(A/N) I cannot help but feel as though that the further I get into this story, the more OOC the kids become. I might be wrong (hopefully) but that's what it seems like to me.

Now for the main event:

My Son's Love

She found herself on the rock that she'd been sitting on a week ago. Looking around, Aelita waited for any disturbance or pulsations. There were none, thankfully. Aelita gave a small smile as her attention returned to the landscape of the Mountain Region. There was not a trace of Ulrich or the boy's battle; everything was as it had been.

Everything had happened exactly as the boy had promised. The Time Reversal had been an activated as Ulrich entered the code. Fate had been altered from the horror he'd described to her. He had saved the planet, but at a terrible price. If she'd been human, Aelita would've wept for the poor soul.

-

They walked out of the theater of Pirates of the Caribbean II. Yumi was happy and relieved that Theo had decided to change his mind, at her insistence. Holding his hand lovingly around her waist, Theo was talking and joking with Odd. Jeremy wore a quiet smile of relief. Yumi was talking absentmindedly with them, but she was looking around for Ulrich. He had vanished when they'd entered the Royal Knight's Temple.

She found him outside. He sat with his back to them from his position on the curb. The setting sun and glow from the neon lights basked his shoulders and cast lopsided shadows around him.

"I'll be right back," Yumi said to Theo as she detached herself.

Walking quietly forward, her own shadow at his side announced her arrival. He glanced up at her. His face was blank, but there were dried stripes stretching from his eyes, down his cheeks. A quiet sadness hung over him. Looking back down at the street like it was far more interesting than her, he said, "It worked."

"I didn't mean what I said," she said.

Nodding his head, Ulrich just stared down at the street. Yumi could tell he was deep in thought. Without a conscious reason, she reached down and grasped his shoulder. He flinched at her touch, but nothing more.

After a moment, he stood and looked at her. His face was distorted as if it was struggling to either suppress or expose an emotion. But his eyes changed from cold and bitter to warm and loving as he gazed upon her. He took her hand, hesitantly. The warm touch of his skin and the strength hidden inside warmed her heart. It was the most uplifting sensation Yumi had felt since…that day in Lyoko.

"You have the key to what is behind my closed heart," he said so quietly that she could barely hear him. "You just need to use it."

Though he'd spoken in a riddle again, it sparked her memory. "That sounds familiar."

"I told you that once before, remember?" he asked with the hint of a smile. "That day you almost drowned."

Realization flashed through her. Embarrassment swept through her as she said in a voice that mirrored his moments ago, "I thought Theo said that…"

Upon hearing that, Ulrich let go of her hand. Turning away, he started to walk away. As if on a second thought, he glanced back and said, "Don't ever call me a coward again."

Yumi watched him for a moment before returning to Theo's side. As they walked back to Kadic, Yumi realized something. She hadn't allowed herself to think about it due to the strange events that were happening throughout the week. But now, it hit her like missile: she was, if not already, falling back in love with Ulrich. She knew that much credit would have to be given to a certain infected supercomputer.

-

The early morning sky was a beautiful mixture of blues, violets, and yellows. There were a few clouds in the area that reflected and enhanced the dazzling display. It was truly a unique sight for a person just as unique. Even though she'd seen it several times before, it amazed her each time. But this time it was different. The colors seemed stronger, wilder, and held a promise for a beautiful day.

The city, even in its slumber, seemed much too crowded for her. The smells of decay, exhaust, and trash clawed at her nostrils. It was something that she was quite unaccustomed to, no matter how often she was here. Yet, she rejoiced in being there.

A large, happy smile was on her face. As she rounded a corner, the smile broadened. There, in front of her, was the building she was looking for.

-

Opening the door to his dormitory, Jeremy stepped into the hallway. He had his eyes closed as he tried halfheartedly to stifle a yawn. Thus he didn't see what was in front of him until it embraced him in a crushing bear hug. Startled, he could only stand there for a moment.

Gently, he pulled himself apart from the soft yet firm person latched onto him. A familiar and beautiful face graced his vision. No way, he couldn't help but think. Blinking vigorously, he shook his head in case he was still slightly asleep. His glasses slipped from his face. But the blurred image of a smiling, pink haired girl remained.

Kneeling down, Aelita gently picked up his glasses. The smile never left her face as she replaced them back on the bridge of his nose. Leaning forward, she gave him a passionate kiss. It wasn't anything dramatic, yet it wasn't shy. The sensations of too many emotions swept through her and carried her away. No matter what she'd ever thought of love, she knew there were no words or definitions that could describe the incredible feelings raging through her, and them.

Nothing had ever seemed so out of reach as this kiss. This single gift of affection had been what she'd been working to give and receive for a long time. She had imagined this day since she realized that she cared deeply for Jeremy…

Tears of pure and indescribable happiness fell from her eyes.

