A/N: This is it! Chapter 30. Full(y) fledged YxU for you :)! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites! All the support/feedback is welcomed :D! Enjoy the read!

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!

Yumi always found it intriguing that time seemed to slow down when you wanted it to speed up. She had been feeling that way for three weeks now. Originally Ulrich was supposed to take her out two weekends ago, but plans had changed. She recalled the events leading to the postponement.

On the actual day itself her mother had called her to tell her Hiroki was ill. Since her mother would be visiting her parents together with their father, she had been requested to take care of Hiroki. Yumi had suggested Ulrich to come over, but Hiroki had strongly refused that idea. Her younger brother absolutely didn't want to infect Ulrich. It had made her wonder whether her being his sister – from the same direct family line – didn't matter. However, she knew his intentions were good.

The following weekend Ulrich's father had ordered him to come home to discuss potential business partnerships. She remembered Ulrich grumbling about how his father was the only person who would start negotiations on Saturdays and Sundays. He had no choice but to obey his father. The Friday before that the company dinner had taken place and his father hadn't wished to interfere any team bonding. As much as he disliked the man, he appreciated that aspect of his father's. Besides, business was business and you kept it separated from your not too urgent private life. And Ulrich was aware he hadn't yet proven to his father that he could handle the job well. Thus, the sooner, the better.

That brought them to the current Saturday morning. Yumi had eaten a proper breakfast so she wouldn't be too hungry around lunch time nor too full from eating too much in the morning. She had chosen her clothes the day before and was getting ready to change into them when her doorbell rang. Yumi panicked and quickly glanced at the small digital clock on her desk. It read 11:24 AM. They had decided on noon as their meeting time, so it couldn't be Ulrich. Yumi stepped out of her room.

"Coming!" She shouted from the living room, where she grabbed the keys from the coffee table. Last night she had thrown them on there, forgetting to hang them on the usual hook in the hallway. Yumi fumbled with the keys and opened the door while mentally slapping herself for not checking its hole first. "Good morning," Ulrich greeted her with an amused expression.

"You're early," Yumi stammered. She took in his appearance. A dark green jacket was draped over his right forearm. He was wearing a slim fitting, black turtleneck sweater. His watch was strapped around his left wrist and was poking out of his sleeve just a little. A pair of ice blue jeans and white sneakers finished his look. His hair was the same, but Yumi spotted use of hair gel. "May I come in?" He chuckled after seeing her pyjamas. "Cute," he thought.

"Hmm? Oh, yes of course," she said, giving herself some more mental slaps. "You look great," she complimented him after having closed the door. "Thanks." He grinned. "Are you going to say that each time I come here?" He teased her. Yumi blushed. "Sorry for being so early," he continued, "I guess it was worth it though." Yumi was confused. "Those pyjamas seem warm," he pointed out.

Yumi's gaze travelled down to her own attire, before another blush bubbled up. "They are," she confirmed, slightly embarrassed that he caught her wearing her grey pyjamas with pandas on them. Before she spent much more time on thinking about her pyjamas (and how anyone would have seen them as she had opened the door immediately), she spoke up. "I'm going to change, I'll be right back," she informed him. "Take your time," he said. She watched him sit down on her sofa and quickly headed into her room.

A little while later Yumi emerged from her room into the living room. Ulrich eyed her outfit. She was wearing an off-shoulder sweater, the dark raspberry colour stark in contrast with her light blue jeans. Her socks stayed the same, a simple pair of black ones. Yumi had taken two thick strands of hair on either side and clipped them at the back with a small butterfly clip. Similar to Ulrich, her watch was on her left wrist. She closed the door with her right hand, while carrying her necklace in her left.

"Ready," she indicated. Ulrich got up and approached her. "I preferred the pyjamas," he joked as he reached out his hands towards her left. Yumi chuckled, but held her breath for a mere second as the distance between them shrank. Ulrich took the accessory from her hand. Yumi paused, her body entirely still as she closed her eyes in anticipation. His fingers stroked her skin slightly when he gently placed the necklace around her before fastening it at the back. She opened her eyes afterwards.

Ulrich carefully traced her neckline with his fingers, admiring how much it suited her before retracting his hand. "It's an even better fit than I imagined," he told her, after having seen it up close like this for the first time. Yumi mostly wore clothes that covered her shoulders and neckline. The exposure of both shoulders gave the necklace extra limelight. Ulrich thought she was beautiful, but this highlighted her features even more.

