Hey guys! I'm baaaaaaaaccccckkkkk!!!!! So now that I'm back in the writing world, it feels great to be back! Schools being so evil to me... I'm not a trainer anymore because they forced me... evil demon coaches... I've had like 5 projects already and dual credit is harder than I thought... Updating will be slow, so bear with me!!! It's not that I've forgotten about you guys, it's just that my mind will be occupied by things that will determine whether or not I can get on the comp. to update... This story may be edited, so look out for that... Ok, enjoy the 1st chappie of Aftermath!

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Punch. Block. Kick. Jab. Back-flip. The match seemed to go on forever as the two teens continued the fight. The sandy blonde ducked as the dark haired girl tried to connect a right jab. The blonde then stuck out a leg and swung it, causing the other girls' legs to suddenly switch places with her upper body. She landed on her back with a thud, a small grunt escaping her lips. The blonde jumped up to her feet, and, using her momentum to carry her, brought her fist towards the other girl's face. Her opponent saw this and rolled away to the side just before her hand hit the ground. The blonde winced and grunted as her hand made a small dent in the semi-soft ground. She looked over to where the other was just as a swift kick connected with her stomach, lifting her off the ground a few feet. The black haired girl stood triumphantly smirking to herself, thinking she had won, and turned to go sit under a tree. The blonde stood up slowly as to not give herself away to the other. She swiftly but silently crept up behind her opponent who didn't realize she was being stalked until it was too late. The blonde wrapped her arms up and under the others, pulling her into a firm lock. The taller girl struggled, but the blonde held her grip, tightening her grip little by little. With one final effort, the taller girl fell to her knees.

"Okay okay!!! I give!!" The blonde let go and laughed tiredly, moving and sitting down slowly on the grass, while the other got on hands and knees and crawled to her original destination.

"Kiki, you have to work on not letting your guard down. I pulled my kick, but I could tell that it still did some damage." The black haired girl said to the sandy blonde.

"I could say the same thing. Your weakness, though, is that you assume too much. Plus, you need to learn how to break the locks I put you into." There was a small silence as the two girls caught their breath. The silence was broken suddenly by the presence of 2 male voices.

"Kiki!"

"Yumi!" The 2 boys ran up to them, surprised looks on their faces.

"What happened? You look like you just got the crap beat outta you." The 2 girls eyed him sarcastically.

"No Odd, we went and got makeovers." The boys' faces went blank, and there was a small silence. Kiki rolled her eyes.

"That was called sarcasm; and we were sparring with each other." Realization dawned on the boys, and the brunette mouthed an 'oh' to Yumi. The blonde, on the other hand, ran up to Kiki and sat down beside her, pulling her into a gentle hug.

"Are you okay?" Kiki leaned on the blonde's shoulder, closing her eyes and smiling peacefully.

"I'm fine Odd. Me and Yumi just finished a sparring match." Odd answered with a small hum and put his head on hers. Ulrich rolled his eyes and sat down by Yumi.

"Who won Yumi?"

"She did." The girl said lazily pointing to Kiki. The sandy blonde smirked and snuggled closer to Odd.

"That's my girl." The blonde boy said, bringing smirks and chuckles to the others. Yumi stood up slowly and supported her left arm with her right, slouching to the side as she did so.

"I'm off to clean up and pack. I can't wait until Friday!" Yumi said excitedly. Ulrich stood, followed shortly after by Odd and Kiki. The 4 teens walked up to their rooms, Ulrich and Odd going to theirs, and Yumi and Kiki walking further to theirs. The girls grabbed their bathroom stuff and walked down to the girls' showers. Each talked about how they messed up and the faults of the other. After they cleaned up, they dressed and went back up to their dorm room.

"What do you think we'll get do while we're there? In fact, where are we going to go first?" Yumi asked her roomie as they reached their dorm room.

"Well, I think we're landing in Washington D.C. first. After that, I'm not sure." The blonde answered.

"Anyway, we'd better pack mostly for cold weather I don't think we'll be spending much time in warm places."

"We will, though, be spending a while in southern Florida, and that's warm pretty much all year." Kiki nodded as they entered their room and began to pack. Odd came in a while later with a checklist and suitcase in hand. He set down the suitcase and handed the checklist to Yumi.

