Hey guys! I am so sorry I was unable to update for the past eight months. D: I am well aware that school is a pathetic excuse, but honestly, it was all I could concentrate on. For eight months, I know. But the thing is, I finally got to update! And the next chapter, hopefully, will be up by tomorrow, as well. This chapter is so short, and certainly not something you should be waiting eight months for. School is out! :D

And I swear, I've also been working on new story ideas... seven to be precise... XD I'm crazy, I know. Well, enough talking, go on and read! (:


Chapter 28: Reconciliation

"Is this why you left for Japan?"

Yumi turned away. "Yes," she replied, nodding ever so slightly. "Brygna threatened me, and—"

Her voice was caught off by a loud thump that resonated as Ulrich's fist collided with the wall. Yumi only furrowed her eyebrows, almost ashamed that she went through with this radical idea of leaving all of them here. "What did she do to you?" he asked.

"She beat me," Yumi answered quietly. "My entire midsection was bruised, Ulrich."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"She said I couldn't tell anyone."

"Is that it? So you were keeping secrets from us after all," Ulrich spat, turning on his heel to face her. "And to think we trusted you. I thought you were strong, Yumi!"

"I was only trying to protect you!" she shrieked back, offended by his assumptions. "All of you!"

Ulrich only turned away. This brought fire to Yumi's eyes. "If you have something to say, say it, Ulrich" she told him, advancing slowly to connect their stares. "For I think the reasons for my acts are pretty legitimate."

He sighed. "I have nothing to say."

"I dare you," she challenged. "Say it to my face."

Ulrich took a deep breath. He really wasn't accustomed to revealing his feelings—it was a part of his reserved personality. But then he realized that he could tell Yumi anything, and if there was anyone that knew his secrets, it was her. So, he dove right in.

"When you left for Japan," he began, so quietly that Yumi had to strain her ears to listen. "I felt like I was the reason. I thought I did something wrong. You didn't kiss me at the Parc Guell ball when I was sure you wanted to, and there were many times where you just ran off. I thought it was my fault.

"You also didn't tell me you were leaving, which only added to my guesses," he continued. "And-"

He couldn't go on. He felt like he said too much. "Yumi-" he began, but his voice was caught. "If only you knew-"

"What?" she cut in. "That you're in love with me? Well, you're wrong, because I am well aware of that."

His eyebrow twitched. "You said it, not me," he almost stuttered, if it weren't so obvious already. "But...you're right."

"Don't tell me we're going over this now," she sighed. And like that, she walked back into Aelita's room.


"The chase at the cinema was staged by Brynga and Dashiel," Jeremie explained once Yumi and Ulrich returned. "Theoretically, Brynga would've gained our trust the minute you guys realized the Kinimods were after her."

"And as a result, we took her on all of our missions," Aelita added. "She was able to inform Dashiel with everything, explaining our failure at, for example, the Parc Guell ball. She also convinced us to go to Sancteloni's, explaining the coincidence with the Kinimods'."

Yumi shifted in her seat. "But what was the point of everything that came after that? The ultimatum, and trying to sever my ties with Ulrich?"

"It was all part of their plan," Aelita interjected. "Their goal was to convolute the relationships concerning the main branch—us. Dashiel knew that Brynga had the ability to seduce men, and she proved that with Odd. However, knowing that Ulrich had feelings for Yumi, she pursued him instead, causing even minimal tension between him and Odd."

"In other words, Brynga knew that Odd liked her," Ulrich said. "But she went after me to make him jealous. She wanted to split Odd and I apart."

Jeremie nodded. "Right. Brynga also made Yumi jealous by forging a relationship between herself and Ulrich...while keeping Yumi away with the ultimatum. Granting her wishes even further, Yumi moved to Japan."

"What about you and Aelita?" Yumi asked.

"We were easy," Aelita remarked, shaking her head. "They most likely had plans for us, but the duel was enough to cause trouble between Jeremie and I. As a result, all five of us were troubled by something, which, in turn drove us apart."

"Wow," Odd breathed out. "They sure got us."

"And the worse part is, we let them." Jeremie creased his eyebrows. "Their hopes were to bring down Eurasia's Army as a whole. With the five of us hating each other, the rest of the organization would've eventually lost morale without anybody leading them."

"We are the main branch, the head," Aelita stated.

"And without the head... Eurasia's army would've fallen apart," said Jeremie. "Their tactics were, admittedly, very clever. But, since we've got things straightened out, we now know what they were trying to do. We found out about Brynga earlier than expected, so the bombs at our headquarters were an attempt to just kill us all. And now... We have to find out about the ninth Item of Schaeffer."

"We'll remain together," Aelita said, determination now burning in her eyes. "We'll never be driven apart ever again, no matter what happens. This fight certainly isn't over, and so the most crucial part is for us to remain in sync, you hear me?!"

Yumi turned to Ulrich, and they exchanged smiles. Odd gave Aelita a hand, and she grasped firmly onto it, flashing him a grin.

Jeremie stood in front of them all, his hands clasped behind his back. "We have gotten this far," he said, eyeing all four of them. "Down to their headquarters we go. We're ready."


Author's note: Before I leave, I would like to make my appreciativeness known to you all once again. ((: Honestly, thank you all for your previous support and kind reviews! I will try to work to put myself back on track. (: The next chapter should be up soon. :D