She was blushing once more. "You're beautiful Yumi," he held her gaze after giving his honest opinion. Yumi looked into his eyes and suddenly felt like crying. All because of one decision, this man in front of her had to go through so much despair and sadness. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Ulrich squeezed her hand, seeming to understand Yumi's feelings. "It's okay. We'll get there," he said. "Shall we go?" He pointed their hands to the front door. She nodded.

Yumi put on her ankle boots, grabbed her jacket of the hook and turned around to see Ulrich waiting for her. "Let's go then," she said.

After a short car ride they arrived at the café. They were seated at a table in the corner again and were waiting for their food. "How come you were so early?" Yumi asked him, while fidgeting with the placard that had a '5' on it. She smiled to herself, remembering that they had previously had number five as well. "Because I planned a few other things to do today," Ulrich said. "Do you want to go shop for gifts for Jeremie and Aelita? The anniversary of ELITA's founding is coming up, remember? I figured it today would be best to pick them out," he explained. She perked up at that. "That's a great idea. We haven't really have time for that yet, because of all the various happenings," Yumi stated.

"But at least the company dinner turned out much better than I expected. Everyone, uhm, behaved," she decided on. "Probably because my uncle said a few words to the team as random encouragement. He does that sometimes when he does his rounds. People always perceive that as "we're watching you, so be good". That's why everyone was strangely quiet and productive that week," Ulrich revealed. "Ah, well, that was very much appreciated. It felt so normal that I was worrying whether I was crazy," she said. Ulrich laughed. "Yeah, you still don't need to worry about that," he said.

The waiter arrived at their table and placed their ordered food in front of them. "Enjoy," he said and walked to another table afterwards. "You got other sweets today," she noticed. "Yep, but let's save those until after the sandwiches," he opted. "Sounds good," Yumi agreed.

They ate while talking about how work was coming along fine. Then it was time for the sweets. Ulrich had chosen Daifuku and Japanese caramel pudding. "So good," Yumi relished her food. Ulrich nodded while finishing everything on his plates.

"Do you have any clue where to start our search for the gifts?" He asked her as they left the café. Yumi pondered for a while. "There is a mall just outside of Paris that is supposed to let you experience the ultimate shopping day. We could take that as our starting point. There is a wide variety of shops," she said.

"Okay, let's check that out then," Ulrich said.

Driving towards their destination took longer than expected. It was already 02:00 PM when they entered the mall. "Well, judging from the size, we should be fine. There is enough to visit," Ulrich looked up and around him. "Yes, I've been here once or twice, but I never took my time," Yumi said. "The third time's the charm," he stated. She laughed. "More often than not, yes."

They started their search for something appropriate for their intelligent friends. "How about we send them on a date?" Yumi suggested. "I bet they never really rest. They should leisurely go on a date and the occasion is a nice motive," she added. Ulrich concurred. "What can we make them do?" He asked. "Hmmm." Yumi thought hard again.

"Something adventurous?" Ulrich said. They imagined Jeremie and shook their heads.

"Something romantic?" Yumi said. They imagined the possible awkwardness that came with a pre-arranged date and shook their heads.

"Aren't there any conventions where they can go?" Ulrich asked. Yumi quirked a brow. "And you think they wouldn't know about them before we do?" He mouthed an "ah" and continued thinking.

"A dinner date?" Yumi's eyes fell on a magazine that displayed a twin tower building that had a restaurant in the sky bridge that connected the towers. "There is an event for couples where the winner gets a meet-and-greet with the CEO of the company that sponsors the event. There are also some other rewards, but they're not disclosed," she showed him the page that held the information.

"Doesn't Jeremie have a fear of heights?" Ulrich tried to remember. "Not too much right?" Yumi was not sure of herself either. "But he just needs to sit there and it's not that high, only 20 floors. Well, it's their choice," she said. Ulrich nodded. "The idea is cool and it's a mix of our other topics," he agreed. They looked into signing up and finished registering Aelita and Jeremie quickly after.

"I received the confirmation e-mail, but we need to send it to them. It's their proof of entry," Yumi read from her phone. "We should ask them to keep their schedule free for that day. We can tell them we want to hang out that day to celebrate. Then we'll send the e-mail one week before the actual date," she planned it out. "Good plan, I hope they'll like it," Ulrich said. "I hope this will create some time for them to relax," she wished aloud before returning the magazine to its place.

They went to a few more shops and bought two other gifts for their friends. "That should do," Ulrich affirmed. "Yep," she happily said. "Do you want to look around?" He asked. She nodded.

