So I think it was kind of jerkish to make you all wait so long for such a short chapter. So here's the next one. :)

As always, thank you for all the support! :D

P.S. It'sNotMe, I already have a cover for this story, but thank you so much for the offer. :)

"Attraction is beyond our will or ideas sometimes."

-Juliette Binoche

Chapter 10: An Unexpected Developmemt

Ulrich was so caught up in work for the past few days that he completely forgot about Aelita's reading assignment. So he saw to it that, that night, he would read the first couple of chapters right before bed.

He had to admit that Aelita was right. Frankenstein was entertaining to read. He found himself flipping through the pages without any reserve, so immersed in the story.

The brunette then found a good stopping point and easily fell asleep.

The next morning, Ulrich was knocking on Yumi's door again. Not only did he want to challenge himself to another jog, but he also wanted to see if Emily had sent the flowers yet. And Yumi's reaction.

The Japanese teen opened the door with a smirk on her face. She crossed her arms, leaned against the frame, and started tapping her feet repeatedly against the ground.

"What game are you playing?" she asked with an amused expression.

"I'm guessing you got the flowers?" When Yumi nodded, Ulrich shook his head. "Well, in that case, there's no game. Just wanted to do something nice."

"Oh, really?" She turned to her side to give Ulrich a better view of the home's entrance hall. The brunette could clearly see the key table not far behind Yumi.

And on it was a vase of red roses.

"Emily," Ulrich mentally cursed. Yumi clearly got it all wrong. And Emily probably thought that he and Yumi had a thing.

The raven-haired girl laughed. "I'm not interested in your cheesy romance story, Stern."

Ulrich shrugged. "You're not mad, and that's a good start," he muttered. More loudly, he explained, "Emily offered me a free arrangement, so I decided to gift you flowers, as a comrade. I didn't know she was going to give you roses."

"Oh, I see." Yumi nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm not even going to get a thank you?"

She laughed in disbelief. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Well, then, comrade, I'm guessing you're here for another jog?"

"You bet."

With Ferdinand's conditioning and having went through the trail once already, the jog wasn't as difficult as before to Ulrich. When they finally reached the clearing, the brunette let out a sigh of relief.

He stripped out of his tank top to cool off. His back was glistening with sweat, and even more dripped down from his forehead. He gazed down at the lake below, suddenly tempted to jump in...

Which actually wasn't a bad idea.

"Hey," he said. Yumi, instantly brought to attention, walked over to his side. "I have an idea. Race you down to the lake?"

Yumi laughed, suddenly pumped up for the challenge. She then took off without any prior warning, Ulrich quickly trailing behind her.

"I'll see you there!" she yelled.

When they came out of the trees and arrived at the lake, it felt like they were standing in a postcard. Every place the pair looked, they were greeted by magnificent colors enhanced by the sunlight—the lake was a crystal blue, and the moss and trees were a deep emerald shade.

To their left was a flat, moss-covered rock. When they stepped on it together, it finally gave Yumi a clear view of Ulrich. Suddenly, it was hard for her to keep her eyes off his chiseled back and shoulders. It was clear that Ferdinad was working him hard.

"Are we swimming?" she asked, looking down at her clothes. "To cool off?"

"Wasn't that obvious? Ulrich asked. He turned to look at Yumi, and he almost face-palmed himself. "Oh, right... You wouldn't want to swim in those, would you?"

Yumi crossed her arms over her chest. "You totally meant for this to happen."

Ulrich lifted an eyebrow and held his hands up in defense. "I didn't-" He suddenly couldn't speak. It was true, however, that he didn't realize Yumi's dilemma.

"Ugh, whatever." Without any reserve, Yumi grasped the hem of her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head. Ulrich's face took a red shade as he tried hard not to look at her delightfully fitting underwear. Yumi then slipped out of her sweatpants and shook her shoes off.

If they were dating, this moment would be thrilling, something they would both giggle at.

Yumi smirked. "Look while you can."

Before Ulrich knew it, her arms were in the air, and she arced and dived into the lake with a splash. Seconds later, she resurfaced, gracefully flipping her hair from her face.

She was quite literally glistening under the sun.

Ulrich swallowed thickly. The girl was beautiful. He felt completely speechless, nervous in the pit of his stomach. What was he feeling right now?

"Are you going to join me?" she asked, lightly kicking to propel herself even further away. Thankfully, her body was concealed under the water. "Race you to the other side!"