"Is that everything I'm gonna need?" Yumi looked at the list, opened his suitcase, and looked back up at him with sarcastic eyes.

"You have got to be kidding me, Odd. Unless you're packing for the plane ride there, you have to get some more clothes." Kiki looked at his suitcase, stunned at its contents. Inside were numerous amounts of snacks and only enough clothes for a week at the most. The sandy blonde frowned at him, put everything aside, grabbed her wallet and cell phone. She walked towards the door, hooking her arm through Odd's folded one, pulling him out of the room. Yumi rolled her eyes and went back to packing.

"C'mon Odd, we're going to get you some clothes." Odd turned to Yumi and slyly smiled before grabbing the door and closing it. Silence came upon the room until Yumi decided to turn on the radio. As she did, she didn't notice the door knob starting to turn slowly. She found her favorite station and went back to packing her bags, still not taking notice of the door that opened slowly. The figure started to hear a squeak coming from the door, stopped and took out an oil tube, lubricating the door so it wouldn't alert Yumi of his presence. Once he was done, he continued to open the door, then finally entered her room when it was open enough. Yumi heard a slight shuffle coming from behind her, then whipped around sharply expecting to see someone she knew. All she saw was a slightly open door. She walked over to it and closed it, locking it behind her. A slight noise from behind her caught her attention, and she started to turn, only to be pushed and held still facing the door.

"You let your guard down too easily, my dear..." He said grabbing her wrist and twisting it behind her back, causing Yumi to emit a small cry of pain. Her attacker then pulled Yumi's pocket knife out of her pocket and cut the back of her shirt open. He clicked the knife closed and put it in his back pocket. He then used the free hand to slide it delicately over Yumi's back, admiring her smooth, silky skin. Yumi shivered as the cold hand ran down her back, and, anticipating the worst, started to tear up. He then yanked her backwards, half dragging her to her bed. Just as he was about to finish what he started with her shirt, a knock came from the door. He cursed under his breath and muttered to Yumi.

"I'll be back, my dear. If you give away any information about me..." He said in a dark voice, moving closer to her so his face was right next to her ear.

"I'll kill you..." He pulled back, took out some duct tape and tied her hands and feet. Another knock came from the door and the attacker became nervous when a voice followed it.

"Yumi? Are you there?" The man turned from her to the door and back to her again.

"Tell him to go away." Yumi nodded out of fear and turned towards the door, trying her best not to yell out to Ulrich for help.

"Ulrich, I'm sorry, but I don't wanna talk right now... so go away." Her voice faltered in almost every word, much to her attacker's dismay. Ulrich became suspicious and didn't move from his spot in front of her door.

"What's wrong? Are you okay? Yumi, answer me." No answer came though as the attacker pulled a strip of tape out and put it over Yumi's mouth, silencing her. He then walked over to the window, opened it quietly, and stopped, as if talking to himself about some unknown matter. He then turned back to Yumi and walked over to her. He knelt down beside her and took out her pocket knife. Yumi's eyes widened as he clicked it open and placed the edge at Yumi's throat. The intruder grinned when her breathing shortened, signaling her fear to him.

"I'll be back my dear. Wait for me." He moved the blade from her neck to her left cheek and made a long cut. Yumi inhaled sharply and squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking through freely. Ulrich, by this time, stood banging his fist against the door, trying to get Yumi to open it.

"Yumi, open up! You're staring to worry me. If you don't open up, I'm gonna kick down this door!" He practically yelled, getting into a fighting stance. Odd, Kiki, Jeremie and Aelita walked into the hallway just in time to see Ulrich get into the stance.

"Ulrich, what're you doing?" Kiki asked, confusion spread on her face. Ulrich stayed where he was but turned his head to look at the others.