After walking around for a while, Yumi pointed to a store called "Furniture & Bedding". "Can I go in? I just need to get something for my parents. They asked me to find it for them," she informed him. "That's such an original name. I wonder how they made that up." His sarcastic remark was followed by "I mean, sure. I need to go to the toilet, so I'll be right back," he said. Yumi seemed relieved to hear that he wouldn't follow her inside. "I think you'll have to walk quite far. The nearest ones had a sign on them. They're off limits for a while," she pointed to the left. "Okay, thanks. I'll be quick," he said and went right to look for functioning toilets. "Sorry, but I need all the time I can get," she apologized in her head and went inside the store.

It was early evening when they were done with shopping, they each carried two bags while exiting the mall. "What did you get your parents?" Ulrich asked. "A comfortable blanket for spring and summer. It's to keep you cool during the coming warmth. I know they'll be sleeping without a blanket otherwise, but that's not good for them. It was actually my idea and they told me to buy it if I was so sure," she told him the story and showed him the beige blanket. Ulrich chuckled. "I hope you'll be successful." She smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure I will be."

Outside of the mall was a large square. People were doing all sort of activities. Teenagers were hanging out, sales men and women were walking around or passing through, elderly were sitting on the benches and lots of children were playing. A few of them, together with a male in his late twenties, were playing with a ball. Suddenly, one of the children kicked the ball in the direction of the elderly. The male ran towards it and kicked it away from them just in time. However, the ball was then headed straight for Yumi.

It was too unexpected. Yumi's reflexes wouldn't make it. Her bags were also obstructing her movement. With her arms bent towards her she held up the bags, in hope of blocking the ball. Ulrich, who had been slightly ahead of her that moment, had more time to judge the situation as he happened to have taken notice of the kid that caused the panic. "Yumi!" He shouted and acted fast. He blocked the ball with his left leg by kicking it to the ground. The swing had been short but impactful. The ball went flying and the kids all ran to catch it together. Ulrich felt pain shoot up his leg, but focused on Yumi.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "Yes, but… your leg. Isn't that your bad one?" She worried. "It does function you know. It's fine. This level of pain is nothing compared to the one at your apartment," he claimed, continuing his walk towards the parking lot. "We should rest before going home," Yumi advised him. "I said it's fine. We can go, I've been dealing with this for a few years now. I know what I can and cannot take," he stubbornly spoke up. "I think you should take it easy," she said, crossing her arms. "I don't want you to get hurt and now this has happened. I'm just a little afraid and the shock from that time when you tried to leave my apartment still hasn't completely died down. Please, just get some rest," she argued.

"If I keep moving it, my leg won't feel pain. It's like taking a hit or bumping into something. The pain subsides pretty quickly. If I stop moving, my leg might start cramping," he responded. Yumi stopped talking and uncrossed her arms again. "Are you entirely sure about this? I believe what you say, but I have a bad feeling about it. It's almost dinner time anyway. You can give your leg some rest while we eat," she urged on. Ulrich wanted to further deny that he needed rest, but saw that Yumi was determined to stop him from overusing his leg. "What do you want to eat?" He asked her as means of giving in.

"Noodles," she grinned. "Noodles it is," Ulrich confirmed. "There is a famous place near here," Yumi began. Ulrich smiled. "Lead the way," he gestured for her to guide him. "My pleasure," she said. They laughed.

After dinner the two of them walked back to the car. "If we take the highway, we'll be home faster," Yumi told him. "I prefer the city routes though," Ulrich said. "Why?" Yumi was intrigued. "Because it's safer. The speed limits are a lot lower, so it's easier to avoid serious problem that could occur," he vaguely explained. "Says the person who sped the Overbike throughout all of Lyoko," Yumi put her hands to her sides while still holding on her bags. "On Lyoko my legs function normally," he reminded her. "Oh…," she trailed off, lowering the bags again. "Well, let's take the longer route then. I don't want to take risks," she changed her mind upon hearing his reasons.

"Right," he said. Ulrich put the bags he was carrying on the back seats behind the driver's seat. Yumi did the same on the other side. He turned on the radio, then set off for Yumi's apartment. "I have something for you," she began after half an hour had passed. Ulrich looked at her in confusion and returned his attention to the road. "I'll give it to you when you'll go home," she told him. "Is that the reason why you lied about the toilets?" He asked her, entertained by her antics. "How did you know?" Yumi was surprised. "I asked the employee there why the toilets were closed to the public, since you didn't state a reason. He eyed me with this weird look and asked me what on Earth I was talking about," he revealed. Yumi suddenly started to admire the street lights out of embarrassment. "I didn't have a choice," she whispered.

He laughed. However, the laughter was short-lived. Ulrich showed a pained expression. Yumi was concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked him, touching his arm. "Cramps," he got out, referring to his leg. Meanwhile the car had a speed of 70 kilometres per hour. They were on a route between two cities, which meant you could drive at a higher speed than the speed limit used in city boundaries. Moreover, there were no places to pull over. Yumi couldn't help but regard that as her karma. "Do they go away?" She started to panic.

