A/N: I'm back. Had some issues to deal with. It's already July.. Time flies. Thanks for reading :). Hope you enjoy this chapter too. See you next time!
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!
The following day Yumi wasn't in a good mood. In the morning she noticed Kelly didn't seem to be in high spirits either. She knew Ulrich certainly wouldn't be. "Good morning," she greeted him as she entered the office. "Good morning," sounded from his office. Yumi dropped her bag on her desk and hung her coat over her chair. She walked over to Ulrich to see what he was working on. "Did you sleep well?" She asked as she glanced at his computer screen.
"I slept," he paused. "well enough," Ulrich concluded, spinning himself around to look at his girlfriend. "And you?" Yumi shook her head. "It felt like I was awake most of the night, while sleeping," she answered. "So I'm tired."
She started to walk back to her desk. "There isn't anything important scheduled for today. Just some check-ups and administrative work. We might even finish on time," Ulrich said as he pulled her back. Yumi landed on his lap. "You can relax here today," he said, casually using his arms to cage her in. He lowered the chair and brought them closer to the desk. She blushed and realized Ulrich was simply continuing his work without even waiting for her response.
"But," Yumi tried to push them away from the desk, "I need to do my rounds." Ulrich firmly held her in place. He hummed his agreement. "You can break free any time," Ulrich said. "Easy for you to say," she said. "But don't mind if I do." Yumi send them backwards a little by setting off against the floor with both feet. During that momentum she wanted to step away and was ready to do so, moving one leg to bypass Ulrich's left side. "Nice try," Ulrich split his legs, creating a gap on the seat for Yumi to fall into. Yumi now awkwardly sat between his legs on the edge of the seat, her left leg half in the air, trying her hardest not to plummet to the floor. "A little help?" She pleaded. Ulrich chuckled. "You're not very good at this," he pulled her back onto his lap.
"Back to square one you go," he said and started working again. "Are you sure you're my boss? They might wonder why I haven't stopped by yet," she pointed at the time. "I am. And they might," he answered. "You seem to be in a better mood than me," Yumi blurted out. She was slightly frustrated due to her previous mood and her lack of proper sleep. "And that is not allowed?" Ulrich questioned. Yumi wisely shut her mouth, but Ulrich had already caught on. "I decided not to dwell on my mother's message. Believe it or not. I actually considered it as a positive thing. At least I got a warning this time. Normally he bursts through any door and starts yelling," Ulrich explained. "Good for you," she crossed her arms.
"I didn't know you wanted me to be depressed today," he sarcastically started. "I would have worn my bad mood." Yumi felt bad. "I'm sorry," she calmly sad. "That was immature of me." Ulrich hugged her from behind. "And I should have told you I already did your rounds," he said. "So, you're forgiven." Yumi was surprised. "Are you trying to take over my job?" She joked. "No, but I went there to confirm a few things and somehow I have gotten everyone's reported issues listed here," he tapped on small notebook. She read the noted points. "Nothing new then," she said.
"Nope," Ulrich affirmed. "So, not that you should be in a bad mood," Yumi stressed again, "why are you in such a happy mood?" She was curious. "Oh, I had a really great dream," he revealed. "Must have been quite a good one to make you shine brightly this morning," Yumi's curiosity grew. "Are you going to tell me what you dreamt about?" Ulrich grinned. "Maybe."
A knock on the front door interrupted them. "My computer isn't even on yet," Yumi panicked. "Are you slacking off?" Ulrich's mock disbelief earned him a smack on his arm. "Come in," he spoke up. Yumi quickly got up to stand beside him with Ulrich's notebook in hand. He handed her a pen before the door opened. Ulrich held in his laughter.
Kelly strode through the door. "Hey guys," she said. "Hi Kelly, how are you?" Yumi asked, a little relieved it was their friend. "I wanted to ask if you could take over for me today. I'm not feeling well and I think I want to go home," her close friend got straight to the point. "Oh, what's wrong, should we take you to the doctor?" Yumi went over to Kelly and put a hand to her forehead. "You're pretty warm. I think we should measure your temperature," she stated.
Ulrich had gotten up as well after locking his screen. "I'll take her to her home. Can you call Odd before you take over for Kelly?" He asked Yumi, who nodded in return. "Let's go," he guided Kelly out of the office. Yumi closed the door, went to her desk and took her phone out of her bag. She speed dialled number 7 and sat down to start up her computer in the meantime.
"Hey Yumi, what's up?" Odd energetically answered the phone. "Odd, are you home?" Yumi asked. "Yeah, I'm leaving in a few seconds though," her friend revealed. "Kelly isn't feeling well. She felt really warm, so I think she got sick yesterday," she informed him. "Seriously?" Odd was worried. "I'll come over to pick her up. It's partially my fault for making her feel miserable. I should have noticed it this morning," he blamed himself. "There is no need. Ulrich is bringing her home. I'm covering for her at work. Tell us if you need anything, okay? And keep us posted," Yumi said. "Thanks Yumi," Odd replied.
After ending the call Yumi sighed while gather a few things to take with her to the reception desk. She was still worried about Odd and Kelly's fight that had taken place yesterday. "I hope it will all work out," Yumi thought. She locked the office before starting what would be another long day at work.
