Chapter 10: Decieving the pure

A/N: Wow! I got over a hundred reviews. (you guys reviewed quickly for this chapter, I'm impressed...) I'm sorry I've taken so long to update, but I've got finals and whatnot coming up/ taking place. Now, a promise is a promise, there'll be a nice surprise in this chapter, so I'll keep my word.

Author's edit: Jeez, I meant to update yesterday, but I've had some stuff to do (as I've mentioned about) Finals really blow, and so does being exceptionally tired. I hope you guys like what I've written.

Anyway, on to the story!

Must reads (and I do mean must, these are good stories people):

Expect the Unexpected

Koukyuu no Toriko

A Forgotten Memory

Pirates of the Caribbean Inuyasha Style

A Path Worth Retracing

Hate is Only Skin Deep

My Memory's Heartache

Full Metal Hakusho

Lost Forever in a Tragedy? (Inspiration for this story, read it, seriously)

Returning Home (sequel to Lost Forever in a Tragedy?)

Previously:

"To bring them back of course."

"H-how?" Yumi asked in awe, "how would this even be possible, once somebody dies, there is no other way to bring them back."

"There is a way, but only one."

"And what is that?" Yumi asked, her heart thudding.

Now:

"You must forget them, child," The figure said, "if I bring them back, you must swear your allegiance to me."

"And you'll bring them back if I do this?" Yumi gulped, "but how will I know that you will bring them back if I do this?"

The figure sighed, "alright, there really is no way of bringing them back." He said, "but there is a way to forget everything that happened. You can forget about their deaths and your depression."

"How can I possibly forget? What happened is going to always be burned into my mind." Yumi said coldly.

"The Scyphozoa isn't only for stealing Aelita's memories." The figure hinted, "I could take them away for you. Besides, what do you have if you go back? Your friends all want to kill you now. You were there when Ulrich attacked you with his sword and called you a monster. You heard Jeremie telling you to just fall into the void."

Yumi clenched her hand into a fist, her eyebrows furrowed angrily, "how could they betray me like that?" She asked aloud, "I thought that they cared."

"Extract your revenge, forget them. Join me."

"A-alright." Yumi nodded slowly, "what else can I do? I've been abandoned by the only people that I ever cared about.

The Scyphozoa appeared near the man, and Yumi nodded grimly, closing her eyes as the creature approached her. She hardly flinched as she was lifted into the air, and it began to probe through her mind.

With Jeremie and Odd

Odd dragged himself to Jeremie's side after managing to get to the elevator, "So, what's going on, Einstein?" He asked tiredly.

"I don't know. Xana hasn't ever been this active. Ulrich and Aelita are looking for Yumi- who has gone missing in Carthage."

"That bad, huh?" Odd sank to the ground and stared at the screen.

"Oh, it's bad alright," Jeremie said agreeably, "Xana even attacked Aelita with the Scyphozoa, and he's made it so that I can hardly pick up Yumi's signal, and when I do, it's garbled with that of a creeper. Stranger still- she's in an unchartered section of carthage. Ulrich and Aelita are looking for her there now."

There was a forewarning beep that suddenly emmitted from the computer screen, "Does the Scyphozoa have Aelita again?" Jeremie gasped, turning to the screen immediately, "where's-" his voice broke in surprise.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" Odd teased.

"N-no, the Scyphozoa isn't stealing Aelita's memories, it's stealing Yumi's!" Jeremie said in disbelief.

"What? What could Xana possibly want with Yumi? I thought that he wanted Aelita?" Odd cocked his head.

"Ulrich, Aelita, hurry up!" Jeremie exclaimed.

"Is something wrong?" He heard Ulrich panting as he spoke.

"The Scyphozoa is stealing Yumi's memories, I think you're close, but you need to move faster." Jeremie said.

"Got it!" Ulrich exclaimed.

"So how long have we been at the factory?" Odd asked curiously.

"Nearly nine hours." Jeremie said without thinking, "you were down in the scanner room for quite some time you know, were you unconscious or something?"

"I may have been," Odd shrugged, "I don't really remember. I can't believe how many monsters came out though! I've never had to fight so many at once before."

"It is strange," Jeremie agreed, watching worriedly as Yumi's memory continued to drain.

With Ulrich and Aelita

They came into the room and stared between the three figures in there- the cloaked figure, the Scyphozoa, and the girl in the creature's arms. "Yumi!" Ulrich exclaimed when he recognized her, "let her go!" He tightened his grip on his sword and raced forward.

"Be careful, Ulrich!" Aelita called worriedly.