"No, I need to straighten my leg while my foot has a steady support that I can put pressure on. Or I have to massage my leg," he gritted his teeth as his left leg froze itself. "But… we're on the road. How are we going to do that with this speed?" She asked, slightly more composed than seconds ago. Ulrich considered his options. He couldn't drive using only his right leg, since his left leg would distract and hinder him too much. "Can you take over for me? We can switch seats if we move mine backwards. I'll pull myself across. We're on the right lane, so people can just pass us if they want. But we need to switch fast, because the gear has to be lowered when the speed has reduced too much," he requested her.

Yumi became nervous. "I don't have a driver's license," she revealed. Ulrich stilled. "Sorry," she added, "I can try though." She lacked confidence, but wanted to help him out. "For now, it's important to get the gear down in time. I can't use my left leg to press the coupling pedal, the one on the left," he slowly explained as he pointed his left arm down. He tried to keep the car steady with his other arm. "The middle one is for the breaks, the right regulates your speed," he continued. She nodded in understanding. "Right, got it, now what do I do?" She noticed the speedometer displaying 55 km/h.

"Sit in front of me," he ordered her. She found time to blush and raise her eyebrows in surprise. "I can't help you if you don't. Sorry, but I can't let you go solo behind the wheel," he managed to joke around. "Okay," she said, starting to make her way over. She clumsily got her legs through the small space that was left and sat in front of him taking over the wheel. Ulrich's foot was still on the gas pedal and he was trying his best to keep the speed above 45 km/h. "Put your right foot on the right pedal and speed up a little. Switch to the middle with your right when you need to break. Make the first gas station you see our rest stop," he ordered. Yumi nodded. "What do I do with my left?" She asked.

"Rest it on the floor, since I'll be using the platform besides the left pedal to straighten my leg against. I usually need to keep it like that for at least five minutes, but I suspect it'll take longer because there is no proper flooring now. I'll tell you when you need to use the left one," he told her and he put his hand on the clutch to operate the gearbox. With the urgency the situation carried there was no time to be embarrassed about the intimate way they were seated. They were both trying their hardest not to pay attention to how close they were, but it was proving to be a mission impossible. "Can you…can you move the seat backwards with the handle below?" He asked her. "Y-yes," she answered and complied. Ulrich was now able to fully stretch his leg and Yumi shuffled forward to stay within reach of the pedals.

Like that, they safely made it to a gas station where Yumi successfully parked the car in one of the many empty spaces of the resting area. It had only taken them eight minutes. Luck had been with them, because no one had spotted them breaking the rules. Most importantly, they hadn't seen or heard a single police car. Yumi bumped against Ulrich in the process of getting out of the car. "Sorry," she stammered. She was careful not to hit his left leg. Ulrich followed her outside and hopped to the back seats. "Has it lessened?" Yumi asked. "Yeah, it's bearable now." Yumi thought of something and she moved the bags on the seats to one side of the car. "Sit down with your leg stretched out towards the door," she lightly pushed him while she spoke and he ended up in the position Yumi wanted. "I might not be the best at this, but I have enough skills. Hiroki and I used to do this a lot when we were both staying up late to study," she told him and moved to massage his leg.

Ulrich no longer felt his leg threatening to contract its muscles again and secretly enjoyed Yumi's work more than necessary. Eventually he gestured with his hands for her to stop. "Thanks Yumi," he smiled. "No problem," she bashfully backed away. He pulled her inside again, holding her hand. "I might need this service of yours again in the future," he began while he stroked her palm with his thumb, "it's never going to go away. I can only be extra careful, but then I can't really live my life." Yumi sympathized with him. "That doesn't mean you can't try. There are lots of other ways to save me," she joked. He laughed. "I know," he went along with it, then got serious again. "I will try to pay more attention. Sometimes I simply forget that I have to deal with it," he scratched his head and let go of her hand. "It's good to be distracted though," Yumi claimed. "Life is more enjoyable that way."

"Yeah, it just sucks that in return this," he tapped his leg, "causes huge surprises and unexpected inconveniences, even if I know what's up." Yumi frowned. "Is there really nothing that can be done?" She wondered. Ulrich shook his head. "Nope. Believe it or not. My dad actually went out of his way to search for a method that could improve or completely heal it. To no avail," he said, getting ready to drive back. "Are you upset that you couldn't continue playing soccer?" She carefully asked him.