Ulrich shook his head, not surprised the least by Yumi's usual competitive manner. He then realized that, if Yumi wasn't nervous, why should he be? Quickly, he shook off his shoes along with his disconcertion and performed his own dive into the water.

The water's coldness took him by surprise at first. But he grew accustomed to it a second later. Ulrich reached the surface to catch his breath, then shot a look at Yumi before starting his own strokes to get himself across the lake. Yumi followed in his wake.

The pair of them pushed themselves so hard that they lost track of each other. Simultaneously, they drew closer and closer to the large rock that stood on the other side—until Yumi slammed her hand against it, an instant before Ulrich.

"Guess I'm also the better swimmer," she said triumphantly.

With a roll of his eyes, Ulrich heaved himself out of the water, panting. Yumi did the same. The brunette had no trouble scaling the rock despite the moss covering it, but Yumi, on the other hand, found it extremely slippery.

"Guess I'm the better climber." Ulrich flashed Yumi a smirk.

"Just offer me a hand, if you're such a gentleman."

And he did. However, he pulled with too much force, and Yumi was suddenly in his arms.

Their faces blushed in unison. Yumi's hands were on Ulrich's bare pecs. Ulrich was mesmerized, and he couldn't take his eyes off her shocked face. He couldn't take his hands off her smooth, porcelain skin, either.

It was Yumi who pulled away first, being her usual upfront self. The two of them then fell back first against the flat rock and exhaled in satisfaction as they graciously took in the warmth of the sun. Ulrich turned away to let Yumi wring herself out—mostly out of respect and embarrassment.

Suddenly, he found himself wondering how Yumi must look right now, right this moment. Her raven hair slicked back and shining in the sun, the smooth contours of her chiseled, trim body bare and exposed—he was tempted to see.

He realized he was attracted to her. He swallowed thickly at the revelation.

"That was refreshing," Yumi muttered, clearly referencing the lake and interrupting his thoughts. "Should we head back?"

Ulrich absently nodded, slightly dazed. "Yeah."

When they arrived back at the Ishiyama residence, it was clear something wasn't right.

"Yumi, Ulrich!" A shocked expression took Aelita's face as she spotted the pair. Her eyebrows were creased in concern, and she nervously wrung her hands. "Sorry, I'm too occupied right now..."

And like that, she took off towards the house.

"What's going on?" Yumi demanded. Completely forgetting what happened just a while before at the lake, she placed her hands on her hips.

She exasperatedly turned to her left, and found William driving his truck towards them with Emily in the passenger seat. Both of them looked concerned, as well.

"What's everyone doing here?" Yumi desperately asked. "Did something happen to grandma?" Tears began to burn the back of her eyes as she trembled slightly at the thought.

Answering her question, there came Aelita pushing a wheelchair. While her steps were little, she was quick.

Because within the wheelchair was a sickly pale, unconscious old man with a bandaged-up leg.

The white gauze was quickly turning red, however.

Yumi wailed at the horrifying sight. She turned to the person closest to her—Ulrich—and started crying softly into his shirt. "Quickly get him to the nearest clinic, please!" she pleaded.

And she didn't lift her face until she heard the tires turn.

Only Emily and Hiroki remained, along with Yumi and Ulrich. The brunette, looking around him, only just realized how close to each other everyone was in Ashwick Grove. He suddenly felt like an outsider, having just arrived over the summer.

"It was a machine," Hiroki said solemnly. "An accident."

Emily nodded and placed a comforting hand on Yumi's shoulder. "You should join your grandma back inside, get some rest. I'm sure Aelita already has a splint in your grandfather's leg—he'll be fine."

Yumi sniffed, wiping the corner of her eyes with a finger. She then nodded and inhaled sharply. "I guess I should."

"We'll leave you alone, then," said Ulrich. He turned around to begin his way home.

"Wait-"

Yumi suddenly grasped the hem of Ulrich's shirt. "If you're my comrade, you'll stay with me," she said quietly.

Ulrich nodded, suddenly remembering the promise they made. He didn't need any more from her to comply. It was shocking to see Yumi's usually brave demeanor disappear for a moment. "Comrades," he echoed.

As Yumi disappeared inside her home, he stayed and sat on the porch, spending the rest of the afternoon watching the clouds go by.

"What just happened today?" he wondered to himself.