Return

A/N: I'll probably be changing around ideas in my profile here soon. XD The last one in my list of stories to come will probably change a bit. XD That or be deleted and I'll fix another story to fit this new idea. XD

To the story!

Ulrich closed his eyes as he stood in the scanner, waiting for Jeremie to finish doing what his father had told him. It was important that Jeremie get it right, so Damien was watching. Damien might eventually need the same information.

After much objecting on his part he finally caved and said that he'd go back home. He wouldn't be staying too long. It would be just long enough to prove to the Council that he was back. Then he'd be back here and wait for Jeremie and Odd to give him the okay to come back to school, if he got back before they got there.

"We're here now," he heard his father say calmly as everything around him seemed to come to a standstill.

Opening his eyes he saw an area bathed in green sunlight. It was a relatively small place, but everything around him gave the appearance of a bright forest. Everything around him looked like it was in much greater detail than it normally was on Earth. "Whoa…"

"Yeah, it really makes everything look kind of dull when you're not here," Aivillia stated happily as she twirled around.

"Yeah, that's definitely true…" he whispered as they continued walking forward.

"Zephyr, I want you to show him around while I get everything set up to meet with the Council and getting things situated around the house," his father said, stopping in the middle of the road. "I understand how things work at your boarding school, but we'd love to have you here at home, too."

"I know, but they check that we're all there. Maybe we can figure something out. I'll ask Jeremie when I get back…" he said quietly. Whether he remembered the outgoing kid he used to be or not, he was still Ulrich and he would still rather not have everyone hear him speaking.

"C'mon Tristam. We've got to get you re-acquainted with some old friends and with this area itself. It may seem really small from here, but it's actually pretty big," Zephyr told the brunette as he swung his arm around him and led him in the opposite direction of their father and Aivillia.

"So how many of us are there?" he asked as he tried to look to see everything around him. The area really did look like a real forest civilization. Houses were nestled into tree trunks or near a tree and flowers covered the ground in multitudes of vibrant colors.

"Well, in each of the four colonies there are about twenty-five people as of the last time the Council checked. We're pretty small right now and this bubble we're in can continually expand to make more space for people. It won't interfere with anything on Lyoko, either. Anyway, Dad's like the chief here. He's in the Council as are the other three chiefs. Mostly these areas are just housing. If you need anything you tell the chief and that person goes and gets it from the Center or the fifth sector. Each of us has our talents and we're happy to share that with others so really, everything's free as long as the person is willing to part with it. The rest of us really don't have to eat. Dad isn't really sure if you have to or if it's just become a habit…" Zephyr explained as they walked down a cobble stone road.

Trying to take everything in at once was making his head hurt. Looking around at all the people staring at him had been disorienting at first, since he knew the reason they were staring, but he'd gotten used to it and was now enjoying just walking around and looking at the new and different things around him.

"Right now, since we don't have a lot of time, I'm just going to introduce you to someone that may become your sister-in-law. Her name is Fiera," Zephyr said as they neared the walkway of a beautiful house.

"Zeph, Dad told me to come tell you that we're ready to take Tristam to the Council. You can introduce him to Fiera later," Aivillia came up to the two and stated as she came and hugged Tristam. "You know we've all really missed you…"

"I remember her… Weren't you two dating even when I was little?" he asked as they made their way back toward the house.

"Yup, we've been together for a long time. Both our parents asked us to wait till we were at least twenty-one and so now we're both there and still together and so we decided to get married here soon. I told her that I wanted you to be here for it, anyway," Zephyr told him, placing his hands behind his head and looking upwards.

"So what happens when I meet the Council, anyway?" he asked as they made their way into their house.

"Well, right now this is just them being proven to that you're alive. They'll probably ask a few questions about what happened so that they can better protect us in the future," Aivillia told him as they entered a room that was probably their father's room.

"Don't be nervous, Tristam," the older man told him as he lead him toward a different exit to the building. "I'll be there also and I'll make sure that the whole experience isn't too overwhelming. After that if there's still time I'd like for you to meet them without being in the Council room and we'll see where that takes us. I'll be there with you the whole time, though."

He nodded, that's all he could do. He'd been so nervous walking into the house that he'd kept his head down the whole time. He could tell that people were used to just stopping in and, if he remembered correctly, did so often. It was his own home and he was afraid to see everything in it…

"We've all had to meet with the Council once or twice before and it's really not all that bad," Zephyr told him with a small smile and an encouraging nudge to their father.

"Well, it's a bit of a different case, though. Tristam is the future of our entire civilization," Aivillia stated, making Ulrich stop.

"You do realize that that statement just made me way more nervous than I already was?" he asked as he stood up next to their father and got ready to be transported to wherever it was they were going.

A/N: Sorry I didn't get this out yesterday. ^^" I might not update this story as quickly here soon because I want to finish 'One Letter'. I have everything written out, I just need to type it. XD

Read and review!

~MoonlitxAngel