"Yes," he honestly replied. "I have been for years. However, I have come to terms with it. There is nothing I can do about it and brooding won't help. Somewhere I think I'm actually blaming myself for not being able to satisfy my father, since that was the only thing he really supported." Ulrich paused and Yumi felt an urge to hug him. She missed her timing as Ulrich spoke up again. "But enough about that, ready to go home?" He asked. "I'll go buy some water, then we can leave," she said. "Okay," he said before sitting down to adjust his seat. Yumi glanced back on her way to the store and saw Ulrich leaning his head against the steering wheel.

She returned to her seat and handed him a water bottle. "Thanks," he said. "Are you alright?" Yumi questioned him. "I will be, Yumi. Eventually," Ulrich said. Somehow the weight of that last word seemed to mean a lot more than he originally intended. Yumi sighed. She hoped everything would turn out fine.

A comfortable silence had been present during the remaining part of the ride. Quiet car rides were quite meaningful to both Yumi and Ulrich. It gave them time to think without having an awkward atmosphere to ruin the mood. They appreciated that the other understood that. And after another thirty minutes Ulrich and Yumi were already approaching the entrance with her bags.

They stepped inside the elevator and Yumi pressed the button for the seventh floor. "I really missed spending time with you like this," she confessed, absent-mindedly pressing all of the buttons to the floors below number eight before the doors closed. Ulrich glanced her way, while his finger neared the buttons of the higher floors. In the end, all buttons lit up red indicating they were going to stop on each floor. "I missed it too, Yumi," he finally spoke up. Then the doors closed and they were lifted of the ground.

There was a sudden tension in the small space. Ulrich eyed Yumi secretly while she wasn't paying attention to him. However, Yumi did the same. They caught each other's gaze, immediately redirecting their own afterwards. They reached the first floor. Both reached out for the button to close the doors, but Ulrich was late since he stood further away. Their hands were on top of each other as Yumi made the doors close. "But I had fun," Ulrich kept holding her hand, entwining their fingers and letting their hands fall between them. Yumi squeezed his hand in return. "I did too." She smiled.

Ding! The second stop was made. This time Ulrich closed the doors. The same occurred for the next three floors, until someone got in with a cart full of boxes. "Will it fit? I only need to move up one floor," someone behind the huge cart said. "Six is already pressed," Ulrich notified. The cart was rolled forward, after a brief mumbled "thanks" from the other side. Yumi now stood with her back against the mirror you would normally look at when you enter and Ulrich stood in front of her, shielding her.

Yumi took this moment to take in his height. He had grown a considerable amount these few years and was now almost a head taller than her. Taking into account that she was wearing low heels, she could put her head under his chin if she wasn't wearing shoes. Blushing at her random thought, Yumi quickly looked down in hopes of hiding it. Ulrich also tried is hardest not to stare at her, but caught her in the act anyway. He used his eyes as means of communication, seeming to ask her what was up. "It's nothing," she whispered.

Sixth floor was announced by the elevator's sound system. Before the cart was dragged out, it was shoved into Ulrich's back by accident. He managed to prevent making a pancake out of Yumi by steadying his forearms on either side of her head against the mirror. Although his lips had connected with Yumi's forehead in the process. Her cheeks coloured a fierce red. She understood it wasn't done on purpose, but it still made her heart beat twice as fast. Ulrich had quickly moved away, avoiding Yumi's gaze. "Uhmm… Sorry," he whispered. They both heard a "thanks again" outside the doors, before they closed again.

Seventh floor was where Yumi lived, so she prepared to get off. However, when the doors opened Ulrich pulled her against him. Yumi stumbled and fell against him, wondering why he would do that. He held her tightly, warmth filling them both. "Just a little longer," he whispered in her hair. She could hear his quickened heartbeat and closed her eyes to keep listening to the thumping sounds. The doors closed again and the elevator continued its course. Two floors later Ulrich released her. "Thank you, Yumi," she could faintly hear him say it. "What for?" She asked softly. "Making life worthwhile again," he said, looking into her eyes. She stared at him as well.

They were both aware of the fact that there was still a long way to go. However, feelings never warned you before they overflowed.

The doors to the tenth floor were closing. Ulrich inched closer to Yumi, caressing her cheek before placing his hand behind her ear. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.

Ulrich gently kissed her left cheek, his heart going crazy.

Yumi felt her temperature rise, her will to stop it non-existent.

He moved to the other side, placing one more kiss.

She swore she could hear their heartbeats throughout the enclosed space.

Ulrich closed the distance in sync with the elevator doors.

They closed their eyes in anticipation.

How long would it take for ten millimetres to disappear?

A/N: Good night :)!