Episode 53: The Day The Whole World Went Away
Authors Note
Well I've been planning this chapter for the better part of 3 years and I'd like to point out that this is a radically different chapter by usual parameters, and if you're put off by the different style of this chapter I humbly apologise.
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Odd and Ulrich joined the others in a secluded area, they were all silent but Dallas knew what needed to be said,
"Well I hate to be the one to point out the elephant in the room" he said, Ulrich looked at down at Yumi as she lay across his lap, "what are you gonna do" he asked her, she smiled and said "what are we gonna do" she corrected him, he smiled, "well it is your choice" said Ulrich, Jeremie signalled for the others to step back, "well I'm not exactly in favour of abortion" said Yumi, Ulrich smiled at the stance on it, "I don't think I could live with myself if we got rid of the little fella" added Ulrich as he rubbed her stomach, "so what're you doing then" asked Aelita confussed, Yumi smiled and looked at Ulrich, he simply nodded to her, she sat forward "we're going to keep it" she said with nothing but joy as they quickly moved into a group hug with Dallas quipping "I love a happy ending", suddenly Yumi pulled away, "there is just one problem" she said, the others looked at her confussed, but Ulrich knew what she was gonna say, "I need to tell my parents" she said, Ulrich suddenly felt like he'd died, he'd had more than enough stress from wondering if he should stay with Yumi because of her family, "whats so wrong, they should understand right" said Aelita, Yumi shook her head, "I'm not sure, you see in Japan tradition is something that's really important, besides I'm 16 and Ulrich is 15" replied Yumi, Ulrich scratched the back of his head, "so what just make em understand" said Odd, Yumi felt ill at the Idea "Odd, I don't think that'll work, you gotta remember it's not 100% illegal that they've conceived a child, but it's gonna cause some serious shit" said Dallas, Yumi was almost crying, but Ulrich placed his arm around her, "we'll sort this out together" he said, Yumi felt better after hearing this, "I need a favour" she asked to the others, "name it" said Jeremie, Yumi took in a deep breath, "can you all be there with me when I tell my folks" she said, the others looked around seeing no objections from anyone, Odd spoke up "I guess that's a yes" he said, Yumi smiled and said "thank you".
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"okay Odd don't mention that we broke in that one time" said Ulrich, Odd rolled his eyes knowing that he wasn't that stupid, Dallas decided to leave his crossbow at the school not to cause any trouble, Yumi walked up the stairs to her house, "come on don't abandon me now" she said, she nodded to Dallas who started pushing them up, "we said we'd do this" he said almost laughing, Yumi took a deep breath and knocked on the door, her mother opened it "Yumi, why are you knock…" she started then she noticed the others, "mother I need to tell you and father something" said Yumi, her mother looked at the others, Odd smiled and waved with his fingers, prompting Dallas to smack him around the back of the head, "okay, what is it" she asked, Yumi gulped, "it's best if you got dad and I told you both at the same time" she said, before remembering "and they need to be here as well" she added, Yumi's mum was confussed but signalled for them to be let in anyway, she took a notice to how Dallas removed his boots, "is this not correct" he asked, she nodded as he put them to the side. (=======================================================================)
A few moments passed as everyone sat down in the lounge, Yumi sat next to Ulrich holding his hand tightly whilst Dallas sat on his own, Jeremie, Odd and Aelita sat on another, Hiroki was with his mother whilst Yumi's father was on his own opposite Ulrich and Yumi,
"Mum, Dad I have to tell you something" said Yumi finally summing up the courage to speak, "Please don't tell me you're romantically involved with this Gaijin" said her Father, Ulrich was confussed, "Outsider" said Dallas, Yumi's father looked towards him, "yes I don't need a translator" he said borderline angry, "it's a bit further than that" said Yumi, her father's eyes widened, "what do you mean" he asked beginning to have a good idea already, "here goes" said Yumi under her breath, "I'm pregnant" she said, her father's eyes widened, her mother was shocked and Hiroki was just confussed having not been taught about this, "Ulrich's the father" she said holding up Ulrich's hand, her father was visibly angered by this but strangely he wasn't letting it show, "when are you having the abortion" he asked calmly as if he hadn't just been given bad news, Yumi was sickened by the comment, "what" she asked, Takeho remained calm, "when are you aborting" he asked again, Ulrich stood up, "we've agreed and we're keeping the child" he said, Takeho stood up "Nobody asked you" he said now letting his anger show, Jeremie, Odd and Aelita moved towards the door, "I think it's best we left, coming Yumi" said Odd, Yumi began to move towards the door when suddenly Takeho screamed "YOU'RE NOT MOVING A MUSCLE", Yumi and Ulrich were frozen in place as he stepped away, Dallas stood up, "just go, he can't harm you" he said.
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Author's note
It's at this point I'd like to try a different approach as when imagining the following events it was via a song, and to try and capture the full effect I would recommend listening to the Terminator Salvation version of the day the whole world went away.
