'After a bad battle with X.A.N.A, no one really wants to go home.' No flames! Don't like don't read! In this one there was no return the past, so there all a little bruised and such.

Do I look like I own code lyoko? No, of course not.

This wasn't the first time this had occurred, Ulrich thought, watching everyone from what they liked to call his 'moping corner'.

Everyone was dawdling. No one was willing to go back to their dorms to be alone. So they were hesitating, waiting for someone to suggest a sleepover that would be shot down anyway, but it was still something they all wanted to at least be noticed aloud. They'd had a rough day, they'd all pretty much played punching bag for someone or something at least once, and they'd all almost died. Not counting all the homework and things they were going to have to beg Jeremie to help them with later, they were at the lowest part of their day. They all wanted company (or more company than Odd for himself, Ulrich corrected, reminding himself he got company no matter what time of day. Even if he really didn't want it.)

Ulrich himself wasn't very inclined to go back either. He was quite comfortable from where he was sitting, and really didn't feel like explaining to Jim or the nurse why he had a black eye or Jeremie's cut up face or why Odd was limping, let alone the fact they'd be coming back with some ripped clothes from an unexpected attack of some industrial equipment.

He'd take sleeping on the cold steel floor with his jacket underneath him over the alternative anyday.

He sighed and slumped over in the corner, not really caring that his vulnerable neck was in view of the people nearby. He trusted them, even if they were only a literal floor above a psycho machine bent on world domination that could attack out of nowhere. It was as safe here as it was at the school. At least here they could stop the trouble before it went on the attack.

Odd joined him, sitting criss-cross as he awkwardly put his hands in his lap. It was one of those days even Odd was quiet, and it was days like that they didn't like.

It wasn't the first time they hadn't wanted to leave. It had never felt right to just go home after fighting an evil computer and sit down to dinner with oblivious people or go to a cafeteria full of people who would never understand and act like they weren't fighting a war without getting any help from anyone else, then take a shower and go lay on their dorm bed all night like it was a normal night for normal people. It just didn't feel right. They were sacrificing themselves, sticking themselves on the slaughter board for the world daily, and it was hard for them to forget the fact that there was a very low chance they'd survive long enough for X.A.N.A to be shut off.

Jeremie plopped down against the steel wall opposite of them, and fiddled with something on his laptop. What, Ulrich didn't know, and he also knew that he couldn't understand whatever it was even if he tried. He was just too smart for him. Aelita took place next to him, speaking in shushed whispers as they tried to program something into the small laptop in his hands.

Yumi plopped down in a corner, her entire posture screaming death for anyone who dared tried to talk her out of her funk. Today was one of those days that she had to interrupt and argument with her parents to get away, which meant she herself got into an argument with them on the way out, which made it ten times worse for her. Even Ulrich didn't dare go around her at a time like this.

Seeing that no one was going to mention anything and instead stare at each other all night, Ulrich knew he was going to have to get this moving. He was the least hurt of the group, as well as the one who knew the best shortcuts in and out of Kadiac as well as being well equipped to sneak through the forest he spent so much time in.

Giving a soft sigh at how shy everyone was being (even to his tastes, and that was something. Usually he was the one they had to prod to do something, not the other way around. But that didn't mean he couldn't when he had to) he stood up and walked towards the exits, calling back "I'll get the sleeping bags."

A few minutes later, after running to Kadiac and sneaking in and bragging some sleeping bags, and running back, walking the last few feet so he didn't look like he was as tired as he felt.

Plopping everything down, he quickly grabbed his own and sneaking off towards his corner once again. The job was done, he'd done his part to keep everyone together for the evening, and he wasn't feeling ready to tempt his nature again that night.

Everyone grabbed their own bags and went back to their own areas, Odd using his as a makeshift log seat, Jeremie and Aelita laying there's out so as to cushion their own seats, and Yumi pushed hers to the side, while Ulrich laid his out and curled up on his side, only to find his green jacket (that he had left behind) misplaced.

Not particularly worried about its whereabouts- he could always find it in the morning- he did a quick scan of the room to see if the others had taken it.

Glancing at Odd (he wouldn't be surprised if the cat had taken it to dye it a strange color, because he knew he'd wear the thing anyway, because it was his favorite, but not before it got stained red) he found him snickering and pointing to the corner.

Looking over at Yumi, he found himself dumfounded at the sight of Yumi sitting with her arms crossed over her knees, head turned away, and jacket on.

He knew that Yumi had liked his jacket. It was always warm from him wearing it, it was a darker color (although not dark enough for her tastes), and it was thin. And she'd certainly joked here and there about taking it from him (they all had at least once) but he'd never expected her to act on it.

She whipped her head around and gave him a glare, defensive yet slightly playful, silently asking him what he was going to do about it.

He laid back down. He could always get it back in the morning, hopefully Yumi would take it off of her before she fell asleep so he could sneak it away.

He certainly was going to try and take it from her.

I might do a sequel, I don't know, thoughts, opinions, anything?