Sorry for the delay in this one! I had minor stuff to deal with! But with this one, I decided to cut some stuff and add most of the stuff I wanted to do next chapter since I felt like the "Intro" for the entire story would have been too long! Now is when I'm excited to get into the thick of the start of the story and it'll start with a bang hopefully! Anyway, for now, enjoy this slightly rushed chapter!

Call to Action: Chapter 6.

Ulrich rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed.

Looking around his room, he blinked in confusion before remembering where he was. Laying back down on his back, he stretched out and let out a sigh. Eventually he swung his legs over the side of his bed before climbing to his feet and letting out a yawn. As he got dressed for the day, his mind ran over the events of yesterday. In one day, he had gained 3 new roommates, met and repaired his relationship with Yumi, met Aelita again all before ending up in a nightclub before going shopping.

"One day, huh?" he muttered to himself, a smile on his lips as he finished getting dressed. Walking back over to his bed, he pulled the covers back to retrieve his phone. Checking the time which currently read 11:12am, he slipped it into his pocket and left his room while closing the door behind him. Walking past Odd's room made him stop, thinking of how lazy the blonde was in the past with a fond smile. He lightly knocking on the door and called out his name.

"Odd?" Ulrich called, hoping he didn't wake up anyone else in the house but was surprised when no answer came, curious if Odd was awake or not, Ulrich poked his head into the room and was shocked to see the bed made and the window open. Closing the door behind him, Ulrich scratched the back of his head, wondering where the blonde was.

"He's downstairs!" a voice came to his left, causing Ulrich to jump on the spot. Looking over, he noticed Hugh leaning on his own door with a grin. Waving to him, Ulrich walked closer to him.

"That's a surprise, he was normally a horror to wake up in high school." Ulrich smirked earning a laugh from Hugh.

"He woke up around 9am or so, he's been helping in the back garden for a bit before we head out!" Hugh started, walking towards the stairs with Ulrich behind him, "It's a good thing you're awake now, Yumi and Aelita are gonna be here soon!"

"Oh right," Ulrich said as he mentally slapped himself in the face, he had forgotten they had made plans to hang out today, "What's the plan for today anyway?" he asked once they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm not too sure actually," Hugh shrugged, "I think we're gonna go get lunch then after that? I'm not too sure!"

Almost as soon as Hugh had finished his sentence the doorbell rang, causing them both to jump a little. Sharing a look between them, Ulrich turned and walked to the door and opened it.

"Morning!" Yumi grinned with a wave, Aelita waving from behind her. Ulrich and Hugh smiled back and returned their greeting. Ulrich looked at Yumi and felt a slight blush creep onto his face. She was wearing a loose shirt and a pair of black shorts which Ulrich instantly tore his eyes away from when Hugh started talking.

"We'll get the others and we should be good to go!" Hugh smiled, gesturing the girls into the house and leading the way to the kitchen.

Once the opened the door, the faint sound of music came from the door to the back garden, followed by the sound of laughter which Ulrich instantly recognized as Odds.

Following the sounds, they found themselves standing in the back garden with the sun beating them on them and a group of familiar faces.

"Oh, good morning!" Goss smiled from a set of table and chairs that were placed against the wall with a wave, gesturing them over.

Ulrich gestured Yumi into the seat instead of taking it himself, something that earned a smirk from Odd and Aelita.

"You remember Leonie and Lucy, right?" Goss said, gesturing to the two other girls in the yard. Lucy was sat at the table with Odd and Goss, smiling with a wave. Leonie on the other hand was currently lifting a long plank of wood on her shoulder as if it was nothing, smiling at them brightly while she moved it further down the garden.

"What are you guys doing, anyway?" Ulrich asked, taking his seat next to Yumi and looking around at all the various planks of wood in the yard.

"Decking." Kale's voice came from the door they had just passed through. Turning to say hello, the newcomers stopped as they felt their eyes widen. Yesterday, Kale had been wearing a white buttoned shirt which as Goss explained, was his work uniform but now he was wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt and they were surprised that on both of his arms were tattoos. Walking out past them, Kale reached onto the table and picked up the pack of cigarettes that laid in the middle before popping one into his mouth and lighting one up.