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"Are you sure" asked Yumi, Dallas nodded and said "positive", but as he turned around he was caught by a swipe, something he'd never felt before, Takeho had slice down the right side of his lip with a Katanna and kicked him over, "DALLAS" screamed Aelita, caught off guard Ulrich was grabbed by Takeho and thrown down to the floor, "you've got one choice Yumi, the unborn child or the life of this Gaijin" said Takeho, Dallas looked up dazed and confussed, he looked at the others standing in the door way, blood trickled down his face, he turned and looked at Yumi as she was frozen with fear, "Oh shit" said Jeremie as he noticed Dallas take off his jacket and wings, "sorry Yumi" said Dallas under his breath as he stood up, "so be it" said Takeho, he raised the Katanna ready to strike Ulrich, but before he could he was knocked away dropping the Katanna, he looked to see Dallas had jumped and barrelled in the air and spread a leg kicking him in the back, Takeho charged at Dallas but he was caught off as Dallas jumped and landed his left foot into his stomach and then his right followed by his left again kicking Takeho away, Takeho moved towards him again but was kicked in the leg and punched pushing him away, Takeho grabbed a Katanna and swung it towards Dallas, the Latter didn't see in time and didn't manage to move entirely the blade went towards his right hand, he extended his own blade saving his hand but his blade was severed, Takeho followed the swing with spin kick to Dallas's stomach sending him backwards over the sofa, Dallas quickly got up but was met with a kick to the face, before he was grabbed and thrown next to the table, Ulrich had managed to move free, Dallas stood up as Takeho went for a high swing with the Katanna but as he lowered the blade, Dallas grabbed his arm and twisted it causing him to drop the blade, Dallas then punched Takeho in the rib, before using the crouch position to momentarily run up the injured Takeho and then wrap his legs around his neck and holding his arm out, Dallas flipped the both of them over and smashed Takeho through the glass table that sat at the centre of the room.
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Dallas stood up barely hurt by the brawl, his face was covered in his blood from his mouth wound, and he was clearly still angry, he grabbed his jacket and threw it to Ulrich to use as a makeshift blanket, he turned his attention to Takeho and grabbed him from the table remains,
"if you lay a hand on your daughter again so help you god" he said as he threw Takeho back down, Yumi stepped forward but was stopped by Jeremie, "no he's lost it" he said as he pulled her away, the warriors stepped into the hallway, "YUMI" screamed Takeho, "I'm your father don't go" he added as he stood up, Yumi turned back to face him and said "you stopped being my father the moment you turned on me", Takeho was clearly distraught and outraged, "Dallas are you okay" asked Aelita as he neared the door, suddenly Takeho in a fit of rage charged Dallas smashing into him and pushing him towards the door, but Dallas raised his legs and planted them either side of the door frame and flipped over Takeho and kicked him through the door and over the metal banister, "you don't learn do you" said Dallas angrily, as he jumped over them and superman punched Takeho in the face knocking them both down, Dallas stood up followed by Takeho as the two continued the brawl, Takeho threw a punch but Dallas took it in the eye like it was nothing, but as Takeho kicked him in the knee Dallas charged him through the gates a front of the house into the road, Dallas noticed a car that couldn't stop in time and turned shielding his attacker with his own body, the two bounced off the car landing on the road, Dallas felt his spine crack under from the blow, the passengers inside the car were shocked by the altercation and were met with a mixture of shock and amazement at the fact that Dallas was still punching away at Takeho, "YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE" roared Dallas as his fist began to pummel into Takeho's skull, "never you filthy Gaijin" spat out Takeho, Dallas suddenly stopped as he screamed as his head jerked back, everyone was shocked and the passengers of the car pinned down Akiko, "that's for my husband" she said, as she had snuck up behind Dallas and impaled the previously dropped Katanna through his back and into chest, Dallas looked down before falling over and began to spasm, the last thing he heard before passing out was Hiroki screaming in terror and the driver of the car screaming "OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD".
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"STAY WITH ME COME ON STAY WITH ME" said Yumi as Dallas's eyes barely opened, "WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED" said the driver as he drove towards the hospital, and Yumi was in the back of the car with Odd applying pressure to Dallas's wound "it's a long story" said Odd as he pushed down, one of the passengers was in the front seat phoning the hospital, whilst back on the street, numerous neighbours had noticed the brawl and had phoned the authority's, after Takeho had been taken away in an ambulance due to head injuries and Akiko arrested for possible murder charges, Hiroki had been placed in the care of a neighbour for the time being but he wouldn't stop screaming and crying in fear, one of the police walked over to Jeremie who was rubbing his head, Jeremie was visibly shaken by the whole affair and couldn't sit still, Ulrich was with Aelita as she was keeping him calm
"we've received word of the injured man who is being moved to the hospital as we speak, but we need his details" said the officer, Jeremie looked up, "his name is Dallas Marshal" he said barely able to say it , "okay I know this is traumatic to you but I need family details and residence" said the officer, Jeremie knew that was difficult, "his family is deceased, he's a border at Kadic academy" said Jeremie, the officer looked at his pad before nodding "thank you" he said.
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"WE NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE" shouted the driver of the car as he and the passenger helped Odd carry Dallas onto a stretcher at the hospital, "WE GOT MULTIPLE LASSERATIONS AND A SERIOUS STAB WOUND" shouted one of the doctors, as numerous orderly's helped wheal the stretcher away, Odd turned to the driver of the car who was in as much shock as the rest of them, "We're sorry about your car seats" he said as he noticed them covered in blood, "it's… it's fine, if it saved a life or even gave a chance it's something I can live with" said the driver as the police escorting the ambulance with Takeho in it arrived, Odd and Yumi moved away, "this is fucking nuts" said Odd, then he noticed Yumi crying, "this was meant to be a happy day" she said before crying into Odd's shoulder.
