumi out anyways. When and how to do it was the question.

He nodded and showed his ice cream cone to her. His matched hers, because this was one thing they had in common. "Well of course, we like the same flavors. We are 'cousins', you know," he replied, nudging her in the sides. Aelita's face dropped for a second.

"You know, we really need to fix that little, uh, mishap. I have my memory's now, and I think I'd like to go back to being Aelita Schaeffer," she mentioned, taking a lick of her ice cream. Odd was shocked, but inside he was leaping for joy. If she wanted them not to be cousins, then that might mean that she liked him too. Cousins couldn't date after all.

But how were they supposed to suddenly not be cousins? "I agree. Maybe, we could have been step cousins, and my aunt divorced dad or something, so we aren't cousins anymore," Odd replied. She nodded, and he immediately felt a weight lift off of his shoulders. They would just spread that around the school, which would spread fast. Especially if they got it to Sissy somehow.

Ulrich and Yumi had come back from getting their ice cream and were smiling ear to ear. "And what are you two love birds smiling about?" Odd asked, hoping it wasn't what he was thinking it would be.

The pair's faces reddened to a tomato color, and he saw Ulrich shake his head a little bit. "We are not love birds!" they shouted together. Ulrich continued, "We were smiling because we just heard that there were going to be fireworks tonight in about a half hour." Odd smiled, and he knew this would be his chance to ask Aelita out. The fireworks would be a perfect setting. It was only around 8 o'clock, so they would be able to stay out for another hour before they should head back. Aelita could be his by the end of tonight.

"Cool, let's stay then. Oh, that reminds me of a joke!" Odd commented, smiling. His friends shouted no, and that shut him up. They all knew his jokes were hardly ever funny, so he understood. He just liked to bug them and tease them.

"Hey, Ulrich, you want to come with me to go get a blanket?" Aelita asked, smiling mischievously. Odd didn't know what that look on her face was about, but he just shrugged it off. Ulrich nodded, and the two went to a nearby shop to ask to borrow a blanket.

Odd watched them until they disappeared from his sight, and then he turned to Yumi, with a smirk on his face. "So, Yumi, you and Ulrich. And don't deny it, I saw the looks on your faces when you came back. He hasn't asked you out yet, has he?" he asked, nudging her. He partially asked for his sake, and partially for hers. He wanted his best friends to be happy, and he could tell that would make them happy. They were practically already a couple; they just needed to make it official.

Yumi blushed and shook her head. "No, he hasn't, and I'm sure he won't," Yumi said firmly. "But let's move on to you and Aelita over there. I see how you look at her. You know, you should ask her out; tonight." Odd was in shock. If Yumi was telling him this, then Aelita had to have mentioned something to her.

He stood there for a moment, openmouthed, before he found the will to speak. "Do-Does Aelita like me? I mean, really like me, not just as her friend?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. On one hand, if she liked him, then he would be immediately the happiest guy on earth and do everything he could to make her happy. But on the other hand, this could also mess up their friendship. If anything went wrong, then there would be nothing that could fix it. But Odd decided not to think of that, because he wasn't an over thinker. No, he just liked to go with the flow.

Aelita and Ulrich chose that moment to come walking back up, blanket in hand. Odd almost sighed, but he held it back. He saw Yumi move her head slightly, and saw she had nodded. He could have jumped up ten feet right there and then, but he had to hold it in.

The group walked over to a nearby park, and chose a spot where the trees opened up so they could see the sky. Odd was surprised they were doing fireworks now, since the weather was so crazy, but it seemed from the rumors that it was a last minute thing.

He laid down the blanket, and gestured for Aelita to lie down next to him. She seemed to be looking at her watch a lot, but Odd chalked it up to not wanting to be late for curfew. Her smile was so sincere that he knew she really wanted to be here, with him, sitting under the stars.

He stared at her beautiful eyes, and she stared back. For a moment, they just lied there, totally comfortable not saying anything. He put his head on his outstretched arm and she copied his pose. They stretched out across the blanket, and Odd was so glad that she was here and she wasn't saying a thing. She was being completely herself and comfortable. It was just the way they were together. How could he even think that they wouldn't be friends if they became a couple? They were friends first. Best friends. He heard Yumi and Ulrich talking beside him, but he didn't try and focus on it like he usually did. For now, he was totally focused on Aelita.

Finally, she spoke. "Odd, about last night…" she started, but he put a finger to his mouth.

"Aelita, you are my best friend, and nothing could ever change that. I know so much about you, and you know so much about me. We are close already, and I want you to know I would never hurt you," Odd started. He paused, and took a deep breath. "Aelita, I like you. More than just a friend. I think, that, uh, I'd like us to be just that: us." Odd looked at her, and he saw so many things happening. Her eyes watered and shown with so much intense emotions, all mixed together. She seemed to be happy and sad, longing and reserved. She shook a little bit, but she didn't seem to be cold.