"I didn't know you had tattoos!" Yumi questioned, her eyes running up and down his arms. Kale looked at her and looked down at his arms before shrugging.

"A bit too many if you asked me!" Lucy said, rolling her eyes at her brother before standing up, "And will you please smile for once!" she sighed, flicking her brother on the forehead.

Rolling his eyes, Kale walked past her and with his smoke in his mouth, resumed helping Leonie moving wood up and down the garden. Aelita kept her eyes on the brunette, watching as he spoke to Leonie casually at they worked.

"Are you sure you don't want some help?" Goss asked, leaning back in his chair and looking over at Kale who shook his head.

"It's alright, Will is coming over to help." Kale responded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Will?" Aelita asked, curious if they had another roommate.

"He's a friend of Kale." Lucy said, rolling her eyes at the mention of the man's name.

"Don't mind her," Goss said, putting his hand on the raven hair girls' shoulder, "She's just upset at him, something about stolen love." Goss finished with a coo, earning a side look from Lucy.

"Quiet you." Lucy rolled her eyes with a smirk, showing she was joking with him, "He's dating a girl I used to like but it's alright now!" he gestured with a smile.

"Ohhhh, you like girls?" Odd asked, tapping his chin as if deep in thought.

"Boys and girls, pretty boy." Lucy teased, sticking her tongue out at Odd which caused the blonde to blush deeply, earning a round of laughs from the table, even Leonie laughed after overhearing the interacting while Kale raised his eyebrow.

Not soon after that, the sound of the doorbell ringing drifted from the door. Standing up, Odd made his way in.

"I'll get it!" he smiled, making his way through the house, humming to himself. Once he got to the door, he pulled the handle and swung the door open.

"Hel..lo..." Odd trailed off, his hand falling off of the handle as he stared at the person standing in the doorway. William Dunbar.

"William?!" Odd almost shouted, his voice filled with disbelief. William stared back at him, his eyes wide open and filled with shock.

"Odd?!" William exclaimed before throwing his arms around the blonde in a hug which Odd instantly returned back, "What're you doing here man?!"

"I live here now!" Odd laughed once they finally stopped the hug, standing back to take each other in.

"God, it's been so long! You've grown!" William laughed, looking Odd up and down.

When they finished Highschool, all tensions between the Lyoko Warriors and William had all but completely faded and he was accepted as their friend, completely and truly. Chatting in the door way for a bit, Odd gestured him inside and closed the door behind him.

"Oh right! You're gonna be in for a bit of a shock!" Odd laughed, his excitement building as they neared the door into the garden.

"Oh? Why?" William questioned, curious what the blonde had in store for him. WIlliam stepped out into the garden after Odd, his eyes noticing Kale and Leonie first who waved at him before his eyes drifted over to Goss and Lucy.

"Oh, hey Go..." William started as his eyes drifted to the others sitting at the table. Dark hair, pink and brunette hair stared back at him as his eyes shot open.

"WILLIAM?!" Yumi almost shouted, shooting up out of her chair followed instantly by Ulrich and Aelita.

"Yumi?! Ulrich?! Aelita?!" William almost shouted in return, walking over to his old friends and quickly finding himself embraced in hugs from all of them.

"Told ya!" Odd grinned, patting William on the back with a smile.

"Let me guess, you all know each other?" Goss grinned, leaning back in his chair again.

The next few minutes were spent explaining how they all attended the same school and ended being one of the closests group in the school.

"Still, I can't believe that you're all here!" William smiled, his eyes drifting between all of his old friends, "Jeremie will be so thrilled!"

"Jeremie?" Ulrich asked halfway through a sip of a drink, almost choking on it in the process.

"Yup, I live with Jeremie in one of the dorm apartments!" William smiled, still in disbelief that they were all here. Ulrich ran his hand through his hair and let out a whistle.

"Jeremie, huh?" Ulrich said, leaning back in his seat and looking at the others, "Wonder how Einstein is doing nowadays!"

