1Disclaimer: I wish...
Pairings: UxY, JxA
Author's Note: Last chapter sucked, but I couldn't think of anything to write really...or how to end it. Hate when that happens...
"Ulrich...Ulrich...Ulrich..." Ulrich opened his eyes to Odd leaning over him, shaking his shoulder. "Time to wake up Romeo, Jeremie called. Has some big news for us. Wants us to head on over to the factory. All of us."
Ulrich sat up and winced at the pain. "Okay, okay, I'm on my way." The two got dressed quickly and Odd fed Kiwi before they headed off for the park. They met Yumi at the manhole and she shot Ulrich a look.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Sore. Can I not hear any more about this?" he asked as he started the descent into the sewer.
"Fine. Excuse me for being worried!" Yumi exclaimed. She followed Ulrich down and Odd sighed as he closed the hole up after them. "I bet you wouldn't be mad at Emily if she asked!"
"Yumi, stop already with Emily. You KNOW there's nothing going on between us. So knock it off already!" Ulrich exclaimed.
"Will you to behave already? Your acting more immature than me, and that really is something," Odd commented. They grabbed their skateboards and rode the rest of the way to the factory in silence. Yumi and Ulrich continually exchanging looks.
The elevator doors slid open with a long drawn out hiss and Odd stepped forward. "So what's the news Jeremie? Something happen in Lyoko? Something that has to do with XANA?"
"No Odd...Nothing like that," Jeremie answered as he slowly turned towards them. "But...you will have to go over there. I have finally figured out the formula for the anti-virus. We can permanately materialize Aelita!"
"No way? You did it? Congrats Jeremie!" his three friends yelled as they threw themselves on him, hugging him.
"Wow...Einstein's gonna have his girl here after all..."
"Odd!" Jeremie protested, blushing darkly.
"Just commenting Jeremie," Odd replied. "So...let's get going already. We have to rescue a princess!"
The three headed to their scanners and got in slowly. "Scanner Ulrich, Scanner Yumi, Scanner Odd. Transfer Ulrich, Transfer Yumi, Transfer Odd. Virtuelzation." Jeremie called as he his a button on his keyboard.
They landed in Lyoko with a thud and glanced around. "Ah...the desert region, what wonderful memories," Odd called in a sing-song voice. Ulrich and Yumi shifted uncomfortably as Aelita walked over to them.
"Glad you could make it. Come on though, I want to get out of here...quickly..." Aelita said.
"Now why would you want to leave this beautiful place. It's the only place I know where you can go from desert, to ice, to forest, to mountains in a hop-skip-and-a-jump," Odd commented.
Yumi hit him on the side of the head and shook her head. "Come on, let's get this overwith. It'll be great having you permanately with us," she said to Aelita. "I could use another girl with these baboons."
"Okay guys, you have to escort Aelita first to the tower in the desert region, where I can deactivate her virus, then to the one in the forest region, where we can send her back to us...forever..." Jeremie called.
"Got it Jeremie, let's move out," Ulrich said. They raced across the desert region and arrived at the first tower with minimal amounts of force. "XANA probably has the second tower locked up tight."
"Yeah, or he's waiting to ambush us..." Yumi commented. They were waiting outside the tower, absentmindedly looking around. Odd was on "patrol", running here and there, his tail straight up in the air. "Look, Ulrich, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to act annoying...I just...I..." she trailed off and Ulrich smiled at her, taking her hand.
"It's okay Yumi. I understand, your worried, I was over reacting...I'm-" he broke off as Aelita emerged.
"Come on, let's go," she said. They arrived at the second tower and stopped. There were three crabs, two megatanks, a few roachsters, and half a dozen wasps.
"Okay, we have to protect Aelita at all costs. Meaning, split up and get rid of as many as possible," Ulrich told them. They nodded and Odd grinned.
"I love unfair odds," he said. He raced out into the chaos and started following.
"Wait here Aelita," Yumi instructed as she and Ulrich followed Odd. Their strategy was simple enough: clear a path for Aelita, even if they didn't kill all the monsters, just make sure it was safe enough. After nearly an hour of fighting, with a daunting amount of lost life points, they finally got it to where Aelita could make her way to the tower.
"Run Aelita!" Odd yelled. Aelita took off towards the tower as Odd was shot again by one of the roachsters and was devirtualized. Yumi was attempting to kill the last crab and Ulrich was fighting the last megatank. Aelita entered the tower just as Ulrich killed the megatank and the megatank killed him. Yumi sighed, letting the crab kill her since Aelita was already safe.
Yumi fell out of the scanner, Ulrich catching her before she hit the ground. The two joined Odd around one of the scanners, waiting for Aelita. Slowly the scanner opened and Jeremie joined them as Aelita slowly stood. "Welcome back," they said in unison.
"Thanks," Aelita said before stepping out and hugging Jeremie. "It's great to be back.
Author's Note: Wow...done...Thank-God. No, this probably isn't the end of the fic, though it would be a good ending point...I'll see which way my whims take me... ; )