"Something's wrong. Yumi's not answering me. I'm about to bust open the door." Ulrich faced the door and let fly a strong kick. The door flew open and Ulrich gasped at what he saw. Her window was open, a gentle breeze catching the curtains. Her desk was a mess; various papers, pens, and supplies strewn across the floor and desk. Ulrich turned his head sharply to the left, his eyes now focusing on a gagged and bound Yumi, tears still flowing freely from her trauma. Ulrich rushed from his place in the door to her side in 1 second flat, causing the others, who had stood a good distance away from the door, to run to the door. Yumi closed her eyes, turning her head away from him; half in shame, and the other half because she didn't want him to see her cut. Kiki made it first to the door and froze upon gazing at the room. Odd stopped right before running into her, but Jeremie and Aelita ran into him, forming a sandwich of people. Odd peeked in the room and got wide eyed, realizing why Kiki froze in her spot. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, waking her from her trance. She ran to Yumi's other side and noticed the torn shirt. She got up and told Aelita, who turned to Jeremie and Odd and told them to go. They left reluctantly to Jeremie's room, each mumbling to the other, trying to find out what happened. The girls moved back to Yumi's side, noticing the duct tape on her hands, feet, and mouth. Kiki picked up the pocket knife on the floor next to her, noticing the faint traces of blood on the edge of the blade. She dismissed the thought for the moment and turned her attention back to Yumi. She used the knife to cut the tape, being extremely careful not to cut Yumi's leg or hand. Once she could get her hands out from behind her, Yumi took the liberty of taking the tape off herself, wincing as the tape came agonizingly slow over her wrists. Ulrich didn't bother with the knife and unraveled it quickly so she could move her feet around. Once Yumi got the tape off her wrists, she took the tape off her mouth, leaving a bright red mark on her face where the tape had been placed. Once she was completely free, Aelita grabbed a blanket and placed it over her shoulders, warming her to ease the shivering. Ulrich pulled her into a tight embrace, his strong arms comforting Yumi as she sobbed into his shoulder. Kiki gently tapped Ulrich on the shoulder, causing him to turn to her, and mouthed a 'what?' to her. She pointed to Yumi and mouthed that she was tired and needed rest. Ulrich nodded reluctantly and gently pulled Yumi away from him, lifting her head to catch her gaze with his own. Yumi looked at him through tear stained eyes, soft whimpers escaping her lips every so often.

"Yumi, I need you to get some rest. I have to go now, but Kiki and Aelita are gonna be here in case you need anything, okay?" Yumi nodded solemnly and Ulrich stood up slowly, lightly squeezing her hand before letting go. After he left, silence filled the room as Aelita stood up and began to straighten up the room. Kiki still sat by Yumi, uneasy silence between them. The blonde turned to Yumi and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay now Yumi. Everything's okay now; no one's here except me and Aelita. Let me see your back to make sure you're okay." Yumi reluctantly obeyed, slid the cover off her and turned so her back was facing Kiki. The sandy blonde pulled the tattered clothing to the side, revealing Yumi's back. The dark haired girl shivered when Kiki looked at her back; partly because of cold, and partly because of shame and fear. Kiki didn't linger and did a quick assessment, deciding that her back was fine. She replaced the blanket over her shoulders and stood up, walking over to the closet. Kiki pulled out a sleeveless black turtleneck and walked back over to Yumi. Yumi accepted it and changed shirts quickly. Once the shirt was on, Yumi brushed back her hair on the left side, not realizing that she smeared the blood on her cheek. Aelita turned to Yumi and gasped when she saw the red liquid on her hand.

"Yumi, you're bleeding!" Kiki shot around to look at Yumi's hand, then her cheek. She turned to the door and walked out to Jeremie's room and knocked on the door. Ulrich answered the door, concern still evident on his face.

"How's Yumi doing?"

"She's fine Ulrich; I need Jeremie's medical kit though." This didn't sit too well with Ulrich.

"What?! What happened?"

"Calm down Ulrich, she just has a cut that needs a band-aid." Jeremie walked up behind Ulrich and stuck the kit through to her.

"Tell her we all said hi." Kiki nodded, grabbed the kit and went back to the room.

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Yumigirl06: Woot!!! That's it! Please review and tell me how you like it! Lot's of stuff will be referenced from my first story, The Ties That Bind, so you must read that if you wish to understand most of the stuff here...

Ulrich: Sooooo....... when are we going to the U.S.?

Yumi: .................glares at Ulrich

Ulrich: What?!

Yumi walks away still scowling while Ulrich runs after her

Ulrich: Yumi wait! What'd I do? Yumi!

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