Wrapping her arms around Jeremy's neck, Aelita kissed him again. She felt him return her kiss as he embraced snugly. Any questions that Jeremy may have had were washed away in the tsunami of emotion that flooded through and around them.

-

All five of them sat under a pine tree. The morning sun shone brightly through the branches and promised for a hot day. The park at this hour was quite full of young children and adults. But the kids sat in an isolated spot in the midst of a fern patch.

Aelita sat with Jeremy at her side. Odd leaned casually against the trunk and Yumi sat in front of the couple. Ulrich sat slightly apart from, but toward the group. They all listened with rapt attention to the tale Aelita was telling them.

"That boy who saved Ulrich introduced himself to me two days ago from today," Aelita began. As she continued, she glanced toward Yumi. "He told me his name was Kenji…Kenji Ishiyama…Your future son."

The boy's couldn't seem to decide who to watch: Yumi or Aelita. Yumi's eyes widened slightly as her jaw fell partially open. Ulrich almost smiled as he remembered the boy. The boy had reminded him of Yumi, and for good reason he now realized.

"He claimed to have come here from twenty-three years in the future. It seems that in his history, Xana had managed to materialize on Earth. Xana couldn't do it here because there was insubstantial amount of memory in the scanners." She glanced at Ulrich. "Apparently, Xana had managed to permanently delete Ulrich when he'd been trapped. When that happened, the memory void was more than enough. Xana came here and hunted humanity to near extinction. It killed all of you over the next fifteen years. I was the last one of us to still resist when my future self met Kenji.

"By that time, I had finally discovered the cure to my virus and had administered it. As I raised Kenji, I had also found your classmate, Herb. Herb had built a time machine but no one could use it. Kenji said that that was because the no one could go back to this time if they already existed. So, he was the perfect choice. I sent him here with the 'antidote' for my virus and that search program Jeremy had created." Aelita smiled at him.

"Kenji has been following all of you for weeks in hopes of finding the supercomputer." Ulrich gave a small grunt. In his mind was the presence that he'd felt as he was rushing back to the supercomputer with the disk. "After a while, he just broke into Jeremy's room and got access to Lyoko. He left me instructions on how to acquire my antidote as he searched for the anti-virus for the Time Reversal Program.

"However," she had an enormous grin on her face. "He not only found it, but also the cure to Xana's virus!"

Collective gasps and grunts came from her friends. Jeremy shot her a questioning look. "If that's true, why didn't he cure you and Xana right then and there?"

Aelita sighed and shrugged. "I asked him, too. But all he said was he wanted to see what life was like before Xana came to Earth and something about messing up future events. Of course, this was before Ulrich came back."

"Since you're here," Odd said. "Does that mean that Xana is cured too?"

Aelita nodded.

"So," Yumi said quietly. "Where is he now…? Kenji, I mean."

Aelita looked at the ground in regret. "Please understand, Yumi. When Ulrich activated the master code and reversed time, he also destroyed any chance of Kenji's own existence."

"You mean he's…" she couldn't bring herself to say it. Her son—her son—was willing to die than to allow a great tragedy to befall the Earth. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that she'd never be able to meet him. Or even be able to talk to him ever again. It wasn't fair. It wasn't FAIR! Yumi hurriedly wiped her tears away as he continued,

"So," Odd piped up after a moment. A silly grin wason his face."When's your first date?"

"What?" said four voices in unison.

"Or were you gonna double-date?" Odd continued, ignoring the glares and embarrassed faces that were all turning some shade of red. "I never really understood the point of a double date. I mean you have twice as many people, twice as many mouths to feed, and it'll cost twice as much."

"And there's twice as many people," Yumi said a sadistic grin, "to beat around ignorant, love-sick trouble-makers when their heads get too big."

As she said that only then did Odd realize that he was greatly outnumbered. Throwing up his hands in defense, he tried to back away. "That-that's not what I meant!"

"Then what did you mean?"

"Ah…? Ah?"

"Let's teach him to stay out of other people's business," Yumi said smiling.

"What?" Odd asked terrified. Trying to back away, he tripped on a tree root. Landing on his butt, he looked up at the approaching figures of his friends. "What are you gonna—?"

"Wedgy!" Ulrich cried as he leapt forward.

(A/N) I hope to get a bit more J/A love in the last few chapters. That about sums up the major conflicts and questions in the story, I think. Only three questions remain that are worth telling.

Where Ulrich was when he disappeared?

Will Ulrich and Yumi get back together?

Who is the mysterious masked fighter?

Don't worry; the one of the questions is finally going to be answered in the next chapter: Sad soon... :)