Author's disclaimer:

Code Lyoko, its locations, including Kadic Junior High and the factory, and its characters, including Jeremy, Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, Aelita and XANA, are the property of Antefilms Ltd.


Chapter Three:Realization

Now here she was, more than a year later, facing it all again, the anguish, the distrust, the prejudice, all over again. It seemed even harder now. She had only known Jeremy a few months when she told him, and he had already figured it out himself; she had merely confirmed his suspicions. Now she had known Ulrich for almost two years and they had become comfortable with each other. They were too comfortable, maybe, and definitely too comfortable for this secret to remain between them, whatever the consequences.

He had to be told, but she could think of no safe way to tell him. This, she thought, was the least dangerous way.

Now, however, looking at his face, she realized that she had not considered the possibility of him having a stroke or a brain haemorrhage. He was beet red, and the veins on his neck and forehead were standing out.

"O.K.," he said, "I can understand why Jeremy didn't tell us; he was afraid it would break the team up. But why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was afraid."

"OF WHAT?" Ulrich yelled.

"Of how you'd react," replied Yumi, ironically.

Ulrich grunted and tore at his hair. "Isn't anything normal anywhere?" he asked, enraged. "All my friends are fighting a mad computer virus bent on destroying the world… and what friends I have! The clown prince of rock and roll, a kid who lives on the edge of cyberspace, a virtual girl who lives in cyberspace, and now my girlfriend, who I thought was the only normal person I knew, turns out to be some kind of… of werewolf!"

Yumi recoiled in horror. "Ulrich, please, whatever happens between us, if you ever felt anything for me at all, never, ever, call me that again!"

"Huh?" replied Ulrich, off-guard, surprised that he could still be surprised.

"They're real, Ulrich. Werewolves are real, and they are more dangerous and terrifying than you can possibly imagine. There are at least two of them around the city. Thankfully, neither of them go anywhere near Kadic. One of them comes around this forest sometimes, but," she paused, sniffed the air, and continued, "he's not around here now."

This terrifying digression was too much for Ulrich. He looked around for a rock or stump to sit on; on finding none, he sat in the grass and rested his forehead in his hands, just as Jeremy had done in his room over a year before.

"So," he said weakly, "what does all this mean? What does it mean for us? Where do we go from here?"

"I don't know, Ulrich, but at least wherever we go from here, we'll go knowing the truth."

He looked up at her, tears in his eyes.

"Will we be going there together?"

"I hope so, Ulrich, but it's up to you."

"Yumi, I don't know if I can handle this. I don't know what this means. I don't know anything about this at all. But I know I loved you, and I think I still do, and if there's any way this can still work, I'd like for us to find it."

Ulrich stretched his hands up to Yumi, and she pulled him up from the ground. He leaned into her arms, and they embraced each other, and stayed in each other's arms for a long, long time.

FINIS


Author's postscript:

This was just an idea that came to me after looking up what a kitsune was. I don't know why Yumi just struck me as this eternal trickster after reading the legends, but she did. Immediately after reading about the legends at Wikipedia, I drew the picture "Yumi's Other Secret". After scanning and colouring it, I submitted it to my deviantART gallery.I was going to provide a link, but it won't show. Just look forSamBlob at deviantART, I guess. I built this story around that picture.

Proof that Yumi isn't a kitsune:

Season 1, episode 6: "Cruel Dilemma": Jeremy calls Yumi in the middle of the night and she was actually in bed, sleeping. Wouldn't a real kitsune be roaming the night?

Season 1, episode 12: "Swarming Attack": Yumi would have overheard Odd's deliberations and would have known what he was talking about.