Author's Note: I just HAD to thank all my lovely reviewers!!! I love how you guys give me feedback on every chapter!!!!! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!!!! Hope you enjoy this REALLY long chapter!!

I ran out of the building that contained all the dorms, my heart beating fast and hard in my excitement. But my excitement wasn't enough to block out the cold. I was wearing something different than what I usually would: a short black leather skirt, black leather boots that covered up to my thigh, and a black tank top that was decorated on the side with swirling, glittering red flowers which revealed my belly button. I tapped my foot impatiently and shivered again.

"Cold?" someone said behind me. A jacket settled about my shoulders from behind. I turned and saw Ben's grin light up his face. He looked better than usual, with his hair slicked back nicely and his black clothes matching mine of the same color. I smiled brightly; feeling my heart slightly mend after what Ulrich did to it. I actually was looking forward to going with him to the dance. He took my wrist gently and slipped something on it. I looked down and saw a glittering bracelet that weighed a considerable amount. It gleamed in the light of the lampposts, the bangle black at one angle, slightly dark orange at another, and slightly dark red at yet another.

"Ben! It's...beautiful!" I gasped. I looked up at him with a big grin.

"I'm glad you think so. I think it's beautiful too. It matches you well." All the blood in my body felt as if it was rushing to my head. He winked. "Let's go." He interlocked his hand within mine and pulled me toward the gym. Its windows were already pulsing with the lights that were going inside.

We ran inside to find the dance floor crowded with people dancing to the throbbing beat. Ben took his jacket from my shoulders and slung it on a nearby chair. Then he took my hand again and led me onto the dance floor.

It was very crowded and I ended up separating from him through all the pushing and shoving. Numerous people stepped on my feet and I was thrown for quite a ride as I neared the center of the dance floor. I began to question the brilliant idea of wearing a mini-skirt to these kinds of occasions. Nevertheless, I pushed forward...maybe a bit too hard.

Someone pushed me from the back, causing me to fall forward into the person in front of me. The person in front immediately reacted, turning to set me back on my feet again. As our eyes met, I gasped.

"Uh...Yumi..."

"Ulrich..."

We said all this awkwardly and at the same time. Our eyes never left each other's. Finally I looked away and pushed on. I could feel Ulrich staring after me.

Someone grabbed my wrist. I turned to see Ben. "I thought you'd been killed back there," he joked.

I looked back the way I had come. This time I saw Ulrich stare directly at Ben. The stare was icy cold. "Just about," I said, turning to Ben and smiling.

My body tensed when his hand touched my waist. I wrapped one arm around his neck, my body swaying to the music. Then I put my other arm around his neck as well. When I moved, his hand slid a bit to touch my bare skin. My skin tingled in response. I looked everywhere but his face. He moved closer and I put my head on his shoulder for a bit, though I straightened up right away when I saw Ulrich still staring at me and Ben. I wished I could go over there and slap him out of it.

Suddenly, Ben closed the distance between us rapidly. Both of his hands touched my waist as his lips touched mine. I closed my eyes and let him kiss me, feeling a warm tingling sensation spread through my entire body. It felt exhilarating...for about a half a second.

Then I felt through our kiss who he really was.

Frantically, I unwrapped my arms from his neck and shoved him away from me as hard as I could. I expected him to look confused, puzzled, or hurt but his face just showed malicious pleasure. I watched in horror as his pupils started glowing red. I started retreating as he started advancing. "Yumi," he said in a voice thick with enticement, "come dance with me."

"No," I whispered. "No!" I turned on my heel and bolted for the door, ramming into people in the process. I didn't bother to say sorry. I didn't have time. I wove through the throng of people, some turning to scold me, others just continuing to dance. Through it all, Ben, or what had been Ben, kept coming for me. I broke free from the crowd and scrambled frantically into the darkening night.

I was amazed at how quickly it got dark. I looked over my shoulder. Bad idea. Ben kept coming. But he wasn't running after; he was walking after me. The look of malicious pleasure was still in place on his face and his body seemed unhurried, calm and sure, as if he knew that no matter what I did, he would still reach me in the end. I pushed on and sprinted to a nearby building. I turned and disappeared behind it.

I stayed there, plastered against the wall and breathing hard. Then, after a while, I looked around the corner cautiously. To my surprise and fear, Ben had disappeared.

"Looking for me?" I turned back forward and screamed to see Ben right in front of me.

"No!" I yelled, turning sideways, shielding my face and squeezing my eyes shut. Then I braced myself for whatever would happen next. I expect him to reach for me, to try and kiss me again.

Then I heard a muffled thump of two bodies hitting one other and then heard the thump of both of them hitting the ground. I risked the peek and saw to my surprise and relief that Ulrich had tackled Ben to the ground.

"Go, Yumi!" he said through clenched teeth, wrestling with Ben who was evidently much stronger than Ulrich.

"Not without you," I said and grabbed Ulrich's arm, pulling him to his feet. Then I pulled him away from Ben and started running, not with a particular destination in mind, just to get away from Ben.

Ulrich ran faster and caught up with me. "Damn it Yumi, I was trying to save you."

"You did fine."

We rounded the bend of the building that housed the dorms and slowed down a bit. I cocked my head at him and said between gasps for breath, "What happened to Emily?"