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As the crowd began to clear up at Yumi's place Jeremie moved towards Ulrich and Aelita,
"How's he doing" asked Jeremie, Ulrich smiled and said "I'll be fine it's Dallas I'm worried about" he said, Aelita was confussed, "why, we've seen him heal wounds worse than that" she said, but Jeremie quickly shushed her, "don't say that out loud, besides he can heal yes, but he's gotta fight it off and keep it open, if he dies they'll know something's up as soon as he snaps back" said Jeremie, then Ulrich stood up with Aelita helping him, "we need to get to the hospital, Yumi's probably in shock" said Ulrich, Jeremie knew it was pointless to argue with him, "that's probably best".
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Back at the school, Sissi was in Delmas's Office with Jim, she'd walked in trying to find out any info she could on the day's events and had gotten quite a shock,
"So Yumi's pregnant" she said with a wide eyed face, "yes Sissi, I assume you know what that is, but you have to keep it to yourself and not spread gossip" said Delmas as he cleaned his glasses, Jim spoke up "shouldn't we file a statutory rape charge" asked Jim, Delmas looked towards him and shook his head, "No, she claimed they both gave consent and she states that they started dating when she was 15, it's some Romeo and Juliet law or some such thing" said Delmas, Jim was confussed but listened to his boss, "it'd be a shame if either went to prison, it's just young love" said Sissi, Delmas agreed that it would've been wrong suddenly there was a buzzing and Delmas pressed a button on his intercom, "Yes" he said, "you've got an emergency call coming through sir" said his secretory, Delmas was confussed as he picked up the phone, "Yes… yes this is Jean-Pierre Delmas" he said but his usual strict demeanour dropped as he said "WHAT" in total shock.
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Ulrich quickly rushed towards Yumi when he saw her,
"YUMI" he shouted as he dropped on his knees as she sat on a chair, "ULRICH" she cried into his chest, "shhh… it's fine Yumi, it's fine" he said stroking her hair, "but what if it's not, what if our baby is cursed" she said, Ulrich didn't want to think like that, "No don't say that, I've more or less only found out I'm a dad, we agreed to have this child and Dallas just risked his life for us" said Ulrich, the others walked over towards them, "are you okay" asked Aelita, Ulrich looked back as he sat on a chair, "yeah we should be fine" said Ulrich as he took in a few deep breaths, "how longs he been in there" asked Jeremie as he stood against a wall, "I dunno it's all just a shock, but luckily…" she said as she showed them Dallas's blades, Jeremie quickly grabbed them and bagged them, "good job" he said suddenly there was a loud noise as they heard the voice of Delmas shout "I'M LOOKING FOR DALLAS MARSHAL, WHERE IS HE" the warriors looked to See Delmas and Jim at the main desk, "this can't have gotten that out of hand" said Odd as he slumped back in his chair, but unfortunately for them it had.
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On Lyoko Adam sat cross legged and with his hands out as if he was meditating, his concentration was unbreakable,
"Whats the word" asked Evelyn as she walked towards him, Adam remained still as he said "there's been major damage to the timeline, XANA foresees a possible chaotic disruption", Evelyn was confussed as she sat down on a rock opposite him, "simple we just jump back in time" she said, Adam opened his eyes and looked towards her, "the same events would likely transpire, Dallas has gone and fucked it up" he said as he stood up stretching, "XANA's calling off every attack for the next few days" said Adam, Evelyn was shocked as she moved towards him, "We have an ideal opportunity to strike" she said angrily as Adam placed his hand on a tower deactivating it, "XANA decides what happens and besides we can't risk it even now" said Adam as he stepped away, Evelyn was angry and placed her hand on the tower but got a massive feedback shock and was thrown away, "XANA doesn't trust you with that power" said Adam not even looking back at her.
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Hours had passed in the hospital Ulrich and Yumi were still wide awake even though it had gotten dark, Yumi was really nervous and looked towards Ulrich,
"It's my fault" she said, Ulrich looked at the others as they sat either asleep or half asleep, he smiled slightly at the fact Aelita had fallen asleep across Jeremie's lap, "what is" he asked looking at Yumi, "I shouldn't have gotten pregnant" she said, Ulrich became upset at her statement, "it's not your fault, these things happen and we're gonna sort it out together" he replied kissing her on the forehead, "we may have just compromised everything though" she said but Ulrich silenced her with a kiss, "we'll deal with everything as it happens" he said, suddenly they heard someone come down the hall, Ulrich looked at them hoping for news, but they walked past without a word, "this waiting is killing me" said Ulrich, then he realised what he said and was slightly annoyed with himself, suddenly an orderly walked through and moved towards Delmas who was on his third cup of coffee, "Excuse me are you Jean-Pierre" asked the orderly, "what… oh yes" he said straightening his glasses, "can you come with me please" said the orderly as she looked at her clipboard, Delmas grabbed his jacket and was lead through the doors, "That doesn't look good" said Yumi.