It took an unbearably long minute for Odd to get his answer. He now knew what people meant when they said the longest minute of their life. This minute had seemed like hours. But finally, she nodded. "I like you, so much Odd. I can't even describe how much. You were my best friend at first, but things have definitely changed. You're my best friend, confident, crush, and we are just so…comfortable. I can be myself around you, as well as be someone who never appears in front of anyone else. Yes, Odd, yes. I want there to be an us," she replied smiling from ear to ear. He took her hand and squeezed it. Bringing it to his mouth, he planted a gentle kiss on the top of her hand. He saw her blush and it made him smile even wider.

"You know, this doesn't mean that I won't bug you all the time or ask you to help me do my homework," he commented, raising an eyebrow. She shrugged.

"I will help you anytime, with anything you need," Aelita told him. Odd could just tell that she meant every word that she said to him. He was going to say something else, but the first fireworks started, and he sat up to watch them explode.

Aelita jumped but he heard her make an excited noise. This was probably the first fireworks she had seen in a long time, if ever. He wanted to make it special for her. Odd grabbed her hand and interlocked their fingers. She glanced over for a second, surprised, but she didn't pull away. In fact, she squeezed his hand for a second before turning back to the fireworks. Odd followed her lead, but his thoughts were totally preoccupied by the girl who he was connecting with through a little bit of skin contact.

The fireworks lasted for probably fifteen minutes before they had a great finally, but Odd didn't remember any of it. All he could think about was that he had just asked Aelita out, and she had accepted. This was possibly the greatest night of his life.

He and his friends stood up, brushing the blanket off so they could return it. Aelita smiled at him but let go of his hand. Odd understood. She probably wasn't ready to publicize their relationship just yet. He was willing to wait however long she needed.

Aelita glanced out and then snapped her head around to look at Odd. "What time is it?" she asked urgently. He shrugged and checked his watch.

"Uh, just after nine, why?" Odd answered. She squealed, looking panicked.

Aelita turned away and started to step towards the school before she turned back. "I, uh, just forgot that I had to go do some homework that I haven't even started. I'll see you tomorrow ok?" she explained. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek and then took off running into the night. He blushed but quickly got over it as she disappeared. What the heck?

Yumi walked over to him and looked at him curiously. "What was that all about?" she asked, sounding concerned. He brought his hand up to his cheek and not for the first time was utterly confused.

"I have absolutely no idea."

Aelita couldn't believe she had forgotten! She had been so wrapped up with Odd that she hadn't given a thought to Zane or her problem with XANA. It was really irresponsible of her, but she had just been so happy that nothing had mattered. But now she had to focus. If she could get out of this then she would never have to worry about XANA again. She literally sprinted all the way back to the school and skipped up the steps, skidding to a halt just in front of Zane's door. She was still heaving in oxygen when his door opened to see her bent over, gulping in air.

"Out of shape, are we Aelita? And here I thought you would be just as athletic as you were back then," Zane commented, smiling. She stood straight and pushed him. He just laughed and stood aside, gesturing for her to come in. There was about a half hour until curfew, so they had to be quick, or she would be stuck in his room all night. They talked about their day, and it was just like old times. "Oh, and I just happened to meet Sissy today. I didn't know there was a level of stuck up that high."

Aelita laughed. There was no one who was worse than Sissy and she knew Zane wouldn't like her from the very start. "Yeah, Sissy definitely breaks quite a few records," Aelita said, smiling. But the smile disappeared in an instant when she remembered why they were there.

"Lita, it's going to be ok. We'll figure things out," Zane said pulling her into a hug. She nodded into his shoulder and pulled apart from him.

"Thanks, Zane. I think we should go to the factory. Quite a few things have changed since we last went to Lyoko and I want to get you introduced to the place," Aelita said pulling him towards the door. She glanced outside and saw the back of Odd's head, and just before he turned around, she jumped back inside Zane's room.

Zane gave her a questioning look and she sighed. "My b-friend, Odd, and Ulrich are out there. I can't let them know I'm going to the factory, especially with someone who isn't in the group," Aelita explained, thinking of her options to get to the factory. Why didn't she think of the fact that Odd and Ulrich's room would be right next door?

"B-friend? So little Lita's got a boyfriend, hmm? I want to meet this guy!" he almost yelled. She laughed and put her hand over his mouth, quieting him down. He pulled her hand off of his mouth and laughed. "Ok, ok, I'll be quiet. Can we escape out the window then? It will be like when we were kids, always going out the window to meet up with each other. Except, this time, let's not get caught."

Aelita nodded and smiled. She remembered those times now, and couldn't help but laugh at them. Those were some of the best times of her life, and she missed them dearly. They walked over to the window and propped open the window. Luckily, he was on the second floor, so it wasn't much of a drop, but it was still a long way down.