He blushed and lowered his head, avoiding my face. "If I had to choose between you and Emily," finally he met my eyes, "I would definitely choose you."

It was just as well that it was getting darker because I went into a blushing fit right after he said that.

"Aw...how cute! Our two lovebirds."

I turned, already knowing what was going to be there. Ben stood there, arms crossed in the night, standing resolute and proud. "I thought you liked me better, Yumi."

"In your dreams, you creep," I screamed. I turned to run, but something hit my wrist and made it sting. I looked down and saw the bracelet Ben had given me just moments ago. I slipped it off behind my back, and then swiveled on my heels and threw it as hard as I could toward his head. It struck home and he stumbled backward at the attack. I turned around again and ran.

"What is up with that guy?" Ulrich asked, urgency plain in his voice, "We never can seem to lose him. And what was that that you threw?"

"I threw a bracelet he had given me earlier. It was pretty heavy so I thought it might slow him down but not by much." I turned to look at Ulrich. "Ulrich, I don't know how but he's controlled by Xana."

"What?"

I nodded and looked ahead. We were running through the halls parallel to the fields. "When I kissed him, I knew. His eyes started glowing red and the Xana symbol appeared momentarily on his forehead. Xana has apparently infused him and I think Ben can spread Xana through to other people."

"How?"

"Through a kiss. I know because I felt it. But I pushed him back before Xana could get to me."

Ulrich didn't respond for a while but then asked, "But how did Xana get to him the first place?"

This time I was silent as I thought hard. Suddenly I remembered Xana's monsters attacking us in real life. "Maybe Xana's monsters materializing have something to do with it." I gasped. "Maybe..."

"When you get shot, a little piece of Xana gets into you," Ulrich finished for me. "That makes sense. But what about the time I got shot?"

I had my answer immediately. "Remember how you said you felt tired after you were shot?" Without waiting for a reply I plunged ahead. "Maybe Xana was breaking down your resolve to resist him. We must have built some sort of defense from him because we know more about him and encounter him more. But regular people wouldn't have that defense and so one shot is enough to transform them into Xana's zombies."

"We have to warn Jeremy and Odd."

"How?" I looked up in surprise. "Wait! I know how!"

I stopped and knelt. Ulrich stopped a few paces ahead and looked down at me. "Are you crazy?"

"No, just resourceful," I unzipped my right boot and reached inside. Then I pulled out my blue crystal on a string. It was glowing, as usual, as if everything was fine and dandy. I zipped my boot back up. "Actually, I kind of got it from you, Ulrich." I could make out Ulrich smiling in the dark since he had hidden his crystal in his shoe as well, the night in which I fell out of the tree.

Without further ado I slipped the crystal around my neck and ran to find open sky above me.

"Take my hand," I instructed Ulrich, "and don't let go unless you want to break your back." Ulrich's warm hand slipped into mine. I suddenly felt fuzzy and warm inside.

I looked up into the sky and stretched out my free arm. Slowly I began to lift up. We ascended much more slowly this time since Ulrich was with me, adding extra weight, but I continued to try to get us to a considerable height. Finally I pushed off to my left and we gained momentum. I flew around to the front of the dorm building and started looking for Jeremy's window.

"There," I heard Ulrich and looked to see where he was pointing. I flew closer to the window. It was glowing a yellow light. It was almost the only one with the light on, although the one next to it did also. Odd's room.

I flew up right against Jeremy's window and knocked on the glass. He saw us at once, as he was working on his computer and his computer was facing the window, but that turned out to be a problem because his computers blocked any entry from the window. He motioned for us to go next door. I nodded and flew over a little to the right until I was in front of Odd's window. Momentarily, I saw Jeremy burst into his room. Odd, enveloped in his comic book he was reading looked up surprised and when told to look out the window, was even more surprised when I waved back at him. Jeremy, without delay, opened the window up and I flew in, making sure Ulrich cleared the windowsill. Then I set him down and settled my feet on the floor as well.

"Thank god that's over," Ulrich commented, rubbing his shoulder and looking at me. "I was about to remind you that my arm was connected to the rest of my body."

I smiled wistfully. "Sorry, but that's the joy of flying."

"I can see you two are back on good terms," Jeremy stated, sitting down on Odd's bed next to a disgruntled Odd at being disturbed. I sat across from them on Ulrich's bed and Ulrich sat down next to me.

"Why aren't you guys partying at the dance?" Odd asked, flinging his comic book to one side.

"Let's just say the party was crashed," I started.

"What? And the party crasher wasn't me!" I had Odd's full attention now. "Man, that sucks!"

"Well, Odd, once you're over the fact that you weren't the one that wrecked the party for us, we can continue to tell you some more bad news," Ulrich said, giving Odd an serious glance.

"More bad news?" Jeremy asked, his brow creasing in worry. "Xana?"

Ulrich and I nodded in unison.

"Okay, I'm over the party crasher thing now," Odd said quickly and leaned in to listen.

Ulrich and I took turns explaining what had just happened in as much detail as we had. Jeremy and Odd listen very attentively (that was no small feat for Odd). Their faces were of mixed emotions when we finished filling them in. Mostly it was dominated by surprise and fear.

"Xana's getting smarter," Jeremy said quietly. "That's for sure." Then he stood up. "Let's go talk to Aelita."