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The mood the post op room was grim; the Doctor was looking at the x-rays with utter confusion he was uncertain at what he was exactly looking at,
"Excuse me sir, this is Mr Delmas" said the orderly, the doctor turned around, it was clear he was tired, "oh yes thank you" he said, Delmas was expecting the worst, "how is he" he asked, the doctor pointed towards the X-rays, "well this is where the blade struck, straight through the heart, except" said the Doctor as he turned on a light showing another X-ray, "this is where Mr Marshal's heart was, slightly to the left and lodged here" said the Doctor pointing at the locations, "it seemed that due to a previous injury he'd sustained which caused the initial scar dislodged his heat and who ever conducted surgery must have done a shoddy job" said the Doctor grabbing a paper cup with an hour old cup of coffee, "what are you saying" asked Delmas, before looking towards the door, "I've got his closest friends out there, heck there the best thing he has to family at this point" added Delmas, the Doctor looked at him, "he's alive, since the blade essentially missed every vital organ possible" said the Doctor, Delmas sighed with relief and sat down, "thank god for that" he said.
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Delmas stepped through the double doors, Ulrich stood up stretching his legs,
"I've some good news" he said taking off his glasses and rubbing them, "Dallas survived" said Delmas, Yumi smiled knowing that he was fine, "can we see him" she asked, Delmas looked at her then at the time which read 11:58, "I'm not sure if it's possible" replied Delmas but he knew this was important, "we'll try" he added as he walked back through the doors, Ulrich moved over to Jeremie and nudged him "wake up" he said, Jeremie wouldn't budge, "probably the longest sleep he's had in years" said Yumi as Ulrich continued to budge him, then he turned his attention to Aelita "princess wake up" he said, unlike the former he managed to get her up almost instantly, "Aelita, we can go in and see Dallas" said Ulrich, Aelita sat up before looking at Jeremie who was still fast asleep, she rolled her eyes and pecked him on the cheek and shot awake "I'm up, I'm up" he said, Yumi was waking up Odd, "Odd wake up" said Yumi, luckily Odd was easy to awaken, "what time is it" he asked whilst yawning and stretching his arms, "nearly midnight, we can go and see Dallas" said Yumi as Odd stood up, "what are we waiting for then" asked Jeremie as he rushed through the doors.
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Jeremie opened the door to Dallas's room, the light quickly illuminated the darkness, Jeremie turned back and looked at Aelita,
"Be warned, this might not be pretty" he said, Aelita nodded and said "but he is all right", Jeremie looked away unsure, be took a small breath before they slowly walked in towards Dallas, his chest was bared as a massive white plaster was placed over his wound, and white bandages wrapped around his torso, a smaller plaster was placed over his face where the first swipe had struck him, his eyes were closed and it appeared he was unconscious, "Dallas" said Yumi as she moved to his hand crying, "This is my fault" she said as Ulrich held her by the shoulders, she suddenly yelped as she felt him move, "It… ain't, I did what I had to" said Dallas as he started to move, "oh my god are you okay" asked Yumi, the others moved towards him, Jeremie moved a chair below Yumi, "I've been slashed down my mouth, impaled by a katanna, injected fuck knows how many times with anaesthetic that was slowly rejected from my body, and went through a painful operation completely conscious" he said Yumi looked at him upset, "yeah I'm good" he said starting to laugh, but stopped as it was hurting him, "whats wrong" asked Aelita as she was confussed as Dallas began to drift in and out consciousness, "he's able to stop his healing ability, but it amplifies the pain, hence why he's like this" said Jeremie, Aelita began to tear seeing her friend like this, "please don't cry" said Dallas, Aelita moved towards him and hugged him "you shouldn't be like this" she said, Dallas didn't care that she was hurting him, "the thing I'm more worried about is you two" said Dallas as he turned his head towards Yumi and Ulrich, "why us" asked Ulrich, Dallas looked at Jeremie, "I hate to be rude, but I think it's best I talked with them alone" he said, Jeremie nodded and grabbed Aelita on the shoulder, "we'll get something to eat" he said, though most surprisingly Odd wasn't hungry.
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Having found a vending machine Jeremie inserted a few coins and grabbed a can of cola for Aelita, it was clear she was upset at what had happened,
"Why would someone want to do that to him" she asked, Jeremie sat down and placed his arm around here, "sadly Aelita some people don't always approve of others" said Jeremie, she nearly cried "I'll get some tissues" said Odd, Jeremie pulled Aelita closer, "He'll be fine, he's risked his life more times than even I can remember" said Jeremie, Aelita smiled knowing Dallas wasn't going to die, "Jeremie, can I have some chocolate" she said sheepishly, Jeremie didn't care and he nodded.
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"You can't be serious" said Ulrich as he paced back and forth, Dallas moved and sat up on the bed, "I'm afraid I am, Yumi may have had no part in the altercation, but her folks are most likely going to be deported, an attack on a French citizen isn't something that goes un punished" Said Dallas as he grabbed his knee, "so I'm going to be deported after all" said Yumi beginning to cry, Dallas looked at his faint reflection in the bed post, he was angry at himself, "I don't know, we have few options, right now we gotta wait on a court case" he said as crushed his knee cap, "ya bastard" he said as he moved his leg, "Dallas, don't blame yourself you're putting yourself through too much as it is" said Yumi as she placed her hand on his chest, "I got to, soon as I stop someone will come along with my ticket in hand" he replied, Ulrich looked at the both of them, "I think it's best you got some sleep" he said as he looked at Dallas, the latter couldn't disagree as he began to faint again.
