At A Loss

A/N: Oh my. Okay, this is really random, but my brother was talking about who made the Dark Side. (Like the bunny bent on world domination of some peoples' profiles) And he asked my sister who made the Dark Side. XDD He stated that he thought it was cookie monster. xDDDD 'Cause the Dark Side has cookies. XD

Anyway, onto the story!

Ulrich stared at his friends as they all talked with Anthea. He wasn't really all that interested. He sat in the corner and waited for them to pause so that he could tell them why they were actually here.

"Do you know about Daddy's fate…?" he heard Aelita asked quietly.

Anthea nodded and looked to her daughter. "Yes… Don't worry; eventually we'll see him again…"

Aelita nodded and Ulrich cleared his throat. "Hey, anyone remember the reason we came here?"

Everyone looked toward him for a few seconds and turned their attention back toward Anthea.

Ulrich grumbled and stood up. "Thanks for the worrying…" he mumbled before walking off. He didn't blame any of them for what they were doing, but he didn't like it either. They were completely ignoring him while he turned into a man/beast/wolf thing. It definitely wasn't the best experience of his life, nor was it the worst. Well, maybe it was the worst. He wasn't sure. He left the factory and stalked to the Hermitage, he was doing that a lot lately.

He could hear every whisper the wind breathed, he could see every leaf on every tree, and he could see the Hermitage coming closer and the Factory becoming distant. He knew that one day soon his entire world was going to collapse in on him. He would become a monster now and there wasn't anything anyone could do to stop it. His dad had doomed him when he'd turned him into a werewolf. He kicked the Hermitage's door open and sat in the living room near the splintered piano.

-Aelita-

She was nothing but surprised to find her mother here at the factory when they had gotten there. She'd assumed that this is what Ulrich had wanted to talk to them about and just gave him a dumb look when he had mentioned something about asking them to come. She hadn't noticed him leaving the factory.

"Now, I have something that I'd like to speak with you all about," Anthea stated about an hour after they'd all arrived.

All their faces turned toward Anthea and waited for her to speak again.

"All of you know the circumstances under which Ulrich was turned into a werewolf, correct?" she asked as she looked around the room to see them all nodding.

Aelita felt a knot forming in her stomach. She knew that this wasn't going to be good news. Did Ulrich know about what was going on? She knew that he thought that he might be turning into a permanent wolf, but- maybe that had been what he wanted to say.

"He was born a Hunter's child. He was supposed to be born into his mother's legacy of Hunters and not his father's. Children turned into a werewolf at the age that he was and the way that he was are more vicious than the others. They also retain a wolf-like appearance. Ulrich's Hunter side protected him from this and made it possible for him to become who he is and be friends with you all. His luck is running down…"

Anthea then continued to explain to them what she'd told Yumi earlier. If they didn't help Ulrich in the next few days he would turn into this permanent beast, a remnant of his now dead father.

Aelita gasped and looked to the rest of her friends' faces. They were all twisted in terror.

"What about the cure the first Hunter used?" Jeremie asked, his normal calculating look to his eyes had returned as he tried to process the new information.

"No one knows what she used. It used to be common knowledge between the Hunters, but now it's gone into legends and stories and the recipe is gone. No one is sure of the precise things used in it. Some say the seclusion did it to her," Anthea stated as Jeremie began pacing the room.

Odd was at a loss for words. There was no joke that he could make about this predicament and he didn't know what else to say so it seemed he kept his mouth shut.

"Couldn't we lock him on Lyoko…?" Aelita asked shyly as she looked up at Jeremie. "I'm living proof that it stops the aging process because time doesn't exist. Couldn't it hold him normal until we found the cure?"

"It might work, but I bet the seclusion would eventually get to him. Not to mention the fact that Xana could take advantage of the situation and possess him or something," Jeremie stated, looking toward her.

"Xana has grown much stronger since the last time I heard anything about it," Anthea muttered as the two argued over the best way to get the cure.

-William-

He frowned as he read what all of his friends had found. Emilie had found that the Hunters past was connected directly connected to Ulrich's mother. His mother was a descendant of the first Hunter. He wasn't sure exactly how, but the family tree and past proved it. Second, was that the cure that the first Hunter had made was destroyed and the ingredients for it were hidden among Hunter history that they couldn't read. It was in another language that the Hunters had made up.

"We need to tell Jeremie and Yumi. They're Hunters and might be able to read it…" Leona whispered as he looked everything over.

He scanned the documents one last time. "Yeah, they need to know about this just as much. I've got Yumi on speed-dial."

-Ulrich-

He was curled up on the floor now. He just lay there, thinking about the reasons why he was the one that had to be targeted this way. Why did he always have to be the one where something decent would happen and then something would devastate his good mood? They were winning and he killed that student. He was finally having luck with his grades then Odd moved to Kadic. He was doing great in school and then his dad turned him into a werewolf and he couldn't concentrate anymore. It used to feel like something was trying to burn him from the inside out and he had no way to stop it.

"Ulrich…?" he heard someone say hesitantly as their footsteps neared him.

"What?" he asked harshly, not bothering to turn around and face the person.

"Don't lose hope, alright? Things will get figured out before your wolf side consumes you…" the person said. He didn't really recognize the voice. He knew he knew the person, but he didn't know who it was.

"All of your friends are trying to find a way to cure you… With Jeremie, Aelita, Yumi, Odd, William, Leona, Herve, and Emilie working together they'll find it before you can turn…"

"I don't doubt them it's just-"

"I know what you mean… I was turned into a werewolf by experimentation… It was not a fun experience… I've lived through it and so can you…"

Ulrich turned to face the person speaking and came face-to-face with Anthea.

A/N: Alright that chapter is done. XD I promise this time. Two more chapters. XD I think. XD We're out of school tomorrow, but my mom wants some cleaning done so I'm not sure when I'll get the next one out. X3 I'm almost positive there will only be two more. Also, I need you guys to read something for me. Go to this link and tell me what you think. I was talking to her (EverChangingDream) and I'm taking on this story and want to know what you guys think. I might do it after Silence and Insanity if I still don't have any ideas for the idea that's number 1 in my poll. So, here's the link: .net/s/6609872/1/Lost_but_not_Forgotten

She's already told me some stuff that she remembers from it and I do hope that you guys will read it.

Anyway, I've rambled long enough. Read and review! X3

~MoonlitxAngel