CHAPTER TWO
"Oh come on Odd. I'm sorry all ready."
"Sorry is not the word!"
"Odd, that's not fair." Ulrich said. "Miyuki didn't mean to."
"Didn't mean to?! Dude, she turned my hair PINK!" Odd turned to scream at his friends. Ulrich and Jeremy all stared at him. In all the time they had been friends with Odd, they had never seen him lose his cool.
"Odd, really I am sorry." Miyuki said again, sincerity written all over her face.
During Chemistry the teacher, blind to the glares that Odd and Miyuki were shooting at each other, had placed Odd and Miyuki together as partners. When Odd wasn't looking, Miyuki had added a few well selected chemicals to the experiment. But then Odd had accidentally bumped the table when he was getting something out of his bag and the concoction had spilled all over Odd's hair, turning all the blonde a bright shade of pink, leaving the purple spot untouched.
"Odd, please. I am so sorry." Miyuki said.
"No your not! You've been tormenting me since you showed up! I wish you had never come here!" Odd yelled. Miyuki stopped dead in her tracks, an unreadable look on her face.
"Well I don't really want to be here either." Miyuki said, her voice even and cold. "I'd rather be with my mother, instead of with a father who think that money and this school can make up for the fact that he was NEVER there and a step mother who hates my guts! So excuse me if I just leave now."
Miyuki turned and took off a run, practically running over Yumi, who was walking toward the group.
"Hey gu... Miyuki? Where are you going?" Yumi yelled after the small girl. Then she turned back toward the group, her eyes narrowing in anger as she stomped over.
"Uh oh Odd. I think your in big trouble now." Ulrich whispered.
"What happened?" She demanded. When everyone was silent, she glared and crossed her arms over her chest. "Somebody had better be answering me. NOW." She glared at them all in turn. Finally Ulrich sighed and told her what had happened. Yumi stared at Odd in shock.
"Odd, how in the HELL could you say that to her? You have no idea what she has been through! Do you have any idea how much I had to convince her to leave her mom and come here? I don't believe you! I refuse to believe you are my friend! Now, I'm going to go find Miyuki, and if your smart you'll be doing the same thing." Yumi spun on her heel and stomped away.
"Yumi! Wait up!" Ulrich called, running after her. "I'll help you. Jeremy, you and Odd take the park. We'll take campus."
"Okay." Jeremy answered.
"Hey Mi."
"Who said you could call me by a nickname?"
"I'm sorry." Odd said. It had a double meaning, and Miyuki caught it. She looked up at him and couldn't resist giggling at his pink hair.
"I'm sorry too."
"You don't need to apologize. You already have." Odd said, sitting down next to her.
"Yeah, I did. But I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that. You were pissed and blowing off steam. I over reacted."
"Nah, I did too. So how about we just both say we're sorry and get back to class?"
"Okay." Miyuki agreed with a smile.
"Cool. Ready? On three. One, two, three."
"I'm sorry." They both said.
"Oh, gee I'm sorry too." A voice said. Odd and Miyuki both jumped to their feet, Odd's heart sinking because he recognized the voice. Sure enough, Jim stepped out of the words.
"What are you two doing here?" Jim asked, taking a menacing step toward them. "Odd, I know you had something to do with this! You are in major trouble mister!"
"Actually, sir." Miyuki stepped forward, and Odd was shocked at the look on innocence on her face. "It was my fault. This is my first day, and when I was trying to cut through the park, I got lost and Odd came and found me. If it wasn't for him I'd still be in here instead of heading to class, like we are. Right Odd?"
"Right." Odd managed to say.
Jim looked at them, then shrugged. "All right. I'll let you two go this time." He stepped back and let them run past. "But I've still got my eye on you Odd."
"Yes sir." Odd said over his shoulder, following Miyuki. As soon as they were out of earshot, Odd impulsively hugged Miyuki and spun her around.
"That was so awesome Mi!" He whooped.
"Three years of Drama class finally paid off. And my name is Miyuki." Miyuki replied with a grin. "Now, since you are currently holding me about three feet off the ground, either put me down and we'll walk to class, or carry me. Either way, we have to get going." Miyuki teased. Odd laughed and put Miyuki's feet back on the ground.
"Your right. Come on. We're supposed to be in Physics. Jeremy's covering for us, but I don't know how long he can stall."
With Odd leading the way, the two made their way out of the park and toward class. Just before Odd opened the door to walk in, Miyuki stopped him with a hand on his arm.
"Hey Odd."
"Yeah?"
"Friends?"