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The warriors walked out of the hospital, Ulrich was wearing Dallas's jacket he smiled knowing how pissed he'd have been if it was cut off of him,
"Do you think he'll be okay" asked Odd, Jeremie smiled as he breathed in the cold air, "he's taken much worse" he replied, Yumi was still scared though, then it occurred to them, "wait where am I gonna sleep tonight" asked Yumi, the warriors stopped, she knew Hiroki was staying with a neighbour for the time being, but she had nowhere to go, "you can use my bed" said Ulrich, Yumi looked at him and shook her head "no, I've already put you through too much hassle" she said as they carried on walking, "you're carrying my child I think it's best if you had a bed to sleep on" said Ulrich, Yumi was a taken back by his commitment, "something tells me we won't be sleeping" said Aelita as they turned a corner, they all knew she was right, they were all shaken up by what had happen, "we'll just have to wait and see" said Jeremie as they found themselves at the gates of Kadic.
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A week passed, Dallas was finally allowed to stand up from his bed, he placed his bare foot on the ground getting a shock from the cold,
"Jesus" he said as felt it, the orderly looked at him, "you're in much better shape" she said, Dallas clicked his fingers, she noted the odd way he did it, "how long until I'm discharged" said Dallas as he looked out of the window looking at the blanket of snow that had fallen, "later today I think" she said, Dallas felt his face, he turned back and looked at her, "am I able to take this thing off yet" he asked, she looked at the clipboard and nodded saying "I'd say it's okay" Dallas nodded and ripped the plaster off, he looked in the mirror and was shocked at the presence of a scar, he looked back she hadn't noticed it, he then tried healing it, but nothing, the scar was from just level with his nose to near the bottom of his chin, "great" he said as he turned away, "you're lucky that's the only visible one" said the orderly, then they heard a knocking on the door, "you've a visitor" she added as she walked out, Dallas turned around and saw a man in a suit, he was of African American descent, he was bald and had a black goatee, he wore spectacles, "I assume you're Mister Marshal" he said as he extended his hand, Dallas nodded and shook it, "I hope you don't mind me getting dressed" he said, the man smiled and signalled for Dallas to do so, Luckily Yumi had been by and brought Dallas a spare change of clothes, he pulled on his jeans, "so what do I owe the honour" asked Dallas, the man looked at him and sat down in the chair next to the bed, "first things first, my name is Benny Clarke" he said, Dallas nodded as he slowly pulled his jumper over his head and grabbing his tags, "Clarke, funny I swear I know that name" he said to himself, "I'm a lawyer, I'm here to represent you" said Clarke, Dallas moved off the bed and said "Hey thanks, but I ain't got no cash to afford a Lawyer" he said, Clarke smiled and removed his spectacles, "I'm not going to charge a man who risked his life for some friends, and besides I'm partly doing this as a favour" replied Clarke, Dallas learned a lot about Clarke almost instantly, he wasn't angry nor did his tone change from happy when he mentioned his motives, "Okay Mr Clarke" said Dallas as he sat down on the bed, "please call me Ben or Benny whichever suits yourself" replied Clarke, Dallas smiled and said "right, I'm no Idiot I know how open and shut the case is gonna be, but I'm gonna need your help, and it's gonna sound weird", Clarke smiled and said "try me".
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The warriors stood outside the Hospital, with the snow on the ground and even though they were all wrapped up warmly it was still freezing for them,
"Of all days to release him" said Odd as he blew into his hands, "Don't say that we should be glad he's being let out" said Yumi as she and Ulrich huddled together for warmth, "It's strange that XANA hasn't launched an Attack" said Jeremie, but Ulrich gave him a serious look "is that all you can think about" he asked, Jeremie shrugged his shoulders, before looking at Yumi, "any word on your folks" he asked before regretting doing so, "yep, they're gonna be tried over the next few days, if found guilty they'll be sent to prison in Japan, and I'd assume me and Hiroki would be sent to an orphanage despite my condition" said Yumi, suddenly the door opened and Dallas stepped out taking in the freezing cold air, "better this than a burning hot day" he said as he felt the air touch his face, the others rushed to him, "please no hugs" he said laughing but hurting himself in the process, Ulrich handed him his jacket, Dallas smiled as he pulled it over himself, "I don't know about you but I need some coffee" he said as he led the others off.
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The warriors returned to Kadic after Dallas had ingested 3 cups of black Coffee, they opened his room and he smiled as he fell onto a comfortable bed, his own,
"Dallas again I'm sorry this happened" said Yumi, Dallas waved at her, "stop okay, besides are you and the baby okay" he asked, Yumi smiled and said "I had an ultra sound done whilst you were in the hospital" as she pulled out a photo and handed it to him, "you did it didn't you" he said laughing as Jeremie removed his heavy clothing, "keep that, that one was for you" said Ulrich as he and Yumi sat down, Dallas nodded before saying "sorry if I seem tired, I fucking am", he then promptly passed out.
