Chapter 6

Dreams

Hours had passed before they stopped for dinner in the far edge of Metz, France. The students filled out, glad for a chance to stretch their legs as the sun started setting behind the buildings around them. This far from Sceaux and where the fire started hadn't been forced to evacuate yet, but according to the radio Jim had been listening to on the way over it seemed like only a matter of time.

Delmas ordered everyone stay in the groups they had ridden down in, assigning a teacher to watch over each group and make sure no student got left behind.

Night came, forcing the students to sleep on the busses. "Hello everybody!" Rosa called out, her arms loaded down with blankets as Yolanda followed closely behind the large woman with pillows in her arms. Yolanda placed what she had in her hands on the first seat and disappeared out of the bus, grabbing more pillows. A few voices replied to Rosa's hello, getting a sad smile out of the woman. "I know it's been a long, stressful day," Rosa started as she walked down the aisle, passing out blankets to everyone with Yolanda giving out pillows, "but we're alive. We're together. And soon we'll be safe."

Rosa stopped next to Odd and Sissi, handing the girl two blankets. "Odd, I heard about…" Rosa's voice trailed off before she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Thanks Rosa," Odd said, taking a blanket from Sissi.

Rosa gave him a sad look before turning and handing Aelita and Jeremie blankets, continuing on her way down the aisle.

Yolanda made her way along behind the large woman, handing Yumi and Ulrich their pillows. She gave the last two she had in her hands to Aelita and Jeremie and asked, "Aelita, how are you feeling?"

"Good, and don't worry," Aelita said, grabbing the water bottle that was sitting between her and Jeremie, "I'm doing my best to keep drinking."

Yolanda gave them a smile before turning around to grab more pillows to hand out.

Soon everyone had a pillow and blanket and the lights were turned off. Ulrich put his pillow against the window and leaned on it to hold it up, wrapping himself in the blanket. He closed his eyes, not sure if he would even get to sleep.

He felt Yumi moving around beside him, trying to get comfortable. He glanced over at her only to smile as she punched the pillow against the back of her chair. He let out a smirk, getting her attention.

"Sorry," Yumi said.

"It's ok," Ulrich said, trying to hide his amusement. He moved closer to the window and looked back at her. "You can lean on me."

"Oh, I couldn't," Yumi said, shaking her head.

"Look," Ulrich started, "you're not going to get to sleep like that, I'm not going to get any sleep with you moving around like that, and neither is any of the rest of the bus. Just lean on me."

Yumi rolled her eyes as she saw him smile. Ulrich leaned back onto his pillow on the window and felt Yumi put her pillow on his side.

Yumi leaned on him, pulling her blanket up to her shoulders. Ulrich watched her reflection in the window, her eyes closing as exhaustion took over. Ulrich felt her breathing go to a soft, smooth rhythm and soon fell asleep himself.

-.-.-.-

Ulrich's face felt hot, getting him to open his eyes. Sunlight streamed in through the window as he sat up, stretching his arms high above his head. His arms froze as he remembered how he had gone to sleep, getting him to look at the now empty seat next to him. "Yumi?" Ulrich asked, wondering where the girl could've gone.

Ulrich stood up and took in the bus, surprised to see he was the last one left in the bus. He dropped his blanket to the ground and walked down the aisle, taking the steps to get off the bus only to be assaulted by a wave of heat. His arm raised to protect his face, surprised by what he felt.

"Ulrich!"

Yumi's voice! Ulrich dropped his arm, recognizing the voice only to gape at what he saw. They were back at Kadic, the flames licking at the bus. Yumi was being pulled into the fire by one of Xana's specters. "Yumi!" Ulrich exclaimed, dropping the last step to the sidewalk. He ran into the fire, a hand reaching for her only to trip over something. He landed hard to the ground and pushed himself up, glancing back at what he tripped over only to see Kiwi's body. He turned to pick the dog up, worried for his condition in the fire, only to find the dog to be dead, his crème fur burnt off and his exposed skin crispy. Ulrich quickly pushed himself back, disgusted at what he saw.

"Ulrich! Help!"

Ulrich turned away from Kiwi's corps and looked for Yumi through the smoke and flames. He scrambled to his feet, desperate to find her. "Yumi! Where are you!?" Ulrich called out.

"Ulrich!"

Ulrich ran in the direction of the voice, not caring about the fire that raged all around him.

A scream sounded only to be cut short.

Ulrich jumped over a tree that had fallen over, careful of the flames eating it away, and skidded to a stop. On the ground laid Yumi, her neck at an awkward angle, her eyes glazed over and not focusing on anything. Above her stood a ghostly specter, the head showing the eye of Xana as it turned to look at Ulrich.

"You killed her," Ulrich said, his voice cracking and barely understandable.

Xana tilted his head, staring at Ulrich. He nodded his head, acknowledging the fact that was known.

Ulrich let out a scream, throwing himself at the specter. He grabbed the specter around the neck, struggling to strangle Xana. Xana pulled back a fist and punched Ulrich in the face, knocking him back and ripping his neck free from Ulrich's hands. Xana quickly kicked up, landing his foot in Ulrich's chest. Ulrich fell back, landing on Yumi's body. He opened his eyes, staring into Yumi's lifeless eyes, before a searing pain stabbed his chest.