"You can ask him yourself if you'd like, we live on the opposite side of campus but you're more than welcome to drop by!" William smiled, gesturing in the general direction of his apartment.

"Actually, we might drop by on the way!" Yumi smiled, "I'd love to see the genius!"

"He'd be excited about that!" William smiled. They continued catching up before Kale approached the table and looked at William.

"Oh right," William said standing up and stretching out his back, "I'm here to help with the deck, aren't I?" he laughed, almost forgetting why he had come. Before standing up, William told the others his and Jeremies' address which Yumi took down in her phone.

William got to work alongside Kale and Leonie while Goss stood up and looked at the others.

"Well, shall we head on out?" he asked, picking up his coat which lay on the back of his seat. The rest of the group stood up and prepared to get ready to leave before Kale approached Lucy and whispered something into her ear. Aelita watched as they whispered between themselves before Kale put his hand into his pocket and retrieved his wallet and passing money to Lucy.

"Oh?" Hugh asked after noticing the interaction as well, drawing the attention of the others.

"Damn it." Kale sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and turning away from the group. Lucy laughed and patted her brother on the back. Holding up the money in her hand, Ulrich counted the bills in his mind.

"He's paying for lunch as a 'Welcoming' gift!" Lucy beamed, waving her hand at her brother who had returned to helping William and Leonie.

"He's paying for us" Yumi said, looking at the notes which Lucy placed into her pocket, "Are you sure it's okay?"

"It's fine, Kale throws away his money like this all the time!" Lucy said, once again gesturing to her brother who looked up when she mentioned his name.

"Not true!" Hugh laughed, pointing his finger at Lucy, "He has a job and saves up all of his money, unlike you!"

"Hey, it's rude to point!" Lucy retorted, pouting in response to Hugh. William, Leonie and Kale waved as the others left before turning back to their work. They continued to work in silence for a while before William spoke up.

"So, what do you think of them anyway?" he asked, placing a piece of wood on the joists and getting to work with hammering. Leonie shrugged and looked at the door.

"They seem okay, I don't really know them though." she said, wiping the beads of sweat that formed on her brow, "Kale?"

Kale looked at her then at the door.

"I like them."

-With Goss, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, Lucy, Hugh and Aelita.

"This is the place, right?" Ulrich said, looking at the number on the wall as the others looked around.

They were currently standing on the second floor of an apartment building on the opposite side of campus as William had directed them, hoping to take Jeremie out to lunch with them.

"William said this number so!" Odd said, stepping forward to knock on the door. A few seconds of silenced passed before they heard the sounds of a lock and chain being undone and the door opened. Standing in the doorway was the last of their old friends. The blonde, bespectacled genius stood in the doorway, his mouth hanging agape.

"Hey Einstein!" Ulrich grinned, unable to control the smile that crept up on his face. Jeremie stood staring at his friends, confused and lost for words.

"Ulrich? Ulrich Stern?" Jeremie finally blurted out, his hand instinctively reaching out to check if the person in front of him was real. Ulrich brushed away his hand and instead pulled the blonde into a hug.

"The only and only! It's good to see you, man." Ulrich smiled, finally releasing the genius and taking a step back so Jeremie could finally set his eyes on everyone else with him.

"What the?! How?" Jeremie almost screamed, soon finding himself embraced by all of his old friends.

"How've you been, Jer?" Odd asked, looking down on the other blonde that he had finally grown taller than, something that was quickly noted by Yumi that he was now the shortest of them all, only on par with Aelita.

Jeremie's eyes fell on Aelita as he felt himself faintly smiling. The girl he saved from the supercomputer and from the evil virus, Xana, was standing in front of him after years apart smiling brightly and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was just as beautiful as always, she thought.

After they all had calmed down from the excitement, Jeremie invited them all in and quickly found his living room full as everyone sat down in various places with Ulrich and Yumi on the sofa, with Odd and Aelita on the arms of the sofa with Lucy, Hugh and Goss sitting on various other seats.

