Yumi stared at the image before her and thought to herself, 'Dang, he was cute when he was little as well.' Ironically enough, the same thoughts were running through Jeremy's mind about the 2-year-old Aelita. Odd, being prone to simple-mindedness, saw the tears and just by chance stared out the window of the Hermitage. He tapped his friends on their shoulders and beckoned them over. They pressed their faces to the grimy glass and looked out onto a grave sight. Literally. A man, who they took to be a preacher, was standing over a large gravestone, mumbling silent words they couldn't hear.
"I sorry, Lee-lee." They all jumped. The mini-Ulrich's voice was a whole lot different than the one they knew.
"It's okay Uwwick. Daddy says dat mommy went to h-h-heaven!" Aelita said before bursting into tears. Ulrich held out his hand and she looked up at him tearfully.
"Come on, Lee-lee, let's go for a walk." Little 'Lita nodded and took the tanned arm he extended. After he pulled her up, they let go and walked to the door. Suddenly, it slid open, causing the both of them to jump back in alarm. A tall German man and a petite woman with Ulrich's eyes and hair stood sternly in the doorway (A/N: hah! The Sterns stood 'sternly' in the doorway! I just realized that right after I typed it!). Ulrich gulped and mumbled a greeting to his aunt and uncle.
"Ulrich David Stern (A/N: What! I don't know his real middle name!), you were not given permission to leave!" A portly man that Yumi, Odd, and Jeremy knew only from files they found stepped into view. Franz Hopper cleared his throat and stared down at his daughter and her friend.
"Aelita, come with me. The pastor wants to talk to you." The small pink-haired girl nodded and looked over to her companion, who was being talked to harshly, before following her father out the door. As the door slid shut, Ulrich's aunt and uncle raised their voices. Ulrich was staring at the floor, his hands itching to clench themselves into fists.
"Do you understand, boy!" the man yelled. Ulrich's jaw noticeably tightened. The woman brought her hand to his face and slapped him smartly across the cheek. The impact made him crumble to the floor. His uncle pulled him up by the shirt and slammed him against the wall, his hand pressed firmly to Ulrich's throat, blocking the path of air to his lungs. Ulrich gasped for the needed oxygen. Yumi's eyes widened as the man hissed at him.
"Answer me, Ulrich!"
"Ye..s… s..ir.." Ulrich's tiny body heaved for the wanted air. The man let go and the small boy fell a good four feet to the floor. Spitting on Ulrich, he kicked him.
"Your mother wouldn't have put up with it either, boy, let me tell you that. Now come outside. We have to pay our respects…" That last word lingered in the air as the man and woman walked outside and shut the door, leaving Ulrich to pick himself up. Yumi backed up against Jeremy, her hands to her mouth. The blonde genius was in shock himself as the little Ulrich stood up, grabbed his shoes, and trudged out the door like nothing had happened.
"That was-" Odd began.
"Ulrich when he was little. Getting abused…" Yumi said shakily, tears welling up in her eyes.
Jeremy patted her on the back in a brotherly way, "Yes, but he's only about three, isn't he? No three-year-old is that tough! He must have been really strong… physically and emotionally. I mean, I would never have survived something like that…"
"But… why didn't he tell us?"
"About which part?" Odd muttered.
Jeremy and Yumi looked at him, confused, "What?"
"Which part are you talking about? The part that he got abused, or the part that he knew Aelita before we even found L.yoko?"
The realization then dawned upon the oblivious pair.
Ulrich had known Aelita before Lyoko had been found.
All of a sudden, the room started to fade to black and a white light burst in front of their eyes before they found themselves in the same places they'd been before: Jeremy and Ulrich on Earth, and Yumi, Odd, and Aelita on Lyoko.
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Odd was lying on the floor, throwing a hackysac up in the air and catching it in front of his face. Yumi sat on the bed, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her legs falling to one side. She swept her hair out of her face and looked at Ulrich's sleeping face, his head lying on her lap. Aelita had been made a makeshift bed on the floor, her cheek resting comfortably on a pillow and a blanket placed over her unconscious form. That was how they had found them—unconscious. Jeremy sat in his computer chair, staring intently at Aelita. Yumi pulled her hand away and her eyes widened as Aelita began to shift. Odd's hackysac hit him in the face before her rolled over and propped himself on his hands, looking very much like a seal. Jeremy shot out of his chair and knelt on one knee next to his love. (A/N: Not that she knew that… lol.)
"Aelita?" Yumi asked in a whisper. Then, unexpectedly, Ulrich's head moved on her lap. He and Aelita jolted up at the same time, both a pale white.
"WEIDER!" (yes, German… it means 'again') they both shouted in unison. Then they looked at each other and let out strangled cries. Ulrich jumped up from the bed and looked around the room. Aelita just stared at him. The brunette paced for a minute and then noticed Jeremy, Yumi, and Odd looking on in complete fascination. He looked at the floor and mumbled something in German.
Aelita looked down at her lap, squeezing her hands.
Ulrich sighed to himself and lifted his head, "You saw, didn't you."
"Ulrich, that's so horrible! I'm sorry—" There was a loud slam and Yumi was cut off. Ulrich had left the room. They all turned to the silent bubblegum-haired girl on the floor.
"Aelita?" Jeremy prodded.
"I didn't remember. I forgot that I even knew him before my dad put me on Lyoko. I mean, I did lose my memories…" she offered.
"I guess you didn't regain them all," Odd slid his knees forward and rested on his feet in a squatting position. Yumi still stared at the closed door.
"Yumi?" Jeremy raised an eyebrow, "You look like you're thinking about more than just why Ulrich won't talk to us about his past."
She stared at her legs, "Can you guys keep a secret?"
And I'll leave it there. Yup, a cliffie. I don't think there's been a big one like this in a while. But yeah… I gotta go. I'll be working on the next chapter for Royal Pain next and then there'll be Into the Goal and lost In Her Voice. But yeah. I hope you liked it! Check out my newest one-shot, My Immortal! Please? I'll give you a lollipop? Heh… yeah… please review it too! And also this chappie as well! Love you guys lots! (Dearly, not queerly!)
-Mi ChIbO-
beep…
