Post-production note: I don't want any complaints about "it wasn't like that in the show" b/c I based this only on what I learned during season 1.

8-1: A Twosome

Overview: X.A.N.A. has been attacking our heroes using what he calls Pawns who have elemental powers, but there is a flaw in his calculations: his meddling has resulted in the gang receiving their powers too. So far Odd has his Anticipation and Janika has her Bloodlust, plus Jeremy has discovered his ability to talk with girls trapped on Lyoko, but who will be next?

(((-1-)))

X.A.N.A. scowled unconsciously. Nothing was going as planned. His Pawns had both been defeated as they were about to destroy the Warriors, but had ultimately failed.

What had gone wrong? X.A.N.A. never should have been forced to make a second one, yet now he was finishing completion on a third!

The Warriors were gaining strength somehow through a miscalculation on his part. No! He could not have made a mistake! His own programming was flawless. The AI had meddled with it, surely. The creature was becoming more of a nuisance every day.

Perhaps that was it! The program Aelita must be deleted at all costs.

(V)

Odd hummed loudly along with the music from his CD player while taking bites out of a sticky ball of melted gummy worms. He was definitely engrossed and it was grossing Ulrich out.

"Do you even know how long you've had those things under your bed?"

The blonde shrugged, uninterested. "Don't know. Don't care. They taste good." His eyes widened and he pulled one out of his mouth. "Except this one. It tastes like a piece of string."

"It is a piece of string, Odd," Ulrich muttered and then jumped aside as his friend tossed it at him. "Hey! Cut it out, man. That's totally disgusting. How can you swallow that stuff without getting nauseous?"

"Like this." The shorter boy gulped loudly. He cranked up the volume on his headphones and then started singing the lyrics of the song out loud and off-key.

The dark-haired boy moaned and covered his face. "Why me? Why me?" He stood up as there came a knock on their door. "Please let this be someone from the psycho ward," he prayed.

Janika smiled cheerily when he peered out. "Hi, Ulrich! Is that Odd I hear?"

"Take him, please! He's driving me crazy and I need to get my homework done. He always does this to me on Saturdays."

"I'll get him out of your hair. Hey Odd, weren't you…" She blinked and her mouth quirked into a slight smile as she caught sight of him dancing on his bed in his boxers and a T-shirt. "Ummm…"

Ulrich rolled his eyes and tackled his roommate, taking off the earphones and shouting, "Quit listening to music and get dressed! Janika's here!"

"What?" Odd yelled. He was still hard of hearing from the rock song he'd been blasting carelessly into his ears.

"Janika is here!" he bellowed deafeningly.

The blonde finally turned around and saw Janika staring at him passively. He laughed and threw the melted lump of gooey worms on his dresser. "What are you doing here?"

"You were supposed to meet me fifteen minutes ago. Just put something decent on and let's get going!" she snapped tersely. "You don't want to make me mad, Odd."

"Okay, okay, gee whiz!" He rolled his eyes before grabbing a pair of pants. "It's not like you never wear anything skimpy. Your outfit on Lyoko doesn't leave much to the imagination, you know."

"That's no excuse for you, panther-boy! I'm cute and furry. You, on the other hand, are not. Truthfully, I always thought you looked a bit fruity. Don't you have any other clothes besides those tacky things?"

"Hey! Now it's getting personal!" He tossed a balled-up towel at her as he finished dressing. "If you insult my wardrobe I'll make sure you regret it." A fiendish gleam sparkled in his eye. "I have ways of making you miserable."

"Whatever. Bye, Ulrich! See you later." Odd followed her as she ambled down the hall. The dark-haired boy heard them talking as they left. "You told me last night that you were going to be ready first thing in the morning."

"Oh yeah, the…the thing. We were going to go there. Whatever it was. Something important. Or really good. Or…er…something important?"

"The art show, Dumbo."

He snapped his fingers. "That was it!"

"You said you'd give your kidneys to go."

"That was before I knew what kidneys were. Now I know I need them. Jeremy bothered to explain it to me last night." Her laugh echoed in the hallway. "See! It is possible to break through your stony armor, O mighty Warrior Queen!"

"Just for you."

Their voices faded away as they went downstairs and Ulrich rubbed his temples. At least he could spend the rest of the morning doing his work in peace. He had just turned back to look at his work when someone tapped on his open door.

Oh, if only, if only.

"I don't want to talk to you," he growled. "Just go away and leave me alone, Sissy."

The most popular girl in school was hardly daunted by her dismissal. "If you haven't forgotten, we need to do a project together."

"I'm not going to pretend to be your husband. I never agreed to do that."

"Well, your signature just so happens to be on the sign-up sheet and the teacher said it was a good idea, so get ready and we'll begin our first day as husband and wife!" she almost squealed in excitement.

Ulrich stood up and tried to close the door in her face. "Sorry Sissy, but I'm filing for divorce right now. I'd rather get an F than pretend to be your husband."

She put her foot in the door and pushed it open, her eyes becoming angry. "Nobody says 'no' to me!" the black-haired girl spat.

"Well, you'd better get used to it because the day I go along with you is the day I commit suicide. Now go away!"

He finally managed to slam the door. He banged his fist down so hard on his desk that the picture frames fell over. "She drives me absolutely crazy! I wish there was some way to take care of her so that I…whoa!"

Ulrich staggered, suddenly feeling nauseous. He leaned heavily against his chair and nearly blacked out. As it was, when the world finally came back into view, he couldn't stand up and walk very well. His legs felt like rubber and his hands weren't much better. They would hardly grasp anything.

"What's wrong with me?" he wondered.

(V)

Sissy stormed down the hallway, muttering curses under her breath and kicking the wall. "Suicide! I'll teach him to threaten me with suicide! Someday I'll die of a broken heart and my tombstone will read 'I died for lack of love, Ulrich, you stupid lump of half-baked, garlic-breathing—'" she stopped in mid-sentence as she heard a door open. "Ulrich!"

Her composure changed in a split-second as he walked toward her. He looked strange, but she didn't care. Maybe he was reconsidering her offer!

The handsome dark-haired boy stopped in front of her. "Sissy," he said slowly. His voice was odd, as though he was hypnotized or something. "You drive me crazy. Is there some way I can take care of you?"

The girl's heart almost stopped. "Oh, Ulricky! I knew you had feelings for me!" She flew into his arms and latched on like a leech. "We can do the project together and everything! Come on, there's a lot of work to do."

She began dragging Ulrich's clone away while the real Ulrich lay in his room, too weak to realize what had just happened.

New poll! I need a good name for this one. I'll change it and give the best suggestioner a dedication! I just want a cool name. It doesn't even have to have anything to do w/ the plot.