"What are the odds?" Jeremie laughed, pushing his glasses up his nose as they all explained the stories of how they came to enroll in the same college in the same year.

"Oh, that's right!" Odd interjected, turning to look at Yumi who responded with an eyebrow raise, "Didn't you just start this year? How come you had to return books to Goss?"

"Ahh," Yumi nodded in response, "I took summer classes and that's how I met them!" she finished, gesturing to Goss and Hugh before her hand dropped.

"OH, right!" Yumi said as she snapped her fingers, "Jeremie, this is Goss, Hugh and Lucy!" she said, finally introducing Jeremie to their new friend.

"I know who they are." Jeremie shrugged, looking away from them and back to his old friends which caused Odd and Ulrich to raise their eyebrows at the blonde. Jeremie noticed them and let out a sigh.

"I'm sorry," he said, removing his glasses and rubbing the sides of his nose before sliding his glasses back on, "I was in the office when they were assigned their living arrangements."

Jeremie went on to the explain that he worked in the Administration office in the College and was present when Hugh, Goss and Kale had arrived to retrieve their keys.

Goss rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably while Hugh let his eyes wander around the room.

"Their friend was very adamant about staying together." Jeremie stated, looking over at them with a side glance before letting his eyes fall down to the ground, "I'm sorry, you're not to blame." he said, offering the duo a faint smile.

"It's okay!" Hugh smiled, waving off the blondes' apology.

They stayed and talked in the living room for a while before Lucy took out her phone when it beeped and held it up to her ear.

"Hello? Uh huh... Oh, alright!... Not yet, what's up? Sure!... Yeah alright... See you then!" she finished before hanging up the phone and standing up.

"What's up?" Odd asked, looking up at her.

"They're done with the decking for now, Leonie had to go so they stopped for now," she explained as she straightened out her jacket, "Kale's gonna join us for lunch."

"Oh, alright!" Hugh smiled as he stood up, "Jeremie, would you like to come?"

Jeremie shook his hand and waved his hand.

"I'm gonna have to pass this time, I have work soon but maybe next time!" he responded with a smile. They all stood up and moved to the door and said their goodbyes and began to leave. Aelita was the last to leave and as she stepped out the door, she felt Jeremie tap her on the shoulder.

"Aelita?" Jeremie said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Aelita turned with a smile and raised her eyebrow.

"What's up Jeremie?" she asked, tilting her head at him.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he laughed, feeling a light blush creep up on his face, something that didn't go unnoticed by Lucy who had heard him call after the Pinkette.

"It has! It's great to see you!" Aelita laughed with a smile, her laugh causing Jeremie to smile even wider.

"It has," he agreed before rubbing his neck again, "I was wondering if you wanted to get lunch tomorrow after class or something and catch up?"

"That'd be nice, sure!" Aelita smiled, waving goodbye to Jeremie as she quickly walked to catch up with her friends. Lucy who was waiting for her, looked at Jeremie as he smiled from the doorway before closing it over. Lucy felt her brow furrow as she looked at the closed door before smiling when Aelita caught up.

"Shall we?" Lucy smiled at the Pinkette who nodded in response.

Outside the Café.

The group quickly found themselves standing out of a nice, quiet café that Goss had recommended since he had visited multiple times with Hugh and Kale and held it in the highest regard.

They stood outside as they waited for Kale, who had text Lucy that he would be there soon.

"I don't get why we can't just go in now?" Odd cried, his stomach growling which earned a smile from Ulrich, Yumi and Aelita, the three people in the group who had seen the food destruction the blonde was capable of. Hugh wordlessly lifted his finger as he pointed at a sign in the front window which Odd looked up to read.

"Couples Discount?" Odd read aloud before turning to look at the others with a confused look, "But none of us are a couple!"

"They don't know that!" Goss winked, interlocking his arm with Hughs' as if it was a common thing to do.

"We just pretend, it's no big deal!" Hugh laughed as he let out a fake sigh and leaned onto Goss's arm, "My herooooooo!" he droned, earning a laugh from the others.