Ulrich's eyes flashed open, his heart racing as he realized where he was. Still sitting on the bus, his head still pushed against the pillow resting against the window. He turned his head to see Yumi, still asleep on the pillow resting against his side.

He looked out the window and saw the sun rising over the buildings around them parked at the gas station they had spent the night at as his nightmare replayed in his head. He rested a hand on his chest where he still felt the after effect of his mind thinking he was getting stabbed there, his heart only now slowing down. Ulrich felt Yumi move and was about to say something when he felt her hand rest on his thigh underneath his blanket.

Ulrich tried to see if her eyes were open and found that she was still asleep. He smiled as he reached around her pillow and brushed some hair away that had fallen down as she slept, softly putting it behind her ear. A smile pulled at her face, getting him to freeze, afraid she was waking up. He quickly pulled his hand back and looked out the window just in time to see Delmas walking back to the bus from the gas station.

The door to the bus opened and Ulrich saw Delmas climb the steps to get back on the bus. He said something in a whisper to Jim, who was sitting in the seat Delmas had sat in the day before.

Ulrich watched Jim get up from his seat and lean over to the driver's seat. He picked up the CB and switched it to go through the inside speakers. "Morning all you sleepy heads!" Jim said "That's right, it's seven in the morning. Who wants breakfast?! Other than you, Odd."

Some students laughed as the bus started to wake up.

Yumi opened her eyes and sat up, stretching her arms downward as she let out a large yawn.

"Morning," Ulrich said as she stretched.

"Uhg, good morning," Yumi said after stretching. She placed her forehead against the seat in front of her and mumbled, "I had the weirdest dream."

"What was it about?" Ulrich asked, his mind flashing back to his own nightmare.

"Oh, something about heading to Presto Burger, I think," Yumi said, her checks blushing as she turned to look at Ulrich, her head still pushed up against the chair's back. She gave Ulrich a smile and added, "One of those things that makes no sense when you wake up."

"Come on," Odd said. He stood up and leaned over the two, his blond and purple hair falling out of its normal shape and down as gravity pulled on it. "I'm hungry."

Yumi and Ulrich looked up and saw him. "Odd, what happened to your hair?" Yumi asked.

Odd looked up, only to have part of his hair get him in the face as it continued to fall. "My jell was still at school."

"You're hair's never been down, has it?" Sissi asked as she stood up. Students passed them on their way to get off the bus to find out what was for breakfast as others were as slow to getting out of their chairs.

Sissi got into the aisle as Odd said, "I changed it to this style after I started school at Kadic. You, personality, inspired it."

"Oh really?" Sissi asked, thinking it true.

"Are the Einstines awake?" Ulrich asked, looking around Yumi towards the two still curled up across from Sissi.

Yumi stood up and took the step behind Sissi. She grabbed Aelita's shoulder and gently shook it. "Wake up, Princess."

"Huh?" Aelita asked, her eyes still mostly shut as she looked up at Yumi.

"Breakfast time," Yumi informed.

Aelita pushed herself up, letting the blanket fall into her lap, as she let out a yawn.

"Come on, Jeremie, you too," Yumi said, leaning over to push on his knee.

"I'm up," Jeremie said, sitting up now that Aelita wasn't laying on him. He reached down to the floor and pulled up his glasses, placing them on his face before standing up to stretch. "Sleeping in a vehicle's not fun," he mumbled.

"I'm gonna go find out what we're having for breakfast," Sissi said, stepping aside Yumi to walk out of the bus.

"Hey, where're Herve and Nicolas?" Aelita asked, just realizing she hadn't seen them since the evacuation.

"They got put on another bus," Odd answered for the retreating form of the girl. "She wanted to ride with her father and they got put in Fumet's bus." His stomach let out a growl, getting the group's attention.

"Alright Odd, we're getting up," Aelita said, a smile on her face as she stood up.

"I can't help it."

Aelita and Jeremie led the way out of the bus, finding that the gas station had helped Rosa and Gaston prepare breakfast for the group. A long line had formed to the front door as students waited to grab their plate, and any spot able to be sat in was filling up as everyone was forced to eat at one time.

"Have you heard anything more from Franz?" Yumi asked as they waited in the fast moving line.

"No, but I've kept my laptop turned off for most of the trip," Jeremie admitted. "Who knows when we'll get somewhere that I can charge it."

"If I remember right, we've only got about three more hours," Ulrich offered.

Yumi pulled out her cell phone and looked at the screen only to find nothing there.

"Worried about your parents?" Ulrich asked, glancing at her.

Yumi looked up from her phone and said, "Yeah, I wish I knew what happened to them."

"Don't worry, they got out and are probably looking for you right now," Ulrich said. "They're probably just having to do what Jeremie is, and can't respond right now."

Yumi slid her phone closed and put it back in her pocket. "I hope you're right."

AN: sorry about that mental image of Kiwi, it still haunts me but with how long Ulrich's been living with the dog, I think he would haunt Ulrich as well.