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Delmas was sitting in his office and was filling out the hospital report for Dallas, he had his file making sure every detail was correct, suddenly there was a buzz on the intercom,
"Yes what is it" asked Delmas, then his secretary replied "A Mr Clarke to see you sir", Delmas was confussed as to his presence, "in what capacity Parent or profession" he asked, his secretary looked at Clarke and she asked "is it for your daughter or for work", Clarke smiled and said "work, although I hope I don't need to be here for my daughter" before smiling, he was then let into the office, "ah Benjamin good to see you again" said Delmas as he stood up and shook Clarkes hand, "what can I do for you old friend" asked Delmas as he sat back on his desk, "I know this might sound weird, but a case I'm representing needs some files" said Clarke as he sat down at one of the chairs, "ah I see" said Delmas as he moved towards the intercom, "what files do you need exactly" he asked, Clarke removed his glasses and looked at Dallas's file on the desk, "well Mr Marshals for a start, Delmas looked down and realised what this was about, "oh yes of course" he said as he turned the file and around and pushed it towards Clarke, "I also need both files on a miss Yumi Ishiyama and a mister Hiroki Ishiyama, oh and a Ulrich Stern" said Clarke, Delmas was confussed but obliged.
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"Wake up you dozy bastard" said Ulrich as he knocked Dallas's legs, Dallas opened his eyes and moved from his chair, he'd dressed in his 'Monkey suit' for the court hearing, he'd neglected to wear a tie and had his top buttons undone, Ulrich had dressed similarly but had actually put some effort in and worn a tie, "we have to do this shit now" asked Dallas as he stood up hobbling on his knee for second, he'd wrapped bandages around his knee tightening it in position, "well considering the two of us are the star witnesses we've got to" said Ulrich, he looked at his watch, Yumi had already gone in with Hiroki who had barely calmed down over the week and four days, "let's get this over with" said Ulrich as he opened the door, the first thing Dallas noticed was Aelita, Jeremie, Odd and a few others from Kadic including Delmas, were in the front row behind where he, Ulrich and Yumi were sitting, Yumi was wearing a black Yukata, "I hate all these eyes on me like this" said Ulrich as they sat down, they looked towards two glass booths, in one stood Takeho, numerous stitches down the side of his face, he was dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit with his hands chained, in the booth next to him was Akiko she was similar dressed in an Orange prison jumpsuit, "Are you okay" asked Ulrich as he looked at Yumi, she nodded and smiled faintly, Clarke stood up from next to Yumi, "your Honour I recommend we begin these proceedings" he said, the judge whacked her mallet, "the first case I'd like to deal with today is that presented by the accused Takeho Ishiyama, that off the Pregnancy of Yumi Ishiyama" said the Judge, Takeho cracked an obvious grin at his only revenge, for many of the students this was the first they were hearing of Yumi's pregnancy, Clarke stepped forward, "your honour I put forth the Romeo and Juliet law" he said, Takeho was still grinning, the Judge looked towards Ulrich and Yumi, "do explain" asked the Judge, Clarke knew this was make or break, "I put forth although that Miss Ishiyama was and still is off an older age than mister stern, the age difference is that of 8 months, and I ask can you put a crime on the love of two young people when the difference is minor" said Clarke as he folded his glasses and place them in his pocket, the Judge looked at the two of them, Takeho was restraining himself from laughing at what he believe was an inadequate attempt, the judge broke the silence, "in most cases this would result in the incarceration of Mister Stern, however considering the evidence presented, and the age difference, in the end it's just a harmless act of young love, and I assume the child will be born when both are of legal age" she said ending on the question before looking at Yumi, she was nervous and stood up, "yes your…" she cough still heavily nervous, "yes your honour" she said finally able to speak, the judge smiled and said "I rule in favour of Mrs Ishiyama" suddenly Takeho was banging on the glass booth, "objection" he said loudly, "overruled" said the judge as she whacked her mallet, Clarke sat down next to the others as Dallas said "tough crowd".
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The warriors sighed in relief, Aelita didn't entirely understand what was going on, she knew that Ulrich and Yumi were found innocent but was confussed still,
"Why all that speech" she asked to Jeremie, then she felt a tapping on her shoulder, she turned to face Abbie was sitting next to her, "he said it as a way of persuasion, he couldn't just state the facts, that might not have worked" she said, Aelita smiled now understanding, "the next case is against the accused of double attempted Murder" started the Judge, but Dallas stood up and said "your honour" the judge looked towards him, "what is it" she said calmly wondering what he had to say, "I'd like the charge be upped to three counts" he said, everyone began chatting among themselves, again Takeho banged on the cabinet saying "objection", the judge whacked her mallet "overruled" she said, before looking back at Dallas and asking "explain your grounds" Dallas moved from behind the desk, "whilst on the surface it's clear that I was the only one who was physically harmed, Ulrich was attacked and his life was threatened and would have been ended had I not intervened but Takeho, threatened the life of the Unborn child, and whilst it is that Unborn I put forth that is still life and should be treated as such" he said before realising he'd rattled on and sat down again, the judge smiled at his small heartfelt speech, "the charge will be increased to triple attempted murder" said the Judge, both Takeho and Akiko where angered by the changes, "could the police please present the facts" asked the Judge.