"So come on, pick your partners!" Goss said, wiggling his fingers amongst the others. Ulrich instantly looked at Yumi who had her eyes on him too as they wordlessly moved closer to each other. Odd started to move closer to Aelita before he found Lucy's arm linked in his.

"Oh, you're with me, pretty boy." Lucy cooed, causing Odd to blush before stopping in his tracks.

"That's the second time you've called me that today," Odd teased, pointing a finger at her, "You got a crush on me or something?" he asked, earning a round of 'Oooohs' from the group.

"Only time will tell." Lucy grinned, putting her finger up to her lips in a 'shh' motion. Aelita looked around at the others, noticing she was the only one who wasn't with a fake partner and began to fish money out of her purse before she noticed a pair of shoes walk beside her and stop. Following them up, she felt herself looking up at Kale who looked down at her out of the corner of his eyes.

"Perfect timing!" Goss smiled, patting Hugh's arm where it was interlocked with his with his free hand, "Partner up, Cosaint!"

Kale looked around the group and noticed the pairs in the group with interlocked arms before noticed Goss pointing at the sign in the window. Kale's eyes fell to Aelita who was looking down at her shoes, feeling herself become slightly embarrassed at being the only one without a partner.

"Partner up and follow us in!" Lucy waved over her shoulder and she strode arm in arm with Odd inside the café, followed closely by Ulrich and Yumi then Goss and Hugh. Aelita shuffled nervously in place before she noticed a hand in front of her.

"Well?" Kale asked, tilting his face away and touching his face with his other hand. Aelita nodded slightly and wrapped one of her arms around his as they made their way inside.

Kale was thankful that no one else was with them outside so that no one seen him covering the slight blush on his face with his free hand.

Lunch went by quick with Goss, Lucy, Hugh and Kale being genuinely amazed at how much Odd had eaten. They chatted casually as they made their way home, stopping by Yumi's place since it was closer. After saying their goodbyes to Yumi and Aelita, the others continued on their way home before Lucy stopped in her tracks.

"You all start classes tomorrow, right?" Lucy asked the others who nodded in response.

"Yeah, I'm quite nervous about it." Odd admitted, rubbing his arm with his hand.

"Same, good buddy, same." Ulrich reassured him, patting him on the back with a smile.

"You'll both do great," Lucy smiled at the two of them, nodding to Hugh, Kale and Goss, "These three will look after you!"

"Oh, that's right!" Ulrich said, snapping his fingers, "Goss and Hugh are in the same classes as Yumi! What course are you doing Kale?"

"Me?" Kale asking, looking up as he was currently lighting the cigarette in his mouth, "Business Management."

"Oh, that's the same as Aelita, right?" Odd asked which instantly made Lucy's ears prick up.

"Ohhh, is it now?" she teased, walking in circles around her brother who glared at her while exhaling smoke which caused Odd to laugh.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh! It's just..." Odd giggled, trying to cover his mouth but failing when more laughs poured out of his mouth, "You look like an angry dragon!" he finished before laughing even harder. The sound of laughter filled up the street in no time with Ulrich, Hugh, Goss and Lucy joining in, leaving Kale blinking in response before he sighed.

"Alright, that one was pretty good." Kale said, the slightest movement on the corners of his lips before turning.

"Damn! So close!" Lucy cried, referring to the fact her brother never smiled.

They continued heading home, all the while making comparisons to each person and animals. Once they had arrived home, Lucy said her goodbyes as she climbed into her car and took off down the road as the others entered the house. They talked in the kitchen for a while before Hugh recommended heading to bed to be up early for classes tomorrow which they all agreed too and set off to their rooms.

As if mentally in sync, Odd, Ulrich and Kale laid on their beds staring up at the roof above them with one hand on the arm that the girls had wrapped their arms around for the Café.

"Heh." Odd smiled.

"Nice." Ulrich beamed.

"Hmm." Kale muttered.

With this chapter done, I'm excited for the upcoming chapters which will finally see more Ulrich/Yumi & Odd/Lucy and maybe Aelita can even get a smile out of Kale! But until then, I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all next time!