"Friends." Odd said, pulling Miyuki into a quick hug, then smiled and touched her cheek before opening the door and letting her go in front of him."Miyuki!" Yumi yelled throwing her arms around the younger girl and hugging her so tight that Miyuki squeaked in protest. "I was so worried about you!"
"Sorry Yumi. I was just upset. I didn't mean to upset you."
"I was so scared something had happened to you! Don't you ever do that again, do you hear me?"
"Okay Yumi, okay." Miyuki managed to extract herself from Yumi's death grip. "Geez, you really got that protective thing down, don't you?"
"I should. I've been looking after you all your life."
"You wish."
"I know."
"Please." Miyuki scoffed. Yumi was about to make a comment when her, Ulrich and Odd's cell phones all rang. Yumi yanked her out and looked at the screen. 'S.O.S XANA. J' She read silently. Yumi looked at Miyuki.
"Look, there's something I gotta take care off. You head home, and I'll meet up with you later."
"What?" Miyuki asked, but Yumi and the others were already gone. "Huh?"
"I feel bad about leaving Miyuki." Yumi said, running through the park with Ulrich and Odd.
"She'll be fine." Odd said. Ulrich nodded in agreement, then slid to a stop beside the underground park entrance. He checked around, didn't see anyone, and lifted up the cover. Odd and Yumi climbed the ladder, Ulrich following, making sure the close the cover behind him. They ran to the factory and Jeremy scanned them in, then jumped at least a mile when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and found himself face to face with...
Miyuki!
"Miyuki!" He yelped.
"Miyuki? What's she doing there?" Yumi asked over the headset. Before Jeremy could answer, Miyuki snagged the headset from him.
"Hey Yumi."
"MIYUKI! What are you doing there?"
"Please don't make me question your intelligence by answering that question Yumi."
Inside Lyoko, Yumi hung her head, mentally kicking herself.
"What's she talking about?" Odd asked.
"Miyuki's been training in ninja technique and martial arts since she was a little kid."
"I've also a very experience tracker." Miyuki's voice cut in.
"Meaning..." Ulrich asked.
"Meaning she followed us." Odd cut in.
"Ding, ding, ding, give that man a cigar." Miyuki's voice teased.
"I'm sorry guys." Yumi said. Ulrich put his arm around her shoulders.
"Hey it's alright. We all like Miyuki, you know that. And maybe it's time we get another warrior now anyway. XANA has been sending more and more welcoming committees for us you know."
"Sounds cool." Miyuki chirped. "When do I get scanned in?"
"How about now?" Jeremy asked. "We do have that extra scanner. I can scan you in now."
"Awesome." Miyuki beamed, running for the elevator.
A moment later, a ninja, clad completely in black, complete with a mask that covered her entire face except her eyes. Eyes that Odd knew belonged to Miyuki.
"Hi guys." She drawled, pulling her sword as she noticed enemies on the move. "Let do this.""Mi, you rock." Odd declared as they watched Aelita enter the tower.
"Thanks Odd. But my name is Miyuki!"
"Return to the past...now!" Jeremy announced.
"Hey, Mi, do me a favor and don't turn my hair pink this time."
"My name is Miyuki Odd!""I can't believe you did again!" Odd yelled, stomping out of Chemistry class.
"I'm sorry Odd, I couldn't resist." Miyuki giggled as she followed him out of the class room. "You just look so...cute with pink hair."
"I don't want to be 'cute'!"
"Miyuki turned Odd's hair pink again?" Yumi asked with a giggle as she came up to where Ulrich and Jeremy were watching Odd and Miyuki argue.
"Yeah." Ulrich said. "She says he looks cute, he claims he doesn't want to look cute."
"Sounds like someone else I know." Yumi teased. Hearing her voice, Miyuki broke off her fight with Odd by hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek, which made Odd turn bright red and start to stammer.
Grinning, Miyuki plopped down on the ground next to Miyuki, and Ulrich suddenly noticed how alike they looked. Except for the hair, the eyes and the height, Miyuki and Yumi could be twins. They had the same features, the same expressions, the same skin tone and the same attitude.
"What are you staring at Ulrich?" Miyuki asked, tossing her multi colored hair over her shoulder.
"Umm, are you two aware of how alike you two look?" He asked. Odd and Jeremy both looked at them, then widened their eyes.
"Whoa! They do look alike." Odd said.
"Well, that's so surprise." Yumi said with a grin, putting her arm around Miyuki's shoulder. "Miyuki here is my half-sister."
"SISTER?!?" Odd, Ulrich and Jeremy all yelled.