AN: Time is running out for Yumi and Ulrick is tiring. Can they still make it in time? Read, review, and enjoy!
"Three minutes left," Jeremy announced as Yumi lost another five life points. As Yumi nodded distractedly, the hornet took the opportunity to fire. The beam struck Yumi on the back and nearly knocked the girl over.
"Twenty life points left," Jeremy said worriedly, "Get out of there Yumi!"
Turning around, Yumi saw her attacker and threw her fan at it and missed. In response, the hornet fired a volley of beams. Yumi caught her fan and ducked behind a tree, dodging all the lasers. She heard the angry buzzing and jumped out of the way as the hornet flew around the tree and fired another beam at her. Wasting no time, she snapped her fan open and whipped it at the monster. In that swift blow, Yumi exacted revenge on the hornet and breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the pieces of it laying around her. As she caught her fan, she remembered the battle between Ulrick and the crabs. Turning her attention back to the brown haired warrior, she noticed he had already destroyed one of the crabs.
"Jeremy, how many life points does Ulrick have left?" Yumi asked.
"Forty," Jeremy said, "And you have a minute and a half left now."
"Thanks," Yumi said as she started walking toward the tower. For some reason, she was not afraid of dying. She knew they'd make every effort to get to the tower in time, but if they couldn't, she was ready to go. Well, almost ready. She wished she could be held by Ulrick one last time. Yumi knew it wasn't likely because he was so reserved. I would at least like to be near him when I go, she amended. A tear slipped down her left cheek as Jeremy announced that she had one minute remaining.
As Ulrick desperately stabbed at the crab once again, Odd lead Aelita out of hiding. With an exhausted lunge, Ulrick's sword finally struck home, clearing the way for Aelita. Taking no chances, Odd set the pace at a fast walk. Running would take them about half a minute, but with so much on the line, they assumed X.A.N.A. had another batch of monsters waiting for her. Yumi was closer to the tower and reached it before Aelita. She stood beside Ulrick and stared at the glowing cylinder that held her fate. A slight shiver went through her and she absentmindedly wiped the tear off her cheek, but not before Ulrick noticed.
"It'll be ok," Ulrick said quietly to her, catching her hand as it went back down. He gave her hand a squeeze and wished Jeremy would tell them how much longer they had.