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"All we know for certain is that on the date in question a fight broke out in the Ishiyama residence, between Takeho Ishiyama and Dallas Marshal" said the police chief as he flicked through the projection slides, "the fight then escalated onto the streets outside of the house, where upon Akiko Ishiyama attacked the plaintiff Violently with a Katanna" he added as a Sgt wheeled in a tray with the remains of the weapon, it had been broken during the removal, "however whilst numerous witnesses, witnessed the final events of the brawl, the starting events are in question" he said as slide show ended and one of the police officers closed the projection screen, "we took six accounts five of which are in favour of Mr Marshals, one which was taken by Hiroki Ishiyama is in admissible due to severe shock he received" said the Chief, the judge was horrified by the pictures she'd seen of Dallas's wounds, Clarke stood up and walked towards the glass Cabinets, "tell me Mr Ishiyama what started the fight" asked Clarke, he was surprised as Takeho responded "A matter of honour" the people in attendance began to mumble, "could you describe what you mean by a matter of Honour" asked Clarke, Takeho stood up inside the cabinet, "that Gaijin destroyed my Daughters honour by impregnating her, I had to restore it" he said before sitting down again, "i see, now who started the brawl" asked the Judge, Takeho didn't even bother looking at her "he did" said Takeho, the judge and Clarke looked at Dallas who simply said "true but in a sense false" Clarke moved towards him and said "care to explain" Dallas smiled and stood up walking towards the stand, he was quickly sworn in, "whilst I admit I made the first blow with my legs, Takeho started when he sliced across my face leaving this scar," said Dallas pointing to his lip, "he then grabbed Ulrich and was prepared to from what I understand of Japanese culture, to decapitate him, that's when I sprang into action and struck Takeho" said Dallas, Takeho stood up shouting "SEE HE ADMITS HE STARTED THE BRAWL" before sitting down, Ulrich quickly realised what Takeho was doing, "he's no intention of winning, he knows he can't" he said to Yumi, she moved towards him, "what do you mean" she asked, Ulrich looked at her and replied "he's trying to drag Dallas down", Dallas looked towards Takeho, "I did what I did to stop you from killing my friend, I admit I may have been over the top in my methods but I would proudly do it again to stop you, if I'm found guilty of that so be it" said Dallas, Clarke smiled and said "no further questions" Dallas moved from the stand to the table.
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Many hours went by, Dallas had his second cup of Coffee in hand as he watched the clock tick by, Clarke sat down next to him,
"If you gonna tell me I've blown the case in our favour, I know" he said as Clarke smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "no I wanted to say well done" said Clarke, Dallas was confussed and looked towards him "I've defended numerous people right and wrong, even those who were right and found innocent have always claimed they're a hundred percent innocent, you however admitted to your actions and possible your mistakes" said Clark, Dallas smiled as Clarke stood up, Ulrich and Yumi walked over seeing Clark leave, "yes I know" said Dallas as he stood up, Yumi and Ulrich were confussed, "do you think he's finally let the pressure get to him" asked Ulrich, Yumi wasn't sure but she hugged him, "I'm happy neither of us are in trouble" she said as Ulrich found himself suffocating, "I know, now we can be a family with no fear" he said, Yumi began to cry at his statement, "do you mean that" she asked not letting go, "yes, it's gonna be a big change, I still need to tell my parents although I'm gonna do it via a letter" said Ulrich, Yumi chuckled at his comment.
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Odd was munching on a bag of chips, as Jeremie was on his laptop, he was still concerned about the lack of attacks,
"Jeremie will you put that thing away, now is not the time" said Aelita, Jeremie shook his head "I can't shake the feeling that XANA is planning something" he said, Aelita was about to shut the laptop screen but suddenly it went black, "about time it died" said Aelita, then suddenly the screen turned back on to show Adam, "surprise" he said, Odd moved towards them, "what the heck is he doing" asked Odd, Adam laughed and said "I know you're concerned about the lack of Activated towers, call it a getting better present from XANA" then the screen went black again, the three looked at each other "okay what the fuck was that" asked Aelita, Jeremie and Odd slowly turned their heads to look at her, "Aelita I think we need to talk about how much you take from Dallas" said Odd.
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The court session had started again, Takeho and Akiko were placed back inside the glass cabinets, everyone else had returned to their seats, the judge looked down and removed her glasses,
"This case is one of the most delicate I've ever had to be apart off, on one side it's apparent it's a self-defence case, but on the other the defendants are claiming that it's a matter of culture, but I find that in this case, that the defendants are using tradition as an excuse, and I find them guilty on three counts of attempted murder and as such are sentenced to 15 years each and have their citizen ships revoked and are deported to Japan for their terms" said the Judge, Akiko was taken away with no incident but Takeho was less than calm, he screamed "Kore wa masaka, watashi wa anata ni gaijin, dochira ka hoka no hōhō o watashi no fukushū shimasu", but he was taken away as he continued to ramble, everyone was shocked but happy with the outcome, then the elephant in the room, "we have one final case, I understand that Mr Clarke, Mr Marshal and Mr Delmas are requesting that this be held in private" asked the judge, Clarke nodded as everyone else began to leave, "whats this about" asked Yumi, but Dallas didn't respond, "come on I'm sure he has a reason" said Ulrich, Yumi began crying from the stress of her pregnancy.