Meanwhile Odd was busy in the kitchen. He was preparing an easy lunch in advance. His new project would have to wait. Odd had informed his part-time colleague about the circumstances. Said colleague understood, but stressed the importance of this project would only allow him a day off. The short male was thankful nonetheless and he would make up for his absence one way or another. Making up with and taking care of his girlfriend was his current priority.
Odd recalled a conversation he had with Jeremie and Aelita in the past a few months after they had defeated XANA.
"I've tried to research whether we can somehow contact someone who knew your mother or father, Aelita," Jeremie revealed. Odd, Aelita and Jeremie were seated in Jeremie's room after having eaten their dinner. "It appears to be a little harder than I expected it would be. Most likely your father's colleagues used different names as well, which complicates matters. Links to your mother haven't been made at all. We might even have to take the probability of not being able to find anyone into consideration as well," the blond-haired genius explained. Aelita stayed silent. "It's just that my childhood memories are still a little vague. I was very young. Naturally I don't remember everything. Although, if I could find the missing puzzle pieces, I might be able to put it all behind me more easily. I feel like my existence isn't real yet. Of course I've adapted to living here, but having to lie about my identity contradicts that a lot. Frankly speaking, I want to know who the real Aelita was."
Odd took in all the information he had heard. "Even if you don't find out, princess, it would still be alright," he claimed. "You're part of our family. And I don't mean the distant-cousin thing. The five of us are a real family. To this school, you are one of its top students. To musicians, you are a genius DJ. To Einstein, you are his everything," he noticed a faint blush on his friends' faces. "We'll help you get over the past even if it takes years. Besides, we all carry the burden of having to take this secret to our graves," he suddenly stated. Jeremie and Aelita stared at him. "I know Odd," Aelita said.They all understood they should never share the details of what they've been through with someone else. "But that doesn't mean you must stop trying," Odd quickly added. Aelita laughed. "Thank you, Odd." Jeremie pondered for a while. "I believe all of us will have trouble with the next phase in our lives. There is no more XANA, so we won't have to worry about getting killed or saving the world. We might need to set a few agreements." Aelita looked at him. "Like a sort of therapy?" She asked him. "Yes, Aelita. When you were regaining a few memories of Earth, you had frequent nightmares. The same thing might happen to us. We've always lived a thrilling life without really having time to think about the danger. Now that we're settling down, it might come back to haunt us. It cannot hurt to prepare sufficiently," Jeremie explained.Aelita and Odd agreed. "Shall we wait for Yumi and Ulrich before we continue?" She asked. The two males nodded at her.Odd knew he would have to make use of one of the agreements they decided on during their first 'session'. After having finished up in the kitchen, he took out his phone and entered the Lyoko warriors' group chat.
I'm going to tell Kelly after she recovers. Number 2. Odd referred to the list they had memorized.
Are you sure? Both ladies in the group chat typed the same sentence.
Yes. It's a half truth, but it's better than having to avoid talking to her about it. I want to ease her doubts a little. Odd replied.
That's a wise decision Odd. I agree with your choice. Be careful. Update us afterwards. Jeremie advised him.
Thanks guys. Odd typed after seeing the ladies had also sent him encouraging messages.
The doorbell rang a few minutes later. "Hey Odd," Kelly greeted him weakly while Ulrich stood behind her. "Thanks, Ulrich," Odd said. "No problem," his taller friend responded. "I'll go now," he pointed towards the exit. "Get well soon," he told Kelly as he put a hand on her shoulder. Odd nodded to him and guided Kelly inside.
"Do you want to lie down?" He asked. Kelly answered by lying down on the sofa. "How do you feel?" She had her eyes closed while answering his question. "Nauseous. And I feel like someone is hammering on my head." Odd already had a thermometer in hand. "You've got a fever," he stated after measuring her temperature. "38 degrees Celsius," he announced. "Do you want to sleep a little? Maybe you'll be less nauseous when you wake up." Kelly nodded. He got up to fetch a pillow and blanket from the bedroom, then tucked her in. "I'll be right here," he said, sitting on the floor in front of the sofa. "Sleep well," he whispered. Kelly hummed in response and a few minutes later she was asleep.
Odd absent-mindedly stared in front of him. He was in the process of convincing himself that he wasn't lying to his girlfriend. Technically the story he was going to tell was only the truth that left out crucial information, like sharing the general gist of a confidential report. He was nervous about telling her about it. There was the risk of her not believing a single thing he would say. There was also no proof he could actually show her. She would have to take his word for it. It still bugged him, but he had already made up his mind.
A notification on his phone pulled him out of his thoughts.
You actually remembered the number? That's a miracle. If you can do that, this will be a cinch. Don't worry too much, buddy. Go for it. Ulrich's message caused him to smile. He eyed the sleeping girl on the sofa.
Good luck me. You can do it. Odd replied, upon which he received a new flood of messages encouraging him. He laughed, but quickly stifled it when he realized Kelly would wake up. He could not do without them and he truly wanted her to understand it. She deserved a proper answer to her questions. Odd recalled the moments in the past where he had claimed not to have as many issues as the rest of his friends. Now that he was in a situation that could only occur in his life, he realized this must have been what his friends were feeling in the past. He hoped Karma would appreciate his resolve.