His sword sliced easily through it's tentacles, and the figure hissed, "you should not have interfered." He ground out, "the girl was mine."

"What do you want with Yumi?" Ulrich faced the man.

The man chuckled, "I was merely going to steal her materialization code." He said, "and she was perfectly willing to give it too."

"Just what the hell are you talking about?" Ulrich narrowed his eyes, "Yumi would never do that!"

"Wouldn't she?" The man laughed raucously as Ulrich lifted Yumi and turned to Aelita grimly.

"Run," He said simply, before the two of them were bolting back down the passageway, Yumi held firmly in Ulrich's arms.

"Jeremie, we're going to need you to open the data stream." Ulrich said as they squeezed through the small space and nearly collapsed into the maze when they broke free.

"I'm on it." Jeremie said.

"Hurry up Aelita, and we can get back home before Xana comes after us again." Ulrich turned to the girl that was lagging behind him somewhat, "how about some vehicles Jeremie?" He asked finally, "we're exhausted."

"Coming right up." Within seconds an overboard materialized and the two climbed aboard, speeding down the path.

About two hours later

Yumi awoke, somewhat disorreinted and with a mild headache. She glanced around herself uncertainly, taking note of the fact that she had somehow made it back to her room. She stood and stepped into the bathroom, glancing at her pale complexion and mussed hair.

The door opened slowly, "you're awake!" Ulrich's voice caused her to freeze mid-turn, "You had us worried Yumi."

She whirled around furiously, "just what are you trying to pull? First you all conspire to kill me, and now you're acting like none of that has happened, and that you care."

Ulrich blinked rapidly in shock, "Wha- Yumi, what are you talking about? Of course we care. Xana must've been playing with your mind!"

"No, I was there. You attacked me with your sword just after Jeremie told me I should just fall into the void, and that you and Aelita would come and kill me. You can't tell me that your calling me a 'monster' was fake!"

Ulrich blanched, "I didn't call you a monster!"

"Don't deny it, I see it written all over your face!" Yumi was yelling now, "You said 'Aelita, stay back, I'll take care of this monster!' and then you drew your sword and attacked me."

"No! We attacked a creeper, Yumi, what reason would we have for attacking you?" Ulrich said, grasping her shoulders.

"Just go." Yumi said, throwing his hands off of her, "I-I don't want to talk to you right now, Ulrich." She turned and crossed her arms.

"Yumi-" Ulrich took a deep breath and let it out in a defeated sigh, "we'd never try to hurt you. Whatever Xana's been planning it has something to do. I'm not going to let him hurt you, do you understand?"

After a moment of silence Yumi heard the door shut behind him and her shoulders sagged and she trudged back over to the bed, collapsing upon it in a sorrowful heap. Was Ulrich telling the truth? Has Xana only been playing with my mind? She thought to herself as she lay there, what was Xana planning, and what did it have to do with her?

With Ulrich

He stood just outside of Yumi's door, hands clasped into fists at his sides in fury. Xana had messed with his Yumi. He was angry and needed to calm down before he went to see the others.

Ulrich's gaze was downcast as he walked through the hallway and knocked on a familiar door. "Who's there?" Jeremie's voice was slightly muffled through the thick wood.

"It's Ulrich." He said, a hint of sadness etching into his voice.

The door opened seconds later and he was pulled into the room by Odd, "So?" They leaned forward expectantly.

"Xana's messing with her mind." Ulrich sighed, "Yumi's under the the impression that we're trying to kill her."

"What!" The trio that had not been present during Yumi and Ulrich's conversation exclaimed in disbelief.

Ulrich nodded grimly, "I don't know how to make her realize that we wouldn't ever hurt her. And Xana said that she was willingly allowing the Schyphozoa to steal her memories too. Why would Yumi do that?"

Jeremie adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, "that question is one that Yumi alone can answer." He said quietly, recieving nods, after a moment, from those around him.

"We need to look out for Yumi, whatever Xana is planning, it's not good. She needs our protection, whether she wants it or not." Ulrich stated.

A/N Well... there you go... I don't think that any of you were expecting that. Heh... everyone seemed to be under the impression that Xana was going to tell her that he'd bring her parents back if she died in their place. Well, as you can see, that wasn't the case. But what does he really want with Yumi? Tune in next time to find out!

My review request for this chapter is a measly 113- I dunno why, but 12 reviews is my goal, a cookie for you all if you make it past this! Now then, onto the random facts!

Random facts of the day:

During your lifetime, you'll eat about 60,000 pounds of food, that's the weight of about 6 elephants!

Some ribbon worms will eat themselves if they cant find any food!

Dolphins sleep with one eye open!