She peered over at the ground and silently gulped. Heights had never been a fear, but the jump could really hurt if she fell or jumped the wrong way. Zane put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, you'll be ok. Here, I'll go out first, and catch you," he offered smiling sweetly. Aelita couldn't believe he was the one who was offering to go down first. She had been bigger than him in the past, but now, he was taller than her by at least 4 inches, and he was definitely more muscular. Without another word, he sat on the window seal and in a flash, he was gone.

Aelita jumped towards the window, afraid he had fallen, but in reality, he was crouched on the ground, landing perfectly. He stood up and gave thumbs up to her. She laughed and he gestured to jump. Swinging her leg over the ledge, she perched outside, gasping at the height.

Zane seemed to sense her fear and reached up to her. "I'll catch you, I promise. You know I never break my promises Lita," he whispered up to her. She nodded, remembering it was true. There hadn't been a time when he hadn't come through with his promise. With a leap of faith, literally, she pushed herself off. For one scary second, she thought that she could fall and die right there or at least break something, but a pair of strong arms surrounded her waist and she let out a sight of relief. After a second of being steadied, Zane lowered her to the ground and let go. He looked at her, concern in his eyes and was very serious, making sure she was alright. But he couldn't hold it and bust out laughing.

She tried to quiet him down, but ended up joining in with him. There wasn't really anything that funny, but they were just laughing at the fact that they were so quickly back into their normal routine. After a few tear filling minutes, they finally quit laughing and Aelita managed to pull him towards the exit of the school. With a quick glance around, they ran to the forest and she pulled him running through the woods towards the sewer entrance.

When they arrived, Zane halted to a stop. He wrinkled his nose and looked at her like she was crazy. "The sewers? We never used this when we went to the factory before," he complained. She shrugged.

"My friends found this path and it's a shortcut there, as well as the fact that no one will ask why a pair of kids are out this late at night," Aelita explained, already climbing down to the bottom. She jumped the last step and looked up for him to follow. With a glance around, Zane climbed down after her.

"Why do I let you drag me into these kind of things?" Zane asked rolling his eyes. Aelita laughed.

"Oh you know this is you're favorite thing to do. After all, you used to call yourself Captain Adventure," she retorted. He blushed, obviously embarrassed about a moment of weakness when they were little. Aelita recalled the day where he had only wanted to be addressed as that and wouldn't respond to any other name.

They talked throughout the trip to the factory, reminiscing about their years together. He also talked about what had happened to him since she had disappeared. Apparently, he and his mother had moved back to the United States for a bit, and he had gone to school there for a while. But he had gotten an offer to train with a professional musician. Ever since he was little, all Zane had wanted to do was sing and play the piano. And now, he was training with a professional, and had already recorded one song, which had been a big hit, or at least for him. Also, his mother was working on a big project with some partner and had come back to also be a science teacher here so that he could get free tuition.

Aelita was really happy for him, because it sounded like his life was going pretty well for him. "I can't believe your music dream is coming true. I always knew you would do it," she told him, nudging him in the arm. Before he replied, they reached the entrance to the bridge and she climbed up to feel the wind blowing against her skin. He climbed up after her, and even in the dark she could see the factory. "Welcome back, Zane."

He smiled, but it wasn't a real smile. Aelita could tell that this was one place he had thought he would never see again, and it was probably quite a shock to see it so run down. Personally, Aelita wanted to try and fix it up, but that would only look like something was going on there and someone would come to investigate. She hadn't even suggested it because it wasn't even a possibility.

Zane stood there in awe of his past home, and then, without even waiting, walked into the factory. He walked only on his instincts moving him forward. Before he knew it, he had taken the elevator down to the scanners and was stepping in one. He realized where he was just before he saw Aelita climb down the ladder and step into her own scanner. The doors closed and he was lifted up, and within seconds, Lyoko formed around him. He dropped down, falling to his knees. It had been so many years, and everything was rushing back to him. He felt Aelita kneel beside him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Zane, take as much time as you need, because I don't think you want to see this," Aelita said, her voice quivering. That made his curiosity peak and he glanced up. His face immediately paled and he knew they were in trouble.

He stood up slowly and stepped a bit in front of Aelita, ready to protect her. That had been his job after all. He was her last line of defense. "XANA, we meet again. It's been to long. And here I was thinking, and hoping, that I'd never see you again," Zane commented. Some guy stepped forward that Zane didn't recognize, and behind him was a Scyphozoa. He didn't know what XANA wanted, but whatever it was it wasn't good. No matter what, though, he wouldn't let them hurt Aelita. She was more important to him than anyone, at that moment. There was no way he was going to lose her twice.

What does XANA want them to do? Is there something going on between Aelita and Zane? Will the others ever find out about Aelita's deal with XANA? Are Ulrich and Yumi ever going to get together? Find out next time!