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A few days passed and Delmas stood outside Kadic in the blistering snow with Jim, their breath was visible, it was clear that the mood was all over the place,
"are you sure this is wise" asked Jim, Delmas looked towards him, "I learned a lesson long ago Jim, I'm not abandoning someone", then a car pulled up, a man in a suit and thermal jacket stepped out and opened the back door, Yumi and Hiroki stepped out, "Well this is gonna take a lot of getting used to" said Hiroki as he looked at the school, Yumi had forgotten he'd only started that year, "Hiroki if you follow Jim, he'll show you to your room, Yumi I'll show you to yours" said Delmas, Jim decided to be more calm towards Hiroki after what he'd been through, he'd only just calmed down.
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Delmas led Yumi down the girls dorm hallway, the mood was grim, he'd never really liked her father, but he felt bad about what'd happened, he'd let student been put in danger and although he wasn't in trouble he was taking the rough end of it,
"Listen Yumi, I'm sorry about what happened" he said Yumi smiled at the comment, "it's okay sir, I can't blame anyone for my father's actions" she replied, for some strange reason this made Delmas feel all the more better as he handed her a key, "this is your room, now if you'll excuse me" he said, Yumi smiled she was now living in the same place as her friends, she turned the key and got a shock as a voice said "Surprise" Yumi was shocked as she saw Aelita standing there, "Aelita?" asked Yumi in confusion, Aelita smiled and patted on an empty bed and said "yes roomie", Yumi walked into the room and hugged Aelita, "you gave up half your room for me" she said nearly brought to tears, "yeah, just like old times" she said, Yumi stepped away and asked "but why, how".
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A few days prior the judge, Clarke, Dallas and Delmas sat in the near empty court room,
"I hate to rush but I have Peter Duncan's trial after this" said the Judge, Clarke leant towards Dallas and said "I'm glad I'm not dealing with that one", Dallas stood up and said "Now that Miss Ishiyama has been cleared of all charges, we have a matter of hers and her brothers citizen ship to deal with", the Judge looked at the file, "yes I can see that, I presume you have a case to make" she asked, Clarke stood towards her, "Hiroki was born in France, therefore he is a French citizen by default" said Clarke as he handed Hiroki's folder to the Judge, she inspected it and said "it all seems in order, he's granted citizenship" Dallas sat down on the table, "Yumi however was born in Japan, and emigrated to France with her family when she was a year old" said Dallas, the Judge looked at the folder, "yes in that case she has no legal right to stay in the country on the same grounds and she's not legally old enough to stay as her younger brothers career, and I can't grant her citizenship" she said, Delmas then stepped forward and spoke up, "I'd like to point out her education is still in order for at least the next two years", the judge looked towards him, "I request that she be given temporary citizen ship for the remainder of her education" said Clarke, the Judge smiled and said "that isn't unreasonable but at the most that's five years", it was clear she was compassionate to Yumi, but wasn't prepared to break the law, "the child" said Dallas, Clark looked towards him, then it occurred to her, "Under those grounds I'm legally granting Yumi Ishiyama a temporary Citizenship until the child is old enough to be able to support itself, which is for the next 18 years, this can change if the child is, touch wood that it isn't going to be the case, dies, or if she marries a French citizen before then" said the judge before flogging her Mallet, Dallas smiled to himself, Clarke looked towards him and said "another happy ending", Delmas spoke up as the Judge left, "that still leaves a matter about her location, we don't have spare rooms for Yumi to sleep in" he said, Dallas smiled and said "I know someone who is more than willing to share".
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Yumi put down the report that Aelita handed to her, it contained a temporary green card and all the details of the last case, she cried at the sight of it, before rushing off, Aelita followed shutting and locking their door behind them, Yumi rushed up the stairs as quick as she could, before opened Dallas's and Jeremie's door, "Yumi you've arrived" said Jeremie but she grabbed Dallas and hugged him tightly causing him to be in some pain and spitting blood up, "I know you're happy but I'm not a ketchup bottle" he said, she let go off him, "why didn't you tell me you planned this" she asked as she sat down, "I didn't want to get your hopes up" he said as he swallowed the blood, "you're an idiot you know that" she said, Dallas laid down and said "with Honours", Aelita caught up to them "you enjoying your new roommate" asked Jeremie, Aelita couldn't help but smile as she sat down and hugged Yumi.
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Clarke opened the door to his apartment and walked in, he looked at the pile of mail he had before putting it back down, his apartment was in a nice part of town, somewhere that the rich would live, and being a lawyer he could afford such accommodation, the apartment wasn't a pent house but had an excellent view of the city, he walked towards his office saying loudly
"I'm home" as he sat down, he quickly poured himself a small cup of whiskey as he loosened his tie, "Hi dad" said Abbie as she walked into his office kissing him on the forehead, "I can't thank you enough for the favour" she said as she sat down, "don't mention it, I felt that representing that friend of yours was the right thing to do" he said as he took a swig of his drink, "besides" he said as he put down his empty cup, "it's clear you like him, and he's a good kid" said Clarke, Abbie simply blushed as he said this and walked out of his office.
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Authors note
Yes this was a drastically different episode from the usual norm of the series, well I've planned this now the series will fall into place, because for once it's a hollow win, XANA has caused trouble and succeeded or has it, I don't know, well leave a review if you liked or disliked this chapter, or possibly pointing out one or two errors I probably made, any questions just ask, the next chapter will be another original but back on form with the usual norm, because I won't be doing a chapter like this until at least season 3 (cries as I look at the schedule).